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~Declan~Just like in my daydreams, Serena vanished from my sight. The only difference this time was that I knew this was real.She left me dumbfounded with nothing but a bruised ego, a million questions, and a confused Seth Hawkins as my company. Chief Ramirez had already excused himself and his men when Spade and my wife’s doppelgänger left the room. I bet my money he’d chase those two before they could exit the building.Heart. Spade said that was her name. Heart without a surname. Who the fuck is she?“Who was she?” Seth asked. He’d already abandoned his chair, his white and red striped necktie and suit jacket hanging on the backrest. Undoing the top button of his dress shirt, he went to the small long table on the side of the conference room, opened a bottle of Grant’s. He filled two glasses with the amber liquid and offered one to me.Seth was a good friend, but there were things he didn’t know about my past. I rarely talk about myself, especially about Serena. Anything about he
~Serena~The purr of my Ninja H2 echoed through the basement parking, followed by Spade’s YZF-R1. Thank heavens we didn’t use Spade’s car today. The drive from Hawkins Enterprise to Spade’s condo gave me head space before my partner berated me for what I did in that meeting.Securing my bike in the guest parking space, I removed my helmet and walked past Spade. I headed straight to the elevator, jabbing my fingers on the tenth-floor button. Spade was behind me the moment the elevator door opened. The silence inside the lift was heavy. Spade’s eyes bore holes in the back of my head, and the shifting of his mind gears was so loud it echoed through the confined space.I wish I could just ditch Spade off and start a new life again, but fate had a different plan for me this time. Five years, I was able to evade Declan and everything that would drag me back to my dreadful past. It seemed my luck had already run out.Inside Spade’s condo unit, I went straight to the kitchen and pulled out a
~Serena~The doorbell sounded again. And that is one very impatient visitor.I narrowed my eyes at Spade when he tipped his head, beckoning me to open the door.“Why don’t you open it? This is your place,” I hissed at him.“You owe me for your tantrums in the meeting,” he countered.I crossed my arms in my middle. This conversation was a waste of time, but I honestly don’t want to open that door. From the way the buzzer was impatiently pressed, I had a good idea that I was in for a stand-off with Declan.Playfulness twinkled in Spades’s earthy eyes. This annoying man was enjoying my misery too much. I wanted to smack him in the face, but the doorbell buzzed again and again.I let out an annoyed groan and stomped towards the door, opening it with a snarl. “What!?” I gasped when I came face to face with the person behind it.“Serena?”“Jared…” I whispered, a tsunami of memories hitting me at full force.I was frozen on the spot, eyes blown wide, when Jared tossed his corded forearms aro
~Serena~I will never forget the day the life I knew was ripped from my grasp by the people I trusted and loved. This was the day I tasted the bitter tang of betrayal, leaving me with nothing apart from anger and hatred. This was the day I learned how revenge can motivate a person to endure anything, even death.~~The chains linking the shackles around my wrist sang a terrible song of death and agony. It was heavy and cold, leaving bruising marks on my blood-matted skin.Anton and Mike dragged me by the arms, their fingers digging into my skin. They had been part of my family’s security detail since I was a little girl. Now, they’re the entourage leading me to my execution. They were indifferent. Cold and distant. They don’t see me as the princess of this pack anymore, but a mere criminal who tainted their pack with disgrace.Everyone we came across through this excruciating walk towards the amphitheater where I’ll meet my end vibrated with hate and anger.We halted before a metal do
~Serena~The raging sentiments of the townspeople, the blistering heat of the sun, and Gerald’s protest on the podium became trivial as Declan served me a one-way ticket to my death on a silver platter. We stared at each other, our eyes conveying what our mouths couldn’t utter.Mine was a culmination of confusion and anger. While Declan had already detached himself somewhere no one could reach him, hiding behind a mask of indifference. I knew a way to reach that side of him, but there was only one way we would be touching again, and that was me shoving a dagger in his heart.Anton and Mike grabbed my arms, ushering me at their alpha’s command. Declan’s eyes were heavy on my back as I stepped down the platform. It was like stepping back into reality. I became aware of the outraged pack members in the arena. Words were thrown at me, demeaning my rights in this pack.Behind the double door, more soldiers joined my entourage. For a sentence given seconds ago, I say they were more than pre
~Serena~Werewolves live and hunt in packs, and when a member is sentenced to exile, they become rogue, destined to live and die alone. I can consider myself a rogue now, except I am wolfless. This rogue would recognize me as a human with the scent of a wolf from Embercrest. His enemy.As the alpha’s only child, I was taught self-defense at an early age, but I never needed to use these skills outside of sparring or training. Heart lodged in my throat, and I pressed my back against the tree as a rogue emerged from the bushes before me. Barely skin, fur, and bones, its mud-matted brown fur clung to its body like a second skin. Hunger gleamed in its eyes, seeing me as its first meal after famine. Baring its teeth, it snarled and crouched, leaping in my direction. Its movement was unsteady and slow.I jumped out of my hiding spot, rolling away from the rogue as its body slammed into the tree with a loud thud. It hissed, shaking its head to gain his balance, locking eyes with me as I stoo
~Declan~“What do you mean she’s gone?” I slammed my fist on the Oakwood desk. The glass of bourbon I’d been nursing after handing down Serena’s sentence rattled.Lia flinched, quickly hiding her trembling hand behind her back. “I followed Serena as soon as I could, but the rogues got to her before I did.”Stunned, I clenched my fist, feeling my world crumble. Lia had one job. She needed to make sure Serena made it through the Hallow Forest, take her to my contact in The City of Brille, and explain why I did what I did.I can’t believe this. My Serena. She’s gone?I shook my head, anger simmering inside me. Trying to keep my anger at bay, I took a huge breath and met Lia’s eyes. “How fucking sure are you that the rogues got Serena?”Lia was perfect for this job. She was an exceptional warrior, and Serena trusted her. They were best friends. If there was anyone Serena would listen to after what she had gone through, it was Lia. Did I make a mistake choosing Lia for this job?“I…” Lia s
~Declan~I was careful not to use inhumane speed in chasing Serena’s doppelgänger. The ghost of her had haunted me for the last five years.No, I haven’t forgiven myself for causing her pain and death. Part of me knew I was chasing someone who didn’t live in this realm anymore, but my wolf refused to accept that Serena was really gone. He was a stubborn one, more stubborn than me.A war raged between my mind and my heart as I merged into the crowded walking path. My mind said it was all my imagination, but my heart believed this imagination, and so did my wolf. He was restless. If someone in this crowd would investigate, they’d see the gold swirling in my eyes. My wolf fought for dominance. I paused and willed my wolf to calm down, craning my neck in search of the blond girl in this ocean of people going about their lives.There were about thirty blond-haired women within a hundred yards. Through my heightened sense of sight, I spotted the blond in the pedestrian lane at the corner o
~Serena~The doorbell sounded again. And that is one very impatient visitor.I narrowed my eyes at Spade when he tipped his head, beckoning me to open the door.“Why don’t you open it? This is your place,” I hissed at him.“You owe me for your tantrums in the meeting,” he countered.I crossed my arms in my middle. This conversation was a waste of time, but I honestly don’t want to open that door. From the way the buzzer was impatiently pressed, I had a good idea that I was in for a stand-off with Declan.Playfulness twinkled in Spades’s earthy eyes. This annoying man was enjoying my misery too much. I wanted to smack him in the face, but the doorbell buzzed again and again.I let out an annoyed groan and stomped towards the door, opening it with a snarl. “What!?” I gasped when I came face to face with the person behind it.“Serena?”“Jared…” I whispered, a tsunami of memories hitting me at full force.I was frozen on the spot, eyes blown wide, when Jared tossed his corded forearms aro
~Serena~The purr of my Ninja H2 echoed through the basement parking, followed by Spade’s YZF-R1. Thank heavens we didn’t use Spade’s car today. The drive from Hawkins Enterprise to Spade’s condo gave me head space before my partner berated me for what I did in that meeting.Securing my bike in the guest parking space, I removed my helmet and walked past Spade. I headed straight to the elevator, jabbing my fingers on the tenth-floor button. Spade was behind me the moment the elevator door opened. The silence inside the lift was heavy. Spade’s eyes bore holes in the back of my head, and the shifting of his mind gears was so loud it echoed through the confined space.I wish I could just ditch Spade off and start a new life again, but fate had a different plan for me this time. Five years, I was able to evade Declan and everything that would drag me back to my dreadful past. It seemed my luck had already run out.Inside Spade’s condo unit, I went straight to the kitchen and pulled out a
~Declan~Just like in my daydreams, Serena vanished from my sight. The only difference this time was that I knew this was real.She left me dumbfounded with nothing but a bruised ego, a million questions, and a confused Seth Hawkins as my company. Chief Ramirez had already excused himself and his men when Spade and my wife’s doppelgänger left the room. I bet my money he’d chase those two before they could exit the building.Heart. Spade said that was her name. Heart without a surname. Who the fuck is she?“Who was she?” Seth asked. He’d already abandoned his chair, his white and red striped necktie and suit jacket hanging on the backrest. Undoing the top button of his dress shirt, he went to the small long table on the side of the conference room, opened a bottle of Grant’s. He filled two glasses with the amber liquid and offered one to me.Seth was a good friend, but there were things he didn’t know about my past. I rarely talk about myself, especially about Serena. Anything about he
~Declan~As if on cue, Seth’s beta, Clint, knocked and opened the door. “There’s a Heart and Spade in the lobby. Wouldn’t say their surnames,” he announced with a frown. “They said they’re here for the meeting with Chief Ramirez.”That’s odd. Seth employed humans in his company and if you were meeting with the CEO with Seth’s caliber, it was an unspoken courtesy to give your full name or you’d be considered a threat to his security.“They are the team I’m speaking about,” Chief Ramirez cut in, his eyes anticipating Seth’s next instructions. Beside me, Seth’s fingernails were already drawing blood from his palm. I hear a low growl rumble from his throat. Then he nodded at Clint. “Let them in.”Mind link between Seth and me wasn’t needed for me to understand what was running through his head right now. However, he had to take into consideration that Chief Ramirez was an outsider from the shifter world. He didn’t understand that shifters were territorial creatures, that we rarely work wi
~Declan~My fingers in one hand were enough to count what I liked about being an alpha. In the eyes of an ordinary wolf in a pack, being an alpha was a noble title. Some wouldn’t hesitate to spill blood just to gain control over a pack. In the wrong hands, being an alpha could be a powerful sword he could wield to overpower the weak.It comes with power and respect, but if anyone would ask me what being an alpha was like, it was a heavy burden I had to carry over my shoulder. Although it was my birthright, being an alpha didn’t have its appeal to me. I blamed this bloodline for my mother’s death. If my father wasn’t the alpha’s son, those rogues wouldn’t have targeted our family.Serena was the only reason I agreed to be an alpha. Honoring her is also the reason I am still an alpha to this day. It felt like letting go of Embercrest also meant letting go of her memory.I had help, of course. All these years, Jared had kept me sane. He protected me from the scrutinizing eyes of the Ember
~Serena~I stared at the fire dancing up in the air, the gorgeous Cinderella ball gown burning inside the steel drum. The beautiful ball gown just went to waste. The nasty scent of burning fabric drifted through the air, but it wasn’t enough to erase Declan’s scent. It annoyingly lingered around, like an itch I couldn’t scratch.Pulling out a packet of cigarettes from my leather jacket pocket, I lit it up and took a long pull.Fucking Declan Mitchell. I huffed, peering up at the glowing moon above.‘What kind of sick joke is this, Moon Goddess? Really? Declan? I don’t mind not having a mate. I don’t need a man to complete me, much less the bastard who was the reason I lost everything in the first place.’“Penny for your thoughts,” Spade asked, materializing beside me from the darkness of the forest behind the cabin, one of the many safe houses I owned. I didn’t hear him coming, but I sensed him before he made himself known.“Do I look like I need a penny?” I retorted, scowling at him
~Declan~The moment my foot settled on the ground floor landing, I understood why my wolf had been eager to know the lady in the blue ball gown.It started with a scent so delicious that I deliriously salivated for a single taste. A growl rumbled from my chest, loud enough for Seth to look over his shoulder and frown at me. His frown quickly morphed into concern.“Declan.” His wide eyes scanned my face, then our surroundings, worried someone might notice the change in me. It took all of my strength to control my wolf from catapulting forward to take over the situation. The tension coiling inside me was chaotic, a storm ready to wipe out everything in its path. Liquid gold filled my eyes, my canine elongating, and my fingernails lengthened, digging into my palms as I tried to keep it together.I was shifting. And a crowd of influential people in the human and shifter world would witness it if I didn’t control my wolf.Deep breaths in and out, I willed my heart to slow its beating and
~Declan~“Stop fidgeting. You look great, Alpha,” Jared whispered. The laughter in his voice made me frown. The elevator chimed, signaling that we had finally reached Seth’s penthouse.“I look fucking ridiculous,” I grunted as the elevator door parted, revealing a dimly lit hallway. “You made me wear tights!”Jared stepped out, chuckling. “Trust me. You will have every woman’s eyes in that ball the second we walk in.”“Of course, why wouldn’t they? We both look ridiculous in these outfits!” The muffled bass drummed beneath my feet as we approached the double doors at the end of the hallway. Two men in sharp suits manned the doors.Jared handed them our invitations. They scrutinized our outfit with a passive expression before nodding.“Wait, you forgot this.”“What now!?” I growled. I swear I was on the brink of losing my shit when Jared held out a gold glittering mask. “For heaven’s sake, Jared?!”“It’s a masquerade ball, Al- Declan,” he stopped himself before calling me alpha.Face p
~Declan~I was careful not to use inhumane speed in chasing Serena’s doppelgänger. The ghost of her had haunted me for the last five years.No, I haven’t forgiven myself for causing her pain and death. Part of me knew I was chasing someone who didn’t live in this realm anymore, but my wolf refused to accept that Serena was really gone. He was a stubborn one, more stubborn than me.A war raged between my mind and my heart as I merged into the crowded walking path. My mind said it was all my imagination, but my heart believed this imagination, and so did my wolf. He was restless. If someone in this crowd would investigate, they’d see the gold swirling in my eyes. My wolf fought for dominance. I paused and willed my wolf to calm down, craning my neck in search of the blond girl in this ocean of people going about their lives.There were about thirty blond-haired women within a hundred yards. Through my heightened sense of sight, I spotted the blond in the pedestrian lane at the corner o