LeviMy hands are shaking as I read the words on the paper, written in Lauren’s unmistakable handwriting.“We got your mother and father. If you want them back, bring Arya to us.”Denial is the first emotion that hits me. I mean, this can’t be real, right? This has to be some kind of a twisted prank played on me. I want to delude myself and say that this is too much to be real. It has to be some sort of nightmare. The problem is, I don’t think anyone would pull such a stupid stunt on me knowing what already happened.When I told everyone in the infirmary room what just happened, it feels like I just dropped a bomb. None of them say anything or do anything. I don’t think any of them could brings themselves to move. The silence is almost tangible in the air, like any moment I can reach out and touch it.I turn to Theo. “Let’s go.”He nods grimly and opens the door for me. The entire room is still silent as I leave. No one says anything to me even as I walk away, but outside, Mr. and Mrs
AryaTheo didn't have to tell me. Levi didn't have to either. The moment Levi told the room that his parents have been taken by Connor and Lauren, I immediately knew that it was an exchange.And my first instinct is to tell him to take me to them. I wanted to sacrifice myself if it meant freeing everyone who have been taken.But I know I can't do that. There's no guarantee they will be freed if they get me, and I still have no idea what they want to do to me exactly.So, what I chose to do is get up despite everyone's protests and find Levi in the forest.It didn't take long for me to find him. I could hear the trees being broken and I can hear his howls. Seeing him distressed and angry like that broke my heart. Even though I was worried and guilty, I came to him. And I didn't expect him to break down like he is doing right now.Still, I hold him close to me as he tries to let it out, making sure to make him feel as safe as possible. I know I don't have much to offer, but right now, a
AryaShock reverberates in my body. I don't know what to say. For a second I struggle to understand what she means, then it occurs to me that she is talking about the weird pit that Levi and I found in the forest.My heart starts to beat really fast. "Where will I start? What am I supposed to find?""Me. You will find me," she whispers. "Find the old shed up north. I'm just right here. I've been here for days. . . ."I have so many questions to her, and even though I know she can get cut off anytime, I decide to chance it and ask in a rush, "Who is doing this to you? Why are they doing this? Have you seen the others? Do you know where they are?"Daphne struggles to open her mouth, but she takes a harrowing breath and then her scene starts to vanish. She's saying something, but her words come out warbled somehow, like she's saying them from so far away and something is purposefully destroying her voice and her words as they travel.Then, just like that, everything turns black and I hea
AryaFor an entire moment I thought that this is indeed Daphne and something has been done to her, but then I remember the strange story that Levi has about me when he was in the dungeon of the palace, when I held him captive.The melting creature who looked like me, but isn’t me. The creepy thing that took my form and tried to trick him.This creature is exactly like that.Melting and taking the form of Daphne, down to the last detail of her in my dream.My heart starts to pound fast inside my chest. I try to run, but the thing grabs my legs and looks up at me.“Don’t go,” it says, still in Daphne’s voice. “Take me with you.”If I didn’t know better, I would think that this is indeed her, that she’s just terribly hurt and burnt in this place, but I can feel that it’s not her. There’s some sort of dark energy emanating from it, and it’s making it hard to breathe. Right now I feel suffocated just standing close to it.I know I should just run. That would be the smartest thing to do rig
AryaAll the air seems to have sucked out of the forest. I'm breathing hard, clutching my chest as I look at Nancy.It feels like a big clock is ticking over my head, telling me that we're running out of time, saying that something is not going right."No," I mumble. "Nancy. . . ."Arthur and I scramble to our feet and we both rush towards her. Things seem to happen faster, as though the fact that we came close to her is the catalyst for things to go south. Arthur heaves her into his arms and together we rush out of the forest. My mind is whirring with possibilities and my chest is tight with fear.What happened with Nancy? What is happening right now?What did she do? What did she have to do just to get rid of the bats? I haven't even been able to wrap my head around the simple fact that we were all driven here by the same dream that turned out to be a trap, and I hate that this is what it turned into."Where are we going to go?" Arthur asks shakily as we get out of the forest. "Wher
AryaI was about to come give Gammie a hug when her words stop me completely. “What do you mean, Gammie?”She hesitates and shifts her weight from one foot to another, her gaze flitting from me to my mom. She also looks at the door of the infirmary and says, “I will go see my granddaughter first.” With that, she looks at my mom. “Your Majesty, I would like to ask for some assistance for Nancy. Please, her parents are out of the country for a convention, and I need her to be back in my home so I can look after her.”Mom looks a bit surprised because of her sudden request, but she immediately nods and calls on the guards, whispering commands.Soon enough, Nancy is being carried on a comfy bed to one of the big vans that the kingdom owns. Arthur gets behind the wheel and me in the front seat, with Mom and Gammie in the back with Nancy.“I apologize for all of this,” Gammie says, and for a moment I wonder what she’s apologizing for, exactly. “I didn’t mean to bother all of you like this.
AryaMy mouth falls open. "A Shape Shifter?"Gammie nods, looking at the drawing on the book again. "I know that us Lycans and Werewolves have been considered shape shifters for a very long time, but this is different."Her ominous tone makes all of us listen closely, but it's the look of pure fear and apprehension in her eyes that makes all of shiver. Gammie never looked this way before, not even when there was something bad happening to Simon. She's always the one able to summon some calmness in the hardest times, so this reaction is chilling to see.I don't even know if I want to know how the rest of her story goes, but I still muster the courage to ask, "What do you mean? How are they different from us?""Well," she begins. pausing as though to weigh her words. "There are two known shape shifters in all of history, a man and a woman, but the woman decided to go a different path. She decided to give up this great power and settle to be one creature for the rest of her life. Now he
AryaThe silence in the whole room is almost deafening. My heart doesn't seem to be beating even at this point. I feel like I'm going to die. I can't breathe or blink or even move.For a long while none of us speaks. Gammie looks away and is just staring into the distance now, while Mom is fighting down tears.The only one who doesn't seem to be staying still and silent is Arthur, who just shot up to his feet and looked at Gammie."What do you mean Arya is the mate?" There's apparent anger and frustration in his voice, but I don't think it's directed at Gammie. "She's my mate. I marked her. I mated her. That would not happen unless she's been marked by someone else. And hell, she was supposedly Levi's mate. They had a mate bond. Why the hell is that irrelevant now?"Gammie looks at him with a pitying look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Arthur. I hope you don't think I'm making this up. Arya is his mate. Look at her neck. Your mark has been erased. It's never permanent because she's already
LeviI tighten my hands around Lauren’s throat, feeling it pulse under my touch. There’s the level of satisfaction to that that I can’t explain.It's dark and it's something that I don't even want to acknowledge, but I would be lying if I say that it doesn't feel good.As I watch her eyes grow bigger with alarm, I feel more and more determined to end it this way. With her right under my hands, trying to fight off the force of my strength around her neck.I hate her, I realize as I try my best to finish her off and get this over with forever. She might just be an accomplice to her shitty brother, but she knows what she's doing.And if tonight is proof, I would say that she's not as innocent as she pretends to be. She's perfectly capable of making choices that would fuck other people up even more. She knows what she's doing.I still want to know so many things, like how she got to copy the scent of Arya and why she needed it anyway, when I can just tell completely that she's not my mate
LeviMy heart nearly gets stuck inside my throat. I want to scream, but I find that I can’t. The pain in my chest is still much too great for that, and I hate that I’m not even sure I’m seeing the right thing.Is Lauren really here, or am I just manifesting the stupid dreams and thinking that I am seeing her?I blink rapidly to see if she is indeed there, and to my horror, the image of her smiling in the corner doesn’t vanish. She’s walking close to the bed I’m lying on, but Gammie doesn’t even move. She doesn’t even flinch. I know for a fact that she’s a very sensible old woman who can practically feel everything, so this worries me.I look at Lauren again and see that she's getting closer and closer, and as though to confuse me further, she touches the side of Gammie's shoulder.And the woman doesn't flinch.Is Lauren real right now? Because I can hear her footsteps. I can smell her scent. I can tell that she's getting closer to me and she feels very much solid right now.Could this
LeviI was locked in a constant state of dreams and uncomfortable thoughts when they were operating on me.Part of me was conscious, but a bigger part of me just wasn’t. It was constantly floating in a state of blankness and anxiety, just a mish mash of things that shouldn’t go together. Sometimes I find myself dreaming of my parents and my childhood. Sometimes I find myself dreaming of my teenage years and my short days as an Alpha.But most of the time, I was dreaming of Arya.However, when I was about to wake up, I was dreaming of something else entirely. Something that resonated with my fear, the reason why I thought about bringing down the whole arena instead of participating in the fight that Connor and Lauren wanted to see.* * *In my dream, it was nighttime, and the lights in the arena are almost blinding me. My heart is pounding so fast that I feel like it's going to give out any moment. There are so many people around us. Too many, in my opinion. And they're all looking at
Arya“Arthur,” I mutter, his name leaving my lips like a plea as I shift around in his bed. I know perfectly well that I’m sleeping, but I also know that even in this state, Arthur is still the one in my mind. My Lycan, my mate, my love. Even though I know consciously that our relationship is in jeopardy because of his choices, I still want him, and he’s still the face I long to see in my dreams.And in my dream, I see him getting dragged away by the Rogues.“No!” I yell, but in this dream world, I’m voiceless. I’m powerless. All I can do is stand there while my mate gets clawed at by the dirty outcasts. All I can do is watch while he screams for me.“Help me, Arya!” His voice rings out in the darkness of our background. “Don’t let them take me!”He holds out his hand to reach for me. I extend my arm to get him. However, he’s already too far. He’s already too close to the mouth of the dark tunnel they’re taking him to. One of the Rogues, seeing that he has his hand outstretched, kick
AryaMy mouth goes dry at the sight of Arthur.He closes the distance between us, getting on top of me and taking both of my hands before putting them over my head.His lips are urgent on mine, intent on devouring. I can feel his hardness against my thighs. His hungry mouth travels down to my neck and on my collar bones, lower down to my breasts. When his warm mouth closes over my nipple, I almost explode. He sucks it, his tongue sweeping over it until I feel feverish. I close my eyes, not even aware that he let go of my hands until he starts to squeeze my other breast.He pulls his head away from my nipple and begins to suck the other. My hips are moving on their own. I'm so wet I can feel myself dripping on the sheets.I bury my hand in his hair, moaning loudly. But he's not done with me, cause before I knew it, his lips are traveling lower again. Until his face is between my legs. Lucien grabs my thighs and pries them apart. Then he leans forward, sweeping his tongue on my wet core
AryaLike an idiot, I turn to Arthur and ask, “About what?”He laughs softly, but the humor doesn’t reach his eyes. There’s a certain hint of sadness there, combined with another emotion that I can’t really place. Either way, seeing it in his eyes is throwing me a little off balance. I want to come with him and get to the bottom of it, but at the same time, I feel like he’s so serious that I don’t want to find out what he wants to say.“Just come with me,” he says gently. “Please?”“Well, of course,” I say, glancing back at Levi who is now sleeping soundly. “Who will be watching him? He can’t stay here alone, can he?”"I'm right here," Nancy says all of a sudden, appearing seemingly out of thin air. She wedges herself into the room and immediately comes to look at Levi, adjusting something on the IV that he's connected to. "I will be watching over him for the night. You two go talk, okay?""Thank you, Nancy," Arthur says, then he turns to me with that very same smile that doesn't reac
AryaMy heart leaps with joy. It’s something that I haven’t felt in what seems like forever, and I can feel it spreading all over me like a warm ray of sunshine. A smile appears on my face, and I look at Arthur.“He’s awake,” I whisper, and even I have to notice the sheer relief in my voice. “He’s alright. He made it. . . .”Arthur smiles at me and leans over to kiss my forehead. “I know, and I’m happy. Now go talk to him okay?”I nod, and with that I go with Nancy, who suits me up with a protective layer of clothing before we go inside.They have converted the infirmary room into a real hospital room. There are machines beeping everywhere, and there are also potions emitting sweet smelling steam somewhere in the room. There are some tools laying around, but the only thing that catches my attention is Levi lying down on the bed, his pillows fluffed up to prop him up into a sitting position.His face is pale, and his hair is slicked back over his handsome face with sweat. I can tell th
Arya“What is it?” I ask Nancy with my voice shaking immensely. I get up from my seat but I feel like the ground is lurching under my feet and I feel like I’m going to fall over if I don’t have something to cling onto. Thankfully, Arthur gets up and offers his arm to me. “What’s the problem?”Nancy hesitates, and I honestly hate how angry I became just in that moment. I want to scream at her and tell her that I am not playing games around here, that if something is up, then I must know immediately because I’ve been waiting for a long time to hear about him. Besides, the only person he has right now is me. His parents are not here and the others are back at the pack. I am the only one he has. . . .“Please,” I just say in a strained voice, looking at her and wanting to get on my knees and beg and corner her at the same time. Emotions are just running high inside my chest and I want nothing more but to know. “Please, what is happening? Is Levi okay? Will he make it?”“The truth is, I do
Arthur My blood goes cold. I swallow hard, thinking of what to say, but my mouth is completely dry and my throat is closing up. I want to assure Levi that I won’t leave him here, but he’s looking at me like he’s daring me to say those words just so he could reject them completely. So instead of talking it through with him and risking any rejection, I lift him up to his knees and very carefully start to chip away at the piece of rock lodged inside his body. Thankfully, the rock is easy to chip off, as it seems to be made of hardened mud instead of actual stone. I manage to clip it down close to his body so it won’t move or damage anything inside him. He kept groaning and screaming the entire time, and I just had to close my hearing so that I wouldn’t hear it and experience the pain of seeing him go through it. When I’m done, I take him into my arms, not caring about how weird it could look or what he has to say, and it seems that he still has a lot to say. As though to prove my poi