Third person Pov:It was a hot Saturday morning in Frost Pack, and Bella had just returned from one of her episodes with the Sapphire Belles. She was on her way back to her room when she was cornered by the twins.“What do you want?” she asked, her brows creased and her arms crossed.Finn and Kai stared into her eyes for a couple of seconds without saying a word. They hated what she had turned into, but mostly, they hated themselves for not believing Ryder loved her. They had all ruined each other’s lives, and they knew the only way to make it right was for all hands to be on the pump.“We want to talk,” Finn spoke up, and Bella scoffed.“Hi Finn and Kai. I don’t like you, and I would like to get to my room now. There you have it, your talk,” she said, and the twins glanced at each other.Before Bella could react, Finn slung her over his shoulder, walking away with Kai following behind.“Put me down right now. You are assaulting me, and I will make sure you get punished for this!” she
Bella’s POV:The four of us left for the apartment, and silently, I prayed Ryder would be fine. I tried to block out the gory images clouding my head, picturing the things that could have happened to him. I believed he was okay, and it would be nothing severe, but I was just fooling myself because I could feel it in my chest.When we arrived at the tall glass building stretching far into the sky, the twins handed me a card key.“The apartment is the penthouse,” they said, and I nodded, opening the door. Hazel grabbed my hand, giving me a reassuring smile. I got out and headed towards the sliding doors.I made my way straight to the elevator, pressing the button that led to the penthouse. When it stopped and the doors slid open, my chest thumped as I walked into the hallway leading to the front door. I slid the card on the lock and swallowed hard, waiting for the door to open.What lay behind was what I had dreaded. There, on the floor, Ryder lay hopelessly with bloodied clothes, makin
Bella:“Ryder!” I gasped, rushing towards him as he crashed to the floor.I reached for his hands, but then he opened his eyes, and a frown appeared on his face as he saw me. He slapped my hands away, sitting up.“What the fuck? Who let you in, Runestone?” he questioned in a raised tone as he surveyed the room. “Babe,” he called out to Fae, and she rushed towards him while I stood there, allowing my heart to shatter into multiple pieces.It was happening again, and everything felt like it was just yesterday.I watched Ryder wrap his arms around Fae, kissing her forehead before pulling away to look at the both of us.“I... I can’t really remember how I got all bloodied. The last thing I can remember was you saving me, and I can’t imagine what I would have done without you,” he said, pulling her into a hug, while Fae turned back briefly, giving me a smile that hurt more than anything.I tried to steady my breath, but it wasn’t working, and my mind became lost.“Why the hell is she still
Bella:Secretly compelling Ryder to do what I wanted by fooling Fae into thinking he was on her side was my only shot at getting rid of her. The first thing I did at the rising of the sun was pray to the moon goddess, hoping my plan would go smoothly, because that was the only way I could exist in peace with my mates at the school.As I sat at the cafe table with Hazel beside me, I stared at Ryder and Fae, who were a few tables away, and watched her put her hands all over him.“You have barely touched your food, and it’s bothering me. You all are mates, but he is an asshole, and you have two against one,” Hazel said. I forced a smile, picked at my meat, and then looked up again as I took a bite.‘How long will this take? I am losing my patience with her, and I want her off my body.’ I heard Ryder speak, and I widened my eyes, pausing with my fork of meat hanging close to my lips.‘Did I just hear you speak or…?’‘Bella, we have fulfilled the mating ritual and are fully connected. I do
Bella:The entire day had been filled with tension as Fae spent it facing the panel because Mr. Ezekiel wouldn’t let go of the case. I had no clue about his granddaughter or what Fae had done to her, but it worked out for me. Even though I felt bad for him getting hurt, I was happy I won.“... I was just so tired of getting beaten and bullied by her, so I decided to stand up for myself.” I concluded the story, leaving the twins and Hazel in stunned silence.Of course, I didn’t mention the part where I compelled Ryder. I still couldn’t tell if they would accept me the way I was, so I left that out.“You did nothing wrong, Bella. Because of you, we won’t be seeing her face for a while, maybe even a lifetime. She has hurt many people, so she deserves whatever she gets.” Finn, who sat on my left, reached out for my hand. I forced a smile onto my face.We continued our lunch, digressing into different topics until the subject of the match came up.“The match is coming up in a couple of hou
Third Person POV:The game had everyone on the edge of their seats, and Bella’s heart raced each time Ryder faced an opponent. Even though he was skilled, she couldn’t bear the thought of him getting hurt. The entire time, Hazel wore a bright smile, cheering and booing at the right moments.“Hey, do you want to get a drink or something?” Hazel grabbed Bella’s hand, and Bella nodded, grateful for the distraction.Bella turned to inform the guys, who were deeply engrossed in the game.“Do you want us to come?” Kai asked, but Bella shook her head.“We’ll be fine.”Bella didn’t want Ryder to look up and see their seats empty. Plus, she wanted to spend time with Hazel.Hazel stood up quickly, and they made their way out of the bleachers, searching for a vending machine around the field. They found one, but as they approached it, Hazel tugged Bella’s hand, pulling her backward. They slipped behind the vending machine, hiding in an alley that led back to the school building.Bella was about
Bella:The cheer from the entire school snapped me out of my thoughts, and I rushed outside with the twins to see which team had won the tournament. The entire Howlstone crowd was on their feet, chanting with the football team and lifting Ryder on their shoulders.“Yes!” Finn yelled, jumping up with pride. He pulled Kai and me into a hug, as if he was the one who had won a trophy, making me ecstatic.We waited there until the school team made their way over with Ryder still on their shoulders. He told them to stop when he got to us, and they put him down, still cheering.“I’ll be with you guys in a moment,” he said to them, and then they rushed into the school building, screaming at the top of their voices.“We are proud of you, man!” Finn said as they shook hands and engaged in a light hug. Ryder then turned to me. I was dying of excitement and couldn’t say a thing; I just pulled him into a hug.He pulled away, kissed my forehead, and grabbed my hand.“The coach said you put in a goo
Bella:As my lips pressed against Kai’s, I pulled Ryder close to me with my left hand. Kai ravished my mouth, sucking and tugging on my tongue. It was the first time kissing him, and it felt amazing, better than I had imagined. Ryder and Finn closed in on me from the sides, and I felt Ryder’s hardness against my back, which made me pull away from Kai.The reality of my mates wanting me hit me all at once, and panic surged through me. I pushed Ryder backward, then left the circle and sat on the bed.“Did we do something wrong?” Finn asked, and I shook my head.“I... I just can’t do this because... because I don’t know how to. It has only happened in my dreams, and they’re not long enough to figure out how to.”Kai crouched in front of me, caressing my thighs gently. “That’s why we’re here. Allow us to show you how to,” he said, planting kisses slowly from my legs up to my thighs, making me gasp.Finn and Ryder got on the bed behind me, their lips glued to the sides of my neck simultane
Bella:Sometimes, when I tried to look back at where my problems started, I could only pin it on the fact that I got older. I missed being five, when all I cared about was what to eat, what to watch, or if my dad would play with me. Life was glorious, and I didn’t have to fight with my father. He was my pillar and foundation, but as I grew up, the cracks kept intensifying, and now I doubted it could ever be repaired.As we handed in our papers to Ms. Polly, I couldn’t get over the fact I didn’t write a single thing in the exam. I imagined what could have happened if Hazel wasn’t here. I would have failed because of the man I supposedly loved the most.“Bella, Bella, always pushing the blame,” a small voice crept into my head, and I tried to push it away, but I couldn’t; it kept swelling in my mind.As soon as Ms. Polly opened the door, I got up at once, leaving Hazel behind. She came after me, grabbing my hand before I could go far.“Bella, please don’t do this,” she said, and I stare
Bella:In this world, there was literally nothing I hated more than exam seasons. Having to wake up early daily, and stay up late through the night just to get extra hours to feed my brain with information I’d probably never need in my life. I mean, would I need maths when I sit on the throne of the Rune pack? Or physics? Why the fuck did we need to feed our brains with this much information?What pissed me off the most was that some of these subjects in the curriculum belonged to humans, and I could never wrap my head around why were-people wanted to learn like they did. Father always said it would help if one found themselves amongst humans—like he would allow me to go through that portal after rambling about how humans were scared of us and would kill us if they found us.“Bella, you have been staring at that page for over an hour now,” Hazel’s voice cut through my mind, causing me to let out a sigh. “We have only thirty minutes left before the exams, and you haven’t moved. I am wo
THIRD PERSON POV:Herald was in his study, looking over a lot of papers, ranging from the amenities the pack lacked to the bills and monthly pack budget. He had a lot of work to do, and he was lagging, but this wasn’t because he couldn’t do it; his spirit was down. Outside, he was the brave and ruthless Alpha king who ruled the Rune pack, but deep down, he was a man who had lost his family.“This is all too much,” he said, pushing away the papers in front of him.He took a deep breath, then he pulled open his drawer to take out a stamp, but he found a picture, which opened the floodgate of the brokenness his heart was trying to conceal. It was a picture of Bella, Evelyn, and him when Bella had just turned one. They all had a smile.Taking out the picture, he placed it on his desk, then he ran his hands across it, shutting his eyes to that time. The smile on Evelyn’s face had been fake, and he hadn’t known she was suffering so much. He wished he could go back and undo whatever his moth
Bella:We went back to the apartment without Halle. She had asked Riley to go back with us, stating it was risky for him to drive back to the Dusk Pack, knowing that vampires lurked around the mountains on the deserted roads at night.When we asked where she was going, she gave us a warm smile, saying, “Adults worry about children, and not the other way around.”With that, she vanished.Soon, we made it to the parking lot of the apartment where Kai and Ryder were waiting for us. As soon as our cars came to a stop, they rushed toward us. We got down from the car, and then they rushed at me. Kai pulled me to himself first.“We had a feeling you were in danger, and I kept telling Ryder, but we shrugged it off, thinking Finn would call,” Kai said. I pressed my body harder into theirs.“What matters is that we are okay now,” I said to him, and then he kissed my cheek before pulling away from me.I looked at Ryder, whose face was drawn down.“I am not dead, Ryder,” I said to him, then he th
Bella: I was still in shock from the man’s words when Finn grabbed him by the collar, pounding his face multiple times. The rage embedded in Finn was enough to power an entire city when converted to watts. But I couldn’t let him kill this man. We needed information. I looked back at Halle and Hazel to see that both of them had gone into a state of unconsciousness. They sat in the circle, holding hands, and looking up into the skies, and their eyes had gone white, so we had only ourselves. “Finn, you will kill him! We need answers!” Riley yelled, grabbing Finn, who struggled hard to hit the man. “Good. Then he can join my mother!” Finn yelled, but Riley held onto him. I walked up to the man, then placed a foot on his chest, pinning him to the ground. “Why did you pull him away? He was only hurting himself, and I am enjoying it. My emotions are turned off, so I do not feel a thing,” the man said, and I pressed down harder on his chest, which made him chuckle.When he wouldn’t stop
Bella:As the portal opened and Halle continued chanting her spell, I began to feel a strange energy around me. She said it wasn’t real, but goosebumps sprouted across my skin, and I could feel something—or someone—whispering in my ears.I shut my eyes at once, unwilling to make the mistake of stepping out of the circle.“Bella!” He called out my name, and I threw open my eyes to see Joseph Black-Moon standing close to me in the circle, clutching his head.“Argh!” I screamed, causing Halle’s eyes to open.“He is here! The prin... Joseph Black-Moon!”“It is an illusion, Bella!” Halle said, then continued chanting. I stared at Hazel, whose face was ridden with fear, but she did nothing except continue her spell.The area became windy, and I looked around to see Hazel’s parents standing behind her.“It is not real! Nothing can enter this circle without getting hurt. Close your eyes if you must!” Halle yelled, and Hazel squeezed her eyes shut.Finn reached for my hand, stroking it as I sh
THIRD PERSON POV:The trio drove for hours, finally making it to the frost pack.“I was not going to Howlstone because I did not have time for their numerous security checks,” Halle said, and Hazel took out her phone, asking Bella to meet them at a restaurant.She placed her phone back into her pocket.“Bella and Finn would meet us at the restaurant. I told them Halle didn’t want to go to Howlstone,” she explained to Riley and Halle as Riley drove to a random restaurant in town.Soon, they came to a halt and stepped out of the car. Then they made their way through the sliding doors of the restaurant. They chose a booth and made themselves comfortable. Then Hazel communicated the name of the restaurant to Bella and Finn. Luckily for them, Bella and Finn were close by, and soon they walked through the front door.The cozy atmosphere of the restaurant felt at odds with the tension that hung over them all. As they approached them, Hazel felt a bit of relief, which allowed her to soften he
THIRD PERSON POV:The early morning sun crept through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the room. Hazel stirred first from her slumber, her body aching as she shifted against the cold floor. A dull, throbbing headache pounded at her temples, and when she blinked her eyes open, the events of last night felt like a hazy blur.Next to her was Riley, who groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. His hand instinctively reached for his head, as if trying to push away the pain.“Ugh, what the hell happened?” Riley mumbled, squinting at the ceiling before glancing over at Hazel with confusion etched on his face. “Why are we on the floor?”Hazel pushed herself up, groaning as the ache in her muscles intensified. Her mind felt foggy. It was a jumbled mess of fragments of last night, but as soon as her eyes fell on her spell book, which was on the floor, she remembered the spell, and the shifting table, and the wind that took them out.Her voice faltered as everything pieced together. Then sh
Third Person Pov:After a few minutes, Hazel sat up in bed as sweat clung to her skin while she stared blankly at the dark room. The thoughts of what had happened earlier still swirled through her mind, and Riley’s comforting presence next to her did little to soothe the icy knot of fear and dread settling deep in her stomach. Something about the nightmare didn’t feel right—it felt far too vivid, and too real to be just a dream. Her parents’ faces and the accusations in their voices couldn’t be figments of her imagination, and the witch in her refused to let it go.“No,” she whispered in a shaky breath.Riley’s hand rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Hazel, it was just a nightmare. It’s okay—”He tried to convince her with a sleepy voice, but Hazel shook her head sharply, pushing the covers off her body as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.“It wasn’t just a nightmare, Riley,” she said firmly, trying to steady her voice. Her parents had never come to her, and now that the