Bella:“How did you get in here?” The veins on my face became visible as I asked, and I prepared to switch to my vampire side.This lady looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place it.“That is no way to greet an elderly vampire, Bella,” she clicked her tongue, shaking her head. “When you have lived over two decades, seeing children like you walk scot-free in disrespect aches my bones, and I wouldn’t want to end your life here,” she said, and my brows arched as I looked at her.She didn’t flinch.“Anyway, to kill your curiosity, your mother let me in.” My mouth fell ajar when she said this. “I am an old vampire, and a woman in her mid-thirties cannot outsmart me.” The ego in her tone grazed through me badly, and I wanted to end her life, but I knew she could take me down in one swipe.I was a sixteen-year-old vampire, and she had seen two decades.“Where is my mum, and what did you do to her?” I asked, and then she chuckled while my claws formed.“I thought you would never ask.” She u
Bella:When I stirred from my sleep, I found myself lying on a familiar bed. I could tell where I was even before I opened my eyes. I was at home—in Alpha Fred’s house.“Guys!” I heard Hazel’s voice as I tried to open my eyes. “She is awake,” she added, and I pulled my eyes open to see their blurred figures.My sight fought hard until clarity seeped in, and then I saw the triplets and Hazel standing face-to-face with me.“Bella,” Finn called out, reaching for my hand, and I attempted to sit up at once, but a sharp headache slapped me in the face, causing me to yelp.“Are you okay?” Ryder asked in panic, fear crossing his eyes.I just stared at them without a word because I was still a bit confused. Then suddenly, it hit me. The memories flooded in—my mother was dead, and there was a vampire.“My mother is dead, isn’t she?” I croaked, and they glanced at each other.My eyes became hot at once, and tears rolled down my cheeks, burning through my skin and clawing deep at my heart. She ju
Bella:With each passing day, I prayed for this nightmare to end, but the more people called to give condolences, the more it sank in—my mother was gone. Father allowed me to remain in the Frost Pack with Alpha Fred because I wouldn’t take no for an answer, but something in me felt it was the wrong choice. Everything would never be the same.School made it worse.How could I ever forget my mother when she was the principal of the school, and a memorial was set up for her? Each day, students dropped gifts, including cakes, flowers, and money. And each day I walked past her memorial, I was reminded that she was gone, and there was nothing I could do about it.“I don’t think I can take it anymore,” I said to Hazel and the triplets as we stopped in front of the door.For a moment, I stood still, watching a girl walk to the first corner in the hallway, where gifts were overflowing.“I baked you another cake today, Principal Evelyn. Thank you for always watching over us. Howlstone will neve
Bella:Getting on a plane as a minor without a parental permit would have been impossible, but once I showed my ID card, everything went smoothly for me. I was an alpha princess—also known as the most original because of the Rune Pack. The flight took about an hour, and when the plane landed, I boarded a taxi, which took me toward the border. I didn’t want to arouse suspicion, so I stopped in a part that still had citizens of the Thorne Pack. Then I took a short walk before changing into a wolf and sprinting to the outskirts of the city.My heart thumped fast as I got to the foot of the mountain. This was a do-or-die affair, but I had already lost a lot, so it was now or never. Without giving it another thought, I made my way up the trails of the mountain, and in no time, thick trees surrounded me. The mountain engulfed me, and after a while of running, I came to a halt in the middle of nowhere.It didn’t take even a minute for them to surround me. All I could see were flickers of lig
Bella:By now, my heart raced fast against my ribcage. I knew that this would either be the death of me or the beginning of a new alliance, where I would outsmart a bunch of vampires to win whatever war they had created.“How do we know you were not sent here to spy on us?” the lady sitting asked, and I chuckled, but she snapped her hand, causing my lips to shut, and my throat felt like I was being strangled by an unknown force.“Got it. No jokes,” I said as she loosened her grip on me.“How could the wolves send me when they do not know what I am?” I asked, and Sue glared at me. Then she walked over to her seat in front, throwing herself on it with one leg hanging by the side.The other two glanced at her, and she shrugged.“We are releasing Enzo, and he is my blood. I can choose how to sit,” she said in a carefree manner. Then she turned her gaze to me. “The chick has a point. They do not give two shits about her, and according to those two worthless vampires we sent, she works with
Bella:After a while of falling into the dark space, both Hazel and I hit solid ground with force, bruising our bodies slightly. We both let out chuckles that rumbled in the chilly night sky before getting to our feet. Dusting ourselves off, we took a look around to see that we were in the center of the cemetery—just as Hazel had planned.The cold slapped against my skin, but I didn’t hear the howling of wolves or anything strange, so my body remained calm.“Now, all we have to do is pick ten bodies we want to turn back into normal humans. Then we resurrect them with a spell,” she said, and I nodded at her words, following her without a clue.After a while of walking, she pulled off her backpack, letting it fall to the ground, then took out a piece of chalk, breaking it in two.“Here!” She tossed half the piece to me, then waved her hand to signal me to follow her.We walked around marking the graves until we had chosen the ten we wanted—five males and five females, just like Sue had
Bella:The next day, I woke up with many body aches as the bed I had been given to lie on was as hard as a rock. I couldn’t even stay in bed to cozy up or anything. The moment my eyes were open, I plopped my body out of bed to preserve what was left of my bones, which the bed had nearly crushed the previous night. It felt as though I had been sleeping on a bed of thorns.On getting to my feet, I walked to the bathroom in the room, turned on the faucet, and my hand was met with the coldest water I had ever felt in my entire life.At first, I didn’t want to complain because I believed I would be leaving today, but checking my breath against my palm made me think otherwise. I made my way out of the room, spotting the vampire girl with white hair coming out of the room next to mine.“Excuse me,” I said to her, and she turned with her head bent. “The water is a little cold, and I don’t think I can take a shower with it.” When I said this, she kept mute for a while before bursting into a sh
THIRD PERSON POV:Bella’s absence had the triplets in a chokehold, but they tried to convince themselves she needed space. Hazel, on the other hand, tried to conceal the fact that Bella had been in the vampires’ den for about three days.“Is it just me, or has something weird been going on with the girls?” Kai asked as the trio made their way to school.“Yeah, I noticed it too, but I’m going to assume it’s just Bella being Bella. I mean, Hazel is more of her friend than ours, so if she doesn’t want to show up to the cafe to eat with us in the morning, Hazel won’t eat with us either,” Ryder said flatly, but something about it didn’t sit right with the twins.“I think something other than her reacting to her mother’s death is going on,” Finn said, and Kai nodded.“I think so too,” he added as they walked into the school building.Hazel, who had been trying to avoid them, was unlucky as they spotted her alone by her locker without Bella.“There’s Hazel, and she’s alone,” Ryder said, and
THIRD PERSON POV:Bella stood over Enzo’s battered form, her chest heavy from the stresss. Blood dripped from the cuts on her face and arms, but victory was near, so she held herself steady.“Bella! Catch!” Kai yelled, tossing her the stake.“No, you do not have to do this. We are partners,” Enzo said to her, and Bella scoffed. She hated the fact he thought his ‘sweet’ words would change her heart after she saw him take everyone she cared about.Bella reached up, her fingers closing around the black shaft, then she glared at Enzo, who was struggling under her grip. His once-dominating presence was reduced to desperation.“You deserve nothing but death,” Bella said to him, and he chuckled.“I will always find a way to ret—” Before he could finish, she drove the stake into his heart, and he gave a deafening scream that reverberated through the ground.Dark energy swirled around him as his body was being torn apart. Bella wasted no time pulling the stake free and driving it into his head
THIRD PERSON POV:As Bella’s body rose, her hand stretched out, pointing towards Enzo. Then the glow in her eyes dissipated as her eyes opened.“You want me, Enzo? Then come and get me!” she yelled at once. Enzo’s lips curled into a wicked grin, bloodlust evident in his eyes. He released Herald’s broken body, letting it fall to the ground.“Finally, you’re done hiding behind your pathetic friends. I’ll enjoy ripping you apart.” He licked his lips.In a blur, Enzo charged at Bella with blinding speed. Bella stood her ground as he closed the distance between them. She moved calmly, causing him to fall to the ground. Hazel undid the shield protecting them, and they tried to step in, but Bella turned to them.“This is my fight, and if you want to be helpful, then look around. Our troops are dying, and my father.” She locked off her emotions to prevent her mind from getting clouded by the thoughts of her father, who seemed to be dying.Then she turned to Enzo, who got to his feet with a sh
THIRD PERSON POV:Enzo’s eyes narrowed as he saw Sue collapse, clutching her chest where Fred had slashed her. She watched as the venom of his bite spread faster into her bloodstream. It was worse than being bitten by a living wolf, as it was consuming her twice. Rage bubbled inside Enzo as he watched her. She was useless to him, and he felt the need to get rid of her, as she had only foiled all his plans.“You!” He growled under his breath, leaving Halle and rushing toward Sue. As she saw her uncle from the fading light that drew her closer to death, her eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope.“You… you came to help me,” she whispered weakly, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. “I… knew you… cared…”Enzo stared at her in disgust as she said this, and for a moment, it seemed like the battlefield held its breath for this moment where Enzo was about to show kindness.With one pull, Enzo had Sue on her feet, then he stared into her eyes. “Of course, I came for you, Sue. You’ve been
THIRD PERSON POV:Enzo was still outraged about his failed immortality experiment. He was tired of running in circles with Bella and the entire werewolf community. He had sworn it would end that night, but now that it had failed, he imagined finding four hundred werewolves all over. That was close to impossible, and it was eating him deeply.“I asked you for one job, and you couldn’t get it right, yet you want me to acknowledge you!” Enzo barked at Sue, who was still in shock over what had happened.“I swear I didn’t do anything, Enzo. I would never do anything to jeopardize your plan. I will worship you forever, and—”“Silence!” he roared. “You are even more pathetic than my brother!” He gritted his teeth, and Sue felt as though multiple daggers were being thrown into her chest.He had to mention her father. It was said her father died fighting him, but Enzo had taken a liking to her, so he kept her as his daughter. He was nicer to her as a kid, but he abhorred her now, and it hurt.
THIRD PERSON POV:The air reeked of blood and smoke, thick with the cries of war. The Dusk Pack's territory, once a sprawling, serene land, had become a battlefield drowned in chaos. The moon hung low, partially obscured by clouds, casting pale light on the destruction below. Growls and screams filled the night as werewolves clashed with vampires in a brutal fight.Ryder stood at the heart of the storm, his wolf eyes glowing a fierce gold as he ripped through the enemy ranks with unrelenting force. His clothes were torn and soaked in blood. He wondered how his father was doing and if he thought of him often. Then there was Bella, whom he hadn’t heard from in a while. As he fought, he was determined to win because there were a lot of people he needed to reconnect with.They had been torn apart after the vampires struck their den, forcing them to flee back to the Dusk Pack with Riley. He had been scared of his father’s wrath, but now he wished he had listened.“Behind you!” Ryder roared
THIRD PERSON POV:Bella’s spirit wandered aimlessly, her bare feet touching nothing but mist and shadow. The world around her was colorless—a sea of gray stretching infinitely in all directions. There was no up, no down, just an endless void that pulsed with her heartbeat, faint and unsteady.“Where am I?” she whispered as a chill ran up her spine.It was cold here. She looked down at herself, seeing her missing arm somehow restored. She touched it in confusion.“What the hell? What is going on?” she asked aloud, but there was no one to answer her questions.Then she noticed it. A faint, flickering golden glow ahead. It pulsed like a beacon in the dark, and though her instincts screamed for her to run, but she couldn’t stop herself from moving toward it. She was curious to find out what was going on, and she wondered if this was what it felt like to be dead.As she got closer, the glow grew brighter, and soon the mist thinned to reveal something that made her blood run cold. It was hi
THIRD PERSON POV:“Bella!” Hazel’s voice cracked as she rushed toward her, the globe clutched tightly against her chest.“No, stay back!” Halle’s voice cut through the chaos.Bella staggered to her feet, clutching her side where Sue had struck her.“But she’s dying!” Hazel’s voice was shrill, filled with panic and anger.Bella barely registered their words. The sound of her own heartbeat pounded in her ears, growing fainter with each passing moment. Her head drooped, and she let out a weak, shuddering breath. Darkness started to creep into her vision, the edges of her consciousness slipping away. She could heal, but not regenerate an arm, and she was in fear cause her to bleed too much, making it difficult to focus on healing. Evelyn rushed to her, holding her and trying to apply pressure to the bleeding arm. She was scared her daughter would die.Then the ground trembled beneath them.At first, it was a faint vibration rippling through the earth. But within moments, it grew into a vi
THIRD PERSON POV:As the chant of the witches echoed in the air, Hazel and Bella stood close to the rock. Halle stood nearby with her hands raised as she reinforced the protective barrier.“Are you both ready?” Halle asked the two, and they glanced at each other, nodding. They each bit their palms, letting blood drip onto the surface of the rock. The ground trembled as the stone absorbed their blood. A surge of energy rippled outward, and for a moment, it seemed like they had succeeded. But then a chilling laugh echoed through the air, freezing them in place.Sue emerged from the darkness, but neither Bella nor Hazel was moved. The witches kept chanting their spell, and Halle, who had created a powerful barrier, turned to Sue.“Well, isn’t this touching? The living and the dead all merged together. What a joyous reunion,” she said in a mocking tone.Sebastian moved first, stepping between Sue and the girls.“Stay back!” he growled, raising his hands defensively, and Sue chuckled light
THIRD PERSON POV:Fae turned sharply to Sebastian, her eyes blazing with fury.“What the fuck did you just do?” she hissed, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. Sebastian remained still. He didn’t answer, and his gaze fixed on the stone as his blood trickled down its surface.“Sebastian!” Fae snarled, stepping closer as she burned with rage. “You just ruined—”A slow creak interrupted her. It came from deep within the ground beneath the stone, a sound like an ancient door being forced open. Fae froze, her anger replaced by confusion.“What’s that?” she whispered as fear crossed her heart.The vampires surrounding them snapped to attention, their heads turning toward the noise. Before anyone could react, the vampires behind Bella and Hazel snapped their necks, allowing them to fall into darkness.**Bella’s eyes fluttered open. Her head throbbed, and her vision was hazy. She sat up slowly in a sluggish motion. It was still nighttime, and she was trying to remember what had happened.“W