Bella:A thick silence hung in the air, making me regret speaking.“I’m sorry, and I...”“No, Bella, it’s fine,” she said, turning to face me. “I would have been curious too if I were in your shoes. I assumed your mother told you the story from her point of view, but I was wrong,” she said, placing the last batch of plates in the sink.“She never tells me anything,” I replied, watching her wash her hands before turning around.She took a deep breath.“It’s not my place to tell you Evelyn’s story. She’s your mother, and she owes that privilege,” she said, and my face fell. “You called it a triangle, right? So, I will tell you the story from my point of view, and that will be it.”I felt a glimmer of hope when she said this. Then she leaned against the kitchen counter, grabbing a rag to wipe her hands.“Take a seat,” she said, and I pulled out one chair.“Fred and I used to be good friends as kids. As a matter of fact, we were best friends. His father was Alpha, and Evelyn’s father was
Bella:“Ryder,” I called out, walking to the bed and wrapping my arms around his neck.He kissed my right arm, then pressed his face against my belly, wrapping his arms tightly around me.“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” I said to him, and he pulled away, giving off a sigh.“It’s better I found out this way, because I cannot imagine looking at my mother as she told that story. Plus, it made me understand something.” I caressed his head as he spoke. “I’ve been selfish, caught up in myself and the idea of having a perfect family, that I never considered my parents’ feelings. They both suffered, and if being separated makes them happy, then I would be a fool to hate them. I wish I could repair the hurt, and…”“You were a kid, and now you know better,” I said, cupping his face in my hands. Then I sighed, remembering my father.“I know better too,” I said in a low tone as I let go of his face, sitting on the bed.“I am sorry about your dad, and…”“I do not want to talk about it, p
Bella:“Good morning,” Ryder’s gruff tone woke me from my slumber, and I opened my eyes to see that the sun was out, causing me to yawn as I sat up in bed.He sat up too, then kissed my cheeks briefly.“I have no idea what I want to do today,” he said while I stared into thin air like I couldn’t hear him. This was because their birthdays were in five days, and I had no clue what I would get the three of them.“Bella,” he called out, reaching for my hand, and I glanced at him, throwing my arms around his neck.“I needed a moment to get my body awake,” I said to him.When I pulled away, he held his gaze for a moment.“Are you sure?” he asked, and I hesitated. “Bella, if it’s about last night, I…”“I told you, I do not want to talk about him. It would be better if I didn’t open that wound, and the perfect image of my father remained in my memory,” I said to him, then I got out of bed.At that moment, my phone started ringing, and I grabbed it from the nightstand.“It’s Hazel,” I said to
Bella:Riley and Hazel left shortly after her request, so he could get a change of clothes, and they returned for the night.We stayed up all night, eating junk and watching movies, so we all slept off in the living room since there were no parents. The next day, a loud bang on the front door, which caused Ryder to roll off the couch, landing on the ground with his back woke us up.“Ouch!” he groaned as I opened my eyes to see him massaging his back on the ground.“Sorry, but I told you we shouldn’t share a bed,” I said, then I stretched my hands as the twins’ scent hit me. “They are here,” I said to Ryder as I got to my feet, rushing to the door while Riley, Hazel, and Tyler, who had slept on duvets on the floor, tried to get up.I opened the front door to the faces of Kai and Finn. Then I threw my hands around them, pulling them in for a hug as they both kissed my cheek.“You guys are early,” Ryder said, causing us to pull away. “Thanks for a broken back,” he said as they exchanged
Bella:The triplets’ birthday had come faster than we imagined, and we found ourselves on the way to the twins’ grandma’s house, as she had requested to host the party. Carmille hadn’t objected, so we all made the trip.After about an hour on the road, we finally came to a halt at the old mansion, a wave of nostalgia tugging at my chest. I hadn’t seen the old woman in about three months, and it felt nice to be back, especially now that Halle was a friend.Standing in front of the house was Theresa, leaning on her walking stick with a smile etched on her face. She had seen the twins earlier this week, so when we reached her, she didn’t bother with them. Instead, she turned to me.“You’ve grown a bit since the last time we met,” she said, tugging at my cheek with her fragile but surprisingly strong hands, causing a stinging pain.The triplets, Hazel, and Riley laughed, but I didn’t find it funny, struggling under her firm grip.“I assume the boys have been treating you well, or I will c
Bella:“I can smell every inch of you, Bella,” he said, his hands moving up my thighs, resting on my butt.I cupped his face, taking his lips gently, which soon turned into a fiery battle as we nibbled and sucked on each other’s lips. He pressed me against a wall with his legs in between mine, then he slid his hands into my panties, rubbing them against my core, which was soaking wet.“Why do you deny yourself of pleasure, love?” he whispered into my ear as his fingers pumped in and out of me, while I buried my face in his neck, rocking my body against his.“The room is soundproof, remember. I want to hear you,” he said, running his thumb over my clit. I ran my right hand into his hair while my left arm wrapped around his shoulder.He pulled away, lifting me up and pressing his lips against mine again. Then he found the table, placing me on it before breaking the kiss. We stared at each other, panting heavily. Then he inched closer, and I grabbed his neck with one hand while the other
Bella:It was the first day of school after the break, and the students were making their way from the cafeteria to the class building after having breakfast. The atmosphere seemed peaceful, with merry voices of students catching up after a week.For the group of five, the school had become a torture, and unlike everyone having memorable discussions, they knew they had to focus on the matter at hand.“So, did anyone come up with ideas during the break?” Bella asked as they made their way into the hallway of the school building.The air around the school had become unbearable, and she wished she could drop out.Hazel sighed.“If only the week could have been longer. Just thinking about what the school had in store for us made my heart flinch, and I didn’t know how I would concentrate on that. I needed to have good grades for college,” she said as they made a stop at the triplets’ locker.“I think we should wait for the announcement,” Ryder said, cocking his head to the left, and everyo
THIRD PERSON POV:“Collect her daytime necklace, and she will burn in the presence of the students at school.”Fae’s voice echoed in Hazel’s head as she made her way back to the school building. As soon as she saw Bella and the triplets, she was drawn back to reality. Her brows furrowed at once as she walked up to them.“I do not think I want to do this anymore,” she said, and Bella grabbed her hand, walking her down the hallway that led to the boys’ locker room.The triplets followed them.“She wants me to take your daytime necklace, so you will burn under the sun, and I will not do that,” Hazel said. Then she turned to Ryder, shooting him an angry look. “You know we are in this because of you, right? Because maybe if you hadn’t made her obsessed with you, we would have normal lives. But now, she keeps trying to kill Bella just because of you,” she said, and Ryder kept silent.They were quiet for a moment.“I am just not going to do it, and I think you should marry your psycho ex,” H
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
THIRD PERSON POV:One would have thought Bella was crazy because of what she was seeing, but she was far from that. She wasn’t the only one plagued by ghosts, but no one knew this for now. While Bella was battling the ghost of Joseph Black-Moon, Hazel was in the Dusk Pack with Riley, trying to enjoy her weekend.They had spent the entire day driving from the Frost pack to his father’s mansion at a beach with a good ocean view. Finally, they got there in the evening.“My butt hurts,” Hazel groaned as soon as Riley came to a halt in the enormous mansion in front of them.Riley leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You can rest all night now, and we can do whatever we want tomorrow.”He spoke as though he hadn’t been the one driving the entire time while Hazel had done nothing but play songs, read a book, and sleep through the entire ride. They both got down from the car, and Riley took Hazel’s bag from her, grabbing her hand with his other hand, then they made their way to the front door. He sl
Bella:“What?” I asked, staring at Finn.“Is something wrong?” Finn asked, and I shook my head at once, shutting my book and getting to my feet. “Bella, is something wrong?” I felt a slight shiver as his hands grazed my skin, then I turned to face him.For a moment, I battled with my mind, wondering if I should spill what I knew to him, but if I didn’t, I would have to solve whatever this was, and I didn’t want to follow the same path I did with Fae.“He is the man from my dream last night.” The words came out of my mouth, and Finn stared with his face contorted in confusion.I sighed, then walked back to the bed.“I had a nightmare last night,” I said to him, and he sat close to me as I started narrating everything I could remember from the dream.I ended by saying, “The dream felt so real, and I have a scar from it.” I showed him the mark on my hand, and he ran his hands over it.“According to Hazel, you didn’t kill Bonnie, so why is she mad at you? She should be mad at Sebastian.”
Bella:Today was cheerful enough for most of the students at Howlstone Academy. The vibrant energy of exam prep filled the air, a relief from the tension that had shadowed the halls two weeks ago when Fae was expelled. There were no bullies lurking around to ruin the day, and for once, I didn’t have to glance over my shoulder, expecting someone to plot my demise.As usual, I walked to class with Hazel and the triplets. The sun streamed through the tall windows, casting long beams across the polished floor, but something about the brightness felt off. It was too cheerful, too perfect. As soon as we stepped into the hallway, the bell blared through the air, startling me.“That’s the bell for class,” Hazel said, her voice snapping me back to reality.“See you guys later,” I said to the triplets, giving them a quick wave as I grabbed Hazel’s hand.We made our way down the corridor, the familiar hum of conversation and footsteps filling the space. At our lockers, I grabbed the books I need
THIRD PERSON POV:CONTINUATION OF FLASH BACKAll hell was let loose when the Luna knew that the first child would be a girl, but there was nothing she could do immediately. This made her decide she would stress Evelyn out so much in order to cause a miscarriage. She started maltreating Evelyn throughout the pregnancy, but she never did this in front of Herald. She was a saint when he was around, but the moment he stepped out, the two women were at loggerheads.Herald believed that Evelyn’s constant nagging was from the effects of the pregnancy, so he provided more material things for her without waiting to hear her out each time she tried to complain to him. This continued until the Fifth month of the pregnancy when Evelyn started spotting. The stress had weighed her down so much that her body could no longer take it.She was placed on bed rest, and she feared her baby would die. That same night, she woke Herald up because she was in a lot of pain, but he didn’t believe that she would
THIRD PERSON POV:Evelyn knew that her life without Fred wasn’t going to be rosy, but she didn’t expect what her in-laws had in store for her. On her first night at the Rune pack, she asked for a room where she could be alone, but her mother-in-law laughed.“What do you think you are here for?” she questioned, and Evelyn stared at her, unsure of what she was playing at. “You just got married, and you act like you do not know what couples do on their first night together. I mean, you have done it before, so continue from…”“I didn’t sleep with Herald,” Evelyn said, but Kate didn’t care.She had achieved what she wanted, and she was certain she had secured beautiful and strong grandchildren to take over their lineage.“Lie all you want, child, but you will sleep with your husband tonight, and you both will produce an heir for this family,” she said, and then Evelyn watched the guards move her things into Herald’s chamber.Herald, on the other hand, didn’t return on time that night. The
Bella:I felt the air being knocked out of my lungs as I asked my mother the question. She hurriedly shut the door, then faced me, shaking her head.“Why would you say that, Bella?” she asked, and I shrugged.“That day in your office, when Hazel talked about things that reminded you of the past, you glanced at me. You must not like me that much, and I definitely remind you of something you want to forget,” I said, watching her shut her eyes momentarily.“I do not hate you, Bella, and I never would. Of course, you remind me of my past because you are my daughter, and I’ve had you for sixteen years plus, and—”“Mum, stop!” I cut her off, raising my tone, forcing her to fall silent.I was tired of being driven around in circles. I wanted answers.“I need to know what happened with you and Dad because it kills me every single time I think about it,” I said, and she scoffed, shaking her head.“You do not need to know everything, Bella, and it’s called the past for a reason. So, do you want