Bella:“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said to my mother and then attempted to walk away, but she grabbed my hand roughly.“You will leave with Ryder right now because the clothes for the occasion have been provided and packed. I stayed up all night doing that,” Mother said, and my brows wrinkled as I glared at Alpha Fred, who tried not to look at me.“You won’t say anything? What have I done to deserve this forced trip?” I asked, yanking my hands away from my mother and shifting to Alpha Fred’s view, who was avoiding meeting my eyes.He sighed.“Ryder has something important to attend, and I need you there because you are the only one that he listens to at this moment,” he said, and I rolled my eyes with a scoff.“He is my stepbrother and a mate he barely desires, plus he has a girlfriend who…”“Who has only been nothing but chaotic in his life. This is the best Ryder has been since...” He paused to take in the lump in his throat. “I split up with his mum,” he finished, and I kept m
Bella:Yesterday had been very awkward, so awkward that Ryder and I had to eat dinner in our room because he wouldn’t make conversation with his mother. She was beautiful, and he was a replica. They had the same eyes, shape of lips, and their hair, black and thick.I fell asleep with Ryder’s hand grappling my waist, and I could have sworn he was kissing my body throughout the night, but it all seemed like a dream because when I opened my eyes, I found the bed bare with a note.“I went for a run to clear my head, and I will be back.”I sighed, pushing myself out of bed, then walked to the closet to get out my clothes, which my mother had already prepared for the occasion. The wedding was supposed to take place in the evening, so I spent the greater part of the day texting Hazel to make sure she was okay.After a while, I checked the time to see that it was already one in the afternoon, and Ryder hadn’t returned. Thinking of yesterday and the comfort I brought him made my body want him
THIRD PERSON POV:Ryder tried to speak with Bella, but she didn’t leave the closet until he was gone. She was too ashamed to come out. She didn’t want him to act out of pity for her because she believed she knew his kind—the bad boys who wouldn’t date a girl that wouldn’t have sex with him.But she was mistaken.He hated himself for not being able to control himself around her, and he had never had sex with a virgin.The entire evening, she tried to keep away from him. Ryder, on the other hand, was boiling over the entire occasion. He watched his mother proclaim vows of love to another man, and the reality of what she had said to him was clearer than ever. She wasn’t going to get back with his father like she had promised him as a kid, and there would never be a big happy family.He tried to occupy his mind with happy thoughts of Bella. Damn, she looked good in that dress, and he wanted more than anything to run his hands over her well-defined curves. Too defined for a sixteen-year-ol
Bella:“What the hell were you thinking?” I yelled, pacing around the room while Ryder sat on the bed calmly.His attitude was driving me nuts, and I couldn’t understand this weird obsession with his mom that he couldn’t let go of. I loved my father so much, but I had learned to deal with it.“Bella,” he called out calmly, but I wasn’t having it, so I didn’t respond. “Bella, you are not even listening to me.”“Listening to what, exactly? I get it! She betrayed you, but is it worth beating an innocent kid? You are seventeen! A year to being an adult, and you could have gone to jail! We were in a different pack, Ryder, and anything could have happened!” I screamed with every vein in my body popping out.“And why does that bother you so much? You wouldn’t be going to jail with me or getting into trouble.”I glanced at him when he said this, then I scoffed, walking over to a table to lean on it with my palm placed on my forehead. This was more draining than I imagined.“It does not bother
WARNING! EXPLICIT SCENE.Bella:Our tongues fought a fierce battle of lust as he tugged violently on my zip until it came undone. He ran his hands on my bare back, causing a needy gasp out of my mouth. Then he lifted me up at once, wrapping my legs around his waist.Gently, he placed me on the bed, breaking the kiss. Then he nibbled on my neck while his hands found their way around my body, cupping my firm breasts with his hand.“You looked so perfect in that dress,” he whispered in my ears as he pulled away, taking my left breast in his mouth while he ran his hands down to my thighs.My body tingled to his touch, and as his hands rested on my panties, I could feel my aching clit begging to be touched. He slid two fingers into my panties and into my core, causing me to arch my back as a moan escaped my mouth.He didn’t stop. He pumped in and out with his fingers, which made my feet curl up to the pleasure I felt. It was something I had never experienced, and I wanted more. He placed h
Bella:The next day, the incessant buzz from both my phone and Ryder’s woke me up. Truly, I didn’t want to open my eyes, because even though I felt sore, the pleasant feeling of what we had done last night remained, and merely thinking of it made my stomach do a lot of cartwheels.The events of the previous night replayed in my head multiple times, but the beeping of the phones wouldn’t let me concentrate, so I forced my head up and reached for mine on the nightstand.Seeing a blast from the diaries wiped away the sleep left in my eyes, and I swallowed hard with my heart thumping. The ugly reality of what we had done hit me. It would have to be a secret because the twins would kill us if they knew. And Fae, she was his girlfriend, and she would make my life worse than it already was. I was screwed.As my heart raced against my ribcage, I swiped my phone open to see a photo of Ryder and me in separate positions the entire night. Who the hell sent a blast from to the diaries from Dusk p
Bella:It had been two days since the pact I made with Ryder, but it seemed like forever. He had taken it so seriously that he hadn’t even bothered to text me. It was my request, but I felt bad, especially because I had to avoid him all day.It was football season, and everyone had shifted their attention from other extracurricular activities like fencing to football. Ryder was the captain, making my life worse because I had to listen to a bunch of girls bicker about him daily.“This season might be the best, and I can’t wait to meet hot guys from other schools,” Hazel said, excitement filling her voice. She faced me and walked down the hallway backward as she spoke.“I’m sure it will be great,” I replied flatly as we reached my locker.“Maybe we should focus on something more serious, like our tests,” Hazel suggested in a low tone.As I took out my books, a scent engulfed the entire hallway around me, signaling that Finn and Kai were close, which made me rush over picking my books.“
Bella:The week had been awfully tiring with Ryder and me trying to keep our little secret. It felt so good that all I wanted to do was show it to everyone, even though it meant dealing with the twins, too. For all it was worth, Finn was a good kisser, and I loved it.I had just gotten to school, and I couldn’t get my mind off what happened in the janitor’s closet. It still brought a pleasant feeling to my belly and a few tingles between my thighs.While I was daydreaming, I took out my books, and as soon as I was done, I shut my locker only to see three familiar faces staring at me. This time I couldn’t run like I always did because the hallway was full, and their faces were not tainted with even the littlest smile.“Aubrey, Chelsea, Rebby, I... I didn’t see you there,” I said, clasping my books to my chest with my face turned to the side.Ever since I got what they wanted from the Labyrinth, I had avoided them because I never really cared about their stupid club, but beating Fae mad
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