Carena: "It's alright, you guys can stay here for the night," Sawyer reassured my shaken sister and father after the incident."Come on," he said, gently taking my hand and leading me down the hallway to his bedroom. I was still dazed from the whole incident. Everything seemed blocked out. Markiel and Riona, the most innocent people in the house, met a brutal demise that left me scarred."The warriors have reached a conclusion. Tabitha's absence and the locked doors from the outside indicate she started the fire. She locked the doors after Markiel and Riona, and then yours. Maanya said she was the one who opened your door. Since your father's and Maanya's doors didn't have locks from the outside, they managed to escape easily," Sawyer relayed the warriors' statements, but I stood with my head down, zoning out.The words of Markiel and the tragedy of Riona still echoed in my ears. Why would Tabitha do that? Was it anger because Maanya and Dad were kicking her out? Was she not guilty a
Carena: My hands trembled as I gripped the bloody pendant and stared at it. It was undoubtedly the same pendant."This can't be," I uttered to myself in fear."Arena, what are you sensing?" I asked her as the fear tightened around my neck. She seemed uncomfortable in this bedroom, almost as though we shouldn't be here."Death! So many murders," she uttered."What?" My breathing accelerated, my gaze falling on every corner of the room."He--he used to torture his victims here before taking them somewhere else. I can see him beat them up and do horrible things to them. Carena! Their screams--" I don't know how she was able to see the past, but it started to send shivers down my spine."He killed so many innocent and--bad people," her voice mixed with emotions and confusion."We should not have come here," she murmured in dismay, causing me to step away from the closet and reach for the door. I took off without even knowing I might get spotted running down the hallway like crazy. Thankf
Carena:"I know you are going through a lot right now. Losing a family is not something one can get over in a matter of minutes. So I understand the pain you are dealing with. But I believe you are making this decision in haste. Just give it some time, try to heal, and then decide what you want to do. I don't want to take advantage of you when you are at your lowest," he gently held my hands, not even touching anywhere else, and helped me get up from the couch."You can sleep in the bedroom. I am awake anyway and have some paperwork to do. I will also be visiting your house to see what happened," he left me in his bedroom, making sure I was settled in his bed while he stood beside me, scratching the back of his neck.He was still confused why he wasn't called when the fire started."Just rest and let me know if you need anything," he insisted before he left the room, shutting the door behind him.I sat in confusion. My body had gone numb. There was something I brought with me when I l
CarenaI stared into his eyes as he bent his face down, reaching my level. “I will not like it if I find out Theodore is poisoning your ears against me, Carena.”His eyes kept flickering with color, making my heart skip a beat one after another.“He is not—,” I managed to utter, but my confidence was all over the place.“I hope not,” he finally used a normal tone and straightened his back. “When are you coming back home?”My head lifted to watch him in worry. “We don’t live together, remember?”I was kind of in disbelief that he used such a tactic to save me from the fire and somehow decided we should now stay together?“Oh! So where do you plan to stay then?” he asked, tilting his head. “Because Theodore’s apartment won’t be suitable for you.”I understood the warning in his eyes. He was making it certain that he wouldn’t want to know I was staying with Theodore.“I won’t be staying with him. I will get myself a motel room,” I cleared my throat, but he was already set on dealing with
Carena:"I wasn't an ideal kid. My mother used to face so much trouble because of me. Living only with my mother and being known as the grandson of such a renowned warrior, I always felt immense pressure. There were times when I would get exhausted from being compared to my grandfather. But that wasn't the only issue. I grew up getting mocked by the pack's kids my age for not having a father figure at home. And because my mother used to work closely with Sawyer’s father, everyone suspected them of having an affair, leading to many nasty rumors. I had to deal with it every time I went out. They would even say that because I only had a mother, I'd end up becoming effeminate. As a child, I used to get so offended by people talking about me or my mother," he spoke in one breath, almost like he had rehearsed this conversation many times. But today, he was speaking it out loud for the first time as he finally had someone to share his feelings with."And then when Sawyer took over, I grew ev
Carena:"Have you eaten anything?" Sawyer inquired once I returned to the living room after taking a shower. I wanted to know what they were talking about."Yeah, I did," I answered, sitting uncomfortably with him."I didn't expect you to come here. Don't you have a war to prepare for?" I let out a laugh, trying to joke."I don't need to. My warriors are prepared. However, I wanted to come here and be with you. I know you must be hurting," he said, slowly leaning towards me, his face coming close to my shoulder.My father and sister sat on the carpet with the food on the table."Thank you. You have truly done a lot for us," I said, steadily pulling away, but there was no place left for me to move to."It's nothing. I want to do the most for you. So much that you never feel miserable," his voice came directly into my ear as he leaned into my neck and pressed his lips over my earlobe.My heart flipped, and I gently placed my hand on his chest to push him away."My father," I quickly tur
Carena:The warrior stepped back into my view after showing me the sight of Sawyer."There will be another opportunity. For now, we've decided it's best not to hire a chief," he said with a shrug, patting Theo's shoulder before exiting the property.Theo looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He hadn't even opened the letter yet."Oh!" he finally exclaimed, lowering his head and sighing in defeat.I couldn't help but continue staring at Sawyer, whom the warrior bowed to before departing."Sawyer orchestrated this," I hissed under my breath angrily."I'm sure it's not like that. They will reconsider, and maybe then I'll think—" Theo trailed off, clearly unsure of his own words.Sawyer must have had a hand in this."I'll read this letter and come back," Theo said, wanting to get away to process his emotions. I knew why he desperately wanted this promotion. It would allow him to exert authority over grouping warriors and starting research and searches for missing people.He co
Carena:“What did you do?” I entered the hotel to find my sister yelling at me. It made me wonder if Sawyer had spread the news so quickly. He was obviously going to use my family to force me into accepting him. But why?Was he really that desperately in love with me, or had I become merely an object of his ego?It didn’t matter. The crimes he had committed made me afraid of him.“So, you heard,” I rolled my eyes, trying to head to my room when she grabbed my bag, and I almost tripped.“What the heck are you doing?” I yelled at her, freeing my bag’s strap. She went silent and hugged herself.This was the first time I had snapped at her like that. I was tired of her nagging and constant tears.“You will not yell at my daughter,” my father rushed out of his room, his finger pointing and his eyes red.I knew who he was defending, but the petty part of me wanted to show him he was not only her father but mine too.“Thank you, Dad. She was throwing tantrums at me,” I folded my arms and wat
Carena: “I have put them to bed; we’re all set,” Sawyer announced, his shirt disheveled before he quickly straightened it, though he didn’t roll down his sleeves.I gave him a smile and got up from my seat to welcome him. He took the main chair, and I sat down beside him, wearing a beautiful red dress.“You are the best father and husband,” I whispered, leaning over to kiss his cheek while the maid served us food.“You two need to get a room,” Ronan joked, making us smile and turn to him. He looked so happy with Yamin. The two had welcomed twins--a baby girl and a baby boy--last year.“And my brother is truly proving himself to be a good role model too,” Payton added proudly.Lady Jane smiled at her sons, delighted with their perfect lives.“And Payton is taking good care of business,” Louis grinned at her, giving her a wink. I knew something was brewing between the two, and they had recently opened up about it. They were set to get married in two months.I didn’t think there could b
Carena:“What do you mean?” My heart revived even more, my grip tightening around my child.“Kelly, don’t fucking make up stories,” Jack yelled, his fists clenched.“I am not. You fool. You really bought my lie about Carena being so powerful to get pregnant already and then giving birth in seven months. Carena didn’t have a proper sense of date and time because there were days she would sleep without waking up for two days. But you, you knew everything. Yet you didn’t question anything?” Kelly smirked at Jack, who was finally hit with the realization.That’s when my baby let out a little cry and opened his eyes. He had the same eyes as Sawyer.“He is my baby?” Sawyer rushed toward me, taking him from my hands and then smiling, “No wonder I felt such a strong connection.”“No! You did not betray me like that,” Jack yelled, rushing to wrap his hands around Kelly’s neck, but Martin raised his legs and kicked him, making Jack drop back like a pathetic weakling.“How dare you--,” it was as
Carena: After I beat him up, Sawyer handed me my baby while he tied the couple to a tree. I was curious about what he was planning to do.“I am so sorry I got you into this mess,” Kelly cried to Martin, the two tied side by side.“No! If I have to do that again, I will do it. All for you,” the guy was hopelessly in love with her but also an idiot for partaking in her crazy schemes.She was a doctor; if she had remained committed to her job, the two would be living a very good life by now.While the two cried and talked, I held my son and smiled with teary eyes. My baby was perfect. There was no way he was Jack’s child. How could such a beautiful baby belong to that monster?“My perfect child,” I cried happily, rocking my baby in my arms. All these months, not once did I hate my child. I had grown so much in love with my baby that I didn’t understand why and how."Why would you want us dead? You already have your baby and your mate by your side now. Don't you have everything already?"
Carena:He was watching me with so many emotions in his eyes. In that moment, Jack and the others decided to flee because they knew they couldn't fight Sawyer.Jack was so frightened that he didn't even wait to grab me. Instead, he just started running after seizing Kelly.“My son--!” I yelled, but before I could get up, I saw Sawyer gesture for me not to go after them.“They cannot escape the woods.”His confidence made me sit back. But what about my son? What if they hurt him?"Sawyer!" I uttered his name as he deepened his stare into my eyes, filled with nothing but love for me."My love!" He knelt down and instantly pulled me into a warm and comforting embrace."No! Don't touch me before you know my truth." It broke my heart that even after our reunion, I had to keep my distance from him.He needed to understand that I had given birth to Jack's child so he could decide whether he still wanted to be with me. It would shatter my heart if he didn't want to stay with me, but I could n
Sawyer:“Ronan, keep your eyes peeled at the border. Make sure your men remain hidden in dugouts around the portal,” I advised him as we marched away from the entrance. Tonight was the Wolf Moon, and after midnight, I knew Jack would arrive with Carena. Certainly, Jack would use Carena to try to lure us away so that he could cross the portal, but I would jump right in with them. That was the plan.“I have informed my guards not to stop them from enticing the bridge, but do let us know when they arrive,” Ronan confirmed. I didn't want to provoke Jack into attacking Carena out of anger. Of course, he would threaten us with her life when he was surrounded by the warriors.“Yamin is taking care of the roads--” Suddenly, Ronan's voice began to fade. My mind started to wander off, and I knew it wasn’t the first time this had happened. I had felt this before, only when someone stepped into my woods--the woods of which I was king.“They are here.”I closed my eyes, focusing on the whispers of
Carena:“AHHHHH!” My screams had deafened me at this point. The pain was unbearable, and being out in the wild was not helping at all. I was worried for my baby and how giving birth in the wilderness would negatively impact everything. Dr. Kelly had asked Jack and Martin to grab some supplies while she assisted me with the delivery.“Just keep going. I know you can do it,” she said, rubbing a damp cloth over my forehead in an attempt to comfort me, but I was far from comfortable. The open air and sky, combined with the fact that my mate was not with me, broke my heart.“Why can’t we go to a hospital?” I asked, letting out heavy breaths, but the pain kept intensifying.“Because Sawyer must have informed all the hospitals and packs about you and Jack,” she replied. “Besides, we are passing through Sawyer’s pack, so--” The minute she said that, goosebumps covered my body. I looked around and noticed the woods. What the hell!We were in the terrifying part of the woods? The crazy and poss
Carena: Jack was shocked to see the old man confronting him. It seemed like Jack had run out of words.“I don’t know what you are--talking about,” Jack tried to sound normal, but none of the words he uttered came out in a confident tone.His hesitation alone gave him a guilty appearance.I had stepped way back from them while Dr. Kelly ensured she stayed with me."I heard it all. You played me only so you could use my kin to escape the werewolf world--the world where you have messed up so much that you can’t even remain in it anymore,” Vincent finally seemed to have caught on to Jack’s scheme.It took him months and many wasted attempts to open his eyes. But what struck me as odd was that Jack steadily fixed his posture and approached him.For someone who had been caught in a lie by his only support, he was remarkably calm.“I think you’re taking this way too seriously. It’s not that grave of a matter,” he placed his hand on Vincent’s shoulder, but Vincent shrugged it off aggressivel
Carena:"What did you just say?" he asked, a harshness in his voice warning me not to say the wrong thing."Jack lied to you. He told me that if he told you the truth, you would kill me and my baby." I gulped, realizing it could be true. I was taking a risk here. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would have found a way to escape the chains and transition. But that was no longer an option."Huh!" He looked rightfully confused. "You are the reason my poor daughter is dead. Sawyer killed her because of you." Now that we were talking, he started revealing what he truly thought of me.The fact that he claimed Sawyer had killed Tabitha proved that Jack had lied to him about many things."That’s not true. Listen--" I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to admit who was really responsible for Tabitha’s death and the deaths of his other children.His expression grew even harsher as he continued to watch me, waiting for an explanation as to why I believed Jack had been lying."Tabitha did cheat on Ja
Carena:I was heavily pregnant and miserable, but I kept going for the sake of my baby and the hope of seeing Sawyer again one day. I just didn’t know how he would react to the fact that my child belonged to someone else.“You shouldn’t starve yourself,” the maid they had hired for me said, causing me to roll my eyes.I didn’t get along with any of these people.They were all enemies of both me and Sawyer, working for that despicable man.“I’m full,” I sighed. “Before you start lecturing me, I had breakfast less than two hours ago,” I scoffed, irritated.She rolled her eyes and left the hut. We had been on the run—or rather, they had kept me on the run—for months.Every time Sawyer got close, they would pack up and flee again. They’d managed to evade him many times by threatening my life, and of course, Sawyer always relented.“Hey,” Jack entered, having taken care of the food and other necessities for the night. He smiled at me.The mattress I sat on was uncomfortable, lacking the fa