Alvara's Point of ViewEveryone was waiting. Everything was ready. Perfect. The best day of my life. But I couldn't help the sudden surge of nerves. What if the cake fell off the table? What if Ciaran had forgotten the rings? So many things could go wrong so fast. It was an endless cycle of what would be worse.Someone showing up in white or the brides' maids tripping halfway down the aisle. "Can you stop fidgeting? Geez. You look perfect!" Teagan exclaimed. Downed the last bit of champagne in her glass. I frowned at her. Looked toward Adelia to back me up. She only shrugged. Smiled and stood.Her long blue dress swayed against the tiles. Heels clicked as she moved closer. Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, we stared into the large mirror together. "You do look perfect. And you are marrying the loves of your life. Nothing can ruin today. I promise." She tried to comfort me. It wasn't working. My large A-line dress did the best it could at hiding the fact that I was pregnant. Nea
Nerezza’s Point of View They had been following me ever since I left my hovel. I could feel their gazes settling on me. Feel them strip the layers of torn clothes from my body. As if sleeping in a bush hadn’t been degrading enough, I now had to deal with men who couldn’t mind their own business. Men who wanted nothing from women except their bodies. The thought of them catching up to me rattled me to the bones. I knew their type. Wanted me to scream as they devoured me. I hastened my pace, trudging through the busy street. No one seemed to notice the two predators stalking behind me. How they chuckled to one another. Making lude comments I couldn’t hear but knew they were saying. From the looks of them, they were city guards. Men sworn to protect the people. But they had other motives for joining the royal institute. Helpless
Priamos’ Point of View She was the most stunning woman I had ever seen. Jet black hair. Upturned nose and high cheeks bones. Voluptuous curves that went on for days. Keeping my eyes off of her wasn’t an option. Not for a moment. Especially seeing as two men were trailing her. As a beautiful woman, I understood their urge to follow along. I would hang from her lips the moment she let me. But this was different. There was a certain type of malice in their gait. The woman hadn’t realized it yet. Or she had but chalked it up to them strolling about. My dark-haired beauty turned down an alley, hair whipping in the breeze. The men followed behind. Softly laughed at each other when she had certainly doomed herself. I jumped from my seat at the café and crossed the road. A car honked at me and I glared back at it. There was no time t
Nerezza’s Point of View He had found me. Saved me. And I had no idea what his name was. I was certain I was going to die in that alley. Had known those men were trailing me ever since I left my makeshift home. Scouring for food in this city was a nightmare. The men were worse. Yet, he had noticed instantly. Came to my rescue the moment the fire inside me had burned out. Somehow, he had proved that not all men were animals. There had been no reason for me to carry on, anyways. My parents had died. Left me with no siblings or anyone to turn to. But he had come. Given me a ray of hope in my otherwise dark world. When our eyes met, I knew what he was to me instantly. The connection was there. The warmth that surrounded us. I wanted to fall into his arms. Breathe a sigh of relief and never look back. My own knight in shining armor.
Nerezza’s Point of View His room was pristine. Beautiful, even. Everything was doused in white. From the curtains hanging on the right side of the room to his bedsheets. Priamos smiled at me when I entered, fluffed the pillow one last time before standing straight. He gave me a once over. Made sure that I wasn’t going to bolt. I had nowhere to go and as much as I hated relying on his kindness now, I wouldn’t just leave. It felt nice to be in a temperature-controlled home. To know that no one can just walk in and hurt me. It was nice not having to fend for myself for a second. But my statement held within my heart. We couldn’t be close to each other all the time. Our wolves would go insane from frustration. The mating bond would kick in eventually, driving us to mate before I was ready. Before we knew each other.
Nerezza’s Point of View Two months later. I had become spoiled. Had my own cupboard filled with clothes he bought me. Received breakfast in bed every morning before he went off to work. Watched movies the entire day away. Sometimes I read, other times I played on the piano he had bought me on our one-month anniversary. We were dating. Not mated. Our sex life had also been stalled until further notice. Not once has he pressured me to please him. He also never came home with another female’s scent on him. My father would have been overjoyed to see me now. To see how well Priamos treated me. Every day was a new adventure together. We had yet to speak of my parents. Or his old pack. Those were the only topics we avoided. The love we shared grew stronger each day. Made me realize the prospects lif
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe silence in the car was stifling. Priamos looked everywhere but at me. Admired the new building coming along on the main road. Stared at the luxury cars passing by us. Everywhere but at my eyes. Or my stomach, which I now cradled with my hands.I had mixed feelings about what was growing inside of me. The life that was sure to start if I wished it. I had never imagined an abortion until now. Thought women were mad for letting go of the life inside of them. Now, I understood their decisions. I couldn't care for myself, much less a baby as well.Priamos seemed to think the same, from the lack of words from him. How could he not? We barely knew each other. Had just gotten to a comfortable point by calling each other pet names. It was a work in progress and a baby would complicate things too much.We stopped in front of our apartment complex. Staring up to the third floor, I couldn't imagine bringing
Nerezza's Point of View3 Months LaterPriamos had been right and my wishes had been dashed. The baby I had been carrying for five months now had turned out a boy. Just like his father, he was already strong-willed and hated almost any food I consumed. Made me throw up morning, noon, and night. Women had always complained about morning sickness but what they failed to tell you about was that it happened any time of the day.I had lost nearly twenty kilograms just from throwing up. From barely being able to eat anything. Priamos had become a brooding mother hen who refused that I do anything. For fear of the baby, of course. But it was irritating being confined to one space all the time.The outside world carried on as if nothing was missing. Because nothing was. I had never been part of the world around me, hence, the world did not realize my absence.At least our shopping trip with Fa
Alvara's Point of ViewEveryone was waiting. Everything was ready. Perfect. The best day of my life. But I couldn't help the sudden surge of nerves. What if the cake fell off the table? What if Ciaran had forgotten the rings? So many things could go wrong so fast. It was an endless cycle of what would be worse.Someone showing up in white or the brides' maids tripping halfway down the aisle. "Can you stop fidgeting? Geez. You look perfect!" Teagan exclaimed. Downed the last bit of champagne in her glass. I frowned at her. Looked toward Adelia to back me up. She only shrugged. Smiled and stood.Her long blue dress swayed against the tiles. Heels clicked as she moved closer. Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, we stared into the large mirror together. "You do look perfect. And you are marrying the loves of your life. Nothing can ruin today. I promise." She tried to comfort me. It wasn't working. My large A-line dress did the best it could at hiding the fact that I was pregnant. Nea
Nerezza's Point of ViewFarren had changed the estate exponentially. Enhanced it to the point where I was uncertain if we had come to the right place. No longer were the walls a dull black fence. In their place stood a large hedge with flowers sprouting in every direction. Security posted at the white frosted gates. White gravel leading into the place. It was exactly the type of wonderland I had thought her capable of constructing. A mansion fit for a fairy queen.I could feel my jaw slipping open. Feel awe creep up on me. She had accomplished so much in just over two weeks' time. Knew where her strengths were and used them to the best of her abilities. It was astonishing. We stopped in front of the gates. Were greeted by guards I knew the faces of. Couldn't place them immediately until one spoke up. "Miss Nerezza! Farren wasn't expecting you to be back so soon!" The man exclaimed. Held open his arms for a hug. I looked back at my mates. Noticed their frowns. But the gesture finally
Nerezza's Point of ViewWe had gathered everyone in the open space in front of the house. Gave them all blankets. Scavenged some clothes in all the surrounding houses and dressed the youngest of the children. Not all of the garments fit properly but it was enough to stave off the cold. Protect their innocence. Especially seeing as they had been through so much already.Conan was still passed out in the blanket Priamos had taken him away in. Milla sat close to him. Hugged his legs to her. Whimpered whenever one of my mates would get too close or linger too long. Her clear distrust of anyone was to be expected but I had never imagined someone of her age would already possess such hatred for other people.Alastair had turned back into his wolf form. Scouted for any remaining men in the surrounding area. He made his second lap around the premises before I stopped him. Held my hand on the patch of white he had on his forehead. The dark brown wolf nuzzled my hand. Looked me in the eyes."Go
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe brute had no time to recover. Or dodge. Only time to twist before Zaven lunged at him. This gave me an opening. Enough time to slip past the brawling bodies. Snarls and yips echoed into the hall. Slithered down my spine.I pushed them all away. Focussed on finding my son again. The chaos coming from downstairs was enough to bring me to my knees. The fighting had spilled inside. Men peppered the house with bullets. But none came up. Saw me at the top and shot but never pursued. "Conan!" I called down. Felt fear ripping at my heart again. If he was down there, the odds of him making it out alive were slipping away by the second. "I am in here!" The boy called dutifully. His voice came from behind me. From the door I had seen the brute enter. Slipping inside, I closed it. Pushed the closest thing I could find in front of it. Which was a doll house. Large enough that a toddler could climb in and disappear. The roof of the house was a bit worn but brand new t
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe second floor of the house wasn't nearly as run down as the first floor. Held much more luxury. Paintings of people long since passed. Pieces of art. The floors were of high-quality stone. Made me feel almost guilty for walking all over them with my dirty feet. Children's toys were also scattered about. Littered the landing of the stairs. Along with the modern living room beyond. Off to the right, there was a kitchen. Neat. Clean. State of the art. Glass front cupboards lit up by lights on the inside. It almost rivaled my own."This way." The elderly lady whispered. Touched my arm briefly in passing. She lead us down a short hall. Past two other rooms with their doors tightly shut. A bathroom light was on at the far end, just beyond the third room. This was where the lady slowed down. Stopped in front of. The door had a name on it in colorful lettering. Conan.I felt my heart skip a beat. Until voices drifted into my ears. Amadeus hadn't followed us up. H
Nerezza's Point of ViewWe moved toward the light. Split up into our respective groups as we progressed. Our paws made less noise in the snow. Or maybe I couldn't hear them anymore above the pounding of my own heart. Either way, Amadeus and I remained behind the rest. Lagged a bit.From our current vantage point, I could make out two trucks closest to us. Neither looked to be filled with children, which was a slight relief. Until I realized where most of them were. In a hole, unable to ever return to their hopeful parents.Under Reginald's rule, several hundred children had vanished, seemingly, into thin air. I had a part to play in that monstrosity of negligence. Had always swept it under the rug so that he focussed on what I had wanted first. Now I came to regret it. Knew that those children had most likely been peers of Conan's later on. Priamos lead the way for Lysander's team. Curled his head left. The assassins and the heir padded off in that direction. Settled in somewhere out
Nerezza's Point of ViewConan might be in a dark and freezing hole somewhere. Trapped by other children's corpses. His soul unable to return to the goddess by proper burial. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run to that village. Scream at the top of my lungs until my son answered. But it was out of the question.I would get killed before I even made it inside the first circle of houses. Bunkers. Whatever they used to store these neglected children in. Anger mixed in with my despair. Coated my heart in a sickly black slime.They had to pay. Whether Conan was alive or dead, they had to face the consequences of their actions. Humans had long since forgotten there were monsters lurking in the dark. Had forgotten that firelight never scared us away. We would have to hunt all of them down. Every last one. Devour them.Because they had taken my son from me. The last ray of hope I had left in this life. No amount of tears would fill the hole he had left inside of me. I braced mysel
Nerezza's Point of ViewPriamos, the twins, and Lysander set out at first light. Four men innocently walking around in the jungle wouldn't spark much interest in the enemies we had more to the north. They had taken hunting bows with them. Arrows. Face coverings. No one would suspect them to be anything but four men trying to find food in this frozen wasteland.Zaven had set out to look for more firewood for the day. Or so he had claimed but I had a feeling there was something else brewing on his mind. Whatever it might have been was irrelevant. Trivial. We could deal with all the emotional fallout of the group once Conan was safely back within our reach."Have you ever fought someone before?" Kalliked asked. Shook out his black hair from some snow that had fallen on him. The snow made his caramel skin look lighter than it was. Made him seem less threatening and more clumsy. But it also made the white tattoos surrounding his neck stand out.Shaking off some of the same snowfall, I nodd
Nerezza's Point of ViewWe had drifted off to sleep. Comforted by the various warm bodies, I couldn't help myself. Felt more loved at that moment than I ever had before. It was a revelation to know that after so long, you were indeed loved and cherished. By the very men you had wronged time and time again.The goddess had known exactly who to give me. Even if I had failed to see that at the beginning. At least I was grateful now. If not for the cold then for their warmth.A persistent knocking drove me out of my slumber. I looked toward the door. Noticed the knocking turned into a frantic beat. This made me wiggle my way out of the mess of bodies. Some of them were even snuggled together. Like Lysander holding Priamos. Zaven holding Alastair. Slipping out of bed, I stared down at them. Felt my heart swell.After everything we had been through, they still remained. Devoted themselves to my happiness. To finding Conan. A few more hours of rest couldn't do anything to them but improve th