ELLAI grabbed onto Nathan's arms and held on tightly.He stood before me, his lips dropping kisses all over my face.Behind me was Tristan, who slowly took my shirt off my body."What," I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it down. "What are you...""Ella dear now isn't the time to argue,” Nathan purred, his voice low and seductive. He placed his hand over mine and guided me to remove the shirt. "You want this, don't you?""This?" I asked and stared at him.Did I want this?What was it?I didn’t even know, but I guess I did want it.I mean, I'd been craving their touch for a very long time. Even if they were, in fact, werewolves, and there was a possibility that I was one too, did it really matter?"I want it," I said quietly.Nathan smirked at me, pride evident on his face."Good girl." He said softly."Hey, don't hog her all to yourself," Tristan grumbled behind me.Nathan smirked against my lips. "Patience, brother, she's not going anywhere.”Guilt twisted in my heart at his w
ELLAWendy didn't give up asking what had happened with the twins last night.Morning came, a new day started and she continued to ask still."Come on, Ella," She whined as we brushed our teeth. "Just tell me what happened!""Forget it, Wendy," I said and rinsed my mouth out.I couldn’t even imagine telling her what had happened.Where would I start from? How they held me, or how they kissed me and lit my body on fire?How would I put it into words?Until last night I didn't think I could ever be taken by two men at once.But it happened, and—"You're blushing!" Wendy poked at my cheeks, interrupting my thoughts, “Something juicy happened, huh?” She winked.I knocked her hands off my face. Damn it, she was really persistent.“It's nothing.""It’s not nothing. It’s not every time two Alpha wolves share a woman." She said, and I stilled.I turned to her. "Wait, what?”She raised a brow. "What?""You knew?!""Of course. How can I not know about them sharing you. You came in covered in hi
ELLA"That's about it," The school doctor said as she wrapped the last bandage around my head. She looked at me with a smile, although the look of pity in her muddy brown eyes was hard to miss. "Have the pain meds kicked in yet?"I nodded. The motion made me feel dizzy and sick. "Yes. I don’t feel much pain anymore.”I noticed she didn't ask what had happened to me or how I had gotten pieces of glass stuck in my head.Maybe it was because Grace was standing outside the door and had practically ordered her to fix me.I guess she knew Grace was responsible and didn't dare ask. And it was just sad.Wasn’t she part of the people supposed to protect us from bullying and the like? The ones in authority in this school?Yet, she couldn’t even say anything. She was hand and foot bound by mere students.Pain meds, my ass.But then I reminded myself not to get mad at her.She was just trying to protect her job. The economy was tough out there."Are you finally done?!" Grace stormed her way in. S
ALPHA ADONIS POVThe conference hall would have been almost completely silent if it wasn't for the loud ringing of a phone.I turned in the direction of the sound.Sitting stiffly beside me was a woman.She wore horn-rimmed spectacles on her nose bridge and a spotless lab coat.Again, she didn't have time to change out of her day clothes before coming for a meeting."Well," I spoke. "Celia, won't you get that?"Dr Celia nodded, flushing out of embarrassment. She took her phone out and glanced at it."Who is it?" I asked as I noticed the look on her face.She looked around, and apprehension flashed in her eyes. I mind-linked with her and repeated the question.“Who is that?”"Ella." She mind-linked back.My eyes widened, and I rushed to my feet. "Everyone get out! The meeting is over!"Choruses of "Yes, Alpha Adonis" rang out through the air, accompanied by the shuffling of feet as they all got up and left."Hello?" Celia picked up the phone and put it to her ear. She looked at me as s
ELLAButterflies fluttered in my belly as I ended the call with Dr Celia.It had been a weird one, with the strange man who suddenly came on the phone giving me instructions. But Dr Celia had told me everything was okay.Suddenly, the throbbing in my head didn't hurt as much as it did a few minutes ago.Finally, I would leave this place.Finally, I would be gone for good.I stared at the phone in my hand and decided to thrash it.I turned it off and headed out of the school building.It was the middle of the school day, and I still had classes lined up. But none of them mattered anymore.Why spend another agonizing minute within these four walls if I would be gone by sunset?I walked outside the school and took out the phone from my pocket.Once this phone was gone, my last link to Alaska would be severed.I smashed the phone against the floor, its screen shattering into bits, and then I threw it away.A pained feeling shot through my chest when I remembered that I was leaving without
NATHAN’S POV"What was that you just said?" Tristan snapped, not even letting Wendy finish her sentence.Wendy looked at him with defiance and fear mixed in her eyes, “If you would kindly let me...""The moment I heard Ella and Grace in the same sentence, I knew it must be bad," Tristan said. "Why didn't you come to us when it happened?"Wendy folded her arms. "Take a wild guess?""Hey," I stepped forward. I noticed Tristan getting agitated, and he was going to transfer his aggression to Wendy. “Let's handle this calmly," I said.He turned to look at me. I knew the look well enough.He suspected something was wrong and wanted me to let him handle this. But I wasn’t going to let him do that.Turning to Wendy and putting on the most charismatic smile I could muster, I asked her, “Where is Ella now?"Wendy sighed. "Have you been listening to anything I said? She and Grace fought. It wasn't even a fight; it was a full-on one-sided massacre.”“And?”“She left school after that, and I haven
ELLAThat man had my eye color.That was the thought that rang in my head when he told me I was hired.I couldn’t look away from his eyes, and at that moment, I didn’t think of it as keeping eye contact; it was more of me admiring the eye color.‘You have the galaxy in your eyes.‘ Wendy had said that to me the first time she saw me.And this man…he had the galaxy in his eyes too. Pink, blue, and purple all melded into a swirling hue with silver dots.Eyes of a freak.Eyes that weren’t human.Eyes that weren’t normal.I blinked and realized I’d been staring for far too long. “My apologies,” I said with a nervous smile.“It’s not a problem my dear,” The man said.He seemed like a good person.For one, I did not get any alarm bells in my head, and I felt calm and safe around him.“So, about your new job,” he said, turning to the counter. “Working hours for starters are from 8 am till 2 pm. Your pay is twenty-five dollars per hour, and you can take extra hours if you so wish. You’re expec
THE TWINS (THIRD-PERSON POV)The air was heavy with the sound of angry and pained growls.Lying on the cold concrete floor of the basement were the Blackwood twins writhing in pure agony.Chains suspended their wrists and ankles to the impenetrable stone walls surrounding the basement.This room was created solely for one purpose—to contain the curse when it starts acting up.They tugged on the chains, but they wouldn't snap.No matter how much strength they used to pull the chains, they would never come undone.Nathan looked at Tristan, pain reflected in both of their eyes.Pain for their mate.Pain for Ella.The sound of rattling keys pierced the air and made them snap their heads to the source of the sound.Standing outside the door was their father - Alpha Blackwood.He walked into the cell, unafraid and confident in his steps. "How are you boys holding up?" He asked, his voice choked full of emotion.It hurt him a lot to see his boys in such a pitiful state, but there was nothing
ELLATEN YEARS LATER“Welcome, Luna.” The small, bespectacled woman bowed with a smile. “The kids have been waiting. They can hardly sit still at the moment.”I favored her a warm smile. “That is to be expected of kids. You know how they are, young and full of so much energy.”Today, I was to spend some time with kindergarteners at the pack’s new daycare center.Little ones who had no idea at the moment that they weren’t humans, babies, in the sense of the word.She adjusted her horn-rimmed glasses and laughed softly. “Ah, yes. Right this way, please. Would you like anything to drink? Tea or coffee, perhaps?” She gestured to the hallway ahead, where the walls were painted a soft baby pink with motifs of flowers, rainbows, and stick figures playing in green fields.We walked down the hall side by side.“Water is good.”“I shall arrange for that.”We paused in front of a door.From the glass screen, I could see the kindergartens running about, smiling brightly as they chased one another
ELLA“At this point, I think you have a laughing disease or something.""She's just high, we all are.""I'm not fucking high.""Yes. Like you didn't drink an entire winery barely thirty minutes ago.""Can you two quit your incessant rambling and take this gown off me? Hello? I'm trying to get dicked down right now!”Nathan and Tristan turned to me, eyes shiny with mirth.It had been a long day.The wedding after-party stretched into the night, long and packed with fun.And right now, I have a beautiful wedding ring on my finger, which matches my mates' rings, too.We had a joint shower and settled down to drain the Blackwood family cellar."You want to get dicked down?" Nathan asked, his brows wiggling suggestively as he approached me. He pulled me into his arms, and I shuddered just at that touch alone. "Mrs. Blackwood,""Oh, shut up," I laughed to myself. It started small and soon blew out into a wild laugh. "I think Wendy spiked our drinks,""With what?" Tristan hugged me from behi
ELLAA WEEK LATER."We look amazing, don't you think?" Sara said, her head tilted back and forth. "These gowns are the best, don't you think?""Um...yeah. I..." I tried to say something, but my nerves wouldn't let me form a coherent sentence.My hands balked into fists at my sides.My cheeks were tinged rogue, and it wasn't from blushing. I felt a million butterflies released in my belly.I was so fucking nervous! And I wanted to pee too."Hey, hey," Sara said softly. She grabbed both sides of my face and turned me to face her. "What's the matter?""I’m nervous?" I said with an uneasy laugh, and Sara laughed, too."Tell me about it; I am terrified." She put her hands over my shoulders and gently steered me to meet our reflection in the giant mirror in front of us. "But think about it this way: We are about to get married to the loves of our lives. Don't you think that's amazing?"We looked stunning.I had always imagined myself in a wedding gown, but none of my imagination topped the
ELLADr Celia was dead.We found her body and that of the witch who was controlling her outside of the altar, badly burned up.The altar itself was on fire, but the fire was going down as if being suppressed by an invisible hand.Magic was probably at play, we guessed so.Some of the saved werewolves offered to bury the dead.Even as I stared at the dead body of the witch who controlled and killed my mentor, I didn't feel any feeling of satisfaction that she was dead.I would have felt a million times better if I were the one to tear her apart bit by bit and leave her body parts for the vultures and crows to pick her bones clean."There's someone inside there," Tristan said as I watched the wolves dig a grave for Dr Celia.I turned to him. He and Tristan had gone to check the altar, but they didn't get as far as the door."There's a witch inside." Nathan said. "Just how many of them are they?""It's a coven." I said and turned to the altar. "There's a lot of them. And we're going to k
THIRD PERSON POVBeing under a witch's control was like being trapped in your head.Dr Celia didn't know exactly when she fell under the witch's control.All she remembered was waking up one morning and finding that her body wasn't in her control.She had woken up in the lab with no memories of getting there.She still had her consciousness, and the witch would sometimes let her take control for a few minutes or hours at a time, depending on what was needed.Celia did try to break free, or run, or alert someone of what was going on.But before she opened her mouth to speak, she would find herself slipped back to the darkest corner of her mind, and a strange presence would take control of her body.She hated it. Absolutely hated it.It went on for long months. An unspoken rule. "Keep your mouth shut at all times."The witch searched her brain, all her memories, the treasure robe of medieval knowledge and experience that she had. And the witch used them all to her advantage.Not only di
ELLA“What the fuck is that thing?" Tristan asked, his voice carrying the awe and surprise we all felt.The large circle was the size of a small football field. The land strips around it looked like they had been lynched of all life. The circle glowed a pulsing red, dark and ominous, like something from a horror movie."A circle," Wendy said, her voice shaky.I couldn't even speak."I can see that it's a fucking circle, Carter. But what exactly is it?!""We don't know," Nathan replied. "We don't fucking know."We had been able to save most of the werewolves who had been mind-controlled and injured.I couldn't shake off the feeling of something being wrong.Then we noticed a light in the distance, not far from the altar, and traced it to this weird circle."You've got to be fucking with me," Tristan said, his voice cold and angry."Oh my goodness." I gasped, my eyes going wide.Out of the circle werewolves, many of them coming out in their numbers. Their eyes glowed red, signifying tha
WENDY’S POVMy entire body screamed out in protest.The ache had settled deep in my bones, and each step I took worsened the pain.I felt lightheaded and on the verge of passing out.Vomit rose in my throat, and everything felt too bright and too loud.I was bleeding. Those idiot vines had thorns that cut into my skin. The cuts hissed in pain as my contaminated blood flowed out of it.My heart hurt like a banger.I was literally about to pass out on the cold forest floor.But seeing Ella's face above mine, her brows tight with concern, her lower lip between her teeth in a way she did when she was stressed, the smoke and burns all over her body when she had pulled me out of that fire — how could I pass out when my friend needed my help?"Wendy?” She tapped my chin. "Hey! Can you see me? Wendy!""I can," I groaned. “Thank you; I feel better now."I felt like shit.But at least I didn’t feel the burning of that disgusting wolfsbane in my body."Here," Ella extended her hand and helped me
ELLAI burst into the altar first.Inside, the weirdly circular place was dark, even with the numerous candles lit everywhere.I looked around frantically, my heart beating so loud in my ears.My eyes were drawn to an inverted cross in the center of the room, raised on a flat stone altar.There was a girl bound to the cross with tight, thorny vines that slithered and moved across her skin.My eyes widened as I saw the girl, her face bloody and dirty but familiar."Wendy!" I screamed out, my voice laced with horror. I rushed to her side.Wendy's head rolled to the side, and she looked at me.Her eyes were blood red, similar to the wolves who had been under the witch's mind control. She bared her fangs at me, growling in anger."I'll get you out of here!" I cried out. I grabbed the vines and pulled them. "Argh!" I stumbled back, my hand cradled in my lap.The vines cut into my palm, and blood dripped steadily down the cuts onto the floor. Those vines looked alive, moved, and sounded lik
ELLAMy flashlight shot through the dark forest, a flurry of bats scurrying to safety overhead.The twins and I walked through the thick forest, and with each step, the feeling of foreboding over me grew.The forest was too silent.It was too dark.And I could swear I saw things moving at the corner of my vision.Every sense I possessed tingled, and all my instincts warned me to run away—to turn and run.I pressed forward, my grip on the flashlight tight, even though I was trembling.Tristan walked in front of me, Nathan behind me. I felt safe between them, but I was still worried.Perhaps we should have waited till morning.But I didn't want to see what would happen if we waited.Each time I blinked, I saw the map with the red-marked location glaring at me."There's someone here," Tristan said and paused.I looked around, but the shadows in the forest moved and slithered. The beam of his flashlight moved from left to right, too."I feel it, too," Nathan said.A low growling sound rea