Daemon's Point of View "Where is my mate?" I demanded of Callie and Zeke. Damn those two for hiding her from me. I vaguely remembered meeting them before when they came and sought permission to work and live outside of the pack lands. Depending on how much they had to do with Adriana disappearing, I might be rescinding my approval. What surprised me was Callie's outburst, though, and I had to give it to her for being a loyal friend to Adriana. It also gave me insight into what Adriana had told them. They now knew she was my mate and that she believed I would choose that stupid woman above my beautiful Adriana. How could she have thought that? Geez. Where had I gone so wrong as to not make it clear to her that I wanted her and no one else? In hindsight, I should have sat Adriana down immediately after her heat and told her what I had planned for us. Instead, I waited until I spoke to my father, and everything went to hell. Yet again, I had some fixing up to do in regards to her. I j
Daemon's Point of View Tyler, Adam and I were travelling at top speed down the highway, hopefully towards Adriana. Kilometre after kilometre flitting past. None of us sought to make conversation, for which I was thankful. Theo and I were extremely apprehensive about Adriana, and the pain in my mark irritated me and made me short-tempered. I would prefer not to snap at either Adam or Tyler. Ahead of us, we could see the bus still in the middle of the road and police cars surrounding it, with their lights flashing. It didn't look like the bus had crashed or anything, but we weren't going to be able to tell if it had until we were much closer. I silently prayed to the Goddess that it hadn't and that Adriana was okay. As we neared, one of the city constables indicated for us to pull over. Adam wound the driver's side window down. "We won't be long, and then you can go on your way," said the police constable. "Excuse me, Constable, we need to catch up to the bus," Adam replied "Yeah,
Adriana's Point of View Things were looking bleak. I had woken up in an unfamiliar place I had no idea where it was. Clearly, I was inside, and it was a storage room based on the old boxes stacked in the corner. However, it didn't seem as if it was somewhere used often, if at all. There was a musty, rancid smell. The kind that came from rotting produce that had been decaying for years. Many years. In the room with me were five shifters. I could smell them. Four of them had been in the vehicle with me and smelled the same; fetid and gross. It stunk. It wasn't normal. The apparent leader had a completely different smell, like a regular shifter, except that he wasn't regular in any way, shape or form. "Take your contacts out," he demanded. I could feel his Alpha aura trying to overpower me and compel me to do as he commanded. It wasn't working, but I was in shock, and all I could do was stare at him with my mouth open, catching flies, as my mother used to say. My mother. The only othe
Daemon's Point of View "What do you mean Alpha Brandon uses rogues?" I asked Tyler. "Alpha Brandon from the Red Devil Pack?" "It's just a rumour," he answered. "Though it is a popular rumour." "Why would he need to use rogues?" Adam asked. "Is there any way to find out the validity of the rumour?" "Sure," I answered. "Well, probably, but that is going to take time. Time we don't have." I rubbed my neck to try and ease the painful throb from Adriana's mark there. That wasn't the only pain. For some reason, my wrists hurt as well. However, there was an empty hole in my heart from missing her." The trip back to the pack took almost an hour. While that wasn't much time in the space of things, it felt like a lifetime. I wanted to get started finding Adriana as soon as possible. We would have to have a meeting straight away when we got back. It meant having Mitchell there, but he needed to help fix this. When we entered my office, I could still smell Adriana's scent in the room, thoug
Adriana's Point of View Alpha Brandon finally came back into the room. I don't know how long it had been since he left, but it seemed like hours. Even though there was no bed in the room, I managed to fall asleep lying on the wooden floor. I was starving and sore. The agonising throbbing in my neck was getting worse. To make matters worse, I had fallen in love with Daemon, and his betrayal left a void in my heart. "Here is some food," he sneered, dumping a tray on the floor next to me. "Enjoy it while you can." "And what do you mean by that?" I asked, absolutely sure that I didn't actually want the answer, but at the same time, some sick sense of wanting to know made me blurt it out. Brandon just laughed at me as if he were well aware of what I was thinking. I sighed, thinking he wasn't going to tell me what he had planned. Whatever it was, I was sure it would end in my death. Would that be such a bad thing? Wow! How had I gone from hoping for a chance to escape all the way to won
Daemon's Point of View The following two nights were hell. The nerve-wracking waiting for all the trackers to come back and report, hoping that at least one person had found Adriana. I knew it would take time for them to find her. A lot of preparation was needed for all the trackers to minimise their scent so they weren't putting themselves in danger. I totally understood this, but this was my mate and their Luna in trouble, and I was having difficulty reconciling priorities. Adam coordinated between the commanders, ready to put attack plans into action as soon as we had found her. Tyler spent his time organising the other work I would usually do. It was very remiss of me, but I couldn't concentrate on anything other than getting Adriana back. Tyler was also consoling me between jobs and ensuring Theo didn't take control and attack someone... anyone. "Alpha. Tyler. One of the trackers has come back. He thinks he's found her," Adam mind-linked us. "Meeting in my office now!" I order
Adriana's Point of View It had been two days that had passed since getting dragged off the bus. I was sure of it. At least Brandon is feeding me. I get two small meals daily, which consist of dry bread, some form of cooked meat and stale-tasting water. I was undoubtedly used to tastier food, but it is better than nothing. Prisoners can't be choosers. I know the saying was “beggars can't be choosers”, but I refuse to beg. My hands were still cuffed and causing welts. Despite this, I was not tied down in any other way, leaving me free to wander around the storage room. In one of the visits, Brandon gloated that the welts were caused by the silver handcuffs. I already knew this and told him so. He flipped his lid and had a massive meltdown. Easily riled piece of shit, although I might have used the word "doh!" while telling him. The look on his face when I laughed at him. At times, I thought my mum was nearby in spirit. Where I had felt like giving up before, I now felt like I would no
Daemon's Point of View We were in position. It had been torturous creeping up on the old packhouse like that, but we had managed it without getting detected. I only hoped we would be there in time, although if we had seen Brandon and his henchmen act, we would no longer have bothered creeping. With the full moon out, it was bright, and with our shifter senses, it might as well be daytime. So far, nothing had happened, but we still stayed in our positions, ready to attack. I took note of my surroundings in case there was someone else we hadn't accounted for. On one side, there was the large packhouse. Some other smaller buildings surrounded the open flat area on the other two sides. We were hidden on the fourth side, where there was long grass and some trees. All of the buildings were rundown, and it was noticeable that they hadn't been occupied for the last 18 years. It wasn't long before something happened. We watched Alpha Brandon enter the storage shed with the unknown woman, an
Cole’s Point of ViewDawn broke over the city as the last of the Supernatural Council guards departed with the prisoners. Thank the Goddess that the docks were a rundown abandoned area with few to no humans. The warriors we brought with us cleared the area before the Council arrived.The rogues and traitors, shackled and subdued, were loaded onto the council’s enchanted wagons, their fates sealed. I stood beside Marc, our shared relief palpable as the weight of the past days began to ease. Lucienne stood a few steps ahead, her posture straight and proud, but I could feel the tension radiating from her.Marc and I exchanged a glance. She hadn’t spoken much since we found her. It wasn’t like Lucienne to hold back—she was bold and fearless, her emotions always worn like a badge of honour. But now, her silence was deafening, the weight of everything she had endured pressing down on her.She stayed close to us, her touch grounding. Whether holding our hands, leaning into us, or simply brus
Lucienne's Point of ViewTaking our prisoners upstairs, Elizabeth’s face twisted into a mask of desperation. “Reject her!” she demanded, her voice shrill. “Choose Beatrice instead. She’s been trained for this position her entire life. You grew up with her—you know her! She’s everything a Luna should be. Not some—some Gamma!”Her words grew more frantic as she continued. “Beatrice loves you! She’s ladylike and graceful; everything Lucienne isn’t!”Elizabeth was giving me whiplash. First, she mistook Marc and Cole’s Lycans for my parents, recognising that I am a princess. Then she called me a mere Gamma as if what she said previously was non-existent.Marc and Cole both laughed the sound deep and mocking.“You’re delusional,” Cole said bluntly.“As is Beatrice,” Marc added, his tone filled with disdain. “To think we’d ever give up our fated mate for something far less.”“As if we’d give up our fated mate for anyone else,” continued Cole. “Unbelievable!”Elizabeth’s mouth opened and clos
Lucienne's Point of ViewShaking my head, I couldn’t believe she couldn’t put two and two together to make four. My father had already told them I was his daughter the first time Elizabeth threatened me. It wasn’t hard to make the connection that if my mother and father were Lycans, I must be one too.Beatrice shook her head, her trembling intensifying. I guess she was that stupid. Her head sank into her hands, her muttering turning into unintelligible whimpers. Her disbelief and humiliation were all too much for her fragile ego to handle. Despite wanting Eric rather than my mates, she had built her entire life’s plan on lies and half-truths fed to her by Elizabeth. And now it was crumbling before her eyes.Behind me, I heard a sharp intake of breath. I turned my attention to Dwayne, who had managed to pull himself into a sitting position against the wall. His face was ghostly pale, his eyes darting between me and Beatrice. There was no fight left in him, no bravado. Just a growing, s
Lucienne's Point of ViewThe sheer arrogance of my captors. They thought they had me trapped, powerless. Fools.Now, Elizabeth and Rodney sat in the corner of the cell I had once inhabited, their faces pale as they realised they were trapped. Their façade of control had crumbled, and seeing the fear in their eyes was almost pitiful. They wouldn't escape justice. Not this time.For now, though, my focus was on someone else-Beatrice.Her betrayal wasn't personal. It didn't sting, nor did it matter enough to hurt.Beatrice was simply another obstacle to remove, a loose end to tie up. However, like Elizabeth, she was an instigator in my abduction. Beatrice was about to learn that actions had consequences, and I intended to ensure she faced them.Elizabeth's voice, shrill and panicked, broke through my thoughts. "You won't get out of here alive, Lucienne. Upstairs is full of rogues. By the time Marc and Cole get here, you'll die!"I smiled coldly. Well, as much of a smile as I could in Lyc
Rodney's Point of ViewHer gaze didn’t waver. If anything, it sharpened, her defiance burning brighter. I could feel the tension in the air as Elizabeth stood next to me, the whip in her hand.“Give me the whip,” I demanded, telling Lucienne that I was going to show her mates exactly why they needed to reject her.Elizabeth refused despite me making it clear that I didn’t want her to do it—not that it mattered. She wasn’t going to listen. Elizabeth was determined to be the one to strike Lucienne, refusing to let me handle it.“Just don’t go so hard that you kill her,” I said.I wouldn't let Lucienne die—not like this. Elizabeth saw no issue with it.To her, Lucienne was just another obstacle to crush. She didn't understand that there was no way I was going to allow her to kill Lucienne. I would kill Elizabeth sooner than I had planned. I couldn't risk losing her, not when I was this close to getting what I wanted.I watched Lucienne’s face when Elizabeth told her that Marc and Cole we
Rodney's Point of ViewShe was perfect—every part of her. From the way her dark mahogany brown hair clung to her damp face to the fierce glint in her amethyst eyes, Lucienne was unlike anyone I had ever encountered. Even in this wretched, decrepit cell, she exuded an ethereal quality that only made me crave her more.I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. Those eyes—by the Goddess, they haunted me. That purple—the most striking, vivid shade I’d ever seen—was like a curse, binding me to her in ways I hadn’t anticipated. They seemed to pierce through me every time she dared to lift her gaze. They weren’t like the dull brown or washed-out blues I was used to seeing in Wolf-Shifters. No, they shimmered with an otherworldly depth, glowing faintly even in the dim light of the basement. I’d never seen anything like it, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how those eyes would look, gazing up at me… filled with submission.My obsession with her had grown from fascination to a consuming need. S
Lucienne's Point of ViewI had no idea what time it was. The thick, suffocating darkness of the warehouse seemed endless. When Beatrice had ordered Michaela upstairs, she’d deliberately switched off the only powered light, leaving me to eat in the dark. The cold seeped into my bones, the stale air heavy with the scent of mildew and iron.My body trembled from exhaustion and hunger; the pitiful scraps they fed me were barely enough to keep me conscious. Thankfully, I was just like a human still, which meant I didn’t need as much fuel to sustain me—but even so, I still longed for her strength, her presence, to return to me.Yet, amidst the weakness, I could feel a faint shift—a flicker of hope. The activated charcoal was working, slowly but surely purging the wolfsbane from my system. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to stoke a fragile fire within me.Curled into the corner of my cell, I clung to that flicker, willing myself to stay alert. My body was still weak and far from ready, but
Marc's Point of ViewThe moment we reached the edge of Charleston’s industrial district, our mood changed to serious mode. The dilapidated warehouses loomed ahead, their skeletal frames standing against the faint glow of distant city lights. The air was thick with the acrid scent of saltwater and rust, a sharp contrast to the quiet rage simmering within me.Every fibre of my being was screaming to charge in, to find Lucienne and end this nightmare, but I couldn’t afford to lose control. Not now. Not when we were this close. I glanced at Cole, who sat rigid in the seat next to me, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were bone white. His wolf, Blaine, was barely restrained, a growl rumbling deep in his chest.“Breathe,” I murmured through the mind-link, my voice steady despite the turmoil churning inside me. It was a simple command, but it carried more weight than either of us could have anticipated. I wasn’t sure if I was reminding him or myself.The tension from us was plain to
Cole's Point of ViewThe growl of the SUV’s engine echoed my mood—low and simmering with restrained fury. A day’s drive to Charleston felt like an eternity. Every kilometre of road we travelled was one less between us and Lucienne, but it didn’t feel fast enough. Every second on the road felt like a century.My Lycan, Blaine, prowled at the edges of my mind, eager to tear into anyone who had dared harm her. The fact that we had to wait to reach her made my blood boil. Marc sat in the back seat next to me, his posture rigid and his eyes locked on the road ahead, his knuckles white as he gripped the armrest. The fire burning in his amber eyes mirrored my own.Queen Adriana sat in the front with King Daemon driving, their presence commanding yet oddly comforting. Daemon had been our anchor through this ordeal, his steady voice reminding us that charging in mindlessly would only hurt Lucienne. Gamma Ellis was quiet beside us, his jaw tight as he stared out the window.Tension crackled in