The air in the room seemed to freeze, going several degrees lower as Travis's presence filled the room overbearingly.
His eyes were cold and sharp, like the edge of a blade, and his muscles were filled with tension as his eyes scanned both of me and Sylvia with demanding scrutiny.Sylvia's breath caught in her throat, all the colour draining from her face as she swallowed, her wide eyes flicking from me to him.I was sure my expression mirrored hers; my throat felt constricted and dry, and I could not formulate a quick response, gaping instead at him as his face hardened even further, "I asked you a question.""Travis," I pushed past the lump in my throat to say, my growing fear a chasm that passed between us.How should I begin to explain that Sylvia had come to seek my help to disrupt or at least stall his plans, and I, on the other hand, had made an instant decision not to tell him in favour of her? I had even hidden the fact that I haHard to believe that this was happening but it was.The jolting movement of the carriage as the horses moved confirmed it, and so did the overwhelming scent of the man next to me and the faint smells of the wolves following behind us I could pick up on.Cameron and Sylvia were in the carriage behind us, accompanied by some of Travis' trusted guards, and I could very well imagine the situation within. It was surely no different from ours.I was seated with my hands clasped between my thighs, regretting my decision to throw a regular tank top over a brown bootcut trouser and as the name implied, I was on a pair of boots.Travis was dressed in warmer clothes, cosy even with a thick outer jacket casually draped over his lap.Oh, how I so wish I could snatch it right off and put it on.In actuality, knowing Travis, he would have handed it right over to me but I guess he was still angry. Still unable to accept all that I had done despi
"Alpha Travis," the blond-haired man seated on the other end of the large table, directly facing Travis said, his voice dripping with distasteThis was Julian, Sylvia's half-brother, and true to her description of him, he was a man consumed by rage and hatred and had a permanent scowl on his face as if anger was his default state of being. Travis, on the other hand, seemed more at ease, as if he were a mere observer and not an active participant in the tension that filled the room."Julian," Sylvia called, her anxiety written all over her face as she switched glances between both men."I was told you had plans to eradicate not only myself but my people. I did not think you could be so cruel, Alpha Travis," Alex inputted, his frame of mind much calmer than Julian's and for a minute; I was grateful for his presence.At least he was guaranteed to keep Julian in check before an explosion of anger occurred between him and Travis.Tra
"Alright, I agree to a ceasefire. You will stay off my land, and I will keep from yours as well; you can have the Gold Moon Pack territory. Based on Maya's proposition, Sylvia will act as a middleman and handle any business we might have with you. However, as compensation for the loss of lives you have caused me, we will deal with you at a much lesser rate than the others." I exhaled a breath of relief, and Travis dropped his words of concession quietly, taking a step back by agreeing to my suggestion once again.It gave the illusion that I was the only one present capable of making him change his mind.Julian grunted, and Alex leaned closer to mumble something to him quietly and instantly; his expression eased. As for him as well, this was the first time I had seen him have any expression that resembled calm.Both he and Travis had gotten really angry earlier and had a violent faceoff. The broken table in between us and Julian's bruised face was evidence
MAYA'S POVThe return back to the Alpha's tower was silent, many times I had attempted speaking but chose to keep silent each time upon second thought because I did not think Travis wanted to talk to me.Sylvia had stayed back to properly finalize things with Julian, so I and Travis had ended up alone.He was driving, and I was seated next to him, my face stuck to the window as I pretended to admire the landscape."You should have told me," He spoke up suddenly, breaking the silence and I turned to face him, my lips parting in confusion, "Huh?""If you knew that the hybrids had a counter for the disease, then you should have told me earlier," He repeated, glancing at me for a minute and then turning his gaze back to the road."Um...well..." I struggled to form a proper sentence, then sighed, gathering my words, "I did not find out until much later, too; Sylvia helped out as well."I was not sure if he heard what I said u
MAYA'S POVTravis' sudden question stunned me and I hurriedly denied it, "I didn't cry.""You did," He answered, he did not seem like he was trying to confirm it but was making a statement because he knew it was true."I..." I stuttered, suddenly feeling humiliated that he had seen me when I tried so hard to hide it.I struggled to come up with a lie or at least a reasonable excuse for why I had cried but could not come up with anything good so I decided to be honest and come clean, "I just felt so overwhelmed by the fact that you do not consider me a stranger," I answered, trying to play it off like it was nothing when that single statement had in fact made my when day."That's why you cried?" He creased his brows just a little bit, his face momentarily tightening in confusion."It sounds like an exaggeration to you right," I laughed mildly, unable to keep my smile up for long."Actually, it wasn't," I answered with a c
TRAVIS' POVI could not stop thinking about what Maya had said earlier and wondering how that thought was conceived.Ever since she arrived, I was sure I had done my best to make her feel comfortable, and Adriana had done even more to help her settle in, but I guess that was not enough.She and I had started off on the wrong foot, not that we did not exactly get along, but I felt our relationship was too stiff, which was partly my fault and ever since I realised that I have been trying to bridge that gap.When we got back home, I went up to my study first, leaving her behind to converse with Adrianna while I called for Jay to inform him of the new development with the hybrids."You don't seem too happy to hear that," I pointed out, knowing his stance on the whole issue was the same as mine but after I spoke on what Julian and I had agreed upon, he did not reject it either."I'm not unhappy about it," Jay sighed, slumping into one
MAYA'S POV"Shall we take a break?" Brook asked, swiping off the sweat on her forehead with a light chuckle.I was bent over on the ground, panting heavily, the action a little bit exaggerated. Exhaustion had gotten to me for the past hour, and I had been pleading to be given a breather, but she turned a deaf ear to me and went on anyway.It had taken quite a bit of play-acting and unnecessarily loud groans to get her to make this statement, so I hastily accepted before she changed her mind, "Yes, please, you might end up killing me before my enemies at this rate," I wheezed jokingly."You speak like you have any enemies around here, As far as I know, Jana is the only one who dislikes you." She spoke of it as if it were a well-known fact, and I was not oblivious to it either.I could feel immense hatred radiating from the other woman whenever we met. She opposed me at every turn and at every meeting the Éclat society held. With Adrianna's
"It's Comet night, summon your excitement." I tugged boisterously on Sam's arm, my eyes lit up with a smile just like the starry night sky few feets from my view."I really don't get why you're so excited, you could get your hopes dashed just like mine." Sam pointed out, a blank expression on her face."Sam! Don't say that." I pouted, my smile widening even further.To werewolves of other pack, it was just a regularly seen night when the moon was at its peak and werewolves at their strongest but it was a special night for me and every other werewolf of the Raging Flame pack that was as excited as I was.My dream of getting married to Shawn and being the Luna once he succeeded the Alpha was finally happening."You should not be so pessimistic, I just know things will go well." A smile crossed my lips and I patted my chest confidently.Sam glanced at my reflection through the mirror then kept on brushing my hair, "I hope it does to
MAYA'S POV"Shall we take a break?" Brook asked, swiping off the sweat on her forehead with a light chuckle.I was bent over on the ground, panting heavily, the action a little bit exaggerated. Exhaustion had gotten to me for the past hour, and I had been pleading to be given a breather, but she turned a deaf ear to me and went on anyway.It had taken quite a bit of play-acting and unnecessarily loud groans to get her to make this statement, so I hastily accepted before she changed her mind, "Yes, please, you might end up killing me before my enemies at this rate," I wheezed jokingly."You speak like you have any enemies around here, As far as I know, Jana is the only one who dislikes you." She spoke of it as if it were a well-known fact, and I was not oblivious to it either.I could feel immense hatred radiating from the other woman whenever we met. She opposed me at every turn and at every meeting the Éclat society held. With Adrianna's
TRAVIS' POVI could not stop thinking about what Maya had said earlier and wondering how that thought was conceived.Ever since she arrived, I was sure I had done my best to make her feel comfortable, and Adriana had done even more to help her settle in, but I guess that was not enough.She and I had started off on the wrong foot, not that we did not exactly get along, but I felt our relationship was too stiff, which was partly my fault and ever since I realised that I have been trying to bridge that gap.When we got back home, I went up to my study first, leaving her behind to converse with Adrianna while I called for Jay to inform him of the new development with the hybrids."You don't seem too happy to hear that," I pointed out, knowing his stance on the whole issue was the same as mine but after I spoke on what Julian and I had agreed upon, he did not reject it either."I'm not unhappy about it," Jay sighed, slumping into one
MAYA'S POVTravis' sudden question stunned me and I hurriedly denied it, "I didn't cry.""You did," He answered, he did not seem like he was trying to confirm it but was making a statement because he knew it was true."I..." I stuttered, suddenly feeling humiliated that he had seen me when I tried so hard to hide it.I struggled to come up with a lie or at least a reasonable excuse for why I had cried but could not come up with anything good so I decided to be honest and come clean, "I just felt so overwhelmed by the fact that you do not consider me a stranger," I answered, trying to play it off like it was nothing when that single statement had in fact made my when day."That's why you cried?" He creased his brows just a little bit, his face momentarily tightening in confusion."It sounds like an exaggeration to you right," I laughed mildly, unable to keep my smile up for long."Actually, it wasn't," I answered with a c
MAYA'S POVThe return back to the Alpha's tower was silent, many times I had attempted speaking but chose to keep silent each time upon second thought because I did not think Travis wanted to talk to me.Sylvia had stayed back to properly finalize things with Julian, so I and Travis had ended up alone.He was driving, and I was seated next to him, my face stuck to the window as I pretended to admire the landscape."You should have told me," He spoke up suddenly, breaking the silence and I turned to face him, my lips parting in confusion, "Huh?""If you knew that the hybrids had a counter for the disease, then you should have told me earlier," He repeated, glancing at me for a minute and then turning his gaze back to the road."Um...well..." I struggled to form a proper sentence, then sighed, gathering my words, "I did not find out until much later, too; Sylvia helped out as well."I was not sure if he heard what I said u
"Alright, I agree to a ceasefire. You will stay off my land, and I will keep from yours as well; you can have the Gold Moon Pack territory. Based on Maya's proposition, Sylvia will act as a middleman and handle any business we might have with you. However, as compensation for the loss of lives you have caused me, we will deal with you at a much lesser rate than the others." I exhaled a breath of relief, and Travis dropped his words of concession quietly, taking a step back by agreeing to my suggestion once again.It gave the illusion that I was the only one present capable of making him change his mind.Julian grunted, and Alex leaned closer to mumble something to him quietly and instantly; his expression eased. As for him as well, this was the first time I had seen him have any expression that resembled calm.Both he and Travis had gotten really angry earlier and had a violent faceoff. The broken table in between us and Julian's bruised face was evidence
"Alpha Travis," the blond-haired man seated on the other end of the large table, directly facing Travis said, his voice dripping with distasteThis was Julian, Sylvia's half-brother, and true to her description of him, he was a man consumed by rage and hatred and had a permanent scowl on his face as if anger was his default state of being. Travis, on the other hand, seemed more at ease, as if he were a mere observer and not an active participant in the tension that filled the room."Julian," Sylvia called, her anxiety written all over her face as she switched glances between both men."I was told you had plans to eradicate not only myself but my people. I did not think you could be so cruel, Alpha Travis," Alex inputted, his frame of mind much calmer than Julian's and for a minute; I was grateful for his presence.At least he was guaranteed to keep Julian in check before an explosion of anger occurred between him and Travis.Tra
Hard to believe that this was happening but it was.The jolting movement of the carriage as the horses moved confirmed it, and so did the overwhelming scent of the man next to me and the faint smells of the wolves following behind us I could pick up on.Cameron and Sylvia were in the carriage behind us, accompanied by some of Travis' trusted guards, and I could very well imagine the situation within. It was surely no different from ours.I was seated with my hands clasped between my thighs, regretting my decision to throw a regular tank top over a brown bootcut trouser and as the name implied, I was on a pair of boots.Travis was dressed in warmer clothes, cosy even with a thick outer jacket casually draped over his lap.Oh, how I so wish I could snatch it right off and put it on.In actuality, knowing Travis, he would have handed it right over to me but I guess he was still angry. Still unable to accept all that I had done despi
The air in the room seemed to freeze, going several degrees lower as Travis's presence filled the room overbearingly.His eyes were cold and sharp, like the edge of a blade, and his muscles were filled with tension as his eyes scanned both of me and Sylvia with demanding scrutiny.Sylvia's breath caught in her throat, all the colour draining from her face as she swallowed, her wide eyes flicking from me to him.I was sure my expression mirrored hers; my throat felt constricted and dry, and I could not formulate a quick response, gaping instead at him as his face hardened even further, "I asked you a question.""Travis," I pushed past the lump in my throat to say, my growing fear a chasm that passed between us.How should I begin to explain that Sylvia had come to seek my help to disrupt or at least stall his plans, and I, on the other hand, had made an instant decision not to tell him in favour of her? I had even hidden the fact that I ha
"What do you mean by that? What problem?" I asked, my brows knotting into a frown as I stared at her face searchingly.We had parted just a few minutes ago, so I wasn't expecting to see her so soon or that she would suddenly grab me.Her face was lined with worry, fear reflected in her wide-open stare, "Alpha Travis, he's planning a hunt.""A hunt? Why is that a problem? Isn't a hunt normal?" I questioned in bewilderment. Most werewolf Packs I knew frequently organised hunts to hone their skills and survival instincts so I could not understand why she was so anxious about that."No, no, you don't understand," She shook her head vehemently, "He's planning to hunt down the hybrids, he's going to kill them all."The realization of what she meant finally dawned on me and my eyes widened in shock, "Kill them all? How?"."Their trip to Chantel Ridge wasn't so simple; their true intention was to purchase Nightshade.""Nightshad