RYLAN'S POV"Let him speak." I ordered sternly, when Venn wouldn't let Zadik in. I could tell that he was already at his wits end. The constant tick in his jaw was tale enough. "Who did you say is here to see me?"His eyes darted about my face frantically. Somehow it seemed like he was trying to pass across some secret message to me. I managed to stand to my feet and Venn came rushing to my side with a horrified gasp. "You should rest a little. Maybe--""Are you okay?" He caught the discomfort in my posture while I fought to maintain balance. Sheila giggled again in the background. For a brief moment, I saw the Zadik I used to know right before he became too stoic with me.Even if we didn't venture down that lane, the reason for his change wasn't far fetched. He was amongst the ones who didn't welcome Venn into the pack but just had to put up with her because my decision was law to be obeyed.Venn tried to stand in my path and gently, I pushed her aside, looking straight at Zadik. If
RYLAN'S POVZadik remained behind with a blank face as he stared hard at me. Unlike Venn and I who appeared very shell shocked to see Neilla, his face revealed no emotions. With his expression, he put the B in blank.Which had me thinking: Did he plan this with them? Was this even real or was it just a mirage to mess with my head? Was this his own way of making me regret my actions of the past?I closed my eyes as exhaustion swam over me in large waves. If I wasn't already collapsed on my chair, I'd have met with the ground already. With my wolf gone, I couldn't ask him for an assessment of the situation. I was left to listen to my intuition which at that point was failing. My past sins was coming to catch up with me and no one could save me from it. However, even if I were to be dead from the massive shock my body had just taken in, I deserved to find out what happened.Halfway into opening my mouth, Zadik brought forth a white envelope, requesting that I opened it. I knew what it c
RYLAN'S POV The iciness in Venn's voice broke that spell. "And just who do you think you are to show up from the blues to try to make decisions in a pack you left years ago?" She spat. I could sense the repulsion in her voice. She didn't bother to mask how she felt.I saw Neilla struggle with words, battling for a response for her verbal attack. However, the blonde next to her was having none of it. "Says the bitch who was sold away by her pack and family to ensure peace in another's homeland. Yeah, right. Decisions indeed.""I will take no more disrespect from either one of you. Except for Neilla, you both are nothing more than visitors who can be charged with trespass if you misbehave." I made sure to leave the warning in my tone so they could watch their tongues. If Venn could do same for me, why couldn't I?"Why are you here? State your purpose, we have other things to attend to." Venn directed the question at Neilla who squared her shoulders and stared her straight in the eye."
LYKOS' POV From the revelation of the careless guard, we drew a conclusion that Neilla's whereabouts would be around New Zealand and she was most definitely there to search for the triplets herself. That was the reason I tried to keep the truth away from her for I knew she would try to venture out on her own, unguarded and without a formidable plan. I loved that she barely wasted time to bare her emotions to me, showing me the ways things hurt her through them. In this case however, it was a no-go to act so irrationally based off what she had heard down in the basement. How else was I to make her understand that she had bitten a bait and was letting herself be dragged into enemy's territories? Did all the trainings I gave her on self defense and tactful safety thereby go to waste? She could reject me, punch and kick and I wouldn't retaliate but her leaving without informing me was where I drew the line. In my view, that action was the highest form of distrust. And I didn't mean
LYKOS' POVWe spent several hours in the air nonstop, even stretching into the entire night. We remained intent on getting to New Zealand where we might begin our search for everyone that was missing; Neilla, our kids and Annabella. Ah yes, Marcell too.Everyone who was in the same flight with me walked on eggshells around, carefully taking care not to rouse the anger of my monster who had been growling and glaring hard for the past hour. It was harder on him most especially because he wasn't in close proximity with Neilla's wolf. Poor guy was so hooked into her, too much to be away from her for so long."What's up?" I decided to strike up a conversation with him."Don't ask me that. What are you, dumb?" His sarcastic reply stung hard. But he wasn't the person he claimed to be if he wasn't so. Sometimes I failed to remember the snarky personality he had. Neilla's wolf who had a far more zesty attitude had tamed him to a love sick pup.Since Neilla's arrival, we spoke less since we we
LYKOS' POVI secured my seatbelt for the last time when the pilot announced that we were about to make a landing. As I did so, my fingers shook with sick anticipation and impatience. The pack was going to lose their leader if he doesn't give me the answers I most seek. He had no other choice anyway. He either talks or I make him talk. Either way, I'd be getting my family out. "Chill out, Lykos. You've been tapping that foot for the past hour. In a few minutes now, we'd be storming that psycho's palace for our mates, slitting throats too if needed and I pray the need comes. It's been a long time since I felt the warmth of fresh blood running down my fingers." Axel chuckled darkly beside me. I gave him a smile in response. He was trying to conceal his anxiety but who was he kidding? I wasn't his best friend and Alpha for no reason. I could very well see through him and sense all of his emotions scattered in every which way. "Then we take our mates and the triplets, and head on home
NEILLA'S POVMy nostrils flared open on their own accord, greedily inhaling deeply the scent that swam in right before the domineering aura sent me to my knees. My body trembled as the recognition of the scent hit. Lykos? I thought. There was no way in hell that he'd be in this pack in such short amount of time. The last time I saw him, he was in a deep sleep in our bedroom back in Greece.Had be been right behind us all this while? How did he even know the exact place to find us?The sound of footsteps reverberated throughout the room. The closer the newcomer got, the more anxious I got, the more curious I became to unravel who they were. Deep down, there was the possibility that the stranger could be Lykos. I mean, what are the odds that he wasn't? The way the hairs on my arms were erect, the familiar feeling of awe situated in the deep pit of my stomach. Most especially, his scent. There was no way I'd miss out on the alluring scent of his body. My only doubt was how he manage
NEILLA'S POV"If he leaves, your bitch leaves too." There was no two ways about it. If he wanted privacy to speak, then it had to be completely between us.Venn released an angry gasp. "How dare you refer to me as--""Deal." Rylan replied without so much thought. At least it was only fair that it happened that way. I watched Axel stalk further into the room with jaw clenching over and over in anger. Marching straight to where Annabella was staring him down with an annoyed expression of her own. He grabbed her hand and made to pull her along."No!" She snapped defiantly at him. "I won't move an inch until those psychos tell us what we came to hear!" "Anna, please go with him. Don't make this hard for everyone." I pleaded with her. Somehow, she listened to me and with an annoyed huff and a nose upturned, she walked out. She totally disregarded Axel who was right on her heels.Marcell took a bow and promptly left afterwards, so did the two bulky werewolves who had come in with Axel. W
NEILLA'S POV "You were saying, sweet uncle?" I smiled sweetly at him, enjoying the look on his face. For the first time ever, he bore an expression other than arrogance and it thrilled me to no end. Setting the book down without taking my hands off it nor my eyes off him, I ripped each page disregarding how it scalded my palms. I would heal eventually so it bothered me less. "No! Anything but that, please." He crumbled to his knees, as he begged. "Anything but that. That is all I have of my mate." "Wrong! She did not ask you to avenge her or go taking packs forcefully." I debated in an anger that led me yanking off more pages in quick succession. "If you have lost a mate, you would understand." That touched a sore spot in me and I paused in the middle of my actions. "Lies!" Nia spat out for the first time since I came back to life. "In that book is all the secrets of his existence as a hybrid alongside all the monsters that do his bidding. Do not fall for his wi
NEILLA'S POV I broke down, in shameful admittance of my failure to her. Everyone spoke of my mother in reverence in awe and when they knew I was her blood, they had exalted expectations of me. Even I had expectations of myself only to be slapped with the wicked truth. I was nothing compared to who my mother was before her death. "That's where you got it wrong, my daughter." My mother cooed, as she framed her face again with her soft hands. "You don't compare to me, I don't compare to you. I let sentiments get me into a trap that cost me my family, that cost me you." "If I had killed Vincent a long time ago, when I should have, you won't be in this mess. But I didn't, because he was family to me. He was my only sibling." She revealed, avoiding my face but laying strict attention to my hair. Was it something about my hair or something about the words she was saying? I wondered, pulling out of her hold. "Vincent was your brother and he killed you?" What kind of blood relation was h
NEILLA'S POV"That's not true!" Nia pulled my arm, trying her best to dissuade me from confronting Vincent by myself. "You can't be the Alpha's daughter, you don't know what you're saying!" We turned to her, a buzz of energy humming around us as we replied her. "It is true. If you hadn't said that lie, we wouldn't have been brought to our fate."We turned our focus back to Vincent who slowly descended the short flight of stairs, hands behind his back and that cynical smile on his face.The model definition of a psychopath. "No, Neilla. Let me handle him. Save the kids." Lykos ordered as he appeared by us in the blink of an instant. "I said this is my fight!" We roared suddenly. Frightened, the triplets scampered to Lenora quickly. "Stay out of my business and go be with them!" We warned with our voice ringing out clear.The vein in his neck ticked, his jaw did the same. He was angry with us but who cared? We wanted to get things done with once and for all. "Now, now." Venn's faux
NEILLA'S POV"I can't." Nia said, stopping us in our tracks. Before we started to raise our claws, impatient to strike her down and let ourselves out of the cell, she quickly filled in her reasons."If we do so together, Vincent might discover a little too early of my betrayal to him.""Like you haven't betrayed your own people already."Nia all but snapped at us. "We have already established that, Neilla. You don't have to bring it up everytime." She sighed, "As I was saying, you have to be in here for a few minutes while I go up alone. If the coast is clear, I'll send one of my trusted persons to come get you.""Let's hope they don't betray you too." My wolf spat out cynically before retreating back into the backseat of my head as I took rein now.I felt no remorse for my wolf's words. It was the truth anyway.She said nothing else in reply, went out of the room. Lenora proceeded to secure the locks from within and together we sat in the dim light of the lamp, waiting for her arriv
NEILLA'S POV My ears picked up on the sounds of commotion from way above us. Nia must have as well because she paused briefly so she could tilt her head to the side and listen. "What is that?" I asked in alarm. She shook her head, rose from her seat. "I cannot say for sure." She ventured close to the heavy doors. "If my guess is right, then Vincent, or should I say Lonnie, has lost his mind yet again." "Tell me, does this happen frequently?" I quizzed, my eyes following her every move even as I paid attention to the distant commotion. "You don't want to know how many times he loses his mind in a day. Whatever character he might have been displaying to you was a faux." She added, finally coming back to sit. The noise had all but stopped. However, it was reduced. I found that the kids were no longer playing with their toys. They probably heard the commotion too. I thought back to the short time Vincent add I spent in each other's presence. I found it almost impossible to
NEILLA'S POVNia arose from her position to give I and the triplets a moment to ourselves while she stepped to the darker room with the human girl, Lenora. The kids made sure to talk my ear off with half baked stories of their adventures, the friends they made who were just the fake servants that abducted them that day "I told them about our birthday." Jade was saying. She found a spot in the curve of my arm and settled there. "How aunt Nia told us to follow some people so she could have time with us."Her story drew my interest, same time repelled me. Did I really want to know how they were abducted? The truth of how it really happened?I decided against it. "That's enough, Jade. I'm glad you're here with me, alright?" She nodded and as she did so, the tendrils that were peeking from her crown, bounced."When mean uncle said you wouldn't come back to us, it hurt my feelings so much. I yelled at him and told him he was wrong. He was laughing at me." Juno said, his face reflecting t
NEILLA'S POVI hastened my steps, pushing to meet up with Nia who had become interestingly faster than she was some seconds ago. The servants who saw us coming only took a second to observe me, perhaps out of curiosity, before they immediately lowered their heads.I had seen more than ten of them do the same.What were they scared of?Who was Lonnie?"He's not going to do anything to his sister, is he?" I voiced out my thoughts as we hurried along the hallway that didn't seem to have an end.Nia's grip on my wrist tightened further and she inhaled sharply. "Trust me, you do not want to know."We took the very first turn before getting to the end of the endless hallway. It led us down several stairwells. A few servants met us on their way up. I heard their little whispers as soon as they thought we were out of earshot. "She's going to be in trouble." I managed to catch.I was already in trouble, that was a no-brainer. I was just yet to figure out a way to extricate myself and my tri
NEILLA'S POV.Nia recovered from the shock of seeing me. She turned to the siblings with an angry glare. "What is she doing here? I thought you said you were not going to bring her until you have made a bargain? Why didn't you give me a heads-up first?"Venn leaned back in her seat to regard Nia properly. She plucked one seed of grape and bit into it slowly, taking her time. She dropped the other half of it."I see you have forgotten your place. That is not a problem. Might I remind you that you work for me and not with me and you know what that means, right?" Nia rolled her eyes, nodded all the same. "Still, you should have said something."I didn't even let their conversation come to an end before I started to vent. "Nia, how could you?" We might not have been on cordial terms, but this was an outright betrayal of trust. "We trusted you.""Oh, please." She replied with scorn. "That was you being gullible and that's on you, not me."Everything started to make sense to me. Her sudden
NEILLA'S POVThe long walk from the portal brought us to a yard whose environment brought back a feeling of nostalgia to me. The stranger whose name was Lonnie, walked behind me as Venn went up front. She had reverted to her normal self on the way which I had to admit to myself, was more unnerving. The werewolf façade was a misleading representation of the true nature of her being. There was so much innocence in her pretence than in the form she presented to us.I decided instead that I could deal with the veiny, bloodthirsty vampire that she really was. At least, dealing with people in their true elements made all the work easy.We came to what resembled a throne room with vault ceilings, flower ornaments in each corner, an entire floor of polished marble against which the soles of my boots thudded.There were several paintings of one man whom I guessed was probably the Alpha. With a strong and chiseled jawline, a aqualine nose over a mouth that looked like it said little but promi