Louisa's POV
Just after I handed out the last piece of barbequed chicken to the soldiers, I noticed a tall, slender man standing away from the crowd in a distance. He dressed up in a hunter green jacket, white shirt, and a pair of fine black silk pants just like the other soldiers from the Wind Winders Pack. That's Alpha Zackery's pack. But something about him, which I couldn't tell what it was at that time, was so different, attracting my attention. He looked a bit shy when our eyes met. But he was still standing there, without coming forward. "Zowie guacamole!" Colt approached me, holding a full plate of chicken wings, and said. "Is that me or is that man over there so hot?" I frowned and said, "Hey, don't stare at him like that." Colt snickered and said, "OK, girl. I'm going to take this plate of chicken wings to Alex and eat with him. When I come back, I want to know everything about him." Then, he shoved an empty plate to me, put someLouisa's POV The truth was, I wanted to see Lucas and dance with him in front of everyone. I hadn't seen him for a while and I started to get increasingly nervous. I wish I could fly to the Grand Hall and be with him right now. I thought to myself. I looked at the man and said, "I have to bring my friend with me." "You mean that vampire boy? Sure. He's light and he can ride with us," he nodded. I walked to Will, who was playing with Snow, and held him up. "Come with me," I said. He looked a bit confused and asked, "Where are we going?" "We're going to the Grand Ball," I replied. "Really?! You mean, I can dance with you in the Grand Ball?!" Will looked overwhelmed. At that time, I realized that he had wanted to go to the ball all this time, but he just didn't mention it to me. He was such a sweet boy. I nodded and said, "But you have to protect me. We'll ride with that man over there." I point
Louisa's POV "My name is Zabel Hawk. I'm Alpha Zackery's elder brother and his Beta." The man replied in a steady voice while looking at me. "Zack has mentioned you to me all the time and I'm sure he'll be really happy to see you here." "But..." I paused. I had got so many questions that I didn't even know where to start. "We're getting into this building from the main entrance!" I continued. "Lucian told me that the main entrance is only for Alphas and their Lunas..." "Well, yeah. But I've told you, this is our secret passage. So I guess we don't have to follow that kind of rule," he said. I guessed I couldn't look more puzzled. He smiled and leaned slightly forward to me and said, "I know you've got a lot of questions. I'm very positive that all of them will be answered tonight. But for now, I would like you to smile." "Why?" I frowned. "Because all the people at the ball will be looking at us when we pass that door." He po
Louisa's POV No. This can't be it. I don't want this. Alpha Zackery is... kissing me... with Lucas watching?! I didn't think twice. I used all my efforts to push him away, wiping my mouth and ... I slapped Alpha Zackery's face in a panic. I couldn't believe I did it, but I really did it. I slapped a Lycan. I slapped one of the most powerful people in this Kingdom. ...I slapped the King's stepbrother. The entire ballroom, once a dancefloor of Elysium, became a deadly silent graveyard. Alpha Zackery stared at me with surprise. He didn't move, didn't say anything, but I could tell he was melting down inside. Zabel approached, followed by soldiers from the Wind Winders Pack. Lucas and Lucian approached, followed by their soldiers. Will stepped in front of me and got ready to fight, with Snow snarling at everyone on his shoulder. The tension in this ballroom escalated so quickly that peopl
Lucas' POV That fucking duel of royal siblings made me sick. They smell like rotten old money, which, basically, smells like shit. Besides, they look like a pair of fucking porcelain dolls. So fucking fragile. I want to fuck both of them at the same time without lubrication until they fucking dropped dead on the floor. "Is she alright?" Zackery asked me with concerns. Fuck, no, she isn't alright, you fucking idiot. You fucking violated my woman by kissing her against her will and that's why she threw herself off from the fucking fifth floor. She's undead, but that doesn't mean she's a fucking rubber ball. "She's doing a good job of recovering, Your Excellency," I said. "Please don't worry." "I want to see her." He said and walked forward in a hurry. I stopped him by standing in front of him and physically blocking his way. "Your Excellency," I lowered my voice and said, "I don't think it's appropriate for..." "What did you ju
Louisa's POV My shoulder blades and knees were still dislocated, but that was OK. One of my eyes was still impaired. The buzzing sound was still present in my ears. I didn't have time for that, either. My man was being tortured by someone else and he couldn't fight back. That, I wouldn't allow. "Stop... hurting... him..." I gasped in the air and said, falling down to the ground and trying to get back to my feet. Someone lifted me up in his arms. I lifted my head up to see who he was. To my disappointment, it was Alpha Zackery. "Little girl, why did you do this to yourself?" He whispered and said. "Lucas..." I stretched out my arm at the blurry image standing in the distance. Alpha Zackery held my arm down and said, "Don't move, little girl. You're hurting yourself." The other eye regained sight. I managed to see the surroundings clearly. I saw Lucas' back. He was walking away from me.
Louisa's POV After Alpha Zackery put me into his carriage, Mick approached. "Miss Louisa, are you OK?" He asked through the carriage window. "Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry. Have you seen Lucas?" I asked. "Alpha has already gone back to the camp. He didn't look well," Mick said. "Was Lucian with him?" I asked. "No. Beta wanted to go with him, but Alpha didn't let him. Alpha got on the horse and rode off by himself," Mick said. "By himself?" I frowned. "You mean, he didn't even take the soldiers?" "No, Miss Louisa," Mick said. "He was very mad." Alpha Zackery got into the carriage and said, "We're ready to go now. Are those the new personal guards you've hired?" "Yes. This is Mick," I nodded and said. "Your Excellency, it's an honor to meet you in person." Mick bowed and said. "You can discharge Mick and his brothers, so they can take a rest. You're safe with me tonight." Alpha Zackery said and sat next
Lucas' POV Fucking Zackery! I'll fucking kill him! I swear I'll fucking cut him into pieces and feed him to my hounds! I thought to myself as I was riding back to the camp. "It's been raining and the road is really muddy. I don't think you should ride that fast." My wolf said in my mind. "Shut the fuck up, Finn! I paid for the fucking construction of this road and I didn't pay for a fucking puddle of mud!" I shouted and whipped Torrent again. He started to run even faster. "I don't like the idea of you being tortured, but I want you to know that you can't cut anyone into pieces when you break your neck. You won't be able to hold your own dick," Finn said. "Finn, you're a fucking son of a bi..." I haven't finished the thought when Torrent slipped over something and fell to the ground. I was thrown off the back of the horse and dropped to the ground. I rolled a few rounds on the ground and lay in a puddle of water on the
Lucas' POV As we were in a fucking heated conversation, Torrent walked towards me cautiously and poked his nose at my body. I guessed he wanted to know if I was still alive or not. I tapped his nose. He moved back a few steps and snorted, looking guilty and hurt. Then, I heard the sound of hooves. "Is that Alpha Lucas!" "It's him! That's his horse!" "He's lying in a puddle of water!" "Is he dead?" "I told you to pick up your speed! Now he's dead. How are we going to tell Miss Louisa about it?" "Wait a moment, he isn't dead. He's still moving... He's standing up! He's still alive!" I recognized that was the voice of Louisa's new personal guards, whom I had paid to protect her. A bunch of fucking morons. Seven elongated dwarves. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked. "Alpha, Miss Louisa sent us here. She said she didn't think you should ride alone." "I've told you. She's a keeper," my wolf said. "Fuck off, Finn," I said in my mind. "What's your nam
Lucas' POV "Fucking Kings and Queens! A bunch of mother fuckers and losers!" I shouted. Derek looked intimidated and turned his head towards Lucian. "Don't you fucking look at him! Nobody can fucking save you today!" I kicked him. "I should have killed you long ago! You're a fucking cancer!" He rolled on the ground for a couple of laps and coughed out some sticky muddy fluid from his mouth. "Master... I'm already dead... For a dead man, there's nothing on earth that matters... But my brother... He served you... I forced him to do a lot of bad things, but he was innocent... Please spare his life..." Derek said. "You have no right to negotiate anything with me! I'm going to let you witness I torture your brother to death!" I said angrily and grabbed his neck. "Now, break this fucking ice shield and give my fucking woman back to me. Give her back!" Then, I heard a faint voice. "Leave... my brother... alone..." It's Darren
Louisa's POV "What?!" I couldn't believe what I had heard. Pregnant? I'm pregnant with Lucas' child?! But, I have to tell Darren that I... Then, I heard a wave of hysterical laughter coming from Derek. "The prophet's true! The advent child! The Dark King rises! He who has Lycan, witch, and vampire's blood will marry his mother and be the tyrannic ruler in the Kingdom!" Every single word was like a knife, stabbing my heart. Was it a vicious curse? Or just some disturbing nonsense coming from a madman? Then, before I realized it, my ankle was grabbed fast by Derek. I tried to move back, but I couldn't. Frost started to spread all the way up from my feet at a fast rate. I didn't know what happened before my whole legs were sealed in frigid ice. "No! Stop it!" I saw Vincent and Will trying to pull Derek away from me. But they ended up pulling the remaining of his legs off his body. More sparkling ice w
Louisa's POV Vincent looked at me and didn't say anything. The look on his face was almost lamenting. "Vincent, where is Darren?" I frowned and asked. "He's inside," Vincent said. "But he's in a very bad condition. Miss Louisa, I have to brief you before letting you see him. You have to be prepared. The werewolves at the slave market tortured and humiliated him. His skin was badly burnt. His face was deformed. His head had concussions. He is completely shut down right now. He refuses to communicate with anyone and it seems that he has developed a certain mechanism to protect himself." Vincent took a pause and said, "It seems that he has lost his memory, Louisa. I doubt he will recognize you." "No... No!!!" I felt like I was struck by a bat or something. My vision was black and I fell to the ground. Vincent caught me and held me in his arms. The world was spinning in front of me. Something bitter was stuck in my throat. I curled up a
Lucas' POV "Lucian, I really should have told you about this... I really should have told you about it long ago. But I get this kind of feeling... you know, if I don't talk about it, then it means this whole thing has never happened... And Derek has never betrayed me." I said in a low voice. Lucian was silent. "Anyway," I said. "it wasn't very long until the Red Queen found out that Derek was just lying to get back to the Underground City. So the Red Queen was furious and wanted to kill him. You remember the time that I was summoned to King's Land. I was actually forced to go there to cast an imprint on Derek. I did it and I tortured him. But it was just for the Red Queen to know that I was her loyal subject. Then, I faked his death by sending a corpse back to his uncle. I was planning to hide him somewhere, but those fucking traveling druids took him away. I was enraged, so I took his brother Darren away from the brothel to replace him. I thought one da
Lucas' POV "How many secrets have you been hiding from me these years?" Lucian stared at me and asked. "I'm sorry, brother. But my woman is missing. And she might be pregnant with my child. Can we just focus on looking for her?!" I said. Lucian didn't say anything, he took the tuna head and got on horseback. Then, he rode off without saying anything. Oh, fuck. Now Lucian's not talking to me. Like I haven't got enough on my plate. "I have a good suggestion for you." I heard Finn's voice in my head. "What now?! Don't tell me shit like rubbing the back of his neck. It fucking didn't work," I said. Torrent snorted his nose, urging me to catch up with Lucian. "Fuck, Torrent. Sometimes I get the feeling that you're fucking riding me! You can get as fast as you can, I don't give a shit as long as my ass is still on the saddle. I'm busy having a conversation with my fucking wolf," I patted Torrent's neck and said.
Lucas' POV "What's on her fucking mind?" I said. I was really fed up with women in my life. They were so fucking unpredictable. Lucian said, "She's gone this morning after Louisa told her off in front of everyone. And we've lost contact with Kylo. He took away our best people and our soldiers in the camp were either killed or wounded. Louisa tried to treat some of the soldiers this morning, but it will still take a few days before they're fully recovered." "Kylo's fucking with me! He sent his fucking sister to mess up with my soldiers. His father was with me and he still dares to fuck with me! Why does he do this to me?! Why did he betray me?!" I kicked the grass on the ground and said. "I don't know. If you left that traveling druid alive, we could have asked him," Lucian said. "Stop blaming me! That fucking asshole was blabbing about my fucking identity in front of Louisa!" I said. "Why don't you just tell her who you really are?
Louisa's POV Derek put his hand into his pocket. Colt thought he was about to take out a weapon or something, so he stepped forward, trying to stop him. "This..." Derek took out an amber-colored stone from his pocket and said. "This is Amber of Star. I want to give this... to your friend. I got it from... Underground City. With this stone, people can communicate with the soul... of their beloved deceased ones... I'm sorry that..." "I don't want anything from you." Mata cried out. "You took away my brother's life and there's nothing you can do to make up for it! He's dead! You killed him! You took him away from me! I have been staying with my brother ever since I first opened my eyes, and now his eyes will never open again. He can never hold my hands when I'm scared! It's a big scary world out there and I'm always scared!" "But you can talk to your brother... As if he's still alive..." Derek tried to explain. "You just don't understand, do
Louisa's POV The fire spreading all over my body dimmed. I stared at Derek and walked closer to him. He looked panicked and desperate at the same time. "What's the matter with you?! Where's the fire?! I have just killed your friend! Why don't you kill me with that fire of yours?!" He barked at me like a mad dog. I didn't say anything but kept stepping closer to him. "Come on! Hit me with a fireball or something! Hit here!" Derek pointed at the empty void in his left chest and said. "Don't you want revenge on behalf of your friend?" I stood right in front of him. Still, I didn't say anything. In despair, he grabbed my arm and said, "Come on! Hit me!" "Where is Darren," I said. "Take me to see him." "You'll never see my brother again..." He said with a sadistic grin. Before he could finish his sentence, I strangled his neck. He didn't protest or struggle. Instead, he kept smirking at me. I did
Louisa's POV The smirk on Derek's face was gone and replaced by ferocious malice. "Let me correct you, Miss Louisa Reeds. Nobody is supposed to be dead. We were born into this world to live our lives and hug our beloved ones, not to destroy and manipulate other people's lives." He looked exasperated for a brief moment, but then he regained his cool. "I used to serve Lucas when I was young and vulnerable. He's such a hypocrite and he used my innocence and love for him to take control of me. He came into my life without notice. When he was gone, he took everything away from me, including my life... and he told me it was for my own good! He locked me up in a cave and let those monsters torture me to death! And is this for my own good?!" Derek pulled off his shirt and let me see his naked chest. I could see there was a hole in his left chest. The place where his heart used to be. I was horrified and stepped backward. At that time, I rea