REGINA
I panted weakly. “It is all your fault, Richie. At least, I would die letting you know that.” I whispered tiredly. I couldn’t believe I was actually going to die but there was nothing more to do at this point. I had given up from within me and I could feel that Ruby was also totally finished within me. It was over. “You should never have chosen to work for Lionel in the first place. You used to be just some street bully that anyone could overlook, and now you’ll be a killer.”He growled angrily and in frustration. “It was a handsome pay, you piece of shit, and if you had cooperated, everything would have played out just fine.”“I’m a wolf. I have instincts to survive.” I countered.“Which is why you decided to kill my friends, right?”What?“I don’t understand.” I was confused. I never killed the other two men.He snarled at me, revealing a pair of fangs. “They came after you and you killed them. You took them dLIONELIt was so frustrating to even imagine that the person who could have plotted everything was right here at this party and my suspects were still all echoing in my head.Arturo.Frankenstein.And now that Beatrice had cooked up the guts to threaten me, she was struggling at the top of the list side by side Arturo. I went after her as she tried to make her way through the guests and fix herself in as neatly as possible.I pulled her again to a corner, trying everything within my power to remain so cool.“Beatrice, where the hell did you keep Regina?”She laughed. “Are you asking for favors after you just looked down on me?”“Believe me, this is not a favor I’m asking of you. I am doing you a favor. You may be able to save your life if you could just tell me now where you have Regina Donovan because if I would have to find out myself, it could cost you your life, Beatrice.” I warned.“You’re threaten
LIONELI took a deep breath and sighed.I looked up at the moon, trying as much to look like I was indeed, drawing some energy from the moon.What if I don’t get this special alpha call, right? Was there some special call for the alpha of the pack under this blood moon? What were their expectations? If I flopped it, there could be signs pointing to a malfunction within the alpha and it could prompt some side thoughts I didn’t even want to bring to mind.Yes, they would think me weak.Everyone’s eyes were on me, waiting, anticipating. I stole a glance around. There was grandpa, there was Ryker at the top of the stairs, his gaze being encouraging though the worry of searching for Regina still lingered around his face. I could spot Gwen beside Raphael, Regina’s father. I could see Arturo waiting earnestly, then there was Beatrice beside some strange man, clutched to him and also Frankenstein. One hell of a party this was.
REGINAI made it out of the house unnoticed successfully and now I could only hope that somehow, when I got to Lionel’s house, they would still all be waiting for them.The best way to make this work without causing panic was to act like it was all my idea to surprise everyone just so that the wedding can immediately take place before the blood moon passed. Afterwards, there would be so much explaining to do.I used a ride inside, which I applied makeup to my face. Thanks to Gwen, it wasn’t so difficult to work up an emergency brush up for makeup. In no time, I was looking like I was present for the wedding indeed.It was when I drew closer to the Williams mansion that the reality that this was my wedding and not some movie shoot hit me really hard. I could see the lights from within and could see that somehow, their roof had opened up for the blood moon to shine into the actual hall. That was beautiful. Too bad, the marriage itself wasn’t going t
LIONELI stared at the priest for long now as he stared right at me, and then to Regina, and then to me again as if he were searching for answers on our faces, except there was nothing there. Regina remained silent as well and I knew she was not looking at me, just as I wasn’t turning my head to even get a glimpse of her, wishing she was completely invisible.“Have you two done anything that may have affected a bond between you two?” he asked now. I was already tired of it. Was it necessary to go into our history?“Is any of this necessary?” I shot at him now.“You both don’t know how marriage works, do you? Werewolf marriage, at least?” He asked.I just wanted the entire conversation to be over. “Grandpa has been filling me in.” I replied dryly, even though all Grandpa had actually said was that all marriage was unique to itself. Was this the process that made my own marriage unique because it was wearing me out?“Firstly, you n
REGINAThe moment the priest led us out, I already knew something was wrong. He had pinched at my lifeline vein on my arm with a claw and had read right into us. I instantly had my speculations.Ruby, do you think this has to do with something about you being wounded? I asked within myself.Ruby stirred. It has everything to do with it, but it’s more complex than that.It was quite difficult listening to my thoughts and maintaining focus on the uncomfortable priest and Lionel Williams, who was doing everything in his power to distract the priest from the truth. Explain complex, Ruby. I whispered in my thoughts.He is even yet to identify that I am wounded. To get married as wolves, it requires energy from both parties. We’ve not even gotten to that phase. He simply read in and figured he was your mate earlier.I cursed under my breath. Lionel Williams would never be my mate. To hell with him for the pain he caused in me
LIONELLucius, I don’t think this marriage was going to work after all.Like, it’s not entirely your fault.Enough playing the game of blame. I made my decision based on what was best for me and you.You cannot choose what’s best for me. Lucius growled within me.We are having nothing to do with a Donovan and that was my final decision—it still is. I am only doing this because we’ve come this far and there was no other way to convince grandpa everything was going to be fine. For now, the best thing to do was to keep playing the priest. We needed to keep him sniffing around until Regina gave in and said something that ended the marriage or, of course, until we got married. It was one of those two options. The last thing that would happen was to have the whole world think I was the one who made the efforts to end the marriage. I needed to save my pack the embarrassment and keep Grandpa in check. If Regina finally broke and did wha
REGINAI was thankful the most difficult phase had passed. At least the ball was out of my court. I had done my job just right in making the priest believe I wanted this marriage to take place. Lionel didn’t seem to be giving up either. He was either going to let me be the one to break out and end the marriage or he would let the marriage happen.Now it was time to get married.I felt my heart racing within my chest. I was scared; there was no lie to that. How would I live the rest of my life with the most dangerous alpha there was? How could I avoid this lot? Something in me kept praying Lionel would be the one to flop it all.Then the priest was talking about our energies.No way!What? I was in another mes. Just when I thought the most difficult phase was over. How in the world was I going to finish this marriage ritual with Ruby broken within me?Ruby, what are we going to do? We would be needing to draw on energies
LIONELThis could only get worse.How was I to channel energy when my energy core was broken? Why do we feel this way? I asked Lucius. Why do I feel so dizzy and drained?You cannot force the healing of the marriage bond, Lionel. Lucius replied. There must be something pulling you both together for the bond to heal and for this marriage to be sealed. You are only trying to heal the wound and pulling on all the energy we’ve got when our energy core is broken and we are yet to heal. It doesn’t work this way, Lionel. There’s nothing that can be done about it.My entire body tensed. How would we get over this level? In no time, Regina was going to heal and it would all be pointed out to me that for some reason, the great alpha Lionel had damage within him that stopped him from healing.How are we supposed to face that?“You’re both not healing!” The priest had cried.Wait a minute... Are we being serious right now?
REGINA I made my way to Marcy’s room shortly after seeing Lionel. She looked so small lying there, her face pale but serene. Her hands rested on her swollen belly protectively, even in her sleep. My heart clenched at the sight of her. The sister I had thought I’d lost forever was here again, and despite everything we had endured, there was hope. Then I thought of the tragedy that had befallen her—of Silas and everything else. Victor had indeed taken more than we could imagine. “Marcy,” I whispered as I approached her bed. Her eyes fluttered open, groggy but quickly filling with recognition. “Regina?” she murmured, her voice hoarse. I nodded, tears already welling up. “It’s me.” She eased into a smile. “I just knew you could do it. I just knew you could. You’ve always been just too strong.” I laughed as I planted a kiss on her forehead. “How’s the b
LIONEL The first thing I noticed was the sterile smell of antiseptic. My body felt heavy, but the softness of the hospital bed was comforting. Slowly, I blinked my eyes open. Regina’s face came into focus. Her hair was slightly disheveled, dark circles shadowed her eyes, but she was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. Her hand rested on mine, her touch grounding me. “Lionel,” she whispered, her voice filled with relief and tenderness. Tears welled up in her eyes as she leaned closer. “You’re awake.” I managed a weak smile. “Hey…” Before I could say more, Grandpa appeared by her side, his face a mixture of concern and relief. Ryker and Gwen were there too, their expressions lighter than I’d seen in days. “You gave us quite the scare, kid,” Grandpa said, his gruff tone unable to mask the emotion in his voice. “Victor?” I rasped, the memories of the fight f
REGINA “No,” I whispered, cradling Lionel closer. His breathing was shallow, his usually vibrant eyes clouded with pain. Victor stood a few paces away, lowering his weapon with a chilling casualness. “You should've just cooperated with the plan, Regina.” He chuckled disdainfully. “You and that pathetic excuse of an alpha.” “Don’t you dare!” Marcy’s voice cut through the tension, and I turned just in time to see her charging at Victor. “Marcy, no!” I screamed, but it was too late. Victor swatted her away like she was nothing, sending her flying into the side of the truck. She hit the metal with a sickening thud, collapsing in a heap. My mouth dropped open, my scream coming uncontrollably. “Stay down, girl,” Victor sneered, turning his attention back to me. I froze, my arms tightening protectively around Lionel. Every instinct screamed at me to fight, but my b
REGINA I and Marcy had been together in the room, waiting, when we heard the sounds of the war going on outside the building. Lionel was here. At first, a feeling of joy and assurance rushed to me, but almost immediately, a certain panic rushed through me when we had waited for quite long enough and Lionel was yet to show up. “Are you sure he’s still okay?” Marcy asked, the fear in her voice evident. “He is okay.” I replied with all certainty. “Nothing could happen to Lionel!” Then the men suddenly stormed in, barking orders. Marcy and I rose hastily and followed the men down the corridors, all the way to the back of the warehouse. Soon, we were out in the dark and there was nothing but the dim lights of the moon to guide us through. I could still hear the faint buzz of war on the other far end of the building. Axel led the group of Victor’s men, his expression unreadable, but
LIONEL His taunting words drove me mad, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. I clenched my jaw, focusing on my breathing as I adjusted my stance, preparing for the next round. But Victor wasn’t done. He was playing with me, like a predator toying with its prey. He danced just out of reach, circling me, his every movement calculated, precise. “You know, Lionel,” he began. “I’ve always admired your strength. But strength doesn’t mean anything when it’s built on lies. Your so-called ‘perfect love’ with Regina? It’s a joke. You’re both weak, just like your parents were. Too sentimental. Too tied down by your pathetic little bond.” His words struck harder than any blow he could throw, reminding me of all the mistakes I’d made, of all the things I’d failed to protect. The past kept clawing at me, refusing to let go. I roared in fury, charging toward him once more, but this time, I cou
LIONEL All I needed was a location and just that, Arturo had provided. Another site, another holding of Victor’s. Even if it meant going to a hundred locations this same night, as long as I was not dead, I was going to set my eyes on Regina and there was nothing that could be done to change that. As we drew closer to the warehouse where Regina was supposedly held, we knew better than to just storm our way in. We needed to maintain a low profile. The warehouse loomed ahead, its corrugated metal walls dull and rusted under the dim glow of the moonlight. A faint chill ran down my spine as I scanned the perimeter. This was the place. I could feel it in my gut. Regina was inside, and I wasn’t leaving without her. Ryker crouched beside me, his face set in grim determination. Arturo and his men from the Eric Circle pack fanned out behind us, their movements silent and purposeful. Each of them carried
REGINA “You already know how it started,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I refused to marry Lionel. I couldn’t. Not when my heart belonged to Silas.” I nodded, memories of that time flashing through my mind. Marcy had always been the rebellious one, the sister who defied tradition and sought her own path. “When I ran away with Silas, we thought we’d left everything behind,” she continued, her voice growing steadier. “We crossed borders, traveling from pack to pack, always looking over our shoulders. But eventually, we found a place where we could be safe, a small pack in a distant country. It was nothing like home, but it was ours. We built a life there, Regina. A happy life.” Her lips quivered, and I could see the love she still held for Silas shining in her eyes, even through her grief. “We planned to come back one day,” she said, her voice cracking. “To face
REGINA I awoke slowly. “Regina?” The voice echoed in my head, but the familiarity could not be mistaken. I knew I was captured again; alone, with no one to protect me, my heart aching in ways I couldn't even put into words. This time, not just for my own mistakes, but for my sister’s life as well. “Marcy…” I cried quietly. How? I lay on the cold, unforgiving floor of the dimly lit room, the rough stone scraping against my skin. The chains around my wrists felt heavier than ever, and my heart felt heavier still. It wasn’t just the physical pain that gnawed at me—it was the emotional torment of seeing my sister’s frightened eyes, the same eyes I remembered from our childhood, filled with so much terror. "Regina?" Marcy’s voice broke through the silence. Her voice was hoarse, trembling, as though she too couldn’t find the words to express th
REGINA I could feel the cold metal of the handcuffs biting into my skin as the car jolted over uneven terrain. Victor’s grip on my life—on everything I cared about—was suffocating, his constant presence a reminder of just how trapped I truly was. Axel was beside me, silent, but I could feel his gaze flicking over me like a hawk, calculating and waiting for any sign of weakness. But I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me break. Victor had been playing a game with Lionel. Each move designed to frustrate, each location a new dead end. I could tell it was wearing on him. His anger had become more pronounced, his impatience clearer. But it wasn’t just about the hunt anymore—it was about power, and I was the key to it all. The car slowed as we turned onto a dirt road, the thud of the tires against the gravel echoing in the small space. The lights outside flickered and then dimmed. I didn’t know where we were going this time,