>"This is your room. I hope you enjoy your stay here. If you need anything, you can come downstairs and ask me, Grand-Papa, or Grandma. Whoever is available will help you." Lilian handed us a quaint little key to our room and told, "I hope you understood all the house rules. If need to revise, there is a parchment on the side table to remind you. Have a lovely stay!" She bowed a little, raising her skirt on both sides like Cinderella, and walked away.Xavier turned the key and walked in, I followed him.It was only when I closed the door behind me that I realized that there was one room and two of us."Hold on, why did she give us only one key?" I asked with a frown."You wanted her to give us keys to all the rooms? Let's ask for a key to the kitchen while we're at it. Y'know for a midnight snack." Xavier said sarcastically and opened the backpack to pull out a smaller bag, probably his toiletries."You know what I mean," I said. Looking at his relaxed demeanor something
>As Zoe came out of the shower, she saw a gorgeous yellow sundress with clouds and sunflowers painted on it, lying on the bed with a note on it.Xavier was nowhere in sight so, she walked over in her towel and read the note, 'I called Jonny to do some shopping for us since we had to leave most of the things in the car. Jonny says the dress is hand-crafted from scratch. I am going downstairs to use Mr. Hill's bathroom on his offer. See you at breakfast.'Subconsciously smiling to herself, Zoe brushed her hair and wore the dress. She looked at her reflection, it felt like wearing an early morning sky. Her tattoo had nearly healed. She thanked her supernatural healing because it would've been hard to keep a bandage for weeks. The vines looked great. Jumbled up, like her life.She walked downstairs to see, Xavier sitting at the breakfast table beside Mr. and Mrs. Hill, and Jonny. There was a space right next to him and a space next to Jonny. Lilian was serving over fresh brea
>Zoe and Xavier walked towards the front of the house and were surprised at its condition.Apart from the fact that it was locked with a big, rusty padlock, it looked uninhabited, nothing short of a haunted house. It seemed like no one had stepped foot on the property in decades."Alright, what do we do now?" Xavier thought out loud. This was their major lead and now they were at a dead end. Aunt Julie was probably the last owner of the house and without her, who were they going to find who could let them in?"We could climb the wall," Zoe shrugged looking at the average height walls."I hope you are seriously not suggesting we trespass on a locked property." Xavier raised a brow."Don't judge me. And don't tell me you've never trespassed into someone else's property," She raised a finger playfully, "And before you say that you haven't, remember who did a ritual to enter a certain night club with me, uninvited."Xavier closed his mouth that he had opened to answer her in r
>My head was pounding as if I had a hangover. I did not remember drinking enough to have a hangover since MJ's twentieth birthday party. I groggily opened my eyes. I tried to bring my hand up to my face to rub my eyes and focus but I couldn't move my hands."Xavier?" I called out trying not to panic just yet.I remembered going to Riverwoods and staying with the old couple that I thought were weird for some reason but Xavier didn't. I remembered ditching the tour guide Jonny to investigate Aunt Julie's old home. And then, I had opened a door and fainted because there was something else mixed with dust. "Xavier?!" I called out again, my voice conveying the panic I was trying to control because everything was too dark to see anything to know where we were. I only knew that I was sitting in a chair and my hands and feet were tied too tight for even my super strength."Zoe?!" I heard him."Xavier!" I called back."Zoe, Goddess, are you okay?" He asked.He was worried about
Warning: The contents of this chapter contain mentions of trauma, child abuse, and torture. Reader discretion is advised.]>My instincts are rarely ever wrong. I should've listened to Zoe. I should've been more careful. I need to get out of here.'Or maybe, you should shut up for a second so, at least, one of us can think of a plan!' Spike said sarcastically as he paced around in my head, making me feel dizzier than I already was.I wanted to give him a satisfactory answer but the truth was, being bonded beyond escape brought traumatizing memories for me. It was becoming hard to keep my cool as Mr. Hill showed up with his caring smile followed closely by Jonny who was pushing a trolley full of various surgical instruments, butcher tools, and herbs.I knew well what was coming next.He asked questions, I either stayed silent, asked a question in return, or replied with sarcasm. None of those were appreciated by Mr. Hill. Who soon lost patience and threw his first punch.
[Warning: This chapter mentions extreme torture. Reader discretion is advised.]>"You know you can stop it all, you just have to tell us what you were looking for. Who sent you? We've got nothing else to do. So, either get comfortable or start talking." Lilian said as she handed yet another tool to Mrs. Hill.The metal itself wasn't toxic to me, but the way she peeled my skin and poured vinegar on my exposed muscle, made me scream.My scream was accompanied by Xavier's scream from the adjacent room. The fact that we were so close and getting tortured simultaneously, brought little comfort.I wanted to tell them that nobody sent us, but I was so angry, all that came out was a bloody sneer, "Screw you," That seemed to enrage the women more.Mrs. Hill slapped me hard across the face with a hand covered in silver chains. It slashed my cheek open making me groan. I realized as soon as they had started with me that they expected me to be a werewolf. They were using wolfsbane an
>I was shocked and confused for a second before I realized something was wrong.Lilian stood with a grimace on her face looking at the necklace that had fallen from her hands. Mrs. Hill was still leaning over me with a glare full of hatred and ready to tear my heart out. But they weren't moving. I watched them for a hot minute, "Um, guys, in the middle of torture here?" I tried.Nothing.They looked like they had suddenly turned into statues. I focused my hearing on their hearts and I heard two hearts. They were alive. But they weren't moving. Why weren't they moving?It didn't matter. What mattered was that I had gotten the chance that I was waiting for.I bent down, trying to get to the I.V.s in my wrists. After removing them painfully, I sighed. It was going to take a while to flush out all the poison that they had pumped into me. "Dahlia?" I called out to her since I hadn't heard from her in a while.'I'm here,' She replied. She did not sound well."I need to get o
>Zoe and Xavier walked into the dark hallways that seemed to be endless."I thought that bastard said we were in the Simmons house. Simmons house was not this big." Xavier groaned as he tried not to lean on Zoe too much since she was just as tortured if not more, but he knew if he let go, they'd both be on the floor. They were exhausted and pumped full of poison. Zoe more than Xavier, but that meant they were equally exhausted and needed time and a safe space to heal undisturbed."I see a light," Zoe said as she tried to move faster.They went from one hallway to another. There were blood stains and claw marks on the floors and walls. It made them wonder what the humans had going on there. They saw stairs and Xavier wondered out loud, "I thought Simmons house was one story.""I think we are under the house," Zoe replied and they both stumbled up the stairs groaning with each step as pain coursed through their not-yet-healed wounds."I have never hated stairs more," Xavie
>“So, where did you learn how to cook?” Lady Shaw asked as she stirred the boiling pot of soup I was making for dinner.“Mostly my Dad and Aunt Julie. She was Dad’s cousin, used to live with us. Some I learned from experimenting with MJ,” I was instinctively going to add that some I learned for my ex John because he preferred home-cooked meals, but that asshole did not deserve a mention.She took a small spoon and tasted the soup. Subconsciously, I held my breath waiting for her reaction. She took her time and the knife in my hand hovered over the fresh coriander that she had brought.“It’s good,” She smiled in affirmation, and I let out a tiny sigh of relief. Her approval was important to me for some reason. I didn’t know if she knew that I was Xavier’s mate or not, but this was the second time I was meeting her and I did not want to disappoint her. I did not have many special skills but I knew I could trust my cooking and self-defense.“It’s Dad’s recipe,” I couldn’t ke
>Talking to MJ had not only brightened my mood and given me something to think about, it had also lightened the weight off of my heart. I was still troubled, but it had given me a morale boost that I desperately needed. Especially after having Dahlia locked up for a night.She had given me a new perspective on things. She was more courageous than me. After all, we were in similar predicaments, on the run, hiding from powerful, evil people. But she was stuck in a shabby, questionable place. In that sense, I was better off than her. And yet, she had the strength to laugh about everything like it was just a big joke that life was playing on us.Telling her about everything had rejuvenated me and the conversation had left me energized and ready to tackle my problems again. I had a lot of work to do. There was stuff left by Mom and Aunt Julie, not to mention, that mysterious journal we had retrieved from our Riverwoods torturers along with that weird key.Thus after my early m
>"Speculum magicae plenum excantatum, ostende mihi unum ex altera parte," I chanted after I had dropped a droplet of my blood on the back of the silver embossed hand mirror.Instantly the mirror started moving as if I had poured water on it and started rippling in circles. While it did its magic, I had a thought, "Dahlia?"'Uhuh,' She called out watching the mirror with more attention than me."How did the barrier break? I thought I'd feel something like that but I didn't. I mean I felt the silence when it was created." I mused.'Yes, you did. You were just so preoccupied that you didn't realize it immediately.' She confirmed and I was confused."How? When?"'When you were by the lake.' She answered as if it was obvious and then explained, 'Agitation creates barriers, tranquility breaks them down.'I realized then that when I had felt the wind blow through me, it was more in my head than in real life. My mind space was whole again."Wait a minute," I said to her, "If you
>I woke up to silence.It was an unfamiliar and unwelcome feeling. In recent months, I had gotten used to having Dahlia in my head and commenting on most of my thoughts. I liked her companionship even though we didn't always get along. But I guess that is how most shifters are with their animals.I tried to call out to her once more before giving up and getting ready for my morning run. My mother's letter was still swirling in my head. What could it all mean? Everything felt mysteriously important.As I stepped into the woods, the thought of the dehydrated Claire, starving in the cabin's basement made me stop. I glanced toward the hatch. She had been an awful person even before I knew what she was capable of. But was I the person who lets people get punished worse than animals? But then, I had my hands red with the compound mass-massacre. I had the blood of so many innocents on my hands. I wasn't any better.Just like that the pit in the bottom of my stomach returned. I s
>All I wanted since I was a little girl, was to have my wolf. I just wanted to be included at school and be treated like normal werewolf cubs.But the more I waited the worse it felt when I didn't receive my wolf. I became more and more desperate and impatient. I started losing friends until there was none but Maisie.And when I had accepted the fact that even though I was a beta's daughter, I was a wolfless omega but social hierarchy, Dad died. That triggered my dormant animal whom I found out to be more than a regular wolf. I had a hybrid of a Lycan and a werewolf.After having accepted that I would spend my life alone because wolfless meant mateless as well, I was finally complete. I had an animal and she was powerful and magnificent. Yes, I struggled with her. I was unable to transform at will. I was also finding it impossible to create a mental barrier between our shared mental space to give each other some much-needed privacy from each other. Because even though we
>There was blood everywhere and I was so angry. I could see the corpse of my father laying in the pool of his blood, motionless. It was heartbreaking. But it only made me upset. I had left my home pack. I had tried to build a new life, gotten a new job, tried to make new friends, and hoped to lay low. But then, Xavier Shaw had returned and he had kidnapped me. I know he meant well by showing me what a rotten man Richard Peterson was. But, that had only gotten my father to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.And it had gotten him killed. Richard had killed my dad. Emptied his gun in my Dad's chest. I felt movement behind me and whirled around, only to see that Richard had gotten another gun and was pointing it at me.I saw him through Dahlia's vision, looking down on him. His hands were trembling. But he was ready to kill me to save himself. Just as he had killed my Dad to protect his illegal and villanious business. I took a step toward him and he shot at me in pani
>'We should leave now, Zoe.' Dahlia said firmly.I turned to face Claire once more. She was skinnier than I remembered and had dried blood all over her body. Her nails were broken but her smirk was still there."Ask. You know you are dying to know." She said like she knew what was going on in my head.'Zoe, walk away. We cannot trust a word coming from her.' Dahlia kept telling me. If I knew how to block her, I might've."Xavier loved you. Why did you betray him?" I finally asked."She speaks," Claire mocked.'Zoe,' Dahlia warned."Answer me," I tried to ask firmly."You haven't done this before, have you? Interrogation is an art. You should learn it from your beloved. Xavier knows how to paint a body red." She mused but ended up coughing probably due to her dry throat."He wouldn't have to if you hadn't betrayed him," I replied. She didn't know how much I knew and I intended to keep it that way. But I was barely thinking straight."Oh look at the little fawn defending th
>I ran through the woods, trying to clear my head as always. For the first time in my life, it wasn't working.The feeling of Xavier's lips on my neck, his hands on my body, his presence around me. It was all overwhelming my senses. I could still smell his cologne. When had I started to get so horny for him to start having such dreams?I ran faster and took a U-turn to return to the cabin. Jacob had been very adamant about me staying close to the cabin as much as possible. He had wanted me to stay indoors at all times, but that was not going to be an option for me. So, I was granted a few liberties. I was not going to misuse those.While returning, I decided to take one last lap around the cabin before going in to shower and getting to read my hard work from yesterday, finally.That was when I noticed something different. A certain part of the ground was covered by the bushes more thickly than the rest. If I didn't know any better I would say it looked like an attempt to
>I woke up to knocking on the door. I looked around, I was still in Xavier's cabin. I grew worried. Xavier had been explicit about knocking. Both he and Jacob had keys to the cabin which meant, it wasn't them and thus shouldn't be trusted.I quickly slipped on Xavier's shirt and called on Dahlia to help if it came to that. 'I'm right here, though it would've been better if you could hand me control willingly, rather than me having to take it from you every time things get too much for you.' Dahlia yawned. She had been resting as well.I rolled my eyes, "Yes, how simple it is, isn't it?"'You don't even try,' Dahlia retorted."I am not having this conversation with you when there is possibly a hostile intruder here," I replied and got ready to defend Xavier's cabin.The door unlocked and swung open slowly. My heart was in my throat as I raised the frying pan in my hand to attack the intruder, when I got still in shock."Zoe, what are you doing?" Xavier walked in, dressed