Raina's POV is next. Thanks for reading.
-RAINA'S POV- Devin and I arrived in one of the restrooms at Wolkrane Fortress. I darted a hard, chastising look at him. He was such a pervert for landing us in the ladies' room. Reading my expression, he muttered with some frustration. “I can't control this damn ring.” Shaking my head in derision, I rolled my eyes and sighed. He turned to leave, walking towards the closed entry door. A noise in one of the slate-gray cubicles stalled my footsteps. It sounded like someone was retching. Then the toilet flushed and there was sniffling. A part of me wondered if the person was okay. Maybe I should check on her. I walked up to the cubicle with the intention of knocking on the door. “Raina, let's go.” Devin's hand was on the lever handle, pulling the door open to a crack. My eyes lingered on the cubicle. “Um, sure,” I replied and swiveled my body to leave the restroom. The door unlatched. The person stepped out and mildly solicited. “Devin?” “Cher?” Devin's brows furrowed. He release
-RAINA’S POV- “Raina!” Mercedes heralded from the doorway like we were long-time best friends, putting on a big fake smile that displayed both lower and upper teeth. “Not now.” I stopped her with my hand. A slight headache pricked my forehead. Devin growled at her in annoyance for blocking our exit from the restroom and scolded, “It’s Luna to you.” Mercedes shrugged, trying to look past his broad shoulders into the restroom, and asked in a soft, caring voice, “What's happening here? Why is my friend crying?” Her eyes crinkled, showing concern as she glanced at a weeping Cheryl at the counter with hands covering her face. At the corners of Mercedes’ lips, you could see the smile she was trying hard to keep undercover. “None of your business.” Devin snarled, walking up to her. “Go use another restroom. This one's full.” Cheryl ran into the cubicle, bursting the door open to throw up again. I was surprised that Devin paid her no mind. Perhaps he genuinely wasn’t aware that she carr
-RAINA'S POV- Flabbergasted and open-mouthed, I stared at Mercedes. My legs felt so numb that I stumbled two steps backwards. Both the sandwich and coke fell from my hands to the floor. The nasty smug on her face riled Hera as she seethed within me. She was Snow? My brain was on pause. Her statement echoed in the deafening silence of my world. No one but mine and Valen’s family knew about Snow. Then how did Mercedes come to know that ghastly name? Neither of us relinquished the eye-lock. She was enjoying my state of shock. Empathically, she gave me time to digest the implication that the troublesome woman I nicknamed Snow, was actually her. A gloating smile took over her lips. “I was waiting until the Howl De Lune Festival to tell you, but I guess there's no time like the present.” Still thunderstruck, she placed her fingers under my chin, lifting so that my mouth closed. “Be mindful of flies.” She jibed and clucked her tongue. I slapped her hand away. She was the only bug h
-RAINA’S POV- Warning growls flurried from my chest as I ground my teeth. Hostile tension fell in the cafeteria amidst a clash of icy browns against fiery acid blues like gunfighters in High Noon. Even so, I thought, she’s got to be kidding! “On the night of the Howl De Lune, give Valen a libidolyphenol, and I’ll go to him. One night,” Mercedes held up a finger, showing exactly the amount of thought she put into her inane scheme. “One night with him will make him come around and accept me as his.” Bowled over by her impertinence, my eyebrows raised, hooked with outrage. Oh goddess, she was actually serious! One strong word was ejected from my lips. “No.” I would not drug my mate and let him sleep with her. Surprised at my refusal, she glared at me. “Should I ask Snow to do it for me?” She stared at me some more with a mean scowl. “She’s marked by Valen’s doppelganger so our Valen won’t be able to resist her.” She paused, giving me time to change my mind. My eyes narrowed challen
-THIRD PERSON’S POV- Dymian removed Farrah’s slender hands from his neck and held both of them in one of his. Then he placed her hands at the center of his exposed chest through the white button-front shirt. He looked down at her flustered expression with the slightest smile. Earlier, he had tossed away her black and white headpiece, burst the white waist tie, and ripped the black nun outfit to shreds. Now she sat completely naked with her back slanted backwards on the paper-strewn desk, and her legs wrapped around his waist in the study of the Renaissance chapel on the second floor. His solid cock was buried deep inside of her after he discarded his black priest robe, white collar, and white stole. His black pants bundled and cuffed around his ankles as he hurriedly took her in raw need. Heightened in the adrenaline rush, all the bloodlust coursing through his veins from the havoc they had recently caused to the Alpha King when they massacred thousands of lives had rocketed his ar
-THIRD PERSON’S POV- Rovell stopped in front of the antique walnut desk and sailed something towards his leader. It slid across the smooth surface of the desk, spilling white documents to the terrazzo floor, only to be halted by Dymian’s hand. "What's this?" Dymian cast his aggrieved hooded garnet-red eyes down on the vintage hardback, three-ring, trombone, leather binder that was tossed rudely to him. “The chapel’s financial report.” Rovell kept a scowl on his square face. “This place is broker than the Ten Commandments. I went digging for dineros in the safe and it was completely empty. Even the bank account is ploughing for pennies. It’s in overdraft.” He shook his head, wearing his bone-white long straight hair in a ponytail. “These people aren’t very blessed.” Dymian sat in his chair and opened the binder. He turned the pages and stalled, taking out the bank reconciliation document from the plastic sleeve. He held it up in the glare of the sun that came through the glass of th
-THIRD PERSON’S POV- Seff abruptly changed his position in the chair to sit forward with his white eyebrows drawn together. “Money cannot be fake.” Dymian focused his gaze on Jarvaldo. A vein ticked in his jaws as his rigid stare admonished for elaboration. “Actually, boss, it sure can,” Jarvaldo insisted. Seff choked raucously on the communion bread. He shook his head, trying to get out. “No. Not true.” “This is the generation of vipers. Anything is possible in this era.” Jarvaldo snapped bitingly. “And that note is the latest edition.” Dymian’s gaze was speculative. “How so?” Seff swallowed, massaging his throat with a scowl because someone had played a nasty trick on them. “I’m going to find that cretin and stuff that note down his throat, and then I’m going to rip it out again.” “Oi, calm down.” Jarvaldo nudged his head at Seff. “Why? Because the culprit is going to hell?” Seff scoffed. “At least let me send him there faster.” Rovell waved the note at Jarvaldo, capturing
-THIRD PERSON’S POV- “What is this hustler’s name?” Seff engaged Jarvaldo with the business card in his hand. He rose from the chair and his foot knocked over the empty communion wine bottle. It clinked and rolled on the floor. “He goes by the pseudonym of Shekel Moneta,” Jarvaldo divulged. “Give him a call. Tell him that you’re my guy.” Seff stopped the bottle with his foot and bent over to steady it on the floor. When he straightened, he took out his new Android phone to make the call. He wasn’t in the bullshit today with Jarvaldo. He assessed the business card and whispered the contact details: 1 000 EZE BUCKS Looking back at his phone, Seff procrastinated at the dialpad section. Doubtfully, he punched the digits. He knew he got the first part right but where was the rest of the numbers to complete the standardized ten-digit contact. Seff grimaced, pursing his lips. “E. Z. E. ―” His crimson eyes narrowed as he searched the number keypad for the words to press. “Where are you ‘
RAINA'S POV-“When your Grandma said she would keep my snow globe safe, she really wasn't kidding,” I muttered with sarcasm as I walked down the dark passageway. Our feet thudded on baked black mud with its walls decorated with brown-black, twining, trunky vines.Leading with a torch in her hand, Pennelope chuckled and then uttered with dramatic emphasis, “Grams never—and I mean never joke around.”“Your home is creepy as hell,” I swear the big vines moved sometimes.Witches' houses were truly a haunted horror for intruders. You could get in, but only the goddess could help you to get out. A modicum of dread weaved through me, but with Penn here, I thought I would be alright.Get it together Raina.It's amazing how the home could transition from a lovely spacious cottage on the upper floors and then descend from the basement into a whole murky forest with thin, white smoky ghosts popping up here and there, whooing around. Ancestors, Pennelope called them.Marlena told me the snow glob
VALEN'S POV-Zeus' volcanic rage was swarming me. It was hard to control him like this. I never expected Devin's revelation to propel my wolf into a hissy fit. Vaheed's attack on my best friend left a bitter taste of betrayal.Not to mention, his actions with Raina were incomprehensible because he was marked by his own mate. Once again, my brother was after my mate. Why? I thought we passed this stage, but no. He’s a damn dickhead who has gone off the rails.“Alpha, did you get the new location?” Jason’s voice came through the communication earpiece.“Yeah,” I replied in a not-so-nice tone. “We’ll move in five.”Nuuk, Bahia Blanca, and Isiro were fruitless. This was the last sanctuary that was on our agenda to investigate. However, Heidi had found that this one in Waipu had a branch in the United States. Pennelope also confirmed high amounts of camouflaging magic that were widespread across the town. All of its energy waves pulsed from that synagogue.I stood to the side with my rifle
VALEN’S POV-I caught Jason standing from his chair with his head down. He was scratching his forehead with his palm blocking most of his eyes, but I saw them sneaking upwards to watch out for my reaction.Guilty as sin. He had to be the culprit who provided the girls with everything they needed, including war gear, despite that he knew how we felt about our women on the battlefield.I growled at him.“We're coming on the mission.” Venus was always the boldest to speak first.With hands on my waist, I rebuffed, “No, that's a negative. You've been up all night, and it’s two a.m., plus the Howl De Lune cannot be planned by itself. The team and I will be gone for days.”“Cleo and Mom are here,” Raina argued, failing to see my point. She shrugged and emphasized, “I’m safest when I am with you.”“Mom left you in charge.” As I spoke, my feet crossed the space to draw closer to her. “Everyone else has to be here to assist you. Besides, the Bolivian and Ugandan wolves rely on your presence. Y
VALEN POV-“This coffee is shit,” Theo’s deep grumpy voice complained, almost spitting the liquid from his mouth after taking his first sip from the cup.“Too bad, I thought it was the perfect flavor for you,” Jason sassed with a cocky grin from around his grand U-shaped desk with the multiscreen computer system up and running.“You are the greatest hacker I know, and you can build the most advanced techno shit. That you can do, but you can’t make a damn good coffee?” Theo exaggerated, gesturing to the hot cup in his hand.Jason huffed and turned his head back to the computer screens, typing away on the keyboard. “Screw you.”“I would, but not today. You’ve got to buy me a beer first,” The Gamma twin jested back and stepped over to Azara with the coffee in his hand, giving it to her.We were at the IT Hub, which was Jason's domain. It was a fawn-colored, single-story federal house located across from the Training Center. He worked hand in hand with the Gammas, being our eyes from the
VALEN’S POV-I side-eyed Gamma Blayne furiously. He immediately bowed his head and averted his gaze.The stench of blood got stronger, permeating my senses, causing my legs to speed up. I can't stand the thought of any more of our members getting hurt or killed."What the hell..." I trailed off as I inched closer, crouching down and examining the line of dead bodies. It was just downright sick and twisted to use them for a ransom note effect.A chill entered the air that made everyone shiver. Raina’s eyes widened at the gruesome sight.Venus gasped, going pale with a hand flying over her mouth. “This is barbaric.”All their necks were slashed by claws and two of the deceased were used for the punctuation marks. Reading from left to right, it stated: ‘We have not forgotten, and we are coming for her.’Gamma Blayne crouched at the lifeless body next to me. He touched the wound on the man’s chest, inspecting it. “The gashes aren’t as deep as you’d expect, but this one got a double tap en
VALEN’S POV-Together, Theo, Thaines, Jason, and I pushed forward in our wolf form. Leaves and twigs crunched under our pounding paws. The sight of the full moon took its turn in the sky and the faint wind skimmed my fur.The grim sound of battle reached my ears long before we reached the outskirts of the station. We arrived united, skidding to a halt as we met the bloody scene with hard eyes and fangs bared. The air was thickened with the stench of sweat, blood, and death. Gruel residues of combat.Looking around the field for a target, the sounds of gnashing teeth, angry snarls, and painful shouts that had previously filled the air vanished with the rogues that swiftly fled through the tree line, leaving an eerie silence.“Cowards!” I roared internally, anger filling my veins.“Go now! Don’t let them get away!” Gamma Blayne shouted orders to a specialized team of elite wolves to pursue the escapees. He stood naked, heaving and curling his hands into fists, and his head whipped to spo
VALEN’S POV-“What’s my Alpha doing in a place like this?” Albert the old bartender had the nerve to joke as he wiped down the triple-fronted bar counter with a chuckle.“It’s a bar. What crime have I committed?” Although he was jesting, I was in a foul mood.Arbitration Day with those bumptious Alphas has finally ended. Things at Alpha Camp were going well with Valiant. Devin’s still in his coma and Raina seems to be in a bad mood. She was madder than a fucking hornet and shanghaiing my mental space.Yesterday, everything went downhill. Devin’s condition showed no change and I did not find the damn Worgen. I came here to clear my mind from the weight of failure that settled over me.All I wanted to do was head to Raina’s room and hug her. But knowing that she’d probably bring up Mercedes again, I detoured here. The thought of her name made the beer in my hand so damn distasteful. Out of panicked desperation, I’ve been spinning my wheels all day to come up with a way to get through to
RAINA’S POV-Theo bent and picked up the folder. He placed it on the desk and fell back into position.The file contained four candidates. Me being one of them. It depicted the Alpha cabal, who represented seventy percent of the werewolf kingdom, voting on whom they advocated to be Queen. Mercedes gained the highest votes, while I had a meager one percent. I saw Tallulah Rumer’s photo, an Alpha-Female from the Rym Greyback Pack in New Zealand. Next was Kristen, the Alpha-Female Valen pitted me against in the sparring competition for the world to see.Then there were pages of signatures and pack seals to officiate the petition in demonstrating which candidate held their favor. This was the beginning of an uprising. It could plunge the kingdom into chaos if Valen’s choice upset them.My heart chipped away at the daunting situation. Mercedes bowed her head to hide the gloating smile that curled on her lips.Okay, I see you Mercedes.“Your Royal Elders marshaled me for the task. Their old
RAINA’S POV-"Oh, goddess!" Venus squealed at us, after entering the loft with Mercedes, dragging her by the ear. She dramatically threw one hand over her harlequin eyes while maintaining her hold on the girl."Damnit Venus! Can't you knock?" Valen snapped, clearly still riled up from the hormones stirring between us. He quickly yanked up his sweatpants, though the bulge was quite prominent."How was I to know that this would be going on in here!" Venus yelled back, keeping her hand over her eyes. “Who would ever bang in their kitchen?”“People with mates, little sis,” Valen replied low and gruff, and I sensed the shift in him.My face blushed bright red in embarrassment. I reached over and grabbed my shorts, clumsily slipping them on while sitting on the counter. Once I was mostly covered, I was ready to jump down. Valen's large hands gently grasped my waist and quickly helped me down to my feet."Of all the people in the world, why would you bring Mercedes here, Vee?" Valen asked, t