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-RAINA'S POV- “Don’t go near her,” Hera warned me. Unmasked, the long, pearl-white, wavy-haired woman sat on a light brown boulder in the middle of the open cave. No. It was not the person that I expected. It wasn’t Villainess Snow. Nonetheless, with my back turned to the roaring sea, I squared my shoulders and stared at the smirking woman. A coil of dread rolled inside of me because she was a threat and I was alone at goddess knows where. The sea-brine air brought with it a vicious rainbow swirl that caused my hair to hitch over my face and flow to the right. I raised my hands to immediately clear my face to keep my eyes fixated on the stranger. I hurriedly brushed the straying stands backwards. It's another woman who bore a similar resemblance to my nemesis. Maybe two inches taller, but thinner. Her face was powder white, and a small glittering rose gold feather at the third eye. Dark shell pink painted her cupid bow lips that faked a smile. It was so friendly and warm that it
-RAINA’S POV- Fortifying myself for their next move, I released my painfully bleeding, red-coated, dislocated shoulder and tried to get up. Hissing and grunting, the task was most challenging. A shivering fear enveloped me because my inability was pretty obvious. “I see you have come to join the party,” I satirized in an uneven tone. “I warned you.” Villainess Snow stood inches from my feet with condescending blue eyes like I was the sorriest thing alive. The line of our blue gazes met coldly. Snow growled in anger and turned to the other woman, squaring off with her as though she hated her guts. The cave walls vibrated with dust and stone particles falling onto my shoulders and hair. I lowered my head to avoid anything else getting into my eyes. It befuddled me since I thought that they were friends and she had come to get her share of whooping my ass. I peered intently at both women. As a sign of the day's direction and breadth, animosity rolled out like the red carpet. Wistful
-RAINA’S POV- A panting, sweat-dripping, and naked Devin showed up at the mouth of the cave. “What happened here?” He surveyed the area and sighted no enemies. “Not now. I’ll explain later.” Valen was too busy panicking with me in agony to dive into details. “Let’s go back.” “But I just got here,” Devin grimaced. Then his Prussian eyes took note of my cringing form, going dull with concern. Valen glared at him, standing upright, carrying me bridal style, and walking towards him. He was doing his best to control his emotions. “You could have saved one of those mother fuckers for me to beat up,” Devin complained about missing the fight. “You always do this just because you can teleport and get here faster than me.” “It was a fucking emergency!” Valen yelled in irritation, hard and scary, then passed him. “What did they do to Raina?” Devin came up behind Valen, stretching out his neck to see what was wrong. His expression changed to panic. “I’m taking her to the clinic. Go and ge
-RAINA’S POV- In my next life, things ought to be better. That's all I thought as I floated around in a sea of golden light, staring into nothingness. Incredible peace engulfed me. I could stay here forever. "No," a whispering voice said. Humph. Just my luck. Suddenly, my horizontal body spun rapidly, until I got dizzy. I closed my eyes. When I felt like I was being shoved off a ledge, I flipped them open and fell onto another plane. Above a dry riverbed at the outskirts of a parched valley of empty land, I hovered in midair overlooking a battle between wolves, but not just ordinary wolves. These wolves had a body hue of blue-black, a mane of white hair at the neck resembling a lion's, and a white-tipped tail. They were equine height and had insignias on their foreheads. A rose gold feather was on one of them. Where had I seen that before? I couldn't recall. So, I returned my focus to what was playing out before me. The moonlight imparted to the graphite night a soothing beauty,
-VALEN’S POV- “Devin, Raina’s shifting. I’m taking her to the east forest.” I mind-link my Beta after hoisting my whimpering mate in my arms. Doctor Krause stepped to the side and bowed his head as I teleported. “How is that possible?” Devin inquired, worry hidden in his voice. “How the fuck should I know?” I retorted though I knew that he was coming from a good place. Raina began screaming and sobbing as claws burst through her nails. “Valen, it hurts so badly.” “Cut the Beta off and tend to our mate!” Zeus growled, feeling sorry for her anguish. He was lamenting with whimpers for his mate. “Baby, let the power roll over you. Embrace it.” I aimed to comfort her, loosening my arms to provide more room as her bones began to crack again. She was shaking tremendously and her teeth chattered. My stomach tightened and knotted for the difficulty she had to endure. From the depths of my heart, I truly prayed to the moon goddess that the white-haired woman hadn't done anything extremel
-VALEN’S POV- Raj, Dad, and Devin, in wolf form, approached us. Devin’s mustard yellow with grey ear tips was the first to come near us, while Raj’s fully oxblood wolf and Dad’s larger alpha-black wolf observed us. Hera spared them no any attention. Her intention was to get enough of me, as much as she could, before Raina snatched her time away. She began to swagger awkwardly, stumbled twice, and then steadied herself so she could pirouette around me. I happily indulged the thunderstorm of furry playfulness as she pranced joyfully and jumped up to lick different areas of my body. “Sweetheart, you look amazing,” Raj rejoiced with a laugh through the mind-link. His wolf strutted over to us and sat on his rear, commemorating his pup. “Congratulations, Raina,” Dad appraised, staying in the same spot with Devin at his side. "Mine," Hera purred. “I’ve got you, Hera.” I marveled at her flawless beauty and smiled at her while rubbing her mane and replied with love glinting in my eyes, "
-THIRD PERSON'S POV- "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned." "Indeed, child." Dymian retorted in the confessional as he swiped the viewing slot to glare at her with his garnet-red eyes blazing. "You went against my wishes." Angrily, he glared at her on the other side of the booth. Farrah gulped nervously and pried her gaze from him. He wasn’t wearing the ceremonial mitre hat today. Instead, he managed to let his short curly pearl-white hair fall over his forehead to cover his guardian mark of three small purple squares that formed triangular vertices. "I had good reason. She was in my hands until another showed up." Farrah lowered her head in shame as she related the earlier events as a sacrament of penance. The sun was still up when she entered the Renaissance chapel. Briskly she rushed through the nave and bypassed the waiting line of five people. With urgency, she entered the reconciliation room to report to Dymian. Cruelly, she opened the door of the confessional and invaded t
-THIRD PERSON'S POV- Dymian fixed his eyes on Farrah, knowing her points were valid. The guardian cubes on his forehead glowed. He pursed his thin peach lips and uttered, "Then we'll have to get rid of her. No one will stand in the way of our plans." If that bitch was Selene, it made sense that she'd keep the red wolf away from us. She was a source of power for them to harness. Therefore, it made them remain weak, because that was the state that she left them, comatose and power-drained. On the other hand, there was the option to meet and have her reinstate their status. Dymian would not take the peaceful road. He was hellbent on revenge. A taste of the red wolf's blood surged so much power through Farrah's system. She had regained a power increase for a minute until the other white-haired bitch sucked it out of her. "Must we kill the moon goddess?" Farrah inaudibly inquired, testing him. She believed they ought to be merciful towards their creator, despite the grudge they had towa
VALEN’S POV“Raina is hurting.” Penn interjected, finishing up and discarding the cotton in a bin.“I saw the pain in her eyes when she saw Snow with your baby.” She gazed sadly at Devin and added under her breath. “I can imagine what that feels like.”My Beta averted his eyes to the side of the room, avoiding hers, suddenly unsettled as he scratched behind his ear.I blew out a hard breath. I did not care about what was up with these two. Raina was priority. The mate bond wrenched at me in a silent cry from her that only I could hear. Missing the softness of holding her hands and basking in her endearing presence, hugging, touching, gazing—I just can't go on without it.“I'm pissed too because the future hasn't changed and at some point, you'll give the dick away.” Devin aired bluntly. “How could you? After all those times you swore to me…”“I'll never cheat on Raina.” I cut in sharply, darting daggers at him.Unconvinced, he huffed. Then he spoke again, his voice quieter. "She loves
VALEN’S POVMy eyes snapped open, looking up at the wooden beams in the ceiling in confusion.This was Wolkrane.I can’t be here. Not when I promised Raina to be home by 9 P.M. daily. My head pounded with hazy memories, and I missed her pleasantly cool scent so badly. With her beautiful burgundy...Oh, fuck!I bolted up from the bed, and pain exploded on my side, spasming up and down my torso. Immediately, I glanced down at the three stitches that I just accidentally ripped, blood trickling down my side and into my gray sweatpants.Angry at myself for not knowing how long I’d been asleep, I yanked the IV line from my arm.Cursing silently while gritting my teeth against the agony, I barged out of the bedroom, ignoring the trail of blood I left on the umber-weave pattern of the vinyl plank flooring.Dizzy waves swept over me as I descended the stairs, determined for someone to tell me that it was a damn nightmare. That I imagined it all.“Where is she!” I roared, bulldozing into the sm
RAINA’S POV“Kókkino, I don't know,” Gustav replied with understanding in a low voice. His words lingered, heavy with an edge of doubt. “The sword should have taken his life.”I swallowed hard and confessed dejectedly, “I wanted to believe him, but he can’t be the real Valen.”Gustav hummed thoughtfully and moved to the foot of the bed to remove my shoes.Flashes of the harrowing hurt in the last Valen’s eyes made my forlorn heart sink deeper and deeper. It seemed nearly genuine, yet it was not. It was a mask to get me to lower my guard. I was glad that I didn’t let the bond derail the mission this time.My eyes trailed to my guardian, and I expressed, “The timekeepers were so cruel. This is my ninth trial, and if he's not my Valen, he'll kill me again. As an anomaly, they've cursed me to die over and over.”“Then I will protect you,” Gustav swore, putting down my shoes at the bedside while his gaze met mine. The sincerity and promise were clear in his voice.“How long do you think I
RAINA’S POV I lingered behind Gustav as we arrived by teleportation at a sprawling lakeside manor. With urgency, he stalked off down a corridor that cut straight through the house. I broke off into a little jog to keep up with his large strides. Walking by his side, I felt curious and apprehensive about where he had taken me. Warm tones guided me through the great hall. Feeling antsy, my head pirouetted in the unfamiliar environment. Gaping archways revealed sitting rooms, recreational rooms, a grand dining room, and others. Each was filled with soothing terra cotta tones from walls painted in red earth color. “Nice safe house,” I remarked as he led me up the winding stairs, overwhelmed by the sheer size of it.Layers of vintage finds, painted artwork, and houseplants created a classical, inviting effect across the spaces. Together with white and green accents, the wall's reddish tone produced a muted color scheme that brought a diverse range of furniture pieces in a harmoniously b
VALEN’S POV“Grrr! You are not needed here,” I growled, feeling my skin ripple, pinning the man in place with a murderous glare.“The nerve of that Worgen,” Zeus snarled in my head.Nyx and Zuzu swayed their attention to the obnoxious intruder, waiting for my command to attack him.“Stand down, Nyx. Do not attack him, Zuzu. Hibernate,” Raina commanded them, her back constantly bumped into my chest from her struggle against the grasp I maintained on her arms.It was a shock to see my guardians revert to a leisure position, debunking their fight mode.Raina averted her eyes to the man in full white. “Get me out of here, Gustav.”“Careful, Bluebella. Do not deliberately make me jealous. My wolf is unsettled as it is. You are mine,” I muttered into her ear, and she flinched with resistance.Swinging her sabre-rattling eyes sideways, she expostulated, “I’ll chose him a million times over you, you fake bastard!”What the hell was this?She was protecting him—choosing him?Wanting to go with
VALEN’S POVThe portal spat her out with a thud on the floor of my sanctum in a disheveled mess.“Mate! Mate! Mate!” Zeus purred, going into overdrive to touch what was ours.Thank fuck.“Ugh!” She groaned, landing face-down, and something clattered on the floor.My body jumped to life as her rich scent wrapped around the entirety of my being like thick vines.“She came back to us!” Zeus’ rear end started to twitch and wiggle in excitement to see our beautiful mate.Gladness pumped my heart wildly, and my feet moved briskly before my wolf shouted at me to go to her. Zuzu flapped her giant wings in flight towards her regular spot on a custom-designed tree branch in the corner.I rushed towards Raina, dropping to my knees and gently grabbing her shoulders to help her to stand. My heart danced with delight when the sparks erupted across my palms from the skin-to-skin contact.“She’s back,” Zeus howled in my chest with joy and enthusiasm, jumping up on his two hind legs.Raina's legs gave
VALEN’S POVEighty-four hours.Three and a half days.It’s been that long since I’ve been home and without my precious Luna. Precious time was being wasted when I should have been able to go after her. That knowledge and helplessness weighed heavy on my chest, obstructing every labored inhale.Detached from everything, I wallowed in heart-shattering misery.With a deep scowl, I ran my thumb over the inscriptions of the golden bracelet as my mind worked overtime. My brain felt like it was on a treadmill, unable to stop.At this point, my eyes were hooded and void and my brain wasn't far from becoming the same. Frazzled and throbbing.“You’re the reason she disappeared.” Zeus snarled in my head, castigating me for putting Vaheed over our mate. He rambled, “If we weren’t away, we would have been here to stop her. I told you to leave him alone, but no, you had to go and bring him back. Are you trying to make us mateless?”My throat was too parched to argue with him.The worst had happened
VALEN’S POVAll their heartbeats rose, thundering against their chests. Devin quickly scurried over to the witch’s side.My eyebrows met. My face scrunched up and I pointed at Penn. My voice was incensed, and my teeth clashed together. “You let her go?”They visibly sagged under the weight of my temper. Anger pulsed through my chest, the upcoming headache didn't help his bitch fit either.“Well, I—um, I, er,” Pennelope stuttered and Devin frowned, spinning around to cup her face before facing me again.Letting out a breath of disbelief, I felt like my whole world was caving in. My vision went spotty as I pictured Raina lost and on her own in an unfamiliar world, and this witch did nothing to help her when she had the means.“It’s not that simple. I tried to stop her…” Penn explained, shaking her head, and went into more detail, stumbling over her words. “...once she saw Snow, she decided to go AWOL.”"Slow down, Penn." Devin guided me because at this point she was mumbling, and I didn
VALEN’S POV “Beta?” I scowled in the witch's basement after descending the last step of the stairs.Thick tension greeted me. One built on apprehension and fear.They were as scared as a kitten that had just noticed the shadow of a dog’s tail lashing against a white wall. I could feel the weight of their trepidatious stares pressing against me. Their fretting, whispering thoughts practically radiated off them like static.Zeus growled low and ferociously in my chest, unsettled by the hangdog silence. The implication of guilt hung heavily in the air.My anxious eyes roamed every inch of the space, skipping through the bookshelves, futons, chairs, and stone tables seeking the one woman that my soul ached for. Seeing no trace of her, my longing hammered our bond with impatience.An outburst climbed up my throat to be lashed out, only to be hindered when Venus flew at me. I swallowed the impending words. She gripped the front of my black shirt and tugged it repeatedly. Immense anxiety fu