CAINES POV“My dad?” I asked, squinting to see through the dark hallway as a figure emerged. My father walked into the light of the moon, holding a flower in his hand. “I was asked to give you these,” he extended his hands. I glanced at Lucy, who nodded at me to accept them. They smelled nice. “Who sent them?”“Your mother… stepmother, he corrected. I was told that I had a stepmother and that she was kind, and everything sweet. But whenever I had those episodes when fragments of my memories flashed across my mind, the opposite was the case. I couldn’t even define what relationship existed between us, but I knew she’d been in my life before. I passed the flower to Lucy and my eyes drifted back to my father who was studying my body. “I can see you’re doing better. When do you intend to return to the pack?”“He’s not completely fine now,” Lucy objected, and I noticed my father's glare strike her instantly. I pulled her to my side calmly, more like I was pulling her into my defense.
CAINES POV“My memory?” I repeated, flicking my eyes between them. “How do you intend to control my mind?” “That has been settled already. We have the help of the Seeker wolves. They can dive into your mind and you’ll lead them…”“A head dive? Since when did we start trusting the seeker wolves? Lucy said we can’t trust seekers like Jasmine,”“Lucy?” My father cut in. He stole a glance at the door to confirm no one was there. “Lucy said this, Lucy said that when will you stop listening to what Lucy had to say and start listening to your family?” He snapped. I tensed at his words, my fingers curling into fists at my sides.“Lucy has never given me a reason not to trust her,” I shot back, my voice low but firm. “She warned me about Jasmine, and now you’re telling me to let a Seeker wolf dive into my mind? Do you even hear yourself?”My father’s jaw tightened, his eyes flashing with frustration. “You think you know everything, Davian. But you don’t. You’re so caught up in your own damn
CAINES POVWe went into the office, and the first part was merely arranged with tables and chairs. My uncle made a call, and in the next minute, a nurse was at the door with us. She was allowed to go in, while I stood behind watching. Her hands ran across the walls, going frame by grave until she got to a frame with just black and blue colors. Slowly, she brought the frame down, took out a key, and inserted it into the wall. I heard a click in the wall, accompanied by the whining and clunking of metals together until something shifted. I checked every corner of the wall, but there was no sign of a shift or a change in its position. “It didn’t work?” I asked, turning to my father. The nurse turned around and moved to the opposite side of the office, where the shelves were. “I’ll need little help,” she asked. Natasha joined her, and together, they pushed the shelf aside, revealing a small brown door. “You all can go in there and stay as long as you want. No one up here will be ab
CAINES POV I felt a final pain shoot through my head, and suddenly, it all vanished. The pain stopped, the struggle stopped, and the film was gone the next time I opened my eyes. Instead, I stood in a forest, thick mist curling around my feet. The scent of rain clung to the air. Moonlight flickered through the trees, casting jagged shadows. I turned, and there she was. Elara. “Is this my mind?” I asked, but I didn’t hear my voice. “Elara,” I called, but still nothing. I could only hear it in my head. She turned to face me, took my hand, and pulled me close enough until I could feel her skin against mine. Something in the atmosphere shifted, and I could hear my breaths loud and clear. So I tried again. “Elara,” “I can hear you now,” she replied. “This is your mind,” she added, and I followed her eyes, scanning the environment. “Since it’s yours, you should be able to recall what night this was,” she turned back to me. I studied the forest, my mind cracking with so many t
LUCY'S POV I was led out of the hospital by the security whom Alpha Morgan instructed. I was shocked at the sudden change in his attitude towards me. I used to be this loving and charming daughter of his. But now, things seem different. He barely wants to have conversations with me, and also doesn’t let me in during conversations between his family—which was unusual. “I can walk on my own,” I struggled out of the group of the men who were taking me outside. Their grip loosened around my arm, and I used that opportunity to slip away from them. “Alpha Morgan has requested that you wait outside until they’re done with Caine,” “What are they doing to him?” “We are not in the position to give you an answer to that,” “I will create a scene if you don’t tell me what they are doing to my man in there!” I yelled, pacing from place to place as I searched for the nearest gap to slip my way through. They inched closer, their hands spreading open to stop me from going through. “Miss Lu
JASMINES POV I brushed the dirt off my shirt as I squeezed myself out of my hiding. The men were gone, and I was left all alone in the church. The space was silent, safe from the squeaking of rats running from pillar to post. I let out a heavy breath the moment I got to my feet, leaning on the pillar that was close by. The old church. I recognized it from the books which carried images of it. My eyes scanned the walls and their intricate patterns, tales of the fight that went down here years ago flashing through my memory. There used to be believers living amongst us in the pack. They were born wolfless, or most of them didn’t meet their wolves at the expected age, just like me. Because of that, they felt rejected and abandoned and created a society that would bring this kind together. It began as a peaceful gathering, of people who would stand for each other at all times, until they began to revolt against the wolves in the pack. According to my father who was still young
CAINES POV I swallowed hard, staring at the image of my younger self and Jasmine. The way we clung to each other—it didn’t match the story I’d always been told. Jasmine was supposed to be dangerous. A Seeker Wolf. An enemy—just like Lucy described her. But this? This looked like love. Like trust. I didn’t know what to believe again. This was just a part of my memory. Who knows what awaited me on the other side? I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a brief moment to focus. It was difficult to focus still with the constant images of Jasmine that flashed through my mind. I opened my eyes, hoping something worked, but we were still at the same spot. “I…I don’t think I can…” “You can. Focus,” Elara said. I took a deep breath in, closing my eyes once again. There was nothing else I could do aside from thinking about Jasmine. My grip around Elara’s palm tightened, and I began to feel more focused than ever. Elara’s voice pulled me back. “This is your mind, control it. Lead
JASMINE’S POVI slammed my fists against the door, frustration bubbling in my chest. There had to be another way, but I couldn’t see anything in the dim glow of my wolf vision. The rusted gems from the statue were the key—I was sure of it—but going back for them meant wasting time.Caine didn’t have time. And I could feel something in my guts. Something about the whole situation didn’t sit right. My wolf stirred restlessly in my head as I ran my hands around the steel door, searching for something—anything. Still, I found nothing. “Damn it,” I cursed under my breath, giving the door one last kick before turning back the way I came.I raced up the narrow stairway, my footsteps silent against the old stone floor. The moment I climbed out through the stairs, I hurried back to the statue, checking the tray and around the floor to see if there were remnants of the gem in them. All empty. All roads lead back to the main entrance. I had to make it through. Not just making it through, but
JASMINES POVI stood before the mirror, staring at my reflection. Time had passed since the last servant came to inform us that the car was waiting. I’d completely lost myself in my reflection. The woman staring back at me was different. Someone I’d long admired to be. I let out a sigh, taking the veil off my face. “Are we ready?” I asked Alyssa who was still gathering a few things from her bag. “Yes…just these little things I have to get them we’ll move,’ he said.I didn’t mind, because I felt like I had all the time in the world. I was willing to stand before the mirror, simply staring at myself and the baby bump that was evident from the white gown I had on. Two knocks landed on the door, and it creaked open. From the mirror, I saw my mother. “Mum,” I called under my breath. She told me that she wasn’t going to make it because she was still taking care of her husband. Seeing her here sent chills down my spine. I strode hurriedly across the room, but she covered more space tha
JASMINES POVI walked into the cemetery where Lucy’s body was buried. Carrying my flowers in one hand and holding Caine in the other. It was a month after her death, and as much as I tried to deny it, I could feel the void in my heart. She occupied somewhere in my heart, despite the betrayal and hatred, and I just couldn’t bring myself to deny that fact. Caine wasn’t in support of my going to visit the cemetery, but I insisted. I had to remind him of Lucy’s parents whom they locked up and weren’t able to pay their daughter a visit at her grave, nor did they have a chance to see them lower her into the ground. She was a villain, yes—but also a human being. “I’ll wait out here,” Caine said. I didn’t argue. We disconnected our hands, and he kissed me before letting me off. Caine was still a work in progress. He was taking on a new personality, one that was completely in contrast to who he was before the accident. His memories were not completely back, but each day, with my presenc
CAINES POVThe next time I woke up, I couldn’t move my hands or legs. I scanned the room area after getting a clearer vision. The smell of wolf’s bane was strong in the air, and that explained why I felt weak. “You’re finally up, welcome to the party,” Lucy drew my attention to her. She was crouched beside Jasmine, and something about that position upset my wolf. He wanted to defend Jasmine, to stand up for her. But our strength was sealed. “Get away from her. Who are you?” I gritted.“It’s so sad that it had to be your memory that was lost. A part of me wished you died that night,” she blurted. “What?” I asked. Then I understood what she was talking about. My accident. “That girl…Elara right?” She chuckled. “She was this close to figuring out. If only she’d been smart,”I groaned, pulling against my restraints. “You killed her!” I yelled. But only a sinister smile played on her face as she moved from Jasmine to me. “You can’t do anything, Caine, not even now. You couldn’t even
CAINES POVThe call dropped.I yanked the phone from my ear, staring at the screen as static hummed in my ears. The connection had been lost.Jasmine’s voice still rang in my head, breathless and desperate.I’m pregnant—with your child.I shot up from my chair so fast it clattered against the floor. My wolf was raging beneath my skin, demanding action, demanding I find her.Just then, a car drove in. I moved to the window to see who it was. Lucy. My eyes drifted to the clock, and it was a few minutes past twelve. The sky was completely dark, and the moon was hanging with a moonlight under the cloud. “She sounded scared…and urgent…” I thought. All of a sudden, my wolf was full of rage. The fragment of memory that I had tried to remember felt like it was fighting its way up. But distractions. Lucy was coming up, and I had to confirm my suspicions. I reached for my phone and sent a text to Beta Joseph, telling him to track my phone and find me if anything happened. I sent the same
JASMINE’S POVThe moment the door shut behind them, I let out a shaky breath, my body sagging against the chair. My arms ached from the restraints, my head pounding from exhaustion, but none of it compared to the sharp pain radiating through my stomach. The warmth of my blood soaked into my dress was a terrifying reminder of just how much danger I was in.I glanced at the table where Lucy had tossed her phone. It was my only chance.My eyes drifted back to the door after I heard a sound. I thought they were coming back, so I curled back into my tears. After a few seconds of waiting, and no one came through the door, I let out a heavy sigh, staring at the phone. Desperation fueled me as I forced my body forward. I fell from the chair and crashed my face on the floor. Shock coursed through my face, sending my head and my brain pulsing with the taste of blood that circulated in my mouth. I ignored the pain, keeping my eyes focused on the phone that lay on the table. I started crawlin
LUCY'S POVI slammed the brakes, drifting the car out of the garage. I saw Caine standing at the edge of the hallway through the rear mirror. His gaze was fixed on the car, his body still as I drove off. I knew he was getting suspicious, and it was only a matter of time before he came searching or digging for answers. I drove into the silence that filled the night, a clear contrast to the storm of thoughts that raged in my mind. I’d asked for dinner with them because I started noticing the low murmuring when I wasn’t looking. They were getting suspicious, questioning my whereabouts and my lateness to the events and important meetings. I also noticed how distant I had become due to the plans Bryan had and the hitches we experienced over the month. Recently, a few days back or so, Adrian went on a hunting spree, killing tons of humans and werewolves. According to my parents, he was facing the likelihood of the breakout of another disease all because he hadn’t found someone who was
CAINE’S POVThe silence that filled the room was suffocating. The way all eyes drifted to me, I knew I shouldn’t have uttered those words. I took a little drift away from Lucy’s stare, traveling my eyes around the room. The eyes of others carried a heavy weight, like a secret, lurking behind them. I made sure I observed all before returning my gaze to Lucy. Unlike others, and unlike the first time the question was asked, she was smiling. What changed?Wasn’t she curious to know what changed?”“Go on, Caine. Why don’t you tell us? Are we supposed to be expecting someone else,” she asked again. The rest returned to their meal, the forks clanging softly against their plates. Even their eyes were buried into their plates, and it felt like they were expecting some kind of outburst of something—a quarrel perhaps. “Are you okay mate?” Harper nudged me, Snapping me out of my zone. I forced a smile, nodding hurriedly.“Of course. I just didn’t spot Joanne in time. My sight I guess.” lie
JASMINES POVThe light shuffling of feet and the muffled voices stirred me up from my sleep. Standing at the edge of the room Bryan, talking with Adrian. They were discussing in lie tones, but Bryan seemed to be angrier. “You led them here!” He yelled, pushing Adrian. For reasons best known to Adrian, he wasn’t getting angry just like Bryan. He maintained his cool, taking the blows and the blame. “Deal with it,” Bryan snapped. “It’s already been dealt with,” Adrian said finally. My vision blurred for a few seconds, and I blinked several times to get a clearer view. Silence fell in the room after Adrain spoke, safe for Bryan’s heavy breathing. “You what?”“They’ve been dealt with. And Lucy drove off with their bodies to bury them somewhere far,” he explained. With the I saw things, Bryan wasn’t in support of that. He took two steps forward, and the third step placed him directly in front of Adrian.“You killed the cops?” My breath hitched after hearing what the offense was.
CAINES POVIt was the second month since the arrest of Lilian. My father has been silent on the progress being made by my uncle and the rest of the investigation team—that’s if progress was being made. On the other hand, Natasha has been nothing but helpful. For reasons best known to her, she only let me discuss things I’d planned for and my father eventually left. She stood in as my therapist. On the other hand, Lucy is awkwardly absent from the house. She leaves so early and comes back really late at night. When I asked, she attributed the return of her parents and her brother whom the police department was after. I walked out of bed, moved to the mirror, and ran my fingers through the bandage on my head. Two months had come, and gone, yet I still couldn’t get an answer to the most bothersome question in my mind.Why Jasmine?A few days ago, I asked my father. I wanted to know why she was the only name that kept recurring in my head. I noticed the way he tried to avoid the qu