LUCY’S POV “Whatever this is, Luce, it’s not normal,” Bryan said, inching closer to me. I sighed, falling back on the wooden chair behind me. We stood for almost ten minutes, waiting for Adrian to finish up with his meal. When he was finally done, he crept out from the darkness, the red eyes still glowing as he made himself visible. I felt tears brewing in my eyes as I stood up and tossed a jacket to him. “Put these on”. “How long has he been this way,” Bryan asked, helping me with the empty blood bags. “A month, two or three weeks. I can’t really tell. All I know is that there was something wrong with him the last time I went home,” “There’s nothing wrong with me,” Adrian interrupted, walking out of the darkness completely. He exhaled, slowly opening his eyes. The red was gone, likewise the rage. “Dad did something new, and for the first time it worked,” “For the first time?” I asked, trying to process what he meant. “Have there been other trials, Adrian?” “Yeah…they all
JASMINE’S POV “Can I have a word with you?” I asked, stealing glances at Bryan who was looking out of the window. Caine was still answering a call at the garage while I pulled Lucy to a corner. “That’s him,” I blurted. “Him? What do you mean by him?” “My ex, Lucy, Bryan. That’s him,” I clarified. My heart raced, my blood boiling as I mistakenly looked into his eyes. He looked away immediately, and I knew that guilt was eating him up. “Your…ex? That Bryan?” “Yes, Lucy, that's Bryan,” I answered. “Okay, chill. He’s been my work partner for a while now. I never knew he was the Bryan you were talking about,” Lucy snapped. She noticed that wasn’t going to get me calm, so instead, she took my hands and pulled me closer to her. “Hey, nothing is going on between us, he’s just a colleague. I am with Caine, remember?” She asked. I didn’t want to give her a response, but the way she looked into my eyes demanded one. I nodded consecutively. “Yeah, yeah,” I breathed. “An
JASMINE’S POV The training field was dark, except for the soft glow of the moon and the lecterns that surrounded the field. Caine stood a few feet away, watching my every move with a sharp gaze. I was dressed in loose joggers and a tank top, my hands wrapped with a cloth to protect them during sparring. “Again!” Caine barked. I threw more punches at the dummy before me, kicking and hitting every part just as he’d shown me. We had gone almost an hour with the same routine. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I stopped to catch my breath, my knees supporting my hands. “Do you think Harper and Spencer will give you time to catch your breath”. “Why do you even care if I win or lose?” I asked, frustration eating me up. I was still trying to understand what made his father just fix a match between the twins and me, not considering the difference in our ranks. Caine walked up to me, his dark eyes piercing through the night. “I made you a promise right? I made my father a promise t
JASMINES POV “Dad,” I blurted, my gaze fixed on him as I followed the guards further into the arena. I didn’t notice they had stopped until I bumped into one. That drifted my gaze away from my dad, back to the ring and the wild guards were now facing me. “You wait here until the trumpet goes again,” one of them said, staring at me through the holes in his helmet. I swallowed the fear that crawled into my throat the moment the gates at the opposite end lifted from the ground. Spencer and Harper walked into the arena, their pride written all over their faces. To them, I was a done deal, and they had every reason to show me no mercy because I hurt their sister. The crowd cheered as they made their way in, bare-chested and armorless. “This won’t take long. We’ll just hang around the lines until they’re done with her,” one of the guards nudged the other, a soft chuckle escaping their shielded faces as they walked away. “Ladies and gentlemen,” a loud voice boomed over the microphone.
JASMINES POV When I stirred, I could feel the cold, hard ground beneath me and a metallic taste in my mouth. My eyes fluttered open, hit by the bright light coming from the sun. All of a sudden, everything became dark again. “Awake, finally,” a voice said, drawing my attention away from the once lighted window. Chills ran down my body, sending my heart into a race. I turned my head to find Adrian standing in the shadows, his eyes as red as blood. “Adrian? What’s going on?” My voice cracked, confusion and fear swirling inside me as I struggled with the chains that bound my hands to the wall above me. “Shhh…we wouldn’t want to let the cops know we are here,” he silenced me, quietly walking out of the darkness, into the light which hung above my head. I listened carefully, and that was when I heard the blaring sirens of the cops. “Where am I?” “You’re safe…for now,” he said, crouching beside me. I was about to ask what happened to his eyes and why they were blood red when they fl
CAINES POV Pain shot through my neck as Adrian’s fang tore into my flesh. It burned an unnatural heat, spreading through my veins and weakening me faster than I could comprehend. My wolf howled in agony, struggling to take control. But something in Adrian’s bite dampened my connection to him. I felt my blood leaving my body with speed, and with the strength I had left, I pushed Adrian, crashing into the window. I staggered to the wall but fell before I could get to Jasmine. “Caine,” I heard her voice, faint and muffled. “It will take a while before you will be able to use your legs,” Adrian said, walking out from the pieces of glass that broke after his crash. He carefully extended his hand into the sun's ray and withdrew it immediately after getting burned a little. “What…are you?” I stuttered, the pain seeping deep into my nerves. I fought to get my feet again, but I again, this time face flat on the floor. “Stop fighting the venom. It will only get worse if you fight it.
LUCY’S POV A FEW HOURS EARLIER… “Adrian, no!” I yelled, racing to where he was. But before I could get there, he knocked the air out of Jasmine and zoomed off. “No!” I yelled, scanning the arena which erupted in chaos. There was no sign of them, only the dust that had risen due to the speed Adrian used. “Find Caine,” I told Imani and quickly ran out of the arena. I went through an alleyway at the back of the bridge, making my way to the alpha's office. There were still a few guards on duty, but they didn’t seem like a problem. My father and mother wanted a book from the Alpha office, and a stone too. She called it a Firestone, the last of its kind. I’ve been her little spy without results to show for it, but after seeing through had taken things further with Adrian, I knew this was my time to step up. I let out a heavy breath, arranged my clothes, and walked out of where I was hiding. “We can’t let anyone in,” one of the guards stopped me from crossing the black gates. “C
LUCY’S POV “Yesterday?” I repeated, searching my mind for a perfect lie. That wasn't going to be possible with the way he stared at me like he could see beneath my calm face. “I was with…Imani,” “Imani?” “Yes, Imani, my friend. You should know her, Caines friend too,” I answered with a shrug. “And what were you both doing between that time frame?” “What?” “Would you like me to repeat the question?” “I heard your question, what I don’t seem to understand is why I’m being asked all these. Is there a problem?” I snapped, squeezing my key in my hand to hold in my impatience. “Thing is…a few bags of blood went missing from the clinic yesterday within that time frame. I’ve asked the rest of your friends, and they have an account of where they were. It’s just you and Imani left,” he said. “And Caine…have you asked him?” I asked, but he looked away to hide the guilt in his face. “I expected as much, he’s your nephew so he can’t be a criminal, right,” I said softly. “This won’t t
JASMINES POVMy eyes fluttered open, taking in the light that seeped into them. I blinked several times to get a clear vision while keeping my head in place to get rid of the shrill sound in it. After some seconds, I could finally see what was before me. It was a room, not old, but a little untidy. There were clothes scattered around the chairs and the floor. The bed opposite me was unkempt, adorned with feminine wear. I pulled against the restraints on my wrist, but they sent me back to the chair with a harsh tug, the metal biting into my skin. My breath hitched as the realization sank in—I was tied up.Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to stay calm. I took a shaky breath and scanned the room again, searching for anything useful. The place smelled faintly of perfume and something else—something metallic.Blood.I swallowed hard, my heartbeat hammering against my ribs. Who had taken me? And why?The door creaked open, and I froze.A man stepped inside, his back to me un
CAINE’S POVI stared at the clock hanging at the far end of the hospital wall and discovered that I’d walked from end to end for thirty minutes. My mind was restless, and I was eager to find out the reason why I still felt incomplete. My father was still in the ward with Lilian and my uncle. They were interrogating her. That was a plus one to the discomfort that ached my mind. Alyssa was sitting somewhere around the corner. She hasn’t said a word since we arrived at the hospital. My gut believed that she knew something. Something she wasn’t saying to anyone and kept trying her best to hide it away from her expression. But I caught that flicker of knowledge for a second when we were driving Lilian to the hospital. When I asked her, she shoved it aside and claimed I caused damage when I wasn’t sure of my memory. Damage?Uncertain about the fragments of events that crossed my mind?They could call me anything but mad.That was the way Lucy wanted to put it. My newly wedded wife thoug
CAINES POV“Caine, that’s my wife you’re accusing,” my father pulled me back and whispered into my ear through his teeth. I shrugged him off and took steps further, but my uncle stepped in the way.“Caine, what’s come over you?” He asked with a low voice. “This is your wedding. What do you think you’re doing?” “She’s a traitor.” “Stop it!” My father yelled.The peace they were trying to maintain crumbled, and I had deadly eyes staring into mine. He walked closer to me, his eyes wandering in mine like he was trying to know what gave me the audacity to point an accusatory finger at his wife.“What is this all about, Huh? Because you do not want to get married? Is that why you have chosen to destroy that of your parents?”“If you think I’m lying…” I said before taking my gaze away from him and fixing it on Lilian. “Ask her how long she has known my mother,” “Your mother died years before I met Lilian,”“A year, you mean? And that means you're not denying the fact that she knew Mother
CAINES POVI stood before the grand mirror in my chamber, my reflection staring back at me, hollow-eyed and unrecognizable. The blue ceremonial robes draped over my shoulders felt heavy, suffocating, as if they carried the weight of every choice I hadn’t made for myself. The deep blue fabric was adorned with intricate silver embroidery, the symbol of my family stitched proudly into the chest. A reminder of the duty I could never escape. The servant attached the last piece of gold ring to my finger and took a few steps away from the mirror. “All set,” he bowed. Today, as per tradition of the house of Creeks, my marriage was to be held in the old traditional ways. Given the kind of line we descended from, our marriage process usually involved various types of rites. First, we would go to the river to get bathed under the moonlight. Also, there was the one of getting the head of an antler from the woods.A third was also mentioned to me, which involved the Sheet's reveal. It was con
CAINES POVDistant murmurings filled my ears as I stirred awake. My eyes fluttered as they received the rays from the white light hanging above my head. For the first few seconds, I was blinded by the light. After what felt like minutes of waiting, the light got dim, giving me a chance to take a view of my environment.“He’s waking up,” a voice said. It sounded muffled like he was speaking to me or someone else with water in his mouth. I tried to turn my head towards the direction of the sound, but a sharp pain shot through my head.“Ouch!” I winced, reaching to hold my head. The pain seared through, touching every nerve as it sent cold signals down the rest of my body. “Easy son,” my father's voice said. His footsteps rang in my ear like they were stepping on glass placed beside my ear, and I was forced to close both ears with my palms until I felt his hand on my neck. “You’re fine. You’re with family,” he said. Slowly, I let go of my ears and turned to him. He was still standing
LUCY'S POVBryan was serious about leaving Jasmine in the trunk till the following morning. He acted like we didn’t come with anyone else, all his attention focused on Liz. Her body had gone cold, and he was massaging it with a warm towel. I sat across the sitting room, watching him while Adrian got himself engaged in a discussion with some adults outside, sitting around a fire and passing bottles of drinks. “Is it always this quiet?” I asked, taking the first step to speak since I realized he was bent on saying nothing until Liz woke up. “Not always,” he replied. “Liz bore some type of light. Her absence must have dimmed that light. The reason why most of the women have refused to settle until they see her,” he said. A few hours after Adrian compelled the crowd that gathered in front of the house, some women stopped by again to see Liz. I was the one who spoke to them, giving an excuse that she would be back from her evening walk. Two more hours passed since I did that, and they
BRYANS POV“Liz, please.” I followed her behind, keeping up with her quick strides as she made her way back to the house. “It’s just going to be for a few days,”“A few days?” she turned to me. “Those…few days…as you call it, is enough to bring this little home down. You and I know how much effort we put into securing this place, into the protection of this land. Yet you want to sweep it under the bus all because of what?” She snapped.I sighed, seeing that this was already a lost argument. In our territory, we had no alpha or king. But we had people recognized for their strength and influence. My father was one of them, and that made him one of the most respected people in the rogue lands. Marrying Elizabeth, and her neutral ability to fight a warrior that she is, bestowed that same respect on her. Her say was final, and if she refused to grant me my request, no one else would. I glanced at Lucy who was watching from a distance, then back at Liz. “This one time, Liz. I promise to
BRYANS POVI parked the car at the front of the house, leaning back into the chair as I pulled the keys out. “This is my home,” I answered Lucy. She’d been curious ever since we headed out, probably because I chose not to handle this her way.Funny enough, this was her first being here despite how many years of dating. I kept this part of my family away from the world due to the amount of love I had for them. We were, however, seen as rogues. Perhaps that’s who we are. Lucy has always known that I belong to a rogue pack. She just didn’t know what pack it was. Seeing the shock on her face only made me more excited.“I thought you said your home was taken away from you? she asked, leaning forward to get a proper view of the people moving from place to place ahead of us.“I did say that. But you should have understood what home I was talking about,” I told her. My first home, which I referred to as the home I never met, was the Creeks mansion.I grew up in the outskirts of the city,
LUCY’S POVI walked out from where I hurled myself into for shelter, bridging the sweat off my hair. The place was in a mess—smoke gassed the entire room, its toxic smell making my stomach twist. The machine was fried, leaving most of its wires dancing by its sides.The smell choked me, forcing me to cough. With my elbow, I shielded my nose, while my eyes scanned the room for her.I spotted Bryan lying in the middle of the mess. Several things collapsed on him, and I thought I saw blood streaming from underneath one of them. My instincts kicked into Ron to his aid, which I did immediately.“Bryan,” I called, taking the things that obstructed my path off. They were a lot—from the woods from a frame, to some parts of the machine that exploded, and a part of the wall that crumbled in him. He groaned as he struggled to get himself free from the mess.“Don’t move. You’ll only make things worse,” I said. I searched around for an easier way through the mess, and that was when I spotted my