JASMINE’S POVNatalia’s words hung in the air like a sharp sword waiting to be dropped. Why did they sound so familiar? My thoughts reeled back to the missing book Alpha Morgan has asked us to find. He never said the actual name, but with the way he asked about it, and wanted us to find it, it just had to be it. The bone marrows. The most evident part of the missing puzzle lies before my eyes. Lucy’s parents. The thoughts were still patching up in my head, and I found it difficult to concentrate on what was going on before me. “Did you hear what I just said?” Natalia snapped me out of my thoughts. “Yea…yes…you were urm…” I stuttered, my words hanging in my throat after I couldn’t get a hint of what she just said. She inched closer to me, placing a hand on my shoulder and pulling me in. “You look troubled,” “I’m fine,”“We’re werewolves, Jasmine. I can tell when you’re lying,” she reminded me. I sighed, trying to take everything in. All she revealed to me had me not just ques
JASMINES POVPain surged through my body as Rachel’s energy collided with mine, prying open the deepest part of my mind. I felt like nothing I’d ever felt before—as though she was ripping apart the barriers I didn’t even know existed. I screamed, pulling against Harland’s grip the moment I got myself, but his hold was unyielding. “Stop resisting, you’ll only hurt yourself the more,” Rachel hissed through gritted teeth. But the pain was too much to take in, and my wolf fought against it. She clawed her way through her space, fighting off Rachel’s wolf. “She’s difficult,” Rachel said, not giving up. “Go harder,” I heard Daria snap. “It might kill her if she doesn’t stop fighting it,” “Do it!” Daria pushed. I felt her hand tighten on my head, her energy creating some kind of new path through my body and mind. It circled the rest of my body that I had in control, snatching that hold from me. My body went still like I was dipped in ice, and I felt Rachel inside my head. She tore th
JASMINES POV“Stealing faces?” My ears still couldn’t believe what they just heard. I sat silently, trying to process and imagine what Natalia said, but none of it still made any sense to me. I turned to her, hesitating on the question I wanted to ask. “Stealing faces?” I asked again. She extended her palm, and I glanced at it with doubt, then at her face. “I’ll show you,” she said. With a heavy breath, I placed my palm in hers and shut my eyes. Her grip tightened, and soon I found myself in a familiar place. The sea we were sitting across. But it was littered with the corpse of wolves, floating on the surface of the water. The flesh on their faces was skinned off, exposing their tissues to the sun. The vultures in the air cawed as they hovered around them. Their flight seemed more aligned when I looked up, and I discovered they were heading towards me, flapping their wings and propelling themselves faster. That was when I saw him.Eric, again. “What are you doing here?”“Jas
JASMINES POVMy blood ran cold at the sound of her voice. I felt cold beads of sweat trickling down my neck, sending chills across my body. My wolf stirred in me, sensing the impending danger. I backed away from the window, careful not to make a sound as I retraced my steps. “What do we do, we can’t fight them,” I heard my wolf in my head. “What else is there to be done?” I mumbled as my eyes followed the movements in the room. Daria was still dishing out information to Natalia and the other Seeker wolves, and from my view, it looked like Natalia was arguing with her. “Run,” my wolf jolted the fear out of my mind. I turned around, sprinting down the track. My heart pounded like a drum, each beat matching the sound of my boots matching the stony floor. “Faster,” my roof urged. I glanced behind me and found them trooping out of the room. They whispered into the ears of some other wolves who were walking by, and they pointed in my direction. My legs pushed against my will, propel
JASMINES POV I sat beside the crackling fire, my arms wrapped around my body beneath the cloth that lay over my shoulder. My eyes followed his every move, just to ensure I wasn’t just prey to him. I didn’t want to be taken unaware, so I clung onto a stick that I picked up when he wasn’t looking. “Brendon,” I muttered as my eyes left him for the first time, searching the environment for any sign of a living being. “Are you sure this place is safe?” I asked. He didn’t look as confident as he was earlier when he offered me help. Instead, a strange sense of fear lurked in his expression as he turned the nest burning over the fire. “I guess,” “You guess?” I repeated, fear crawling back into my skin. The steak of meat in my hand dropped, and I stood up. “But you were sure that we were safe earlier,” “I’m not saying we are not safe,” he interrupted without waiting to hear what else I had to say. “I’m only saying that…when it was just me…I was safe. But now that you’re here, who knows
JASMINES POV “You can’t? Why?” Curiosity grew in me after he gave his unexpected answer. He shook his head, adjusting on the log of wood where he was resting. “You just bumped into me, how sure are you that…” “I can trust you?” I interrupted him. I sighed, moving away from where I was sitting and taking up a space beside him. “I never said I trust you, Brendon. All I said was…you saved me, and might as well help me save my friend. Instead of staying in the middle of nowhere, you could meet new people,” I corrected him. That still didn’t give him the satisfaction I’d expected. His eyes still bore some kind of doubt that lingered as I stared into them. He shook his head, turning away from me. “What if I don’t want to leave?” I didn’t respond to him immediately. I let his decision sink and settle at the base of my head before I shrugged. “Fine then, I’m used to surviving on my own. I’ll go alone,” I said, not waiting to hear what he had to say before I returned to his tent.
JASMINES POVThe wolves snarled, their teeth bared and glowing under the morning light. I scrambled to my feet, pulling Brendon to my side. He was strongly rooted to the ground, his eyes fixed on both beasts like he was analyzing them. “Brendon, it’s them. We must leave now!” I urged, pulling his arm.“Wait,” he whispered, his knees taking a slow bend as he assumed a defensive stance. His claws snapped out, and he started moving closer. The wolves that were once charged with ferocity started moving backward.I stood behind him, trying to understand what was happening. Were they scared of him? Or was there something he was doing to them that I couldn’t see?“Brendon, what’s going on?” I whispered.“Stay close,” he returned, keeping up with his pace. I tugged behind him, holding the dagger in my left hand, with the right grabbing his shirt. “What’s going on?” I asked, watching as the positions reversed. The first wolf turned immediately and ran into the woods, while the second took it
JASMINES POVThe sound of Lucy’s car pulling up at the curb was a type of relief I hadn’t felt in some time. Brendon and I crept out of our hiding, racing to the black sedan that came to a halt. The door flung open, revealing Lucy who was sitting in the driver's seat. “Get in!” She hissed. I dragged Brendon along as we darted into the car. She didn’t wait a second for us, hitting the accelerator as the car sped off. The force closed the door, trapping us in. The car was silent for a few minutes, Lucy and I stealing gazes at each other from her mirror. She made a turn at a familiar road and hit the break.“Where have you been?” Her voice thundered with a mix of concern and anger. “I…” I opened my mouth to explain, but my words went missing, letting out only a sigh. “Where the hell have you been, Jasmine? Everyone in the pack was worried. Alpha Morgan couldn’t leave again because you went missing…”“I didn’t go missing,” I chirped in, lifting my face from where it was buried in dis
LUCY’S POV Silence. It hovered in the car like a fourth passenger, safe from Caine’s loud thoughts. I sat beside him, my eyes hours on his wavering expression and demeanor. He was confused and it had something to do with what Jasmine must have told him. I didn’t utter a word to him or the sheriff. All the while, Bryan sat in front, staring outside the window. I couldn’t wait for us to arrive at our destination so we’ll get down to what’s next on our board now Jasmine and her family are out of the way. After taking several turns she routes through the dark, we finally drove up the hilly street that led directly to the alphas mansion. With the lights highlighting the large gates, I could see the Alpha waiting beside his car. He didn’t wait for us to arrive before he started walking towards the car. The sheriff finally came to a halt at the gate, and Caine hurriedly came down. “Baby, wait…” I attempted to go after him. Even his father who had been waiting for his safe arrival
JASMINES POV My great breath hitched, panic flaring through my chest as I watched Caine fall through the glass. For a moment I thought Natalia had lost her mind. She had just shoved him like he was a piece of object. “Why would you do that!” I yelled and raced to the window. It wasn't until I stared out of the shattered glass that my eyes widened in realization. Nina and Daria stood below, their expressions tense but focused. I saw someone putting Caine into the car, but I didn’t see who it was. “What are you waiting for? That’s the only way out of here,” Natalia snapped me out. I sighed, turning back to Father. His expression seemed like he was in support of her idea for me to jump. We are wolves by the way, what’s the worst that could happen? A fractured bone that would heal in seconds? “And what happens to you?” “This isn’t your fight anymore,” she answered. “Go, jump,” my dad urged me. I took a deep breath, shutting my eyes as I let myself off. I pierced through the a
JASMINES POV Pain. It came in sharp waves, crashing through my body like a relentless storm. My ears rang, muffling the panicked shouts and hurried footsteps around me. I tried to move, but my limbs felt heavy, pinned by an invisible weight. “Jasmine!” My mother’s voice was distant, filled with terror. I turned my head slowly, my vision swimming with bright hospital lights and shattered glass. My father lay a few feet away, motionless. I gasped, pushing through the pain to crawl toward him. My fingers trembled as I reached out, barely touching his hand. “Dad…” My voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. He groaned, stirring on the floor as his face turned to me. “Jasmine,” he called faintly. A sigh of relief left my lips, he was alive. But for how long? “He’s breathing,” I assured my mother. Relief fought against my rising fear. My father was alive, but for how long? I turned my head toward my mother, who was groaning as she tried to sit up. Blood trickled down her forehead. “Can
LUCY'S POVI stood at the door of Alpha Morgan, waiting to know what their final resolution was. My ears were wide open, eavesdropping on their conversation. They were taking so much time, and time wasn’t on my side either. Alpha Morgan glanced at me in a manner that made me feel like he knew I was eavesdropping on their conversation. He inched closer to the sheriff and whispered something into his ear, something I didn’t quite get. My heart sank as the sheriff turned and started walking towards me, his expression unreadable. I straightened my posture, forcing a calm expression on my face even though my hands were clenched into fists at my sides.“Lucy,” he called, stealing one more glance at Alpha Morgan who had taken his chair and was watching the two of us. “You may go,” he said. A heavy sigh of relief left my lips, my hand pretentiously resting on my chest. “You almost got me, sheriff. For a moment I feared you would believe those lies she told,” I muttered as I grabbed my bag
I quickened my pace, my heart racing in my chest. The narrow street stretched ahead, dimly lit by flickering streetlights. The sound of my footsteps echoed off the walls, and so did his. My mind raced with panic, trying to figure out what to do next.I glanced over my shoulder again. He wasn’t even trying to hide it now—his eyes locked on me, his pace deliberate and steady. My stomach twisted in knots as I realized I couldn’t outpace him like this.I ducked into an alley, the shadows swallowing me whole. My breath came in short, shallow bursts as I pressed my back against the cold brick wall. I strained my ears, listening for his footsteps.There they were. Closer now.“Fuck!” I cursed under my breath, bursting into a race. I reached for my phone mid-race, but I couldn’t get a view of my screen with the amount of wind seeping into my eye. It slipped out of my hand and fell, bringing me to an abrupt halt. One mistake I made. As I bent over to pick up the phone, he caught up with me,
JASMINES POVI stood at the base of the stairs, watching Livy ascend with her legs shaking with every step she took up. A feeling of relief coursed through me, at least she’d get a draw for what she did—or what she was doing. I still couldn’t quite understand how or when she became this person. Yes. I’d seen signs before, but I overlooked them, believing she was doing it intentionally. “I’ll see Jasmine off,” Caine’s brother said, attempting to walk past them. “I can walk by myself. I’ll find my way out,” I muttered, slowly turning around and walking away from the building. I fought the urge to glance back at what was going on until I was outside the walls of the alpha mansion. The car that was supposed to drive me back home was already waiting at the front of the building, with the back window winding down. I glanced at the driver, whose expression was screaming at me to enter the car and stop wasting his time. I moved to his side of the window and knocked. “I’ll walk,” I said a
JASMINES POV I sat in silence at the back of the car, my eyes fixed on nature's scenery outside the window as the car drove down the road. We passed the pack house, heading for the alpha mansion. Even with my gaze fixed outside the window, I could still feel the sheriff's eyes on me. The one time I stole a glance at the rear, I caught him staring. He didn’t even care if I caught him, his eyes didn’t waiver for the slightest second. The air was getting tight and thick, making the car space uncomfortable for me. I shifted uneasily in my seat, trying to ignore the intensity of the sheriff’s gaze. My wolf growled faintly in the back of my mind, sensing my unease. The car finally pulled into the long driveway leading to Alpha Morgan King’s mansion. The estate was as grand and imposing as I’d heard—tall iron gates, perfectly manicured lawns, and a towering structure that seemed to loom over everything around it. As the car came to a stop, the sheriff stepped out first, opening the do
JASMINES POV The ride home was silent, with my father occasionally glancing at me through the rearview mirror. I kept my gaze fixed on the passing scenery, replaying the scene at the hospital in my head. Caine’s words, or rather the lack of them, echoed painfully in my chest. “Caine’s gone,” I’d said to my father earlier, but now that reality was sinking deeper, it felt like a knife twisting in my heart. When we finally arrived home, I went straight to my room, dropping the untouched flask on the bedside table. My wolf growled softly in my mind, restless and agitated, but I silenced her with a deep breath. I couldn’t let my emotions spiral out of control—not yet. I stared back at the flask, wondering if I shouldn’t have left. Maybe I should have stayed back to fight for what rightfully belongs to me—to fight for Caine’s love. But to what end? Even when he was still with his memory, he didn’t love me as much as he said. And now, with his memories gone, what difference would it m
JASMINES POVI didn’t know if I should walk up to him or stand by and watch where he was going. It felt awkward, seeing him him here. He made a turn to the left, leaving my sight immediately. I attempted to go after him but froze mid-way. “We probably shouldn’t be seeing each other at this moment…” I thought. I retraced my steps back to Caine’s room. With a deep breath, I pulled the knob and strode in. I froze at the door when I spotted Lucy. She was sitting at the edge of the bed, tendering to his legs like she owned that part of his body. “Lucy,” I called with a heavy breath, forcing a smile to hide the gut-wrenching pain that struck my heart. “I didn’t expect to see you here,”“Jasmine,” she called in return, slipping out of the bed, being careful enough not to wake Caine. He looked so peaceful at sleep, and I wondered what must have gone down the past two days of my absence. Lucy’s eyes darted to the flask in my hand, and she smirked. “Figured someone had to take care of him