Serena's POVI paced back and forth in anxiety. Why did I agree to that stupid suggestion? I should have just sent her away and told Arden I wouldn't accept her half-baked apology, but I didn't. I let my dark thoughts win. I shouldn't have let my revenge get to me. Why did I do this to myself?"Serena, you'll wear out the rug if you keep pacing," Rachel said.She sat on my bed with her legs crossed so beautifully. She seemed to be taking it a lot calmer than I'd expected. Because she's the one who has an eye for these things, but she's not even bothered about it."Why are you so calm?" I asked exasperatedly."Because it isn't necessarily like Sylvia to act that way." She replied."That's exactly why you shouldn't be calm, and I am losing my mind. I wonder what she's scheming." I said."I have a feeling that's not Sylvia," Rachel said, and I stopped pacing.I narrowed my eyes at her. "What do you mean 'that's not Sylvia'? She's the same mean, vicious, cold person who has been tormentin
Serena's POVI woke up feeling as uneasy as I slept. I really am not looking forward to Sylvia being by my side all day, especially now that I have no idea what she's possibly scheming. I thought of asking Sylvia to forget about it and that I forgive her but I know that is a lie. I will never forgive her for what she did and I would want her to pay for all she did in one way or another.I got out of bed and got ready for my day. As soon as I stepped out, I wondered if Sylvia wasn't here yet. I told her to be here at the crack of dawn yet she's nowhere to be found.An evil thought creeped into my head. Since she is my maid, I could punish her for being late and I don't have her around me all day. I smiled to myself, satisfied with my idea of what to do to her.A maid walked up to me and greeted me. "Princess Sylvia said to tell you she isn't feeling well this morning and she apologized gravely for not being here." The maid said."It's okay. Thank you for telling me." I said then she le
Serena's POVHe pulled me up until I was on my feet again. I could feel my heart hammering loudly in my chest and I won't be surprised if he can hear it too. My breathing was fast and uneven. I couldn't tell if it was because I almost fell or the fact that he caught me.He stared at me for a while with shock in his eyes, I'm assuming he too was scared about the fact that I almost fell. His eyes moved from shock to softest."Are you okay?" He asked softly.I tried to open my mouth to speak but my voice seemed to be lost for the moment. I was still in shock and everything happened in an instance. I am still trying to process that that just happened.During this time, he refused to let me go. His eyes were soft then they stared into mine showing nothing but care and concern for my well-being.Now I wonder, how was he able to move that fast to catch me. I knew Arden was fast but I didn't think it would be that fast."Serena, are you okay?" He asked again. I realized I was quiet the entire
Serena's POV"Arden." At the mention of Arden's name, we both separated like our touch was lethal to the other.We both turned to find Thorne starting here. I didn't realize when he walked in apparently neither of us did."You asked to see me." Thorne said trying to make the situation less awkward but that could be impossible now.My face was red in embarrassment and Arden seemed a little thrown off balance. Even Thorne could sense how uncomfortable the situation was.He rubbed his nose awkwardly. "It seems you're busy. I'll come back later." He turned to leave but I stopped him. I would rather leave than stay here to continue the awkward moment."You don't have to. I was just about to leave." I said nervously. I shuffled around nervously because I gained my steps back."Wait." Arden's voice called out.I really wish I didn't ask for permission to see Gilly. I would be in my room resting then maybe I would take a walk around the palace. I would have been anywhere but in this situation
Serena's POVWe both stayed quiet a while because neither of us wanted to revisit that topic we dropped, most especially me. As much as I had so much hope for the fact that Arden cares, I can keep myself in the dark and pretend he hasn't hurt me before. That might be a reason why I might never trust their vague words. Unless he comes out to tell me what his intentions are, I will not hold out hope foolishly.I glanced at him and he seemed uneasy. I understand though. He is trying to put in a good word for his good friend but it isn't working. He might think he failed to get me to believe what Arden says and I feel bad for him for being disappointed but I'm choosing to be selfish for once.I didn't like how quiet we both are so I decided to bring up a topic that will lighten the mood because I don't like how long this silence has lasted."Rachel seems so fond of you. She kept talking about your date with her last night. Seems like she's very fond of you" I said.He looked at me and the
Serena's POVI could feel my palms becoming clammy as beads of sweat gather on top of my eye brows. I know I wanted to know the truth but now I'm reconsidering it."Serena, there's nothing to be afraid of." Gilly said to me. "And it's okay, if you don't want to know."I swallow the lump in my throat. "No, I do. I'm just a little bit nervous." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I opened them and I felt a little less nervous. "I need to know more about myself and why I am seemingly very important to the King."She dropped her cup and leaned in. "The Wolf Mother was legendary because her birth symbolized the great unification of all the werewolves and their Wolf pack making into one great pack. Up until now, she is still the most powerful werewolf to be born. Over the years, her powers tend to descend into other wolves but they could never be truly as powerful as she was."She had various abilities and one of them was the power of control. Her words could influence all werewolves b
Serena's POVI was completely confused, and I had nothing to say. What was there to say, I am completely lost. This is ridiculously. This is so messed up. I can't believe this is the secret war we need to fight, and I thought Derek was the main enemy. The witches had planned this through and through. If anything happens, they will attack.Also, Arden was cursed, and I'm his second mate. This is too much information to get at once. If his previous mate was killed in advance, then who am I? Am I his mate truly? Or am I just a means of delay? Is this why Arden never truly loved me?"Serena, you look deadly pale, and I'm worried. You want anything to eat or drink. I didn't know a werewolf could be this pale." Gilly said in panic."I'm okay. Really, I am." I said, but I didn't sound convincing at all."No. I can't risk Arden finding out that you came to see me and that you became this pale. He might think I tried to kill you." She said in a whisper."Gilly, I can assure you that I am fine.
Serena's POVGilly could not look me in the eye. I don't understand why though, because she said she knew nothing about the witches' plans and how to break the curse. I trust that she is telling the truth. Honestly, I am so surprised at why I trust her this much.She looked at me nervously, like she had another bombshell to drop. It's like she was trying to find a way to put it so it doesn't shake me to my core, but I believe I won't be surprised if the next thing she says. I didn't pressurise her to speak, but I decided that if she were ready, she would tell me."The reason why I don't know if Arden's curse can be broken is because…" she paused, and I kept looking at her, urging her to continue. She looked unsure, and her voice came out lowly and fearful. "I'm a werewolf."I stared at her in shock. She's a werewolf? But Rachel and Alpha Zone said she was a witch. She even referred to herself as a witch. How is she now a werewolf?"Here me out. I was taken by the witches when I was li
Evelyn PoVAt first, I had not thought that Gilly's story would turn out to be so tragic. I thought I was merely doing my mother a favour: I was releasing a spirit and giving peace to the pack. But every single step I took in the direction of solving was heavy with shadows that just threw more secrets in my direction. I could feel the darkness circling in, twisting me into a hangman's noose.The old records of the pack were dusty and brittle, worn yellow with age. Weeks I spent in the archives bent over a desk deciphering the scribbled handwriting and cryptic notes. Draven helped where he could, his fingers dancing over ancient texts while I pieced together, bit by bit, the fragmented history of Gilly's downfall.It started innocent enough. Gilly was loved; with those attributes of kindness and strength, she was never really a natural leader. Somehow respect turned to jealousy, and jealousy turned to betrayal. The swirling in the ancient documents held very hostile stories of a family
Authors PoVThey started like whispers in the night.In the stillness of sleep, they forced their way into her brain to take her through dark and twisted visions. Some shadows curled around her, cold and snake-like; their touch glided over the rippling skin and left frosted impressions behind. The dreams picked their way through her nightmares the same way—her pack in chains, expressionless and with eyes like black pits; there was someone ahead, a person cloaked in shadows.The figure's face shifted and distorted; at one time it would be reminiscent of Gilly with her soft features, at another of Gloria, with that awful smirk. She would desperately attempt to run, to scream, but either the land would crumble beneath her feet, swallowing her whole in the world, until she woke up gasping for air.The dreams haunted her daily, tormenting her with the reality of the world outside the realm of sleep. Gilly's spirit seemed to linger in the edges of reality sewn into the very fabric that woul
Evelyn PoVThe truth sat heavy on my chest, a stone sinking into dark waters. Gilly's voice lingered in my mind, a soft, desperate whisper threading through my thoughts even as I went through the motions of daily life. The blood of the betrayed will break the chains.Those words had been haunting me ever since the ritual with Draven, every syllable a jigsaw puzzle piece that refused to fit. What betrayal? Whose blood? The answers I sorely craved could only be unearthed by digging deeper into Gilly's past, the life which she had led before Gloria's darkness swallowed her whole.I started my search among the old documents located in the pack's ancient archive building where old books and fragile scrolls blended their aged scent with forgotten tales. For hours I studied the pack's historical records that included birth and death records as well as political alliances and loyalty breakdowns. Being careful with my page turns made me sharply conscious that the sound of crinkling pages carri
Evelyn PoVWas this a mere figment of my imagination?… Gilly’s voice had become an echo that trickled into the stillness, catching me unawares. The torment did not even allow me peace in sleep. I would close my eyes, and her voice would take me into shadowed dreams-corridors layered in darkness, chains clanking in the distance."Evelyn."It now sounded weak and soft, no more than an echo but soon merely a whisper grazing my skin. Jerking upright in bed, I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders."Wh-What do you want from me?" I whispered back, my voice lost in the dark.Silence.I woke up abruptly from my bed before drawing the blanket closer to protect my shoulders."What do you want from me?" I demanded quietly. I managed to answer him but my words vanished into the darkness.Silence.I clenched my fists. “If you’re real I need to see you to be sure.”The air moved through the room as the window remained closed. The candle flame moved in an unexpected sideways wave as though
Evelyn’s PoVAs I came to stand amidst the rubble of Odessa’s fortress, there rioted smells of smoke and blood. The bodies of both friends and foes lay scattered on the ground from a battle that, to me, seemed less a victory than a doomsday. My body screamed for peace, and the tightness of every muscle felt unbearable; yet it could hardly compare with the turmoil within me.Finian stood a few paces away, his eyes piercing into mine. His expression was inscrutable-somewhere between hope and acceptance. His knuckles were bruised, his hair caked with dirt, and yet still he seemed the bedrock I have leaned upon during my stay with the pack at Odessa. He had saved me countless times, and now, standing before freedom, I no longer knew where we stood.And then there was Marcus.He emerged from the smoke like an apparition. Relief, pain, and something else—something much deeper, something older, much older—were stamped on his face, making my chest tighten. The last rays of sunlight broke thro
Author PoVBefore sentries had time to alert their camp the arrows struck their targets. The wolves crashed into each other while they shifted as their howls unified their counterparts.Inside the fortress, Evelyn felt it. The vibrations of battle were within her, through the stone walls, deep and low; she felt a low hum settle deep into her bones. She was clasped in silver chains burning against the skin, watching Finian about to die.One of the guards entered the room quickly, his face extremely pale. "We are under attack!"Odessa's face hardened, "By whom?""Callum and his people… he’s alive my alpha. And the Red Blood Moon pack."Odessa's lips twisted into a snarl. "Then they have come to die." She turned toward Evelyn, handing her a dagger she had drawn from her belt. "I ought to kill you. But I will save you for last.”Evelyn then looked into Odessa's eyes, her fear burning away and replaced by determination. "No, I will save you for last.”Then the ambush began. Callum and Ryan
Author PoVThe woods was dark as Marcus and Luca passed through the underbrush in silence. Marcus’s heart thudded against his ribs, with a steady caution. He glanced toward Luca, who had graduated from one stern face of determination to intent.They had been trudging through the woods for hours on nothing more than scraps of intelligence and the stubborn pull of hope. Ryan's rogues had pointed them in the right direction but were ultimately not adventurous enough to try to approach the Red Blood Moon pack directly. After all, Odessa's territory was a death trap of sorts. Even the most adventurous rogues knew better than to cross her borders without sufficient cause.The moonlight was just enough to see the outlines of makeshift tents and some shadows on watch. Marcus motioned for Luca to keep it low and crouched behind some ferns to take in the camp."Do you see her?" Luca whispered in a voice so faint it was almost a sigh."Not yet," Marcus ground out, struggling to make each breath
Serena’s PoVTears stung my eyes, and I woke up in a start with broken breath as the persistence of the dream clung to me. In this muted room, shadows danced upon the wall; for a second, I was hardly certain of where I stood. The dream had borne the reality—Odessa, her eyes bright with evil gleam, standing atop a heap of bones. Her army, a roar of growling rogues and defiled creatures spread out to the last sight. And then there was Evelyn... Evelyn was there, firmly standing by the side of Odessa, the empty look on her face an undercover of madness.I put my trembling hand over my forehead, it was sweating. This dream wasn't just a figment of imagination; it was a warning.I pushed aside the thick furs, stood, and went to the unbarred window. The pack grounds lay quiet, a deceitful calm before a storm. My instincts screeched like a mother's intuition that something far worse than what we had imagined was in the making.If only I could make Ardan see it too.But Ardan... he was no lon
Evelyn’s PoVThe dagger felt heavy and cold in my palm. Odessa’s cold demand rang in my ears. Kill Callum. Bring me his head. This wasn’t a test or ,twisted game to see how far I would go to prove my loyalties. I just had to do it. I knew I had to do it.If I turned it down, she would turn against me. If I carried out her order, I would lose the only ally I had managed to win over. Either way, she would win.Not this time.Finian walked beside me as we traveled through the thick forest. His expression was a mixture of concern and determination. He had not questioned me for warning Callum. He had not hollered when I insisted we needed to fake a death, to give like a disguise for the purpose of tricking Odessa into believing I had done my job. Instead, he nodded, affirming my sense of loyalty."Are you sure it will work?" he asked softly."It must." I responded. "If Odessa realises we lied to her, we would be dead."