MAYA"What do you mean by dark magic?" I asked placing my shaky hands over my throbbing heart as Thane moved behind me to hold me steady. "When? How?" I asked confused.The healer looked down shaking his head. "I'm sorry my lady." He apologized."My child," I muttered as I held her hot hand, she was trembling but Kane and Dane held her down not wanting her to hurt herself through her hysterics."It bu.. burns mom." She muttered with tears dropping out of her eyes."I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." I couldn't help but apologize, I could have done a better job protecting her."My whole body burns, mom." She was becoming a crying mess."It will be over soon," I said trying to calm her down. "Get me a bowl of cold water please," I said and Thane hurried to the kitchen to bring the bowl since everyone else was busy.He returned with a small bucket of water, "what are you planning to do?" He asked as he dropped the bucket before me."I'm trying to help my daughter," I said tearing off a piece o
THANE"You bastard!" I growled as I charged forward towards Erin with my claws in the air ready to slam themselves into his throat.He moved out of the way avoiding my grasp. I moved towards him aiming for his neck, he held his hands over his head protectively. I grabbed him by his shirt and then threw him across the room. He landed a few feet away from where Sierra lay.I rushed towards him not giving him the chance to recover, I sent a heavy blow to his face, "This is for what you did." I was livid as I punched him again in the face."For choosing to abandon your kingdom." I threw him against the wall, and the sound of his bones colliding with the hard wall filled the room making Maya release a shock gasp.I turned to look at my family, they stared back at me, the flame in me quenched, I became calm as I stood over Erin waiting for him to rise himself.He struggled to his feet when he managed to get up, he wiped off the blood in his nose with the back of his palm."Consider yourself
SIERRA All eyes were fixed on my mother as Erin made that statement. "What is that supposed to mean?" Thane asked Erin who shrugged. "She might know better than I do." He said still on his knees. My mother shifted uncomfortably from where she sat, I could tell that she was frightened and was loss for words. "Maya, what is he talking about?" Thane asked turning to stare at my mother who was almost trembling visibly. I could see her hands tremble, she hid them in between her lap. I closed my eyes trying to think of something believable, but nothing was coming, I still felt very groggy from the fever, thankfully, the burning was all gone, my head no longer throbbed painfully, and I felt a little calm. "I... I do... I.. have.. have." "What is going on here?" A new voice spoke, one that I hadn't heard in forever, we turned towards him. "Rather than searching for answers to questions, I believe we make haste to save Claire." I stared at him, he was leaning in the door post
SIERRA"What!" I didn't realize when the word burst out of my lips. When? How? The questions ran through my head while I tried to think of when and how they had managed to take my blood and curse me.The boys were fuming, "How could you?" Kane asked walking towards Erin who moved back frightened."You used her blood to curse her with dark magic? How much worse should we expect from you?" Dane asked, his face was red with anger.Kane grabbed Erin by the collar raising him to his feet."You vile creature!" He raised his fist into the air ready to sink it in Erin's face but Dane grabbed it stopping him."He's not worth it." He said quietly and Kane released him. Alpha Erin fell to the ground with a small thud."You people went this far to harm my child and now what? You're seeking help to save yours?" My mother was crying as she spoke.Thane closed his eyes, his face looked very tired and it was obvious he was holding himself from beating the life out of Erin."The only option the healer
SIERRAIt felt as though a bowl of cold water was doused on my head, I stood still watching the healer in shock."What did you just say?" My mother asked unable to take her eyes off the healer."We have to pause the procedure because she's with a child." The healer repeated."No, that's not even possible." She snapped immediately. "There's no way that is possible. Sierra can not be pregnant."Thane nodded as he watched, "What Maya is saying is the truth."I remained silent trying to think about what was going on."The last time I checked, people don't get pregnant like that." She added with a huge frown on her face as she turned towards me, "I'm sorry healer, but I advise you run your test again."The healer remained quiet as he stood without touching me, "I know this might seem sudden and ridiculous to you, but my diagnosis is never wrong." The healer said with his arms folded behind him."This is not possible, she doesn't even have a mate yet, so how is she pregnant?" My mother ask
SIERRAThane sprung into action immediately, he grabbed my hand pulling me up from the bed. "Maya! We need to leave now." He said in a panicked voice, "Hurry, grab the things you need, we can't let him capture her for a second time."I struggled to keep up with him as he dragged me to the living room. My mother appeared with a small bag, "I'm here Thane." She said, her eyes darting around the room in panic, she was still very much terrified of Alpha Elvis and I was sure that she didn't want to see him.He grabbed her by the shoulders, "Listen to me Maya, you will take Sierra far away from here, can you do that for me?" He asked.She nodded panting, "What about you?" She asked, "Aren't you coming with us?""You don't have to worry about me, the boys and I will go north to distract Elvis from getting to you guys, I'm doing this to make sure you and Sierra are safe." He said as he gave her shoulders a firm squeeze."Please stay safe Thane." She said holding his hand.He stared into her e
KANE"I think we can camp here." Dad said glancing around, "We are miles away from Elvis, it will take him quite some time before he realizes we tricked him." He added bringing out a blanket, he laid it down for Maya and Sierra to sit on."Thank you," Sierra said laying on the blankets. "My legs hurt from walking for too long." She grumbled.Maya reached for her bag and brought out two bottles of water, "Here, drink." She handed one to Sierra who gratefully took two huge gulps."Care for some?" She held out the bottle to Dad who smiled at her."Thank you." He uncaps it before drinking.I looked around, everyone was seated, and we were safe from Elvis's reach but it was just for now. Zane was seated beside Sierra and Dane was by her other side, they too were checking the surroundings.Alpha Erin sat at the far end of our camp, his eyes darting around wildly, he was still very much shaken from his encounter with Dad, he should consider himself lucky, I was very much mad at what he had d
Kane"What's happening to you?" Maya asked in panic-filled eyes as she knelt beside Sierra who couldn't stop screaming."My back! It's killing me!" She screamed with tears running down her eyes."What happened to it? How did you hurt your back?" She asked.Sierra shook her head whimpering, "I.. I don't know what happened." She cried. "It just started suddenly."We hurried towards her, "Let's lift her." I said placing my hand under her."I will arrange a makeshift bed for her, hold on," Dane said grabbing some blankets from one of the bags. He spread the blanket on a clearing then added another to make the surface smoother and fluffy. "We can lay her down here." He said patting the blankets."Can you stand?" Zane asked, his eyes were sad as he stared at her.Sierra shook her head but made an attempt to stand up, her legs wobbled and she would have ended up face-first on the ground but thankfully, we caught her on time. I wrapped my arms around her upper half while Zane held her legs, w
SIERRAI couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The girl from the group was holding up an old picture, her fingers brushing the edges like she was proud of it. She looked at it, then back at me, and pointed at the people in the photo.“Do you know them?” she asked, eyes wide with curiosity.I squinted at the photo, my heart racing in my chest. The image was faded, but the faces were clear. There was no mistaking it. They looked exactly like me and the boys.“How... how do you have that picture?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly, despite myself.The girl smiled softly, almost nostalgically. “I found it in my grandmother’s attic. She had all sorts of old things there.”My mind raced as I tried to process this. My ancestors. How could she have something so personal? How did it end up with her family?I glanced at the picture again, studying the faces in more detail. It was strange, but there was something about the way they looked. The men, and the woman, all shared the same features I
SIERRAThe fighting had finally stopped. Everyone was standing still, waiting for me to speak. I could feel all eyes on me, the weight of their expectation pressing on me. My heart was pounding, but I tried to keep my voice steady.“What’s the plan, Sierra?” one of the locals asked, his voice sharp and full of tension. “We can’t just stand here forever.”I glanced at my family, then turned back to the group. “The vampires are allergic to werewolf bites,” I said, keeping my voice low but firm. “It’ll drive them crazy, and eventually, they’ll die. We need to storm the cave and bite as many as we can. That’s the only way to stop them.”The locals exchanged uneasy glances, muttering among themselves. I could see the doubt in their eyes.“You want us to just go into the cave and risk our lives?” another man asked, his voice shaking with fear. “These vampires are strong, Sierra. They’re not like anything we’ve dealt with before.”I shook my head, my gaze hardening. “They’re not as strong as
SIERRAThe moment we entered the small town, the atmosphere felt thick with tension. The locals eyed us warily, their gazes flickering between me and the Lycan King, Alpha Thane. I could feel their suspicion, their fear. It was clear they didn’t want any trouble, and the sight of my family, especially Thane, seemed to make them even more uneasy.“I can feel their eyes on us,” I muttered under my breath, glancing at Alpha Thane. His expression was unreadable, though I knew he was aware of the hostility too.“We’re not here to cause trouble,” Alpha Thane said, his voice calm but firm. “We just need to talk to them.”But the moment we walked deeper into town, the murmurs from the locals grew louder. Some of them were already retreating into their homes, their doors closing with a soft but swift thud. Others stood, watching us from a distance, with angry eyes. They didn’t want to be involved. They didn’t want to see us here, especially not with Alpha Thane at my side.“I knew this was a b
SIERRAI sat with Dane, Kane, and Zane in the living room, feeling the tension in the air. We had been waiting for Alpha Thane to return for what felt like hours, and the longer it took, the more anxious I became. My thoughts kept drifting to the mission ahead. We were going into dangerous territory, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something could go wrong.Dane glanced over at me, concern written on his face. “You okay, Sierra?”I gave him a forced smile, but I knew it wasn’t convincing. “Yeah, just thinking.”“You sure?” Kane asked, his tone soft. “You’ve been quiet. Something’s on your mind?”I nodded, but I could feel my stomach knotting. “Just... wondering what’s taking Dad so long. He’s usually faster with this kind of thing.”“They probably got held up,” Zane said, shrugging. “You know how Dad is, sometimes he likes to take his time with things.”“Yeah, but this feels different,” I muttered. “We have a dangerous mission ahead of us, and I just don’t know if I’m ready to l
MAYAI woke up with a jolt, my heart racing, and my breath shallow. The dark room felt unfamiliar at first, and I was overwhelmed with fear, my mind clouded with panic. My thoughts were all over the place until I turned my head and saw the soft, rhythmic rise and fall of Kiara’s chest beside me.Her tiny form was sleeping soundly next to me, her small hand curled around the edge of my blanket. My heart settled a little as I stared at her. She was fine. Everything was fine.I breathed in deeply, trying to calm myself. The fear slowly faded as I began to remember everything. The vampire attack, the fight, the confusion… But now, there was peace. The evil thoughts I’d been plagued with were gone, and I could think clearly for the first time in what felt like forever.I heard Thane’s voice behind me, soft but filled with concern. “Maya, it’s okay. Calm down.”I stiffened slightly, but then I saw him. He was standing in the doorway, watching me with that same calm, steady expression he alw
SIERRAI watched Mom disappear into the woods, Alpha Thane right behind her. I could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on me, but I couldn’t let it overwhelm me. My mother was struggling, feeling lost, and I knew the only way to bring her back was to get Kiara back to her.I looked at the boys, all standing around me, trying to make sense of what was going on. Dane spoke up, concern written all over his face. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”I shook my head, feeling a lump form in my throat. “I don’t know. But I do know we need to get Kiara back to her.”Kane stepped forward. “What about the rogues? What if they attack again?”I nodded toward the woods where Mom had gone. “I know. But we can’t lose sight of the bigger picture. Kiara is the key. She’s the one thing that can bring her mother back. We need to make sure she’s safe.”“Stay back. Let her fight it out,” Thane’s voice rang through the trees, pulling me out of my thoughts.I frowned, glancing around at the boys. “Wh
MAYAThe wind had been sharp against my skin as I ran through the woods, my feet pounding the earth, my breath ragged and fast. The trees blurred past me, their branches scratching at my arms and legs, but I barely felt it. I was consumed by the chaos in my mind. I could still hear their voices, those cursed vampires, echoing in my head, forcing their way into my thoughts, twisting everything. My daughter... I almost hurt her. I couldn’t stop replaying the moment over and over, the way I almost lost control, the way they made me feel like I was no longer myself.A wave of anger had built up in me, surging like a storm. I had stopped, thrown my head back, and let out a loud, guttural howl. The sound had torn from my throat, a mix of fury and frustration. It had almost felt like I was trying to shake off the weight of it all. They had no right. No right to do this to me. No right to take over my mind. I should have been stronger. I shouldn’t have let them win.I had paced, my heart raci
SIERRAI froze in the doorway, my breath catching in my throat. My mother stood over Kiara’s crib, her fingers clenched tight around a dagger, the blade glinting under the dim light. Her posture was all wrong; she was rigid and tense as if she were being controlled by something unseen. My stomach twisted in fear."Mom?" My voice was barely a whisper, but she heard me.Her head snapped toward me, and for a moment, I thought I was looking at a stranger. Once warm and filled with love, her eyes were now cold and empty, dark shadows swirling in them. Her hair was wild, strands falling over her face, and the way she held the dagger sent chills through my entire body."Stay back," she warned, her voice low and unrecognizable.My heart pounded against my ribs. "Mom, it’s me. It’s Sierra. Put the knife down. Please." I stepped forward slowly, hands raised, trying not to startle her.She flinched, gripping the dagger even tighter. "No! You don’t understand. I have to do this. They said I have
SIERRAThe darkness wrapped around me like a second skin, thick and suffocating. The cold air of the cave seeped into my bones, making me shiver. I was back. Back in the cave with them.The vampires stood around me, their red eyes glowing in the dim light. Their faces twisted with anger and impatience, their expressions a mix of hunger and frustration. My breathing quickened, my pulse racing. I had escaped this place. I knew I had. But here I was again, trapped like an animal in a cage.One of them stepped forward—the elder, his sharp features unreadable. He looked at me like I was nothing more than an inconvenience, something standing in the way of his freedom. His cold, thin lips curled into a sneer."You think you can leave us here to rot?" he hissed, his voice smooth but laced with venom. "You think we’ll just sit back and do nothing?"I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stand my ground. "I don’t know how to help you," I said, my voice unsteady but firm. "I barely understand what’