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
KANEI exchanged looks with my brothers, they too were hesitant to speak, and their eyes moved very fast, I understood immediately what it meant, they too didn't want Dad to know.Turning to him, I sent him a nervous smile, praying under my breath that he wouldn't see past the facade."You must have misheard us Dad, we weren't talking about you." I said but his face didn't change, he kept staring at us, "You boys better not hide anything from me."Zane smiled as he scratched his hair nervously, "No, no, no Dad, we wouldn't do that." He said."We are sorry if that's what it seemed like but we aren't hiding anything from you," Dane said apologetically.It was a good idea, it was better we apologize and brush it off than allow him to hear something likely to break his heart."Yeah, we are sorry Dad, we really didn't mean to make it sound like that, we were just fooling around as usual," I said."There's nothing we haven't told you," Zane said turning to face us and we nodded in agreement
KANE"No, that's not true." Dad said shaking his head in denial, "There's no way that is possible.""Dad, I know you're finding it so hard to believe right now, but you need to trust us this once, everything we just told you is true," I said drawing closer to him."I mean, how is it even possible? Maya had never done anything to hurt any of us so why now?" He asked.Dad loved Maya, but he never ceased to show it, he has always been in love with her."It's hard, we understand but you have to do this Dad, we have to let them go," Dane said calmly."I can't believe this." He said bending down to the ground, it broke my heart to see him like this, but it was a stage we had to pass through."Dad, you have to, you have to believe us," Zane said."This is just too much." He groaned running his fingers through his hair."We understand, believe me, Dad, we understand," I said hoping it would calm her down but he shook his head."No, I don't think you do." He said getting up from where he was s
MAYAI followed closely behind the guys as they searched through the woods."Let's check over there," Kane said pointing to a small trail that had been created by constant steps of people. "You guys wait here, we'll be back," Dane said as he hurried after him, I watched as they disappeared into the bushy trail."Maya, are you alright?" Zane asked walking closer to me. I sniffled trying to wipe off my tears, "I will be fine once I see her." I replied trying to hold back a sob. "I know this is hard for you, but you need to calm down a bit, you'll end up getting a headache," Thane said from behind me, I didn't notice him coming. "I will be fine, I just need to see my daughter," I answered.Soon Dane and Kane returned from the trail, from the look on their faces, I could tell that they hadn't found anything. "There was not even a single clue, it's as though she vanished into thin air," Kane said wiping off the sweat on his forehead."The trail was as neat as hell, not even the prints
ASTRIDI let out a slow breath, feeling the blood Celia had given me work through my body. My strength was coming back, little by little.Celia watched me, arms crossed. "You look better."I nodded. "I feel better. But it won’t last long."She frowned. "Then we need to keep doing this."I shook my head. "No. You need to stop. If Ariel finds out, she’ll kill you.""I don’t care.""You should."She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Then tell me how we kill her."I stiffened. "We don’t."Her eyes darkened. "There has to be a way."I hesitated, then sighed. "There is one person who can do it. Sierra."Celia frowned. "Sierra? The wolf?"I nodded, keeping my voice low. "She’s the only one strong enough to take down Ariel. But once she’s done, she’ll come for us too."Celia scoffed, shaking her head. "Sierra is looking a lot more reasonable than Ariel right now."I shot her a sharp look, my voice firmer. "Be careful what you wish for."She frowned, but I pressed on. "Ariel might be c
CELIAAstrid lay there, barely breathing. Her skin had turned a sickly gray, her body thin and weak. The chains around her wrists and ankles had cut deep, silver burning into her flesh. She hadn’t fed in days, and it showed.I clenched my fists. This wasn’t right. I had to do something.Swallowing hard, I made my way to Ariel’s chambers. The guards outside barely glanced at me before letting me in. Ariel sat by the window, her expression calm, like she hadn’t just sentenced one of our own to a slow, painful death.I took a deep breath. “Ariel, please.”She didn’t even turn to look at me. “No.”I stepped closer, careful with my words. “You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”Now she turned, her sharp eyes locking onto mine. “You’re going to beg for Astrid.”I clenched my fists but nodded. “She’s suffering. You’ve made your point. Let her feed, just a little.”Ariel smirked, crossing her arms. “And what has she done to deserve mercy?”I swallowed. “She’s one of us.”Ariel stood, wal
SIERRAI sat with my mates, my head in my hands, my mind racing. Ariel was too powerful. Too unpredictable. And we had no idea how to deal with her.Dane crossed his arms, his jaw tight. “How do we even know she actually healed you?”I exhaled sharply. “I don’t know. I feel fine, but… can we trust anything she does?”Zane frowned, his fingers drumming against the table. “What if it’s temporary? What if she did something worse instead?”Kane ran a hand through his hair, looking as frustrated as I felt. “That’s the problem. We don’t know. And we don’t know what to do about her.”Silence filled the room. The weight of Ariel’s power pressed down on all of us like a heavy cloud. None of us could predict what she’d do next.“She’s our biggest threat right now,” Dane finally said, his voice low. “The wolves are terrified of her. Hell, I’m terrified of her.”I looked up at him. Dane was scared. And he wasn’t wrong. Ariel didn’t just have power, she enjoyed using it. She liked watching people
SIERRAAstrid’s screams faded the moment Ariel slipped the ring back onto her finger. The burning stopped. Her body sagged, trembling, the unbearable agony leaving her breathless. But the damage was done. Her skin was raw, her strength almost gone.The air was thick with tension. The scent of scorched flesh clung to everything. No one moved. No one spoke.I swallowed hard, my throat dry. My eyes flicked to Ariel. "Did you… actually heal me?"Ariel turned to me slowly, a grin curling on her lips. Her eyes gleamed, dark and amused. "You just have to trust me, Sierra."My stomach twisted. Trust her? Not even for a second.I clenched my fists. "That wasn’t healing."Ariel raised a brow. "Wasn’t it? I healed you and Ariel is not burning anymore, is she?" She gestured lazily to Astrid, who lay there, gasping, broken. "She’s alive, isn’t she?"I ground my teeth. "You tortured her."Ariel let out a soft, mocking laugh. "And? Actions have consequences, Sierra. She betrayed me. I don’t let thin
ARIELI was furious.My hands shook, my breath came out in short, sharp bursts, and my entire body burned with rage. Astrid. That traitor. She ran to Sierra, ran straight into the arms of our enemies, spilling my secrets like a pathetic little rat.How dare she?I stormed through the house, knocking over anything in my path. A vase shattered against the floor. A chair crashed against the wall. The vampires around me scrambled out of my way, their heads lowered, their bodies pressed against the walls like they could disappear if they stayed still enough.They should be afraid.I wanted them to be afraid.I stopped, my sharp eyes landing on one of the younger ones, a nervous-looking fool hovering in the corner. His hands twitched at his sides like he was debating whether to run.I moved before he could even think about it.One second, I was across the room. The next, I had my fingers wrapped around his throat, lifting him off the ground with ease. His hands clawed at mine, his feet kick
SIERRAI folded my arms, overseeing Astrid. Everything in me screamed not to trust her, but I couldn’t ignore what she was saying either. Ariel’s magic had already done enough damage, I knew that firsthand.Before I could respond, Dane stepped beside me, his stance tense and rigid. His distrust was written all over his face. “You’re really going to listen to her?” he scoffed. “It’s probably a trick. Ariel could’ve put her up to this.”“She’s a vampire,” Zane added sharply. “Why would she suddenly care about helping us? It doesn’t make sense.” His jaw clenched as he eyed Astrid with suspicion.Astrid let out a slow breath as if she had expected this reaction. “I wouldn’t risk coming here,” she said, her voice steady but urgent. “Not when I know exactly what Ariel is capable of.” Her golden eyes flickered with something close to desperation. “You don’t understand, if she finds out I came here, I’ll pay for it.”“She will find out,” Kane snapped. His fists curled at his sides. “She alway
ASTRIDSierra’s eyes widened at my words, but she masked her shock quickly, narrowing her gaze at me. I could see the battle happening in her mind, the way she warred with whether to believe me or not. I didn’t blame her. We had never been on the same side, and now, here I was, claiming to offer an alliance.“I don’t trust you,” she said flatly, her arms crossing over her chest.“I don’t expect you to,” I admitted. “But trust isn’t necessary. What matters is that we both have a common problem and right now, I’m offering you the truth.”Sierra hesitated for only a moment before turning back toward the house. I expected her to invite me in, but instead, she stepped outside, her mates following close behind her. I had to stop myself from reacting. Smart girl. She wasn’t going to let me into her home, not even for a conversation. I respected that.Dane and the others flanked her protectively, their stares filled with open suspicion. Dane spoke first. “What do you want, Astrid?”I took a s
ASTRIDThe moment I stepped back into the estate, fury clawed at my insides. My hands curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms as I stormed down the hall. I had to get away from Ariel before I did something reckless.How dare she? How dare she bind us together with a spell so dangerous that a single weak link could drag us all down? And then, to stand there and smirk, as if she had all the power in the world?I should have ripped her apart.Instead, I took a deep breath, pushed down my rage, and kept walking. I had to be smarter than that.I didn’t make it far before I heard a sharp voice behind me. “Astrid.”I turned to see Celia standing at the entrance to the main hall, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her usually composed face twisted with anger. The tension in the room was thick, pressing against me like an impending storm. Behind her, the other vampires stood in tense silence, their eyes burning with barely contained fury.“You knew about this, didn’t you?” Celia de
ARIELWhen I stepped into the grand hall of the vampire estate, I noticed something was off. Every single one of them, powerful, bloodthirsty creatures that they were, stood frozen, their faces pale with something close to fear.Fear of me.I smirked, letting the silence stretch, relishing the way their red eyes darted around the room like caged animals searching for an escape. Their fangs, usually displayed in smug confidence, remained tucked away, their bodies tense, stiff as statues.“Oh, don’t all rush to welcome me at once.” My voice rang through the cavernous space, laced with amusement.No one responded.A few of them took an instinctive step back, the movement subtle but not missed. One vampire near the entrance gripped the hilt of a dagger at his waist, though he made no move to draw it. Another swallowed thickly, his throat bobbing as though the very sight of me had dried his mouth.It was almost laughable.These creatures, feared by humans and even some supernaturals, stood