SIERRAKane's eyes pinned me down, I had no escape route, I kept opening my mouth but nothing came out. His eyes seemed as though he was staring deep into my soul. My heart was racing, why was he here? Why did he have to come when I could barely compose myself?"Sierra, who's he, and why did he approach you in school?" He asked again but I was tongue-tied.My lips couldn't fathom the right words to say, I wanted to melt in the spot but his gaze in me didn't falter, not even for a second.Fear gripped me, this time, not because of Beta Orion but because Kane's gaze pierced through my soul as though he could see everything in my head.They can't find out who Beta Orion was, and they can't find out what happened. I had to act nonchalant if I wanted Kane off my back but knowing him, he might be a little bullheaded.Suddenly, the words spilled out before I could stop myself, "I.. I don't know him." I swallowed very hard avoiding his gaze. "I was walking home that night when he kidnapped m
CLAIREI glanced around my surroundings as I walked through the lonely trail in the woods. The rogue who I had arranged with to threaten Sierra had called me the previous night demanding the remainder of his money.Thankfully, Dad had just deposited some money in my account so I took out the balance I was supposed to pay and went over to his hideout. I was careful enough to ensure that I wasn't followed.He refused to come to our meeting spot for the danger of being seen by any of the Lycan King's guards and I agreed with him that it would cause very bad problems if I was spotted with them a second time.So I left the house very early dressed as though I was going for a random walk. The driver had dropped me off at the entrance of the woods, so I continued with my legs till I was deep into the woods. "This is so annoying!" I groaned as I almost slipped. My fingers caught a branch and held on till I was able to get stable on both feet.I kept on walking through the trail not knowing w
SIERRA"How do you feel now?" Zane asked taking my hand in his. I felt guilty, I felt like trash for making the boys fight over nothing. I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from all of them. The eyes Kane had given me before he stormed out of the room angrily broke my heart. He was mad at me but I couldn't help it. I sent Zane a small smile that didn't reach my eyes. "I'm fine Zane," I replied laying on my bed while covering my body tightly with the duvet as Kane's angry face kept popping in my head. My heart was heavy, and my mind kept wandering to every event that happened that day, from Beta Orion showing up at school to my mother asking me to act normal to keep our secret. Kane demanded answers then he fought with Zane all because of me."You look dull." He commented climbing the bed to sit by my side."I just feel a bit tired, today drained the living hell out of me," I said, holding my head with both palms."I'm so sorry you had a bad day." He leaned down to plant a kiss o
SIERRAThe knock persisted but no one in the room answered. I pushed Dane off me with panic written in my eyes. "What are we going to do?" I asked in alarm. Dane looked unbothered as he attempted to return to his position but I pushed him back. "We can't, someone is at the door," I whispered in fear.My heart was pounding wildly, as the knocking continued. What if it was my mother? Were we caught? The boys couldn't magically disappear, could they?"Hmm, do Lycans have the power to vanish or something?" I asked, making Zane burst into laughter. My eyes widened in panic as my hands instinctively covered his mouth. "Hush!" I held her finger against my mouth, motioning him to keep quiet. "They might hear you." I strained my ears to listen to the sounds coming from behind the door. "Relax." Dane said laughing, "Lycans don't vanish, we aren't witches." He replied.The way the boys spoke, they weren't in the least bothered, I couldn't help but wonder if they were either careless or unaf
KANEAs I walked out of the room, I couldn't help feeling angry all over again. Something was wrong, I could sense it, it was in the air, and I could breathe it in, it weighed heavily on my head bothering me but I couldn't put a finger on it.She was hiding something really big, I could tell from the way she avoided my gaze to the way her fingers shook nervously when her eyes met mine.There was no way she didn't know him. I had been quick to hear her quick intake of breath when we had walked in on them talking, it felt as though she was scared that he would say something to us.She refused to say what the man had told her, always trying to dodge the topic whenever I raised it.If only Zane had not barged in when he did, I would have been able to break through her fences and take a look at what she was hiding from us.For a weird reason, the man looked so familiar, that I had tried my best to recall where I had first seen him.I recalled that the night we first saw Sierra, she had bee
SIERRAKane moved towards me menacingly, I swallowed hard as I took a step back in fright. "Why is it so hard to believe me?" I asked brokenly trying to ease the hurt in my chest. Even if he didn't believe a word I said, what would it take him to just let it go and respect my privacy?He paused then glared at me with very hard eyes."You make it hard Sierra," he said as his frown deepened, "You shouldn't have lied in the first place.""Believe me, Kane, nothing is going on that I haven't told you yet," I said, still moving back.It was getting late and the evening wind blew eerily into the library through the window, it sent a chill over my skin making me instinctively wrap my arms around my body."The thing is, Sierra, You think I'm easy to push around," he let out humorless laughter but his eyes were hard.I shook my head, "That's not it." Kane raised a brow as he stared at me. He had stopped moving towards me but I kept on moving away, the look in his eyes frightened me."Then te
KANEI stared at Sierra's departing figure as she raced out of the library. She may not have known, but the force that shoved me from off her was so powerful that when I landed back first across the hall, I felt my ribs snap at the impact of the fall. I wiped off the blood from my nostrils, and almost immediately, the wounds began to heal and the bleeding in my nose dried up.This was weird, I had always been able to access anyone's memories, but this was something that had never occurred before. None have I heard any stories from my ancestors about something of this nature happening?There was something about her, something that wanted to protect her from me. I could see the alarmed look in her eyes when I was thrown away from her, the way she shook as she got up before running away, I could tell that something was seriously wrong, something was going on that I couldn't put a finger on. I picked up the books that had fallen and arranged them back into the shelves then hurried out to
SIERRABlindly, I kept running ignoring the fears in my heart and the bruises forming rapidly on my legs caused by the sharp stones on the ground.I had left in such a hurry that I forgot to put on shoes or slippers. Things were not going the way I wanted. Without looking back, I ran not knowing where I was headed, all I wanted was to run away from there.The sky was dark casting an eerie darkness over the forest and strange birds kept hooting, making me scared, but the fear of facing Kane after what had happened was way greater. My leg hit a tree sprout and I fell to the ground on my knees. "Ouch." I felt the sharp end of a tree branch pierce through my flesh, tearing it as it went through. Ignoring the pain, I picked myself up and kept moving as blood trickled down the wound on my knee. I still could not process what had happened back in the library. I had pushed Kane away from me but it wasn't just me, it was as though something was protecting me from him. I heard a snapping so
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
SIERRAThe hot water cascaded over my skin, washing away the remnants of exhaustion and frustration. I tried to hold onto my anger, to focus on the fact that Dane had made a deal with Ariel without even knowing the price. But it was difficult when his hands were on me, sliding down my arms, tracing gentle circles on my hips.“Dane,” I started, intending to scold him, but the words melted into a soft moan when his fingers dug slightly into my waist. I hated how easily he unraveled me, how his touch turned my fury into something else entirely.“I’m not leaving you, Sierra,” he murmured against my ear, his voice deep and resolute. “And I’m not doing anything with Ariel. I just couldn’t watch you suffer.”I sighed, leaning back against him as his lips ghosted over my neck. “I still don’t trust her.”“Neither do I,” he admitted, pressing a kiss just below my ear. “But I had to do something.”His hands moved up my stomach, teasing but never crossing the line. Heat coiled low in my belly, an
DANEI tightened my grip on Sierra’s limp hand, my heart pounding. Her face was too pale, her breathing too shallow. Every second that passed felt like a lifetime, and I couldn’t take it anymore.“Ariel,” I said, my voice raw. “Please. Do it now. Whatever it takes.”Ariel tilted her head, her lips curling into a knowing smile. “Begging now, are we?”I clenched my jaw. “Just save her.”Ariel rolled her eyes but knelt beside Sierra, placing her hands gently over the burn. A faint glow emitted from her palms, flickering like the flame of a candle before growing stronger. She murmured in a language I didn’t recognize, her voice steady and sure. The air around us thickened, charged with an almost electric energy that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.The glow spread, tendrils of light unfurling from Ariel’s hands and wrapping around Sierra’s body like a cocoon. The energy pulsed, shifting from a soft gold to an intense, almost blinding white. I clenched my fists, watching in tense si
DANEI couldn't take it anymore. Watching Sierra in agony, her body trembling as she fought against the pain, was unbearable. I felt useless, standing there while she suffered, unable to do a damn thing to help her. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, my frustration bubbling over until I couldn’t hold it in any longer.“I need some air,” I muttered, turning on my heel.“Dane.” Kane’s voice was sharp with suspicion. “Where are you going?”I didn’t answer. I just kept walking, my strides long and determined as I pushed open the door of the packhouse and stepped into the night. The cool air did nothing to soothe the fire in my chest. Sierra’s pained whimpers echoed in my ears, haunting me with every step I took.Kane cursed under his breath and hurried after me. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he warned, grabbing my arm. “I know what you’re thinking.”I yanked my arm free. “Then you know I can’t just stand there and watch her suffer, Kane.” My voice was rough with frustration. “She’s i