Rayne's POVWe all kept quiet for most of the car ride. I humbly took the backseat for two reasons: to give Celine the proximity she craved with Jacob, and to also avoid his direct attention. Killing two birds with one stone.Celine didn't even try to hide her staring. She ogled him, making faces similar to the ones maidens wore in all those tragically romantic paintings.All too soon, though, we got to Celine's dormitory, and dropped her off. “See you later!” She waved with an enormous smile before leaving. I could only imagine how happy she must have been. Getting a ride from her crush must have sent her over the moon.But her absence created a gaping hole that had to be filled. I didn't actually want to speak to Jacob, so I turned my head and looked out the window, hoping that time would pass quickly and he'd drop me off at home.He turned on the radio. Static scratched the air for a split second before a man's clear voice replaced it. “It's a new day in the city of New Jersey, an
Rayne's POVThe day dissolved into the weekend, and I left the city to go to Mysticrock to see my family. Sal had been gracious enough to take up looking after Roman and Kairen. I had been planning on just simply hiring a nanny, but she had shot down the idea and volunteered to do it. Kairen was old enough to not need breastfeeding anymore, which made my choice to move even easier. But that day, I missed them all, and wanted to see their faces.The first person I saw at the pack house was none other than Sal, who carried Kairen inside a kangaroo baby holder in front of her chest. “Rayne!” She said my name enthusiastically. “How have you been? I was just about to call you.”I hugged her. “It was a really nice first week, but I needed to come home and recharge.” I stroked Kaiden's cheek, and immediately stretched her arms out to me, making cute garbling sounds.Sal unlatched her from the baby holder and carefully handed her over to me. “How long are you around for?”“Just the weekend
Rayne's POVI started the next week at Lakeside University more cautious than I had been at the first. Now, everyone just looked like a suspect waiting to be uncovered. When my mind drifted to someone like Celine or Jacob, I hoped in my heart that neither of them were the killer. I didn't think I had it in me to survive discovering that someone close to me was wicked once again.Celine found me walking down the halls, with her usual smile on her face. She looped her arm in mine and leaned her head on my shoulder. Surely she couldn't have been a murderer . . . right?“So, how'd your weekend go?” she asked.“Pretty well. Went down to go and see my family,” I said quietly. “Oh, they don't live here in the city?”“No. They live . . .” I thought about whether it was worth telling her in-depth information about my family. “At the outskirts.” In the end, I settled for a half-truth. “Wow. It's no wonder you had to come down here to get an apartment. I can't imagine coming from there everyd
Rayne's POVEven without looking back, I could already tell who it was. Boy, was I glad to see him. It didn't matter that minutes ago I was thinking about how nice it was that I didn't cross paths with. Here, he had the very authority I needed to get out of trouble. But I needed to speak up first so that I got the upper hand and not the others.I hoped that the girl behind me had gotten her emotions under control as I pulled away from her and stepped towards Jacob.His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched me get closer to him, but he neither moved nor said anything.“Hello,” I said to him, mustering a small smile. “What's going on here?” he asked again, looking between me and the other girls.I pointed my thumb at the girl I defended. “She was getting bullied, and I had to intervene. I had no idea that his place harbored such people as well,” I made sure to raise the volume of my voice so that my targets could hear it clearly.Jacob turned to the young girl, who now held her large t
Rayne's POVTensions rise between humans and werewolves when a public attack happens. Rayne's secret identity is almost uncovered.Moonshine was the biggest café in the city. Even by 4pm in the evening, people still waited in a row to get their orders. Soft, calming music played inside, giving the place a warm, cozy feel. On the bright side, most of the booths were empty, which made finding a spot to settle down easy. We found a place in one of the inner corners, and sat down, while Jacob went over to get us drinks. Celine pulled out her phone from her bag and quietly scrolled through it. I expected her to try and make some small talk with me, as was clearly in her nature, but she just continued tapping her small fingers over the screen of her phone. “Are you okay?” I asked.She nodded quickly. “Mm-hmm.” More tapping and swiping.“What are you doing?”She leaned in closer to the screen of her phone. I would've liked to see what had captured her attention so completely, but she sat
Rayne's POVChaos erupted. People jumped out of their seats, screaming like it was the end of the world—it might have as well been to some of them. They rushed to the exit of the café, not caring that the creature they were trying to escape from was closer to the exit of the shop than the inside of the shop. I wanted to raise my voice and tell them that they didn't have to be scared of the man since he wasn't a Rogue, but I bit my tongue. There was no better way to tear off my cover and expose me.I shook my head. Why now? Why did the man shift in broad daylight?The wolf in question turned his head heavenward and released a great howl, further eliciting more screams and actions of panic from the people nearby, before bounding off past the café. I wanted to follow him and understand what had just happened, but I couldn't leave Celine and Jacob. Especially with what I already knew about Jacob, I couldn't give him any reason to doubt or suspect me.Celine's voice was full of awe rather
Rayne's POVI couldn't feel anything. That was what stood out to me. All shapes, moving or immobile, were vivid—almost too vivid to have been captured by my tired eyes. The atmosphere, although I couldn't feel it, seemed like it would need someone to put on something with significant layers to ward off the growing chill.At first, I didn't know where I was, but as I delved deeper and further, it all started to make sense. The way the sky looked, the people moving about, and even the shape of houses. For whatever reason, I was back in Oceanpearl pack. Initially, I had little idea of what it meant or what I had to do, but the further I looked, the clearer things became. I followed a familiar face; one of the lower omegas that usually attended to the high-ranking pack members at the time. People like Reynold or my aunt. The woman smoothed her patterned dress, nervousness was evident on her petite form. Whatever she wanted to do, she hadn't done it before, or she didn't know how to go
Rayne's POVDays passed, and the incident that took place at the café still hadn't died down. Luckily for me, I didn't have to shift as much as other werewolves, so I didn't have to risk my life just to fulfill that criteria.People were getting too comfortable with the ideas of werewolves. At school, people didn't miss out on the chance to scream and point at an innocent person, tagging them as a creature of the night simply because they had odd behaviors.Also, a group of people had started frequenting the school halls, dressed in all back combat gear. They called themselves the Anti-Beast Alliance. In other words, they were the so-called werewolf hunters that were responsible for the capture and death of our kind. At first, I deemed them harmless, until they started subjecting suspected werewolves to interrogations.Of course, the school wasn't happy with their presence, and constantly pushed back against them, which made them less effective at their investigations, fortunately. Bu
Author’s POVYears had passed since the great war that signaled the end of an era for the Mysticrock pack and its allies. That singular moment that had seemed miniscule in the eyes of many ended up being a memorable turning point in the treaty between humans and werewolves all over the world. The scars of the terrible times had healed, though the memories of struggle and loss remained etched in the hearts of those who survived. Life, however, had a way of moving forward, and in the years since Dr. Cedric’s imprisonment, the werewolf community had continued to thrive. Mysticrock pack had expanded even further since Rayne’s rescue of the imprisoned werewolves. Many of them chose to remain in service to her, preferring to stay within reach of the Lycan Queen, than even in their own home packs. The pack now stretched across more miles of dense forest, now basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun. The land had increased in vibrancy, and anyone who saw it wouldn’t have been able to tell
Rayne's POVKaiden.I smiled at the thought of him, my heart swelling with warmth. He had been there all along, quietly watching, waiting, and never pushing. Even when I had been mated to an Alpha, our fates intertwined in ways I hadn’t understood. Kaiden had been my constant, my true north, even when I didn’t realize it. And now, here we were, fated to be together, just as it was always meant to be. Even the years apart did nothing to dampen the flames of our passion. Many times, thinking about him was what kept me moving during the most terrible of days—the hope that eventually, once I got free, I would be back by his side, where I was truly meant to be. The place where I truly belonged.A soft rustle of leaves pulled me from my thoughts, and I opened my eyes to see Sal approaching. Her twin daughters, Ivy and Isla, followed closely behind, their identical faces full of curiosity and energy. Seeing them filled me with a burst of joy, because I could still vividly remember when she a
RAYNE'S POVIt’s strange when I look back at everything now. All that chaos, the pain, the heartbreak—it all seems like a lifetime ago, though it’s only been months since my world changed for the better once again. I sat at the edge of the pack grounds, watching the late afternoon sun stretch its golden light across the treetops. A soft breeze played with the locks of my hair, pushing the strands against my face in a tickling manner. The wind carried the familiar scent of pine and earth, but it also brought memories, tugging at my mind until I could no longer push them aside.Eighteen years. That’s how long I had been trapped, held captive by Dr. Cedric, who cared for nothing else but his own twisted ideals—only what my blood could do for him. I used to wonder how I survived all those years, locked away, forgotten by the world I had once known, and separated from my family. The nights that I had screamed myself to sleep because I couldn’t stand the silence of those human-sized pods o
Kairen's POVI couldn’t help but let out a little surprised laugh as he took my hand and led me away from the crowd. Roman, who was talking to a group of his classmates, momentarily paised to give us a knowing look as we passed, but he didn’t say anything. He simply gave a small wave before turning back to the group of friends he was with. Todd didn’t say much as we walked, his hand warm and steady in mine as we made our way through the campus and out into the surrounding woods. It wasn’t until we reached the all too familiar clearing—the place where we had first crossed paths—that I realized where he was taking me.The memories flooded back the moment we stepped into the familiar space. The trees were just as tall, their branches swaying gently in the wind, and the soft sound of the nearby stream filled the air. It was peaceful here, just like it had been that day so long ago, when our lives had first intertwined. Who would have ever thought that I would have fallen in love with a g
Kairen's POVMonths had passed since the chaos surrounding Dr. Cedric had finally come to a fruitful demise. Life had slowly begun to find its beat once again, though the scars of what we’d been through still lingered in small, subtle ways. The pack had recovered from most of the damage done in those crucial 18 years, the tension, fear and anxiety giving way to a renewed sense of strength and hope. But more than anything, the peace allowed us to move forward—each of us in our own way.Today, we were gathered for something far different than the clashing of claws and roaring. The university campus buzzed with excitement and celebration as students in their robes moved through the courtyard, their faces lit up with the glow of glorious achievement. They were celebrating the years they had gone through the halls of this school, studying to become people of influence in the nearest future. Todd and Roman were among them, their final year completed, and now they were finally graduating. T
Kairen's POVI stood next to Todd, the silence between us heavy with everything left unsaid. His face was drawn, shadows clinging beneath his eyes, and I wondered how much longer he could keep this up—this weight he carried, the war within him.“Todd...” I began, unsure of what to say. What could I say? His father was a monster, and though I had known Dr. Cedric’s cruelty, I couldn’t pretend to understand what it meant to Todd. It wasn’t just about stopping a villain; it was personal, wrapped in all the twisted layers of family, duty, and a lot of shame.He probably didn't feel like he was supposed to be by my side.Todd shook his head, as if to stop me from saying whatever was on my mind. “Don’t, Kairen,” he said softly, his voice hoarse. “Don’t say anything. You don't have to try to make me feel better about this.”I hesitated, but I couldn’t let it go. “It’s not your fault,” I said, my words firmer than I felt. “It's not your fault at all.”His lips twitched, but it was far from a
Kairen's POVThe air I breathed in that evening remained thick with dampness, and the stench of blood and fear still lingered, though the fighting had long since ended. Even though the manor was now pristine and devoid of any evidence of the terrible fight that occurred, the memories still lingered in my brain, and I didn't think that anything would have been able to change that anytime soon. Todd had been quiet for most of the evening, focused on freeing the last of the prisoners trapped in the underground cells beneath the manor. Mom had said that even though she had managed to rescue some of them, she had the feeling that there were more of our kind still stuck in the manor—but she couldn't find out where for some reason.Todd had volunteered to go in search of the other prisoners and I had decided to go along with him for two reasons. One, I actually wanted to get some alone time with him and iron out some loose ends concerning his father's imprisonment. I could tell that he wasn
Kairen's POV“Your mother's healing capabilities is probably the major reason she was kept here,” said Dad. “I suspected that one of you might have inherited her abilities, but I didn't know who would.”By this time, Roman's wound had already healed halfway, and color had started to seep back into his face. He hadn't spoken yet, but the look on his face was one of pure relief.I didn't even know what to feel at that point. I had gone from shocked, to grieved, and back to shocked. All I could do was watch him, knowing fully well that I was completely dumbfounded to say or do anything else until I was sure of what was happening.“I guess Roman took my healing, and you,” Mom turned to me, smiling for the first time since she saw her son's supposedly dead body, “and you took my gift of sight.”“Sight?” I asked quietly, pressing a shaking hand to my chest. “What do you mean by sight?”“It's what we call being able to see beyond the physical. I discovered mine late, but my mom was supposedl
Kairen's POVTo my surprise, Dad only walked over to me and ran his hand through my hair. “My daughter has found a mate. Which I find to be a very wonderful thing. She is an excellent judge of character, so I have no doubt that she wouldn't have picked this young man if she didn't see him as worthy.”The man who had spoken up earlier frowned, his face showing disgust. “You would allow your child to be with the son of the one who had tormented your kind? The one who even kept your own mate away from you?” The man's eyes trembled as he stared at Dad. As long as Dad remained the Lycan King, no one actually had the guts to be disrespectful towards him.“I would allow my child the freedom to choose.”The man sneered. “And that is why we all decided that you weren't the best choice to lead us as a society any longer. The years must have changed you . . . Made you more of a spineless diplomat than the warrior you showed us years ago when you were going after this position.”Dad didn't respo