Rayne's POVMy wolf started to get antsy as we waited after the roar that nearly shook the foundation of the earth. Jacob and I waited and waited for so long that it became painful to remain pressed against the wall, seeking for an opportunity to present itself.Until finally . . . The AA agents stationed outside appeared to get a directory. They shouted orders to themselves, and then rushed into the building one after the other. I counted just about four agents running into the building like there was some kind of fire inside. Their black gear sucked in all the light and made them resemble light-eating shadows.Jacob gave a signal with his two first fingers, and I went around over the corner of the building until I reached the large set of doors. “I don't know about this place, but I do know that this place is crawling with AA agents. Anything can happen once we get inside, so you must be careful,” he said to me carefully. I almost mentioned that he was talking to me like I was a ch
Kaiden's POVA pounding started in my head the moment I came to consciousness. Throbbing and pulsating, the veins around my skull started to sing a song of ache and sorrow. Once again, I had been fooled. I had been blind. I had dropped down my guard and allowed the enemy to gain the upper hand.I couldn't dwell on the negatives for now. All that mattered was defeating Savannah, getting out of this building, and reuniting with the light of my life—my Luna. Rayne.Thinking about her brought a certain sadness to my heart. It had come so suddenly without warning, and I couldn't get rid of it. I couldn't deny the heaviness that it brought to me, but I also couldn't understand why.Warm breath fanned my nose. A door creaked somewhere. My eyes finally agreed to open. Savannah sat before me on her wooden desk. Her nose nearly brushed mine, but something else had caught her attention, and she frowned as her eyes watched whatever it was.I smacked my tongue twice, trying to get used to the fe
Kaiden's POVJacob staggered back, unsteady on his feet. His groan of pain bounced across the room, high-pitched and pitiful. Blood dripped down his face from the deep gashes across his cheek. Just like I had predicted, his humanity got in the way, and slowed him down. He pressed his hand to the large wound on his face, slowly backing away from a triumphant advancing Savannah. She was so focused on her prey that she failed to notice that I had made my escape. Jacob's face held no fear—or maybe it was all the blood that made him look like that. The gashes went from one side of his head down to his cheek—dangerously close to his mouth. If Savannah had been more accurate, or he hadn't pulled away fast enough, his mouth would have been ripped open as well.He tried to dodge once more, veering sharply to the left, but Savannah already tracked his movements, and grabbed his throat. With power that only belonged to our kind, she lifted him off the ground and into the air, despite his resi
Kaiden's POVScreams erupted from outside, but neither Jacob nor I moved an inch to see where she had fallen. Instead, it was like we both wanted to wait and allow the reality of things to wash over us first.When I was finally ready to go and see, Jacob spoke up, stopping me as I turned to the now shattered opening. “Wait. You can't check. At least not now. We're still hiding, remember? We actually aren't supposed to be anywhere.” He pointed out the window in the direction Savannah had gone. “If people see us up here . . .”I got his point already with his few words. “I understand. Let's go.” We started moving towards the exit, when I remembered something that had been nagging on me since Jacob first came into this room. “Wait . . . Where's Rayne?”A tremor passed through his body, but he said nothing and continued heading for the door.I grabbed his shoulder as he touched the metal doorknob. “Answer me!”“I was only able to get here in time because of her,” he said quietly. He pull
Kairen’s POV18 YEARS LATERBranches shaped like claws scratched my face as I ran through the forest, trying to get away from the one chasing me. I didn't dare look back, for fear that doing so would ruin my escape. So, I pushed myself further, took my legs higher, and breathed more deeply. I had to get away from the demon. I couldn't allow myself to be captured. The forest was relentless. It didn't want to let me go, and kept grabbing me with its clawed branches and bushes with leaves as sharp as fresh knives.The sound of my heart pumping blood pounded so loud in my ears, making it hard for me to hear other things. Ba-dum, Ba-dum, it kept pounding, like a desperate bird caught in a locked iron cage. Any moment more and it felt like it would escape from my ribcage and tear through my muscles and flesh.“Kairen!” The echo of my name rushed in from behind me, so swift and powerful that my feet immediately wound to a stop. At that moment, running away didn't seem like the right thing
Kairen's POVMoving in went according to plan. As Dad made it, I didn't have any roommates staying with me as a safety precaution. Initially, when I had asked why he came up with such an idea, he told me about how my mother had managed to be undetected as a werewolf for a while because she lived on her own—until someone found out and instantly betrayed her. He knew that staying alone wouldn't completely eliminate the possibility of someone finding out that I was a werewolf, but it would significantly reduce the probability of that happening. I couldn't fault that logic, even though it meant that making friends wouldn't be as easy.Because of what happened 18 years ago, with the clash between humans and werewolves, the majority of werewolves living amongst humans had to move back to their own territory—the packs situated in the outskirts. Those that remained, did so at their own risk, and had different reasons why. Even when we had been on the way to the college, we passed by a few st
Kairen's POVWhen he started to stir, I gave him some space. He probably wouldn't want to wake up and see a stranger hovering over him like some evil spirit. With a light groan, he opened his eyes and sat up. For a moment he was clearly disoriented, looking around like he was trying to remember where he was and what he was doing.I kept silent until he saw me. Mildly, he flinched, but relaxed once he realized that I wasn't a monster or beast out to get him.Growing up as a daughter of the Lycan King, even before I could walk, Alphas from other packs had been trying to matchmake me with their sons. So from early on in life, I'd gotten used to people staring at me and inspecting me.But it had never been like this. His haze drilled holes straight down to the very core of my being, and it took all I had to not squirm awkwardly.The longer he kept looking, the more boldness rose inside of me. I also knew how to stare at someone, if that was how he wanted to play things.There was someth
Kairen's POVRoman had been a little reluctant to come for the dinner, but I managed to convince him. He couldn't hide how much he had missed Dad too.Dad picked a restaurant close to the campus so that we wouldn't have issues getting back to school that evening. We ordered some food and started to eat in silence. I didn't feel the need to break it, but it felt a little awkward that no one was saying anything.The little fairy lights in the restaurant lit up the restaurant’s interior in a warm, dreamlike glow. It lit up Dad's face and hair, making it obvious just how long it had been since we last spent time together.The lines of his face had become harsher and older—but not because of time, but because of what he had been going through for the past 18 years. Mom's disappearance took so much from him, and I had grown to understand that the kind of pain he felt was one that nothing could take away. The main thing keeping him together was us. He had to be strong for his family, but in