Rayne's POV
The ground appeared endless underneath my feet, trailing and trailing on despite how my lungs were exerting themselves just so I could keep running. I leaped over logs and misplaced branches. I didn't dare look back to see the monsters running after me. I couldn't stop.I glanced at the cool object in my hand, and pressed it tighter to my skin. Something about it made me feel a certain way; almost like I could taste the energy it emitted. Just how powerful were the people that created such a thing? And did they ever imagine that people would use it in such a nefarious way? I didn't also want to dwell on the thought that for so long, Oceanpearl had been in possession of the object, and had been using it to keep itself safe while others suffered for it.Growing up, we never had rogue attacks. I didn't know just how bad other packs were having it or I was sure that it would have been a topic I questioned when I was younger. I used to think we wereRayne's POVIt didn't take long for the news of Oceanpearl’s rogue attack to reach the headlines of the Paranormal Watch. Lives had been lost in the unanticipated attack, but luckily they were able to pull through with what they had. Alongside the questions of whether or not the Alpha had survived, were further details concerning the dead. A council member had died as well. Nothing spoke clearly of Reynold’s whereabouts, but that was something that we didn't necessarily need an answer to. Knowing that Oceanpearl didn't crumble to dust dissolved some of the guilt I had been feeling. But the more I rationalise everything, the more I understood that there was nothing that I or Kaiden could have done. Survival mattered most in that situation, and I wasn't willing to lose any more of the people I loved because of selfish people that never thought of the consequences their actions would have on others. Reynold, in his quest for power, had chosen what mattered most to hi
Rayne's POVI always found the mix of sunshine and rain strangely fascinating. A light drizzle patterned on the windows, just as sunlight pierced through their wet transparent bodies. People always held superstitions concerning what they meant. Some would say that a lion was giving birth. Or that a bird had lost its feather and was searching for it. So many tales conceived for the main purpose of making the phenomenon appear more divine than a simple mere coincidence.“Push, Rayne. I can see the head,” coaxed Sal. A wave of contraction surged through me so strongly at that point that my vision blurred and my throat released a hoarse cry.I watched her from between my spread thighs, pushing the muscles of my belly so hard that I feared it would burst before the child even made it through. No progression occurred, and I threw my head back into the sweat-soaked pillows, panting.“I can't anymore. I'm so tired.”Sal rolled her eyes. “Very funny. You definitely weren't tired getting it on
Rayne's POVEven though a while had passed since I last saw her face, I still remembered every little detail about her. If anything, she looked even more glorious than the last time, shining like a magical creature from another planet. Her elegant gown swept the floor, gliding soundlessly like rippling water. The planes of her face were silk and smooth—glass-like, poreless, and almost reflective. Cat-like eyes peered at us from underneath her arched brows. A Priestess indeed.“You’re welcome,” I said to her before she even opened her mouth to say anything. Something about her energy pulled me in. Familiar, and yet distant. Close, and yet, so very far. “How can we help you?”Quietly, her eyes brushed over Roman, Kaiden and finally me. Something in her face pulsated with energy. “It's a pleasure to be welcomed here.”I pointed to a seat by her side. The parlor never lacked them, and anyone who walked in could be certain that they would find a seat t
Author's POV25 YEARS AGO“The circle is complete,” the Priestess, Libra, mentioned. Her arms were like twin snakes as she moved about the flames in her see-through knee-length camisole. This was scandalous to some, who believed that our beauty shone best in modesty. Libra didn't believe in that. To her, clothes were nothing but contraptions humans made because they were too ashamed to embrace their true selves. There were whispers about the ‘sinful’ things she usually did behind closed doors, despite being a Priestess. Myra didn't mind them, because the woman dancing before them appeared like a goddess, even though her actions were directed at the true deity that watched over them all from her silver throne.In one breath, she rose to her feet to join Libra, also lifting her arms into the air. Left and right, she swayed to the beat, closing her eyes so that the gentle humming of her fellow sisters could lull her into a state of ecstasy. The ecstasy that blossomed from the pure worsh
Author's POV25 YEARS AGOMyra came awake in a familiar small room. Bare walls looked at her from all four corners, cold and devoid of any personality. She liked them that way. Keeping the things she liked all to herself was what she preferred, unlike other people that would paint walls with their hearts and souls.A cold cloth rested on her head, a welcome difference from the mild heat running down other parts of her body. She tried to sit upright, but her head started to throb and so she remained lying down. “You should just rest,” Libra said, moving about the room with quick, measured steps. She had released her hair from its usual elegant bun, and it framed her smooth face. The redness in her hair looked more of scarlet than the hazy burnt orange she usually dyed her hair. Whether or not it had been intentional, or an error, Myra would never know. As for her clothes, she had changed from the silky camisole into a simple s
Author's POV25 YEARS AGO Myra wished she could object, but it was the life she had chosen for herself. As a Priestess, she couldn't couple or marry just any man she pleased. It was a sacred oath that she had been sworn into. In order to keep the purity of the Moon Priestess bloodline, they were required to mate with men with Priestess blood flowing in their veins. Anything outside of that meant contamination, and they couldn't have that. It was how things had been for centuries, and since the inception of Priestesses, and there wasn't anything that could have been done to change things.But with the rebellion that already stirred her insides, Myra could tell that she would be the one to change things. After the Mother Superior had made the announcement, the recipients had nodded and drawn their faces into a smile, not bothering to show the emotions that ran deep within their hearts. After she left, reality crashed on Myra like a flood of stinging salt water—like when she had almos
AUTHOR'S POV25 YEARS AGOAnd so time passed as Myra and Roman got to know each other. And as they did, so did a raw, gnawing hunger within them both. For Myra, it was an escape from the reality she had found herself in. Even as the date for her mating ceremony drew nearer, she couldn't have bothered less with it. Thinking about any other asides Roman had become folly, and she wouldn't fall into such. They kept their meetings quiet, ‘sacred’ as Roman would say. She knew that sooner or later, she would have to tell him the truth about what was going to happen to her, but everytime the words came to her throat, she couldn't seem to get them out. It was unfair to him, but she couldn't bear to utter those dreaded words. But all things had to come to an end, eventually.Things started to fall apart the afternoon when Libra called Myra aside quietly, red-faced with anger. “What exactly do you think you're doing, Myra?”Already, Myra knew what she was referring to, but it didn't mean tha
AUTHOR'S POV25 YEARS AGOMyra couldn't find it in herself to be surprised when she eventually got summoned by the Mother Superior. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would find out that she wasn't interested in the match that had been made between her and the Alpha's son.“I called you here because I trust you better than some silly rumors,” Mother Superior said, sitting stick straight in her perfectly furnished chair. Her long hair sat atop her head in a regal style, and decorated with shining stones that caught and reflected light with every slight movement she made. The jewelry she wore must have cost a fortune, and looking at them stirred up feelings of resentment within Myra again. Who was really sacrificing there?“What exactly is going on, Myra? Talk to me,” she said softly, like one talking to their own child. Something in her voice had that effect of making one feel so safe with her to the extent that you dropped