Sandro wheezed and darted out of bed. He slammed into the wall and grimaced as he heard a crack in his rib.“I'm dead?” He said, looking at the bright room.He believed his room was darker than this and wondered where he was.“Perhaps. It might be better if you had, and that will save us a lot of stress.”Sandro swirled, and his eyes collided with Blaze, who sat languidly on the sofa with a wineglass in his hand.“Where am I?” Sandro rasped.Blaze continued, ignoring his question, “If you were dead, you should be in hell by now because of your tainted heart, but you ain't.”“Well, smarty-pants, where the hell am I since I am not in hell?!” Sandro glared at him.“You are in your room, dummy.” Blaze retorted with a glare.Sandro shot him a glare of his own before gazing around the room.Blaze was right. He was indeed in his room. Only that more lights had been switched on to make it brighter.And the curtains were pulled apart, making it chillier.In spite of his normal body heat, he shi
Sandro hurried towards the infirmary and at the same time, he glanced around so as not to be caught unaware. He hadn't seen any sign of the intruders as Thalia had said, but he could hear some yelling outside, which meant the rest of the pack members were keeping them busy. He stepped inside to see Arabella curled up on the bed. Gazing at her, he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. It was weird, but as soon as Thalia said they were under an attack, the first thing his mind had gone to was Arabella. Although he was still aching from the aftermath of the shot, he had the urge to go watch over her. Perhaps, it was his wolf's doing because lately, Lace had been doing things he wouldn't do. His wolf had been having some nasty thoughts about the bítch and even stirred whenever she was near. He wouldn't deny her scent being alluring, but he believed he had been with a far more captivating woman than her. Arabella's skin tingles and she turned slightly. Sandro was in th
“Shit!”They'd go into the main building! Sandro shoved a hand through his hair as he heard one of his pack members through enhanced hearing.He hurried through the narrow hallway and booted the door.An intruder moved past him, he yanked him back, shoved him into the wall and plucked out his heart almost immediately.Sandro flung his lifeless body across the hall, and he sneered. “I guess he didn't see that coming.”Then he turned to the rest, “What are you waiting for? Come at me all at once!”The attackers stumbled backwards as he decapitated another member from their group head.Sandro chuckled darkly, and he smeared his lips with the blood in his hand before crouching.His once sea-green eyes glowed the colour of ember, and he growled.“Fúck!” a blond from the attacker said. His eyes narrowed, and he staggered backwards as realization dawned on him. “He's the fúcking leader. He's Black Sandro!”“What does that mean?”The blond, Eric, glared at the dark-haired boy, Melvin.“We are
The door went ajar and Arabella shot out of bed.She scurried to the corner of the room and crouched.Arabella heard the noises from outside and Francis had informed her they were under attack before he left again.Just like Blaze and Sandro, he warned her not to leave the room. But she sensed he was genuinely concerned about her well-being, just like Blaze.But she wondered if the attackers had come to kill her as they did to the others because she doubted Sandro and his men were strong enough to hold them off.Francis had described the attackers as a formidable enemy.Covering her face, she trembled as the footstep got closer."Please," she whispered. Then cleared her throat as she could barely hear herself."Please, don't hurt me.""So, you are the Delicate Rose from the Rosette dynasty?"Arabella's head snapped up and her blue eyes collided with Sandro's sea-green orbs.He narrowed them at her, and he snarled. She glimpsed two canines, which looked more like fangs before they disap
Blaze strode into the room. He stood by the entrance and frowned as he glimpsed Arabella's trembling body. He heard her sniffled as he got to the foot of the bed, and he gripped her hand. “Hey,” Arabella flinched and, instinctively, she slapped his hand away. As soon as her eyes landed on his, she bit her quivering lip. “Blaze!” She climbed down from the bed and jumped into his arms. Blaze stilled. His heart jammed in his chest at the sudden movement. Arabella had never hugged him willingly before until now and his eyes flickered to the door as he heard footstep. He heaved a breath, as soon as he saw the door was locked. He didn't want to be caught off guard by Sandro or anyone else, and the last thing he wanted was for her to get in trouble. “This is too much for me. I don't know what is going on any more.” She sobbed. Her hand scrunched his shirt and he patted her back. Blaze let in a deep breath, her vanilla-strawberry scent wafted into his nostrils and he let out a breat
Arabella glared at Thalia as she stepped into the room. "You stupid bítch." Thalia sneered. "I don't know what they ever saw in you. A fúcking lowly human." She moved to grip her hair but Arabella was quick to notice and she slapped her hand away. "What the fúck is your problem? You don't just come in here to swear at me and assume whatever you want. I don't even know what you are talking about!" She slammed back. "Oh, so now you can curse at me and pretend you are clueless about what I am on about?" Thalia scowled. She twisted her lips in disgust. "I wouldn't blame you. It's the men who gave you the audacity to do so." "You can cuss and I can't?" Arabella retorted. She crossed her arms on her chest. "What planet are you from and who the hell do you think you are?" She was tired of how Thalia treated her. As if she wasn't human! She was tired of her nagging and constant accusations. Moreover, she was tired of her feeling too entitled. She believed all the men were made for her
Janice bit her lips as she paced the clinic corridor. Her eyes flickered to Thalia, then to Sandro as they stepped out of the room. She had been standing at the door for only God knows how long. She heard the conversation from the beginning because she had been there, but she couldn't enter to save her. Likewise, she scrunched up the clothes for Arabella to change into. She had taken from Blaze's. Thalia snorted and Janice glared at her, and the urge to pull on her glossy hair filled her. For as long as she could remember, she and Thalia had never been friends. It was not the first time they were seeing each other, but they went way back, and she had always been the bítch she was. She was even bítchier now with Sandro, and she wondered what he saw in the witch to still be with her. “Thalia…” “Not now, Janice.” Sandro held his hand out, halting her. Janice scoffed. “Not now? I'm certain you enjoyed the shit that happened back there. You enjoyed showing your macho side and migh
"I heard what happened and came as soon as I could.""Yeah," Blaze mumbled, standing from where he sat to enable Francis to take over. But he still held her hand."You did well by cleaning her up and I can't imagine the pain she is going through." Francis grimaced as he eyed the blood on the floor."Janice did." Blaze said. He tightened his grip on Arabella's hand. "Will she be okay? I don't know, I feel this is the last time I'll see her and she neither had a good life... She'll die in pain.""She'll be fine," Francis assured. "She is stronger than you think.""She is," Janice affirmed, letting out a staggering breath.Blaze puffed out a breath and nodded. He dipped his hand into the pocket of the leather pants he donned and brought out the cigarette box."Please, no," Francis said, shaking his head. "I have a patient here.""I keep forgetting it's a no-smoking zone," Blaze grunted out. His eyes strayed to Janice. "When she comes awake, call me.""I will," Janice said. she watched as
EPILOGUEFOUR MONTHS LATERSandro stretched his legs, shielding his eyes from the sun with sunglasses. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Arabella had suggested a vacation by the beach, and they had been here for four months now. He still wanted to fulfill all her wishes, agreeing to everything she desired.Lately, it had been peaceful. Since the altercation with Paolo, there was no imminent threat to Arabella, though he couldn't say the same for himself, which he didn't mind. He didn't believe his enemies would ever cease, as wherever he went, he seemed to attract more.He didn't want to involve Arabella in his dangerous lifestyle, but he also doubted his ability to shield her completely.Alessia had disappeared. When Paolo had died, Sandro had taken the time to scour the building for her before leaving for the Villa, but he hadn't seen any trace of her."Why are you staring at her?"Sandro snapped his head at the sound of Arabella's voice. She stood above him, arms folded. H
Arabella wasn't as tired as she expected. She continued battling, and almost half of the members of the Salvatore house were already down. Although she couldn't unleash her powers to the fullest, she had imbued her knife with magic, enhancing its effectiveness even more.The enchanted blade caused immediate falls to anyone it touched, adding up to a high body count. Despite her victories, the number of foes she faced showed no signs of diminishing.Sandro, absent since his departure, left her uncertain about his fate. Paolo's absence suggested he wasn't defeated, as Paolo would have returned if he had been. Alessia was also nowhere to be found; Arabella wondered if Paolo had taken her with him.Yet, she was glad the merge hadn't happened.***Running after Paolo led Sandro to an unfamiliar location. Uncertain of his whereabouts, he felt a rush of anxiety as his gaze fixed on what appeared to be a full moon at the room's far end, shining brightly. Sandro, feeling a tingling sensation,
Paolo paced nervously, his gaze repeatedly drawn to Arabella, securely bound to the chair. At first glance, she seemed unconscious, her head hanging limply, but a closer look revealed that she was simply staring down."How much longer do we have to wait?" he inquired of Alessia, who had resumed her position inside the pentagram."A few more minutes or the ritual will be incomplete," Alessia replied.Despite the requirement for a special full moon, she had assured them of conjuring the moon to ensure the ritual's success. However, the actual full moon was still two weeks away, and Paolo couldn't afford to wait."Should I resort to force to speed things up?" Paolo clenched his teeth and advanced toward Arabella."I'll break ten fingers and ten toes if you lay a hand on her," Sandro declared, suddenly appearing in the doorway."Sandro," Arabella smiled, relief washing over her at the sight of him. Although she had never been particularly thrilled to see him before, his presence now offer
Goodness!Sandro pressed the gas pedal, driving over the speed limit. Relieved that the road was empty, he was aware that if someone had been there, a collision was inevitable, and he wouldn't have cared.His sole focus was reaching Arabella."Is she foolish enough to go to that guy without telling me?" Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.He had only left to settle some business deal with another pack that he had an alliance with, and it was to get them to fight in the war with him.Of course, he had done all he needed to do, albeit too late.Arabella, that he was trying his best to protect, wasn't even in the villa anymore.His phone rang, and glancing at the screen, he swiped to answer. "If you harm her, Paolo, I'll make sure you regret it. I won't hesitate to take you down with me!""She's still alive, De Luca. Why not come see her condition for yourself?" Paolo replied.Just then, a scream erupted from Arabella, further unsettling Sandro. "Let her go,"
No sooner had Arabella left than a loud boom echoed through the air. Though Thalia wasn't sure if it was an actual cannon, it sure sounded like one."Ah, darn!" she exclaimed, gasping and huddling against the wall. The cannon seemed to have targeted the building, affecting all the rooms. The meeting structure teetered on the verge of collapsing, with the pillars bending sideways."Are you okay?" Elisha asked, pulling her towards a corner."I am. How about you?" Thalia replied, scanning the area to see if others were in the same predicament."What's happening? And where is Bella?" she inquired."The attackers are here," Janice explained. "I overheard their conversation earlier, and I think my father spoke to her. It's why she left.""Why would she do that? That's so foolish!" Thalia hissed."My father is sly, Thalia. I don't know what he must have said to Arabella, but he can kill anyone he wants if she disobeys. She probably left for everyone's safety," Janice reasoned."That doesn't
TWO DAYS LATERThinking all plans would come easily as they were all gathered together, however, the reverse was the case. It was even more difficult to agree with all that was said, especially since it was the last day.Still, there was no attacker in sight, and it didn't seem like anything was going to happen. It was almost noon, and Arabella, Thalia, Elisha, Janice, and Annalise were in the meeting room.Some members were on guard, watching for any activity to report to those inside. However, Sandro, Arabella didn't know where he had gone. He said nothing to her and left the house."He should be here; at least, he's the alpha, and many of these people can listen to him," Elisha said, eyeing the other members in the room, acting as if they were bothered by the current situation."They listen to Bella, too," Thalia said. "She should say something to them."Say something? Arabella didn't know exactly what she was going to say. They weren't the phoenixes, and even though Orga and the r
Sandro awoke the next morning, groaning and turning to his side. "Arabella," he murmured, breathing in her scent before slowly opening his eyes. Using the pad of his thumb, he gently rubbed her cheek to confirm she was really in bed with him. He wondered why she hadn't left after he fell asleep, maybe because she had dozed off too.Gripping a lock of her white hair, he swirled it in his fingers. His free hand moved down to her stomach, caressing it. Sandro grinned as he felt a kick as soon as he touched, retracting his hand as Arabella groaned and turned."Sandro," she murmured, gripping his shirt.Raising his brow, Sandro watched as she began to unbutton his shirt slowly. Her hands slipped into his shirt as soon as she finished unbuttoning."Arabella," Sandro groaned as her hands moved further downwards.He didn't know what she was doing, and the thought of stopping her crossed his mind, but he didn't want to startle her. She seemed deeply asleep, and he hoped she would stop on her o
Sandro's condition hadn't improved; if anything, it had worsened. Arabella doubted it was due to the injury, which had already closed up two days since it happened. She had returned only yesterday to the room and found him sprawled on the bathroom floor.Initially, she thought he had stopped breathing, given his lack of movement, until she checked his pulse. Though she wouldn't admit it, she felt relieved. As much as she detested his behavior towards her, she was relieved he wasn't dead."I hate this," Sandro groaned, snapping Arabella from her thoughts. His lashes fluttered against his cheeks, and he opened his eyes slowly.Frowning, he murmured, "Bella?""Yes," Arabella said, placing her palm on his forehead to check his temperature. "How do you feel today?""Worse," Sandro mumbled, attempting to sit up. His eyes stayed on hers for a long time, making Arabella conscious of what she was wearing. She had opted for one of Sandro's T-shirts as she hadn't had time to do laundry. Now, she
Entering Thalia's room, Arabella made her way to the couch where Thalia sat."Trouble in Paradise?" Thalia raised a brow, sniffing. "I can smell blood on you. Did something happen?""In short, we were attacked by rogues, and Sandro decided to fight them off.""Typical Sandro," Thalia smiled. "But why the blood? Did you both engage in some kind of blood play?""What?" Arabella scoffed, "Never. Just because Blaze is no more doesn't mean I'll forget our moments easily. Besides, Sandro got injured during the fight, and I'm here because he said some really insensitive things.""About you not being receptive to him as you were to Blaze?" Thalia questioned."How do you know? Did you eavesdrop on us?""I'm a werewolf, remember? I can hear things miles away. Plus, your attitude towards him says it all. I've been watching," she said.Arabella shrugged. "I don't think you'd want me to relate with him either. He's been cruel to me, tried to kill me, and took me against my wish.""I know he did aw