Blaze breathed out. It was taking longer than it should have. He had been sitting in the same spot now and waiting for Sandro to stride out of the room to begin the ritual.But he wasn't anywhere to be found. Blaze doubted if he was in the room to begin with.He stood on his feet and walked towards Sandro's room but halted as the door went ajar.Sandro strode out with Alessia in front of him, and he shoved her.Instinctively, Blaze dashed forward and crouched to help her up.He flushed, realising she was not Arabella. For a second, he had assumed Alessia was.He helped her up all the same and turned.Blaze brushed a hand through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose."Do you have feelings for her as well? Fúck... How many girls in the pack are you interested in?" Sandro glowered.Arabella alone. That was the statement on the tip of Blaze's tongue, but he stopped himself from blurting it out."I'm interested in no one." Blaze shot Sandro a glare."Then, stop acting all touchy," S
Janice scowled as Allesia came awake. The latter jerked and darted to the door, yanking on the doorknob violently.Alessia's huge blue eyes rounded, and she panted."I'm surprised you still have the energy to run after all that happened. What exactly are you?" Janice asked.Alessia shivered. She stared at the door and then at her hand. They were shaky and pale.She recalled all that had happened and how she had been dragged to the forest opening by a man named Sandro.She creased her brows as she tried to remember if she had heard the name before, but she got no recognition.Alessia turned to the ebony-skin petite redhead in the room and assessed her. She tilted her chin and tapped the pocket of the slack pant she donned.Thankfully the pepper spray she always carried around was still with her.Her mama had told her about the creatures roaming in Cooan on her first visit, as she had never lived here. She had been away at the convent school and decided to visit her family instead of le
"Alpha Sandro might get mad if you continue doing that."Alpha?He was a werewolf, Alessia mused. Although she had been told long ago she was from a supernatural lineage, none of her family practised magic.It was said to be dangerous. And her parents never mentioned the kind of supernatural creature she had come from.Also, she was told her powers, not only hers, but everyone had been locked to mingle freely with a human because they were dangerous.Alessia didn't mind because she believed she was human throughout her life, and nothing would change it. Not even the revelation of her being powerful.But now, she wished she had researched, asked more questions and found a way to unlock her powers whilst keeping it a secret from her parents.The powers would have come in handy. And the bastard currently keeping her wouldn't have had the nerves to.Moreover, the bitch in front of her; seemed like her patience was running thin, and she'd do anything other than watch over her.Not like she
Sandro was in a foul mood. He had been that way since morning, and the thought of Arabella made it even worst.He gripped the bourbon he had poured for himself in the glass and gulped it down.He gazed at Blaze, "Do you think she'll be anywhere around?"Blaze shrugged, taking a drag from the cigarette with him. He puffed out the smoke and ran a hand through his hair. "Not that I know. But, a search can be organised.""Hey darling," A beautiful brunette climbed onto Sandro's lap. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on his lips.Sandro let out a grunt. "Not today, Anna.""I see you are in a foul mood. Call me when you are free." She murmured, bit on his earlobe before sauntering away."She's hot." Blaze said."I thought only the moon goddess could get me mad for what she did to my family. But hell no, the bitch drives me crazy!""Anna?" Blaze asked, tilting his brow."Arabella." Sandro winced as he said her name.After having an awful dream about his never-ending c
"Why do you keep me here against my will? You should know my father is a powerful man, and he won't spare you." Alessia said, backing away from the door as Sandro stepped in."I've heard that word too many times, and I won't even get mad at it anymore." Sandro shrugged. He observed the room for a while before he turned to her again. "Get whatever you need before 6; I'm taking you somewhere."Since Arabella's disappearance, he didn't have anyone to take out with him. Usually, he never enjoyed going out alone; he preferred to be escorted by women, and Thalia was the one who did most until Arabella came into the picture.Now, Alessia was his only available option.Again, he didn't want to take her along with him for fear of her screaming at the top of her lungs and getting recognised. But, it was unlikely. They were in the other part of the town, and not even one person had recognised Arabella whenever she was seen with him."I'm going nowhere with you. I am not leaving here!""Then you
Fúck, she was hot. The black dress made her fair skin look even paler, and she looked ghostly, only that she was in dark colours.Even before he had told her to wear the dress she was in, he knew she'd turn out this way. What he didn't know was it would show all her curves.Her curves were on display; her boobs were almost spilling out of the dress. The dress was fucking small.The witch, Janice, had picked it, and he'd kill her for objectifying her in this manner.But he didn't care. At least, he shouldn't care.Yet, he didn't like the eyes leering at her. He had shoot too many perverts a glare tonight, and he was exhausted from doing so."You are hurting me," Alessia mumbled. She winced as he released her waist from his death grip."Sorry," He smiled sheepishly at her and stared down at her as she caressed her hand. "Are you cold?" Alessia began to shake her head, but before she could speak, he draped his jacket over her."It's not necessary." She mumbled. "I can manage.""It is,"
"Damn it!"Sandro kicked at the coffee table in the middle of the room as his eyes strayed to Blaze."We never noticed that. We'd have thoroughly searched her belongings if we had."Sandro sighed, pushing his hand into his hair. "I'm sure the bitch knew. She was waiting for the right time for them to attack us so she'd have a good laugh.""I doubt she does." Blaze shrugged. He had seen how frightened she was. If she knew there were tracking devices on her, she'd have been more confident.Instead, she had recoiled at the slightest thing. Despite sharing a resemblance to Arabella, she didn't act like her.Again, he believed even twins never acted the same way.Arabella was surely the most stubborn woman he had ever met. She never cared if she died at the hand of Sandro. It frightened him that she showed no care whatsoever and did the opposite of whatever he asked of her.He didn't want to see her in the pool of her blood one day. He had almost seen her in that state(When she was in the d
The day was going awful for Alessia. She was hung over, but not only that; some idiot had decided to clasp her hands and legs to the wall and floor using some iron chain.However, she knew the idiot would be none other than Sandro. He was the only one that could pull off such a ridiculous thing.Yet, she didn't know what her offence was.She let out a wince as the light drifted into her half-opened eyes. She shut them back and bit her lower lip.Her head pounded, and wherever she was seemed damp, adding to her distress.She had tried severally to shove down the vomit in her throat, and she doubted she could do so for long.Her eyes opened eventually, and she sniffled as she gazed around. It was dark, darker than she had imagined. Only a torch by the wall illuminated the room.But the glow from it wasn't still enough to call it light.She caught sight of a movement and croaked out. "Help."She clanked the chains holding her together to grasp the attention of whoever was there, but it s
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