Beryl:The air in the room felt thick with tension as I lay on the examination table, the cold surface sending shivers through my body. Dr. Matthias and Elara stood on either side of me, their expressions a mix of concern and determination.Something was wrong, and we hadn’t figured out what yet. A tremble ran through me. I was both cold and stressed. Elara noticed my shiver, and moved to cover me with an extra blanket. She propped me up on another pillow, trying to help make me as confortable as possible.I let out a soft sigh, trying to ease the discomfort that had become a
My boyfriend Jimmy and my stepmother Amy were absent from my father's funeral. Amy I had at least seen arrive, but she hadn’t come inside yet.Where did they go?I struggled to open up my swollen eyes, staring at the mobile phone that kept sending busy signals, wondering why they didn't answer my calls.I was so worried that something might happen to Jimmy on the way that I could hardly breathe, I had to tug at the collar of my black coat and take a few deep breaths.Looking at my father's cold and stiff body surrounded by flowers, I shed tears and hoped that he would arrive as soon as possible. Even if my relationship with Amy wasn’t great, I still wanted her here too.I couldn't lose any more people. I needed them badly right now.Jimmy promised to marry me when I came of age, and my stepmother Amy promised to be our witness. I was so thankful that I could have a home again after losing my father.I was grateful that my father's former colleagues came together to honor him. They offe
My eyes widened in disbelief that this stranger, whom I had just met for the first time, would behave so boldly with me. Although he was very handsome and charming. "Let go of her—she's mine!" "She is our mate. “Yes. Mates.” A soft voice sounded in my head, startling me further. The other two, showing their impatience, also rushed toward me. Their scents enveloped me. I was overwhelmed by a mixture of earthy and musky tones. Sandalwood. Leather and tobacco. Citrus with a hint of turpentine. It all wafted toward me, evoking a sense of warmth and comfort. My breaths shortened and I felt myself growing wetter. An angry scoff sounded behind me before Jimmy grabbed my arm and unceremoniously lifted me to my feet. He wrapped an arm across my shoulders, pressing me back into his body and eliciting growls from the three more imposing men in front of me. “You will keep your hands off of my fiance.” He demanded. I pushed against his hold in an attempt to extract myself. “Your fiance? We
King Alpha moved closer until he was standing directly in front of me. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, and an emotionless mask covered his face."I think you'd better come home with us, Beryl," he said slowly. "If you are obedient, I will give you your father's property when you graduate."Before I could answer, Amy rushed out of the house with a suitcase. It looked like she was here to pack her bags. She was going to move in with Jimmy? I doubted it, considering they were slapping each other in the parking lot not too long ago."Of course, we'll go with you," Amy simpered to Armand, her long acrylic nails grazing his bicep. "It's very kind of you to offer to take care of us.""I thought you had left," he said coldly, not returning her gaze.She pouted, her heavily made-up face contorted into a mask of sorrow. Her lower lip quivered dramatically. "That's not true. I loved Edmund. We loved each other." Her voice became sharp and insistent."But Jimmy! He blackmailed me! He man
I pretended not to notice his gaze. No matter what, I would work hard to live until I graduated and returned to the small town I was familiar with. The gaze that had been lingering on me disappeared after a while. When I looked at the lawn again, the tall figure was no longer there. I didn't know why I felt a sense of loss. My belongings arrived shortly after Elaine departed, my memories confined to a few cardboard boxes. I stood in the middle of my new lodgings, alone and without family, like a wild animal that had been evicted from its den. I rustled through the few articles of clothing I owned and found a simple but elegant black dress suitable for a formal gathering. I quickly finger-combed my hair out of my face and tied it back in a tight bun. I wanted to honor Elaine’s request for formal attire, but part of me wanted to push the limits. I was tempted to don one of my old gowns. Most of my jewelry had been sold off to pay debts, so I couldn't even go overboard with accessori
I was sprawled out on the tile floor of my bathroom, desperately trying to cover myself with a damp towel. My cheeks burned as they entered without my permission, and I frantically tried to scramble back onto my feet. But the floor was slippery, and my flailing legs sent me tumbling back down again.A cold sweat ran down my spine as the towel slid from my grasp, leaving me completely exposed. I tried to cover my body with my long, curly rose gold hair, but to no avail. The strands were soaked and stuck to my naked body in clumps.I was rooted to the spot, unable to do anything else but look up in horror at the three figures standing before me.I looked up in shame to see all three of them—Cheney, Nicholas, and Brian all staring at me—their eyes devouring every inch of my uncovered flesh. Cheney's chest rose and fell faster than usual as his gaze swept over all of my bare skin and settled quickly on my face. A smirk played on his lips when he finally met my eyes."Fuck," Cheney drawled menac
"Yes," I said softly. "It...it makes me want things—" My eyes widened in horror as the words escaped my lips. I clamped a hand over my mouth. What had I done?Cheney's lips twisted into a smirk as he tilted his head, the light from the chandelier glinting off of his bright red hair. “Good. That’s good. You don’t want to push us away, do you? You’re just asking for it."A chill ran up my spine and goose bumps prickled along my arms. “No, no... I’m not... I just want to finish my studies well and return to the human world and my own home in the future!” I said, my voice shaking.My knees felt weak and I wanted to sit down before they buckled altogether, but Nicholas was still holding onto me with one hand on my bicep.Nicholas stepped closer until we were toe-to-toe, his ice-blue eyes glacial. “I’ll give you another chance." His voice was a low rumble full of rage and something else…determination? "Are you rejecting us as your mates?"Wintyr snarled, "He dares!""What?" I could hardly pr
The impact of my words seemed to reverberate throughout the room, silencing any response from them. It was clear they weren't used to being spoken to in such a way, but if they wanted me as their mate, then that would need to change.I wasn't some doormat for them to walk all over. If they believed I was their mate—if they wanted to make me their mate—they would need to learn. My body tensed and I pulled the towel tighter around me, a reminder of why I deserved respect."You broke into my bedroom while I was bathing. You touched me without my permission. You destroyed my room!" I said through clenched teeth, gesturing to the surrounding chaos, my voice rising with every sentence. "You obviously want something, so let's hear it."They stared at me, momentarily speechless, before disbelief and irritation clouded their faces. Nicholas recovered first, his features icy. He stepped forward, towering over me. “You’re singing stupid songs? You’re bothering us,” he accused harshly. “We require
Beryl:The air in the room felt thick with tension as I lay on the examination table, the cold surface sending shivers through my body. Dr. Matthias and Elara stood on either side of me, their expressions a mix of concern and determination.Something was wrong, and we hadn’t figured out what yet. A tremble ran through me. I was both cold and stressed. Elara noticed my shiver, and moved to cover me with an extra blanket. She propped me up on another pillow, trying to help make me as confortable as possible.I let out a soft sigh, trying to ease the discomfort that had become a
While I had been asleep, they had decided to plan an all out attack on the vampires and the dissenting pack. The plan was to hit them soon, before they had a chance to move too far away from their current encampment.The overall consensus was that we were ready to go now, so they had decided to gather our forces and proceed with the attack the very next day. With Amy under heavy guard, and unable to use her magic to bolster their forces, they would be weakened and unready to withstand this kind of assault.My mates were invigorated, ready for the battle, but I was wary and t
The plan to surprise and trap Amy, the vampires, and the dissenting pack was a simple one. We finally had the advantage, and were going to use it to the best of our abilities. Our numbers were larger than they had been in years, and we were finally ready to be done and over this distress in our lives.One group would be with me, my mates, and a large guard, waiting for the vampires and werewolves who would attempt to rescue Amy. I would be ready to use my light magic if Amy tried to use her dark magic.At the same time, one group would travel to where the prisoner had told u
Beryl:After our sweet moment, my mates were able to tell me what was going on with the prisoner, and we headed to the dungeons together. Nicholas and I walked hand in hand, and he kept glancing down at me as if I might fade away into the night.As we approached the dungeon, I could feel the dark magic at work. When I entered the cell that held the prisoner, I could tell that he was connected to the darkness in a much stronger way than Nicholas had been. It would take much more than a touch to release him.
Beryl:I knew that Nicholas didn’t know about my little library escape area, so that’s where I headed. I had to gather myself and think. Was that really my mate? How could he hurt me like that? There were so many thoughts running through my mind.As I settled myself into the comfort of my tiny secret corner of the library, weeks of habit took over and I began to drift off to sleep. It was as though the moon goddess was beckoning me to her.“Beryl, my dear...&rdqu
Beryl:I had gone in search of Nicholas, wanting to finally put to rest whatever it was that had come between us. The baby was going to be here soon, and I didn’t want whatever this was to dampen the happiness of our impending child.As I had wandered the grounds looking for him, I had run into one of the dissenting pack members who had lingered after another discussion with Armand and Solomon. He looked at me, with a smirk and asked if I was alright.“Yes, I’m fine thank you
Armand:The echoes of the past had lingered in my heart for far too long. Amy's betrayal had wounded me deeply, and the scars it left seemed permanent, but Seraphina’s presence had been a balm on the pain I felt.One evening after a long day, she and I found ourselves alone on the moonlit terrace outside my study, the distant stars overhead like watchful sentinels. Seraphina was quiet and her eyes held a gentle understanding as she watched me."Armand," she began softly, "I can see the w
The tensions in our world had reached a breaking point, and it was clear that we needed a united front against the looming threats. The meeting between the packs had reconvened, the weight of our discussions heavy in the air.Solomon stood beside Armand, showing how united the two of our packs had become. The two of them exchanging solemn glances as the other leaders filled in around them.They had just been deep in conversation, discussing the logistics of our alliance and the potential for peace among our kind. They had hopes of finally coming to terms with the other packs today.The dissenting pack was a problem. Their desire to mate Nicholas to one of their females had faded away into the background, or at least I had assumed it had, since I hadn’t heard anything else about it.Armand's voice resonated through the chamber as he addressed the assembled alphas and their representatives. "I understand that this arrangement is new and uncharted territory for all of us. But I believe t
The distance between Nicholas and I grew with every passing day, but I didn’t understand why. I could see the frustration in Nicholas's eyes, and it weighed heavily on my heart, and even though I asked him time and again what I could do, he just pushed me further away.I thought that it was to do with the fact that I was continuing the magic lessons, but one evening, I overheard a conversation between him and his brothers.Cheney and Brian had cornered Nicholas, their voices determined yet gentle. Cheney spoke up, "Nicholas, we can all see that this situation is tearing you apart."Brian added, "But Beryl's never wavered in her love for us. We need to trust her."Nicholas's shoulders slumped, and he let out a heavy sigh. "I know, but it's hard. I feel like I'm losing her."Cheney placed a reassuring hand on Nicholas's shoulder. "You're not losing her, brother. We're just facing a challenge together. We should talk to her, communicate our feelings."It seemed like he had taken their wo