LISA’S POV
One minute, I was riding fast; the next, I was falling hard. But just like always, I bolted upright in my bed, gulping down lungful of air. The same nightmare has haunted me for as long as I can remember—falling off my horse with the wind screaming in my ears and the ground rushing up to meet me. But I never hit the ground. I always woke up before that, my heart racing like a wild horse.“Lisa, Lisa, it’s okay. It’s just a dream,” a familiar voice soothed me as warm arms wrapped around me. I blinked, trying to clear the fog from my mind. The voice belonged to Max, my older brother. At least, that’s what I was told because I don’t remember him or anyone else. Yet, his love and care for me couldn’t be mistaken, as I could see it in his eyes.Max looked worried; his hazel eyes were clouded with concern. He always looked out for me, ever since I was said to have lost my memory in a horseback riding accident. He was the one who told me who I was, who he was, and who our family was. He was the one who filled the gaps in my past with stories and pictures. He was the one who made me feel like I belonged in the Bonnet family, and he was here right now."Max..." I whispered, clinging to him just as desperately. He stroked my hair, humming softly. He had a beautiful voice, one that could calm any storm threatening to break me apart. He used to sing to me when I was little, he said. He still did, sometimes, when I couldn't sleep."Shh, it's alright, little one. You're safe. No one can hurt you, not even the demons in your dreams." He said this, kissing my forehead. I felt a rush of gratitude swell in my heart for his love and care. He was more than a brother to me. He was my hero.The door to my room swung open abruptly, revealing another familiar face. It was Jax, my eldest brother. He towered over Max, sharing the same jet-black hair and brown eyes. Despite their striking resemblance, Max and Jax could never be mistaken for twins due to their contrasting personalities.“Hey, sis. What’s going on?” He asked, walking over to the bed. He glanced at Max, then at me, his expression curious. He could tell something was wrong, but he didn’t pry. He respected my privacy, but he was always there if I needed him.“Nothing, Jax. Just a bad dream,” Max said, giving him a reassuring smile. He let go of me but stayed by my side. He knew I hated to be alone, especially after a nightmare."Another one?" Jax asked, frowning. He sat down on the edge of the bed, taking my hand. He squeezed it gently, his touch warm and comforting. He was always so kind and gentle, even though he could be tough and brave when he had to. He was my best friend, as well as my big brother.“Yes, another one,” I admitted, managing to force a smile. I didn’t want to cause them any worry, yet I couldn’t conceal the truth. The same nightmare haunted me every night, each time growing more intense. It was so vivid and so real that it felt like a memory. But its meaning remained elusive to me.“Do you want to talk about it?” Jax inquired, his voice gentle and genuine. He regarded me with understanding, his eyes gleaming with empathy. He knew me better than anyone else, even myself.“No, it’s okay. I don’t remember much anyway,” I lied, hoping he would drop the subject. I didn’t want to discuss it because I was afraid of what it might reveal. The fear of losing the only life I knew and the only family I had was overwhelming."Okay, but you know we're here for you, right?" Jax said, giving me a gentle smile. He leaned in, kissing my cheek. He always knew how to make me feel better with his jokes and his hugs.“I know, Jax. Thank you,” I said, feeling a surge of love for him and Max. They were my brothers, my guardians, and my everything. They were the reason I survived, the reason I lived. Without them, I would be damned.They stayed with me for a while, chatting and laughing, until I felt calm and relaxed again. Then they left, promising to come back if I needed them. As the door closed behind them, I smiled, saying a silent thank you for their unwavering support. Despite the gaping hole in my memory, I couldn't imagine my life without Max and Jax. They were my anchors, my guides, and my protectors. They were my only family, and I loved them more than anything.According to what I was told, our parents died when I was young. Without my memory, I can’t even remember how it happened. It seems that our parents’ deaths are a painful topic for my brothers to discuss, so I knew better than to push them for details.As I drifted back to sleep, a thought nagged at the back of my mind: could these nightmares be fragments of my lost memories trying to resurface? But if not, what could they mean?The next morning, I pushed these thoughts aside as I hurried to the bathroom and got ready before I joined my brothers in the kitchen for breakfast.“Good morning, Jax,” I greeted as I settled down beside him at the breakfast table.“Good morning, Lisa. I hope you slept well,” Jax said before passing me a plate filled with cooked potatoes and beef soup.I nodded. “Yes, I did. Thank you for last night,” I said, offering him a smile. Just then, Max walked in, yawning. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept all night. My heart squeezed at the thought that it was my fault.“Hey, Max. What’s wrong?” He gave a careless shrug before dropping into the empty seat beside me.“Nothing is wrong, Lisa. How are you doing?”My face brightened up. "I’m fine. Just hungry."He reached out and ruffled my hair completely. “Go on and eat then.”We were eating and chatting when we heard a knock on the door.“I’ll get it,” Jax said, rising. He opened the door and saw Caleb standing there. Caleb was a friend of both Max and Jax, and he often visited them on the farm. He had a serious look on his face as he greeted them.“Hey, guys, I have some news for you,” he said, walking into the kitchen."What is it?" Max asked, sensing something was wrong.“It’s about Alpha Asher. His brother is coming to town today to collect the levy in person,” Caleb said, lowering his voice."What? Why?" Max asked, his eyes narrowing.“I don’t know, but it’s not good. He’s never behaved like this before. He usually sends his enforcers to collect money from the villagers” Caleb said, shaking his head.“Perhaps he wants to understand the people he’s taxing better—not just to take from us, but to see how we’re doing,” Jax said, trying to sound optimistic."Or maybe he wants to make an example of us, to show us who's boss," Max said, his voice grim and filled with worry.“Who is Alpha Asher?” I asked, feeling confused. I had heard his name before, but I didn’t know much about him.They all turned to look at me, their expressions uneasy, as though I had just asked the wrong question.Asher's POVThe first rays of dawn had barely begun to peek through the curtains when I found myself stirring from sleep. I groaned, the weight of another day pressing down on me as I shrugged off the comforting warmth of my bed. My feet hit the cold floor, sending a shiver up my spine as I trudged toward the bathroom.The sound of water hitting the tiles filled the room as I stepped into the shower. The warm droplets washed away the remnants of sleep from my eyes. Once I was done, I dressed in my usual attire, my fingers deftly buttoning up my black shirt, which was paired with equally black pants.My gaze fell upon a drawer, and I pulled it open to reveal a portrait. It was a beautiful rendition of Kiara, my beloved mate. Her eyes, as vibrant as emeralds, seemed to sparkle in the soft morning light.The portrait, a masterpiece crafted by the region's finest artist, was a gift I had intended for our first anniversary. But fate had other plans, and she disappeared before I could pres
Jonas POVAs soon as Asher said those words to me, I clenched my hands into fists, feeling a surge of anger and resentment toward him. How could he treat me like this, like a mere servant and not his own flesh and blood? He knew how much I despised humans and their very miserable existence.He was aware of all these facts and more, yet he insisted on sending me there. I was always certain of his disdain for me. The only reason he has tolerated me until now is our shared bloodline.Despite the depth of Asher’s hatred for me, my dislikes for him matches it, if not surpasses it. Asher, under the illusion that his position as Alpha—bestowed upon him by our father—makes him superior to everyone else, remains oblivious to my plans.Plans that involve his downfall mirror the fate of his mate, Kiara. He doesn’t know that I was waiting for the right moment to strike, to claim what was rightfully mine.He is also unaware that I have already set the wheels of destiny in motion and that it’s only
LISA’S POV“Alpha Asher is a monster,” Caleb said, his voice low and filled with fear. “He doesn’t care about us humans. His only concern is his pack and the power he wields over others. He demands payment from us every month for his so-called protection. But what happens if we can’t afford it? What if we run out of money or resources? What then?”I felt a cold shiver run down my spine as I listened to my brothers, Jax and Max, along with their friend Caleb, discuss Alpha Asher. He was the formidable leader of the Red Moon pack, a werewolf of such ruthlessness that it was almost beyond comprehension.Yet, it was this very individual upon whom we, as mere humans, relied for protection against the night crawlers—creatures of the night with a gruesome appetite for blood and human flesh. The stark absurdity of our predicament did not escape me."He's not the only monster," Jax said, his voice bitter and angry. "The night crawlers are just as bad, if not worse. They're the reason why we ne
LISA POV“Move it, you filthy rat!” The guard shoved me forward, his boot kicking the heel of my shoe roughly from behind. This caused me to stumble a few feet, and I barely caught myself before I fell. My knee scraped against the gravel, its sharpness cutting my flesh open.I whimpered in pain as I struggled back on my feet, the gravel continued to crunch under my feet, the sound mocking me with each step I took.I couldn’t stop to soothe my injured knee, even if I wanted to. The pain was insignificant compared to the fate that awaited me. I knew my destination, but I harbored no regrets about taking my brother’s place. The Night Crawlers’ gladiatorial pit, a place where they cast their captives to face a cruel fate, was where I was headed. It was the place where I would meet my end tonight.As we approached the pit, I noticed something peculiar. The guard escorting me turned left, away from the entrance. He led me in a different direction, towards a cluster of tents situated just ou
JONAS POVI felt a strange tingling in my spine as I walked into my tent. It was like a swarm of needles pricking my skin, warning me of the impending storm. I had prepared myself for a clash, a fierce struggle, but what I saw was something I did not expect.She kneeled on the cold stone floor, her hands clasped in prayer. Her body was hunched over, her shoulders shaking slightly as she whispered pleas into the silence. It was a scene I had not seen in ages, and it awakened a long-buried emotion in the depths of my soul. A touch of nostalgia, as I heard her whisper a prayer. A prayer to the God who had forsaken us, the God who permitted our kind to be hunted and slaughtered. It was a prayer that stirred a long-forgotten emotion within me: pity.“How utterly unbelievable,” I muttered.I watched her rise, her movements as frantic as a frightened fawn. Her eyes, wide with fear, scanned the room. Yet, there was a spark—a glint of something indefinable—that piqued my interest. It wasn’t
Lisa povWith a sense of impending dread settling over me like a heavy cloak, I watched as Jonas paced back and forth in front of me. His every step seemed to echo in the silence of the tent, each one bringing him closer to revealing his true intentions.I wanted to run to escape this nightmare, but I knew there was no way out. Whatever fate awaited me, I would have to face it head-on.Finally, Jonas stopped his pacing and turned to face me once more, his expression unreadable. “you have been chosen, Lisa Bonnet,” he said, his voice low and menacing.“Chosen for what?” I asked, my voice barely rising above a whisper. Despite my fear of the answer, I was still compelled to know my fate.Jonas smirked, a cruel glint in his eyes as he flexed his shoulders. "Chosen to be my mate, of course. You will become one of us."My heart sank upon hearing his words. I had been privileged to tales of werewolves who mated exclusively with their kind. The thought of a human being forced into such a uni
ASHER’S POVI had thought it was a brilliant idea to send Jonas, my brother, to the human village for the annual collection. I hoped that by exposing him to their culture and their kindness, he would learn to respect them as equals, not as enemies.Jonas had always harbored a deep hatred for humans, viewing them as weak, worthless, and undeserving of sharing our world. He frequently expressed his desire to eradicate them and to claim their lands and resources for our kind. He failed to understand that we needed them as much as they relied on us for protection.As the Alpha of our pack, I bore the responsibility of maintaining peace and balance among our races, a task that Jonas complicated with his reckless actions and words. However, as hours passed since Jonas’s departure, I began to question my decision. What if he stirred up trouble in the village? What if he harmed or even killed any humans?I tried to push these thoughts away, trusting that Jonas would behave himself and heed my
ASHERS POVI stood rooted to the spot, my feet as heavy as lead and my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. The air was thick with tension, and the silence in the room was almost deafening.Before me stood Kiara, my mate, her presence as startling as a bolt of lightning in a clear sky. I had thought her lost, swallowed by the cruel hands of fate, yet here she was, as alive and vibrant as the day we first met.Her eyes, wide and filled with surprise, were a mirror of my shock. We stood there, locked in a silent standoff, the air between us charged with a thousand unspoken words. My heart continued to hammer against my ribcage, a wild rhythm that echoed the chaos of my thoughts."Kiara," I managed to choke out, my voice barely more than a whisper in the heavy silence. "How are you here? How did you survive?" I wanted to reach out to her, to touch her, to make sure she was real. But I was afraid—afraid that this might be a dream.The girl I had believed to be Kiara merely shook her he
Kiara’s POVA Year LaterA year has gone by so quickly, and a lot has changed around the pack. Most of the changes were good ones, especially with the arrival of our son, Leon.Asher decided to name our son Leon after his late father, the former Alpha. Leon is a cute little boy; he has Asher's blue eyes and cheeks but my smile.I didn't think I would be capable of loving anyone more than I already loved Asher, but Leon came after nine months of growing within me and stole all my love. Asher doesn't mind that he has because he has his love as well.I gazed lovingly at my little family, feeling my heart swell with pride and happiness. Asher, my mate, was playing with our son Leon, tickling his belly and making him giggle uncontrollably.Leon was still a baby, only four months old, and couldn't speak yet, but he could convey so much joy and excitement with his coos and babbles."Ga ga ga!" Leon squealed, reaching up to grab Asher's hair.Asher chuckled, gently untangling his hair from Le
Kiara’s POVThe Hunting Festival was finally here. Asher and I, dressed in our hunting attire, walked side by side to the village square. The full moon cast a silver glow over the village, and the air was electric with excitement.We had been preparing for this night for weeks, and I could feel the anticipation building inside me. As we reached the square, Asher raised his hands, and the chatter of the pack members died down.“Friends, family, and fellow pack members," he began, his voice clear and strong. "Tonight, we gather for the ancient tradition of the Hunting Festival. Remember, the rules are simple: no cheating, no harming fellow pack members, and respect for the prey."He paused, surveying the crowd with a stern expression. "We hunt for food, for survival, and for the thrill of the chase. Let us honor our ancestors and the land we call home."With a nod, Asher declared, "The Hunting Festival is now open! May the best hunters win, and may the spirits of the land guide us."The
Kiara's POVThree months had passed since the darkness that had haunted our pack for so long was finally vanquished. The memory of Jonas' death still lingered, but Asher had come to terms with his actions, and the pack was once again at peace. The night crawlers, those terrifying creatures that had terrorized us for so long, had disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared—a clear sign that Tacha's evil influence was truly gone.As I walked through the pack's village, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and hope. Our pack was thriving once more, and Asher's leadership was stronger than ever. As for me, I had never been happier. Asher and I were building a life together, and the future looked brighter than ever.But amidst all this joy, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. My brothers, Jax and Max, were preparing to leave the village, returning to their family farm to start a new chapter in their lives. No matter how much I tried to convince them to stay, they just couldn’
Asher’s POVThe days in the clinic passed slowly, each one a blur of pain, healing, and the constant presence of Kiara. Her unwavering support was a balm to my soul, but there was a darkness within me that even she couldn’t fully reach.I could see the worry in her eyes, the way she watched me as if afraid I’d slip away—not just physically, but emotionally.But I kept up a strong front. I was the Alpha, after all. My pack needed me to be strong, to lead them without showing any form of weakness. Yet, every time I closed my eyes, I saw Jonas’s lifeless face, felt the weight of the decision I’d made.One evening, after everyone had left and the clinic was quiet, Kiara curled up beside me on the bed, her head resting on my chest. I could feel the steady rise and fall of her breathing, the warmth of her body against mine. It was comforting, a reminder that I wasn’t alone, even if it felt that way sometimes.“Asher,” she whispered into the darkness, her voice barely above a breath. “You kn
**Asher’s POV**The world around me was a blur of pain and shadows. I drifted in and out of consciousness, my body heavy and unresponsive. Every breath was a struggle, each one reminding me of the fight I’d just endured, of the choices I’d made—choices that would haunt me forever.But through the haze, one thing remained constant: Kiara. Her presence was an anchor, keeping me grounded in the world of the living. I could feel her hand in mine, warm and steady, as if she were pouring her strength into me, willing me to stay with her. I fought to open my eyes, to see her, to reassure her that I was still here. When I finally managed to crack them open, the first thing I saw was her face, close to mine, her expression a mixture of exhaustion and fierce determination. Even in her weariness, she was beautiful—more beautiful than I could have ever imagined."Kiara," I whispered, my voice barely audible, but she heard me. She always did. Her eyes softened, and she leaned closer, her touch g
Kiara’s POVJax and Max stopped their antics, grinning at each other in triumph. "That was awesome!" Max exclaimed.But I just growled, my eyes fixed on Tacha. "You're not controlling me anymore," I snarled. "It's time to put an end to this."Tacha sneered, but I could see the fear lurking in her eyes. She knew she was beaten.I charged forward, my wolf form propelling me toward Tacha with lightning speed. My claws extended, ready to strike, and my teeth bared, prepared to sink into her flesh.Tacha tried to defend herself, but I was too fast. I pinned her to the ground, my claws digging deep into her shoulders, and my teeth sank into her arm.She screamed in pain, trying to struggle free, but I held tight. I could feel her dark magic coursing through her veins, trying to break free, but I was determined to stop her.With a fierce growl, I bit down harder, my teeth sinking deeper into her flesh and tearing off both her arms. Tacha's eyes widened in agony, and she let out a deafening s
Kiara’s POVAs I stood there, the dagger still clutched in my hand, a wave of horror washed over me. What had I done? Asher, my love, my mate, lay motionless on the ground, a victim of my own hand. Tacha’s cackling laughter echoed in my mind, and I knew I was still under her control. But a spark within me refused to be extinguished. I remembered Asher’s words, his love, his trust in me. With a surge of adrenaline, I fought back against Tacha’s control. It was like trying to break free from chains, but I gritted my teeth and focused on Asher’s face. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, I felt Tacha’s grip on my mind loosen. I took a step back, the dagger slipping from my fingers. “Asher,” I whispered, my voice shaking. I dropped to my knees beside him, cradling his head in my lap. His eyes flickered open again, and he gazed up at me, pain and confusion etched on his face. “Kiara?” he whispered. I nodded, tears streaming down my face. “I’m so sorry, Asher. I couldn’t stop her.” A
Asher’s POV"Alright, let's go over the whole plan one more time," I said, scanning the room, locking eyes with each person present."Jax and Max, you two will create a diversion at the front entrance. Jonas, you're with me. We'll sneak in through the back and grab her. Kiara, you're our ace in the hole. Once we've got her, you'll take care of the rest."I turned to Jonas, who stood with his arms crossed, his face completely expressionless. His demeanor was suspicious, and I clenched my hands into fists."Jonas, I mean it," I warned. "I don't want to see even a hint of betrayal. You're with us, or you're against us. And if you're against us, I won't hesitate to end you."Jonas didn’t flinch; his expression remained bland and relaxed, almost as if he was bored."I'm with you, Asher," he said flatly. "Don't worry about me."I narrowed my eyes, trying to read him. But there was nothing to read. He was a blank slate, making it even more irritating to look at him."Good," I said finally. "
Asher’s POVKiara's voice was a mixture of disbelief and anger. "You let him out? Asher, he’s dangerous! He’s the reason we’re in this mess in the first place.""I know," I said, my voice steady. "But he has information we need. If we’re going to stop Tacha, we need to know everything he knows. I’ll make sure he doesn’t cause any more harm."Kiara shook her head, frustration evident in her eyes. "I can’t believe you trusted him. What if he’s doing all this just to lead us into another trap?""I don’t trust him," I clarified. "But I need him. We need him. And I’ll be watching him closely."Kiara sighed, her expression softening slightly. "Alright, Asher. I trust you. But please, be careful.""I will," I promised, squeezing her hand. "We’ll get through this together."Kiara nodded, though worry still lingered in her eyes. "What’s the plan?""I’m going to meet with Jonas again," I said. "Get more details about the ritual and the spell. In the meantime, I need you to stay safe. Stay here