Caleb-I hadn’t meant to fall asleep at my desk, but the sun was just peaking over the horizon when I woke the following morning. Stretching my arms over my head, I arched my back and leaned over the back of my chair. My back crackled a few times, causing me to groan.“Much better.” I sighed as I lowered my arms.Rotating my neck to loosen up the muscles, I realized I wasn’t the only one in the room. Standing up, I moved around my desk and to the far side of my office, where a couch sat. I couldn’t see who it was, as their face was hidden against the sofa.“Hey?” I nudged the man sleeping on my couch.I wasn’t sure if I knew who it was, as they didn’t give off a recognizable scent. It was familiar but different than anything I had smelled before. The man didn’t stir, even after I nudged him again. If it weren’t for his constant snores, I would have assumed he was dead.“Wake up.” I told the man, but I didn’t get a response.It was apparent that whoever it was had no interest in waking
Kyra-For the next two days, I felt like my mind was all over the place. We didn’t find anything in the library that would help us, but I was also distracted. Ever since the Zekes disappeared, I have been feeling on edge.“Hey, sis.” Tristan’s voice startled me.“How did it go?” I asked Tristan as I stood up from the couch.I couldn’t stay in the library any longer because the walls felt like they were closing in on me. The others were still in the library, but I came into the living room to read the books I had been looking at. The time Artemis gave me was nearing its end, but so far, we haven’t found anything.“Don’t worry, I brought him with me.” Tristan smiled as he turned around and pointed to nothing but air. “Where did he go?” Tristan moved his hand to the back of his neck and scratched it.“Where is Zac? Wasn’t he with you?” I asked as my shoulders sagged.“He went to ask Mom to come since she hasn’t seen Xureus for a while.” Tristan continued to scratch the back of his neck.
Kyra-“This isn’t another Zeke. This is the real Zeke.” I said as I looked at my father, who was sprawled out on the front porch.“Are you sure?” Rex asked, looking from me to Zeke.“I am.” I said as I knelt beside my father and tried to wake him, but he wouldn’t budge.“She is right.” My mother confirmed. “Let’s get him inside and try to wake him.”Hunter and Rex picked Zeke off the ground and carried him inside. Following close behind him, I hoped that my father would be okay. Hunter and Rex took Zeke to the pack doctor to be examined, but Lucas wasn’t able to do anything.“He is in a mild coma. He should wake up within the next few days, but medically, he is fine.” Lucas said.“Is there anything we need to do?” I asked my worry over my father increasing as my gaze fell over him.“All we can do is wait.”Wait, we did. For the next three days, I stayed in the room with my father as the others carried on with other things. As each day passed, I became more anxious. We still didn’t hav
Hunter-It took a few struggling minutes, but I managed to swallow the creature. It lodged in my throat initially as if it refused to go down. As I felt the creature move through my stomach canal, images of the past flashed through my head. Once I could no longer feel the creature, I toppled over, with my knees hitting the floor and my torso on the bed.“Hunter!” Kyra’s voice sounded more like a distant memory than her yelling at me as she moved to my side.The world around me faded into oblivion as I went back to my past—from the first moment I opened my eyes after I was born to the moment I closed my eyes when I died. Instead of seeing everything from a third-person perspective, as I had when my wolf showed me the past, I relived every happy and heartbreaking moment. Every emotional and physical thing that had happened to me, I relived it all.It didn’t stop at my death; I also relieved the agonizing torture I endured during my time in Purgatory before I lost my memories. When my me
Hunter-“Why?” Caleb asked, and I realized it was the first time he had spoken since my memories returned.“The reason she wants Selene dead is mainly jealousy. Not only does Artemis want to become the Moon Goddess, but she admitted that when a God or Goddess is prayed to, they become stronger. With so many praying to Selene, Artemis wants what Selene has.”“There are other Gods and Goddesses that have more of a following, so couldn’t she go after someone else?” Kyra asked. “As I said, Artemis wants what Selene has, including her ability to rein supreme over the were-animals. She believes that since she can turn into an animal during her hunts, she deserves the right to have dominance over all animals. There was more that she said, but that is the basics.”“That does make sense. I have heard from Selene that Artemis and her had been close friends once, as they were part of the Silver Sisters, who rule over the moon in one way or another. I don’t know what happened, but they drifted a
Kyra-At some point, Xureus decided to join us in the library. I only noticed because instead of wearing his headphones, he was blaring music from the speaker of his phone. It annoyed me that he only showed up when the work was almost finished and didn’t contribute.“Can you turn that off or at least turn it down?” I asked Xureus.“Ignore him.” Tristan commented when Xureus pretended not to hear me.It was easier said than done, but I did try to focus on the conversation I was having with the others regarding the Scepter. Now that we had a way to deal with Artemis, we just needed to put a plan in motion. We had roughly two more days before the two weeks were up, and there was no telling what she would do.“I can go retrieve the Scepter.” Hunter suggested.“I don’t think it will be that simple. We are almost out of time, so what if you don’t make it back in time? You might never be able to return once you leave. Even if Artemis doesn’t destroy the orb, I have a feeling that she won’t l
Kyra-“Since you are adamant about someone going in your place, this will help you fool Artemis.” Xureus groaned with unmistakable annoyance.“If you had something, why didn’t you take it out sooner?” Zac asked, moving around the table to hover over Caleb so he could see what was in the box.“I just remembered I had it.” Xureus shrugged.Caleb opened the box. Inside was a single black pill resting on a velvet black lining. “What is this?”“The only way to fool Artemis is for you actually to die.” Xureus rested his hip on the corner of the table, folding his arms over his chest. “It is only temporary. After you take it, you will wake up in an hour. It is like being induced into a coma, except your body and organs will go into something of a suspension.“Is it safe?” I asked.“Only one way to find out.” Xureus stated flatly.With the way Xureus acted at times, I almost believed he had ulterior motives. Even if he said the pill would only kill Caleb temporarily, I didn’t know if I could
Kyra-“Is it true?” Artemis’s gleeful voice sounded from behind us. “Is Caleb really dead?”Twisting my body to look at Artemis, I sucked in a sharp breath. Not because she suddenly appeared, but because if Caleb were going to wake up, it would be any minute. Since Zeus had left so long ago, I didn’t think Artemis would arrive to see for himself.I had already concluded that the plan wasn’t going to work and began trying to think of another solution. At least now I had calmed down enough and realized that there was hope that Caleb would wake. When Hunter died, the mate bond had been severed, whereas with Caleb, I still felt the bond.If we still had a chance, we needed to make Artemis believe Caleb was dead and that it was final. We have a chance if we can get her to take out the Orb. Now that the time we had to accomplish this was precious, we would need to fly by the seat of our pants instead of following a script. “I am going to kill you!” I pretended to be a distraught and unhin
Kyra-“Kyra?” Tristan’s voice came from the other side of the door to my cell.I had fallen asleep in the corner, but I quickly became alert. Pushing up from the corner I had curled up in, I jumped to my feet and rushed toward the door. Tristan was standing on the other side, peeking through the small window in the door, blocked by thick glass.“I am here.” I whispered.A second later, I heard the sound of rattling keys as he stuck a key into the door. I held my breath as I waited for the sound of the lock releasing. When it did, and Tristan opened the door, I flung myself into his arms.“I’m sorry I am late.” Tristan returned my hug briefly before stepping back to let me out of the cell.After I was out, he pulled a small spray bottle from his pocket and sprayed me with it. “This will mask your scent so no one knows what direction you went. I also sprayed myself.” Tristan handed me the bottle, which I slipped into the front pocket of my jeans. “Let’s get you out of here.”Nodding my
Kyra-Over the following three days, I didn’t leave my hospital room. Tristan took care of everything I needed and took care of me around the clock. On the few occasions he went to investigate our situation, he didn’t have anything to report.My wound wasn’t fully healed, but it was healed enough that I didn’t have any reason to stay in the hospital. At the moment, Tristan was gone, handling my discharge paperwork. I was looking forward to leaving the hospital, mostly so I didn’t have to listen to the nurses gossiping outside my door.I was fairly sure that they were doing it intentionally because their topics always revolved around me and how it wouldn’t be long until I was kicked out on my ass again. Tristan tried to defend me a few times, but Hunter punished him each time he did. Hunter’s reasoning was that rogues shouldn’t be protected.The more time I spent around the gossip or hearing about Hunter, the more heartbroken I became. As I was waiting for Tristan to return, I sat on m
Kyra-“Ready?” Hunter asked as I stepped out of the room.“I guess.” I diverted my gaze from his.Pretending I didn’t know him would be more challenging than I thought. When I first stepped out of the room and saw him waiting for me, I had almost forgotten where I was for a moment. The way his eyes wandered over my body as if he was tempted to take me into the room and have his way with my body.“Have you eaten anything since you woke up?”“Not yet.” I shook my head.“Let’s go to a restaurant.” His tone was more like an order than a request.Keeping my attention on the floor, I walked alongside him. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything all the way to the restaurant. When we arrived, I felt everyone’s attention was on me.The restaurant was packed with people, and I knew them all. Some were from before Hunter returned from the dead. Others were new members from after we moved into my father's house, and Caleb took over as Alpha King.“Are they here?” Hunter asked the waitress who was gui
Kyra-Peeking through my lashes, I noticed they both left. Exhaling a slow and long breath, I opened my eyes and sat up. Staring at the door, I wondered how I was going to pull this off. This situation was different from what happened in the past, but there are a lot of similarities.If someone was pulling the strings here, I needed to be careful and not slip up. For now, I will remain in the hospital so I can heal. Without my abilities, I might not heal quickly. After I did heal, I would pretend to be weary and try my best to keep up with the pretense that I was once again the scared seventeen-year-old who didn’t trust anyone.Chewing on my lower lip, I tried to make a plan. I devised a few different plans, but each one didn’t seem feasible. It slowly dawned on me that I wouldn’t be able to plan anything. Until I knew who my enemy was, I would need to be flexible and play it by ear.“Kyra?” A familiar voice spoke inside my head, which filled me with excitement.“Tristan!” I answered.
Kyra-My head felt like I was run over by a truck. With a groan, I covered my head with my hands and applied pressure to attempt to relieve the pain. Opening my eyes, I sat up and blinked a few times to clear my vision.“Where am I?” I asked as I looked around at a room I recognized but couldn’t remember where I saw it.Glancing around the room, I noticed it was a hospital room. My mind was a little foggy as I tried to remember what happened to me. Bits and pieces of memories flooded my head, but not enough to clarify anything.As I continued to look around the room, I was suddenly hit with a feeling of DeJa’Vu. I didn’t know why because my memories were a jumbled mess. Frowning, I pushed off the covers and winced from pain. Lifting the shirt I was wearing, I noticed a long wound on my side. It stretched from my rib cage down to my hip.I couldn’t remember how I got it. Spotting a mirror on the wall, I walked over to it to examine the wound closer. The wound was sewn together, with the
Kyra-“Did you enjoy your weekend?” Hunter asked the moment I entered the door.“I did.” I smiled when Hunter grabbed my suitcase and handed it to a maid.“Take that up to her room.” Hunter instructed the maid.After the maid left, Hunter pulled me into the house, toward the living room. When he sat me on the couch and knelt before me, pulling off my shoes, I felt a little embarrassed. This wasn’t the first time he had pampered me like this, but Tristan, Rex, and Caleb were in the room.“Samantha went home. Why aren’t you home?” I asked Rex as Caleb moved to sit beside me on the couch.“We were discussing a new training course we want to try. Not only will we implement it here, but I will travel to other packs to train them as well.” Rex answered.While Hunter continued pulling off my shoes, Caleb tucked me under his arm, forcing me to lean against him. “We weren’t sure when you two would return.” Caleb spoke.“I sent Samantha a text a bit ago, so she knows where I am at.” Rex leaned
Kyra-“We both agreed that the final decision would be up to you. Although neither of us would be able to walk away, we also wouldn’t pressure you or influence your decision. We wanted to respect your choice.” Caleb answered.“After discussing it, we decided that if you did choose one of us, the other would walk away completely. Not disappear from your life like Caleb had, but we would move away to give the other space and to find a way to move on with our lives.” Hunter added.“We had hoped that after some time, you would be able to accept both of us. Since we are best friends, we decided that we could accept sharing you with each other. Besides, I don’t know how it's possible, but other than initially feeling jealous, I don’t feel any discomfort when you kiss Hunter.”“Are you sure?” My gaze moved between both men.“Absolutely.” Caleb nodded. “Neither of us wants to lose you.”I wasn’t sure how I felt about this, but the weight in my heart disappeared. “What about the sleeping arran
Kyra-A month after having Artemis locked up in Purgatory, I still couldn’t let go of my uneasiness. Everything seemed to be safe and relatively standard, but something felt off. I wasn’t sure if it was because things had finally calmed down or if it was something else.Everyone has tried to return to their lives. My brothers have all left except for Rex and Tristan. My father has gone to spend time with my mother. The younger children have returned home and are bringing joy to everyone around them. My life now almost seemed a little too good to be true.There was only one thing left to do. Maybe after that, I will feel a little better about everything. Since the children were down for a nap, I decided that it was time to talk to Caleb and Hunter about the situation between us. I haven’t come to a conclusion about anything, but maybe I will after I speak to them.Walking through the house from the children’s room, I went to find Caleb and Hunter. As expected, I found Caleb in his offi
Hunter- “Caleb!” I yelled as I rushed forward, no longer caring about concealing myself. As I ran toward them, time seemed to slow down. I didn’t know if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but it looked as if Caleb was moving slowly while the others were frozen. Nyx and Achilles had their mouths open as they reached out. Artemis was baring her teeth as she was inches away from piercing Caleb’s heart. Caleb’s hands wrapped around Artemis’s wrists, deflecting her from inching forward. As I reached them, I grabbed the knife from Artemis. Once the weapon was stashed in the realm, I kept my other weapons, and everyone except for Artemis returned to normal. “That was close.” Caleb gasped as he released Artemis and stepped back. “You don’t need to tell me that.” I groaned as I thought about how close Caleb came to dying. “You’re an idiot for putting yourself in front of a blade.” “I would have been fine. It wouldn’t be the first time I have been stabbed.” Caleb shrugged. “No, but it wi