Kyra-Hunter didn’t speak, but he shook his head as he stepped back. His expression was blank, but I could feel a sense of fear rolling off him. It wasn’t strong, but I could notice it.“It is okay. You won’t hurt him.” I said as I picked up Theron and cradled him in my arms.Hunter still didn’t speak, but he continued to shake his head. Instead of pressuring him to talk to me, I closed the distance between us and attempted to hand Theron to him. He once again stepped back, but he couldn’t get far. His back was now pressed against the wall behind him.His gaze remained on Theron, but I could see he wanted to flee. Before he could get the chance, I stepped forward and blocked his escape. This time, when I extended my arms to Hunter, he continued to shake his head, but his hands came out of his pockets.Taking the opportunity, I pressed Theron against Hunter’s chest. Hunter took Theron, but I could see he wasn’t sure what to do with a small baby. Smiling, I helped him adjust his arms so
Kyra-“It will be okay. We will be able to bring them home as soon as we resolve everything.” Caleb’s calming voice helped ease my aching heart.“I know.” I sniffled.“If you want, you can go stay with them for a while. The rest of us can handle things around here for now.” Hunter suggested.Lifting my head, I settled down. Hunter held no emotions in his eyes, but I noticed the way his jaw flexed. It was subtle, but it was all I needed to remember that despite everything, he did care, even if he didn’t show it. Shaking my head, I slowly stood and wiped my wrists against my face to brush away the remnants of my tears.“I will be okay.” I sniffled one more time. “I just needed a moment. The main thing I need to worry about now is dealing with Artemis.”I didn’t add that we also needed to deal with his situation. I already had an idea brewing regarding him. First, I needed to see what everyone else was up to. Turning around, I looked for Alec, but he was nowhere to be seen.“Where is Ale
Artemis-“What is wrong with you?” I asked Apollo as he entered my bed chambers.“I was told to release you, but I don’t want you to leave.” Apollo sighed as he sauntered toward me.I have been looking forward to this day for six months. I had a more profound hatred for my brother than I thought possible. Every day since I have been held captive, he has found ways to torment me. Some things were downright disgusting, while many I hoped I could soon forget.“Father said I was only being punished for six months, so let me go.” The chains around my ankles and wrists rattled as I yanked on them.“But I was having fun with you. There are still so many things I haven’t had a chance to try.” Apollo stopped in front of me as he reached behind my head and grabbed a handful of hair. “I do hope you misbehave again so I can continue spending quality time with my beloved sister.”Apollo leaned forward and pressed his face against mine as he yanked my hair back. Bile rose to my throat as he sniffed
Kyra-I thought that my idea would be good, but it turned out to be a failure. Hunter sat beside me but only ate one pizza slice and barely watched the movie. He seemed more interested in playing with his phone.I wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say. Yes, I wanted to stir a memory, but I also wanted him to relax. If he was more interested in playing a matching game on his phone, then so be it. I guess I wasn’t very interested in the movie either. I spent most of my time watching Hunter.Before I knew it, the movie had ended, and he had gotten off the blanket that was spread on the floor. Without saying anything, he cleaned up the pizza and put the pillows on the couch. Sighing, I got off the floor and started folding the blanket.I wanted to ask him to do something else with me, but he was difficult to approach. Even if I gave up the idea of trying to get him to remember the past, I didn’t know how I could get to know his current self. Small talk was out of the questio
Hunter-“What is wrong with her?” Selene asked.Instead of answering Selene, since I didn’t have an answer, I lifted Kyra in my arms and carried her to the couch. Laying Kyra on the sofa, my heart squeezed as fear consumed me. I didn’t know why Kyra suddenly fainted, but I had a bad feeling that whatever the reason was, it wasn’t good.“Do you think it is because of everything that has happened? Not only has she given birth, but she had to separate from her children. Now, there is a problem with Zeke, and Artemis is no longer detained by her father.” Caleb said as he crouched beside the couch and took Kyra’s hand.I didn’t move too far as I knelt on the ground and slowly stroked Kyra’s head. I didn’t care if I was showing my emotions now. Kyra was my bottom line.“I don’t think so.” I frowned, and my brows folded as I looked at Kyra. “With what I know about Kyra, I don’t think she is the kind of person who would cave under pressure.”“But she isn’t invincible either.” Caleb argued. “F
Hunter-I didn’t know where her room was, but I walked out of the room and up the stairs. Kicking in each door until I found Kyra’s room, I went inside and placed her on the bed. As everyone else entered the room, I climbed on the bed and kicked my shoes off.“What are you doing?” Caleb demanded and it looked as if he was on the verge of attacking me.I knew that revealing I still had access to my power could be a mistake, but I couldn’t avoid it. Right now, Kyra was in a state of sleep, which meant I had the ability to help her. Lifting my hands, I wrapped them around the cuff on my left wrist. Without much effort, I broke the cuff off and then repeated my actions with the other cuff.“How is that possible? The cuffs were infused with magic, so you shouldn’t be able to break them.” Zac rushed forward and grabbed the broken cuffs off the bed.“Sorry, but they don’t work, at least not on me.” I sighed as I lay beside Kyra, taking her hand and linking my fingers through hers.“That can’t
Kyra-“What do you want to talk about?” I asked Artemis as I searched the darkness for an aura I felt.I didn’t see anything, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Hunter was somewhere around me. Well, it was more Ace, I sensed. I considered asking if Artemis also brought Hunter, but she seemed oblivious to another presence. Her focus was solely on me, and she seemed eerily calm.“It is simple. I just need you to make a choice.” Artemis hummed as she lifted one hand, palm up, and waved her other hand over it.When a glowing object formed in her hand, I stopped looking around and focused on the orb. “What is that?”“This is Hunter’s life force.” Artemis picked up the light blue orb shrouded in light, pinching it between her thumb and index finger.“What do you mean?” I stepped forward and instinctively reached for the orb, but she pulled it away from me.“When I made a deal with your father, I tied Hunter’s soul to an object to be able to keep him alive. This is the object I used.” Art
Hunter-When I woke up, I noticed Kyra was still asleep. Her body wasn’t seizing, which was a good sign that whatever Artemis had done to her was over. Looking at the others, I saw they were all glaring at me, other than Tristan and Selene.Tristan was looking at me with a curious expression, tilting his head to the side. I remembered he had the ability to read minds. I was able to block him when I first learned of it, but that didn’t mean I could while I was inside Kyra’s mind. With the way he was looking at me, I felt as if he knew more than what I had revealed to anyone.“Are you going to put out this fire or what?” Zac demanded.“You really should work on your people skills.” I groaned as I let the flames dissipate.As soon as the fire was gone, Caleb and Zac rushed to Kyra, crowding her and checking her body over. Rolling off the bed, I debated how much I should reveal to them. If I told them that Kyra was given a choice between Caleb and me, they would likely choose Caleb for he
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