Mari’s POV When I come to, the lady from before, the housekeeper, is sitting by the bed. There’s a certain scent in the room, like some sort of herb or something. “Ah, you’re awake! That always works!” She comes to her feet, and that’s when I notice the incense burner on the cabin beside the bed. That’s where the fragrant smell is coming from. “What’s that?” “Nothing harmful,” she assures. “How are you feeling? You went faint earlier.” Earlier… I scramble out of the bed, getting to my feet on the other side from her. “Where are my car keys? I want to get out of here.” “Miss, I know what you saw could be shocking—” “Could be?” I snap. Then I shake my head. Stay calm. Get out of here. “My keys.” “The Alpha said—” “Fuck the Alpha! I want my keys and I want them now. If you people hold me in this house one second longer, I’ll call the police!” She shakes her head. “Please don’t do that.” “Get me my car keys, then.” She wrings her hands together. “Only Alpha Stefan knows where
Mari’s POV I gasp awake, my hands shooting to my throat. It was a dream, just a dream, I chant in my mind as I try to bring my breathing under control. There’s no wolf mauling at my neck. It was a dream. Shifting to a sitting position, I reach towards the bedside cabin and turn on the lamp. What’s the— I gasp and scramble back on my bed at the sight of the two women standing by my bed. “What are you doing here?” I ask, looking from one to the other. I recognise one of them. Naya, from earlier tonight. This time, she’s wearing black leather pants and a matching leather jacket. So is the other one. They look like a pair of assassins… “You have the worst timing, don’t you?” Naya asks, her lips turning up in a small mocking smile. Then, turning to her companion, she says, “Get her!” Before I can move any further from then, the other woman gets onto the bed and grabs my hands. “What do you think you’re doing? Let me go!” “Told you you shouldn’t have snubbed Martha,” Naya says, h
Stefan’s POV I wake up naked, on a cold floor. The smell of blood permeates the air, and I wriggle my nose. What happened? Where am I? I press my hand to the ground to help me sit up, and that’s when I notice the person lying next to me. My blood freezes in my veins as I see Mari, blood matted in her long dark hair, lying a few paces from me. What did I do? I crawl over to her on my knees. I see it instantly. The bite on the juncture of her neck and shoulder. I press my fingers to her throat. She has a pulse, but it’s faint. “Andreas!” I scream, gathering her into my arms. A door bursts open and Andreas appears. Where the fuck are we? “You’re back!” He runs down the stairs. “Is she alright?” “What happened? Who did this to her?” “You. You…” he looks up the stairs. “Let’s get back to the mansion first.” “Where are we? I don’t remember getting here.” “Your mother’s basement. We need to get her to the healer quickly! I’ll explain the rest after we get to the house.” My min
Stefan’s POV “Alpha, your mother is requesting to see you.” I growl and turn around, glaring at the guard who just walked in. “I said I don’t want to hear anything from her! What part of that don’t you understand?” He cowers and bows his head even further, so much he might strain his neck. “She has not eaten for three days, Alpha. She’s threatening to starve herself to death.” “Let her die!” I snap. “It’ll save me the burden of having committed matricide.” He bows again, this time from his waist. “Yes, Alpha!” Then he scurries away. I swear if anyone else comes back here with that woman’s name on their lips, I’ll throw them into the dungeon with her. Fuck. Why did I bother bringing her with me? She never did anything for me. She always said I was a disgrace to her bloodline. She had expected me to beat my half-brother in succeeding our father as Alpha of our pack, but all that went down the drain when I transitioned for the first time and it was discovered that my wolf was bl
Mari’s POV When I wake up, the first thing that registers is the soreness between my legs. Between my legs, in my hips, waist, and just about every other part of my body. The second thing that registers is the naked man lying next to me. Stefan. My heart thrums in my chest as images flash through my mind. Me, Stefan. Having sex. No, scratch that. Having sex is putting it mildly. We fucked, like animals. I press my hand to my mouth as a sick feeling fills my stomach. Why did I… Why would I… All I remember is that I was so incredibly horny, and the moment he showed up, I felt like I would die if he didn’t take me then and there. Heavens, what’s wrong with me? Since when have I been so desperate to be fucked that I fell into bed with the nearest available man? I push the sheets covering my lower half aside and swing my legs from the bed. Before I can stand, a strong arm wraps around my mid-section. Then hot, wet lips press to my shoulder, and a warm torso presses to my back.
Mari’s POV Half an hour later, I’m in Stefan’s office, staring at him like he has lost his mind. Because he better have. That must be the case because none of what he just told me can be true. Me, a werewolf? Hah! I didn’t even know those things existed until four days ago! I didn’t exactly grow up with my nose buried in books about them either, so I could as well know jack shit about them! “You remember it, right? My wolf biting you.” I nod and swallow hard. I remember that alright. “That’s the only way to turn a human into a werewolf. During the three days you were out, you went through the change. And when you woke up…” He pauses, licks his lips. “We mated.” I’ll not even pretend to not know what he’s referring to. I remember that clear as day. Not like my body is about to let me forget, with all the pains scattered all over it. We had sex, alright. A lot of it. I have never been that aroused before. And I cannot even pretend to not have been aware of what went down, becau
Stefan’s POV “The Alphas of Crimson Star pack and Night Hunters pack request an audience with you tomorrow. From what I gather, they intend to surrender,” Max briefs me. We are in my briefing room—me, Levi, Andreas, Hanna, and Max. It’s Wednesday evening, right after I had my conversation with Mari. “Really? Where did their pride go?” Andreas questions, flipping a pocket knife in his hand as he leans back in his chair. He is right. Alphas don’t give in so easily. Most would rather fight a losing battle than willingly give up their sovereignty. But then again, I’m not just some invading Alpha who wants to take over their packs. They can keep them. As long as they realise they now have someone to answer to. “Crimson Star and Night Hunters aren’t exactly the strongest packs around,” Hanna comments. “They are being wise. They know they can’t handle an invasion.” “I’ll see them,” I tell Max. “Look into them. Just because they surrender doesn’t mean I’ll keep them in charge.” Hanna i
Stefan’s POV “I think you should,” Mari says, her dark eyes seeking mine. “I heard you’ve been looking for her for years.” “Don’t you want to stay with me?” I ask her. She wraps her arms around herself. “I do.” “Then let’s forget about her. I feel everything with you that I should with my fated one. Maybe it’s you I was meant to find all these years.” Or maybe Mari, the real Mari, is dead. That’s the only way I could have bonded with someone else because I never rejected her. “I don’t want you to be with anyone else, but…” she hesitates and looks away, chewing on her bottom lip. “What is it?” I urge her on. Her eyes lift to mine again. “What happened back then? To her.” “She disappeared. One day she was here, the next, she wasn’t. So was her mother. I never heard from her since then.” “I think your mother was responsible,” she says. I frown. “What?” “When she tied me up in her basement, it was because she thought I was her. Apparently, she planned to get rid of her back the
High Palace, Ninth Heaven Selena, Moon Goddess, walked through the open doors of the High Palace. It had been centuries since Mother Creator had summoned her. A summon from Her Holiness was a rare occurrence that sent fear through even the most powerful deities. It often meant one of two things–you’ve gotten on her bad side, or she’s about to give you a new Order. Orders could be bad or good, but it was better to manage one’s expectations. Selena spent most of her time at her Lunar Palace, overseeing the race the Holy Mother had sanctioned her to begin as guardians to the human race. That had been thousands of years ago, and it had been her last Order. She wanted to hope, but she had a sinking feeling this summoning was not about her Order. When she got in front of the throne, she got to her knees, her white robes spilling on the iridescent marble floor. Holding her hands together in front of her, she bowed deeply. “Mother.” There was nobody on the throne, but the creator’s
Stefan’s POV It’s not until I watch the flames engulf her body that all hope dies within me. Gwen is gone. She is dead. When I saw her at the castle two nights ago, I thought I had time. Now, I have all the time in the world, but I don’t have her. I have nothing. And it’s all my fault. If I’d never let her leave, this would not have happened. Heck, if I’d left her alone that night I found her at the nightclub, she would be alright. ‘You can delay fate, but you cannot change it.’ That’s what Eric said when I woke up in the middle of the jungle after he went off running last night. She was meant to die, that’s what he meant. That it didn’t matter what I did or failed to do. She would have died anyway, at that exact time. He said the High Priestess never mentioned it. She told him about his own demise, but not a word about Gwen’s. Why did she insist on sacrificing Gwen in her past life when she must have known she would die young? Because then, she must have known that Gwen
Stefan’s POV “Why did Alexander help Theodore?” I ask Phillip when he shows up in the library in the evening. I’ve been in here most of the day, looking through Alexander’s books. Eric insists that I’m wasting my time. But time’s all I have. Gwen has been avoiding me all day since our conversation in the garden this morning. I know I have to give her time. It’ll be a while before she wants to see me, leave alone talk to me. While I wait for that time to come, I’ll not stop looking for a way to give her something she might want more than me. Eric says he is not the one she loves, but she hasn’t heard their story. Maybe…what if…what if all this time, he was the one she loved? She says if we break the bond, I’ll realise I never really love her. What if that’s true for her? Maybe without the bond, I’m nothing to her. Because we were never meant to be. We only found each other because Eric chose me as his host. I’d never have gotten tangled up with her. I only served to bring the
Eric’s POV Gwen and I are a pair of star-crossed soulmates. That’s what the High Priestess told me in my past life while trying to dissuade me from going through the ritual that would keep me around for half a century. She said no matter how many lives our paths crossed, it would never end well. I don’t think I entirely believed her back then. After all, she was the same person who took Ruby’s life with a lie. She could have been lying to get out of performing the ritual because it was forbidden and would cost her. Even if she was telling the truth, it wouldn’t have changed my mind. It’s okay if I never get to be with her, as long as I can protect her. I had hope that would be for at least a few years before my spirit dissipated. But all I’ve gotten are a few months so far. And unless I convince Gwen to give Stefan another chance, that might be all that I get. We make the switch in the morning. I told Stefan I can rob him of his body. I was bluffing. I’ll be lucky if I can hol
Stefan’s POV I catch Gwen just before she hits the couch behind her. Her limp body falls into my arms and I lift her, holding her against my body. This is not one of the scenarios I had in mind when I imagined how it would be when I saw her again. I imagined she’d be mad and say she hates me–and I could see that in her eyes when I walked into the room a moment ago. But I didn’t imagine seeing me would be so horrible for her that she’d pass out. “Where’s her room?” I ask the vampire. “Can you get the healer? I’ll make a call.” When the vampire came to me not long ago, I wasn’t at the pack. I was in possibly the hundredth town I’ve been to in the past five months, looking for her. “This way,” he says, leaving the room. I follow him into the hallway and up a flight of stairs. He branches off on the third floor. He opens a door to the east and I walk through it into a large bedroom. “Make the call,” the vampire tells me as I lay Gwen on the bed. “I don’t want to spook anyone.” I
Five Months Later It’s been five months since Alexander died. In that time, I’ve not left the castle. I could go anywhere I wanted, but that’s the thing. I don’t want to go anywhere. Not for another two months, at least. When the baby comes, I cannot stay here. It’s fine to isolate myself in the middle of the jungle with no contact with the outside world save for a vampire butler who refuses to leave, but I cannot do that to a child. When she comes–according to Phillip, who can sense a ton of things I’d normally need an ultrasound for, it’s a girl–I want to give her a normal life. As normal as I can before she grows up and finds out she is a werewolf. I don’t plan on looking for a werewolf community. There are werewolves who live in the human world, perfectly hidden. As long as I raise and teach her well, it can be just the two of us, living a peaceful life away from the chaos in the supernatural world. When I leave the castle, I intend to move to one of the houses Alexander lef
Gwen’s POV I wake up in the middle of the night to strange sounds coming from the hallway. I sit up in bed and listen. When a feminine scream rends the air, I jump out of bed and rush for the door. When I get to the hallway, I see a woman outside Alexander’s door. She turns around when I appear, and on seeing me, rushes towards me. “Help me! They are trying to–” She comes to a sudden stop as a stricken look crosses over her face. She stumbles back, eyeing me with suspicion. “Are you one of them?” Phillip appears from Alexander’s room and I walk over, looking between him and the woman. She is human. “What is going on?” “Don’t worry about it,” he tells me. “Go back to sleep.” The woman is looking between us, pressing herself against the wall. I look at her. “It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you.” There’s only one reason a human would be in a vampire’s castle. But as long as I’m here, no one’s getting drained. She looks at me with wide, terrified eyes, unsure whether to trust me.
Stefan’s POV “So you went to bed with a vampire,” I mutter into the dark room after Eric is done with his story. ‘After everything I’ve said, that’s what has left an impression on you?’ I sigh and rub a hand over my face. “You have faith in this vampire, but you have no idea what he has been up to for the past five centuries. He is working with an asshole like Theodore. Maybe Gwen is not as safe with him as you think. Maybe at some point, his dark nature caught up with him and he found everything he did back then laughable. Maybe he took her so he could do what he failed to do back then.” He is quiet. And that means he knows I could be right. ‘But she is still alive,’ he says after a moment. ‘I would feel it if she died, no matter where she is. He wouldn’t keep her alive if he was back to his true nature.’ “There are worse things than death,” I whisper. What if he is torturing her? She is a werewolf, so he cannot drink her blood. If he regrets the things he did for her hundreds
Five Hundred Years Ago The vampire disappeared right in front of their eyes. Eric hated it. It was the most annoying ability those cursed creatures had. When they knew it was a losing battle, they avoided all contact with werewolves. Because once a werewolf got their claws or fangs into their undead bodies, they couldn’t get away. With the vampire gone and the High Priestess done with her ritual, he rushed to the altar and fell to his knees. He unfastened the ropes around Ruby’s limbs and gathered her in his arms. Tears blurred his sight as he called her name, stroked her face, embraced her limp body close. She was gone. It felt like someone had reached into his chest and tore his heart out. How could he have such a connection to a human? He had never understood his feelings towards her. At twenty eight, he was yet to find his destined mate. He should have met her about a decade ago. He assumed she was already dead. Was that why he had been able to fall for her so hard?