Hayden “Madeleine…Maddy…” I screamed until my voice grew hoarse. My mind went blank as I tried to process that she was not around me. I had been holding her hand in mine, and we were walking together around the forest discussing about our new house and how we were going to live in it, dreaming of how we would wake up in the early morning and how we would sleep under the starry sky. One second she was next to me and the other second, she had simply disappeared. I looked around wildly, not knowing what to do next. The ground had simply swallowed her whole and the ground had somehow closed in on itself. I pounded on it and tried to dig in, clawing with my nails and hitting with my fists but it stayed as it is…rock solid. It was not mud but pure rock. I had a wild thought of turning into my wolf and digging but even then I did not think my wolf claws and paws were strong enough to cut through it. I had to find something, sharp and powerful rough…like a big hammer. I recalled that
Hayden"Hayden...Hayden"The voices of Raine and the others reached me.I shook my head and blinked furiously, feeling that my head was breaking apart in two.“I really don't know what is going on with him but he sounded like he was in trouble. Damn it, I want to help him too…but Maddy…”Tears stung in the back of my eyes. On one hand, there was my best friend who was in trouble and needed me while on the other, there was the girl who meant more to me than the world. And she was hurt or bleeding somewhere in the pits of the underworld making my heart constrict against my ribcage.Charlie and Ben flanked me on either side and placed their hands on my shoulders.“We are with you alpha, just tell us what happened and either of us will go help Leo.”I felt so bad that I was breaking down in front of the very people who look up to me for support.I had almost gone insane when Raine had been kidnapped and now with both Leo and Madeliene in trouble I felt that I was going to really lose it.
MadeleineMy heart skipped a beat when I saw whatever was seated on that giant cold throne move.And, I felt my breath was knocked out of my lungs when the being turned its hideous head to look at me.'Am I hallucinating?'It said one word…just one…but that word held so much finality that I felt this was going to be my end.The voice was raw and piercing yet oddly aloof. It somehow reminded me of sandpaper scraping against a hard metal surface, of all the pain and sadness I had ever felt…of almost everything except happiness.It was as if my life was like an empty shell and I was hollow…broken and did not deserve to live. The being, whatever it was, turned its head to look at me.But, its head as well as its entire body was hidden beneath a huge cloak…it was then that it hit me.The lich had transported me to his world…to the underworld…wherever it was.A shiver ran down my spine and I placed a hand on my chest to calm my wildly beating heart.It was cold and dark and even my werewol
MadeleineI watched in fascination as the injury I had inflicted on myself began to heal.The skin began to fold and close in on itself as the blood stopped oozing out of my wrist and the cut began to grow thin into a faint white line.All of this happened in less than a minute until which I only kept my eyes focused on my hand. It was not that I was seeing myself heal for the first time but I did not have the confidence to look back at the demon who I knew was staring at me.The pain soon ebbed and I heard the low rumble of laughter of the lich. His laughter held the satisfaction of having achieved what he wanted, though I had no idea what it was.“Madeliene, look at me”He ordered but I kept my gaze focused on my hand.“Look, what you have done!”He said again, this time with a bit more force but I was merely preparing myself to not cry when I would look up.“The sooner you listen to me, the better it would be for you”Saying so, he stretched his hand forward and repeated,“Look up”
HaydenWe drove the cars no less than we would have flown a space jet and I was amazed that Charlie did not hit someone on the way.I did not even let him park properly and simply dashed off straight for the cave I had been to last time with Leo. The others called for me, asking me to slow down and wait for me but I paid them no heed. My heart was hammering as I reached the cave and the black liquid that had devoured everything in its surrounding.The last time I had been here, it was all black and sticky but now; it was just…dry and empty. Like a bowl of molten butter that you would scrape with a fork but some bits stay stuck on its surface.“Where is that black liquid?” I asked in astonishment and everybody looked around in puzzlement.It was just ruins and destructed remains of a once flourishing forest. There was no black liquid but the plants were wilted and flat on the ground as if a drought had sucked every last drop of water from the place.But, I could pay no attention to th
MadeleineI was lying on the ground as if I was sound asleep. But something woke me up.It was a feather like brush on my face.My eyes felt heavy and my vision was blurred.I tried focusing on whatever was in front of me but I felt as if I was seeing it from a distance…as if I was there yet I wasn’t.My head was pounding and I tried to push myself up from the ground.Holding my head in both my hands, I tried looking around, and the first thing that I realized was that it wasn’t dark around me.In fact, I was surrounded by brightness…brightness that was a stark contrast to the darkness I had been in.‘Where am I?’I placed my hand on the ground and immediately felt it was warm not the ice coldness of the floor of the cave.I tried to open my eyes and saw that I had company.A kind figure was looking at me with worry and sadness in her eyes yet her face held a smile.“Get up, child”My breath hitched in my throat.“M-moon goddess, Selene!!” I gasped and she gently scooted forward to tu
MadeleineThe Goddess shook her head, “I am not sure if I should be proud of you for asking so many questions or sad that you still cannot figure out things.”Her words made me close my mouth that I had opened to throw hundred more doubts at her.“What makes a person ‘alive’?”She asked me and I answered, “The fact that he breathes?”I stated and she probed me further, “And?”“Uh, and his soul?”“Correct. So now does the lich have that?”I shook my head in answer.The Goddess folded her hands and replied, “Creating a living being is an art of the Gods or Goddesses…not demons. They cannot create living beings like we do. But they keep trying…and now they have realized that no matter how much they try, they need a little support from us… the very Gods and goddesses they defy”I thought hard and abruptly cut her,“So, my blood is that source of reanimating dead beings?”She nodded her head, “They can only create undead beings that are mere puppets, and the demon knew that I had been savi
HaydenI looked at my warriors holding back Leo as he continued to growl at me. I searched for my pockets so as to find a pen or a marker, just something that would allow me to draw.“Guys, I want to try something. Just hold him still and I will try drawing the rune Madeleine had shown all of us back in the office.”Al of them looked at me in confusion.“Draw that rune? Why??”Charlie asked and I searched for my pockets to find a pen. Luckily, Raine had one and she quickly threw it at me.Unstoppering it, I took Leo’s palm and held it open with a bit of force using one hand while with another I tried to strain my memory to draw what she had drawn earlier.It was the rune she had spoken about of freeing the lich from this world. If she could use that as a rune to free the lich from the mortal world, I was going to try drawing it on Leo’s hand so as to free him of the lich’s curse.It was a bet, but we had too few options. Leo was the best bet for us to find the best route inside withou
Hello, all my lovely readers, The last epilogue marks the end of the story of Hayden and Madeleine. Writing this book has been a roller coaster of emotions for me and I hope I was able to do justice to the characters and to all of you who read the story, felt what the characters felt, rooted for some of them, and hated a few. I am still a novice writer and there is a lot for me to learn and improve. In these past few months, I have received a lot of love from you all which was my biggest dream; to be recognized as a writer. Putting my story out there was like putting my bare self out in the open for everyone to judge. I know I might have made mistakes, and that there is a lot of scope for improvement. I want to thank every single one of you for giving me and my story a chance, for giving me hope that I can write captivating stories that make you forget the real world and your worries, if only for those few minutes in which you read it. Reading your comments and reviews is the bigge
Epilogue (A month after the gruesome battle) Soft afternoon light spilled into the room where Madeleine was sleeping. The curtains rustled in the soft wind as she turned from side to side on the bed. For a month after the epic battle between her and the demon, she had been having nightmares. Pack doctors, herbologists, occultists and everyone who her family felt would be able to help her were called to her aid but their efforts bore little to no fruit. She was tossing and turning in her bed as Raine worried at her lip outside the room. She was carrying a tray in her hand that had a lot of different potions and medicines along with a cloth and a bowl of water. She quickly dabbed her eye and was about to reach for the door to open it when a hand stopped her. She looked at the man nervously and asked, “Are you sure, you want to do this?” He nodded his head gently and took the tray from her. “But the doctors say that it might shock her even more…” She said in the same nervous voi
Epilogue IISelene smiled at Madeleine, teasing her, “You really love him”Madeleine merely studied her body lying on the ground and thought of a remark but could not come up with anything.Selene spoke, “It is your wish, you have to ask for it”“I want Hayden” Madeleine spoke in a low voice.“Sorry? I can’t quite hear you,” Selene acted as if she had not heard a word.Madeleine opened her mouth and closed it again. She realized that the Goddess was making fun of her but then how long would they cry and mourn over the lives they had lost?“Please give Hayden back to me”Madeleine repeated herself and Selene said, “Louder please”“Give me Hayden!!!!”Madeleine screamed and immediately clasped her hands over her mouth. She was horrified that she had almost yelled at the Goddess but Selene did not mind.“Somebody found their voice it seems”Madeleine smiled and turned to look at him.“Come”The Goddess said and Madeleine’s soul drifted towards her. Slowly, they both neared Hayden and Mad
(All the epilogues are in 3rd POV instead of 1st POV)It was dark and gloomy while the pungent smell of smoke, charred flesh, and death hung heavily in the air.A silhouette of a woman was sadly walking through the ground, as silent drops of tears flowed down her cheeks. She was in pain; she was grieving and her ethereal form was blipping in and out of existence just like a candle’s flame that would fight against a breeze of wind to stay alive.She was Selene and she looked around at the wreck of a forest that she had lovingly and painstakingly nurtured. Her feet slowly took her to the demon’s corpse and she studied it impassively to see if there were any signs of the wretched demon left in that hollow vessel that he called his body.Then her eyes flicked to the severed head that lay not too far from the corpse. She picked it up and looked at it, dead in the eye.The demon’s eyes were thrown wide open, probably in shock and surprise at the way the dagger had cut through his neck. Sh
“Noooooooo”I let out a shriek. My eyes could suddenly see well beyond my limited vision and I saw that the crack fell just short of affecting the tree, the giver of life of the forest.The cracks stopped just a few meters away from the tree that shuddered from the impact of the demon's fist that cracked open the ground.It sobbed and gave out a terrifying cry that I had never heard before. I did not even know that it could cry but maybe it was the Goddess who could hear it and not me.I looked around wildly, wanting to find something that could stop him...something, anything...My eyes spotted the very same dagger that Valrok had hurled at me to make me cut myself and give my blood.I got up and swayed a bit but made my way towards the dagger. He saw me get up and let out a mirthless laugh.“Running away from me? That is what you should have done earlier, Selene”He taunted and looked back at the tree that was far away from both of us. And, I knew what he was going to do next.“You a
MadeleineAs I turned to the side, I saw Hayden looking at me, holding a long pole. I stared at him in shock as he raised his hands with the pole and brought it down upon me, smacking my back hard.I was so taken aback by his act that I was flung away from him and the demon. I crashed to the ground as the demon’s laughter reached me.“Fight your children, Selene”He mocked and I could feel the Goddess fuming inside me. She had been calm and composed all this while despite the demon taunting and jeering her but even a Goddess has a limit to her patience.I got up from the ground as I felt the anger wafting off me as it reached its peak. My hands shot to either side of me as I felt an uncontainable energy surge through me.The demon shot his hand forward in response as a ring of white light began to form around me. The ground below me began to crack as hellfire shot up from every possible opening, shooting straight up.The small crowd of onlookers who had dared stay back to witness our
MadeleineI took a step forward and I saw him curl his fingers into fists.“Hello my old friend Selene, took you long enough”He greeted me and I looked at myself in confusion. It was then that I realized that I had turned into a living, breathing halo. All of my body was glowing brightly as if I was made of nothing but pure, white light.The words that left my mouth were not necessarily mine but it did not matter. The Goddess had chosen me as her vessel and I would gladly let her.“I thought you had learned your lesson last time, Valrok.”'Valrok? That must be the name of the demon', I thought.The Goddess or rather I continued speaking, “I gave you enough chances to stop this madness, to not let innocent lives suffer because of your selfish goals but you leave me no choice.”Valrok snarled, “You gave me chances? You are the one who reduced me to this state! It is because of you that I had to rely on puny humans and werewolves until I grew strong enough”“There is still time, stop th
MadeleineEverything happened so fast but it was as if I was seeing it in slow motion. As I watched in a daze, the white beam hummed with a vibrant and restless energy. It was so bright that I had to shield my eyes for a while. I believed it must be so bright and big that almost the entire forest must have witnessed the spectacle. The entire dark night that was filled with terror and gloominess and all the negativity surrounding the demon was suddenly punctured with that beam of light. Even the demon stopped chanting for a while and looked up at the sky.His expressions, at first, were of confusion but quickly it was replaced by rage. He had left the cave and came up on the land, left his stronghold, and decided to walk on the surface thinking that he was now undefeatable.Looked like he had gotten it all wrong.A smile appeared on my face as I looked at him for a brief moment and he grimaced. I did not say anything but my expressions were more than enough for him to understand what
MadeleineI opened my eyes and felt that my face was wet. I touched my cheek and realized that tears had trickled down my eyes. However, what I had seen was just a memory but a powerful one. My mind began to come up with various theories as I replayed them in my head. The runes, the chants with me in the centre…that had to mean something.I was not sure why the memory had been hidden from me all this while or why it had resurfaced only now but my guess would be that the similarity of my current situation with the past memory might have brought it up in vivid clarity.The words of the old man and his conversation with my parents told me once again that the lich wanted to use me not harm me.I recalled everything that had happened in the cave and realized that it had been true. Whenever Amanda tried to hurt me, the lich shunned her. My blood had been too precious for him and now I knew why.Somehow, the wizard, which was what I called him in my head because of his appearance, had combi