Ben nodded his head grimly and I glanced at Raine once, asking her to follow us.
As I stepped outside, I saw the small group huddled together, looking at me like frightened chickens that would be slaughtered soon.
I could understand their fear and worries.
Ben and the other werewolves had dug a small pit where we would bury Greta, whose body was covered in a white cloth.
Clearing my throat, I addressed the small group,
“Today is the day we mourn the loss of one of our kind. Greta had shown great signs of becoming a future Luna and a strong warrior. Unfortunately, she is not with us anymore.
Grieve all you want. But, I must remind you that this is the life of a werewolf. If you don’t fight and attack, you die. If you are weak, you leave yourself at the mercy of fate, which is not always kind.
For safety purposes, I would communicate with all your alphas and they would arrange for safe transportation of you all to your
HaydenBen was taking deep breaths and I handed him a glass of water to help him cool down. He took the glass from me and gulped it in one go.I looked at him hopefully but his face was a mask of disappointment and worry.“Alpha, I looked at every possible location and scourged our territory as well as the nearby areas quite thoroughly. I couldn’t find anything. It is as if Charlie simply disappeared from the face of the earth.”Ben spoke in a worried tone and I tried to console him. There was no way to do that but I tried my best.The blood that I had seen on the ground had been too much. Ben then suddenly had an idea that I had completely forgotten of.“Alpha did you try mind-linking with him?”He asked me and my eyes instantly went wide. How had I forgotten it?I could mind-link with my pack members over a wide range not just near my territory. I had completely forgotten it and I instantly tried
HaydenCharlie then whispered in Ben’s ears, “Yes, I know you love me a lot but sorry I love girls.”Hearing him made me laugh out loud while Ben smacked him on the shoulder.“What the hell, Charlie?”Ben asked him and even Charlie began to laugh out loud.Soon, Ben joined too, and then even I went and enveloped them both in a bear hug.“Just to be clear, I love girls too…”I added and we three began to laugh hysterically.It felt nice to laugh so much. All these days, we had been fighting one thing or the other and we had just witnessed a death.Though it might feel odd to laugh when you are supposed to be grieving someone’s death, I felt oddly at peace. Having both the beta and gamma with me, who were more like my brothers, made it feel awesome and wonderful.After we were done laughing, Charlie asked us a question that made us turn back serious again.
HaydenKnocking on the door, I waited for Raine to open it but she didn't. Meanwhile, Ben and Charlie were talking something about the girls they had seen at the ceremony.Most of the alphas and betas that had joined were males but there were some strong she wolves too.However, I had not paid attention to that. My focus had only been on Madeleine.I knocked on the door again, “Raine. Open the door, I am hungry and we all need coffee and a nice dinner from you.”I added and turned around to see Ben and Charlie still engrossed in their stupid discussion.Wanting them to focus on the issues at hand, I playfully smacked their heads.
HaydenMadeleine got up from her bed quickly and she asked me, “What happened?”I only stared at her wide-eyed for a minute before turning around and dashing outside.She was still in her pajamas but she still ran outside after me as I rushed towards the territory.My heart was beating so fast that it was becoming harder and harder for me to breathe and dread was beginning to fill my heart.Suddenly the cryptic message that had been written on that boulder made sense to me.“No, that can’t be, please Goddess don’t let it be…”I ran towards the border of my territory and Madeleine kept shouting behind me, trying to catch up with me.But, it was as if my mind had gone numb. I couldn’t process things and though I was rushing towards the exact same boulder where we had found Greta’s body, I dreaded what I would find there.Raine?No, my mind would not even think o
MadeleineI had run out in my pajamas when Hayden had dropped the coffee mug on the floor.His face had drained of all color when I had casually replied that Raine wasn’t with me.It had taken me a lot of strength to run behind him. He was an alpha after all and he cut the distance in seconds but I had taken a good ten to fifteen minutes to reach him.It took me a while to understand what was going on when he started screaming Raine’s name and Charlie and Ben showed up too.Somehow, after hearing Charlie I felt that it was my fault for this. Had I told them earlier that Raine was not with me, we might have found out that she was missing sooner?Maybe, even seen who this mysterious person was and stopped him from abducting her.This was something that made me feel guilty and I decided to make up for it.But right now, it was all tense so I didn’t know how to lessen Hayden’s worry.So, I just follow
I was startled to see him and the initial anger that I had for him when he had made me leave like a tantrum throwing girl vanished into thin air.He simply embraced me tightly and breathed in my scent. I felt him sag his shoulders as his hands caressed my back.There was no sign of him wanting to devour me in that touch, just the need to hold me and drain him of his worries.Strange that I could differentiate between the way he touched me.I struggled with myself for a minute and then hugged him back.He smiled and whispered in my ears, “took you long enough”I couldn’t help but smile at his line and responded, “We will find her, Hayden. Please let me stay.”I tried one last time. Knowing that he was miserable here and worrying about his sister while I was safe at Kyle’s pack didn’t sit well with me.Hayden let out a sigh as he spoke, “It’s for the best, Madeleine. I was alr
Hayden replied offhandedly, “Some her. The messages he leaves are very cryptic. There is no her in my pack, except Raine.” No sooner had he said so, he bit his tongue and corrected himself, “Wait…you don’t mean…” Kyle shrugged his shoulders, “Well, it only makes sense….” “No, but Madeleine has not even ascended yet, she is not the part of my pack….” He said so and I threw him an astonished look Hastily, Hayden added, “....at least, not legally….” She is still Garron’s pack member though he doesn’t want to do anything with her. Kyle tapped his forehead as he played with the paperweight with one hand. “Looks like I either guessed it correct or we have one hell of a confusing kidnapper.” I looked around and everybody seemed to be puzzled at this new discovery. “Anyways, I’ll take your leave now, alpha Hayden. The drive back to my pack should take just half an hour but it's growing dark.” Hayden look
I was shocked and scared at the sudden and unexpected turn of events.After all, he was asking me to enter a graveyard with him.What in the name of Goddess was he doing here? What in the name of Goddess was I doing here?Should I just call back Hayden and tell him to free me of this weird alpha.But then something in his voice had sounded earnest to me.I climbed out of the car hesitantly after fumbling with the door lock for a while.Stepping out of it, I tidied my hair and clothes that had gotten disheveled owing to his speed driving.Placing my hand on a nearby tree, I took my head in the other hand to steady my
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