I sat on my bed and stared blankly at Patrick. I was scared and confused. Patrick's gaze was restless and angry. I bet that he regretted leading the legions in this werewolf war. He would rather join the rest of the Royal Army to fight degenerates and the one claiming to be the New King.
"Do you think that JD might be someone from my father's pack?" I asked after sucking a deep wave of air into my lungs.
"We can't ignore that possibility," he sighed heavily, knowing that doing so would only make me hate my heritage even more.
"But as far as I know, there is no one in the pack capable of doing such things." I knew little about the current situation inside the pack, but I knew my father, and he would never allow keeping someone this strong within the pack, someone who could be a threat to his reign.
"Have you considered that it might be your father?" Patrick asked, hesitantly.
"Don't be ridiculous." I waved that idea away quickly. "JD's notes sounded
There were multiple small packs living in the north. They were mostly weak and defenseless against a powerful pack such as the Southern Woods Pack. They all sided with Draven but provided little to no help in the war. They were the ones that needed protection. The south was different. There were a lot of bloodthirsty packs, expanding their territories with violence. The weaker packs could have been either crushed or swallowed. Certainly, the biggest and most influential pack was the one ruled by my father. All five of the stronger southern packs sided with him to avoid confrontation. They were called the Great Five, and they were involved in all kinds of illegal business as if they were the worst kind of mob. To conquer the south, Draven had to defeat those five packs before aiming for a battle against Randall D'Apolito.Each one of the Great Five was given a chance to negotiate and surrender, even though Draven's intelligence had already known they'd rather fight till their
We reached the southern forests just before sundown. We were going to camp there for the night and enter the Scarlet Valley Pack's territory at dawn. The vans were carefully masked, and the whole group marched deep into the forest, carrying our backpacks.This was the first time I had to set the tent, and thank God, Ian was there to help me, saving me from embarrassment. At that time, Draven was busy securing the area and talking about the details of the attack over the phone with other group leaders. Coordinating so many people spread across the huge southern territory must have been difficult, yet Draven seemed composed and strict the entire time. His commands were firm and unquestionable. I had to admit that he looked sexy as hell with his leader's demeanor. As soon as he finished the hundredth phone call, he walked towards Ian, me, and my almost-set tent, and pulled me into a surprising, warm hug."All that talking exhausted me. I need to recharge." He placed his f
I saved Sariel's phone number. I did it automatically, and then I stared at the screen, debating whether I should contact him on my own or not. It quickly turned the night into a sleepless one. I was torn. I wasn't sure if I could forgive Sariel for what he did, but my heart beat faster hearing that he hadn't given up on us. On the other hand, Draven started doing a lot of tiny things that worked on me. He was drawing me into his zone, and his captivation was almost irresistible.I got up long before the alarm clock rang. Fortunately, I was running on adrenaline, my blood richer in it than ever. Hormones sufficed for the lack of sleep. I got dressed and then walked out of my tent to stretch. As I was standing in the middle of the still dark forest, wearing a pair of combat boots, combat pants, and a black fitted top with short sleeves, I saw a pair of red pupils aiming at me. I turned my head, facing those eyes, and saw Draven appear from the shadows by his tent. He stepped c
Our group temporarily split into two. The twenty of us went straight from the casino's area to Alpha Marcus's mansion while the rest of us took care of the casino's workers. I hardly noticed Jetta was with us. I was so committed to the fight that, for me, she became yet another fighter on our team. I wouldn't allow her to become my distraction, no matter how hard she tried. Only when she appeared right beside me, I could see her absolutely focused on the goal, her body overfilled with adrenaline like mine. Well, I was relieved to see she didn't want to pick up a fight with me in such an absurd and extreme situation.Jetta and I walked almost shoulder to shoulder, heading to the wire fence guarding the Alpha's mansion. While we were walking, I scanned her body. She had a few bruises already surfacing on her right shoulder, one around her collarbone, and one on her cheek. Her lip was torn and slightly bleeding, and yet her face was unmovedas if she didn't feel any pain at
My world started spinning. Something heavy slammed into my chest, forcing the air out of my lungs and harassing my vocal cords with a painful growl. Hot, furious tears flooded my cheeks and burned my eyes while my heart ached for the mother I had hardly known. But from Ezra, I knew that she loved me even though she had to leave me. I hoped to see her again. I hoped to reconcile with her. I hoped to take her out of the Southern Woods Pack. Why even she had been taken away from me?!"Oh… You didn't know she was dead?" Derek snorted viciously, rubbing salt in my wounds, "This is hilarious! All those years you didn't even know she was dead!" he burst out, nearly stumbling from laughter.I gritted my teeth, desperately trying to hold my body in a fighting stance. Tears kept falling from my eyes, no matter how hard I tried to stop them. I needed to see clearly. I had to focus. I was already exhausted, and I had just received a huge mental blow, yet I forced myself not
The world around me was spinning, and I could hardly walk by myself. I might have been more exhausted mentally than physically. The pain in my chest was dredged up by the guilt of my first kill. I knew I could rationalize what I did, and I knew that Derek deserved to die, but that didn't change how I felt about it deep in my heart. I kept staring at my hands, dirty with blood, and at the knife, which I held tightly.Ian wrapped my arm around his shoulder and walked with me, supporting me at each step. I noticed that the majority of my wounds had mostly regenerated already, but the deep cuts on Ian's neck and chest were still far from healed."Are you ok?" I asked softly."I've been through worse." He gave me a wry grin. "It's you that I'm worried about. You look like a bloody mess. You won't die on me, will you?""It's not my blood, mostly," I sighed, then my lips curved into a faint grimace. "My body is going to be fine. It is my mind that is missing a p
I might have entered some kind of magical bubble. With each stroke of Draven's tongue in my mouth, I felt more blissful, more into it. I was sinking in pleasure, ignoring everyone's shouts and joyful screams. Draven's arms were wrapped around me. He was pulling me closer with every abrupt breath he took, his chest muscles flexing against my body. As the chants around us increased, I became more aware of my surroundings. A flush of embarrassment flooded my face, sending a rapid wave of strength to push Draven away from me. With the impulse I gave him, he broke our kiss and leaned back to watch my blushing face while wearing a huge grin."You make me want you even more," he whispered against my lips and gave me a quick peck before releasing me from his embrace.I took a long exhale, trying to control my emotions. The inside of my mind was distorted. The pain, the guilt, the satisfaction of winning; it all mixed together. I needed a break, a moment to be alone and process
The rest of the ceremony went smoothly… I think. My mind was elsewhere most of the time. I captured the sight of those standing at the foot of the hill and couldn't think of anything other than my father's unimaginable cruelty. He had sold a part of his own pack. He got rid of those who had come to the Southern Woods Pack with my mother. I bet that he had done it once when he killed her. What could be more disrespectful than selling members of her old pack as slaves? I couldn't bear the thought that I had that monster's blood running through my veins, but I figured that I should at least make good use of the genes he gave me: use them against him and against every wrong he had ever done.Draven held my hand through the whole formal part, as if he was marking me as his, and I let him, not completely consciously, but I did. I stood still with my eyes numbly registering everyone and no one at the same time. My bewilderment successfully took away my attention from any kind
Fucking Adragna! I could barely stand sitting in front of the Marquess or his sons, knowing that they were the ones who planned the attack on my parents. I should have squeezed my fingers around their necks and watched smug smiles disappear from their faces in agony, and yet, I was forced to keep calm, pretending I didn't know because I had no way to prove it. Those fuckers were good at killing witnesses. I hated them just as much as I hated those mongrels from the Southern Woods Pack. I was the Duke and a future king. I had the strength to crush those bastards to dust, but I had to sit there doing nothing. Why? Because King Mael said so! This old vampire thought that it would be refreshing if our annual meeting were held in his mansion in the Blue Valley, completely ignoring the fact that it was in the middle of fucking nowhere. I couldn't stay there a minute longer. I didn't care if King Mael would be pissed. I wouldn't lose his favor anyway. I was the strongest of all the
"My friend will finally wear the crown!" Martha's enthusiasm nearly made my eardrums explode. Truthfully, I couldn't care less about the crown. It was the wedding dress that was freaking me out. Who would have thought that the vows "till death do us part" would actually mean being together for at least a few centuries? I didn't doubt Sariel's love or mine for him, but still… I still hadn't sorted out the whole "vampire issue". After a month of living as a super-duper-commoner, I knew that I didn't need human blood; drinking Sariel's blood was enough for me. I was ecstatic to find out that he didn't need to drink any other blood than mine either. Will told us that it was a "mates' thing", and that this dependence would bind us forever as well as make us stronger. Yet, it didn't solve all the issues that made me anxious. Commoners lived forever, literally, and nobles had extended but limited lifespans. Would I be forced to live without Sariel? The thought of that formed a knot
"Good morning, my Queen."I would never get enough of hearing it. Sariel made it sound amazingly enticing. His smiling eyes were eating every piece of me. The intensity of his gaze made me flush. We were both naked, although I couldn't recall the moment I lost my silk nightgown. Sariel's arms were wrapping me tightly, and our legs were tangled. The air around us was saturated with arousal, so electrifying that the mere spark could cause an explosion. As my eyes roamed down from Sariel's eyes to his lips, I saw a smug grin. One breath later, his hands cupped my buttocks, lifting me slightly so I could feel his erection against my sex. I gasped."I see you're all healed," I chuckled nervously."Almost…" he smirked. "Now I need a different kind of therapy."His lips blocked mine before I could say anything else. He pinned my hands down on both sides of my head and deepened the kiss with passionate, lush licks. As I surrendered to his caresses, his han
According to the legendWill found, the mate's blood had the greatest effect on the full moon. Well… no surprise there. Conveniently for us, the full moon was tomorrow. The problem was that the whole ritual was quite risky since it required unplugging Sariel from any monitoring equipment in order to grant us an intimate environment. The healing ritual should have been performed between the two mates alone, without any disturbances. I could actually agree with that last one. The moment when we exchanged blood last time, well... I wouldn't want anyone to be around when it happened. Still, I was restless. What if we unplugged Sariel because we believed the legend, and he would die because of this choice?I asked Will if I could read everything he found about that legend, and he agreed to bring me all the centuries-old books that had mentioned something like "mates" among vampires. The moment I began to read it, my heart started to pound. The words describing the bond
After coming back to the Palace, I was dragged away from Sariel. The King was unconscious, and the reign of the kingdom had to be settled immediately. I was led to the study, where I met Gabriel, a group of lawyers, and Leo. I had no idea what my role was in all of this, and I didn't care. I would rather sit by Sariel's bed until he woke up, yet Leo firmly held my hand, convincing me to stay. He told me that there was a certain protocol I, as the queen-to-be, should follow. Reluctantly, I gave up and decided to listen.One of the lawyers stepped forward. He held a sealed envelope. He showed everyone the unbroken seal, and then he opened the content. It was an emergency protocol. It was only supposed to be open if something happened to the King. Acknowledging the reason we were gathered in that room made my head spin. I was suffocating. I stumbled, taking a step back. It was too much. Sariel wasn't dead! I couldn't bear to do anything as if he had already died!"It's on
When I saw Jarred standing over Sariel, who was lying on the ground, my heart stopped beating. My King was bleeding heavily from multiple cuts on his chest, his shoulders, his arms… When I ran into the arena and stopped in the middle, everyone's eyes shifted to me. I struggled to take a breath as the tears flooded my cheeks. Jarred growled and gestured at two standing-by guards so they could take me out of there. Jarred should have known better than to send two rogue werewolves against me. As I roared warningly and pulled out my claws, the wolves stepped back, recognizing my strength.I knew that I couldn't interfere in Sariel's fight. I was no match for Jarred, nor did I want to take away Sariel's pride. The only thing I could do was to bring back his will and courage. I couldn't lose him when we had just gotten each other back. As he turned his head towards me, I met his eyes. Their fire was slowly dying. The view devastated me, but I was not allowed to give up.
I ran towards the screen, processing the situation. The arena was surrounded by a rising ring of metal constructions with wooden boards lying on them, creating a provisional place to stand or walk. A few seconds later, Sariel and Jarred were joined by the audience. They stood on each floor of the construction. They were Jarred's men: rogue wolves and commoner vampires, hiding their flesh under the thick hoods and robes. The outcasts. They were all chanting Jarred's name and spitting underneath Sariel's feet. I could hear their spiteful voices coming through the speakers. Hearing their hatred tore my heart apart, but Sariel seemed unmoved. My King stood proudly, glaring at his enemy while he enticed the crowd, fueling their furious shouts. "Where's Lilith?" Sariel clenched his fist, seeking my presence in the audience. Jarred raised his hand, silencing the crowd, before speaking, "My Sister is safe. She is resting in her room." He curved his lips into a smile, but his
I turned towards the door and observed the overly tall shape of a man emerging from the shadows of the corridor. As he passed the threshold of my cell, I stepped back, soaking my bare feet in the puddle of Ian's blood. My instincts forced me to keep the right distance despite the circumstances. His dangerous aura filled every corner of the room, making every breath more and more uncomfortable.A second later, I saw a man with wavy, naturally ruffled black hair. The irises of his eyes were green with light shades of gold, captivatingly glowing in his olive complexion. He had strongly underlined cheekbones and a sharp jawline, giving him a highly intimidating look. As he entered, his eyes were locked on me. He never spared a glance at Ian's bloodied corpse. He stepped forward, and I instantly stepped back. Once I did, his full faint-pink lips formed a wicked smirk. He walked my way until my steps back brought me against the wall.He easily towered over me, shutting me in
"Lilith." Someone cautiously called my name, pulling me back to awareness.Waking up was hard. It instantly brought me pain before I could even open my eyes. My mouth twisted in a silent scream as I felt my body burning from the inside. My senses were dull, and I could barely feel anything except the pain."Silver is still in your blood. Try not to move; it will be less painful that way," the low voice advised.As more of my consciousness came back, I found myself lying on the bed. I opened my eyes and saw my hands in shackles, restrained by chains on both sides of the bed. There was also a cold metallic collar on my neck. The advice I heard was accurate: the pain lessened as soon as I stooped to move, yet I needed to find out more to evaluate my situation. I slowly turned my head to the source of the voice and saw Ian standing beside my bed.I instantly frowned. "Traitor," I mumbled.He smiled wryly. "I merely chose to be someone better than a dri