My head was spinning. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. I sat down on my bed with the phone stuck to my ear and sank into the restless silence on the other side of the phone.
"Lilith." Sariel exhaled my name, sending a tickling sensation across my body.
"Why… why do you have Martha's phone?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"She gave it to me… She said that you would answer knowing that it's from her," he explained.
At that moment, I was both, mad and grateful for what Martha did. I thought that I would be better off without Sariel, but only after hearing his voice did I realize how badly I missed him. Nonetheless, along with the feeling of longing, heartache struck me hard.
"Why are you calling me?" I squeezed out of my throat. "The bond between us is already broken…"
"Did you seriously believe that it was the blood bond that made me be with you?" he asked softly.
"I think that not even the blood bond prev
I tossed and turned in my bed for long hours. My heart couldn't rest. The pounding overwhelmed my eardrums, making me deaf to any other sound. My mind replayed each one of Sariel's words over and over again. I could recall every audible breath he took and the taste that his sound left on my body. He used to be my addiction, and it hit me back hard. At that moment, I could take him back even though I knew it wasn't healthy. I think I reached the point where I couldn't differentiate whether I craved Sariel's love or love in general. It was simpler to establish what I didn't want, and that was to be hurt. As much as I couldn't deny the feelings I had for Sariel, I also knew that I was unable to trust him, especially when Elora was around. Nonetheless, with all my rationality applied and functioning, my heart still hammered for him like crazy. I needed a serious Sariel-rehab… The problem was, I couldn't just replace one drug with another.Speaking of the other potential dr
Draven grabbed my hand and led me to the seat he chose for me, which was on the left side of his. Of course, Beta Ari sat on Draven's right side. Draven pulled out a seat for me, smiling and gesturing like a true gentleman, but his kind behavior towards me quickly caused a wave of freezing air aimed at me from the opposite side of the table, where the hostile bitch was sitting. I heaved a sigh, trying to ignore my annoyance while the golden-eyed woman in front of me looked like she was preparing for a catfight. Turning my head to avoid her unexplained anger, my eyes quickly registered two more seats that stayed empty. Then I noticed that Ari was looking at the same spots with concern and impatience. Someone was running late. Draven checked the time on his watch and took a deep breath. "We'll wait," he said to Ari. "I will introduce Lilith in the meantime." Once his words sounded out, the golden-eyed stood up, hitting the table with her flat palms. "What is sh
I kept staring at the note. There was no doubt: it was the same handwriting I saw on the notes to Elora. My hands were trembling while my throat squeezed as if someone's invisible hand was wrapped around my neck, tightening the grip. I ran towards the balcony and looked through the window. There was no one there. Whoever had done this was long gone. I suspected that much, but I had to check.I wrapped my armsaround my chest as if I was trying to keep myself from falling apart. The sense of insecurity was excruciating. Someone was watching me. Which intimate parts of my life had he seen? How thoroughly had he known me? Had he hidden somewhere near me? Or was he still around to watch my every move…?Whoever it was, it must have been someone who either belonged to the pack or had access to its territory. Considering the tone of JD's notes to Elora, I doubted that he was someone who could just blend in and become an ordinary pack member. I'd rather assume that
Draven's eyes were burning with fury. He was panting dangerously close to my face, sending me an urge to step back, but I didn't. I looked into his eyes, struggling to keep my composure the best way I could. I didn't do anything wrong, and I wasn't his. The only thing I owed him was a simple explanation of my presence there, merely because he was an Alpha and I was living within his pack. "I needed to discuss something with Commander Kim. It was urgent," I explained calmly. "You looked like it was a very pleasant meeting." Draven grabbed my wrists and pulled me closer. "It must have been a very satisfying discussion." His unsubtle accusation drove me on the edge of irritation. A million smart-ass lines popped into my brain. All I had to do was choose the way to talk back. Nonetheless, I decided to be better than that. I hurriedly swung my wrists and released myself from his grip. "Patrick is my friend. He helped me with something, and I felt better an
After an additional hour of conversation with Draven, he agreed for us to start with a more friendly and less physical relationship. I was relieved by his sudden change. It put less pressure on us and allowed things to move at their own pace. I shoved away an urge to make Draven talk about his relationship with Jetta. I did it for my own sake… and because I knew she was in my group, and I would have plenty of time to observe her behavior towards Draven. Certainly, I was suspicious, but I got tired of unnecessary drama in my life.The next morning, Draven organized training on the grounds, where I could see the entire army working out. Draven assigned himself as my sparring partner. He did it as clearly as he could, announcing it aloud while wrapping his arm around my shoulder. Thankfully, Patrick was training his soldiers elsewhere. I bet he would burst out if he saw Draven acting the way he did…I stopped pushing Draven away. I decided to wholeheartedly
I was sitting on the floor by my bed, holding the note from JD in my hand. I kept staring at it, processing the situation. He must have been somewhere nearby. He must have been watching me all the time. He must have known my every move, as if there was someone silently following me around. What if he really wanted to kill Jetta? Should I warn her? But warn her against whom…? I was helpless. I wanted to go to Patrick and tell him about the note, but what if JD or someone working for him was watching me even at that moment? I had to calm down and act reasonably. Going straight to Patrick at that moment would only mark him as the one helping me. That would make the spy working for JD act cautiously around everyone from the Royal Army, and I couldn't risk losing my best chance of finding the spy's true identity. As much as ignoring the threat aimed at Jetta sounded cruel, that was the only thing I could do: act as if I had never received that note. I got up from the floo
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