“Oh, my God.” Amanda’s voice rang in the air as she walked into the room. Spotting her daughter amongst the crowd of us, she quickly rushed toward her.
“Are you okay?” She asked, planting her hands on Bella’s shoulders.
“Mom, I’m fine.”
Amanda looked behind her shoulder to look at Marcus, “Why the hell did you leave them alone?”
Marcus looked at his mother with apologetic eyes, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked at me. “They played us.”
“Who was it?” Amanda asked.
“
“For heaven’s sake.” Bella groaned beside me, “You ought to show some happiness on your face. This is great news, Kiara.” I could only let out a tearless sob. How was this great news? This only meant that not just me, but my unborn baby was also under threat from the enemies. I was responsible not just for mine but my baby’s life too. My hand instinctively flew to my belly, a weird sensation creeping up from there. It had only been a few minutes since the doctor confirmed my pregnancy and I was already feeling sick. “Mark is going to be over the moon.” Bella said, “When do you want to tell him?” “I have no idea.” I said. Just the thought of revealing the news to Marcus made me nervous. I’m sure he would take the news better than me, but somehow I couldn’t bring myself to confess to him already. There was something holding me back, and I couldn’t put a finger on it. “I am not looking forward to it.” “Why don’t you do it after the meeting today?” Marcus had called for a pack meet
“I call upon each one of you to unite with us to eliminate our enemy.” Marcus said toward the end of his speech, “Stay vigilant, stay protected. But do not succumb to defeat.”As he finished his speech, I could sense the pack stir with revived unity and spirit of belonging. Marcus was an orator who conveyed the most powerful message with little words, a combination that was of great advantage to any leader. I seldom saw him as an authoritative figure, but whenever I did, he reinstated my belief that Marcus was born to be an Alpha. He had the ability to communicate and also the capacity to drive people to work toward a common goal. I had heard several stories about such men but it was only now that I was seeing a reality of it come alive.As he descended the podium, several men surrounded him.
My heart skipped a beat upon the mention of their name. “The Lycans? How do they know we’re here?”Bella’s eyes had turned moist as she stared at them in a distance, regret evident on her face, “They tricked me.”“What are you talking about?”“The letter,” She said, “They must have sent it to me to trick me into coming here.”I gasped, “What? They couldn’t have known that you and-”“They must have got to know after Lucien failed his mission to abduct either one of us.” She said, clasping her eyes shut in regret. “God, I was so
Marcus’ POVI gripped the handle for support as the car struggled moving on the gravel. I looked sideways to glance at Robert, and noticed eminent anger radiating from his face. Ever since we got into the car, he hadn’t spoken a word. Even when I’d asked him something, he kept the answers to one syllable and refused to continue the conversation. It was clear as day that he was angry with me, and it didn’t take a genius to guess why. I found it ironic that he would hold it against me for yelling at his daughter while I'd found the strength to forgive him for abandoning my mate for all those years. If there was anybody who had a right to be upset with her, it was me. While he was her father, I was there for her more than he was, and I definitely loved her without bounds. Out of great love arises greater expectations, so I only found it natural that her shortcomings disappointed me more than anyone. No matter how much I tried, I failed to justify her actions in my mind. The image of my
Marcus’ POVThe place that the Lycan’s chose for negotiations was a smart choice. Geographically, our territories were separated by the great mountains that were uninhabitable. Our ancestors believed that it was these snow-capped mountains that protected us from the evils of the north, as it wasn’t possible for their wolves to survive the cold temperatures of the mountains. They were spread over a vast space, making it impossible for either party to cross it and reach the other end alive. Hence, they had chosen a place called Porcia, that lay miles away from both our territories, but whose people lay in a secret alliance with the Lycans for a long time. It was a land with sparse population, and the legend has it that it was a home to a few banished witches. Given its history, when the Lycans picked this place for negotiations, I couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about it. But I had no choice. They were holding my sister captive, and I had to listen to me. So when they had informed
Kiara’s POV It had been four days since that dreadful night. I remembered it all like a dream that I had seen from afar, rather than lived in the epicenter of it. Sometimes when I looked down, I could still see the blood in my hands. I remember wailing on the ground, helpless, as pain paralyzed me. I was losing a part of myself, my baby. One whose existence was hardly declared to the world. To my world. To Marcus. A shudder ran through me as I reminisced about what happened later that night. Amanda and Natalie had found me unconscious in the room and rushed me to the hospital. I was off the entire time I was treated there, losing track of time. However, when I did open my eyes, I was back home, lying on the bed in my room. Marcus was beside me, and my heart instantly relieved itself at the sight of him. Despite everything, I still had him. He was safe and alive, right beside me. I remember waking him up with my fingers, making him shoot up straight at once. Although relief washed
I sat up straight in my bed at the sound of something breaking downstairs. Frowning, I made my way toward the door, only to hear Marcus utter something angrily. I widened my eyes at once, afraid he would do something in anger that would eventually cost us dearly. If we played our cards well, Lucien’s help could be tremendously beneficial for us. He was on the enemy’s side after all, meaning he had access to sensitive information that we perhaps would never be able to procure. The fact that such a main player had approached us to offer his help should inevitably warrant our victory in this. However, to somebody like Marcus, who wasn’t aware of Lucien’s true motives, his actions might seem suspicious. I couldn’t blame him for it really, since he had no idea about him being Bella’s mate. There was no way he could understand why Lucien was interested in Bella at all. If anything, I’d expect to question his motives at every step, because what else would explain his sudden willingness to h
As I walked out of the house, I instantly spotted Marcus. Although I had earlier seen him leave the hall with Amanda and a few of his men, he was standing alone now. He perhaps demanded some solitude, but now was not the time I would respect his wishes. As he heard my footsteps approach him, he turned around to throw an irritated glance at me, but his eyes halted on my figure at once. He didn’t think it was me. “Kiara?” He asked, “Is everything alright?” “I came down to speak to Lucien.”He turned his entire profile now, astonishment etched in his face, “Why the hell would you do that?” “I needed to know what he wanted.” “I’m there to take care of those things. You need to rest.” He brought his hands to graze the skin on my forearms. “I think we need to give him what he wants.” Marcus scoffed, “He wants to marry Bella” “I know.” “Are you crazy? What made you think I’ll allow that?” “If you want to save her, then you must. Marcus, you and I both know we need his help.” “I kno