“That was amazing,” I said as I broke away from him to catch some air.
“Trying to make up for lost time,” He said, grinning, “You’re in for a treat for a very long time. And for many days to come.”
“You can be assured I’m looking forward to it.”
“Well, why don’t you get to shower then?” He said, “We’re running late.”
“Will you join me?”
“I’ve already showered,” He said, regretfully, “Moreover, you’d be done quicker without me. I won’t be able to resist you there.”
I glared at the tight wires that tied around my wrist, threatening to cut into my veins. Any movement I did could risk getting my skin slit, essentially causing myself to bleed out. With my jaw clenched, I looked up at the witch that caused this.“Don’t look so angry, Kiara.” Audrey said as she walked toward me, “Within a few minutes, it’s all going to be over.”“For you or for me?” I asked.Her eyes everted to mine, fixing me with a stern look. Halting in her step, she positioned her hand towards my head. Right then, an intense ache set off in my head, one that I’d experienced multiple times today. Long after she stopped her spell, my head was throbbing, making me fight to remain conscious.
Marcus pulled the black fur coat tighter around me once I was ushered into the car. My legs were still shivering against the cold air of the night when Marcus tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, prompting me to look at him.“I’ll be back.” He said, “You stay put, yeah?”As soon as I nodded my head, Marcus closed the car door and walked back into the house. I could see silhouettes moving about through the translucent glass windows that covered the window. Looking away I stared blankly ahead of myself, trying to process what just happened in the last one hour.Everything right from when Marcus left me at Ethan’s house to him finding me again in this deserted house was crystal clear to me, and my mind was constantly repla
A couple of weeks is all it took for me to bounce back into a new routine. In these few days, Marcus had completely revamped our bedroom, ensuring there was not even a speck of dust that could remind me of Audrey’s presence there.I had also gotten accustomed to having Bella and Lucien living with us now and also the fact that he wasn’t entirely a bad addition to the family. Using his medical knowledge to good use, he has been conducting various free medical camps through the province, thereby winning the local crowd over. Marcus was initially not too pleased with his involvement, but when he realized that the people were appreciating his assistance, he couldn’t say anything. I didn’t know the details of it yet, but I remember Ethan mentioning over dinner once about how Lucien helped us find out some very important information about the Lycans’ trade.
Bella’s POV“How about that one?” I said as I pressed my finger against the glass below.Marcus leaned over my shoulder to see the shimmering diamond resting upon a thin golden band, only to dismiss it with a click of his tongue. “No. That’s not her style.”Sighing, I inwardly cursed at my brother before following him. We’ve been at this jewelry store for over an hour but nothing seemed to catch his eyes. When asked me if I could accompany him to pick a wedding band for his to-be wife, I was ecstatic. If I had known that he would be this particular and unpredictable with his taste, I would have definitely come up with an excuse to escape this situation.&ld
I couldn’t help the pout that formed on my face as Lucien’s phone rang in his pockets.He just got rid of his shirt, meaning to join me in the shower, when an annoying caller demanded his attention. After he read the ID, his face looked back at me apologetically.“I need to take this.” He said before leaning down to steal a chaste kiss, “You go ahead.”He headed to the balcony as he took the call, leaving me longing for his company again. Sighing, I made my way back into the bathroom. Within minutes, steaming hot water was pouring down my face, relaxing every muscle in my body. My body grew alert as I heard his voice once again, but it didn’t seem like he was done with his work. I waited for him to join me, but he n
Bella’s POVWhile Lucien was fortunate enough to find sleep that night, I couldn’t help but twist and turn in my place. Everytime I closed my eyes, the possibility of a child inside me woke me up. I couldn’t make up my mind about how I felt about it. The idea of having a child with Lucien was endearing, but at the cost of what? We were barely finding our footing, was it ideal to have a child in the midst of such chaos?Even if I did disapprove of it, was there anything I could do if I turned out to be pregnant? The thought scared me. I didn’t want to be in a position where I could do nothing about my future again. I had had enough scares for a lifetime, I didn’t need another one.By some miracle, I did end up catching some sleep befo
Lucien’s POV“You what?” Marcus asked incredulously, widening his eyes in horror at me.“I wish to get married to your sister.” I said, “At the earliest.”He scoffed, as though he couldn’t take me seriously anymore. Instead, he looked toward Bella for more explanation.“What the hell is this?”I felt Bella flinch at his tone, seeing as how she was already apprehensive about all of this. His outburst was not making her feel any better, and I couldn’t help but put a protective arm around her.“
“No!!!” Bella shrieked in horror beside. When I looked at her, tears were streaming down her face as astonishment gripped her. I tried to inch closer toward her, try to hold her in a comforting embrace but she remained limp to my touch. She was utterly shocked to hear my words, and I worried that if I spoke any further, she would not be able to handle it. “Why would he do that?” She asked, unable to understand the cruel reality. “If you offered to help, why would he not take it?” I gritted my teeth. God, I couldn’t look at her like this. “I’d gladly die fighting for my pack rather than surrender to my enemy.” I echoed his words from that night, “Those were his words, Bella. I suppose he didn’t trust me enough with his life. After all, I was merely an enemy to him. I could turn my back on him at any moment. He believed that dying on his own terms was better than having an enemy kill him.” “No…” She shook her head, “He didn’t have to die at all. You would’ve saved him. I know y
It’s been four months since the war, and nothing remained the same. The aftermath of the battle was just as gloomy as the events leading up to it. Although the threat to our survival diminished significantly, it took us a long time to accept the disastrous consequences of the war. With so many lives and resources lost, we all had to work extra hard to restore the balance of our community. However, it was only after these four difficult months that we found a reason to celebrate once again. And the occasion was Bella and Lucien’s much awaited wedding. When Lucien took over his empire, Bella and him decided to move out of our house. Starting a new life of their own beyond the mountains, they remained away from us for longer than we’d hoped. Although Amanda visited her a couple of times, both Marcus and I haven’t been able to make time for the same. So naturally, when I met her earlier today as we arrived at their new house, I couldn’t control my tears, and neither could she. “I’v
Considering who we were dealing with, we should’ve known better than to believe that the Lycan King would stick to the rules of the war. When the war began, both the parties established that none of the fighters would carry the war beyond the battle ground. However, after experiencing significant loss yesterday, the Lycan King had perhaps realized that they were heading for defeat. It drove him to do what he was doing right now, breaking rules and going to capture Bella. Thank God Lucien and I caught them before it was too late, for I don't know what would have happened if the Lycans had infiltrated the town. “Where are they?” I asked in impatience as I looked out of the window. As soon as Marcus was informed about what the Lycans were up to, he asked us to head straight home. Bella, Ethan and Natalie were already shifted home by the time we came, along with the baby and the other staff at the medical center. Our army was heading into the town now to fight the Lycans although few
“I heard you were hurt.” He clasped his eyes shut in regret, shoulders slumping down. When he opened them once again, his eyes flickered toward the two men who were awkwardly standing by his side.“Please leave us alone, Potter.” “Yes, Alpha.” The man with the blonde hair nodded and walked past me to exit the room. Once my eyes were on him again, I noticed that his disappointment was still persisting. “Come on,” I said, “You can’t be mad at me.” “Of course I’ll be mad at you Kiara, what were you thinking?” He said, “I’d particularly told you to not do anything stupid and you come all the way into the danger zone all alone?” Tears welled in my eyes at his strict tone. I understood why he was reacting like this but I hoped that he would have some empathy for what I was feeling. He couldn’t expect me to not do anything when I knew he was in danger. “I couldn’t help it.” I managed to say, “I was scared for you. And I knew that if I told anyone, they would never have let me come here
My hand instantly wrapped around her, reclining her onto a nearby stretcher. Thank God I’d asked for a midwife to stay on stand-by, I was suspecting this would happen. “Take her into the operating room right now!” I said as the nurse took over. “Kiara.” She clutched my hand, forcing me to come with her into the room, “I… I need Ethan.” My heart twisted in pain as I looked into her eyes. Conflicting emotions arose within me as I contemplated what to say to her, making me temporarily devoid of voice. Noticing my hesitation, she shook my hand once again.“Kiara?” “Yeah…” I said as I found the courage to answer her. There was no way I could tell her the truth in this condition. I would have to mask it with a good lie until she was in a position to hear the truth. “Natalie, I’m so sorry, dear. But Ethan is in the middle of a battle. I’ve got the news about half an hour ago, I can’t get him to you now.” “Oh, God.” She groaned, falling back onto the pillow, “I don’t think I can do this
Although Marcus was giving me the most reassuring smile he could, I couldn’t help the trepidations in my heart. The war had arrived much sooner than I’d expected, making it even harder for me to let go of him. In fact, I didn’t think any number of days would have prepared me for this one, for no wife would want to bid adieu to her husband as he prepares himself to fight the most cruel monster known. Despite my attempts to have faith in Marcus’ abilities to kill the Lycan King, I couldn’t help the worry that traveled all the way to the pit of my stomach. It was merely days ago that we were happily relishing our honeymoon, and now, Marcus was heading to a war. I was feeling a lot of emotions right then, but fear dominated them all. “Kiara?” He said, placing his hand on my shoulder, “Oh, don’t look at me like that, darling.” Pursing my lips, I gave him a defeated look, “Alright,” I sighed, “I’m going to be so worried for you.” “I promised I’ll be careful.” “I don’t trust you.”
As luck would have it, Marcus and I arrived home right about the same time. Relief washed over his features as he saw me running towards him, opening his arms for me. “Thank God you’re alright.” He said as he pecked my forehead. “Marcus,” I said, breathless, “What the hell was that about?” “We got news that Mary’s Husband, Victor, is part of a rebellion.” He said, “He is a Lycan.” “What?” I asked, “H-how did he-“ “He mostly probably came as an Immigrant, and is looking to turn our people against us.” He said and looked towards our house. “We need to get out of here, Kiara. Our men are going to take care of it. I’ll deal with him later.” “Okay.” I nodded and let him lead me into the house. Within minutes, our bags were packed and loaded into the boot. Hoping into the car, Marcus drove away from there. “Does this mean Mary was also a Lycan?” “Most probably.” He said, “Her husband is leading the rebellion. Of course, she’s aware.” “I knew it.” I mumbled under my breath, “How co
The next morning, Marcus got up earlier than usual.After having endured very little sleep the previous night, I’d expected him to sleep in through the morning. He didn’t inform me anything about our plans for today, so I was curious to find out what he was up to.As he stepped out of the bath, his eyes frowned against me. “You’re up early.”“I could say the same about you.”He shrugged, “Well, I have some work in the town. I’ll have to step out for a bit.”“Can I accompany you?” I asked, “I’ll be bored here.”“You?” He said, “What will you do there? Trust me, you&rsqu
Thankfully, the cook was gone by the time I returned back into the dining room.Having wrapped myself with a robe, I let the wet strands of my hair dry against its fabric. Marcus was swiping on his phone mindlessly when I walked in, but upon noticing my figure, he put it away.“Were you waiting for me?” I asked as I poured myself some orange juice.Nodding, he held out his own glass to me. After filling it to half, I put the juice container away.“Is everything okay back at home?” I asked as he opened the dish to serve some food into my plate.He looked at me. “Of course. Why do you ask?”&nbs
“How long is it going to take?” I asked as I splashed some water towards him.Marcus gave me an unimpressed look, staring down at his white shirt that was now filled with wet marks. I couldn’t help but giggle as he walked further away from the shore, to a point where the waves wouldn’t meet his feet. Shoving his free hand into the pocket, he said something into the phone.Rolling my eyes at him, I swam further into the water, enjoying the blissful morning in the ocean. I ducked my head under the water and tried to swim along, positioning myself along the force of the waves. As another sway of the wave pushed me from behind, I momentarily lost composure and flipped. Frantically moving my arms, I tried to stay afloat until my feet reached the sand.