I stared at my quivering, blood-soaked hands.
I could faintly hear people talking around me, but I remained lost in my own world. A world full of illusions I had dreamt of.
I could picture myself in Marcus’ house, leaning into his embrace to leave soft kisses on his mouth. And then, I would pull away so I could look into his eyes when I speak. Yes, I wanted to capture the joy on his face for the rest of my life when I told him how much I loved him. The three magical words he was yearning to hear - I would finally confess them to him. I could only imagine how he would feel upon hearing it. I was sure that I would’ve made him the happiest then. I imagined that it would soon be followed by our union. He would take me to his bedroom where we would spend hours within each other’s arms, consummating our bond.
Deathly silence spread its wings over the town, embracing every corner of it. Apart from the commotion in the hospital behind me, there was no hint of a sound anywhere. I’d occasionally heard the howling of wolves in a distance. Alpha Darren had ordered our pack to get on patrolling in the forest and bring back anyone that might seem suspicious. The attack on our pack was entirely unforeseen. The slight twitch of my phone in my hand told me that the receiver had picked the call. I immediately placed it by my ear, “Hello?” “Hi Kiara!” I heard Natalie’s voice from the other end. Listening to her made way for new tears in my eyes. A lump was forming within my throat as I struggled to keep a steady voice, “Natalie…”
I felt his body still under mine but I was much too afraid to look up into his eyes. It wasn’t until his voice prompted me, “Look at me, Kiara.” I slowly looked up at him, and I was taken aback to find his eyes moist. A frustrated look crossed his face upon the sight of me. “Must you be so far away from me?” He said. Realizing what he meant, I leaned in closer toward him. When I was merely inches away from him, his head caught me by my lips. Sinking into the familiar touch of his, I kissed him with all my heart. I wasn’t immune to the familiarity of his lips against mine, but kissing him now felt eerily different. Like I was finally letting him into the heart that had always belonged to him. I was no longer afraid of his intrusion into my life, rather
After a warm shower in my dorm room, my body was ready to drift into sleep the moment it touched the bed. However, when I walked out of the bathroom, someone else grabbed my attention. “Anna?” I said, “When did you arrive?” “Just a few minutes ago,” she said, giving me a small smile. “Are your parents alright?” “Yes, thankfully. Good that they haven't attended the party.” She said, “I spent the night at theirs actually. I couldn’t stay here alone.” “Good that you did.” I said, “It wouldn’t have been safe for you to be by yourself here. I hardly feel it's safe for us now.” “Don’t worry, it is. We have patrols going through the streets every five minutes. We’re safe for now.” “That’s good then.” Silence elapsed between us as she said nothing else. I took the chance to make my bed, silently cleaning it. Our room was a mess since we didn’t bother sorting it before we left for the party. It made me remember how excited I was to meet Marcus just yesterday, as I got ready with A
As I opened the door, Marcus’ gleaming face came into my vision. His infectious smile had spread to me too, making me grin like an idiot. “What got you smiling like that?” I said, “Are you still on drugs?” “You are my drug.” He said. “Cheesy.” I chuckled as I went toward him. I was glad I found him alone, as I could kiss him without inhibitions. I noticed that he was now able to wrap his arm around my body as I leaned toward him to kiss him. Not only that, he had even managed to pull me onto the mattress beside him so I could get closer to him. “Oh, careful.” I said, as I moved away from his wound. “What’s that?” He nodded towards my hand. “Asher gave this to me downstairs.” I said, handing him his wallet, “Said he found it in his lawn.” “Oh, that’s my wallet.” He said, opening it. “You look very cute in that picture.” He clasped it shut at once and looked at me with skepticism, “What did he have to say?” “He acted quite strange actually, as if he was enlightened.” I
Soon, we were all drowned in our own conversations, but Ethan remained silent. By now, I had deciphered that he was a man of few words. However, his silence did seem strange to me. He seemed distracted, his mind traveled to a far away land. A frown formed on the bridge of his nose as he looked straight ahead, his lips pursed. It was evident that he was paying no heed to what we were saying and I wasn’t alone to pick up on it. Natalie noticed it too and had eventually decided to call him out.“I can hear the gears in your head turning.” Natalie pointed out, looking at Ethan. “What are you thinking about?”“About the attack,” he said, “I just can’t ignore the fact that they meant to attack Kiara as well. Everything makes perfect sense now.”&nbs
As I watched the moving trees through the window glass, I couldn’t help but ignore the trepidations in my heart. My cold, clammy fingers were entwined with Marcus’ who was sleeping peacefully on my shoulder. After a week of his treatment and finishing up work in the school, I could imagine why he was so eager to go back to Windshire. To his home. We had started early in the morning before dawn, and the sun rays were now streaming through the tall trees. Since we were riding by car, Ethan thought it was best if we left in the early hours when there was little congestion on the road. He was right, since it had been a smooth journey so far. I wonder how long it would take to reach. I heaved a huge sigh, trying to calm my nerves, but it didn’t help. I was nervous. “Are you okay?” I heard him whisper in my ear, his head lifting off of me. I nodded, “Sorry.” He sat up straight, pulling an arm around my figure to pull me closer. I leaned into his embrace as he pecked my forehead.
Marcus was momentarily paralyzed under her touch, but he was quick to regain his composure. At once, he pushed her away by her arms, forcing a distance of a foot between them.“Audrey.” He warned her in a strict tone.“What?” She frowned at him, “I see you after months and you won’t even let your fiancé kiss you?”My heart sank.Fiancé?I watched her amber eyes regarding Marcus with disappointment, a pout forming on her lips. She had thick black hair that reached her waist, perfecting complimenting her tanned skin. Her voluptuous physique only made her more attractive, and she was aware of it too. Her tall figure towered over the average woman, an
I didn’t get out of the room the entire day, for I had no idea how I’d face them. I wasn’t even sure if Marcus was in the house. It wasn’t until someone knocked on the door that I realized it was already time for dinner.“I’m not hungry,” I muttered, before closing the door again.Few minutes elapsed before the door opened again. However, this time, it was the devil himself. With a plain face, he leaned against the door behind and crossed his arms.“You’re not hungry?”I shook my head, looking away from him.“You haven't eaten anything since morning.”
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.