My heartbeat quickened as I tried my best to attack nonchalant on the outside. Hyper aware of my surroundings, I tried to focus on the lowest of the noises, looking out for any hint of their move on us.
“I’ve already texted Marcus.” Bella said from my side, looking ahead of us. “He should be here soon, but I doubt he’ll make it in time. We will need to shift and escape them as soon as we can.”
“Shift?” I asked, gulping in fear. “I… I don’t…”
Bella glared at me, “If you look like that, we’ll stand no chance.”
“That isn’t helping.”
She gave me an irritated look, “You’ve never fought as a wolf before?”
It had been two hours since Marcus left, but the trepidations in my heart refused to calm down. Every now and then, my feet took me to the balcony attached to our room, my eyes eagerly awaiting his arrival. A knot was ever persistent in my stomach, to the point of making me sick. I’d lied down for a while to fight the nausea, but it only seemed to worsen it. Within seconds, I found myself rushing to the bathroom. Leaning onto the commode, I retched until I felt utterly empty. Wiping away the tears that stained around my eyes, I flushed before leaning against the wall. Right then, a knock came on the door, making me jump. “Kiara?” Bella’s voice chimed. “Are you alright?” “Yes,” I said, lifting myself off the ground. Running the tap on the basin, I splashed some water against my face before I cleansed my mouth. “That tone isn’t convincing.” Bella said as she opened the door to glance at my reflection in the mirror. “God, you look awful.” “I know,” I sighed, turning around to face h
At that moment, it felt as though my body was paralyzed. I couldn’t move nor could my brain allow me to cry for help. I watched as the man emerged from the brightness behind him, light slowly dancing off the side of his face. He had sharp, determined eyes that threatened to freeze me alive. His jaw was clenched, muscles twitching on the side as he continued coming at me as a hunter would at his prey. I noticed a sharp bark of wood that he had grabbed from the wreckage he had created, and he was now positioning it toward me. At the brink of the attack, I felt my legs lose its confines and prepared to run for my life. Right when he was about to strike me with his weapon, I felt a body envelope me from the front. Spreading her arms apart, Bella used her body as a shield to protect me. As soon as the intruder spotted her, he froze in his place, his face twisting with astonishment. A familiar sense of recognition danced in his eyes, and I suspected that was what protected her from him.
“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