Carlos' POV
Justin and I were at still strategizing on how to topple Karen's plot when I received a mindlink from one of the guards stationed by the border.“ Alpha, we have detected an intruder. A Lycan enemy. Should we dispose of her or wait for your command?"I paused, squinting at his words. It was unlikely any Lycan would want to visit our pack except a messenger from the King or Nora. That was also impossible because Nora was missing and the king was already bought over by Karen.Which means the guards were right. It was an enemy Lycan and probably sent by Karen.“ If it's a threat, dispose of it!" I ordered, not wanting to involve myself with these people.“ Wait…is it a male or female?” Justin asked, joining the link." A female,” The guard affirmed.I wondered why Justin wanted to know the sex. Does it matter if it's a male or female?Then he quickly stated, urging me to stand up." HoldNora's POV For the first time since the whole saga began, Karen had a masked guard who was following him by the tail. I gaze out of my cell, my heart heavy with despair. Karen was still hellbent on letting me stay in the guarded room, refusing to let me go. I was still trapped, with no escape in sight.As I pace back and forth in my cell, I notice a masked guard standing outside my door. Something about him seems familiar, but I can't quite place it. His scent, although masked, draws me in, reminding me of Carlos.No, it can't be, I tell myself. Carlos isn't here, lost to me forever. I must be losing my mind.But as I look into the guard's eyes, I sense a glimmer of recognition. My wolf howls in my head, calling out Carlos' name. I feel a surge of hope, mixed with confusion and fear."Carlos?" I whisper, my voice barely audible.The guard's expression doesn't change, but I sense a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Karen appears, his eyes narrowing in suspicion."Nora, what are you d
Flashback…The Ancient Blood Clan was plunged by the King of the White Lycan Kingdom, Salvador. Not showing anyone mercy, he wiped out the whole clan making sure not to leave any trace of a living thing in the clan.The only reason why Aragon and his nanny were spared was because before Karen, the sister to Aragon was killed, she concealed his scent and that of the maid for their safety. She was determined to make sure they were well hidden knowing fully well that their life was at stake and if she didn't do anything, the whole clan would be wiped out. The sound of a baby crying rented the air again.“ Take her away, Freya! Make sure she stays alive and safe… away from this world… promise me!" Princess Karen said, handling a basket to another woman."Princess…""You have to keep him safe! Guide him with your life!"" I promise…"" Go and stay in the hidden chamber till everyone is dead! Don't come out till then! Go now!" Princess Karen shouted before running out of her room.With e
Karen's POV The look on Nora's face after my tale was pale, like she was grappling with the reality of it but that was the least of my problems. For years, I had managed to hold back the spite I had towards her while feigning to be an ally but now, it was all over. Time was no longer on my side and I can’t afford to delay anymore. I had to end everything as soon as possible so I wouldn't have anything to be bothered with again. It was my coronation day and just like I had said to Nora, it was going to be a bloodbath of the pack. I had planned this beforehand and I doubt there was going to be any flaw in it. Immediately Queen Dione made the declaration of me becoming the leader in Nora’s place, I sent a message to my army who had been waiting. And then when King Salvador made the declaration, I had to invite them to the pack to carry the plan. Smacking my lips, I pushed my head backwards, not minding the gaze Nora was sending my way. She must have had a million and one things to
Karen's POVHis words made cold chills run through my spines as I halted momentarily. Clenching and unclenching my fists, I tried to grapple with the fact that Elder Callum had gotten involved in something I had managed to keep away from him. I growled in frustration, my mind racing with anger. "What do you mean they're coming back? How did they defeat the rogues so quickly?""The blue Lycans are a formidable force, Karen," he replied, his voice laced with a hint of fear. "Uncle Callum is a skilled leader, and they have many powerful warriors among them."I snarled, my anger rising. "This can't be happening. Not now, when I'm so close to achieving my goal."He hesitated, sensing my agitation. "Karen, maybe we should—""No," I cut him off, my voice cold and calculating. "We can't let them interfere. Uncle Callum would never allow me to continue my plans for Nora if he finds out. And as for Nora's wolf...I can't let them bring out her true identity. It would ruin everything."I paced b
Carlos' POVTo my delight, all of my plans fell into place. Thanks to the mask that covered my face, Karen couldn't recognize me and my masked smell made it hard for him to detect my presence. The moment I saw Nora, the urge to save her hit me with so much force but somehow, I was able to hold back. Karen's eyes suddenly fixed on me with a smirk carefully plastered on it. That's when I realized that he must have known it was me.I glared at Karen, my eyes blazing with fury as he approached me with his men. He looked smug, too confident, and I knew I had to warn him."Game's over, Carlos," he growled, his voice low and menacing. "You're going down."I let out a scowl, my eyes gleaming with anger. "Oh, I don't think so, Karen," I responded, my voice dripping with condescension.With a sudden movement, he kicked me brutally, sending me crashing to the ground. I grunted in pain as he dragged Nora away from me, his men closing in to surround me.But I refused to back down. "Nora's see
Carlos' POV Standing in front of me was no other person than Karen, a smirk dancing on his lips. He wore an official coronation attire. A thick, black fur glistening in the light, perfectly groomed and sleek. His piercing yellow eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire, radiating confidence and authority. Pulling myself up, I tried to square off with him only for me to fall face first to the floor and the next thing that happened was a loud laughter that rang all over the hallway. “I knew you were up to no good so I decided to lurk around.” Smacking his lips with a shrug, he added, “Too bad you are yet to understand that I’m always one step ahead of you each time.” He hissed. “Why are you doing this? If you really love her like you claimed, you wouldn't hurt her this way.” I yelled, grasping the wall for support. Clicking his tongue, I was itching to hear what he had to say to me but he didn't speak. “You know…” Rub
THIRD POVSlowly, Vina moved her body which was aching slightly as she tried to snap her eyes open. After her encounter with Karen where he had dealt mercilessly with her, he had ordered his men to throw her into one of the rooms so she would die a slow and painful death. “Ugh! I'm not dead yet.” She muttered, finally snapping her eyes open as she pulled herself to a sitting position. It took a while before she could adjust to her environment, and when she tried to stand up in a bid to escape, she fell back on her behind with a little sigh. Wiping the blood that was on the side of her lips, she sucked her teeth, letting out a little grunt at the same time. If she was told before now that her collaboration with Karen was going to cause a lot of damage, she wouldn't have dared.Vina's eyes clouded over as she reminisced about the horrific event. She had thought that being Karen's mate would afford her some level of protection and care, but the memory of that fateful day still haunt
The last thing Vina expected was a bloodied Carlos, looking half-dead and lying at the entrance of the room where Nora was kept hostage.“ Carlos!" She screamed but quickly placed her hand over her mouth, not wanting to attract the guards.With her eyes almost falling off its socket and her heart beating heavily against her chest, she swallowed hard as if that would stop her wobbling legs. Not even the fear of the guards could topple the scary scene before her.Vina stepped backwards, her palm over her mouth. “What am I going to do now? Nora-!” she questioned no one as her eyes darted around the place.Vina's heart racing, she rushed towards Carlos, her eyes fixed on his pale and battered face. She couldn't believe the state he was in - bruised, bleeding, and seemingly lifeless. She quickly assessed the situation, realizing that there were no guards nearby, and sprang into action.With a renewed sense of determination and g
CARLOS' POVBlood dripped from my split lip, and my ribs ached where Griffin landed a solid punch. But physical pain was nothing compared to the rage burning inside me."What have you done to Nora's memories?" I demanded.Griffin's smile was wolfish. "I simply helped her remember what you really are."Something changed in the air suddenly. A shift in energy that raised the hair on the back of my neck. Griffin rolled his shoulders, and I recognized the telltale signs of what was coming."You!" I accused. His only response was a low chuckle as his body began to change.The change took him quickly—bones cracking and reforming, skin stretching over growing muscle, human cries morphing into bestial growls. Where Griffin had stood moments ago, a massive wolf now crouched, teeth bared in challenge.I had no choice. I let my own transformation take me, embracing the pain as my body shifted forms. Within seconds, I sto
CARLOS POVI stared at Nora across the room. Her eyes, once warm and trusting, now held nothing but suspicion and anger. She had been questioning me for hours now without stopping. "The pendant," she said, her voice steady despite the emotion in her eyes. "The pendant I gave you. You rejected it, right?"I swallowed hard, choosing my words carefully. "The pendant? The same pendant you gave me? Come on Nora. None of those matters right now.""That's not what I asked." Her fingers tightened around the glass of water she held. "In my vision, I saw you reject it. I saw the look on your face. The look of disgust abd disdain. Why?"I remembered how I rejected Nora and her pendant. But telling her that now would only lead to more questions, questions that would inevitably reveal the worst of my past actions. It would only make her hate me even more. "I never rejected the pendant," I lied, forcing myself to meet her gaze. "You're remem
CARLOS POVI felt it without warning—a sudden rush of power surging through the walls of our home, the unmistakable energy signature of the pendant. It was the same overwhelming sensation I'd experienced during the war when the pendant's power had first manifested. My heart raced as I bolted upright from my desk, papers scattering to the floor unnoticed."Nora," I whispered, already running.I sprinted down the corridor towards the room. When I flung the door open, the room was empty, windows closed. I cursed under my breath. There was only one place she could be."The secret room," I muttered, increasing my steps. I feared for what was happening. I hoped that it was not what I was thinking, even though I was trying to prevent myself from thinking about it. I avoidedthe thoughts because it would only make me panic even more. As I raced through the winding passages of the house Elder Silvarum's warning echoed in my mind... "Keep
NORAI heard a voice calling my name, pulling me out of the swirling vortex of memories. The sound seemed to come from very far away at first, then gradually grew closer."Nora! Nora, can you hear me? Wake up!"My eyes fluttered open, struggling to regain focus. The room seemed dark at first, but gradually my eyes began to adjust. Not the secret chamber where I had passed, but our bedroom—familiar walls. I was lying in our bed. Carlos sat beside me, his face filled with worry and concern. "Thank god. You're finally awake Nora." Finally, relieve displayed on his features and he sighed deeply. I stared at him, trying to reconcile the man before me with the one in my memories—the one who had rejected me, sent wolves to push me off a cliff, the one who had nearly ended my life because I wasn't the right kind of wolf he wanted. I wondered if that was another dream? Waking up in the bedroom meant that I was dreaming
THIRD POV (Memories 2)The flood of memories continued filling Nora's unconscious form, each revelation more shocking than the last.A new face emerged from the swirling memories. The same face she had seen countless times in her dreams. The man she had always called Karen in her dreams stood before her in the palace training grounds, wooden practice sword in hand."Again," Karen commanded, circling Nora on the packed dirt of the training arena. "Your enemies won't give you time to catch your breath, Princess."Nora's younger self lunged forward, sweat dripping down her face as she executed a complex series of moves with her own practice sword. Though her muscles trembled with exhaustion, determination blazed in her eyes."Better," Karen said with a slight nod. "But your left side is still vulnerable. You have to put in more effort if you want to get it right."Nora thought that she had put in all the effort she could access and
THIRD POV (Memories 1)As Nora lay unconscious on the bare floor of the hidden chamber, her mind was floating in a sea of recovered memories. The first memory came in vivid detail. A warm summer evening, stars scattered across the sky like diamonds. A younger Nora stood before Carlos in an opening, her heart pounding with anticipation and filled with love. In her outstretched hands lay the pendant, its opal gleaming in the moonlight.Nora was smiling sheepishly. Although, she was shy... she still managed to do what she wanted to do. "I want you to have this," she told him, her voice trembling slightly. "I brought it for you. It's to show how deeply I love you." Carlos's face— younger, but with the same features, looked down at the pendant with an expression Nora couldn't quite read. She slightly lowered her eyes, suddenly feeling shy. "The moon goddess sees all true connections," Nora continued, hope evident in her voice. "Wi
NORA'S POV The world seemed sharper somehow, colours more vivid, scents more distinct. And there was something else— a pull, like an invisible thread tugging at my consciousness. I shut my eyes, thinking I could ignore it at that point. While my eyes was closed,I saw myself in another world. I was surrounded with books. I opened my eyes quickly, hoping to have been teleported, but found myself still standing at the same spot. Nothing had returned to normal yet. Leaves rustled loudly, and the sound of distant voices came with the air that kept sweeping across me. Voices that I could not male anything out of. I could hear, but I could not even understand. Something suddenly began to pull me forward against my wish. My legs moved even when I didn't put in any effort to lift my legs or carry myself. I stood shakily, my hand instinctively clutching my head. The pull strengthened, drawing me toward the library."What is this?" I whispered, but
NORA'S POV "I can't just leave," I told Griffin, my voice steadier than I felt. "Carlos is my not just my mate. We are married with kids, Griffin. With kids." Griffin moved closer to me. He did it like a reflex, and each time he got close enough, he pause before getting too close for comfort. "Nora, think about it. If Carlos truly cared for you as a mate should, why keep so much from you? Why let you stumble blindly through life, never knowing who or what you truly are?"I knew that Carlos would not just lie to me. He must have his reasons for doing so. I could not just leave him because of that. I hoped to be able to convince Griffin, even though his offer was tempting. "Maybe he was afraid," I countered, though doubt was beginning to creep in. "Afraid of losing me if I knew the truth. Afraid of something else. Perhaps, just trying to protect me." Griffin shook his head. "It goes deeper than that. Carlos has been actively w
NORA'S POV I paced nervously around my living room, waiting for Griffin to arrive. My heart raced. No matter hoe hard I tried to focus on something else, my mind kept going back to the thoughts I was running away from. The doorbell rang, bringing me back to reality. I sighed as I headed towards the door and opened it. Griffin was standing out there, noth hands in his pocket. "May I come in?" he asked, his voice low.I stepped aside. "Sure." "We can talk in the kitchen."Griffin followed behind as I led him into the kitchen. He grabbed a stool and sat on it. "Where's Carlos?" He asked as he looked around the kitchen. "Out," I replied simply. "Do you think this place is quiet enough?" "You think someone could be listening?" I asked, suddenly chilled."I think we can't be too careful." Griffin leaned forward. "Have you found anything else since we last spoke?""Just more