Ellie's POVBut it's like they say: It's not being smart, it's employing people that are smarter than you are that will give you true success."Then dump it if you can't depend on its certainty and look for a better source," Jaden advises."Yeah, you're right," I agree, emptying my juice. "I should ask more questions.""And if you ever need anything, tell us, we're more than ready to help," Anna assures.I nod. "Thanks, guys."Then Anna makes a face. "The captain of the school football team wasn't happy when we showed him pictures of his beloved in a hotel room with a man whose upper half I asked Jaden to make blurry. He kept banging on the table to know who the hell that was.""What did you guys tell him?" I ask."See no see, tell no tell," Jaden says cryptically, and Anna looks at him like he's lost his brains. "Just a confraternity slang, Anna. We told him that the man in question was too important for his identity to be revealed. If he really wanted it, he'd have to pay a fortune.
Ellie's POVThe next day, I dress the hell up like Sia and sneak out in search of cheap thrills with Anna. Anna told me about a social club called DYK. Its logo is an open Bible. The music here is mainly Electronic Dance Music and I keep hearing songs from Alan Walker and Swedish House Mafia. The dance floor is filled with excited bodies moving under blue lights, and would you look how they move.Anna screams into my ear as loud as she can. "So what do you think?"I bend towards the side of her face. She's wearing a black jacket zipped up just enough to reveal her braless cleavage, a jean skirt, and knee-length boots. "Too soon for that, don't you think?"She sways to John Martin's lines and I join her. It doesn't take long for us to get noticed. Our dress sense can give any regular clubber a hard-on. Mine is a red skin-tight gown, courtesy of Anna, which should have ended at my knees if one side hadn't been scissored up to the end of my ass.Two cute-looking guys come behind us and o
Austin's POVThe location Beta told me where rogue wolves were found is called Shantee Town. It's off the map, don't be surprised. The grass here is green and low. The houses are built with mainly wood and painted with something interesting.Blood.Lots of it.There's blood on the rooftops, blood on the door posts, and on the verandah floorboards. It looks like an Angel's passing over.Beta comes over. The heavy man looks over my shoulder. "Am I late?""Got it handled. You found any rogue?" I ask."Two of them," Beta tells me. "They are injured, nasty cuts.""Where have you put them?""In the boot, Your Majesty."The two werewolves are quite young, maybe in their early twenties.I squat before them and look into their eyes. What I see in there is usually the same feeling everyone has after being caught by the enemy they choose to hate and detest. A mixture of pity, self-disgust, and inferiority, in that order. I smile at that.The blonde rogue catches me doing this and says, "Stop try
Ellie's POVThe first thought that comes to my mind is 'Rogues.' And they've finally tracked me, Austin's protegee, to use as ransom or some evil scheme to get back at him for being against them. I only wonder exactly what they will need me for. Obviously a mannequin to torture and rape and manhandle, if Austin doesn't get to me first before the fun starts.The shock that registers on my face when I see Beta kick the remaining stalagmites of wood into the room and squeeze himself in, has a mix of relief that this is friend and not foe. But how friendly he will be is another kettle of fish entirely.He squeezes the knob until it breaks into pieces and the door opens wide, giving way for a large group of gamma warriors marching themselves into the room like students summoned to the principal's office for their respective duties for Outreach Day. Except these warriors aren't here to take instructions from any of us. Just look at how their clothes darken the room.Pete says, "Fuck," and q
Ellie's POVI finally lose sleep thinking about my oncoming sad story like John Newman. I check the time on my laptop and see that it's twenty-five minutes past nine. I take off my skirt and put on black pajamas, and decide that I need to get things straight with someone. If I sit here staring at myself in the mirror for five more minutes, I might start screaming bloody murder like Banquo.My first stop isn't a reluctant one. Austin's door. There's the head of a growling wolf made with a rare kind of obsidian etched into the middle of the door. A brass ring, doubling as a knocker hangs from the wolf's teeth. I've heard rumors about this one too. People say that this wolf bites if the person in the lobby has any ill intent."Pity I don't," I say to myself. "Would have loved to know if the rumors are true."I knock on the door with the brass ring, and wait for five seconds without getting a reply. I call his name. No reply. I'm very good at burying hatchets. But it seems Austin wants to
Third POVHer skin is soft but her lips are chapped and weathered, courtesy of the cold. As Austin runs his hand across her cheek he feels a cold irregularity, and he picks off the piece of ice from her face.In his opinion, the crystals make her more beautiful and unique, like a gorgeous butterfly. He holds her in his arms and she fits perfectly in them, her lips seem moulded to the shape of his and his hands curl around hers so perfectly he feels they had been made for him.Close up, she smells like roses and honey. She reminds him of something about his home but one part of him cannot seem to remember exactly what. His childhood has been filled with solitude and girls used to be as scarce as rain in summer. She fills his nostrils but there comes some other feeling that overcomes him.Her taste.She tastes like anything amorous. She tastes like tenderness, warmth and intimacy – he imagines holding her by a bonfire, watching the reflection of the flames dancing across her skin. She t
Ellie's POVIt takes a lot of understanding to comprehend a girlie like me. A lot of Intelligence Quotient to burn and then it gives you a migraine that weakens the rest of your body system. No wonder one of the gamma warriors guarding Austin's castle called me a death trap and complete bad news. Interesting to know that someone's been reading about me and is being very judgmental of what he sees.And now my friend, Anna.I don't blame her, anyway. It is me who has something to hide and she obviously knows that I do. She will feel neglected and betrayed and used.All of these bad news.But what about me? Why is it that the bone of contention always arises when these things concern me?Like a death trap.I remember that Anna refused to come with Pete and me. Since then, we haven't spoken to each other until today, when she runs her mouth about me being secretive.And there's Jaden. I know that he isn't completely comfy with the way I run things but hardly makes an effort to put it verb
Ellie's POVBack in school, I can't just stop thinking about our first swimming lesson. The lecture on Fallacies by the Philosophy lecturer enters my left ear and goes out through the other.Austin touched me like he really wanted to. Now, I can't even tell if he began those lessons because he really wanted to teach me how to swim or he just wanted to have access to my body. And he called me his demon. One thing about demons, you either destroy them or make them do your bidding.At the detective club's meeting point, I try to concentrate on the money diverting case by the course representative of Organic Chemistry. Anna still gives me a cold shoulder but she also understands that we need to keep sentiments aside to solve a premium case."Does he have a girlfriend?" I ask Jaden."That's the problem," Jaden expresses his discomfort. "Ever since his rise from grass to grace, he's been changing the feminine caste like pads."Anna slaps him on the arm. It doesn't bother me. I know Jaden. H
Ellie’s POVI watch in horror as Jaden coughs up blood, his body convulsing with the effort. My body freezes for a few minutes as I realize what I have done. I know I had expected this, but planning it and seeing it happen are two different things. Plus, it’s too late to turn back now.Jaden glares at me, his eyes filled first with surprise and then with anger and betrayal. "Why?" he croaks out, his voice barely audible. “I thought you loved me.”I fall to my knees beside him, my hands shaking. "I'm sorry," I whisper. "I have to protect Austin and my people. You and your vampires are a threat that I can’t let go free."Jaden's eyes widen in disbelief. "You set me up?" he gasps. "After all that we've been through, you would do this to me?"I stare unflinchingly into his eyes. "I had no choice," I say, my voice hard. "I had to do what was best for my people. Your death is what’s best, for all of us. I know your plans now, I know Cathy is on her way to the battle with the rest of your ar
Ellie’s POVJaden had gotten too dependent on my blood after the last few battles, and it was all I could wish for.The poisoned blood would be running its course now; I can feel it in my bones. I try to ignore it, and most of the time I am able to, but some nights I am hit with vicious fevers and cold sweats. I am always better in the morning, but my body, and my resolve, have gotten weaker and weaker.If I am this weak, that means Jaden will be too, even if he doesn’t show it. He would never suspect that I am responsible for the weakness, though. I overhear him once telling his subordinates to fetch him fresh humans for blood instead of refrigerated blood from their usual blood bank.Gross.Jaden pampers me, and Cathy shoots daggers my way each time she sees me, but their attention, extreme as it is, doesn’t matter. All I want is Austin, but I can’t contact him.Not yet. It will be too soon.But as the days go by, I start to realize that the vampires are planning something big. They
Ellie's POVI stare at Jaden, feeling my world shatter into a million pieces. I can't believe what I'm hearing.So he is a vampire, and not just any vampire but the vampire prince, the very one who has orchestrated the war between werewolves and vampires. The one who has caused so much bloodshed and chaos. And yet, here he is, standing in front of me, looking just like the friend I had come to know and care for.I feel a wave of emotions washing over me - shock, anger, betrayal - each one so intense I can hardly breathe. How can he have deceived me like this? How can he have been so callous as to use me, to manipulate me?My mind races with questions, but I struggle to form any coherent thoughts and I only manage to ask one."Why, Jaden? Why go through all this trouble?"Jaden says nothing, but he gives me a huge toothy grin that shows off his fangs. I try to muster a little anger, but all I can focus on is the fact that Jaden has been lying to us all this time. Was anything he said o
Third POVAustin growls internally as he barks orders at everyone around him. It was supposed to be a night of laughter, joy, and love. The guests had arrived early, and the festivities were in full swing. Ellie looked radiant in her red gown, and her laughter echoed through the trees as they danced. Austin had watched Ellie all night, unable to keep his eyes off her, feeling his chest swell with pride and something dangerously close to love.She was radiant, filling the space with her presence, and he wasn't the only one she trapped in her spell.The night would have been perfect, but the vampires just had to show their faces, and now he is needed. His Gamma Warriors have gathered at the first sign of trouble, and he needs to lead them into battle. He knows he has to abandon the party halfway through and rush to get rid of the vampires. It's not a decision to make; after all, the safety of his kingdom comes first.As he walks through the guests, he grabs Ellie's hand and gives her a
Ellie's POVAfter the day Cathy flees, I hear the rumors swirling around the pack for days before someone, Beta, finally says it out loud: Cathy has defected and escaped to somewhere unknown beyond the werewolf border.My heart sinks in my chest at the thought. Cathy is strong, more powerful than any one wolf has ever had the right to be other than the Alpha King himself. If she has left, it means something is seriously wrong.There's something significant coming. She has a plan.But nobody knows what it is.I can't stop thinking about Cathy as I walk through the forest, trying to clear my head. Knowing the things she was capable of in Austin's presence, I shudder to think of what she will now be capable of without the power of the Alpha King hanging over her.The sound of wood crackling fills the air around me, so I look up and see Jaden leaning against a tree, right where I asked him to wait.Jaden and I had been together for some time, but something inside me has shifted recently.
Austin’s POVI wake up to the sensation of someone's warm breath on my neck, and I realize that I have spent the night with Ellie. My body feels sated and content, and most of all completely healed, but my mind is restless. There is a nagging feeling that something is off.While we were together, after the first time in the tub when I carried her to my room, I had noticed something. There was no blood, and she was more willing than I could have ever imagined.As we lie there, basking in the afterglow, I notice a strange look in Ellie's eyes. It was almost as if she was feeling the same thing I was. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was a familiar feeling that was hard to shake.This situation with Ellie and me – the feeling of her arms wrapped around me and her moans in my ears, the fact that I could even take her over and over again – it triggers a sense of deja vu, but I ignore it.I notice Ellie’s deep breaths even out and I turn my face down to hers. There is one question
Third POVThe force of the explosion rocks the road itself, sending debris wide and other drivers running. A siren sounds from far away, but the firefighters would be too late. Ellie is knocked unconscious, unable to climb out of her burning car.Luckily, a few people who would be very familiar to Ellie if she is fully awake rush to the scene, and dazed Ellie coughs continuously as a pair of strong arms pull her from the wreckage.Free from the smoke and soot, Ellie gasps and shoots upright as fresh air fills her nostrils. She is disoriented at first, her eyes darting around her as she fights to bring her breathing under control, and a familiar voice sounds from behind her as a blanket is wrapped around her shoulders.“Don’t worry, El. You’re safe now.”Between gasps, Ellie manages to look behind her and is greeted by Beta’s worried face.“What… what are you doing here?”He scoops her up into his arms and signals for the people surrounding them in a tight circle to spread out. While t
Third POVPast events run through her head like a bullet train along a rail line. She remembers them all. Nonfiction. Because they all happened the way she planned. Coupled with the information in the letter in her hands, Cathy cannot be mistaken.Ellie is really her biggest enemy.She never saw the signs, never got too suspicious of the fact that there might be something going on between the benefactor and the beneficiary.So he cares about her. Really does. But why pretend? Why put on a facade that she is just his adopted daughter when she's obviously more than that?Or does he know about the sudden deaths that always befall his chosen mates and decide to protect Ellie by telling a public lie because he really cares about her?Cathy shakes her head and slowly sits down on the couch. She rereads the part where the letter says that Ellie has been investigating the real cause of her parents' death for the past two years.Markus and Rebecca Roze.A wicked smile breaks her face apart as
Third POVEllie knows that Austin is wrong about Jaden and her. He is always wrong about her personal life, but she doesn't even understand why he still tries so hard to get involved.Why come to the table if all you have to offer are condemning insinuations that make no sense nor convey any atom of truth?The look on Ellie's face is lost on the Alpha King. He watches as a tear crawls down her face like a gecko stalking an insect prey."Isn't that what you want?" he demands.When Ellie tries to vent her disapproval and disappointment, words choke in her throat like a knot has been tied around her voice box. She feels the hurt clench her throat, dissipates down and across her upper half that she begins to shake like a child whose brain has been taken over by jaundice.She sobs.And the quakes break her down. Piece by piece. When she cannot take it any longer, Ellie pushes forward and runs out of her room. She doesn't bother to shut the door this time."You can run all you like, but you