Ellie’s POVThe Range Rover Sport pulls to a stop in front of the garage. My mind flashes back to when I sneaked and snooped around this palace, looking for the Alpha King.Then, everything in and within its walls and vicinity felt very intimidating and threatening. From the gamma guards to the palace, which looked like it had been sliced from the Tower of Babel, and then the man they all referred to as His Majesty, Austin.Now, I have no idea what really stampedes my pain, whether it is him or myself."You should go and meet him," the butler promptly suggests to me, as he turns off the engine, pulls the handbrake, and unbelts. "After you are done with cleaning yourself up first. I don't think you should let him come to you.""Why not?" I ask him, unhooking my seatbelt as well."You might not like his manner of approach. He never really had a responsible one, especially when the other person is to be blamed for something wrong.""Thanks for the heads up, uncle," I say to him and aligh
Ellie's POV"I am going to pretend that I did not hear that," Austin says, and folds his arms across his chest, as if this discussion has become quite interesting than he thought. "So she obviously did it emotionally, huh? Really hurt those sharp feelings of yours?"I swallow, mighty glad that I am getting off that feasibly. And when you know that you are out of trouble, that little leeway that comes to you in form of words, I find my own words to say to him, "She has always gotten along badly with me, and I know she is jealous of me. Since I started school two years back, all those boys who were after her began to dote on me with love letters, but I have no interest in those little brats. But Sofia doesn't think so."After a pause, I continue, "Anyway, she's been doing all sorts of bad things, and she even went to great lengths to steal my members for the club recruitment. Of course, it doesn't matter. I have Jaden and Anna and that's enough. Well, as long as she didn't mess with me
Ellie’s POVAustin takes me into a room I haven't been to before. It is downstairs and located behind a tiled door in the sparkling kitchen.The room is old and smells of neglect. It is populated but not well furnished. I see canvases propped up on wooden stands. There are different varieties of pallettes whose colours are covered with dust and cobwebs. The canvases look brown and the brushes appear unused and hard."Sorry about the place," he apologizes, as we stand before the neglected room."Was this a drawing room?" I ask."It was.""Who did all this?""I did."I shake my head. "You are really full of surprises today. So what happened?""Duty happened. I moved here when I became Alpha King and was forced to lose interest in trivial things as art, for the survival of our limited number of people."I look at him. "Art isn't trivial. Why would an artist like you belittle it?""That wasn't me talking, Ellie. That was my father then."He meanders his way through the dust and boxes, hea
Third POVHis words hit them all like a bag of nails, tearing emotions and convictions and doubts, leaving bloody sentiments all over the floor like confetti. Eyes go wide with surprise when Austin makes his declaration.Ellie stands under his arm, her neck sagging against her shoulders, face down like a village commoner unable to look upon the eyes of the King.There are a lot of murmurings and curious smiles. For a moment, the focus on trivial party talks is stolen and Ellie and the Alpha King are on the lips of everyone.Austin's eyes await on Sofia and her sister, but they do not move. However, it is Sofia's sister whose ego is more bruised than any other.Austin turns to Ellie with a concerned look on his face. "Sorry for leaving you like that, Ellie. This was my fault."Ellie simply nods, not wanting to say something in front of these people. At the corner of her eye, she notices that Sofia grabs her sister by the hand to one corner.Austin puts a hand around Ellie's shoulder an
Ellie’s POVThe Cathars Alpha, Gregor, looks at me with unbridled anger. His eyes glow a bright blue and I somehow lean backwards in case he tries to grab at me.Austin has warned me of my sense of humor and how I must try to keep my sarcasm in check.Noted.But sometimes, some people just try to cut at whatever keeps your temper less raving, even when you are hanging on a rope that's six feet off the ground. They want to see you fall, want to see that bloodthirstiness come out of you even if you are not necessarily bloodthirsty.I think he loses his confidence because all he does right now is stare at me like a black cat, but I don't accept the staring contest anyway.I try to reason with him. "Look, whatever I said came out the wrong way. I didn't mean to cause any injury to your self-assurance."He sniffs like a curious bulldog, irritated. "Oh, you think I'm injured? Maybe your perception of that word is twisted. How about I straighten that out for you, huh?" And the big bad wolf s
Ellie’s POVI wake up the next morning glad that my head doesn't feel like Muhammad Ali's opponent. The table lamp is still on. I must have fallen asleep under the weight of my thoughts and forgotten to turn it off.I get up and look out the window. At the far end, across the Sylvan obviously inhabited by wolves and other predators, there is an expanse of land mostly littered with broken down rocks that look like pebbles.I watch as an eagle swoops down there and picks up a bush pig. It rises to a height and then lets its prey drop, following right behind it. The pig screams like a male banshee and suddenly stops its noise the moment it lands.I tone my wolf senses and hear the thud from where I stand. It reminds me of Gregor's knees hitting the carpet. The airborne predator easily picks up the animal again and flies North, if North is actually where I am from this vantage.I start to get curious about everything concerning Austin. What makes him so powerful, even over another Alpha o
Austin’s POVI notice Beta looking sideways at me, probably wondering what measure of a plan I have conjured in the recess of my mind.I almost want to explain to him that it isn't some show of abracadabra. Just resolve. One which puts me in a position of being a better family member. Care for her as her father did, or even better than he did. And by her, I mean Ellie."Pull up here," I tell the driver in front. He pulls into the driveway of a boutique. The sign mounted on an iron bar reads:CatchoosMen & Ladies Boutique"Are you meeting someone here, Your Majesty?" Beta is all inquiry.I unlock the seat belt and put my hand on the door. "No, Beta. I am getting out here. Meet you back here when I'm done.""Your Majesty?""What?" I snap. "Am I being questioned now?"He says nothing and I exit the car and head for the doors. I step aside for a couple pushing a trolley full of twelve-by-twelve boxes and bloody red knickerbockers. Almost spooks me.The lady at the counter looks at me wit
Ellie’s POVI have always wanted to make myself believe that planet Earth turns as slowly as possible so that the lives of those living in it can keep up with its twists and turns.But even as slow and steady as it is, we all cannot keep up with the surprise demon.The crazy stuff Jaden has texted me does not pull off any warnings in my head at first, knowing that Austin is a walking block of uncertainty. I mean, all Kings do have some weird amount of secretive shit they always do. Think Norse chieftains and Indian Maharajas. But this right here before my eyes is mind-blowing and a joy killer.The image here shows that the Alpha King, Austin, once, deliberately, sacrificed the life of a gamma warrior by his side in the war against vampires so he could win. I almost throw up at this. It feels unfair. Like the world is spinning faster than usual at this moment, trying to ruin things.I cannot tell the look on my face, but if I am to say something about it, my countenance borders on mani
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