Fynn's POV:There was nowhere… no place left on this earth, for me to find silence or solace from my thoughts. I was back in the cabin in the woods where I had stashed my clothes and phone; which was lying on the counter, out of battery. Nor did I have any plans for switching it on any time soon. This cabin had once been like a sanctuary to me, where I used to come once in a while to leave behind the chaos of the world. I had lied to Kai that I would be in Cape Town for a week, I knew he wouldn't bother to look for me for that period, and I could stay here… to keep myself away from all the chaos and finally find the peace that I had found in this place.But this time, it felt like nothing but a prison. I had let my wolf take over, desperately hoping to find some space from my thoughts. But had to return to the cabin four days later… exhausted and weary to the bone, but still no better. For four days, I had been running relentlessly, only stopping to hunt for sustenance, but hadn'
Vienna's POV: With every passing day, not only was I getting stronger physically, but there was something else… that was also changing within me. I might not know what exactly it is yet, but I know this was the first time I wasn't hating the change; in fact, I was loving it.It had been four days since the day the Kai told me that he had seen my wolf appear on the surface. As for me, I still don't remember how and when I had achieved this feat, but I believed him enough to believe that he would never lie to me.Today as well, I had sneaked out of my house to meet him at our usual place to practice.Even though I knew that no one in my family really cared about my whereabouts or had any concern regarding my well- being… so I could just walk in front of them with the full authority and freedom which I really deserved as a living being.But after that incident, I really didn't want to talk to anyone, or even wanted any encounter between us to happen. I knew that, after what Gemini had d
Vienna's POV: I finally managed to wipe the embarrassment off my face and stepped into reality, only to realize that we both were drenched in sweat today, and there was no way we could step inside the college, looking like this… even if I changed my clothes in his car, like I had been doing all these days.So we decided to shift to our next plan, since I needed a shower. And for that, there was only one place I could go.After Kai dropped me off at the edge of the woods behind my house, I wasted no time before heading straight to Lola’s place.She was the only person I had ever confided in about my secret, and it was comforting to know I could rely on her. Taking a quick shower at her place, I threw on the clean clothes I had stuffed into my bag earlier. By the time I got ready, Lola was waiting for me, munching on a cream-stuffed bun she had swiped from my stash, which I now carried in my bag. “Ready?” She asked, offering me a bite of the bun. I took it gratefully, nodding as we
Author's POV:Asher’s jaw was clenched so tightly, it felt like his teeth might shatter. Anger had already spread its cloak all over him to take him in its embrace, his teeth gnashing against each other as he watched Vienna step past him, leaving him standing like an idiot in the middle of the academic block. He had never been insulted like this before by anyone, or in any situation, but just because of one mistake of his past… he had been slapped by his father yesterday, kicked out of the house.Alpha Blackwood had hurled every insult in the book at him, calling him every name that came to his mind!But even then, Asher hadn’t felt this small as he did, when Vienna walked away without even looking back once. This couldn't be Vienna, his Vienna… the girl who used to consider every word of his as the reality of her life, who once believed his lies without question! She had turned into this stranger, who had dismissed him as if he was nothing! This was a new low in his life, this pu
Author's POV:Asher stammered, his voice trembling as he grasped for straws. “Vienna, I… please don’t get me wrong. The only reason you see me as the villain now is because you don’t know what she has done—” He pointed his finger at Gemini, while Vienna was standing between them both, covering her body with her own. Her tone was icy as she interrupted, “I think you have a problem with hearing, Asher. I didn’t ask you what she has or hasn’t done. I asked how you dared to think you had any right to raise your hand against her!” Asher opened his mouth to respond, but quickly realized he didn’t have an answer to Vienna’s questions. And so, he tried to deflect, by turning his attention back to Gemini. “Are you feeling ashamed yet?” He sneered,“She still came back, just to protect you, even after everything that you have done! And know this very clearly, because she is protecting you, you are still getting to waste oxygen here, and not buried face down in a ditch like I originally
Vienna's POV:I didn’t respond to Gemini’s outburst. I had not spoken to my step- sister, stepmother or father, even once in the last five days; and I had no intention of starting now. Keeping my gaze steady, I began to speak, emphasizing each word because this is the only way Asher was going to stop this madness. “She is my sister. Remember that if you say something to her, you say it to me.” Gemini scoffed, stepping out from behind my shadow; seemingly, she was getting more and more confident with every passing minute. Don't even try to play the victim and I am the most innocent, caring girl anyone can ever see before you! I know it was all your plan from the very beginning. I knew this is what you wanted. “ So don’t you dare use this situation as an opportunity to associate yourself with me, do you understand! You dirty blood of a whore… I’m no sister of yours!” I ignored her completely, acting like I hadn't heard her at all… because if I paid attention to her words, I migh
Vienna's POV:I marched straight into Kai’s office that evening, determined to find out why he was avoiding me. Just a few minutes ago, he had sent me a message to call off our training session for the next day. I was ready to let it slide when he hadn't met me at our usual spot this morning, but the message had left me feeling uneasy.With a light knock, I opened the door to his office, only to find him seated at his desk. Test papers were spread out on the table in front of him as he graded them, flipping through the pages. His head lifted at the sound of the door, his deep gaze locking onto me. “Enna?” he said, his voice tinged with surprise. “Love, what are you doing here so late? Your classes ended hours ago, right?” “Yes.” I said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind me. “But I need to talk to you.” At these words, he turned his full attention to me, clasping his hands together and placing his chin over them. I felt my face heating up under his intense ga
Vienna's POV: I hadn’t realized how much I had gotten used to Fynn and Kai’s presence, until Kai left. Each day, I went to college with Lola as usual, but I often caught myself scanning the corridors for their faces, or getting an odd burst of excitement before English lectures, only to remember Kai wasn’t in Camden Falls anymore… and Fynn hadn’t returned yet either. It was Friday morning, and I sighed as I mentally prepared myself to pass by their office without turning my head, reminding myself that I just had to get through this weekend before they would come back…. hopefully? It had become a habit to glance in the direction of the offices, even though I knew the space would be empty. Today, I promised myself I wouldn’t indulge the hollow ache in my chest, by looking. But, of course, my determination slipped away at the last moment. As I stepped into the corridor, my eyes betrayed me, lifting hopefully. But instead of the familiar pang of disappointment, I froze. Fynn was
Vienna's POV: Orion’s face had gone pale, as sweat started to trickle along the sides of his temple. His lips were shaking with the effort of keeping his tears under control, but no words came out of his mouth. Probably, he still needed time to believe that the girl he had left at the mercy of Tessa and a few pennies in his house was his actual daughter, the one carrying his bloodline.The one who actually deserved his love, care and attention. While he had done the exact opposite of it, since he had given all his affection, care, attention, money and privilege to the one who wasn't even his daughter. He had really messed up big; all this time, he had been cherishing the stone while neglecting the diamond, and now when he had finally come to know the reality of his daughter… I have already decided to leave him. And that's not even my fault, I reminded myself. Old bonds were hard to break, but it was him who hadn't given me the place and attention I always deserved… and he didn't
Vienna's POV:I could feel the tension in the air; and the awkwardness was thick enough to choke on, as Orion stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "What... what are you saying... about Vienna?" Before I could respond, Tessa’s voice cut through the silence, dripping with frustration. “Gemini isn’t your daughter, you thick-headed fool!” “So stop thinking of ways to get her killed and beg Vienna to save her life. Or I won’t let you take a single breath in peace! I’ve done all this, planned all of this… just for my daughter’s sake! And I’m definitely not going to leave her fate in your hands, so that you can risk her life in a Blood Auction.” Tessa was definitely scared out of her wits, since she had gone from pleading with Orion to threatening him within minutes. And Orion didn’t seem to know what to make of it. He stared blankly at Tessa for a moment, still scrambling for some form of clarity, his voice shaky. “Vi… Vienna is my daughter… and not Gemini…” That was thw
Author's POV:Tessa had been lurking in the shadows, listening intently to every word.She knew better than to step forward too soon, knowing that if she revealed herself in the middle of the conversation, it would only increase the bitterness in Vienna’s, making any chance of negotiation impossible. So she has been hiding herself behind the pillars, making sure that she was hidden from every eye present in the room; while at the same time she was able to hear everything that was going on between the people standing in front of her eyes.Normally, she relished watching Vienna suffer, but this time, the stakes were too high. She couldn’t afford to let Gemini bear the consequences. But then Orion—foolish, impulsive Orion—had gone and destroyed everything. The moment he spat out that Vienna wasn’t his real daughter, he had severed the last thread of control they had. He had stripped himself of any authority over her, giving her the perfect excuse to bring their family’s dirty secrets
Vienna's POV:Once the words left my mouth, Orion’s entire demeanor shifted. I didn't even want to refer to him as my father from now on, and my words had already made it clear to him.His expression hardened, but his tone became suddenly gentle, almost fatherly and affectionate. If didn’t know better, I would’ve thought he was genuinely concerned, but I had been burned by this syrup too many times. “What are you saying, Vienna? How can you drag your sister to the Law Tribunal? The Council has been assembled to deal with matters of actual seriousness and significance between packs, not trivial family matters and… sisterly jealousy.”He scoffed, as if recalling some fond memories between us, which were never there to begin with. "I know you have always been jealous of your little sister, but think properly, look closely…all she has ever done was to think about your well being and has always supported you in your good or bad decisions, she was even ready let go of her first love, jus
Author's POV:Vienna's idea about her family was indeed right. This idea was not built on the mere foundation of her assumption, instead it was based on her experience. And the ideas built on experiences rarely tended to be wrong, just like this one… the reality was exactly matching every single detail according to her thoughts.Because right now, Orion was sitting in the comfort of his grand mansion, his fingers tapping impatiently against the armrest of his chair. And if he wasn't forced to pretend that he cared for Vienna, his older daughter who was supposed to return with Asher, the future Alpha of the Pack, he wouldn't even have been here. He would have utilised this free time to sleep in peace, after celebrating his unfilial daughter having vanished into thin air, to never show her face ever again.Beside him, Alpha Blackwood sipped his drink with ease, though his eyes flickered toward the door every few moments. He wasn't ready to miss even a single percent of possibility of
Vienna's POV:The doctor unfastened the blood pressure monitor strap from my arm. As I looked up at him, he assured me calmly. “Everything looks normal. Your heart rate was elevated, but that’s just from the shock. Just relax, there is nothing to be worried about, you should be fine now.” I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself as I replied with a small smile of my own. I didn't want to leave the doctor’s effort unnoticed while my words had decided that they still needed some time to jump out of my throat, using my mouth. However, even though Kai and Fynn were right by my bedside, neither of them was really paying attention to the doctor. Instead, they were busy arguing amongst themselves, in a hushed tone to maintain the decorum of the hospital. “This is the result of our complacency,” Kai snapped. “That bastard had the guts to walk into a goddamn hospital and kidnap Vienna. If we let this slide, what’s next? They’ll march into our territory and claim it as theirs? We should
Author's POV:Tessa sat on the edge of the couch, her fingers fumbling with the hem of her dress. She had finally been convinced to drop her go bag from her; although she still wasn't sure how she had been roped into Gemini’s plan.This girl had a way to convince her to take part even in her unrealistic plans, and today was proof of it. Because even though she hadn't returned her jewels to their real compartments and boxes, she had at least placed the packed bag inside her wardrobe. And now, both mother and daughter were sitting together, working out a story which they needed to tell Orion as proof of Gemini's innocence– the story of the last conversation between Gemini and Vienna. "You'll say it like this," Gemini instructed. "Vienna was going to run away, and I tried to stop her. I was just looking out for her because I didn't want her to make a mistake that would ruin her life. So, I did whatever I needed to do, to keep her from running off."Tessa glanced at her daughter, fro
Author's POV:Asher's body stiffened in shock as he heard Fynn's voice ring through the alley. His heart skipped a beat, surprised that they had found them. After the fight he was sure that they would need months to recover from the physical injuries and for the mental one, they might take few more lifetimes to face Vienna again, and even after he was sure about them never appearing in front of him or Vienna ever again, he was still so cautious about keeping her away from them at any cost.And this is why he had made sure to bring Vienna just outside the pack borders, far enough from any tracking signals, believing he had covered all his bases. He thought he'd be able to isolate her, convince her that he was the only one who truly cared for her. But now, this—Fynn’s voice echoing through the damp night air.Ruining his plans! Making him extremely angry once again.Asher spun around, his eyes flashing with panic as he searched for the source of the voice. Because as Fynn's voice has
Vienna's POV:I couldn’t believe what was happening. One moment, I was walking calmly through the night, and the next, I found myself pressed against something cold and damp, a wetness seeping through my clothes. The burning, acrid smell of smoke invaded my senses, making my stomach churn. My head spun as nausea threatened to overwhelm me. I tried to take a breath, but it felt impossible, like the air had been sucked out of the space around me. My body tensed as I fought to keep my composure, but it wasn’t enough. I was on the verge of throwing up when I saw him—Asher. He stepped into view, his grin wide and unsettling, I felt the feeling of uneasiness growing stronger in my chest. As my heart pounded in my chest, and even though I wanted to , I couldn’t look away from him. With his left hand still buried in his pocket, he made a sweeping gesture with two fingers, and just like that, the thing that had been holding me released its grip. I gasped for air, sucking it in greedily, my