APRILI’ve never wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole as I did right now. It felt like the gods would jump down from the clouds and strike me dead if I dared to reject Brooke’s pleas to join her for lunch, because I was clearly the cause of her distress. But the guilt, shame and discomfort I felt from being around her was the worst kind of torture, that’s why I kept wishing for a quick end to my life whenever she was near. Brooke was such a sweetheart and I felt horrible that I was one of the major causes of her heart ache. If I could end what I had with Ace easily, I would’ve done so since the first night I saw her crying after their argument, but knowing him, he’d have my secrets circling the entire school the second I tried to back out of the contract and I couldn’t afford to have that happen. When she asked me if I knew anything about the volunteer she’d seen him leave with on that night, I nearly shriveled up on the spot with the shock that slammed into me. I kne
APRIL I was completely floored by his confession. While I’d boldly pointed out that he didn’t like me, I wasn’t expecting him to counter it by confessing that he did. I’d just thought he would apologize for how he reacted when Xander threw the question at him and nothing more. From the way he’s been treating me of late, I guessed that he liked me better than his other friends, but I hadn’t expected him to confess to it this way. I felt so flustered by his words that I decided to wave it off as a joke instead of responding in an emotional way. “Of course you like every bit of me, I’m adorable,” I wiggled my brows and chuckled lightly, hoping to steer him off the topic that way. “That’s right. But I hope you know I’m serious as a heartbeat about my feelings for you. It’s way too stressful to remain in denial about them, especially when they seem to multiply by the day and you’re on my mind every second of the day,” he went into a more in-depth confession that completely swept me of
APRIL Everything still felt like a dream. From Nick’s confession, to how he’d reassured me, and then the way he’d swept me off my feet with that heart melting kiss we shared. All of it felt too good to be real, so much that I’d kept pinching myself secretly while we headed to his apartment, and since none of the punches made me jump from sleep, I had to accept that it was all real.When we finally arrived at his house, he suggested cooking me a meal and I insisted on helping. After refusing my help a few times, I kept badgering him until he finally gave in and accepted it. He had a recipe book that was his mom’s and he said that he’d memorized all the recipes since he was a teenager but he liked having it nearby while he cooked because it just made him feel closer to her. I found that heartwarming and adorable and it somehow made the process of cooking more enjoyable. We laughed heartily, fed each other tasting samples, talked about our food fails over the years and even danced to
APRIL When I woke up the next morning, I was surprised to find myself in bed because I recalled us falling asleep on the living room couch. It was sweet of him to have carried me into the room so gently that he didn’t disturb my sleep. “Nick?” I called out softly as I yawned, only to look around and see that he wasn’t in bed but there was a surprise waiting for me where he should’ve been. In his place, there was a tray of delicious smelling breakfast on a tray. It was stacked with chocolate pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs, strawberries, and a jug of coffee. I sat up in bed, my eyes watering up again at the sweet gesture. No one had ever been this intentional and kind to me, I wasn’t sure how to react to being treated with so much care and adoration. If he was any sweeter to me, I’d probably become diabetic at this point. “Hey, sweetheart, you're up,” Nick walked into the room with two mugs, smiling at me like I was the most pleasing sight in existence. “Thank you so much for
XANDER I nearly threw my monitor across the room as the pictures flooded in. My Private Investigator, Shane, was doing his job a little too well, uncovering things that left me wishing for death with how furious and jealous they made me. The last few days, he has only been able to send me pictures of April going about her normal activities, from being an insufferable nerd in the library, her silly volunteering gigs, and her stuck up student board meetings. After getting boring pictures for a couple of days, I assumed that her and Nick’s closeness was in the dumps after that little stunt of mine, but judging from the pictures now displayed on my system, they were back and closer than ever. The first one was of them in his car that was parked in a deserted street corner, kissing like they were each other’s better half. There’s something about it that seemed different and unsettling, and I hated it. The pictures that followed were of them holding hands and walking into his house lik
XANDERHow long would it take for me to bleed out and die if I stabbed myself in the eye? I wondered. For the next couple of minutes that followed, I felt like I was constantly thinking of all the fastest ways to end my life so I didn’t have to tolerate this mind numbingly boring conversation between my father and his unwanted guests. The worst part of it all was that I couldn’t simply zone out of the conversation because I was required to be present enough to answer whatever questions were thrown my way. It was either I engaged in the conversation as little as I could or I risked incurring my father’s wrath once they left the dinner table. And trust me, a boring conversation that made me want to take my life was much better than being on the receiving end of my supposedly calm father’s wrath. “You’re a business major, right? I’ve heard wonderful things about the business program in Enigma college, it’s by far the best in the country,” Luna Mendel was speaking to me and I was tryi
XANDER I emptied my wine glass down my throat as I thought of a suitable response that wouldn’t include me pointing out how much I was against being betrothed to a random girl and immediately having my head ripped off my neck by my father. But before I could figure out one, April’s mother spoke on my behalf. “Sweetheart, as much as I was being cordial during their visit, I think you should consider allowing him wait for his mate instead of being hurled into an arranged marriage,” she suggested and for the first time since I knew her, I agreed with her. Just like me, she was only being nice to the Mandels because they were my father’s guest and he’d expect nothing less, but I appreciated that she voiced out her true opinions on the matter because I wouldn’t have been able to do the same. My initial plan was to bore the hell out of them, make their daughter’s life a living hell, and never show up at the altar on the decided wedding day. “Waiting for a mate?” my father’s tone was s
APRILMother’s preferred French brand of white wine finally caught my eye. However, I didn’t even get to lift it from its spot on the shelf before I startled out of my mind from the sound of the door shutting and being bolted. When I turned around and saw Xander with a smirk that made it obvious he was up to no good, I rolled my eyes in annoyance. He always picked the worst times to initiate sex. There’s never been a time when he cornered me that he didn’t want sex. I could see it written all over him as those dangerously stunning blue eyes worked over my body lustfully. I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me that he was undressing me in that twisted head of his. “What the hell are you doing here?” I hissed at him, determined to make sure he didn’t get his way this time around. “Showing you what happens to errant stepsisters,” he answered in a punishing and cut edge tone but his gaze was elsewhere, drooling for what was beneath my shirt. His eyes snapped from my breasts to my ey
PROLOGUEAPRIL“Sandy, stop making your brother cry. You promised that you wouldn't do that today, remember?” I groaned as my oldest child terrorized her little brother. She shrugged, laughing, the mischievous glint in her eyes matching that of one of her dads whose character she’d inherited; Ace. “It’s so easy to make him cry, I promise I wasn't even trying. I’m just being myself,” she flipped her dark lush hair over her shoulders, the glossy and stunning sight also resembling that of her fathers. She was such a daddy’s girl that she took every last bit of her being from them; her drop dead gorgeous looks and her fearless, stubborn personality. According to her dads, she got her stubbornness from me and not them, but I refused to believe that. “Sweetheart, putting a worm in your brother’s shoe doesn't count as being yourself,” Nick stifled laughter as he walked into the living room, dressed handsomely in suit that was identical to our son Samuel’s. “I’m a prankster and an anima
APRIL“Well, it’s a good thing I know exactly where that asshole is,” Nick’s mom said, the anger in her voice superseding his.At least Xenia’s trip across the world had proven to be the answer to our problems. But now, we had yet another broken hearted mate to add to the mix, and just like me, the pain sprung from parental issues. However, there was no time to dwell on that. The moon goddess had given us an opportunity to reclaim the peace in our city, so we had to focus our all on that. After the city was secure, we'd find a way to tend to our broken hearts and find the emotional healing we all deserve.But for now, all that mattered was find Nick’s monster of a father and putting and end to his evil attacks. “Are you sure this is the place, mom?” Nick asked as we pulled into the empty driveway of an abandoned factory in the middle of nowhere. “I'm certain. I'll never forget it because I traced his assets all over the city in a bid to uncover proof of his evil agenda, but he cau
APRILWe all followed behind him, running until we stopped outside what seemed to be a prison cell. There was a woman dressed in tattered clothes and covered in dust cowering in a corner and hugging her knees to her chest, and something about her was oddly familiar. My mates also seemed shocked by her presence, but not in the same way that I was. The look in their eyes told me that they knew something about this mystery woman that I didn't know. Before I could even ask about it, Nick grabbed the iron bars and broke them off with a deep growl before running into the cell and wrapping his arms around the woman. That? That was the most confusing thing I’d ever witnessed. And I needed answers right now.I started to stomp towards the cell when Nick said a word that made me freeze in place, understanding washing over me in a thousand waves. “Mom! It’s you!”I blinked repeatedly, awfully confused. “Mom?” Ace and Xander looked away from the emotional reunion unfolding before us and nodd
APRILGlinda was confirmed to have been dead for good, but our hellish experiences still didn't cease after her death. Personally, I was still grieving my mother and the wonderful life I would've enjoyed with my parents if she hadn't swooped in and turned things upside down. My mother’s burial was an emotional moment for me and I broke down completely while delivering the eulogy. The guys even had to come upstage and keep from falling apart some more. The days that followed weren't any greener, especially with the dark void around the city worsening and swallowing us into a vortex while I was still grieving.Of course we were terribly confused as to why the spiritual attacks had carried on even after Glinda’s death, but no one had a reasonable answer to that. It was fucking frustrating having to watch people in pain almost every damn day. It sucked the humanity out of one’s soul and replaced it with nothing but bitterness. The only thing that was clear to me about the pattern of
APRIL“You rotten lads, you couldn’t just mind your damn business? This is your fathers’ karma, why did you have to dig your stupid snotty noses in it?” she hissed angrily, overly displeased that she’d been found out by us.“We should be asking the questions,” I responded, upset that she hadn’t even made an effort to explain herself, “we came here thinking this whole fiasco was orchestrated by Glinda, only to see that it’s you, mom?!” The disappointment in my voice was thick, but she obviously didn’t give a shit about my feelings because she broke into hysterical laughter. “Mom? I’m not your fucking mom you idiotic little whore,” she rolled her eyes, and then she snapped her fingers, causing her face and physical appearance to warp instantly. Suddnely, she was a silver-haired woman with countless ancient tattoos of the moon and a shiv stuck in her heart that told us more than we needed to know. Later on, the Alphas had given us a more detailed tale of the day they finally took dow
APRIL It’s been almost a month of back to back horrors breaking out in the city.We’d successfully chased the rogues out of the city and the sorceres were stationed alongside the armies by the borders, making sure that no more enemies were able to breach our defenses and get in.Heaps of bodies had been buried over the weeks and the entire town was reeking of grief. Loved ones were being mourned in different corners of the city were candles were lit beside framed photos and bouquets of flowers. Each photo of the dead that I saw brought me close to tears, but for children’s photos, my heart literally ached and felt like it was going to explode. Living in a place that was shrouded with pain and darkness was suffocating. Even though the sun came out each day, it felt like there was a dark void enveloping the city because everyone was in a sunken mood. We had to find Glinda and put an end to her attacks before the city was ruined beyond saving. Our search for her so far has proven fu
APRILThe ticking clock in the ICU waiting room was the only audible sound.Xander had been taken in for an emergency operation a while ago and we were still waiting to hear back from the doctors.When we arrived at the hospital, he was barely breathing, and it seemed like they might’ve stopped his heart for the surgery because I couldn’t feel even a shred of his presence through the bond. On our way to the hospital, we’d dropped Natalie at one of the safety bunkers where security and magic borders were keeping people safe. If she was here, she’d have been a great distraction for me. And god, I’d do anything to be distracted from this godawful unending pain. My chest fucking hurt. Every nerve in my body was on literal fire. My head was pounding as though a line up of high school bands were in a competition. All I could think of was the pitiful state we’d found Xander in a while ago. The way he looked helpless and near death’s door. The way his blood was like a second skin masking
APRILThe city was a mess. A bloody one.“Natalie, stop using your fucking phone or you’re going to get us killed,” I whispered to my best friend whose face was a mess of dry tears. She glared at me. “If I’m going to die, I need Hector to know that he was the best sex I ever had and I always wished we became more.” I frowned at her, both disturbed and confused that she’d picked that as the most important thing to put in order in a life and death situation. What a freaking clown.“Nat, I’ve told you a thousand times, you’re not going to die,” I bit out, “Nick asked us to stay hidden here and he’ll come get us, and I know he will.”I reminded her of the instruction we’d gotten almost an hour ago when chaos broke out in the city.Apparently, some rogues breached the city’s gates and began to brutally attack every living thing in sight. They've been killing anything in their way and no one is exempt from their wrath.Not women. Not innocents. Not children. Not animals. It was a battle
XANDER Today, just like every other day for the last two weeks, we’d split up to search for Brooke. April was able to fully recover from the effects of the poison she was heartlessly fed by Brooke after a full day or more. Once we were certain that she was in a perfectly healthy state, we decided to go on a hunt for Brooke to make her pay for hurting our precious mate.No one seemed to know where she was. No one had seen her since she ran off that day. Even the city cameras had no footage of her since that day. It was almost like she’d vanished into thin air after that day, but we refused to give up on our search.We even had the authorities officially interrogate everyone she knew, especially those she worked with at her modeling agency, but no one had any reasonable information to share with us that would narrow her search.Even her personal assistant only heard that she was missing from us, he’d assumed she was taking a mental health break when she didn’t come to the office for