Anastasia The following day, I woke up to find myself in my bed. How did I get here? I don't remember walking home. I can smell Theo 's scent around me. He must’ve brought me home. I drop my legs on the floor to walk to the bathroom but stop when I feel a burn in my arms. It doesn’t stop there and gets worse. My whole body is on fire. I prayed this wouldn’t happen, but it's here because Theo refuses to mark me even though I have found him. I fall to the ground, pulling at my skin to stop the burning feeling. Everywhere is on fire—my arms, my legs, even my heart is burning. I scream as I feel the pain increase with each passing second. I’m being burnt alive. “Theo , please! Make it go away!” I beg him as he barges into my room. He must’ve heard me screaming. All he does is stare at me. He doesn’t move until another scream involuntarily escapes my mouth. He takes a step closer but stops, turns around and walks out of my room. I know Theo doesn’t want me, but how can he leave me in
I wait a few seconds before Scarlett arrives at the border. Her eyes widen once they set on me, but her surprise quickly fades away, and a smile takes up her face. “It seems you wandered into the wrong path, my Queen,” Scarlett says with a smirk on her face. She knows very well that I didn’t make a mistake coming here, but she wants to insult me. “I’m in the right place, Scarlett. Are you going to make your Queen stand here all day?” I taunt back at her. “It’s Alpha Scarlett, not just Scarlett.” “No, it’s not. Because, as you said, I’m your Queen,” I say with a smirk, knowing I’ve won. “Right this way, my Queen,” Scarlett says, scrunching up her nose. This makes me smile more. She leads the way to the pack house, and I follow. “I hope I can trust you won’t tell Theo I’m here,” I say. “Of course, the King won’t hear a word of your presence here.” “Good” It’s been a few days since Scarlett let me stay. She didn’t inform the King I was here as she said. She hates me and wants to
For two days, I’ve been watching YouTube videos and practicing how to do vampire-like makeup convincingly. I’m getting ready to go before the sun sets, doing my makeup. I don’t want to be out when the sun is down because Vampires are more likely to be out. Only Originals can come out during the day. Once I’m done with my makeup, I mask my scent. I planned to sneak out through my window because I don't want the boys to see me looking like a vampire and ask questions. Before I can sneak out someone bursts into my room. “Vampire,” Lucas growls, pulling me behind him. “Vampire,” I say, confused. “I smell a vampire,” Lucas says, looking around the room. “I don't smell any vampire,” I say from behind him. “It's gone, but did you see anything suspicious?” Lucas asks as he turns around to face me. “No, I di—” “What is wrong with you, Luna?” Lucas says, cutting me off. “Are you sick?” he asks and places his hand on my head. An earth-shattering growl is heard the second he touches my hea
It’s been a few minutes since Theo went in for a shower. I’m staying in the living room waiting for him to be done. I plan to take a shower after him, but I don’t have any clothes. Theo made us leave the cabin without giving me a chance to pack my things. I walk into the bedroom to find out if he’s done. He has been taking a shower for a long while. I walk inside and hear the shower still running from inside the bathroom. He takes a long shower, that’s for sure. I’m about to step out of the room when I hear the shower stop running. He must be done. I turn back around to wait for him to step out so I can go in. He opens the door and walks out with only his towel around his waist. I’m starting to think I should’ve left and not waited for him to step out. I’ve never seen someone sexier in my life. His upper body is still wet from his shower, and it’s making his abs look insanely attractive. I bite my lips to stop the images forming in my head as I imagine how his body feels on my fin
“Everything is ready. You can go in, Luna,” Liam says, walking out of the dungeons. He just finished chaining Theo to prevent him from going on a killing spree. All day, I’ve been praying his wolf won’t lose control and kill anyone during the full moon. “Thank you, Liam,” I say before entering the dungeons. Entering, I hear Theo struggling with the chains. His wolf must be fighting him to shift. I walk closer, and see Theo struggling to stop the shift. His eyes keep changing from their original color to golden. If he can keep his wolf from forcing the transition, it would help. “Theo ,” I say, walking closer to him, hoping to calm him down. He snarls at me, and I stop moving. “Theo is gone Mate. I’m Xavier,” a deep voice says. I look at Theo ’s eyes and they’re golden. His wolf has taken control. Before I can talk Xavier out of shifting, he transforms, and a black wolf stands in front of me. His wolf struggles to remove the chains from his paws, and I watch him almost bre
The following day, stepping out of my room, I find Theo standing in front of my door. “Theo ,” I say, a little surprised to see him. “Come with me,” he says and walks down the stairs. I follow him to the living room, and he doesn’t speak until I sit down. “I’ve realized that finding your Mom by yourself is important to you. I’ve decided to let you continue with your search on one condition,” he says, and for the first time since I met my mate, I smile at him. “What’s your condition?” “I must come with you.” “You want to come with me? Why?” I ask, surprised. “It's the only way I can ensure your safety and once we’ve found her I can make sure you return with me.” This is what the girls and I were talking about yesterday. He’s so possessive over me, but he doesn’t show any other emotion toward me. “Agreed,” I agree because I won't have to worry about him stopping me. “Good. We leave tomorrow,” he says, standing to leave. “Thank you.” “I didn't have a choice,” he grinds ou
THEODORE Theodore walked inside the cabin, his mate in his arms. He could see the bruises all over her body from his harsh training. He didn’t mean to hurt her, but the training was necessary for her to be strong when they enter vampire territory. He couldn’t risk what happened the last time she encountered a vampire. His wolf would kill him if he allowed her to be harmed again. Theodore gently places Anastasia on her bed and walks to her bathroom, filling the bathtub with warm water. She must be exhausted, but she needs a good bath and a good sleep. Once Theodore is done filling the bathtub with water and scented oils, he walks back to her. “Anastasia ,” Theodore calls her name softly, trying to wake her up. He can’t be harsh with her after all the training she endured. “Hmmm,” Anastasia says in her sleep. She’s trying to block out his voice so she can sleep. “You need to take a shower. Wake up.” Theodore tries to wake her up again. “Okay,” Anastasia says, opening her eyes
“Explain,” I say when we’re all seated. “As I said, I’m a witch, and I’m here to help you enter vampire territory,” Ekaterina says. “I got that part, but I don't understand why you would help us. If anything, you shouldn’t want to help the werewolf King's mate find her mother.” “I know a normal witch won't, but I’m not just any witch. I’m a witch who is alive because of the werewolf King.” “Tell me how that’s possible.” “I saved her from near-death,” Theo says, being vague. “Really? You saved a witch?” I ask, surprised he did. His Mom hated witches, so I assumed she must’ve passed down her hatred before she died. “It's surprising, right?” Ekaterina says, smiling. “Yes, it's shocking given that his mother is the reason witches and werewolves everywhere don’t get along.” “Yes, but Theodore doesn’t hate witches. Or he didn’t when he met me.” “So, he hates witches, but he doesn’t hate you? You just called him by his name. You two must be really close.” “Yes, we are,” Ekaterina
5 YEARS LATER I wake up to little hands touching my face. When I open my eyes, I lock gazes with eyes the same as mine. “Wake up, mummy, wake up, mummy,” Caleb says, slapping my face with his little fingers. I feel his little knees pressing into my stomach. He must be on top of me. Caleb is the male version of me. He has the same blond hair and blue eyes. He’s the cutest four-year-old out there in the world. “Good morning, sweetheart,” I say, grabbing his hands to stop him from hitting my face. “Good, you’re up, mummy,” Caleb says, dropping down from on top of me. He stands at the edge of the bed with his sister. “How was your night, sweethearts?” I ask, sitting up. I lift Amelia from the side of the bed, while she still has her thumb in her mouth. Amelia is daddy's little angel. She has Theo wrapped around her little fingers. I think she’s timid because of how much Theo smothers her. My baby girl is two-years-old, with blonde hair and blue eyes like her Dad and me. “It was goo
Our wing in the castle is like a small condo. It has everything—a living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. I walk to the living room to watch some TV while I wait for Theo to come back. An hour passes since Theo has left; he texts me that it’s taking longer than he thought it would and won't come back anytime soon. I decide to do something to fill up the time while I wait for him. I call Ekaterina and asked her to come along with me to the mall. While watching TV, a thought of how I could spice things up tonight for Theo comes to mind. Ekaterina and I drive us to the mall. “So, tell me how it went with Ava?” Ekaterina asks while I’m driving. “It went well. I’ll send her the code once Theo and I mate.” “I’m surprised you guys haven't mated yet.” “He had some important things to attend to.” “I guessed as much. Why are we going to the mall?” “I want to buy lingerie,” I say and feel my cheeks heat up. “Someone wants to spice up her first time. That's nice,” Ekaterina says, smirking
Theo and I are in a restaurant waiting for Ava to arrive; she’s a few minutes late but nothing to panic about yet. I’m about to dial her number and find out why she’s taking so long when she finally walks in. She looks around a little before spotting Theo and me. She smiles once she spots us in the midst of people and walks toward us. “Hello,” she says, smiling. My body shakes as a cold shiver runs down my spine when I see her smile. She looks so evil and wicked. If anything, it makes her look more mischievous. I know I shouldn’t judge her by her looks, but I can’t help it. The woman looks like the witches humans read about in their stories. Beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside. “Hi,” I say. “I’m surprised you agreed to my offer, werewolf King. Aren’t you worried James will kill you once he comes back to life and finds out you killed his brother?” Ava says, smirking. James must be the name of Nickolas’ brother. “We’ll cross that bridge once you remove the curse,” Theo
The following morning, Theo and I wake up early and get ready to visit Ekaterina at the hospital. She isn’t getting better or worse. Her health is just stagnant. She needs to stay in the hospital so they can monitor her. I hope she recovers soon. When we arrive we knock on Ekaterina’s door before entering. “Hi,” I say, walking in. “My two favorite love birds,” Ekaterina says when she sees us. She doesn’t look so great today. She looks weak and thinner. I wonder why she isn’t getting better. The doctors don’t know why either. “How are you doing today?” Theo asks, concerned. I’m sure he’s significantly worried about Ekaterina’s health. “Better, the baby allowed me to drink water today,” Ekaterina says, smiling softly. “That’s good to hear. Where’s your mate?” I ask, sitting beside her on her bed after she shuffled a little to the side. “He stepped out to get something. He’ll be back soon.” “Oh, okay. We came to ask you something.” “I’m listening,” she says, sitting up a little
I groan in my sleep as I feel a terrible headache coming. I open my eyes as I massage my head. I’m not in my bed, I’m tied to a chair. I try to free myself from the ropes around my hands but the more I struggle with them, the more they burn my skin. It's like they’re silver. I look around me, and everywhere is dark. Where am I? I’m about to scream when I hear someone’s voice. “There’s no need to scream dear, no one will hear you,” a familiar voice says. Everywhere is dark so I can't see them. “Who are you? Show yourself!” I shout to the person in the room with me. “Hello, dear,” Ava says, appearing in front of me. “Did you miss me?” she says, using her long nails to touch the edge of my face. “Where am I, and how did I get here?” I ask, moving my face out of her reach. “You’re with me, that’s where you are.” “What the hell does that mean?” “It means what it means.” “Did you smoke crack?” I ask, my brows raised. “Why would you ask me that stupid question?” she asks, frowning.
I open my eyes the second my dream ends. I see Theo removing his teeth from my hand. That must be how he entered my mind. He opens his eyes, and a pair of widen blue eyes stare back at mine. I missed staring at those beautiful eyes of his. “Hi, Theo,” I say with a soft smile. “Anastasia is it really you?” Theo asks, touching my face. “Yes, it's me, my mate,” I say, with tears of joy in my eyes. I can’t believe I am alive, and my mate is in front of me right now. “I can't believe it,” Theo says, with tears of his own pooling in his eyes. “Me too!” “I missed you. Never leave me again,” Theo says, hugging me. “I missed you too, and I’ll never leave you again,” I say, hugging my mate back. Once he removes his arms around my neck, he seals my lips in a passionate kiss. He knocks the air out of me and fill my mouth with the sweet taste of him. I pass my hand through his hair as he deepens the kiss, pushing his tongue into my mouth. It feels like ages since we last kissed. I moan again
I leave Anastasia’s room after ensuring she’s still breathing. I walk down the hall to Ekaterina’s room. It’s been a week since Ekaterina removed the fire from Anastasia’s body. Since then, I thought my mate would wake up once she had enough blood in her body, but she didn’t. The doctors don’t know why and neither does Ekaterina. I am going to visit Ekaterina for a different reason right now. I knock on Ekaterina’s hospital door and wait to be told to enter before entering. I am the King, and I don’t need to knock, but I thought it would be proper to knock before walking in on my friend and my strongest Alpha doing it. I know it’s a hospital, and their chances of doing it are low, but the smell of arousal from the room made me believe it was possible. A shiver ran down my spine, just imagining myself walking in on them. “My King,” Kyler says, opening the door. His hair looks like someone was pulling it a lot, and his clothes look like he just threw them on. “Hello, Kyler. How are yo
I rush down the hospital hallway with my mate in my arms. I mind-link the doctors that I’m here. They meet me halfway with a stretcher. I placed Anastasia on it so they could take her to surgery. I wait outside as they try to save my mate’s life. I don’t know how many hours go by when the doctors step out of the operating room. I rush to the doctor to find out how Anastasia is doing. “How is she?” I ask. “The witch had already sealed her wounds, so we administered a drug to help remove the silver in her body. Most of it went out with her blood, but some remained. We’re also giving her blood right now. She fell into a coma because of the blood loss, so it might take a while before she wakes up.” “But she will live regardless?” “She should.” “That’s great. Where is she?” I release a breath of relief. “Let me take you to her,” the doctor says, leading the way to Anastasia’s room. I follow him. I thank the doctor before stepping into Anastasia’s room. My mate has IV tubes inserted
“Nickolas!” I shout as he is about to step out. He turns and faces me. “Let’s get this done with,” I say, running toward him, but I see something in my peripheral vision that makes me halt. That’s not good. Ekaterina creates a portal, but before she can pass through it with Anastasia, someone closes it and makes it disappear. Ekaterina has told me only one witch in the world could close another witch’s portal. The witch Queen. “Hello, dear, it’s been a while since I last saw you,” the evil witch says to Ekaterina with a smirk on her face. Ava must’ve told her sister, Rebecca, Ekaterina was here. Witches can send messages to each other by using spells. I want to keep my promise and help Ekaterina, but right now isn’t the time. Nickolas is getting away. I will help her once I’m done with him. I continue to run toward Nickolas. Grabbing him by the collar, I spin him around. I punch him square in the face, but Nickolas quickly heals from it. I hit him two more times in the ribs, but