Valerie’s POVMy feet were rooted to the ground and my eyes fixed on the place I once called home, burning aggressively with blood-curdling screams of the people still alive and inside of those flames, ringing loudly in my ears and ready to haunt me for the rest of my life, if I was spared though.I shifted my gaze back to the man standing before me, dressed in a white shirt and black leather jacket. Stains of blood all around his shirt, the blood of my people. This man standing right before me was my supposed mate, the one I had stupidly spent the last six months, sneaking out of the pack to see, unknowingly making him know the ins and outs of our clan. Closing my eyes tight, I struggled to hold back a sob as my heart clenched tightly in pain at the betrayal of my mate.I knew I couldn’t blame it on anyone but myself, ‘cause even knowing very well that the vampires and werewolves weren’t in a good relationship, I thought it could be different since we were mates and bonded by a powerf
*Few days earlier*I felt it in my guts that something was wrong when I saw Father rush into the house, ignoring my greetings and rushing up the stairs, visibly petrified. I stood up from the sofa quickly, looking at the stairs in shock. I mean, that was a sight no one would ever expect to see of such a man with high respect from his people. Father was the leader of our vampire clan, The Night Exiles; popular for a reason I was yet to understand. I mean, we barely have anything.I heaved a deep sigh, rubbed my sweaty palms on the side of my jeans pants, and walked up the stairs gently, curious to find out what made my father that way. I would’ve knocked right on the door and reasonably asked for an answer, but something told me they might just lie to me or try to make me believe everything was fine. I leaned against the door of my parent’s room, trying to make out what they were saying.“What do you mean, Cassius?! I thought you said everything was perfect!” That was my mom’s voice, so
*Present day*“Hey,” Eve was standing outside the training field where I had been all morning, training and trying to take my mind off my worries. “Wanna go out for a walk?” She asked with her usual smile on her face as I walked towards her.“Sorry Eve, I think I need a little rest.” I flashed her a small smile before walking into the house and headed straight to my room. I shut the door with a sigh, rolling my eyes before plopping down on the bed. The perfect image of my mate made me let out a sigh for the umpteenth time. It would be sad if I didn’t end up with him. I couldn’t bear the thought of ending up with one of these guys around me. My face scrunched in disgust when I remembered the images of the guy that had tried to get to me. None were compared to my mate. Ian? He was almost good, but too clumsy for my liking and very boring, not to mention a nerd. That’s not my kind of guy, never! And the other guys, they had too much ego and loved praising themselves, like they had no mirr
*Present time* ....... "No, wait! You have what you want. The money and the documents. Just leave us alone." I had to plead if that was the only way we'd get spared or even save April alone. "No, I've dreamed about this for so long, it's gonna happen, Valerie," Eve replied with a small chuckle, smirking evilly. Realizing they weren't going to reconsider, I lunged unexpectedly at the man holding April, knocking the gun off his hands and head-butting him, grabbing April from his arms. “Run!” The words barely left my lips when I felt bullets pierce through my lower back and I fell to the ground, groaning as unbearable pain smeared through my body. I looked up when I heard April scream to see the men grab her roughly before she could run. “Kill her,” Came Tyler's command. “No, please... No! Stop! She’s just five!” I tried to stand up from the ground, ignoring the pain shooting through my body. He did not waste any second again, but roughly spun her around to face him and punched his
Valerie’s POV With a gasp, I jerk up from the bed, panting heavily. The first thing I do is take my eyes around my surroundings and when it slowly becomes familiar to me, I let out a relieved sigh, placing my hands on my chest. I climbed down the bed gently, trying as much as possible not to wake April after the terrible session of nightmares last night. Glancing at the clock, which was exactly 5:00 am, and knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep again, I walked into the bathroom to the sink and turned on the faucet, splashing water on my face. Leaning against the sink, I looked closely at the dark circles under my eyes, probably from stress or maybe from crying too much. I looked into my eyes in the mirror, regretting it almost immediately as faint screams filled my ears, messing with my head. The memories of my previous unfortunate life, my encounter with the goddess, and even my more unfortunate new life flashed in my head. I tore my eyes from the mirror with a gasp, looking elsewhere
Valerie’s POV A surge of rage coursed through my veins as I stared into the eyes of my enemy. The bastard that almost ruined my life and that of April, forcing her into a world filled with nightmares and suffering. It has taken a lot to help her heal from such a horrible experience, but none of it was working. I couldn’t take her to a therapist or they might find out who we are. But what option do I have left? I was nothing like a therapist and had no idea what it takes to heal her mind and fears. I think I also need a therapist. And there he stood, with his hands casually tucked into his pocket, staring at me with disinterest, not saying a word. It was then that it clicked in my head; Tyler was the son of the Silvercrest's Alpha, which means I had been living in the pack of my sworn enemy for three years, without knowing! What the actual fuck?! I never cared about knowing the name of the pack since I had always hated werewolves, or maybe I heard it just once, but it never registere
Wesley's POV I groused, feeling my stomach rumble due to how famished I was. Hopefully, this motel has good food and not what I would be expecting. I stared around the room again as I got dressed in my black pants. Frankly, the room wasn’t the way I assumed it would be, considering how shabby it looked from the outside. I could almost be persuaded it was just another building that must’ve been abandoned for ages. They could at least make some renovation and make it look customer friendly, not like some kind of horror house, well I guess it’s none of my business though. Besides, this will be the last time I will be here. Lounging in this dirt place was the only way not to make Father discover what I’d been doing. Though it was for the benefit and security of the pack. We caught some spies lurking around the pack, likely sent to find ways to attack us, but I wiped them off. Will I get credit for doing that? No. Not even for protecting one of the biggest packs of the werewolf clan? No
Valerie's POV It took a lot to suppress the rage in me as I watched him sit at the table eating and having small conversations with April. I folded my arms, tapping my feet on the ground, suddenly regretting that I didn't even try to poison his food and make him die right away. I was quite infuriated that April did not listen to me, even after warning her not to sit at the table today. It was the first time she was going against my word. Although I understand she was excited about the customers we had, I just feel she should've listened to me. She would definitely freak out when she finds out the person she was chatting with was the one who killed her parents and caused her nightmares. "Come on, April, you don't want to be late for school." I couldn't hold it any longer and walked to April, ready to get the hell out of here. "I'll be done soon. Give me a few minutes." I nodded and turned to walk away, mistakenly brushing my hand against the bastard's arm. I turned around swiftly wh
Valerie's POVIt's been over a week since I last saw Wesley, which was at Violet's house on the day she died. I tried to reach him severally, through phone calls which he ignored and our mind-link which he had completely blocked me out from. Did he regret mating me?Or had been foolish from the very beginning to think I could find my place in this pack. I don't even want to think anymore cause I've tried so hard to make sense of the situation but nothing is working yet. Sometimes I think maybe I've been doing it wrong all along and what the goddess actually meant by making things right is revealing to them who I am so they can kill and completely wipe out our entire clan. But I'd that was it, there was no purpose of sending me back just to die again. These past weeks had been lonely and very frustrating, due to Wesley's betrayal if that's the right way to call it and April not even giving me a hard time. She told me to my face that I had been the one foolishly trusting them because I
The room is totally messed up, the entire furniture is broken and scattered around the room. There were broken glasses on the floor, and as I walked further into the room, I tried to think of what could've possibly happened here.However, I gasped when my eyes landed on a figure lying motionless on the ground. "Violet!" I screamed, hastily dropping to the floor beside her and shaking her shoulders, but she didn't respond and my heart raced even faster when I saw the blood trickling from her nose and mouth. Paramedics swiftly arrived, but instead of rushing to the hospital just like I expected, they walked out of the house with her on a stretcher and a white shroud around her."What the hell are you doing?" I asked, trying to remain in denial that it wasn't what I was thinking. "I'm sorry, Miss. But she's dead." The world around me stopped immediately, and I dropped to the ground, placing my trembling hands on my chest as my breaths came out in shaky pants, tears stinging the back of
Valerie's POVIt's been a few hours into the party, yet Violet still didn't show up or replied to any of my messages. I told Wesley about it and he assured me not to worry about her since it was quite common for her to do something like this, perhaps she might have never fully agreed to come to the party.Considering her disinterest for the family, it was possible she might have changed her mind at the last second. I tried to push my worries aside, joining them in the celebration. Minutes later, Wesley suggested we go to his room since it was evident that none of us were enjoying the party or were used to things like this. Standing by the window in his room, we gazed at the stars and moon adorning the night sky. "You think this is over now?" I asked, not staring at him but keeping my gaze fixated on the sky. "Well, I can say we have over ninety percent of our problems solved. We're a bit free now, no more bad guys. Everything will get back to normal in a short while. “Wesley replies,
Valerie's POVThe next morning I woke up to the good news that Renée arrived at the pack early, bringing Kyle along to face the authorities since he was from our pack.I dropped April off at school, telling her to be careful before rushing off to the packhouse. I heard Kyle had been locked in the cells in the basement of the house, so I hurried there, seeing Renée leaving on the way. After exchanging pleasantries, I walked into the basement to see Wesley standing before the cell. Kyle's gaze shifted towards me, and a smug smile appeared on his face. "Hey there, traitor." He said, and I tucked my hands into my pockets, not saying a word to him."It's good to see you behind bars," I said, smiling."I bet your mate here doesn't really know who you are and what you're capable of.""Why did you do it?" Wesley asked with a demeaning gaze fixated on him."I wanted power, Wesley. In fact, I was greedy for it and the rest of y'all seemed to settle for less. Accepting the losers you all are, ev
Valerie's POVThe rhythmical beeping of a machine filled my ears even before my eyes fluttered open. The dim light of the white room washed over me—the antiseptic scent hitting my nose, giving me a hint of where I was. Maybe a hospital.I shifted my gaze to the side and found Wesley by the bedside, his eyes immediately glinting as soon as he noticed my movements. "Hey," he whispered, his voice a gentle caress. "You're awake." His eyes were filled with a mixture of relief and worry. "Where am I?" It was difficult to speak, as my throat felt dry and scratchy. "We're back at the packhouse. You're safe now." He took my palm into his, giving it a soft squeeze—his touch warm and reassuring.Confusion washed over me for a moment before my memory started to piece together the fragments. Then I remembered my encounter with Kyle and trying to escape him and his men."Where's April?!" That was the next question I asked, sitting up with a speed that had Wesley staring at me in surprise and confu
Wesley's POVAs soon as I heard gunshots reverberate through the air, I dashed through the forest, not needing to think twice to know that it was Valerie. It has been over four hours we've been searching for her since she mysteriously disappeared. We searched the entire pack and yet there was no trace of her. My wolf was paranoid, demanding we find our mate. And when we saw traces of blood in the back of the house that I was sure belonged to her, we knew something had gone wrong. It was quite difficult trying to put Wade under control, but I gave that up as soon as we heard distant gunshots, letting him shift into his full form completely, without waiting for the warriors or any of the other search party members.I could feel her fear, almost tasting it. She must've been trying to escape from whoever captured her, and if by chance, it was the rogues, today would be the last day they would use their fucking lungs to breathe.I spotted them through the bushes, firing in a particular di
Valerie's POVA piercing pain in my head is the first thing that greets me the moment I slipped back into consciousness. I groaned in pain, noticing my vision was blocked with dark clothing wrapped around my eyes. I tried to move, feeling my muscles numb, but instead, I felt my skin scrape against a rough surface. If I could guess right, my hands were tied to a tree while I sat on the ground with both legs tied together.I heard the loud chattering of male voices around me and footsteps moving all about. Trying hard not to panic, I struggled against the restraints, which was just a wasted effort.A rustling sound caught my attention and through the black fabric around my eyes, I could make out a shadow looming above me. The blindfold is swiftly removed from my face, and I move my gaze around slowly, sighting some men gathering around a fire with drinks in their hands, laughing loudly at their own jokes. There were several young men moving around, none of them even sparing me a glance.
Valerie's POVI recognized him immediately as Alpha Kane. "Miss Valerie!" He called out, stretching out his hands for a handshake. I stared at his palm reluctantly before accepting it. "I didn't expect to see you." He states briefly glancing at Wesley who maintained a cold stare directed towards him."Nice to see you again, Kane," Wesley spoke, shifting his attention back to Renée. "Where's your father?"Renée's eyes clouded with a mix of worry and sadness before she blinked off quickly, replacing it with a stoic expression. "My father was injured during the attack and he doesn't seem to be recovering yet, even though he was just shot with an arrow.""Can we see him?" I asked, feeling a sense of empathy wash over me.She seemed to be contemplating for a moment before she nodded. "Of course, come with me." We followed her into the packhouse which was quite crowded, filled with women and children around all corners. Some of them, moving around while trying to clean and put the packhous
April's POVI shut the door to my new room, bolting it locked before plopping down on the bed, and letting out an angry groan. I could hear the sounds of Valerie's cries from her room, causing a knot to form in my stomach, twisting with exasperation. I loved Valerie, and she had always seemed to make the right choices until she decided to associate friendly with the alpha family. How could she forget the nightmares, the tears, and the anguish that haunted us both? At first, I thought she was only being nice to Wesley since he wasn't in support of what they had done to us, but then Tyler? Why was she even pleased that he changed his attitude towards her? I pressed my palm against my ears, trying to block out her cries. My gaze shifted to the pink diary sticking out of my bag—the diary that made me realize Valerie had given up on finding justice for our parents. Did she even realize how all of this changed me? I wouldn't be surprised if she never knew, since she has chosen to direct h