LAUREL’s POV It is the second day of my entrapment. I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell that a new day has begun if it weren’t for the tiny rectangular window that sits at the top of the wall. Father had barred it with wooden planks painted in neon pink years ago to stop the rodents from scurrying in and out but years of neglect have left the planks rotting with no replacement in sight. Streams of warm morning sunlight shine through the dilapidated window and specs of dust dance in the light, swaying ever so gently without so much as a care for this world. And as the dust dance in the air, I lay on the cold damp floor, still chained to the chair. I inhale deeply. if only life was that simple and carefree. My head is throbbing, my arms are burning and my back is cramping. But I continue doing what I have been doing all night long. I continue to rub the chains that bind me against the chair, hoping against all odds to break free. I try not to think about why all this happened
HELIOS’ POV SLAM! My fists connect with the mahogany desk and Rhode, my administrator from the pack council jumps in fright. “What did you say?” I growl as I lean over the table and stare into Rhode’s face. Rhode blinks rapidly, pushes up his glasses and opens his mouth to speak. But when his eyes fall on the dent I made on the desk, his words come out more as a squeak. “Um…Beta Laurel Moon applied for a few days’ leave.” I frown. This has never happened before. Laurel has never taken leave from work in all her years as a Beta. Is she still upset with me? Is it because I slept with her sister? ‘Of course, it is you dickhead,’ Apollo chides at me. ‘You bedded her sister…of all women.’ I sigh and wave Rhode off. He immediately scampers out of my chamber, almost bumping into the wall on the way. This guy is the only omega in my pack who wears glasses and still walks into walls. Apollo continues, ‘She didn’t even want to apply for her leave directly from you. I’m telling you Heli
LAUREL’s POV ONE HOUR BEFORE HELIOS ENTERS THE DARK FOREST I haul myself up over mother’s old furniture, chairs, and cupboards to climb to the top of the stack where the window lies. And with trembling hands, I yank the planks off. The rusty nails give way, the wood crumbles and the dilapidated planks disintegrate into a flurry of dust. Then, balling my fingers into a fist, I smash the window. CRASH! The glass shatters into tiny pieces and shards of glass cut my skin but I do not care. I've already lost so much blood, what is a little bit more if it can buy my freedom? Then, a moan comes from the basement floor. It is Jamie and I know she will wake up soon. There is no time to lose. Quickly, I tear off the emerald curtain that frames the broken window and wrap it like a shawl around my head. I know I need to get to safety, but I doubt if anyone will come running my way to help if they see a green-colored walking corpse. A wave of dizziness hits me as I try to squeeze my way out
LAUREL’s POV It’s very quiet here in the Forbidden Forest. The air is cold but I keep warm under a blanket of twigs and dry leaves as I lie near the entrance of a cave that I stumbled upon after what felt like an eternity of running away from Helios. Pinpricks of stars dull the lightening sky, signalling the dawn of yet another day. Carefully, I brush away the leaves and check on the wounds on my hands, thigh and face. They are not healing as fast as they should but at least I am not losing any more blood. Jamie won’t be getting her energy drink from me today. I try calling Daphne again as I did many times the night before but no surprise there, she does not answer. I don’t think I have ever felt so alone in my life. A sudden growl from my stomach reminds me that I haven’t had anything to eat in three days. I am hungry, very much so. But there isn’t a single animal here in the forest for me to catch, and neither are there any mushrooms or fruits that I can pick. I let out a pent-
LAUREL’s POVThey say that you can feel it when your mate appears. First, your gazes meet and then, an invisible bond, stronger than life itself forms between you two; a bond so irrevocable that the life you once lived before will never be the same again.Someone once said that the feeling will hit you like an unstoppable juggernaut, crashing into your very soul before igniting a flame of desire and possession that will burn within you for all of eternity, going strong even after you enter the gates of the afterlife. I have never met my mate before, nor have I ever felt the imprint of one but I have heard enough to know when a person meets his or her mate.And Jamie has met hers.“Mate,” she whispers, her voice, or rather, mine echoes through the now eerily quiet square. Marty stares at her unblinking as he too, mouths the same before a peal of laughter erupts from Nox.“Goddess! You two are mates!” he roars, palming his stomach and throwing his head back to laugh some more.Helios c
LAUREL’s POV The hand tightens around mine and lifts me off the ground, dragging me out of the hut. I stumble and fall, all the while gasping and wheezing for air that eludes my lungs but I am given no respite for the hand that drags me yanks me along brutally as if I am a criminal; a prisoner of war. The fabric that wraps around my face loosens and though I desperately want to cover up my face, I am unable to do so. Poisoned fumes fill my every being, my eyes moisten as tears spring out and I almost black out. It is the intense danger and the impending doom of death that keeps me conscious. The owner of the hand lets out a strangled hiss and curses. His breathing is heavy and laboured but he does not let go of me. Then his body spasms as he hauls me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and with the fog confusing everything, I cannot tell who it is. But I do know one thing, he is bringing us to safety. He morphs into his wolf form and thick fur takes over his human skin. On
LAUREL’s POVAres stares at me as incredulously as if I have somehow grown another head on my shoulder.“Are you out of your mind?” he yells, his spit landing on my face. “We just escaped from the fog and now you want to go back there? Are you crazy!”I wipe away his spit with the back of my hand and ask back in defiance, “What about Helios then?”Ares groans in frustration and pulls me back up into a sitting position, all the while muttering to himself, “The Alpha will be fine. It’s you who’s not. Go back to the fog you say? It’s suicide. Jamie didn’t just steal your identity, she probably took a chunk of your brain too.”Ares is right, Helios will be fine. But I am not.Somehow, the fog had affected me, as if it had another kind of power. A power that somehow increased my physical pain tenfold. A power that does not come from anything natural. Someone or something created it.And I need to find out why.“Look at the fog, Ares.” I point towards the swirling fog that still dominates t
LAUREL’s POV Every step is torture. The fog is getting thicker by the second as both Ares and I thread deeper and deeper into the Dark Forest, trying to find the source of this poisonous vapour. My limbs feel heavy, as if a massive hand is pressed down on my body and the soles of my feet sting with every move, as if the hands of the undead have broken through the soil and are clawing at me, trying to pull me down into the earth with them. A groan slips through my lips. Ares quickly slides an arm underneath my shoulder blades to support me. “You’re dumb to have even thought of this,” Ares complains. “You’re dumber for agreeing to come with me.” “We should turn back,” he says, his voice void of any humor. “No, we’re almost there.” And sure enough, the fog around us thickens even more, clouding our already blurred vision. I feel as if I am seeing things underwater. I do not know what lies ahead, but I do know one thing. We are getting closer and closer to ground zero. I take bu
HELIOS’ POVI should be fading into nothingness, I should be dying. But somehow I am not.Pain, red searing pain and a darkened cloud of confusion swim around me, but through all this, I feel the touch of an angel. I feel something warm and moist touch my lips.It tastes like blood; extremely sweet blood. So sweet that my lips begin to suck feverishly on it. I have tasted this blood before, many moons ago in my chamber but for some reason, I cannot remember how I tasted it before. Was it when I was in my beastial form?The flow of blood that has been steadily dripping from my throat finally begins to slow. At first, I think it is because my body is running out of blood, but then I realize I am healing, which should be impossible with a gaping hole in my chest. Yet, after a few moments, my vision clears and my heartbeat begins to grow stronger.I open my eyes.Laurel lies beside me. And she is feeding me her own blood through her wrist.A smile touches my lips and for a moment, I think
LAUREL’s POV My wrist snaps and a cry of excruciating pain escapes my lips. And as if the Sorceress is an advocate for tortures, she twists my arm to an almost breaking point and forces me to my knees. The Sorceress towers over me, still holding onto my arm but surprisingly, her has changed into one of gentleness. “Does it hurt?” she asks. I grimace. “Yes.” She smiles and breaks my arms as well. All at once, a tsunami of pain shoots up my body and I let out a scream. She releases me the next instant and I fall to the ground, cradling my broken arm and wrist. But it does not take long before I begin to heal. The presence of the black mist within me no doubt speeds up the process. But there is a pain beyond the physical one. A pain that has pierced my heart and soul as I look up into the eyes of the Sorceress. The eyes of the woman who calls me her child. “Do you still not know who I am?” she asks once more. She reaches out to stroke my head. “You look so much like your father, Lau
LAUREL’s POVThe Sorceress stands and stares at me. Her eyes are so dark. As dark as the –“Black mist?” the Sorceress answers for me and I go completely numb. Seeing my reaction, the Sorceress throws her head back and laughs. “Do you know where this power of yours comes from?”I think back to the frayed papyrus that lies within the underground archive of Morningstar and I remember the story. It was exactly the same as my recurring dream. Only, the written words on the papyrus went on to further describe the catalystic events that soon followed...‘The day came when the Alpha King could finally no longer live with the insanity.“Oh Great Moon Goddess, please forgive me for my sins. Please stop this madness from spreading,” he begged.And the Moon Goddess came, she stood in front of the Alpha King, radiant like the full moon.
LAUREL’s POV I hurry along the broken path of the Dark Forest, following the scent of the man who had recently walked before me. The scent of the man I love, Helios Morningstar. And as the western sky turns to a dull orange, I pick up my pace. I have an inkling something has gone wrong. Many steps later, the full moon starts to rise in the east, touching the top of the barren trees with a silver, haunting glow. The branches sway in the breeze, as if shaking their heads and saying, “No, Laurel, you must not go.” I reach a stream, one that I have never seen before and notice that it flows red. Blood. But whose? I frown and am just about to kneel and check it out when I hear footsteps. Panicked and urgent ones. Their scents are familiar and in an instant, I am back up on my feet to see two figures pushing past the dead branches and stumbling towards me. “Ares! Diego!” I call out. Relief washes over me like a tsunami, Ares is alive! “Laurel!” Ares cried out, pushing Diego out of the
HELIOS’ POV“You lie,” the Sorceress says, her voice flat and her eyes dark. She drops the fork back onto her plate with a little clink and spits out a piece of the cut-out heart. Jamie’s lifeless form continues to stare at us through the sockets of her now glassy eyes.“Maybe you didn’t season it with salt and pepper.” My hand goes to the doorknob only to find it locking itself. In an instant, all the windows slam shut. The chandelier disappears, as do the grand staircase and black and white marbled floor. And now, in its place is a dilapidated hut with a tiny flame that floats in the air.I see skeletons scattered everywhere, skeletons of all her past victims carelessly strewn all over the floor.Truly, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.“I thought we were of the same mind, Helios. I thought we could be friends. But it seems like this will never happen and for lyi
HELIOS’ POVWe step into the Dark Forest as the last rays of the sun touch the face of the earth. Jamie hugs herself and looks around nervously. As does Diego.“Alpha Helios, why are we here?” Jamie asks, her teeth chattering nervously. She is all dolled up and dressed in a beautiful lime green dress that flows like the gentle breeze on a midsummer’s night. But there is nothing elegant about the way she carries herself. Not with the chain that binds her around the neck.I turn my head over my shoulder and stare at her shivering form but I do not reply her. Diego tugs at the chain that binds her and she stumbles a little before she manages to find her footing once more.“Did you bring me here to kill me? But we’re mates, Alpha Helios. You are my second chance mate!” she demands.At her words, Diego shoots me a look before quickly averting his gaze and trudging deeper into the f
LAUREL’s POV Helios holds my hand as we walk along the dazzling clear river bank at the valley. My hand disappears in his large one and I am grateful for the warmth that he gives me. A squirrel hops along the river bank, stopping for a second to look at us before quickly hopping away. “How did you run so fast?” Helios finally asks. I stop in my tracks and Helios turns his head slightly to study my face. I slip out of my shoe and rub my feet against the prickly grass, unsure of how to explain myself. The reasons are unclear in my own mind. Helios shifts his body and takes my other hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Is it your wolf?” “Daphne is…” “Different?” “Yes.” “How so?” My tone is cautious. I do not want to end up sounding like some mad woman who has lost her mind. “I’m not entirely sure but I think it has something to do with the way I found her in the woods.” “In the woods?” “Yes. She was in the form of the black mist, like the one that took Helen’s life at the
LAUREL’s POVI awake with a bolt and a pounding heart from a nightmare. But as it is the case with many bad dreams, I cannot remember much of them. Except for the screaming.And a figure cloaked in black pointing a finger at me.“Laurel?” Helios is instantly by my side, holding me protectively in his arms and that is when I realize that the screaming came from me. I had been screaming in my sleep.“Are you alright?” he cups my face and wipes away the beads of sweat that have gathered on my forehead. I blink, feeling my chest heave up and down, drawing in deep burning breaths that do little to warm the cold that has seeped into me. I frown. The cloaked figure in my dream had said something…but for the life of me, I simply cannot recall what she said.Wait. She. How do I know it was a she?“Laurel?” Helios calls out again and I look into his worried eyes. “Yo
HELIOS’ POV HOURS BEFORE THE MATE BOND TAKES PLACE AND SOMEWHERE DEEP INSIDE THE PRISONERS’ CELLS “I swear! I’m telling the truth! I swear on the Goddess’ name!” Jamie cries as she hangs from two metal chains. Her feet dangle precariously away from a pool of molten lava. I had tried to be nice to her, I had given her the chance to confess her crime. But she chose to deceive me. “You don’t think I would truly believe a word that you said did you?” I ask and tip my head at one of my warriors, He lowers the chain and an agonizing scream tears through the torture chamber. Jamie is lowered to but an inch away from the bubbling lava that threatens to turn her now beautiful legs into black-cindered stumps. She cries, shaking her head desperately, “I….I swear. I saved Laurel. I was the one who killed Marty! Is this how you treat a saviour? You should be thanking me! Laurel is alive because of me!” I sigh. I have had enough of her theatrics. With a hand, I motion for my warrior to bring