[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]I saw how Irina looked at the dress miserably. I could tell her indecisiveness about what to wear after Dad, Randalf Ambrose, Alpha of the Ivory Pack sent her so many expensive dresses for whatever occasion that was coming.I couldn’t help but lean on the wall, not too far from my sister’s room. I sadly sighed while holding a broom in my hand. The calluses and blisters were nothing compared to the pain I felt for wishing Dad to love me as much as he loved Irina—for wishing that he could treat me the same way he treats Irina with so much adoration. I hated it. I wish I could change things.But of course, I don’t have power over the destiny that was given to me. I was wolfless. Weak. A burden to my father’s pack and everyone. Maybe if I was in a different situation where my Dad wasn’t the Alpha, the people here had already thrown me away from this place. A wolfless like me was an embarrassment to everyone. A weakling that makes a pack look vulnerable to the enemi
“You know what kind of werewolf Evander Edgerton is!”That cursed voice again. But at that moment, he sounded desperate.I hated that I was starting to grow a habit of hiding myself while eavesdropping on the people of this house. But it was my only way to know if they were planning something against me, or if Dad said something concerning about me staying in his household. Dad was not happy about my stay here.He used to yell at me that being wolfless was worse than losing all my limbs and because of it, I was nothing but a mere insect in his eyes and that horrid gaze every time he saw my face made me want to run away and never look back to this place, ever.But Dad was getting older and he never wanted anyone to serve his tea but me. I thought maybe Dad still had a soft heart for me. And that was enough reason for me to stay and take care of him despite the treatment I received from him and Irina.Inside the receiving area was my Dad sitting across from Irina and Alec who were side
I couldn’t move. I was numb all over.Everyone refused to look me in the eye except Alec who was glaring at me with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped over his face. I didn’t know why he had that kind of expression but I was sure he enjoyed watching me being tortured in front of my Dad and his new fiancee—my little sister, Irina.“Oh, before I forget, I bought something for you, Irina, dear,” Dad said to my sister happily, changing the cringing topic so badly as if seeing me standing in front of them was sickening, “I want to see you try them!”Didn’t he just buy her new dresses the other day?“Oh, Dad! Sure!” Irina was extra excited now that the burden of the family was no longer hers to suffer. She leaned closer to Alec and touched his chin with the tip of her finger, her eyes were like sticky honeydew when she flirtily blinked at him. “Can I go with Dad, love?”“Sure,” Alec smiled at her and held her hand. Their sweetness to each other gave a wrenching feeling in my stom
[EVANDER’s Point-of-View]White smoke from the cigarette blew from between my lips as I exhaled sharply through my teeth, a newly lit stick was between my index and third finger. It tasted bitter and mint in my mouth as I clicked my tongue, feeling all bored and exhausted.A loud thud of a heavy body filled the room and I turned the swivel chair to look at the glassy, steady look on the dead man’s eyes. I put the cigarette stick on the ashtray while studying the face of the lifeless man lying on the carpet of my office. His blood soaked the textile cover on the floor and the metallic smell of his blood wafted through the vast space, mixed with the strong smell of the cigarette disgusted me.A wave of a hand was enough for my Beta, Kian Ridley, to understand that he could get rid of the body. I didn’t have a choice. I had to eliminate a problem and threat to my business and the pack. This man had caused so much trouble after he committed arson and burned one of the storage supplies tha
[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]“Holly!”“Yes, Dad?”Dad’s voice was cold. His eyes were focused on the papers he was reviewing—as if looking at me was a waste of his time, “Have you prepared Irina’s dinner? She told me she’s going out with her college friends tonight, and I want to ensure Irina has everything she needs before she leaves the house.“Yes, Dad,” I answered. It was hard to hide the sadness in my tone, “Irina said she will have dinner with her friends.”“Hmm…good.”“Alpha Randalf, your Beta said you need to talk with me—”I froze when Alec entered the Office and he and I locked into each other’s gaze. I never expected his presence in my father’s study area and if I only did, I would never think of going there.I awkwardly averted my eyes from him the second his eyes glared at me disdainfully. The argument we had still sunk in my head, and the hatred I saw in his face was too much for me to bear.“Leave us, Holly.”Alec was still glaring at me from his shoulders. His eyes were sha
[EVANDER’s Point-of-View]“What is this?”Kian handed me a letter with the family signet of Ambrose embedded on the wax seal. Just as I expected from Randalf Ambrose, his determination to be recognized as my ally always amused me. Randalf was a good Beta to my father before he resigned himself from the Blackwood after my father died. It was clear that he never liked me as his new Alpha, and for whatever reason that was, I ceased to bother since Kian was a perfect fit for the way I ruled my territory.I also heard it hurt Randalf’s ego that I had him easily replaced.“It’s an invitation sent by your former Beta, Alpha Evan,” Kian graciously uttered as he bowed his head slightly, his face calm and composed as ever, “For his coming birthday.”“Hmmm…” I answered and tossed the letter on my desk. There was no reason for me to open it since I already knew what it was for, “Send them a reply that I will attend and that I am looking forward to meeting his daughter, the one that he promised me
[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]I couldn’t breathe…Something heavy weighed on my chest and I was pinned on the ground by something invisible and I couldn’t even move a finger. I was drowning and yet there was no water. The air was thin, the place was dark and the atmosphere was heavy. I whimpered in pain while my lungs struggled to keep up with my shallow breathing. I wanted to scream but I was too weak.From behind the thick fog, appeared a massive shadow hiding in it. It was gigantic, almost as tall as a three-storied building and I started to breathe hard as my heart started to beat frantically inside my chest. My eyes widened as the giant creature stepped closer to me until it revealed itself—a giant white werewolf with green, glimmering eyes.“Holly.”Her mouth didn’t open but I heard her voice echo all over my head. The wolf was communicating with me and I pulled myself carefully and slowly up from the ground, surprised that the heavy feeling was finally gone. I stood in the middle of
His eyes glowed red as he pulled me by my elbow with his face so close to me.“Don’t you dare threaten me, Holly!” he growled, his face inches from me, “Who do you think you are?! You are not a real Ambrose! You are just an insect living in this house! You are nothing! Do you hear me?! You are a weak, wolfless leech!”I didn’t blink. I didn’t bat an eye on him. Alec’s insults were knives slicing my insides but after all the insults, and the humiliations I received from him being his mate, I already lost all my senses and built a wall of steel surrounding my heart. He couldn’t hurt me anymore. He couldn’t torment me with his words.What I saw was a miserable man who was too desperate to become the best when there was nothing he could really offer.That expression on my face shook Alec and he let go of me slowly, his face stunned and confused. He scoffed, smirking like he realized something stupid, and then tilted his head as he gazed at my stoic face.“You know what? I don’t understan
[HOLLY’s Point of View]Evander held my hand and squeezed it tight as we watched Alec jump his way down the mountain with Misha, who was still unconscious, on his back.“Are you ready?” Evander asked. There was sadness and fear in his green eyes, but he was smiling at me. He was smiling with a promise that he would do everything to keep me safe and alive no matter what.And that scared me.When it was just me and him and the war that was waiting for us both, that’s when I felt the terror and I knew he saw it in my eyes. But instead of telling me that things were going to be alright, instead of telling me that we would survive this, he kissed my forehead and pulled me to him in a tight embrace. We stayed like that for a minute as we listened to the rustling of the leaves in the forest. The sound of the birds in the sky and the water of the stream as it splashes softly against the small rocks. We felt each other’s warmth and the gentle brush of the cold breeze on our bare skin. His lips
[HOLLY’s Point of View]I stood and gave my dad a determined look. I would never hide again. I would never just watch and wait. “I can fight, and I will fight for my friends and family.”Dad’s exhausted face beamed with pride and love as he patted me on the shoulder and smiled at me. “Let’s go kick someone’s *ss.”I laughed softly at the unusual words Dad used, and then we nodded at each other, preparing to lunge midair to shift into our wolves. My eyes were on Alec and my husband. Evadner was still on top of Randalf’s reaching for the old man’s head, but Randalf, despite his age, was still physically strong for his human form.On Dad’s cue, we jumped high from the ground, so high that all the eyes in the camp got distracted from us. Two glittering silver wolves, so ancient and beautiful, everyone stopped from what they were doing. Even Evander’s eyes widened with both awe and shock as he saw us, and Randalf took advantage of it and immediately ran away from my husband like a terrifie
[HOLLY’s Point of View]There was no way I would let him go again. No way I would let him dive back into Randalf’s camp now that the old man knew he wasn’t on their side.I heard Dad’s scream even when I got out of the main hall and straight to the courtyard, where I shifted back to my wolf form and fought three more rogues before I had to hide behind the tall walls of the garden labyrinth to breathe. My strength was slowly depleting and the wounds on my back hadn’t completely healed yet. I had to go after my husband and make sure he could go out there alive with or without the witch who helped him.Randalf will kill him on sight once they see him.[Evander!] I screamed, trying to reach out to him through our bond. [Evander! Where are you!?]But it seemed he was too far away or something interfered with the mind-link connection, so I decided to stand on my four paws again and used my ability to sneak around without being detected. The mountainside wasn’t too far from the Snakewood Pal
[Holly’s Point of View]“Dad!!!”I was about to lunge myself towards them, but strong arms pulled me back. I was baffled when I saw Alec pulling me away from Irina, who was still holding the short sword to my father’s neck.Every part of me ached, but nothing could compare to how my heart felt as I saw the despair in my father’s eyes. He mouthed the word “No.” but I shook my head as tears rolled down my face. There was no way I would leave him in the hands of the man who wanted him dead! There was no way I would let him die!“Tell me what you want, Randalf! Just don’t—” I swallowed hard as a sob emerged from my swelling throat. “Just don’t kill my father!”“We already have what we want, Holly! We don’t need you! Now that we have the Alpha King, the whole palace and the realm will kneel to my father, and nothing can stop us now!” Irina yelled at me with detest in her voice. “Kill both of them!”“Stay behind me, Holly!” Alec yelled as he shifted back to his wolf form and kicked and cla
[HOLLY’s Point of View]“Evander disappeared from the frontline.”My focus on my baby Evlon was distracted by Kian’s murmur as he noticed Evander’s disappearance from Randalf’s side. It suddenly made me nervous. What happened to him? Where did he go?Mel took baby Evlon from me when I pushed myself to sit on the sofa. The room was still filled with the scent of my blood, but my family didn’t mind. They were more concerned with my healing and Evander’s situation, while all our eyes were now focused on the news.“I have to go there,” I said, still wincing from the pain, but I had to do something. For my father and for my husband. “I have to be there for my dad and Evander.”“You just gave birth, Holly! Your body is still healing, and your wounds are still fresh! There is no way I will let you go there in this condition! My brother will kill me!” Sheiyan hysterically uttered, knowing that when I said things, I would do anything to do it.But this time, Shei was right. I assessed my body,
[ALPHA EVANDER’s Point of View]My whole body tensed as I stood slowly with both my hands on the level of my head.Charlie’s eyes told me that I would be dead once I made a wrong move, and I had to be careful. He was already thinking that I sided with Randalf, and without him knowing the truth—about what really happened in the mountains—Holly’s father would never understand why I had to do all of this.“Listen to me, Charlie—”Charlie sighed, and the dark look on his face turned into disappointment. I felt my whole being finally relaxed as he stepped away from me and onto the chair of his desk. He clasped his hands, and I finally saw that exhaustion that deepened his set of honey-brown eyes.“Holly told me everything, Evander. I was really furious that you put your family’s life in danger, but I understand when Holly told me that all of you were after that pearl. And she told me everything about that pearl. About how Randalf stole parts of her memories and stored them in that thing. U
[ALPHA EVANDER’s Point of View]“What is wrong with you, Evander? You look like you had seen a ghost.”I barely heard Randalf’s voice as I kept my breathing in control while having this excruciating pain I felt in every inch of my body. My head felt like being pierced by thousand spears, and it took me a lot of strength not to fall down on my knees and scream from the pain.Misha looked at me as she put her fingers on my pulse and felt my forehead with the back of my hand. My jaw tightened as she gave me a warning look not to make the pain look too obvious. “I think he is having a fever. It must be the infection he got from the pit.”Randalf scowled at Misha. “Go and give him something, Misha! We can’t display any weakness while we are being broadcast all over the continent. Go and do something about that infection or whatever the hell is that!”“Yes, Alpha Randalf.” She bowed her head to the old man. I gave Randalf one piercing look from the corner of my eyes and then averted immedia
[HOLLY’s Point of View]“What is the commotion about, Kian?”Everyone was in the sitting area with all their eyes focused on the sixty-inch-wide television screen. Shei increased the volume, and I saw so many rogues standing on the northern borders of the Snakewood Territory. I didn’t feel good this whole morning, and all I had were eggs. Other than those, I threw them up, and that’s why I had been dizzy the whole day.All the Snakewood soldiers lined up in defense positions outside and inside the gates and the wall; all were armed with razor-sharp metal claws, all strapped around their legs and paws. Some were armed with crossbows with silver arrows for it was forbidden to use guns inside the continent and within the realm.“Randalf isn’t bluffing at all. He really has thousands of Rogues with him,” Alec murmured in horror. His mouth was slightly open and his face was pale as paper when the excruciating memories of their stay in the rogue camp returned to him.Everything was shot liv
[HOLLY’s Point of View]The banging on the door suddenly sounded unreal. Then for once, I thought the noise was just from the thumping of my own heartbeat reverberating through my deafened ears. The violent winds from the mountains threw the windows of my room open. The hinges creaked threateningly as the white sheer curtains whipped against the glass panes.Mel’s small hands were painfully tight against my wrists and she was incredibly strong; it terrified me. Something was happening to her. It was as if the darkness stored inside that pearl necklace had influenced her mind when it should be her who was supposed to command the ‘thing’ to obey her bidding.The power that was stored in the pearl was too much for Melinda to control and I saw it on her face. She was asking me for help.“Mel! Just tell me what’s happening!” I asked through gritted teeth. I tried my hardest not to panic as the black completely covered her eyeball and my neck and shoulders started to feel so heavy it felt