[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]“Evan…”His name escaped from my lips when his kiss trailed down my jaw and to my neck. I squirmed at the pleasure of his lips on my skin. The tingling feeling was so hypnotizing. His scent intoxicating. My hands were on his firm chest, kneading on the fabric. His body pressed gently against mine as the hunger and his desire started to burn me alive underneath him.We forgot our purpose and why we were in that room. My heart and mind were distracted by the movement of his lips on my neck. My eyes were closed as I breathed in the air, filling my trembling lungs as I savored the amazing feeling of his big hands exploring the skin underneath my white shirt. There was something in Alpha Evan’s touch that made me want to yield to him. Not about the sparring but to the sweetness of his lips as he blessed my heated body with the delightful touch of his passionate kiss.To my surprise, Alpha Evan removed his shirt and his naked chest exposed, making me whimper. I didn’
[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]“Rise and shine, Lady Holly!”Not again…I groaned when I saw Beta Kian enter the room with a huge smile on his face. How could he be so energetic and positive after being around the whole day with someone like Alpha Evander Edgerton?“I don’t have a schedule for training today, Sir Kian,” I told him whining, “I told the Alpha last night I will spend this day to rest and that means just staying in my room the whole day.”“I don’t think you can do that,” he winked at me and I grimaced when he opened the doors and let in the sunlight, “It’s your twentieth birthday and you have to do something special today.”I was still tired but had to deal with Beta Kian’s energetic aura so I sat on my bed with a frown, “It’s too early for this…besides, I don’t celebrate my birthday.”“Maybe you don’t. Before. But you are in Blackwood Pack now, Lady Holly, and things will be different since you came into this place,” Beta Kian said with a smile, “You have to prepare for lunch l
[Holly’s Point-of-View]“How did you know such things?!”The sour-faced maid answered, “I accidentally heard it. I was her maidservant remember?!”So that was the reason why she hated me so much! She was the Alpha’s former mate’s personal maid and must have loved serving the lady. Now, I understood why she had a bad feeling for me on my first day in the Edgerton Manor. She wanted her lady to be the Luna of their pack and after her lady disappeared, it was indeed aggravating that the Alpha found a replacement fast and easy.I wanted to know more so I stayed. I forgot that Beta Kian was waiting for me in the lobby.“I have heard the Alpha killed Lady Cindy because he got jealous of someone.”“Jealous!? But Lady Cindy is a good woman! There is no way she could be involved with someone else—”“What are you two doing here?”The two maids almost jumped out of surprise when Beta Kian suddenly appeared in front of them with a grave look on his face. It was the very first time I saw the Beta n
[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]After that scary encounter in the garden and the amazing lunch with Alpha Evander, my birthday was like a dream—a rollercoaster ride I never thought would happen to me. There were so many questions in my head about Alpha Evander’s first mate and I wanted to know what really happened to her. But it was too early for me to speculate things. I needed to gather more information first. I needed to know if what they said was true. If the Alpha indeed killed his first mate.The Edgerton owned the hotel's top floor, and Alpha Evander ordered me to stay with him for the night. At first, I was anxious if we would share a bed with me. But just like in Edgerton Manor, he let me have my own room while he stayed in the master’s area.That night, I didn’t sleep well.My room was the nearest to the kitchen, so the first thing I smelled when I woke up was the aromatic scent of the coffee and something delicious. A groan escaped from my lips and I was forced to climb down the be
[HOLLY’s Point of View]But when he saw the terror on my face, his hands loosened around my neck and I gazed at me with sad eyes. I panted, cold sweats formed on my forehead as I flinched away from him. Blood drained from my face as I watched him drop his look on the floor as if he regretted what he had doneAlpha Evan shook his head gently and threw something at me. I caught it in my hands and saw a small red box. Emotions mixed in my chest as I opened it and saw a necklace with a precious ruby pendant that glinted from the light of the sun escaping from the windows. I was confused about why Alpha Evan’s behavior was so complicated and confusing. I didn’t know if I should be scared of him or admire his generosity.“Stop asking nonsense questions, Holly,” Alpha Evan uttered, his voice still upset, “And whatever you heard from people around you, it isn’t true. I didn’t kill her.”The sadness and anger in his eyes brought guilt to me. I knew I should be angry at him for almost choking m
[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]He was about to leave but froze halfway through the door and then turned around.My heartbeat was fast, my eyes couldn’t get away from his handsome face, and he closed the gap between us. His hands wrapped around my waist and leaned closer. So close I could hear and feel him breathing against my cheeks.“You are so beautiful today,” he held my chin and lifted it, his lips inch away from my lips. “Wait for me until I get back.” His soft, eyes lingered on my mesmerized face and he stepped back with a grin.His hand pushed the strands of hair from my shoulders and caressed my cheek with his eyes sharpened. I didn’t know but something changed in his stares. His lips went to my ears and I held my breath as he murmured, “Don’t worry. I don’t have any thoughts about killing you. For now.” his voice was hoarse and sent chills all over my skin.My eyes widened as terror crawled up to my neck. I shuddered. I looked at Alpha Evan’s face and saw that dark smirk formed on h
[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]After that encounter with Alpha Evan’s sister, all I did was stare at the ceiling and feel the necklace on my fingers. I still couldn’t believe that Alpha Evan would give me something very important to him. Did it mean that he trusted me completely?I wanted to know more about Alpha Evan but his sister seemed busy and said she couldn’t miss all her appointments. The Edgerton siblings were busy persons but I understood that it was never easy to run a huge pack like Blackwood. My mate was lucky to have loyal people around him like his sister and Beta Kian.“Lady Holly!”The door opened without someone knocking and I knew it was Beta Kian. His huge smile was the first thing I saw when he entered my room. I pulled myself from the bed and wondered if Alpha Evan was already in the manor. I was so eager to see him. I wanted to see him and tell him I met his sister yesterday and about the necklace—-“Beta Kian, is the Alpha here?” I asked him and my heart started beati
[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]“HOLLY!”My knees buckled and I fell sitting on the grass. The gun slipped from my hand and my whole body trembled. “I-I think I just killed someone,” I murmured with quivering lips.But what surprised me more was when Alpha Evan came running for me and pulled me into his chest. My mind was blank and I couldn’t believe I just hit someone, “T-There’s someone in the bushes, and I—I had to do it! He pointed a gun at you and—”“Shhh…shhh…It’s okay. Everything will be okay,” Alpha Evan rubbed my arm to calm me down as sobs emerged from my throat.I was so scared, “Is the guy dead?! Did I…did I kill him?!” I exclaimed in panic. Tears rolled down my face and I saw my shaking hands, “Oh, Goddess! I think he’s dead!”“Holly! Holly, look at me!” Alpha Evan cupped each side of my face and forced me to look at his green eyes, “You acted by your instinct! Just breathe…” he inhaled, wanting me to mimic what he was doing and I did, “Breathe! Beta Kian and I will deal with it.
[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