[Holly’s Point of View]“Are you alright, Holly?”I was flustered when Lady Sheiyan waved her hand in front of my face and looked at her. I was so embarrassed when I spaced out while she talked about something I couldn’t remember anymore.She gazed into me with worry and squeezed my hand, “It’s okay; we can go back to Manor if you are not feeling well, Holly. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged you here. I just thought going somewhere would help you relax—”I never wanted her to feel guilty about anything so I smiled at her to ease the worry on her face, “No, it’s my fault; I wasn’t focusing on what you were saying, Shei.” I shrugged my shoulders and gave her an apologetic look, “Do they have the design you are looking for?” I asked, then looked down at the sparkling pieces of jewelry in the glass display case.Lady Sheiyan’s face brightened the moment I gave my whole attention to her and then she excitedly pointed to the ones she liked. She was indeed a very high-maintenance girl
“Is the food not okay? You look so pale, Holly.”I didn’t know what to do! That sudden text message I got from Alec made the blood on my face drain and I hesitated if I should tell Shei about it or not. I was sure she would never let me see Alec alone. But a part of me wanted to talk to him, to give him a chance to explain what really happened between him and Irina and why my sister resorted to a horrible decision that brought her to punishment I never wanted her to experience.Of everything that was happening between me and my family, it was Alec I should put the blame. I knew he was never a good man for Irina after what he did to me but because Irina loved him with all her heart, I let him get close to her and even suffered the pain of still being his mate despite their engagement. It was a huge relief that he had ended our bond and rejected me. He made my life a lot easier. A freedom I always wanted since I was mated with him.But Irina suffered most because of her stupid feelings
I hated it.I didn’t know what came to my mind why I let myself see Alec again. I swore to myself that I would hate him with every fiber of my being but it hurts. It just f*cking hurts to know that the man who was supposed to protect and take care of me before was the reason why my life turned into ruins. Why my relationship with my sister completely destroyed. I told myself I would never want to see him again but there I was, wiping my stupid tears as they rolled down my face after I left Alec in the parking lot with heavy, quick steps.My eyes were puffy red and I didn’t know how I would explain to Shei what made me cry like this. I didn’t want to bring Alec into the topic because I knew she would panic once she learned that I went to see my former mate, whom Alpha Edison hated like hell.Sniffing, I went straight to the comfort room and fixed myself. I was panting. My throat felt tight and my heart was rapidly beating against my chest. I was agitated and confused by the emotions I
“Shut your f*cking mouth, Cindy.”I was petrified.Sheiyan’s eyes glinted bright red as she stepped so close that her face was just inches away from Cindy York’s. I had never seen Shei turn so angry that I could tell how much she wanted to shred Cindy into millions of pieces.“It’s true!” Despite Shei’s deadly warning, Cindy didn’t falter. Instead, she lifted her chin much higher with a taunting grin on her lips and said, “I am pregnant with the Blackwood Alpha’s child and he has no choice but to bring me back to the pack.”I didn’t know what to think. I was so shocked that I felt a hollow feeling deep within my gut. My chest was heavy and my head felt cottony as I stared at Cindy York’s smug face. Lily was not fond of her attitude as well but I had to control myself not to punch her pretty face.She’s pregnant with Evan’s child.What should I do?“You shouldn’t believe anything that woman says, Holly. She’s the reason why Evan became a ruthless man. She broke my brother’s heart and I
I couldn’t get her face and her words out of my mind.I thought I was already done with a nightmare in my life. But it seemed like the struggle I was facing had evolved to another level and I didn’t know if I could handle it. It scared me about the uncertainty between me and Alpha Evan. Sheiyan told me I shouldn’t believe Cindy York because she was branded as a huge manipulator and a liar. But what if she was telling the truth? What will happen to me and my mate?Could I ignore Cindy York’s pregnancy just like Sheiyan ignored her? I exhaled violently. No. I couldn’t live with the fact that I would make a child fatherless because of me.Bullets of sweat trailed from my forehead down my neck. I forgot to track the time I had been in the training gym but all I wanted was to steam off the anxiety that was brewing in my head. I love Evander. I love him with every fibre of my being and I was ready to marry him wherever or whatever way he wanted.But if the child was his, do I have the coura
I was lost for words for almost a minute, and Alpha Evan and I just stared into each other’s eyes.We were not moving.I couldn’t find any remorse in those green eyes. Or fear or hatred. It was as if he was just studying the expression on my face and it was torture to me. I couldn’t believe he could act like this issue was not something we should take seriously.And that pissed the hell out of me.“Then you have to take responsibility for the child.” I snarled at him. It was tormentin. My throat constricts. My head was throbbing and my chest felt like it was about to explode. It breaks my heart to realize that it meant I had to let go of him for the sake of the child’s future.I lifted my chin and swallowed the pain when he didn’t respond. But there was pain etched on his face. But he patiently let me steam off my anger as I shook my head with tears in my eyes.“You will let go of me?” He asked with sadness in his tone. His voice was hoarse as he reached for my face and caressed my ch
“Evander! Let me go!”“No!”I was wide-eyed with fear when I saw Shei get out of my room, which was not too far from Alpha Evander’s room. Her eyes widened as well when she saw me being carried over her brother’s shoulder.“Evander! What’s going on!” Shei yelled to stop him but Allpha Evan only gave his sister a warning look. “Stay away, Shei! Holly and I are just talking!”“Talking!?” Shei blurted, confused at what was happening: “You carry her like a sack of corn and you are saying you are just talking to her?!”“Help me, Shei—”“Shut up, Holly! You are not listening to me so I have to do this!” He snarled in anger as he violently opened the door of his room and then looked at his sister. “And Shei, stay out of this; you hear me?”“As much as I want to help you, Holly, I don’t think I can handle my brother’s mood right now.” She winced with an apologetic look on her face and Alpha Evan swung the door shut.Baffled, he threw me on his king-sized bed and I bounched on it with my heart
I felt his whole body tremble and his eyes glinted red for I didn’t know how many f*cking times today.The room was dark and cold and with my werewolf vision and with the help of our mate bond, I could tell the anger and patience finally snapped in Alpha Evan’s face. There was hesitation in them—like something was stopping him from spilling what was in his head. That kind of expression from him scared me. Because that meant he didn’t trust me enough to show me what he really thinks and feels about Cindy York—his former mate who claimed that she was carrying the heir, the offspring, of the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack.“Goddess!” He let out a violent sigh and then rolled to my side, sitting there with both of his hands on his forehead, hiding his face like it was killing him to say what he was about to tell me.“So it’s true? That child is yours, Evan.”He looked at me from the side of his eyes and then shook his head slightly. Weakly.“No.” He breathed hoarsely as he looked across the
[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