Rune's POV I followed my grimoire’s direction and found Lyra. She was alone before the door of the hall, just in time. And she didn't notice me either; my steps, my shadow, my being, and my scent were adequately concealed. “Lyra,” I called out to her. She flinched, looking towards the direction Lucas ran in. She then stopped suddenly to speak to herself, which felt a little strange. “You know, you sounded like Rune,” she said to no one in particular. “The fuck?” I asked myself, a bit confused by the activity taking place before me. “That is because I am Rune,” I said this time, a little louder. She reacted violently to that, and I chuckled at the way she jumped. “Psst, here,” I called out again, tapping the wall closest to me gently. She must not have heard me; it must have been part of the spell. “I can't see you,” she responded. “Oh,” I said out loud, totally forgetting I was cloaked till now. I personally would not be as patient as she was if an invisib
Rune's Pov“The alpha himself, Lord Xavier.”“Lord Xavier?”“What’s happening?”“How’s this possible?”“The audacity.”These words flew around the court with reckless abandon.“Enough!!!” The main judge yelled. “Let there be order in this sacred court.”Everyone obeyed instantly.“Let’s begin,” he said as he took his seat.“Is the other party in court?” he asked no one in particular.For a brief moment, there was silence as no one answered that question.“He is,” I turned my head towards the direction of the voice, and it was Xavier.“I am here.”“Very well then, we may begin,” the judge said.“This was crazy,” I thought. “In a minute, I could level this whole manor to the ground, and yet I am here going through this process!”“I could torture Lucas and get the truth from him, get him to confess here and now!”“But what good would that do?”I just had to do this.“Rune,” the judge called, shifting my attention towards him. “You’re faced with the accusations of attempting to murder our
Rune's POV.This spell was active throughout the whole manor.I chuckled. “Wolves? And they call themselves wolves and are not aware of the slightest changes in the environment?”Lucas looked around and blinked his eyes several times, as if he was actually stopped from talking or interrupted and now didn’t remember what he was saying.“...the thing is that…” he dragged on.The whole court, who had been affected by the spell too, just stared and looked at him.The spell did more than what I bargained for; it broke his ego too.Lucas just sat there, silent, and waved his hands as a sign for the jury to continue.“What's the explanation to the whole matter?” the judge asked Lucas, who was trying to cover his face.After he got no response, the jury continued with the judge facing me.“You have heard all these accusations against you, Rune. What do you have to say to them?”Actually, I had nothing to say.I, for one, believed that if all it took for Xavier to believe I attacked him was ju
Rune's POV“Death time….”That was awfully coincidental.“Huh?” I asked, still confused at what was happening.“What is with the sudden silence?”“I don't know; I am stuck here with you, aren't I?”I rolled my eyes. I mean, it seemed like we were about to get along.In a panicked state, I ran back to the bars and held on tightly as I tried to look out to the other side.The sharp burn made me realize what a goofball I was.I don't know which hurt more at this point: the reaction to silver or my inability to remember that silver is deadly to me and stay away from it.The silence was awfully creepy.I instinctively checked my wristwatch.The blood moon was over, and soon enough, I would be, too, if I didn't get out of this place.Creepy how all sounds went out as quickly as a dying candle flame.“What's the plan?”“I don't know if I responded. I intend to magic my way out of this,” I said.“You know there is no escape here?” a cracked voice croaked from the cells beside me.Looking thro
Lyra's POVLucas was in the midst of speaking before he was interrupted by the spell, obviously. That was the only explanation for the reaction he gave after he started acting strange. He looked around and blinked his eyes several times, as if he had been stopped from talking or interrupted and now didn’t remember what he was saying.“...the thing is that...”The whole court was affected as well, seemingly having forgotten for a brief second why they were there. They too had been impacted by the spell. They would rather die than admit to one another that they had no idea what they were discussing a few minutes ago.I could visibly see Rune’s lips move, and I broke into a smile.After trying as hard as he could to recollect, Lucas sat back and silently waved his hands, his way of telling the jury to continue their proceedings.“What’s the explanation for the whole matter?” the judge asked Lucas.I wasn’t certain if the judge was trying to get to the root of the matter or if he was just
Lyra's POVI froze in my tracks. Time seemed to stand still, and my heart did the very same. My lungs seemed to have forgotten their function, the very purpose they were made for. My heart, now very excited, began to beat harder, banging against my ribcage so loudly that I feared everyone would hear.Taking the little bit of self-will I had left, I turned to face the one who held me.“Lyra…” Xavier called again. “You happen to be a very impatient woman…”“...and you are a very slow man,” I blurted out.That came out wrong, I was sure of it. But there was this urge to keep going; I felt powerful with that retort. He must have been surprised by the swift response and the cunning, as his eyes grew wide in surprise, but only for a short moment.“If this is about Rune and the court case, I can assure you…”This was never about the court case or Rune. Heck, I even forgot about him momentarily, thanks to the hot distraction that held me back. And I meant this literally.“I am not a bad perso
Lyra's POV“Lyra…” he called my name as he approached me slowly. “You don’t have to be alone. Enough of mingling with the trash in the pack. You’ve walked too long with them as your guide. Just recently, the court found Rune, who had been your guide, as a murderer. I am here, Lyra, for you, with you. Why can’t you see that?” His hands grazed my skin, the rough and masculine texture sending shivers up my spine. Grimoire made a slight movement from its hiding spot, which was enough to snap me back to my senses. How Lucas managed to make me freeze like this was still a mystery. And when I figured it out, it was all over for him.With my back to the bed and Lucas hovering over me, I knew I had to think fast.“Who’s the tease now?” I heard Selene ask.“Do something, or I’ll do you one better. Help me,” I pleaded.“Nah, you ventured into this on your own with no help from me. Why don’t you venture out of it by yourself…with no help from me?” Selene’s sassy tone was infuriating.“Thanks a
Lyra's POV“Knock knock.”I stopped in my tracks, my whole body freezing in place.Grimoire, who was still flipping through pages, stopped mid-flip.“Who is that?” I asked, giving Grimoire a sign to return to his hiding place. This time, he hid perfectly, so there was no need for covering any part of him sticking out.There was no response, only another knock.“Well, that’s one way to respond,” I said.With another knock, I approached the door and knew who it was almost instantly.“Nice job,” Selene commended. “At least you are using that nose of yours for something.”I hesitated for a while; I knew who was on the other side of the door. Probably the reason why he refused to speak until the door was opened.“You do know you can ignore him and continue with what you ought to do—save Rune!” Selene said.“I know, but—” I grabbed the door handle and pulled.There he stood, dressed in nothing but a pair of trousers made from a very beautiful material that was oddly satisfying to watch.“He
Lyra's POVThe ground rumbled for a few seconds and opened wide, taking a large part of the rogues inside it. I saw Nikolai's corpse falling in too, but there was nothing that I could do.“Where is he?” I asked without wasting any more time.I turned back and ran, leading Rune to where Xavier lay.The remaining rogues who were there still ran after us, but they were the least of my problems.I just wanted Xavier alive and well.We got to where he was. “Rune? Is that you?” Xavier asked.“Of course, it is me,” Rune called out to him, while his grimoire flew closely.“Lyra, there is a spell here, but the ingredients and the time for this spell are impossible to get and prepare.”“Well, not for me, but given the time and the availability of these materials, I am sorry; there is nothing that we can do!” he said to me.“Do something!”The rogues had already caught up to us and were coming closer and closer.“Hold!” Rune said to me.“That should be able to hold them.” A protective form of li
Lyra's POV“You bastard," I said, slapping him across the face. “You did this. This is all your fault. After all that I have done for you, this is how you decide to pay me back?”“By betraying me? I should take your life right here and now, and there would be nothing that would happen.”“Do that, please,” he said, bleeding seriously from his shoulder; he was not healing.“The poison has got to you badly, has it not?” I asked him, and he shook his head.I thought he had healed from the poison Lucas injected him with, but I was wrong.That bastard strikes and wins again, with Nikolai.“Akira asked me to protect you…”I saw the shock in his eyes. “And that, I swear, I am going to do!”He was teary; his eyes were saddled with regrets. I could see that he was willing to turn back the hands of time just to correct the mistakes he had made before.“That is too late. There is nothing that you can do now. I am still holding on to tell you some things.”“Even if you figure something out, that w
Lyra's POVThere was something uncomfortable on my face. I was too weak to open my eyes, and for some reason, I felt oddly comfortable where I lay. I didn’t want to move a muscle, but the crawling sensation grew worse, becoming unbearable.I tried to brush whatever it was away with my hands, but it was no use. I had to open my eyes. My heart leapt when they finally came into contact with the green leaves hanging and swinging freely above me.The tingling sensation I felt was from a spider trying to weave a web on my face. I remembered why I was here.I could hear thunder and sizzling sounds nearby, and I knew something was happening. Random screams and shouts echoed around me. I realized people were getting hit, and the moment I thought of who might be on the receiving end, I summoned every last bit of strength I had to stand and fight.As I made my way through the bushes, I began to wonder who was fighting. “Nikolai?” I thought in disbelief. There was no way he could have done this.
Xavier's POV“How?” he said, laughing. “I do my study. Not everyone has to tell you everything,” he added with a smirk.“It’s not every day you see a three-tailed wolf laying around at her initiation ceremony.”Pity filled me as I recalled all the times I should have been there for her. But it was too late to turn back now. If I had one wish, it would be to go back and support her then.“Of course, I knew what that meant,” he said, taking a step forward. “I and Lyra have history.”“Remember that one time you subjected me to the human realm, forcing me to live amongst them for over a century? Yes, that one time. I obeyed, and it turned out not to be as bad as I expected.”“It was wonderful. She was one of the reasons—I loved her dearly.”“She didn’t give me a chance anyway, and my punishment was nearing its completion. I was going to make my move until you cut me off.”“I mean, you brought her back to me…”He must have seen the confusion in my eyes. “Oh… I understand how confusing that
Xavier's POVI had heard enough from Rune. I could have found ways to shut him up if this were not true and if he had not just been to hell and back. His explanations gave logical reasons for everything I experienced the very first day I came in contact with Lyra. It could also explain why Ozed was skeptical about me touching her that night and why I felt attracted to her.But there was a catch: if all that Rune had said were true, I was yet to see her as my mate. She was still with her exes, as far as I knew, and I did not want to ruin whatever we had going on between us. I trusted Rune, but this was a significant risk to take. But first, I needed to get to Lyra.He was still speaking when I felt something strange. Whatever it was, I could feel it, and it felt familiar. I needed to get to her.I impulsively entered the bushy road without consulting Rune. This was one of those times I fully trusted my instincts and whatever I felt.“You feel that too?” I asked.He responded in the a
Rune's POVI had been through hell and back, and today felt like the worst of it. I was certain this was the least that could happen to me.I opened my eyes to see Xavier looming over me, his face a mix of concern and confusion. He was calling my name repeatedly, but I was just as lost as I had been moments ago. Where was I? What was happening?As my surroundings came into focus, I realized I was in Kayla's room. I struggled to piece together how I got there, my mind still foggy. Xavier's urgent voice was a constant in my ears, shaking me as if he could rattle the answers out of me.“Rune,” he called again, and I felt a surge of irritation. The pounding in my head was growing unbearable. Just as I was about to respond, an unexpected sneeze overtook me. It felt like a reset button—my heart kicked back to life, and memories flooded my mind.“I remember trying to...” I began, but the thoughts were jumbled, causing a splitting headache. I could barely differentiate between past and presen
Xavier's POVThane quickly noticed my sour mood. “Do not mind me…” I began, but the sounds returned, and this time I was sure something else was in the room with us. I turned to check on Rune and saw he was still asleep. I followed the movement behind the headrest. It was fast—definitely not a rat; they wouldn’t survive long in this meticulously clean manor.The sound moved to the closet. I opened the door and found it—Rune's grimoire. “You sneaky tome!” I chuckled, mentally exhausted. I fell back onto the bed, trying to catch my breath.“Wait…” A bright idea struck me. We didn’t actually need Lyra; I just needed the grimoire.“Your master is sick and not himself,” I told it. The book pulsed with a glow, responding, but I couldn’t understand its message.“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, still unsure how to communicate. The one who could explain everything was unconscious, and I couldn’t risk waking him without facing repercussions.The grimoire pulsed again. I tore open the bag containin
Xavier's POVI needed to handle this matter wisely. Something was going on, and I had to get to the bottom of it. Rune had become audacious. I knew he was bold, but today felt different. He was embittered, fueled by every negative energy I could think of. This wasn’t the Rune who stood for the right things.I had no one to blame but myself. I left him to whatever had changed him. “Lyra was right,” I sighed. I needed to know what was wrong with Rune and, most importantly, if the one I held in my hands was truly him. This was a serious debate in my mind. Certain signs made me believe this was Rune, while others made me doubt. He had knowledge no one else could have about me. He was my right-hand man for a reason, privy to my deepest fears. He was a magic user, and the spells he cast were ones I had seen him use before. But the fact that he couldn’t heal as quickly as usual threw me off. He was a wolf, after all.“Why do I even bother?” I groaned. “Just don’t let him die. Whoever he
Nikolai's POV“You had better start talking!” Lyra said as she opened the door to her closet.It was a close call.She had been a good host to me all this while.Either she knew what she was up against and didn’t care, or she was just foolish to help me. Whatever the case, I was grateful.Luca came inside and saw me.I pleaded with him to spare my life. “What the hell do you want from me? I’m done with this,” I said.“I’m tired of your control and reign of terror. Have you done enough by taking my sister too?”“Just leave me alone. You have a lot of people under you, yet you cling to me like a plague.”He chuckled. “And there he goes, the little pup has begun to grow teeth and thinks it’s okay to nip at the elder wolf! The audacity,” he said, walking closer to the window.“You know Lyra is a lovely wolf,” he said. I knew he was watching her from the window. My heart skipped a beat.“Do what you want with me, but leave Lyra out of this.”“Really?” He laughed. “You think this is about