Lyra's POVEverything was going well and according to plan. Just like I intended, just like I wanted.Everyone seated at the table took their time to process. I did not expect them to actually remember me or anything about me; after all, I was the rejected mate, with little or no relevance to their lives.Xavier didn’t seem to get it, and I was not ready to explain to anyone. Luca still had his mouth hanging open.“Come on now, dear alpha, you are alpha now, aren’t you?” I asked, putting a stress on the “you are.”“Do you both know each other?” Xavier asked, still looking confused.No one responded. I had said I was not in the mood for explaining anything at all. Xavier’s patience wore off quickly.“Will somebody respond to me and give an answer to my question?” he barked.I was taken aback; probably, that was all I needed to come back to the present. I looked around the table at everyone. I was just noticing the damage I had done. Xavier's voice was strong enough to put Luca back to
Lyra's POV“Yes,” I responded. “Definitely. I just had bad sushi,” I said, hoping he bought it.“Yeah, right. I know how these things can be. I suffer from this occasionally,” he responded.I chuckled. “I leave you to it,” he said. “Get well soon, ma’am,” he added.Merchandise was sold, and he bought it.“What a gentleman, gentle ... wolf, gentle… whatever,” I said, focusing my attention back on Nikolai.“You have a lot of explaining to do, but first, let’s get you out of here,” I said, bending over to help him up.He raised his index finger, signaling me to wait as he bent his head back into the toilet and vomited again.“That’s going to be a problem,” I said.“I do hope you have werewolf strength already,” I said to Selene.“Hold on while I contact customer care to see if you have purchased this package…” she said. “Of course you do. What do you think this is, a video game?”“Apparently, you have learned more from me than cocaine. You’ve learned sarcasm!”“Obviously,” she responded.
Lyra's POVI was still sleepy, but this feeling that I had something important to attend to woke me up.I stared at the ceiling for about an hour, thinking about what it was. It wasn’t until I heard deep breaths from the same room where I was that I realized what it was.Nikolai!!!I jumped out of bed like a triggered frog—an odd illustration, but it’s the truth.I wondered deeply what could have brought him into this state.“God, I wish Rune was here!” I muttered. He always had a way to make things easier, especially things like this.“How did he do last night?” I asked Selene, who had been keeping watch.“Slept soundly, jerked a couple of times, but asides that, all is well.”“That’s wonderful, but he is still unconscious,” I said.His wounds had healed and no longer opened like they did yesterday; his breathing had steadied, and that was wonderful.I turned, sighing. I was tired and couldn’t for the life of me figure out why.“Try cleaning up,” Selene advised.I took that advice an
Lyra's POVI walked into the room and opened my mouth to speak.“Ginger tea?” he asked, pouring two cups already.“There’s lemon to go with that too; I know you like that,” he said.My heart was melting at his kind gesture. He knew what I liked and still remembered it.“Boo hoo,” Selene cried. “Get yourself together before I get it for you,” she warned.“Jeez,” I responded.“See, look,” I said to Luca. “Listen, I didn’t come here to waste time with you or on such…” I paused, my mouth watering at the scent of the tea that filled the air.“I came here to fulfill all righteousness,” I said. I saw the change in his countenance. I still couldn’t place if he was amused, shocked, intrigued, or even bland, but it was something, alright.“Yes,” I said, clearing the air of whatever thoughts or doubts he might have about what he had just heard me say.“I came here to fulfill all righteousness. I came here to apologize for my outburst yesterday. It was immature of me; you deserved better, and it
Xavier's POVI wished, prayed, even hoped that someone—anyone—would explain what was going on without me asking. I was dying to know, but I couldn't ask; it was about saving face.I was into Lyra—knee-deep or even worse. I could be drowning in her and still not show any signs of struggle. “Do not do it,” I heard myself speaking in my head. No one was going to give me an answer, and I was tired of waiting. I was going to demand it.“Stay clear of it; it does not concern you in any way!” Nope, I wasn’t listening to any voice in my head, not today at least. I needed to know the connection they both had. It was not my fault that the one I was helplessly falling for was involved with another.Was this jealousy that I felt? How did I come to this, and since when? If there's anything I’ve learned over the years, it’s that there was only one person I felt this way for. It’s been centuries, safe to say, a hundred years since I cared this much about a woman.I was fighting with all my might, wi
Xavier's POVHe had taken a couple of steps already, three to five, before I lunged at him from across the table. My eyes blazed in fury, and my claws slightly extended, pressing against his throat.“You do know that I respect you, right? But for the next few seconds, minutes perhaps, or even hours—it’s up to you and your choice—it’s going to look like I don’t,” I growled. “And I for one know how much you frown upon disrespect, so don’t make me get there!”“Now, I will release you, and you will take your seat and tell me everything you know and everything that is between you and my personal assistant!”He tapped his left hand against the wall three times. I looked up and noticed his men surrounding me, their fangs bared and claws drawn. Some had transformed into wolves, ready to attack. My own guards were equally prepared, ready to counter any threat.“Alright, release me, and then we’ll talk,” Luca said.I nodded, withdrawing my claws and shifting back to my human form. His men also
Lucas' POV. He was on time; the warder had done well. We might as well call him Nikolai's savior. Something like the patron saint of the half-dead. That was what I was going for—half-dead, if I had not been interrupted. The task was quite simple: keep him contained for now. What better way than to show him who is in charge while at the same time being lenient? He would let his guard down sooner or later, and when he did, I would finish him off. I never imagined it would get to this. I could say I was almost falling in love with him. Funny, never thought bisexuality was my thing, but oh well, here I am. I was almost falling in love with him. If only he could have waited; if he had just been silent for a few days. Now he has to go. I cannot let emotions ruin my plans. As for now, he was brimming with them. Sure, his sister died on a mission. I tried as much as I could to hide it from him. The slip-up was from our respective ends, if we are to be honest in this case. Looking at
Lucas' POVI shrugged my shoulders. I was enjoying this. Every bit of it and every moment. I tried. You can attest to that. I tried to keep her safe, but fuck it. She has taken more than she can chew and she asked for it. Her wish is my command. “No, you cannot be serious about this,” she said again, this time with her voice firm and composed. “You asked, I told you. What is there not to believe?” “The fuck!” she cursed loudly. “I believe you do not have any idea what a rowan is and what it does, do you?” “I did tell you what I was after when you asked nicely, did I not?” I asked. “You think I was telling you as your teammates not to touch anything from the very moment they leave the manor for the mission because I do not want them to get germs or what?” “WHAT THE FUCK!” She was yelling now. “DO YOU WANT TO KILL US? WHAT AM I ON ABOUT? YOU WILL KILL US ALL!” Okay, now she was getting on my nerves! She is pissing me off and I hate that. I hate when people yell at me. “Your t
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