DENVER. "No!" My voice sent a reverberating thunder through the dungeon walls and I fell to my knees as soon as Blake drove the knife into her chest. Eliana fell forward with a gasp. Her eyes were left open, she heaved her last breath while gazing into my eyes.Blood spilled from her lips and her chest into the fire which erupted into violent flames. The fire spread across the room, demarcating it in half. Blake was on the other side, deep cackles escaping his lips as he turned to me. With one hand around Elijah, a tear escaped my eyes."Mommy" I held him tightly to my chest so he wouldn't have to see his mother like that. But he knew something had happened. "I want you to trust me, and cover...cover your eyes, okay?" I gritted through my teeth, trying my best to overcome the words stuck in my throat.I lifted my eyes to Eliana's hanging body and it was like a sword sliced through my chest. I retired Elijah to the corner as my fist folded up in anger and rage. Blake clapped his hands
ELIANA. I was still trying to make sense of everything that had happened when the room was swept in a brewing storm. My hands tugged at the necklace around my neck and when I looked at Elyndra, she was angry just as much as she was disappointed. Her groans were pulsed with rage as she darted her hands at me.Maybe she realized then that there was no way she could kill me while I was wearing that necklace my Nana gave me. I had heard of magical pendants before but it wasn't until I experienced it that I believed. It made so much sense now that I knew my Grandma was a Witch.It made sense why she kept clamoring that I wear the necklace and never take it off. That night, I had made the mistake of removing it and look at everything that happened."It's meant to protect you" She'd said a million times before. Only now, did I believe it. At that point, the door to the room barged open and Cory walked in. I recognized Denver's Beta almost immediately. His eyes bore a look of shock as they f
ELIANA. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor echoed incessantly through my ears as I sat beside my Grandmother. The scent of hospital antiseptic hung in the air and fluorescent lights up above.After a whole night, she finally opened her eyes, managing to sit up on the white crisp sheets. At that moment, I squeezed her hands as I sat up. It had been a very long last few hours. I’d known things that I didn’t my entire life and come to terms with a reality I had no idea of.Yet at that moment, after pondering for hours on what I wanted to say, it was hard to feel any other thing but happy. Happy that my Nana was alive. That she was breathing and that the stupid monitor wouldn’t stop beating. I was happy because I defeated Elyndra.“Hey” She softly called, stretching her frail hands to caress my cheeks. Her eyes narrowed with a million unsaid words and I moved closer to her.“Hey” I whispered. Tears shimmered in my eyes, and in hers.“I’m so glad you’re okay” Nana whispered. I nodd
ELIANA. The winds swept through my hair as I entered the gates. My feet brushed against the blooming flowers that glittered underneath the morning sunlight. The air smelled sweet and a soft breeze was as magical as the birds chirping in the ancient trees.Butterflies danced in the air, every little thing captivated my attention. I forced myself to stay and feel at that moment, more than I ever had before. Because it felt like a dream here, the only place in the whole of Oakland that hadn't been ruined or deforested.My mother was buried here, alongside my Grandpa and some of the wolves that lost their lives during either the Cold War or the Great Fire.As I kicked my feet forward, I breathed in a lungful of fresh air. God, I wished life could always be this beautiful and calm. I brought myself to my mother's graveside for the first time since I got back. For so long, I didn't think I could handle it. I didn't think I could handle seeing her like that. I feared I just might burst into
ELIANA.I swallowed a hard lump down my throat as our eyes met. One of the reasons it was so hard for us to still communicate was because of everything that happened in the past. I really wanted to put it behind me, to forget about all the trauma but that's the thing.I don't think the trauma really ever leaves you. I think it stays.And though for so long it may seem as if it had disappeared, it always has a funny way of creeping up on you when you're having a bite of watermelon or singing in the showers or just standing in the winds. It would hit you like a storm and sweep you off your feet. So really, was there anything like moving forward? Was it possible?"Where is he now?" Her voice drew to me and I escaped my thoughts. I arched my brows. "Your father?" She added. I looked down at my watch."He's at the hospital, with Ivan and the rest of them""He's admitted too, doctor says he's getting a lot better but they're still trying to wean his system of the toxins" I replied. She sco
ELIANA. I burst through the door, out of breath and with my eyes searching for Blake. Finally, I saw him. He was a lot weaker while he laid on the hospital bed, clenching around a pillow. “Blake?” I called.“What is wrong?” Denver immediately stood up once he saw me. I faced him with a grim stare. “I think I know how to save him” I muttered. Nana was closer to him at that point and her hands brushed against his forehead. “He’s heating up” She whispered.When I threw a look back at him, Blake was shivering too, and he was non-verbal. “You were saying of a way to help him?” Denver’s hand fell to my shoulders and I swallowed a hard lump down my throat. Of course, I wasn’t a hundred percent certain but I couldn’t just sit there and watch Blake die. He had about a few hours at least. Color had drained out of his face, even his lips and fingertips were purple. His skin was pale and his pupils were deserted. Once he heard the word ‘help’, he managed to open his eyes and I could see the de
ELIANA. I brought my feet to a halt right in front of his door. My fingers trailed down my neck as I cleared my dry throat. The hair across my skin stood up with the wave of nervousness that hit me at that moment. Folding my fist, I lifted it to the floor and knocked.It didn't take long until Denver opened his door. Once his dark eyes fell on me, a chill went down my spine. He had a stint of surprise in his arched brows but then a snarky grin when I inched closer to him.I had to do this.I had to finally give him my response to what he asked earlier that day."You asked me whether it was too late to go back Denver, whether all hope was lost for us?" I parted my lips and he folded his arms. All his concentration was put into deciphering my next words. I shook my head."Well, we can't go back, Denver" I said. You could cut through the tension in the air with a knife. He swallowed a hard lump down his throat."I already got that from when you left earlier, Eliana, there really is no n
JAXON.I toiled the grounds of the deepest part of the forest. Biting into my knuckles, it was hard to control the anger surging inside of me at that moment. For the past few hours, I couldn't still believe Eliana and Denver, Alpha of the Black Mountain Pack had challenged me for Alpha. Putting a dent through the plan I'd spent my entire life putting together was bound to have serious consequences, especially after they shamed me in front of the entire Pack. I wanted to kill her, my stepsister, Eliana. If I had all those years, this wouldn't have happened."Jaxon," A shrill voice called from behind and I darted a cold glare back to my bride. "I brought you some water, you seem so tense" She whispered, stretching the glass towards me. But I snatched it from her hands, throwing it against the brick wall."Of course I'm tense!" I screamed in her face and Ingrid flinched, cowering her face to the ground. I panted heavily from my lips as my eyes met Nora's. She was sitting in the corner w
ELIANA."The baby's coming now""The baby's coming now, Denver" I screamed through my teeth, reaching to grasp his hands from the wheeling bed. "I have to go call Thelma to tell the nurses to prepare the birthing room" He replied. Tears welled up in my eyes as I gasped. "Don't leave, Denver." "I'll be right back. I'll be right back, Eliana. I promise." He scrambled through the doors as fast as he could and I heard the echoes of his footsteps draw further away. But just after him, the door opened."Nora" I lifted my eyes to face her. "What's going on? I heard screaming—" She walked into the room before letting out a gasp. "No, Eliana!" Shock filled her eyes as her lips parted with a smile. I reached for her hands and I nodded. "Yes" I muttered, biting into my lips to try and curtail the pain. But really, it was so searing that my eyes rolled to the back of my head. "Ahh!" I yelled as yet another contraction rippled through me. Nora was panicking as I jolted back and forth the bed b
ELIANA.FOUR MONTHS LATER."I'm the luckiest man alive to be here a second time. Those were the first words that he said the last time he was standing here” Cory looked up from the paper in his hands. Though in a wheelchair, his road to recovery was beyond impressive.That he was even here, among us on this special day meant a lot—especially to Denver. I could tell by the way his eyes looked around the adorned hall. He stood there in his stormy grey suit, just as it was the day we got married. It fit him so perfectly that I was jealous. Today, we decided to renew our vows, something to remember the day that really changed everything. The day that we sealed the deal forever and I first called Denver my husband. I looked to Cory at that moment and the tears stung the back of my eyes. Oh how I wanted the day to be perfect, and by perfect, I meant exactly how it was months ago. But in that moment, I realized that wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be like that anymore.For starters, I could
ELIANA.A knock on the door drifted my attention. As I sat in front of the mirror, I couldn't pretend that my heart didn't drop at that moment. I turned around and then Thelma walked in. There was an unsettling look across her face when our eyes that I suddenly stood, Denver beside me. "Alpha Eliana," She pursed her lips. "Someone is here to see you."Silence immediately pierced the air with the thought of Aurora dashing across my mind but then she cleared her throat. "It's—" Thelma paused, darting her eyes between Denver and me. "It's Nathaniel.". She muttered. And at that moment, I swallowed a hard lump down my throat. Denver reached to squeeze my hands. "Nathaniel" I mumbled in disbelief. "He said he really wants to see you" My eyes met Denver's in a lock as I slowly nodded. "It's okay" I whispered. "I'll see him. I'll see him.""You sure?" Denver asked. I forced a smile to my lips."He's my brother, after everything, he still is" My eyes fell from his hands as Denver cleared h
ELIANA.To my Eliana.From Nana. Those words would echo for so long to come. I remember the moment I first held the letter in my hands. My chapped dirt-filled fingernails clinging to the piece of paper with almost as much curiosity as devastation.The grief still hit, like a storm against my face, a sour taste in the back of my throat. The grief was there. But in that moment, I remembered Denver’s words. In this moment too.As I walked towards her coffin which laid open in the center of the fire. The air was gloomy with ash and the warm golden hue illuminated the tears that filled the eyes of everyone that had gathered here—for her funeral. Nana. Just like my Mum, just like Adam—it was a rite.Whenever one of us died, they were to be buried the next day. And my Nana had found a place right next to my Mum. I halted right next to her coffin even though earlier, I had no idea I would be able to do this.I threw a look back at Denver who had paused some meters behind. To allow me a mome
ELIANA. My knees grazed the ground upon where my Grandmother laid and the crown of my head rested upon her chest. Frail, still and quiet. It was the kind of silence that was deafening, that evoked the river of tears streaming down my face. The kind that echoed over and over that my whole world had crumbled, right in front of me—right in my hands. And I held onto Nana's garment, as if maybe I could grasp tightly enough, I may be able to bring her back. But my powers had never felt further from me. Each spell that escaped from my lips was like an echo from an empty vessel. The words didn't form, the winds didn't move. I was no longer a Witch, no longer a Hybrid.Now, those words would've meant the world to me at any moment besides this but right now, right now it was just too much. I cried, right on top of her, I cried until my chest started to ache and my throat was sore and my eyes could no longer bring any more tears.I cried because I had lost the one person that I had—that I thou
ELIANA.The full moon rose that night.At about 3 AM, it had hit its apex. The winds coursed through my hair as I gripped my Grandma’s hands. I could still hear her, even with my eyes closed. Her incantations, her magic.For that moment though, I was taken by the night, bathed in ghostly light. The shadows of Denver and my father, and Ivan, all waiting for things to go south so that they stepped in. I had assured them I had the spell under control but of course they wouldn’t believe me.This was the most powerful type of magic there was, one that I had never done before. One that had never been successful before. But I stood there, beneath the silvery moonlight, clinching onto hope and the enchantment that flowed from my Nana’s lips.I could do it, I reassured myself. I could be something. I could be different and that was the one thing that kept echoing in my head.The fact that I could actually be happy, happy with Denver and my two kids. No one after us, just peace. Don’t we all de
NANA ABIGAIL.For the most of my life, I think I’ve been a horrible person.The mere fact that I was born a witch proved exactly that. I was a traitor, a manipulator, a liar. A liar.A liar.But I wasn’t always like this. We weren’t always like this. Cursed. I was also once a little girl with an older sister she looked up to like a god. A mother that was the best there could have been. I had a family who loved and would do anything for each other.We were Witches. For the longest time, we journeyed across the earth to find ourselves a home. Then we found the haven in Oakland. The people were happy, everyone was happy with my father. He had led us to safety, he had cared for us, all the Witches.We were the happiest we could have ever been. But then the Werewolves came, they too had found a home in Oakland. The town itself, wasn’t always like this. Nestled in the hills and forest, it was a town away from mortal eyes. Its cobblestone streets were laced with enchantment. We had made thi
ELIANA. "Tonight is the night of the full moon."Denver’s voice hit my ears softly as I rolled onto him. I fluttered my eyes open to the little sunlight that poured in through the curtained windows. I couldn’t help but groan tiredly even after the nap I had just taken.It had been the busiest morning, from helping Denver’s entire Pack settle in to preparing for the spell tonight, fyi I didn’t need a reminder because only then did I feel the tension weave through me. And I was barely even awake. My hands wrapped around Denver as I laid on his chest.There was this comfort that came from hearing his heartbeat and being that close to his skin. Perhaps, he knew which was why he stayed still. I felt his hands wrap around my waist too.A deep sigh escaped my lips.I ended up lifting my gaze to him and I caught him already staring down at me. “Ugh please don’t remind me” I groaned softly. “It’s almost like I should just stay here forever” I whispered. Denver’s palms weaved into my clothing
ELIANA.“I regret to inform you that Cory suffered a fall inside the building, and on top of that was almost crushed by some of the debris that had fallen” The doctor explained with a piece of paper in his hands. His eyes fell to Thelma especially whose hands held up her chin in a tragic manner.The remnant of all the tears she had cried clung desperately to her lashes and at that moment, a hard lump slipped down her throat.“With a fall like that and everything that happened, it’s not uncommon to be presented with some signs of head trauma which would explain his partial loss of memory and inability to do the things he was once doing.”I folded my arms across my chest, dashing a glare at Denver. His face was filled with unease and an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher. Like every word that came out of the doctor’s mouth was a thorn poking him in his chest. I saw the way he looked at Cory laying there.That was his best friend. His person. His brother when Blake wasn’t. And he was jus