DENVER.The machine came on with a wheezing noise as Ivan tore her shirt open.Her skin was pale and cold and still. And I had never seen Eliana that way in my life. I finally took my hands off her but I was still shaking. "Charged to one hundred" Ivan echoed from his lips, holding the machine with his two hands before he pressed it against her chest.In a second, it sent an electric current throughout her body and she jerked forward roughly before falling back down. I bit into my fingertips, pacing around the room nervously. "Come on, Eliana. Come on" I kept repeating beneath my breath as he placed the machine again."One-fifty" He charged it and you could hear the current fill it up. "Two hundred" "Three hundred" He kept jerking her forward but still nothing. "Two hundred and fifty, charged" He placed the machine on her chest again and I shook my head with tears in my eyes. "No" I cried. "No, Eliana. Please no" I muttered. She jerked forward again before falling flat.Then Ivan loo
ELIANA.I couldn't move an inch without Denver popping out of nowhere.You would think that reaching across from the bed to my phone was an albeit easy task but ever since everything that happened, he wouldn't still let me lift a finger. I had spent the night in the bed up until noon the next day. The party had also been postponed after the Pack heard about Sienna's attack. The only other thing to come out of that night besides my proclamation as Alpha was a second body. A mother and a son whose demise were met.And of all the emotions I could feel at that moment, I was the most thankful. I had briefly grazed the cold shards of death and it was an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone. So deep down, I understood why Denver was acting the way he was.But I also needed to get out of bed."No, Eliana" He whispered, holding me back softly but I was determined to get my feet out of my bed. "I'm well rested and I can't spend my whole day laying in bed. I'm an Alpha now" I said with a soft c
ELIANA. I sat at the big, dining table across which was a variety of food and delicious dishes. Everyone squeezed around, passing plates and murmuring words beneath their lips. Most of all, they were all smiling and happy.I can’t remember the last time we had a feast here or even if we’d ever had a feast. It was all too fitting after everything we’d all been through, that my reign began with a dinner of celebration.All the inconspicuous whispers and chattering swept through my ears as I looked around the table. The room was cozy, lit up with soft lights which hung from the ceiling. The sound of laughter and stories mixed together.Kids screaming in excitement, darting through relatives for food, their faces aglow with innocence and joy, making the air feel even warmer and happier. A smile brushed along my lips as Elijah scurried back and forth where I sat. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?” Denver’s voice suddenly echoed from above and I tilted my head to face him. “Nothing,
ELIANA. I opened my eyes to the soft sunlight filtering through my sheer curtains which cast a warm glow on my room. As soon as I sat up, a smile curled softly upon my lips.The air was filled with a gentle breeze, crisp with the fragrance of blooming flowers and carrying the promise of a perfect day. I heaved out a sigh as soon as my eyes fell on the flowers that scented so nicely.They were upon my bed stand. A chuckle escaped my lips as I reached towards it. Attached below the white tulips was a note.“I can’t wait to marry you today” I read off the piece of paper, biting down into my fingertips as my smile grew wider. I knew exactly who he was even before he walked into the room. “Hey” His voice was deep and comforting. I looked up into his green eyes. “Hey” I whispered. “How are you feeling, Alpha?” He asked and I rolled my eyes to the back of my head.“For the hundredth time, I’m okay Denver” I replied. “Now go! Isn’t it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before she walks
ELIANA.The soft piano music waltzed through my ears as I crept closer to the door. I gathered the hems of my flowing white dress, a sigh escaping my lips which only grazed against my veil. And chill went up my spine the moment the cold air hit my face.Thelma, on my right hand, held around me a little tighter and when I looked at her, my face turned crimson. “I can’t believe I’m finally doing this” I whispered. Only for my Nana, on my left hand to respond to me.“You’ve got this, Eliana” Her voice was as delicate as it was comforting and I nodded. “Remember how much you’ve wanted this. Well here it is, here is your happily ever after behind that door” She added, restoring the color into my cheeks and my eyes stung with a few tears.Happy tears.At that moment, the door drew open to the adorned Pack halls, as soon as I took my first step in, everyone’s eyes turned to me and there was a chorus of a few gasps. However, the only eyes that I met were his.Denver was standing at a distance
ELIANA.Denver and I had just got married. We were on our way up the stairs when he suddenly whisked me in his hands. I felt my feet hover away from the ground as he lifted me in the air. A soft chuckle escaped my lips amidst a yell for help. But his hands were firmly attached to my waist.He kicked his feet forward, carrying me in his arms as we made our way from the hall and up to our bedroom. We'd made it through the whole day unbelievably and only just somehow managed to escape everyone now. After a ceremony that seemed to last forever, we finally retired to my room—the Alpha Chambers.Denver kicked the door open and my arms wrapped around his neck. He placed me to the ground alongside my flowing white dress and we were both breathing heavily from the distance we'd run. He closed the door behind him and now that we were alone, his hunger was crystal clear in his eyes. Denver's hands pricked the button of his suit jacket before he pulled it off. It fell to the ground with a thud.
ELIANA.I slipped in my shorts before putting on my t-shirt. For a second, I halted in front of the mirror, running my hands through my messy hair. Once I was certain I was at least presentable, I walked back to the door, opening it for Ivan to come back in.Now, his eyes met mine with a harrowing look. I looked down at the papers in his hands. I could just tell something was wrong even though I couldn’t quite put a finger on it. But he was different.He was restive.“Ivan,” I had to call his name again. What was so difficult that he couldn’t say? That he was so disoriented and disturbed. Was it me? Was it Denver who still wasn’t here by the way after promising to make it back by morning? I looked everywhere but he hadn’t come. “What is it, Ivan?” I asked him one last time with my patience running thin and only then did a hard lump slip down his throat. “There’s something that you should know, Alpha Eliana” The tone of his voice made my heart sink in my chest.“What happened?” I ques
IVAN.TWO DAYS EARLIER.I walked up the stairs, gliding through all the people going in and out of the Alpha Chambers. Eliana wasn't just finally moving in but tomorrow was her wedding ceremony which was why it was no surprise when I pushed the door open to see her trying on a long white dress.Her eyes darted from the mirror, throwing a look over her shoulders at me. “Oh thank God. Ivan” She heaved, holding tight the front in her hands. “How does this look?” She was breathless.Partially because of all the stress but I could see a glimpse of the anxiety in her eyes as well. “It’s my mother’s dress. She’s wore it to walk down the aisle and I don’t know, I just want it to be special too. I want to carry a piece of her on my special day. It would be my something borrowed” She chuckled back at her Grandmother and my eyes fell to navigate the dress“It’s beautiful” I said flatly. It really was. The only thing was I wasn’t here to talk about her wedding dress. I was here for her checkup
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