Jemima’s POVI hadn't wanted to fall asleep but eventually, I had dozed off listening to the steady beating of Adrian’s heart. Thankfully, he was fast asleep when I woke up and it was still very early, about four in the morning. It was my opportunity to do what I had planned. As gently as I could, I got out of bed and searched his drawer for a pen and a piece of paper to write a goodbye note. Mentally applauding myself for not giving in to the temptation to give him one last kiss, I tiptoed out of the bedroom. My wolf howled in sadness but I didn't have any other choice. No one else was going to get hurt because of me.Sneaking past the soldiers who were patrolling the territory was the easiest past. I had been working on mastering the art of stealth since I was a child.Before disappearing forever from the Pack, I decided to pay a visit to the Circle of Stones in the forest. There must be something there for me. Something to help me overcome the hardships that were sure to come.
Jemima’s POVThe voice was very familiar, irritatingly so. Ignoring the pain in my hand, I brought myself up to a seated position and tried not to get carried away by the beauty of the room. For the first time, I saw the face of my attacker and was momentarily stunned speechless.He was otherworldly beautiful with his copper red hair and emerald green eyes. But unfortunately, he was also a scoundrel. “Why am I here?” I queried. “Weren’t you supposed to kill me?”The ghost of a smile hovered on his sensuous lips. “So you would rather be dead than alive? Interesting.”“Why didn't you just kill me?” I asked again.“I changed my mind,” he deadpanned. “You should focus on regaining your strength instead of asking me questions. You are going to need it.”With that, he rose from the richly embroidered chair and strolled out of the room. Just as I was still battling with the many confusing thoughts in my head, the door opened and a young girl who couldn't be more than nineteen walked in wi
Adrian’s POVThose first few seconds had to be the most heart-wrenching moment of my life. I had sensed the previous night that she was up to no good and I felt pretty stupid for not being more alert. Why the hell had I fallen asleep?My eyes ran through the words on her goodbye, searching for any clue as to where she might be headed. And what did she even mean by she had to leave to protect me and the rest of the Pack? Who told her she had any right to just do that?If I found her, I was going to kill her myself. After hurriedly putting on my clothes and boots, I dashed out of the apartment and headed straight for the forest. It was nearly four-thirty in the morning, she couldn’t have gone that far. My suspicion was confirmed by her scent that permeated the forest strongly. She had been there and hopefully, she might still not have gone out of the forest. I remembered her saying something about the circle of stones the previous night and decided to check there first. Disappo
Jemima’s POVAfter eating and having nothing else to do, I started to pace the room. My anger had long since faded and I was left with boredom. Aurora had decided to keep mute anytime I asked her questions about the Pack but she had annoyingly stayed put all because of the instruction she had been given by her Alpha. I stopped pacing and let out a frustrated sigh as I turned to face her. “Aren’t you bored? Is there nothing else I can do here apart from eat and sleep?”She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I would have given you a tour of the palace but the Alpha expressly made it clear that you are not allowed to leave your room.”“Does your Alpha know that he is a jerk?” I queried in a calm tone.An expression of alarm settled on her features and I resisted the urge to laugh. If I were in her shoes, I would have the same reaction. With another sigh of frustration, I plopped down on my bed and wondered for what had to be the hundredth time, why he was keeping me. A thought occurred
Jemima’s POV“It's actually also for their own good that you don't know who they are yet. If this friend of mine reveals themselves to you it's going to change a lot of things, something I do not think you are ready for, and their life is also going to be in danger,” he explained. His words lessened my irritation. I didn't want anybody else’s life to be in danger because of me. I guess I was supposed to be grateful that there was someone else looking out for me. “You should let the person know that I am very grateful. Though, did they ask you to knock me out that way? My head still hurts.”The Alpha’s lips curled into an unapologetic grin. “I had been wanting to smack the hell out of you since you went to that witch’s house to see her. A witch whom you clearly know is associated with the people who want you dead.”My eyes widened. “How do you know about that? Have you been watching me?”He rolled his eyes and I narrowed mine in suspicion. “How did you even know that I was going to
Adrian’s POVIt wasn't surprising that we didn't find her at her father’s house but I was very close to throttling my future father-in-law when he didn't even express the tiniest bit of worry over her sudden disappearance. “She is an adult,” he said, “And is most likely not missing. She also left this Pack without saying a word to me about it. Don't worry, she is going to return. Perhaps, she just had to get away for a little while.”Garrett discreetly gave my hand a squeeze. He could tell the temptation to lash out at Jemima’s father was very strong.“Do you even know that certain people have been trying to kill her?” I queried in clipped tones, not bothering to hide the animosity I felt for him.He arched an eyebrow. “Was that what she told you or is she just trying to get your attention?”A gasp of disbelief slipped from my lips. I wondered how it must have been for my mate growing up in a house like this. Neither her father nor her stepmother cared about her. “If you knew her mo
Jemima’s POV His name was Zade. Zade Hunter. I thought about how perfectly the name suited him. Strong and proud exactly like his personality. “Do you suddenly feel powerless after giving me your name?” I teased. He smirked. “A note of warning, Jemima. You are not to get too comfortable with me. As long as you remain here, I am going to be your teacher and you will accord me that respect. I can use your first name to address you but you can’t use mine.” A gasp of disbelief slipped from my lips. His eyes were dead serious. And here I was thinking that we were on the path to becoming good friends. “Very well, then,” I said, trying my best not to let my irritation show. Alpha Hunter.” He gave a nod of approval which added to my irritation. Who did he think he was to act all high and mighty? “Since you are going to be my teacher I think it's important that I let you know that apart from teaching me how to fight better with my fists or weapons and also in my wolf form, I will
Adrian’s POVThe others got to me in no time after I gave them the signal. Garrett’s eyes roamed the area and both he and Piper looked at me questioningly. “Can’t you smell that?” I queried. Piper’s expression was puzzled while my beta closed his eyes to concentrate better. He took a deep breath and frowned. Arching an eyebrow, he said, “The only thing I can perceive apart from you and Piper is the smell of slightly damp earth and leaves.”I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him.“Maybe you can perceive some things we can't because you are an Alpha,” Piper said to me. “So, what is it that you smell?”She was proving to be more intelligent than my beta and I regarded her for a moment with fresh interest.“An Alpha was here,” I replied. Garrett’s eyes narrowed. “But we didn't have any Alpha from other Packs who came visiting.”“No shit, Sherlock,” Piper muttered, earning a dirty look from the beta. It was a miracle how they had both managed to resist tearing each other apart d
Author’s POVIt hadn't been that difficult for the Committee of Alphas specifically created for the elimination of Jemima, to be infiltrated.The problem was that every Alpha who claimed that they wanted Jemima gone was allowed to join without question. So blinded were they by their eagerness to get rid of the threat that was Jemima that it didn't occur to them that not all the Alphas or witches who wanted to join the committee were truly on their side.It was a good thing for Elena though. She couldn't join the committee but she had an Alpha whom she could trust and begged him to join so that he could act as a spy for her. Liam, Elena’s estranged older step-brother and the Alpha of the Iron Fang Pack had reasons for not wanting to have anything to do with his younger sister.The first was that she had chosen to distance herself from him long before she even got pregnant with Jemima. She explained that she did it to protect him and didn't want anyone to know that they were related
Jemima’s POVRelief flooded my heart but I told myself not to be too hopeful. Perhaps, Connor wanted to psychologically torture us this way. Giving us hope only to take it away at the next minute. There was no way he could have changed his mind. A gasp fell from my lips when the chains suddenly loosened and fell to the ground. I was free. This certainly wasn’t Connor’s doing.The door was suddenly knocked off its hinges and landed with a deafening bang on the ground. A familiar figure stepped into the room and for a moment, I went completely dumb with surprise. “I'm certain you can get up from that chair. You are no longer bound to it,” the Alpha of the Midnight Pack said, mild amusement in his tone. “Zade,” I breathed out and rose from my seat. “How are you here? Why are you here?”“Well, I drove down here,” he replied, his eyes dancing with humour.I rolled my eyes. “You know exactly what I mean? How did you know I was in danger?”“How I have missed your numerous questions,”
Jemima’s POVConnor burst out laughing. An annoyingly grating sound that made me want to rip his head off. “There’s nothing you can do no matter how much I badmouth your mother. You are practically helpless and harmless right now,” he said. “And I thought you even hated the woman so why are you bothered about me calling her names?”“Fuck you, Connor,” I replied and started to struggle against the chains.“Oh please,” he began, his tone laced with amusement, “If you keep on struggling like that I might just pity you. Stop it already.”I ignored him and kept on trying to see if my abilities would suddenly turn back on and help me get out of the silver chains.“The chains are enchanted, Jemima. And you must have noticed that your abilities do not work here. It's going to remain like that for about an hour. It's rather annoying that every spell has a time limit when it comes to you,” he explained. “But don't worry, you’ll be dead long before the spell starts to lose its potency.”Piper
Jemima’s POVA flicker of irritation passed across Connor’s features as he looked at Piper who was standing right beside me. Because of what had happened the previous night, it was now much more difficult to get her apart from me even for a couple of minutes. “You didn't say she was going to tag along with you,” the Alpha of the Silver Paw Pack began, “Discussing matters that have to do with this Pack is supposed to be private. No outsiders are allowed.”Piper scoffed but I secretly gave her side a pinch to keep her from saying anything. “I am also an outsider, Connor and you are allowing me to even take an active part in something that concerns your Pack,” I replied.He rolled his eyes. “You were born here. Besides, you were the one who chose to leave. You weren't banished.”Considering the circumstances that brought about me leaving the Pack, I was supposed to be mad at him at that moment but I chose not to. Instead, I offered him a sweet smile and said in a firm tone, “Piper has
Jemima’s POVThat night, after I had discovered that my mother only abandoned me because she wanted to protect me, I couldn't sleep. I had later placed a call to my mate to let him know that I was okay and also to tell him about the letters I found in my father’s Study. “You really should stop pacing and come to bed already,” Piper suggested, her tone laced with concern. “How do you expect me to just do that, Piper?” I queried. “For most of my life, I have hated my mother for what she did and now I am just filled with guilt.”“But you shouldn't feel guilty,” she replied, heaving herself into an upright position on the bed. “We both read those letters and it was clear that she needed you to think that she abandoned you. If you had known the truth you certainly would have gone looking for her.”An exasperated sigh fell from my lips. “I really need to find her. We can get through this together. Her life is also in danger.”“Well, you have already said that you know who you are going t
Author’s POVFor Connor, going through some humiliation rituals was necessary for a person to achieve the desired end result. Before learning about the situation and how it would affect him, the Alpha of the Silver Paw Pack had never imagined that he would ever go down on his knees in front of a woman he had formerly rejected. It was humiliating but he had to do it. He had despised her a lot when they were still mated and he had found out that she was wolfless. At least at that time, she was.Finding out just a few months after he rejected her that she wasn't actually without a wolf and was actually so powerful, would have made him regret rejecting her if not that her powers, which were from a strong ancestral bloodline, were going to lead to the end of his reign.Thankfully, he wasn't the only one who thought that uniting all the Packs as one was totally unfair as it was going to strip them of their leadership positions which would also result in losing privileges and benefits tha
Author’s POV“Mom, you know that was wholly unnecessary,” Tamar began as she helped her mother get settled on the bed. “Knowing how powerful she is, you shouldn't have provoked her like that.”Abigail gave her daughter a look. “If I didn't know any better I would have thought you were on her side instead of your mother’s.”Tamar rolled her eyes. “All I'm saying is that you should be careful when dealing with her. She is no longer the frightened girl with low self-esteem that you used to know. She’s changed.”“It means nothing,” Abigail replied stubbornly. “She can't be more powerful than thousands of us put together. And do not forget that we have the support of a few witches. When the time is right, we are going to put an end to her existence.”Tamar tried not to show how uncomfortable she was with her mother's words. It wasn't as though she was totally against bullying her step-sister, but killing her was an entirely different matter. Even though she tried to ignore it, she still
Jemima’s POVTamar was instantly by her mother’s side, murmuring words of care while Piper wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you,” she murmured. I wondered why she was thanking me. Tamar helped her mother to her feet and within seconds, they were out of the Study. Piper released me to go lock the door which they had left ajar. When she returned to where I was standing, I realized that her eyes were wide with fear. “I knew I should have come here with you,” she said. “Has it been thirty minutes since I left the room already?” I asked and she shook her head.“Your mate called and was really mad at me for not being with you. He ordered me to come to you and call him the minute I get here,” she explained and then started to dial his number. “You do not have to do that now,” I said, snatching the phone from her hand. “I am going to call him and give him an explanation.”She rolled her eyes. “You had better do that now before he starts blasting your phone with calls.”As if on cue,
Jemima’s POV“I think I would prefer to remain standing,” I replied, not daring to take my eyes off her.The last time we had a conversation alone was when I came to her to report Tamar’s betrayal. She had laughed in my face and told me that I was a good-for-nothing who didn't deserve to be mated to an Alpha. She also told me that she was certain that the Moon Goddess had somehow made a mistake. “Whatever,” Abigail said. “Whether you choose to sit or stand is none of my business.”Of course. Why wasn't I the least bit surprised? “So why exactly am I here, Abigail?” I queried. “If it's about the salvation of this Pack, Connor and I have already spoken about it.”“I also need to give you my two cents about the situation,” she replied. “As an elder of this Pack and also the soon-to-be mother-in-law of the Alpha, my opinions are of importance.”I mentally rolled my eyes wondering who the hell had made her an elder. She wasn't even qualified to be one yet. Or did being a mother to the