Adrian’s POVShe looked so frightened and guilty at the same time that I wanted to take her in my arms and never let go.Her wonderfully large eyes were filled with a kind of uncertainty as she gazed at me, waiting for me to judge her because of her mistake. I knew I was right to decide that she had to work on mastering her abilities. She obviously still had a lot to learn especially when it came to controlling her emotions which were supposed to be a fuel for her magic.“I’m taking this seriously, Jemima. I just don’t think you should be so bothered about this. The first thing you are going to need to learn is controlling your emotions and imagination.”Her eyes were suddenly filled with weariness and I moved my finger from her lips to cup her chin. “There is no need to overthink things. You can do this, I am sure of it. Power like this wouldn’t have been given to you if you weren’t found worthy of it.”She closed her eyes for a moment and released a sigh. When she opened them, the
Jemima’s POVIt was my first time being in his room and it smelled just like him. A simple combination of sandalwood and masculine essence. I drew my eyes away from the neatly laid king-sized bed and spotted the bathroom door. Adrian had agreed to wait in the living room while I cleaned up and I was angry at him because of that. It was annoying and confusing that I wanted him so close to me but also wanted to put some distance between us. “You are a nutcase, Jemima,” I said to myself as I washed my hands in the sink. “Just what exactly do you want?”After washing my face also, I walked out of the bathroom, half-expecting to see my mate sprawled out on his bed. Disappointment settled in my stomach at his absence and I felt angry at myself. This nonsense had to stop. He didn't look up the minute I stepped into the living room but I knew by the rigid way he held his body that he was well aware of my presence. “I guess training’s over for today,” I said, standing in front of him.
Adrian’s POVThis time, her eyes went round with fear as she whispered the words, “Three days.”Those days when I was terrified I was going to lose her were the hardest days of my life. I forgot to eat, shower and nearly forgot how to breathe. Thanks to my Beta and Piper, who were always there to reassure me that since she was still breathing and had a very strong pulse, she was certainly going to wake up. I strongly suspected that the use of her abilities on me had something to do with the seemingly never-ending sleep state that befell her, and I blamed myself for it. If only I hadn't insisted that she try to hone and work to control her magical skills, that wouldn't have happened to her. The first twenty-four hours while she was asleep, I had been with her. Never daring to leave her side. I remembered how I had acted somewhat distant with her just after we had finished her first training session and felt like a jerk. An immature part of me had been offended that she still was
Jemima’s POVTo say I was shocked is an understatement. Three frigging days of sleep!!! I wasn't some kind of sleeping beauty from the fairytale we were told as kids. I was a werewolf!“A werewolf different from the other werewolves,” Kiona pointed out. Her words didn't make me feel any better. It was all just so complicated to process. When Adrian explained that a witch had told him how normal it was for that sort of sleep state to happen to me, I relaxed a little. But when he mentioned that she was also connected to those who wanted me dead, I felt a chill deep in my bones. She could easily have killed me if she wanted to. I was in a vulnerable state. I needed to go to her for answers.“I believe it would be a foolish thing for you to do,” Kiona said. “You should be trying to avoid anything that could be a threat to you.”My wolf was right, but I needed answers and I didn't care what risks I was going to have to take to get them. After Adrian’s explanation, I was reminded of
Jemima’s POV“What are you doing?” I asked amusedly. I had just stepped out of the bathroom after taking my first shower in three days, only to find Piper trying on a pair of boots that Adrian had bought me a few weeks ago. She smiled sheepishly at me as she took them off. “I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist the temptation to put them on. Blame the boots, not me.”A snort slipped from my lips as I strolled towards the wardrobe to pick out what to wear. “But how come you never even wear them?” she queried. “I think they are just too fashionable to wear on ordinary days. I'm going to put them on when there is a special event,” I replied, pulling out a T-shirt and a pair of jeans from the wardrobe. “What special occasion would require you to wear boots instead of heels?” she wondered. I gave her a smile. “I'm certain that there are events like that. And again, I prefer boots to heels. They are more comfortable.”“Weirdo,” she murmured with a smile on her face. When I unwrapped my t
Jemima’s POV“I'm sorry but I still don't understand. You both are in love right?” I queried. She let out a snort of laughter. “If that’s what you see between us, then sorry to say, but you must be really naive.”My confusion deepened and finally, she decided to explain things to my simple mind. “We had this fiery sexual attraction thingy between us and he proposed that we have a no-strings-attached relationship. I foolishly agreed.”“Now, I’m in love with him but I know that he doesn’t feel the same way.”She paused to clear her throat and I could see the hurt in her eyes. I immediately felt sorry for her and reached forward to pat her shoulder. “What’s the point anyway?” She continued. “We are eventually both going to find our mates and this thing between us will become history.”Silence descended upon us and we both allowed our gazes to linger on the peaceful flow of the river. I had never experienced her type of situation but I knew what I would do if I were in her shoes. “W
Jemima’s POVA scoff slipped from my lips as I thought of what to say to him to get him to leave. I didn't feel like eating with him. He looked at Piper and his lips curved into a mischievous grin. “Or do you also want me to leave?”“Of course not,” she replied almost immediately and nudged me with her elbow. “We’ll be delighted if you can join us. There is more than enough food for the three of us.”My lips parted in shock and I turned to face with a look close to betrayal plastered on my features.Her eyes pleaded with me to understand but I was too pissed at Adrian to do that.I knew that she had no choice. He was her Alpha and couldn't get away with some things I could get away with. “Fine, then,” I said, “You two can enjoy a lovely dinner together.”I could sense my mate’s amusement as I scooped a generous portion of potatoes into my plate and added some drumsticks before marching out of the dining room.“I'm so sorry about that,” I heard Piper say to him just before I slamme
Adrian’s POVTalking about how my former mate died was something I would rather not discuss. It really took a lot for me to tell her that I had killed her. Giving her the specifics was going to be much harder. It was a memory I didn't want to relive.But Jemima desperately wanted me to spill it all out. Her large, expressive eyes held doubt and uncertainty. She didn't want to believe that I had taken the life of a woman I loved.“Just tell her already,” my wolf said.I drew in a shuddering breath for strength before I started to tell her what exactly had happened that day. My voice sounded lifeless even to me as the words spilt out of my mouth. We had been under attack by rogues.That day, Sienna and I had decided to go for a run like we usually did every morning. I could still picture how perfect the weather had been. How comforting the quiet of the forest was. It was both I and Sienna’s favourite part of the day but ever since she died, I had come to despise it. I preferred nig
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