The search had just begun back at the Blackmoon pack; they scavenged from their pack until they entered the territory filled with rogues. The rogues were smart enough not to attack or even make themselves seen by Rygan; they felt the bloodlust pulsating from him. The fury and rage in his gaze showed there would be no mercy if caught. Rygan was like a madman on a mission; he scoured the territories with his men, and they never saw this feral yet beastly nature from Rygan, not since Elise was taken. After an hour in the rogue territory, Rygan finally gets a whiff of a different scent, a bloody one that smells like a mortal enemy. His snout flared as he trailed the scent to the edge of the rogue's lands. He comes face-to-face with a human, barely alive, his hands covering his throat, and he is trying to stop the blood from spilling out. Utter shock and terror showed on the male's face as he watched Rygan’s black wolf circle him. His powers only worked with wolves, so he knew
Run! Her wolf cried out to her; even with a wounded, bloody body, she raced, but she could see no way out. With each step, her body felt heavier, and terror clouded her mind as she fled. She looked back and saw men with guns and weapons chasing her. On the other side, a rageful-looking chief, Dexton, her father, and Kyren, whose wicked laugh echoed through the dark space. “You will never be anything but a disgraced cursed child; you are a rejected curse that deserves to be abandoned; no one is coming for you!” Her father's voice loomed through the dark mist. “No, no, you’re wrong,” she muttered. Only when she saw an opening and Rygan's familiar face did she let out a sigh of relief. She ran towards him. “Rygan, please help me!” She cried as she held onto his hands, but Rygan coldly deflected her touch. “You are tainted by Kaide; I do not want you, and I never did; you will die alone, don’t you get it? That's why I never came to look for you!” His dark voice ech
Hayden is a shadow wolf, the real deal. The moment those words left Hayden’s lips, Elise felt like she had finally found something in her heart that she had been searching for. Something had called to her ever since she read that book not long before. “You are a shadow wolf, and this is the Calhan pack?” she asked, her eyes lighting up with curiosity. “I thought its people were all assassinated during the war 20 years ago,” she muttered to him. A tense silence followed. Hayden tried to read her intentions as he watched her carefully. Hayden’s walls immediately closed up the minute she asked questions about his home. His eyes grew cold as he studied her, wondering why she was so intrigued by the shadow wolves. “Why don’t you change out of the hospital gown, and I might answer your questions?” he called, handing her a beige sweater top and pants. She looked at the clothes and went back to him. “And why do I need to change clothes?” she snarled at Hayden, whose lips tilted si
“You are Malia’s daughter? ...moons,” Abby whispers, her face morphing to one of shock and then recognition, like she could see the uncanny resemblance to Elise. The twins, on the other hand, looked at Elise, as if that name alone brought enough bad memories to their home. “I told you that this girl is dangerous if that bastard Dexton gets a clue that she is here-.” “-He won't,” Elise cuts in. “Like I said, the monster isn’t my father; he killed my mother when he learned of her infidelity; he says it reminded him of the Calhan tribe wolves. And it seems my mother has a history with your pack, and I just want to find out who I am. That’s why I’m here,” she explains. Dexton was right about the features of the Calhan wolves; they were most commonly born with black hair, but the special ones among them, the chosen royal blood, had been given snowy locks just like Hayden’s. Though his brother Holden's hair wasn’t as long as his, its buzz cut still showed his white-gold hair. “S
Meeting with the Calhan males already felt like a completely new experience for Elise, especially since the males had different characters and demeanors. Hayden gives her a brief explanation that Abby will be taking her in, and she obliges once she knows it is the healer. A part of her had a soft spot for healers because of Vienna, her friend, who was very kind to her in the black-moon park. Her throat immediately soured with sadness as she cleared it to stop herself from showing any vulnerable emotions or crying because of how much she missed Vienna. “And where will you be staying?” She asked Hayden, whose lips curled up in a smile as he leaned against the adjacent wall. Calhan males were big, and shadow wolves were bigger, and he towered over her, almost the same height as an alpha. She didn’t want to remember anything about that place. Not now. “Are you thinking of little old me, El? Are you worried you won't see me for the night? Don’t worry, I could fix that,” he jokes.
“Because I knew your mother,” Abby confesses. Elise's gaze hardened in confusion from Abby’s words; she could only feel stunned and numb all over as she watched the healer. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Elise starts with a whisper. Her hands trembled in anxiety at her response. “Because I thought it wasn’t my place to say, but I know you need the truth; I can tell you all that I know,” Abby explains. Elise feels her body go numb; she sits up straighter as a bone links in lace before she swallows, watching as Abby takes the seat closest to her. “Your mom, Malia, was a rogue; at least we thought she was; she was beautiful, wild, and so carefree; a joy to be around,” she starts. Elise couldn’t believe that her kind, conservative mother was someone like this. She couldn’t help but heartthrob in sadness for her mother. How much did Dexton break her to change so much? “She was rescued by our shadow wolves when she was about to be attacked by rogues; we sheltered her, offering h
Elise's POV ~~~ After Abby revealed everything to me, I went back to my room to be alone, my head filled with so much emotion that I felt a dull ache worsening by the minute. "Maybe a panic attack?" I thought as I rushed to the bed, pulling the covers over myself and clutching a hand over my mouth to control the harsh breathing, to an extent. But more than ever, I wanted to find out what happened to my father, and once I found out, I would leave and seek my revenge, starting with Dexton, my ex-father who had ruined my life. Maybe I could start over after that; I wanted a clean slate, I prayed desperately.a yearning my heart desired. My eyelids grew heavy as I fell into a deep slumber. I found myself in that familiar mist, but this time it was calming. I watched as a shadow emerged, this time enormous and powerful, with those violet eyes I remembered from my wolf. She gazed up at me, the closest we had ever been. I reached out to touch her, and she extended her neck for
Elise took the dare, Leaving a wide-eyed Hayden staring in awe. To Hayden’s surprise, Elise had begun undoing her top and pants; her silk underwear remained, and his gaze was unwavering, daring her to look up at him. “Turn around, you pervert,” she says to Hayden. She hates his casually sheepish smile, his lips stretched into a grin as he raises his hands in defeat and turns the other way. Elise takes off her things and goes behind a large tree, keeping the clothes safe. She doesn’t want to ruin what Abby has given her, and she doesn’t want to take her kindness for granted. “You know… What you did today was amazing. It’s unheard of to find a gifted wolf. And you aren’t just a shifter,” Hayden says from behind the tree as she takes off her underwear. “… You’re a healer and also a shifter; that is unbelievably rare.” Elise stiffened; a known fear gripped her when she recalled how Kaide wanted to lock her up and use her for his selfish purposes when he found out she was a gi