Eric’s POV. The following morning after the incident felt eerily serene, the sort of serenity that caused the hairs on my rear of the neck to rise up. Though the sun was just starting to rise and the castle grounds was covered in a faint glow, the coolness in the air was obvious. I hadn't slept a wink; my thoughts kept repeating the events of the previous evening. It tormented me the sound of broken bones and the sight of blood gathering on the floor. I heard the disturbance while in the courtyard attempting to clear my brain. Near the castle gates, a small gathering had assembled; their whispers got louder every second. I initially couldn't understand what they were saying, but then I heard it—a name whispered among them, a word that made my blood stop. Good. My heart thumping in my chest, I shoved my way through the throng. She was doing what exactly here? She was with Marcus, so I knew, but to show up like this thus shortly following the attack? It lacked logic. When I got to
Eric’s POV. I watched the scene develop from the shadows. Tension permeated the air, so weighty it felt as though I could hardly breathe. The biting and merciless remarks of Felza still ring true in my head. She had made it plain that she was resolved to be beside Marcus throughout his period of need and that she would not back down. It was a daring action that left Rhys boiling with subdued resentment. Felza had just completed answering the pack, her voice calm and assured as she described her ideas. Her eyes hard as steel, she had said, "I'll be handling the negotiations." "And right now Marcus will be here to watch. More than ever he needs me. Rhys's jaw clenched, and I could see the barely under control wrath in his eyes. Still, he spoke hardly a word. He only observed her, his demeanour frigid and incomprehensible. I understood that kind of gaze. Calculation, not acquiescence, was what drove it. Whatever Rhys was intending, it was not going to be good. Felza turned and lef
Eric’s POV. The dawn arrived gently, the first light of day peeking through Rhys's chamber's heavy drapes. Sitting in my lodgings, right down the hall, I gazed at the chilly embers in the hearth. Again, sleep had escaped me under the weight of our deeds. My ideas were a confused mess of remorse, hatred, and shame. Rhys had been far-off recently, his thoughts foggy with the problems that seems to multiply daily. And Gloria now. Gloria presented a challenge not one I had planned. She had been at Rhys's side for some time now, her presence an odd mix of comfort and discomfort for him. The impression that she had something more than first seemed persisted in me. Something perilous. I had heard the soft sound of feet leaving Rhys's chamber just before morning. Knowing it was her, vanishing in the early morning light, her perfume still permeating the air. Though I tried not to consider what had happened between them, the strain in the castle was difficult to overlook. Like a storm just r
Rhys POV. “Really it’s nothing” she says as she walks out to the courtyard where she finds Raven and she moves closer to him and they go along together. “Get back to the chambers before 8pm” I sad making sure she’d be available on time to relieve me my daily stress. Gloria came back to my chambers around 11pm, looking unkept and worked out. “Did you sleep with Raven” I asked with a furious voice.” Gloria was drunk I could perceive the alcohol. Absentmindedly she gave an affirmative nod and crashed in my bed. Her bosom was easily revealed and her thighs where sexy and clear. I sent for Eric and immediately ordered the capture of Raven. I was going to reach this one a big lesson. When Raven was brought I didn’t even have time to interrogate and all. I ordered he be thrown in prison and given hard labor. The morning dew saturated the castle grounds as the sun battled to rise, throwing a pale, chilly light over everything. Feeling the familiar weight in my hand as I watched Eri
Rhys POV. My heart was still aching. Beating rhythmically from the Shock that hit hard like a sledgehammer. My chest weighted in time. Gloria said something that kept flashing back to my memories. back to me “Cench is missing”. The room felt smaller at once, the air tighter, choking. Her hand stayed on my arm, but I hardly felt it. My head whirled, attempting to understand the circumstances. "What! could Cench be missing?" My voice just above a whisper, I asked. I was supposed to be the one with all the answers—the one in control. Still, in this instant I felt anything but. Gloria's lips twisted into a smile she couldn see. He disappeared late at night. Nobody else has seen him since. I looked at Winifred, her look a mix of surprise and something else I couldn't quite place. Although I wanted to think she was on my side, trust is a delicate matter particularly in this environment. "I need details," I said, attempting to calm myself. " Exactly when did he vanish? Where have you lo
Rhys POV. When I woke up, I was startled, and the things that happened the night before felt like a heavy blanket around my shoulders. The room was dark because the blinds were pulled all the way shut to keep out the early morning light. It hurts my brain to remember Gloria's angry words and Winifred's desperate eyes. Cench wasn't there, and Gloria's confession hit me harder than I'd like to say. The once-loyal steward is almost totally gone. Now, questions tore at the back of my mind and wouldn't go away. Felza's face flashed in front of me, making my thoughts less sharp. How did things get so messed up? Every thread in the web I was weaving seemed to pull me in a different direction. Fear of Felza kept me up at night. Winifred had tried to seduce me again, and her touch was both familiar and disgusting. It was annoying how defiant she was and how vulnerable she was. I wouldn't let her get away from me. Today was the worst day for me to need her. There was a knock on the door, and
Felza’s POVEvery morning at Marcus' home was the hardest. As I woke up, the room was almost too quiet, and a sad grey light came in through the heavy drapes. The walls looked at me and felt like they were suffocating me with their weight. I missed the open sky and the warmth of the sun. But here, even the light seemed trapped, trying to get through the heavy drapes that blocked the windows like soldiers at their places. Every sound in the house sounded better in the quiet. The footsteps, whispers, and dishes clinking as breakfast was being made all sounded better. Every sound made me aware that someone was listening to me and that I wasn't alone. Marcus' goons were all around me. They had their eyes on me and were completely devoted to him. They didn't say much, but I could tell they were nervous because they avoided looking at me and gave each other quick, sneaky looks when they thought I wasn't watching. This fear was something I knew all too well. Marcus was like a cloud that hu
Rhys POV. At the head of the long table, my fingers held the edge so firmly that my knuckles had become white. Though today they felt alien, as though they belonged to strangers instead of the soldiers who had faithfully served me for years, the faces before me were familiar. "Whereis he?" My voice was a low, hardly under control snarl. Avoiding my eye, the men moved uneasily in their seats. No one said. The chamber was silent, broken only by the sound of the hearth fire cracking. My patience was faltering, the rage boiling just under the surface. Eric was standing next to me, his eyes frigid and his posture perfect. He said nothing; his presence was sufficient to inspire dread. Though he understood this was different, we had fought through fights together, confronted threats side by side. Cench vanished, and I guessed someone in this very room knew more than they were revealing. Rising in voice, I said, "I asked a question." "Where is. Cench?" Still, nobody answered. Their eyes re
FELZA’s POVAxel had a mate? He met his mate? I still couldn't get that revelation off my head as I fought some rouges. Axel had surprised me greatly; coming to fight for my pack even when we humiliated him was a great sign of strength. A rouge charged towards me, his teeth bared, as he tried to slash his sword through my neck. I ducked and cut off his legs instead. He screamed out loud and I chuckled at how beautiful that sounded. Earlier, I couldn't handle the picture of Rhys getting tortured that way. I'd killed Lisa in the blink of an eye, and I was quite surprised I felt satisfied by it. I ran towards Rhys to give him a helping hand, “You need to rest.” “Not when I have the chance to finish this up forever.” He smiled, slashing the rouge's throat. At the same time, our gaze landed on Sebastian who was guarded with a few rouges. In just a few minutes, thousands of rouges lay dead on the ground, and I even sighted a few of Rhys' pack warriors. Axel must have freed them from the
RHYS’ POVI thought I'd experienced pain several times, but nothing could be compared to what I felt now. Sebastian had chained Felza to a chair, forcing her to watch me get tortured. In the same position, my hands were chained to the ceiling, while my legs dangled freely like I was about to get executed. Even though I couldn't see them, about two rouges continued slashing my back with a leather whip with thorns, while Lisa focused on piercing my nails with needles, serving me exactly what my men had done to her. Another slash on my back and I wondered if I could really take this anymore. “Leave him alone, please.” Felza whimpered, crying out loud, as she trembled in the chair. She'd tried closing her eyes, but each time she heard me groan, her eyes fluttered open as tears spilled down her cheeks. I'd pressed my lips together, swallowing down my groans, but when Lisa pierced my thumb, a loud groan escaped my lips, “When are you going to stop, huh?” I whispered breathlessly, closing
AXEL’S POVActing on Chris' words might as well be the most stupid thing I'd ever done. Alright, alright, his idea was the best thing that's ever happened to me. I held a banquet, the most talked about in my pack and I found a woman, a stark contrast to Felza, but she enchanted me almost immediately—my mate. I was struck by her beauty, her elegance and her kind heart. Within the last few weeks, our bond grew, and I kept thanking the moon goddess for making me find her. Every night we prepared dinner together and talked about our whole day while having our meal filled with love. Diana made sure she painted my world with beautiful colors, her smile, her laughter and her encouraging words. In just a few weeks, my life changed in ways I couldn't imagine. My aggressive nature was all gone and I couldn't thank Chris more for his perfect and slightly insane idea. “Let's serve dinner since Chris is coming over with his girlfriend.” Diana's voice settled in my ears and I smiled, turning to
LISA’S POVThe plan went extremely well. Better than I could have ever imagined. While the whole pack was asleep, hundreds of rouges—which I lead, infiltrated the Bluemoon pack. We killed a few pack warriors and kept the others chained in the dungeon, and that was just the beginning of their nightmare. Rhys had no idea what's gotten to him when he saw me. He looked shocked, perhaps by my sword dripping with blood, or with the fact that I was back to take what truly belonged to me. A day like this was perfect, perhaps the most perfect day I'd had in a few years.It felt like being on a rollercoaster, listening to the screams of the same pack warriors who made my life miserable. Picking between Rhys and his family wasn't actually a problem. I knew my rouges would get them captured before they got any far and so, I spent my time with Rhys in the dungeon. I had him chained on the wall, his legs and hands set aside like he were hung on a cross. I picked up a dagger, my favorite dagger, a
FELZA’S POV“We shouldn't have left him behind.” I whispered, as we walked through the woods. We'd managed to leave the library, but I could still feel someone on our tail. I tightened my hold on Halo, as we made our way foward, “I wonder what they're going to do to him. We have to go ba—”“No!” Eric snapped, turning to face me. His brows were furrowed deeply as he said, “I care for the Alpha, but your safety matters as well. As soon as we get to Vanessa's, we'll think of a plan to get him out of there.” He seemed sincere, but there was a chilling glint in his eyes when he gazed at me. I swallowed hard and nodded, hoping the moon goddess would keep my husband safe. Halo tightened her hold around my neck, sniffing as a few drops of her tears caressed my skin, “would father be fine? We still have a memories to fill, to make. He's coming back right?” Unsure of the answer, I nodded slowly, “He will come back.” I assured Halo, or maybe I was assuring myself as well. We walked for a few mo
RHYS’ POV“Rouges” “Rouges” They were definitely behind Nora's death. Eric took slow strides towards me, “they must have used the secret entrance to sneak in at night.” And only Nora could have given them the exact spot of the secret entrance; it explained why Sebastian tortured her to death. I balled my hands into fists, anger surging through my veins. I weaved my hands through my hair, gritting out, “we have to kill them all.” “Or you have to get your family to safety. They're taking over the entire pack house. They've killed almost all our men. They infiltrated the pack at night. If we fight against them, we would lose our lives.” For the first time, I felt the urge to punch Eric in the face for being a coward. “You expect me to leave the pack house in ruins? Fleed just because I want to be safe?” “You have a daughter. She's only four; do you want her to live without a father?!” Eric yelled back, his eyes glistening with tears. He ran towards the door, locked it up and faced me
FELZA’S POVIn the last few days, I'd never seen Rhys in such a dejected shape. For hours he kept staring at Nora's room, perhaps wishing she would open up the door and jump in his arms—but she didn't. He did it continuously, walking across the hallway to come to a stop in front of her room. It's been a few days, but Rhys couldn't take the news of Nora's death. Even her parents. Vanessa had refused to bury her, hoping she would sneeze and yell “momma” Her body was still preserved, but Rhys stood on having her buried. He was meant to be at his morning meeting, but here he was, staring at Nora's door with longing in his eyes. It hurt me to see him that way, but I knew how much Nora meant to him. Even with the few moments my daughter and I spent here, I could tell he loved her as much as he loved Halo. Perhaps even more. I cleared my throat and placed my hand on his shoulder, “you should be having your meeting, Rhys.” “The pack is fine.” His hoarse voice rang out, clenching my heart. I
RHYS’ POV“This is for you.” I placed some meatball on Halo's plate, watching as her cheeks flushed red, “thanks, dad.” she smiled, slowly reaching for her fork to begin eating breakfast. Felza had volunteered to prepare breakfast for everyone today, stunning Vanessa for a few seconds. Her gaze lingered on Felza for a while, “I'm yet to have a taste, but I'm sure this would taste heavenly.” She commented, and Felza smiled brightly, “then I hope everyone enjoys it.” I picked up my fork, but I noticed the absence of my second daughter, Nora. Her space was vacant, and Vanessa seemed to be aware of it. I frowned slightly and flipped my attention to her, “where's Nora? It's unlike her to be late for breakfast.” I said, watching as Vanessa slowly placed a meatball in her mouth. She wiped her mouth and leaned backwards, “we had an episode last night. She still refused to tell me about her supposed mate.” “And?” “She's probably sulking, still upset from what happened last night.” She conti
LISA’S POVDragging witches to Sebastian's presence seemed to be my job today. Sebastian kept killing them to satisfy his bloodthirsty urge, snapping their necks just because they enraged him. I hate to admit it, but I felt some kind of pity for them. He was just about to kill another because she refused to speak to him. And when she did, Sebastian smiled brightly at the gem he'd just found. He walked around her, circling her like a desperate predator, “I've been capturing your kind for the last few years, but no one's ever given me the answer and the solution I truly desired. With you, I can tell that my victory is near.” he raised her chin to gaze into her eyes and she smirked, “Since it's nearly midnight, we should proceed now.” Her voice was soft, but the chilling glint in her eyes couldn't be compared to another. She was just like me, slightly different in her own ways. I leaned against the soft cushion and tapped my feets on the ground, watching the interaction between Sebasti