ANNA KYLIN CHESTER"MUM IS AWAKE!"Even if I wasn't previously, I couldn't bear to smash the hope and excitement I had heard in Aiden's voice as soon as he peeped into my room and saw my eyes open. I sat up, hiding the difficulty in which I did that easy task.They rushed in and crowded my bedside. "Addison was praying to the moon goddess that you would be awake when we came back from school...""You see my prayers were answered," Addison giggled. "I also prayed for the moon goddess to bring me a pony. I hope that one, too, is answered.""What happened, mum?" Aiden asked. "Addie was very scared.""Weren't you also scared?" Addison shrieked. "He cried in school today." She pointed at her brother."That was because my pencil broke!" Aiden tried to argue to preserve his dignity, but his sister was not having any of that. She giggled."Come here, babies," I opened my arms and gathered them in my embrace. I sniffed in their scent - the faint smell of school, and snow and child sweat. It wa
MITCH CHESTERHE WATCHED REINE come forward gracefully. She did not bow timidly or expose her neck in submission like he expected her to. She met and held his gaze as she walked forward, and placed the tray on a table."You were Doctor Anna's loyal servant?" He asked, still surprised at her demeanor."Yes," she said. "And you are her Lycan mate who cheated on her and made her sick."Mitch winced as he remembered his moment of weakness with Ophelia. "That was a long time ago.""I could say the same for me too," she said, crossing her arms and standing defiantly.Mitch frowned. This was no servant, not anymore. He cocked his head. "You are not an Omega," he voiced."I am not," she agreed."Since when?" Mitch asked.Reine shrugged and separated the tray items on the table."You must not be angry at Anna," Mitch said, thinking that Reine's hostile attitude was for Anna. "Because she promised to take you away and left you here. It was a slim escape window and she had to take it...""I am no
MITCH CHESTERAFTER THE FIRST few minutes of hostility between Mitch and Reine, they realized that they both loved Anna in their own ways and decided to work together. Reine was secretly happy for her master, seeing how enamored this brutish Lycan was about her well-being. She watched as Mitch opened his food tray, his lips downturned slightly as he sat down and ate slowly. Then he looked up and saw her watching him. "How was she like?" He asked. "Years ago, before she left this pack, what was she like?"Reine's face softened as she remembered. "She was sweet. She still is. She was gentle and soft spoken. I often thought her to be too shy and meek for her good...""Hmm. How so?" Mitch asked, cutting a piece of sausage and chewing on it thoughtfully."She was supposed to be the alpha in line after her father," Reine said, oblivious to the tight look that crossed Mitch's face. "But she was unfit to rule, so her father arranged the marriage between her and Rick - uh, Alpha Rick."That w
MITCH CHESTER HE PORED OVER the books until his eyes drooped and hours passed, and he did not find anything worthwhile in the books. When he was fed up, he snapped the books shut and stumbled out of the library, shocked when he saw that the sun had gone down. He checked his watch and saw that it was past 7 already. The dinner had begun. He muttered a string of curses under his breath.As if on cue, a messenger came up to him and bowed, "Alpha Rick asked me to remind you of the dinner appointment."Mitch nodded and replied, "Tell him I will be there shortly." He hurried to his suite, oddly welcomed by the faint scent of Anna.Her scent reminded him, and he dialed his kingdom. Draco picked it on the first ring, "Hello?"Mitch grunted and said, "Patch me through to the palace.""Aren't you going to ask me if your kingdom is still in one piece?" Draco chuckled.Mitch snorted and said, "I didn't call to speak with you, Draco Thuram. Patch me to the palace."Draco sighed and directed the c
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERAS SOON AS I ended the call with Mitch, I heard some noise coming from outside. I shuffled out of bed. "I guess my rest is over," I muttered, walking out of the room."What's going on?" I asked the guard closest to me."Let me confirm, Luna," he said and mindlinked the workers while I went to the dining room."Are you hungry, Luna?" Liz and Patty hovered around me. I shook my head."You have not eaten in close to 48 hours," Patty pressed. "Just some pancakes and tea." She said."For dinner?" I chuckled weakly."You can't eat anything heavier," Liz piped. "1 or 2 pancakes?" She looked at me with big eyes. I sighed and nodded, she grinned and hurried into the kitchen."Where are the children?" I asked Patty as I waited."Gran Tate had them bathed and asleep for school tomorrow," Patty answered. "They wanted to stay up and out, helping the men cut wood."I chuckled. Liz came in, carrying a full breakfast. "This isn't two pancakes and a small cup of tea," I said as she
"WHAT SORT OF place is this?" Alice asked, turning in her seat to look around as the car bounced on the dirt road. The place was like it had been forgotten in time. There were no electricity, light poles, or modern buildings. Just dry wooden cabins scattered around in the vast desert terrain."Is this the place?" Vorenus asked, and Vlad nodded.They eased to a stop in front of a semi dilapidated cabin and got out. There was a thick blanket of darkness shrouding everywhere, but as Vampires, they could see quite clearly. Vladimir cocked his head, and Vorenus went up to the door; he knocked smartly and waited."I don't think anyone's home," he said. "I can't hear anything. No sound or a beating heart.""That could be caused by many things," Vladimir said. "They are witches. You think they can't mask themselves from the likes of us?"Vorenus nodded, "fair point."Vladimir walked up while Vorenus knocked again harder. Vladimir kicked the door once and sent it crashing out of its frame. Al
MITCH CHESTER"SOMETIMES I THINK to myself," Beth said, in a slurry voice. "We should not be having dinners at the same table with Omegas..." Her voice was low, but it still carried around the room.Mitch shrugged. "I think the hierarchies and titles in wolf packs are going to be the end of the race."Beth frowned. "You're silly. I like it." She drained her cup and requested for a refill. Mitch wondered if that was how she drank or if it was because she was stressed. "Where did you say your pack was again?" She scrunched her face in a drunken attempt to remember.Mitch looked away. Apart from Beth, dinner had not gone so badly. The food was good. There were no threatening sentences or heavy topics at the table. They had simply discussed about mundane things — that is, until Beth got drunk.Rick gestured with his head at a standing guard. The guard advanced and wanted to assist Beth to stand and take her upstairs, but she snapped at him. He drew back. "I want him to take me up..." she
RICK FORSONAS SOON AS he saw the look that Beth gave Mitch, Rick knew what was on her mind. That was the same look she had given Charles on the first day he arrived from the council.He knew she was going to try and wiggle herself into Mitch, but he was not bothered. Not concerned. While they had dinner, he noticed that while Beth was trying to get closer to Mitch, he was still aloof and uninterested. Rick wanted to know the main reason why Mitch was here. He looked at Reine and knew that she knew what was going on and the real reason the Lycan was here, and although he had tried to make her tell him, she did not budge.He sighed, not wanting to use his alpha aura. He exchanged glances with Jones, who was worried about Beth getting drunk at the dinner table.Rick scoffed. He knew it was too late already. She was far gone. He could not hear what Beth was telling Mitch, but her words were slurred and her movements were drowsy already.Sure enough, a few minutes later, she was drunk and
FIVE MONTHS LATER,I RUB my belly fondly. It has become a subconscious habit of mine since the belly bump sprouted. On some nights, I wake up from the nightmares and horrors of being locked up in the prison underground. It has been 5 months already, but the remnants of what we lost were still vivid. Every fallen warrior was given a befitting burial. After the death of the vampires, Paige started having recurring dreams of her lost memories. I had Lorna suppress it again. i also had Lorna wipe out the memory of Janet the mistress, now she was a servant in the palace... "Are we almost there yet?" Addison asked from the back seat. Mitch grunted. "Almost." I turn and look at him. The scar he had gotten from the battle that ran across his eyes was now white, it was healing well. The cut missed his eyes by less than an inch, but the scar added to his dangerous look. I reach out and touch his hand. He turns and looks at me, but I can not decipher what is going on in his head as his eyes
MITCH CHESTERAS HE TORE through the vampires, his eyes wavered back, and he looked at Anna. He could not believe she was nearby again, even as all the odds were against him all this while. Arranging the warriors for battle on such short notice was not an easy feat as most of his warriors were not familiar with guns, but he had made them ready and prepped for battle under a few hoursHe grunted as a vampire sank his fang into his arm. He growled grabbed the vampire by its head and slammed it into the ground."Keep your head in the fight, Mitch," Draco snapped. "Don't die when she is just a few feet away."Mitch chuckled. He turned and looked at his mate again. She was holding her own well against the vampires surrounding her and Alphonso."Do these things ever finish?" Mitch asked, looking around at the vampires still swarming over the field."We have to take out the elder vampires, or Vladimir himself," Draco said, stabbing a vampire dead on the floor. He shook his spear loose and lo
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI WATCHED THE moon rise to its peak and anticipated when the witch Agatha walked up to Vladimir and said, “It is time.“Vladimir nodded and came to stand beside me.I closed my eyes, resigning myself to my fate as Agatha came closer, muttering a long string of spells under her breath. “I will offer the blood of the current grand witch…” She grabbed Lorna's hand and slit it at the wrist. I saw Lorna clench her jaws in pain as Agatha squeezed her blood into a cup, which she mixed with some herbs and gave to Vladimir. He drank it all in one gulp. Dark red veins streaked up his neck, and his eyes went bloodshot.She walked to me and added, “I will offer the life of the reincarnated grand witch, Annika, and use it to bind the soul of the vampire king, giving him immense power and immunity to the mountain ash wood…““I heard her raise her hand. The air stretched with tension, and time seemed to slow down. I opened my eyes, expecting to see my life flash before my eyes, bu
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER“COME HERE!“ THE grating of the cell on its hinges made me look up. One of the vampires was on the other side. She reached in and pulled me out harshly. My knees scraped the rough floor; I bit my lips to keep the pain in. Another one reached in and tried to grab Lorna but gasped in pain, pulling back immediately. “I will come out myself,“ Lorna said coolly. “But try to touch me again, and it will be the last thing you ever do.“ The vampire stared daggers at her but did not move to grab her again. She cradled her hand, rubbing it fondly. Lorna must have secured herself with some sort of spell. “And you will unhand the Luna immediately too.“ Lorna said in a cold voice to the vampire who had her fingers wrapped tightly on my upper arm. The vampire looked uncertain, but she saw the cold and threatening look on Lorna's face. I was also shocked, but it did the trick. The vampire released me. “Where are we going?“ Lorna asked, but I could guess already. “It is time for
THE FIGHT WAS OVER almost as quickly as it started. We did not stand a chance against Vladimir and he was already getting empowered by the forthcoming blood moon. Lorna was sprawled on the floor, blood seeped from her mouth and her back was twisted in an unnatural angle. I was on my feet, but it was threatening to give way any second.And Vladimir?He did look like he had done anything. No sweat. No hair out of place. He had his sinister smile plastered on his face as he walked towards me. He stopped a few feet away and brushed my cheek with his icy-cold fingers. “Your last few hours should have been enjoyable, Annika.“ he said softly. “But instead, you let that witch,“ he turned and looked at Lorna before he continued, “...to spoil it. Tch.“ she chuffed and walked away. “It is back to square one now.“The woods around were suddenly alive, and things moved in the shadows. I thought I was hallucinating; maybe I had hit my head harder than I thought, and I was concussed as we were surro
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI SAT UP in my bed, my heart was racing, and adrenaline surged as my wolf leaped to the surface, enhancing my vision, but I could not still make out the shape of the person in my room. I was about to jump through the door, not minding that I would alert the whole mansion, but I felt a pair of fingers wrap around my upper arm. Gasping in shock, I turned sharply, trying to wrestle my arm away from the stranger's grip, but to no avail. I am being attacked by two people, I thought anxiously to myself. I started to yell, but the person holding me stepped out of the shadows and my scream died in my throat."Lorna?!" I gaped.She put a finger to her lip to keep me silent. Then she cocked her head. I swung my legs out of the bed. My mind was spinning with imagination. I still felt like I was in a dream. I reached out and touched her. She was real."Quickly," she said to me. She muttered some words under her breath and the lock in the door snapped apart. The door opened
MITCH CHESTER “HAVE GUARDS PATROL the area,“ Mitch said, trying hard to rein in the panic he was feeling. “Quickly.“ Draco nodded and gave out his commands to every available guards to be on the search for Lorna. “No one knows how long she has been gone for. She might be out of the kingdom now.“ Mitch growled. “Just tell them to search.“ “We should probably get back,“ Draco said, turning to look around. Mitch nodded. He looked at Vorenus. Draco could see the hesitation in Mitch's body language. He knew what mitch was about to do. He dipped his hand into his pocket and tossed a small object at Vorenus who caught it easily, confused at what it was. Suddenly there was a sizzling sound and vorenus dropped the object quickly. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and Drcao nodded in satisfaction. “What was that?“ Vorenus growled. “Silver, “Draco said. “Silver bullets. It is going to be our trump card.“ Vorenus shook his palm gingerly as the wound healed back immediately. “I can i
MITCH CHESTER“YOU ARE GOING to crash the car,“ Draco said, holding on to the side of his seat as Mitch drove like a blind bat.Mitch scoffed without slowing down. He pressed down on the pedal, and the car shot even faster. “This fucking snow,“ he growled as he screeched to a stop. The tires of the car were stuck in the thick layer of snow. He got out of the car; his legs sank almost to his knees.Draco came out too, cursing under his breath. “I wonder whose idea it was to get electric cars to drive over snow,“ he looked at Mitch and added sarcastically. “Oh wait, it was your brilliant idea.“Mitch rubbed his chin and said, “Maybe I should have gone with your idea and bought electric sleds instead.“Draco scoffed, kicking at the snow.Mitch looked around. His breath vaporized from his mouth as he breathed out. “Come, we are not far,“ he said to Draco.“Sometimes I wonder why I follow you,“ Draco said as they walked away from the stuck car. “This is crazy. You can't just stand up and w
MITCH CHESTERMITCH KNEW HIS mind should be at rest now that he had reinforcements, but his mind was still worried. He had no doubts that it was because his mate was still out there in danger, his son was lying in bed, unconscious and blind, and his kingdom was on the brink of civil war.He paced the length of the room anxiously, his eyes drifting into the dancing fireplace as he walked past. A small knock came at the door. “Come in,“ he called.The door opened, and Draco came in. He took a look around the small, almost empty room and shook his head, saying, “You are still sleeping here.“Mitch chuffed and nodded, “I can't stay in the master chambers alone. Anna should be with me.“Draco nodded and said, “I understand that, but…“ He looked around again. “I am sure you can do better than a tiny room. There is even no air conditon -““No one uses air conditioning here, Draco,“ Mitch said. He sat on the bed heavily; it creaked under his weight.“There is no ventilation,“ Draco continued,