THE HEAD WITCH cackled with laughter. "A curse?""How is it funny?" Vladimir growled."You can't find the humor?" The witch asked. "All these unnatural years of living must have taken your sense of humor away...""Oh, I have a sense of humor, alright," Vladimir advanced on her threateningly. "Imagine how funny it would be if I dismembered you and delivered each of your body parts to every coven I come across."The witch gulped, but she said, "Threats from the likes of you don't scare me.""They don't?" Vladimir had a soft smile on his face. He gently placed a hand on the witch's collarbone and leaned down slightly. "Then tell me, witch... why is your heart beating at double the normal rate?" He asked. "I can literally taste the fear coming from your blood.""I can't help you if you kill me," she said, a bit shakily."I know," Vladimir said. "And that is the only reason you are still alive now. But them?" He cocked his head at the witches in the house. "I don't have anything with them.
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI WOKE UP the next morning feeling much better, apart from a slight headache which was a result of my wolf spirit fighting back the influence of the vampire king.I got up unsteadily, looking out to see that the sun was high already I woke up late. I washed up quickly, wrapping my hair in a tight bonnet and keeping my face clear, I dressed in a casual thick sweater and trousers before heading down the stairs."Good morning, Luna," Patty said, happy to see me looking good."Good morning," I nodded."Coffee?" She asked. "Black. Just as you like it."I nodded and she placed a small cup of coffee on the table. "What of the kids?""They left for school already," Patty said. "They dropped by your room, you must have been deep asleep.""I was," I took a small sip, making a mental note to pick them up this afternoon after school. "What of Draco?""Beta Draco hasn't come in today," she said. "Last night, he said he was going to check on the construction before he came to giv
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERTHE ROAD TO the hospital was deserted, as it had only been built a year ago and nobody in the kingdom had gone there. As werewolves, it was unusual to get sick. Mitch had only built the hospital out of formality, and because I was graduating as a doctor, and according to him, it would be strange to have a doctor without a hospital. But he never gave the thought to staffing the hospital; I chuckled as I entered the quiet corridors, still new with unuse.In another circumstance, the hospital would be like something out of a horror movie. It was too new and clean to be normal.My steps echoed down the hall as I made my way to the ward where I knew Enrique was. Alphonso walked behind me silently, on alert.We got to the ward where Enrique was, and as we approached, I could hear small murmuring coming from the room. I gave a small knock and pushed it open. Lorna was sitting on a bedside chair. She looked like she had slept there. Enrique was on the bed, lying on his sto
RICK FORSONRICK WALKED OUT of the table, ignoring Jones's subtle shaking of his head. Mitch was right, Jones had never had a mate, he didn't know what it felt like. He was in no position to give advice on mate matters. Rick went out of the dining room, following Reine's scent. She was outside the pack house."Reine," he called softly. She turned and looked at him, She inhaled sharply at the hungry look in his eyes. He walked to her and took her hands gently. "You... ""No, Rick," She said in a weak voice"No to what?" He asked, "No, to the mate bond that the moon goddess has placed upon us?""You have to reject me," she said. "You have to.""Why?" Rick asked. He held Reine's hand loosely, giving her the chance to remove it, but she did not."We can't," She shook her head. "Luna Beth...""After everything we have been through, this pack deserves more than Beth," Rick said. "It deserves someone with a good heart, someone strong and moral... not some stu-" he took a deep breath and sto
MITCH CHESTER"YOU DON'T LOOK too happy that Rick is acting upon his feelings," Mitch said when they were alone after Rick walked out to meet Reine."You don't know anything," Jones snarled.Mitch smirked arrogantly. "Tell me what I don't know.""You were not here the last time Rick acted with his feelings," Jones said. "He made a bad decision that almost wiped out this pack and the werewolf race in general -""So he makes one bad choice, and it can't be forgotten?" Mitch asked, picking up his cup of whiskey and sipping it gently.Jones scoffed. "I had to kidnap a doctor to rescue us from extinction.""I still haven't forgiven you for that," Mitch growled. "A little letter or nice email would have sufficed.""You think doctor Anna would have agreed to come back here to help the pack that treated her so bad -""She was thinking of coming here on her own free will!" Mitch snapped. "You do not know much about her, do you?" When Jones shook his head, Mitch asked, "Were you not the Beta 7
MITCH CHESTERJONES SAT DOWN and pinned his gaze on Mitch, who took his time before saying, "Did it ever occur to you to wonder why vampires came back to the world all of a sudden?""We asked around," Rick said under his breath."And?""The other packs around got attacked too a few times, but the attack stopped." Jones answered."Do you know why?" Mitch asked. They both shook their heads. "Because the vampire king is not looking to conquer werewolves. At least not yet.""What do you mean?" Rick asked, frowning slightly."He wants something first," Mitch replied."What is it?" Jones asked."That is what I am here to find out," Mitch answered, leaning back and taking another sip of his drink.Rick growled and banged his fist on the table. "I was starting to like you, Lycan. But you are here to play games with me and my pack. I might as well hand you over to the council.""And risk Reine hating you forever?" Mitch laughed. "I don't think you would."Jones growled. "I knew you had an ulte
ANNA KYLIN CHESTER THE REST OF the day went quite well after my little "advnture" with Enrique in the hospital. I took a stroll by the trading center. Some new stuff came in from the human town - mostly things we couldn't get or grow here, like fruits, some veggies, and other groceries. While I was with the traders, the furniture truck for Lorna's house came in a few hours after noon. I went there to see what was going on. Draco was there to organize them. I got word that the Senate was meeting and I needed to attend. I had never attended a Senate meeting without Mitch by my side before."Do you need me to be there?" Draco asked, but I shook my head. "Are you sure?" He pressed. "Bob has a very mean streak against you. Are you sure you'll be okay? I can leave all of this and join you there." He turned to one of the men carrying the furniture and yelled, "Oi, not there! Put the cane chairs outside on the patio, the brown couches are going to be inside the living room, you hear me?"H
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI GOT TO the school just in time as the bell rang for closing time and children poured out of the front doors. The two guards assigned to watch the school during the daytime came to stand with me, eyes and senses on alert as we waited for the children to come through.As the clock ticked, my mind started imagining different case scenarios. And none of them were good.Maybe the vampire king had found his way into the school and snatched the children when the guards didn't know. Or maybe the council had wanted to bring Mitch out using the children, so they had kidnapped the kids and used them as bait... my mind kept on churning different awful thoughts until to my imminent relief, the familiar heads of my children bobbed in the crowd.It was Olly who saw me first, he gripped Aiden's hand and pointed at me, waiting by the car. Aiden gasped and frantically beat at his sister to get her attention, then they tore through the crowd mindlessly. This was the first time I saw
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,