ANNA KYLIN CHESTER"HAVE YOU HAD breakfast?" Reine asked as she got up from the bed.I vaguely remembered that I had left the kingdom this morning; I had not had a bite to eat. I shook my head and Reine grinned. "Allow me to serve you." She said. We both walked to the dining room and I took my seat. I looked around for Alphonso, who was nowhere in sight, but Reine said, "Don't worry about your guard," she brought in a small tray and placed it on the table. "I'm sure he is fine. Maybe just outside the packhouse, keeping watch."I smiled at her without saying anything, but I mindlinked, "Alphonso. Tell me you are alive."His chuckle came through immediately and he said. "I am still alive, Luna. Do you need help with anything?" I considered asking him to come inside, but I shook my head. "No. You can stay there if you're not hungry. I am having breakfast.""I have eaten already, ma'am." He said. "I will stay out here."Reine sat down opposite me and nibbled on the food on her plate. "
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERI CREEPED OUT the window and made a quick walk away from the pack house. I didn't know why I was moving in secret, but maybe I wanted some time alone with my sister without Alphonso or Beth listening in. The only problem now was that I didn't know where her cabin was located. And I did not want to ask any of the pack members for the location. I don't think they were enthusiastic towards my sister who was their former Luna and who almost drove the pack to the ground.I turned around to make sure I was not being followed as I walked into a small cluster of houses. Some children were tossing a ball in the middle of a clearing. I looked at my watch; it was the middle of the day, and these children should be in school. I made a mental note to talk to Rick about the education system in the pack.I kept my head down to avoid being noticed by anyone as I walked by. I swiveled my head from side to side, looking for anything in the houses that might be a giveaway to Beth’s li
ANNA KYLIN CHESTERAS I HEADED back to the pack, I walked by the woods again, and this time, I let the urge of my wolf take over, and I shifted, ripping my clothes to shreds as my bones changed shape and fused. A few moments later, I was in my full wolf form. I shook out my furs gently and looked around. All my senses were heightened; I could see and hear clearer than before, even to as little as the small chirping of some birds a distance away.I ran along the woods enjoying the feeling of the wind as it rushed over my face. I was feeling exhilarated; the encounter with my sister was almost forgotten now as I leaped over fallen trees with childish abandon.That was the thing with most wolf spirits. Most of them still possessed the type of joy that was mostly found in human children. After running to my fill, I slowed to a stop. The woods were still as I remembered them from my childhood. I laid down to cool off underneath a large oak tree. Laying there and basking in the warm sun.
VORENUS WAS HAVING a not-so-bad time in the bar. He had been feeling especially happy since he met Anna, it was like she was a ray of happiness in his long mundane life. She gave him something to live for, something away from the constant drinking, fucking, and drinking of blood. He met her only once and for a brief moment but he already felt a deep sense of loyalty towards her.“One more glass of whatever that was, please,“ he said to the cute bartender. He chuckled at himself. He was saying “please“ like a gentleman. It was like Anna had further increased his level of humanity.What would be next? He asked himself sarcastically. Helping children cross the road and helping old people climb the bus? He chuffed, although the first one did not sound so bad. He might even enjoy it, as he had always had a soft spot for children. He smiled at the thought of even asking Mitch if he could see Paige on his next visit. Would she remember him? Or would he be another lost memory to her?He nodde
VORENUS KEPT HIS eyes on the newcomers. They looked very different physically; one of them was huge, almost 7 feet of pure muscle. The second man was much smaller; he had the stature of a midsized woman. They both looked at Vorenus, who took a cautious step back. His eyes flickered to Vladimir, who was watching with a smile on his face. The two new men circled Vorenus like they were preparing to attack. Following his instinct, Vorenus kept his gaze on the smaller man; even though the large man looked to be like the bigger threat, there was something in the small man's eyes that warned Vorenus. Suddenly, the man lunged at Vorenus, fangs bared. Vorenus was expecting the attack, so he swerved out of the way easily and grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck. He slammed the man to the ground and jumped on him, but he was jacked and flung bodily through the air. He crashed into the wall, splintering the stone bricks. He looked at Vladimir, who was watching what was going on with a smi
MITCH CHESTERA FULL 24 hours was not even gone, and Mitch was already feeling incomplete and missing Anna. He tried not to think too much about her absence by making himself busy. He was poring over the numbers on a ledger when the door to his office opened and Draco came in. "What are you doing?" He asked. He squinted and saw the thick book on Mitch's table. "Are you going through the accounts? I thought you hated doing that."Mitch scoffed without looking up. Draco went to the drink shelf, his eyes ran over all the bottles, and then he picked a bottle of mild whiskey and retrieved two cups along with it. He placed a cup in front of Mitch and poured him a drink. Mitch looked up. "What happened to staying away from alcohol?" He asked.Draco took a small sip and grimaced. "I'm sure Hilda would understand." He sat down opposite Mitch and added, "Besides, I do not plan to drink myself out." He leaned forward and looked at the book Mitch had been looking at. He chuckled and said, "You
MITCH CHESTER HE SAW THE children outside. They were actively playing in the snow. He stayed behind and watched them, remaining unseen. He saw the way Aiden related to Elijah and Olly. "Those three would make a very strong bond between themselves," He muttered to himself. He sighed. They looked so happy and content playing in the snow by themselves, there was no need for him to upset the balance by joining them. So he turned and walked away, he could distract himself by speaking to Anna. He brought out his phone and speed dialed her number as he walked into the trading center of the kingdom. He put the phone to his ear and listened as it went to voicemail. If it was any compensation, he listened to her voice as his call went to voice mail. He sighed and ended the call as he made a lazy stroll through the trading center. He remembered talking to Draco about the discrimination that his people faced in the human town; he never got to get feedback on if things had changed. "Yo
MITCH CHESTER DRACO PULLED TO a stop in front of the palace and turned to look at Mitch. "Charles caught you kissing Ophelia." Mitch sighed and nodded. He looked out the window and stared at the palace. It suddenly looked too big and menacing. "She is still in there, I'm sure," he muttered under his breath. "Are you scared to go into your own palace because of a random bitch?" Draco asked. Mitch was taken aback. He rarely heard his Beta curse out loud like that. "I did not know you had such unlike for Ophelia." Draco scoffed. "Who doesn't?" Mitch leaned against the door. "I wish Anna was here." "Now you wish your mate was here to fight your battles," Draco scoffed. "Maybe you have gotten weak." Draco looked away. He knew he was borderline disrespectful to his alpha, but maybe his words would sink in. He waited for Mitch's reaction and outburst, but it never came. He turned tentatively to see Mitch frowning. "You are right," Mitch said. "It is up to me to create boundaries with
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,