A sudden jolt of pain wakes me, and I couldn’t be more thankful for it. “I had the worst nightmare,” I mumble to James. “You wouldn’t believe it. I know they say that can sometimes happen with pregnancy, but I wasn’t expecting anything like this.”James doesn’t answer, so I role over but instead of being greeted by James, I’m stopped by a horrible pain in my shoulder.I open my eyes and look up at a dust filled sky. I remember. But it can’t be. It all has to be a nightmare. It has to be a nightmare. This can’t be real life.I close my eyes again as tears fall. If this wasn’t a nightmare, then they won’t ever stop falling. It has to be a nightmare. It has to be a nightmare. I don’t want to look, but I know that I must. I have to get some sort of idea as to what’s real and what’s not. I did just wake up, after all. So, most of it could be a nightmare. It has to be.Eyes open, I look to my side and see a pack I don’t recognize. Or at least, I don’t want to recognize them. The
“I’m freezing,” I mumble to whoever might be listening.In fact, I’m so cold that I feel like I might freeze to death. But I don’t want to be too dramatic.“And I’m in so much pain,” I continue. “Oh my god.”I groan in the worst way as I squirm under the harsh hand of pain. I can’t help but be dramatic now. The more I surface to full consciousness, the worse I feel. And it’s the kind of horrible feeling that I just can’t keep inside. I’ve never felt so terrible physically in my life. I’ve never been so freezing cold. And my heart has never weighed this heavy before. My heart is what hurts the worst, and everything else is drowning in pain so that’s saying something. It’s the biggest source of agony as I sob. The strange thing is though, I don’t even remember why my heart is hurting. I’m not sure why I’m sobbing. I don’t know what has me so devasted.I do feel devasted though. It feels like the worst thing that could possibly happen has happened and I don’t know how to cope with
This limbo between being awake and crashing into the worst nightmares continues throughout the night. The pain is torturous. The nightmares are agony.Finally though, I awake and see gold light coming in through the window. I feel refreshed in a way, at least physically. I’m able to sit up.“Do you think it’s okay to stand?” I ask.I glance around the hut which looks even cozier in the light, but I don’t see my mysterious savior anywhere. Was he just a dream?No. He couldn’t have been seeing as I’m here. He must’ve just left for a little while. I decide to try standing, and at first, I am wobbly. But then, I regain my balance and am able to walk around a bit. I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to use or see, so I try not to touch anything or do any sort of prying.My stomach grumbles, remind me that I am starving though. I suspect the man wouldn’t mind if I went into his kitchen and ate some food. But it doesn’t feel right, so I decide to walk outside and try to see if there’s an
CALEB’S POV“My name is Caleb,” I say. “We had introductions before, but you were pretty out of it then. What’s your name?”“Isabel,” she says. I shake her hand and resist the urge to kiss it.“Isabel,” I say.The name sounds nice coming from my lips. It feels nice and I feel awful for that. Because I have grown way too attached to this woman already.When I went to where her pack was slaughtered, I sensed death all around me. I was repulsed to be there. My senses are too heightened for that kind of thing. I just wanted to leave.The problem was, she was there. And I sensed her too. I went to her, knowing something was drawing me to her. And the moment I touched her I knew.Isabel is my mate. I sensed that right away. She’s the one who’s meant for me. She’s the person I’ve been waiting for my whole life. I’m incredibly drawn to her and taking care of her, healing her, has only made that feeling stronger.Her pack was just slaughtered though. There weren’t any survivors. She
My heart flutters at his words just like I’m a teenager all over again. But he says it so quietly that I’m not sure that he wanted me to hear it. I don’t know how to respond to it anyway, so I don’t respond. I hope he’ll leave it at that.It’s difficult though because the more we talk, the more impressed I am by him. He tells me how he moves about the world while blind and I become more attracted to him because of his strength, his courage, and his determination to never give up, even though being blind of course is something difficult to live with. “I don’t think I could do it, honestly,” I say, after we’ve talked about it longer. “I don’t know how you do.”“That’s nothing compared to what you’re going through,” he says. “You’re so strong to have made it this far. I’m in awe of you.”I can’t fully argue with that because I would rather be blind than lose my whole pack. I’d rather be blind than lose James. Which makes this all so much more difficult.I just lost James. He died in
“I can’t,” I finally decide. “I can’t wait. I wish I could, but I can’t.“Tonight, will be a full moon. It’s when I’ll have the most strength. If I don’t go now, I’ll have to wait too long for another full moon because I need that in order to be strong enough to kill them.“Besides, they shouldn’t be allowed to live any longer than they already have. Not after what they did to my pack. They should be slaughtered right away.“Each day that they remain on this earth is another day that my loved ones didn’t get to see. That’s not fair. I won’t stand for it. They need to be caught and held accountable.”“You won’t be helping anyone by doing this though, Isabel,” he reminds me. “Your pack is dead. You can’t save them now. I wish we could, but we can’t. “Doing this might only make it so they kill off the final people left in your pack; you and your daughter. You’ll be doing their dirty work for them. That’s just what they want.“You need to try to let this go and live your life. You n
I race through the night in wolf form, my anger and need for revenge driving me. Even though I know this is dangerous, it feels like fate. It feels like I need to be back home.Time slows in the most agonizing way possible. My thoughts shift between fear for my daughter and horror over what's happened to my pack. I can't get their deaths out of my mind. The only thing that helps is knowing that I will avenge their deaths soon.The closer I get to my home, the more intense my thoughts become. What was once a place of peace for me has become a place that haunts my nightmares.I’ll make it a place that haunts them.As I near my home, an awful scent clouds all the familiar, far more pleasant scents. It has warped this space into a place I don’t recognize.It’s the smell of dust, blood, tears, open intestines, and unimaginable pain. It’s the smell of corpses who have already begun decaying.I want to turn back. I know I can’t do this. It’s too awful to even fathom. This is too much fo
Grief is not something that can be overcome in a matter of months, but it grows softer over time.However, two months is just not enough time.The loss of my brother, who raised me, my mate, who had been my heart, and then the death of my unborn daughter that I had been the cause for, is enough to break a person.Not a day goes by when I don’t regret my actions and wish I had listened to Caleb.My hands settle on my flat stomach as I sit on the rock outside the home that had belonged to me and James. I have been living here for a month now. I’ve not yet summoned the strength to go looking for Caleb.A part of me feels guilty now that I remember my strong attraction to the man when I had just lost the love of my wife. That guilt has transformed into waves of self-hatred.What kind of woman looks at another man when the body of her mate has not even turned cold?I look around, feeling my stomach rumble.I had considered going back into town but there are still rogues there. Clyde
DAMIENYears pass slowly when eternity is no longer in sight.Standing on the edge of the balcony of the bedroom I’ve shared with Isabel for five hundred years, I watch the lush lands in the distance. The demon realm has never prospered like this before. I’ve never been this content before.In the distance, I hear laughter and I look over to see two of my older sons carrying their sisters in their arms while my other daughter run after them, Cerebus trailing after them.I’ve had children before. I’ve watched them pass on. I still watch over their families. But this is different. This is more precious. Isabel has given me so many children and for once, I will not have to watch them die before me. Twenty strong children, half of whom are now leading their own lives, coming back to visit us. I have never once regretted sharing my life span. Now I get to enjoy my beautiful mate for centuries to come before we move on from this world. Speaking of my mate, I hear her voice.“Junip
I clutch on to Damien’s still body as I see Balin’s body dissolve into nothing within seconds. There is hush across the battlefield as everyone stares in shock at what has just taken place.‘Justice.’The words echoes in everyone’s ears and then I see the realization hit the elves about what is coming to them. The begin to flee.But only if it was that easy.One by one, they fall, their deaths painful and horrific sights.The battle which had come to a halt because of Damien’s sacrifice has now been ended by the interference of the Gods. There is no guilt within me.There is just dark and vicious satisfaction.Let them burn. Let them feel what it is like.The whole thing is over within a couple of minutes and the silence stretches across the field.Finally, the Gods face me, ‘What do you wish from us?’My eyes flicker towards Damien and when I look up, the field is gone. Both me and Damien are in this white space that has no end.“The elves are gone,” I say with great di
My heart is filled with a broken pain that I can’t breathe past.They showed up. But they showed up too late.I’ve lost everything.Damien isn’t breathing. I pull out the spears one by one, ignoring the presence of the beings, tears falling down my face, my chest so tight with pain that I think it will burst. I can’t feel our mating bond!Oh, God! I can’t feel him anymore!The wail that rips from my throat at the realization that he’s left me all alone is a terrifying sound. The earth begins to shake as my grief grows out of control. These powers, these abilities, they’re useless to me!My heart is tearing out of my chest in my madness, the ground shaking.Let it all burn!Let them all die!‘Child.’The voice echoes in my head again and this time I look at those beings, my face ravaged with the tears of a broken woman.‘You cannot destroy these realms.’“I cannot?” I snarl, “Just who do you think you are to tell me what I can or cannot do?!”The more upset I am, th
Mara’s anticlimactic death has me reeling. But now is not the time to worry about that. I shift into my wolf form, attacking the enemy with a ruthlessness. It’s true what the witch said. My mating bond has increased my strength. I feel lighter on my feet as I wade through the elves like they’re ants. My speed is faster, although not to the level of that of Damien’s.I can feel some of my abilities leaking through but I’ve still not been able to access my abilities. I’m a little disappointed. I thought weakening the seal would have more of an impact but aside from this soft leakage of warm sensation, there is nothing else.I feel frustrated but I can’t do anything.Damien, though.Damien is stronger than I have ever seen. He’s cutting down the elves with speed, his focus sharp. His laughter is vicious and despite that, my heart flutters in my chest at how glorious he looks. I look at him and that is my mistake.You never allow yourself to get distracted on the battlefield.A
The troops are already waiting in their battle positions when we arrive.Damien brings me with him to the battlefield. He’s wearing a suit of dark armor and I feel tense, “The Rubab Stone-”“I’ll have to be more careful,” his voice is calm. “Last time I wasn’t as aware. This time I know I am not invincible.”“Damien,” my heart is twisting in my chest. “I-”He cups my cheek, his voice gentle, “I’ll be fine, little wolf. Just don’t leave your guards.”I know he would have preferred to stash me somewhere but it’s clear that he wants me close by. After so many traitors popping up after the first battle, it only makes sense.“Don’t let anybody catch you off guard,” he thrusts a sword into my hand. “Trust your instinct when you fight. They’re going to try and separate us. Let’s make sure that, that doesn’t happen.”I give him a small smile, feeling a sliver of hope on seeing his confidence.“Okay.”I get on my toes and press a sweet kiss to his mouth.We don’t get more time togethe
“What is it?” “Something has happened in the demon realm,” he says, grimly, before looking down at my hand.I shake my head, “The pain is gone.”“Good, let’s go.”“Thank you,” I give the witch a weak smile, not knowing whether to actually be grateful or blame her for the wrong that has happened in my life. But it’s always a good idea to be graceful.She waves us off and I’m in Damien’s arms as he runs out of the cave, past the trees, towards the temple.“The portal-”“Caleb will open it when I give the signal,” he’s not even out of breath as he rushes down the temple where the shrine gates are.As we move towards the town, I grab his shoulder, “Wait! What is that?!”The sky is orange.“How long were we inside?” I mutter. “Is the sun rising?”“No,” Damien says after a long moment. “It’s fire. The town has been set on fire.”“We have to help-”But Damien holds me back, “Look.”For a moment, I don’t understand what he is saying. And then I see the arrows shooting within the
“There has to be something someone can do,” I ask, forcing my voice to stay calm, despite the roiling fear inside of me.The witch’s voice is kind now, “I’m afraid not. You’re not the first who has tried to seek a way to undo the curse.”It’s hard to keep my tears at bay. The tears are not of sadness but rather of the crippling fear of the unknown future that awaits me. At this point, I am already aware of the nature of the painful deaths a majority of the Righs faced. It was just physical pain they had to go through, that would have been fine. Horrifying as it may be, one can tolerate that to an extent. But seeing your loved ones be tortured? The mental anguish is not something I will be able to take any longer. My suffering may be different from that of the previous Righs. It may not even compare. But for me, it is enough. I am reaching my breaking point. There are so many people in my life that I now care about, so many people who can be used against me. It frightens me to th
The witch studies me, “There have been numerous prophecies recorded about the Righs over time but there was one that was recorded by a Righ who was born to a Seer and a witch. You can call it a curse or a prophecy.”I instantly remember what I saw. The memory of the battlefield. The woman who was held down, screaming.My blood turns to ice as I recall that memory. It still gives me nightmares. “The downfall of the elves. From the hands of the weakest of the Righs. And right now,” the witch looks at me, “no offence, but you are the weakest Righ there is.”I’m being hit by so many curveballs that getting my feelings hurt is at the bottom of the list right now.“It’s funny that you think I’m going to bring about the downfall of the elves when I can’t even protect myself or use my abilities.”My voice is tight with barely restrained anger.“The stars have aligned and the stars have never lied before,” the witch says, easily. “The time is drawing nearer for the final battle.”I don
I feel my knees turn weak, “What?”“But you created the seal!” Damien snaps. “You should be able to break it!”“Logically, yes,” the witch says, calmly. “But this seal is special. It draws its power through sacrifice of fate. Those spells are impossible to break.”A shutter falls over Damien’s face, “What have you done?”I look between the two feeling like I’m in the dark, “What does she mean? What do you mean by a sacrifice of fate?”The witch studies me and for the first time, I see a glimmer of sympathy in her eyes for me, “I don’t think you want to know the answer to that.”I push past Damien, “I do. What do you mean a sacrifice of fate?! Whose fate?!”She looks at Damien before meeting my gaze, “The Righ is a powerful entity. You think it was easy for even somebody like me to be able to contain your powers? No. If I had used a normal spell, as strong as I might have tried to make it, it would have broken against your powers. I needed something stronger. Something that woul