ODETTE
It was beautiful.I was beautiful.Everything was beautiful.And so was this food heaven, I mean, banquet.Amber wasn’t lying when she said she had magic fingers. She worked literal magic on me. I didn’t realize how horrible I looked until I stood in front of the mirror after what seemed like a century, and I was horrified.My hair was a rat’s nest, the bags under my eyes were gigantic, my skin was as pale as fuck, and in whole, I looked like a zombie, a walking dead, a rag doll come to life. I get why Devyn was so alarmed to see me now.I looked like every six-year-old's nightmare. Amber's crying was justified. I would’ve cried too.After prepping up for the ball, Amber had to literally push me in front of the mirror because I didn’t want to see my ugly self again. It took two hours of work, but the product in the mirror was so worth it.I wanted to cry in relief, knowing that my looks weren’t the problem; my condition was. I would’ve thrown myselfODETTEThis fucking food chaos had been going on for too fucking long. I needed it to end ‘cause I was so done with every living shit in this coop. Every single one of them made me sick.It’s times like these that I contemplate my hold on the Alpha position. Is it really worth it? Unfortunately, yes, because his magnitude of power is not something I could just easily cast aside, even if stepping down would hardly affect my status around here.Besides, the Fury Packs would be in chaos if I disappeared on them, not like Liev and Devyn would ever admit that. I should mess with them and vanish for a few days to see how they’d take it.The martinis were the only things keeping me going, even though they weren’t barely enough. What I’d give for a zombie right now. I needed alcohol to get me through this.I was studying everyone and everything in the hall with a glass of martini in my hands, my eyes always on Devyn. I wanted to shift a
ODETTEI was doing it, and I’d be damn lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous anymore. But I was an amazing and confident dancer, so I didn’t let my panic seep through.I can say so because when I was a year old, instead of getting up on my feet to walk like other pups, I danced. Like a freaking ballerina.My parents were both shocked and pleased, probably more shocked, and decided to name me Odette. I was far from the graceful swan they thought I’d grow up to be, but I was sure glad I didn’t end up with a name like Diamond or Esther.Imagine being called Lilac because of my eyes. Shivers.Aslan’s arm encircled my waist, mine enveloping his shoulders as we swayed across the floor, catching the sights of everyone who saw us.Tonight, I’d be the swan my parents had expected, and they’d be proud to see my white feathers soaked in the blood of my nemesis.“Won’t you meet my gaze, sweet girl?&rd
ODETTEMonster.That was the new word echoing from every corner of the hall. It was true. I was a monster. I was a monster just like them, but I was even worse.Far worse, because while they were doing everything they could to protect their packs, I just watched mine burn to the ground without even lifting a finger. I led my pack to its destruction, and I knew that if I stayed here long enough, I’d do the same thing.Everyone would die because of me.What was Alma thinking when she sacrificed her life for venom like me? I wasn’t worth it. I never was, and probably never will be.Everything about the events unfolding now was telling me to run, but my head was spinning so badly that I couldn’t even muster the strength to make my next move.I didn’t dare look at the faces of my supposed mates, but when I shifted my eyes to see Aslan still trying to break away from Liev’s defense so he could come hurt me, I lost it. How co
LIEVLeaving Odette with Devyn did not sit well with me. His words could not be trusted, and he could be fucking unpredictable, but I let her go because someone had to be here to settle this mess of a banquet. I was the only wolf for the job.Trying to ignore the thudding ache in my heart for a mate I couldn’t believe was real, and my raging heart, I announced the end of the banquet. I needed everyone to haul their asses out of here.Of course, many cornered me at every turn to question what had happened. These freaking Alphas and Lunas, they were all the same. I was aware that neither of them came to the Alphas of Doom’s banquet for time’s sake or from the invitation alone.They came for entertainment, and I despised that they got just what they were looking for in a way that even I couldn’t have prepared myself.We had a mate.A fucking mate that we’d been destined never to possess, and worse, we were all mated to her. Al
LIEVAxel had arrived as early as seven a.m. Devyn, on the other hand, had to be dragged by my consistent nagging through our mind-link. He hated when I did that shit but desperate times called for desperate measures.He announced his arrival by hurling one of my Regal Hall’s doors right out of its hinges. I simply sighed because it was not the first, second, or third time he'd done this.It was getting a little old now. Axel simply rolled his eyes at Devyn.“Get. Out. Of. My. Fucking. Head!”He marched toward us, tearing the chair I had organized for him into useless pieces—instead of me—as he panted like a wild animal.I already knew this would happen. Signaling the servant, who was trembling at a corner of the hall, to get another chair, she moved as fast as her legs let her, trying to get as far away as possible as she could from us.“This is important, Devyn. Pull yourself together, so we can resolve this be
LIEV“She needs to be able to defend herself if our ‘sorry asses’ happen to fail,” I replied.Devyn huffed, his wolf evidently disagreeing with everything its master was doing. How much longer would Devyn keep fighting his emotions? Well, in all the time that I've known him, he'll fight this until he hits his limit. I’m curious to see how long he’ll last.“I’m still confused about the whole wolf recovery thing. How exactly do you expect me to do that? And what makes you even think I can?”Axel might not seem like the ideal wolf for the job—or any job, for that matter—but trust me when I say he's the only one capable of handling this task.Teaming up with someone who shares the same goals as yours is the most effective approach to achieving results.“While Odette might’ve sacrificed her wolf and her abilities to be reborn, I don’t believe that it’s completely imposs
ODETTEI fainted through the week. That was a fact, and though I appreciated how well it helped me escape reality, it took too much of a toll on my emotions for me not to hate it.And to make things worse, I woke up with tears falling out of my eyes, my throat clogged for no other reason than grief. Why? I have no fucking idea.At first, it felt like I was waking up from a dream, without a memory of who I was, until they all came flooding in, threatening to intensify my tears. I did all I could to hold my sobs in as I could feel someone else's presence in the room. Not just one, though. Two. There were two of them.I couldn’t explain how I knew because I just... It had never happened before. Was it a mate thing? I couldn't even feel the bond, so how was that possible?Covering my face, still feeling faint, I thought over my life ‘cause I had to be the mess of the century. How did this even happen to me?“We’d like to know that as well, Ms. Cadell.”Liev’s
ODETTEThe sight of Devyn roaring at his mate, which was unfortunately me, made Axel fucking flip. Liev looked like he’d join the attack for a moment before taking a deep breath, which was all he apparently needed to calm himself down.I hated that he could be so cool and collected sometimes, even if everyone in the territories, especially me, needed his cool head to knock some sense into the fighting alphaholes.A proper look at them all was all I needed to conclude that they were saying something through their mind-link, but for some absurd reason, it made me feel... left out, which was insane.Being their mate naturally meant I could join their mind discussion, but not having a wolf also meant that I didn’t have the link needed to connect me with them, which made me miss Echo so much more than I already did. I missed her to death. I missed her so fucking much.When would the goddess return her to me?Watching my fighting mates, I tr
ODETTEThe cruel Alpha was in all his monstrous glory.I was thoroughly shocked by what I was looking at, as I’d never seen darkness loom so boldly around a wolf’s eyes.I didn’t know what the fuck was happening or if I was making things fucking worse by being here, but I couldn’t stop now seeing there were four maids injured on the floor behind me.Four!His aura was as thick as dark blood. The evil emitting from him was not something I could describe in words. If the wolves who’d called him a monster saw him in this catastrophic form, they’d know that the word was not nearly enough to portray the shadows hidden beneath him.Blackness had filled the brim of his eyes. Rings of shadows encircled him, bounding him to this evil, like he had no control over himself. The claws stretching out of him looked like they were made from black metal.Letting out a dreadful roar, Devyn, the beast, shook the grounds of the pack
ODETTEIt had been five hours since I left the clinic. Five freaking hours, and I’d been updated about nothing. Absolutely nothing! It was driving me fucking nuts ‘cause the only thing I hated more than waiting—I'm not the most patient wolf—was waiting for potential bad news.The only thing stopping me from not kicking this door and barging out of here, even though they’d fixed the lock in the short amount of time I was gone and secured me in, was the older servant’s advice to not leave my room for the rest of today again.I wasn’t sure why or why I was even listening, but truth be told, she was probably the most reliable person here.After waiting for another thirty minutes, I looked out the window to see that it was completely dark out now. I was so ready to start flipping things and throwing my bed over when the lock on my room unlatched.Taking a step back, knowing that Axel, Liev, or fucking Devyn had read my mind and barged in here because I was too noisy or was about to wreck t
ODETTEWolves, like people, excel at specific abilities. Some are fast runners, some are super strong, and others have superior senses. It’s like possessing all the skills but naturally being better at one than the others.It’s unclear why, as there’s never been a certain reason for it—there's never been a certain reason for many things in the territories—but I think that’s what makes each of us special.Liev’s strength lied in charms. I thought my grandmother was the best charmer, as she’d spent her whole life practicing it, but Liev was a freaking master. He’d surpassed what I thought was the top rank.I’d never seen a wolf that had mastered the level of charms Liev had. It never failed to amaze me, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t tear wolves apart if he fucking had to.Devyn was the strongest motherfucker I’d ever encountered. I’m not sure how I survived his strike that day, ‘cause that one blow was usually enough to kill another Alpha, thoughtless of a weak human
ODETTEWe made it to the clinic, thanks to Amber’s mumbling directions, and don’t get me wrong, I loved the girl, but it was such a relief to get her off me. There’s only so much weight a spineless and starving human like me could handle.The clinic was in a small section of the packhouse, which was standard and easy to access and find. The only thing a bit alarming about it was the fact that this little clinic was a bit too furnished and equipped to be a simple emergency alternative to a hospital.Did wolves get so frequently hurt around here that the clinic had to be upgraded?Helping Amber on a bed, I handled her with care, like she was a fragile sculpture, as she muttered a thank you. I replied with a smile and looked around to see another servant on the bed at the far opposite of us, and was taken aback by how damaged and sickly she looked.What happened to her? I hoped it wasn’t what I was thinking… Was she the one Devyn
ODETTEI had lost too many wolves I loved at the hands of evil and bloodthirsty Alphas. Even if it cost me my life, I would protect her. She was my little ray of sunshine in this dark abyss of blackness. I’d be fucked if something happened to her as well, especially because of me.“Get. Out."His words were sharp and precise, a clear warning, and despite the fact that it was Liev speaking, his wolf had seized most control as it sauntered towards me in powerful, confident strides that were enough to make even the goddess take a step back.I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terror-stricken, but when I tried to move, testing if I could run to safety when required, I realized that I couldn’t. My legs were stuck. I was being literal; I actually couldn’t move.There was no way I would leave Amber in this office with this monster, but even if I had to protect myself to save my life, I couldn’t do it, and no one seemed to notice that.“GET. THE. FUCK. OUT!”Not even Liev.His voice was fading. H
ODETTEI took the older servant’s last words to me as a dare, and I never joke with dares.Giving my food a last quick look, I ignored the guilt for a split second to grab two roasted chicken thighs, one for me and one for her—unless I got really hungry—as I needed all the energy I could get for my search.My wobbly legs could fail me at any time.Turning the door handle carefully, like I was afraid it would set off a missile that could destroy the whole world, I threw it wide and was surprised that it actually opened.I looked at the locks and noticed that Liev, earlier kicking it down, had done some damage to them. Whether he’d accidentally left it this way or wasn’t bothered by it since I couldn’t escape anyway, I walked out of the room, staying close to the door as I shut it, taking a deep breath.Feasting my eyes on the scenery of the hallway, I realized that this was the first time I was actually using it. I&rsq
ODETTEThe meeting ended abruptly, even though I was absolutely certain that they had much more to say, as Liev literally dragged Axel out of my room—not without a fight, though.How the hell did the goddess expect me to survive the three of them without my werewolf abilities or anything to defend myself with? I’d die at this rate.It was frustrating not knowing what was going through their minds or what plans they had for me, but it was not like I could call them back and instruct them to finish what they started.Hell, I was more glad to get rid of them, regardless of what my body thought. Their aura and steaming hot bodies were too much for a ‘little human’ like me to handle.It was hard putting up a fight with that.I didn’t realize Devyn had stopped at the door until he took a step back and locked it behind him, leaving only the two of us in the room.Quickly panicking, I moved in a hurry to get off the bed, knowi
ODETTEThe sight of Devyn roaring at his mate, which was unfortunately me, made Axel fucking flip. Liev looked like he’d join the attack for a moment before taking a deep breath, which was all he apparently needed to calm himself down.I hated that he could be so cool and collected sometimes, even if everyone in the territories, especially me, needed his cool head to knock some sense into the fighting alphaholes.A proper look at them all was all I needed to conclude that they were saying something through their mind-link, but for some absurd reason, it made me feel... left out, which was insane.Being their mate naturally meant I could join their mind discussion, but not having a wolf also meant that I didn’t have the link needed to connect me with them, which made me miss Echo so much more than I already did. I missed her to death. I missed her so fucking much.When would the goddess return her to me?Watching my fighting mates, I tr
ODETTEI fainted through the week. That was a fact, and though I appreciated how well it helped me escape reality, it took too much of a toll on my emotions for me not to hate it.And to make things worse, I woke up with tears falling out of my eyes, my throat clogged for no other reason than grief. Why? I have no fucking idea.At first, it felt like I was waking up from a dream, without a memory of who I was, until they all came flooding in, threatening to intensify my tears. I did all I could to hold my sobs in as I could feel someone else's presence in the room. Not just one, though. Two. There were two of them.I couldn’t explain how I knew because I just... It had never happened before. Was it a mate thing? I couldn't even feel the bond, so how was that possible?Covering my face, still feeling faint, I thought over my life ‘cause I had to be the mess of the century. How did this even happen to me?“We’d like to know that as well, Ms. Cadell.”Liev’s