LYDIA My legs wobbled as I climbed upstairs to Clara's room. What if she saw us, I wondered. I didn't want to give her hope. I certainly did not want to be Alexios' mate. It was better for us both to believe that there was no saving Hunter. It was easier. I stopped in front of her door and took in a deep breath before knocking. The door creaked open the second my hand slammed into it. "Who is there?" Clara asked."It's me...Again. It's Lydia .""Come in darling. I've been expecting you."I obeyed and pushed the door fully open. Clara was dressed and when I say dressed, she was outfitted like someone going to an elite circle. Her lips were blushing red, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were gated by the darkest mascara and eyeliner I had ever seen. She looked beautiful and youthful for her age. Clara whacked her powder box on noticing my presence."Where have you been all day? I sent a guard to your room and the pool. You were MIA.""I... Well... I had to help the women in the kitch
FIONA The girl reached out for my hand before our fingers could touch, Curtis slapped her hands out of the way."What the fuck Curtis! What did you do that for?"Curtis rolled his eyes. "I saved your utopia. What makes you think it is going to be good?""I'm hopeful.""Fuck that! Not to be a killjoy or anything but half the prophecies her kind gives are not forgiving on tender hearts. Do you really want to fuck up your utopia right while you are enjoying it?"The inner corner of my eyebrows rose. Curtis was right. It was stupid. Not to mention it could ultimately ruin a potential future with Alexios . But thinking over it, I wondered if hearing a piece of bad news would even be a bad thing. Knowing what would happen beforehand could help a great deal in preventing a tragedy. I faced Curtis. "I still want to know. What use is staying in bliss if it just collapses in your face one day? I would rather know a grim future than live in ignorance. At least, I'll have a chance to deter a har
LYDIA"What about this one?" The tired stylist’s voice was encouraging but I could tell she was beginning to get frustrated. "It will make sure attention is on you at all times." She said enthusiastically, holding up a tomato red knee-length gown that showed cleavage to my face. I stared uneasily. My dark eyes were already an attention magnet I had recently become accustomed to. A bright red gown showing non-existent cleavage was like jumping from the frying pan to an open flame. Especially when I was going to be wearing it to a celebration I wasn't even invited to. The stylist, sensing it was too bright for my pain in the ass dropped it and sluggishly swapped the red with a black dress. The new velvety black dinner gown wasn't as tight as the red one looked. It had spaghetti straps but showed little to no cleavage and I personally liked the color. Upon further observation, I realized that the gown wasn't even black. It was blue. A very darl shade of blue."Or this one?" She asked,
FIONA My mother had once told me when your future is read, it was set in stone. The prophecy from the girl of the eye of Cassandra was simply gut-wrenching. The ground seemed to vanish from beneath my feet. I fell to the floor as remnants of the words that spilled from her mind poisoned my soul. "The love of those that adore you will trickle down and in the end with your own hands, you'll be your ruin."I wasn't the brightest witch but nothing sounded good about that piece of information. It only assured me of one thing. Alexios would lose love for me. Curtis came to my side, perhaps to pacify me but that wasn't what I needed at the time. I stood up before he came close and slowly backed away from the bedroom arena."Fiona, calm down," Curtis said. "You told me you could handle this."That was true but apparently, I was in the wrong. I thought I was prepared for anything and in some sense, I had been prepared for everything. But this had to do with Alexios . Alexios Rose was my kr
ALEXIOS When I returned to my quarters, I got on to the bathroom and turned on the valve. Strings of cold water cascaded down my body as I slowly tried to clear my head. I remembered the taste Lydia left behind. I knew I should be disgusted but it did not speak well of me. I was the one who initiated the kiss. The girl had nothing to do with it but she had not made an attempt to stop it either. I dared say she enjoyed the kiss. I slicked back my wet hair so I could look in the mirror. I wondered what would have happened if my sanity hadn't returned. What if we did the deed? I couldn't really blame her. The new moon was coming. With it came the heat. I needed to have a plan before things got worse. As droplets of the nasty water spilled from my body down the gash below. I remembered what the Seer had muttered. "A blooming rose attracts two maidens. The scent of it shall cause the cherry blossoms to flourish and the Belladonna to wither. Love will find one and break the other. You,
CLARA"What would a girl her age like?" I pondered as I scanned the pieces of jewelry adorning the necks of perfect mannequins scattered across the store. "...what would Lydia want?" I wanted something expensive yet elegant. It was the type of person she was. I did not want the girl to believe for a second that I was beginning to manage her. Half f me suspected she was only being this way with me because of the power I held and the kindness I had displayed to her and while I did feel a slight prick by the heart for my supposed selfishness, I knew I was doing the right thing."Clara, tell me you do not intend to use Lydia to bait your son in tonight's banquet?"I flicked my head to the side and what did you know, it was Elliot tossed to the side like the devil on my shoulder. Why was he here, I wondered as I lifted a piece of jewelry that caught my fancy to the face. The necklace was a simple silver chain with a scarlet stone as big as a grape dangling at the end. It would contrast Lyd
LYDIAI remained frozen and motionless. Just staring into the deception of my reflection. It couldn't be. But no matter the lie I tried to tell myself, as my brain cells continued to diligently work, my reflection was all that stared back."Um...Miss Lydia?" The beautician coughed. I looked in her direction. She was by the door, holding it open for me. I felt a prick of guilt tear through me realizing I had been too carried away by my new improved self to make this woman's job easier. Numbly, I walked through and went out into the reception area.Clara was there, sitting on a chair made available with his eyes glued to something that glittered in her hands."Mrs. Rose." The stylist was sure to call her attention. Clara straightened her back and her gaze went my way as I continued to approach her. I noticed her eyes pop out in shock as her gaze lingered."Lydia?" The disbelief in her voice was evident and she couldn’t even mask it. I couldn't blame that she had found it impossible
FIONA"Did you like that?" Alexios asked with lust still heavy in his voice. I was by my side when he threw the question, probably still reeling from his post-orgasm daze. A tear escaped my eyes as I did my best to put on a brave voice, but deep inside I was trembling. I had come here wanting to know everything; now, I felt terrified. I did not understand what was happening and why it was happening to me. Performing the glamour spell to look like Lydia was a mistake because it showed me a truth I still didn't want to see. I trembled remembering the Seer's utterances. It was true. All of it was valid. Alexios had cheated on me. It didn't matter that it was still me. He has no idea it was me. Yet, he had sex with me. Mind blowing sex we had never shared as a couple. Not to mention that he marked me. A feat I had failed to make him perform. Alexios had always claimed that he was only waiting for the bond to overcome him and I had believed him. “Yes, I did,” I replied, trying my best to
LYDIA This was madness, wasn't it? As our tongues tangled together, playful one moment, hard and desperate the next. I had never been kissed so thoroughly or gloriously in my life. I knew it needed to feel wrong. Goddess knows I wanted it to feel wrong but when his body touched mine, when his lips plundered mine, the gap within me seemed to close up. I dared to believe at that moment that Alexios completed me but it was immoral. Yes, It shouldn't have felt good when felt his hands drifted to my waist and in seconds, my promise to hate this man perished as the stiff denim material I wearing fell to my feet. If I felt nothing for him, why did I toe off my sneakers and slip off my shirt giving him unbroken access to body, mind, and soul? His hands fingered through my panties and brassiere and with a single flick, they become nothing but shreds of clothing on the graveyard floor. His strong hands lifted me to a gravestone and I welcomed him between my legs, pulling him closer. His hand
ALEXIOSImmediately the ritual was over, Fiona's body was dropped by my feet. They were kind enough to say a last prayer to the woman who had caused them harm in the first place but they weren't about to bury her in a sacred place for their people and I understood that. "I apologize again for this. If it was in my power to bury her here, I have no problem doing so but as a Beta installed Alpha, my stance is not to be questioned." Vitale told me.I looked up at him blandly. I couldn't even focus on his words because all that dominated my heart were the things that Lydia had said about me. She was right. I was an arrogant idiot and a murderer. Those two things were the personality traits I had garnered since my childhood was taken for me. They were the only thing I could grasp on to at the time because those aspects of myself wouldn't leave me as my father had done."I understand." I finally replied. "I have an idea of where to bury her. I have a feeling she would like it there.""If t
LYDIA"You didn't have to do that," I told him. "It doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me. The bodies will be buried after the rituals are completed and I will be out of town. But a thank you is deserved I must say. Now that you are here again, I am reaching out to that stubborn part of your skull to see past the bond that is blinding you and see common sense. Alexios Rose, it would be in your best interest to reject me.""You act like it's only my wolf that will be eternal torment. We both will so instead of placating to my stubborn skull, you should be subduing your headstrong attitude. I will not be rejecting you. If we must suffer together, then so be it.""The rules might not apply to me, Alexios . My mom made the goddess promise her that I end up happy. Whether I choose you or not, it doesn't matter. The rules do not apply to me anymore. So please, reject me." I forced myself to ignore my wolf and my body’s demands even when Alexios stepped even closer. One of his hands cage
LYDIA I stayed. Not because of any of the things that Alexios had spewed. I did it for myself. Okay. Maybe I wasn't being completely honest. Alexios 's words did make some sense. I couldn't trust the Nightshade to give Elliot a proper burial. They couldn't even do it for my mother who was part and parcel of the pack and a goddamn Luna at that. Elliot had been an outcast at the time he died, as much as I viewed him as a hero, it was really tragic that plenty had no idea what sacrifices he had to make because I didn't matter, and neither did Elliot. The clean-up process had been fast. Swiftly wrapped up compared to the tragedy that befell us during the aftermath of the divine justice that befell my father. I couldn't quite tell if this was because of better leadership or prior preparation. By evening time, the bodies had been wrapped up and brought to a platform where the traditional rites of soul passage were read out for them. It almost brought tears to my eyes seeing Elliot's body
ALEXIOSMedics from the Nightshade finished strapping the last of their bloodied, defeated pack members onto stretchers. They were being taken to the pack's healer for treatment. I stared at the bodies on the floor. My eyes lingered where my mom stood, an inch not too far away from where Fiona's body lay. The medics around walked towards her body. Some of them had been rounding the bodies. But when they got to Fiona. I notice the scowl and disdain they all had on their faces. They all ignored it. In their eyes, Fiona was Blossom trash and I was torn. I did pity Fiona. I couldn't hate her. No matter how rational I tried to think about it. Not even when she had summoned a ball of fire to kill me as I continued to protect Lydia . But Fiona had been a true Blossom at the last moments of her life. She has become the very thing she hated about her family and that was the legacy she had left for herself. I felt guilty for that. Because as much as I tried to water it down. It was still my fa
ALEXIOSI had never shifted to my wolf form fully unless it was serious business and this was serious business. After being left stranded in the middle of nowhere by Fiona, I was pissed and downright worried. One of my pack members had been murdered by Fiona. I didn't know how to get out of that. As my mother and I sprinted on all fours, I made time to ponder on a truth that bothered me. I wondered if Fiona was worth saving at this point while also cementing the fact should the scenario eventually occur, Fiona posed a danger to Loretta. I couldn't let that happen. After running miles, we eventually made it to Nightshade territory. My keen senses caught the chaos. I could hear screaming the closer we got to the gates. It was not the scent of fire, smoke, and wood burning that made my wolf skid to a halt. It was the horrific sight in front of me. Lydia had pinned Fiona down. Her right hand was clasped to Fiona's throat. Her windpipe was blocked ensuring she couldn't cast any spells. H
FIONAWhy did I stop? I asked myself looking at the girl I was supposed to kill. My chimera had paused too because it sensed my hesitation. I did want to kill Lydia but that moment when she dropped to the floor and fetched Elliot's body shattered me. It brought back something I believed I could keep buried inside me for as long as I needed to. My humanity. Tears streamed down Loretta's face as Elliot breathed his last. Lydia remained rooted where she kneeled. She was cold and stiff as marble but beneath the surface, I could sense anger surging out of her frail little self like jolts of electricity consuming everything in its path. Her gaze rose from the body below her and she chuckled between gritted teeth. Eyes the color of a dark storm landed on me, twinkling with malice. I swore that the color of her irises altered. A menacing silver gleamed my way. I couldn't be seeing things because moments after Lydia Nightshade's irises turned ghost white. Her hair did too. "What the..." I t
NOTE: This conversation takes place mere seconds after our FL (Female lead) ascends to the second dimension. Time works differently here. However, this conversation is important for readers to understand what is about to happen soon after. The wolf stepped forward. The hair on its skin moving in molasses. Each stand moved like seaweed in the waters. Beautiful and mesmerizing. It didn't speak but I could hear its words loud and clear. I didn't quite understand it but neither was I so wary about it. "Do you know your mother was here last time?" The creature told me. "She stood at the very spot you are now. Covered a pool of her own blood. Yet all she did was think about you."I looked at the floor. The earth was filled with fine sand. Each smithereens looked like crushed glass. To think about that awful memory yet again brought me nothing but suffering. I swallowed a lump in my throat and looked at the ethereal beauty before me. "That is why I am here." I mused. "You want me to ask f
LYDIA Whatever fantasy I had conjured in my head died when I arrived at the gates. The great oak that had once barricaded the entrance had been shattered to smithereens. I saw bodies scattered across the ground. Some were missing heads. Some legs. The singular thing the bodies did share was that they were extinct. "Run!" A sentinel shoved me away from his path. The distress in his face was eminent as he raced for the creature his brothers were also fighting. Whatever it was, it looked like a man. It was double in size and riddled with tattoos that glowed red hot and singed deeper into its blue skin every passing second. The wind that blew my way confirmed that the enemy was anything but human. My nose simmered just inhaling. The air surrounding us smelled like sulfur and rotting meat. Behind the creature was a smaller figure unbothered by the chaos enveloping them. I squinted my eyes a little and realized the figure was that of a woman. Her hair danced in the hot whiff that encompas