Jonas' POV:Katrineâs chest was heaving, lips parted like she wanted to scream and cry and curse all at once. But the words that finally came out of her mouth shattered me more than any of that.âJustâĶ reject me.â She whispered, voice cracking, âLet me go, Jonas. I donât believe this, I donât believe youâĶ I don't believe any of it.âHer eyes were wild with passion, glassy with unshed tears and burning with anger for me. Her gaze bore into mine and she chewed out each word. âYouâre not my mate. I wonât accept thisâĶ even if the Moon Goddess herself cursed me with youâĶ then reject me.âA beat passed, then two. Her breath caught in her throat again as I thrust forward, hips slamming against herâĶ and even through the layers of clothes between us, I could feel how soaked she was. I paused, letting her feel the hard press of my body right there, where she couldnât lie.A wicked smile curled at my lips.âYou're wet for someone you claim isnât your mate?â I said low against her neck, my
"Hear ye! Hear ye!!" Luke, the twelve year old kid from the neighbourhood screamed dramatically as he came rushing into our house and stopped abruptly when his eyes greeted the sight of dear old me.I had been standing in front of my wardrobe, arranging my clothes when I heard his voice and went out to the hallway, being the only one in the house.I felt the boy's eyes roaming my face before he saw that I was looking at him, and he immediately fixed his eyes on the floor."Is no one else at home- I mean, sister Lexie, where is brother Dylan? Or Katrine?"I smiled at his efforts at covering up his uneasiness and replied, making my voice as soft as possible. "They are not at home right now, but you can tell me. What is it?"Luke seemed to consider this for a moment before he hurriedly blurted out."Alpha- alpha Paul has invited everyone to the party tonight, because he is searching for his mate!"Luke had barely finished his sentence before he dashed off in a hurry, leaving me with his
After geometry class got over, I packed up my things and left the room for the next lecture. But before I could have left the room, someone called out my name from the back of the classroom. "Lexie, you left your earphones behind!" As I turned around to see what the matter was, my shoulder bumped into someone coming in from the doorway. I could only see a flash of blonde hair before I stumbled backwards from the force of the collision and stabilised myself against a desk. "Watch where you are going! Or has that scar made you lose your vision in the second eye too?!" I didn't even need to pull down my hood to see that the person my bad luck had made me collide with, was none other than Abby. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attentionâĶ" I mumbled an apology for the sake of the friendship Abby and I used to share, back when we were just kids who played together. I knew her from my days in the Celene pack, where we both had been brought up in the same neighbourhood. She was the
Although it had been two years since we had joined this pack and in the meantime, we had also established good relations with most of the native people in our neighborhood. But still, the blot of being 'Rogues'- unwanted outsiders- was still visible on our foreheads, and the last thing I wanted was to get into an argument that would confirm such people's prejudices against our family. Micheal had been trying so hard for all three of our sakes, and I commanded myself to take deep breaths so I would not end up spoiling this for all of us. Thankfully, I felt Jean's pat on my shoulder right on time. She was the one who had called out my name a few minutes ago, and her intervention was a good enough excuse for me to divert my attention. She handed me my earphones and nudged me towards the exit. But before leaving the classroom, I arranged my features into the most deadpan expression I could manage and made my voice cloyingly sweet, giving my reply seconds before putting my earphones in my
"Got it.âI nodded in affirmation before I gulped down my own saliva in an attempt to hide my nervousness. Trying to compose myself, I glanced at the facade of the imposing archway under which the two of us were standing. It was made completely with a black stone, in the centre of which, a large exploding sun had been carved. The rays of that sun extended in all directions, and the two sides were flanked with beautiful depictions of every life form that owed its existence to the presence of the sun, all the way down to where the two pillars ended. If it had not been carved on a black stone, one could easily have been fooled by the intricate details, judging by how realistic it all seemed. Indeed, it was quite fitting that the Apollo pack would appreciate the gifts that the Sun had provided to earth; thinking this, I extended a hand to touch one of the lotus flowers carved on the right pillar, before I returned to my senses and promptly pulled my hand backwards. Sneaking a glance at
How idiotic can a fourteen year old be!? If that's your question, then my answer would be: not more than me, at least!Because when I was fourteen, I really had my head filled with ideal stories of fairytale romances. I used to believe that I must be the luckiest girl in the world who has had everything since her birth- good friends, perfect family, and most importantly the most loving mate of the entire world!' When I had been in my pack, I really had no dreams apart from spending my whole life with Nate as his loving mate. However, I was not delusional to have fed myself all these things from my imagination; it was because we used to be a couple. I used to believe that we were truly made for each other, till the day I was brutally introduced to reality. On his seventeenth birthday, Nate had rejected me as his mate. And I shouldn't be saying that he had simply rejected me, but he had brutally torn apart every dream of mine and snatched my self confidence. I still remember the disg
It took a little longer than usual for me to walk home. I had never been one to dawdle on the way, and neither was today the day for it; but the reason was that I could physically feel my legs getting heavier after what had happened today. I don't know what was going inside my brain at the moment I entered home, but I must have been in the mood to make my bad day worse. Because the first sentence that left my mouth in front of Katrine, after she just asked me where I had been out of her usual curiosity and concern and not with any other hope of getting entertained, was; "You won't believe me, but I will still say it : I am returning from the actual hell present on the surface of earth and the deadliest dungen one can ever visit, also known as the Alpha's house-" "Alpha Paul's house?" The moment I was already regretting speaking gibberish and saying something I was never supposed to have, I noticed Dylan's ears perking up and his eyes getting curious as he asked his question.
I really did not want to go to school this morning; after the last incident, I was not feeling inclined to go back to school or even the least bit willing to drag my body out of bed. The incidents of the past day were making me queasy just at the thought of leaving the comfort and safety of my room; not only the part where I was taken away by the beta of the pack, including the embarrassment I had experienced at the Alpha's residence, but also because of my fight with Abby.I was assured that whenever we were to indulge in any fight, I was the one who was going to win; but still, I really did not want to get into any new fights with her. We used to be very good friends once, and I want my good memories to remain intact and away from the prying eyes of everyone. 'There are already very few moments that I find good in my life, hence the better option will be ignoring her for the entire time I am in school.'Because no matter how badly I wanted to skip school today, I was aware that I w
Jonas' POV:Katrineâs chest was heaving, lips parted like she wanted to scream and cry and curse all at once. But the words that finally came out of her mouth shattered me more than any of that.âJustâĶ reject me.â She whispered, voice cracking, âLet me go, Jonas. I donât believe this, I donât believe youâĶ I don't believe any of it.âHer eyes were wild with passion, glassy with unshed tears and burning with anger for me. Her gaze bore into mine and she chewed out each word. âYouâre not my mate. I wonât accept thisâĶ even if the Moon Goddess herself cursed me with youâĶ then reject me.âA beat passed, then two. Her breath caught in her throat again as I thrust forward, hips slamming against herâĶ and even through the layers of clothes between us, I could feel how soaked she was. I paused, letting her feel the hard press of my body right there, where she couldnât lie.A wicked smile curled at my lips.âYou're wet for someone you claim isnât your mate?â I said low against her neck, my
Jonas' POV:Why did she have to come here?And today, of all days, when my wolf had already been dragging me through hell?I hadnât eaten in five days. Not because there wasnât food, but because my wolf refused it. Said I didnât deserve it. Said if I was serious about proving I regretted what I did to her, then I should suffer too. That I should feel her pain, her thirst, her hunger.And I did.Every second of it.But now, after testing my patience to its breaking point, the damn mutt had the nerve to taunt meâtelling me this wasnât enough. That if I truly meant it, I wouldâve claimed her already. That waiting around, watching from the shadows while she suffered, meant nothing.And then she barged in.Of course, she did.Because fate clearly had a sick sense of humor.I stared at her, covered in dust, lips cracked, eyes blazing like she had every right to barge into my cabin at any time. She pushed at my chest, screamingâĶ accusing me of playing games ans what not. But didnât she know
Katrine's POV:I walked out of the dungeon without looking back.Five daysâfive long, dry, dark days without food or a single drop of clean water. Just the occasional bucket thrown through the bars to make sure I hadnât died on their watch. Half the time it hit my face, and if I was lucky, some drops made it past my cracked lips. That was it. That was how they made sure their prisoner was still aliveâlike tossing water on a caged animal.They came to help me up, two guards who didnât even look me in the eye. I jerked my arms away from them. If they thought I was going to collapse or beg, they didnât know me at all.My wolf howled inside me, starved and furious, but I refused to let my knees buckle. I got to my feet myself, even if my thighs shook slightly under the weight of my own body. I took one step. Then another. Then another.I would not break.This was the fifth time. The fifth time I had tried to escape, the fifth time they had caught me and thrown me down here like a stray do
Paul's POV:I stood with my arms folded as they dragged Abby into the room, her feet scraping against the floor, her head hanging like a wilted flower. The guards shackled her to the iron chair in the center of the chamber, her arms tied down, her ankles bound.She was a mess, a complete mess, that I wanted her to be. Blood crusted on her lips, bruises blooming across her cheek, her once-proud posture reduced to this pathetic slump. But I didnât feel pity. Not anymore. In fact, I wanted more brutal things for her, after what she has done to my Lexie, my unborn child, she didn't even deserve the mercy of being alive, yet I am gracing her this time where she is still breathing.Bitterness crawled inside my mouth, and I leaned in close, just enough for her to feel my breath. âWhy did you target Lexie? Are you really this naive to believe that she still has no one on her back to support her?âHer head twitched, but she didnât lift it. âI didnât,â she muttered hoarsely.Wrong answer. If
Abby's POV: I woke up to cold water splashing against my face, stinging my cracked lips and soaking through the rags clinging to my skin. My head pounded like a drum, and I was faintly aware that someone was shaking me. âWake up, orâ"A hand raised, ready to strike me and just as suddenly, I discovered my ability to speak again. âIâm awake! Iâm awake!â I said quickly, breath hitching in panic. My eyes shot open and the light burned, but I blinked furiously, trying to focus. There was something about the ache in my face that told me this wasn't the first slap. My memory was foggy, but the throb in my bones was too familiar.I cursed him in my heartâcoward. Kicking someone already half-dead.But thenâĶ something changed.Beyond the bars, I saw a silhouetteâtall, broad. His face wasn't covered like the others. The moment my blurry gaze landed on him, my breath caught.IâĶ I knew him.I recognized him.I sat up, or at least tried to. My body trembled from the effort, but I needed to see
Jonasâ POV, 2 weeks ago:It was close to midnight when repeated knocks at my door shattered the silence. I lifted the arm I had draped over my tired eyes.âCome in!âThe door opened with a soft creak. A guard stepped in and bowed.âSorry to disturb your sleep, Chief, butâĶ uh, she tried to run away again.âI sighed and sat up on the edge of the bed, shaking my head. Not that I'd been sleeping anyway. âHow far?" âShe made it within two hundred metres of the boundary this time, before we caught her on patrol.âI got to my feet and walked towards the window, placing both hands on the wooden sill. The moon hung low in the sky, full and cold and distant, watching everything and saying nothing.I kept my back to him as I asked, âHow many men?âThere was a pause, as if he didnât understand the reason behind this question. âTh-three,â he said finally. âShe knocked down two, and was trying to strangle the third when we spotted her.âMy lips twitched.âGood.âHer stamina was improving. Her
Abby's POV:I didnât know how many hours had passedâĶ or maybe days?Maybe years. I wouldn't even be sure if I was alive anymore, if not for the pain that kept reminding me. My throat was dry to the point where every single breath felt like I was inhaling fire. My tongue was swollen, sticking to the roof of my mouth, and the skin on my lips had cracked so badly that I tasted blood every time I tried to speak. My stomach had stopped growling two days ago, giving up on the hope that I was ever going to get something to eat. There was just a sharp and hollow ache where my stomach used to be, and the horrible feeling of bile rushing up my throat.I had no foodâĶ no water. And absolutely no idea who had taken me, or why.If they had kidnapped me for money, or even if they wanted to keep me as a prisonerâĶ wouldn't it be important to keep me alive first? But these people didn't seem to care about it at all. Since the day they had dumped me inside this stinking dungeon, I had seen my kidna
Abby opened her eyes after closing them to rest for just a few minutes more, only to find her phone screen glowing faintly and displaying the time as 9:00 AM. She sat up with a jerkâ she was supposed to be at the bakery an entire half hour ago, reporting for her first day there.This was the job she had managed to bag, after trying hard to convince her mother that it was the perfect way to prove they could stay in this pack that she could help run the household while working part-time. And yet, here she wasâĶ with her face covered in cold sweat, shivering under her blanket, still in bed.She didnât remember the exact details this new dream; only flashes of darkness and something dragging her down. She didn't need to remember anything to know that it was a new nightmare that had woken her up.Her brows pulled together in irritation as she threw the covers off and stood up with a huff, muttering under her breath and stomping towards the bathroom to vent out her anger. âGreat! First d
It had been four days since Abby received that strange note.And she had spent four restless nights in this same room, each one worse than the last. Right now, as the clock in her room flashed 4:30 , she had woken herself up with a scream once again. It took Abby a few minutes to understand where she wasâĶ her skin was clammy with sweat, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.Her blanket was twisted around her legs, and the image from the nightmare was still fresh in her vision; the murky water under the dense fog, icy cold hands wrapped around her ankle, something inhuman pulling her down into a lakeâĶ That monsterâs grip had felt too real.The door creaked open suddenly, and her mother appeared, draping a shawl over her shoulders and a mask of concern over her fearful features. âIs everything okay, dear?â She asked gently, stepping into the room with cautious feet.Abby blinked, one thing had suddenly become clear in her mind: she couldn't tell her. She couldnât tell h