WINTER. I didn’t ask to go with him but here I am in a dark bushy path with no trace of Aunt Hyacinth anywhere. As much as I want to find her, I also have a score to settle with Isador. She can’t just put a price on the life of my husband because we had a fallout. She’s a witch that sees far and beyond, how could she not see that I hadn’t betrayed her just yet? I wasn’t going to but there was no way I could when it was always one problem after the other in the pack? “There she is!” Hunter screams and we all find ourselves running in the same direction. Aunt Hyacinth is lying on the floor soaked in blood and it’s not a sight I want to keep in my mind for a long time. Her clothes are filthy but there’s no mistaking the heavy scent of blood. “Is she alive?” I ask the heavy question weighing on all out minds. “She’s alive!” Nikolai shouts as he sweeps up in two hard tries. “What do we do now? Where do we go from here?” Hunter asks the obvious question, none of us thought of how we
NIKOLAI. I can’t stand how pathetic I look right now. How did it all come down to this? Was my father right about Winter after all?I’m not shocked about the whole story because I’m not stupid. I kind of figured out that something was wrong since the day her scent changed. I couldn’t fit the pieces together but now it all makes sense. I’m so glad I didn’t ignore my instincts to look into witches. It felt bad at the time but now all I feel is anger and distrust. “Jacob was the man you were married to?!” I ask again to confirm that I’ve not misheard anything. It makes sense that Jacob was part of the whole thing but it doesn’t make it hurt less. “I fought a war with Jacob, I invited him into my home but at least I don’t owe him a favor anymore. I know exactly where his wife is.” Winter starts to cry and immediately falls on her knees. It annoys me that she thinks she can beg her way out of this. Why does she think it’s so easy? “What makes you think I’m going to forgive you? You d
WINTERIt wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I said that I’d prefer death to what I’m feeling right now. When I was new to this body, I thought very little of it, I was disgusted by it. It irritated me so much buy I wanted to live so I stayed in it, I got used to it and I made the best of it but now? Now it feels like Winter is a much better person than I am. Like I don’t even deserve to be in this body at all.How could I even refer to myself as a person when I behaved like an animal? I made the man that I claimed to love blind, sought a witch, fell in love with another man and lied to him about it. He’s hurting terribly and it’s all my fault. His life is on the line and I have to take credit for that too. His life would have been better off if he never met me. He and his father would have ruled side by side and maintained the upper hand. I guess Patrick was right about me after all, I make Nikolai weak. I’m not good for him.I’m shamelessly lying down on the bed we share, it user
HUNTERI stare at her while I try to catch my breath. She’s asleep or dead from hunger! “Tara!” I yell as soon as I get that thought and she springs up from the ground.“I thought you were dead.” I say thoughtlessly with my hand and on my chest.” “Didn’t you want me dead?” She asks and I blink my eyes rapidly.“How could you say something like that? If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have brought you back home and then throw you in a cell when you were just starting to get well.” I think I see it now. I open the cell door with the handling keys in my hands and let her out.“I’m sorry I didn’t come for you sooner.” I find myself saying instead of “you did this to yourself” like I rehearsed. She glares at me and pushes me aside. Her confidence marvels me, how can she act like she’s the boss when she’s clearly not.“You look like you fell in a well, what the hell happened to you?” Do I tell her that I ran all the way from a place that I’ve never been on foot because I suddenly remem
HUNTERI get to Nikolai in time but as expected, he’s real mad. “Are you going to give me the silent treatment or do you prefer we just punch this our like real men?”“You know what, I was going to ignore you but your idea sounds good too. Whoever wins gets to keep the horse.”“Oh, I see what this is, your determination to walk has drained the life out of you and now you’re trying to fight your way into getting a horse?” “What?” He pretends not to know what I’m talking about and motions for me to get down from the horse and face him which I do.“You can just have the horse, I don’t feel like getting punched.” I hand over the horse to him and he points at something behind me, I turn to look at it and then he lands a punch on my face.“That’s for leaving without a good reason.” He says and blows off invisible steam from his knuckles and we both chuckle. I seriously can’t believe this guy but I can understand him.“What are you going to do about the witch?” I ask and the mood changes.
NIKOLAI "You want progress, Isador? That's a shock considering the stunt you pulled yesterday." I scoff, still glaring at her. I don't believe a word the witch is saying. I'm also certain she has something against Winter, something that has to do with her deal with her. There's a plan I have to find out, but it won't be easy because Isador has always been cunning. "Do you expect us to believe you after everything? If you really wanted progress, why haven't you spoken up since?" Hunter accuses her, and he's making a valid point. "Look at your reactions now. Yet you have the guts to ask me why. Isn't it clear to both of you why I didn't come to you sooner. Patrick hated my kind!" Hunter screams back. "Well, this is his son and not him. Nikolai is the Alpha now. Not his father. You could have just sat down to tea with him instead of causing all the trouble with Winter." Isador paces in small circles. She's frustrated, and then she throws her hands in the air and makes a comeback
WINTER I'm chasing someone on pack grounds. It's a girl. I don't know who it is, but I'm very certain she stole something in our possession. I must catch her and know what it is. It's an unfamiliar face lurking around pack walls. What would Nikolai think of me if I do nothing to protect his pack while he's gone? I remember I still have to pay Isador a visit and talk about everything that was said yesterday. I want to know my fate more than anything. What has she ended up planning for me again in this life? Is my destiny still with Nikolai, or has everything come to an end now? These are questions only Isador can answer. I push my wolf harder. We are both running with the speed of our wolves. I'm trying my hardest to catch up with her, but she's very fast. She makes a sharp cut, and I almost slip on the ground, but my hand on the wall makes a nice save. I keep running. "Hey, stop there. I just want to talk to you." It's frustrating doing this, but I must protect the pack while
HUNTER I walk ahead as soon as I walk towards my room in the Alpha's home. She's right behind me in the next minute. I saw her hold back her words before Nikolai was out of respect. I knew the second she was in the clear, she was going to come at me with everything she's got. Funny enough, I'm anticipating it. I'm also anticipating seeing more of her in those pretty clothes. It's new for Tara. "Ever heard of give people their flowers, Hunter?" She crosses her arms as she falls in step with me. Nikolai and Winter have occupied the main stairs, so we are going all around to get to my room. Tara is just following me without a clue about where she's going. "That's the most senseless thing I've ever heard." She blocks my path, walking with her back when I don't stop coming forward. "Take that back." Tara slaps my chest. Coming from a werewolf, her hit does justice, and I almost break a wince. "I won't take it back, Tara. Because it's my opinion." "I found you empathetic at first