ORLAAfter watching the strange, awkward reunion between Ryker and his father, they completely ignored me and started to discuss their plans for domination. I wished I didn't have to listen, because a lot of the things Daniel mentioned were so gruesome that I didn’t need to think too far about why he had been away for so long.Even though it was risky, I needed them to remember for a moment that I was in their midst."Where's Maverick?"Makila sighed. "Will you stop asking about him? He's not dead if that's what you want to know.""I want to see him. Why should I take a liar's word for it?"She got up from her seat. "Fine, you want to see him? Then you'll see him." She pulled out her phone and dialled a number. After a little while, when whoever she was calling picked up, she gave me a direct stare and spoke."Bring him here. Now," she said, before ending the call. "He'll be here soon, and then you can hold hands and mourn together.""I swear if you've done anything to him—""Oh shut u
AUTHOR'S POVAfter Ryker failed to respond to Orla's question, he stormed out of the room in search of the one person he felt would understand his pain.Ophelia hadn't been pulled into the circle as well as he was, and it simply had to do with the fact that Makila and his father weren't so sure if they could trust her yet. Also, they both decided that it would be best if she remained at home to keep up appearances until their plans were carried out. If both children of the Darke family suddenly vanished off the face of the earth, the chaos that had already ensued from Orla's disappearance would have been ten times more.He wasn't surprised that many had started showing their intentions to take Orla's place as clan leader, even though the role rightfully fell to him as her mate. The downside to the whole thing was since he'd marked her in a hurry, and with limited witnesses, no one would take his word for it without proof. Even if he was now an Alpha, Orla's absence had caused more trou
AUTHOR'S POV Alec sat down in a chair in Maverick's study and faced Everett, who still typed away on that computer of his. The two of them had become close companions over the course of the past week, especially because they had a common goal in mind. "Anything yet?" He asked Everett. The poor guy had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. But he had trouble believing that the cause of his tiredness was only as a result of the work he'd been doing. Everett bit into his chocolate bar and nodded. "I've been picking up a lot of irregularities for a while now, and coupled with the recent unease in the clans, I've been able to gain few but crucial pieces of information. Most witnesses aren't coming out to speak, but I've been able to keep contact with a few, and their stories are all the same." "What stories?" "That someone has been coming to ask them for their support or rather, show of loyalty. Those that refused were immediately killed." "Do you think it has to do with the kidnappi
AUTHOR'S POV Makila had been plagued with dreams of Marc recently, and desperation finally pulled her out of the confines of the Forgotten Hills and went into town once again, hoping to see the lookalike of her lost love. There was something about him that ruined her peace of mind, and now that Daniel was actively on a rampage to gather as much power as he could before he merged all three clans under him, she had started to slightly worry for the guy's life. She knew right from the moment she met him that he was a werewolf, just as Marc had been, and the fact that he considered Maverick Blackwood a brother was another thing that she had to ponder on. The café she had visited before was filled up that morning, and she wondered if he had also come there too. Delving into his mind the other day had actually left her with more questions than answers, and with little plans to find a solution. Her best bet was to meet up with him again, and hope that he didn't consider her a stalker. Sh
AUTHOR'S POVDawn had barely broken when Ophelia slid out of her bedroom, put on some clean clothes, and escaped into the quiet of the breaking day.When she got outside, two guards stationed at the gate watched her, but said nothing as she entered a car and drove off.She had been warned to limit her visits to this place, for a number of reasons, but she told herself that she'd stay away after she completed the main mission on her mind.To kill Ophelia.Ryker was soft-hearted when it came to difficult things, and like she had told him numerous times, it was exactly the reason why things ended up this way. If he had seized the opportunity to forcefully become an Alpha through mateship to Orla, then things wouldn't have gotten this bad, and she wouldn't have to do his job for him.She slid inside, paving her way through the brick walls and empty passages. Her memory was one of the things she could truly count on, because it was nearly photogenic. She made sure to move quietly, to avoid
ORLAWhen I'd been goading Ophelia to kill me, I didn't actually think that she would have gone through with it. Maybe it was because I hadn't been eating well that I was crazy enough to push her to the edge.At the same time, I wondered where I'd gone wrong in being her sister.My parents had adopted her when I was five, as they had trouble conceiving a second child after me. My parents went out one day after making me a promise that they'd find me a new friend that I could be with for the rest of my life.They returned with four year old Ophelia, who looked so small and so fragile that I instinctively went to give her a big hug, shouting, "I'll protect you forever."Maybe I should have expected the worst from her when she simply pouted and burst into tears, shouting gibberish that sounded like she was making accusations at me.In the days that had followed, the same aloof attitude continued, but I forcefully pried my way into her life, thinking that she was simply a shy girl that was
ORLAI couldn't believe what I'd just heard from Maverick's mouth. His mate? But how?Shortly after that big confession, he simply fell asleep as though he hadn't just unleashed a total bomb on my head. Sleep refused to come, as I only tossed and turned on the hard floor. Closing one's eyes was the only thing that actually helped me pass the time in this place. Especially when the thoughts became too loud and too heavy to ponder on. I knew that there was no way that I'd sit back and allow Ryker's father to take over Saint Terrir like his plans had said. If he did, many lives would be lost.As for Ophelia, I had no idea where she had gone after she unceremoniously tried to end my life. She stabbed me in the shoulder and then, as though thinking better of her choice, left the cell in a flash. There were a lot of things going on with her that I didn’t understand, and sadly, it would be that way for a while because she wasn't ready to explain anything to me.The doors of my cell opened,
AUTHOR'S POVFrom his brief interaction with Ophelia, Alec deduced that indeed, things were going on beneath the surface. The way she had been acting during their brief talk led him to believe that she knew exactly where her sister was. The only problem was getting her to talk.He relayed this information to Ella back in his apartment. For clarity, after a few days, Ella's parents were able to track her down and requested that she returned home. Since she didn't want to do that, and her hiding place had already been compromised, she asked Alec if he could accommodate her for a few days.Alec would have suggested it anyway, but he was glad that she took the initiative. He didn't want her to think that just because they were mates, he was supposed to have access to her.Come to thjnk of it, they hadn't even had a proper discussion concerning their mate bond. He didn't have a clear image of how she felt, although he sensed that she didn't have much of an issue with it. Unless he was read
AUTHOR'S POVA YEAR LATERThe usual belief about life is that a person only lives once. For Orla, though, that wasn't the case. From being mistreated, abused, and ultimately killed in her previous life, she awakened to find herself given another chance to make things right. A chance to fix the wrongs that led to her unfortunate demise. A chance to build that which she should have lost.Another chance . . . to find love.+_+_+Orla bent down, crouching as far as she could go to pat the last heap of rich brown earth into place. She'd always wanted to try gardening since she was a child, and now she had finally made that dream come true.She sighed contentedly, and sat back on her haunches, looking up at the sky whilst wiping off her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand. Although it was still quite chilly, and the ice hadn't completely thawed, strenuous physical activity could still make a person feel like they were stuck inside a furnace.The advice Alec had given her was to plant
ORLAIt felt like an eternity. The darkness. It had neither a beginning or an end. It took me—grabbed me in a suffocating hug and refused to let me go.At some point—I didn't know how long it took, but it came to my understanding that the darkness was of my own making, and only I could free myself from its clutches.So, I opened my eyes, and welcomed the light back in.The first thing I saw was a face. One too familiar, and at the same time, dreadfully disturbing.Blood seeped out of his nose, ears and mouth and dripped on my shirt. His eyes had gone blank, with its usual icy colour sucked into the cold emptiness of death.Ryker was dead.I pulled my hand out of his neck, unable to ignore the feeling of gore and slippery blood. His weight had become suffocating since life no longer flowed through his veins.I pushed his corpse off me, and sat up with a groan. The wound in my chest was still struggling to knit itself back together, but with the bullet still lodged inside of me, it wou
ORLAA gun. That was what he had been holding. I'd failed to recognise the hidden shape in his hand on time. I had been too occupied with other things to think about the fact that he'd probably had a plan B.He fired three rounds without pausing.I only had milliseconds to respond, but I wasn't fast enough. He'd surprised me, and I had to deal with the consequences.Cold descended on me as I realised that I had indeed acted too irrationally. Searing pain bloomed in the left side of my chest, and another in my thigh. The last one grazed my cheekbone, and that was only because I pushed my head to the side just before the bully made impact with my flesh.Blood rapidly started to pool in my mouth, filling up my throat until air couldn't pass through and I had to spit it out before it choked me.I fell on my good leg, clutching my bleeding chest.I hadn't foreseen this. I'd been so eager to get him that I had forgotten how cunning he could be. There was no way he would have just been here
ORLA'Don't think. Don't feel. Just act.'Those were the words ringing in my head as I swung the wooden log into the side of Sonja's head with every power that my body could muster, bursting it open like a balloon. Blood splattered all over my clothes, but I didn't matter. I had killed her. She was dead, and she would never, ever hurt my family again.I had made a promise to go as low as killing just to save my child, and I was glad that I hadn't hesitated when it mattered the most. Although it was a flimsy defence, I had no other option. She had raised her knife to stab Amaranthine, and Maverick was too far away to get anything done.Makila had spotted her and her counterpart from a distance, and was able to perform a spell that teleported us right behind them. We'd also seen the vampires that seemed to also be trying to help her, and decided that it was best to stay out of their line of sight.Sonja's body went limp, and her remaining eye remained wide in horror and shock. She mus
MAVERICKWe followed the trail judiciously, paying attention to the location the trackers had presented us with. We'd gone by car to eat up the most of the distance, but since the trail eventually led into a dense, seemingly unused path, we had to turn to out feet for transport.Under the guidance of the moon, we pressed on, too determined to even stop for a moment to speak to each other. I took mental note of the people with me, and found myself grateful for having such wonderful packmates that were willing to do this with me. Of course, the years had strengthened our bond, but I still was baffled sometimes by their immense loyalty and dedication to me. Amaranthine's kidnapping had been a huge blow to the pack, but it didn't change the fact that she was my daughter, and most of the pressure to find her fell on Orla and I, but they all took the issue and placed it on their shoulders as well, making the weight a little bit easier for me to hear.We kept walking, keeping caution close
ORLANight came, and all our hearts were ready and prepared for what was to come.I stood in the bathroom, staring at my reflection for the second time in six four hours. The time was already a couple of minutes past seven, and as Maverick had told us, it was go time.Everyone else had gotten ready, and those that were at the first part of the plan had left a little while ago. Tim, Everett, Blair, and Avery had gone with Maverick, following the coordinates given on Everett's tracker. From what we'd seen, Ryker and his witch friends hadn't left their positions since the time we had deliberated on the plan. The plan was quite straightforward. Maverick would go with his people to scout the area and then proceed to lure the witches and Ryker out. Again, I had been thinking that I had been sidelined from the plan itself, until Maverick told me that I would go in with Makila to get Amaranthine. Makila's presence couldn't be downplayed simply because she was the only one with prior knowled
ORLAI was sick and tired of waiting for things to happen. The day after my last discussion with Maverick, I'd been unable to rest my jittery nerves. Every second, minute or hour physically disturbed me. I wanted my child. I needed her back in my arms.The fact that I had no idea what they could have been doing to her made me panic even more. What if they were abusing her? Or casting marks on her smooth skin just to cause her pain? What if they were starving her, and watching as life slowly seeped out of her little body?I had to hold on to the hope that she still lived. I couldn't think about anything else.Maverick had called for a compulsory meeting, and as much as I wanted to keep avoiding him, I couldn't turn away when my child came into the picture.The noon was blazing hot, so I already dressed in a black tank top and some denim shorts, baring the skin of my arms and legs. In this, the mark Maverick had branded me with was on full display—an oddly symmetrical line of five dots
ORLA"She's waking up," someone whispered. My eyes couldn't fathom anything but darkness. My mouth felt like something was keeping it from opening, and pain spread at different points of my body, like I'd been run over by something.I opened my mouth to speak, and only a groan could find freedom."Shhh, don't talk. You might hurt yourself."'I already feel hurt,' I wanted to say, but speaking still seemed like a hassle to me. I reached out blindly, and warmth came to my hand. A familiar touch. "It's okay now, you're safe."With a painful flash, the memories of what I'd gone through previously ran through my mind. Makila yelled at me to go.Getting attacked by a woman.Ryker threatening Amaranthine's life.Just like that, my eyes flew open, and a scream finally came out of my throat, wrapped in somebody's name. "Ryker! He has Amaranthine!" I shouted despite my sore throat. Maverick came to my side, rubbing my back and softly whispering, "We know."I looked up at him, recalling my
ORLAIt couldn't be though, that witch was dead. Even if she had escaped death before, it couldn't be possible that she happened to resurrect again . . . Right?The woman before me laughed softly. "Why are you looking at me like that? Does my face ring a bell in your head?""Where is my daughter?" I asked, deciding to go straight to the point. There was nothing worth more than her safety right now. Not even my own curiosity.She frowned playfully. "Your daughter? Hmm." She lazily patted a finger against her chin. "Probably dead by now."Another thing that I found different about her was her behaviour. Sonia had been incredibly loyal to Daniel, and hardly spoke unless it was so say something that showed that. This one had a lighter disposition.The woman didn't even seem bothered at the sound of those approaching. If anything, she seemed to get even bolder. "And what's that I hear? You brought backup?"I looked down at Makila, who still sat behind the shrub, pressing the bottom of her