MAVERICKA nagging feeling stayed with me all through the day to the night when Everett’s little party had begun to pick up.Music had already started ringing in my ears by the time I woke up from my impromptu sleep that apparently had lasted for 5 hours. It was just getting deep into the night, and the crickets were already chirping outside.I went over to the bathroom to freshen up, and afterwards, checked my wet nakeed self in the mirror. One look in it almost made me decide to stay absent from the party. Everett would probably not speak to me for a week if I didn’t attend.I had actual eyebags. The line of my jaw seemed sharper than usual, as though it was simply waiting to burst out of my flesh. It wasn’t related to my eating habits, but because my near constant state of panic had riled Conri up as well. The slightest escalation would send us into a transformation if things continued this way.My insomnia had been really bad these days, particularly since the disappearance of tho
Author‘s Pov“Of all the people in the world that you chose to attack, it had to be the one that I specifically told you to stay away from!” Sonia’s master said, throwing a glass across the room. It crashed against the wall and fell apart, tinkling softly against the ground on which it fell.“I’m sorry master. I didn’t know.” She cowered in fear. He’d never been angry with her before. The way his eyes shone sent terror running down her spine so badly that she couldn’t move. “I didn’t know it was her.”He bared his teeth, which had sharpened into fine points. His eyes started to glow. “White hair. White hair! How many people have you seen with natural white hair?”Her heart raced within her chest. “It was dark. I couldn’t see clearly—”“Lies! You are sharp. Too sharp to be making such mistakes. I suspect that you actually wanted to attack her.”“I didn’t, okay? I just made a mistake. Have I ever gone against your wishes? Haven’t I always done what you wanted? Why would I have knowingly
ORLAI placed the creamy white envelope on my bed, before flopping down on it as well. “I don’t really feel like attending.”Ella gasped. “You can’t be serious. He came down here to invite you himself. Besides, I thought you had gotten over your little feud with him?”“I never had a feud with him. I just didn’t like him very much.”“Ooh, past tense. Do you like him now?”My skin heated up. “No way! He’s . . .”“Totally hot and super rich.”“Not my type, and besides, I have a boyfriend, remember?”Ella raised a brow sarcastically. “You mean Ryker? No offense, but everyone thinks that the both of you are done.”“What?”“Yeah. Especially since Ophelia told people that Maverick brought you home one night while you were half-naked and all.”I pressed my palms to my cheek and bowed my head to cover my face as I cringed so deeply that I felt it to my bones. “I told you. It wasn’t like that! We were attacked and he just brought me home.”“Yeah, and you were in nothing but a shirt that was de
ORLAFEW HOURS BEFORE THE MEMORIALAfter I returned to my room, Ella had already picked out a full outfit for me. It wasn’t what I’d been expecting.“Ella, what’s this?” I held up the off-shoulder green dress. “I can’t wear this.”“Yes you can, and you will. There’s nothing wrong with it.”There actually wasn’t. It didn’t expose much skin, and when I put it on, it hugged my body nicely. Still, I didn’t feel too comfortable in it. “Don’t you feel it’s too tight?”“It’s not. You just have a really great figure. Look at that hourglass. A certain Alpha King won’t be able to keep his eyes off you.”“I’m not doing this for him, okay? I’m only going to agree to wear this because I don’t want to look like something that got picked off the street.”Ella smirked and put a hand under her chin. “Mhmm. If you say so.”Ella had spent most of the day at my place, since it was a weekend and she didn’t have to stay at the boutique. This also meant that there was no way I would have gone for the event a
MAVERICKEver since I was nothing but a boy, I’d always longed to have people around me. Maybe it was because of the circumstances surrounding my life, or how I’d practically been born, and then cursed to have those that I loved taken away from me. Maybe that was why the older I grew, there was a hole in my heart that only companionship could fill. Maybe that was why I chose Everett, Blair, Tom, Derek, and Avery. So that I wouldn’t have to face the world alone.Like tonight.Members of the three wolf clans had gathered, as well as other creatures from other supernatural races. They all came to pay their respects to my late parents. Or so, I hoped. I knew of families that were here to also see if I would take one of their daughters as a prize. Others were probably trying to see if I had any weaknesses that could be exploited. So, so many of them.I wasn’t a fool. I knew that those who actually respected my parents were the ones who preferred to keep to themselves and only show up when
ORLABLACKWOOD MANSIONHis average length russet hair had been slicked back to perfection, making the exquisite line of his face stand out. The little black stud he had in his left ear glittered. He’d taken off his bowtie and opened the jacket of his tuxedo, giving me a view of about a couple of inches of smooth skin.He had a knowing smile on his face. I’d been caught checking him out.I took a hard blink and a deep breath to avoid breaking into a full blown blushing spree, although I knew that I couldn’t take back what I’d done as though it was instinct.I expected him to make a comment, but he said nothing, simply watching me with amusement in his eyes.I settled down into the seat of his study, looking up at him. All of a sudden, I felt so small, especially with the way he towered over me with that outrageous height of his. He was likely about six foot three.“What did you want to discuss?” he took the initiative and started first.“About . . . things.” I cringed at my own lack of
ORLATHREE YEARS LATERAfter the memorial, things got a little blurry. Mostly because I felt like I did something that I shouldn’t have. Or said something that I shouldn’t have.The look I’d seen on Maverick’s face after I’d kissed Ryker, bothered me to the extent that I saw it on nights before I fell asleep. I didn’t fully understand why. I always thought that his gestures were nothing more than attempts at making fun of me and misleading me.He had looked so heartbroken.I still continued to search for more information concerning the kidnappings, but when the time came for me to finally start college, I had to shift my priorities.There were moments at school that I simply wanted to go home and just be done with it. I decided to major in History, because the world we lived in had supernatural secrets that had been buried for years. My studies showed me that werewolves, vampires and other supernatural beings had been in the world for years and years, possibly even before the appearan
MAVERICKThree years.Three good years.Three good years that I didn’t get to see her.I popped the textbook shut and sighed. For the past three years, I threw myself fully into work, schooling, and anything else that could have eased the terrible longing in my heart. It was no different from a festering wound that refused to heal.Even after three years, my heart still called out desperately for her. Conri would not let me rest, and every full moon was pure agony. Since that memorial service, where I'd seen her kissing that guy, I'd known no peace. I wished I didn't witness such, because for weeks after, it was all I could think about.The way she looked at him and told him that she chose him as her mate. The way she pressed herself against him. The way onlookers had stopped and watched them with adoration.I didn’t want to believe it. I'd hoped desperately for my eyes to be playing some kind of trick on me. How could my mate, my other half, the only one that could ever complete me,
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