Hope’s POV“Why are you doing this?” I ask Blake. We are all lining up outside what looks like a heavily armored SWAT truck that will bring us to the games arena. But where it is remains an enigma to us. No one is telling us anything. “No talking,” one of the men in black snaps, pointing a syringe at me. “Blake Parker, you’re first.”He motions for Blake to step forward. Blake rolls his eyes and does as he is told but I swear the man who called him jumps back a little in fear. Still, he steadies himself and holds out a syringe.The whole school watches us from afar. They are not allowed to come near the parking lot where the truck is parked.Will stands in front of the crowd with a hand on his chest and more than half the female population of school is sobbing their eyes out, all calling for Blake’s name.“You will all be sedated before the journey begins,” the man in black tells Blake as another man steps forward to roll up Blake’s sleeves. I poke my head out from behind Blake a
Hope’s POVI have blamed my father for a lot of bad things in my life, but right now, I cannot be more grateful for what he taught me when he was still alive.The whistle.I never thought I would need it, but here I am. I can only hope that I will get through this unhurt.It is an innocent whistle, a whistle so inaudible and low on frequency that it can catch wolves unawares. But it is also a whistle so potent that it can damage an opponent’s eardrum and cause their ears to bleed. In some cases, wolves can even end up deaf. It is a whistle I have yet to truly master. I am not even sure if I will even cause any damage to the jerk’s ears. The truck door slams shut and the engine roars to life. I feel the truck start to move. For a moment, I think that maybe the jerk will stop his assault. Surely his colleague at the wheel is aware of this whole thing? Surely someone will stop him? Slap him to his senses maybe?From the corner of my eyes, I see the monster slip a thick gloved hand un
Hope’s POVI have seen many people die in my seventeen years of life. But I have never once seen a man die because of me before.My mouth drops, the whistle stops and the inside of the truck goes eerily silent with only the rumbling of the engine up front filling my ears. I am unable to tear my eyes away from the dead man. His glassy eyes stare back at me and a seed of fear begins to form deep in my mind. The feeling of heaviness inside and out weighs down on me and my fear now borders on terror.I just killed a man.Not just any man. I killed a guard of the Omega Games.Goddess, what have I done?This is a death sentence for me. No one kills a guard and gets away with it. Ever.My eyes continue to stay glued to the dead man even as my hands begin to shake uncontrollably. The trail of blood from his ears has formed a bloodied puddle underneath his head. The hair at the back of his head is soaked with blood. I do not need to have my wolf to be able to smell it. It is a wonder the driv
Hope’s POVWhen I was younger, mother would read me the tale of Sleeping Beauty. I loved how the beautiful princess who was cursed to fall into deep slumber would be saved and awakened by her true love’s kiss.It was only much later that I found out about the original version of the story.Yes, Sleeping Beauty fell into a deep sleep. But she was not awakened by a handsome young prince. Instead, in her sleep, she was raped and impregnated by an old, evil king. There was no happy ending for Sleeping Beauty.I do not want to end up like her.My first instinct upon regaining consciousness is to sit up but for some reason, my limbs feel strangely heavy, as if a massive hand is pressing down on my body. I am lying motionless on my side on what feels like a thin, flimsy mattress.This is when I realize that I am paralysed. I cannot move, open my eyes or call out for help. And all I can hear is the sound of silence.I had been hit at the back of my head. Hard. I smell the blood on my face.Fo
Hope’s POV“Did you kill the guard, Hope?”Blake’s question hits me like a poisoned knife in the heart. I tear my eyes away from his gaze to look at the peeling paint on the dilapidated wall, pretending not to hear him.Silence fills the air, save for the ringing in my ear and Blake lets his question hang, patiently waiting for me to answer him. The only problem is, I do not know how to. How do you confess to a crime? How do you confess to taking someone else’s life?Yes sir. I did it sir. I killed that man, sir. Why? Oh, because I didn’t like the way he was touching my friend, sir.A minute passes, then two and then some more. The silence goes on and the already cold air grows colder. I do not know how long we both sit crossed-legged on the mattress with me watching the paint on the wall peel and him boring his eyes into me.“Hope, I woke up to a body lying on the floor of the truck. The other guards wouldn’t say it aloud but I heard them whisper. They said you did it, they said you
Blake’s POVMy name is Blake Parker. To many, I am heir to the Crescent Manes pack and the pack’s future Alpha.What a joke.I was never meant to be the Alpha, not by a long shot. You see, my mother was never an elite in the pack. She was born an omega before she became my father’s mistress. She died before her eighteenth birthday. She died in the Omega Games. This is not something many people know. It’s like a taboo to even mention my mother’s name in the household.I remember the night they took her from me. I was barely three but I remember everything. Every single fucking detail. I remember the fear in her eyes even as she tucked me into bed and kissed me goodnight in my bedroom. Her hands were cold and her hands were trembling. I remember the droplets of tears that fell on my head before she was dragged away, never to be seen again. And I remember, Mrs Parker with her taut face and thin red lips coming into my room the very next morning, telling me to call her mother from now on.
Hope’s POV The sky weeps and it floods the earth, causing the once-burning flames to smoulder, dispersing the suffocating smoke. I stand under the rain and with eyes closed, I lift my head up, part my lips and catch the raindrops that fall into my open mouth. The raindrop is salty. That is when I realise that I am tasting a mixture of rain with my own tears. Tears. Yes, I guess it’s safe to say that I am crying. I open my eyes and lower my head, scanning the now damp and ashen beach. I see blackened waves rushing to shore, withered leaves and charred branches dropping to the ground. And corpses, I see corpses scattered everywhere. “Murderers…” I swear under my breath as my eyes sweep over the lifeless bodies that once lived and breathed Just this morning, they had probably been laughing and smiling, going about with their lives. And now, they are dead. All because of the Omega Games. The fucking Omega Games. “Stay out of the rain, Hope. Come to the fire.” A voice orders me from
Blake’s POvAn eerie sound fills the air and my eyes snap wide open. I see Hope inching towards the entrance of the cave and immediately, I spring to my feet. The wind, it howls like a pack of wolves on a hunt, this is no ordinary wind.A protective instinct kicks in and I spring towards Hope, stopping right next to her. The night is still young and the charred trees shake violently in the shadows of the torrent of rain and wind. But neither the darkness nor the storm keeps me from see the group of young men and women lurking near the entrance. I estimate at least five of them. Omegas. Omegas out for blood. Omegas desperate to win the game.“What’s the matter -“ Hope begins as the group charge forward. “Stay back!” I order and put myself between her and them. The Omegas snarl and leap, trying to claw at us with their bare hands and I take them all at once. Hands and nails slash at me and one even tries to sink his bare teeth into my calf. Hope screams, “Watch out, Blake!”I ra
Hope’s POVThe night is pitch-black and the rain is unforgiving, drumming down mercilessly, transforming the path into a treacherous mudslide. I forge ahead, senses on high alert, while Larry struggles behind me.“I hate this,” he mumbles and slips again, landing with a squelch on his backside."You okay, Larry?" I turn back and offer him a hand to pull him up but boy is this guy heavy, He may be thin but he weighs like a bull."Just peachy," he grumbles, wiping mud from his face with exaggerated care before accepting my hand.We continue trudging through the downpour, both now silent in our own train of thoughts as we follow that jerk’s trail. That traitor’s trail is unfortunately our lone beacon of hope and like it or not, we have to follow it.Suddenly, I freeze, catching a rustling sound from the nearby trees. It is loud, even with the downpour, I can hear it.I motion for Larry to stop."Someone's watching us," I whisper.Larry's eyes widen in mock horror. "Oh, really? Couldn't b
Hope’s POVI do not know how long I stay kneeling in the rain but I think it is a long time. It is funny how you lose track of time or your senses when your heart breaks, everything else just does not seem to matter anymore.“HOPE!”Someone is calling my name.“HOPE! GET UP!”Someone has grabbed my shoulders and is shaking the bejeezus out of me.“We’re sitting ducks out here! Get into the cave!”That someone groans and grabs my face, forcing me to look up. It is Larry.“Were you crying?” he asks, bewildered. His wet brown hair is plastered over his furrowed brows and rainwater drips from his downturned lip. Above him, the heavens crack and flash.“C’mon, get up, Hope!”Larry pulls me up, or rather, he tries to before falling on the mud himself. I look back in the direction where Blake left and let out a quivering breath. Larry is right, we are vulnerable out here, an open prey to everyone and anyone who wants to kill us.I wipe the tears and snot from my face and nose, then shaking m
Hope’s POVI stare at him, I stare at Blake but for some reason, I feel as if I am staring at a stranger.Gone is the warmth in his steel grey eyes and in its place is something foreign and cold. It is as if some alien has taken over Blake’s body.“Blake?” I find myself whispering his name, hesitantly stepping towards him but one word from him and I freeze in my spot.“Stop,” he says. Behind him, lightning flashes across the sky and a low rumble fills the air. The rain starts to fall again.I blink, confused. “Who is this?” I ask. “There are dead bodies in the cave, Larry says she killed them.” I point to the woman.She is hooded with a cloak and all I can see is her thick red lips. I frown. Who the hell has time to put on lipstick in the games? Did she have them tattoed on or something?Or is it blood? A nagging thought forms in the back of my head. I shrug it off.The woman smiles and pulls Blake closer towards her, her breasts practically touching his arm through that skin-tight bo
Hope’s POV“Mom!” I scream.My eyes snap wide open only to be greeted by darkness. Still caught in the web of my nightmare, I spring to my feet and up from the ground.“Mom…” my scream trails to a whisper when I realize that it was a dream. My chest is drenched with sweat and my heart is pounding. The dream…it felt so real.I hug myself and realize that I am trembling, I have to make a conscious effort to stop this silliness. It’s just a dream.Or is it? A voice inside of my head asks. I shoo it away and narrow my eyes to adjust to the darkened vision. Except for a faint glow of light and shadows coming from the winding curve of the cave, everything else is dark.I close my eyes and take slow deep breaths. My ribs feel tight and my muscles tense. I wiggle a toe, it cracks loudly and my toes touch my blouse that lays on the ground. Instantly, memories of what happened earlier sprout up like mushrooms and flood my mind.Blake. His kiss, his touch and most of all, him, all of him inside
Blake’s POV10 minutes before Hope screams in her sleep.I look down at sleeping beauty in my arms. Her eyelids flutter and she mumbles something in her sleep. But it is no fairy tale dream she is having. Her brows furrow and I frown, resting myself on my elbow and leaning nearer to study her face.Beads of sweat have formed on her forehead and her breathing is fast starting to become laboured. I can smell her fear. She is having a nightmare.I am about to call out her name when suddenly, I smell another scent. Fear.But it is not from Hope. It is from Barry. Or Harry, or Larry, whatever his name is. We have intruders.I contemplate waking Hope up but Barry’s fear stifles the air, so much so that it is suffocating. Gently, I slide my arm out from under Hope’s petite frame and spring to my feet. A quick glance tells me that the brows on her forehead are no longer creased. Maybe the nightmare has passed.I sprint back towards the mouth of the cave. Because of my heightened senses, I est
HOPE’s POVOnce when I was younger and dad was still alive, I accidentally stumbled upon his secret stash of porn magazines. There was a particular edition; it was called ‘summer fling’ and right smack in the middle of the magazine, there was a set of pictorials depicting a couple having sex.The girl in the photos looked like she was in seventh heaven or something while the guy pumped into her. She did not look like she was in pain. Nope, not at all.Reality is so much different.Blake slams into me. Searing pain cuts through me as Blake tears through my virginity. I scream, “ARGHHHH!”It hurts, and yet, strangely, I want more of him. I want all of his massiveness in me, filling me. Blake stops for a second and leans down to kiss my forehead. His breathing is harsh and ragged, like mine.“I’m going to move in and out of you, Hope.”I close my eyes as he eases out slowly and I bite down on my lip. I won’t scream. I won’t scream. I won’t –He pounds into me again and another scream tea
HOPE’s POV The cave darkens with every step Blake takes. I hang over his back, tilted upside down as he picks up speed, strding deeper and deeper into the cave. And it doesn’t help that the oath is a rocky one and my head bobs up and down as Blake pushes further into the darkness. Blood rushes to my brain and my ears roar with the thunderous beating of my heart. I am feeling woozy and it is not because of the wound on my head. I think I am going to puke. “Blake…” I call out, my voice a mere whisper. Of course, he ignores me. Blake the mighty who never listens to anyone but himself. I fist at his back. “Blake…put me down.” “No,” is his answer. “Then I’ll throw up on your back.” That does it. In an instant, Blake drops me like a hot potato and I fall smack right onto the ground. Very ungracefully I might add. “Owww!” I rub at my bottom. Luckily I am wearing my toughest pair of jeans and not some leotard today. I count it as a blessing. “You okay?” The almighty Blake Parker knee
HOPE’s POVThe fire burns and embers of the flame crackles in the air, adding to the already heightened tension in the cave.I sit on one end of the fire and Blake on the other. Both of us have our arms crossed and we are not looking at each other. I am looking at my muddy sneakers and Blake, I couldn’t care to see what he is fascinating himself with right now. Larry sits crossed-legged between us fidgeting every once in a while and picking at his nose. He sneaks a peek at us from time to time and attempts to rub his palms together near the dancing flames only to quickly pull back when the heat scorches his hand.“Umm…”Larry clears his throat as he inspects his palm, “so, what’s our plan?”At his question, both of us look at him. Our eyes meet, Blake’s and mine. His gaze feels like a caress, it is as if his eyes have the power to undress me, to touch me…NO! Damnit, Hope, get a grip. I cannot let myself be pulled in by his gaze. So in the end, it is I who tears my gaze away. “You mea
Hope’s POVMy bra snaps and the hook falls to the ground, hitting a pebble and goes ‘clink’. My bra, my nude colored bra dangles in Blake’s hand and what does the guy do? He blinks and looks at my bra in his palm. It’s my hands shoot up tp cover my blouse and Blake counties to stare at my bra as if surprised by his own actions. For a split second, it is as if time stands still. “Hope, I—“I head butt him in the head.SMACK! Blake takes a few steps back and comes to a halt. The bra falls from his hand and his mouth drops to an ‘O’ even as a hand goes to nurse his forehead.“What the heck are you doing, Hope?” He frowns, shaking his head. “Are you out of your mind, Blake!?” I scream at the top of my lungs in reply.“What were you thinking?” I blast on. “A group of Omegas just tried to attack us and you want to make out?” My hand goes to the air, I shake my fists, exasperated.He stares at me, his gaze making me hot all over. It is hard to go on with the sudden spike of lust rushi