AURORAAnton had not agreed for me to stay back in the palace. After what had happened, he fussed everyone until they agreed for him to allow me to leave with him. We were going to the coven in the middle of nowhere. He said the coven is covered with glamour that they had made when they were preparing for the war. Now that it was there, Ethan could not trace us.The ride with Anton was quiet, the kind of silence that pressed down on me heavily. The trees outside were blurry as I stared out the window, trying to focus on anything other than the nausea swirling in my stomach. My arms ached from the injections Anton had been giving me, and my head felt foggy more often than not these days.He said it was because he needed me to be stronger from the lack of blood. But instead it was making me feel even worse. “Are you okay?” Anton asked, breaking the silence. “I’m fine,” I replied curtly, not bothering to look at him.“You’ve seemed distant,” he continued. “The serums are working, aren’
AURORA It had been weeks since everything had happened and I have been looking closely, trying to see if there was something that was going to point me to what Sera had told me. I had tried to get Anton’s trust so he would let me handle the injections and so far, he had not allowed me. He said I needed to learn about it more. So I forgot about him allowing me to do it and then I decided that I needed to continue to run. I haven’t seen Sera since, thank Goodness so I could jog whenever I wanted without anyone stopping me. Today Damian had told me that he was going to come and I have been excited. When he came, I heard a knock by the door. I happily skipped to go and see him but then I realized that something was off. He was hunched over, blood seeping through his shirt, staining the edges of his jacket.“Damian.” I gasped, rushing forward.“I’m fine,” he grunted, his jaw tightening. He was obviously in pain. Had he gotten hurt trying to come and meet me? I instantly felt guilty.
AURORA I clutched my diamond emerald necklace on my neck as I felt pain in the lower part of my body. He was doing it again. Damian was cheating on me with his girlfriend Evelyn while I stood there trying to look pretty beside him for the ball. But that was even the least of my concerns, even though I had been married to him for four years and he never attempted to treat me right. I had just found out that my ungrateful and wicked husband had killed my mother. I was not sure of it. I looked at the necklace closely in the mirror. I have owned it for several years but it had never shown me something like this before. When I was getting ready and I was clasping it on my neck, I had a vision and saw Damian standing in front of my mother’s dead body. Could he have really been the one that killed her all those years ago? I could not sit here and continue thinking about it because I was not going to get any answers. I needed to go and ask him. I looked over at the divorce papers
AURORA He looked like he was born of a fruit plucked from Heaven. The man stood way taller than me, and the authority around him was impossible to ignore. He had medium, well styled raven hair. His skin was tanned and the angles of his face were sharp. His chiseled jawline and high cheekbones made him look surreal. His eyes were piercing and green, almost making me tremble in my shoes. Who was this man and why have I never seen him here before? From his well styled and obviously expensive suit, I could tell that he was an important and rich man. “I am so sorry,” he looked down at the spilled wine and then at my clothes. I could not help but notice the little accent in his voice that made my heart flutter. “Come on, let me get you cleaned up.” “No, that is fine.” I called out for one of the waitresses. When she saw the spill, she cleaned it up with some wipes. I did not want water to touch my clothes yet. I was planning to dry clean it to keep the quality intact. “I am so so
DAMIAN “Gosh, you are so perfect.” I whispered to my girlfriend, Evelyn as we left the royal ball. The royal ball’s main purpose was for alliances with other packs that I was not on good terms with. I wanted to cut off that tradition but as much as I hated to admit it, it was very good for creating new allies and new business collaborations. It was easy to ignore my enemies when I had the most beautiful woman in the world by my side. I decided that I wanted to announce my girlfriend to all of them today. I was never going to marry Evelyn and she knew that. Divorcing my mate was going to make me seem weak and that was something I could not afford right now, especially with some of my half-brothers who wanted the throne for themselves even though I was the heir. As the alpha, I could have as many women as I wanted even when I was married or mated. Aurora was forced to marry me because of some mate bond between us that I did not even care about. It was almost hilarious because th
AURORA We got on the way and three hours later, we arrived at Ethan’s pack. The massive gates opened to reveal a sprawling landscape unlike anything I’d ever seen. Ethan slowed the car, glancing over at me with a reassuring smile.“Welcome to Blackwater, Aurora,” he said softly. I took in the sight before me. The towering trees, lush greenery, and rows of beautiful old buildings were very different from the kinds we had back in my pack. It was different in a good way, or maybe I felt that was because I was finally away from Damian. Everything felt peaceful to me. I was so glad I made this decision. When he stopped the car, a guard stepped forward and opened the door for me. I smiled at him, whispering some words of gratitude before I got down. Ethan passed over the key to another guard who was going to park the car. He came beside me as we walked into the palace. “Take a moment to settle in. You can make yourself comfortable here, Aurora. I’ll come back soon to introduce you to ev
AURORAWe spent the next few minutes there, just enjoying the view and when the sun eventually went down, we decided to go back into the pack. I was exhausted and needed to sleep. Ethan led me down a grand hallway lined with portraits. Each of them was perfectly crafted, and I could tell that they cost a lot of money. I like to paint so I would probably like to remake the portraits in my free time.“I want you to meet my mother,” he said, glancing at me as we headed back to my quarters, which was close to his. “And don’t worry. She is well… she’s got her opinions, but she means well.”I nodded, trying to calm the flutter in my stomach. Meeting his mother seemed like a monumental step, even if I kept reminding myself this was just a temporary arrangement. Still, I couldn’t ignore the slight anxiety gnawing at me. After what had happened with Kiara, I was afraid that I was going to find one more person here who hated me. I was not new to people disliking me, but for some reason I wante
DAMIANI sat alone in my room, anger and resentment simmering like fire under my skin. I have never been this angry in my life. Everything I have always wanted had come to me with ease. Women, money, the crown of my pack. This felt like a huge slap to my face. The thought of Aurora leaving and rejecting me stirred something deep and ugly within. I’d never felt so betrayed, so abandoned. She had the audacity to leave, and for what? To go to that pretender, Ethan Grey. My fists clenched involuntarily. If only she knew the type of man he was. Now that she was gone with him, all I could think about was how to rescue her. I have made mistakes in the past, dammit, but she was making an even worse mistake leaving with him. He was the enemy of the pack for a damn reason.As I brooded, the door creaked open, and Evelyn stepped in. Her soft, delicate presence which was usually soothing felt wrong. I had never felt like I wanted to be away from her until now. She crossed the room and sat beside
AURORA It had been weeks since everything had happened and I have been looking closely, trying to see if there was something that was going to point me to what Sera had told me. I had tried to get Anton’s trust so he would let me handle the injections and so far, he had not allowed me. He said I needed to learn about it more. So I forgot about him allowing me to do it and then I decided that I needed to continue to run. I haven’t seen Sera since, thank Goodness so I could jog whenever I wanted without anyone stopping me. Today Damian had told me that he was going to come and I have been excited. When he came, I heard a knock by the door. I happily skipped to go and see him but then I realized that something was off. He was hunched over, blood seeping through his shirt, staining the edges of his jacket.“Damian.” I gasped, rushing forward.“I’m fine,” he grunted, his jaw tightening. He was obviously in pain. Had he gotten hurt trying to come and meet me? I instantly felt guilty.
AURORAAnton had not agreed for me to stay back in the palace. After what had happened, he fussed everyone until they agreed for him to allow me to leave with him. We were going to the coven in the middle of nowhere. He said the coven is covered with glamour that they had made when they were preparing for the war. Now that it was there, Ethan could not trace us.The ride with Anton was quiet, the kind of silence that pressed down on me heavily. The trees outside were blurry as I stared out the window, trying to focus on anything other than the nausea swirling in my stomach. My arms ached from the injections Anton had been giving me, and my head felt foggy more often than not these days.He said it was because he needed me to be stronger from the lack of blood. But instead it was making me feel even worse. “Are you okay?” Anton asked, breaking the silence. “I’m fine,” I replied curtly, not bothering to look at him.“You’ve seemed distant,” he continued. “The serums are working, aren’
AURORA I sat at the long dining table, poking at the soup in my bowl with a spoon. My appetite had all but disappeared since… well, everything. My body was weak, thinner than I’d ever seen it, and my hands trembled no matter how much rest I tried to get. I wasn’t sure if it was the torture or my emotions that have been all over the place.It was torture trying to make everyone think that I am okay when I am not. But I did not even think they were going to believe me because they could see the way that I was trembling, like I was about to faint. Across the table, Anton sat down with his face as stern as ever. Evelyn, seated next to him, looked tense too. Damian was at the far end of the table. He was silent as his sharp green eyes scanning the room. It felt awkward. Seeing us seated like this when only a few months ago, Damian and Evelyn were together. It was almost humorous. “So,” Damian started, breaking the heavy silence. “This is cozy.”Anton snorted. “Cozy isn’t the word I’d us
ETHANThe chains burned into my wrists, the silver laced with vervain burning my skin with every movement. I gritted my teeth, refusing to give my captors the satisfaction of hearing me cry out. The werewolves stood guard outside the cell, their faces smug as they muttered amongst themselves.They thought they’d won.Idiots.I leaned my head back against the cold stone wall, my mind racing. They’d underestimated me, as everyone always did. Damian and his pack believed chaining me up and throwing me in this hole would break me. But they didn’t know what I was capable of.The hybrid in me, the part that everyone feared but no one truly understood, was a weapon I hadn’t fully unleashed yet. This was all new to them and I was planning on taking it to my advantage. They did not know what I could do and what I was capable of. It was the only thing I could use right now that would help.Even I did not understand my capabilities, and I had not even tried to. But tonight, I would.The guards l
DAMIANI went to check Aurora after I was done with Ethan. Her car had just arrived because there had been some delay when they were going to get her. I felt so bad as I watched them get her in. I should have done more to make sure that she was alright. Aurora was limp in their arms. Her face was pale, her body weak, and blood stained her clothes.“Careful,” I ordered as two warriors gently laid her on the medical cot we’d prepared near the pack house.Cole stood beside me, his brow furrowed in concern. “She’s barely breathing, Damian. What did he do to her?”I clenched my fists, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Whatever it was, he’ll pay for it.”Evelyn stepped forward, her silver hair glinting as she put it in a bun. “She needs immediate care. If her wounds fester, she won’t make it.”I nodded, motioning for the medics to move quickly. “Get her inside. Do everything you can to stabilize her.”As they carried her away, Evelyn placed a hand on my arm. “She’ll recover. But you need
DAMIAN We had to come up with an easy plan to make sure that Aurora was not getting hurt. I could not stomach what they were doing to her. My spies told me that she was suffering, and I could even feel it through our mate bond. I needed to go and save her. So we came up with a plan that we were not sure was foolproof, but I did not even care. The plan had been simple. We wanted to use stealth, precision, and no unnecessary bloodshed. But as we arrived, we knew that it was inevitable. Ethan had caught on to our movements, and all hell had broken loose. The werewolves had come out, ferocious as ever. They moved in a way that seemed weird to me, and I had every reason to believe that they were not even human. I slashed my sword through another one of his soldiers, the blade meeting flesh with a sickening sound. My muscles burned, and the scent of blood filled my nostrils. Around me, my men were fighting, but Ethan’s forces were stronger than I anticipated. I knew it was a big pack and
AURORAThe darkness of the dungeon was terrifying. The air was damp, thick with the stench of blood and decay. My body felt like it was on fire, every nerve screaming in agony.I hung from the chains that bound my wrists to the stone wall, my head moving forward as I struggled to breathe. My throat was raw, parched from days without water, and the faint flicker of torches on the walls provided no comfort.The three vampires who had been assigned to “handle” me were relentless. They had taken turns feeding, sinking their sharp fangs into my neck, wrists, even the soft skin of my thighs. I didn’t have the strength to fight back anymore.“You’re lucky he doesn’t want you dead,” one of them sneered, his blood-red eyes glowing in the dim light.I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.“Why don’t you just tell him what he wants to know?” another one said, licking the blood from his lips. “Spare yourself the pain.”I glared at him through the haze of my pain. “Go to hell,” I croaked, my voice barely ab
ETHANI headed to the play room when I heard the sound of laughter coming from there. For a moment, the stress of the past weeks melted away. I paused at the door, leaning against the frame as I watched Mia and Abel, the two children I’d adopted just days ago. I have not had time to adopt them as I was dealing with some things, but then I knew that I needed to do it amidst the stress or I was going to procrastinate doing it forever. Mia was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her curly hair bouncing as she giggled at her brother. Abel was carefully stacking blocks, his tongue poking out in concentration. They looked adorable. I had felt bad when I went to adopt them because of the amount of children that had hopes of being adopted, but I knew I could only get two. Anymore else and I wouldn’t be able to take care of them the way I wanted to take of them.“Mia, stop it.” Abel shouted as his sister knocked over his tower again.“It’s just a game.” Mia teased, sticking her tongue out at h
AURORA I woke up slowly, the heavy fog in my head lifting like a curtain. My eyes blinked against the dim light, and as my vision cleared, I realized I wasn’t in my room.Panic prickled at the edges of my mind. I sat up, my heart thumping loudly in my chest as I took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Ethan’s room.Why was I here?The last thing I remembered was coming home after spending the day at the library. I had been careful, threading my way past everyone, yet here I was.I swung my legs over the side of the bed, a sense of unease wrapping around me. My satchel. My spell book. My pendant. Where were they?I tore through the room, checking under the bed, inside the drawers, and even behind the heavy curtains, but there was no sign of my belongings.A chill ran down my spine. Had Ethan taken them?I slipped out of his room, careful to avoid anyone in the hallways. When I reached my own room, I locked the door and grabbed my phone. My hands shook as I dialed Anton’s number.“Pick up