James loses strength in his legs and drops to the floor. “Momma…!!!” He cries. And tries to shake Zia, shouting in pain. I feel his pain. I know this pain more than anyone else. And It is all my fault. It's all my fault they killed her. I should never have run away. I should have stayed, and she would still be alive. “Zia, please... I need you, please!?” I cry with pain, too. I can't see my life without Zia. More gunshots and I see a lot of combat boots coming out of the motorcycles, my uncle's goons back again. How did they find me? Did he put a tracker on me? I curse... I signal James to turn back to my uncle's goons, who are setting up their firearms. All corners of the cottage are surrounded. My guns are far from where we are. And I need to protect James. “Come, let's take cover. I need to get to the gun in the drawer.” It is as if I am speaking to deaf ears. James is in shock. He does not move an inch, holding tight to Zia's body. I pull him. “James, we need to move. C
THIRD PERSON'S POV Just a second later, after the voice in his head. The pain stops, and a giant brown werewolf emerges from the forest. With its teeth bare, the wolf grows loudly as it advances toward Luciano's wolf's form like a predator. And all the wolves that had taken a step back came all at once. Ready to attack. The large wolf roams around him, menacing and towering around his wolf form. Luciano stares and his mouth growls as more wolves link out of the forest surrounding him. The giant wolf leads the others to charge up to him. And when they are all close enough the giant wolf takes a step back. Luciano runs away, and the giant wolf pursues him, followed by the rest of the wolves. His head is still in a daze. As he runs away, he turns back to see the reflection of flight in James's eyes. James is just a step from him and awake. Hope …. James is still hanging in there. Hope rises in Luciano. If he makes it alive here, he can save his brother. He springs back to tackle
Fenrir leaps Luciano's body off the ground as if throwing him like a ball in the air and, in mid-air, his body shifts into his white wolf again. This shift is swift, with no pain at all, and Luciano is still in a haze when Fenrir lands above James to shield him. And protect him from the giant wolf's attack. The giant wolf, irritated, throws a punch at James and Fenrir grabs the punch midair and throws the wolf away from James. Luciano takes a breath of relief. ‘Thanks, Fenrir.’ He growls thunder and rain accompany his movements. Grits his teeth, snarling at the giant wolf that had taken steps away from James. James looks worried as the two wolves face off. The two wolves leap across each other, and they roll on the ground, tussling. Hitting and biting each other with their sharp teeth. In slow motion, Luciano's wolf ranges from the other wolf and the wolf easily flips him off. Fenrir grabs the giant wolf in a choking hold, sending him off to knock the wolf onto a tree just across
The morning sun still shone brightly on the cottage an hour after Luciano had walked out of the Cannibal's hospital where he left James. He had threatened all the specialist doctors at Cannibal with their families or anything they loved, and he had left James in the hands of the best specialists to take care of him. They had promised him within twenty-four hours he would see so much progress in James. And he believed them because they all knew what was at stake if they did not deliver. A group of his most trusted engineers and paramedics gathered outside his cottage. Some of their faces were solemn and somber. A few engineers surveyed the scene. And put down in writing what needed to be done for Luciano's approval. As usual, he wanted the Casablanca penthouse design also installed in the cottage house. The bulletproof glass walls in the cottage house were to be connected to his signature eye lenses alone. And more special architectural designs, to be added for James's security whe
Always treat others with kindness and respect, be honest and true to yourself, and never give up on helping others or becoming your best self. Do not develop a revengeful heart. Forgive your father and do not look back to get answers or closure in that life. Neither welcome him back into your life. With whatever he offers, please refuse to do what he does. Life in my pack will not always be easy at first, but it is worth the struggles and challenges that will make you a good alpha. It's your legacy, and I want to plead with you to fulfill it. But I won't do that. I won't force it on you, just like my father did not force it on me. I want the choices about your life to be yours. And I want you to remember to take care of yourself, both physically and mentally. Your health and well-being are important, and I want you to live a long and happy life. Take care of your Zia and James. Make friends and acquaintances. You need people in your life. And do not make friends or a mate in a ma
Luciano's POV Three full days in the forest have taken a toll on me. Today, more than ever, I want to be around a human being and someone that understands me. Hiding behind sunglasses and in a black hoodie. I walk into the intensive care unit. I hear a heartbeat from afar in the corridor. A monitor beeping as I step in. James lies motionless, deep in sleep in the hospital bed, his skin ashen and his lips dry and cracked. He is hooked to monitors and IV tubes. I feel a heavy weight on my chest, looking at James as if something is squeezing my chest tightly. I feel like I am fighting to cry as if something trapped my tears inside. Never in my life have I seen James this vulnerable. And all alone. Never did I imagine a time like this without Zia beside him making their silly crazy jokes. My breathing has become shallow and uneven, and my body is tensing up as I try to hold back my emotions. I stand up and approach his bedside table to just do something and remove my mind from my pai
THIRD PERSON'S POV James shouts, “AGENT FRANK RODRIGUEZ.” “Yes...” “DO YOU HAVE AN ARREST OR SEARCH WARRANT?” The man holding the bathroom doorknob halts his movements, turning his full attention to James. Leaving the door and walking back to stand beside his partner near James's bed. “We were hoping you could share something about where or how we could apprehend the dangerous criminal.” “Do you expect me to answer that…? You go tell Don Mauro he is in for a surprise. GET OUT OF MY ROOM NOW.” “We are having a hard time searching for the criminal. We are the government. You can trust us,” James laughs sarcastically. “Don Mauro is not worth it. He will kill you too when you are useless to him, too.” The two police officers look at each other with uncertain looks. “You do not look fine. We will see you again, James.” The two police officers walk out and Luciano, in his wolf form, walks out of the bathroom looking at James. He lowers his hindquarters to the ground. James looks do
To Keirah's surprise, James's face lights up. “Good morning, James.” The young man walks over to the bed and flips over James's charts with a smile. “How are you feeling today?” “I'm feeling much better, thank you,” James replies, handing Lana to Keirah, who takes her to her stroller. “That's great to hear.” The young man nods. “Your recovery has been excellent. Just like we promised Luciano. It's time for you to go home.” “Are you going back to the cottage? Where is Luciano?” Keirah enquires. As if hiding something, James drops his gaze. “Your chopper is ready to take you home. Before you leave, I just need to go over a few things with you…. Miss… We have not met before. I am Dr. Fred.” Dr. Fred extends his hand to Keirah. And Keirah shakes his hand with a smile. “I am Keirah... Thank you so much for taking care of him.” “It was a pleasure. Are you the one that will take care of him?” Keirah exchanges a glance with James and nods. Dr. Fred explains to Keirah about his medicati
James quickly stands up. And his eyes travel to the doorway hoping to see his brother and there is no one there.Then his eyes travel to Maria, but Maria has not moved an inch she is lying down in the same place that she was in, and she is still hissing in pain.He runs over to help her off the ground onto a sofa beside Baby Lana’s crib. As he helps her off the floor, she is looking at him with questioning eyes wondering. ”It was not me!”“Then who is it?”“It’s me!” A weak voice from behind them makes them turn around to see Keirah holding Don Mauro’s tablet in her hands.She raises the tablet in the air for Don Mauro to see it. And she is wearing an angry weak smile but a savage one. “I made the biochips. I know a way or two to undo them. A few codes and I have sent enough shock to shut their minds out. Did you think me stupid to show you everything?”She tries to get out of bed, but it becomes hard, and Maria motions for James to help her. James puts down Maria dashing to her side
Don Mauro’s whole body is shaking with fear. That he can’t even hold the tablet in his hand anymore. And the tablet drops off his hands falling back on Keirah’s bed.He quickly takes the baby out of Dr. Patel’s hand. Readying himself to run. “You are coming with me.” He threatens Dr. Patel.As soon as Don Mauro and Dr. Patel start moving. Dr. Fred, who has been for a while standing too close to the monitor, senses something.There is a flicker of movement that appears on the monitor. A faint but unmistakable rhythm emerges on the monitor.And just like Dr. Fred, everyone, including Don Mauro, James , Erede and Dr. Patel turn their concentration and are all looking at the monitor.It then becomes so loud something that everyone, including Maria who had lost consciousness, opens her eyes wide to the monitor.The room is in silent as their eyes widen in disbelief. Keirah’s heart begins to beat once more, and her vital signs start stabilizing.Tears of joy are on Dr. Fred, but they are al
The happy celebratory noise erupts through the tablet from the werewolves at the pack and from Erede beside James. This makes James quickly to bring back his eyes to Don Mauro’s tablet screen and he joins Erede in making the happy noise after observing how happy everyone is from Luciano’s win. To James’s surprises Don Mauro is smiling too. From the look on his face, he wanted Luciano to win. As if remembering something. His face changes into a serious murderous one. As he quickly gulps in his remaining whiskey on his bottle and throws the remaining piece of cigar on the floor putting himself together as he announces to his goons. “Time to go. We are done here. Kill everyone in here....everyone including that sleeping baby in her crib. And that unconscious woman Maria too. “I don’t want anyone in here to walk out alive. And lock the room after you are done. We need to move fast. Our job here is done. “ I need to prepare myself for my coronation speech. I don’t want to have it broa
The sound of Dr. Fred stumbling backward makes Don Mauro turn his full attention to him and by the look on Dr. Fred’s face, everyone in the room can tell.That whatever Dr. Fred is going to say is not going to be good news. There is so much panic surrounding him, and his fingers still holding Keirah’s hand that he just used to check for her pulse and any sign of breathing on her nose are trembling slightly.He swallows hard with fear written all over his face as he tries to speak, “She is dead,” he whispers, his voice barely above a hoarse murmur. “Keirah is dead.”There are painful tears on everyone all over the room except Don Mauro and his goons who all look unbothered. “That is bad. You ....” Don Mauro speaks as he motions for Dr. Patel. “Get Luciano’s dead bastard out. I want to see what the fuck that thing looks like.“It had a fight in it. What a disappointment. I thought we had a future together, I thought it had the Solana genes dominating it. And giving up was not an option.
“Yes…ME! I am going to rule over everyone from now on. Not just humans, but werewolves, too. Imagine being me.” Don Mauro laughs so hard that happy tears threaten his eyes. “See….take a look.” He raises his tablet in his hands and takes it around, showing what he is watching to everyone in the room. He is smiling happily. “I have eyes in the pack. Although I can’t get in physically. I can now see everything and use my army inside the pack. One word and I can flash out the whole pack in a blink.” On the screen of the tablet, that Don Mauro is taking around. There is a live feed of Luciano fighting with another man in a combat fight. Luciano is no longer in his white porcelain skin, and he is back to the human Luciano he has always been. Covered in his original tattoos as he fights another man. Luciano is fighting with all his might and so is the other man. When Don Mauro gets closer to his son, Erede. Erede questions him. “Who is Luciano fighting? Is that the famous Water?” “No...
James struggles to see the horror unfolding in front of him. As the pack leading doctor crumples to the ground, lifeless and betrayed. And the very loud beeping noise continues to make it to all his ears. This was not his plan. The plan was to save her. James’s fight crumbles like a fragile wall battered by an unstoppable storm. He stops moving. He stops fighting. He stops everything and stands like a statue in the goon hold. As the monitors continue beeping urgently. Informing everyone that this is the end road for Keirah. Erede, on the other hand, grips his chest, tears falling out of his eyes. “NO.. KEIRAH …NO.” He watches in disbelief, his mind struggling to comprehend the nightmare before his eyes. The scene puts him in more shock, and he is frozen in place, his senses overwhelming him. But this does not affect his father. With a cold, calculating gaze, Don Mauro surveys the room, scanning one person after the other. As if daring anyone to try him again. In his eyes, everyone
Maria’s mind is already racing. As she steps out of the room, she is in an alert mood and ready for anything coming her way. Her fight instincts from her experiences in the attacks that happened in the pack are full on. By looking at the dead bodies, she has just realized that things have taken a wrong turn and that the fate that awaits her and everyone she loves is not promising. The man that shows up in front of her ready to attack her tells Maria who the culprit behind this is. This person she is fighting is not a new face to her. She knows who he is. She knows him too well. He was once a person she called her people. And his way of fighting is primitive to what she can do. She tries to go easy on him. With full knowledge, he has no control over himself, but it looks like her good heart cannot be applied now. This man and the one now already holding her mate captive. They are not going easy like her. That makes her realize it is war. Kill or get killed. Especially because sh
“I am so sorry Maria...I don't think my father will be of any help in our situation. His obsession with winning is beyond what any of us can do to make him turn a blind eye and be of help. “And he also thinks Luciano is the biggest threat there is to him. And to protect himself from Luciano. He has been doing the impossible to assure himself of that. “And I believe he has succeeded that through Keirah. He knew just like Salvatore and Luciano’s mother, there was no way Luciano would harm him if he had Keirah. “He knows Luciano would put his life online to save her. That’s how he has control. It is not only Luciano, even with me. And I see it is all of you, too. You would all do anything for her. “ By having her in this like this. He has control over us. Keirah is the key to it all. She was also the reason I fell out with him. And the reason he had a better way to control me. “His jealous son was not ready to let Keirah go. After I found out about her relationship with Luciano. I co
“What did Doom want? ”“When Doom reached out to him for the first time, he asked my father if he could help him locate Luciano. My father did not trust Doom. And he refused to help. “He did not refuse only because he did not trust Doom, but because my father also did not know where Luciano was.” “When was that?” “That was when Luciano and all of you had successfully escaped my father from Casablanca.” “That is weird. Doom lied. Everyone in the pack knew where Luciano was. Everyone in the pack had seen through my mind link about his whereabouts because I had followed him. To the forest house. Doom’s only task was to bring Luciano to the pack.” “My father thought he was lying back then, too. He had trust issues with anyone from the pack. You had disappointed him. He thought you were working for Aero. And he thought just like you, Doom was also working for Aero, too.” “Me? ....Working for Aero?” “He thought you were working for Aero because you had bombarded Casablanca. He thought