~NOAH'S POV~Maria's weekend house had big windows that let in plenty of light in the morning. I had tried to keep my feelings of paranoia aside because of Ciara. But still, I felt windows were a little too many that I always felt it would be easy to be spied on. I pushed aside my concerns, smiling contentedly, I took a sip of my coffee and relished the quiet environment. Maria laughed at something Ciara had said as she sat across from me. "You should have seen the look on his face!" Ciara laughed. Maria answered with a smile. I grinned, pleased that my friend and mate were getting along so nicely. Our outdoor brunch was the ideal way to begin our day in Italy. At that moment, Maria's phone began to ring from inside the house. She got up from her chair and apologized, saying, "Excuse me, I'll just go grab that." While she was gone, Ciara and I carried on our conversation. It was barely a minute later that Maria was back, her brow furrowed and she was still holding the phone in one h
~CIARA’S POV~ I yawned and stretched, still exhausted from the previous night. Next to me, Noah slept soundly. But his brow was furrowed, as though he was still burdened by the attack from the previous night, even as he slept. Thank the goddess for Noah's strength. He had bravely fought them, coming out on the other side. He was wounded but alive. But still, I was aware that the assault had to have damaged his ego as an Alpha of a pack. Though words seemed insignificant in the face of such an insult, I longed to console him. His features had finally turned peaceful while he slept. It was still a secret that i hadn't yet told Noah. I was a lycan with the same level of strength as any man. And these miscreants would come to fear my fury. But I didn't anticipate Noah holding on to me all day. His life would still be in danger if I spent the entire day with him. Then a guy attacked us on our morning walk, and I knew it had to stop. I got into an argument with Noah so he would le
~AVA’S POV~I was furious as I paced back and forth in my quarters. How could Marcus and his team have been completely useless? They had been trying to kill Noah and Ciara for a week, and they had still not returned with any good news. The messenger that Marcus had been sending was beginning to get on my nerves. I had the perfect plan: once those two were taken care of, there would be no more obstacles in my way to me becoming Alpha.I was so frustrated and angry that my claws were itching to tear things apart. Was this how it was going to end, after everything I had done to make this work?Why was Marcus messing up the one and only task I had ever given him, when he was always so good at everything else? I had no doubt that I would exact revenge on him for this failure.I was startled out of my murderous thoughts by a knock on the door. I snarled, "Enter," not even trying to control my rage. Riley unlocked the door and entered the room, with Marcus trailing behind him. Immediately, I
AVA'S POVI stared into the mirror, examining my black lacy gown that cascaded down my legs. Putting my right leg forward, I smiled at the thigh high slit on the dress. I pinched my cheeks, frowning at how prominent my cheekbones had become. The stress of trying to coordinate whiny idiotic Omegas and the annoyance of hearing disappointing news last week must have taken its toll on my body. Picking up my brush, I applied a little more blush to avoid looking too pale. A soft knock reverberated across the room. Knowing who it was, I muttered, "come in." Dropping my brush, I turned to Riley who paused at the door, his eyes scrutinizing my form. I smirked when I saw the lust in his eyes. "What do you think?" I turned around slowly, showing off the design of the dress.
NOAH'S POV"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Maria asked for the umpteenth time this morning since she came. The human was hellbent on making us pack the entire house with us. There was nothing partaining to food she didn't pack, not to mention the amount of clothes and water. She was completely ignoring the one thing I had been telling her for the past one and a half hour."We're running back to the pack, Maria. For goodness sake, we can't carry all these!"She stopped in front of yet another nearly filled bag and turned to me, a disgruntled look on her face and two cans of pringles in her hands. "And why not? I've seen you in your wolf form. You're huge!"I blinked, confused. "What does that have to do with anything?""What's the use of your werewolf super strength if you can't even carry these with you?" She lifted a brow, with her hands resting on her hips.I scoffed, taken aback by her reasoning. "It doesn't work like that! I get exhausted too, you know?"She huffed, s
CIARA'S POVI grunted when Noah jumped at me, making me land on my back as a bullet whizzed by where I previously stood. Our heads snapped towards the direction where the gun shot originated from. My eyes widened when I saw Segnor Russo with a shotgun in his trembling hands."Oh Dio," he let out in absolute fear. "I didn't believe the strange man when he tipped us about you. He said you were a dangerous creature but I… what kind of monster are you!"Someone ratted us out? But who? He mentioned a strange man so it couldn't have been Maria. That meant that someone else was aware of who we were and obviously wanted us dead if they took it to the human hunters."Segnor Russo, calm down. It's not what you think." I lifted my hands up, pausing when he gripped his
NOAH'S POVHearing those words sent a chill down my spine. Goosebumps arose on my skin. This situation just became the craziest deja vu I had ever experienced in my life because those were the exact same words I said to my mate the very first day I met her too. The same way I accused her of nothing she knew of was the way I was being held accountable for a crime I knew nothing about.Hatred. Funny thing that was. Such a strong emotion. An all consuming notion that could change involved parties' lives for the worst. An ever continuing cycle that could last for a lifetime and be passed on for generations to come. A wave of bitterness and agony that drapes a curtain of darkness over a person's life. Strings of rash actions that make up irreversible mistakes. A path that leads to a life full of regrets...just like the one I was living now. My lifetime would be spent atoning for my sins and the idea made me realize that I was a lucky one. Some people never got a chance to right their wrong
CIARA'S POV The smell of blood flooded my senses the moment my eyes traced the source of anguish. It was an animal trap. Fuck!"Ciara!" Alex yelled, rushing towards me as soon as he landed on my side of the cliff. "Hey, no, stop that," he grabbed my hand when I tried to rip the damn thing off so I could free my leg."Why?!""It's rigged to blow if you apply external force on it." He directed my attention to a spot underneath the trap. I couldn't see it but my ears picked up the beeping sound emitting from the device. "Please tell m
The priestess Zara spoke in ancient tongues while chanting in a little clearing far into the forest, her voice resonating over the foliage. Standing next to her, Ciara's heart was heaving under the weight of what lay ahead.Her hands lifted to the sky, "By the ancient powers of the forest, we beseech thee," she said.With breath caught in her throat, Ciara observed the enchanted circle that Zara's words created around them. Even though she understood what needed to be done, the concept made her shudder."Ciara, Noah needs you," Zara whispered gently, knowing in her eyes. "As you are his mate, you are the only one who can give him what he needs to survive."Ciara reached out to Noah, who was quiet and pale on the ground, nodding, her hands trembling.
CIARA'S POVThe last few days had seen a further worsening of Noah's condition. His motions were slow and strained, his formerly bright eyes now dull with suffering. With a troubled heart, I watched him from the doorway. It hurt me to see him struggle because I was his partner. The idea of losing him was unbearable to me, especially at this point when his stability was vital to our pack."Hey, Ciara," was Noah's feeble greeting upon my entrance into the room. His voice was barely a whisper, and it made me feel pain."How are you feeling today, Noah?" I questioned, trying not to let my dread get the better of me.Noah forced a meek grin, but the pain was evident in his eyes. "Just another day, I guess," he replied, his voice strained.
CIARA'S POVAs Noah's recovery progressed, I was thrown into a leadership role that I had not anticipated taking on so quickly as our pack's future Luna. It was a difficult chore that I had not expected, but I had to respond when duty beckoned. Standing before our pack, prepared to allay their fears and lead us toward stability, were my beloved brother Alex and the courageous rebel leader, Nathan, who stood by my side throughout those tumultuous days.As I rallied the group in the center of our domain, I spoke to them with a sorrowful yet resolute attitude. "My fellow pack members”, I started, thanking everyone for attending, my voice firm despite the nerves gnawing at me, facing our pack members who were assembled in the meeting chamber, their faces eager to please. "For all of us, these past few months have been turbulent. We are currently navigating a
UNKNOWN POVHeart thumping in her chest, Ava stood at the edge of the forest. The air was thick with tension, like a storm building on the horizon, and she could feel it. A couple of her faithful soldiers stood beside her, their faces stern and gloomy.With a low, frantic voice, one of them added, "We have to do this, Ava."Ava nodded, her jaw clenched in resolve. She was aware of the stakes. Tension between their packs had been growing ever since she had assumed leadership in Noah's absence as Alpha. And now it had reached a tipping point.She showed no signs of fear as she faced Noah and his soldiers directly. Ava wasn't ready, but she pretended to be, and it felt like everyone had something against her.Ava snarled, "Oh my goodness, see who decided to show up," as Noah's pack appeared out of t
AVA'S POV*FLASHBACK*It has been unsettling recently. Something in the air was causing my skin to stand crawl. Perhaps it was just the excitement of the upcoming full moon, or perhaps there was something worse hiding in the shadows.Among the pack, I had heard murmurs and quiet talks that ended when I got close. It felt like they were planning something behind my back that they would prefer me to be unaware of."Are you alright, Ava?" Marcus asked, a hint of worry in his voice.I responded, attempting to sound assured, "I'm fine." On the inside, though, I was far from okay. It seemed like trouble was building, and I couldn't get rid of it.I had called a meeting of the coun
NATHAN’S POVI was restless, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. One of our spies learned the truth from Riley, who was previously Ava's closest confidant but was now imprisoned in the packhouse for treason. That spy happened to be Steven, one of our most trusted loyalist to the cause. My heart was thumping with anxiety and shock as Steven was telling me the news.I paced in our makeshift headquarters, a room in James's house. The air was heavy with tension. Jude, along with all of us in the rebellion, had been studying Ava for any vulnerability. We had to figure out how to overthrow her and set the pack free from her oppression.Our biggest chance for information had been Riley, who had formerly worked with Ava before. He used to be her Beta, her former lover, but she betrayed him by saying he was a traito
AVA'S POVI summoned a meeting of the general council. Riley's punishment was over, but there were more urgent concerns to attend to. It was necessary to find Justina and the other traitors. The authority I wielded as Alpha of my pack hinged on it."Among us, there is a traitor," I declared with a forceful voice. "Justina has sided with people that want to bring us down. We must discover her and the other people who have turned against us."“I’m glad you're finally making a move on her,” said Leo.The others gave a nod."We have to take action against her betrayal," I said. "We will search every corner of our territory until we find her and those who conspired with her.”
NATHAN'S POVI smiled as I recounted the day's events while I lay in bed that evening. Though we had made headway, our top priority was releasing Noah, Ciara, and Alex. As I was preparing to retire for the night, I heard footsteps approaching my room. Jude, accustomed to a life of vigilance, would rather spend the night outside, so I was the only one in the room. The scent floated towards me. It was Grace.As soon as she knocked and entered, I shot out of bed. "Can I sleep here, Nathan? I'm scared," she said.After a brief pause, staring at her with shock, I firmly said, "No, Grace. It's not a place to sleep."She began pressuring me, "But please, I don't want to be alone.""You know the rules," I said, shaking my head. &ldqu
Steven's POVI never imagined that I would find such important information. Usually, being a servant means remaining unseen, but on that particular day, fate had different ideas.It was simply another typical morning at the packhouse. A sense of tension pervaded the room as I stepped inside in the low light. With solemn expressions on their faces, Ava and the council members sat around the enormous oak table. As a servant, I knew better than to interfere, yet I had to be there."Ava, we need more supplies for ourselves. Or did you bring us to this pack to suffer?," a very authoritative voice challenged from one of the council members.Ava narrowed her gaze.Everyone wanted to express their ideas at the same moment, thus there