KEILAH I didn’t know what was happening, but suddenly, every painful memory came rushing back like a movie set on fast-forward, playing at twice the speed, each scene more unbearable than the last. It started with the first time I came to the pack house, where Ralph subjected me to unspeakable physical and mental torment. The memory shifted to where I was being attacked by his pack members—wolves whose hatred burned through me as they clawed and struck, their growls echoing in my ears. They nearly killed me that day, leaving me broken and bleeding, barely able to crawl away. Then came Zac. The memory hit like a punch to the gut—just as his fist had, that horrible day, slamming into my stomach, causing me to miscarry my child. I felt the agony all over again, the sharp, ripping pain in my stomach as I crumpled to the ground. The painful flashbacks kept coming, each one more heartbreaking than the last—our endless fights, and misunderstandings that we couldn't resolve. And then… the
DAMIENI pried her hands off me and fixed her with a hard stare. "What do you mean? Are you talking about Keilah?" "Yes," she replied, her tone sharp. "I’m talking about her. She’s where she belongs—with her wolf mate. You two aren't supposed to stick together." Her words set my blood on fire. I grabbed her by the hair, yanked her up, and pinned her against the wall. My voice was a low growl as I demanded, "How do you know Keilah went to Ralph?" She glared at me, her grey eyes glowing ominously. I froze. A fae.This bitch was fae. I let her go abruptly, stepping back. She straightened her clothes with deliberate calm and turned her gaze on me. "I can take you to the witch you’re looking for," she said coolly. I narrowed my eyes. "How do you know where he is?" She smirked. "Didn't you just figure out what I am?" "Then lead the way. What are you waiting for?" I barked. She tilted her head, her smirk fading. "I will, but only after you promise me one thing—you will sta
DAMIEN His words hit me like a punch to the gut, freezing me in place. My breath came in sharp, controlled bursts, my gaze snapping to the unconscious figure sprawled on the floor. I didn’t want to believe him. It had to be another trick, another lie. The bastard was desperate, and desperate men said anything to save their skin.But something about the way he said it—the crack in his voice, the way his eyes darted between me and her—made me pause.“What did you just say?” I demanded, my voice like the edge of a blade. My magic pulsed around me, still coiled and ready to strike, but now held in check by a thread of restraint.The dwarf swallowed hard, his throat bobbing as he pointed a trembling finger at her. “She’s the one. Jessica's daughter. I swear it.”“Why the hell didn’t you tell me this last night?” My voice was low, dangerous. “You knew where the witch’s daughter was, and you said otherwise.” The dwarf hesitated, his eyes flickering with guilt or maybe calculation. “I had
KEILAH I clung to Damien as if letting go would shatter me into pieces I could never put back together. My sobs tore through me, loud and messy, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t stop. The weight of everything—the pain, the secrets—came crashing down all at once, spilling out of me like a dam that had finally given way.His arms wrapped around me, solid and unyielding, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt safe. Truly safe. The kind of safety that came not from being protected but from knowing, deep down, that someone understood me without judgment.I buried my face against his chest, the familiar scent of him grounding me even as my world spiralled. “I missed you,” I whispered again, my voice breaking.Damien didn’t say anything right away. His hand slid up my back, his touch firm yet soothing, as if silently promising me that he wasn’t going anywhere. I needed that promise right now. I needed him to be here, solid and real, to hold me together while I fell apart.The
KEILAH “Get me out of here,” I said, my voice trembling as I clung onto him. The cold seemed to seep into my bones, the chill of the night biting against my skin. “Please, just take me anywhere that’s not Ralph’s pack house. I don’t care where.”Damien’s lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes scanning me as though searching for something. But he said nothing. Without a word, he took off. When we finally broke through the air, Damien’s car came into view. I blinked, momentarily disoriented, as the passenger door opened and a familiar figure stepped out.“Allan?” I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper.But I couldn’t muster the energy to feel the excitement I should've. My emotions were a tangled mess, and my body felt like it was running on fumes. “Allan, get in the back,” Damien ordered without so much as glancing at him. Allan looked between us but obeyed, sliding into the backseat without protest.Damien opened the passenger door and gestured for me to get in. “Keilah.” His
KEILAH I locked eyes with Damien, trying to see if there was even the faintest hint of a joke in his expression, but his face was as stiff as stone. My stomach twisted painfully. “You’re joking, right?” I asked, my voice tight, almost pleading. “I’m not, Keilah.” His tone was calm, and measured. “It’s time I let you go.” My mind reeled, the words hitting me like a slap. “What the hell are you saying? It’s been barely a few days since you told me I couldn’t leave your side. Now you’re saying this? What happened?” “I told you, vampires aren’t trustworthy,” Marina interjected smugly from the corner. I snapped my head toward her, glaring. “You shut up. I’m not talking to you.” She raised her hands in mock surrender, a smirk playing on her lips as she leaned back in her chair. I barely spared her another glance, but my gaze briefly flicked to the short witch sitting silently nearby, watching the exchange as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I turned back to Damien, frus
DAMIEN Your girlfriend is mad. Aren’t you going to follow her?" Marina asked, her tone grating on my nerves."Are you enjoying this?" I snapped."It’s not like I am," she replied, crossing her arms. "But it’s the truth. She’s really mad."I ignored her and turned to the dwarf. "Did you know she was fae? Did you use that to your advantage when you asked for her… uterus?"The dwarf nodded, unfazed. "I did. And I used it for what I needed.""And what exactly did you need it for?" I demanded my voice tight with anger."That," he said coolly, "is none of your business.""It is my business," I growled through clenched teeth. "It’s absolutely my business.""Alright, I get it," he said, cutting me off. "It’s your business because she’s your girlfriend. But she agreed to it. She gave it willingly as payment for us to help you. And she’ll still do the job you originally wanted her mother to do. He said, gesturing to Marina. Isn’t that why you’re keeping us here?"Marina interjected before I co
DAMIEN For a moment, the world went still. The sound of the wind, the pulse of magic from the portal, the chaos of everything else—it all faded. There was only her. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but the warmth that surged through me, the pull I felt toward her, was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It wasn’t guilt. It wasn’t pity. It was something deeper, something terrifyingly real. Keilah froze against me, her body stiff and unyielding, as if she were trying to process what had just happened. For a split second, I wondered if I’d made a mistake—if I’d crossed a line I couldn’t uncross. But then, she moved. Her lips softened against mine, and I felt her fingers clutching at the fabric of my shirt. The hesitant energy melted into something deeper, something neither of us seemed prepared for but couldn’t resist. The kiss was messy, filled with all the tension, confusion, and frustration that had built between us for so long. It wasn’t perfect, but it was real. Th
RALPH I watched her, every muscle in my body tense with a mixture of rage and something far darker—something I couldn't name. Her lips, soft and warm against mine, had been a shock to my senses. I could feel the bond snap into place the moment she kissed me, my wolf roared to life. It was everything I needed to reconnect with the beast inside me, but nothing had prepared me for the flood of emotions that came with it.I pulled away, gasping for air, my eyes snapping open to find Keilah still frozen in place, her expression unreadable. I saw it, though—the conflict, the confusion, the pain in her eyes. She wasn’t unaffected. She felt it, too. But her body was betraying her. She hated me. I could see it in every movement, in every cold, calculating glance she sent my way.I swallowed the anger rising in my throat, my chest tightening. “Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, pushing away from her.I needed to control myself. I couldn’t let her see how much it had affected me. My wolf was
KEILAH I let out a frustrated sigh and flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. My choice? Was it really?If I didn’t do this, Ralph’s wolf would never get back to him, and he’d slowly waste away. But why should I care? Why did it have to be me who saved him?A bitter laugh escaped me.I hated him. I wanted to hate him. But deep down, a part of me still ached at the thought of him suffering.Closing my eyes, I whispered, “Damn it.”I let out a tired sigh and got up, smoothing the sheets on Damien’s bed. It was a small act, but it kept my hands busy—kept my mind from spiraling. Once the bed was neat, I headed out and into my room to clean up. As I stepped inside, my lips twitched in amusement. Garbie was curled up on my bed, sleeping soundly. A quiet laugh escaped me. “I remember her saying she's a vampire who doesn't get tired,” I murmured to myself. “But look at her, sleeping like a peaceful tired toddler.” Shaking my head, I grabbed some clothes and headed to the
KEILAH I stirred, my body heavy with exhaustion. Even as I drifted toward wakefulness, the weight of last night pressed down on me. My mind felt sluggish, tangled in the strange events that had unfolded. With a quiet sigh, I turned over, reaching instinctively for Damien—only to feel empty sheets beneath my fingertips. My eyes snapped open. The spot beside me was cold. He had been gone for a while. I sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. My head still ached from the restless night. No matter how much I tried to push it away, the same question haunted me. What the hell happened to me last night?A sudden knock at the door made me jolt. My heart pounded as my mind instantly jumped to the worst possibility—Ralph. I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening around the blanket. I wasn’t in the mood for a fight, not after the night I’d had. If he saw me here, in Damien’s room, I already knew the argument that would follow. Then, a sharp wave of irritation hit me. Why am
DAMIEN Marina groaned as she sat up, clutching her head. Her fingers trembled as she reached for her dagger, the runes on its blade glowing faintly. “That wasn’t supposed to happen,” she muttered, her voice laced with both frustration and awe.Everyone scrambled to their feet, their eyes wide with alarm. “That surge… it wasn’t just residual magic. Something is on the other side.”Seth cursed under his breath, rubbing his shoulder where he had landed hard against the ground. “If we weren’t the ones stopping it, then who the hell is keeping it open?”I exhaled sharply, wiping the dust from my face. “We need to regroup. Marina, can you try again?”She hesitated, her gaze locked onto the swirling vortex. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. If something is resisting me, then it’s either aware of us… or it’s trying to come through.”A deep, resonant sound echoed from the portal, like the groan of an ancient beast waking from slumber. The air vibrated with raw energy, and I felt the unmist
DAMIEN The morning was still draped in darkness when I woke, my body stiff from exhaustion, yet my mind alert. I sat up on the edge of the bed, rubbing a hand down my face before glancing to my side.Keilah was still asleep, her breathing soft and steady, her lips slightly parted as she let out the occasional quiet snore. My gaze traced over her, from the delicate curve of her face to the way the blanket draped over her form. She looked peaceful—so different from how she had been last night, trembling and bleeding in my arms.My jaw tightened as I remembered. My fingers curled into the sheets as frustration rippled through me. I had almost lost her, and to what? A vampire I didn’t even know. That fact alone made my blood boil. Someone had taken her, hurt her, and forced her to do something I still didn't understand. But I would find out. I had to.My thoughts drifted back to last night, to the way I had craved her so damn badly, only to suddenly lose all interest. It wasn’t normal. A
KEILAHI searched his face, trying to understand what was going through his mind, but his expression was unreadable. The silence stretched between us, thick and tense. "Damien," I finally spoke, my voice softer than I intended. "Are you okay?" His eyes flickered slightly, but he still didn’t move, didn’t speak. I swallowed hard. "Garbie told me about the fight… You and Ralph…"Before I could say anything else, Damien reached for me. His strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me flush against his chest. The sudden warmth of his body against mine sent a shiver through me. His grip was firm—possessive, even—but after a few seconds, I felt the tension in his body slowly ease. I closed my eyes, letting out a quiet breath as I melted into him. My arms lifted on their own, wrapping around his back, holding onto him just as he held onto me. For a good while, neither of us spoke. The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable. It was… grounding. Like we both needed this moment to re
KEILAH I barely had a second to react before the vampire’s hands slammed onto my shoulders, forcing me down. My knees knocked against the cold, hard coffin with a painful crack, sending a sharp jolt up my legs.“Ah—” I gasped, but the sound was cut off as the vampire crouched down beside me, his fingers gripping my chin in a bruising hold as he forced my face toward the corpse. The stench of death filled my nostrils, thick and suffocating. My stomach churned violently, my head spinning from the overwhelming scent.I tried to turn away, but his grip only tightened, pressing my face closer until I could see the shrivelled veins beneath the dead vampire’s translucent skin. My breath hitched, panic clawing at my throat.“I—” I swallowed thickly, my vision blurring. “I can’t breathe,” I rasped. “I—I need a minute.”The vampire holding me sighed, irritated. “This will not work,” he muttered, then suddenly released me.I fell backwards, my hands catching me just in time before I hit the gro
RALPH I stood frozen, my body rigid as I stared at the space where Keilah had disappeared. The cold night air did nothing to cool the fire burning in my chest—the anger, the pain, the unbearable weight of her words pressing down on me like a boulder I couldn't shake off. In the corner of my eye, my wolf paced restlessly, muscles taut, ears pinned back, tail flicking in agitation. It wanted me to go after her. To bring her back. To fix this—whatever this was. I exhaled sharply through my nose, my fists clenching. That power… the energy that had surged from her and sent me stumbling back—it wasn’t just any magic. It was light magic. But how? Where did she get it from? My jaw tightened. Has Damien done something to her? The thought alone made my blood boil, but even that wasn’t what rattled me the most. No, it was her words."Have you ever even loved me, Ralph?" My throat burned. Had she really questioned my love for her? I let out a dry, humorless chuckle, but it fel
KEILAH Ralph’s grip on my wrist tightened slightly as he pulled me away, but my mind wasn’t on him—it was on Damien.I made the mistake of looking back.He stood frozen in place, his expression unreadable, but I could feel the weight of his gaze. Like he was looking straight through me like I had just proven something he had been dreading all along.My heart twisted painfully.But I forced myself to turn away.Ralph led me outside the cold night before stopping abruptly. He finally let go of my wrist but didn’t step back. His presence was overwhelming, his scent heavy with frustration, his body rigid with tension.I let out a slow breath, trying to keep my emotions in check. “What's wrong with you Ralph? What do you want?” I asked, my voice calm, but irritation simmered just beneath the surface.His jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened.“Whatever you have with Damien, end it,” he said, his voice sharp and unwavering. “I don’t want to see you with him. You only belong to me.”I stiffen