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's POVI was sprinting through a dark forest, my legs burning with every step, begging me to stop. My chest heaved painfully, each breath sharp and ragged, but I couldn’t stop—not with the terrifying noise echoing from behind. I didn’t know what I was running from, only that something—or someone—was chasing me.The trees thickened, the shadows deepened, and before I knew it, I found myself trapped in a narrow, dark room. The walls were painted in a dark, unsettling red paint. When I reached out and touched the surface, the paint oozed into warm blood and started trickling down the walls and then pooled at my feet. A scream tore from my throat as panic surged through me. I jolted awake gasping, sitting upright so fast I nearly collided with the twins’ heads hovering nearby. Squinting against the harsh sunlight flooding the room, I groaned and stumbled to the window, pulling the curtain back to shut out the merciless light.Just as I closed the curtains and flopped back onto the
KEILAH “Cora, listen to me,” I said softly, placing a hand on her arm. “We’ll talk about this when I get back from Auntie’s memorial, okay? Right now, I need to be there. You know how important today is.”Cora nodded, her expression softening. "Alright. We’ll talk when you get back."She stepped aside and opened the door, giving me space to leave. I hesitated for a brief moment, glancing back at her one last time before walking past her and into the living room, where the twins were waiting eagerly.I bent down with a smile as both of them planted a kiss on each of my cheek. "Tell Grandma we said hi!" Avery said cheerfully."Yeah, and that we miss her!" Zoe added, her little face bright with sincerity.Cora chimed in from behind. "And please tell her that we love her. Tell her to forgive me that I couldn’t visit her this time."I nodded at them, smiling despite the heaviness in my heart. "Of course. I’ll make sure she knows."I slipped into my boots, tightened the laces, and headed o
KEILAH I stared at the mark on my neck, disbelief gripping me. My reflection wavered in the dim lighting of the bathroom, but the mark was unmistakable. Damien’s mark—had reappeared after all these years, as though it had never faded in the first place. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would break through my ribcage.This couldn’t be happening. My fingers hovered over the mark, not quite daring to touch it, afraid that somehow, it might respond, or worse, grow stronger. Memories of Damien flooded my mind—his piercing eyes, the way his presence had always both frightened and fascinated me. I had thought those days were over. But the reappearance of his mark could only mean one thing.He was back.But why? And how?Panic surged through me as I stumbled back from the mirror, pressing my back against the cold bathroom wall. My breath came in shallow, uneven gasps, and my thoughts spiralled wildly. Was this a warning? A threat? What did Damien want? No—I had left that world behi
KEILAH The driver called out again, his voice more urgent this time. "Get back in the taxi, miss. This place isn't safe at this hour."I wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks and nodded, still feeling shaky, but I obliged, climbing back into the taxi. My body felt drained, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. “Take me to my address,” I mumbled, barely loud enough for him to hear.He glanced at me through the rearview mirror, frowning. “Are you sure you’re alright? You don’t look it. I’m guessing you ran off from that hospital without being discharged.”“I’m fine now,” I lied, trying to sound more convincing than I felt. My throat was raw, my mind racing in a thousand directions. I needed to be anywhere but there—away from the hospital, away from whatever was happening to me.The driver hesitated for a moment, still unconvinced, but finally sighed and turned the car around, heading toward my home. By the time we arrived, dawn was just starting to break, soft light creeping ov
KEILAH The man straightened, towering over the others around him, his movements deliberate, slow, like a predator sizing up his prey. His glowing eyes locked onto mine, and a deep growl rumbled from his throat, echoing off the alley walls. The others—seven, or even more of them—turned to face me as well, their gazes as cold and merciless as his.Panic seized my chest, but I didn’t back down. My legs felt like lead, trembling, but I stayed rooted to the spot. The stone had barely fazed him, only seemed to amuse the others. One of them—a tall man with a scar running down the side of his face—stepped forward, his lips curling into a sinister grin."You've got some nerve," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Throwing rocks at us? Little girl like you should know better."I clenched my fists, trying to keep the fear from swallowing me whole. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure they could hear it. But I wasn’t here to run. I was here for answers. So bring it on.The man's grin widened
KEILAH The thug grinned at the two other men in the room, and with a nod, they closed in on either side of him, sharing the same vile smirk. The air in the room grew thick with menace as they followed his lead. Then he turned his gaze back to me, his hand already tugging at his belt, slipping it from the loops of his pants with a menacing swish and a new wave of panic crashed into me. I knew exactly what that bastard was up to."Yes," he said, his voice low and malicious, "exactly what you're thinking. Why don't me and my boys have a little fun before you get the proper beating you wanted?”My mind screamed at me to move, to get up and fight back, but my body betrayed me. My legs were numb, heavy with pain, and I couldn’t summon the strength to stand. I tried to push myself up, but I collapsed back onto the cold floor, my entire body aching from the earlier beating.He unzipped his pants as he walked over to me, kneeling down to force my legs apart. I clenched my teeth, trying to use
KEILAH I took a shaky breath, still trying to make sense of everything. "How am I supposed to believe you?" I asked, my voice hard, though uncertainty was creeping in. "For all I know, you’re just making this up. I don’t even know who this council witch is. For the time I spent with Ralph, I've never seen her before. And you're not even from the Moonrise Pack to know anything about the council. Why should I trust a word you say?"Damien’s eyes flickered with impatience, and before I could go on, he cut me off. “I’m not here to make you believe me, Keilah," he said, his voice sharp and controlled. "I don’t care if you do or not. Just stay out of trouble because this is the last time I’ll ever interfere in your business.”His words hit me like a slap, but I refused to let it show. This was exactly what I wanted, wasn’t it? To never see him again? I forced myself to stay composed, biting back the angry retort I wanted to throw in his face. Instead, I straightened up."Exactly what I wa
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
KEILAH Bringing Ralph to the Underworld had been a difficult decision. I did it for one reason—to reunite him with his wolf so he could go back to his life. I never planned to tell him the truth of everything. But the way he acted, the way his anger—no, his jealousy—burned toward me, I knew Damien must have told him something. I knew Damien cared about me. I also knew he and Ralph were far from friends. But seeing them fight in front of everyone like schoolboys because of me? That wasn’t something I wanted. I pressed a hand to my shoulder, swallowing a wince. I had lied when I said I was fine. The pain shot straight to my skull, and from the deep ache spreading through my arm, I suspected my shoulder was dislocated. But admitting that would only give them another reason to start fighting again, and I wasn’t about to let that happen. Then I felt it. The presence of Ralph’s wolf. It was close. So close. The shift in the air was undeniable, thick with tension. I didn’t even n