The joyous reunion between Kaden and Olivera came to an abrupt halt as the door swung open, revealing Jacob standing in the doorway. His presence cast a shadow over the room, a mixture of surprise, disbelief, and a flood of emotions washing over him. Olivera turned towards the doorway, her eyes widening in shock and then filling with tears as she recognized her long-lost brother, despite the fact that he looked to be around her age. She would never forget those eyes. Shock rendered her immobile.Jacob also stood frozen, his gaze locked on Olivera. It had been years since he last saw her, since that fateful day when he was taken by the vampire at the tender age of seven. The memories flooded back, vivid and painful, of their childhood together - playing in the fields, sharing secrets, and the unbreakable bond they had shared before it was torn apart.Tears welled up in Jacob's eyes as he stepped forward hesitantly. His throat felt tight with emotion as he struggled to find his voice.
In the midst of the emotional reunion in the hall, Olivera couldn't help but notice the tension between Raul and Miriam, the stepsiblings who hadn't exchanged a word since her return. Their strained silence spoke volumes, a reflection of unresolved issues and unspoken hurts lingering between them.Just then, she tapped him on the thigh. And with her head, gestured that he talk to Miriam, that he welcome her too. Raul took his lips in as he darted a glance to Miriam. The latter was talking with Caitlin. He sighed, and stood up from the sofa, going to do the bidding of his mate. It was not that he didn’t want to speak with Miriam. No, it was the opposite. He wanted to catch up with her, but he didn’t know how to go about that, how to retrieve the beautiful relationship they had enjoyed before his father had spoilt it. However, before he could get to Miriam, Leonard burst into the room with Olivera’s parents. Sarah screamed, and ran to meet a shocked Olivera who didn’t see this part
Olivera sat with Raven as the group gathered in Raul's office which was big enough to contain them all, without giving off the vibes of being too big. "Has yours started kicking?" She asked Raven who smiled a yes. "I don't think I'm far long from putting to bed. Actually, it's anytime from now." Raven whispered, glad to have a woman on the same journey with her, someone she could discuss roles with, especially someone with incredible powers. After the reunion, after the hugging and tears which kept falling, especially among Olivera and her friends, Enoch had suggested a smaller room for a meeting, for them to talk about strategies. It was the reason why they were here now; to talk about strategies to conquer the vampires.They all were, except for Sarah and Mallory who had excused themselves earlier to check on Lisa. "That's nice. What's the gender?" Olivera asked, wishing for a second that she was Raven who had only but a few weeks to go, before delivery. Six months was too far fo
The pack has been peaceful for the past five days. It pleased Olivera that the people of the Black Shadows pack had been quick to adapt and accept the presence of her people into their pack. Raul had mentioned that she had been a chief deciding factor however, considering that the curse over the pack had been broken. A day after her return, when she had decided to visit Amah whom Vee had mentioned had fallen sick during her leave, Olivera had noticed pregnant women. She had noticed that Nick's wife had been pregnant too. Later that day, Raul had made the announcement of her being the saviour of the pack. Since then, the people smiled whenever and wherever they saw her; including the ex slaves that had chosen to remain in the pack. The abolishment of the slaves’ rule had made Raul's return to her bed more quicker, had made the forgiveness more easier to walk through. She could recognize the former slaves when she saw them, despite the fact that they looked much better now, much healt
"Who is she? I don't think I've seen her before." Amah started when she and Olivera entered into the Alpha's palace. Her friend hadn't said anything since after that episode with the strange conniving lady; she seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Amah's question however brought Olivera away from the grip of her restless thoughts. "She is Kia." She answered, falling into one of the sofa in the large sitting room. "She had been my best friend at one time. She had been a good friend until I didn't shift on my eighteenth birthday. My condition has been so disgusting to her that she had joined Lisa to make my life a living hell thereafter. It isn't a pleasant memory." Olivera sank her fingers into her hair as she remembered the moments where every adult in the pack had neglected her, had ignored her silent cry for help, as if they hadn’t known what their children perpetrated in school against her. Every adult included her parents. She had reported the misbehavior of Lisa to them countle
Rich had been listening to Caitlin speak, had watched as the latter cautioned Zen lightly; he had seen it in the narrowing of her eyes, and had been attuned to her final results on the experiments she had been conducting for the past few days, when he heard the voice. The voice that turned his life, as he knew it, upside down.Haunting, mystical notes of laughter hung in the air like silver and gold, shimmering with fire. He actually felt the notes; he actually saw the notes, saw the silver and gold dancing in front of his eyes. His mind stopped dead in its tracks, whilst shock ripped through him. Then, his eyes caught the painting on the wall. The beautiful artistic component was edged with red and hues of green. It had been well over three centuries since he had seen anything in color. It was another fate of the ancients he wasn’t exactly proud of. Ancient Males, go beyond their youth to lose all sense of color, to lose their emotions, to struggle in gray bleakness against their p
The room fell into a heavy silence, punctuated only by the soft rustle of fabric and the occasional creak of wooden furniture. Each member of the group absorbed the weight of Miriam's predicament, their expressions a mix of concern and determination.Zande was the first to break the silence, her voice steady as she proposed, "We should gather intel on where he might be holding Miriam's mother. Check nearby towns or abandoned buildings."Amia nodded in agreement, adding, "Maybe someone in those towns has seen or heard something. We can discreetly ask around without drawing too much attention.”Dedari leaned forward, his brow furrowed in thought. "What about using our network of allies? They might have information that could help. But then, Is Morel his real name?"Everyone turned to Miriam at Dedari’s question. Miriam’s mind raced with memories of her encounters with her master, of her trainings with him, of his twisted love for her mother. “He's always been secretive, but I first fo
"Where are we going, Raul?" This was the tenth time that Olivera had asked her mate this question since the latter had suddenly sprung up a journey they had to take before she left the pack with Miriam in three days time. Olivera hoped to the goddess that Raul wasn't bringing the trip up to stop her from going with Miriam to rescue her mother, his mother. Or else she was really going to have it out with him, and it wasn't going to be pleasant. It had taken a two days before he had gotten around her going to the mission, never mind that he had hurriedly conceded to her opinion in the meeting a week ago. It had taken two days before he had tried convincing her to stay back, to let the ancients take care of it. But she had refused. These past few months, she had learned to trust her instincts.And now he was springing up a journey he hadn't brought up in the week she had spent training, strolling with Amah and the other females, getting to know her pack members, helping Jeremy with hi