Lily's POVThe sharp cries of Fiona and Raymond jerked me away from my thoughts, pulling me back to the present.The tunnel's echoes made their crying so impossible to ignore. I felt uneasy as I tried to calm them. I gently rocked them in my arms, but their tears kept flowing with their tiny faces scrunched up in distress."Shh, it's okay, little ones," I murmured, my voice trembling. "Mama's here."Despite my soothing words, their cries continued. I turned to look at Clara for some form of help, but she giggled and continued with what she was doing.I took a deep breath and began to sing a lullaby. I remember when Shawn was still a baby, Mother's singing always drew me to his crib."Sleep now my child,And peace be with you, All through the night. Guardian angels are always with you, All through the night..."As I sang, I positioned Fiona at my breast, and she began to nurse, her cries subsiding. I shifted Raymond to my other breast, and he too quieted, their little mouths work
Lily's POVThe first light of dawn lifted the darkness that hung over the tunnel, accompanied by the crow of a cock showing the dawn of a new day.My babies stirred in their sleep and woke up crying. Their wailing pierced through the early morning silence, drawing me from the brink of falling back asleep. Unlike me, Clara woke with a start, her eyes wide and alert."Morning already," I murmured, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.Clara nodded as she stood up from the layers of clothes she had laid to sleep on. I had tried to convince her to join me on the bed, but she insisted on lying on the floor.My attention immediately shifted to Fiona and Raymond. Their cries were growing louder, and I knew they needed my attention. I lifted Fiona into my arms, cradling her gently as I tried to soothe her."It's okay, my baby," I whispered, brushing a kiss on her forehead. "Mama's here."Clara reached for Raymond, her touch gentle and practiced. "Let's get them cleaned up and fed," she suggested,
Shawn’s POV All my life, I had never come across something as mystical as this. It was too real to be true. I walked slowly towards the journal and the closer I went, the brighter the light became. It felt as if the book was calling out to me, drawing me closer to it. As I neared the book, I heard Martin's voice behind me. "Shawn, don't go any closer! We don't know what that thing is!" I turned slightly, glancing back at him. "I can't help it, Martins. There's something about it… I feel drawn to it." The pull was irresistible, a magnetic force that I couldn't ignore. Martins raised his hands to cover his eyes. "I don't want to see what happens next, don't say I did not warn you," he muttered as he moved farther away. Ignoring him, I continued forward until I stood directly in front of the journal. The light was blinding as it engulfed the entire room. I closed my eyes and stretched out my hands to reach the book. Just as my fingers grazed the leather-bound cover, the lig
Lily's POV What were they talking about? Had they found a way to awaken my wolf but kept it to themselves? I listened further to hear what they would say about my poor wolf and self.I had been so desperate for answers, but my parents had always warned against the dangers of such paths. Yet here they were, discussing a solution I had longed for all my life.“I know, but maybe if I could discover how already,” Mother replied.Why were they only speaking in parables?“Remember the words of our ancestors. Some things are best left the way they are,” Father said to him calmly.Mother smiled and looked up at him and released a heavy breath. Gradually, as it came, the trance began to fade."Wait! Was that it?" I screamed, my voice echoing in the void. "What is the solution? I will find the way, just get me the damn solution!"But it was too late. The vision dissolved, and I was brought back into reality, lying on the cold ground of the potion room, sobbing lightly.The frustration and desp
Marcus's POVI banged open the door to the cabin, slamming it against the wall with a resounding crash. The silence that followed was deafening pressing in on us like a hammer. Winston lingered in the doorway, his eyes looking around nervously.“Marcus, I don’t think this is a good idea,” he said anxiously. “Coming here, looking for the secret passageway—it feels wrong.”I turned to him, my expression hard. “If you’re scared, Winston, you can go back. But I’m not leaving.”More like who I'm looking for.He flinched at my tone but didn’t move. I knew he wouldn’t. Winston might be cautious, but he was loyal. He’d follow me into the depths of hell if I asked him to.I stepped deeper into the cabin, my mind racing back to the events that had led us here.The cat made me feel like I was talking to Lily and that made me disturbed all through the night.I kept the cat close to my window at night, but by morning, the cat was gone. I had to find it.I left my room still in my sleeping attire a
Lily's POV I had hurriedly hidden myself in the cupboard filled with vials and spices. Why was Marcus here? My heart raced as I heard Marcus's footsteps coming in from the entrance.The small space in the cupboard was packed and filled with the heady scent of dried herbs and potions, making it hard to breathe.Go back, Marcus.I closed my eyes and prayed that he would turn back and not come any deeper into the potion room. But then my hopes were dashed against the rocks as he materialized out of nowhere in the potion room.Peeping through a small crack in the cupboard door, the sight of him made my heart ache with conflicting emotions.His tall and imposing figure was familiar, his dark hair slightly tousled as if he had been running his fingers through it in frustration.His piercing black eyes scanned the room, a mixture of longing and something softer. Something I dared not name—flickering within them.What the hell are you doing? I chide myself.I forced myself to look away. I c
Shawn’s POV Taking another smell at the bottle in my hands, it was undeniably the smell of cloves. Lily and I had been making fun of adding cloves to perfumes during classes. Mother had scolded us a lot of times for doing that. “Cloves have their own unique purposes and are not to be mixed with perfumes, except to fulfill any of those purposes.” Mother had corrected it one time. But of course, we never listened. We delighted in adding cloves to almost all the potions and elixirs we made too. It was weird but we loved it. We had Clara seated on the floor of the forest just a few minutes away from the blood moon pack camp. She was still holding onto her traveler story. I tried to look beyond her face and look deep within to know if she was telling the truth or not. “What is the name of the traveler you encountered?” I asked her. “I'm not inclined to know the names of people I purchase goods from or am I?” She asked back. I looked at her and tried to read into her agai
Leila’s POV I sat on the edge of my bed, staring out of the window. The sky felt dull and gray, as it had been for the past week.It felt nothing close to the bloom of spring. The strange, unseasonal storms seemed to have taken over Mistwood Creek."It's been a week, Maureen," I said, my voice carrying a hint of frustration. "All we see is mysterious rain in spring and with it, a stormy wind. We just see mysterious things happening, and we don't even get to see Marcus. What do you think he's up to?""Sorry sister. This unsettling weather does not seem ordinary. For Master Marcus, I've been trying to monitor him for a while now," she said, her voice low and serious."I've noticed that he's been frequenting outside of Mistwood Creek. He seems to be going to Crimson Valley more often than he should."I turned to face her fully, a frown creasing my forehead. "What do you think he's going there to do?"Maureen took a deep breath, her eyes meeting mine. "From my deductions, the only reason
Shawn's POVThe grand hall of the beautiful mansion was bathed in the soft glow of sunlight filtering through the stained glass windows.I sat in a chair close to where Sean and Clara sat. Marcus was about to be crowned King of the Wolves.“If you need anything tell me okay,” Clara said as she checked where I was wounded."Hmm, thank you, Clara,” I replied.Thanks to Lucas, I got more preferential treatment from Clara.The hall was filled with members from the four packs. The Twilight Ridge werewolves, led by Marcus, and Luna Crest led by a little girl who I barely knew. The Silvershade pack is led by me and the Bloodmoon pack is led by Shadowvale.Finally, all the pain, struggles, and fighting have been put behind us. As I scanned the room, my eyes landed on Marcus, standing tall in front of the hall.Beside him stood Lily, his marked bride, her eyes bright with happiness. Their children stood with them, looking around with wide-eyed wonder.The ceremony began with the eldest seat, s
Marcus’s POVTime passed in a blur and we have been having a happy season and time together. Every morning was beautiful to behold and every night was as peaceful and pleasurable as I had imagined it.Finding Lily was like I finally found my missing rib.My official coronation was the next day and I had lots of preparations to make, as well as make a courtesy visit to the villages and each pack.“What are you thinking so much about, my love?"I rolled my eyes. “Don't ever say that again Winston else I'll cut off your tongue,"“What? I was only trying to bridge the gap since she's out with Clara," He replied.“You should do that as your chubby self, rather than mimic your queen," I replied, faking anger.“Fine, I'll shut the door after me and send word to have her come back,” He replied, also feigning vexation.“Silly man," I said and we both laughed.By noon, we were all complete for lunch. It was beautiful to have the mansion this lively.“Mother, Aunt Clara taught me how to create w
Lily's POVDamn! I have been such a fool.I ran without considering where I was going. The pain was just too much to bear. I had pushed Marcus away despite my growing attraction to him because I also blamed him for everyone's death.But he was the one only trying to clean up his father's mess. “Arrggh!" I yelled into the sky.I don't know how or why, but it started to rain. The rain started as a drizzle, but it quickly turned into a downpour. I stayed in the rain and cried.Each step I took splashed through the forming puddles, and the cold rain soaked me to the bone. I barely noticed.“Lily, wait!” Marcus’s voice called out behind me. I didn’t stop. I couldn’t face him, not after everything I’d done.The memories of our past and the hurt I must have caused him played in my mind. I kept walking, but Marcus caught up to me, grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face him.“Lily, please, talk to me,” he said, his voice filled with concern and desperation.I yanked my arm free, the a
Marcus’s POVI stared around the room and noticed Lord Darkwood's absence and instantly knew that Leila was a distraction from where the real harm was occurring.I turned to Shawn, our eyes meeting for a moment. “We have to find a way through,” I said, my voice low and urgent.He nodded, his expression determined. “I will use my powers, while you support me.”We turned back to the barrier, our combined strength hammering against it. The air crackled with energy, the barrier shimmering under our powers. But it held firm, refusing to yield.Leila watched us, her smile never faltering. “You can’t win, Marcus. This is my game now.”But I refused to accept that. I dug deep, summoning every ounce of strength and determination I had. I thought of Lily, of Raymond and Fiona. I couldn’t fail them.With a final, desperate effort, we pushed against the barrier. There was a blinding flash of light, and suddenly, the barrier shattered, sending us tumbling forward.I scrambled to my feet, my eyes l
Marcus’s POVMy journey back to Mistwood Creek felt longer than I expected it. As I arrived at the villages, the clamor of battle was deafening.I noticed the full moon's glow on my skin and despite it being dark, I could spot all my runes. My fangs were out and so were my claws.I felt energy surge through me and my senses heightened. The tangy smell of blood and dust filled the air and I could make out the faint smell of cedarwood and flowers.I took out the vial and gulped everything down in one go, before proceeding in the direction of the mansion.I was going to find Lily and my kids no matter what.Arriving at the first gate to the mansion, I noticed Shadowvale and his men transformed back to their human form and whatever was left of my knights hurried behind me.“I told you Marcus, I would be back," Shadowvale said with a cold sneer."And I think you should be on your way out right about now,” I replied coldly.Shadowvale laughed and his men joined him. "Do I look like Shawn to
Shawn's POVMartin and I finally made our way out of the village just as the sun was about to set. The sky was colored with hues of orange and purple, and I could see the moon beginning to emerge, just as I was feeling my wolf gradually taking over me.As we passed through some parts of the village, I noticed some doors hung off their hinges, and debris littered the ground. Villagers with fearful expressions hurried past us, whispering frantically among themselves.“What happened here?” Martin asked, his voice hushed as we took in the scene.“Shadowvale,” I muttered, my jaw clenched. “He must have been here.”Martin's eyes widened. “We need to move quickly, Shawn. He was not supposed to attack the villagers.”“It's the full moon’s effect," I replied blankly. “Let's hurry up to him nonetheless,"The further we went, the more signs of destruction we saw. It was clear that Shadowvale had left his mark, and the villagers had suffered for it.“Damn him,” I cursed under my breath, fury boil
Leila’s POVWalking out of the throne room, I made my way back to the townhouse with haste. Lucas had proven to be so much of a headache.He was supposed to be an easy nut to crack, but he proved himself to be smarter than I made him to be.I had gotten Lily back and left instructions with the dark sorcerers of Luna Crest to make sure that Lucas didn't see the light of day.As I approached the townhouse, I saw Maureen waiting for me at the entrance, her face was pale and lacked any form of the usual excitement."Sister," she called out, in a flat and emotionless voice. “We need to hurry,” She said with a tone of indifference.I knew that who would still be feeling offended about Smithson's death, but there was nothing I was going to do about it.“Why is that?" I asked as we made our way inside the house.“There have been some little disruptions in the lower parts of the village and it was only a matter of time before the full attack began,” She replied coldly.I knew what that implied
Lucas's POV Looking at Leila's retreating back left me writhing in anger at her audacity in turning back on her words. I should have known better anyway, once an evil witch, always a wicked witch. I looked away from Leila and her flowing black veil and rested my eyes on the helpless Lily being carried away by the men who were with Leila. "Make sure she is not conscious," Leila instructed them. "The kids?" One asked. "Leave them as they are. Lucas already did that," She replied and turned to face me. Her dark men who surrounded me seemed to be there to restrict me from doing anything reckless, rather than execute me from the plan. "What happened to your integrity, Leila Darkwood," I asked her angrily. "I don't have one, Lucas Hawthorne," She replied with a sinister smile. "I actually don't have all day to spend here chit-chatting with you, so I will go ahead with my question," She knows who the hell I am. I searched her as she spoke and gauged the strength of the men
Marcus’s POVI was still doubtful of her innocence in all this, but for Lily's sake and Grayson's sake, I would give her the benefit of the doubt."Start speaking," I demanded, my voice echoing off the walls.She looked up at me, a flicker of hope in her eyes. "How is my father?"Really?"Stop playing games with me," I snapped, taking a step closer. "You’ll meet your father if you tell me what I need to hear."Clara seemed to hesitate, her gaze dropping to the floor. After a long moment, she sighed and looked back up at me. "Shadowvale is planning an attack on Mistwood Creek."I felt a surge of anger and concern. "Fair enough," I said. “But that's not all I want to hear and you know it,"“I'm sorry King Marcus, but I don't know who that whirlwind belonged to," She shook her head and I could feel her genuine flow of emotions.“Is there anyone you suspect might be after them?" I asked.“Apart from you, that would be Lucas. He wants the kids, Raymond and Fiona, dead and…” She paused.The