STARLETTEI quietly walked out of my hiding place like a thief sneaking out of a rat hole. I stood there and stared at them blankly, not knowing what to say. “What are you doing here?” Came the Alpha’s question. “Just…” I darted my gaze at the shelf behind us before looking back at him. “I was bored, so I decided to get a book to read.”Without saying a word in response, he walked past me and headed towards one of the book shelves. “Hey, Starlette.” Kade said, and I snapped my attention at him. “Hi.” I breathed awkwardly. “Uhm,” he said, swiping his palm across the back of his neck. “Don’t mind what he said. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”He didn’t need to try to soothe me with his words. I was used to getting hurt by the Alpha’s words anyway. “Sure.” I nodded, smiling awkwardly. I took another glance at Maximus, whose attention was now fixated on a particular book. Blowing out a sharp breath, I trotted out of the library. My mind was a mess, and I wasn’t looking at where I was
STARLETTEThe following morning, Tom and I met for training again, and I channelled all the rage burning within me into the training. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I kept chanting in my mind with each attack I blocked. “You have gotten better and fierce.” Tom commented, amazement evident in his voice. “All thanks to him.” I blurted before I could even stop myself. “Who? The Alpha?” He guessed. “Can you believe he hasn’t been sleeping in our room? Not that I care, but—“ I trailed off immediately when I realised I was divulging too much information.“Never mind.” I continued, exhaling sharply. “It’s okay.” Tom managed to hit my waist, and I groaned in pain. “It’s a safe space. You can talk to me.”I didn’t know who Tom really was or if I could trust him. But I needed listening ears before I went out of my fucking mind. I needed to rant! So, without giving it much thought, I went ahead. “Not that I care, but why would an Alpha abandon his own room to sleep in a woman’s room?
STARLETTE“How did you know about all these?” Maximus asked, narrowing his eyes. “I read a lot. I read it in a book a long time ago.” I told him. He folded his arms across his chest. “What book? Tell me more.” “I can’t recall the exact book. And I’m afraid that’s all I know.”“I’m also afraid you’ll have to think hard to remember where you read that from. We need more information.” That sounded more like a threat than a request. “I didn’t pay much attention while reading it. It was a very old book. A witch grimore.” I answered truthfully.The frown on his face deepened. “You really can’t remember anything else? How do I get to the witch? Where are the so-called invisibles located?”I shook my head. “It wasn’t stated in the book.” “No hint at all?”“I think we already have the information we need. Hopefully, if the salt trick works, we’d be able to capture and question them directly.” Tom chimed in. The Alpha King sighed. “I wonder if the witches are trying to start a war or if o
STARLETTEWithin seconds, the maid's yard was almost empty. I knew I had to make a run for it, but I couldn’t leave Bella there. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to her.“How do I get this rope off?” I panicked as I tried to look for the knot to loosen.“Starlette. There’s no time; just go. Save yourself.” She said weakly. The fear in her voice was evident, and I wasn’t leaving her alone. “I’m not leaving you here.”I found the knot and quickly untied her. I wrapped her arm around my shoulders to support her, as she was too weak to walk on her own. “Where is your room?” I asked her. She pointed at a particular door, and we headed towards the room, but when we got there, the room was locked. “Linda, Sarah, please open the door.” She called on her roommates, but there was no response. “Please!” I pleaded, banging on the door. I could hear the rouges drawing near, and fear saturated my whole being. If we didn’t find a place to hide, we’d be dead in minute
STARLETTEThe next time I opened my eyes, I was in Maximus’s arms, laying on his laps. Startled, I gasped and tried to jump off him, but he held me in place. “Shhhh.” He said. “You're still weak.”The knife the rogue used to stab me must have been laced with a concentrated amount of wolfsbane, which was what weakened me to the extent of passing out.“Where‘s Bella?” I quickly asked when she crossed my mind.“Bella is fine.”“The rogues didn’t attack her?” I asked.“They didn’t.” He assured me, and I sighed in relief.I was relieved about Bella, but still tensed because I was in his arms. I hated him, but what I hated the most was how my body reacted to him. I hated that this devil had to be my mate.But, thinking about it, he wasn’t that much of a devil. My life had already flashed before my eyes, but he saved me. Not only did he save me, he chose to save me instead of Lauren. I still hated him regardless, but I was grateful. “What are you thinking about?” His words cut through my
MAXIMUS I didn’t know how much Starlette meant to me until I almost lost her today. I had always known that I cared about her; she was fated for me anyway. I just hated that she had to be an omega. I thought she wasn’t fit to be Luna and wouldn’t add any value to me. Lauren, on the other hand, was smart and strong. But lately, she seemed to irk me, and I was growing into Starlette. And also lately, Starlette was starting to prove to me that she was smarter than I thought.We got to Pack Square, where we entrapped one of the invisibles by pouring a trail of salt around him, as Starlette had told us. I was surprised that it really did work. He stood there in the circle, the fearless look on his face slightly worrisome. I had expected him to be on his knees, begging for mercy; that way, it would be easier to get information from him in exchange for his life. But that wasn’t the case. I knew at once that he would be a tough one. “Take him to the dungeon; I’ll question him there.” I in
STARLETTE I didn’t even know when I held him. I didn’t want him to go. Tingles jolted through my body in his presence—a satisfactory feeling I wasn’t quite ready to let go of. “Starlette.” He mumbled. “I have to go.” Of, course. I was the only one affected by the mate bond. He didn’t feel the same way. My cheeks burned in embarrassment at that realization. Starlette. What were you thinking? I mentally scolded myself. I cleared my throat. “Iris surfaced for a second. She wanted you to stay. Not me.” He raised a brow. “Iris?” “Yes, that’s my wolf’s name.” “Oh..” He nodded. “My wolf’s name is Nile. And…” He suddenly joined me in bed, laying next to me. “Nile also wants to stay with his mate. So I guess I’ll stay. For their sake.” I gulped down a huge chunk of saliva and nodded. “For their sake.” “We should allow them to run in the woods sometime.” He suggested. “You would trust us to run in the woods?” I asked, surprised. “You can't get away from me. I am so much faster and s
STARLETTEI still couldn’t fathom why and how Maximus suddenly changed. He treated me like a rag when I came to the pack, and now he wouldn’t stop trying to please me. I believed he had an ulterior motive, but that motive I didn’t quite know. The cat would be let out of the bag soon enough. But until then, I wouldn’t fall for his pretence.“Soon enough, you'll get better than me.” Tom teased.“Soon.” I laughed.We were on the training ground, practicing. I had advanced, and we were using real swords now.“How are things with you and the Alpha now? I noticed that he had been giving that crazy head cold shoulders. I’m glad he’s finally seeing the light after being with her for years. I don’t know why he ever liked her anyway.” He scoffed.“You speak as if you don’t like her.” I observed.He made a disgusted face. “Why would anyone like that psychopath?”A laugh escaped my throat. “I know, right?”“So, how are things with you and him?” He asked again.“I don’t know. I don’t trust his sud
AXEL“What was she doing there?” I asked Daisy as I began descending the stairs to leave the arena.“I don’t know. I walked in, and her scent was everywhere,” she replied.“Alright. Do something to mask the scent before Violet gets back. I don’t want her panicking. I’ll deal with Emily myself,” I told Daisy before cutting off the mind-link.“Axel!” Indie called from behind, hurrying after me. “What happened? Where are you rushing off to?”I had almost forgotten I didn’t come here alone. Turning back, I stepped closer to her, planting an apologetic kiss on her cheek. “I’m sorry, Indie, but I have to go. Something’s come up.”“What’s going on?” she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.“Bye,” I promptly said, intentionally ignoring her question, before turning around and whisking out of the arena.It seemed Emily wasn’t satisfied with getting away unscathed after what she did to Violet. Unlike the boys she hired, who I had ensured endured excruciating pain, Emily had walked away witho
AXELRage burned through me after Violet told me those things. Just when I thought I was getting somewhere with her, she tossed all my efforts away and demanded I stay away from her. That’s exactly what I would do. I’d ignore her until her eighteenth birthday, when she sees her wolf and the mate bond fully develops. Then, the tables would turn, and she’d beg to be with me. I wouldn’t take it easy on her.Staying away from lacrosse was like depriving my lungs of air. And now, thanks to Violet, I was stuck with another one-week suspension. I didn’t regret protecting her. I would do it over and over again, but that didn’t make her any less infuriating.Since I couldn’t play, I decided to at least watch practice. I hoped watching would ease the maddening itch to get back on the field. Indie accompanied me to the arena, and the moment we got there, my gaze met Violet’s, but I quickly looked away.“Okay, spill it,” Indie said as she plopped down on one of the stadium seats. “What’s going on
VIOLETThe injustice I faced wouldn’t stop gnawing at me. I hated it so much that the mere sight of Emily made me have super dark thoughts. Right now, we were in the training room, waiting for the next class to begin—combat. All I could think about was storming toward her and plucking her eyes out.“Hello, students,” the combat professor, Professor Ronald, called out as he strode through the massive doors of the training room.“Good morning, Professor Ronald,” the students echoed.“Apologies for being a bit late. I had an emergency to attend to,” he said, coming to a stop in the center of the circle we’d already formed. “Today’s lesson is on defense strategies. You have two minutes to pick a partner.”The students scrambled around, picking each other as partners. I scanned the room, instinctively searching for Axel. When I found him, my heart skipped a beat. He stood on the far side of the circle, a girl clinging to him as if her life depended on it.“Looks like it’s just us two witho
VIOLETLater that evening, we were summoned to a meeting in the principal’s office. Axel, Emily, the three boys, and I sat silently in front of Alpha Richard, the principal. The absence of parental involvement in such a serious matter made me suspect that Emily was really going to get away with this. But I kept my cool, hoping I was wrong.“So, explain in detail what happened,” Alpha Richard started, his gaze scanning between all of us.Emily was suddenly mute, as were the boys who had tried to assault me.Alpha Richard’s gaze settled on me. “Violet, you reported this. Go ahead and explain.”Shrugging, I recounted everything that happened without leaving anything out. When I finished, Alpha Richard sighed heavily, rubbing his temple as though the weight of the situation physically burdened him. He then turned to Emily.“Emily, is that true?” he asked her.She vigorously shook her head. “I swear, she is lying. I didn’t ask them to do that. Violet told me she wanted a breath of fresh ai
VIOLETAxel pounced on all three of them and began slashing through their flesh at intervals. Blood splashed all over him, but he didn’t care as he continued to mercilessly cut through them with ease. After a while, they stopped trying to struggle against him and just lay there on the floor, almost unconscious. If he continued this way, he was going to kill them for real. I had to stop him.“Axel!” I called out, but he didn’t respond.I moved closer to him and grabbed his arm, causing him to stop immediately.“Stop, please. You are going to kill them,” I blurted out.“They could’ve done worse if I hadn’t shown up. So it’s only fair if they all die!” he groaned with so much rage.I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. “Please, don’t kill them,” I pleaded.I didn’t want him to turn into a monster because of me. Axel looked like a totally different person. He was covered in blood, and the dark look radiating through his eyes was deadly.“Please,” I added when he hesitated.The muscles
VIOLET“Where are you taking me?” I asked Emily as she led me into the forest.“It’s a surprise,” she giggled. “We’ll get there soon. I usually go there when I want to take some heat off my chest.”I knew following her into the forest like this was not right, but my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see what she was talking about. Maybe whatever she wanted to show me could help ease the turmoil swirling in my chest.We continued walking, walking, and walking until we arrived at a cliff, and that was when she finally stopped.I looked at her, confusion crossing my features. “This is it? This is what helps you relieve stress?”She nodded. “Yep.”“What part of this is stress-relieving?” I asked, confused, as I peeped over to see the beautiful waves of water flowing beneath the cliff. “Okay, maybe this is soothing,” I concluded as I continued staring at the water.“Told you,” she replied weakly.I turned to look at her. “You love swimming too?”She rolled her eyes. “That’s none
VIOLETI felt my hands trembling as I hesitantly answered the call.“What is this I am hearing?” His voice boomed from the other end of the line. “I didn’t send you to that school to mess around with that bastard’s son.”“Dad,” I choked. “It is not what you think.”“Then what is it?” he shouted. “There is only one explanation for the picture I saw. He is the son of my enemy. The man I hate with everything in me. Treat him like one. Nothing can happen between the both of you. Do you understand? Nothing!”Not wanting to argue with him anymore, I responded, “Nothing will happen between us.”“Good. I shouldn’t hear of such anymore. The both of you must not be in the same space at the same time. You must not breathe the same air!” he pressed.“Understood,” I said with a sharp breath.Without uttering another word, he ended the call. Frustration bubbled up within me at the fact that my every move was being watched and reported to my father. I should’ve known from the start that I couldn’t l
VIOLETAxel pressed his wet lips to my neck, sending a jolt of unwanted arousal through me. I took a deep, steadying breath. Summoning every ounce of willpower, I pushed him away.“What do you want from me?” I groaned as I flipped around to glare at him. “What part of ‘stay away from me’ don’t you understand? You still had to stalk me here and put your stinking lips on my neck.”His lips curled into a smug smile. “I wasn’t stalking. In fact, I believe you were the one stalking. I was here first.”“What?” My mouth opened in disbelief, and I quickly went into defensive mode. “I was here first. You just came. Why would I stalk you?”“I swim here. A lot. And I was swimming before I took a quick stroll into the woods, and when I came back, I saw you here,” he replied nonchalantly.“Whatever.” I snorted as I swam toward the edge. Getting out of the water, I picked up my dress, and wore it as I stormed out of that place. He was just so infuriating.I stomped through the forest, muttering cur
VIOLETAxel’s audacity was infuriating, but what infuriated me even more was the way my body betrayed me around him. How could I possibly be attracted to that arrogant excuse of an Alpha?When I reached the field, the players were warming up, and I quickly joined Zara, who stood on the sidelines, observing them.“Hi,” I greeted her, offering a small, awkward smile.She turned to face me, smiling sweetly. “Where have you been? I was about to come looking for you.”I nervously scratched the back of my neck, thinking of what to say to her. I couldn’t possibly tell her that Axel had cornered me in the locker room to announce, once again, that he was my mate.“I had to take a pee,” I decided to lie.She raised a skeptical brow and stared at me for a few seconds before nodding. “Okay.”It was clear she didn’t believe me, but I was glad she respected boundaries and didn’t push further.Together, we continued observing the players, and when they were done warming up, Zara clapped her hands to