MAXIMUS“Do you know why you are here?” I asked Maeve and Sabrina, looking at them dangerously.They shook their heads vigorously, their fear evident. “No,” their voices shook.“If your father hasn’t told you, then I will. He kidnapped your sister, Starlette, and killed all the warriors sent to escort her. Now, I want him to tell me where he has kept Starlette or reveal his accomplices. He refuses. And you know—” I slowly unlocked the cell gate, opening it. They veered backward, trembling as I walked in. “Starlette is my mate, and I would do anything to find her.”“Do not touch my daughters!” Isaac screamed from behind. “Please!”My gaze snapped to him, cold and unforgiving. “Does that mean you’re ready to talk?”He pressed his lips together, nothing but silence filling the air.“No,” I answered for him, then returned my gaze to the two girls. “Ask your father to tell me where she is so that you don’t have to suffer for his sins.”“Father, please,” one of them cried. “Please, just tel
STARLETTEFrom the book I had read about the Invisibles, I learned their power was tied to a burning candle. If the candle were extinguished, their invisibility would cease. I had a strong suspicion that the candle burning on the stone before me was the very source of their power. Its presence here, in Silas’ pack, could mean only one thing—Silas was the mastermind we had been hunting all along. And the red-haired witch we encountered the other day was none other than Lila.I moved closer to the candle, determined to snuff it out, when a sharp voice cut through the air.“What are you doing here?”I snapped my gaze to the side to find Lila standing there, rage burning in her eyes.“You!” I growled, baring my canines. “You control the Invisibles. Gabriel is your father!”She tilted her head to the side as she continued staring at me. “Looks like Silas let his pet wander too far.”“To what end?” I growled, fire burning within me. “Why do you keep attacking my pack?”“Because I want to ta
MAXIMUSAfter putting two and two together, I knew immediately that Silas had paid Isaac to lure his daughter out of my pack. That man was greedy and wouldn’t mind trading his daughter’s life for money. And Silas? The bastard played me, and he would pay with his life. I should have realized from the start that Lila was the witch since she was also a redhead. But that suspicion never crossed my mind because I thought we all had the same goal—putting an end to the invisibles. I never knew they were the culprits we had been looking for all along, hidden in plain sight.I rushed to the dungeon to get confirmation from Isaac. The moment I entered, Maeve and Sabrina whimpered, their bodies trembling in fear. But I ignored them. I wasn’t there for them.“Isaac!” I roared, unlocking the gate and marching into the cell. He recoiled, fear evident in his eyes. “You sold Starlette to the southern Alpha King, Silas.”His face froze in shock, his guilty expression confirming my suspicions.“Speak!”
STARLETTE“Now, you want to rape me?” I asked. “What happened to you wanting me to willingly give it to you?”“What?” His brows creased as he looked at me in confusion. “When I said force you, I meant force the answer out of you. Why did you say Lila seems to have her own agenda?”I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the tension leave my body. He wasn’t going to rape me. “Get off me first,” I glared at him. “I can't tell you while you are on top of me.”He jumped off immediately, his eyes never leaving mine. “So, tell me. What did you mean by that?”I shrugged as I sat up. “I don’t know. Why did Gabriel and Lila agree to work with you? I don’t know what the reason was, but they must have their own motive.”“Gabriel had a motive, and that was why I got rid of him—with your and Maximus’s help, of course.”My forehead creased. “And Lila?”“What do you think? She just wants to be with me.” A smirk curved his lips, as if he truly believed what he was saying. “Everyone wants me, except you.
STARLETTE“What did I do?” Sandra asked, confused.I met her question with silence, not intending to talk to her.“Starlette.” She sat by the bed and reached for the duvet, trying to pull it off me. But I clutched it tightly, grunting in frustration.She paused for a moment before speaking again. “Is this because you couldn’t escape?”“Yes!” I exclaimed, throwing the duvet off and sitting up to glare at her. “Yes, Sandra. I couldn’t escape, and you knew that from the very beginning. You planned this with Silas just to see me fail. Admit it.”“I didn’t.” She shook her head. “I genuinely wanted you to leave this place and be free.”“Then how do you explain that witch being in the cave, stopping me? You said the place was unguarded, and that gave me hope that I could escape,” I said, raising my voice. “What other security does a place need if there’s a witch there?”“Starlette, believe me.” She took my hands in hers, sincerity saturating her features. “I didn’t know the witch was there.
STARLETTEWhatever this was, whatever made me control Silas, I hoped it worked on Lila as well. I slowly approached her, my gaze fixed on her. “Lila, I want you to turn around and pretend you never saw me.”Her brows furrowed before she let out full-blown laughter. “Is this supposed to be a joke?”It didn’t work. I sighed exasperatedly.“What do you want?” I spat.“If you are trying to run, forget that idea. I would never allow you to escape. I need you,” she groaned.“Why?” I asked, venom lacing my voice. “Because you want to use every last drop of my blood for your evil plan? Never, Lila! Never will I allow you to harm me or my child.”Her eyes darted to my belly. “Your child?”“Yes. When I eventually conceive. With Maximus’ child, of course,” I quickly added to dispel her suspicion that I was already pregnant. “Isn’t that when you’ll need my blood? When there’s life growing inside me?”She moved closer to me, her eyes boring into mine. “You are never going back to the north. You wi
MAXIMUSMy heart shattered into pieces the moment I saw the condition my mate was in. Scrambling out of the car, I ran straight to her, gathering Iris into my arms. She was fading fast, and before long, she lost consciousness entirely.“I never thought you’d find out she was here,” Silas said, his voice cold. I lifted my head to see him standing by his car, a smirk of defiance etched on his face.“Let me carry her,” Lucius offered, holding out his arms. Trusting my brother, I handed her over, watching as he carefully took her to the car. My heart broke even more as I wondered how much she had had to endure. Silas would pay for it with his life.I returned my gaze to Silas, growling with burning fury as I unsheathed my sword and launched toward him. “I will kill you!”Silas unsheathed his own sword immediately, ready for my attack. My sword hit his powerfully, making a loud clank. And so the war began. Every other soldier around us attacked each other, fighting with relentless vigor an
MAXIMUSI rushed back to my mate and held her in my arms as the driver sped back to the pack. Once we arrived, I carried her straight to the hospital, where the doctor was already prepared for our arrival. Starlette was still unconscious, and my worry grew with every passing moment. If anything happened to her, I would never forgive myself for failing to protect her.Without hesitation, the doctor began examining her, and I lingered by the hospital bed, refusing to let her out of my sight again.The doctor turned to look at me. “Alpha, please, can you excuse me while I—”“I am going nowhere!” I growled. “I’m not disturbing your work, so get on with it. And make sure she survives. If she doesn’t, you will have to follow her.”Fear flashed in his eyes before he turned back to Starlette, working with urgency. He examined her thoroughly before finally addressing me again.“She is fine,” he said.“Then make her wake up!” I groaned with frustration. How could she be fine when she was still
VIOLETIt was funny how I was about to go on a date with the prince of a kingdom that had nearly gone to war with mine. I knew I should have pushed him away, but deep down, I didn’t want to. I wanted him. I wanted this. Daisy wouldn’t stop teasing me the moment I told her about the date. Choosing what to wear was an extreme sport. My wardrobe was full of clothes, yet nothing seemed right. The entire room was a disaster, littered with the multitude of outfits I had tried on and discarded. “It’s almost time, Violet. You need to pick something already,” Daisy said, exasperated. She had spent the last hour helping me select an outfit, only for me to reject every single one. It was clear she was growing tired of my indecisiveness. “I don’t know what to wear!” I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “Well then, should I tell Axel to get a dress for his mate?” she teased, smirking as she prepared to mind-link him. “Snap out of it. No!” I shouted. Daisy laughed but dropped the i
VIOLETWhen I heard about the tensions between the north and the south, fear gripped me. But it turned out that the north had gone to the south in search of a missing girl but peacefully left when they weren’t granted access to the kingdom. Anyway, Axel’s two-week suspension ended yesterday, and he was to return today. For some reason, I was nervous about his resumption. As much as I was still upset with him over what he had said about me, I couldn’t shake the guilt of knowing he had been suspended because of me while I had gone unpunished. “Onyx,” I called on my wolf. “How do we apologize to Axel?” “Get him flowers,” she responded. I laughed at her ridiculous response. “Please be serious.” “I am serious. Get him flowers,” she said again, and this time, I could tell she wasn’t joking. “No way!” I exclaimed. “He would get the wrong idea.” “Do you want to apologize or not?” she countered. “I want to,” I admitted quietly. “Then get him flowers,” she said before retreati
AXELOutside the southern borders stood only a few of the northern soldiers—the Silver Crest soldiers, to be precise. The southern soldiers stood guard at their borders, ready to protect their kingdom. Our numbers were no match for theirs. But we weren’t there for war. We were stopped from going into the south, and Father commanded the soldiers not to resist. He then requested to see the southern Alpha King—Silas. We waited nearly two hours before Alpha Silas finally appeared, a heavy crown resting on his head. I couldn’t help but wonder if it wasn’t too burdensome for him. My father almost never wore his own crown because of how heavy it was. “Has the northern king finally come to submit himself to me?” Silas asked, standing in the midst of his warriors. “You wish!” the northern king spat. “Then have you come for your death? It’s long overdue,” Silas sneered. “My reason for being here is simple. A girl in my pack went missing, and she was spotted here. Once we have her, we’
VIOLETAs much as I loathed Axel for the hurtful things he had said about me, I hated that he had been suspended, especially knowing it was because of me. The only reason he had used his powers on the guards to leave school was so he could drive me home. He was caught and punished, while I, the one who should have been the main culprit, hadn’t even been discovered. I was on my bed, sad all day. Despite Daisy’s attempts to talk to me, I wasn’t giving her an audience. I hadn’t spoken to her since I found out that she was Axel’s cousin and had hidden it from me all along. “Violet,” she called, attempting once again to get me to talk. I didn’t even spare her a glance. “You know we can’t keep being like this forever,” she muttered. Again, I ignored her. “You are making me feel very sad and guilty,” she breathed. “That was exactly how I felt when I found out that you had been deceiving me all this while,” I spat. “I know. Until when are you going to punish me?” she asked.
AXELFather quickly organized a search team for the missing girl as we all wondered what could have happened. Security in this park was tight, ensuring the protection of all pack members, so what could have gone wrong? The Alpha King allowed me to tag along to the girl’s home, where they said her name was Alice. We got there to meet her heartbroken mother, who wouldn’t stop crying, and her father, who was consoling her. “Alpha!” the mother cried and rushed towards him the moment she sighted Father. “Please help me find her. She is my only child.” “That is why I am here—to help you find her.” His voice was soft as he placed his hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I want to ask a few questions, and you must answer sincerely.” She nodded repeatedly. “I will.” “Okay, please have a seat.” He gestured towards a couch before settling on one himself. “When was the last time you saw Alice?” Father asked her. “Last night. She said she was going to visit a friend and would be back befor
AXELFather stood in the middle of the training grounds, surrounded by warriors engaged in rigorous combat practice. “Alpha Prince.” Various voices echoed in unison as warriors bowed in respect when I approached him. The moment I reached him, he threw a sword at me. I caught it instinctively, but before I could process what was happening, he lunged at me with full force. My reflexes kicked in, and I raised my sword just in time to block his attack. “Easy on me, Alpha!” I groaned. “No one will go easy on you when you become the Alpha King!” he growled as he withdrew his sword, only to immediately attack again. I blocked the attack, our swords clanking against each other. “That’s still a very long time away.” In a split second, he was at my back, attempting to attack from behind, but I was swift enough to turn around and bend over, evading the attack. However, I lost my balance in the process, giving him enough time to knock me over and stand in front of me, his sword pointe
AXEL“Mom, Dad?” I darted my gaze between both of them. “Why are you here?” “You are in trouble,” Mom spat, her tone sharp and disapproving. “I guess so,” I mumbled. “Axel, you’ve been breaking too many rules, and I can’t allow you to continue this way. I had to call your parents,” Alpha Richard said, his piercing gaze fixed on me. I sighed. “What did I do this time?” “When you were admitted into this school, you were thoroughly warned not to use your psychic abilities. You were banned from using them while on the school premises.” He sighed. “But recently, you have broken too many rules using those same psychic abilities, and the school can’t continue to have you here.” “Am I being expelled?” Chills ran through my body at the thought. I used to hate it here, but now I was starting to find reasons to stay. I didn’t want to get expelled. “Because of your parents, no. You’ll only be suspended. But this is your final warning. If you use your powers again, not even your pa
VIOLETMy body vibrated with anger, and instead of turning around and leaving like I normally would, I confronted him. “What did you just say?” I groaned out as I marched forward. “You heard me right,” he mumbled, averting his gaze. “Axel!” Daisy exclaimed, clearly disappointed in him. He stood up and attempted to leave, but I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. “Apologize.” He raised an eyebrow, his expression turning cold. “And what if I don’t?” “Apologize,” I pressed. I desperately wanted him to take back his words and say that he never meant it. As much as I was angry, it hurt me so much that someone called me that—especially him. Without another word, he snatched his arm from my grip and marched out of the café. “Violet...” Daisy called in a low tone, and I turned my attention to her. “How do you know Axel?” I asked, trying to fathom why she was seated with him and having that sort of conversation. “I—uhm...” She took in a sharp breath. “I’m sorry, I should
AXELI thought I had heard Violet’s cry for help, which was why I came running into the forest. I never expected that I would be the one needing help instead. The sharp ache that struck my chest at what I had just seen was excruciating. Without wasting another second, I turned around and left before I did something I would regret. Orion howled in agony, urging me to go and beat up that boy for touching our mate. But I had my pride to protect. I would never fight over a girl—not even if she was my mate. Of all people, why him? Emmett? I tried to imagine how and when they got together, but the mere thought of that as painful.The rage and hurt coursing through me were overwhelming. I stopped in front of a tree and punched it hard, over and over again, until my knuckles were raw and bleeding. But even then, I didn’t stop. I kept going, hoping the physical pain would replace the ache in my chest. It didn’t work. The image of what I had seen kept replaying in my head, intensifying m