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
STARLETTEMaximus wouldn’t leave my side as I headed to Lauren’s room. He had promised to never let me out of his sight ever again. I also didn’t plan on making dumb moves ever again. What was I even thinking, going to my father’s pack without him? I should’ve known it was a trap; I mean, no one changes overnight. But I was too blinded by my desire for even a glimmer of fatherly love that I fell for it, and it had cost us a lot. From the moment we were ambushed, I knew my father was behind it. But I deliberately pushed that thought away while I was still in captivity, not wanting to break myself even more.Anyway, I was really grateful for my newfound gift that helped me escape; if not, the rescue plan would have been more difficult and more deadly. And I planned on using that gift on Lauren. Hopefully, I would be able to tell if the baby was really Maximus’ or someone else’s.We came to a stop in front of her room and pushed the door open. She was lying on the bed but quickly sat up
STARLETTE“How did you do that?” Maximus asked, amazed and confused.I rubbed my belly gently, a small smile gracing my lips. “I think the baby came with gifts. It was those gifts that helped me escape Silas’ captivity before you rescued me. I have the ability to control minds.”After thinking about it, I had come to the realization that it was the baby who had those abilities, and it only allowed me to tap into them. I could only imagine how powerful my pup would be.“That’s... incredible,” Maximus muttered, though it was evident that he was still confused. I was still grappling with this newfound ability myself, but I planned to exploit its full potential nevertheless.“What did you do to me?” Lauren yelled as she snapped out of the trance I had put her in. Tears welled up in her eyes as she shook her head. “I would never have said that. You made me lie against my will.” She turned to Maximus, begging desperately. “Please do not believe all that I just said. That wasn’t me speaking.
VIOLETWho the hell did Axel think he was? He couldn’t just abandon me here while I was unconscious, mess around with Indie, and suddenly show up after I had woken up. What was his aim? To deceive me even more? I never wanted to see him ever again.“What is this boy doing here?!” Father growled when he saw him. “I never want to see you near my daughter. Haven’t I made that clear?”Ignoring Father, Axel focused his attention on me and continued to proceed into the room. “Violet, I—”I didn’t allow him to complete the sentence before cutting him off. “You heard my father. Leave now. I don’t ever want to see you near me. I don’t ever want to see you.”“Violet, please,” he breathed.“You heard her.” Emmett stood up from where he was and marched toward Axel. “You heard her. Leave, now!”“And who are you to tell me what to do?” Axel groaned, glaring at Emmett.“Do not allow me to push you out. Leave this room while we are still being civil,” Emmett retorted.Axel glanced at me before lookin
AXEL"What?" I narrowed my eyes, trying to process Indie’s words. "What do you mean it was all Lila’s plan?" “She...” She ran her fingers through her hair, breathing heavily. “The attack on Violet, the mate scent you perceive—it was all planned. She wanted to be able to control you using the fake mate bond so you could lead us to where the documents are hidden.” I shook my head slightly. “I still don’t understand you.” “In order to imitate the mate bond using magic, your real mate had to be put down temporarily. So Lila devised a plan to trap Violet somewhere until she got what she wanted. The attack was nothing but a diversion, meant to make everyone believe it was a wolf attack instead of a witch’s doing. Afterward, she performed the magic that made me emit a scent strong enough to deceive your senses, making you believe I was your mate. She manipulated your instincts so you would be desperate to mark me and, in turn, do anything I asked of you.” She looked me in the eyes as
VIOLETMy whole being was consumed by fear. Fear of losing my father to that battle, fear of losing my wolf, fear of being trapped in here forever with no way of getting out. I had long since stopped trying to find an exit since it seemed like I was running through the same path over and over again. “Onyx,” I called my wolf again, hoping that miraculously, she would respond this time. But I was met with the same silence. I lay on my back, shutting my eyes as I tried to sleep my devastating reality away. I did sleep, but I didn’t know for how long before I suddenly felt the scorching heat of the sun hitting my face. I snapped my eyes open to see that the white walls surrounding me had been replaced by a garden of beautiful flowers. I quickly sat up, scanning my surroundings. And then I saw a white door at the far end of the garden. Without thinking twice, I picked myself up and ran with everything in me toward the white door and yanked it open. I woke up in a hospital. Disorien
VIOLETBeep. Beep. Beep. A repetitive beeping sound jolted me awake. My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself lying in a narrow passage, surrounded by tall white walls stretching endlessly in both directions. My breath hitched as I took in what I was wearing—a flowing white maxi dress. Where was I? Panic set in as I tried to reach out to my wolf, Onyx, but she wasn’t responding. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she just wasn’t there. My heart began to beat rapidly against my chest as I quickly picked myself up. The last thing I remembered, I was swimming in the lake when I was attacked by a wolf. A sickening thought crossed my mind, and my stomach tightened. Was I dead? Without hesitation, I began to run down the passageway, desperate to find an exit. But as I reached the end, I turned a corner, only to find another identical hallway stretching before me. The tall white walls—everything was the same. I kept running, taking turn after turn, hoping to find an esca
AXELAlthough Orion didn’t want to admit it, every ounce of my body felt the mate bond. How was this possible? How could I have two mates? I grabbed Indie’s hand and pulled her outside with me to give us more privacy. “But I already have a mate. Violet.” I said once we were outside. Staring into her eyes made my body burn with desire, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss her and every part of her body at that moment. Without thinking twice, I caged my arm around her and leaned in for a rough, desperate kiss. She hesitated at first, but she eventually gave in, kissing me in return. “I want to mark you. I want all of you,” I growled lowly as I plastered kisses all over her neck. “I want you too, Axel. I want you so much!” she moaned, pressing her body into mine. My cock was rock hard, eager to push every inch into her. Pulling away, I looked into her eyes again, admiring her. “I never knew you were this beautiful, Indie. How did I not see this?” “I don’t know,” she s
AXEL“Hi, Dad,” I said into the phone as I picked up. “What’s the update?” “I spoke with Silas, but he doesn’t know where she is, so...” “What has Silas got to do with this Lila witch?” I interrupted. He sighed. “She used to be under his wings, sort of his personal witch,” he explained. Violet had mentioned something like that earlier. “What’s the way forward now? Do you trust him not to know her whereabouts?” I asked. “Yes. Your aunt Amelia confirmed that. And she also plans to perform a location spell for Lila together with her father, the witches’ clan elder,” he said. “The girls are cloaked, so I’m sure she’s cloaked herself too,” I pointed out. “We know that. Amelia plans to break through that cloak.” “What?!” I exclaimed, shocked. “She could lose control of her magic if she attempts a spell that powerful!” “I am also worried about her, but she insists on doing it before more girls get abducted,” he told me. Before I could respond, a muffled sound caught my
VIOLETMy eyes widened in surprise as I tried to process what he had just said. He couldn’t read my mind? “What?” I blinked, confused. He sighed deeply and looked away from me. “Not you. I meant... Emily. She’s blocking me out of her mind. I guess Alpha Richard finally taught her how to do that.” “Then why am I the one against the wall when the person who is frustrating you is over there?” I glanced in Emily’s direction to see her staring daggers at me. Alpha Richard also looked like he was about to explode with anger. “I—uhm—” He pressed his lips together and pulled away from me. “I am sorry.” “I think you are in trouble,” I said when I saw Alpha Richard approaching in long, angry strides. He turned around just in time as Alpha Richard reached where we stood. “Hi, Principal. That was great advice back there.” Axel laughed awkwardly. “Axel Northwood!” He growled. “You have been warned several times against using your powers, and now you are hurting your fellow students
AXELEver since Alpha Richard’s distressed voice boomed over the intercom, I couldn’t stop wondering what had gone wrong. I could only hope that this assembly wasn’t about any of our students going missing. We all gathered in the assembly hall, with Violet seated beside me. Orion wouldn’t stop rumbling excitedly after realizing we had completely misunderstood our mate and that she wasn’t with Emmett. Once the students had settled, Alpha Richard stepped behind the podium, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room. “Good evening, everyone,” he began. “I have called you all here to discuss something important. I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent disappearances of several girls. Because of this, we have tightened security within the school to ensure the safety of our students, especially our girls. Now, I want to implore each of you to remain within the school premises and not sneak out.” He shifted his gaze toward me, staring intently. That last part was definitely directed at
VIOLETAxel had been avoiding me ever since he saw me with Emmett and my father. I had no idea how I was going to explain things to him in a way that he would believe, how I would make him understand that there was nothing going on between me and Emmett. Today, in the locker room, I planned to get him to talk to me before lacrosse practice began. “Isn’t that job tiring? It’s not like you are even getting paid,” Daisy said as she watched me get dressed. “That’s why it’s called volunteer work. I am not doing it for money,” I said as I slipped my hands into my jacket. At first, I had accepted the job just to prove Axel wrong, but I had to admit, I was actually enjoying it now. Getting to watch them play every day made it all worth it. “Or...” She wiggled her brows, sitting up from her bed. “Are you doing this because he’s on the team?” “Who?” A blush crept onto my face, knowing exactly who she was talking about. “Him. You know?” She wiggled her brows again. “I have no ide