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
STARLETTEA crowd formed within seconds, most of them gazing at Lauren with horror and a couple of them pointing fingers at me.I knew immediately that it was a trap. I was set up, and I fell for it.I was still trying to process everything when Maximus showed up.“What happened here?” He asked no one in particular.A girl pointed at me. “She gave her a cup of lemonade to drink, and she suddenly started foaming. She was poisoned.”Maximus glanced at me, and my heart rate accelerated. Returning his gaze to Lauren, who was still foaming on the floor, convulsing, he ordered his warriors. “Take her to the doctor immediately.”“Yes, Alpha.” Two warriors chorused and immediately carried Lauren in their arms.After they left, Maximus took a second before finally returning his gaze to me. I couldn’t read the expression on his face, and that killed me. Was he angry? Disappointed? Hateful? I just hope he won’t believe the allegations. I could be killed if I was not proven innocent. The thought
LUCIUS Starlette didn’t poison the crazy head, that I know for sure. Why would anyone even believe that? That girl had a pure and innocent heart. I liked her the very first time I interacted with her. And I barely like people. I couldn’t stand watching her get accused for what she didn’t do. Seeing her desperate eyes as she pleaded not guilty, hoping she’d be believed, broke my heart. Her mate, my brother, who was supposed to stand by her and defend her, forsook her. Instead, he ordered for her to be taken back to the dungeon. I wasn’t surprised anyway; it was who he was—a heartless and self-centred beast. After the interrogation had ended, I marched to the hospital, with rage, to interrogate Lauren, since no one seemed to be smart enough to do so. I had to find a way to reveal her scheme. I wouldn’t let Starlette die, no matter what it took. “Lucius.” Lauren flashed the most fake smile I had ever seen at me as I walked towards her bedside. “So kind of you to come check up
STARLETTEMy whole life was crumbling, with no one coming to save me. What did I do to deserve such a fate? First, I was hated by my own father and maltreated before he sold me to the Alpha King as though I were an item.I had hoped life would be better for me here when I realised the alpha king was my mate, only to have that hope crushed to pieces when he threatened to reject me after giving birth to his pups. I thought that was the worst fate; little did I know that I had something worse coming for me—An accusation I couldn’t save myself from despite being innocent. “I am sorry. I am truly, truly sorry.” I apologized to Iris for the umpteenth time. “I’ve told you several times to stop apologising.” She was as broken and scared as I was. “I have to. I brought this upon us. I should have been smarter.” “It is not your fault. It’s all Lauren’s fault. She’s the reason we are going through this, not you.”“I know. But—but—“ Reality overwhelmed me again, and I couldn’t hold back the h
MAXIMUS I knew Starlette didn’t poison Lauren, but what was even more frustrating was that I didn’t know how to prove her innocence. It hurt me that I had to order her to be taken to the dungeon, but I only did what I had to do. She was being accused of poisoning Lauren, and it didn’t matter if I believed or not; it was just the right thing to do at the moment. It was the pack’s rules, mate or not.Although I was beyond glad that her innocence had been proven, I hated that it had to be Lucius who proved it. She liked him now, and she hated me. She wouldn’t even talk to me; she wouldn’t allow me to explain myself to her, and that was frustrating. I paced back and forth in front of the room, banging on the door at regular intervals, with frustration pulling at my chest, hoping she would finally open the door and allow me to speak to her. She was driving me crazy; thoughts of her were driving me crazy, and I didn’t know what to do with all these feelings. “Nile, do you think she wou
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
VIOLETWhat was I thinking when I agreed to manage the lacrosse team? I shook my head, disappointed in myself. Now I’d have to deal with him for as long as I managed them. Thankfully, he was on suspension and wouldn’t be around until next week. Small mercies.By 4:30 PM, I was already at the stadium, navigating its maze-like halls in search of the team’s locker room. Once I found it, I cautiously stepped inside, announcing my entrance loud enough to avoid any unwanted surprises. The last thing I wanted was to stumble upon a half-naked player on this sweltering afternoon.“You made it!” Ms. Zara greeted me with a wide smile, pulling me into a warm hug. “Welcome to the team. Fair warning, these boys can be a handful.”Shrugging, I said. “I’ll figure out how to manage them.”She burst out laughing. “That’s what the last manager said. She didn’t even last a day.”Before I could respond, one of the players suddenly appeared in front of us, wearing only briefs.“Who’s the new girl?” he aske
VIOLET My alarm buzzed incessantly, its shrill sound piercing the peaceful silence of my room. Subconsciously, I reached out and snoozed it, not wanting to wake up yet. But it kept buzzing, frustrating the living hell out of me. I groaned, squirming on the bed in frustration. “Wakie wakie!” Daisy’s voice suddenly screeched in my ears, and the next thing I knew, she yanked the duvet off me, exposing me to the chilly morning air and forcing me to open my eyes. I glared at her, though she seemed entirely unfazed. “It’s time to get ready for your first day in school,” she said with a giggle as she sauntered to the window. She threw open the blinds, allowing the bright morning sunlight to stream in. I winced, quickly averting my gaze from the harsh light. I groaned loudly, stretching lazily. “Do we really have to do this? Classes?” “Hmm-hmm!” she replied with a nod. “We have to. I’m heading out now. There’s something I need to check at the library before class starts. Make sure you ge
VIOLET My parents picked me up from my dorm room and drove me to the hall where the birthday party was being held—the very last place I wanted to be. “Violet, darling. How is your first day at school so far?” my mother asked on our way, looking at me expectantly. “Good,” I simply replied. She raised her brow. “And your roommate?” “She’s perfect,” I told her, looking away and peering through the window, hoping she’d drop the conversation. I wasn’t interested in small talk at the moment. I still hated that I had to come to this school and was being forced to attend the birthday party of that boy! “I trust you’ll blend in perfectly,” Father added. “Sure.” We arrived at the venue, and they positioned me between them as we entered. The hall was so huge, filled with overdressed students and their equally overdressed parents, all wearing the same plastic smiles as they mingled. I hated going to functions like this, and I specifically hated being at this particular one. As we ventured