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
MAXIMUSI woke up early the following morning and got dressed, about to start my day. I had a lot of things on my plate for that day—the escape of the invisible wolf and Lauren’s trial being the most important. I flicked my gaze at Starlette, who was still sleeping, as she had been since I came back to the room last night—or pretending to be.I inched closer to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’m going out now. Take care of yourself.”She kept on with the pretence, not making even the slightest movement.“I know you are awake, Starlette. You held your breath, and your heart rate accelerated when I came close to you. It takes only a conscious person to do that.” I bluntly pointed out. Slowly, she finally opened her eyes and casted her gaze at me as she stretched. “I was meditating.”“Meditating.” I repeated, an amused smile touching my lips.“Yes.” She replied and quickly shut her eyes closed again.I stood there for a few seconds, staring at her as I contemplated whether to ask
MAXIMUSEverything around me stilled; my attention focused on her and her alone as I arose from my throne and slowly walked up to her.“What did you say?” I asked again to confirm. “What did you just say?”Looking up at me, her lips curled into a smile. “I am pregnant, Max. We are having a baby.”“Michael.” I immediately called the pack doctor. “Can you confirm, please?”The doctor stepped forward and bowed a little. "Indeed, she is pregnant. I confirmed that when I examined her when she was brought into the hospital for poisoning.”“Take her to her room and make sure she never leaves.” I immediately ordered the guards. I didn’t even have to think twice. After a very long time of trying for an heir, my wishes were finally coming through. The excitement that filled my chest was immeasurable. An heir, finally!It was just sad that it had to be from Lauren.I let out a full-blown laughter, unable to contain my excitement. Finally!“Congratulations, Alpha. Congratulations. Congratulation
STARLETTE Days passed, and I still struggled to forgive Maximus for what he did, even though he continuously bought gifts to appease me. He was my mate; meant to be my protector, but he shattered me instead. Could I ever find it in myself to forgive him?Amidst everything that was happening, I wouldn’t stop thinking about the invisibles and how the prisoner that was captured was from my father’s pack. This troubling thought was too dangerous to share, for fear of putting my father in jeopardy.I was in the library, searching for something to read when I heard the door creak open. Turning to see who was coming in, my eyes met with Tom's, and he quickly turned to leave. “Tom.” I immediately called. This had been going on for a while now; he avoided me and wouldn’t be in the same space with me. I needed to know why.He sighed heavily before slowly turning to face me. “Starlette.” He flashed a smile at me as if he wasn’t about to walk away. “Can we talk?’“Uhm...” He raised a brow. “No
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
ALPHA KING MAXIMUSEvening arrived, and as promised, Silas came to the pack, accompanied by a few of his soldiers. He requested that the meeting be held in an open space, and his request was granted. We stood face to face, each of us with our soldiers behind us, ready to attack if things took a turn for the worse. “So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked with a hard frown on his face. My expression mirrored his. “Lila.” His brows furrowed. “What about Lila?” “Where is she?” I groaned out. “How is Lila connected to the missing girls? That’s what you said you wanted to talk about,” he retorted. “And that is exactly what I am talking about.” “What?” he asked, confused. “Oh, don’t play dumb, Silas. At least be a man who owns up to his actions,” I groaned. His forehead creased. “If I am correct, you are trying to accuse me and Lila of the kidnappings.” “Am I wrong?” I asked, my eyes turning a darker shade. “I never knew I came here to waste my time.” Fury bla
MAXIMUS (THE NORTHERN ALPHA KING)Several years ago, I happened to meet a powerful red-haired witch while searching for a solution to the doom looming over my pack—the Invisibles. They attacked in their cloaked forms, making it incredibly difficult to fight back. But despite the challenges, we always triumphed. However, no matter how many of them we killed in each attack, more would appear the next time. Though we managed to fend them off, I was losing my men, and I knew I had to find a way to stop the attacks once and for all. That was when Silas offered to help, claiming he had a powerful witch under his wing, one who could foresee both the past and future of a person simply by touching them. Her name was Lila. At first, I was skeptical, but desperation drove me to agree to have my past and future read. The visions she provided led us to clues that helped us catch the one behind the Invisibles. He was captured and executed. Only later did we discover the shocking truth. Gabriel,