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
STARLETTEI wasn’t frightened by his sudden coldness. I was already used to his moods. “I haven’t seen you since that day,” I said, unafraid, as I took a spot beside him and sat down.“Yes.” He muttered, shifting his gaze back to the running stream. “You haven't answered my question, Starlette. What are you doing here?”His voice still held that cold edge.“I came to see you. Obviously.” I replied, rolling my eyes. “You should go back before your mate starts looking for you.” He picked up a stone and tossed it into the stream.“So you’re scared of the big bad Alpha.” I teased.He glanced at me, a smile finally tugging at his lips. “You wish.”“Of course I’m right.” I impulsively stood up and ran into the running stream, splashing my legs in the water. It was so warm and felt good against my skin.He rested both hands on his knees. “That’s not it.”I raised a brow. “Then what is?”“I’m just—“ He trailed off and sighed. “I don’t want you to disobey your mate.”“That’s nothing new.” I
STARLETTE“Sorry about your clothes.” I quickly told Lucius before giving Iris full control, my bones breaking, shredding his clothes into pieces. I ran into the woods and followed Maximus’s voice, who wouldn’t stop yelling my name, a hint of fear lacing his voice. I reached him in no time, and the relief that immediately masked his features when he saw me was palpable. “You scared me!" he exclaimed, placing a hand on his forehead and sighing. "Where have you been?"I was surprised to see that he was the only one searching for me, and a whole search party had not been deployed as I had expected. This was the moment I should have shifted back, but apparently, I had nothing to wear. I howled at him, hoping he would understand and get me something to wear.“Do you want to run with Nile?”What? No!“Yes!” Iris objected in my head.“Have you forgotten our justified anger towards them?” I reminded her. “We are angry at Maximus, not Nile, remember?”“They are the same.”“Nile is better.” S
STARLETTE“Luna?” The surprise in my father’s tone, equalling mine.“Yes, Luna.” Maximus affirmed. My father raised a questioning brow. “And why is that? She’s an Omega, remember?”“She’s my mate.” Maximus retorted, and Father displayed a great deal of shock. His expression shifted from shock to disbelief, finally settling on disdain. “How could you, the Alpha King, be mated to a mere worthless Omega like Starlette?" He repeatedly shook his head in disbelief. “They’ve got to be a mistake somewhere.”“There is no mistake. Starlette is perfect!” Maximus’s tone suggested he was starting to get annoyed. “She would ruin you! She’s no good!” My own father tried to diminish me. “I repeat—“ Maximus took an intimidating step forward, his jaw clenching. “She is perfect.”I still haven’t absorbed his sudden announcement of wanting to make me his Luna, but the way he stood up for me, spoke about me in front of my father, melted all the rage I harboured towards him. My heart warmed, elated tha
STARLETTEThe following morning, I woke up to see Maximus seated on the black leather couch in the room, his gaze fixed on me. “Good morning, Starlette.” He greeted, immediately standing up and walking towards me. “How did you sleep?”“Fine.” I rubbed the back of my hand against my eyes to clear the remaining sleep in them. “How long have you been watching me?”“Since I finished preparing breakfast.” He reached for the tray of food on the nightstand and placed it on the bed. The plates were all covered, so I couldn’t tell what was in them yet. “Ohhh….”“I prepared everything by myself.” He boasted, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s nice.” I said, pretending to be unimpressed as I sat up and dragged myself to the edge of the bed. “I need to pee.” I told him as I got to my feet. After taking a few steps, I suddenly felt nauseous and halted. “What is wrong?” Maximus was beside me in a second. “I feel nauseated." I told him, and what followed was a gut-wrenching retch.I ran, and I
STARLETTE“That bitch.” Bella hissed, her nose wrinkling with disgust. “I always knew She had something up her sleeves. But I didn’t think she’d be desperate and audacious enough to pin a pregnancy on the Alpha.”My eyes narrowed at Bella’s statement, and she rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t look at me like that. I know you are also having the same thoughts. She’s been with the Alpha for years and couldn’t conceive. It was even prophesied that you were the only one who could bear his child. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she’s pregnant? It didn’t make sense to me at first, but now it does. The pup isn’t his.”“Don’t jump to conclusions yet.” I cautioned, clearing my throat. “We don’t have any evidence. Yet.”“If you say so.”“Let’s get back to what we came here for,” I said, steering the conversation back to the task at hand. That was my top priority at the moment.“Okay.” She shrugged, and as she spun around, my eyes caught the book she was holding. It looked very familiar. “Bella.”
STARLETTE“Pre—pre—pregnant?” My lips trembled with panic as I stared at Bella. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. “You’re pregnant!” She repeated as she pulled away from me, her face glowing with happiness. “Alpha would be so pleased to hear this!”“No.” I said quickly, shaking my head. My throat felt dry, and I swallowed to moisturize. I couldn’t fully grasp my emotions at that moment. I wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t sad either. I was just... there, not knowing how to feel. The smile on her face faded when she noticed my blank expression. “What happened?” She asked. “This is good news. You should be happy.“I should. But the feelings that stirred within me were deeper than I could explain. I wasn’t only feeling like this because I was carrying Maximus’s child. But also because… I was having a baby!“Please, don’t tell anyone yet. When I’m ready, I’ll tell him myself.” I pleaded, holding her hand. “I beg you.” She sighed, then nodded. “I don’t know your reason, but I’ll do wh
STARLETTEI quietly slipped out of the bedroom before Maximus could wake up and met up with Bella in front of the pack house, where she was already waiting for me. The land of the witches was far, and we couldn’t cover the distance even on our fours without burning out in exhaustion, so we opted to run our journey with a stolen car, Maximus’s. We got into his black Mustang and fastened our seatbelts like we owned it. I had managed to steal the key from him while he was sleeping, and thankfully, driving was one of the few useful skills my father had taught me, although it was mostly so I could run errands for him and my sisters. “So, what’s the plan?” Bella asked as I started the engine. “Do we even know where we are going?”I reached into my backpack, pulled out a piece of paper I had taken from Maximus’s office, and handed it to her.“A map that leads to our destination.” I told her. She unfolded it and studied it before glancing back at me. “This is absurd.” She hissed, her disa
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