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
STARLETTEBella let out a heavy sigh of relief, and I exhaled sharply, though still in shock. Never in my wildest dream did I imagine that the witch I came seeking for was the daughter of the elder. Emelia turned her gaze to me, a wide smile spreading across her lips as she pulled me into her arms. “It’s been so long. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”I pushed the shock in me to a hideous depth and replaced it with a cheerful demeanor. “It’s good to see you again.”“Come with me,” she said, helping Bella up and wrapping her arms around our shoulders as she led us out of the gloomy room.“Be careful, Amelia. These wolves are not to be trusted.” Her father called after her. “Don’t worry, Dad. I trust this one.” She assured him before we exited the room. We walked through the dark corridor in total silence, none of us addressing what just happened. My head was filled with billions of questions, my mind hoping she would agree to what we came here to ask.Stopping in front of a gi
MAXIMUS I stretched my hand forward, reaching for my mate, but the bed beside me was empty. My eyes snapped open, scanning the room. But she wasn’t there. It was unusual for her to wake up before me and leave without a word. Maybe she went out for a walk, I thought. Yesterday, she seemed distant, lost in thoughts. I wished she would let me help her, allow me to be a shoulder she could lean on. But she still didn’t trust me, and that hurt. She wasn’t to be blamed, though. It was all my fault. And making amends was all I had been trying to do. To fix what I had broken. She hadn’t been treated well in her former pack—something I only realised when her father visited. I should have suspected it earlier when he sold her to me without a second thought. What kind of father does that? The way he belittled her in front of me... it took everything in me not to tear him apart.She deserved better. My goal was to make her feel more loved and cared for than ever before.Someone tried to mind-li
STARLETTE “Iris.” I called on my wolf as soon as I started driving. “Yes?” She replied and sighed in relief. I couldn’t imagine how I would have felt if I had lost my wolf forever. Imagine losing one’s wolf in the process of searching for how to free another person’s wolf. That would have been tragic. “I’m glad you’re still here.” I said. She groaned. “I hated being constrained. It was as if I was locked in a dark hole; I could hear everything but couldn’t do anything.”“I’m sorry I put you through that.” “Okay.” She simply replied before retreating to the back of my mind.My thoughts drifted to Lucius’ wolf, my heart filling up with pity for him. I wondered if that was how he had been feeling all his life. It was a torture no one should have to endure.“Check on your wolf.” I told Bella, and she snapped her head in my direction. “I did that the moment we left that place.” She replied. “Is she okay?” I asked. “Yes.”Suddenly, a couple of military vans appeared in front of us,
MAXIMUSStarlette had been moving really funny. I didn’t want to suspect my mate; I wanted to trust her, but she was making it really difficult. She went from disappearing inside the woods, smelling like my brother, to leaving the pack and lying about her whereabouts. What was she really up to? She made me really anxious. And adding to my growing anxiety was my recent discovery about my brother, Lucius. What did he plan to do now that he had gotten his wolf? Was he conspiring with Starlette to betray me? Was that why I smelt him on her? Damn, my mind was going crazy with infuriating thoughts. I desperately hoped it wasn’t true, because if it was, I didn’t know if I could survive the heartache.The door to the bedroom was pushed open, and Starlette walked in. I had been waiting for her.“Where did you go to?” I asked for the nth time, hoping I would get a different response this time. The truth.She took a deep breath as she approached me, sitting beside me on the bed. I refused to lo
STARLETTEI was feeling down, my spirits low. Maximus had returned to the bedroom late last night and left before I even woke up. It was clear he was avoiding me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of me now. Did he hate me? Did he consider me a traitor?A pain pulled on my chest at that thought. My mind was a crazy mess as I wandered around the pack, hoping to clear my head and ease my mind. But the more I thought about everything, the more my thoughts seemed to spiral out of control. Like hell, I hated this feeling. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to tell him. I had gone to great lengths and risked a lot in trying to help Lucius get his wolf back; I couldn’t back out now, and I certainly couldn’t tell Maximus either. He would ruin every plan. Lucius suddenly appeared before me, pulling me out of my stream of thoughts. Talk about the devil.A smirk played on his lips. “I heard you wanted to see me yesterday.”I sighed heavily. “But you refused.”“But I’m he
STARLETTEToday was the day. The day Lucius would finally be freed from the shackles binding his wolf. After today, I would stop hiding and tell Maximus everything, regardless of the consequences. I only hoped and prayed that he would trust me again. What gave me some comfort was the knowledge that Lucius had no desire for the throne. So, there wouldn’t be any conflict over the crown once his wolf was released.When it was ten minutes before the time we had agreed to meet Amelia in the woods, I grabbed the compass she had given me and asked Bella to mind-link Lucius, reminding him of our arrangement. Fortunately, this time, he didn’t shut her out like he had before.We met at the entrance to the woods and walked together in silence.“Where are you taking me?” Lucius asked, his tone curious. “What is it that you couldn’t say back at the pack house?”“You haven’t told him yet?” Bella asked, clearly surprised.“Shhh.” I put a finger to my lips, silencing her.I turned to Lucius and shrug
MAXIMUSAt 7 PM, I entered the control room to monitor the screen displaying the activities in the woods. It was the time Starlette and Lucius had agreed to meet."Good evening, Alpha," the men monitoring the computers greeted me with a bow.I gave a nod of acknowledgement, standing in front of the screens with my arms folded over my chest.Lucius, Starlette, and her maid, Bella, appeared on one of the screens, and I ordered the men to zoom in. I watched closely, not wanting to miss a thing. Starlette seemed to be following a compass, and I wondered what she was doing with it, where they were going to, and what the hell they were planning. The farther they ventured into the woods, the more my curiosity grew.The idea of Lucius having an affair with my mate briefly crossed my mind, causing irritation to flare up inside me. I quickly shook my head to dispel the thought. If that were true, I would kill Lucius without hesitation."Leave," I suddenly ordered the men in the room.If my susp
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