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
STARLETTEI patiently waited for Maximus in the room. No, impatiently. Because I wouldn’t stop pacing, terrified that he might harm Amelia. I was the one who brought her here, and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her. I just hoped he would keep his promise not to hurt her.It had only been minutes, but it felt like hours, each second intensifying my anxiety. I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to know if she was okay.I hurried toward the door, my hand just touching the doorknob, when Bella’s voice sounded from behind."Seems you don’t value my life."Blowing out a frustrated breath, I turned around. Anxiety clouded my mind so much that I had forgotten Maximus threatened to take Bella’s head if she let me leave. I didn’t believe he would actually do it, but it was safer not to dare him.“I’m scared,” I admitted, my voice trembling.“I warned you about the risks,” Bella muttered.I so much hated the ‘I told you’ moment. Pacing again, I hoped it might help ease my
STARLETTEHis delicious kisses trailed down my neck, lingering on the spot where he would mark me. My core tightened in anticipation.“Maxim—” My words were cut off by a gasp as he abruptly pulled me up, cradling me effortlessly in his strong arms. Our lusting eyes locked as he walked to the bed and tossed me onto it. His gaze blazed with lust, his animalistic side fully awakened.Within seconds, he was on the bed with me, ripping my little black dress off. It was one of my favourite outfits, but in that moment, I couldn’t care less about losing it. I just wanted to feel his hands on me, his cock in me. Damn, I wanted him so badly. And from the look in his eyes, he was just as desperate for me.My bra and panties were not spared; they were also ripped off so swiftly. His lips reunited with mine, and his warm, rough kisses sent my senses into an overdrive. Slowly, those delicious kisses trailed down to my breast, his tongue teasing my nipple before fully taking it into his mouth. He su
STARLETTETerror infiltrated my body, seeping into every inch of my bone as I leaped out of bed and rushed to the pile of dirty laundry. My hands scrambled through the clothes until I found the jeans I had worn when I visited the witches' land. Desperately, I dug my hand into the pocket and pulled out the piece of paper Amelia had given me.Maximus stood beside me, worries etched on his face. “What happened? Talk to me, Star. You’re scaring me.”“I need a phone.” I breathed. “I need to call Amelia.”He raised a brow, a lot of questions dancing in his eyes. But for some reason, he chose not to air those questions. Instead, he nodded and said. “I have a phone in my office. I’ll get it for you right away.”He left the room and returned shortly after with a phone in his hand and a sceptical look on his face. As I reached for the phone, he pulled it back, just out of reach.“Not until you tell me what's going on, I'm not giving it to you.” He said.“I had a dream...“ The nightmare replayed
MAXIMUSAlthough I tried to calm Starlette by assuring her that her nightmare was just a dream, I couldn’t get what she told me off my mind. While it could have simply been a dream, there was also a possibility that her dream was a warning. And with the recent threat to my pack, I was slightly worried.I snapped back to the present when Kade nearly slashed through my abdomen during our sparring session. I quickly jerked back, narrowly avoiding his strike.“Fuck,” I growled under my breath.“You seem to be thinking a lot today.” He observed. “Anything you mind sharing?”“No.” I shook my head. “But we have to work harder to protect this pack.”“And that’s why we are here...” He glanced around, watching our warriors as they trained intensely. We were in a clearing deep in the woods, a place reserved for this kind of rigorous training. It was also where we had captured that witch. The memory of how she had outsmarted us and escaped flashed through my mind, and anger twisted in my gut. Stu
MAXIMUSThose documents had been protected for generations, and now they were gone, just like that? Now I understood the prophecy that was made years ago. I had been warned that my offspring would either make this kingdom the most powerful it had ever been or ruin it. And now, with the documents gone, we were on the verge of ruin.The rage vibrating through me was so intense that if the people standing before me weren’t my own children, their heads would already be rolling on the floor.My gaze darted between the three of them. “Start talking, now!”“I—” Indie began with a shaky voice. “Lila came to me, and...”“Lila?” I growled. “What does she want?”“The documents. She promised to tell me more about my mother and even show me a picture if I did whatever she wanted. So, I complied out of desperation. She performed a spell on me that made my scent appealing to Axel, making him believe he was my mate. The spell made him willing to do anything I asked. So... I asked him to show me the d
AXELRage infiltrated my entire being as I stormed out of the hospital. According to Violet, she never wanted to see me again. She wouldn’t even let me explain and instead allowed that boy, Emmett, to speak to me that way. But I had no one to blame but myself. I had allowed myself to be controlled in that way.When I left the hospital, I saw Indie rushing toward me, sweating profusely and looking really worried. “Axel!” she called breathlessly as she moved closer. She caused it. Because of her, Violet didn’t want to see me anymore, and I didn’t want to see her either. Without muttering a word, I walked past her, continuing on my way. “Axel. This is important, please!” she yelled from behind. That caught my attention. I turned to look at her. “I give you thirty seconds to say whatever it is.” “The documents. Lila...” She hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I think Lila has them.” “What?” I asked, perplexed. “She came to me and said something like she had been s
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