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
STARLETTEI woke up squirming and whimpering, wondering what had happened to me and why I felt so incredibly weak. Then, his overwhelming, sweet scent hit me, soothing my heart and soul. I instinctively buried my nose against him, pressing hard into his warmth.My eyes burned as I struggled to open them. It took a while, but I opened them eventually. "You're awake," he said softly."What happened?" I asked. And then, memories of the events in the woods flooded my mind. My eyes widened in shock, and I gasped. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I whispered, "I'm alive."But I felt weak—so weak. The wolfsbane's effects still clung to me and it was so frustrating."Lauren..." I tensed at the thought of her."Shhh." He placed a soothing hand on my shoulder. "Relax. She won't be able to hurt you anymore.""What did you do to her?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper."She's under room arrest. And her accomplice... well, he no longer has a head.""There's something I need to tell you," I began
STARLETTEThe days leading up to our meeting with the witches dragged on painfully slow. We anticipated the meeting, wondering how it would turn out. Though we were tensed, what made it easier was the love and affection I and Maximus shared within those days. We got to know each other better, but my chest felt heavy knowing I still had secrets in store. The baby. I was surprised that the doctor didn’t detect the pregnancy when he examined me. Bella was just as puzzled. Perhaps he knew and chose to keep it to himself."Are you sure you don’t want to stay behind?" Maximus asked as the car started to move.Following us were three vans filled with heavily armed men.I smiled sweetly. “I’ll be fine, Max. Stop worrying about me and focus on what we have ahead of us. Just stay calm, and try as much as possible to not turn it into a fit of rage.”“As you wish, my queen.” He leaned in and captured my lip in his, sucking my bottom lips before gliding his tongue against mine. My body filled wit
LAUREN I was frustrated, bored out of my mind, and dying slowly. The Alpha wouldn’t let me see anyone, not even my father. I wasn’t allowed to attend Jeremiah’s burial. Did he even have a burial? I wondered. My chest ached so much from the pain of losing him. I couldn’t even tell anyone that he was my mate. Thankfully, I hadn’t allowed him mark me; if not, the pain would have been unbearable. Alone in the room, it felt like I was sinking deeper into a suffocating hole with no way out. There was no one to talk to, no one who cared. Every time a guard, a nurse, or anyone else entered my room, they responded to my questions with silence. I was slowly losing my mind. I cried every day, and each day I considered killing myself over and over again. But I was too much of a coward and couldn’t bring myself to do it. Suddenly, the door swung open, and I turned to see Maximus marching in. I scrambled out of bed and rushed toward him, but quickly halted when a deep growl escaped his throat.
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,