STARLETTEIt was a new day, a beautiful day. I hadn’t felt this free and happy in a very long time, knowing the pack wasn’t in danger anymore. We did it! The look on that man’s face when the blade sliced through his neck, with blood gushing out, was so sweet. I had never felt this satisfied and excited about anyone’s death. He died in the same way that old woman—Dorcas—had died. The poetic justice made it even more satisfying. He was slaughtered like a chicken, just the way he deserved. It was a pity that his daughter had to witness all that.Nina had been taken back to the witches’ territory by Kaelin and Amelia. They promised to monitor her closely to ensure she wasn’t complicit in her father’s heinous deeds. Although I doubted her involvement—her demeanour seemed innocent—one could never be too sure. Trust was a fragile thing, and the most dangerous villains often hid behind innocent façades.Anyway, today felt different. As I strolled through the pack’s territory, a profound sens
MAXIMUSI made the first move, shoving Lucius’ chest hard enough to make him teeter backward.A smirk tugged at his lips. “Do you really want to do this?”In response, I pushed him again, unsheathing my sword and pointing it at him. “Fight back, or I kill you like a chicken.” Groaning, I swung my sword toward him. Before it could land, he parried the attack with his blade, the sharp clank of metal ringing in the air.And so the fight began. Both of us attacked fiercely, our swords clashing violently. I didn’t hold back, giving him no room to breathe. I fought with the ferocity of a soldier facing a true enemy. I could feel his hands growing weaker by the second. I knew I was winning, and just needed a little more push. I pressed my advantage, hammering his sword relentlessly, aiming to completely weaken him until I yanked the sword off his hand.My plan worked, and I succeeded in knocking the sword off his hand. His eyes widened as he watched the sword hit the floor, and I took that
STARLETTEI have not been able to get what Gabriel said before life was taken from him off my mind. He could have said that as a desperate means to save his life. But what if he wasn’t actually lying? What if he wasn’t working alone? What if we weren’t as safe as we believed? These nagging doubts refused to leave me, gnawing at my sanity. I needed answers. So, I decided to ask Lauren. The old woman said Gabriel had sent Lauren to her, so she must have been in contact with him. She might know something.When I reached Lauren’s room, the guards opened the door for me without question. I stepped inside without knocking and found her reclining on the bed. She was propped against the headboard, a book covering her face.“Lauren.” I called, and only then did she gently lower the book from her face, revealing a calm and gentle expression. It was so unlike the Lauren I knew that I nearly stumbled in surprise.“There are some questions I need to ask you,” I began cautiously. Deep down, I kne
MAXIMUS“You might want to come and see what is going on.” Lucius’ voice came through the mind link.What is it? Are you itching for another fight? I’ll be sure to beat your ass this time. Not even if you retreat.” I groaned, annoyance thick in my throat.“No. No one is talking about fights here. The whole pack is gathered at the pack square. I am here. John, Lauren’s father, is here too.”At the mention of John, I sprang to my feet, urgency coursing through me. My strides quickened as I rushed to the pack square. The sight awaiting me only confirmed Lucius’ words—the entire pack had assembled, and standing at the forefront were Starlette, Lucius, and Lauren’s father. Starlette’s face was clouded with confusion as she glanced between the two men.“What’s going on here?” I demanded, my voice a low growl as I approached them. Stopping directly in front of Lauren’s father, I fixed my blazing eyes on him, brimming with murderous intent. “Your threats won’t work on me.”“I made an offer, A
MAXIMUSWhat Gabriel had said before he took his last breath all came pouring through my memories. I thought it was just a bluff, but could he have been telling the truth? Could he really not be working alone? Did he have another offspring we didn’t know about? Because the person in the pack at the moment had to be in their bloodline for the candle to have lit up.I mindlinked all the pack warriors. “Warriors. Look around the pack for any outsider. Now!”“Is the pack under attack again?” one of them asked.I sighed, thinking for a moment before replying. “No.”I didn’t want to alarm them and spark unnecessary panic in the pack.“Move. Now.” I added.My gaze returned to my mate. “I will go and join them in the search.”“Me too.” She quickly said.I wanted her to remain inside, safe. But knowing the mate that I had, I knew trying to stop her was pointless. She would want to take part in protecting the pack.“Okay.” I nodded, exhaling sharply. “Make sure to stay by my side at all times.
MAXIMUSA scalding fury consumed me. Just when we thought it was over, we hadn’t realised it was only the beginning. Maybe I should’ve listened to what Gabriel had tried to say instead of letting Lucius kill him. I never imagined there’d come a day when I’d regret Gabriel’s death.“Warriors, prepare yourselves,” I commanded through the mind link as I unsheathed my sword. “The Invisibles are here. Gather all the salt you can find.”Glancing at Starlette, I muttered, “Go inside. Take Amelia with you.”“No!” she snapped defiantly, her face set with determination. “I’m not going anywhere. We fight together—side by side. This is my pack too, and I want to protect them as much as you do.”This wasn’t the time for this argument.“You don’t even have a sword, Starlette,” I sighed, exasperated.Without missing a beat, she walked over to a nearby warrior and grabbed his sword. Turning back to me, she lifted it, her gaze unyielding. “I have one now.”I shook my head. Stubborn woman.After tellin
STARLETTE“Lauren is missing.” Maximus announced, and I snapped my gaze to him, my eyes widening in disbelief.“What?” I exclaimed as I tried to wrap my head around how that could be possible. She had guards by her door. At all times. Or, maybe… the guards left there to join in the fight against the invisibles? Nevertheless, she had to be found, if not for anything, but because she was one of the very few people who could give us information on Gabriel’s supposed partner. Whoever the witch who appeared to us was, she looked powerful and capable of burning down the north. They had to be stopped at all costs before another attack was launched.“Listen, warriors. Somehow, Lauren had managed to escape. I want every one of you to search thoroughly for her. She has to be found.” Max passed an urgent SOS to the warriors through the mind link.“I could try casting a location spell on her.” Amelia offered.“That would be well appreciated.” Max said.And so, we all rushed to Lauren’s room becau
STARLETTEThe man struggled beneath me, attempting to break free, but I delivered a sharp blow to his head. He let out a pained scream, clutching his skull with trembling hands.I mind-linked Maximus immediately. “There’s an intruder in your office. Get here now.”“What? Who is it?” His voice was sharp with worry.“I don’t know. Just hurry!”“Stay away from him but don’t let him out of your sight. I’m on my way.” He said before ending the mindlink.Moments later, the door flung open and Maximus barged in, fury burning in his eyes as he took in the sight of the man under me. Only then did I finally lift myself up off him, allowing Maximus to grab him by his collar and yank him up to his feet.The alpha king glared at him, the intimidating look causing the man to shiver.“A warrior.” Max snarled. “What were you doing in my office?”He shook his head vigorously, his lips trembling with fear. “Nothing. Nothing. I didn’t come here to do anything.”“Who sent you?!” Max growled, tightening h
AXELMy mind was a complete mess. I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened—Violet, Indie... all of it. I had trusted Indie with my life. I never imagined she could do something like that, only to leave me deeply disappointed in her.And the worst part? I couldn’t even hate her for what she did.How was I supposed to hate my sister?But that wasn’t what bothered me the most. The thought of Violet never speaking to me again did. I had asked Daisy not to tell her or anyone else what had happened with Indie for the fear of her perceiving me as being weak. I couldn’t believe how easily they had managed to control me, and I had fucking fallen for it.Orion wouldn’t stop rumbling and howling in my head. He was also sad about our mate. I ran into the forests and allowed him to take over, running around the massive trees to relieve stress. It did work, because he found temporary relief from running, and he stopped howling in pain.But me, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thi
VIOLET“No,” I replied to Indie without hesitation.I didn’t know what she wanted to talk about, but I wasn’t interested in having any conversation with her after messing around with my mate. I bet she enjoyed every single moment of it. There was no way I was going to let her mock me to my face.She looked at me for a few seconds and, as she quietly turned around, I could’ve sworn she was on the verge of tears. I wanted to stop her and ask what was wrong, but my pride wouldn’t let me.“Who is she?” my father asked, looking at me with a raised brow.“She’s no one important,” I quickly said. “Don’t worry about her.”“Are you sure? Because—”“Dad,” I cut him in. “I am serious. Don’t worry yourself about her.”He looked at me for a few more seconds, then sighed. “Okay.”I left the hospital afterward, and my parents made sure I was comfortable in my dorm before heading back to the South. Before they left, I tried convincing my dad to go with the bodyguards he had assigned to me, but he wou
AXELMy gaze shifted between my father and Indie, trying to wrap my head around the idea that a vase could be a portal between two people. But then again, Lila was a witch, and witches were known for doing things far beyond ordinary comprehension.“How exactly do we use this vase thing to get to Lila?” I asked, still confused. “Don’t you think she won’t show up if she realizes Indie isn’t the only one standing in front of the vase, waiting for her?”“You all should return to school. We’ll come up with a plan and get back to you,” he said, pinning his gaze on Indie. “Don’t act suspicious. Lila must not find out that we had this conversation. The portal in the vase needs to remain open until we’ve formulated a strategy.”Indie nodded vigorously, bowing before the Alpha. “I promise not to let you down again. I would never let the pack down again.”“Good. Now, return to school. I haven’t decided what your punishment will be yet, but rest assured, you will be punished,” he told her, then t
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