STARLETTESeizing the opportunity, I quickly got up from bed and rushed out of the room. As I walked down the hall, I noticed that two men were following. I stopped in my tracks, taking in a long breath. Of course, he wouldn’t let me roam the pack freely and unwatched. But that wasn’t going to stop me from escaping. First, I had to survey the pack and know my way around.Taking another deep breath, I continued walking, studying every nook and cranny of the pack. The people gazed at me as I passed them, looking at me like I was some sort of alien. They needn't worry. I will be gone soon. I told myself. From what I had gathered so far, there were enough female soldiers in this pack and thankfully, they all wore uniforms. I just had to get one of them to follow me to private place, where the two men that had been joblessly following me around wouldn’t see and manoeuvre her. My plan was to change into her uniform and get out this damn pack before they could even notice that I was gone.J
MAXIMUSThe frustration and rage consuming my whole being were capable of tearing me apart. I barely slept, barely ate—all I could think about was Starlette and what she was going through at the moment. I still hadn’t found her nor any clue that could lead us to her. I was filled with regret. I should’ve insisted on following her; that way, I would have been able to protect her. Instead, I trusted her words that she would be okay and allowed her to go alone with the warriors. I was the greatest fool ever.Everyone had been trying their best to find her. Amelia couldn’t locate her through the spell, and that only made me more scared. Whoever took her had cloaked her. And that confirmed my suspicion—it was definitely the witch working in collaboration with her father, Isaac. Despite the intense interrogations, Isaac refused to confess.Even though the torture was extreme, driving him to the brink of death at times, he still wouldn’t admit anything. He had been transferred to the dungeon
MAXIMUS“What?!” I exclaimed, narrowing my eyes, trying to understand what Bella had just told me.“She is pregnant. And she is in her third trimester already,” she repeated firmly.I shook my head, trying to make sense of what she was saying. But it didn’t make one bit of sense. If she was in her third trimester, she would have been heavily pregnant. But she wasn’t. In fact, her stomach was as flat as ever before she left this pack.“This is not the time for jokes, Bella,” I hissed. “Please leave if you have nothing serious to say. Do not infuriate me!”“The baby is hiding itself to protect itself; that’s why she isn’t showing yet,” she said firmly, unwavering in her claims. She looked into my eyes, stating firmly, “Starlette is pregnant.”I narrowed my eyes at her, and she remained unmoving, refusing to back down from her claims. Bella would never lie to me for fun, would she? Especially in this critical moment.As the realization dawned, my stomach tightened, anxiety coursing throu
STARLETTEShoot me! I groaned internally as I recoiled. Silas had caught me, and with that, all hope of ever leaving this place shattered. My chance to escape might never come again.“Shift!” he commanded, and as much as I would have loved to disobey him, I knew it was over, and I had better just do as he said.So, regrettably, I shifted back to my human form. One of his men handed him a blanket, and he wasted no time wrapping it around me and scooping me into his arms.“I must admit,” he whispered in a way only I could hear, “you are drop-dead gorgeous. I can’t wait to fuck you until you can't walk anymore.”“You dream too much, and those dreams will never come true. Not in this lifetime, not in the next,” I spat.He grinned wickedly. “We’ll see.”He seemed so sure that I would eventually give in. What a retard.He took me to the room I had been kept in before and carefully laid me on the bed.Staring down at me, he muttered, “I should be angry, but you are pretty, so I won’t. But ne
STARLETTEOnce we were in Sandra’s room, I shut the door and locked it so the jobless guards following me wouldn’t come inside.“Sandra!” I called sternly as I turned to face her. “Is this really how you want to live your life forever? Is this the kind of environment you want your kids to grow up in? A place where they witness their father abusing their mother day after day? What do you think that will do to their mental health? Even if you’re strong enough to endure it, do you think your children could handle it?”She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t want things to remain this way forever.”“Then why won’t you dump his ass and get as far away from this place as possible?”“He might... he might change. He wasn’t always like this. I still—”“Change?” I interjected, staring at her in disbelief. I couldn’t let her finish those infuriating words. Silas had no redeeming qualities. What kind of man would slap his Luna, let alone beat her?“What else does he do to you?”
STARLETTEThe four bodyguards trailed me closely as I left the room. Changing into a female soldier’s uniform was no longer a viable option, so I needed to devise a smarter plan to escape. My mind raced, searching desperately for a solution. Then I remembered the alarm system installed throughout the pack house. I hadn’t been explicitly told its purpose, but I knew it was for emergencies—whether fires or rogue attacks. My only chance of escaping now depended on creating chaos in the pack; only then would I be able to slip out of the guards’ sight.Yes! That was the perfect plan, I thought. I sped down the corridor, my eyes scanning for one of the alarm systems. I was so focused on my search that I turned a corner and bumped into what felt like a wall. My heart rate quickened, knowing who it was before even raising my head to see his face. Silas.“Oh, my pretty girl,” his voice sounded as I felt his arm wrap around my waist. “Where were you rushing to?”“I was coming to look for you. G
MAXIMUS“Do you know why you are here?” I asked Maeve and Sabrina, looking at them dangerously.They shook their heads vigorously, their fear evident. “No,” their voices shook.“If your father hasn’t told you, then I will. He kidnapped your sister, Starlette, and killed all the warriors sent to escort her. Now, I want him to tell me where he has kept Starlette or reveal his accomplices. He refuses. And you know—” I slowly unlocked the cell gate, opening it. They veered backward, trembling as I walked in. “Starlette is my mate, and I would do anything to find her.”“Do not touch my daughters!” Isaac screamed from behind. “Please!”My gaze snapped to him, cold and unforgiving. “Does that mean you’re ready to talk?”He pressed his lips together, nothing but silence filling the air.“No,” I answered for him, then returned my gaze to the two girls. “Ask your father to tell me where she is so that you don’t have to suffer for his sins.”“Father, please,” one of them cried. “Please, just tel
STARLETTEFrom the book I had read about the Invisibles, I learned their power was tied to a burning candle. If the candle were extinguished, their invisibility would cease. I had a strong suspicion that the candle burning on the stone before me was the very source of their power. Its presence here, in Silas’ pack, could mean only one thing—Silas was the mastermind we had been hunting all along. And the red-haired witch we encountered the other day was none other than Lila.I moved closer to the candle, determined to snuff it out, when a sharp voice cut through the air.“What are you doing here?”I snapped my gaze to the side to find Lila standing there, rage burning in her eyes.“You!” I growled, baring my canines. “You control the Invisibles. Gabriel is your father!”She tilted her head to the side as she continued staring at me. “Looks like Silas let his pet wander too far.”“To what end?” I growled, fire burning within me. “Why do you keep attacking my pack?”“Because I want to ta
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