Mirage's P.O.V I woke up as the sunrays hit my eyes, causing me to squirm in my sleep. Instances from last night flashed in my mind and my eyes snapped open only for me to find that none of it had been a dream…but a very vivid reality. And now, I was practically lying on top of Alex, naked and vulnerable and incredibly sated and feeling like I belonged right here with him, forever. But it was already morning, and no matter how much I didn't want to, I had to get up and start my day and go to train with Freya, who was teaching me to gain more control over my powers. However cool that sounded, I was actually getting nowhere with my training, because the only time I had been able to use my powers had been to knock Freya out that one time and my powers hadn't resurfaced ever since. Even that stupid voice inside my head was gone. Sighing, I sat up in bed, the covers drawn to my chest as I watched Alex fast asleep beside me. He stirred when he felt me move, but
Julian's P.O.V Candice hadn't come to school today, and that was good. I didn't like how she was always clinging to me. I sighed as I started walking my way back to the packhouse. It was only a ten minute walk from school and I usually went in Candice's car. But today, I was glad that she didn't come to school and I get to walk alone. It has been a long time since I walked home alone…without having to listen to Candice's crazy stories. She kept telling everyone that I was her 'boyfriend' and all the other boys said they were jealous of me for having such a cute girlfriend. But I wasn't Candice's boyfriend…I really wasn't! How could I tell people that? And whenever I tried to…she would always start crying and screaming so loud that the teacher would have to scold her…or me. I didn't make her cry! Then why did I get scolded? She kept irritating me so much! She wasn't like Uncle Alex's mate, Mirage. She was so pretty and she was always nice to me. She also sc
**Author's Note: Trigger Warning: This chapter contains scenes of triggers. Contains scenes of rape and sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised. The author also does not condone nor glorify any of the scenes listed. Proceed with caution.** Mirage's P.O.V The bed dipped on the other side, like someone just took a seat beside me. I stirred in my sleep momentarily, but thought nothing of it. Alex has often been sleeping next to me for the past few days; sneaking in at night even though he didn't need to sneak in. I had given him the security code to my room for this specific reason. The warmth he provided was welcoming and I didn't feel so alone if he was with me. And I didn't mind his touch either. He made me feel things I never thought I could feel… I felt more movement, as if Alex was trying to get comfortable. Sighing in my sleep, I waited for him to reach for me, to wrap his arms around me so I could cuddle next to him. His hands found my
Mirage's P.O.V I jolted up in bed, a scream tearing through my lips. "Mirage!" Alex grabbed onto my shoulders. "It's me. It was just a nightmare!" "NO! NO! NO! Don't touch me!" I pressed my hands to my ears and kept on screaming until my throat was scrubbed raw and my voice broke from the strain. "Don't touch me! Please! Don't!" "Alex…" I think I vaguely heard Freya's voice from the doorway. "The spell isn't working." "It's alright." He told her and I felt the bed become lighter. "I'll leave. Please…take care of her for me." "We'll do the best we can." Soft footsteps were heard followed by the sound of a door closing before the quietness returned to the room. I kept my eyes squeezed shut; my entire body trembling like a leaf. If it had all been a dream then why did it still hurt so badly? Why did it feel like my insides were being ripped apart?
Alex's P.O.V 'Freya just told me…her memories are back…' Cameron's voice echoed inside my head over and over again as I curled in on myself on my bed. I had refused to talk to anyone. I didn't want to be pitied or felt sorry for. I just wanted to be left all alone. I had never felt so helpless in my life…especially when I had seen Mirage in that condition… 'NO! NO! NO! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Please! Don't!' Her desperate cries for help mingled with her need to stay away from me had been a blow to my wolf that neither of us had expected. Our mate was supposed to feel safe around us…not cower away and reject our touch…then why was my mate acting in such a way? The way she had acted as I had tried to comfort her…that scene played in my head over and over again. It was harder to bear than any physical blow. That rejection had hurt more than anything I had felt before. My wolf was in agony, curled up on itself inside me, just like I w
Mirage's P.O.V 2 Years Ago… A sound inside my bedroom woke me up from a deep slumber. Sitting up in bed, I looked around my room to find nothing out of place. The nightlight that I usually kept lit at all times was still glowing a dim green, illuminating my small room enough that I could see everything clearly. Sighing, I was about to go back to sleep when that sound came again…this time I realized that the source was the window. A little startled and suddenly alert, I looked towards the wall clock to find it reading 4.08AM. Who on earth could be at my window at 4- Eyes widening in realization, I rushed to my window and pulled it open and held my hand out so my little sister could climb back inside my room through the window from the branch of the old maple tree right outside the attic window. "Jeez!" Maze dusted off her tiny black dress that left little to the imagination and gave me a drunken smile. "That was a whole work
Mirage's P.O.V "Mirage…if it's too difficult-" "No." I shook my head. "I need to say it. If the flowers in my room were some kind of spell…that means he's already nearby. And it can mean your pack is in danger as well." "Vampires or any other species wouldn't outright try to pick a fight with any pack." Alpha Charles reassured me. "Packs stick together and as a majority in the Supernatural council, we aren't a species to mess around with." "Fae are endangered species, protected by that same council that claims to be on the side of the minority community and offers them full protection," I reminded him. "And yet, that didn't stop the vampires from coming after us." "Go on then." Alpha Charles sighed. "Only till you reach your limit. Do not force yourself to bring back unwanted memories." Unwanted memories, he says? I wanted to scoff. There were no 'unwanted memor
Mirage's P.O.V Facing Krimson after everything that had happened while he was here…it was difficult. But still, I greeted him with a pleasant smile because he was still the man who had helped me become whole again after the darkness had consumed me inside out…forcing my wolf to take over. "Alpha Krimson," I asked him with a smile. "How can I help you?" "Just Krimson is fine," he gave me an amused smile. "There's no need to force yourself to greet me formally." "Fine," I shrugged, feeling myself smile genuinely for the first time. "Then how can I help you?" Krimson had been the only one who hadn't witnessed my breakdown. It somehow made me less weary of him, especially since he had been in my shoes to some point in his life. "I need to know if you can still feel any of your earlier connection to me." The question caught me off-guard, especially since it came out of the blue, w
Lilac's P.O.V It's been a long ride and a very eventful one at that and anytime I think about what Krimson and I have been through, I'm just grateful we had the strength to go through everything we went through and we were able to come out of it even stronger than how we were before. As the sun cast its warm, golden rays across the university campus, I found myself sitting on a bench, the weight of decisions pressing against my chest. The soft whispers of the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze mirrored the conflicted thoughts swirling in my mind. Krimson, my mate, had offered a future tied to our pack, an enticing prospect for many, but not for me. I gazed at the sprawling grounds, feeling a tug in my heart that wasn't just about academic pursuits. The university held promises beyond the textbooks and lectures. It offered freedom—freedom to carve my own identity, to explore knowledge that extended far beyond the boundaries of our pack's traditions. I yearned to brea
Krimson's P.O.V I woke up to the pale light filtering through the hospital room, the faint beeping of monitors sounding in the background. My vision was hazy at first, the events leading up to this moment a jumbled mess in my mind. As I blinked and slowly tried to focus, the first thing that became clear was Lilac's form, peacefully asleep in a chair next to my bed. Relief washed over me as memories flooded back, fragments piecing together into a coherent narrative. "Lilac," I whispered softly, my voice hoarse from disuse. She stirred slightly, a faint flutter of eyelashes against her cheeks, but she remained deep in slumber. The sight of her there, unwavering by my side, despite everything that had transpired, filled me with an inexplicable warmth. I couldn't help but recall the chaos of that night—the confrontation, the whirlwind of emotions, and then the blankness as consciousness slipped away from me. But here I was, waking up to her steadfast presence. It m
Lilac's P.O.V I watched Silver hurl accusations at me, adding to my guilt. I wanted to explain, to make her understand that it wasn't intentional, that the circumstances had shifted beyond my control. But words seemed to desert me in that moment as I grappled with the weight of her accusation. However, Krimson's voice echoed in the room then, commanding even though weak. "Silver, it's not Lilac's fault," he said firmly, his voice carrying the weight of authority. "I made the decision. I took action to protect." Silver's gaze snapped toward Krimson, her eyes filled with disbelief. "What are you saying, Krimson? You hated her, didn't you? Then why would you risk your life to save her?" Krimson shook his head solemnly. "No, Silver. I never hated Lilac, it was our circumstances that I hated. It felt like the Goddess had played a cruel joke on me. But I couldn't run away from a bond fated by the goddess herself, Silver. I had caused Lilac enough pain as it is…I
Lilac's P.O.V I nodded, my mind racing with the urgency of the situation. I moved towards Silver, hoping against hope that all of this worked. "Silver…" I called out to her slowly, making her head snap in my direction. "Please…you need to stop all of this." But Silver's face twisted in a sinister smirk. "It's too late to stop any of this, Lilac. This ends with one of us." "It doesn't have to be that way, Silvia." I shook my head, pleading with her. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Del approaching her steadily from behind her, while I kept on engaging her in conversion. "It does, Lilac." Silver snapped at me, turning her body around so she was facing me completely. "You don't understand-" It was all Del needed, for her to turn away, so that our plan worked. Without wasting a second, he came up behind Silver and wrapped his arms around her body, holding her in place as he took her by surprise
Lilac's P.O.V For a moment, time seemed suspended, the tableau frozen in an eerie stillness. Silver hesitated, her gaze flickering between me and Krimson, the dagger held poised in the air, its lethal purpose momentarily forgotten in the face of Krimson's interruption. "Step away from her, Silver," Krimson's voice cut through the tension, unwavering and authoritative. His stance was firm, commanding obedience without question. The grip of Silver's magic lessened, the pressure easing just enough for me to draw a ragged breath. My muscles protested as I struggled against the binds anew, though I didn't dare to take my eyes off Silver, her expression a maelstrom of conflicting emotions - anger, desperation, and a hint of something I couldn't quite place. "Krimson, you shouldn't be here," Silver's voice wavered, a tremor betraying the turmoil within her. Her grip on the dagger faltered, uncertainty clouding her features. "You know I couldn't stand by and
Lilac's P.O.V The air was thick with tension, a palpable energy that crackled around us like a storm waiting to break. "Silver, you're fooling yourself if you think you can wield that kind of power," I said softly, my gaze fixed on the gleaming knife in her hands. "You're not a true Silver Alpha Breeder, you never will be. You can't ever access my full potential." Silver's laughter cut through the serene air, a sound that held a hint of something darker beneath its surface. "Oh, you have no idea, do you?" Her eyes glinted with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. "You underestimate what a witch can do, what I can do. I'm part wolf, part witch. I'm a hybrid that is already stronger than both a wolf and a witch! There's nothing I cannot do, Lilac!" "You think I chose you to lead our pack because of some noble sentiment? No, Lilac." Her voice was cold, devoid of any warmth. "I chose you because I knew the stronger you became, the more that dormant p
Lilac's P.O.V My eyes brimmed with confusion and hurt as I confronted Silver in the dimly lit room I was being held captive in. "Did you…ever really consider me a friend, Silver?" my voice trembled with a mixture of fear and desperation, my heart aching with the weight of betrayal. Silver, her gaze heavy with sorrow and a haunted past, met my eyes. "I used to belong to a peaceful pack, a pack that had been my home since the day I was born," she began, her voice tinged with a raw emotion that spoke volumes of her pain. "We lived in harmony, in unity. It was everything to me." Tears welled up in Silver's eyes, reflecting the agony of memories etched deep within her soul. "Your father," she whispered, the words heavy with anguish. "He... he attacked our pack. In the dead of night, when darkness cloaked the land, he led a brutal assault." I felt my heart ache for the woman that I had once considered my biggest alley, but now, she had turned out to be my bigges
Krimson's P.O.V The night hung heavy around us as we tore through the city streets, the engine's roar mingling with the howling wind. Del and I were on a mission—racing against time to reach Silver's apartment. It was imperative that we find Lilac before anything sinister unfolded. "Alpha Krimson, step on it!" Del's voice cut through the adrenaline-charged air, urgency lacing every word. His grip tightened on the door handle as we swerved through the dimly lit alleys, the neon signs blurring into streaks of color. "I'm pushing it as hard as I can!" I shouted back, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. The weight of worry pressed on me like a leaden cloak. We had to reach Silver's place, and had to find Lilac safe and sound. Finally, screeching to a halt outside Silver's building, we leaped out of the car. Breathless and tense, we dashed up the stairs, each step echoing the pounding of our hearts. As we reached Silver's door, our hopes soared, but a hollow silence gre
Lilac's P.O.V As I slowly arose to consciousness, I found myself grappling with the weight of my heavy eyelids. My mind sluggishly pieced together the fragments of reality, pushing through a dense fog of disorientation. The air felt heavy, each inhale a laborious effort that failed to fill my lungs as it should. A peculiar lightheadedness swept over me, a disconcerting sensation akin to floating on the edge of a dream. My initial attempt to stretch my arms, to move, met an unexpected resistance. Panic flickered through my drowsy mind as the realization hit home—I was restrained. My fingertips brushed against something coarse and unyielding, confirming my fear. The sensation sent a jolt of adrenaline through my groggy state, clearing the haze momentarily. I tried to rise, only to discover the cruel truth of my predicament: bound, not just by ropes or chains, but tied firmly to what appeared to be a marble table. The cool surface pressed against my skin, a s