"Mama," he called, his head tilted upward and eyes fixed on the picture of his parents on the wall. In the picture, they were smiling at each other, a certain excitement in their eyes. If he didn't know better, he would have thought they were happily in love, but he knew better. The picture was taken way before he was born, way before his father grew a certain fondness for the woman he chose to be his mate. Their smiles might have been bright, but their hearts weren't.How can something so beautiful be so painful?"Yes, my world?" The older woman asked, not raising her head from her book. The boy blinked, mentally searching for any emotion in his heart, the usual sadness that came whenever he looked at the picture on the wall. He found none."Tell me, why is the mate bond so important? Aside from helping people identify their soulmates? Can't non-soulmates be happy together?" The woman, still looking at her book, shrugged."That's just it, it helps locate one's soulmate. There's a pos
She looked at the object on the table, frowning upon it with great disdain. She would rather be doing other things, like reading books and sorting flowers. This was not on her to-do list. Yet, her mother insisted. She looked up from the object, a hateful frown still seated on her face. Her mother was busy cleaning the second one. "I really don't like this, Mother, must I?""You must because one day when everything turns red, you'll need to know how to defend yourself and survive. It's not something I ever wished for you to learn, but it's something you have to. You might hate it now, but one day, you'll remember this day and smile, glad that I made sure you did."_____I am certainly glad.Alpha Ajax dropped the big bomb on me at his office, I'd have to prove myself too. In his pack, everyone has to prove worthy of it, to test their level of power and strength and see how best they can improve it and their ranks. I got to learn that even if the omegas don't fight much, they are traine
I sped through the forest as soundlessly as I could, pushing things out of my way. I automatically knew how to dodge stepping on things that would emit any sound to give myself away, using the trees as my cover from the enemies. It had been forty minutes since the trial began. Ten minutes into it, Scarlette and I somehow separated. I honestly still don't know how, but it would have happened anyway, we weren't allowed to help each other.So far, I made it in, avoiding any form of traps or confrontation from anyone or anything, but I didn't get lucky. I stumbled upon a group of hunters. At first, I almost panicked when I saw them, they could kill me. Then I remembered what the alpha said. So, I had to focus on not getting a scratch or too much. That didn't go so well because I ended up with a wound on my forearm.It happened when one of the archers shot an arrow. The arrow didn't pierce me, but in my attempt to avoid it, it swished past my forearm and gave me a pretty good cut. I had le
I ran through the forest again, this time, a bear chasing me. I manoeuvred around trees, jumped over fallen trunks and slid under when jumping looked impossible with my injured thigh. The stupid bear was worse than the others. How did I come across it? The werewolf boy just turned into a giant bear and chased me. I was tired of running at this point. Why was I even running?I speedily climbed up a tall tree, using my kunai to climb as fast as I could. The bear barrelled into the tree, roaring and growling with fury. I tried to stabilise myself as it repeatedly continued to jam into the tree. I reached a branch and positioned myself, pulling out the bow and three arrows I managed to carry before the boy turned into a bear. I strung all three arrows and aimed for its head. Knowing that it would dodge, I let my kunai fall, so it would jump to another angle, firing my arrows before it could change position.Bullseye.Exhaling, I dropped on the tree to rest. I rested a bit, my breath heavi
The older woman effortlessly dodged her little one's attack, walking backwards with hands clasped behind her back. The girl attacked relentlessly, swinging her whip and slashing her blade, each with calculated speed. The woman smiled fondly at her daughter, knowing that she would soon figure out how to take her down. That's just how her brain works. Attack relentlessly, each passing second giving her brain the time to work out an excellent plan. A plan that even she as an adult will not be able to avoid. Her little one was exactly like her father.Abruptly, the girl changed movement, using her whip to pick up a rock and tossing it to the left, knowing her mother would jump there to avoid getting hit. Not seeing it coming, the rock hit her hard on the chest. Before she could recover, the whip wrapped around her legs and pulled, smashing her on the ground before she was hurled many feet away.The woman cursed as she was slammed hard into a tree, the thick protruding branch of the tree s
I didn't know I spaced out, if I knew, I would have seen her coming. I snapped out of it a bit too late, so I only had enough time to block my chest. She rammed into me, a loud crack coming from one of my hands, which I used to block my chest to lessen the blow.Wincing from the pain coming from my screaming bones, I flipped myself in the air as my body flew across the arena, using that momentum to thrust myself downward, slamming my bare feet on the ground. The force of the throw and my landing pushed my feet back a bit, drifting me six feet away from where I landed. I wanted to tell myself that was super cool, but I didn't have the time, as her wolf was already rushing towards me again.Pushing one leg back, I winced as I pushed my hands back. My best shot was my not broken hand. Luckily, the broken hand was the same injured one from the forest, so I still had my good one. Faking a blow with my good hand, I curled my toes and readied myself for my next move. She ducked her head to a
The young boy looked at his friend pacing around, rehearsing his line over and over again. Indeed, he was amused by what was before him, and puzzled. He didn't see what the fuss was about over asking a girl out on a date. It's just a stupid three to four hours of ongoing nonsensical activities with a skinny perfect girl wannabe. He still didn't see why his friend was putting so much effort into an activity that would cause him to be tied to someone he won't end up with. Two to three months and the thing he worked so hard to get would end. What a waste of time and energy."So, what do you think, Hendrix? Do you think she'll like it?" His friend asked, excited but nervous eyes staring at him. The boy sucked his drink from his straw, blinking apathetically. "Come on, Hendrix, help a brother out here! I need her to like my poem, I need her to think I'm the most sexy and silver-tongued, charming juvenile she has ever met. My heart and sex life depend on it!" He rolled his eyes at his frien
It's working! It's working! The alpha is starting to like me! I'm going on a date! Note, I wasn't the one screaming that, Zinnia was. She was more excited than I was. When the alpha asked to take us out, I didn't think it was a date until Gemma said so. Then I had to lie that I didn't want it to be a date, so I won't be too obvious. But then, after he left, Gemma, Brie, and Taffy kidnapped and literally simultaneously yelled, "Baby girl, stop being a naive little virgin, or that silly good girl. It's so obvious he likes you, can't you see the way he looks at you? If he's too uncertain to go for it, then take the bull by the horn and claim that dick!" I blinked, startled beyond words, while Scarlette and Kira laughed their stomach out. Then Brie added: "He wants this to be a date, but he's not sure if you want it to be. I know you want it to, and I assure you that there's nothing wrong with wanting him. He's single, he'll never get a mate, so claim that dick while you still have the
Gillian returned from the mission and was extremely enthusiastic. He lifted me and spun me around, causing me to squeal with excitement and surprise. He put me down after three amazing spins and hugged me so tightly I saw stars.Drix snarled and the next second, I was snatched away from Gillian and he narrowly missed a claw slap. Gillian jumped back, raising his hands in surrender. "Whoa, calm down. I'm only hugging my friend,""You're registering yourself for a beating," out of nowhere, a scrawny girl with unkempt hair jumped in front of Gil, spreading her hands wide and creating a shield with her body. That startled Drix and me, and we looked at her confused."Stay away from Charming or I'll bite you!" The girl was probably my age or older and had a death wish growling at an alpha. She also smelled like… she didn't smell like a werewolf. I'd never perceived anything like her before, but again, she was a victim of a sick experiment. Still, there were a few reasons why a girl or anyon
I pressed the suitcase hard with my weight and managed to click the lock. I sighed as I stood up straight, putting my fist on the side of my waist and wiping the sweat out of my forehead with my other hand. "Phew!" That'll be all for shoes. Now what else am I missing?I looked around, calculating everything I packed and what else I needed. Hendrix sighed for the umpteenth time. He claimed I was overdoing the packing but he didn't understand. This vacation was important to me. A girl can't be too prepared. I need to make sure I have everything and anything. "We can just buy whatever you need if you end up missing something. We'll only be staying there for a week, Sapphire. You've packed more than enough,""We might stay longer and Scarlette and I are going to explore. We already have our bucket list, and Vecoria has hers too. I'm in charge of making sure we have everything ready– hmm, what else have I not packed yet?" I mused thoughtfully, completely forgetting that I was talking to so
"So it's not like I'm getting my powers back but someone like you," she nodded. "What use will that be?" I asked as the chains fell off."Zircon has been sleeping for too long, milady, please wake him up." I rubbed my wrist. "He knows a lot about curses so he'll know how to destroy the sword," "I still don't see the use," I grumbled.‘Oh fucking hell! Why are you so unnecessarily stubborn?!’ I froze. I blinked once, then twice, and more times. I was hearing things. I thought I was losing my mind. ‘You're not, bitch! I'm back!’I looked at Vecoria in complete shock, my jaw already hitting the ground. I was shocked out of my wit but one thing was for sure, I thought I was going crazy. I had to be going crazy because there was no other explanation as to why I could hear Zinnia's voice in my head. She died.‘I died as a curse, but Selene finally did something useful with herself and brought me back as a real wolf, sort of,’I fell on my butt, too shocked to remain standing. Vecoria panic
I've never imagined my life without Zinnia. I'd gotten so used to her that I couldn't remember how it felt without her. I was reminded the hard way. I could feel the emptiness in my head the moment I opened my eyes. I felt naked and alone. The silence in my head left an incessant ringing in my ears and my mind was just there, empty.The intense feeling of emptiness devoured me so much that even when I noticed the shackles on my hands and legs and realised that I was in an unfamiliar surrounding, I couldn't care less. I was so nonchalant and unperturbed, but all I could do was sit down with my knees to my chest and stare into space. Zinnia was gone and I was alone in a dungeon, unaware of who my abductors were.I hadn't come in contact with anyone since I was locked away. My food was given to me through the doggy hole twice every day but water came once a day. I no longer had a wolf, I no longer had the powers of a blood wolf or a werewolf. I was just a luna with a barrier and healing
‘This is useless,’ Alaric said flatly as I flimsily held up the last book with a slight knowledge of Selene's offspring. Just like the rest, it only had information about things we already know. No artefacts, no books, nothing. What is the use of coming here?Jerry sighed and tossed away the book in his hand. "What a waste of time,""Tell me about it. Let's just leave, it's useless at this point," Gil grumbled. "Not even the slightest clue about any of her children who laid a curse or anything that gives a hint of it. We could be missing something—""We are not, I would know," I said firmly, dropping the hard book on the table.‘I feel weird,’ Alaric said with a whimper, scratching at the barrier of my mind. We've felt that way from the moment we stepped into the temple. Alaric had it worse. ‘Drix walk out of the library and turn right, then left, and right again,’‘Feel something?’ I asked, rising from my seat.‘A hunch,’ I gestured to Gillian t
Chills ran up and down my spine, making me constantly shiver. Hugging my body did not help. I walked out of the tree, completely horrified. The reason why Zinnia knew so much, the reason why she was so different was because she was the soul of the curse Deianira created. I was petrified by it. I had most of the important memories from my life as Milena which consisted mostly of my time with Dad, a few times with my subordinates, and the time I spent finding an end to the curse. Most of my memories were of me as Sapphire.Sapphire is more human than Milena, and humans feel more emotions, they are vulnerable to pain. Sapphire had more attachment with many, unlike Milena whose world only revolved around Sapphire's father. The point was that I grew up with Zinnia. She wasn't just my wolf, she was a bigger part of my soul and I just learned that to end the long-lasting suffering, I needed to kill her. It was basically telling me to murder my sister, mother, friend, and child.I would have
I wiped off sweat from my forehead as I walked out of the room to find Scarlette. A lot of my memories were still missing and I knew exactly where I could get them. “Scarlette, where are you?”“The garden outside. There's something strange about it,” that was where I was going. I broke into a run. Finding my way was easier because I knew every corner of this castle. I stayed in it alone for years. One thing I now remember, the willow tree in Drix's garden is a fragment of the mother tree in my mother's gemstone garden. Then the pixie who happened to have been in danger must not have been a coincidence. She intentionally appeared there to create the gemstone garden already knowing I'd arrive someday.The original was far more magnificent than the copy. The garden was more like a forest, comparable to Brasher but bigger. Then she named the centre a garden. Different trees made of different gemstones and minerals stood firmly, with bushes, flowers, and other ground crops also made out of
My heart felt strange. There was a sense of familiarity to the castle and my heart didn't feel well about it. It felt bitter. Just like the cave, the walls were filled with pictures of Hiems, the person he was before he reincarnated. But unlike Liviana's, the pictures were decent and passionate, and a woman was with him in some of the pictures.The first time I saw her, I halted and stared at her with hatred. I couldn't tell why I felt that way but I've never felt the capacity of hatred as I felt for her. She had long sleek back hair that looked exactly like a moonless night with stars scattered all over the sky. Her eyes were more like galactic starry night than the galaxy itself. It was beautiful—she was beautiful. She had plump red lips and porcelain skin, a smile that could break wars or create them. She was a real beauty but instead of admiring her, I despised her.Hiems, on the other hand, was a tall man with golden yellow hair and sapphire eyes. His body status was similar to m
Kira opened a portal and it took us to a library. I found myself standing between two tall shelves. Certainly, we were trespassing because we didn't get permission to enter. Zinnia already gave me back my body but she kept her presence dominant.Kira began walking and I followed her. "Where are we?""Library of Congress,""Library of what?!" I screamed. She threw me a glare over her shoulder. I pressed my hand on my lips and looked at her apologetically. She returned her gaze straight ahead. She was wearing fluffy slippers so the sound of her feet was almost silent. I walked silently despite the shoes I had on. She walked urgently as if she was afraid something would catch up to her."How did you find him so easily? And how did Zinnia contact you?""You seem to still be ignorant of the kind of powers your wolf possesses," she took a turn. I increased my pace to catch up with her. "You know, I haven't had sex for months,""What brought that on?""Just saying," she shrugged, looking aro