The agonising ticking of my wall clock echoed in the room but the sound of my beating heart tortured me more. I hated that sound the most. I despised the air that went into my body and came out. I hated the sun for being so meek. It should have burnt me to a crisp. My heart should have stopped already but it was revived.I slowly and grudgingly opened my eyes, meeting the white ceiling and the warm pink lights. I hated how warm it was. I hated everything. "He's awake! He's okay!" I turned my head sideways and looked at the person shrieking. It was easy to conclude that the person was Brie.Brie gingerly lifted my head and sat down, placing my head on top of her thighs. "Hey, how do you feel?" She asked softly."Why am I still breathing?" I heard her heart skip but that wasn't my problem. I remember waking up an hour after they knocked me out and fed myself with different kinds of toxins. How was I still unharmed? "Who saved me?" I barked."Hendrix, calm down—""Calm down?" I laughed,
Sapphire stepped forward but Manchester who was standing behind her placed a hand on her shoulder, making her halt her steps. Sapphire looked over her shoulder and smiled assuredly, a smile that made my heart skip. Manchester let her go with a smile of his own and a nod, then she turned her head around and started striding towards me, fearlessly.I stared at her with an expression of panic and fear, my heart thumping violently in my chest. Isn't she angry with me? Isn't she supposed to be scared? Why is she coming closer to the man that almost raped her? Why don't I smell fear or negative emotions from her? Why is she worried about me?Sapphire swung the pillow and whacked my head with it. A loud bong resonated in my head as the pillow… no, the man-killer made contact with my head. The sound echoed in the room as well, along with the sound of my skull cracking. The world toppled over its axis and spun vertiginously, and bile rose up my throat."Wow, do it again! Do it again!" Cooper c
The eight-year-old sat by the lake, staring into the clear blue water absentmindedly. In her eyes, her reflection was that of her wolf, staring back with so much sadness. It was a day after her mother told her that if she does find her mate, she should reject him; twenty-four hours after learning the reasons why she must avoid her mate at all costs. They were sad."I don't want to spend the rest of my life without a mate, Zinnia, we'd be lonely like Mother is," she said sadly, sniffing at the end of her lament. Her wolf rolled her eyes around."But even if she is alone, she did meet your father and he was her mate. Although she will never share the memory of him with us, she still has wonderful memories to brighten her day. I see her sit and smile, staring at the ring on her finger. She knows how the mate bond feels, she knows how it feels to be in love and have someone put you before anyone else. Why does she want to take that away from us?""Zinnia, Mother is trying to protect us, c
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.The sound of her whip cutting through the air resonated in the empty forest. She had a blindfold over her eyes so she could rely on her hearing sense instead. Her mind was occupied as she practised using the silver whip coated in wolfsbane with silver spikes and a scorpion tail tip. Her movement was like a dance, following the rhythm of the forest and her heartbeat. If only her thoughts were as serene as the training.Sapphire sighed and lowered her hand as the training came to an end. She pushed the blindfold up her head and blinked a couple of times to adjust her eyes to the brightness of the day. Once her eyes adjusted, she wrapped up the whip and pinned it to her belt, then stretched on her toes, looking up at the clear blue sky.She smiled as she saw some birds flying away like a happy flock and she couldn't help but wish for that freedom. ‘What's so special about being meat? Scrawny meat?’ Her wolf's voice echoed in her head, breaking the serenity of the
A stab from a friend cuts deeper than a stab from a foe. – Amit Kalantri____Betrayal, an emotion I hadn't felt before. I never felt it because I was never close to anyone to suffer that painful emotion. I didn't have any family members except my mother and she loved me more than herself. I unconsciously never gave room for betrayal and I didn't know it would hurt so much. It's true what they say, with love comes a lot of pain in different kinds of ways.It's certain that I didn't know how to deal with new emotions. The ache in my chest is caused by the tightness in my heart. The burning sensation spread across my chest and heated my stomach and for some reason, I thought the stir in my stomach felt like boiling acid. The unusual reaction of my inside left a lump in my throat and made my windpipe beg for full liberty to air.Memories of the times Zinnia vowed to make sure she accepts our mate returned to my head. It was obvious she tampered with my memories and temporarily shut them
I stayed silent for three days trying to decide. I spent twelve years working on my survival skills, twelve years doing nothing but trying to survive and now, I had to give that life up. Either way, my life would be taken because even if I tried to run, Hendrix would find me. There is nowhere I can run from the world's strongest alpha. His pack might not be the largest but they were considered the strongest and if he asks for the other packs to find me, I would be found.Now, there are three ways it'd turn out. He would chase me because I'm his runaway mate, unaware of why I ran. Or he'd figure out what I am and chase me for that reason. He could easily tell everyone that I was cursed and others would be on the hunt for me. You'll think that the other alphas would take the opportunity to capture me so Hendrix's pack would be destroyed, but you are wrong. The moment the curse is activated, I become a walking epidemic. No one would be safe from me.At the same time, while the disaster i
The fire crackled as it burnt fiercely in the chimney. He didn't need the heat of the fireplace to warm himself. The cold did not bother him. The curtains fluttered as the wind continued to play and the window shuttered lightly. The breeze was particularly disturbing but he couldn't be too bothered by it, not now.He flipped through the pages of the folder in his hands, staring at it with confusion and surprise. The grey large tufted wingback armchair he sat on almost swallowed his body, but he managed to remain sophisticated despite the appearance of his body in the huge chair. His full attention was on the folder and one could tell he was not just confused by what he was seeing, but also in disbelief and curiosity.He looked up from the folder when he felt someone else walk into the room. It was his father's study and no one except the two of them were allowed inside without permission. He didn't need to see that it was his father who entered to know, he knew but looked up anyway to
‘Hendrix! Sapphire has left the main boundary of the pack. Follow her!’ Alaric's only words before I felt it myself and took off. She was running away, she was going to leave and I didn't plan to allow that to happen.I thought she would stay and only hate me for a while then start liking me again. She's been quiet for three days and I thought it would be okay, one way or the other, but she was already leaving. I needed to find her and chain her down if I have to. I never planned to let her go whether she liked it or not.Everett and Cooper were quick to run after me when I suddenly took off and soon, I heard Manchester's wolf howling. He must have felt it too and alerted all the Guard-Gifted. Now it was a chase to capture our luna. She'd have to forgive me. She has to forgive me. She can't leave.“Alpha, she's heading to Ðela Dzĩ!!!” Manchester shouted over the link. My heart sank to my stomach when I heard the name. Ðela Dzĩ was an enchanted but disastrous waterfall. The water from
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