[warning: mild gore]
Dorian did not really feel the hit. His brain took a second to decipher, and Kai’s roar followed after that. One moment he was trying to break Barbara and Liam free from the binds, and the next moment he felt his entire body become immobile. He could hear Serena’s shout and Barbara’s scream but his vision was turning hazy and before he knew it he fell on the ground in a heap, like a dead weight.
~~~~~~
All the visions that she had seen played in her mind in a nightmarish loop. Was this what it meant? Was this how this would end? Serena refused to believe this. She scrambled towards his prone form, every other thought leaving her mind. “Dorian…” she gasped, his name a litany on her lips as she felt the pain that her mate might be feeling twice more than her. But…bu
I SWEAR this won't end tragically. I promise...
Serena opened her eyes to the same terrain, on the muddy grass where she often finds herself. She felt that her head was on someone’s lap. There was no pain or exhaustion as she sat up, taking in the calmness. The cliff did not look so threatening, and neither did the sea feel tumultuous. It was unnerving to some extent. “You are wondering why everything is so quiet today, aren't you?” Serena turned quickly to see her mother smiling at her, but there was a hint of ruefulness in that smile and a tinge of sadness in her gaze. “Mom..” she whispered before rushing towards her, even though she half-expected to feel her warmth but was pleasantly surprised to feel her mother’s arms envelope hers, pulling her into a hug that she often missed since she lost her.
“How are you feeling?” Serena turned her head to look at Viviane. Her gaze was nothing but sympathetic. She bustled around a bit before helping her to sit up. She didn’t know how to explain what she felt. She was glad but that emotion seemed hollow. She felt a strange emptiness in her heart, a sickening satisfaction at having killed Yvonne and…“How’s Dorian?” she asked instead. Her voice came out raspy. Viviane held a cup in front of her mouth with a straw. She took slow sips before pushing the cup away.Vivane placed the cup on a nearby table and said, “He is fine. Exhausted but he is resting and…” Serena read her silence.“He knows.” It wasn’t a question. She let out a shuddering b
The next day, Alexander King came to visit his grandson in the morning. The old man paused outside the cabin and stared at Dorian through the rectangular glass on the door. He firmed his grasp around the cane and composed himself so that his grandson wouldn’t get a glimpse of his fear, of the terrible feeling of hopelessness he had experienced when Dorian didn’t wake up. He clutched the bent wooden head of the cane tightly to stop the quivering of his fingers. He pushed the door open and walked in. Dorian opened his eyes as soon as Alexander stepped in. Ronan stood up from the couch and bowed. Kyle was yet to arrive and take the former’s post. The beta was juggling between the pack and the company. “I will let you both talk,” Ronan said respectfully before leaving. Dorian sat up.
Serena could feel her heart constrict. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. She distantly heard someone shouting, then someone grabbing her arm because she was swaying on her feet. Her vision had become dim. Black spots danced at the edges of her eyes. Her eyes stung as she breathed through her mouth. Why would…why would he leave? Again? Was she being rejected? She couldn’t even feel his emotions strongly. They were so faint. She blinked furiously, hardly realizing that she was crying. Someone held her close to them, caressed her hair and shushed her. But her sobs suddenly seemed uncontrollable. She was trembling and then she felt a pinprick and before she knew it, her head had lolled to one side. ~~~~~~ Dorian hadn’t expected that his stepping out and going for a run to c
~2 years later~ Serena’s eyes brimmed with tears, not because of sadness but out of happiness. The little bundle of joy, the one she had carried for the past nine months stared back at her with guileless golden eyes. All the exhaustion, the tears and mood changes, everything was worth it. When she conceived, she had already become protective, but now as she held the little one in her arms; she felt she would do anything for her. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Dorian whispered, his voice hoarse with strained emotions as he pulled her closer to him. Serena blinked back to the present and nodded, unable to utter even a single word. Her throat closed up as the bay made soft sounds as she rocked her gently. 4 years had passed in the blink of an eye and now as Serena stared at their daughter, she couldn’t h
Hitching the backpack tightly, Summer trod towards the bus stop. She turned back to make sure that she wasn’t being followed. She hoped that they were busy enough to not follow her. She was far away from the place where she had stayed for the last 20 years. She let out a shaky breath, her heart pounding in her chest, the side of her ribs and legs ached with exhaustion. She pulled the frayed hoodie tightly around herself, stuffing her hands into either pocket as the wind picked up. A street lamp just above the bus stop flickered occasionally. People hurried on their way back home, the weather turning colder as the night darkened. As the adrenaline started to wear off, she felt herself shiver.The last bus to Melham would arrive anytime now. Her breath came out in puffs. She reluctantly drew out her left hand from within the hoodie’s pocket and checked her watch. 5 more minutes. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. The old sneakers did the least
“Thank you, please come again,” Summer smiled as she bade another customer goodbye. The curve of her lips straightened as soon as the door closed. She let out an inaudible sigh. It has been 2 weeks since she has started working at this bakery. The bakery had a steady flow of customers—some regular and some new. It had taken some time for her to get used to the regulars. She slowly learnt that regulars sometimes got a little extra just for being their regular patrons. Barbara stayed at the cashier and Liam, her husband, created magic in the kitchen.“Tired already?” Barbara asked as she brought in a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls. Summer pursed her lips and shook her head, concentrating on wiping the counters. Thankfully for her, the bakery was small, so there weren’t any tables for customers to sit and eat. She avoided socialising at all costs. The elderly lady had learnt about her nature very quickly. She was a friendly woman and mostly lef
“Did you not sleep last night?” Barbara asked as soon as Summer entered. She felt sluggish and naturally irritated because, as much as she wanted to go back to sleep, she just couldn’t. And ended up thinking, or rather overthinking, about a person named Serena and the untamed wolf.Summer mumbled, “Not much.” She plucked the apron from the kitchen and tied it swiftly. “At least you could have covered it with some makeup,” the older woman grumbled as she carried batches of freshly baked cupcakes and cookies. Summer could have replied that she was in a hurry or she had forgotten, but she didn’t. In reality, she did not expect her to even notice that she had a sleepless night. No one did before. She mumbled an apology, but said nothing further.The day went on uneventfully. Once they had served the last customer, Summer flipped the board that had the ‘closed’ sign and pulled the blinds. As she unknotted her
~2 years later~ Serena’s eyes brimmed with tears, not because of sadness but out of happiness. The little bundle of joy, the one she had carried for the past nine months stared back at her with guileless golden eyes. All the exhaustion, the tears and mood changes, everything was worth it. When she conceived, she had already become protective, but now as she held the little one in her arms; she felt she would do anything for her. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Dorian whispered, his voice hoarse with strained emotions as he pulled her closer to him. Serena blinked back to the present and nodded, unable to utter even a single word. Her throat closed up as the bay made soft sounds as she rocked her gently. 4 years had passed in the blink of an eye and now as Serena stared at their daughter, she couldn’t h
Serena could feel her heart constrict. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. She distantly heard someone shouting, then someone grabbing her arm because she was swaying on her feet. Her vision had become dim. Black spots danced at the edges of her eyes. Her eyes stung as she breathed through her mouth. Why would…why would he leave? Again? Was she being rejected? She couldn’t even feel his emotions strongly. They were so faint. She blinked furiously, hardly realizing that she was crying. Someone held her close to them, caressed her hair and shushed her. But her sobs suddenly seemed uncontrollable. She was trembling and then she felt a pinprick and before she knew it, her head had lolled to one side. ~~~~~~ Dorian hadn’t expected that his stepping out and going for a run to c
The next day, Alexander King came to visit his grandson in the morning. The old man paused outside the cabin and stared at Dorian through the rectangular glass on the door. He firmed his grasp around the cane and composed himself so that his grandson wouldn’t get a glimpse of his fear, of the terrible feeling of hopelessness he had experienced when Dorian didn’t wake up. He clutched the bent wooden head of the cane tightly to stop the quivering of his fingers. He pushed the door open and walked in. Dorian opened his eyes as soon as Alexander stepped in. Ronan stood up from the couch and bowed. Kyle was yet to arrive and take the former’s post. The beta was juggling between the pack and the company. “I will let you both talk,” Ronan said respectfully before leaving. Dorian sat up.
“How are you feeling?” Serena turned her head to look at Viviane. Her gaze was nothing but sympathetic. She bustled around a bit before helping her to sit up. She didn’t know how to explain what she felt. She was glad but that emotion seemed hollow. She felt a strange emptiness in her heart, a sickening satisfaction at having killed Yvonne and…“How’s Dorian?” she asked instead. Her voice came out raspy. Viviane held a cup in front of her mouth with a straw. She took slow sips before pushing the cup away.Vivane placed the cup on a nearby table and said, “He is fine. Exhausted but he is resting and…” Serena read her silence.“He knows.” It wasn’t a question. She let out a shuddering b
Serena opened her eyes to the same terrain, on the muddy grass where she often finds herself. She felt that her head was on someone’s lap. There was no pain or exhaustion as she sat up, taking in the calmness. The cliff did not look so threatening, and neither did the sea feel tumultuous. It was unnerving to some extent. “You are wondering why everything is so quiet today, aren't you?” Serena turned quickly to see her mother smiling at her, but there was a hint of ruefulness in that smile and a tinge of sadness in her gaze. “Mom..” she whispered before rushing towards her, even though she half-expected to feel her warmth but was pleasantly surprised to feel her mother’s arms envelope hers, pulling her into a hug that she often missed since she lost her.
[warning: mild gore] Dorian did not really feel the hit. His brain took a second to decipher, and Kai’s roar followed after that. One moment he was trying to break Barbara and Liam free from the binds, and the next moment he felt his entire body become immobile. He could hear Serena’s shout and Barbara’s scream but his vision was turning hazy and before he knew it he fell on the ground in a heap, like a dead weight. ~~~~~~ All the visions that she had seen played in her mind in a nightmarish loop. Was this what it meant? Was this how this would end? Serena refused to believe this. She scrambled towards his prone form, every other thought leaving her mind. “Dorian…” she gasped, his name a litany on her lips as she felt the pain that her mate might be feeling twice more than her. But…bu
Yvonne’s smirk and malicious gaze were enough to turn the simmering embers into a blazing fire. Her eyes flashed golden, but a hand wrapped around her wrist, tugging her back. She looked up to see Dorian, shaking his head subtly. “Listen to your mate, Miss Viotto. I wouldn’t want to harm someone close to my son after all,” she said tauntingly, making Serena angrier. She suddenly regretted bringing the book with her. It felt as if she had walked right into the trap. She clutched her tote bag tightly. “I don’t need his permission. The fact that he is stopping me because he knows what i am capable of,” she retorted and was thankful for the snarkiness in her tone. Yvonne’s face darkened before she began to walk towards her. Dorian immediately came in betw
Serena rushed to her father who collapsed on the floor as soon as Jordan let him go. Jordan watched the reunion with baleful eyes before his gaze settled on Dorian who was staring back at him with open hostility. The Alpha King’s gaze flickered to the former Fae King momentarily before they went back up and remained settled on Jordan. “What happened? Are you…are you hurt? Oh my gosh, what happened to your wings?” Serena bombarded the two fae men with question after question as she continued inspecting her wounded father. Vulcan felt too tired to speak, the teleportation having taken much energy away from him than he had fathomed. “I think we should move him to the guest room. I’ll call Viviane.” Dorian proposed. Jordan who had been silent until now murmured his assent. Dorian helped Jordan to pull Vulcan up and practically dragged him to the room because the older man was in no condition to walk, even with help. Serena’s heart clenched as he watched the once regal ki
She was standing in front of her father, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at him writhing on the floor. His wings lying somewhere far, bloody and twitching. “Save…save me…save me…” But Serena remained silent. The moon shone brightly, brighter than any other day. She could hear the high tides, she could hear their impatience. The rune of Nauthiz (ᚾ) hovers and disappears. She doesn't know what to make of it. It’s the rune of need, urgency, but also conveys the acceptance of the unchangeable. Did that mean…? Her eyes closed for a moment, as she tried to gather enough courage to say the next words. But those words didn’t leave her mouth for when she opened her eyes, Vulcan was lying still, a garbled groan came out of his lips. A sob esca