(Celina's POV)I was seated beside the lake, watching the orange glow from the sun cover the lake as the sun set. The thought of Landon and I here, his arm wrapped around me as I leaned on his shoulder, made me remember why I wasn’t at the lake with him to begin with. I frowned as I hugged my legs.“Celina, there you are.” Austin said as he walked up to me from behind.I sighed. “Stop acting like you've been looking for me; you already knew where I was.” I replied without turning to look at him.He slowly made his way to me as he sat beside me. “Brody wanted to come find you immediately, but I offered to be the one to come and find you.” He replied, “But I thought you might want some time alone, so I didn't approach you till now.”I looked at him and smiled. “You are a great guy.”“I know,” he said proudly.We looked at each other and laughed.“So,” He said.“So,” I said with a sigh.“You should hear him out.” Austin suggested.I scoffed: “You heard what he said, right?” I asked, “He
(Celina's POV)Austin and Brody had dug a hole where they buried Claire. Paige was acting like she didn't rip a woman's head off, humming as she asked us what we should do tonight.“Did you have to kill her in front of us?” Andrew asked, finally speaking for the first time after a few hours.I keep forgetting he was the only one among us who hadn't been through trauma right in front of his eyes. I saw my parents die, so did Brody, and Austin and Paige were supernatural. I assume they have seen their fair share of dead bodies.I moved closer to him and hugged him.Come to think of it, considering how young I was when my parents were killed, I was oddly unaffected by it. Or was it because, when I was much younger, I saw my biological parents also get murdered? This had opened a gate I had no idea needed to be opened.“I think I should go back to my pack.” Brody said as he walked back into the cabin, looking the same as when he left. I speculated on the benefits of being a werewolf.“I d
(Landon's POV)Today was the last day since I asked Celina if she would like to be my mate. I had been keeping my distance from her so she didn't feel like I was pressuring her into making a decision. But I was anxious about what her response was going to be.There was a knock on my door, and I sighed as I went to open it.“Good morning. How was your night?” Connor asked as he pushed past me and walked in.I sighed, “fine.” I replied.He still had no idea who I was in love with, and it was for the best if it remained that way.“You don't look fine.” He stated.“I am. Just a bit anxious.” I replied.“Because today marks the end of the week we agreed upon?” He asked.“Yes. Today marks the end of the week. And I know you can't wait till you have to choose a mate for me.” I blurted it out.“Actually, if today your lady doesn't agree to be your mate, tomorrow the council will bring you a mate.” He replied, “I didn't see the need to delay as you need to learn how to be a responsible person
(Landon's POV)I put my hand on my shoulder as I tried to massage it. I had slept the whole night, but my body was tense when I woke up.I stepped out to take in the breath of fresh air, let the sun hit my face, and let the wind run through my hair.It was oddly quiet this morning. The village that was usually filled with noise was silent. I opened my eyes, and there were maybe two or three people carrying a few things away.I frowned as I looked around, confused as to why the compound was empty.“Ah, there you are. I hope you had a good night's rest and are ready to meet your mate.” Connor said as he made his way toward me.“I'm actually curious as to why no one is around here?” I replied.Connor gave me a small smile, “You'll soon find out.” He said, “But for now, you need to get ready to meet your mate and her father.” He led me back to the house.He hadn't really answered my question, and I had a few more, but I went inside.He walked to my closet, where there was only one suit.“
(Isabella's POV)I was seated in front of a mirror, brushing my hair. I always made sure to look my best. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I wanted to get married and have someone take care of me. I deserved to be taken care of.“Oh, honey, you already had your hair straight yesterday,” my mother casually mentioned when she walked into my room without knocking. As usual.She walked up to me and gently touched my hair; she leaned in and kissed me on my cheek as she whispered in my ear, “I always thought you looked great in curls anyway.”She said it as a suggestion, but she definitely wanted me to put curls in my hair.I looked at her through my mirror when she stopped, looked at me, and smiled; it didn't reach her eyes, but I knew better than to question my mother.I looked down to pick up a hair dryer, and when I looked back up, I was startled to see my sister standing by the doorway where my mom had been standing.“You look beautiful as always.” She stated.I didn't know
(Celina's POV)I was back to my monotonous daily life. I hadn't seen Landon in weeks, but I should have known that was going to happen once I said no to his offer. But it didn't make it any easier.“I'm home.” I called out as I walked into the cabin. I sighed as I threw my shoes to the side and fell on my bed.There was no response.I sat up and looked around. There was no one.I stood up and looked outside at the unfinished project Austin had started. There they were.Austin and I's eyes met as he was having sex with Paige.I was frozen there. I didn't know what to do—do I look away and pretend I didn't see them? But I have already seen them; does it matter if I don't stop looking?Then I realized that I was still looking at Austin while I thought this, so I turned around and awkwardly walked back to my bed.Paige and Austin walked in a while later. Paige seemed very happy.“Oh, you're home?” Paige asked.Austin smirked, “Like what you saw?” He asked, clearly trying to make me squir
(Celina's POV)I carefully placed the hot cup of coffee in front of her.“Be careful. It's hot.” I warned as I took a seat opposite her.She gave me a soft, charming smile as she said, “Thank you.”“So, I'm Celina.” I introduce myself.“Bella,” she said with a smile.“So, Bella,” I said, “what is a beautiful girl like yourself doing in this small town of ours?” I asked curiously.She chuckled and replied, “I could ask you the same question.”“I was raised here. Then the werewolves took over, and we weren't allowed to leave.” I replied honestly.She frowned as she narrowed her eyes: “What do you mean you aren't allowed to leave?”I would have chuckled at the situation if my parents hadn't died because of the said situation.I shook my head and said, “You are new here, and I don't want to make you leave before you even get the chance to see the good side of the town.”She smiled and said, “I have met a nice person, and I hope we can be friends. I don't think I'll be leaving anytime soo
(Isabella's POV)I shot up from my sleep when I heard the sound of the front door being closed. My instincts were heightened, and my eyes were glowing blue in the dark.I slowly got out of bed and made my way to my bedroom door. Before I could open it, someone else did.“What the hell?!” Landon yelled, startled to see me standing there.I frowned and asked, “Where did you come from at this time of night?”He sighed, “I couldn't sleep, and I needed to get out and take a walk.”He walked past me, and I got the scent of someone else that wasn't me or his. It was unfamiliar.“Where did you go?” I asked as I closed the door to our room.“I don't really feel like talking about it; let's just go to sleep.” He stated as he jumped into bed after taking off his shoes.I joined him, but being close to him, I could smell the scent. It was strong.I took a deep breath, not wanting to overthink it and deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt.But as much as I tried to ignore it, I couldn't. W
[Two and a Half Years Later.]As you approach the manor, a striking fusion of modern elegance and timeless charm unfolds before your eyes. The exterior, draped in various shades of soothing grey, exudes an air of both welcoming warmth and upper-class sophistication.Lucas and Celina wanted to build a home but they never thought it would turn out this beautiful. It had taken time for them to get to this point and they had. Together.Paul’s father, Alan, had been sceptical about pouring money into Lucas’ project. If Lucas’ father didn’t want to do this why did he have to?But he’s leap in faith had worked, and together with Lucas and Celina, they had bought other manors that they had made to be a safe haven for werewolves.Hiding in plain sight.Celina wiped the sweat off her forehead, she had been working on her garden for most of the morning.Not like they wanted for anything but Celina w
(Four Months Later)(Third Person’s POV)Jane couldn’t help but smile when she felt the warm, familiar kiss on her cheek. She had never been one to believe in love, but with Landon, she had no control over her heart. He had a way of making her feel safe and loved, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him.“Good morning, sunshine,” Landon whispered in her ear, his voice still husky from sleep.Jane couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her stomach every time he called her that. “Why are you up so early?” she asked, still feeling groggy from the early hour but a smile still plastered on her face.“I could ask you the same thing. Why are you asleep at this time of the morning?” Landon replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He reached for her hand and kissed it gently, his touch sending shivers down her spine. “You used to be the early riser, remem
(Celina’s POV)I felt like sleeping beauty when I woke up.I could barely remember half of what happened but I didn’t catch a small bit about Belinda not being the motherly person I thought she was.Lucas was beside me when my eyes flattered open.He smiled when I looked at him, “welcome back to the land of the living.”“You make it sound as though I was dead.”He chuckled, “you have no idea the rucks that ensued once you turned into…” he stopped, looked at me and shook his head, “I am just happy to have you back.”I tried to get up and Lucas was on his feet ready to help me.“Are you trying to protect me from something?”Lucas looked at me confused.“I heard the entire thing with Belinda. Maybe Paige should have let her get her revenge.” I stated, “remember how I felt when we found about the old man P
(Third-person POV)Belinda had vanished, taking advantage of the fact that everyone was concerned with Celina to slip away.But the rest of the group was confused.They turned to Paige; they needed answers to the bomb she had just dropped in front of everyone.“How did you know about Belinda?” Adolphus was the first to ask.Everyone would have expected he would have been the first to know and inform everyone, but he didn’t.It did leave a bad taste in Brody’s mouth.Brody had decided to come here to spend time with Celina, his sister, and maybe use this time as vacation, as he hardly ever left his small village.“The better question should be how you didn’t know.” Lucas definitely wasn’t pleased with this new information.They had made a plan with both of them. Celina had been suspicious and didn’t trust either Adolph
(Belinda’s POV)This was the night.The night when every meticulous plan of mine was supposed to come to fruition.I had been working towards this moment for what felt like an eternity, lurking in the shadows, orchestrating everything to perfection.It wasn’t an easy feat, especially with the unexpected visits from guests at the manor. But their presence only added fuel to my carefully laid-out schemes.I thought I had accounted for every possible obstacle and every potential threat. But then there was Celina. A sharp, observant woman who almost unravelled all my efforts with her sudden departure when she found out she was a werewolf.But then there was Adolphus.Ah, Adolphus.His loyalty and cunning mind were just what I needed to salvage the situation. However, the night took an unforeseen turn. A turn I never could have predicted.My past, with all its dark secrets, came knocking at my doo
(Jane’s POV)I didn’t have to do much to get Landon’s attention away from me. Even I froze when my eyes locked on where Landon was facing.There was a werewolf that seemed to have sensed our arrival and was looking right at us, but Landon didn’t even seem to notice, with his eyes transfixed at… my gaze following his.What the hell was going on here? I wondered as I looked at the werewolf, strung up like a sacrifice.Landon almost instinctively lunged towards the werewolf, who now had its back turned to us. Celina, I guessed, as I watched him confront the other werewolves, who were now attentive and standing guard.I looked at the door and headed for it. If my research was right, Theresa, the witch, would be able to reverse the curse. It had been someone in her bloodline—her mother was my guess—so she should do just fine.At least that is what I hoped.The door was open. It ma
(Third Person’s POV)[The Night of the Full Moon]As some of the werewolves were eager and celebrating as the sun went down, there were a few people who knew what this full moon meant to them.Unfortunately, Doris hadn’t been able to provide some sort of revelation about Celina’s condition or even dispute her daughter’s words. She seemed clueless as to what was even happening.It was also unfortunate for Brody when the third lady stopped by.“I couldn’t be able to make it here in person, so I am using her as a shell.” This mysterious, unknown lady said as she walked right in, making herself feel at home.Brody and Lucas shared a look of confusion.“I’m sorry, who did you say you were again?” Brody interrupted the relaxed lady.She sighed as she shook her head in annoyance. “I would have assumed that
(Third Person’s POV)[Day of the Full Moon.]While Brody was running around trying to make calls back home and track down a witch that was either going to help her sister, Celina, live or solidify her fate of uncertainty. Landon and Jane had already begun their day.Each had a plan in mind.Landon held the door open with his foot as he also struggled to carry the grocery bags. Jane chuckled. “What a gentleman.” Her tone was playful: “You have your hands full. I am sure I could have opened the door.”Landon stepped out, the bags now steady in his arms, and was able to look at Jane, “We are both outside, aren’t we?”Landon felt this need for responsibility over Jane. The old woman had taken him in after all, and now he was going to return the favour by protecting her.Jane’s sweet old voice started to chuckle. “Can you also open the car door wi
(Brody’s POV)[Eve of the Full Moon.]We were unable to hide the truth from everyone, as most of the night Celina had been howling. It made most people unable to sleep; they actually came out to find the source of the howling on the night before the full moon.“You have to put her to sleep so the rest of our guests can sleep too.” Belinda suggested.There was something going on in this house, but I had yet to piece everything together.“I don’t want to have my guest too exhausted for tomorrow night.” Adolphus, who I had learned was Lucas’ father, chimed in, “The point of coming to stay here is so they can rest up for the full moon while they network.” He mumbled the last part. I guess he forgot that most of us were werewolves.No one wanted to volunteer, so I guess I was the one to do this.I stepped forward, “How do we go about sedating her?