(Celina's POV)
We were finally about to reach a major city. It was major in the sense that it had a lot of people and businesses that the towns we had been in lacked.We needed to pause there; we were out of money and needed to find new jobs.While Paige and I weren't lucky enough to get jobs immediately, Lucas and Austin were.They found jobs in these factories. It was a minor job, but it paid enough to helps us manage to survive, and that's what mattered.We lived in a boarding house with other young people. Cheap rent, but terrible living conditions.Lucas and Austin walked into the house. They didn't seem exhausted; I'm guessing with their werewolf strength, carrying around boxes wasn't anything that made them that exhausted.“How is job hunting going for you guys?” Lucas asked.“Jeez, if you want us to go to work, just say that,” Paige spat.I frowned, and Lucas seemed taken aback.He was about to speak, but I shook my head.“Unfortun(Paige's POV)I loved the kind of life I was living right now.Hoping from one town to the next, living life to the fullest without having to worry about much. It was my dream life.It would have been great if I could use my magic to make life even easier but the people I was with would never let me live that down. I could still see them judging me for killing that old man, as if I didn’t just save our lives.I hated living in that small village in the middle of nowhere, where nothing really happened. We lived there for years and the only major thing that happened was Celina and Landon’s little love issues, and that wasn’t that interesting either.I stuck my hand out of the truck as we drove along the highway.Feeling the breeze hit my arm was amazing.“Oh my God, let's go to the carnival!” I shrieked as I shook Austin's arm.“What carnival?” He was confused.I pointed to the big billboard.“I would love to go to a carnival.” Celina chimed in.
(Lucas's POV)I hadn't been to the house in years. There were a few things that were different, like the furniture placement and the new painting hung above the fireplace.“Dude, this is impressive.” Austin remarked.I shrugged.This wasn't a part of my life that I liked to show people.When people find out that you have money, they treat you differently, and suddenly you are the go-to man when they need something. Just like what Paige had said when she saw the house.I was looking at Celina, who seemed more interested in the art than the actual house.Paige, on the other hand, was already upstairs doing God knows what.I snuck up behind Celina and asked, “What do you think?”She was startled.Her hand that was lingering a few inches from the canvas dropped to her side.She giggled, “These pieces of art are amazing.”“I didn't know you liked art.” I remarked.She smiled and said, “I am kind of an artist myself, but not this good.”
(Celina’s POV)The awkward hugging must have lasted no longer than a minute, but it felt like forever.“I have been looking all over for you, son. I thought something bad happened to you.” The older man said emotionally as he pulled Lucas into another hug.Lucas wiggled out of his grasp and took a step back. “How did you know I was here?” He asked with a frown.“A neighbor saw a truck come to the property, and they called me.” He explained.“And you thought you'd just come here?” Lucas asked.He clearly didn't seem as happy as the older gentleman was to see him.The older guy then looked at us, noticing us for the first time.“Are these your friends?” The man asked.Lucas sighed, “Yes, they are. I met them when I was living with a new pack after you kicked me out.” He made sure to make his last statement loud.The man ignored the statement and put on a smile as he walked towards us.Paige stepped forward and said, “I am Paige, a close frie
(Celina’s POV)To say they lived in a mansion would be an understatement. It was more of a castle.It was twice even thrice as big as the summer home Lucas took us to.“How many people live in this house?” I asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed.“My wife and I.” Mr. Adolphus replied.“You have a wife?” Lucas asked surprised, “You couldn't wait to replace Mom, could you?”Mr. Adolphus just sighed; he clearly was exhausted from having to explain to Lucas that he was also a person who needed to live his life.Above the fireplace was a portrait of Mr. Adolphus with this scrutinizing look.Opposite was who I assume to be Lucas’s mother, and beside it was a painting of another woman with a daughter who looked to be about maybe four years old.“Is this your wife?” Paige asked, pointing to the painting.Mr. Adolphus nodded.“That is her daughter, Chloe.”“So where is this wife of yours?” Lucas asked sarcastically.“Right here.” A lady's voice
(Landon’s POV)Isabella was a very cunning mate. I mean, if she wasn't trying to use it against me, I would have been impressed, maybe even liked her.But she kept thinking I was this dumb guy who she could just pull the strings on and I would be her puppet.She thought she was the one who made me mark her, but instead, that was my plan all along.Now I had access to her thoughts.She lived a very sheltered life and didn't know a lot about werewolves or how we worked.I could block my thoughts from her, letting her hear only what I wanted her to hear, but I knew everything she was thinking.I woke up the next morning, ready to start my day.“Good morning, my handsome mate,” she said with a bright smile as she handed me a cup of coffee.I have you right where I want you. Her thoughts spoke into my ears as if she had whispered them.I smiled and said, “Thank you, honey. What are your plans for the day?”I wonder what her size is. I thought,
(Celina’s POV)Chloe and I were in the studio, and I was looking at the art that surrounded the walls.“Did you do all these?” I asked.She chuckled, “I wish. Some were done with Lucas’s mother; I am not even close to being as talented and to doing what she could do.”“How do you know the difference between her work and yours?” I asked. “Some of the work here looked quite similar.”“Well, I do try to replicate her work to see how much I have progressed over the years.” Chloe replied.I saw the little heart with red and blue paint.I pointed it out, “Is this her signature?” I asked.“Yes, it is.” Lucas said it, startling both Chloe and me.“Fucking werewolves.” Chloe cursed under her breath.“It was something she and I came up with when I was young, so she just continued the trend with her paintings.” Lucas said as he walked into the studio. “Glad to see you still maintain her studio as it was.”“She was a talented artist.” Chloe replied, t
(Lucas’s POV)Tonight was the night of the full moon. The usual occupants of the castle had started to drop by.This was one tradition that I didn't mind; I quite frankly enjoyed it.It helped you know and interact with fellow werewolves in a city. Being a werewolf in a city full of people could be hard.You couldn't reveal yourself or your capabilities, so it was nice for them to have a safe haven like this where they could let out their inner, pent-up energy.“I see people have started to arrive,” Celina commented as she came down the stairs. “I was starting to think we had inconvenienced the guests.”I smiled. Only Celina would consider her accommodation as a guest to be an inconvenience to other people.“These people have lives; they can't just up and leave,” I replied as she came and stood beside me.“Anything I should be aware of?” She asked, but her tone of voice told me that she wanted something.I looked at her and smiled. “What do you want?”She frowned. “What makes you thin
(Celina’s POV)I used to trust Paige; I would have put my life in her hands, but now it felt like she wanted my life to literally be in her hands, and not in a good way.Now that the house was filled with people, I understood the large dining room table.Paige had saved me a seat close to her. It would have seemed weird and rude if I sat somewhere else, so I reluctantly sat beside her.“You and I rarely hang out like we used to.” She commented.I shrugged, saying, “It is just because of the large house that we rarely see each other.”It wasn't a lie. But wasn’t the complete truth too. I had been actively avoiding her.Everyone was talking among themselves, probably catching up after not seeing each other for a long time.Austin and Chloe were snuggling each other; no one seemed to notice or care.Then Matthew stood up with his glass of wine and hit it to gain everyone's attention.“I wanted to thank all of you for joining us this evening,” he started, clearly ramping up to a speech. “
[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?