Mia's POVI glared at Lycidas across the cave, same as he was doing to me. "Can we get on with it?" I growled. It has been two days since the invasion, but our tempers with each other were still running as high as ever, not diminishing in the least. If anything, it had only gotten worse, so much so that even Mason had commented. And Mason doesn't comment on a lot of things.We hadn't talked to each other since then, grunting and pointing and glaring when we needed to communicate. Though it was never spoken, it had been a challenge. One each of us was determined to win, even if it meant never ever talking to each other again. And I just lost. Lycidas: one pointMe: zero"Would you just speak? Or you want Mabel to come back here and find out we haven't done anything?" His lips stretched in a triumphant smile, but he remained silent, just glaring at me. Something in me snapped and before I knew what I was doing, I was already across the cave and holding his throat. The next second,
Mia's POV "Okay…so, who's going first?" he asked me. "Me…no, wait. You go first. I want to see how you fight without claws and stuff," I replied. I was very fascinated to see how he fought. How I fought was basically by being on the alert and thinking on my feet all the time. I had to spot the enemy before they spotted me, then figure out which of the many traps and divide and conquer strategies Maya taught me to use. Of course, there was always the good old running when I didn't spot them on time, and the stealth to successfully escape, hide myself and pick them off one by one using guerrilla tactics. And if I had my wooden claws, I could take on a wolf on my own too using the superior nimbleness Maya had forced me to cultivate. But as I said, all these depended on being able to think on your feet, which I didn't think the numbskull could do. So, I wanted to see if I could learn his easily, and then I could add one more point to myself on our scoreboard. And that would be som
Mia's POVI gradually became aware I was flat on my back and my head throbbed like hell. I opened my eyes, and even the light of the candle hurt. I shut them tight again, then opened it slowly once more to let them get used to the light. "Bastard!" I spat out. "Is that a level up or level down from numbskull?" Lycidas asked from the shadows. "Numbskulled bastard! What do you think it is now?" I retorted savagely. He only laughed. "You've been out for ten minutes and I'm already bored from looking after you. Catch up when you can get up!" he said. Immediately after, I heard his footsteps walking out of the training cave, accompanied by the sound of metal being dragged along the floor. That must be the sword. Mentally, I adjusted the scoreboard.Lycidas: two pointsMe: zero pointsShit! I had to do something about that. I couldn't let him have one over me, much less two! But the fact was, he had whooped me so thoroughly with the sword and his strange fighting techniques that accomp
Hazel's POVGarret stood before me, trembling, as he should. He let an important prisoner escape, and though he didn't know it, that prisoner could be the doom of me. If really it was the person I think that saved her, then the inner information on my castle would have entered the hands of the Sulfur Hands. I could be invaded any time. Or they could try an assassination. "So…there is no scent of her outside the cell?" I asked Garret, frowning. He nodded vigorously. "I really checked everywhere, alpha. Her scent wasn't anywhere around the castle, not even beyond the door," "But the window is too small for anyone to pass through," I said, more to myself than to him. Someone had escaped from my stronghold, and that was something to worry about. I was determined to uncover any loopholes in my castle."Yes, it is, alpha," Garret replied. "But I checked the outside of the castle where they would have landed if they used the window, just to be sure. There was no scent there either," Gar
Hazel's POVIt was in that other lifetime when I was still obedient to Silver Hands, letting them shape and mold me into the mask for their dark research and activities. Those days when I still let them play me like a puppet as they turned me into a dark emotionless being that could carry out their missions without remorse or regret. One of those missions was killing Lycidas. Somehow, they had gotten the information that there was this young man from a Sulfur Hand pack that was determined to end them once and for all. The young man was Lycidas. As Damian told me, Lycidas had set off from his pack for the main pack of the Silver Hands. He wanted to kill the Silver Hands's Supreme Alpha and end their dark experiments once and for all. For some reason, the Silver Hands actually feared that he would succeed, though I had heard that the Supreme Alpha's residence was nearly impregnable. But I received a mission, and it was not in my place to worry about the other details, or even the lo
Chapter 63Hazel's POVThe loud bang distracted me from my thoughts. I stood up abruptly, sniffing the air deeply. There was very little chance of being able to sniff out what was happening from this distance underground, but still, it was better than not doing anything at all. When my sniffing came up with nothing, save the lingering smell of Garrett's blood, sweat and the collective fear of the soldiers that had been there when I tortured him, I decided I had to go investigate. In my father's days as alphas, a bang would have been nothing to worry about. Why, I myself made bangs all the time. But I wasn't the same old fool my father was, who would practically bow to strangers on mere promises he wasn't sure could be actualised within his lifespan. I was me! The most feared alpha around, for a good reason. Leaving the underground training cave, I ascended to the main level of the castle. The lingering scent of blood and fear guided me toward the source of the disturbance.I stopp
Chapter 64Mia's POVMason was holding Lycidas's sword to the light and though I could only see his profile, I could see he was very distracted by the sword and didn't even know he had said something wrong. I had to quickly go redeem the situation. I wasn't sure of the reason why, but I wasn't ready to admit to Lycidas that I was Mia. Not yet. At least, till this business with prophecies is cleared up. I stepped out of the shadows into the cave. Mason was so engrossed he didn't even notice my presence. But Lycidas did. He turned to me, and there was a look on his face. A glow. The same one that had been there when he told us that he had come so we would help him find Mia. The guy seemed very eager to find this Mia, and somehow, it made me even less willing to reveal myself. "Hey, seems Mason knows this Mia we're talking about," he said to me, his eyes glinting. "Is that true?" I directed the question at Mason in a very pointed voice. He snapped out of the daze and looked at me i
Chapter 65Mabel's POVI saw the way his face scrunched, and could almost follow the calculations in his eyes as he debated whether to fight me or not. I couldn't risk a fight in his own castle, and even if I could, I wouldn't. It would jeopardize my mission. So I quickly dipped my hand into the bag I carried and brought out an olive leaf. "Peace," I whispered. His face scrunched up even more, his eyes narrowed and my muscles tensed. I reached down to my wolf, ready to make my escape the moment he made a dangerous move. "If you came in peace, why is my guard lying in blood inside there?" he said, jabbing a finger at the door of the study behind him. I suppressed a sigh. "I had no choice. The guy was like a pest —" his eyebrows shot up, though his face remained scrunched. "- he wouldn't let me go, despite my repeated offerings of peace," I explained. His face instantly relaxed, and he actually smiled. "I can relate to that. Come in," he turned and walked into the study he had j
Mia's POVA stone struck true, pulverizing the creature's eye with a sickening crunch. With a howl of agony, the wolf collapsed to the ground, its lifeblood staining the earth beneath it. As the last vestiges of life faded from its eyes, I breathed evenly and transformed back. Running up quickly, I jumped and kissed my mate. The flames on his hair were hot but they were not unbearable and they died down as he held me and kissed me back. It took all my willpower to break free from him and let us breath. Strands of sticky saliva trailed our lips as we parted and I was flushed up to my ears, breathless."Mia?" He breathed, looking at me in surprise.I would have grinned at him if I were not too busy being stunned."Xavier?!" I exclaimed. "What in the world?! How? I thought...""You never did see me without my turban," he teased. And he was right come to think of it."So the memory loss...""I did lose my memory," he said, shaking his head. "But I guess could say that an eyeball helped me
Mia's POVHe was no corrupted - he was much worse.In a desperate bid to end the chaos, I shifted into my wolf form, my white fur shimmering in the dim light of the throne room. With a newfound agility, I darted around the monstrous creature, my speed unmatched as I evaded its savage blows.But Hazel was relentless, his attacks coming fast and furious as he sought to overpower me with sheer brute force. With each passing moment, the battle grew more intense, the clash of claw and sinew echoing throughout the chamber.I ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding each blow as I fought to keep the creature at bay. But despite my best efforts, I could feel my strength waning, the relentless pace of our battle taking its toll on my weary body..The battle raged on, each blow striking home with deadly precision as I fought to bring Hazel to his knees. With a primal snarl, I launched myself at the creature once more, my claws tearing through its flesh with savage ferocity.With one final, decisiv
Mia's POV"Yeah," I grinned at her. "Now please someone tell me what is going on? How did everyone get here?""There is little time for that," Amelia said, a scary amount of hope alight in her eyes. "Alpha King Hazel has gone mad and he is turning people left and right corrupted." I could see that everyone was surprised to hear this. But the forest itself whispered to me that she spoke the truth. "But he also has a way to cure the corruption. It is a wand in beneath his throne."I smiled at her and gazed out at the Sulfur Hands gathered. I did not see Lycidas but that was not a problem. I was certain he was alright."Well guys, it is the night of the blood moon. I have to tell you that I've got a castle to storm so come on out all of you and get away already. You've all done your part for me. Let me do mine for you."I saw them off and turned to face the vague direction of the palace.The eyeball (I could not get its name) had told me; Blood Moon prophecy Layer 5: The Inheritor shall
Mia's POVWith a surge of adrenaline, I plunged the knife into the creature's main body, my hands steady despite the trembling of my limbs. The blade sank deep into its flesh, eliciting a guttural roar of pain as the creature thrashed and writhed beneath me. Each movement was a dance of desperation, a desperate bid for survival against an opponent that seemed unstoppable.But even as I fought with all the strength and skill I could muster, I could feel the tendrils of exhaustion creeping into my limbs, sapping my strength and clouding my thoughts. How many times had I faced this creature? How many times had I died, only to wake and face it once again?The creature's death throes were violent and chaotic, its massive form convulsing with the last vestiges of life as it fought against the inevitable. But I was relentless, my resolve unshakeable as I drove the knife deeper and deeper into its flesh, refusing to let up until the creature lay still and silent beneath me.With a final, ragg
Hazel's POVAs I stand in the dimly lit chamber, the vial of corrupted blood held delicately between my fingers, I can feel the weight of expectation bearing down upon me. Zion's eyes bore into me with a pensive gaze, his expression unreadable as he observes my every move. The air is heavy with anticipation, charged with the possibility of what is to come.With a steady hand, I bring the vial to my lips and drink deeply, allowing the thick, viscous liquid to slide down my throat. The taste is metallic, tinged with a hint of something dark and otherworldly. But as the last drop passes my lips, I feel no surge of power, no sudden transformation. I am not surprised.I never expected the corrupted blood to grant me any sort of supernatural abilities. My purpose in drinking it was not to gain power, but to align myself with the prophecy, to force my way into its narrative. And in that regard, I believe I have succeeded.As I lower the vial, I meet Zion's gaze with a sense of calm resolve.
???'s POV Amidst the vast expanse of the celestial realm, I found myself floating among the stars, my consciousness adrift in a sea of cosmic wonders. Suddenly, a commanding voice reverberated through the void, pulling me from my reverie with its otherworldly resonance."Little thing," the voice called out, its words echoing through the cosmos like the distant rumble of thunder. Startled, I responded tentatively, my voice barely a whisper in the vastness of space. "Who... who's there?"I was ignored as the voice continued to speak. I listened intently as the voice spoke of the troubles that plagued mortals, of the ebb and flow of life, and of the chaos that reigned in the mortal realm. The voice seemed to ramble on for a while, its words swirling around me like a whirlwind of cosmic energy. It spoke of mortals and their endless troubles, of how they always seemed to find new ways to bring chaos and destruction upon themselves. It seemed rather easy to notice that it was the 'eyeball'
???'s POVI opened my mouth to protest, to demand answers to the questions that burned within me, but she cut me off with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I don't want to hear it," she said coldly, her gaze hardening as she turned away from me. "Just go. Leave me alone. Go do whatever you want to. I don't care. My Lycidas is not here. Please, just... Stop. You truly are not Lycidas. I do not know who you are, but you are not my beloved."I stood there in stunned silence, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air between us. Part of me wanted to press her for answers, to demand to know what she meant by all of this. But another part of me knew that it was futile – that she would not deign to repeat herself. And even though I could not claim to know much else, I knew somehow that she was hundred percent certain that I was not Lycidas. And not in a character or behavioural kind of way. As in, I was fundamentally not Lycidas.With a heavy heart, I turned and walked away, the sound o
Lycidas' POVThe soft glow of moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle illumination over Mia's room as I sat by her bedside, my fingers intertwined with hers as if holding onto a lifeline. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest was the only indication of life, her face serene in slumber as she lay unconscious before me.I never realized how much I would miss her until now – the absence of her laughter, her vibrant energy, leaving a gaping hole in my heart that seemed impossible to fill. And yet, here she lay, so close yet so far, trapped in the grasp of an unknown darkness that threatened to consume her whole.I squeezed her hand gently, willing her to wake up, to return to me so that I could see the light in her eyes once more. But no matter how fervently I wished for her recovery, she remained still, her breathing steady but shallow, a silent reminder of the fragility of life.My mind drifted back to that fateful night when the ritual had gone awry, the memory of t
Amelia's POVI sat in the room with Alpha Gonzales and the injured Alpha Fenrir, my mind consumed by a whirlwind of thoughts and worries. The conversation between the two Alphas drifted in and out of my consciousness, the words fading into the background as I struggled to focus on the present moment.My thoughts kept returning to the letter I had received just before setting off with Alpha Gonzales—a missive that had filled me with a sense of foreboding unlike anything I had ever experienced before. The words were etched into my mind, haunting me with their ominous implications.In my mind's eye, I saw the image of the small mouse, my faithful messenger, as it hurried into my room with urgent purpose. Its tiny paws had trembled as it presented me with the letter, a sense of urgency emanating from its very being. With trembling hands, I had broken the seal and unfolded the parchment, my heart sinking as I read the words inscribed upon it.The once cryptic message had become alarmingly