[Eliana’s POV]Bright sunlight dances along my skin, warming me to the bone and rousing me from the darkness that claws at me.Sighing, I open my eyes to find a bright blue sky above me with soft white clouds traveling idly across it.Sitting up, I look around at the wildflower field that I’m sitting in and try to make sense of how exactly I got here.The last thing I remembered was Nol’s angry face and the cold blade that skidded across my throat, cutting it open, so I was left to drown in my own blood while he stared down at me with cold eyes."I’m dead," I whisper, realization dawning.There was no other explanation for what I was experiencing right now. Especially after what had happened."So this is what the afterlife looks like," I whisper as a soft breeze blows across my skin. "I guess it isn’t so bad."Slowly, I began to accept that this was what fate had in mind for me since the day I was born, and in a way, I was happy that all the suffering was finally over."Little Lana."
[Zane’s POV]I stare in the mirror, taking in my reflection as if the man staring back at me is someone else aside from myself. Oh, how I wish that were actually true, but in this reality, I was the one wearing the tux, and I was the one being wished a long and happy marriage."Knock, knock."Turning, I watch as Alexandria, clad in a long white dress with lace and rhinestones, leans against the doorframe so that she can take me in.Her face is made up with light makeup, and her blonde hair is pulled up into an intricate braid atop her head, making her look like the innocent bride, even though nothing about her was innocent."What are you doing here?" I ask, straightening my tie. "Shouldn’t you be downstairs with our parents greeting the guests?"I was sure that by this point, the banquet hall where our engagement ceremony was being held was probably already filled with excited guests."I snuck away to come see my bride-groom," she pouts. "Are you not happy to see me?""Is that a trick
[Zane’s POV]My eyes grow wide as I take in the lycan standing in front of me, but how was this even possible? Lycans had gone extinct long ago, at least they were supposed to have, but I was proof they didn’t. To see another of my kind standing right in front of me was a bit...‘Are you just going to stare?’ Noland’s voice booms in my head, snapping me out of my daze.‘No,’ I hiss.Looking around, I spot a window, and an idea begins to form in my head. There were too many wolves around us, and if they interfered, there was a chance that they would get hurt. I needed to get Noland out of here so that we could fight one-on-one.Slowly, I begin to shift while circling around until I finally have him where I want him. Letting out a snarl, I surge forward, wrapping my arms around his torso and pushing off with all my strength so we’re both sent crashing through the window and then plummetting towards the ground.As we fall, we fight for dominance so that we aren’t the one to break the oth
[Eliana’s POV]Yet... Blaine just said yet, meaning that Nol was going to go after Zane because of my carelessness.No, I couldn’t let this happen. Zane was innocent in all of this, and I had made sure to keep a distance so that he wasn’t drug into my mess."Tell me," I hiss, eyeing the room in an attempt to find an escape. "What are you planning on doing to him?""That isn’t your concern," Blaine responds coldly. "This is between Nol and Zane Castro.""Like hell it is!"Whirling around, I beeline for the small window of my room that is just big enough for me to squeeze through. If Blaine wasn’t going to willingly tell me what was going on, I would make him."What the hell do you think you’re doing?" Blaine growls, rushing forward in an attempt to catch me. "Don’t be irrational!""I’m not," I counter, ripping open the window and scurrying up."You’re trying to escape through a window!" Blaine snaps. "How is that not being..."Before he can finish speaking, I’m out and landing on the d
[Nol’s POV]I wait as Zane processes what he has been told. If he was aware of what his father was up to, it was impossible to tell given his shocked expression."Repeat that," he says slowly, finally speaking after a long pause. "I don’t think that I...""You did," I counter. "Your father has been hiring me to kill off any alpha who may threaten your win at the alpha games.""First," Zane huffs. "I’ve never even said I'd be participating in the alpha games. Second, what makes you think I’ll believe you?""I don’t," I shrug. "Believe me or not, it doesn’t change the truth. However, if you aren’t with me, then you are against me, and currently you are in my territory."I grow quiet and wait as Zane processes my words. With each passing minute, his defense increases. Good, at least he wasn’t stupid."Wait," he suddenly gasps, fixing his gaze on mine. "You said you kill alphas for my father.""That’s correct.""Then you were the one that killed Trent, not Eliana!""Oh, look, he’s a geniu
[Alexandria’s POV]The world around me blurs as I move. For an hour now, I have tried to reach out and feel Zane’s familiar energy, only to come up empty. Why in the hell no one attempted to save him from that damned lycan was beyond me, but I wasn’t going to just sit back and wait to see if he managed to escape.‘Any luck?’ I call out to Dale and Terrance. ‘Have you found him?’‘No,’ both men respond together.‘WELL THEN TRY HARDER!’ I wail.‘Yes ma’am.’ Terrance murmurs.‘Does it really matter if he is killed?’ Dale counters.‘Are you questioning your master?’ I hiss.‘No, I just...’‘FIND HIM!’Cutting both off, I try to ignore the panic that is beginning to build up in me, but I wasn’t sure if it was panic over Zane being missing or if it was how similar this situation was to when I lost Jeremiah.Despite my best attempts to stop them, the images of that day begin to come flooding back, and with them, the feeling of helplessness and loss slams into me.Jeremiah had always had a we
[Eliana’s POV]I watch as Blaine continues to not move. What the hell was he planning? Was this a trick to get me to let my guard down?"Release me!" he repeats, letting his aura slam into me, threatening to knock me over. "Right this instant!"Opening my mouth, I prepare to argue his demand but stop as pain shoots through the back of my neck. Gasping, I lift a hand to find a small dart sticking from my skin right before the world around me begins to spin, and then I’m collapsing against the deck.I don’t know how long the world fades in and out before finally my vision begins to clear so that I find I’m staring at a large chandelier.Gasping, I sit up and begin to look around me, taking in the extravagantly decorated room around me."Dammit," I hiss.I jump out of the bed that I’m sitting in and surge forward toward the door that I have a feeling is locked. Despite knowing that there was no way Blaine would leave it open for me to escape, I reach out and grab the handle, then attempt
[Zane’s POV]Rick’s smile and look of sincerity never falter, and I find myself wishing I could read his mind. My feeling of unease was just growing more and more, but I couldn’t openly accuse.Since speaking with Nol, I have been suspicious of everyone around me. Who was really on my side or who was doing shady shit behind my back? It was like I was a double agent pretending amongst the enemy."What brings you here, Rick?" my father asks, breaking the silence. "I thought you were busy today.""I actually came to announce some great news," Rick beams. "I’m going to be a father again!"Shock rolls through me as Rick’s words settle around us. A father, again, and here I thought it was impossible for any of his mistresses to get pregnant."Whose the lucky lady?" My father pushes. "Is it Diana?" he continues, naming Alexandria’s mother."There’s no way that I would think of touching that woman," Rick growls, his mood faltering for a moment. "It’s Marybeth!""Oh, she’ll make a great mother
Flames surround me, but for some reason they don’t burn. I don’t quite understand why I’m here, but I feel something beckoning me, drawing me further and further in until I see him.He sits on a throne made of skulls and stares down at me with a look of boredom. He’s so familiar but so different at the same time.Unable to quite believe what I’m seeing, I move slightly closer, only to find that a strong force doesn’t allow me to go near him."Zane?" I whisper, trying to make sense of what is happening. "That’s you, isn’t it?"It had already been two years since his disappearance, but I never truly accepted that he was gone. I mean, how could he be when there wasn’t even a body to bury? Or any sort of feeling toward his existence vanishing from this world—wouldn't I be able to feel it given the fact he wore my mark?This was why I held onto hope no matter the amount of time that passed, even when others continuously told me to let go. And now here he was in front of me, but where exactl
[Eliana’s POV]Warm sun beats down on my skin while I lounge by the pool, watching Nol wade on the steps with Ryker. Never in my life did I ever think I would see such a strong and arrogant man act like a child, but here he was splashing and laughing along with our son.Since Ryker’s birth, I have been seeing many sides of Nol that I didn’t think would exist, like him changing diapers, making bottles, and even cuddling while Ryker was sick. I even caught him singing to him a few times, but he insisted that he wasn’t.To say that life was perfect was a bit extreme, but it was damn near close. There was only one thing missing, and that was Zane.Two years had passed since his disappearance, and despite multiple searches, contacting a medium, and even asking rogue mages for help, no one was able to locate him. It was almost as though he disappeared entirely, but Nol was certain that wasn’t possible since he was aware of the consequences of bringing the hellhounds to this earth.Sighing,
[Nol’s POV]I don’t know how long Eliana sobbed on me while I helplessly watched because I knew that there was nothing that I could do since there was no bringing Zane back. Beside us, Alexandria continued to fight Blaine until she became so exhausted that all she could do was cling to him while her gaze stayed fixed on the rubble.By the time the police arrived, there was nothing left to be found, but Alexandria’s friends had managed to bring them the evidence needed to prove not only Alexandria’s innocence but that of all of us.In the end, all the blame fell on Jeckel since he was already accused of being part of a human trafficking ring. It didn’t take long for the rest of his corruption and misdeeds to be found and his name to be tarnished.Afterward, we waited to see if any remains could be found, but all that were deceased were too burned to make out and would simply be thrown in a mass grave for Disastria and Romando to be mourned by those who were oblivious to all that both a
[Zane’s POV]A howl of disappointment escapes me as I attempt to make my way to the window where Eliana and the others disappeared."No you fucking don’t!" Nol snarls, beginning to shift into his lycan form. "If you want to kill someone, then you’ll have to get through me."Snapping my gaze from the window, I feel my body beginning to move again, making its way to the very weak-looking lycan behind me.‘That’s it,’ Nol’s voice announces in my head. ‘Come get me.’As I move, he rushes forward, meeting me halfway and throwing me against a wall before jumping on me and wrapping a hand around my throat.‘Snap out of it, Zane,’ he hisses in my head. ‘Before you do something you regret.’‘I…’ I try, hoping he can hear me. ‘Can’t. Please kill me.’That was the only thing that was going to end this—my death—and I was more than willing to accept it.‘I won’t,’ Nol responds, loosening his hold. ‘If you die, Eliana will be sad.’Eliana… Of course, the only thing he cares about is her, and I can’
[Nol’s POV]The world around me begins to move in slow motion as I release Zane and rush toward where Jeckel stands with Eliana in his clutches, but before I can reach her, her eyes are widening and blood is erupting from her lips, and then she is being dropped so that I can take in the hilt of a knife that is sticking out of her back.No… This couldn’t be fucking happening. Jeckel… He…In that moment, something in me snaps, and I feel a red-hot rage begin to bubble up in me and explode as I kneel and pull Eliana into my arms to take in her ragged breathing and her white complexion.Lifting my gaze, I take in Jeckel, who stands in place looking proud of what he did.‘You,’ I hiss through mindlink, beginning to see red. ‘You…’"I did what was necessary for you to rise to greatness," he shrugs unphased. "She was nothing more than a hindrance, driving a wedge between you and your brother."A wedge… A hindrance… If anyone was any of that, it was the bastard in front of me!Letting out a s
[Zane’s POV]Stop.Stop this!You’ve gotta stop!These thoughts echo in my mind as I stare at Alexandria’s flushed face and desperate eyes.I had to stop, but no amount of trying seemed to work. Each time I thought maybe I was regaining control again, my body would act on its own, and I was left to helplessly watch.Even back in the hospital with Eliana, my claws were laced with poison, and I was the one who reduced her to what she was.As this thought hits me, my gaze drifts to where she lies on the ground, surrounded by shadowy wolves with glowing red eyes. It was clear they were protecting her, which was good, but the need to kill her still spurred me to move."Sorry, we’re late."The voice reaches me, and I find myself hopeful that this will be the end and I will be free, but the desperate need to kill continues to hold me.Releasing Alexandria, I shift and barrel into the wolves, ignoring their teeth and claws that attack my skin, threatening to shred me while Nol and the others
[Alexandria’s POV]The next morning comes too damn quick, and before I even manage to fully wake up, I’m being yanked out of my cell and dragged down a long hall while I ignore everything in me that screams to fight.There was a plan in place, and I had to trust that the plan would work out and all of this would finally be over. For now, I just needed to cooperate with whatever went down.With this thought in mind, I let myself be pushed into a room where two women wait to do my hair and makeup while I fix my gaze on the puffy white dress that sits against the wall.In the past, I always dreamed of my perfect wedding dress, but when I lost Jeremiah, I never gave it much thought. Even knowing that there was a possibility I would marry Zane, I never thought about a dress or a big wedding.Feeling my heart tug, I tear my gaze away as guilt toward Jeremiah begins to slam into me.Fuck, now wasn’t the time to be feeling this, not when I knew that this wedding wouldn’t happen, but now that
[Nol’s POV]After Jeckel’s ridiculous dinner, I’m thrown into a cell where Blaine lies motionless on the ground. While Eliana and Alexandria are placed in one beside us.Since seeing her mother and father’s heads on a platter, the usually loud she-wolf hadn’t spoken a word, but by the darkness I see in her eyes, I know that she is silently plotting Jeckel’s death."Hey," I call, trying to draw her attention. "You!"As I speak, the two men in the cell across from mine begin to groan. Tearing my gaze from Alexandria, I take them in and try to determine exactly what the relationship between them and Alexandria was to the point where she would go along with Jeckel’s scheme for them.Sighing in frustration, I turn my attention back to Blaine and watch as he begins to twitch."You finally waking up?" I ask, wishing I could knock him across the head for getting as hurt as he was. "It’s about damn time.""Fuck," he hisses, slowly sitting up only to stop as the chains on his wrists pull agains
[Nol’s POV]Pain radiates through me as my vision finally begins to come back, so that I find myself sitting at a large table. Anger rolling over being tricked, I attempt to move only to find that I’m bound by spiked metal that tears into my skin with each movement.Cursing, I continue to take in the area until my eyes come to rest on an unconscious Eliana and a fighting Alexandria."What the hell?" I growl, beginning to fight even more, only to find that the fucking chains won’t budge. "What the hell is going on here?""About time you woke up, giant!" Alexandria huffs. "We’ve got an issue here.""No shit," I snap, snapping my gaze to Eliana once again.As I take in her pale complexion and slack figure, I realize instantly that something is wrong."Eliana!" I hiss, trying to rouse her. "Open your eyes!""She won’t be waking up."Feeling my heart drop, I tear my gaze away from Eliana to Jeckel and Zane, who are making their way towards us. Confusion building, I take in Zane, whose face