“Wilson...” Selena’s voice is barely above a whisper, her heart sinking as she realizes what he’s overheard.Wilson’s eyes, once warm with affection, are now as hard as stone. Without a word, he turns and walks away, his broad shoulders stiff with the effort of containing his rage.“Wilson, wait!” Selena calls after him, panic rising in her chest. She starts to run after him, but Valentine grabs her arm, desperate to keep her from leaving.“Let him go, Selena. He’ll come around.”She glares at him, fury blazing in her blue eyes. “You don’t understand, Valentine. You’ve ruined everything!”With a surge of strength, she shoves him away, sending him crashing into a parked car with such force that the metal crumples beneath him. A commotion erupts in the parking lot as people rush to see what’s happening, but Selena is already sprinting after Wilson, her heart pounding in her chest.Valentine lies on the ground, the breath knocked out of him, the taste of blood in his mouth. He watches hel
A little while later, almost lost in the reverie of his flummoxity he hears footsteps outside the door and his heart skips a beat as the scent of jasmine reaches his nostrils. Selena. The very thought of her name sends a fresh wave of conflicting emotions crashing over him.The door creaks open softly, hesitantly, and Selena steps into the office—her presence immediately filling the room with a strange, almost oppressive tension. Wilson lifts his head, his expression dark and unreadable as he looks at her. There’s no warmth in his eyes, no relief at her presence—only a cold, distant anger that makes her heart clench with fear.“Wilson…” she begins, her voice tentative, trying to gauge his mood. But he cuts her off with a sharp wave of his hand.“I don’t want to talk about it, Selena,” he says, his voice flat, devoid of the love that once colored every word he spoke to her. “I can’t even look at you right now.”Selena flinches as if he’s struck her. She knew this confrontation was inevi
Jason storms through the dense forest, his heart pounding in his chest as the trees whip past him. His mind is a whirlwind of anger, betrayal, and a thirst for vengeance—vengeance for his Alpha… that burns hotter with each passing second. The thought of Valentine daring to steal Selena from Wilson—his Alpha, his brother in all but blood—fills him with a rage that he can barely contain.He knows where to find Valentine. The son of Percy isn’t hard to track, especially when he’s been sniffing around Selena like a dog in heat. Jason’s thoughts turn dark as he imagines how he’ll confront the arrogant bastard, how he’ll make him pay for the pain he’s caused. Blood for blood—that’s the law of the pack, and Jason intends to see it through.When he reaches the edge of the lone forest, around where the Adam mansion remotely sits, the moonlight casts a pale glow over the small clearing where Valentine stands, as if he’s been expecting someone’s arrival. He’s leaning casually against a tree, his
Jason stumbles through the forest, his body battered and bruised from his encounter with Valentine. His mind is a whirlwind of thoughts—of the fight, of the darkness he saw in Valentine’s eyes, of the howl that still echoes in his ears.The sound of that howl sends chills down his spine. It was no ordinary wolf’s call; it was something far more ancient, far more powerful. It was a warning—a sign that something terrible is coming, something that could tear the pack apart.He pushes forward, his body screaming in protest with each step, but he refuses to slow down. He has to get back to Wilson, has to warn him about Valentine and whatever dark force he’s aligned himself with.As he nears the edge of the forest, the pack house comes into view, its silhouette a dark shadow against the fading light of the day. Relief floods through him at the sight, but it’s short-lived as a figure steps out from the trees, blocking his path.Jason freezes, his heart hammering in his chest as he recognizes
Wilson, though shaken, masks his turmoil with a hardened resolve, his gaze narrowing as Chloe’s words echo in his mind. The revelation she delivered cuts through him like a cold blade, unsettling yet undeniable. He nods slowly, his agreement reluctant but necessary. "Tell Dr. Percy to come see me," he mutters, his voice laced with an undercurrent of unease. "We really need to talk."Chloe, understanding the weight of his command, meets his gaze with a solemn nod. Without hesitation, she scoops Valentine into her arms, her movements fluid and precise. Then, in a blur of motion, she vanishes into the forest, her departure as swift and startling as a bolt of lightning. The trees seem to shudder in her wake, the air crackling with the energy of her exit.The once-chaotic symphony of the forest fades, replaced by an eerie stillness that clings to the air like a fog. Every rustle of leaves, every distant cry of a nocturnal creature, seems to have been swallowed by the silence, as though the
The dawn breaks with a reluctant light; the morning sun rises reluctantly over the mist-laden forest, casting long, serpentine shadows that slither across the ground like malevolent phantoms—the sky bruised with the remnants of a night that had been anything but peaceful. Selena steps out of the pack house, her eyes heavy with the weight of sleepless hours. The morning air is crisp, biting at her exposed skin, but it does little to dispel the shadows clinging to her thoughts. The remnants of last night's chaos cling to the atmosphere—a palpable tension that refuses to dissipate. Her pulse quickens as memories of the encounter between Jason and the possessed Valentine haunts her, replaying in her mind—each memory a fresh wound… each image seared into her consciousness like a brand. As she makes her way to the inn, the streets of Laketown seem unnervingly quiet. The usual morning hustle is absent, replaced by a thick silence that presses against her ears like cotton. The chaos at the
The evening sun hangs low in the sky—almost at the end of the horizon where it meets the earth in a mocking embrace—casting long, ominous shadows across the city as Selena and Demika make their way to the designated meeting spot with Chloe. The atmosphere is tense, charged with the weight of the secrets they carry—the streets are deserted, the usual hustle and bustle replaced by an eerie stillness that makes every sound seem amplified—the crunch of gravel underfoot, the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the distant hum of traffic.They arrive at the old mill on the outskirts of Laketown, a place long abandoned and forgotten by most. It’s here that Chloe suggested they meet, away from the prying eyes of the pack and the ever-watchful gaze of those who might wish to keep the truth hidden.Chloe is already there, waiting in the shadow of the crumbling structure. Her expression is grave, her usual confidence tempered by a deep unease. As Selena and Demika approach, Chloe steps forward, her
The evening sky has turned a deep indigo as the trio makes their way to Demika’s house, the air heavy with the promise of impending doom. The streets of Clovis City are eerily quiet, as if the town itself is holding its breath, waiting for the storm to break. The tenacious young ladies gather in Demika’s room, the small space filled with the scent of burning sage and the low hum of ancient incantations—crowded with the weight of what they are about to do. The air is thick with tension, a palpable energy that crackles like static electricity, as they prepare for the ritual.Demika’s Black Book of magic lies open on the bed, its pages filled with dark, its ancient pages crackling with a sinister energy that sends shivers down Selena’s body. Chloe looks calm. The book is a relic of a bygone age, with twisting symbols that seem to writhe and pulse with a life of their own—a tome of forbidden knowledge that Granny Minama had guarded fiercely, until now. And with Granny Minama away on a tri
The battlefield is alive with pandemonium—a riot of sound and fury that consumes the empyrean red day. Blood scents the air like a profane incense, mingling with the acrid tang of adrenaline and the metallic resonance of clashing steel. Above it all, the cloud-quilted sun hangs like a sinister overseer, its effulgent glow casting distorted shadows across the combatants as though mocking their mortal toil.Wilson is a maelstrom, his pugnacious spirit personified in every fluid motion of claw and fang. "This is it!" he shouts over the cacophony, his urban bravado slicing through the chaos. "You came looking for a fight, and old man, did you find one!"The wolves of Clovis surge forward, their snarls harmonizing into a primal symphony of aggression. Among them, Jason cuts through the ranks like a living weapon, his combative ferocity unmatched as he tears into William’s vampyric vanguard. "Keep it tight, people!" Jason bellows, his tone laced with urgency and grit. "We don’t let these le
The execution arena lies shrouded beneath an oppressive, tenebrous sky, the air thick with an empyrean cacophony of impending doom. The battleground, once a verdant expanse, now reeks of bloodlust and imminent death.Torrents of malevolent energy seem to converge here, twisting the atmosphere into a grotesque theater for the clash of titanic wills.Selena stands among her comrades, her hybrid senses hyper-aware of the electrifying tension seeping into the marrow of her bones. The sheer gravity of this confrontation sets her heart pounding, a tempestuous drumbeat in her chest.She scans the opposition, her eidetic memory recalling every cursed detail from Demika's prophetic vision. Yet, seeing the Dark King himself—William the Conqueror—in the flesh is something else entirely.He stands at the forefront of his legion, an effulgent figure of eldritch horror. His ornate armor glints in the dim light, etched with runes of ancient malice. Around him, his progeny—a sybaritic collection of p
Wilson moves with a quiet purpose, pouring them each a drink. The amber liquid swirls in the glasses, catching the soft light and reflecting the warmth that now lingers between them.He sets the glasses on the table before settling into the chair across from her, his gaze steady but softened. Selena, her towel wrapped tightly around her as if it could shield her from the weight of what comes next, takes her seat opposite him.The desk between them feels symbolic, a battlefield turned meeting ground. It had borne witness to the fiery collision of their desires, and now it would serve as the platform for the conversation they could no longer avoid. Wilson's eyes meet hers, the intensity of his gaze a reminder of the bond they have forged.Selena takes a slow sip of her drink, the liquid burning a trail down her throat, grounding her in the moment. She sets the glass down, her fingers tracing its rim as she gathers her thoughts.For weeks, she had run from this confrontation, her heart h
The tension in the air is almost suffocating, like the weight of storm clouds about to burst, as Selena approaches the towering gates of the Redbone Pack House. The building looms in the golden twilight, a monument of authority and history.Her steps falter for a moment, her hybrid instincts warring between flight and the undeniable pull of her bond with Alpha Wilson. She tightens her resolve. Two weeks of hiding had led to this moment, and there was no turning back.Inside, Wilson buries himself in a mountain of documents sprawled across his oak desk, the weight of leadership pressing heavily on his broad shoulders. His mind, however, is far from the affairs of the pack… a picture of barely restrained chaos. Piles of documents litter his desk—each one a distraction he has tried to sink himself in to help manage his emotional turmoil.His thoughts circle back to Selena with frustrating regularity, the woman who had invaded every fiber of his being, only to vanish without explanation.
The soft knock at the cottage door rouses Demika from the depths of her trance, her heart racing as she emerges from the haze of memories—memories not her own, yet as vivid and haunting as any she has ever known.Morning light seeps in, streaking the dim room with harsh lines that cut through the shadows, marking the end of her night of revelation. She blinks at the sunlight with a slight start, realizing, only now, that she has been suspended in the remnants of the past for hours. Selena’s voice reaches her ears, carrying both worry and curiosity."Demi… Demika," Selena says, pushing the door open and stepping inside. She stops, eyes widening as she takes in her friend, studying her with a blend of disbelief and awe. “You look... different.”A faint smirk tugs at the corner of Demika’s lips. “I am different,” she says quietly, her voice carrying an edge of something ancient, something foreign. “You have no idea.”Selena glances over her shoulder as Chloe enters, her expression one of
The witching hour wraps Clovis City in a cloak of shadows, its darkness laced with whispers of secrets and spells unspoken. Within the flickering light of her grandmother’s old cottage, Demika sits, her eyes gleaming with the fervor of a newfound obsession. Power—a current now thrumming through her veins like molten metal—spills over her senses, intoxicating, consuming. She yearns to explore its limits, to delve deeper into the legacy left in her blood, one that has made her the most formidable in her lineage. Tonight, her thirst for mastery borders on ravenous; no knowledge, no spell, no secret can escape her.But first, she indulges in a bit of mischief. Her curiosity drifts to Chloe, her love interest, and she murmurs an incantation under her breath, fingers tracing arcane symbols in the air. She plunges herself into the past, her spirit slicing through the veil of time, her consciousness landing centuries ago.She arrives to find a silver-haired, pint-sized vampire toddling unstea
The days bleed into one another in a dim cadence of restless hours and unbroken silence, with Demika hidden away in the secluded corners of Minama’s cottage. The air within these walls is thick, a heavy shroud of mourning still tinged with Granny Minama’s spirit, even though her presence now lingers as only shadows and echoes.Demika clings to her solitude like a lifeline, guarding it fiercely within the shadows of Granny Minama’s cottage. This sanctuary, thick with ancestral whispers and cloaked in twilight, is her one remaining tether to the world before her transformation.Her days bleed into nightfall, melting into each other as she consumes herself with a single focus: to probe the surge of power that crashed into her like a tempest the night her grandmother’s body was lowered into the earth. This power is unlike anything she has ever felt—ancient, electric, and dangerous, thrumming beneath her skin like a pulse with its own fierce will.By the muted glow of candlelight, Demika l
Loneliness is a silent architect, building castles of solitude in the minds of those who wander without tether. Identity is a dance of masks, but in crisis, the mask slips, revealing not clarity but a fog, as if one were peering through glass, shattered and smeared. However, to lose oneself is not to wander; it is to walk through a foreclosure of one’s own soul, each familiar landmark of self closing its doors with a hollow thud. But solitude is the truest mirror, a place where whispers echo louder than the clamors of a crowd, where silence is the only faithful companion. In the heart’s quiet corridors, the comfort of isolation mingles with a cold draft of longing, one that no borrowed company can fill. Like a shadow dancing in one’s periphery, a fractured sense of belonging haunts the fringes of an empty room. And yet, perhaps loneliness is the sculptor, and solitude the chisel, whittling away the superfluous to reveal the form beneath. Some seek company to escape it; others confro
The night drapes itself in a humid cloak, thick and cloying, clinging to every surface and casting a fremescent tension that prickles the skin as Jason waits in the dim warmth of his apartment. After the long, solemn hours of Granny Minama's funeral, he can still feel the weight of Wilson’s directive pressing upon him, a derisive whisper urging him to slip the truth from Gabrielle without alerting her to his intent. The assignment is deceptively simple, yet Jason knows the fine line he walks: one misstep, one hint of calculation, and her walls will go up.She arrives just past midnight, her silhouette framed by the streetlight outside before stepping into the flickering glow of his candlelit living room. Shadows dance along cluttered shelves, over worn furniture, and around the dark corners of the room, painting an almost ominous scene. Jason greets her with a kiss, his hand grazing her cheek as their eyes meet, hers soft and trusting, unknowing of his hidden purpose.In that moment,