DAKOTA "Are you alright?" Dashiell asks, his brows creased. Still shaken up, I nod in response. He lowers his gaze and reaches out to gently touch my throbbing ankle. "Get on my back," he says, and my eyes widen. With Ocean's help, my ankle would heal in no time. Dashiell is probably unaware of the fact that I have a wolf now. "You don't have to..."He cuts me off as he turns away from me, his broad back facing me. "I want to. Now, do as I say."Defeated, I move closer to him, and he scoops me off the ground as he straightens, my legs locked around his hips. The pain around my ankle fades as I find myself relaxing. His warmth and scent are soothing, and no matter how hard I struggle to stay awake, I eventually drift off into slumber. When I finally awaken, I sit up with a jolt, my eyes wide."I'm...in bed?" I mutter, my gaze scanning the unfamiliar, spacious bedroom with monochrome designs. It looks different from the room Dashiell had allowed me to stay in. More importantl
DASHIELL Dakota's pleading gaze does not falter as she questions my identity and intentions. She's desperate, I can see it in her eyes. But, I believe that she's better off not knowing the full details. If she knows everything, she definitely won't stay still. She would end up in trouble in no time. I really want to avoid that."Why aren't you saying anything? Dashiell, I'm your mate. I don't know anything about you, and I feel like..."I cut her off, bringing her to her feet. "Why are you curious about me? Don't tell me it's because you want to know more about your mate. What's your real reason?" I ask. She stares at me for a moment, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I just...I feel like I won't be able to protect you if I don't know what's really going on," she tells me, and I gape at her, stunned. She wants to protect me? How's she going to do that? As it is, she can barely protect herself. I want to do the protecting. I'm strong enough to protect the both of us.
DAKOTA The sound of Hunter's voice jolts me awake from my peaceful slumber. Opening my eyes, I sit up in bed, concentrating on the direction where his voice is coming from. Stepping out of bed, I hurry out of my bedroom and rush down the stairs. I make it to the sitting room, just in time to catch sight of Hunter slamming Dashiell against the wall, his fingers locked around his throat. It's strange that Hunter had figured out where I am so easily. With my heart in my throat, I quietly watch them from the monitor on the wall of the sitting room, just by the front door. Although Hunter's rage is evident, Dashiell doesn't look bothered at all. "Get your hands off me while I ask nicely," he tells him, a blank look on his face. Hunter tightens his grip on Dashiell's throat as he bares his fangs at him. "And if I don't?!"Dashiell sighs, shutting his eye for a moment. When his eye falls open, he brings a hand to Hunter's chest and gives him a slight push. My jaw drops when Hunt
DAKOTA This is it. Accepting him as my mate would mean that I've switched sides. The Six had given me a chance at rebirth, but they want me on their side. Dashiell might be powerful, but there's a high chance that the Six will destroy my soul if they find out that I've betrayed them. Still, the natural urge to comfort my mate and stay by his side is just as intense. Besides, I have to figure out the whole truth surrounding my death as Melanie Knoxx."I won't let you resign yourself to such a bleak life. I will grow stronger. Strong enough to protect the both of us," I tell him. He stares at me for a while, his eyes heavy hooded. "There's no going back from this, you know that, don't you?" He asks, and I nod, cupping his face. He leans closer to me and captures my lips in a searing kiss that sends sparks flying between us. When we pull away for air, he brushes my hair away from my face, a small smile tugging at his lips."Are you sure you can handle me? I'm crazier than you th
DAKOTA With every step Vera takes towards Dashiell and me, the more I yearn to drive my claws into her throat. When she halts in front of our table, she sneers at Dashiell, her eyes filled with cold malice. "I guess you just never change. One girl for each night. You're just as reckless as ever," she spits. Dashiell leans back on his seat with a relaxed expression on his face. "Look who's talking. You're usually in your bossy, wrinkled form, why did you switch to this form today? I heard that you do that when there's an unfortunate male you want to seduce. Am I wrong?" He literally purrs, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Wrinkled form? She's powerful enough to switch between forms? I guess she'd manipulated me right from the start."You bastard," She hisses like an angry cat. It's amusing to watch her struggle with her growing temper. "Where are the seals? I heard that you've gotten your hands on two of them. The Guild will be showing up at your house any time soon," Vera state
DAKOTA The tension in the room is stifling. Landon, who is sitting beside me, has a blank look on his face, as do the rest of the members of The Six. We are currently at Landon's home. I'd just briefed them on the details of the mission that had been entrusted to me. Everything I'd just said was mostly a lie. "Is he influencing you already?" Landon asks, startling me. Keeping my expression schooled, I give him a response."He's my murderer. I wouldn't let that happen."Landon hands me a laptop and a flash drive. "Watch it when you're alone. It's definite proof of his involvement in your murder. I'm just worried that you're starting to lose focus," he tells me. "The meeting has been adjourned to tomorrow evening. Our leader couldn't make it to today's meeting and has insisted that we meet up tomorrow," the oldest member announces. One after the other, they begin to leave until it's just Landon and I left. "Won't you watch the video?" He asks, his brows creased."You said-
DASHIELL "Are they here for the seals?" Dakota asks, her brows furrowed. I am certain that they have come to find the seals. Even so, I would never let them get their hands on it. "It doesn't matter. They're never going to find it," I breathe, sitting up in bed. Dakota rises to her feet, running her fingers through her red hair. She pauses to look at me, a perturbed look in her eyes."What are you going to do? They're here already. If they have an official warrant, nothing will stop them from ransacking this place."The ringing of the doorbell continues with more intensity than before. "We know you can sense us, Mr. Gryphon. Open the door, or we will break in!" Madam Noir's shrill voice rings through the air. Annoyed, I storm towards the door. Dakota follows behind me, oozing with anxiety. "Are you just going to let her in?" She asks."You heard them. They will break in if I don't let them in," I respond. "But--"I halt, turning to look at her. She bumps into me, her forehead col
DAKOTA Several hours before, My thoughts are jumbled as I descend the stairs in a bid to leave Dashiell's home. I'd planned to tell him about the phone call with my mum but I'd ended up falling asleep. Even so, I don't know who I'm supposed to be loyal to. A part of me believes in Dashiell. The other part of me believes in The Six. They had saved me after all. "Are you off to a morning class?" West's voice pulls me out of my thoughts when I get to the sitting room. He's standing in between the sitting room and the dining room, a spatula in his hand. His hair has been dyed a dark green, and it's been pulled away from his face in a high bun. His eyes match the colour of his hair today. He's always been the stylish type. It's the first time I'm really looking at him. Just like Dashiell, he looks like a supermodel. I can see why he'd dated Dashiell at one point. "Your eyes might fall off if you keep staring at me like that," he comments, and I roll my eyes. "W
Thank you for giving this book a chance, you're such a darling!!!I've been writing this book since last two years and finishing it has been such a task. I've been super busy, and at some point, I had writer's block. But, I really wanted to finish it. If you have questions about the characters, please ask away. I'm also thinking of writing a book based on West and his new love interest. If you also want this, please indicate. Thank you once more for taking the time to read this book. Please check out my other books if you have the time.Much love!Mwaaa!
DAKOTA I stare at the double line on the pregnancy test strip in my grip, my eyes widening. My mind is reeling, and I'm yet to wrap my head around this new reality."I'm pregnant," I breathe, lowering myself onto the closed toilet, my heart thumping faster against my chest. A smile tugs at my lips and happy tears fill my eyes. I've been married to my husband for barely a year and he has always wanted kids of his own. Due to the trauma of how I'd died without getting to see our child, I'd dismissed the thought of getting pregnant, every time it came to my mind.The knock on the door startles me, and I flinch, nearly jumping out of my skin. The door creaks open, and Dashiell pokes his head in, with a longing look on his face. "You've been in there for way too long. Will you come to bed now? I already miss you," he whispers.Unable to fight off the smile coming on, I quickly rise up to my feet, making a quick attempt to hide the pregnancy test strip from him, in a bid to brin
DAKOTA Dashiell lets out a groan, tilting his head to the side to stare at Madam Noir. Slowly, his gaze trails downwards, resting on the black restraints around his wrists, torso and feet. "What is this? Were you not thinking when you tied me up this way?" He asks, his voice thick with disbelief.She shrugs, a smug expression on his face."It doesn't matter. You can't move. I made sure you wouldn't be able to," she drawls, and a frown creases Dashiell's brows. He turns to look at me, his gaze softening."Why is she here? I'm the one you want," he states. "Isn't she so perfectly made for you? With her power, we won't need the rest of the seals to create more seals," Madam Noir says, and I glare at her."I won't let you touch him," I hiss, and she chuckles."That's adorable," she replies. Dashiell releases an exasperated sigh and lowers his head, his gaze pinned on the floor in front of him. "Leave her out of this... please," he rasps, and Madam Noir's expression darkens with
DAKOTA It hits me like a storm. Sitting in Hunter's living room with no clue of how I'd gotten here in the first place, I try to sort out my thoughts. Bits and pieces of my memories finally return to me, and I wince at the memory of throwing a mug at my own mate. Hunter walks in with a cup of coffee and beams at me. His smile fades when he notices that I'm standing in his room awkwardly."What's wrong?" He asks, his voice tinged with uncertainty."I want to go home," I tell him, and he furrows his brows at me."I guess the spell wore out," he mumbles, and I frown at him, puzzled."I liked you better when you were under the spell," he tells me, lowering the cup of coffee on the nightstand. I move backwards, glancing at the door behind me. "Not so fast, princess."I freeze at the sound of Madam Noir's voice at the entrance of the room. She walks in and smacks me on the back of my neck. Instantly, my knees go weak, and she drags me further into the room with Hunter's help. Pl
DASHIELL The moment the statement leaves my mouth, regret slams into me, hard. I should know better. My mate wouldn't betray me to be with someone else."It's a long story. I ran into Hunter," she tells me, and I stiffen. "Did he hurt you?" I ask, and she shakes her head, a few locks of her red hair falling over her face."He knows everything," she rasps, and I raise a brow, puzzled."Everything? Including who you really are? You told him?" She heaves a sigh, brushing her hair away from her face."Madam Noir got to him first. I'm not sure if he's just neutral about the whole thing. I don't know if he's on her side. I feel like I'm missing the big picture," she tells me, and lets out a yawn. "You should get some rest, you look exhausted," I say, and her gaze softens."So do you."I crack a smile, and she returns it. "Don't do that again. I understand that you were desperate to find me, but being intimate with another woman just doesn't sound right," she says."I know. I w
DAKOTA "If you make a sound, I'm going to slit your throat. Do you understand?" Hunter whispers in a menacing tone, and I nod frantically, squeezing my eyes shut. My heart thumps madly against my rib cage as I feel him sweep me off my feet, swinging me over his shoulder like a sack. I part my lips to let out a scream, but I decide against it when I feel him align his claws with my spine. He heads down the alley and places me in a car parked down the street. He proceeds to drive off instantly. Too petrified to do anything, I remain silent. He still doesn't know who I really am, and I want to keep things that way. "Won't you ask me where I'm taking you to?" He suddenly breaks the silence while he glances at me through the front mirror. Avoiding his gaze, I direct my gaze outside the window, watching the rain fall on the rough asphalt on the road. "You literally just kidnapped me. How do you expect me to feel?" I retort. "What did he do? He did something, didn't he?" Hunter
DAKOTA My stomach churns with tension as I hold out a trembling hand towards the transparent glass while a strong feeling of nostalgia hits me. The moment the tips of my fingers connect with the glass, a tremor runs through my body, several cracks appearing on the tank. Dashiell stumbles backwards with me in his arms. As if on cue, the glass shatters and my floating body collapses to the bottom of the tank. In that instant, my vision bleeds white and I'm suddenly left with a feeling of bleak emptiness. Terrified, I reach out for my mate's subconsciousness. However, I fail to reach him every time I try. Am I dead? I can't help but wonder. While I ponder on this, I hear Dashiell's voice. He's calling out my name with desperation. He's pleading with me to stay with him. In my feverish haze, a feminine voice fills my head. This voice sounds just like Dakota's.'Go to him. You have my blessings.'With a gasp, my eyes shoot open, and a pair of strong arms pull me into an embrace.
DASHIELL Hearing my mate's voice in my head for the first time in days, spurred me into overdrive. Like a storm, I head straight for the headquarters of the Guild. Despite the large numbers of officials that try to get in my way, I don't hesitate to take them down. Once I'm below ground level, I finally encounter the members of the Six. West had taken his time to get me information on every member of the Six. Therefore, it's pretty easy to recognize them."Do you think we will let you through? Surrender now and save yourself the embarrassment," one of them says to me. I snort in amusement. They clearly do not know what I'm capable of. "Hand over your keys. It's going to save you a lot of trouble if you do," I state, and they all stiffen, exchanging bewildered glances with each other."How do you know about the keys?" One of them asks, and I shrug, nonchalantly."It's none of your business. Now, are we doing this or not?" I've barely completed my statement when two members
DAKOTA I'm freezing. This place, which looks more like a dungeon than a prison cell, has no source of illumination. Therefore, everything is pitch black. Ocean growls in my head, her frustration bleeding into me. My head is throbbing, probably from colliding with the floor when I collapsed. With my limbs firmly tied up, my movements are limited. Even so, I am determined to get out of this place. Even if it means that I'll have to crawl out of it. The heavy door creaks open, and Landon walks in. He halts by the door for a moment, his grey eyes watching me with pity. Slowly, he walks towards me and crouches in front of me, bringing a hand to my face."It's such a pity. I had such great plans for you, but you ruined it all. I believed in you, Mel. You disappointed me. Now, you will have to pay the price for it," he whispers, brushing my hair away from my face.Pulling away from him, I rest my head on the wall."That's quite funny, you know? You claim to have big plans for me, but