Prisca McHawlin has lived a normal life for 19 years, until the shocking return of her supposedly dead biological father. She soon discovers her life is built on secrets far darker than she imagined. Not only is she half-lycan and half-witch, but her destined mate, Jake, is the ruthless Alpha of the deadliest pack and a hybrid from an ancient royal bloodline. While lycans are meant to honor the mate bond, Jake sees it as a weakness, driven by his lust for power. As secrets unravel, Prisca must navigate a dangerous world where trust is scarce, and betrayal runs deep.
View MorePRESENT DAY
I sighed as my father drove me to school it felt like I was being dragged to hell. Just a few weeks ago, I was living comfortably with my mom, Emily McHawlin, my world as normal as it could get. Now, I was living with a man I barely knew. A man I had believed was dead my entire life. My father, Daniel, who had suddenly emerged from the shadows, insisting he was back for my own good. Life has a funny way of slapping you in the face when you least expect it, twisting fate in ways that leave you breathless. I shook my head, still unable to fully process the turn my life had taken. A new father, a new home, and now, a new school. I pulled my cross-body bag off the shelf and stuffed a few notebooks inside, trying to focus on the mundane task. My thoughts raced as I questioned how I even agreed to this. Me, Prisca McHawlin, starting a new life on someone else’s terms. Daniel had convinced me it was “healthy” to get back into a routine, but there was nothing healthy about this situation. I snickered bitterly at the thought. Saint Michaelson Academy. That was the name of my new school, and the uniform felt as foreign to me as everything else in my life now. A blue pencil skirt, white shirt with the school crest, and standard black shoes. It wasn’t hideous, but I wasn’t used to wearing uniforms. I tied my shoulder-length black hair into a neat ponytail and glanced at myself in the mirror. I looked like a stranger, even to myself. With a sigh, I headed downstairs, each step heavy with the weight of my new reality. When I entered the kitchen, I found Daniel sitting at the small dining table, sipping his coffee. He didn’t even look up when I walked in. The silence between us was thick, awkward. He still felt like a stranger. I stood in the doorway, just watching him for a moment. So many questions swirled in my mind. Who was he, really? why did I have to live with him now? But none of those questions came out. “Are you ready?” he finally asked, his voice cutting through the silence. I jumped a little at the sound of his voice. “Yes… I guess,” I mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. “Just a bit nervous.” He frowned slightly but didn’t press further. “You’ll be fine,” he said, grabbing an apple from the counter. “Come on. You don’t want to be late on your first day.” He headed for the door, and I followed silently, wishing I could disappear. The drive to Saint Michaelson Academy was just as quiet, the tension between us growing with each passing mile. I stared out the window, watching as the sky grew darker, thick clouds rolling in like something ominous. The weather felt as unsettling as my mood, casting the world in shades of grey. When we arrived, my heart sank. The school wasn’t what I had expected. It was small, almost like an old mansion rather than an academy. The one-story building was made of dark bricks, the windows lined with wrought iron, giving it an eerie, gothic vibe. The lawns were well-maintained, but even the green grass couldn’t brighten the atmosphere. It felt cold, like the air around it was sucked of all warmth and life. I shivered involuntarily. The sky above seemed to press down on the building, heavy with the promise of rain. The clouds were dark and swirling, like something out of a horror movie. The wind picked up, making the trees sway ominously. Everything about the place made my skin crawl, as if I was walking into a trap and I didn’t even know it. “This place feels... off,” I whispered under my breath. Daniel pulled the car to a stop and turned toward me. “I’ll be in the principal’s office if you need anything,” he said in that same calm voice he always used. It annoyed me how unbothered he seemed by everything. “You’ll be fine its just your first day, Prisca.” Fine? I wasn’t sure I believed that. But I nodded anyway and watched as he walked into the school building, leaving me standing alone in front of the academy. I took a deep breath and adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder. *You can do this, Prisca. It’s just a school. It’s just a new place.* But as I took my first step toward the entrance, a chill ran down my spine. The air felt thick, oppressive, as if something dark lingered in the shadows. The kind of feeling you get when you’re being watched. What kind of a school was this? Inside, the hallway was dimly lit, with old-fashioned chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The walls were lined with dark wood paneling, and everything seemed to have a faint layer of dust, as if the school hadn’t seen much light or life in years. The students moved quickly, all of them seeming to know exactly where to go, their faces expressionless. No one noticed me. Or if they did, they didn’t care. I felt out of place, like an intruder in a world I didn’t belong in. My chest tightened with anxiety as I fumbled with the schedule in my hand. I had no idea where to go, and the fast-moving crowd made it impossible to stop and ask for help. Just as I was about to turn down a hallway, I bumped into someone. Hard. “Hey! Watch it!” a voice said, annoyed but playful. I looked up to see a boy around my age, with sandy blond hair and thick glasses. He had the kind of nerdy charm that was almost endearing. “I-I’m sorry,” I stammered, stepping back and trying not to make a fool of myself. “I didn’t mean to—” “Don’t worry about it,” he interrupted, his irritation quickly fading. “Just try not to bump into the principal. You’re new, right? I’ve never seen you around here before.” I nodded, relief flooding through me. *Finally, someone noticed me.* “Yeah, I’m new. Sorry, I’m a little lost and... really nervous.” He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Nervous? You? Well, don’t sweat it. This place is weird, but you’ll get used to it. I’m Bryan, by the way.” I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and smiled for the first time that day. “Prisca. Nice to meet you.” “Come on, Prisca. I’ll help you find your way. Where’s your first class?” He took my schedule from me and glanced at it. “Biology, huh? Lucky for you, I’m headed there too.” As Bryan led me through the labyrinth of hallways, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling creeping up my spine. The deeper we went into the school, the darker it seemed to get. I felt like I was walking through a haunted house, not an academy. But I pushed the thoughts away, trying to focus on the relief of not being completely alone in this strange place. When we finally reached the classroom, Bryan held the door open for me. “Ladies first,” he joked. I laughed, but the unease still lingered.The ballroom was alive with music and laughter, a stark contrast to the heaviness that had lingered over the pack these past few weeks. Fatima had outdone herself, organizing this ball to remind everyone that joy still had a place in our lives.Dressed in a flowing emerald-green gown, I swayed gently in Jake’s arms as we moved across the dance floor. The light in his eyes, the way his fingers traced soothing circles on my back, made me forget—if only for a moment—that our world was still in pieces.“See?” he murmured. “A night without doom and gloom. Feels nice, doesn’t it?”I smiled up at him. “It does.”He twirled me, and for a second, I felt weightless. Then it hit me.A sharp, piercing sensation in my skull.I stumbled, the room tilting violently.Jake’s grip tightened. “Prisca?”I couldn’t answer. The pain spread like wildfire, and suddenly, the music and chatter faded into the background. My legs buckled, and I was falling.Darkness swallowed me whole.And then… I wasn’t in the
The weight of what I had just seen clung to me like a second skin. Even as I sat on the edge of the bed, back in the safety of our room, I could still feel the cold presence of that figure. The sound of its voice—my voice—echoed in my head like a haunting melody. Choose. But choose what? I could still feel Jake’s hands on my face from before, the desperate way he had searched my eyes, pleading for an answer I didn’t have. Now, he paced the room, his body tense with unspoken frustration. The others sat nearby, watching me with equal parts concern and curiosity. “You need to tell us everything,” Althea finally said, breaking the heavy silence. I rubbed my arms, trying to rid myself of the chill that had settled in my bones. “I was… alone. You were all gone. And the figure—it wasn’t just some shadow. It was me.” Sophie’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait. You? Like… a doppelgänger situation?” I nodded slowly. “Exactly like that. She—It—told me I had to choose. But I don’t know what t
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a blade. We had all woken up in a cold sweat, shaken by the fact that we had the exact same dream—no, it wasn’t just a dream. It felt too real. The streets of that town, the heavy feeling of being watched, the way the air had seemed almost alive with something unnatural. I glanced around at the others, my heart still hammering in my chest. Jake sat at the edge of the bed, his muscles tense, his jaw clenched as if trying to process everything at once. Fatima and Sophie had both fallen into a heavy silence, their usual humor nowhere to be seen. And Althea… she was staring blankly at the candle burning on the bedside table, deep in thought, her fingers twitching slightly. “This isn’t over,” I finally said, breaking the silence. “We left that place. We returned here. But somehow, it’s still with us.” Jake turned to me, his expression unreadable. “There has to be a reason why we all saw the same thing.” His voice was low, controlled—b
The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine as I stepped out of the cabin. The town was finally behind us, but a strange unease still lingered in my chest. It wasn’t just the eerie experiences we had—it was something deeper, something clawing at my subconscious, demanding my attention.Jake was already outside, sharpening his dagger with a quiet focus that sent a chill through me. His jaw was tense, his muscles coiled, as if he were ready for another fight. I walked up to him, rubbing my arms against the cold. "You look like you're expecting trouble," I said, trying to sound lighthearted, but he barely acknowledged me at first.Finally, he sighed and set the dagger down. "I don’t like that we had to run from that place. It feels unfinished," he admitted.He wasn’t wrong. We had gotten away, but at what cost? The things we had seen, the presence that still clung to us like an unshakable shadow—I knew deep down that it wasn’t truly over.Sophie came strolling ou
The tension from our near escape still clung to me like a second skin, even as the night stretched into silence. My body was exhausted, my mind running circles around the events that had unfolded. I lay curled against Jake, his arms wrapped securely around me, his breath steady and warm against my hair. But sleep refused to claim me. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes—red eyes in the dark, the twisted town, the feeling of time slipping like sand through my fingers. It had been too easy. Too clean of an escape. And that made my stomach churn. Jake shifted beside me, his grip tightening. “You’re thinking too much,” he murmured against my temple. I exhaled softly. “I can’t help it. Something isn’t right.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead, but there was tension in his touch. “We’ll figure it out in the morning. For now, just rest.” I nodded against his chest, but the uneasy feeling wouldn’t leave. And deep down, I knew—this wasn’t over. ---Morning came far too soon. T
The moment we stepped out of the inn, an eerie silence wrapped around us like a suffocating blanket. The town, which had been brimming with life just hours ago, now felt abandoned. The streets were empty, the lanterns flickering weakly, and the air carried a heavy stillness that made the hairs on my arms rise.Jake was the first to break the silence. "We need to get out of here. Now."His voice was calm but held an undertone of urgency that made my stomach twist. I reached for his hand instinctively, feeling the warmth of his skin grounding me.Althea, Sophie, Fatima, and Chris followed closely behind as we hurried toward the town's exit. But as we neared the main road leading out, a dense fog rolled in from nowhere, thick and unnatural. My breath hitched as the path ahead of us blurred into nothingness."What the hell?" Chris muttered, stepping ahead cautiously. He reached out a hand to push through the fog, but the moment his fingers touched it, a pulse of energy knocked him back on
The road stretched before us, endless and winding, as our SUV rumbled down the cracked pavement. The eerie little town we'd just left was nothing more than a fading memory in the rearview mirror. Or at least, that’s what we thought.Fatima sat in the back, fiddling with the radio, static crackling through the speakers. Sophie drummed her fingers on the dashboard while Althea stared out the window, her fingers twitching like she was trying to grab something unseen. Chris, sitting next to Fatima, was uncharacteristically quiet.“I swear, I’ll never step foot in another weird-ass town again,” Sophie muttered, shifting in her seat. “That place gave me the creeps.”“Agreed,” Jake said, his fingers gripping the wheel tighter. “Let’s just get home and pretend this never happened.”Silence settled over the car for a while, broken only by the hum of the tires against the road. The trees lining the highway were dense, towering over us, their darkened silhouettes illuminated by the occasional f
The idea of taking a break from everything was both ridiculous and desperately needed. The pack had been through hell, and for the first time in weeks, there was no immediate crisis to solve. So, when Sophie suggested a road trip, I had laughed—until I saw the way Jake looked at me, like he knew I needed this more than anyone. And maybe I did.That’s how I found myself crammed in an SUV with Jake, Althea, Sophie, Fatima, and Jake speeding down an open road. The wind blew through my hair as I rolled down the window, feeling something I hadn’t in a long time—freedom.“Alright, we need road trip rules,” Sophie announced from the backseat, pulling out a notepad. “Rule number one: No talking about pack politics.”“Agreed,” Fatima said, munching on a bag of spicy chips. “Rule number two: The driver does not get to pick all the music.”Jake, who was behind the wheel, raised a brow. “Excuse me? Who else would pick?”“Literally anyone else,” Althea said, crossing her arms. “You listen to brood
The morning air was crisp and fresh, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth through the open windows. It was the kind of morning that whispered of new beginnings, of hope gently stretching its fingers through the cracks of sorrow. I stood on the balcony, sipping warm tea, watching the sun rise over the treetops. The pack had been through hell, but today—today felt different. The heaviness that had lingered like an unshakable fog finally seemed to be lifting. Laughter drifted up from below, the sound of children playing near the training grounds. Warriors, who once walked with the weight of grief on their shoulders, were smiling as they sparred in the courtyard. The pack was healing, slowly but surely. I had found a place here. It had taken time, patience, and a lot of self-doubt, but now, watching the people I had come to love rebuild their lives, I felt at home. A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me against a warm chest. “You’re up early,” J
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