Ava had long been accustomed to the role of outcast. Taken in by a Lycan pack when she was just an infant in her mother's arms, she had always been.. different. Smaller. Weaker. More fragile, though only ever in the physical sense. Her spirit, on the other hand, was known for its fiery ferocity. Untamed. Unyielding. And unbroken, just like the ancient, powerful bloodline that most thought long destroyed. And yet it stirred, as those few who returned from the northwest brought whispered rumours with them. They told of a battle. An unexpected power. So many lives lost, and a dark new threat. But all of that was far away, and her home now faced its own problems. A pack merger. A cruel, ruthless new Alpha, who bowed to no one. Long held secrets uncovered, that threatened to upheave everything. And two formidable Lycans, both claiming Ava as their own.
View MoreI sighed softly as I heard a twig snap somewhat close behind me, knowing perfectly well the only people who'd find it amusing to attempt to sneak up on me out here. Choosing to ignore their childishness, I kept my head down, focused on looking for more of the small, dark green shoots I sought.
This particular patch of shaded forest, not all that far from the pack house, was one of few places they grew. They were plentiful here though, and I was grateful for it, given they were the only thing that seemed to prevent the severe migraines that had happened all too often, for as long as I could remember.I was equally grateful for my mother's skill in herbalism, since no one else here could prepare the unusually shaped roots. We were something of an oddity, her and I. Not Lycans, like the rest who lived here.Including the twins. They were the Alpha's and Luna's boys, about the same age as me, and well-loved by most, despite their arrogant attitudes. I'd always assumed that was a privilege of being born into rank, and of being conventionally attractive, too, I suppose. Their shaggy blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and pretty faces had most of the pack females fawning all over them, regardless of how poorly they treated most of them.I sighed again as their soft sniggers brought my attention back to them trying to creep up behind me, the sound of their amusement giving them away even more readily than their careless footsteps. These two would never make good hunters, that much was certain.I reached down, carefully pulling another of the small plants from the ground, then straightened and turned calmly to face them, just as they came within arms reach.Their looks of disappointment were just as obvious as their actions had been. "Oof.. so close," Matteus teased his brother, Tyler, who'd been a short step closer. Tyler rolled his eyes, then grinned at me sheepishly, and I raised an eyebrow at the two of them."You know.. most of the pack grew out of playing children's games long before they became teens. Aren't you two supposed to be adults next week?" I asked, sounding impatient.Tyler's amusement quickly drained from his face. "Whatever.. weirdo," he said with a sneer, and a look down his nose as he raised his chin. Clearly I had offended his pride. "Was just trying to have some fun," he continued as I rolled my eyes and turned my back to them again.Dismissing them in such a way was a bad decision, judging by the way Matteus suddenly moved behind me, shoving me into a tree and holding me there, the basket full of roots tumbling to the ground. "Hey now, little nitch, don't be rude," he said threateningly, his face so close to my neck I could feel his warm breath.'Nitch.' I hadn't heard that in a long time. It was the cruel nickname I'd had to live with for most of my childhood, and the twist of anguish it brought hadn't dulled any.Mama was a witch, see. One they kept in magical cuffs to prevent her casting anything without permission, but a witch all the same. She could be useful, if they allowed it. But me? I'd never shown even slightest spark of magical talent, and they'd tested for it every year.So, I was a witch with no powers. A 'nitch.' Entirely useless. Though they kept me in the same cuffs, just to be certain, and put Mama and I to work, serving the pack to pay off our debt. Though no one seemed to have ever mentioned just how long that would take.It was my hope that it was only as long as we chose to remain here, under their roof, and with my own birthday also approaching soon, I didn't plan for that to be much longer. I just had to stick it out for another nine days.That shouldn't be too hard, I'd long learned to keep silent, when targeted and antagonised by any of the pack kids, and did the same now. But Matteus only pressed himself closer, his chest against my back as he wrapped a hand roughly in my thick, dark brown hair, forcing my head to turn towards Tyler."You should apologise to my brother," he said, twisting his hand tighter. I winced, my voice strained as I met Tyler's eyes, "I'm.. sorry," I said, my eyes beginning to water. Tyler moved closer, giving me a gentle smile, though the look of mischief in his eyes was unmistakable."Aww, it's okay, Ava," he said, his voice only holding the slightest of mocking tones, "I know you weren't trying to be mean," he continued, then grinned at his brother as he stepped closer again.Matteus loosened his grip on my hair, but I couldn't help but tense as Tyler moved beside him, both of them now crowding me against the tree. "I.. no, I wasn't," I said nervously, "I should get these back to Mama." I nudged the basket full of roots with my foot, and tried to push between them.They stopped me, pushing me hard up against the tree trunk again, with playful sounding laughs. "There'll be time for that," Matteus said softly against my ear, his voice oddly husky all of a sudden, and I gasped as one of their hands grabbed my ass, squeezing it firmly."Mmmm," Tyler said against the other, "You're not done helping us," he continued, as another hand joined the first, on the other cheek. "Helping?" I gasped, and he laughed softly again, "Yeah, helping. That's what you do, isn't it? 'Help'?"Matteus chuckled at his brother's comment, "What else can she do? She can't fight, or hunt, or use magic.." one of the hands trailed lower, edging down between my thighs, and I tried to push my way out from between them again.But they held me firm, the wandering hand starting to rub between my legs, the movement obvious through the thin fabric of my old leggings. "I can think of a few things.." Tyler began, using one hand to grab my wrist, pinning it behind my backI gasped, and Matteus grabbed the other, doing the same, one large strong hand holding them both as he hushed my sudden protest, "Ssshhh.. you don't want everyone to see that you're a little whore, now do you? You know what they'd think if they found you here with both of us.""And who they'd blame for it," Tyler added, as I began shaking my head and pleading with them, "Please, just stop it.. " I whispered, as I felt fingers slip into either side of my waistband, "You've made your point, I won't be rude to you again, I swear.."I fell suddenly silent, and the hands froze their movements, as a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, coming from the direction of the pack house. The twins tensed, turning towards it and moving quickly, Matteus holding my wrist and dragging me with them.I yanked it free, turning back to grab the basket from the ground, and only just managed to grasp it before Tyler grabbed the other arm, his face pale, and looking oddly.. concerned? For whoever the scream came from, I told myself, though Matteus kept pace beside me too, giving me the same look as they led me along with them.They slowed as we reached the edge of the forest, crouching down and keeping quiet as we came up to the treeline, trying to see what had happened before we stumbled right into it.As I watched Lanna leave, I suddenly realised that there was still something I had meant to ask her. Knowing it would now have to wait until our return home, I sighed in disappointment, the soft sound immediately noticed by both Saxon and Haden. Saxon moved closer, placing his hand on my hip, and his nose close to mine. "What's up, pup?" he whispered softly, as Haden watched with concern and the others moved away, giving us some space for a moment. "What's bothering you?" he continued, exchanging a glance with Haden, who had moved closer too, his stance protective. "I.. I just wanted to ask Lanna.." I began, feeling a little embarrassed at their sudden worry over something so small. "It can wait though, it's not urgent," I said, trying to reassure them both. "Ask us," Haden said quietly, his voice calm and soothing, close to my ear, "It's obviously important to you." I gave him a warm smile, and shrugged lightly, "I don't know if you can answer, you were with me the whole time," I
My eyes widened in realisation that for the first time since I could remember, I was part of a pack. That came with both the good, and the bad, I knew, but experiencing it first hand was something else entirely. I felt Lanna's sympathetic hand on my shoulder, and blinked back the tears as I lifted my eyes to meet hers. "I'm sorry, love," she said gently, "I would have preferred it not come to that, but..""But why?" I asked, feeling suddenly conscious of the crowd of onlookers around us, who'd just witnessed one of the most brutal things a Lycan could ever face. I wondered how much of it I shared the blame for, this time. "Because she betrayed us all," Rylie said firmly, and Trin nodded agreement. "Her own actions resulted in this," she said with sneer down at Serena, who lay sobbing on the ground. "Trin, Calon, gather some of our.. stronger warriors, and see she's escorted well away from our borders," Haden said sharply. His hesitation at the word 'stronger' seemed to imply someth
Haden and I shared a shocked glance, as Saxon tried to find the words to respond to Laila's suggestion. Nightfall had not had an official ally for decades, even I knew that. They had isolated themselves since the war with the Royals, shunning almost all outside contact, only becoming more and more insulated as the years passed. To say it was unexpected for them to not only be willing now, but actually suggest it themselves, was an enormous understatement. Laila and her Betas waited patiently for Saxon's response, and after a long moment collecting himself, he dipped his head graciously. "We would be honoured," he said humbly, and Laila beamed in response. "Wonderful. I think our packs could truly flourish together," she said brightly, with a glance in my direction. "And learn a great deal from each other," she added, and I couldn't help but think of the former Royal witches she'd mentioned.A part of me couldn't resist the pull of the past, yearning to learn more of where I'd come
I swallowed, the realisation that my existence was the catalyst for so much atrocity making me feel suddenly ill. Laila gently squeezed my hand again, quickly burying her feelings of anger and disgust, "It's not your fault," she said gently, "You had no part in this, and from what I'm told, you've fought their vile plans just as hard as we have."I nodded, though her reassurance barely scratched the surface of the guilt that I felt. "I'm sorry," I said quietly, "I would never have wished for any of this, not even on my worse enemy. Certainly not on my mates.. or on yours," I added, as a further pang of guilt hit with the recollection that one of her mates had been gravely injured too. "Thane.." I began uncertainly, "Our Elders, they'd heard.." she nodded, saving me from trying to find the words that could never even begin to express the depth of the guilt that I felt. "He's.. healing," she said with a sad smile, "Elyanna, and Dorian - our lead Doctor - are both helping him as best
I stared back at her, not quite able to find the words to respond. The nurse keeping an eye on me seemed equally uncertain, glancing nervously between us, and where Saxon was checking in on Haden. The Luna gave a soft, casual laugh as she noticed. "Relax, I'm not about to bite her head off," she said to the nurse playfully, before turning back to me, "But I did think it was past time we properly met. We are apparently related, after all." The nurse gave her a sharp look, but gave us a little more space, physically at least, though he continued to watch us like a hawk. Laila smiled warmly, as she noticed, "They seem as protective of you, as mine are of me," she said quietly, and though I frowned doubtfully, her words brought a warming kind of comfort. They did seem to care about me, certainly far more than Silver Waters ever had. She watched me patiently, and my mind was drawn back to her previous comment. "Oh.. I suppose we are related, aren't we?" I said awkwardly, and she respond
He'd been at the hospital when Mama had been brought in, I realised. Or, the woman I'd known as Mama, anyway, though it seemed like a lifetime ago, with all that had happened since. He smiled sympathetically, asking questions as he examined my leg, which I answered in something of a daze as all the memories came flooding back at once. So much, in such a short time, it was all too easy to get lost in it all. Saxon squeezed my hand as he sat beside me, bringing me back to the moment, as the nurse turned to report to a not so familiar pack doctor, who immediately began grabbing things from the largest med satchel I'd ever seen. He handed them to the nurse without a word, quickly moving on to help another nurse, then another. Far too many injuries, I realised, my stomach twisting in knots. I looked up at Saxon, barely managing to find my voice through the gut wrenching guilt and sadness. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice turning to a whimper as the nurse began tightly bandaging my
I stepped backwards as one reached a thickly-muscled arm towards me, crying out as I put weight on my momentarily-forgotten injured leg. His hand only gripped my shoulder reassuringly though, then my waist as his expression turned to one of concern. His eyes went blank for a moment, presumably communicating with the two who had climbed through after him, their weapons already drawn as they moved towards Haden and Reagan. I attempted to struggle as he lifted me easily, shaking my head, but he was exceptionally strong, even for a Lycan, and gave a soft laugh in response. "Relax, Princess," he said, sounding half-mocking, yet somehow warm, "We're friends, you're safe now." He carried me towards the window, but stood aside to allow two more to climb through, before calling out to one on the other side. "Marcus! Take her, carefully.. she's hurt," he said, and another huge Lycan came over to the outside of the window, waiting to gently grab my legs as the first passed them through, desp
It was beautiful. Terrifying, no doubt, yet truly beautiful. Like thousands of tiny fireflies, aligned in pairs, blinking in the darkness.In a vibrant shade of royal purple. 'Saxon?'' I called to him, through the mindlink, and immediately felt his warmth. He was close, I could tell.'We're here, love,' he repeated, and I felt an enormous surge of relief, though it quickly changed to horror as Reagan stopped his pacing, slowly turning to Haden with a wildly savage look on his face. Then he grinned, a grin of complete, malevolent, insanity, that made my stomach turn, and lunged for him, daggers in each hand. "NO!" I screamed, shoving myself up and towards him, with all of the strength I had remaining. It wasn't enough. He was too far, and I was too weak.. but I had to try. I screamed again, as pain filled me, a fleeting thought wondered if I'd broken a limb, or several, but I ignored it. Reaching Haden was the only thing that mattered. Haden moved even quicker though, suddenly k
Reagan looked confused, caught off guard for a moment by Haden's expression. He looked between the two of us and his six men, seeming uncertain, before he looked at Haden again, drawing another of his hidden silver daggers. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, staring down into Haden's eyes, as he turned the dagger around and around between his long, slender fingers. "Is the poison affecting your wits, boy?" he continued, with a laugh that sounded a little forced. Reagan's head snapped around to his six men, "Look! The poor, pathetic Lycan boy's going mad!" he said with another bout of laughter, this time chorused by his men. Haden smiled wider, and it seemed to bother Reagan even further. "Well, come on," he said, gesturing grandly and raising his voice, clearly mocking, "Enlighten us with this joy you've found, at the end of your miserable life!"Haden muttered something, barely audible to my ears, and entirely imperceptible to theirs. My eyes widened, but I barely managed to swall
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments