[Rosalie’s POV]My hand shakes as I stare at Diego’s number. Although I resolved to go through with this, now that it was actually happening, I couldn’t stop the waves of emotion that are beginning to rush through me.“If it’s that hard, you don’t have to do this.” Gil points out. “We can figure out another way to...”“No,” I say quickly, hitting dial and bringing my phone to my ear. “Excuse me.”Ignoring the look that Gil gives me, I start to move, making distance between us until finally Diego picks up.“Rosalie,” he breathes, his voice tickling my ear despite two phones and many miles being between us.For a moment, I don’t speak, as I find myself getting lost in the sound of it. Even after all these years, I can’t stop my heart and body from reacting to him. Dammit. I was truly weak.‘Don’t forget the reason you called.’ Hana urges me, snapping me out of my daze. ‘We have to stop the darkness.’‘Right.’ I murmur, pushing aside all the emotions that are attacking me.“Rosalie.” Die
[Diego’s POV]I wait as Rosalie stares at my hand. Though she asked for permission to touch it, it was clear that she didn’t actually expect me to say yes.“Go on,” I urge her, enjoying her expression of discomfort. “You’re going to make me embarrassed too if you don’t do something soon.”At my words, a blush creeps across her porcelain cheeks, causing my lycan to start to stir and my desire to flare.Goddess, she was beautiful, and I truly missed getting to see such things from her.Swallowing, Rosalie reaches out and touches my palm, causing our connection to come alive, and once she lets her eyes flutter shut, I do the same.Instantly, I’m there—the time and place where she saw Annemarie. She looks the same as I remember, except for being exhausted and strained. Could the man she was with be holding her hostage? If so, who the fuck was he, and what was his purpose?Tearing my gaze away from her, I look around until I spot him, and I feel rage rush through me. Although the chiseled
[Diego’s POV]I wait while Giddeon plops down in a chair with a look of curiosity on his face. Once I’m certain that I have everyone’s full attention, I let out a breath.“Do you remember that bastard Bernard?” I ask, letting his fucking face flash in my mind. “The one who was in the same year as Annemarie?”“The one that worshipped the very floor that she walked on?” Giddeon asks. “Vaguely. Are you saying he is the one who has been keeping her hidden for the past five years?”“That’s right.” I confirm. “So does that mean that he had something to do with the plague that found its way to Moon Storm?”Growing quiet, I try to find a way that the two could possibly be connected. Back at the academy, Bernard and I were rivals. Our grades and strength were on par with one another, although in the end I was the one who usually came out victorious.If he were responsible for the darkness, wouldn’t he have attacked Moon Storm during that time, or was there something that changed during that ti
[Rosalie’s POV]I walk slowly, keeping pace with the tiny boy beside me. He squeezes my hand almost as though he’s afraid that I will run away if he were to let me. Behind us, Diego walks slowly, taking in the scene, and I can almost feel the desire that he is radiating.Meeting again was never part of my plan, nor was getting close to that child that he and Kate created. So how was it possible that this was happening right now?‘He wants a proper mommy.’ Hana murmurs, letting her emotions flow into me. ‘But don’t get his hopes up, Rosalie.’‘I know.’ I respond, looking down at Landon as he skips happily.Just seeing him so happy over simply being beside me makes my heart ache because it makes me certain that Kate treated him terribly. How was it possible for a mother to be so awful to her own child?As this thought hits me, I think of Geo being alone with Gil while he waits for me. I was sure that he too would love some ice cream, but my wanting to keep distance from Diego made me ma
[Rosalie’s POV]When we arrive at the ice cream shop, the street just outside of it is empty, aside from children eating ice cream cones.“Where?” I gasp, my heart rate kicking up. “Where did they...”Moving forward, I feel my panic building as I picture Diego taking off with Geo in tow.“No.” I whisper, continuing to take in the street around me. “He wouldn’t. He definitely wouldn’t…”“Rosalie.”Gil’s voice is soft and comforting, as is the hand that touches my shoulder.“Look.”Swallowing down the knot that has formed in my throat, I shift my gaze in the direction that Gil is pointing so that I can see Diego standing at the counter with Geo and Landon cradled in each arm. To my surprise, Geo even has his arm wrapped around Diego’s neck, and if I look closely enough, he wears a small smile.Instantly, I feel my heart squeeze as I realize that if Diego and I weren’t from such different worlds, what I was seeing would have already been a regular thing.‘Don’t start to feel bad for your
[Rosalie’s POV]My heart squeezes painfully at Diego’s words, but I keep my expression neutral when Gil turns his gaze to mine. How could he so easily call us his family when he didn't come looking for us for so long? If he thought it would help win me over, he was wrong.“We’ll be okay.” I assure Gil, hoping he understands that this needed to happen. “I’ll call you later, okay?”For a moment, Gil doesn’t speak as he continues to examine me, but when he understands that I won’t budge on my resolve, he simply gives a nod.“Fine,” he says, moving forward and giving me a hug. “But know, if you don’t come into work on Monday, I will come find you.”“Got it.” I grin while Diego gives me a look that screams that he doesn’t want that to happen. “Thank you for everything until now.”Nodding, Gil steps back and turns his gaze to Diego.“If you so much as break a single hair on her head, I’ll kill you, do you understand?”“Of course.” Diego huffs in annoyance. “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt he
[Diego’s POV]I head out of the bathroom while anger slowly begins to bubble up in me. That scar. That fucking scar marring Rosalie’s porcelain skin was definitely not there five years ago. So how the fuck did she get it?As this single question races around in my mind, I feel something beginning to awaken in me—something dark and dangerous. I was certain that it was my lycan trying to show that he too was furious over the woman we loved being injured, but what I was feeling terrified me.“Fuck.” I hiss, shaking it off and beelining for Giddeon’s room, where he sat in bed reading a bedtime story to Landon. “Hey!” I call when his gaze lifts to mine. “Let’s go get a drink.”“Now?” He asks, looking at Landon, who is already asleep. “But what about...”“Now.” I growl, turning just in time to see Rosalie and Geo coming out of the bathroom.Remaining silent, I take them both in as my anger and sorrow begin to war with one another. It was still so hard to believe that after five years of sea
[Rosalie’s POV]I stare down at Diego with wide eyes as he tightens his hold on me. He reeks of alcohol, and his skin is flushed, showing just how messed up he is.Frowning, I lift my gaze to Giddeon, who is watching silently. However, before I can ask just how much Diego had to drink, the man in question's fingers slip beneath the fabric of my shirt, touching my skin.Instantly, intense sensations start rushing through me that make my eyes widen and my heart squeeze.Slowly, I lift my hand and touch the spot on my neck where he marked me so long ago, remembering that even if we weren’t together, he owned me completely. But it was weird; up until this point, he never once used this mark against me or invaded my privacy. That much was obvious due to his not finding me until recently.“Uh,” Giddeon murmurs as Diego’s hands start to gently move along my skin, touching me so gently that you would think he fears I would break. “Maybe I should...”“Not so fast.” I huff. “How much did he hav
[Chanel’s POV]I stare on, watching as Anthrose and the rest of his group surge forward, attacking the guards who were just sneering at me, and I can’t help but laugh at the difference in their demeanors.“Cowards,” I spit, sitting up and snapping my thumbs back into place. “Acting all high and mighty until actual danger appears.”As I speak, I grab the chains that are holding my ankles and begin to pull while ignoring the pain that shoots through me. Fuck, they were strong, but I was stronger. Soon enough, they begin to crack and then break apart, allowing me to finally get up and move to Gil’s side.“Just hang in there a bit longer, alright?” I tell him, clutching his cuff and starting to fight with it. “Then we will get you out of here and…”“No!” Gil gasps before breaking into a coughing fit. “We can’t just leave!”Frowning, I take in his words, trying to make sense of what it is that he is saying, but I don’t get to question him further before pain shoots through me and my body a
[Anthrose’s POV]The next morning we move out the minute the warm sun begins to paint the ground that we sleep on. After a quick breakfast, we head out with me leading the way since I’m the only one who can get a feel for the location that we are searching for.Together, we silently move across the island while keeping our senses alert in case of a surprise attack. However, the expected never happens, and by the time we are close to our destination, I can’t help but feel like all of this is too easy, and by the tension I feel from my companions, I know that they’re feeling the same.“Up ahead,” Sam murmurs, coming to my side. “I can see it.”Nodding, I take in the shining figure that I’m certain is the temple, noting the dark aura that radiates around it. Even from here I could tell that the things residing within were something the normal wolf wouldn’t want to approach, but given what we were fighting for, I wasn’t going to let it stop me.“Prepare yourselves.” I announce, letting my
[Anthrose’s POV]For the rest of the day, I search the island for a sign of where Chanel and Gil may be, but come up empty. And when my group can’t seem to move anymore, I have to call the search to a halt. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t continue to keep my connection with the earth, searching while dinner is made.It’s a silent ordeal, as I’m certain that the entire group is feeling the weight of what is at hand and what we may encounter when we find the ones we are searching for. I could only assume that a fight was waiting for us, and it was because of that that I even agreed to res.Sighing, I close my eyes and let myself slip deeper into a trance, searching until I feel something press against my consciousness that snaps me to alertness as hope flares through me along with a longing that I’ve never felt before.‘Chanel,’ I whisper, not daring to truly believe that I’m feeling what I am. ‘Is that you?’For a moment, all I’m met with is silence, causing me to believe that
[Anthrose’s POV]My body screams at me, begging me to stop, to take a break, but I can’t stop moving. Behind me, I can hear noises of complaint and exhaustion escaping my companions, making it clear that they’re feeling the same thing as me. However, I can’t stop moving; I won’t stop moving; just the thought of stopping makes me so damn anxious I want to fucking destroy something. I can’t stop the feeling that if I stop looking even for a second, Chanel will vanish completely.Shivering, I try not to think of a world where she doesn’t exist somewhere. Sure, it was one thing to keep my distance and allow her to live the life that she deserves, but to even think of her not being somewhere alive and happy damn near kills me.‘Chanel.’ I call to the darkness, hoping and praying that by some miracle she will respond to me. ‘Where are you? Why aren’t you answering me?’“Anthrose.”I immediately freeze as the voice reaches me, but I realize a moment too late that it wasn’t Chanel’s voice, it
[Chanel’s POV]I look around me, taking in the stone walls around me, noting how they’re cracking, allowing vines to grow through them while my intrusive thoughts try to get the better of me. They’re screaming things like what if this place were to collapse. What if you find yourself at a dead end? What if you run out of air? It’s irritating as fuck, and even though I keep telling them to shut up, they just won’t.“Hey,” I call to Tyson, who leads the way in hopes of distracting myself. “Are you certain that we are going in the right direction?”Since he was the one to choose our path and take the lead, I could only hope that he somehow could track the way out of this place, but what if he was just leading us deeper into this underground labyrinth?“Hey,” I repeat when he doesn’t respond to me. “I’m talking to you.”Frustration growing, I move forward and grab his shoulder, forcing him to turn and look at me, but I’m not met with the same gaze that I was used to. Instead, I’m met with
[Anthrose’s POV]We spend the rest of the day searching for any sign of Chanel or Tyson, but all we come up with is nothing. It’s almost like neither of them existed or were somehow spirited away from earth.“We should rest.” Henry, one of Ulrick’s warriors, suggests later that evening. “We will be useless in helping them if we are exhausted.”“Are you saying that this little bit of action exhausts you?” I demand. “If that's the case, you are more than welcome to rest, but I’m going to keep searching.”“But, sir…”“I said I was going to keep searching!” I growl, not giving two fucks if I came across as argumentative or defiant. “There’s no fucking way that I’m going to stop until I find her.”Even though only a couple of hours had passed, I couldn’t help but feel like days, even weeks, had already gone by without Chanel’s presence. It was fucking maddening, and I was beginning to feel like a crazy man. How the hell did I manage to stay away from her for so many years in the past?No.
[Chanel’s POV]I watch as the crevice above me grows farther and farther away until my body is hitting the wolf beneath me, who takes most of the impact. Together, we lay there, watching as the ground slowly begins to close once more, eliminating the little bit of light around us until we are plunged into darkness.Snapping out of it, I jump up and then look to the wolf beside me, taking him in while wondering what exactly he was thinking. And once I shift back into my human form, I wait as he stares at me.“What?” I demand, my annoyance flaring. “Don’t look at me like that.”Letting out what sounds almost like a huff of annoyance, he begins to shift until Tyson is lying on the ground in the wolf’s place.“What?” He asks as I narrow my gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”Why? Because he was the reason we were here right now. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going when he saved me.“Do I really need to answer that?” I sigh, beginning to look around, taking in the tun
[Chanel’s POV]“Right.”I give Anthrose one last look before turning my gaze toward the creatures that are slowly making their way toward us. They’re different from the beasts that we’ve encountered until this point, but they’re also the same.These look almost like worms, but they have legs and buglike faces. I guess if I had to compare them to anything, it would be centipedes. Just watching them move gave me the heebie jeebies, but I wasn’t about to let them stop me from getting to what I wanted.Giving Anthrose one last look, I begin to shift, and once I’m in my wolf form, I move, surging forward and attacking the creepy crawly closest to me. When we clash, it immediately attempts to roll its body around me, but I leap out of the way.Landing on top of it, I watch as the rest of our group joins in the fray, beginning our first official battle since arriving on the island.‘Don’t get yourself killed.’Anthrose's voice reverberates in my mind, causing my heart to race and giving me t
[Anthrose’s POV]I don’t speak as Chanel’s question flows over me, settling into the deepest pits of my soul along with the loathing and disgust that I’ve felt since the day the thing she is asking about happened, and as much as I would like to say, I know that I can’t.“The plague.” I respond instead, deciding that was a good enough explanation. “It affected my eyes.”“You’re lying.”Chanel’s response is firm, and I know that due to our bond, there was just no way that I would be able to get away with lying to her.“How did it really happen?”How? That was an easy fucking response, but again, I knew that if I were to speak it out loud, then there was a good chance it would dig out the skeletons that I was trying so hard to not think about anymore.“Anthrose,” Chanel’s voice drifts through my muddled thoughts. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”I did. But this was something that didn’t only involve me. It also involved her, and I knew if I were to open up about it, then