I returned to the clan more dazed and shaken than I’ve ever been before. Stars twinkled in the sky, and the full moon glowed radiantly above the trees and crystal-like buildings.Sofia and the girls trailed behind me. The worry in their eyes seared my back. I knew they had questions. In fact, many questions. However, upon seeing the vacant expression on my face, they waited. They probably thought I would tell them what happened in that underground stronghold when the time came, or when I got myself together, like I always did. But the incident this time…I didn’t think I could tell them. “Saira!” “Mate!” Two cries rang out at the same time. I snapped to my senses and raised my head to see Idris Raed and a troop of warriors racing towards us. The worry and fear in the Lycan’s eyes formed a lump in my throat. It’s only been a few minutes, half an hour at most, after the blast. But this short period felt as if hours had passed since I last saw him. My limbs moved without conscious
**Caira** 8 hours ago. "Caira Mirza, daughter of Mirza Orabi, former Commander of the Pacific Sea, do you accept Einas Raed as your Chosen Mate and Lycan Commander, your husband and...” No. Why would I accept a worthless bastard as my mate? He could neither give me the throne nor the power I desired. Forget about throne and power. This mongrel didn’t even have the wealth Idris Raed possessed! Though I thought this, my lips remained fixed in the gentle smile I’d perfected over the years. When the Shaman completed his words, I opened my mouth and a resounding BOOM exploded through the air. “Haha! Hope the she-wolf croaks to death!” Isra cackled in the back of my mind, making me smile in agreement. A commotion ensued in the clearing. Omegas pushed and shoved as they fled the scene. Einas wrapped his arm protectively around my waist. I couldn’t help but internally ridicule the fool. “Go easy on him, Cai. He doesn’t know we’re behind the explosion.” “A complete loser. And he calls
“Caira gave us the recording. She overheard her sister conspiring with a rogue and recorded their conversation.” My mind went blank. What the hell was going on? Asma Mirza attempted to murder me, but I didn’t find that surprising. After all, the she-Lycan had already made it clear how much she hated me. But to get rid of me, would she disregard the lives of her own family and clan members? I couldn’t wrap my mind around that fact. From birth, my birth family hated me. They did everything in their power to get rid of me. My pack didn’t know about me. However, they had still consented to my death. Even then, I didn’t hate them, nor did I feel the desire to slaughter them. “Because you’re different. Before shifting, I didn’t even know how much you suffered.” Zaria sighed melancholically and said, “I can now understand why Selene chose you for me.” My lips inadvertently stretched into a smile. This was the first time I heard Zaria acknowledge me. Somehow, it felt good. “So, where i
“She tried to kill you.” Not a question. The Lycan Leader stared at me with unblinking eyes, probably trying to figure out what I was thinking. I nodded my head at him and said with a smile, “That she did. However, what she does has nothing to do with me. Just because she’s vicious, doesn’t mean I have to be the same. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not the forgiving or easy to bully kind of she-wolf. I just don’t want to stoop to her level.” I shrugged and retracted my gaze. Asma Mirza was neither my goal nor my greatest worry. She could stoop to the level of planting a bomb in a region where her family members were present, because that was her nature. A reflection of her true character. Though I was still skeptical about the notion, I didn't care enough to waste my energy on her. I had greater problems to worry about. A few nods of approval spread through the hall. The Lycans and their Lunas exchanged meaningful glances, before looking at me with unnerving smiles that raised the hackles
I woke in the evening with a splitting headache that had me groaning like a dying woman. My body was heavy with exhaustion. I hadn’t slept well. Stubborn flashes of my short encounter with the vampires haunted me until late evening. After another failed attempt at a peaceful nap, I sighed and tiredly rolled off the bed. “What, that’s it?” Zaria asked. “We’d been out all night and barely got any rest! How am I supposed to restore my strength at this rate?” She snapped with a trace of irritation in her voice. I frowned. What was she getting at? “I didn’t stop you from resting, girl.” “And that’s supposed to help me, how? In case you forgot, we’re now literally one and the same. Your every action affects me and vice versa.” Resentment and frustration dripped from her in undulating waves. I was caught off guard and nearly tripped from the internal assault. I inhaled a gasp of air, but not from pain. From shock. Because I couldn’t shut my brain well enough to sleep, Zaria couldn’t eit
She had a point. However, that didn’t make me feel any better. Especially when I saw how fiercely the she-wolf was defending me. “Would we blame her if she’d accepted the Caribbean Leader’s decision? Asma Mirza would’ve been dead by now, and we wouldn’t be on pins and needles wondering what horrid plot she would cook up!” “I agree with Elder Nash. Saira Malivik’s plea to spare Asma’s life gave her the chance to escape. Otherwise…” “Otherwise, what?” I couldn’t watch anymore. The twisted reasoning of these Lycans kindled an unidentifiable rage within me. I swept my eyes over the mob, who were surprisingly made up of more clan elders than ordinary clan members. My eyes narrowed. Could this just be a coincidence, or… “You don’t need to dwell on it. I smell conspiracy here.” “Oh? Conspiracy has a scent?” Zaria snorted and I could almost imagine her rolling her eyes in disdain. “Whether it has a scent or not, isn’t important. What’s important is that I recognize one when I see one.
The Lycans flushed crimson at my scathing remark. If a weakened she-Lycan could escape from the tightest wolf-Lycan Spirit Suppression prison in the Pacific Sea, it only meant the security of the prison was lacking in some way. But instead of finding out how the she-Lycan escaped, strengthening their security and hunting down the fugitive, they brazenly found me to pin the blame. The ridiculousness of their action must’ve filled them with shame. But I didn’t care for their embarrassment. Because I knew they wouldn’t have minced their words or refrained from harshly condemning me if I had given them the chance. And while I might’ve humored them some other time, I lost the patience to endure their snobbish and unreasonable attitude after last night. “Saira, at the end of the day, they are still Elders of the clan. Even if they made a mistake, do you have to be so rude and disrespectful?” The gentle, reproachful voice of Caira Mirza shattered the awkward tension pervading in the hall.
Floating bodies. Cold and lifeless, without any features. No eyes. No mouth. No nose or ears, exactly like the scene from the night seven years ago. With every passing second, the universe never failed to remind me how of shitty my life was. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, this had to happen. “Saira Malivik, are you going to continue acting mute? You and your friends disappeared for the entire night without a word or any form of communication. Do you seriously expect us to believe this has nothing to do with you?” The usual nonchalance was gone from Luna Nazia’s demeanor. The woman standing before me stared me down with an aura of gravity I would’ve never associated with her in the past. If looks could kill, I had no doubt the rage in her eyes would've set me ablaze. Which was funny, because this incident was as much of a shocker to me as it was to her. My stomach churned as I recalled the scene at the shore. Slap! “Are you ignoring me, slut?” Luna Nazia sna
“Damn it! She got away again!” I slammed my fist into the tree, leaves and branches flying, as the trunk caved in. Hatred and frustration roiled in the pit of my stomach. Four days, 10 hours, and 55, 56 seconds. That’s how long I’ve been trying to get rid of the she-wolf since Idris Raed’s nomination for Lycan King. Never before had I wasted so much time scheming and plotting to remove an obstacle from my path, as I’ve done in the past four days. Even with Asma, I only spent 2 hours. “Caira, there’s something’s wrong with this she-wolf.” “Oh? Why do you say that?” I retracted my hand and calmed down upon hearing Isra’s words. The two of us were a team, the perfect equal in strength and intelligence. We covered each other’s weaknesses and solidified each other’s strengths. If I failed to notice something, it usually didn’t escape my wolf’s sharp senses. “Think about it. Since she came to the Pacific Sea, nothing’s been going well for us. I mean, yes, Einas’s still wrapped around
My woman was a gem. This fact was proven with the way she dealt with the couple. As Luna, she had the right to call for their execution. The evidence Zubair gathered would’ve been enough to convict them. She, as well as every clan member in the yard, was aware of this. However. Instead of calling for their execution, Saira commanded the man to repay his mate’s medical fee. If one looked at this from an outside perspective, it seemed as if she was punishing him for being ungrateful. Only the insiders knew she had just exonerated them from the death sentence. Her command was equal to a punishment, and that punishment was equal to her giving the sentence for the attempt on her life. I realized this, and so did the crowd present in the yard. The shift in their emotions was almost palpable, as their gazes on her turned complicated. Without trying, without meaning to…she’d just won the hearts of the clan members. My heart clenched. I didn’t want to let the couple slide so easily. If I h
I focused on the faces scrunched in worry and concern. The same clan, the same Lycans, and yet, so different in behavior after the incident. Yes, I saved their mates. I’d also saved their pups. And most importantly, the virus I infected with the female members not only conditioned their body to the witchcraft of the dark forces, but the antidote also ensured they wouldn’t fall prey to a similar craft in the future. This was an advantage the other species didn’t have. A cure that would cost most millions of dollars to procure. And when the truth of this matter was exposed in the war to come, that immunity would take the form of a blessing that would protect their soul and rise their ranks above the various races. However, that was all in the future, and that war wasn’t the reason why I decided to act. My intention had been far simpler than that. Since the Lycans couldn’t be relied on, and I didn’t have the time to win Einas Raed’s heart, releasing the viral agent and curing the inf
I floated on the sea of darkness. I didn’t remember landing. The fall had seemed to go on forever, the sense of weightlessness engulfing my senses until only the darkness and despair consumed me from inside out. I grappled in the dark. With what, I couldn’t tell. The lack of sight filled me with a sense of surrealism where I perceived myself struggling but couldn’t feel anything. Whether I existed or was just a mere thought in the void became a question. You’re not a killer. No, you’re not her. You’re Saira Malivik, the heir of the Evergreen Pack and daughter of the Alpha King. Saira, I know you’re in there. Please, talk to me! Someone was talking. The voice called out to me, tugging and drawing me in a way I couldn’t explain. I twisted my head to the side to listen closely. Think about your parents, Sai. How broken would they be to see you in this state? If not for yourself, then at least for their sake, come back to your senses! Something in the void changed. It was gray now.
“I heard Saira’s sick in the head. What’re your plans?” An indifferent voice entered my ears the moment I stepped into the Meeting Hall. I raised my head and clashed with Einas Raed’s dark orbs. My first reaction wasn’t to respond to the mockery in his tone. It was to take in his appearance and note how closely he resembled the Lycan Leader. We both carried the same gene, but perhaps in my case, Luna Nazia’s chromosome overpowered Raed Basil’s. ‘Is this the reason he favored his bastard child more than me?’ I wondered and chuckled at the thought. “What’s so funny? Is the question too hard for you to answer?” The Lycan Commander frowned and moved to stand in my path. “If it is, I’m willing to do you a favor and take her off your hands.” His shamelessness made me speechless. “Are you serious?” I asked, then raised my hand. “You know what, don’t answer that. I can tell you’re serious from your expression.” The clan elders had yet to arrive, making us the only two in the spacious hall.
“How is she?” “More calm, but still out of reach…” Heartache and pain etched the Lycan’s features. “Can you feed her for me? I still have unfinished business to settle.” He smiled sheepishly, an endearing sight on a man of his status. “Of course.” He didn’t need to ask. I took over the tray in his hands and stepped to the side to let him pass. With a reluctant backward glance, Idris sighed and descended to the first floor, where the mate and mother of the dead child spewed venom in a grief-stricken wail. “Shut the hell up!” The Lycan snarled the second he reached the couple. I could imagine the dark aura ebbing from his figure, overbearing and oppressive in the way male Alphas and Lycans asserted their dominance, as the couple paled and flinched back in fear. The uneven rise and fall of their chests told me they were struggling to breathe properly. “What right do you have to cause a raucous here? My wife’s in a trauma because of your dead child!” My heart sunk with dread. His contr
The outbreak started out slow. It began from the outskirts of the clan, among the fragile bodied and weak willed females, before sweeping inward and erupting into a full-blown madness. The wails rang, slicing the air, matching in symphony with the cacophonous groans resonating in the yard. "Doctor! Where’s the doctor? Someone, please save my mate and pup!" "Fuck! Get out of my way! I got here first!" “Don’t push! My mate’s in a critical condition too!” The shrill drone scratched my eardrums, threatening to shatter my fragile mind as I fought to keep my wits about me. Females moaned on makeshift beds, some vomiting in misery, and others clutching their stomachs in an agonized pain in front of the Lycan Heir’s Mansion. Three hours into the crisis, and I was already about to collapse. Had I known it would be this hard to manage the clan members, I might have released the virus in small quantities. Well, maybe. I wasn’t sure how effective that method would’ve been. “Doctor Malivik
The next two days passed in a blur. A strange tension engulfed the Pacific Sea as the clan members reached an anonymous agreement and suppressed the news about the floating bodies. They continued to entertain their guests, behaved as though they had no worries in the world. Their efforts might’ve paid off, if only the people they were dealing with weren’t experienced leaders. I noticed the Lunas of the six clans exchanging furtive glances with their mates. It was one of unease and distrust. They sensed something off, and if the cold look in their eyes was anything to go by, they didn’t take well to being kept in the dark. Therefore, it was hardly surprising when an argument broke out between Raed Basil and the Carribean Leader. Their confrontation wasn't long. After exchanging a few heated words, Uzair Shuq grabbed his Luna's hand and stormed out of the palace. An hour later, a report of the Lycan's departure reached the Palace. With one of the Seven Lycan Leaders gone, the other l
I trudged into the Lycan Heir’s mansion, drained and exhausted in body and heart. What I was about to do was wrong in more ways than one. From an ethical perspective, I was stripping away the females consent and right to autonomy. But I was beyond caring at this point. “I don’t have much time. I need to implement the second step of my plan as soon as possible.” Compared to the phone call, getting Einas Raed’s attention was a lot easier. At least, it would’ve been, if I had experience in the field. However… “Sai, you’re back?” I had Sofia to turn to for help. Kicking off my boots at the door, I forced a smile on my face and headed into the kitchen. My best friend was at work shaping Macaroons, a sight I never expected to see. “Baking for the hot and sexy Beta?” I teased, suppressing a pang of guilt at how little attention I’ve given her since discovering the matter. “Yes…” She giggled and grabbed my hands with a squeal. “Oh, gosh, Sai, I wish you could meet him! He’s tall and bu