Kaden took a sip of the coffee that had gone cold on his study table. He smacked his lips as the chilly liquid touched his tongue. He dropped the cup immediately on the table like it had been a mistake in the first place picking it up to drink. “Don’t ask for another cup of coffee. That’s the third cup that I have made for you, and you never take past the first sip. Are you tasting the coffee for the first time?” Lent asked, whilst going through a stack of papers that lay piled on another desk, longer and wider that the one Kaden was using. It would be appropriately called a meeting desk for some board of directors. Lent knew that Kaden was knee deep in thoughts on what to do about the abduction of their friend’s wife, and couldn’t drink the coffee as usual even though it was his favorite kind. Yet Lent just wished his friend and leader could stay distracted, even if it was for a few minutes. Kaden had been at that space for more than five hours, without saying a word except for “
“So, Jutul, what were your findings?” Kaden asked the young man whom he had come to take as a younger brother. Jutul was actually a human, but his ruggedness and honesty had earned him a place in Kaden’s large heart. Kaden had found him five years ago during one of his trips down the country, in remote areas where they had gone to establish another arm of their business, cloaked behind an almost unknown convent. The guy, a budding teenager then, had been the one to inform the community head that a group of men had entered their town. Kaden had known because he had sighted the young Jutul at the entrance of the town, and had seen the skepticism on the boy’s face before he had hurried away. In the next five minutes, the town mayor was right in front of them with some guards. But of course, it hadn’t taken much time and money to convince the greedy man of their ploy. Jutul had watched the proceedings carefully, and seeing the effect Kaden had had on his mayor, had chosen to foll
“Is that all they said?” Kaden asked, to himself rather, a deathly smile on his face. His body was pumped with anger, indignation and war. So Ambrosia wanted war? He would give him war then. Yes, he had made a mistake of letting them in on what they were through one stupid mistake of his, but he won’t wallow in that one mistake let alone allow them to outsmart him. It had happened in the recent weeks when he had come to the country. After a tedious day working at a café, and a tedious evening spent in taking classes and getting to know the happenings of the area, he had wanted a run, rather needed it. And so, he, against his better judgment, had changed into his wolf version after making sure that no was looking and sprinted off in a run into a nearby little forest. After the invigorating run , he had returned to the spot where he had kept his clothes, changed back to his human version, and went away, unaware that there had been a drunk fellow just around the corner that had seen
From a ten thousand dollars to five hundred thousand dollars? Now, That was a huge leap. The silence in the room bespoke of the same thoughts going through each of their minds; that they agreed with Jutul. This was going to be a concerning issue. Kaden was beginning to calculate if it was okay now to check up on Storm. Was this the best time? He wondered. Would she receive him with open arms and cherry touched lips, or would she fling him away and disregard his existence? He might be interested in her welfare, but he wasn't sure he was going to subject his ego to another round of bashing. “Jutul. Are you sure of your finding? Was the increase in the bounty that much?” Lent inquired, not believing what his ears had just heard, and what his brain was still assimilating. Five hundred thousand dollars? How? Who was Storm? Why was her step mother so interested in her coming back home, when-according to Kaden-the woman hated her existence? Storm had come to have a special spot in
Kaden took note of the excitement rolling in waves all around his subordinate, but didn’t know what to think of it. Was the result of the lad’s investigation so appealing and exciting, or was it something else? He reasoned that he hadn’t seen Jutul this happy making reports. Could something be the problem? or was it just simply that Jutul was happy that the report seemed interesting to them. That would probably be it. He concluded, deciding to give the boy a chance to talk, so that his own intense curiosity will be quenched. “So, go ahead Jutul. Tell us your reports. Tell us your findings. What did she say?” Kaden asked, relaxing deep into his chair, hoping that whatever Jutul would say would give them a headway on what to do about Storm and her family. That was another thorn in his flesh that he hoped Jutul’s findings would help him treat. Jutul took a deep breath before commencing with his tales. “Well, I had tried getting closer to Miranda these past few days, and I can say
Lent rubbed his knee gently in thought, as he looked on at Jutul, wondering what next the lad had to say. Of course he knew that Storm had healing powers, after all she had used it on him, but he hadn’t been aware of the strength. The girl looked…weak. She looked like an innocent, someone that wouldn’t hurt a fly. To think that she had disfigured her step brother's arm was preposterous, although he thought it fair and deserving to the stupid boy. But to think Storm had done it, was nothing short of amazing and shocking. So, if she had superhuman strength, what else does she have? Was she even a human? If she wasn’t, then this might change some narrative. Could that be why Kaden was so hung up on her? Had he in some way had suspected that the girl wasn’t human? Lent knew that Lycans rarely found their fated mates, unless the goddess showed them some mercy. At the time of Kaden’s shift, Kaden had been sad, thinking that the goddess had loaded him with a curse when he had found
It was official. Storm wasn’t human. Lent could see the realization in Kaden’s dull movements and Casper’s freeness. The girl wasn’t fragile. She could protect herself. Worse, she had a knack for attracting other supernaturals. “Jutul, what year are you in?” He heard Kaden asked Jutul, and soughed. Of course, Jutul would have to take over Storm’s investigation and protection. That relaxed him in a way. The lad was capable. “Second year.” Jutul replied, already knowing the task that might be assigned to him next. “That’s good. Take care of Storm. Communicate the same to the others in the clan attending the college. Y’all should keep an eye on her. You are in charge. Any form of insubordination, you can report back to me. And lest I forget, just tell them that Storm is a friend if they ask about her. Don’t give any more details other than that statement. That’s all. I don't want any rumors around the clan. Am I clear?” Kaden asked, and Jutul nodded frantically, almost getting up on
Lent inhaled, exhaled, then inhaled again, trying to say something to what his friend and leader had just mentioned, but just breaths came out. He tapped his chest, as if to free the slight pain that had lodged there. What was that? He never had heart issues. He will have to check in with Jiraq to be on the safe side. Till then, he had to stay and stomach the truth that Kaden just revealed. Storm was his mate? That would explain his alpha’s hungness on the girl, but why hadn’t he said something earlier, that would have stopped him from developing a crush on her.It was Casper that still broke the silence, getting tired of spewing curses. Kaden just sat still staring at them, waiting for more reactions.“What did you just say? Wait…are you already aware of the news that Jutul had been dishing to us all this while?” Casper inquired, disbelief coating his features like a second skin. He was still trying to understand how the feeble girl they have come to know had powers, and now his be
Storm could feel her heart pounding hard, but it was more out of excitement than fear. She should be afraid, the bird was a true raptor, but it was magnificent. It had black eyes! Round, shiny, very intelligent black eyes. She stared at it for two full minutes. That wasn't normal, she was certain. Very slowly, so she wouldn't startle the creature, she backed across the room to the desk where she kept her phone. Still looking at the bird, she googled the images of the bird, biting her lips intermittently as she waited.Strangely, the bird was observing her just as intently, an intelligence in its gaze as it watched the phone beep occasionally. When the page opened, Storm glanced at the image of the harpy eagle. The eyes were round and shining with intelligence, but they were not black. The eyes in the picture were a bright amber with a black pupil. She let out her breath slowly. Something was wrong with her bird.‘You aren't blind, though, are you?’ She sent the words, not even kno
After Storm was done eating, she thanked Kaden, and let him have the plates when he stretched his hands to collect them. To hold herself from jumping on him, and demanding that he put her out of her sexual misery, she stood up from the bed and sauntered to the window to look at the forest, and clear her immoral thoughts. He had joined her to eat, and for each time his mouth had closed over a morsel of food, she had jerked subtly, as if the mouth was closing over her twin orbs. In a large oak tree, plenty feet away from her, a bird flapped its mighty wings, drawing her attention. A smile swept past her lips when she became aware that she could sight its distinctive features. She was not the same Storm of a month ago. She was different now, considering the amount of trainings she had submitted too.The bird had a round facial disk with a very pronounced ruff. It wasn't an owl but it was large. Very large. The unusual bird could easily weigh at least twenty pounds. She stared at it
Storm walked into Kaden's treehouse and was immediately struck by how it seemed larger than usual. The wooden walls, which should be plain and simple, were adorned with colorful murals and hand-painted designs. One wall even showcased a sprawling mural of a sunset over a peaceful lake, with vivid oranges and pinks blending into each other. And another wall had a charming depiction of a forest, complete with playful animals like squirrels and birds, all brought to life with bright, cheerful colors.The room was filled with natural light that filtered through the large windows, which had been decorated with flowing curtains in soft, earthy tones. The curtains swayed gently in the breeze, adding a sense of movement to the scene. The wooden floor was covered with cozy rugs that added warmth and comfort to the space.A large, comfy bean bag was positioned in one corner, surrounded by soft pillows. Next to it was a small bookshelf brimming with colorful books, their spines lined up neatly
Storm’s mind kept conjuring up provocative images, as she and Kaden walked hand in hand around the clan. The kiss they had shared in her room still tingled on her lips, still kept heat in her blood, still made her hunger for more. She inhaled sharply when Kaden turned and stared at her, his eyes brimming with the emotions that she was sure was playing out in her own mind. For a second, she feared that he might have peeked into her dirty mind, but then she remembered that they were not bonded yet, not in that sense. It brought her swift relief which came with a coating of abashed-ness seen in the coloring of her cheeks and necks, something that wasn’t lost on Kaden who was battling to hold on to his honor. He cussed at himself for closing her lips with his earlier, knowing what could happen from there. But she had been speaking, and her luscious mouth had been like water in a desert land; he had been parched so much that he couldn’t have been able to help himself. And now, the stirr
All through the week, Storm only concentrated on the books Kaden had given her, or rather on the first book she had collected from the pile. Jutul had done the same, concentrating on the second book he had picked. Both had only taken breaks when they wanted to eat or when they wanted to train with Casper for an hour. To assuage Kaden’s caveman jealousy, all the reading had been in the dining downstairs, and yet they weren’t close enough to whatever the books were on about. They weren’t close to the end either, and the transcribers were doing a poor job, despite Jiraq’s input sometimes. It was then that Storm had learnt that Jiraq wasn’t done with the book either. ‘What are you doing with one of the hardest books in the pile?” had been his first question when she had solicited for his help. He had gone ahead to pick up a smaller book, written in English, for her and Jutul to start with, but she had declined—she had grown attached to the old book. And she had vowed to bring it to a fi
Storm groaned tiredly; under the full weight of the knowledge she had been absorbing for the past four hours. Kaden had been true to his word, and with the help of Jiraq, had bundled more than thirty books which smelt of oldness into her room this morning, just before she dressed for school. “For those written in old language, Jiraq was kind enough to let you have his transcriber, so that you can better understand it. You can check them out after classes today.” Kaden had said, when he had stepped into her room with a fellow whom she knew went by the name, Micheal, Liam’s younger brother. She had found out right after Liam’s recuperation weeks ago, about the wicked action on the young fellow who didn’t look a year older than her. The first book on the pile had gotten her attention after the duo had left the room, and picking it up, she had decided to peek at a page, then return to her preparation for school. But a page had turned to two pages, and then five pages, until school was
Storm was chatting with Lucy and Justin, in their phone group , around a time when she should be sleeping, when she heard her name being droned in her ears. “S-t-o-r-m” She furrowed her eyebrows, and looked around the room she shared with Kaden sometimes. There was no one. The voice sounded familiar, and until she felt the eeriness in the room, she didn’t know who it was. The vampire.She got up from the empty bed, and sauntered toward the door, needing to get to Kaden as soon as possible, but the door wouldn’t budge. She stamped her foot on the floor out of frustration, as fear suddenly took root in her mind and body. Where was he when she needed him? Why hadn’t he spent the night with her? She wondered, never minding that she had been one to ask they sleep on separate beds tonight, after he had returned from his meeting with his people, after she had returned from seeing her friends off with Lent. The voice called for her name again, and she shuddered before she could help it, h
There was a stark naked silence in the room after Jutul’s declaration. So stark was it, that Storm felt her ears ringing with deep silence, deep silence and an unclothed unbelief. They were lying? If she didn’t know of Jutul’s gifts, she would have berated him for speaking against her friends. But she knew. She knew he was telling the truth—there wasn’t a need to lie. And she still was finding it hard to believe. Lucy and Justin had planned a lie, and had come to convince them of it? All for what? To gain information on what was going on in the clan? Was their school even on break? Then, the silence was broken by Kaden’s voice which had descended to a certain chillness that informed Storm that her mate was angry, very angry, at being made a fool of. “Lent, place a call to the school’s authorities, and find out if the school is really on break…” Lucy’s dark laughter interrupted his statement, and brought Storm’s attention to her. “So y’all would rather believe Storm’s newest friend
Of course they wouldn’t. Storm thought, looking at Lucy squarely for the first time since she had entered the room. Her friend was still bubbling in age-old anger, and was still carrying a grudge against her.And since, Storm knew she couldn’t do much about it—because what Lucy was demanding was unattainable—she let the latter think that she wasn’t bothered by it. It would help with them leaving earlier. Having seen what exactly was at play here, what evil forces were at play here, she wasn’t about to risk the lives of her friends. She wasn’t about to have their blood on her head, because she wanted them to be included in every facet of her life. It was better they thought she was against them; it was better they believed that she didn’t value their friendship.“So, why are you here, Lucy?” She schooled her face to a cold aloofness, unfazed when Justin let out a cuss word, whilst darting a glance between Lucy and her. There was a minute silence, where Lucy scanned Storm’s features;