"There's no chance that would ever work!" the witch cried immediately after Leo told her what he needed her to do. She gently extracted herself from underneath his piercing gaze and walked over to the other side of the room."And why is that?" Leo asked, his voice cold and impatient."You see, the only reason why your sister could call you back up from the underworld was because she had at least a part of your dead corpse. And the head especially, makes things easier. If you don't have her body with you, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help," the old witch explained, feigning confidence and busying herself with arranging spices on a shelf in the corner.Leo flashed to her side using his heightened reflexes and hoisted her up in the air by her neck. "I'll go get her body. If you are not here when I return, I will find you, and I will kill you," he threatened through gritted teeth."I'd also have to wait for a full moon," the woman's desperate voice pleaded."I don't care! You'll
The Blood Sisterhood were a secret sect of elite female warriors who paid allegiance to the Luna alone. They were part of the hidden tradition of the pack, a secret passed down from one generation of Luna to the next.Luna Seraphine took a deep breath, gathering her strength. "Sisters, I need you to go and ask for help from the Order of the Sun, the coven Arya's father belonged to during his lifetime. Tell them a daughter of theirs is faced with the threat of death at the hands of wicked people."The forewoman spoke up with a hint of hesitation in her voice. "This thing you ask of us, it totally goes against all that we represent. It is against our ethos to seek help from the witches." She stated gently but firmly.Luna Seraphine's voice came barely audible above a whisper. "Unless you're up for a battle against hell itself, I suggest you do as I have just requested."The woman argued, "We shall fight till death then. Our pride as a group supersedes the need to ask for help from the l
Damian approached the house with a plastic bag containing their dinner, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a mix of caution and confusion. He had parked the van a few poles back, just as he'd done when he was with Anika, and walked the rest of the way, his senses on high alert. As he moved through the night, he swept his gaze from side to side, high on alert to spot any strange movements, his ears perked up to catch the slightest sound. Not that he expected danger to be lurking around, but one could never be too careful.A sense of foreboding and dread sat in his stomach, and he suddenly felt goosebumps on his skin, a rare occurrence for a Vis Wood like himself. His heart raced slightly faster, and his hand instinctively went to the pocket where he kept his dagger, a habitual gesture that had become second nature to him. These were odd behaviors for his wolf, and he could only wonder what was wrong. The house came into view now, and he looked to the side, ready to cross over th
The priest ran his hand through his thinning hair and let out an exasperated sigh. "Arya, I really wish there was something we could do. But the laws of our order expressly state that we must not interfere in conflict between brothers of the same kind. The consequences are dire. I'm sorry Arya, but our hands are tied," the man said somberly with his eyes closed.Arya thought to herself and knew there was no use trying to convince the order to go against their traditions. But there had to be a way to salvage the situation and stop her cousins from visiting evil upon the pack and perhaps, the whole earth. Just then, an idea flashed across her mind and she gave it no time to settle well before voicing it out."How about you train me to harness my magic and become powerful enough to stop the enemy. That's not something you cannot do, right?" Arya asked, hiding the pain and anxiety in her voice as she spoke.The priest squinted his eyes, deep in contemplation. He focused on a particular gr
Arya stood before the tomb, her body shaking with sobs as she gazed upon the final resting place of her son, Akira. The tomb, reserved for descendants of the alpha lineage, was a poignant reminder of the legacy that had once belonged to her family, but now rested with Damian.Luna Seraphine's gentle touch and soothing words offered little comfort as Arya's grief consumed her. The pain was suffocating, and the realization that she would never see her vibrant, full-of-life son again was a constant, crushing blow.Arya's heart seethed with anger towards Alice and Leo, her cousins who had orchestrated the palace attack. If not for them, Akira would still be alive, safe in her arms. The thought fueled her anguish, and she whispered into the wind, searching for the essence of her deceased parents, who had promised to always be with her.But their spirits seemed distant, and Arya felt only despair. The warmth and love she once knew were now replaced with an unrelenting sorrow. Even with Luna
Arya PovI raised my face, focusing my attention on the door that was left open. My body was wrecked with pain. The purple bruises on my legs have failed to heal, as my wolf was as weak as I was.I was locked up last night inside the cold room. It was good for the perishable food, but not for me.My muscles felt out of place as a cold shiver ran down my spine. I was shivering as I slowly stood up, making my way through the open door.I lipped with one leg out as one carried my entire weight. It felt woopy and extremely painful, but that didn't prevent me from carrying out my duties.I went to the kitchen as I was greeted by Alice, who folded her arms across her breast while standing at the entrance."It's past 9 a.m., and there is no food ready," she snapped, but I kept quiet, looking down at the floor, my heart pounding within."You look at me while I speak to you, you worthless bitch." She yelled. I raised my face, but was graced by a hot slap. I staggered backward with my right han
Arya PovI woke up with swallowed eyes; my tummy chumed with pain as that was their main target of every punch. I pinched myself once more. I thought I was in the land of the dead, not after receiving those beatings from last night. I looked around, and the shadows of darkness encircled my sight. I was laid in my room amid my scattered belongings. Every step I took to lift my body was full of excruciating pain. "Ouch." The pain was discomforting. I slowly pushed myself forward, using my hand to move aside my things, as I aimed at the medicine I had melted last night before the chaos. Thank goodness the content was still intact as I emptied the whole thing into my stomach. I laid back and allowed my body to heal. The pain went away within a few minutes, and my bones cracked back to their original position. The medicine worked like magic. My stomach churned. I was hungry. I lifted myself off the ground and went to the restroom. I will take care of my room later. After I was done bathi
Arya PovI walked into a bar with my head bent every step away, a deadly glare staring down at me. I melted under their gaze. But I cared less about holding the rim of my clothes until I reached the counter. I saw the bartender, who looked at me with raised eyebrows and a questioning look like, What the hell are you doing here? But I cared less about any of them."Hey, I need a drink," I said amidst his eyes on me."Well, well, what a pleasant surprise! The maid at Jondam restaurant drinks." It came like a question, but I ignored him, with no response from me. He shifted backwards, bringing two drinks to the counter."Whiskey or vodka?" he asked. I raised my head but couldn't distinguish which as I placed my hand on one, pulling it forward."Nice choice, baby," he said, adjusting backwards and bringing forward a glass cup. He looked at me closely before going about his business. It wasn't like I mattered after all.I sat on the long chair at the counter, taking in the liquor in front
Arya stood before the tomb, her body shaking with sobs as she gazed upon the final resting place of her son, Akira. The tomb, reserved for descendants of the alpha lineage, was a poignant reminder of the legacy that had once belonged to her family, but now rested with Damian.Luna Seraphine's gentle touch and soothing words offered little comfort as Arya's grief consumed her. The pain was suffocating, and the realization that she would never see her vibrant, full-of-life son again was a constant, crushing blow.Arya's heart seethed with anger towards Alice and Leo, her cousins who had orchestrated the palace attack. If not for them, Akira would still be alive, safe in her arms. The thought fueled her anguish, and she whispered into the wind, searching for the essence of her deceased parents, who had promised to always be with her.But their spirits seemed distant, and Arya felt only despair. The warmth and love she once knew were now replaced with an unrelenting sorrow. Even with Luna
The priest ran his hand through his thinning hair and let out an exasperated sigh. "Arya, I really wish there was something we could do. But the laws of our order expressly state that we must not interfere in conflict between brothers of the same kind. The consequences are dire. I'm sorry Arya, but our hands are tied," the man said somberly with his eyes closed.Arya thought to herself and knew there was no use trying to convince the order to go against their traditions. But there had to be a way to salvage the situation and stop her cousins from visiting evil upon the pack and perhaps, the whole earth. Just then, an idea flashed across her mind and she gave it no time to settle well before voicing it out."How about you train me to harness my magic and become powerful enough to stop the enemy. That's not something you cannot do, right?" Arya asked, hiding the pain and anxiety in her voice as she spoke.The priest squinted his eyes, deep in contemplation. He focused on a particular gr
Damian approached the house with a plastic bag containing their dinner, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a mix of caution and confusion. He had parked the van a few poles back, just as he'd done when he was with Anika, and walked the rest of the way, his senses on high alert. As he moved through the night, he swept his gaze from side to side, high on alert to spot any strange movements, his ears perked up to catch the slightest sound. Not that he expected danger to be lurking around, but one could never be too careful.A sense of foreboding and dread sat in his stomach, and he suddenly felt goosebumps on his skin, a rare occurrence for a Vis Wood like himself. His heart raced slightly faster, and his hand instinctively went to the pocket where he kept his dagger, a habitual gesture that had become second nature to him. These were odd behaviors for his wolf, and he could only wonder what was wrong. The house came into view now, and he looked to the side, ready to cross over th
The Blood Sisterhood were a secret sect of elite female warriors who paid allegiance to the Luna alone. They were part of the hidden tradition of the pack, a secret passed down from one generation of Luna to the next.Luna Seraphine took a deep breath, gathering her strength. "Sisters, I need you to go and ask for help from the Order of the Sun, the coven Arya's father belonged to during his lifetime. Tell them a daughter of theirs is faced with the threat of death at the hands of wicked people."The forewoman spoke up with a hint of hesitation in her voice. "This thing you ask of us, it totally goes against all that we represent. It is against our ethos to seek help from the witches." She stated gently but firmly.Luna Seraphine's voice came barely audible above a whisper. "Unless you're up for a battle against hell itself, I suggest you do as I have just requested."The woman argued, "We shall fight till death then. Our pride as a group supersedes the need to ask for help from the l
"There's no chance that would ever work!" the witch cried immediately after Leo told her what he needed her to do. She gently extracted herself from underneath his piercing gaze and walked over to the other side of the room."And why is that?" Leo asked, his voice cold and impatient."You see, the only reason why your sister could call you back up from the underworld was because she had at least a part of your dead corpse. And the head especially, makes things easier. If you don't have her body with you, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help," the old witch explained, feigning confidence and busying herself with arranging spices on a shelf in the corner.Leo flashed to her side using his heightened reflexes and hoisted her up in the air by her neck. "I'll go get her body. If you are not here when I return, I will find you, and I will kill you," he threatened through gritted teeth."I'd also have to wait for a full moon," the woman's desperate voice pleaded."I don't care! You'll
Damian consoled Arya over the loss of her child, but he couldn't seem to comfort her enough. She was a wrecking ball of sobs as she held baby Akira's dead form in her hands, even as Damian held her to his chest. What the bastards they had just killed did to the baby was heartless. Even in death, Akira looked like a beam of peace, his lips and skin now taking on the grayish pallor of death."I wish I had the words, my love," Damian found himself saying into the air, even though he was addressing Arya. It hurt him to see the woman he loved in such a state.Tristan and the other men from the elite command that had come with Damian to rescue his mate stood akimbo around them, at a loss for how to console both their alpha and his mate.Suddenly, Arya let out a loud gasp and began crumbling to the ground, struggling to breathe. Everyone was too stunned to do anything at first, until Damian snapped out of his shock and held her up firmly, struggling to contain both her weight and that of the
Damian sat in the backseat of the van, lost in thought. He was confident that after asserting his dominance in the Silver Crescent pack, Jasper and his followers wouldn't dare trespass again. He adjusted his new jacket, provided by Tristan, knowing his previous clothes would be ruined after his transformation.As they approached the Ember Moon pack, Damian's keen sense of smell detected something strange. He exchanged a concerned glance with Tristan, who nodded in agreement. "Kill the engines," Damian ordered, and the driver complied without question.Damian jumped out and crept behind the wall, motioning to Tristan to follow. "Break the men into groups," he whispered. "Take the secret side gates scattered around the fence. We need the advantage of surprise." Tristan nodded and relayed the orders to the men, dividing them into four groups to cover the North, East, West, and South wings of the premises.Damian led his group of six, including Tristan, towards the West wing. As they appr
Arya and Luna Seraphine sat on their seats, their senses on high alert. The sounds were getting closer, and Luna's voice was laced with urgency as she turned to Arya and said, "Quick, go to Akira. I don't like these sounds."Arya's heart sank into her stomach as she remembered her dream and recalled that Akira went missing in the dream. She never found him. If that were to happen now, she'd kill herself. She was sure of it.She ran as fast as her legs could go, her pace fueled by adrenaline. She turned into a side door to climb into a corridor when a body was tossed out of the corridor, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her wolf instincts, though rarely active, screamed danger. The corpse was dressed in palace guard attire, partially shifted into its wolf form, badly disfigured, with a gaping hole where the left eye should have been and another in the chest.Slowly, she lifted her eyes to look into the corridor where the body was flung from. Her skin crawled at the sight before her.
Damian strolled into the garden, his eyes scanning the area for his mother and Arya. He recalled his mother inviting Arya to tea the previous night and smiled, remembering the closeness they shared. He had finally made up his mind to sire Jasper's child, and his thoughts were filled with Arya.As he approached the umbrella-shaded table, he beamed with a wide smile. "Top of the morning to you two, beautiful ladies." He kissed his mother's forehead and took Arya's hand, lifting it to his lips. His eyes locked onto hers, and he heard her subtle gasp."Hello, Arya. I trust you slept well?" Arya replied shyly, "Yes, alpha. Thank you."Luna Seraphine playfully rolled her eyes. "Yes, I slept well too, thank you." Damian chuckled and said, "I was going to ask you that, mother." He turned to Arya, his smile lingering.He noticed the tea on the table and teased, "I see you've both decided to have tea without me, then." He picked up his mother's cup, and she protested, "Put that back down, sil