In the new hideout, Gerella had just explained to the kids (again) that they couldn’t go out to play yet because the weather wasn’t good. The truth was they were never going out to play now that they were hatching yet another escape route. After reporting to Saxum about the food supply, Gerella went for a stroll in the forest.
She was enjoying the coolness and the peace of the greenery in her invisible form. Then, she heard something. A rhythm. Lup-di-duh-di-dup. Over and over again. It was the most beautiful sound that she’d ever heard. But where was it coming from? There wasn’t a soul in sight, unless this was another discretus? Was she hearing the bodily fluid of the mate their Lord had bonded her to?
Gerella was excited but also nervous. She followed the sound, and found herself walking towards the beach, the very location Sa
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Gerella’s fairytale moment came to an end as well, and she wished she could just disappear but her ability seemed to be denying her request, so she stayed fully visible as she glanced back into the forest. “Part of those who are involved are basically my family, Toby. We're...not related by blood, but they're family nonetheless. You can’t just ask me to give them up.” “Why does your family want to challenge the Queen’s Authority? If you wanted a place in the kingdom, all any of you had to do was ask. I doubt Xandar and Lucy would mind.” “Xandar and Lucy?” “The king and queen. She’s the same queen whose power your family is trying to challenge,” he tried not to sound too harsh but that did come out somewhat accusatory.
Ideally, Toby would have wanted Gerella to deny his suggestion immediately, but her silence was worrying. There was nothing to control the Queen’s Authority yet but he and the others knew for a fact that the shell worked well to shield the rogues against Xandar. Tweaking the shell to be offensive rather than defensive might take less effort and time than having to come up with something from scratch to control Lucianne. It already worked so well in Blue Crescent. With some improvements on the shell they gave the decipio-proditors, there was no doubt that the hybrids would succeed. This was getting more messed-up by the second. Gerella started speaking again, “The queen has garnered many enemies over the years, being one of the main players to have them kicked out of their packs…”
Greg had just come out of the elevator onto the subway platform, waiting to catch the next ride when his watchers’ report came in, telling him that his suspicions were right, that they were the ones being watched all along. He asked his watchers to bring in Dormant Little Red, J.J. and Bundy, and the duke called off the watch duty immediately. The new assignment was to start looking for Klementine and her assistant, Feva. After that, Alissa’s link came through. Greg said nothing throughout the report, even when he stepped into the public transport. When Alissa was done, he ordered, ‘Get to Polje for our practice with the bloodsuckers as usual. We’ll fill the queen in if the defense minister continues keeping silent about this affair.’ ### That night, Lucianne wasn’t ev
Since verifying the presence of children didn’t concern Greg, he moved on to what really interested him when he asked Toby, “Minister, did she give any descriptions of the three scientists?”“No. With hindsight, I wished I had asked.”Lucianne gently consoled, “You had a lot on your mind.”Tate added, “And she might not even know, Toby.”Toby begged to differ. “It’s really nice of you to want to help defend my mate, Alpha, but let’s face it, if she’s privy to planning the Blue Crescent attack and the abductions at Falling Vines and Saber Vagary, I doubt she won’t know who the scientists are.”
After Toby left the beach, Gerella ran as fast as her legs could carry her back to Neptune’s hideout. She was still amazed by how close the two rogues were that Neptune was allowed to set up his own hiding place on Klementine’s land. Gerella began cracking her head on a plausible excuse for them to evacuate as soon as possible. She came to an abandoned hut, went to the back where there was a worn out truck, slipped underneath the vehicle and slid open the metal casing covered by dirt and dried leaves before sliding into the hideout. Her eyes scanned the significantly smaller space, looking for Saxum. Neptune saw her frantic look, so his head gestured to a room behind a tattered curtain as he uttered calmly, “There. One of your friends has fallen ill.” &n
The vigils and custodes only reached the beach and the abandoned hut two hours after the hybrids left. In the darkness around 11:30pm, it took them another thirty minutes to find the entry of the hideout under the wrecked car. In the hideout itself, they could smell that the scents matched those found in the hideout of the Forest of Oderem. The only difference was that no belongings were left behind this time. They searched the forest before Duica had the idea to start looking through the wooden hut again. The fact that the floorboards had uneven gaps in between and the plank walls weren’t evenly constructed depicted that this shelter was not built by a professional. Perhaps it was a family project of sorts. If there weren’t any clues here that would lead them to the hybrids, maybe there was something that could tell them who thi
At 4:15 a.m. Lucianne dashed to the front door when she heard a light tap. She and Xandar asked Mrs Parker to babysit much earlier this morning so that they both could spend a few hours together.Lucianne got the picnic basket while she heated up some of the food that she and Xandar prepared the night before. After Xandar stuffed the picnic blanket into the basket, they left through the backdoor, shifted and made their way to the freesia field.Xandar still carried her across the river, and when they reached their destination, they made their way across the field of flowers and placed the basket under the largest acacia tree, their usual spot. After shifting back, they set up the food and drinks.When Lucianne was satisfied with the arrangement of everything on the picnic bl
Whatever Xandar just said was not just ‘terrifyingly overwhelming’. It was monstrously torturous, heartbreaking and soul-crushing. It was basically the strongest cocktail of all his fears combined into a single scene. Lucianne’s hands reached out to stroke his cheek and shoulder, ensuring him that she was right there in front of him, that she was his and only his, that they weren’t apart and never will be so. He leaned into her hand and kissed her palm before she asked in a small, encouraging voice, “How did you fight it?” He managed a smile when he explained, “For a while, I didn’t think I could. My instinct was to pounce on Greg, who was holding you a little too close for my comfort…actually, I prefer if he didn’t hold or touch you at all.” His grip around her instin
Dear readers,Thank you for giving “The Rogues Who Went Rogue” a chance, and for following through to the very end. I hope that this sequel was entertaining enough to keep you engaged, and empowering enough for you to draw strength from it whenever you need the boost.I hope you can spare a few minutes to rate this novel and leave a review here and on Goodreads. It'll help a lot in seeking new readers and sharing the love!To anyone who dropped comments with encouraging words from time to time, thank you. You have no idea how helpful these have been on the days when I experience severe fatigue or writer’s block.Now, with regards to what’s in store for the next book in the Coalescence of the Five Series, it’s this - in Book Three, we’ll be acquainted with hunters and a potential duchess, but the publication date cannot be confirmed as of yet. I am discussing the contractual terms of a writing project with another platform, and if that proceeds, I would be working on that book in the s
As he gently took the baby girl from her mother, everyone braced themselves for the deafening screams that would usually follow. But what came next was just soft coos as Enora leaned against her uncle’s shoulder, resting her head there with a soft smile. After a few quiet moments, Greg glanced at the child before looking back at Xandar and Lucianne when he questioned, “What did you two feed her this morning? What sorcery is this?” Christian had a theory, which he shared as he walked over to Greg, “Maybe she’s starting to warm up to us. Let me try.” As soon as Greg reluctantly detached Enora from his shoulder and the baby realized that she was going to a different adult that was neither one of her parents, she screamed and started tearing up as she pressed herself again
The ceremony to return the title was held in the abandoned castle next to the Forest of Oderem. Pellethia had an unexplainable feeling that it had to be there, as did Lucianne. When the servants went to have the place cleaned up, all praying that they weren’t going to encounter anything out of the ordinary when they did their job, two among the sixty cleaners entered a room on the highest floor that was covered with a very thick layer of dirt and dust. When the two servants assigned to clean this particular room opened the windows to let in some air, a dash of breeze came from the forest and blew at a part of the dirt on the floor, making the poor servants flinch before instinctively holding each other as they quivered in fear. When nothing happened for the next few moments, they slowly released their hold of each other. Th
Gerella walked gracefully down the aisle, and while all eyes were on her, her sights stuck to her groom who looked like he was close to tears as he beamed at her. When she reached him, he offered her his hand to help her onto the platform. The music stopped, and the guests took their seats once more. After the marriage officiant recited from the Scriptures of Matrimony, he announced that it was time for the exchange of vows. Toby began, “Ella, from the moment we met, I knew that my life was never going to be the same again. Not only can I now boast about being the only one among my friends to get the most beautiful hybrid for a wife, your mark practically gave me the license to also gloat about being able to see a discretus when they cannot. You have no idea how much fun I’m going to have lying about a discretus’s presence when we’re training.”
7 weeks later “I’ve actually already had two. They taste pretty good.” Toby told Lucianne as they stood by the table with the trays of cupcakes. He then added, “I’m glad she decided to start a business out of this. Her baking skills are fantastic!” Hailey made those cupcakes. She was now a probationary kindergarten teacher on weekdays and a baker on weekends. She and the other mavericks still worked for Greg, but they were free to indulge in their hobbies and passions when they didn't have maverick duties. Some even pursued career paths that earned a salary the 'normal' way. Jade opened a cyber café which attracted lots of youngsters, and Hailey baked cupcakes or made pastries to sell to Jade’s customers. She offered him a small percentage of her earnings for his space. Some even came in just to buy her baked goods.
After Margaret managed to compose herself, she cleared her throat, looked into Tate’s eyes that held so much love and assurance, and began reciting her own set of vows, “Tate, when we met, I thought that our bond wasn’t going to last. I thought that a rejection would follow, from you or me, or even from the both of us. You haven’t the faintest clue of how relieved and happy I am that I’ve been proven wrong. Very wrong.” “I was wrong to think that our bond is a mistake; I was wrong to judge you based on the title you inherited; and I was wrong to think that you could never love me the way I didn’t know I needed to be loved. Never in my wildest dreams could I’ve imagined falling in love again, and never did I think it was someone as perfect as you are, Tate. I held so much hate from my past, carrying it throughout my life, even scaring away a few acquaintances with my untamable inferno, yet y
The Alpha of White Blood got cheers and claps even before the bride emerged. He was pleased to see that his pack members were not giving the vampire guests odd looks, and he was proud that, when he raised this matter with everyone weeks before the wedding, they seemed more excited and welcoming than reluctant and disapproving. What surprised him most was that the vampires didn’t sit at one place, but were scattered among the wolf and lycan guests. The Alpha wanted the integration but he definitely didn’t expect to get it this soon. Tate took a good look around to commit the sight before him to memory - the memory of his closest friends and pack members here to celebrate his and Margaret’s special day. When his eyes fell on Lucianne, she linked, ‘Margaret’s more t
3 months laterAlissa was pulling Gabriel by his arm through the rows of white, yellow and beige flowers in a nature park where Tate and Margaret decided to have their wedding ceremony. In the sea of White Blood pack members, Alissa finally found the creature she was looking for.“My Queen, this is Gabriel, my second-chance mate and husband. Gabriel, this is our queen.” Alissa said with the widest smile that Lucianne had ever seen. Alissa and Gabriel tied the knot two months ago in the marriage registrar’s office, with only the attendance of her triplets, Gabriel’s brother, Greg, Hailey, Desmond and Ivory.Lucianne smiled warmly at the nervous-looking man in a tuxedo. “Well, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Gabriel. We’ve heard a
Alissa’s furrowed brows and puzzled eyes shifted to the door, and her defensive instincts kicked in. She extracted the hard drive from her laptop and slid it into the custom-sewn compartment in her jeans. Reaching for the loaded gun and heading for the door, she tried to guess who that could be. The property was bought under an alias. Her landlady never came up in the last ten years she stayed here. Greg and the others usually gave her a heads-up before dropping by.She looked through the keyhole to see if she was able to get anything from the slit. All she saw was a sand-color shirt. She was also picking up a delightful yet somewhat familiar scent of oak and rain. The knock came again. She pressed her ear to the door, where she heard a heavy sigh before something was placed on the floor as the footsteps retreated.Alissa waite