(Natasha's POV)Lost in thoughts, I realized the figure a little too late.A female structure stood a distance away. I contemplated turning back and maybe following another route, but that didn't seem wise. It could be more suspicious that I was found creeping around, but that still didn't mean there was any proof that I was actually doing 'anything' wrong.Then I noticed the scent.That wasn't the Luna's scent, but it did smell a bit familiar. I got closer, and then I realized who it was.The first time I had seen her was when I was trying to sneak into Diego's room. I had paused to listen to the conversation she was having with the omega. I remembered how sensitive she had been; she did suspect someone was listening in, even if I had been quiet.I wondered why she stood there; she seemed to be waiting for me, but I was going to pretend like I didn't know that; after all, we had never really chatted before, and so I 'attempted' walking past her—that was the word, 'attempt'—she stopp
(Natasha's POV)I sprinted away as fast as I could, heading for the door. I lifted the pull, praying that as I suspected, the pull was meant to re-open the secret door, and it did. I walked out, and the door shut on its own.I inhaled deeply..My heart pounded. What was Diego doing with those men? And if these meetings were held with good intentions, would he have to sneak out every night to hold them? worse, in such a secret location. I doubted Alpha Damien and his Luna knew about it, and I doubt many people knew about this secret room.I returned back to our room. It seemed like a foolish thing to do. What if Diego was never who I thought he was?But this had nothing to do with me or my mission; I should have never let curiosity get the best of me.I waited thirty more minutes, contemplating, Maybe I should just escape. What would he do to me when he returns? I wouldn't let him hurt me, and if I did reveal myself, then my mission was over. If I leave him behind and escape, then my
(Lena's POV)My screams were muffled by the pillow. I woke up all sweaty, but Damien's hands were around me, holding me closer.It was just a dream, I reminded myself, and then the wave of embarrassment kicked in."I'm sorry." I apologized to Damien for the tenth time. The nightmares had gotten worse; the same black wolves—three of them—and then my ex-father, telling me how worthless and weak I was. It felt more than a dream because I did know Antony wanted me dead; I had seen it in his eyes. Behind the pain from the loss of his mate was a furry like no other, a fire ignited in his eyes, a purpose and a promise. He wanted me dead, and he didn't care what he would have to sacrifice to make that a reality.Still, I felt bad for Damien. Every single night the nightmare came, I screamed myself awake, and he was always there, rocking me, promising me that it had only been a dream and nothing more. I wondered what he thought of me now.."Sometimes, I want to stay up all night; I admit it,
"The dungeons? Was this the best you could do?" The woman asked Damien, who had a small smirk on his face."Consider this, my little act of kindness." He responded sarcastically, and the woman snorted."You said my mother sent you?" I asked, and the woman nodded to that. "Where is she?" I questioned."That I cannot tell you," she said unapologetically.I felt a spike of pain in my chest thinking about my mother. Maybe Damien was right, and we should have never let this woman/messenger —or whoever she thought she was in here. For many years, I had suffered and gone through hell at the hands of my ex-parents. I wondered where my true mother was; I did believe she had died, or just as Felicia said, 'wondered away', but no, she was alive; she knew where I was; she knew everything; and yet, she had stayed away, all this time till now, and she doesn't even think I am important enough to come by herself; she had to send someone.Did I ever mean anything to her?I doubted it."She doesn't ca
(Lena's POV)There were no screams this time."Lena," I heard Damien's voice call."I am fine," I answered, rising to my feet."She did it," Aradia said to no one in particular."What did she do?""She overcame them; she overcame her 'nightmares', and now she is free.""What next?" I asked, still feeling overwhelmed but wanting to hear any information that had to do with my mother. I didn't want to think about the 'vision'—if I could call it that—seeing the wolves in a puddle of their own blood. Though I knew it wasn't exactly real, it still felt strange, and there was something in me—something that had changed since that. I didn't know what exactly that was, I was still trying to figure out if that was a positive change."I'll take my leave," she says."What? But you just arrived? I thought you wanted to tell me things.""What things?""Other things, like the prophecy and what really is going on, you cannot just leave like that.""I have fulfilled the reason I was sent; I would retur
(Lena's POV) I cried myself to sleep that night, even if there were no nightmares. . "Where are you taking me?" I questioned Damien as he led me to the library. "Last night I was wrong; you need to see this.".I didn't really tag Damien as the reading type, but there was something about the way he navigated the huge library; he had been here before—countless times, now it was like he had already memorized each route. He stopped before a shelf that was very similar to the others, then picked out a book, scrolling through the pages, then he stopped at a page. "This was what I found, but I didn't think it was anything then," he said, handing the book to me.There was a picture on the page of a female with a star-shaped tattoo. Staring at it, I felt like I had seen this somewhere. "Do you know what that is?" Damien asked "It seems so familiar... like I had seen it somewhere, but I can't place where," I answered. . The Last Lykaina~ 'The last of her bloodline, rejected by all, lo
(Lena's POV)I knew I was being followed even as I ran. I went faster, but they weren't giving up. It was like they had been waiting for me.I stopped.Turning back to them, I regretted that decision almost instantly. They weren't rogues, as I could tell from their smell, but they looked exactly like the wolves in my dream, with the same black fur and long jagged and sharp teeth, but this time they were two and not three.The wolves walked closer, intruding on my personal space. I sneered out a warning, but from the look in their eyes, they didn't take it. Just like in my dream, one of them leaped at me. I was faster. I sank my claws into it's skin. The other one joined in, digging its fangs into my skin. I let out a silent whimper. I slashed at it, getting it in the eyes.They were strong wolves, and I hadn't been prepared. I felt another slash to my back as I battled the first, and I dodged a hit from one of them.I could handle them if I were prepared; I wasn't, and I was losing fo
(Damien's POV)I had tried finding the woman, Aradia, but she had disappeared, just like how she seemed to have materialized from nowhere. I don't know what the strange woman did to Lena, but I didn't like it one bit. Yes, the nightmares had stopped, but then she was... changing, and I am not sure I liked this other part of her. She needed help, and I was ready to be there for her, but she seemed to prefer being alone more, and that wasn't helping.I know she hadn't hurt Kaden on purpose, but things had to change nevertheless. I knew when this was over, she would never forgive herself if she did harm her own child. I couldn't let her live with that kind of guilt, and so I had to take him away for the time being. Lena had chosen one of the spare rooms to sleep for the night. I didn't think I could go through the night without checking up on her.I placed Kaden on my lap as I applied the white balm to the red angry blister. I wished I did understand what really was going on. I wanted
THREE YEARS LATER (Lena's POV) Kaden was color blind; I had always suspected this, but now that he was older it had been easier to tell. Damien blamed himself for it, but this wasn't even under 'his' control, neither was it his fault. . I had gotten better; I didn't need to be scared when I held my child on when I came into contact with others; Damien was all the control I needed, and together we've managed to start up a life once again. I had agreed to never use my powers again, but the less I use them, the more they seemed but be buried deep down, beyond my reach. I could live a normal life—or at least something close to that. Aurora walked into our room with two year old Leslie in her arms. We had become very close friends after the incident three years ago. With Diego gone, Nate took his title as the Beta, and for the past three years, there has been no one to fill in the gap until now. Diego's sister Alice had turned out to be one of the most brutal warriors, outmatch
(Natasha POV) We never really had a place to call home. The closest thing to home was the little cabin in the woods. I remembered Set bringing me in here. I had been so surprised at the beauty of the place. I had imagined things—I had imagined children running around in this space. I was going to plant new flowers every week, just at the side. It would have been a beautiful home. I had so many regrets; what would have changed if I stayed behind? Yet, I knew that Diego would have been killed if I did. Set wouldn't have wanted that. One thing was sure: The Ghost, who was also the Vampire Prince, wouldn't let us go that easily. I had killed the Ghost, the man who put me through so much pain. I had made 'Number One' pay for assaulting me and for taking my one true love away, yet it meant nothing now because even those couldn't bring Set back. I and Set had gone on dangerous missions, and I grew to believe that nothing could overcome us. Set was a pro at what he did. I had believed he
(Lena's POV) Damien tore through the crowd of vampires, and finally I could see him-- that was enough to give me hope, prehaps this wasn't my end yet. "Damien!" I cried out "Lena, hang on" he says as he yanked one of the vampires off me."Take off the necklace" he commanded."No!" Hecuba screamed.Damien ripped off the ruby necklace from my neck. I gasped. It all happened fast. Hecuba screamed, louder than a banshee; it was an ear-bleeding noise; the glass shattered. Damien held me close shielding me from the glass shards; The screeching sound must be one of the vampires' bane, a weakness we had just discovered because they clawed at their own ears, running in all directions of the room to find an escape. After what felt like hours- but were actually minutes, the noise stopped, and Hecuba's body, just like those of her victims, dried up, fading away till she was nothing but bones. I stared at the ruby necklace on the floor; it had turned back to the emerald green it originally ha
(Lena's POV)"Take a seat with me, will you?" Konstantin says."I think we have a lot to talk about," I said, and he nodded. Walking, I followed, but Hecuba held me back."We have no time for this. I have no time for this," she says, but I pulled my hands free of her grabs. I followed, and after a while she did too. I didn't know what I was planning to do, even as I sat."Do you want anything to drink?" The vampire prince asked, his eyes fixed on me, as if we were the only ones in the room."No, thank you."He took the seat opposite me, not minding that there was none for Hecuba. I turned to her, but she shook her head slightly, indicating that she didn't mind standing."So here you are. Two years ago, you disappeared, I want to know if everything was a lie" I inquired not because I really cared but more out of curiosity."Not everything—this was my home even before I met you and have been for a long time, but you see, as much as I wanted to be close to you and as much as I loved th
"You lied to me all these years; you made me believe The Blood Moon Pack destroyed my family and my pack, but you lied, the vampire did." "They died ten years ago; get over yourself, child," he hissed at me. It sounded more like a sound a snake would make. "Go to hell!" I screamed back at him. "I have already been there" he says.Number One chuckled. "I go by many names." The Ghost began, "Some call me The Ghost; others call me the Prince of Doom, the Ruler of the Undead," he says as he lets his cloak fall to the ground. "But I am popularly known as the Vampire Prince.Just like all the others of my children I picked you all at the worst moment in your lives. In your case, it had been after the death of your family. You are right-- the vampires attacked them, yet I couldn't let you know that because I knew you would be of so much help to me. But you have to know one thing. The vampires do nothing except what I command them to." The Ghost finally took off his mask. Now I did unde
(Natasha's POV) I felt selfish after I discovered the truth about Diego. All the while, he had been suffering in silence, and I was too blind to see it. I never knew about his sister; I didn't even see the need to ask. My whole focus had been centered on destroying the pack—these were people who had done nothing to me. . I had to return back to the cabin, just as I had promised Set. I wanted to see him again, fall into his arms, and let him take control just as he always does. I wanted to hear those sweet words from him. I needed to be reminded of how special I was because, at this moment, I didn't feel very unique. I felt awful for how I treated Diego. I arrived in the cabin; the lights were on, and a small smile stretched on my lips as I walked in. "Set, I'm back," I said, but there was no response. "Set?" I called out as I walked into the living room. I saw the shattered glass on the floor; the couch had been ripped; the portrait was on the floor; and so were the curtains.
(Damien's POV) The decision I had to make weighed on my shoulders. Even as I walked into the dungeons where Diego had been kept waiting. I walked in alone. Diego didn't stare up at me; his gaze never left his hands. "You believed I had fucked your mate; could this be why you turned against me?" I asked. "I never believed you could do such a thing," he says. I stared at the injuries I had inflicted on him; his ear had been completely torn off; he needed a healer; but he was a traitor and couldn't be treated any better than that. "It hadn't been the way you think. Your mate had poisoned me; I had thought I was with Lena; believe me, I could never do that, she tricked me." "I do believe you. I knew you couldn't go that length, but I had been so mad. Yet, that was not the reason. Years ago, I had a sister; her name is Alice. She had been stolen away from us five years before I was born. The incident faded so quickly, and my parents discarded everything that belonged to her. They
"For so many years, you made me suffer; you made me believe I was the cause of your childlessness, you sold me away for your selfish benefits and when you discovered that your ill action still favoured me, you framed me for something I did not do, you made me see the worst in life, but that hadn't been enough for you; you still believed that I was the reason your mate was killed, and now you have returned to have me," I said. "What are you doing to me?" he asks. "Once a woman came to you, she brought a baby, and she told you that this child was special. Look at the woman beside me," I said to him, and he does. "She might be in the body of another, but this is my true mother, and she is going to make you pay for what you did to her child," I say, stepping aside. Hecuba walked forward; she was nothing like Aradia; even if she had claimed the woman's body, there was something about the way she walked; she walked like she owned the world; her aura could be felt even from miles away. H
The woman, Aradia, sat, waiting; she already knew what was coming. The gunshots could be heard outside and blood flowed into the room, spreading in from underneath the door. She reached out to her powers and then stretched her hands over Lena's body, muttering strange words, and there was a faint glow as energy erupted from her outstretched hands, forming a shield over Lena's body. This shield was one of the hardest to make; it did cost her, and she felt suddenly weak. The longer it stayed on, the weaker she became, yet she couldn't let go. The door busted open, and soldiers moved in. About fifteen of them left. The Blood Moon Soldiers had managed to take out a good number and had inflicted some brutal injuries on others. The attacks had come in large numbers; no wonder they had been able to overpower the five Blood Moon soldiers who had been kept there to protect the Luna. "Wake up, Lena," Aradia whispered to the woman on the bed, but there was no sign of movement. The soldiers