"She is not dead," the woman said. "I got that part already." "I had been sent by her mother; it was time they met." "Where is her mother?" I asked "Somewhere you cannot be; her mother had been killed ten years ago." I always knew there was something strange about this woman, and now I knew why. "Though her mother is yet to go to rest, you see, Hecuba has lost something very dear to her. I would like to tell you a story. I plead that you only give a listening ear," she said. "Please," she added. I knew it took everything in her to have uttered the word; she seemed to see herself above everyone. I took a seat just beside Lena, and I placed her hands in mine, holding on. "Hecuba, Lena's mother was no ordinary woman, but before then she had been an average wolf. Odis was a deity; he had always been greedy for power, and due to his mild ambitions he could no longer remain with his fellows; he came down to rule over the werewolves. But he had been distracted. When he saw Hecuba for
(Lena's POV)The woman turned to me, and I held back a gasp of admiration. She was beautiful—so beautiful that it was otherworldly.Her hair was a unique red; her hair seemed to float elegantly in the air; her eyes were the color of the sun; her skin was pale; she was nothing like me, yet staring at her, I knew who she was even before she said the words."Daughter?" she called out. I rushed into her arms, and she held me close. "I've missed you so much. Forgive me, daughter. Forgive me for never coming back, but I would have done that; I would have returned back to you just as I promised, but I failed," she said, and my heart clenched. I felt guilt for blaming her. After all Aradia had said, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the mother I never knew. We couldn't get back the time we had lost, but at least I knew she tried; I knew she hadn't abandoned me."It's alright, I forgive you.""I do not deserve your forgiveness; you deserved a life with your mother. Do not think for once th
"It is my destiny" I said to Hecuba."I know it is inevitable, but there is still time.""I will not sit dormant and let him build his army.""You are brave, my little Lykaina, but to beat him, you have to be able to control your gift.""They seem more like a curse to me than a gift.""That depends on how it's being used. So the werewolf, you love him?.""I do; I love him more than you can ever imagine.""You cannot have him," she says."Why?""It is your destiny, as the prophecy says; to love is to be hurt, and to trust is to be betrayed. He would betray you; just as Aradia had told you, he would use you, and that's why you cannot be with him.""He is all I have, all I live for, and I am nothing without him.""You are powerful without him; emotions weaken us; you need to do as I have asked of you; you need to defeat the vampire; this is what you want.""You loved Odis; even if it was forbidden, I could do the same.""Don't be stubborn, Lykaina. See where it ended, me. I do not want y
(Natasha's POV)"I thought you'd bailed on me," Set said, a smile on his face. He looked different—no longer the scary vampire, but the friend I had grown up with. "Just so you know, I was about to come up to your room and take you forcefully with me if you delayed a minute longer""A girl needs her time""I am beginging to think you purposely came a few minutes late""You thought right, after keeping me waiting the last time, is only fair I did the same to you""Girls never do forget things like that do they""Don't know about other girls, but I don't.How did you make it?" I asked, trying to hide my surprise."You didn't think I was capable of deceiving the ghost?""I didn't," I said. "I am glad you are here.""I am too. And the honest truth was that it went smoothly—almost too smoothly," he said, a slightly troubled look on his face."Where are we going?" I asked"You will find out soon," he said."There's a hidden route straight ahead; the patrollers had already covered this place
TWO WEEKS LATER(Damien's POV)It had been two weeks—the most dreadful weeks of my life—and my only consolation was Kaden. He was so young; he had no clue what was happening. I was going to protect him the best I could.Lena's body remained locked up in the room, guarded by five pack soldiers. The woman, Aradia, visited constantly, just to inform me that Lena was still very much alive. What I wanted to see was her up and walking.A change was coming; I could almost feel it.Aurora was always happy to have Kaden in her arms, so anytime I was too busy to properly care for him, all I had to do was stop by her apartment.I stared at the paper work before me; there was just so much things to fucking do. In the reports, it was stated that the Cresent Moon Pack had already sent warnings; they wanted a war, but they were ready to make a deal. Antony was going to go through with his promise; he wanted Lena, dead or alive; only then would he hold back. I had never been afraid of wars, and even
(Damien's POV)"Alpha. With all due respect, the pack has been worried about Luna's absence. Is everything fine?" Tyran, the head of the 'in-house soldiers' questioned."She is fine and will be joining us soon.""I heard she is in some kind of coma," Caston, one of the commanders, said, and a few others nodded, but I remained silent, even if I knew they awaited a response."We have the right to know what is going on in our own pack, dammit." This time it was Diego."She is well.""Then, if she is well, where is she? The only thing I see is the chair next to yours empty," Diego responded."Diego. You might be my beta, but there are lines, and you've crossed yours one too many times. But I'll give you one more chance; I know what is going on, and you have every reason to be pained. I advise you to take a moment off work.""So you think I am the one who has the issues, huh?""Diego," I called warningly."I am sick of this; I am sick of everything. Once I believed you could handle this pa
EARLIER (Natasha's POV)"I still forget the fact that I have no responsibilities now," Set said to me. "I still wake up with the knowledge that there are a whole lot of things to do and then I realize that I am no longer working for 'Him' anymore.""I guess it takes a while to finally settle in," I responded. I had just woken up. I felt more rested than I did all my life. I didn't have to wake up early, and I didn't have to be alert even in my unconscious state."Coffee?""Where did you get that?" "Let's say I left to get all these when you were still asleep." "You could have woken me up to come with you; you know I wouldn't hesitate." "I know that, but you needed to rest; I would never wake you up for something so insignificant." "And you do not need rest?" I questioned, cocking an eyebrow. "Well, it's different for me." "How so?" "Natasha, you do not have to worry; no one knows we are here." "Still..." "Do you want the coffee or not?" "I could use a cup, actually." I said
I had believed this was our little space, a place no one could get to us. I was wrong; just the way she found us, others could. I didn't want to be on a run all the days of my life, yet the future seemed inevitable. "What do you want, and why did you come all this way just to find me?. I know it's really not because you missed me that badly.""You are right. I know about the rejection. But I am curious, how could you reject a man like him?""That's none of your business.""Except there is someone else. Tell me, is he living there with you?, is that why you left?""Let's drop the pretense. I never really liked you, so why are you here?""I need your help."I laughed. "My help?, that; a funny way to ask for it.You already know the answer to that, but just in case you aren't quick enough to process it, it's NO.""You haven't even heard...""NO', now leave, and make sure no one knows about this place.""And if I decided to rat you out?,"I drew closer to her, and I gripped her by the cl
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