Ludovic's POV"Wait... what?!" My father exclaimed."You heard me right, Frederick." She flattened."But, we made a pact with the humans."She turned slowly to look him in the eye. Her black hooded cape followed every turn her body made, giving her an aura of authority even my father cannot compromise. "Do you want your son to live?""Yes, but_""Give him human blood to drink," she strangled. " That's the only way the poison will be contained.""If this is not a permanent remedy you're proposing," Klein added, " the humans will revolt. We have a protracted war barking down our doors already, we can't afford to bring another war upon our heads.""Then leave your king to die." Her voice was raw and monotonous. There was no hint of emotion in them. I suppose practicing witchcraft for as long as forever tend to bleach the humanity one has.I struggled to stand up to my feet, but I was too weak to raise myself. The pain weakened my limbs, and slowed down my heart beat. Never have I imagined
Gustav's POVI strolled into the bathroom with my toothbrush between my teeth. I had a council meeting with the elders in two hours time, and I have an unbroken record for punctuality. We were going to discuss a change of strategy to win the war against the Crescent Pack.It was supposed to be a perfect escape from Iris. But the more I built a wall between us, the faster it fell helplessly to the ground like a pack of cards.But I knew better.If Iris thought she could change my mind about her, she should think again. Her spell on my mother won't work on me, no matter how subtle she blew her dusts of illusions around me.Mother said I was a fool for believing a rumor. I may be a fool for believing a rumor, but I was no fool for calling her a slut. That was what she was.We were supposed to be mated as one, but she left to fall into the bed of that piece of crap. If she told me all she wanted was sex, I'd have given her the best orgasm of her life. But no, her impatience brought out the
Gustav's POVOne look at her flushed face told me all I needed to know. She was a slut and more, and I was going to treat her like one.She traced her hands over my chest and ran them through every outline of my pecs. Her thumb and index fingered found my nipples, and fuck, the feeling that came with it.She fondled them professionally with hooded eyes that I felt my reservations crumbling before my feet helplessly. Strange currents from the tenderness of her touch left me begging for more.I grunted into her face with my lips parted. She left me gasping for air like a scuba diver at the bottom of the ocean. I looked into her eyes, and I saw all the seductions in them that could kill a man.Even a bigger man like me would be lost in them for good."I have a meeting to attended to." I spoke in a raspy voice.As much as I wanted to hurry down to the meeting, I cannot turn a blind eye to the demands of a lady in distress. She wanted a hot fuck, why can't I fulfill her wish? After all, her
Gustav's POVI drove as fast as I could to the rendezvous point. It was at the pack house, south of my mansion. A five minute drive to the pack house became a three minute journey.If what Stephan said was true, then I had to be there on time. I had made up my mind to ghost the meeting to have the best of the morning with Iris by my side, but this was an emergency that needed my full attention.Iris was not pleased our business was unfinished. I didn't tell her what Stephan told me through the mind link. Her mood may drift to caring for Ludovic again, and it was the last thing I wanted for her. For me.I wanted to keep up what was going on between us, even if it meant killing Ludovic with my bare hands.I pulled up the convertible at the front of the cozy farm house at the outskirts of the pack territory. We had chosen that location for matters that matter. Matters like coronating a new Alpha for the pack, or matters that borders on the security and welfare of the pack.Coming out of
Ludovic's POV"I can't let you do this, Monica." I sat up straight on the bed. "You'll put yourself in grave danger.""I know it sounds crazy," she walked up to me and placed the glass of water on the dresser beside the bed. "But aren't we meant to be friends till the end? This is what friends do. To be there for each other."Her voice sounded brittle. She didn't care much about looking all tough and juggernaut now. All that mattered to her was me. And the way she made it look, not even my father could change her mind."This will be asking too much from you. I do not want to impose the responsibility on you.""Nonsense!" She sat beside me and cupped my hands in hers. "If the tables were turned, I know you'd do the same for me. Please, don't stop me, Pumpkin."Her eyes carried the sincerest amount of care to melt even the hardest of ice. She had made up her mind to do it, and I know she won't rest until she saw me back on my feet again. But what she doesn't know was that I can't say t
Author's POV"Stupid!" Monica cussed under her breath as she climbed down the long series of spiraling stairs in fits of anger. "No one ever listens to me!"She was half convinced that driving her fist into the banisters of the stairs will justify her angry, but it wasn't her house in the first place, and she didn't want to make a fuss like a child stripped of her doll.She didn't want to be stripped of her doll. There would be grave consequences."Ludovic, I'll do everything in my power to get you back on your feet. I love you too much to see you lying six feet down the earth. You're mine, Ludovic, not death's." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand to dry the tears stinging her eyes.A maid in her late teens walked past her at the bottom of the stairs with her head bowed to the ground. Whenever she was angry, there was only one thing that could pacify her."Hey!" She called out to her with a prop of her chin.The maid bolted to a stop as if her voice had sent shock waves into
Monica's POVHe was struggling for his life with his hands around the loop of the noose when we got there. My heart skidded to a halt at the sight of Ludovic conceding without a fight. It appeared he was tired of fighting.In a heartbeat, I leaped forward into the air between us, and slashed the rope with my claws. He fell into my waiting arms, coughing with tears in his eyes. Every shiver of his body I felt told me one thing. He was afraid of dying, yet death was his only escape from the nightmare plaguing him.I sat into his bed, collecting his quivering body into my arm. it was then I realized that I was shivering as well."How dare you die on me, uhn!" I wept softly into his teary face, as I held up his face to look into my eyes. He could say nothing but weep, wrapping his arms around me. I didn't want to lose him. I would die if it ever happened."I didn't give you the permission to die anytime soon." I kissed his forehead, smoothening his wavy hair splayed over my forearms. "Yo
Gustav's POV"I'll give it to you," I pulled off my shirt and placed it roughly on a metal chair at the basement of the farmhouse. The Crescent was tied to another metal chair with strong chains to restrict his movements.He was proving to be hard to crack. Maybe it was because he was a stupid nut to crack.I had removed all his fingernail with a screw driver, and plucked out all of his curvy eye lashes that were too long to belong to a man. Yet, he would not tell me anything substantial.Even after melting his skin with the life coals from the little furnace in the basement, he wouldn't budge a breath.My white plaid shirt and grey pants were soaked in my sweat, and stained in the blood of the Crescent. The fact that he knew no one was coming to rescue him from my death claws was supposed to scare him out of wits. The fucker chose instead to remain a faithful and unwavering dick.But not with me. He's about to know why they call me the nutcracker."Why don't you say something, you mot
Monica's POVI never knew I could be this tense. My heart raced a marathon, standing beside Gustav, hands locked. We met the rest of the people outside as well. They'd been waiting for us to come out. Drogo had thrown us pieces of clothings the moment he saw us running out of the bunker. We'd brought with us few changes of garment as a contingency; only that we never foresaw the night wearing long and tragic as this. By now, the moon had reclined behind the clouds, bowing out of the podium for the sun to take its cue. The air was surprisingly chilly around me, and I welcomed the first day of the sun perching on my face in a canvass of yellow and orange. Gustav had ordered everyone to move three miles away from the area. Owing to the final battle between Iris and Laura, it was only expected of us that the bunker would collapse. It had taken on many hits already to keep it standing.Klein rushed forward to ask us about Ludovic and Iris. I was too sorry to tell him they couldn't make
Iris' POVIt felt like a very bad dream. My world shattered to tiny bits under me, caving beneath my feet. I couldn't breath, I couldn't talk; I just felt lost. Everything was happening so quickly that I forgot to breath in the bad air surrounding me. Ludovic turned to his side, resting his elbow on his hands. He cast his face the other way, spitting black blood on the dusty tile. His lengthy black hair fell over his head, covering his face from me. Placing one hand on the ground, he pushed himself to a kneeling position, backing me and groaning gravely. I saw the dagger hanging below his shoulder blade. He backed me. He didn't want me seeing him weak in the face of death. Monica and Gustav stood few inches away from us. Silently taking in the latest tragedy straddled between life and the afterlife. I heard Monica sniffle. Gustav held her close muttering few words of courage to her."I warned you all not to play hero, but you wouldn't listen. If you'd taken my offer, all this blood
Gustav's POV"Nooo!" Crude anger shot up my bones, setting me aflame. My wolf and I merged in an instance, lunging at Laura. She was too wrapped up in her warped cruel laughter that she didn't see me coming. I sank my teeth into her shoulder joint, pushing her away from Zelta. I left her in the care of Monica and Ludovic, while I took my pound of flesh from the psycho. I've always wanted to do this. Taking the back seat, I surrendered fully to my beast. Her time of retribution is now. Perhaps, she hadn't extended her tentacles to Monica, but the rest of us have suffered because of her. She'd taken too much from us. She poisoned Ludovic's mother's wine and killed Iris parents in cold blood. As if that was not enough, she made my mother's death the icing on the cake. For the sake of us, I'll gladly rip her limb from limb, and sever her head from her body."Zelta, Zelta!" Iris scooped her up, removing the dagger from her back. "You can't die now. Please, stay with us. We can't do this
Gustav's POV"We have to destroy that staff." Iris announced, rising into the air to meet Laura. "Are you sure about that?" Ludovic asked. "One hundred percent. It's her life force." She pointed at the top of the staff in Laura's hand. "I'll try my best to destroy the staff. She dies, and we get to live. The bonus part is that she takes her undying army with her to wherever they came from.""What if you're wrong about that?" Ludovic had his doubts. Destroying the staff won't come that easy. Scenarios like this always ended up in tears. There was a catch to it. I could sniff it. "It's too dangerous. Please, don't try anything stupid.""You're right. I may be wrong. But I'm certain about one thing. A witch's staff is her life force. Her life is connected to that staff. That's why she never parts with it.""Iris isn't wrong." I didn't know when Zelta regained consciousness. The hit she survived really did a number on her consciousness. She supported herself with her staff, wiping off a
Monica's POVLaura was having a field's day wearing us out. The dead never died, our strength was failing, our number depleting, and the walls are crumbling. Our greatest disadvantage was that Zelta had been knocked out. By the look of things, it would take longer for the old lady to shift out of the supernatural coma. The ball of black fire Laura hauled at her swept her off her feet, snuffing the last air of luck out of us.From a corner of the bloodbath, nursing my bloodied left hind limb, I morphed back to my human form, sprawled to a pillar, stained with blood. We're all going to die, that's for sure. Claws snapped at each other, and the squeals of men carried through the chipping walls, as more men lost their lives to Laura's madness.Ludovic and Gustav were no use to us than they are to themselves. The litres of silver swimming in Ludovic's bloodstream had left him hanging on the precipice of life. In he middle of the chaos and a bruised eye, Drogo was doing one hell of a job p
Iris' POV"Stay with me, Ms Iris," Klein wheezed, breezing past the blood and claws, out of the bunker. "Don't die on me, please. Hold on a little bit longer." I attempted speaking to assure him of my existence, but the words were too heavy for my dead cords to form. The poison had completed its cycle. Every blood vessel under my skin had turned purple. I was losing control of my limbs. To the humans, paralysis was the proper term to describe my present condition.I'd lost contact with my wolf. Her howls had reduced to a tiny purr. She shrunk herself to a corner, afraid for her and myself. The pinna of her ears had dropped to the ground, her tongue a deep shade of tundra purple. She dragged her weight about, fighting to stay alive for the both of us. Her healing virtue had gone below the threshold, hitting rock bottom. Throughout the period the devil's trumpet was introduced into my system, she'd pumped all of her juice into my body to keep me alive, hoping cavalry would come. Cava
Ludovic's POV"The bunker is going to implode on us!" I grumbled loudly, facing Iris with fear etched across my face. She met my gaze with an equal amount of fear, if not greater. "What are we going to do?!" I sheathed the tremor in my voice for the sake of my mate. As the male, I had to be stronger for her. I had to be tough for the both of us."We're all going to die, but it'll hurt me to die without telling you this." She looks at me with a calm smile. Tendrils of fear hung behind the false mask, but I paid it no heed. Her bold stance in the face of death was applaudable. She cleared her throat and continued, as Laura's chants faded in the background. "My life was hopeless before you stepped into it. Pain and suffering were my constant companion until you came by and kissed them all away. I know that when I open my eyes on the other side of the divide, you'll be right there by my side, never to part again. Thank you for making the last three weeks of my life the most memorable." Sh
Iris' POVThe slurp of the blade tearing into the organs beneath Gustav's rib cage mingled with his muffled grit of his clamped teeth. Laura was on a higher pedestal of evil. Needless to say, she was evil personified. "Stop hurting him!" Monica barked through tears, jerking violently under the straps. Her sweaty naked body faultered as Laura turned the metal blade, causing gruesome damage. Blood tricked out of the corner of Gustav's mouth. All through the torture, not a whimper fell out of his mouth. He tamped agony with resilience. I'll give that to him.Hot tears washed down Monica's face. Watching your mate being tortured before you was another level of torture. I could only imagine the tremor her wolf would be going through. Raw emotions whirled out of her, hitting me like a gust of hot wind on the hottest noon of Texas summer."Please." Monica sobbed, choosing to gravel instead. Perhaps, if Laura had a sliver of humanity in her, she'd stop her ministrations on her mate."Have yo
Monica's POVIris led a series of dry laboured cough. I didn't need a witch to tell me what the smug on her face meant. Ludovic on the other hand lay limp on the bed. The tiny drops of liquid silver flowing into his veins had his mouth set into a thin line. His face was pale. The green venation of his veins stood out conspicuously under his white skin. Iris was just as bad. Maybe worse. Her lips were chapped, the flesh peeling off. Her cheekshd become hollow, revealing the peak of her cheekbones. Her tangled her was splayed under her head in tired waves. Where the hell did she get the strength to snigger at us? Rage burned my face, as I scowled at her."Is this funny to you?" I blurted. "Keep laughing at your own death for all I care."She coughed before responding. "It's my death, I'm not complaining. I welcome it with open hands. Beside, I would die knowing my own people didn't turn against me." Her voice was almost inaudible, but there was no denying the melee retort in it.Her w