Gustav's POVMy hope soared above all the doubts that once clouded my head. I jogged towards the doorway with thoughts of Iris nestled in my head. Ludovic was dead now. My only obstacle to finding Iris had been destroyed."Iris, I'm coming for you."I raised my hand to my face to shield it from the intensity of the light attacking my sight. It shone brighter than any light I had ever seen. I got through the doorway, into a room that had no length and breath. No height or depth. I couldn't see a wall or the ceiling. The room was as empty as the darkness I fought through.So much for the supernatural!"Welcome to the Loop, Gustav Leo." A distorted voice called from behind me. I swiveled to see who it was, but found no one. It was only a voice. The doorway was no where in sight, save a long stretch of white and void. Drowned in a sea of fear, I made swift turns around where I stood to find the doorway I came through, but it was gone. As well as my new found courage."You can't find wha
Gustav's POVI gasped awake in my room, holding the back of my head. I brought my hands to my face to see if I brought back souvenirs from the loop, but thankfully, there was no sign of blood on it. Except the greasiness of my palms I rubbed away on my corduroy. Agitated, I turned my neck to look at Iris beside me, sleeping peacefully. She had her innocent look cloaked over her face as I'd always known her. That was the Iris I knew, not the abomination I saw in the loop.I wondered if she could see what I saw in her head.The image of the Iris I saw at the loop with cold violet eyes and distorted voice crawled into my mind. She was fearless, brutal, and intimidating. I used to think Ludovic was what scared me the most, but now, I was wrong. If that was what Iris' caged wolf looked like, I would re-think helping her unlock her."What happened?" Mother almost jumped on me with excitement. She was awake. She was in a different cloth, as well as Drogo.I looked at the surroundings. It wa
Gustav's POVIt was a different setting again. A dark room it was, but not the blinding kind I fought Ludovic in. No- the one I killed the bastard in. There were screens on either side of the elongated walls, as large as the head board of a Nissan car."Iris?" I hollered. "Keeper? Anyone here?"A screen turned on. Then another screen. And another screen, till all the screens in the room came on. Who had the remote control? I knew it was a stupid question to ask, so I kept it to myself. The keeper must be at it. He wanted to do something funny, but it was too late. I had been strengthened not to laugh at his bland, stupid jokes this time."Whatever you plan to do, I'm not giving in." I flashed my claws, and blinked my eyes to the colour that I was better suited for. "Come out from the goddamn place you are hiding and face me, you fucking coward. I won't let you get to me." I turned around and shouted into the distance. "You hear me?"Then a recorded scene played on one of the screens.
Gustav's POVWe escaped the darkness, hand-in-hand, through the inviting doorway into another realm. It was a desert. It was windy, almost stormy, blowing up particles of fine dust into our faces."I can't see a thing." Iris called.All right, a storm was threatening. And we had better hurry."Hold my hands, " I bellowed into the storm, locking my fingers between hers tightly. I looked down at the hand I gripped, when a beam on her left arm caught my attention. "What's that on your hand?" There was an indicator beeping on the inside of her left arm."What?" She looked at the arm, following my gesture. "Urm... I think it's telling us something." She glanced my way with a curious frown, shielding her face from the circling dust. "But I can't see it clearly.""Use your wolf." I instructed. " Your wolf will help you see things your ordinary eyes can't see." She bent her head forward, peering at the arm. After a moment, she raised her head, locking her violet orbs with mine. They bore bea
Monica's POVIt's been a month at the Stone's castle. Ludovic's memory had returned to him after the night he killed the attempted rapist in a frenzy. It was never my intention for the man to lose his life; I bundled him to the castle to use him as a blood bank for Ludovic whenever he needed a refill.In exchange for that, we lost something else. I lost something else. My Ludovic died away gradually under my watch. He was now a shell without his essence.The human blood was to be his therapy every three days as Laura had instructed, but Ludovic had a mind of his own. He wanted fresh human blood every night; which means, every night, a human lost their life. The plan was beginning to nosedive. I became scared of the monster I had created."What is all these, Ludovic?!" I shrieked, bursting into his once spotless petal-scented room, now dampened and humid with the metallic smell of human blood. He had a teenage girl trapped in his hand who appeared to have been bitten. "How did you allo
Monica's POV"How did you know we were fighting?" I grimaced, asking Fredrick in almost a whisper."I heard the crashing sound." "Oh!" I flexed my back muscle, rolling my shoulder backward to savor the last of Reina's healing juices repairing the damage Ludovic had done to me. "That was dumb of me to have asked. Should have known we have people in the castle with us.""Yeah. Dumb question to ask." Fredrick pointed, making it sound more like an accusation than the statement it was meant to be.I understood the message."I'm sorry, Fredrick," I gulped, wearing a sorry face. " I was only trying to help. I_ I..." I was lost for words."I know you love him, Monica." Fredrick turned his full body to face me, reprimanding me. I was victimized like e a middle age school kid in detention. "I love him too. He's my son. My son." He reiterated the last two words with a higher authoritative tone, letting them sink into my head."I'm sorry. I was only trying to help." My tore my gaze away from him
Monica's POV"When did all this happen?" I questioned, taking long strides to the sitting room. I peeped through the window, parting the drapes slightly to observe the crowd. They hoisted placards above their heads, blaring their hurt and anger. On one was boldly written in red ink: TRUCE BREAKER. On another was imprinted: IS IT A CRIME TO BE BORN NORMAL? And just below the second placard, I saw a dark lady with a white cardboard with the message, 'FIND MY RHODA' on it. That must be her mother. My chest tightened at the thought of Rhoda laying in Ludovic's room, unconscious. This was what Fredrick tried to avoid, and I had been foolish to stir the broth my own way.The broth had spilled, and burned my skin in the process. From the way I see it, I had done more damage than the good I intended. Fredrick was right, and I had been wrong all the while."About ten minutes ago." Klien caught up with me behind the parted drapes. "Where's My Lord and his father? I've searched the entire castl
Iris POVI yawned awake in my room, kissing the golden rays of the rising sun. I never had the intention of rising up early, so I Iay in bed, smiling into the false ceiling above me, appreciating the gift of life Gustav gave to me. He wasn't a jerk after all. Seeing him in the loop was way out of the world. He was the last person I ever thought would come for me. Miracles do happen, I suppose.He had confessed to loving me with all his heart, and he promised to repair the damage in our relationship, if I gave him the chance. It's been a month since my return from the Loop, and Gustav had been exceptionally sweet towards me.Breakfast in bed, a tour around the pack in his convertible, him volunteering to wash my hair in the bath, and the unforgettable moments of steamy sex that blew both of our minds off the roof. Sometimes, we did it in his car at a secluded place, or in the heart of the woods. I always begged him to wait till we returned to the mansion, but an Alpha would always be
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