~ZIRAI ran nonstop.I was already in the woods, running as hard as I could push myself to. I had no idea where I was going. All I knew was that I wanted to get away from the Blackstones and all the drama in my life.How stupid was I? Did I really believe that when the time came, Kael would choose me over his brother?Today's incident had shown just how much he cared about his brother. What was I expecting? That I would tell him that he was my mate and he would come running over to my side and turn his back on his family?I did not know it when tears started flowing down my cheeks. I suddenly felt alone in this battle. Yesterday might have been sweet with Kael but he had shown me where his loyalty lay. I had no one to put my trust and hope in.Suddenly, I tripped and lost my balance. Just like that, I hit the ground hard and began to roll down the dirt until I came to an abrupt stop.I groaned in pain as my entire body ached. There was no one to cry to. I leaned against a tree and sa
~KAEL"Zira, wait!"Zira kept running and I felt my wolf stir angrily within me. What just happened? What had gotten into me? We had finally started understanding ourselves and I blew it!I turned back to Arden and clenched my teeth at him. "What the fuck was that, Arden? Why did you attack her?" I demanded.Arden blinked once before narrowing his eyes at me. "I was angry. I don't know what came over me. I just knew that I had to make Tyrone pay. He took our mother. The best thing to do to him is to take his daughter too," he stated as if his actions were justified."What are you even saying?" I demanded as I glared at him in confusion. This was not the Arden I knew. Something had definitely gotten into him."You realize that we have not even found the Moon crest yet? What if she goes and tells her father what you did? Then everything will be over and you will be the cause of that!" I stated firmly.Arden shook his head at me. "I don't fucking care anymore about the Moon crest. I want
~KAEL"What just attacked you, Zira?"Fear flashed before her eyes before she looked away. She shook her head yet I kept watching her. I tried to bring her face to look back into my eyes but she got to her feet abruptly and began to search the place with her eyes as if she had lost something.Her behavior showed that she knew what it was and she was probably too scared to reveal it to me.I mirrored her action and got to my feet and tried again. "Zira. . . what do you know?""Kael, we need to get back to the pack house," Zira said instead and started walking away.I refused to let it go. I needed to know what she was hiding. It was as if everyone around me was hiding one secret or another. I was tired of all the secrets. I needed to know all the things happening around me, crystal clear. I was tired of being ignorant.So I went after Zira and grabbed her hand abruptly. This caused her to turn toward me fast and I caught her by placing my hand on the small of her back."I know you'r
~ZIRAI walked back into the house.The moment Kael explained why he suspected her, I just knew that it had to be her. The irony, she was already with Arden and being promised as next Luna was not enough for her. She wanted more, she wanted the stone for herself. I smiled inwardly at her greed. It was her greed that would be her undoing.I just needed to locate her now. If I could make her confess the truth, then I would be able to eliminate one threat. All I would have to do would be to deal with the Blackstones. I was already getting to Kael, all I had to do was try harder.She was usually around Arden or Kael, trying hard to seduce him into a threesome. Since I had just been with Kael, it meant that she was going to be with Arden. But would they risk it, knowing that I could walk in on them anytime?Well, it did not matter. I needed a reason to stay away from Arden because he had tried to kill me this morning. What was to say that he would not try it again? I needed to be safe.I
~ZIRABella whimpered as I continued dragging her down the corridor. It was only until we entered the grand hall that I released her abruptly.The hall was empty and devoid of people. I wondered what was taking Kael so long, he was supposed to bring everyone here. Well, it did not matter, I decided. What mattered was that I had her and I was going to lock her away."I know what you did," I announced in a firm tone.Bella stoped struggling and stared at me in confusion. "Wha—what are you talking about?" She demanded in a shaky voice.I folded my arms and began to approach her. Then I stopped half a meter away. "You don't need to play dumb. Your accomplice already ratted you out," I stated as my wolf stirred.She must have thought that she was the only one who knew how to play the game of manipulation but she was wrong. They were all wrong for underestimating me and I would make them pay one after the other.Bella continued to act clueless. "What are you talking about? Wh—what accompl
~ZIRA"How dare you?" He roared.Bella stared back at Arden in tears. She was trembling but there seemed to be another emotion buried within her."I had no other choice. You have no idea how deep this goes. It's beyond you and me," she stated.My wolf stirred at her words. I felt as if she was passing a message that we might have missed."What are you talking about?" I demanded in a low tone.Bella snorted a laugh but it was a pained one. "You probably think you're safe, Zira. You think you have it all figured out but your downfall is fast approaching and it will hit you when you least expect it," she stated.My wolf sank to the pit of my stomach. This was not how the past worked out. So many things had changed and there were new enemies. What exactly was going on?"What are you trying to say?" I tried again."I had no other choice. This was my only ticket out and you took it away from me. It might have been selfish but you would have done the same if you were in my shoes. So I'm just
~ZIRAI threw a glimpse at Kael and saw that he had a puzzled expression. He had no clue, I turned back to Arden."Yes, Arden?" I answered.He came closer and was about to touch my hand when I flinched away almost losing my balance. Kael caught me in his arms and steadied me while Arden narrowed his eyes at his brother before turning back to me."I— " He hesitated as he searched my eyes for any opening to come back into my life.What he did not know was that I had shut him out of my life since the day he killed me. He never really had a chance this entire time and I was not going to make the same mistake twice."I wanted to apologize for what I did to you," he finally revealed.I folded my arms at him and raised my head high. My wolf began to stir with anger and irritation within me but I needed to keep all the emotions bottled down. The last thing I wanted was for him to realize that I could see right through his bluff."What exactly are you apologizing for? Killing me or cheating o
~KAELMy heart skipped two beats at Zira's request. My wolf came alive and marveled at the invitation. My intake of breath deepened and I wondered if I would be able to control myself."W—why? W—what's wrong with your room?" I stuttered.My wolf began to dance at the invitation and I wondered what was going on within Zira's head. She remained quiet for a while as she watched me. I parted my lips and waited for her to give me a good reason enough to be there.I could not deny that I wanted her in my room. I just needed her to give me a good enough excuse."W— well, given Arden's behavior this morning. . ." She hesitated and I heard her voice shaking. Her hand grew cold but she held on to me like I was everything for her.I nodded to encourage her not to stop she needed to give me the excuse I wanted desperately to hear so that I would be justify."And his current behavior, I'm terrified by him. What if he comes back in the middle of the night and tries something?" I asked.I searched h
~ZIRAWhen my eyes came open, they were met with darkness.I blinked multiple times in an attempt to force my eyes to adjust as quickly as possible. My body was cold and I doubted if I could move. I was trembling and mist kept escaping my mouth every time I breathed. My heart pounded heavily and my wolf kept stirring uncomfortably within. I felt uneasy as I could not explain what was happening. Was I dead?I forced myself to move and succeeded in getting into a sitting position eventually. I looked around the space and as my eyes adjusted, light began to brighten up the space. Sitting had chased most of the weakness away. I got to my feet and took in the space. The more I stared, the more familiar it became and realization finally dawned on me. I was in the same void where I had met the goddess the first time I died. "Hello?" I called. Like that was all the trigger needed, I felt the presence of someone extraterrestrial, of great honor and glory behind me. I instantly turned and
~KAELMy father's scream echoed through the space as thick blue mist rose in the air.I was still fighting with my supposedly uncuffed hands when I saw Arden's eyes go wide with shock. Then he instantly started running toward me as if to shield me from something. That was when my wolf growled menacingly and I looked toward my father just in time to see him launch a spear at me. As if on cue, my hands came free and I stepped forward but it was already too late. Arden took the hit for me. The force of the spear pushed him backward. He hit me and we both fell back against the pole that I had once been cuffed to. "I'm going to set the world ablaze! I'm going to destroy everything!" Uther screamed like he had lost his mind. The blue mist began to clear and for the first time, he saw that I was still fine and someone else had taken the hit for me. My heart sank as I turned a shaky stare at Arden who now had a long spear buried in the lower center of his body. I did not want to think an
~ZIRAI heard Uther's chuckles continue to echo around the space. I felt too weak to lift myself from the ground. I had cried so much that I could no longer stand. I felt numb and broken. I felt confused and lost. "Come on, Zira. The game is not yet over. We still have one more person to kill if you don't tell me what I want to know," he announced. The thought of losing Kael too made me shoot up to my knees. I stared at the man in disbelief. Was he really ready to kill his own son too just to make a point? Would he kill his flesh and blood?I turned a fearful stare at Kael. His blue eyes were filled with pain. "I'm sorry," he mouthed again. I could not remember how many times he had apologized to me in the last hour. He had been doing it over and over again. "Stop apologizing. . .please. . ." I said in a weak voice. "It's not your fault. . ." I said dryly. I realized that I was losing my voice. It was no surprise, given how much I had screamed and cried.Then I turned to Uther.
~ZIRAWas the world always this ugly or all the beauty had been taken out of mine? My mother gasped as her eyes went wide open. Father gasped, Uther laughed before he pulled the sword out of her body. She let out a pained sound that further broke my heart.The world seemed to slow down and all sounds around me began to echo. I did not know what to feel or how to react. I forgot how to breathe. I forgot how to speak. All I did was gasp breathlessly. Nala stopped dancing and I felt tears begin to form in my eyes. My father let out the loudest roar as the pain of losing his mate must have hit him hard. My mother still with her hands handcuffed behind the pole slowly began to slump to the floor. She was staring at me as if she wanted to say something. Blood spurted out of her mouth and she smiled at me. Then her body went still.My wolf sank to the darkest part of my mind and I had gone into shock. I just stood there and watched helplessly as my world had come to an end. "Zira. . ." I
~ZIRAMy heart skipped triple beats as I saw men spring out of the park and pounce on us. Kael let out a menacing growl as he prepared himself for battle. The first man that tried to grab me got struck by Kael's claws. This sent the man flying across the park. He let out another growl to warn them from coming. But the men were determined to apprehend us. Two more came at a time and he grabbed one by his neck as he struck the other man. Yet three more attacked him from behind. "Kael!" I screamed as they hit his head hard.This rendered him weak immediately and he went down on his knees. They used his moment of weakness to apprehend him and I did not try to fight back as they grabbed me. It was all futile and I wondered why Kael even tried fighting in the first place. They dragged us to the stream side of the park. From the distance, I spotted a set of poles arranged in a quite large circle. It was once used to play a dancing game in the old days. The center was where the dance batt
~ZIRAMy heart sank when I saw the note. My wolf continued its dangerous dance a plea to be unleashed. My world was slowly crumbling down before my eyes and I did not know what to do about it. My already trembling body only got more violent as I looked at the note."Do you want me to read the content for you?" Kael offered when he noticed that I was slowly losing it. I nodded and he took the letter from me. "If you want to save your parents, come to me unguarded with the Moon crest as my present. Meet me at the old park closest to Black City by sundown," he concluded. I could feel tears threatening to weaken me but I refused to cry. I needed to be strong. I could still fix things. The goddess would not let any harm come to my parents. Kael suddenly wrapped me in a protective hug. "We'll make it work," he assured me. "What will the goddess think if I give him the Moon crest? The whole point of my mission was to protect it not for selfish interests but for the safety of the world,"
~ZIRAI never expected what Kael did yesterday. But it turned out to be the best way to solve everything. I always knew that I would have to expose the truth to my parents but I never knew how I was going to make it work. I even had the fear that they would still not believe me after showing them the truth. But as fate would have it, the goddess just allowed me to sit down and watch the outcome of things unfold before me. I must have done a great job of planting doubting seeds in Kael to make him take up the job himself. I smiled as I looked up at him. We were now seated together in the packhouse mini lounge. My parents were seated opposite us and dressed in their usual royal attires. While I was clad in a short dress as always Kael wore his usual loose clothes. It was a set of blue this time that complimented his eyes. We had taken the liberty of explaining the entire truth from the top to the current state. Which was from the day I died to how I tried to convince Kael to find o
~KAELArden stared back at me in disbelief. Zira turned to face me and gazed at me with concern. "This was what was bothering you this entire time, wasn't it?" She asked. I only nodded. "I'm not done yet. I know that Arden still thinks that I have been brainwashed. Which is why I took the liberty of bringing proof!" I spat and turned to my father. Uther narrowed his eyes at me as he waited to see what I had on him. I revealed my satchel and took out his journal. "This here is my father's journal and it contains all the evil he has done. It even dates back to where his anger began," I revealed and placed the book on the table. Father widened his eyes and threw calculative gazes at the people closest to him. Then in a swift action, he launched at the journal on the table. But Tyrone was faster than him. He swiftly grabbed his foot and pulled him backward with one hand so that he landed back in his chair."I think that you have done enough! Sit still or I will be forced to take dras
~KAELFather looked as if he was sitting on fire. Eating had become a very hard task for him as he began to stir his potato aimlessly around with his fork. "Come on Father, what are you waiting for to tell us the intriguing tale of how my mother died? The world is listening," I teased him.Father began to grit his teeth but remained silent. He refused to speak. It was almost as if he was ready to sit there for eternity."You're always so eager to tell it. Why are you so quiet now? I wonder what might be wrong? Do you need help telling it? Should I begin so you can finish it?" I pointed out as my voice began to lose the amusement within and it started to turn into anger. Ocean began to dance wildly as my stare turned into hate. The more I looked at him, the more I asked myself if this man was truly my father. How unfortunate Arden and I were to be brought into this world by him. "Say something, Uther!" I roared. Everyone at the table flinched and that was when they realized that i