CYRUS’ POV. The pack meeting ran longer than I thought it would've. Strengthening the borders didn't usually take that much time, but we'd recently widened our grounds so we could build more houses for the newer members.I sighed, pulling on the strings of my hoodie before shoving my hands in its pockets, making my way to the library. I didn't go there often, there was never really a reason to, but I'd taken note of how frequently Stephen accompanied Baelakis there and assumed that they would be there again today.I swung the doors open, my eyes falling on the sight of Baelakis pursing her lips in the far corner as she scanned over the front page of the book in her hand.I scanned the room, my eyes falling on Stephen's form crouched close to her, watching over Baekalis with doe eyes. I remained perched at the door frame, not making a sound and simply waiting for Stephen to notice my presence. Thankfully, that didn't take too long and his eyes met mine in a matter of seconds. I beckone
CYRUS’ Point of view. I exhaled softly, a puff of smoke escaping my lips at the action. Pressing the butt of my cigarette against the bentex glass ashtray, I clicked my tongue frustrated as the fire went out, a low hiss complementing the process. I left the wooden chair I was seated on, my mask lying dutifully on the table that accompanied it as I practically threw myself on my bed. The furniture let out a familiar round of creaks at my weight, moving a bit but staying firmly upright nonetheless. Pressing my face against my pillow, I let out a muffled groan. From the corner of my eye, I took notice of a little ray of light escaping through a small hole in the curtain. I gritted my teeth, not bothering to make vain efforts at trying to adjust it, as I made a mental note to tell one of the members to help me get thicker ones from town tomorrow, or maybe later today would be better. It'd been a little more than two weeks since we rescued Baekalis, and since we kept her here. We had la
CYRUS’ Point of view. The next few days passed by in a blur, with Stephen being hardly present. He had taken up a new challenge; showing Baekalis around town. Of course, I did not think it was a good idea, but it was not like I could dictate her every movement. She wasn't mine.Thomas had been thrilled to find out that his child was still alive, and perfectly fine — one of them at least. He had insisted on seeing her after I filled him in on the whole kidnapping thing and Nightshade, but I had stopped him obviously, making sure to remind him that Baekalis didn't even know about the supernatural until a while ago. It would overwhelm her, and I don't think that was what we needed right now.I sighed tiredly, twirling the glass in my hand lazily, watching as its contents — whiskey and just the right amount of ice cubes — sloshed around, clanking against the corners of the tumbler and making noise that resonated around the otherwise silent atmosphere.I had been sighing a lot lately, and S
BAEKALIS’ Point of view. “Not. Another. Word,” I seethed, nipping at my bottom lip as my hands clenched and unclenched at my side, “Don't you dare.”I couldn't stop myself from pouting, staring up at him through my eyelashes. Stephen stared right back down at me, trying to stifle a laugh. He failed though, his eyes crinkling familiarly as he snorted, erupting into fully blown laughter as he brought his hands up to cover his mouth.We were in one of the smaller kitchens, trying to bake cookies simply because we were craving something sweet and Stephen said we could not have the candy. It was going fine, considering the fact that I actually knew what I was doing, since it was not the first time I had been making cookies. But, although I'm not really sure what, something went wrong, it was most likely Stephen's fault, though, and when we had heard a weird sound coming from the oven, I had volunteered to open it, only to have one of the bigger pieces of unfinished cookies blow up in my fa
CYRUS’ Point of view. Leading Baekalis to my cave was spontaneous, admittedly, and I didn't even expect her to follow me, much less after I had thrown her to the ground.However, from what I could tell, she was alone, and I couldn't leave her here by herself. But, if she stayed with me in my wolf form, she could feel threatened eventually and run. So, naturally, the only intelligent option I could indulge in was to lead her with me and then shift back to my human form and watch her myself.Keeping a mental note in the back of my mind to scold Stephen for letting her out of his sight, I walked down the bank and my hold on the bottom of her hoodie in between my teeth helped me ensure she was following.I let her go briefly, jumping over the lake as I used the bigger stones as leverage. When I got to the other side, I glanced back at her lazily, watching as she hesitated.Was she scared or something? Even if she fell, and didn't know how to swim — which I'm sure she does — obviously I wou
BAEKALIS’ POVWhen he'd invited me to sit with him, I was a little taken aback. He seemed like the kind of person that would lead you to the back of the school, only to beat the shit out of you and then give you candy after.He had a certain vibe to him that I was sceptical about, but it wasn't like I could ignore him outright. When he'd told me he was that ‘Cyrus’ person, I was almost on the verge of asking him if he was sure. The Cyrus I'd imagined was completely different from this one. He seemed like a leader, yes, but he also seemed like he wouldn't hesitate to kill you at the slightest inconvenience. Although even at that, I wanted to thank him, but it would be hard to do since he looked so…unapproachable. His voice was cold and distant, his height matching his personality. In truth, he seemed much taller than Stephen from what I had seen.He gave off a certain vibe though, that I couldn't quite explain but it just…drew me in. The mask on his face prevented me from accessing
CYRUS’ POV It was times like this that usually took moments to ask myself if this was really worth it. Or better yet, if becoming Alpha of this pack was a good decision. Considering all the tragedies that has happened so far since I did though, I would say no — my father made a terrible mistake by passing the title down to me, and both of them made an even bigger mistake by concluding early on that I would be more than enough so they didn't need another child. I was sure I had my moments though, perhaps I really was a great leader sometimes. But now, staring down at my Omega's body from where a stood a reasonable distance away, there wouldn't even be an argument to dictate how useless I was. Clyde looked drained, like he hadn't known peace for a long time. His usual golden hair had turned pale and dry, taking on a dull yellowish colour. He had cuts and bruises all over, and I could swear that some of his finger nails were missing. His clothes were torn to shreds too, and there was
DEVINA'S POVI nipped at my bottom lip, fiddling with the hem of my shirt as I kicked the grass. My feet hurt with how much I ran, and my head throbbed. I plopped on the grass, sighing in relief as I let myself breathe. It's been hours since Baekalis and I decided to meet under this tree, and the sun was starting to set, causing the skies to darken considerably. Was she okay? Maybe she had gotten caught after all. It wouldn't come as a surprise though, considering the fact that she was hell bent on carrying that other girl with her. ‘No one left behind’ I suppose, if that was how the saying went any way. I hope she's okay though, neither I nor the other girls could've made it this far without her and her stubborn attitude. “There you are!” My head snapped up and I flinched, trying to stumble to my feet. The man smiled creepily, the expression acting as motivation as I finally managed to stand up, ready to take off. I could recognize that face anywhere; it was the one that had gra
BAEKALIS’ POVI stood nervously in the dressing room, turning around so I was faced away from the mirror as I played with the rings that adorned my fingers. My wedding ring shone the brightest among them all, the gem glowing in a way that I had never seen before. It amazed me every single time. Sadly, this wasn't one of the special times that the glimmer managed to calm me down. “Sweetheart, you're overreacting. It's not that deep.”I snapped my neck around again to glare daggers at Natalia, folding my arms across my chest as she flinched at my look. She stared at me pointedly for a few more seconds before deciding to call me a bluff. She mirrored my look, hers accompanied with the same subtle eyebrow raise that Cyrus did all the time. “Mhm, don't look at me like that. You also know you're overreacting.” Natalia turned to look at Ardyn who was seated on the couch next to her, his attention fully directed at his switch.Clyde had finally gotten him one for his tenth birthday a few
DEVINA'S POVI sighed, soaking myself in the water even more as I let myself sink. My muscles were aching, and for the first time in a while, I felt relaxed. My face felt smooth, and my hair was neatly tied in a bun and my whole skin was tingling. Soft classical piano resonated around the room through the speakers situated at the four corners of the walls. The speakers were connected to my phone, and I genuinely wouldn't mind being murdered here. Sonata No. 14, “Moonlight” in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2: I. Adagio sostenuto. It was a particular favourite of mine ever since I had started listening to classical music. Which was, admittedly, only quite recently. Although, I didn't think my opinion about it being one of my favourites would be changing any time soon. I heard footsteps echoing from down the hall, sounding louder and louder as the owner of the two feet approached the bathroom. I only sighed louder, letting my eyes flutter close as I rested my head against the edge of t
Cyrus POV.The alpha rogue howled outside as if calling me, red filled my vision as I transformed, stepping over bodies as I made my way outside.The cool breeze blew our fur, his beady black eyes glinting wickedly in the moonlight. We both detransformed.“Ending your parents was just the beginning, I'll kill you then proceed to end the rest of your pathetic pack.”“Your father was a weakling who never deserved to rule.”“What's shocking is he had an even weaker son who succeeded in being a worse Alpha than he was.”I cut him off, sending an uppercut to his stomach as he lurched backwards, clutching his stomach.He lunged at me, his claws gleaming in the moonlight, I bent as low as I could, kicking him from under and sending him flying towards the entrance.He fell on the tiles with a large this, the stood up, limping as he wiped blood from his mouth, a sinister look in his eye as he transformed.I transformed too, slowly advancing towards him, howls and battle cries distant as his gre
CYRUS’ POV Baek switched between happy and depressed over the next fortnight. Her moods went from immense joy to overwhelming sadness in a matter of days. Her mother had holed herself up in her room ever since the night of the announcement. Thomas was cremated and his ashes were kept in a jar in Cynthia's room, the jar kept in a glass case which hung decoratively over her bed.We– especially I– were all worried for Baek, tiptoeing on eggshells around her all the time, careful not to upset her for fear she'd breakdown.“Hey,” I whispered softly, coming out the bathroom as I tightened the sweatpants which hung low on my waist.I went to her and softly kissed the top of her head, sitting behind her as I massaged her shoulders.“How are you holding up?” I asked, burrowing my fingers deeper into her shoulder, fighting the knots there.“It all still feels unreal. It's like trying to balance being the mother of twin newborns while mourning the death of my father and trying to be there for m
DEVINA'S POV“We have to strike now!” Nightshade boomed as he turned towards the pack of rogues…the same rogues who murdered Alpha Cyrus' parents.“Why? It's not the designated time yet. Our soldiers aren't fully trained yet and your top soldier just recovered from a fatal injury…”“I hardly think we are in any position to ‘strike now’.”“Oh, but we are dear Alpha. Cyrus' father in law was murdered in the same battle that my Denzel was wounded.”Your Denzel?“Combining the death of her father with the birth and kidnapping of her children, Baekalis is weak and emotionally unstable right now. And if she is, automatically her husband — Cyrus — is too.“Now is the perfect time to strike because they are so downcast and fucking disoriented.”“B-but–”“But what?!” Nightshade boomed, his voice echoing through the night, the distant cry of the birds echoing through the dense forest.“Lower your voice.” The alpha commanded, growling as he faced Nightshade.Nightshade sighed in exasperation, ru
Cyrus POV.I don't know how long I lay there, I turned my neck, the stiffness making it hard as I took in the bloodiness of my surroundings. I looked at Denzel again, his eyes were closed so just to be sure I pressed my ear to his chest.It rose and fell slowly, a calming rhythm to his breaths. I pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose as I stood up gingerly, stretching as I reached for a makeshift first aid box in the corner of the room. I poured alcohol on a semi-clean rag and silently apologised as I pressed the rag to his thigh. He winced and woke up, he saw me and his frantic eyes softened as he clenched my cloak. I slowly wiped the blood off the surrounding areas and cleaned his wound as best I could, I then tore an piece of my cloak and used it to wrap the injury.That would help for now.I snuggled into his chest, not caring whether nightshade would see us anymore. He groggily turned and pressed a kiss to my forehead, falling asleep quickly after. ~•~I slowly sat up, rubbing
CYRUS’ POV I kicked the stone I had been fixated on for the past half hour away from me. Stephen had been gone for a while and we were all losing hope. Of course none of us said it directly, but with each passing day, our shoulders slumped more, we became more sluggish and the vigour which had been there days ago slowly died.I don't even know who was more affected by the kidnapping of Ciel and Lyra– me or Thomas, my father in law.I stood up, dusting myself off as Stephen rushed towards me, looking more anxious than usual if that was even fucking possible.“Cyrus, we need to move…now!” he ordered, rousing the others from their resting places. “What…why?” I questioned, rubbing my temple as I arched my back, the satisfying crack it made as I stretched.“The twins…I know where they are…” he trailed off, picking up his gun and putting out the fire he and Thomas had struggled to ignite mere hours before.My eyes shot open at that, my somewhat calm psyche thrown into another frenzy as b
Devina's POV.The morning sunlight filtered softly through the heavy curtains, casting a warm, golden hue across the room. I was still half-asleep, drifting between dreams and reality, when I felt Devina stir beside me. Her warmth was a comforting presence, and I wanted nothing more than to stay wrapped up in her embrace, blocking out the dangers that waited beyond these walls. But even in this peaceful moment, there was an unspoken tension in the air, a reminder that our time together was always fleeting.I slowly became more aware of the world around me, the softness of the bed, the gentle rise and fall of Devina’s breath. But I kept my eyes closed, savoring the feeling of her fingers threading through my hair, the tender way she touched me. It was rare to see her like this—calm, unguarded, and not weighed down by the burdens she carried. I wanted to hold onto it, just a little longer.But reality had other plans.I felt her movements slow, the gentle strokes of her hand in my hair
As the door closed behind Nightshade, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The tension in my shoulders slowly unwound, though the heaviness in my chest remained. His presence was like a cold, suffocating fog that seeped into every corner of the room, and even after he was gone, the chill lingered. I walked over to the window, pulling back the heavy curtain to peer out into the night. The sky was pitch black, with no stars to offer comfort, just the same oppressive darkness I had grown accustomed to.I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, my breath fogging the glass as my thoughts spiraled. It was always the same when Nightshade left. Relief mingled with dread, the uneasy calm before the storm. I was his lover, his confidante, but only because I had to be. The mask I wore in his presence felt like a second skin, a permanent skin I could never fully shed. I was trapped in this role, suffocated by the lies I told myself and him. There was no escape, not without payi