Nobela ni Jadeite

MAYA'S POVI couldn't shift.Not like this. Not with Travis's overwhelming presence right behind me. I could feel his eyes on me, watching me or better still, waiting."You didn't necessarily have to come with me," I glanced over my shoulder to mumble, fiddling with my fingers.Genuinely, I had no idea why I was nervous as well. Travis had seen me in my wolf form, just a couple of days ago too but morphing right in front of him now seemed like a feat I was incapable of bringing myself to perform.Already, I could feel my wolf nudging me, wanting to break free but my mind was fighting her and I had no idea why.Was I ashamed to morph in front of my mate?I turned around to take another peek, only to realise that he was still looking at me with a gaze full of expectancy.Suddenly, he stood up and dusted the sand that had clung to his palm from touching the bare floor, then c

MAYA'S POVThe next morning, I was up quite early but even at that, Travis was up earlier and when I woke up, he was no longer in bed.While I freshened up and got ready for my first activity of the day, which was the run I promised myself I would attempt, I pondered his offer from yesterday.Had he forgotten or was he not intentional about actually going with me and had only said it in passing?Yesterday, I was the one who held opposition towards his company today but now that it was a new day, my thoughts had changed.When I woke up and didn't see him in bed, a wave of disappointment washed over me and it was then I realised that unlike what I thought, a part of me was looking forward to going on a run with him.Sometimes, I found my feelings enigmatic because of how suddenly I could switch from not wanting something to wanting it."I guess I shouldn't have read too much into his statement and held out hope that he mea

MAYA'S POVI was skeptical but then I allowed myself to relax and focus only on reenacting that peculiar feeling my wolf had presented earlier."It's happening, it's really happening," Adrianna's shrill scream made my eyes snap open. There was a huge grin on her face, and she radiated so much joy one would think she was the one with the powers, but ultimately, I smiled as well.She had helped me confirm that this was not a time ability but a special trait that belonged to me."Wow, this is huge. We don't have to worry about being unable to heal from fatal injuries because we have you," In her excitement, she hugged me then stepped back, still gushing."Yes, I can be helpful to Travis now," I muttered and it stunned both of us so much we went silent.The creak of the door snagged both of our attention and we looked over. My eyes widened even further when I saw Travis standing there, quietly staring at me.Had he heard wha

MAYA'S POV"Where's Alex?" Sylvia's voice raised a flurry of anxious voices who began to look around, to find the said person."He was here earlier," Someone mentioned."I saw him too," Another seconded.I glanced at the spot I last saw him standing, fighting off a rouge, wondering where he had disappeared to while we were all distracted by Julian and assumed he had left before that happened because there was no way he would leave while Julian was injured."Was he taken by the rogues?" Jay asked, making Sylvia panic even more."He wasn't," I answered. Some of the rogues had managed to escape but there was no way they could have captured and taken him in town while running for their lives."He might have given chase," Travis, who seemed to be the most unruffled one amongst us, pointed to us, and we all exclaimed in realization.He turned and handpicked two of the wolves from our Pack, delegating them to go in sea

TRAVIS' POVI never realized fear could be this numbing like cold steel against bare skin and in just a split moment, I felt my soul exit my body and my heart pounded with terror, feeling like it would explode out of my body and yet, just a couple of minutes later, that unbelievable amount of fear I felt turned in shock and astonishment.Sylvia's growl had rumbled around us, deep and threatening, when Maya had suddenly yanked the knife out of Julian, but now she was quiet, eyes wide open in shock, shifting from Maya to the gradually closing wound on Julian's chest."It's...It's...healing," She stuttered in amazement.I never imagined this was possible, there had never existed a wolf which could withstand the effect of the lethal mix of wolfsbane and nightshade and neither had there been any wolf that could heal with just a single touch but, it was happening right in front of us and the doer of such an astonishing phenomenon was my mate."

MAYA'S POVMy capabilities were limited, so all I could do was stand on the side and watch as Travis' men joined in the fray; even Sylvia had engaged in the fight, landing a hard blow on one wolf out of the two that had cornered Julian.The rogues were more in number than we expected and each of them looked to be quite strong.Sylvia's movements were mesmerizing, her body fast and nimble yet graceful like a river swan, but right now, her expression was far from that of a swan.Anger was written boldly across her face and she swore as she deflected a sneak attack from a rogue, "You bastards, you dare injure my brothers, I'm going to kill you."My lips drew back stiffly, and I watched her in disbelief; I never thought she had this side to her.She held my attention for a few more minutes, I would have loved to keep watching her, so I could learn a thing or two from her moves, she was after all a Sentinel before getting married to J

Chapter 102AVIONNA’S POVBy the time I came downstairs, Zolani was already waiting near the entrance, tapping her foot impatiently.“Finally!” she exclaimed when she saw me. “I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind.”“I wasn’t gone that long.”“You took long enough.”I smiled and followed her outside. A car was waiting for us, and she took the passenger seat while I settled in the back.“Where are we going?” I asked as the driver pulled away.“You’ll see.”I gave her a look through the rearview mirror, but she only smiled.The drive didn’t take long. We eventually arrived at a small shopping area not too far from the pack house. It was busier than I expected, with people moving between the shops and a few outdoor stalls. Some were carrying bags while others stood around chatting.I hadn’t been here before.“Do you come here often?” I asked as we stepped out.“Sometimes. It depends on my mood.” She linked her arm through mine. “Come on. There’s a little place I want to show y

AVIONNA’S POVI barely made it through dinner before exhaustion caught up with me.After eating, I took a shower and went straight to bed. I had intended to read for a while, but my eyes kept closing, and I eventually gave up on the idea of reading and chose to sleep.I slept longer than I had expected.When I woke up, sunlight was already streaming through the curtains. For a moment, I lay still, trying to remember what had woken me. Then I heard a knock.“Come in,” I called, sitting up.The door opened, and Martha stepped inside with a small smile.“Good morning, dear.”“Good morning.”She walked over to the curtains and pulled them apart a little more. “I was beginning to wonder if you intended to sleep through the entire day.”I rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?”“Almost eleven.”My eyes widened slightly. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept that late.“You needed the rest,” she added, noticing my expression. “I heard you spent most of yesterday at the infirmary.”“I did.

AVIONNA’S POVBy the time I finished attending to the last injured, my hands were beginning to ache.I flexed my fingers, trying to ease the stiffness, then glanced around the infirmary. There were still a few warriors resting on the beds, but most of the serious cases had been attended to. The pack's regular healers had also returned, taking over from me as they moved between the patients.I was relieved. I hadn't realised how much I needed a break until I finally had one.“You should sit down.”I looked up to find Reo standing a short distance away. He had returned some time ago, though I hadn't paid much attention to him. I had been too occupied with the injured.“I'm fine,” I said, reaching for the bowl of water beside me.He didn't look convinced. “You've been here for hours.”“So have the others.”“And they're being attended to now. You don't have to keep working.”I dipped my hands into the water, washing away the faint traces of blood still clinging to my fingers. “I'm not kee

FABIAN’S POV I didn’t expect the pang of guilt that hit me, watching Avionna move like that. She hadn’t done anything particularly special, nothing beyond healing my injured people but perhaps that was what was so special. The fact that she would even do that. I didn’t know what she was doing it for, but I could tell it had nothing to do with any of the thoughts that had crossed my mind. Not when she had looked so at peace taking care of that boy. She had been so focused, lips pursed as she re-enacted the same thing she had apparently done to me to heal my wounds and even though I had been curious to know how she had achieved that, it wasn’t until she finished that I realised I hadn’t even looked at all. My gaze had been solely fixated on her face and now, I couldn’t shake off this swarming feeling. I felt like I owed her and it wasn’t for helping to save my people. It was something else entirely and I couldn’t figure out what, even as I made my way away from the infirmary

AVIONNA’S POVI returned to the young man a little later to check on his wound. He was asleep, and his breathing had become steadier. I was relieved to see that the healing had held, but I still asked the pack healer to keep an eye on him.There were too many things that could go wrong after an attack like that.I moved to the next bed, where an older wolf was struggling to sit upright. His arm was bandaged from the shoulder to his elbow, and he looked uncomfortable as he tried to adjust his position."Let me help you."He glanced at me before allowing me to support his back with a pillow."Thank you."I nodded and checked the bandage. His wound wasn't as serious as some of the others, but the skin around it was still tender."Does it hurt?""Not as much as before.""That's good. Try not to put too much pressure on it."He gave a tired nod, and I moved away to give him some rest.I had barely taken two steps when the healer called my attention to another patient. A woman had developed

AVIONNA’S POVThe infirmary was still full when I returned from washing the blood off my hands.The pack healer had moved from one bed to another since I arrived, but there were still too many injured wolves waiting for attention. Some had already been treated and sent home. Others weren't so lucky.I stopped beside the nearest bed, where a young warrior lay with his eyes closed and his breathing shallow. His shirt had been cut open to expose a wound on his side. The bleeding had slowed, but the skin around it remained swollen and discoloured."How long has he been like this?" I asked the healer."Almost an hour. The silver was removed, but the wound isn't closing properly."I leaned closer. There was no need to ask what had caused it. The dark edges around the wound and the way his body struggled to heal told me enough."Has he been given anything for the pain?""Everything we have available."I nodded and pulled a stool closer to the bed. The warrior looked young enough to be one of

MAELISI had never felt so free . Not me, and not my wolf either. She barked and yipped as we tried to catch up to the two wolves ahead, leaving a track of paw imprints in the snow.The forest was dense, void of greenery since it was all covered with snow but the tree branches and stumps were visible.My wolf jumped over one that would have sent us flying then sprawled just in the nick of time, saving us from a fall that would have hurt. She however didn’t seem to notice. It was almost like she didn’t register my alarm because she kept venturing through a path we didn’t know.A few particularly interesting smells caught her attention, but she didn’t follow.Up ahead, Cory and Talia were still racing, both wolves trying to best each other. The big, black wolf was Cory’s while the smaller wolf with a near reddish fur was Talia’s. Surprisingly, despite her size, Cory’s wolf didn't lose momentum to Talia’s more nimble wolf. Both wolves curved around trees and fallen branches, moving th

MAELISI arrived at the training grounds just as the first rays of sunlight began to peek over the mountains. The cold was considerably worse than it had been the previous day, and I found myself pulling my cloak tighter around my body as I searched for Cory.She was already there, standing a few feet away with Talia beside her. The training ground was bereft of other people but neither of them seemed bothered. They stood together, both dressed in fitted trousers and long-sleeved shirts, their hair tied back neatly.“Look who decided to show up,” Talia called when she spotted me.I quickened my steps, stopping in front of them. “I hope I’m not late.”“Not at all,” Cory replied, giving me a brief once-over. “You’re right on time.”“Good morning,” I greeted them.“Good morning, Maelis.” Talia’s gaze suddenly shifted to my hair, and her eyes widened slightly. “Well, would you look at that.”My eyes crinkled as I wondered what she found so surprising but she already stepped closer, looki

MAELISI was back in the fortress in no time and Chesmal’s chirpy self was waiting to lead me back to my room. She helped me out of my clothes then drew me a bath.The water was scaldingly hot at first, but when I settled into it, it was a comforting reprieve from the cold which was a reminder of where I was and how soon I had to get accustomed to it.Eryndor would remain frozen for a while and the ice would not begin to thaw soon. Spring was still a long time away.“My Lady, how did it go?” Chesmal was all too eager to ask after my bath. I was seated in front of a mirror and she stood behind, dragging my tresses through a linen cloth in a way that was surprisingly gentle. All I could feel was her finger treading through my curls.Eyes still closed, I thought about it for a moment and flipped my lids open, “It went better than I expected.”My first day at the training ground wasn't that bad. My brief encounter with Rhys included. She hadn’t done anything particularly harmful to me and

MAELIS “Well, that was fun.”I turned towards the voice and found Talia approaching us with another girl. The latter was a head shorter than she was and had her hair fully braided down her back. I couldn’t help wondering how long it had taken her to braid all that hair, but she’d done a rather good job of it. She was pretty, with a small round face and freckles scattered across her cheekbones.“Don’t let Emyron’s small frame deceive you, she's one of the best amongst us.”Cory’s sudden explanation made me flinch, but I nodded, accepting it.“Look who it is,” Talia looked me over once when she got to us. There was a peculiar look on her face, as though she had been waiting for the right time to join us. “The Alpha King’s mate.”“I’m not his mate.”I bit down on my lip the instant I realised what I said. Having never accepted the bond between me and Raegan, it was no surprise that my immediate reaction each time was to deny it to whoever was asking.For a second, I felt a flicker of a

MAELIS“No.”Alanna’s response was immediate and her tone was more clipped than it was when she spoke to me or Cory. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was bad blood between her and Rhys.Maybe not bad blood but Alanna didn’t look like she tolerated her much. If I were Alanna, I didn’t think I would too.Rhys reminded me too much of Serina. They had the same poise and grace, but also the same kind of poisoned tongue that could thrust one into the deadly realms and you wouldn’t even know it until you were right in the clutches of the devil.Both women were poisoned roses and I had no idea why I could be so certain when I didn’t know Rhys yet. Maybe it was my instincts kicking into existence. Maybe not. I wasn’t sure, but I was thankful that a part of me was on guard in ways that it hadn’t been towards Serina.Being too careful wouldn’t hurt. Being ignorant and intentionally oblivious would and right now, the only person here that I even had a semblance of trust for was Alanna

MAELISThe woman, Rhys as Cory had addressed her, looked me over once more. Her stare made me feel strangely naked, like I was standing before a court, waiting to be sentenced for a crime. I held her gaze, internally marveling at how much more beautiful she was up close. She was dressed a little bit differently from the other women and carried herself with a grace that I hadn’t seen in any woman since I arrived in Eryndor.It was an aura that somehow reminded me of Serina, how people always deferred even without her lifting a finger. Rhys, too, hadn’t said anything or showed any sign of demanding respect, yet it was evident in the way the other women had parted to let her through. Their gazes on her were filled with admiration, poles apart from the looks they had given me earlier.“Lady Alanna. Apologies for my late arrival. My Father had urgent matters that required my assistance,” Rhys’ gaze slid from me to Alanna, and her head lowered slightly in a bow.Alanna acknowledged her wi