LAUREL’s POV The hand tightens around mine and lifts me off the ground, dragging me out of the hut. I stumble and fall, all the while gasping and wheezing for air that eludes my lungs but I am given no respite for the hand that drags me yanks me along brutally as if I am a criminal; a prisoner of war. The fabric that wraps around my face loosens and though I desperately want to cover up my face, I am unable to do so. Poisoned fumes fill my every being, my eyes moisten as tears spring out and I almost black out. It is the intense danger and the impending doom of death that keeps me conscious. The owner of the hand lets out a strangled hiss and curses. His breathing is heavy and laboured but he does not let go of me. Then his body spasms as he hauls me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and with the fog confusing everything, I cannot tell who it is. But I do know one thing, he is bringing us to safety. He morphs into his wolf form and thick fur takes over his human skin. On
LAUREL’s POVAres stares at me as incredulously as if I have somehow grown another head on my shoulder.“Are you out of your mind?” he yells, his spit landing on my face. “We just escaped from the fog and now you want to go back there? Are you crazy!”I wipe away his spit with the back of my hand and ask back in defiance, “What about Helios then?”Ares groans in frustration and pulls me back up into a sitting position, all the while muttering to himself, “The Alpha will be fine. It’s you who’s not. Go back to the fog you say? It’s suicide. Jamie didn’t just steal your identity, she probably took a chunk of your brain too.”Ares is right, Helios will be fine. But I am not.Somehow, the fog had affected me, as if it had another kind of power. A power that somehow increased my physical pain tenfold. A power that does not come from anything natural. Someone or something created it.And I need to find out why.“Look at the fog, Ares.” I point towards the swirling fog that still dominates t
LAUREL’s POV Every step is torture. The fog is getting thicker by the second as both Ares and I thread deeper and deeper into the Dark Forest, trying to find the source of this poisonous vapour. My limbs feel heavy, as if a massive hand is pressed down on my body and the soles of my feet sting with every move, as if the hands of the undead have broken through the soil and are clawing at me, trying to pull me down into the earth with them. A groan slips through my lips. Ares quickly slides an arm underneath my shoulder blades to support me. “You’re dumb to have even thought of this,” Ares complains. “You’re dumber for agreeing to come with me.” “We should turn back,” he says, his voice void of any humor. “No, we’re almost there.” And sure enough, the fog around us thickens even more, clouding our already blurred vision. I feel as if I am seeing things underwater. I do not know what lies ahead, but I do know one thing. We are getting closer and closer to ground zero. I take bu
LAUREL’s POV Fear and guilt spike through my body and I try to yank my hand away but Helios does not let me. Then, swamped with emotions, I pry my eyes away and stare at the ground but the rage in his voice demands my attention. “Look at me!"I do and catch a flash of red that flares up in his eyes before it quickly fades; something that always happens when he is angry. Rigid cords form in his neck and he snaps irritably at me, “Just how long were you planning on keeping this a secret from me?” And when I do not answer, he lets out a frustrated groan. “Damnit, Laurel! Answer me!” He releases me and I quickly wrap my hands around myself. I feel like a fool. He walks around me in circles and runs both hands through his hair in frustration. Helios stares down at me as he walks, his eyes never leaving mine and I say to him in my mind, ‘Okay, two can play the eye game. I’ll stare too.’ But after three seconds, I look down like a little school girl who is being scolded by her teacher.
ONE HOUR BEFORE HELIOS AND LAUREL ENTER THE HUTHELIOS’ POVThey say that the eyes are the windows to our soul.And as I stare at Laurel who stands next to me at Morningstar Square, I cannot help but feel something is off. Like always, her hair is tied up in a tight no-nonsense ponytail and she is wearing her usual dull brown vest and black leather pants. But there is something different about her. Something is missing.I notice how red her lips are and how shifty her usually bright blue eyes look. Then, her beautiful face contorts into an ugly scowl as if a pungent smell has just hit her nostrils. It is not a pleasant sight to behold. “Mate,” Laurel suddenly whispers. Her tone is incredulous as if she herself has trouble believing what she just said. And from the side, Nox slaps Marty on his back.“Goddess! You two are mates!” he roars, palming his stomach and throwing his head back in laughter.I close my eyes and suck in a deep breath. Laurel and Marty are mates?!This is ridicu
LAUREL’s POVThe door creaks open and we both step in.“It’s rude not to knock, you know?” a voice calls out from the corner of the hut and our heads Iimmediately turn to see an old man in royal blue pyjamas on a rocking chair. It is the exact same chair that I had hidden behind when Jamie tried to hunt me down. Only this time, the rocking chair looks brand new.The chair is tucked in the corner of the hut and is so far away from where we stand that the old man’s face is obscured in the shadows. But as he rocks back and forth, I notice that his snow-white hair is all dishevelled. It is a mess and dried tree leaves are sticking to them. And it seems as if he has not shaved in years for his beard reaches the ground. And like many old men who have lived past their prime, he looks scrawny and frail.Helios and I would be fools not to know that this man is no ordinary old man.We hear a soft intake of breath and a low chuckle. Then, the rocking chair comes to a halt and the old man leans f
LAUREL’s POVHelios stares at Diego and for the longest time, no one breathes a word.Stifling silence fills the air and we all stay unmoving like statues in a wax museum. Then all of a sudden, Helios throws his head back and roars with laughter. But there is not a single trace of humour in his voice.The hair at the back of my neck stands up and I feel goosebumps all over my skin. It is never a good thing when Helios laughs like that.Diego looks on in confusion before he starts to smile nervously and lets out a chuckle of his own. Soon, he too joins in the chorus of laughter.I stand rooted in my position and stare at them both incredulously, feeling as if I am watching some sort of satirical dark comedy unfold in front of me.Then just as suddenly as Helios starts to laugh, he stops abruptly. And without warning, he reaches out and grabs Diego by his scrawny neck, cutting off the elderly man’s cackle and pulls him close. This time, Helios’ nails dig deep into Diego’s pasty skin and
LAUREL’s POVGrowing up, there would be times when I dreaded going home, simply because I knew what awaited me behind our front door. Mother's wrath. But I had never dreaded coming back to the pack after a long day of hunting or work that Alpha Helios assigned me to. Not even once.Until now. We approach the great iron portcullis. The lattice grilled vertical gate is closed and two guards stand erect in front, vigilantly guarding it. We could have used the shortcut through the Morningstar square to renter Helios’ land but he had deliberately brought us through the main gate. He is shrewd, sometimes, I simply cannot fathom his mind.Helios moves forward with Diego reluctantly following from behind. But my steps falter and I come to a stand still, watching the figures of the two men in front of me walk further and further away. I do not know how my parents and Jamie will react upon seeing me. Will they plot yet another scheme to get rid of me? I curl my fingers into a ball so har