EBONYโS POV:When I was sitting on my bed, wondering how I would spend the week, my heart started aching horribly. It happened before when Frederick was in front of me, when I woke up from my death and found myself in front of my aunt.Could it be the same thing would happen?It would feel nice if I was somewhere better than here but it wasnโt possible.I curled into a ball, clutching my legs so hard to cause pain. I wanted to feel pain in other areas rather than my heart. No wonder the doctor said I had a heart problem, the pain was too real to brush it as nothing.But I donโt want to take the pills.If I keep going, if I endure, the pain will go away, I told myself. And so, I endured for a few minutes that sounded like an eternity before picking my phone and dialled my aunt.All this pain was because of my aunt. If she didnโt give up on me, I wouldnโt be here. Deep within me, Easton was right. Aunt gave up on me; she chose to bring me here. She chose to make me swallow those pills a
ADOLPHUSโ POV:My hand rested on the soft texture of her bed. Her breathing was smooth, after a long night of a harsh fever. She was sleeping. It was dumb to drop the Adagoril pills. She was dumb for not consulting a healer about it.I expected her to show great defiance and refuse everything I wanted her to do but she didnโt. She was serene, almost too calm for my liking, too dull. The fire in them was off.โYou didnโt tell me she took that shit.โAlice was sitting on the window stool, her feet flat on the wall. To think that this one gave us this much trouble. It was the first time someone made us both agree on one thing.We must know more about her.โLife is short,โ my sister said. โShe said she was eating candies,โ she played with the two bottles of pills between her fingers. โShe made me swallow some and itโs candies. It must mean that she used to take them before she came to Saulville. I wonder why. Adagoril is known for destroying our wolf side.โI was all I could think about.
It shocked me how he paid attention to how I reacted. It wasnโt the only thing that shocked me. Was I this obvious? Did Frederick notice it? Thrown at my face, no word came out. Before I could ponder further, he yanked me from my thoughts. I cried out as he pinned me on the bed, his hard chest looming over mine, his heat crawling under my skin, making me feel things I didnโt want to feel again. His rough fingers wrapped around both my wrists, locking them in a tight grip that no struggle saved me from. โLet me go,โ I hissed. โYou have no right to do this to me. I will report you for sexual harassment.โ I would never apologise for the way I treated Alice. There was no wrong in protecting me from their toxicity. Ask anyone and he would tell you that creepy bastards were everywhere. They were the ones who stuck to me, as if they wanted something from me. His eyes were two pools of storms, pulling me in, threatening my safety. โWhat kind of game are you playing with me?โ He smirked
I miss smoking.As much as I craved the feeling that came from sucking poison into my lunges, I couldnโt afford wasting the little amount of money I had. So until my job starts in three days, I wouldnโt risk spending anything.After Adolphus left my apartment, I shut the door and stayed until I was sure he wouldnโt come. Strangely, warriors from his pack swarmed around the building, keeping an eye on everything. It was hard sneaking around.โWhat is a young lady like you doing in the middle of nowhere at midnight?โI was startled. I didnโt expect anyone to find me this soon. I sneaked out of the building, away from my apartment because I didnโt trust my keys to keep me safe from Adolphus and his sister. They were creepy.My throat tightened as I stared at the silhouette approaching. There was nothing around to help me see who it was, except for the moon and the man wasnโt standing in the moonlight zone.โNothing,โ I answered. I still kept a knife tucked in case I needed to murder some
โYouโre still there?โI whipped my head around, looking at the source of my current predicament.I spent the rest of the night, cold and shivering. I couldnโt sleep because of how terrified I was. For hours, I tried to find my way out. There was nothing around me that would help. I tried to return the way I came but it didnโt work. The waterfall didnโt have time off to let me move.The only thing I didnโt have was the old manโs help.โGreyson!โ I yelled. โGet me out of here.โHe bit his apple and threw one in the air. My stomach growled. I had no choice but to almost launch myself and get it.โWhat if I donโt?โโSomeone will look for me and youโre gonna regret it.โโAlready threatening me, I see. Just barks, no bites. Do you remember what I asked you yesterday?โWe talked about different things. He asked me a bunch of questions. How was I supposed to remember what he wanted?โThe fire in your eyes, I recognize it. Itโs the same as my daughterโs. If you donโt learn how to grow it, youโ
Three months later: I laughed as I dodged one of Greysonโs punches. He didnโt hold them back at all. It has been three months since I left that apartment, not even paying rent or answering anyone. My phone wasnโt with me; I left it back home. Moreover, Greyson said it was better not bring it. โPerfect! Youโre doing much better than the first day we started,โ Greyson said, his voice full of pride. โYouโre a natural at this. Only your wolf is lacking and youโll be much more than perfect.โ โArenโt you complimenting me too much, old man?โ I dodged one of his arms that tried to reach for me and snaked around it, outreaching him, hauling myself in the air and landing a critical kick on his face. Greyson staggered backwards but recovered faster than I expected. He immediately launched a series of counterattacks I dodged easily. His punches grew desperate. I used the force of his own flow to direct his attacks; he taught me this before. If I couldnโt block an attack, it was better directi
ADOLPHUSโ POV: Aliceโs alarm woke me up and the first thing I felt this morning was regret. It was the first different feeling I felt since she disappeared and I couldnโt find her. No matter where I sent my warriors or where I went, I couldnโt get a glimpse of her smell. The ground opened and swallowed her whole. She didnโt even pay her rent. I woke up as usual, my sister looking as grumpy as usual, when pain began to pulse through my whole body. It was the first time this happened. The last time I had similar pain was when my heart almost stopped beating. This was mild. โHey! Are you okay?โ my sister asked from the bathroom. I just dropped glasses and plates as my hand looked for something to hang on it. โYeah, fine!โ Intuition is an interesting thing. โItโs similar to the last time,โ my wolf commented in my head. โThe same pain, but itโs not as strong as the other one. The heart attack almost caused our death.โ โI agree. What do you think caused this? Itโs pretty confusing.
EBONYโS POV:One second, I woke up and found him in front of me, looming like a demon with his devilish grin, the next, I was over his shoulder, still thinking how I ended up like that.I mean, wasnโt I with Greyson?โShit!โMy mind couldnโt process what just happened. I spent a few minutes thinking. First, I fainted for some strange reason. I was about to tell Greyson my secret when it happened. Second, I was thrown over Adolphusโ shoulders as if I was a sack of flour.โDonโt worry! Sweetheart! I will make you see shit yourself soon for the stunt you pulled.โHuh?His words were enough to make me realise that I shouldnโt be over his shoulder. The most important thing was: he was naked and he didnโt care.โI didnโt expect you to jump on me like a madman, jerk.โGreyson told me that once caught, it was game over for me. The best way to get away from such a situation was to run away. In case I was in a similar situation, I should take advantage of my captorโs low guard and so I did.Sin
Rayleigh laughed.โI am being serious here,โ I pouted. โGrandpa left me with you because I requested so. I want to talk to you alone. Itโs sad that Chronos isnโt around anymore but I think itโs for the better. Now, no one has to take meaningless responsibilities. I guess without them, everything will be peaceful.โโHow do you knowโฆ?โI cut him off. โCโmon! Youโre a smart man. You know there is no way a five years old child will talk like this. Iโve lived through two regressions and Iโve come back again as part of the plan, only this time, this is the final phase. We canโt lose.โโAh! What happened? Why did Chronos disappear?โโMy father was supposed to be the sacrifice. I donโt know why but unlike all the other Chronos sent, I am the only one who got to regress more than a decade. Thatโs why they left the burden to me. Since my father is still alive, I assume that Chronos took the hardest decision in his life. He chose to die and take the others with him. I donโt know if I should feel
EBONYโS POV:I opened my eyes early in the morning. I drank my milk and sat with my parents having breakfast. They laughed together and nothing reminded me of these moments. I have been waiting for my fatherโs heart attack for two weeks now and it didnโt happen.I checked my tattoo mark and it was there, just faint and impossible to notice.โSweetie, do you want more milk? Youโve been sipping on your glass while itโs empty,โ my mother said.Mom had long black hair and the palest, bluest eyes Iโve ever seen. They werenโt the normal typical blue. They were lighter and paler, as if they were diluted by white and became as blue as the sky early in the morning when the sun had finally settled in place.โYes, mom.โAnd I was five.I couldnโt believe that it worked. My father was sitting there, wearing glasses and reading his early morning newspapers. Our house was small and it was full of magical artifacts. Maybe because I was five, I didnโt remember them. Or maybe because a lot happened af
FREDERICKโS POV:I stood outside, thinking about everything that happened to me, all the regressions, the people we lost. Iโve grown numb to all the deaths. As long as Adolphus was alive, there was always a chance to change the outcome.My final role was to kill him. For the regression to happen, he had to die after her.Now, whether we wanted it or not, things would never be the same. I would go back to the kid I was and Adolphus would go back to his old self too. To be honest, I was always jealous of how he had a choice in remembering or not.He got out of the underground cell built specifically for today.โYou certainly put so much into this,โ he said.โOf course. But this is where our role stops. No matter how much we want to influence things with our current memories, it wonโt ever happen. We wonโt remember anything.โโItโs true. But this is the price we have to pay if we want it to work. We only need to someone to warn them. They will do the rest. If it doesnโt work again, then
EBONYโS POV:I was sweating profusely. I would die. I would certainly die. For the second time. I knew this was coming but I didnโt expect it to be this soon. I was trying to make a plan to fix things but it seemed all the effort I spent on that was a waste.โAdolphus, please be gentle.โAdolphus was confused. โArenโt you mad that I killed your father?โโIโm sure he wanted that. He didnโt play a big role in my life so it doesnโt matter. But can you untie me?โHe didnโt untie me because Frederick was ready to shoot me. But thinking about it, didnโt he kill me before too? No, he said that Adolphus must have poisoned me so I was dying anywhere. But I didnโt cough blood, which meant it could be that I wasnโt poisoned.โDonโt overthink. These jerks planned a lot that they wonโt say. Well, since we have no choice, letโs just wait till they settle their score. Maybe theyโll fight.โโWait a second, you look like shit. Did my father beat you that hard?โAdolphus shot me a glare.โWoah! My fath
ADOLPHUSโ POV:Instead of finding Frederick, I found her father. He was waiting for me in the middle of a clearing, playing with some cards. I shifted back to my human form.โYouโre late,โ he said. โI expected you to get here faster.โโWhere is Ebony?โโWith Frederick.โโAlright! I will go find her.โโI am afraid that you canโt do that,โ he waved his hand and something shifted in the air. โYou have to stay with me here. I want to fight you.โโWhat are you planning, both of you?โ I growled. โSheโs your daughter.โโI know.โโAnd you want to leave her alone.โโFrederick said that every time, you said the same words. Thatโs why the plan was for you to hate her but you still didnโt do that. He wanted you to hate her, to reject her while she wasnโt aware that youโre her mate. But it didnโt happen. I know why a part of phase 2 failed. When planning, no one thought of how my daughter is a variable.โโYou wonโt stop me.โI shifted and started running. He didnโt stop me. I thought he was all ta
I woke up in a cell. It was easy to recognize it because Iโve been there multiple times before. It reminded me of the torture I was subject to and how I suffered. I didnโt want to go back. And where was my father?The cell was dark. I couldnโt see anything. I tried to move my hands but they were tied. I was on a chair. I had to wait for a long time. I lost track of counting. Maybe it was the third time I reached one hundred.โThis is getting weird. We were with dad and then everything went black. Any idea?โYeah, but I donโt wanna say it.โAmmmโฆ Yeah. Horrible. Dad is a jerk.โAfter what seemed like an eternity, the door opened. It was behind me and I finally caught sight of a lamp and a desk in front of me. Someone stepped inside. I felt him in my bones. Fucking Frederick.โDid you have to make my father into a jerk?โโHe understands the consequences, donโt worry?โFrederick walked around and sat on a chair, not far from me.โHow do you feel?โโSeriously? Youโre asking me that? I fee
ADOLPHUSโ POV:When I saw a white wolf, I was confused. She was running and she didnโt care about the three that followed her. It intrigued me. And then, I felt my mark on her and knew it was my Ebony.I was stricken by how beautiful she was. She looked so free that it made me sad. She didnโt get to shift before and now, she felt how important it was.I didnโt want to overreact but I wanted her. Seeing her naked had only made me want her more. And then, there was her father. I was shocked. When Frederick said someone was telling her things, I didnโt expect it to be someone who was supposed to be dead.โWe gotta do it.โItโs hard to do it.โWe cannot run from this. We have to send her back and as quickly as possible. If she regresses to a time where everything can change, it will be better for all of us. It will undo everything.โBut she will remember.โIt doesnโt look like she is suffering anymore. Look at her. She is happy. If she goes back, she will get what she lost and sheโll have
I was a wolf. I was running as fast as I could in the forest, forgetting everything that happened to me. It was so wholesome that I didnโt have to think about anything else. Nothing mattered but running.I felt freedom. Being one with the wind. For thirty years, Iโve never shifted once and here I was, running like a wolf. Nova was happy too. We were happy, ecstatic even. It was a feeling Iโve never felt before.I kept running and running, the wind over my fur but I didnโt feel cold. On the contrary, I felt complete. I finally had the chance to become what I was, a werewolf. We rolled in the grass, chased a few rabbits but didnโt catch them and howled. For the first time, I felt like a child.I didnโt care about anything else.I only stopped when the moon felt so wholesome. I stared at it for a while before I heard a laugh.When I saw who was laughing, I remembered my father, Brandon Wildknight.โPetra was white like you,โ he said. When he stood next to me, I realized I was taller than
EBONYโS POV:I closed my eyes and waited for the blood to ooze from me but nothing happened. There was also the fact that I had to deal with a lot of pain. I laid on the ground and curled into a ball.There were a few more gunshots but I didnโt care. It was too much to handle. I hated pain. I hated everything that made me suffer. If this was how shifting worked, I didnโt want it.I heard a crack on my back and then a series of similar sounds followed, but it was slow. So slow that it put me into agony. I wished to sleep it off. Or maybe give my wolf control.Can you take over?โI am. Why do you think it hurts? Itโs because I am taking complete control. Your body is fighting it because you have Wildknight blood.โI felt a warm hand on my hair. It caressed me and then, I smelled something. It was like a smoke that made the pain fade. Slowly, I lost consciousness.Again, my wolf and I were sitting one next to the other. I was conscious of myself so it didnโt sound like a dream and it did