Eris’ POV I had a nightmare. One about what should have happened. I wake up feeling hot, even if it should be cold due to the dampened earth’s smell and the thick forest’s canopy. I walked up until dawn was an hour away and decided to rest under the shade of a huge tree. I then put up a makeshift tent. Lighting a little fire using twigs and rubbing rough stones took a while though. And then I fell asleep. And had a fucking nightmare. And now I am here. The sun is a bright omen outside that I am alive and unharmed, its heat finally seeping into my skin, awakening me wholly. “Finally, you’re awake.” The voice was not familiar. I've never heard of it. But one thing I'm sure of: I’m inside a tent. The smell of cooking made me sit up. I only got as far as stretching my arms and legs when I discerned I was in an actual huge tent. No trees around. No makeshift tent can be found, the floor was now carpeted. The little fire I made was replaced with a roaring hearth, the sound of a boi
“I believe any woman will be delighted if you kneel before them with a smile, Alpha Caelum.”He arched an incredulous brow. “A creepy smile or a sweet smile?”I laughed. “Neither.”He sighed, his thumb caressing the back of my hand.“A seductive smile will do,” I winked.And then he smiled seductively at me, it melted my entire being and joined his own.“The first time our eyes met,” Alpha Caelum spoke, “I instantly knew you were the only one my eyes would enjoy looking at for the rest of my life.”I closed my eyes as I softly laughed at his sentiment. “You’re always bad at flirting.”“How so?”“Those words are awkward.”“Awkward?” He raised a brow. “I thought it's poetic—and romantic.”I bit my lower lip. He shook his head and his knees sank deeper into the carpet, kneeling before me as formally as anyone could. “Then, will you let me awkwardly flirt with you for the rest of your life, Lilly Farrow? Today, and the days to come?”I gasped. “Are you...proposing marriage, Alpha Caelum?”
Gideon’s howling cry was so soul-shattering that Caelum stopped attacking him and let his stepson mourn what he had lost.What he had both lost.Me—and my sanity, and his child with Rose.Perhaps he will be losing Rose tonight too, just as I have promised them.“Lilly!” Violet called out behind me. But before I knew what she was going to do, a bullet came shooting for Alpha Caelum.It grazed his arm. But the bullet found its mark on Rose’s flesh, just below her heart."VIOLET!" The Alpha of the Eden Lake Pack called out to the doctor. "That’s the poisonous bullet!” Gideon realized as he stared at Caelum’s arm and Rose's chest dripping with that foul green liquid.I smiled. “And?”Gideon shook his head now more vehemently. His cries turned to wails, his eyes yielding from fear to pleading Alpha Caelum.Pleading me.I turned to Doctor Violet. "You just killed your Luna, Doctor."Her brows furrowed, not knowing that I'm referring both to Rose as her "Luna" and to me, to my old self who wa
“You...you brought Caelum here?!” Gideon demanded as he curled his fingers into a fist, ready to punch me.I smiled and ignored the threat he posed. “I did not bring him here. He came of his own will—I just sent him the invitation.”Invitation to war, I seem to add, but Alpha Gideon already read those exact words in my eyes that I don't need to emphasize them.“Lilly. You’ve gone too far,” Violet hissed as she stepped in front of her Alpha, almost as if she held the power to persuade him to stop from attacking me.Poor Doctor Violet, she’s always the foolish, hopeless romantic. She thought that by following Gideon's every order, she made herself a favorite in his eyes. What an idiot.I shrugged. “Well, I tell you what my plans are: I will make Gideon regret cheating on me, and I will teach Rose a lesson about what it means to mess with a true Luna. And I will promise to you, Violet, that I will destroy you. Don’t worry, I won’t dig a grave for you yet for the sake of our friendship. I
The first thing I felt was silence, not peace.The kind of silence that follows destruction. The kind of silence that comes after everything has already burned.Everything is a deja vu; it felt familiar. I’ve seen and witnessed and felt these things before days ago: when they’re forcing me to chug down a medicine or potion or whatever that is.My eyes fluttered open, raw and aching. My limbs were heavy, my veins were dull with the remnants of whatever they’d used to sedate me. The world tilted, then steadied, and then tilted again.Yet, I forced myself to recognize where I am: white walls, a single window with thick metal bars, and the faint scent of antiseptic and restraint haunted the air.I gasped. I’m not in the infirmary, not the hospital room where they’ve kept me for days.A holding ward—perfect for someone who’s a patient and a prisoner at the same time.“What a great morning to wake up, isn’t it?” Rose cooed as she stood from a chair in the corner.I exhaled through my nose sl
“Bitch!” Rose tried to slap me, but it just tightened the grip I had around her neck. Her eyes pleaded, but my rage was more merciless. Teasing her, I released her to only let her heave in a breath for a heartbeat.Then, gathering all the strength in me, I punched my stepsister in the throat—and then grabbed my phone and fled from her sight.I run away from the hospital room, the prison Gideon and Rose and Violet made for me for the past days. I’m no longer the prisoner they can just wrap around their finger. I’ve loved all three of them a long time ago: my mate, my stepsister, my bestfriend. But this time, they shall meet the vengeful side of me. The side of me that I have never shown to anyone, not even to Rose’s father, my stepfather.Memories flood my eyes, but I shook my head and compelled myself to focus on my departure.There, just a few feet away, the hospital’s exit shone in neon green. But just as I pushed the doors open, Doctor Violet greeted me on the other side.“Lilly.” H