Flora – POVChelsea and I sat in her mansion. Ivan, after joining us for lunch, walked away to get some studying done. He looked distant and sad. I asked Ivan if Ivan wanted to study with me, but Ivan turned me down. I understood he needed some distance."You should rest," Chelsea instinctively said."I am fine," I responded, sipping a tea infused with a potion to keep the ache of my muscles bearable rather than intense. Chelsea sighed at my stubbornness for not agreeing to rest."What happened to Melina?" I inquired."I didn't expect you to worry about her," Chelsea remarked. "Well, she is in the infirmary, unconscious.""Good," I said without remorse, and Chelsea raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What!" I exclaimed at her stare."You look more like an avenger now, not a forgiver," Chelsea observed. I sighed."What can I say? It was Ryker showing me the side of myself hiding under the forgiving side," I said. "People who mean harm to loved ones deserve punishment, and Ryker is protec
Ryker – POV"We can destroy the Dark Vortex with this spell since Flora is of the Nyx bloodline, which is essential for the spell to work," Chelsea showed me the context in an ancient book. Hope and happiness gleamed in Flora's eyes upon hearing this news."We can give it a try," I said."We need to go to the Dense Forest near the Dark Vortex to cast the spell," Chelsea explained. "It has to be cast close to work, and then all the trapped people can be saved.""We can't go to the Dense Forest now. There's danger around and in the pack," I said. Flora's eyes narrowed at me, wanting to know what I was implying."We can't miss this opportunity with the blue moon, which is rare and happening in the next four days," Chelsea explained."What if we can't perform the spell during the blue moon? Can't the spell work at another time?" I asked."Nope," Chelsea said bluntly. "Why can't we go to the Dense Forest, and what do you mean by danger in the pack?" Chelsea pressed."I can't say," I replie
Flora–POV"Thank you for sharing the truth with me," I said before leaving his room. Ryker stopped me; as soon as his hand was on mine, I felt warm but also an unsettling sensation, and my chest tightened. Ryker let go of me and distanced himself, and the strange shift in my body subsided."Are you okay?" Ryker asked, concern in his voice but maintaining his distance from me."I am. What was that just now?" I asked."Nothing. I suggest you leave my room now; you have your answer," Ryker said, avoiding my gaze. I walked away, angry with his hot-and-cold attitude. I need help to understand what's bothering Ryker today.I went back to check on Ivan, who was sleeping in his bed, mourning Jake's death. I gently caressed his head and putting a blanket on Ivan's small figure relaxed, but I felt terrible for this little guy who couldn't receive his mother's love, only trauma. Now Ryker was keeping his distance, too. I saw the worry in Ivan's eyes about why his father was distancing himself. S
Melina – POV"What's the status update?" King Ryu asked on the call. I described the current situation, but then I felt a sudden shift in the air, sensing the activation of the curse I'd cast."Hold, King Ryu. Something's not right. I'll call you back." I left the room, a space more like a prison, and heard Belle's cries for help. Smirking at the sight of Flora unconscious, that wretched woman, I wished I could kill her. But King Ryu wanted her alive to augment his power, promising to lend me more in return. Lucky Flora was born with such intensity.I noticed Ryker following them, and a twinge of jealousy hit me as I saw the worried expression on Flora's face. Why did this concern me? I'd never loved Ryker; he was just a step towards gaining power, a means to becoming an Alpha. Yet, as I tried to push these thoughts aside, they persisted, haunted by Ryker's gentle care, warm touches, and sweet moments together. His confession of love echoed in my mind. Even though we weren't bound as
Flora – POVMelina was under strict surveillance; she wasn't allowed in the Mansion. Nathan told me that Ryker had found out Melina wanted to harm Ivan, so he kept her alive but watched closely until the curse issue was resolved. Ryker was mad at Belle for telling the truth. He had warned her to avoid the Mansion, and now Belle was at Chelsa's place. I knew Ryker didn't punish Belle because she's my best friend, and he wouldn't want to upset me.In my room, doctors looked after me, and Chelsa often visited with her potions, but nothing worked."What are you doing?" Chelsa asked as I packed my backpack."We're going to the Dense Forest to work on a spell," I replied."But you're still recovering. What about your health?" Chelsa was concerned."You mentioned this one-time chance to free the trapped grey wolf pack and my parents. I won't let anything stop me," I said firmly."I can tell you won't change your mind," Chelsa sighed."That's right. Be ready and meet me at the Pack entrance.
Flora – POVChelsea handed me things and showed me how to create a circle with white powder made from eggshells to protect me from any lousy aura as I cast the spell and chanted. I sat inside the ring, following her instructions. Belle and Bryan stood guard, watching for any monsters that might attack, sensing our presence."Flora, repeat the vortex breaker spell," Chelsea instructed. I read from the paper she gave me. As I chanted, the magic swirled, and the dark vortex trembled. I kept chanting as the vortex began to crack, a sign the defense barrier was breaking.Suddenly, a roar sounded, and a demon monster emerged from the vortex, feeling its defense magic failing. It charged at us, but Bryan and Belle shifted into their wolf forms and fought back."Flora, focus! Keep chanting, or we'll have to start over, and we don't have time for that," Chelsea said, partially shifting into her wolf-human form to fight the demon getting too close to me.I focused hard on the spell, the barrier
Ryker – POVThe car stopped as soon as we got close to the location shown by the GPS, where Nathan had tracked it from our security system. I got out of the car and looked around, puzzled as to why a King Demon would stay among humans. It was odd knowing that Demon Kings love luxury. Maybe he was here to feed on humans. I took a whiff, picking up a dark aura and the scent of blood.Nathan and I stealthily entered the room where the energy had led us. "Fuck!" Nathan exclaimed upon seeing the bloody mess in the room. There lay an old-looking man whom my wolf identified as Demon King Ryu, and next to him was an old lady I recognized from a photo Belle had shown me. I knew this woman was Venica."Who killed them?" Nathan asked, voicing my own curiosity. Hearing footsteps approaching, I gestured for Nathan to escape through the window. I followed, masking my energy and using an invisibility spell I had recently learned. Standing on the window sill, I had a clear view of the corpses as a fi
Ryker–POVThe moment I felt the curse lift and the pain in my body vanish, I rechecked with my wolf, Knight. He advised me to contact Flora. Once I heard the good news, it filled me with relief. After talking to Flora, I calmed down and walked over to Ivan to hug him tightly."Ivan," I said as I entered his room, only to find it empty."Pixy," I called out to the maid, who looked after Ivan during my absences."Yes, Alpha?" Pixy responded."Where is Ivan?" I asked."He went out with Chelsa for shopping in Minnesota city," Pixy informed me. Then I remembered Chelsa had asked for my permission to take Ivan on a trip, as she had promised him. Plus, Ivan had been sad after Jake's passing. I walked away, then bumped into Philip, who had just returned from gathering intel."Did you get any information on Elton's hideout?" I asked Philip as soon as we entered the office.""Yes, Alpha. Here is the den. It's hidden among humans. I've seen many Demon Monsters there, hiding in the same location