Zoe's POVMy head was pounding as if I had a hangover. I did not remember drinking enough to have a hangover since MJ's twentieth birthday party. I groggily opened my eyes. I tried to bring my hand up to my face to rub my eyes and focus but I couldn't move my hands."Xavier?" I called out trying not to panic just yet.I remembered going to Riverwoods and staying with the old couple that I thought were weird for some reason but Xavier didn't. I remembered ditching the tour guide Jonny to investigate Aunt Julie's old home. And then, I had opened a door and fainted because there was something else mixed with dust. "Xavier?!" I called out again, my voice conveying the panic I was trying to control because everything was too dark to see anything to know where we were. I only knew that I was sitting in a chair and my hands and feet were tied too tight for even my super strength."Zoe?!" I heard him."Xavier!" I called back."Zoe, Goddess, are you okay?" He asked.He was worried about me wh
Warning: The contents of this chapter contain mentions of trauma, child abuse, and torture. Reader discretion is advised.]Xavier's POVMy instincts are rarely ever wrong. I should've listened to Zoe. I should've been more careful. I need to get out of here.'Or maybe, you should shut up for a second so, at least, one of us can think of a plan!' Spike said sarcastically as he paced around in my head, making me feel dizzier than I already was.I wanted to give him a satisfactory answer but the truth was, being bonded beyond escape brought traumatizing memories for me. It was becoming hard to keep my cool as Mr. Hill showed up with his caring smile followed closely by Jonny who was pushing a trolley full of various surgical instruments, butcher tools, and herbs.I knew well what was coming next.He asked questions, I either stayed silent, asked a question in return, or replied with sarcasm. None of those were appreciated by Mr. Hill. Who soon lost patience and threw his first punch.I i
Zoe's POV"You know you can stop it all, you just have to tell us what you were looking for. Who sent you? We've got nothing else to do. So, either get comfortable or start talking." Lilian said as she handed yet another tool to Mrs. Hill.The metal itself wasn't toxic to me, but the way she peeled my skin and poured vinegar on my exposed muscle, made me scream.My scream was accompanied by Xavier's scream from the adjacent room. The fact that we were so close and getting tortured simultaneously, brought little comfort.I wanted to tell them that nobody sent us, but I was so angry, all that came out was a bloody sneer, "Screw you," That seemed to enrage the women more.Mrs. Hill slapped me hard across the face with a hand covered in silver chains. It slashed my cheek open making me groan. I realized as soon as they had started with me that they expected me to be a werewolf. They were using wolfsbane and silver. But those things didn't hurt me the way they would a normal werewolf and Mr
Zoe's POVI was shocked and confused for a second before I realized something was wrong.Lilian stood with a grimace on her face looking at the necklace that had fallen from her hands. Mrs. Hill was still leaning over me with a glare full of hatred and ready to tear my heart out. But they weren't moving. I watched them for a hot minute, "Um, guys, in the middle of torture here?" I tried.Nothing.They looked like they had suddenly turned into statues. I focused my hearing on their hearts and I heard two hearts. They were alive. But they weren't moving. Why weren't they moving?It didn't matter. What mattered was that I had gotten the chance that I was waiting for.I bent down, trying to get to the I.V.s in my wrists. After removing them painfully, I sighed. It was going to take a while to flush out all the poison that they had pumped into me. "Dahlia?" I called out to her since I hadn't heard from her in a while.'I'm here,' She replied. She did not sound well."I need to get out of
Xavier and I stumbled through the dark, endless hallways, the air heavy with exhaustion and poison."I thought that bastard said we were in the Simmons house. This doesn’t look like any Simmons house I know. It’s huge," Xavier groaned beside me. He tried not to lean on me too much, but I could tell he was just as tortured as I was—if not more. But I knew if he let go, we’d both end up on the floor.We were exhausted, pumped full of poison, and I was definitely feeling it more than Xavier. But it didn’t matter. We were both barely functioning, needing time to heal in a safe space where no one could find us."I see a light," I whispered, trying to push myself forward, even though my body screamed for rest.We shuffled from one hallway to the next. Blood stains and claw marks were smeared on the floors and walls, making me wonder just what kind of horrors the humans had been up to in this place.Ahead, we saw stairs. Xavier muttered, "I thought the Simmons house was supposed to be one st
Xavier and I hid behind the wall as we watched a man and a boy change a flat tire. It was going to take them a while, but we didn’t have that much time.While they were busy, we dragged each other to the back of the truck and climbed in, hiding behind some crates. We needed to wait until they finished with the tire and then get out of this cursed village as fast as we could."Eddie, put your back into it. This is Riverwoods. We can’t be seen here," the older man said."Why not? What’s in Riverwoods?" Eddie, the boy, asked.The man paused for a second before answering, "Rumors say something dark happened here about ten years ago. Since then, there’s something off about the people.""Like what?" Eddie asked."Help me change the tire and stop asking so many damn questions," the man snapped.Xavier rested his head on the truck wall as I curled up beside him, keeping the backpack close. I laid my head on his shoulder and watched as the big gash on his arm healed slowly. The blood had stopp
I could barely keep my balance as we walked. We were both exhausted. We needed to make sure the cabin wasn’t a trap before we let our guard down. As much as I wanted to drink from the stream, we had to be careful."Keep watch," Xavier said. He approached the cabin and peered through the windows, but the curtains blocked his view. He knocked on the door and waited. No smoke came from the chimney. That probably meant the place was empty.After a few more knocks, Xavier mind-linked me. I’m going in. No one’s here."Wait, what if it’s a trap?" I asked, rushing to stop him."It’s too late. I’m already inside," Xavier replied. "It’s empty.""Xavier!" I scolded him. "We can’t afford to be reckless!""There’s no one here. I would’ve sensed them," Xavier said, walking inside like it was no big deal. I followed, shaking my head.The cabin was simple. A couch, a hammock near the window, and a small kitchen with a fridge and oven. A fireplace looked like it worked.I searched the cabinets for a f
Narrator's POVXavier and Zoe had a choice. They could either walk out of the cabin before the owner returned and spend the cold night in the woods. Or, lock themselves in for the night, hoping that the owner either returned by the day and could be reasoned with or didn't come at all until they were ready to leave. After all, they weren't going to stay there forever. They just needed a place to lie low for a while and let their torn-up bodies heal as their animals felt better too.One look at the cold, dark woods and they instantly chose the second option, praying to the Moon Goddess that the owner wouldn't come during the night at least. They were tired of sleeping in random places during their time on the road. For once, they wanted a real bed without worrying about what the next morning might bring.After the warm, hearty dinner, the two glanced at the hammock and the night spent at Xavier's cabin flashed in both their heads. Zoe closed her mind space before Xavier got any ideas.
Zoe's POVI sighed and sat down on the bench beside her. I went there for a reason, I was going to see it through."You say that when you know that not only we weren't aware of the Blood Contract, we were a little busy not knowing you even existed. Excuse us for wanting to accept our fated mates and
Zoe's POVI was braiding the hair on the edge of my shaved scalp when Olivia rang the intercom. Xavier walked out of the wardrobe with a spring in his step and let Olivia in, who rolled in a trolley of steaming breakfast.It was Xavier's idea to have breakfast in the bedroom. He said he wanted to sp
Zoe's POVWhen I woke up next, my head felt like I had been hit by a truck. Xavier's arm rested on my belly as he lay deeply asleep beside me. It was strange to wake up to him after spending weeks of him coming and going while I slept. I took the time to cherish his touch and light breath. He looke
Zoe's POVMy head was pounding. It was like someone had cracked open my skull and was performing brain surgery without anesthesia. It was torture. I wanted to yell,' Stop it,' and I think I said something, but different words were coming out.I tried to yell. I knew Xavier was holding me, but every
Xavier's POVMy head was fuzzy. I was trying so hard to focus on the conversations around me. It was like I had been underwater and just resurfaced. The light, the sounds, the colors, everything felt weird. I blinked as I tried to focus on the fork in my hand. I whispered to Zoe, "Please get ready
Zoe's POVThat night, I stayed up and waited for Xavier. He took his time coming to the bedroom. He must've thought that I was asleep, and that's exactly what I pretended. But, I had a theory and I was about to test it out.I stayed still, kept my heartbeat calm, and eyes closed. Until Xavier went t
Zoe's POVWhen Xavier and I walked in hand in hand, every jaw in the dining hall dropped, but no one was as shocked as Blondie, who entered after us. She must've been waiting for him when he was walking me to the dining hall. She swallowed her shock and forced herself to sit on the opposite end of t
Zoe's POVFinding friendship with Alyssa was one of the strangest things that happened to me that week. Since then, I saw less and less of Xavier. He came to the room when I was already asleep and often left before I had woken up. We missed that one meal we used to share before the coronation.He sp
Zoe's POVThe conversation with Xavier was the hardest I've ever had with anyone. He was acting like I was just another wolf in his pack that he was responsible for. The only emotion I got from him was regarding the baby but even that was fleeting. I was so bewildered that I ended up asking, "Are y