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Kane and Jake stood outside my bedroom.Looks like sleep left me forever. I don’t even remember the last time I slept. No, I don’t even remember the last time I closed my eyes accidentally. Everytime I look back, all I see is the future coming faster, onto us.“What now?” Something looked funny. No, it smelled funny. But I couldn’t do anything. It could just be my wolf acting up. We did not shift for the longest time and that could have made him irritated.“The vampires are at the border. They want to talk to you. They claim to come in peace, but I don’t trust those bloody bastards one bit.”“We need to talk to them before we plan on killing them, Jake. We don't know how many there are. And we definitely don’t know what they are up to.” Shutting my bedroom door, I walked out, Jake and Kane following me.We decided to shift and reach the border. My wolf was ready to release itself and I let him take charge. Grabbing our dresses in our mouths, we raced to the border. The guards were stat
Chapter 40: ARIANAThe first thing I thought of when I woke up was the vampires.Their promise. Their demand. Their threat.The night before had been tense. I had been awake for hours, listening to Xavier breathe beside me, feeling the weight of uncertainty pressing against my chest. The vampires had come to the border with a bargain—a simple exchange. Xavier for the safety of the werewolves. It wasn’t just an offer. It was a warning.But Xavier had refused them. He had stood his ground, denying their claim over him, choosing us—choosing me and Aurora. He had promised.And yet… something felt wrong.I turned, reaching for him, expecting to feel the warmth of his body beneath my fingertips.Cold sheets.Empty space.My stomach twisted, a slow, creeping unease crawling up my spine. I patted the space beside me, frowning. It was too cold. If
If devastation had a name, it would be Ariana. And if it had a life, it would be her. It had been three months since Xavier was gone. And by gone, there was no track, no scent, no information, no intel, nothing. Just gone.When Ariana came running to me three months ago, asking about Xavier, asking about his whereabouts, we thought we could track him down. But no, nothing of that sort worked.I didn’t know how miserable she was when I broke the bond, but seeing her right now, like this, made me feel the pain I have never felt before. We might have never mated, hell I had hardly marked her, but seeing your mate suffer makes you suffer. Period.We had celebrated Aurora’s birthday a few weeks ago. Ariana tried her best to stay happy and enthusiastic for her daughter, celebrating the important milestone of her daughter’s life. But the sparkle that always shone in her eyes, no matter how difficult the situation was, was lost. She was not the same anymore.If I lost Ariana years ago, I lost
Ariana had caught a weird bug. She didn’t get well after resting. She looked even more tired and worn out. Her face lost all the color from throwing up constantly. Even though she denied calling the doctor, I insisted on calling him. I had to keep these girls safe until Xavier is back.I hope he is alive.A part of me told that he was. We needed to find him. As soon as possible.I opened her door and let the doctor in. Aurora was playing after her snacks with the same lady, Saya, who took care of her when we were going through the ritual. Saya adored Aurora and Ariana as her own. She was also a constant support to her during these times. She forcefully fed Ariana when she refused to eat and cooked healthy food for them so that it could cheer them. She even tried to involve Ariana with her work as regularly as possible to help her change her mood and distract her.“Ari, the doctor is here.” She sleepily nodded and sat up. I had already briefed the doctor about her situation, so he didn
Becoming a mother is the biggest blessing in life. Nothing beats the feeling of holding your baby, taking care of it, knowing that you are the entire world for them. The way they look at you, the way their eyes find you, the way they smile when they see you—it is all way too special. But sometimes, this blessing comes at the most difficult times. Times where it is difficult to think of it as a blessing.This baby will definitely be a gift, a part of Xavier that still remains with me, but the fear overshadowed every other emotion I was supposed to feel.Because what if I lost this baby too?The thought clawed at my chest, sharp and unrelenting. I already had Aurora, my little girl, the one thing keeping me from shattering completely. But was I even enough for her anymore? She was barely a year old
I wish change was easy. It definitely wasn’t easy on me. I was about four months pregnant now, and I still hadn’t gotten used to it. It felt like a constant battle inside my body, but I was beginning to understand that change, especially the kind that came with being a mother, wasn’t meant to be easy. It was a journey, and I had no choice but to walk through it—no matter how hard it was.The months without Xavier had been endless. I missed him. I missed my husband, my friend, my lover—the man who had shared so many dreams with me, and now those dreams seemed so far out of reach. Every corner of our house held his presence, his scent, his laughter. It was like living in a memory. Hence, I moved to the packhouse. I longed for the moments we shared, for the way he would look at me with such love and devotion. I could still hear his voice in the quiet of the night, whispering that
The scent of blood hit me before the warning bells rang. It was sharp, metallic, and unmistakable. It sent a shiver down my spine as I stood in the war room, frozen for a split second before Lucas's voice snapped me out of it.“Ari, stay here,” he ordered, his voice sharp with urgency as he grabbed his weapons and rushed toward the door. “We’re under attack. Vampires at the northern border.”My heart pounded as I grabbed his arm. “Vampires?” The word felt foreign on my tongue, bringing with it a fresh wave of terror. It had been months since Xavier was taken, and while we had encountered eerie silence from the vampires, a part of me always knew it was temporary. They were watching. Waiting. And now, they are here.“We don’t know their numbers
If time had a speedometer, I would love to measure the speed it goes by. Ever since the surprise attack on the pack two months ago, everything again looked eerily calm. There was no sight of those bloody monsters or even a whisper of their presence. And then there was no news of my husband.“Mama, Paa.” My one year ran into me with a very frustrated and tired Saya behind her on her heels. I smiled at her and let Saya know that I could take care of her while she attended her other chores. I opened my phone and checked into my gallery. Pulling a picture of Xavier on the screen, I put on the screen record as well as the child lock and handed it over to her. She babbled something to him, sharing her experiences and mischief with him. When I made a conscious choice, about three months ago, to be more active, involved and get my life together, one of the actions was to remind Aurora of her father. Lucas was a father-like figure in her life, but she still needed to know Xavier. Forgetting him
The battlefield wasn’t quiet tonight. Not like before.It hummed — with the steady breath of wolves, hundreds of us lined up in formation, claws half-sunk into the soil, waiting. The scent of iron and ash clung to the air. Fires glowed in the distance — torches lit by the allied packs, forming a wall of flame behind us, a symbol of the unity we’d forged.For the first time in weeks, I didn’t feel the pit of dread. We weren’t just defending anymore.We were fighting back.The packs had answered our call. One by one, they’d arrived — warriors from the North, rogues from the East who bore no crest but stood beside us like blood kin, and older packs from the South whose leaders hadn’t stepped into war in decades. And when they’d seen Ariana — fierce, strong, her rare white wolf radiating something unspoken — they had pledged more than just warriors.They had pledged hope.I stood near the front, just behind the first defensive line. Ariana was beside me, human still, but already alert — h
Dawn hadn't broken yet, but the sky was already stirring — a bruised shade of purple and blue, streaked with pale wisps of light. The kind of sky that made you forget, just for a moment, that the world was on the brink of chaos.But there was no forgetting today.The camp was quiet in a way that didn't feel peaceful. It felt heavy. Thick. Like every breath was a reminder of what we were about to do… or lose.I stood at the edge of the barracks, Ryan strapped gently to my chest, his tiny heartbeat thudding against mine like a drum far too innocent for this kind of morning. Aurora clung to my side, her little hand tangled in the hem of my coat. She wasn’t speaking much these days. She just watched. Understood things she shouldn’t have to.Around me, people moved in silence.Warriors checked their packs one last time. Mothers knelt beside sleeping children, brushing their hair away from their faces, pressing kisses to foreheads as though trying to memorize the feel of them. Mates clung t
The moonlight was different tonight.Even with the weight of fatigue pulling at my bones, sleep didn’t come easy. Ryan stirred beside me, his small chest rising and falling with a rhythm that used to soothe me. Not tonight. Tonight, everything felt... off.Lucas had left the tent a few hours ago — another emergency meeting, another report, another piece of the puzzle falling into place, but not fast enough. I stayed behind with the children, trying to cling to whatever peace I could still grasp.But when I finally did close my eyes, I was no longer in the safety of our camp.I stood in a field of ash.The sky was black — not night-black, but stained, unnatural, like ink spilt across a canvas. No stars, no mo
Weapons don’t think. They execute. And that’s all I am now.The night air was thin at the mountain’s edge, sharp like a blade, but it didn’t cut me. Not anymore. My skin had long since grown numb to the cold — and to everything else. Below, the wolves burned their torches and sharpened their blades, clinging to hope like it meant something. Like it could save them. It wouldn’t.Behind me, the vampire commander hissed orders. His voice scratched at my ears, but I didn’t bother to listen. I already knew what needed to be done. “Xavier,” he called, stepping closer. “You will lead the eastern flank. Break their line. Go for the Alpha first.” I gave a silent nod. No resistance. No emotion. He didn’t deserve words.I didn’t speak unless necessar
Later, after the vampire was returned to his cell and the council notified, I found Ariana sitting alone near the edge of the camp. The firelight danced against her pale skin, casting long shadows behind her.She didn’t look at me when I sat down beside her.“I dreamed about him again last night,” she murmured. “But it wasn’t him. It was something darker… wearing his face.” I didn’t know what to say. So I said nothing.“I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to face him,” she added. “You will,” I said, placing a hand gently on her back. “Because you’re not alone.”She turned to me, eyes brimming but unshed. “I’m scared, Lucas.”“So am I,” I whispered. “But fear doesn’t make us weak. It just means we still have so
The vampire looked nothing like the old stories said they would. I chuckled humorlessly at my thoughts. When did these bastards look like that?No long black cloak. No aristocratic smugness or silver tongue. Just a boy. Barely twenty. Skin gray, eyes glassy, limbs trembling. He was shackled to the post in our camp’s prison tent, the thick silver cuffs burning faint marks into his wrists.But it wasn’t the cuffs that made me uneasy. It was the silence. The way he sat there, head bowed, like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Ariana stood beside me, her arms folded across her chest, her expression unreadable. She hadn’t spoken since we walked in, but her presence alone filled the tent like a storm cloud.I cleared my throat. “Name.”
The scent of blood was the first thing that hit me when I woke up.It wasn’t strong. Not overwhelming. But it was there — metallic, raw, a whisper of death floating on the morning breeze.I sat up immediately, every muscle in my body tensing. Saya stirred inside me, her hackles rising.Something was wrong.I threw on a jacket over my clothes, not bothering to tie my hair, and rushed out of my tent. The camp was buzzing, warriors moving swiftly, the air heavy with tension. Lucas spotted me from across the clearing and hurried over, his face grim.“What happened?” I demanded before he could even speak.“Attack,” he said shortly, eyes scanning the
The darkness around me wasn’t cold or terrifying. It was warm. Comforting. Like sinking into a pool of velvet night, weightless, endless. I floated there, unsure if I was sleeping or dreaming or perhaps… dying. But then a soft sound echoed—a howl, low and sorrowful, yet filled with fierce love. I turned toward it instinctively.From the shadows, a figure emerged. Familiar. So painfully familiar it made my chest ache. Saya.My wolf. My soul. But she was different now.Her fur was no longer the dusky brown I remembered. It was pure white, gleaming like snow under moonlight. Each hair shimmered faintly, as though carrying stardust within it. Her eyes were still the same—those beautiful, soulful golds—but t
The walls of the tent felt like they were closing in on me. Ryan whimpered in my arms, tiny fists waving helplessly as he searched for comfort I wasn’t sure I could give. I cradled him closer to my chest, trying to rock him back to sleep. His body was so small, so fragile it terrified me. Every breath he took was a small miracle, a tiny battle fought and won.I brushed a kiss to his forehead, breathing in the soft, sweet scent of him—milk, baby powder, and something uniquely his own. Outside, the camp buzzed with movement. I could hear the warriors sparring again, could hear the council arguing strategies in low, urgent voices. There was no time to rest. No time to feel. But I couldn’t switch it off.Tears pricked my eyes as I pressed my cheek against Ryan’s fine, dark hair. I was supposed to lead them. I was supposed to be strong.