VALERIE I sprang up, glaring back at Alexander who stood outside the cell. "Are you here to take us away to be killed?" I snapped. He remained stiff, not saying a word as he watched us."You won't say anything?" I snapped, gnashing my teeth in anger. I expected Jasmine to stop me from yelling at him but she did nothing. "What are you going to the Isle of the Blessed for?" He asked after a long stretch of silence. My throat knotted and I blinked severally in surprise. Jasmine jerked up in surprise, hovering behind me. "The– the Isle of the Blessed?" Jasmine gasped, tugging on my sleeve. "Tell him about it quickly!" She whispered. I slowly slipped back into reality and parted my lips to speak. "I have to get the antidote kept in the dark tower of the Isle of the Blessed," I said. "Someone that I love is dying. I have to save him."His lips twitched up in disgust and he scoffed, narrowing his eyes."You are doing this because of a man?" He groused, disdain scrunched up on his
VALERIE The shock she felt was so heavy that it made the walls of the cell shake when she fell to the ground. I was still for a moment, waiting for the next reaction before jumping to a conclusion. "What did you say?" Her quivering voice filled the dark cell, causing a smirk to tug at the corner of my lips. "You are a witch, Renee. I'm certain about it," I repeated, earning another horrified gasp from her. She slowly gripped the bars and leaned forward, her eyes as wide saucers. "Who are you?" She whispered in a ghostly voice. I smiled and leaned closer, my brows raised in pride. "Someone that you can never beat." I saw her throat bob when those words left my mouth. Silence fell on her and all she could do was stare at me like she had seen a ghost. I got tired of waiting and flickered my fingers over her face.She jumped and blinked severally, trying to put her distorted mind in order. She took slow steps forward, her face scrunched up in a deep frown. "What do you want?"
VALERIE "But…" I paused and pouted in anger. He narrowed his eyes and began to trudge away. I huffed in disappointment and forced my feet to shuffle after him. "I need to save someone!" I snapped. His silence only made my heart heavier and almost brought tears to my eyes. I had to get away as fast as I could, even if it meant committing another crime upon the crimes that I had already committed. I clenched my fist, my heart constricting in anger. I looked down at the pants that I wore, and my throat knotted. This was the only way I could escape from him and save Jasmine as well. My hand moved to the belt strapped around my waist and pulled out the blade from its sheath. I took quick steps towards him and raised the blade in the air, ready to sink it into his neck. Jasmine's words snapped into my mind and my hand froze. It felt like a force was holding me back, preventing me from committing murder. "Get back to your senses, Valerie, get back to your senses!" Jade's warning
VALERIE I stood at the spot, dazed and confused. "What did you say?" I muttered, my breath almost ceasing. He pulled the prison door open and grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the cell. A breath escaped my parched lips as my body got dragged out of the suffocating cell room. He swung back into the cell and grabbed Jasmine, dragging her out as well. He turned and faced me, a deep frown laced against his face. "If you have anything to say to her then do it quickly!" He snapped. My heart leaped for joy and my jaws dropped, my eyes widening in surprise. I turned around and faced Jasmine, my hand wrapping around her arm. "I will miss this Jasmine," I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes. She sniffed, her face heating up and tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you for showing up in my life, Val," she whispered. I hugged her, sniffing in the lavender scent that hung on her. "Don't ever let anyone bring down your esteem. Lift your head high no matter what people think of you
VALERIE I couldn't overcome the temptation to take a nap anymore. I slammed my eyes shut and dropped my head into his chest, drifting into darkness. I was afraid of getting trapped by the fake Valerie or another creature, but I didn't dream about them. The only thing that I saw was the dark tower standing some distance away. My brows raised as several voices followed a mocking laughter, laughing exactly the way the first voice laughed.Whispers of my name filled the air, making me shiver. I looked down at my feet and gasped when I realized that I was standing in the dark waters. I noticed that I wasn't sinking and I wasn't feeling the water beneath my feet. Everything seemed so real, including my feelings. I looked around and realized that there was nothing in sight aside from the dark waters I stood on and the dark tower some distance away from me. There was not even a single flying insect or bird flying around. The place was as silent as a graveyard— even a graveyard made more
VALERIE The man rowed the boat slowly and silently, his eyes fixed on the peak of the dark tower a distance away. I itched to say something to him to ease off the tension weighing on me. "How long will it take to row to the other side?" I asked, staring at his scarred face. He darted his one eye towards me, his lips stretched out in a thin line. He seemed to be triggered by the harmless words that I had said to him. "You… you don't have to worry about answering," I quickly added. He grunted and looked away, staring at the tower behind me. We were sitting across each other in the boat and this made it quite hard to notice anything behind me. I stared at the man's wrinkled face again, having a sickening feeling in the pit of my belly. His left eye looked like it was forcefully gouged out years ago. Perhaps, that was how he got the scar that ran down to his cheek. I wondered if it was done by the demons that always wake up when darkness takes over the sky. I didn't ask any que
VALERIE The faces of ghosts surrounded me, their mouths wide open and eyes as white as snow even though they had no life in them. I raised my hand, struggling so hard to survive the water. Is this where it all ends? I remembered my promises to Jasmine, Lucian, and Alexander. Even the promise I made to Renee and myself. Will it all end here? In the dark waters? I pinned my lips against each other, daring not to open my mouth. One of my hands touched a skull in the water and a sickening feeling inhabited my body. My heart had stopped beating, and the dull light that sneaked into the water was slowly fading away, making the underneath as dark as the surface. Just as my eyes were about to slam shut forever, a hand delved into the water, and I was grabbed by the collar. I felt myself being dragged up and out of the water before the ghosts could find a way to enter my body and eat me up from inside. I parted my lips and breathed heavily, my life returning to me as I hit the surface.
VALERIE I swerved my head around, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. I could feel my breath leaving my body as I stood in that dimly lit hallway. "Is someone there?" I asked, going against the warning that echoed in my mind to keep silent.Silence followed my question and lasted for over three minutes. I shot my head back, slowly realizing that I must have been hallucinating. My mind was probably making voices up in my head out of fear.I sighed in relief and turned around, continuing my walk to wherever the antidote might be. My heart skipped when I heard footsteps echo in the hallway. I stopped walking, my hands trembling violently beside me. I leaned on the cold wall and gripped the hem of my shirt as I tried to control my fast and ragged breathing. The footsteps stopped and I heard a grunt. My eyes widened, and my jaws dropped in dismay. My mind snapped back to the boatman and chills rushed down my spine.What if the whole story about demons eating up people in the Isle
VALERIE We swerved our heads in the direction of the scream, and my eyes dimmed when they fell on Michelle. I narrowed my eyes, the worry that sprang up in my heart slowly settling down."Shit!" Garam spat in rage and let go of my neck. Michelle marched towards us, her eyes blazing in anger and her clenched fist swinging beside her. "You bastard!" She growled and grabbed his collar, throwing him off me. His back slammed against the wall and it cracked while he groaned out in pain. "What the fuck did you do to Damion?" She groused and slapped him hard on the face. My brows raised in surprise as I watched her land hit after hit on him. She raised her fist to slam his fist for the umpteenth time but he grabbed her fist, shoving her back. He staggered up and wiped the blood that dripped from the cut on his lower lip. "You are no different from me, bitch!" Garam spat at her. She was taken aback by his outburst, and for a moment, they stood still, fuming in anger and glaring at e
VALERIE I watched her pour the tea in silence, a smile plastered against my face. She straightened up after pouring the tea and sighed loudly, a smile on her face. "Here," she chipped and pushed the teacup closer, grinning widely. I chuckled, grazing my finger over the tip of the cup. "Anything else?" I asked. "Of course not, I just want to make sure that you are alright," she said. I raised my head and forced a smile into my face to please her. "Well… as you can see, I am fine," I replied in a sharp tone that made her brows raise. "Why do you talk that way with me, Valerie?" She asked. The happiness in her voice slowly faded away. I tilted my head to the side and folded my hand over my chest. "You're just a maidservant? How else do you want me to talk to you, huh?" I taunted, adding a mocking laughter at the end. His brows knotted, and I saw shock dart across her flushed face. "I can't believe this," she muttered, scoffing loudly. I felt happiness swell up in me as I st
KILLIAN My breath hitched the moment the cold metal got pressed down on my neck. A pair of pitch-black eyes glared down at me, and a pair of gloved hands gripped tight unto the blade. "You sent you?" I asked between clenched teeth. The face was masked, making it impossible to view the expression on his face. "My lord says your time is up. You shouldn't have dared mess with him," he muttered in a throaty voice that shook at the end. My eyes dimmed and I began to wonder which of the Alphas would dare try to assassinate me. I slowly reached for the gun I had on me and pulled it out. "Well… tell your boss you tried your best to accomplish the task," I mumbled, and before he could slit my throat with the blade, I pulled the trigger into his abdomen. He froze and his eyes widened in horror. Drops of warm liquid fell on my thighs, causing me to groan in disgust. I pushed the rogue off me and snatched the blade out of his slackened grip before reaching for the mask over his face. I
KILLIAN I gripped her shoulders and forced her to look into my eyes. "What did you just say?" I asked in an alarmed tone. Her lips stretched into a wide smile, an unknown glee floating in her eyes. "Should I say it out loud? Should I say what I saw in there?" She muttered, her head tilting to the side. My heart clenched and confusion and disbelief settled down within me. Was she truly possessed? "Should I?" She whispered in a chilling voice that sounded more like someone else's voice. "See—" I raised my hand, cutting Michelle off, my eyes still fixed on Valerie's grinning face. "Leave us, every one of you," I muttered, daring not to take my eyes off her. I waited till everyone had shuffled out of the room before gripping her shoulders again and glaring into her eyes. "Tell me the truth, what did you see in the secret room," I asked. She threw her head and laughed loudly, sinking her nails into my arm. I didn't care about her nails that sank into my skin, all I cared about
KILLIAN I called her name multiple times with a trembling voice but got no response. "Shit!" I cursed loudly and reached for my phone. I fidgeted as I scrolled through the list of my contacts, trying to put my distorted mind in order and call someone who would help.My mind clicked Michelle's name when her words echoed in my mind. I dialed her number, and her voice boomed out the second ring with mocking laughter. "Need help now?" She mumbled. My eyes dimmed in suspicion and I clenched my fist, fuming in fury. "What did you do to her?" I snapped. "You didn't even let me get close to her," she chuckled. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed in despair. "If I walk into your room, I'll have your head on a stake," I stated and ended the call, throwing the phone onto the couch. I grabbed her cold hand and rubbed it against mine to warm it up while I waited for Michelle. The door opened and my jaw clenched. "What the hell took you…" I paused when I saw the Pack's doctor stan
KILLIAN I paced around the room with my hand in my disheveled hair, pausing briefly to glance at her pale face. "What happened to her, my lord?" The Pack's doctor asked for the umpteenth time while she examined her. "Are you going to treat her or not?" Lucian growled in indignation. She flinched, her lips trembled as she darted her eyes from Lucian's face to Valerie's pale face. "I would do my best to find out what the cause of her unconsciousness is," she mumbled even though the chance of her finding out the cause was impossible. Lucian sighed and ran his hand through his hair, ignoring the constant calls from his phone. "It doesn't seem to be something ordinary, my lord," the Pack's doctor said as she opened her eyes with her fingers and gazed at the lifeless eyes. I sighed, knowing that it was true. She turned and stared at us suspiciously when our silence lingered in the room. "Is there something I must know, alpha?" She asked. I and Lucian exchanged glances and kept mu
KILLIAN The sound of the lighter clicking on and off filled the dark room, dividing my attention from the courtyard below. "You said you would meet little Val tonight, right?" Lucian muttered, causing me to turn away from the window. I trudged towards the couch he was lying on and slumped down into it, picking up an open pack of cigarettes. "Yes, do you want to join me?" I asked with a smirk laced against my face. He took a long drag at the cigarette and chuckled, puffing out smoke. "I have something important to attend to in town. I'll be leaving in an hour," he muttered. My eyes darkened and my fist clenched as I stared at him. "Doing business without me, huh?" I groused. He sat up and playfully smacked my back, grinning sinisterly. "Get some rest, Killian, get some rest," he replied before taking a drag at the cigarette again. I sighed and grabbed the lighter, but the question from Lucian stopped me from lighting the cigarette trapped between my lips. I looked at Lucian
VALERIE My heart tightened and I gasped in surprise. "What?" I snapped. Bianca nodded and moved closer to me as if I was attempting to do something stupid to myself."Yes, she was killed by rogues while trying to protect master Damion. Even up to today, no one has dared talk about her death for Damion's sake," she muttered Rachel's laughing face flashed before my eyes and a sickening feeling filled the pit of my belly. I staggered back and lost my balance. Bianca caught my wrist before I could touch the ground and pulled me up to my feet, wrapping her hand around me."Calm down, just calm down," she whispered, patting my hair slowly.I broke into tears, sobbing loudly.I couldn't believe that she died that terrible way despite her kindness and good heart."She never deserved that kind of death, Bianca!" I blurted out, unable to subdue the pain within me anymore."I know, but what can one do? It's all in the hands of fate and destiny—""Fuck fate and destiny!" I screamed, pushing
VALERIE My trembling hands slowly slipped away from the edges of the stone, fear bubbling in me. His cold hand was still wrapped around my wrist as he waited for me to get up and explain the act I was caught in. I couldn't dare imagine the disgusted look that would be on Lucian's face, worse, Killian's. I gulped hard and slowly turned, but the fear tightening in my chest eased up as my terrified eyes fell on the person clenching my wrist. "Damion!" I sighed in relief. His lips turned up in suspicion and his eyes darted to the fake flagstone on the ground before he released my wrist."What are you doing here?" He asked, nodding towards the spot he found me squatting down. "Uhm…" I trailed, fixing my eyes on the flagstones on the ground with the true intention of avoiding his prying eyes. "Are you scared of saying the truth to me?" He questioned. I remained silent, my eyes still fixed on the ground. I shivered slightly as he wrapped his hand around my chin, turning my head to