-RAINA’S POV- Jakub’s chestnut wolf appeared out of nowhere. Valiantly, he attacked one of the rogues and I was impressed by his skills. However, the two of them crashed into Benji’s side, toppling us over with a bludgeoning thud. The air quickly knocked out of me. “Augh!” The side of my head hit the ground hard on something sharp. It burned and ached wickedly. Dancing purple spots overwhelmed my vision for a blurry moment. Pain riddled me faster than a lightning bolt. Benji’s toffee wolf's large body had collapsed on my left leg. I could feel my bones breaking too. I screamed more loudly than I had ever screamed in my life. I winced repeatedly, gritting my teeth and slapping his back to get off me. Burdened by his unbearable weight, I reeled against the ramped-up agony of his body shifting on my broken leg. It was hard for Benji to get up when two aggressive rogues were nipping canines at his ears and neck, but thank goddess for Jakub, who charged at them with full force. Benji q
-RAINA'S POV- The malevolent presence stood still. My trembling, weak hands covered the wound. Blood geysered through the cracks of my overlapping fingers, intertwining with them as they pressed on the severe gash on my right leg. The thick, warm, sticky, dark crimson liquid coated them, crawling under my nails. It would not stop bleeding. Consciousness was dwindling. Reality blurred. The agony was extremely excruciating. The pain and sorrow of the pack amplified in my chest and I clenched my teeth grunting, drowning under a tidal slaughter that felt like it would burst out of me. “Are you going to watch me bleed to death?” I hyperventilated, focusing on the need to control the leaking flow. Yet, the hellish man made no move. Whenever I blinked, my heavy eyelids wanted to stay shut. My heartbeat decelerated to a thready pulse. My lifeforce will end in a matter of time. Terror and despair put a pit in my stomach. Several low voices projected into my head: “Raina, where are you?
-RAINA'S POV- The vile Worgen teleported me, again! As the wind whooshed by the mouth of a cave, I could hear the opera of susurration produced by the bonny waves below the precipice. He strode inside the dim den and I surveyed the surroundings. The mossy-gray walls were lighted with luminous lichen. The air was humid, moldy, and a bit cold. Ew! I cringed from the scent of bat droppings. My stomach convulsed as vomit threatened to burst out of my lips. I pursed them. Once he put me down from his bulging shoulders onto the rough, basalt ground, my fists punched him in several hard spots. Quickly, he snatched my hands, jerking me to stop. Panting laborious, I demanded. “Where am I?” I have had my share of caves. Ahead of me was darkness that went deeper into the hollows. Behind me was the white, bright light of escape. He stared at me silently. His red predator’s gaze was unwavering and the heat of them emitted radio waves of a murderous intent. I saw only blood and death in them
-RAINA’S POV- The Worgen sighed and put his hands into his white pockets. “It’s a long story.” “Well, isn't it obvious that I won't leave my mate for you?” I retorted, putting too much force behind it. I had to bend over and put my hands on my knees to reinforce my body. “Nonsense. Why would I be here with you and not him? Where was he to take care of your wound? He was not there when you kept having nightmares in your sleep and I took them away. Neither was he there when you were dying,” he replied sardonically with a flat gaze. “I deserve you more than he does. So, tell me I have permission to court you and I shall.” “People are dying and you want to flirt!” My blood boiled and I straightened my posture to send him the heat of my eyes. “I feel their pain in my heart.” I clutched my chest. “Everyone deserves to live.” I didn’t miss what he said about my nightmares, but I wasn’t going to get into that. Not now. “My obligation is to you. No one else,” he commented, hard and rigid.
-VALEN’S POV-“Val, hurry up down there.” Devin mind-linked me using his teleportation ring.“Well, it’s a great summer party down here. Want to come?” I was annoyed and couldn’t help the sarcasm.Inside the abhorrent funnel-shaped sinkhole was like a trip to hell. Diving through the fathomless, gloomy void and plunging into a deep sputtering fire pit, I struggled to get beyond the volcanic flames. It compressed against the invisible force field that Zuzu enshrouded me in, threatening to end my life.The magical energy shield kept me safe from the hostile crustal movements and any toxic scents that were fusing. Nyx ensured that my oxygen revolved in the protective barrier. Otherwise, I would have died.After an almost never-ending journey down the macabre inferno, I burst through a thick nebulous fog that thinned out into a craggy, turquoise-blue cavern. This was another dimension and the portal ahead of me resembled a swirling geode with crackling, red electrical streaks that whipped
-RAINA’S POV-“Why do you want a war? Can’t we negotiate?” I stalled. My mind scrabbled to think of a way to get out of this.“The war is revenge against Selene. It's about being the black sheep and wanting to kill her favorite children.” He explained with one arm folded and he tapped his nose. “Murdering all of you hurts your goddess. Maybe she’ll have to come herself to stop the war and save her wolves, Raina.”“So that’s your agenda ― to force Selene to show herself?“You are my agenda and I know all of your secrets. I also know things that might interest you.” Gustav gloated while flicking the mussed veil of white strands from his forehead.“What good is a bond with me when I lost my wolf?” I realized that his ultimate intention was to use me as leverage against Valen. I bit my lip, writhing in suppressed fury.His hand froze and then he stooped before me. “There are remnants of her within you. My brother will still come for you because you will have to tell them what happened, and
-VALEN’S POV-Back stroking through the air, Raina’s body fell like a flailing fledgling. The entire time on my flight upwards, my eyes shifted back and forth from her to the white-haired man above her. Panic threatened to seize control of my mind.“Get to her, Valen!” Zeus roared, even though he understood my steadfast resolve.I huffed with zipped-up determination and increased my thrust.Striving to deter my flight, the enemy threw black bomb balls at me. Once they sailed past Raina, I counteracted by flashing out an energy wave with my right hand. Boom! Boom! Boom! Each one of them exploded into amber flames and black smoke.This repeated three times before I reached Raina. Her back slammed into me and I grabbed her around the waist while I narrowed my eyes on the descending Worgen.Swiftly, I gripped the Worgen’s wrist. I tugged and twisted it, and rapidly slammed it into his chest with such a powerful force that sent him backflipping away from us.My flight ceased, and I hovered
-VALEN’S POV-Directly after I teleported Raina to Mom’s chief medical office, I mind-linked her that Raina was safe and with me. No matter how much I tried to put Raina on the bed to lie down for examination, her arms would not unwrap from my neck.“Don’t let go.” Her heart was racing at an incredible speed.So, I lifted her trembling legs and let them encircle my waist with one hand under her buttocks, holding her. I kissed her temple, leaving my cheek on hers.“I didn’t want to ― I didn’t mean to ― Valen,” Raina repeated with a low cracking voice, sniffling. Her moist button nose pressed into my neck.My free hand caressed the length of her back in an attempt to give her warmth and security. I whispered in her ear. “It’s okay. You’re my strong queen. You had no choice.”Her clothes were soiled with dried blood and grime. Plus I wanted to quickly check her body and in this state, I was hampered. It hurt to see her like this. I was feeling a lot of things and Zeus reminded me that he
VALEN’S POV“She attacked me and knocked me out. She has me strapped to a post like some damn hostage. I don’t even know where I am.” Venus’ hysterical voice became shaky with fear. “What the hell, Valen? Is this a drill? What’s going on?”My face twisted in confusion and utter disbelief. “Put-put Raina on. I want to talk to her.”“He wants to talk to you,” I heard Venus telling her, breath stuttering.There was a soft rustling, and Raina’s angry voice came on the line. “Now you listen real, real good. You will do as I say, or your sister gets it. No more fucking around. What’s it going to be?”A pang of longing hits me, missing her sorely.“No. You’re not going to hurt her. Vee’s your best friend.” I called her bluff. Hopefully, she didn’t mean it. “If you want me, I’ll come to you. This is between you and me.”“Get your head out of your ass. You think this is a joke?” Raina snapped, which ruffled Zeus. “Who do you think you’re dealing with?”She went silent, which pained me.Then th
VALEN’S POVGustav snickered. His tone was clipped and choppy when he said, “It’s not about a timeline. It’s about survival, and maybe once you’re gone, the bond will shift to me. I’ll become her new mate and treat her bet—.”A broiling anger surged within me, demanding release. My movement was quick, as I clawed the Worgen across the face, tearing off a chunk of his jaw. The force of it snapped his face to the right. He muffled a long howl.“Come on, tough guy. What? You aren’t gutsy anymore?” Devin steadied the guy’s face in my direction.Gustav released a mocking laugh as blood ran down his neck, trickling past his chest. “I was going to say—” He wrung his neck, wrestling his head sideways to spit curdling blood to the floor. “—pwah.” And then he gazed up at me. “We slept together, you know.”The pain and shock of his words slammed into me, nearly knocking me off my feet, but then, in a split second, Zeus surged to the surface. Fury charged through me like lightning, pushing me for
VALEN’S POV“No one has ever lasted this long,” Devin said, after we teleported inside the Worgen's holding prison under my guardian lion’s supervision.In the Spessiale Dungeon, various clear tubes strung from the ceiling were plugged into Gustav's back to drain his blood to keep him weak.This was very effective since he looked sickly pale. Silver and vampire toxins were easily absorbed by his system, making the usual torture measures useless.Underestimation was deadly, so I had to find other options.Stripped completely naked, he sat on the blue calcite floor with his knees bent and feet tucked towards his crotch, ankles in cuffs.His hands were behind his lower back in black and neon blue handcuffs that could only be unlocked by Nyx’s magical command. Sweat had drenched his hair and body. His putrid smell lingered in the air.Devin stood with his feet apart and his hands in his jeans pockets.Heat radiated off me, and my abhorrence for this crab-louse made my blood boil. A murder
VALEN’S POVA jolt of frustration ran through me. The ongoing search for Raina was long, complicated, and so painfully intricate that it hurt my brain.“This is insane,” I seethed, looking at the images on the large monitors before the Theta. “Patrol would have been able to stop Raina, but they never saw her. The magical barrier is intact. She has to be here, and I want her location now.”With one hand gripping the backrest of Jason's lofty chair and the other flattened on his office desk, I bent beside him as he nervously checked all the other video feeds from the drones. The computer trilled and beeped as his fingers worked deftly.Devin paced back and forth anxiously with his hands in his jeans pockets. “None of this makes sense. Raina is not invisible. We should have found her already. Huh? Venus is not here, and Azara hasn’t reported seeing her. Where could she have gone on foot?”“That slippery little Luna,” Theo grumbled, taking the tablet from his brother, and he slumped in hi
VALEN’S POV“Slap me.”Thwack!“Again,” Theo ordered his twin, turning his other pink cheek.Thwack! Thaines smacked him, but Theo’s disbelief refused to be whacked out of him.Repetitive growls sputtered from my chest as I paced the full length of Jason’s office, raking my hands through my hair.The impish Gamma spun around to address me, “Let me get this straight.” Perplexed, he scratched his elevated brow, probing, “Your Luna beat the crap out of you? Not only did she stab you, but she also whipped your ass and ghosted you.”Not answering, I shoulder-checked him with a deadly glare of utter annoyance. The Gammas, in their sweat-soaked gym shorts, gawked at me with wide cognac brown eyes, their jaws hanging open.A bloodthirst burned in my veins, and the air conditioning at the IT Hub did nothing to cool me down. Yet, Theo dared to peeve me with his buffoonery.With slow, menacing steps, Devin walked around the hi-tech rectangular table and hit Theo upside the back of his head, fed-
RAINA’S POVStiff as a petrified log, I couldn't scream as my world exploded in a kaleidoscope of stars. My heart thrashed a million miles a minute.The agony caught into a knot in my throat. My body tried to curl in on itself – to replicate a spider's dead dusk, but he kept my flailing limbs pinned. My body heaved.Then, Valen pulled his fangs out, licking the punctured flesh and clearing the blood. Sparks erupted. Fucking sparks shot all the way to my toes.Each lick of his tongue was like morphine. Like a kick. I basked in it. I loved it. The bond was like being controlled by an entity. It was making me want him. Dammit.My body tightened, lungs squeezed and butterflies raged uncontrollably inside of me as he flicked his sinful tongue and dragged it wetly across my sensitive flesh.Focus, Raina! Don't let him swoop you in again. This can’t go on. I must bust out of here.“I want to fuck you, overstimulate you, edge you on until you're in tears, chanting your safe word,” he crooned.
RAINA’S POVYanking my injured right hand, Valen twirled me around so that my back slammed against his hard chest. His large hand came straight for my face to rip the goggles off.The room, like my fate, suddenly got darker.“You’re not so bad without your sword now, right?” Valen said mockingly. “But you certainly aren't vanilla and innocent either.”Once he crushed the goggles, he flung it into the wall. His robust right arm circled my waist while his left hand settled above my breast, slowly traveling up to my throat. Electric sparks exploded everywhere our skin touched.“Let me tell you something, Bluebella. You've unlocked a dangerous side of Zeus that even I feared,” he whispered huskily into my ear, gripping my neck. “But since you want to keep this bratty behavior up all night, challenging me, that part of him is going to burst out of his cage.”All the while, his emeralds were fixated on mine. He dipped his head over my shoulders. My flitting eyes watched him as my heart drum
RAINA’S POVSlinking inside the Alpha suite with night vision goggles, I crept up to the king-size bed to see Valen tossing and turning in his sleep.Why wasn’t he dead yet?Moving surreptitiously to the side of the bed, I was thankful that my black leather catsuit blended well with the darkness. As quiet as ever, I held my sword tighter, angling it in a left-plow position with the long edge up.Committed to the assassination task, my blow had to be quick and precise, piercing the heart. I cannot miss this golden opportunity.Standing exactly beside the nightstand, I glanced down at the ripped muscles of his heaving chest. Grunting, his sweaty head shifted from side to side. His face twitched, and his closed eyelids flexed as he breathed jaggedly in his sleep.Cardamom and amber surrounded me, the potent scent wafted straight from the source into my nostrils. A mouthwatering scent, so maddening. Perilously beguiling. The bond beat against my chest like a bone-crushing drum. The physica
VALEN’S POV“Raina is hurting.” Penn interjected, finishing up and discarding the cotton in a bin.“I saw the pain in her eyes when she saw Snow with your baby.” She gazed sadly at Devin and added under her breath. “I can imagine what that feels like.”My Beta averted his eyes to the side of the room, avoiding hers, suddenly unsettled as he scratched behind his ear.I blew out a hard breath. I did not care about what was up with these two. Raina was priority. The mate bond wrenched at me in a silent cry from her that only I could hear. Missing the softness of holding her hands and basking in her endearing presence, hugging, touching, gazing—I just can't go on without it.“I'm pissed too because the future hasn't changed and at some point, you'll give the dick away.” Devin aired bluntly. “How could you? After all those times you swore to me…”“I'll never cheat on Raina.” I cut in sharply, darting daggers at him.Unconvinced, he huffed. Then he spoke again, his voice quieter. "She loves