RAINA’S POV“Shhh,” I shushed my hostage, eyes clashing over my shoulders with hers, in an unwavering stare-down in the dusty dimness of the cabin.“Don’t you shush me,” Venus clapped back with a stamp of her foot, raking up more dust in the grim interior.Tempted to sneeze, I wiggled my nose, holding it in.“This isn’t funny anymore, Rai. After all the Worgens did to Vaheed. You haven’t seen him, Rai. You haven’t seen the way Vaheed’s not the same anymore. It’s like he’s an empty shell of himself.” Venus had a suppliant tone to her voice, even when she lowered it to a hiss. “Untie me. I want out of these chains.”Trying and failing and suffering. A never-ending cycle of punishment, and she expected me to feel an ounce of pity for her and her furry friends. Mustering any form of care was just wasteful.“Boo-hoo, shut up!” I mock-cried, “You are preaching to the wrong person, and I'm no Saint. I'll shove one of these explosive marbles down your throat if you don’t be quiet.”For a long
VALEN’S POV"Fuck!" I roared, the sound tearing from my throat as I swung around and slammed a fist into the tree behind me. Bark splintered under the force of the hit, and the pain barely registered.Huffing out angry breaths, I braced my palms on the tree. My head slumped as I tried to shut down the analytical side of my brain. The part that was rattling off statistics of the declining likelihood of finding her before it was too late.The air was thick with anxious energy.Long black fur sprouted from every inch of my skin. My canines and claws extended. I was about to shift and charged through the hundreds of acres of terrain.Devin, Penn, and Thaines sensed the turmoil within me. Detecting that they were cautiously strolling over to me, surrounding me, I rotated to face them.Although they seemed unsure of what to say, they wanted to show their support through close proximity."Don’t do anything irrational, Alpha," Devin said, brows tilting up in an appeal as he clung to the duffl
VALEN’S POVWe were still in Kain's pack, hiding in the hot forest, one mile from where we traced Venus's phone. Sunlight filtered through the canopy of lumbering trees, creating a pattern of light and shadow on the leaf-covered forest floor.Everyone else was casually dressed in regular jeans and T-shirts. If Raina saw us in our tactical suits, she might feel threatened. We were here to talk. Nothing more than to prove to her that we’re the originals of her world.As Penn attempted to use a spell to loosen the Gamma’s pants, I turned sideways to lean on a tree. I kept my sights ahead, peering through the thicket while hiking up my hearing, listening for Raina’s voice and movement.It was difficult to shut out the lingering rage, the fear of rejection, the thought of losing her, and the memory of kissing her, because she was the flower field of bluebells to my forest.All I longed for was to wrap her up in my arms and take away every ounce of torment that crippled her spirit.Worry.S
VALEN’S POVKain's eyes widened in horror. His hands clawed at my wrist as I strangled his neck with one hand. He groped for air, sputtering, "A-Alp-pha—I—"My chest rumbled at his obstinacy, causing the Dollams Howlite’s warriors to shrink back fearfully. Hurling my free hand backward, I launched another blow, this time knocking Kain down to his hands and knees. He let out a pained grunt."You should know better than to cross me and my wolf," I snapped, my voice icy sharp as I clenched and unclenched fists at my side.Just like Vaheed, he had a thing for Raina, too. Zeus never liked a bone in Kain, and learning that he knew Raina was here and never contacted me, because he enjoyed having her close to him, exploded my anger.Bastard.Zeus began fighting to take over. He wanted to tear through this pack to find her. I was itching to let him.Silence stretched, heavy and charged.The pack house remained still with several energies lurking around the premises. I could sense them all arou
RAINA’S POVThrashing chains and low growls awakened me.Throbbing pain in my head and neck fully pulled me from the realm of unconsciousness.Bright light broke through the cracks of my eyelids, and I grimaced.“Ugh,” I grunted as my heavy eyes shot open to stare up at the old ceiling, both exhausted and wired.Where was I?Oh, right. The trial. Gustav captured. Escaping Valen. Abducting Venus. Agreeing to trade.The memories slammed into me. V-Venus? The chains continued to rattle, and I rubbed the side of my neck, sighing dejectedly. This girl—Apparently, I had fallen asleep in a sitting position on the dark, dirty boards of the decrepit floor. My back and head tilted over against the wooden wall, and I leaned forward.Peaks of sunlight came through the hole-ridden roof and other open areas to warm up the room. Calling it a cabin was too good a name. It was more of a run-down shed than anything else.Boards were missing from several areas of the wall, flooring, and ceiling. Window
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