MAYAI followed closely behind the guys as they searched through the woods."Let's check over there," Kane said pointing to a small trail that had been created by constant steps of people. "You guys wait here, we'll be back," Dane said as he hurried after him, I watched as they disappeared into the bushy trail."Maya, are you alright?" Zane asked walking closer to me. I sniffled trying to wipe off my tears, "I will be fine once I see her." I replied trying to hold back a sob. "I know this is hard for you, but you need to calm down a bit, you'll end up getting a headache," Thane said from behind me, I didn't notice him coming. "I will be fine, I just need to see my daughter," I answered.Soon Dane and Kane returned from the trail, from the look on their faces, I could tell that they hadn't found anything. "There was not even a single clue, it's as though she vanished into thin air," Kane said wiping off the sweat on his forehead."The trail was as neat as hell, not even the prints
THANE"These woods have no suitable hiding place, I doubt she's here," Dane said as he searched through the bushes. He was right, the forest was home mostly to shrubs and little pests, yet that was what made it even more suspicious, men like Elvis tend to act in a manner that would surprise people, he knew how people thought and what they expected so he works oppositely. "I wonder if Elvis has her," Zane muttered as though he was talking to himself. "If he does have her, how and when did he sneak on us?" He asked frowning. "We could have caught his smell miles before he got close," Dane added."That's if he doesn't hide his scent." Kane countered. "Keep searching, Sierra has to be somewhere," I said and they moved to work immediately. We got to a crossroad, the trail we had been walking through was split into two. "I guess this is where we go our separate ways," Zane said causally shrugging his shoulders. I knew he was worried, they all were, she was their mate as much as I found
SIERRAMy eyes opened slowly trying to get accustomed to the light from the sun. When the mist was fully cleared, I struggled up to my feet glancing around.The surroundings were unfamiliar, although I was in the middle of the woods, yet, the surroundings seemed very strange. A faint smell hit my nose, it reeked of metal and something foul.I stared down at my body, it was soaked with blood. My dress clung desperately to my skin, the blood was dried making the red of the blood appear black and smelling."What's this?" I mumbled to myself trying to wipe off the blood with my palm. When it didn't come off, I gave up."How did I get here?" The words were out of my lips as I glanced around the woods. I tried to recall how I had gotten there but I kept drawing a blank, nothing came to my memory.I could feel a faint ache at the back of my head, it kept hammering heavily on my head as though my brain was swelling increasingly. The more I tried to recall what happened, the more the ache was.
SIERRAI was lying on a soft surface when I regained consciousness. It was so soft that I felt myself sinking into it, I wanted to remain there for a long time. Were prison floors usually this soft? As the thought hit me, I sat up immediately earning a heavy bang on my head making me groan in pain.Had they thrown me into the cell? My eyes darted around the room in panic, but the cells weren't this beautiful except they wanted me to enjoy my last days before they executed me. I couldn't help but feel terrified.My fingers began to shake, I hadn't done anything wrong, I was just passing by and unfortunately for me, I had stumbled at the wrong place at the wrongest of times.The look in the Alpha's eyes was planted in my head, I could see the accusations in his eyes as he asked me if I was a spy. Were they going to kill me for wandering in their land?I drew my legs up to my chest in a bid to comfort myself, "Calm down Sierra, they wouldn't go through the stress of giving you a room as
SIERRAGerald's expression changed on hearing me, "Are you sure about what you just said?" He asked, his deep blue eyes locking with mine.I gasped as I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Yes, you have to do something immediately," I said I could feel my blood pressure rising with every breath I took."How do you know?" He asked as he got up to his feet.I hesitated for a minute but the look in his eyes made me stop, he believed me and he was ready to act. "I just have a feeling, it comes and goes but you've got to believe me."He nodded stretching out his hand, "I need to inform the Alpha, please, come with me." I took his hand as he pulled me out of the bed. He walked ahead with me following closely behind him, my eyes were fixed on his long legs as he took very huge strides towards the Alpha's council room, I could barely keep up so I tripped on my own feet. He was fast, he caught me just before I landed on my knees."Are you alright?" He asked with concern swimming
SIERRA“Gerald!” I screamed the moment I got over my initial shock.I knelt beside him, panicking. “No no no.. don't die on me” I whispered as I tried to collect myself and see how I could help him, he lay unconscious on the ground, the arrow was laced with deep poison as that was the only way a guy as big as Gerald would lose consciousness immediately.I took a deep breath and grabbed the arrow, ready to pull it out so I could treat the wound when I heard loud noises surrounding us, I turned to see that it was the warriors running towards us, “Good thing you're here, please come help me. Some of you can chase after the culprits, I'm not sure they've gone far.” I yelled after them and faced Gerald back, helping him was my priority.“Step back” The leader halted me the moment they got close.I was yanked away from Gerald and the next thing I saw was initial darkness, the continuous ringing in my ear told me that I was still alive.“What have you done to my son!?” It was Alpha Harold's
SIERRA"This is impossible!" I could hear the excitement in her voice."Didn't you say no one can shift here?" I asked with panic rising inside me, something wasn't right, I could feel it."That's how it has been for years, they seal off our chi making it hard for us to shift into our wolf form." She explained releasing another howl in the air as though she was sending a signal to someone or some people."I don't know who you are but I think you have something to do with our ability to shift." As she spoke, another loud howl echoed from the southern end of the cell.Something was wrong. "Please, stop it." I pleaded, she couldn't see me but I could tell she wasn't listening.Another howl came from the opposite direction, the prisoners were shifting to their wolf form."I can get my revenge now, I can hurt them down for dumping me here for years." The girl muttered then a loud bang echoed from her cell.In a panic, I rushed over to the wall we both shared banging hard on the wall. "Stop
SIERRA"No wait!" My eyes widened in panic at the dreadful thought of being thrown into that eerie place when the whole pack was in turmoil because of me.The warriors rushing towards me stopped, they stared at me as though I had gone crazy."Hold on please," I said again turning to the Alpha. His face wad red with anger, and I couldn't blame him for staring at me with so much hate, upon my arrival, I had done nothing but cause havoc in his once peaceful pack, the least I could do was clean my mess."Alpha Harold, I know you hate me so much that you can barely stand the sight of my face but please listen to me." I went on my knees hoping it would pacify him a little so he could give me a little audience.He released a grunt."I'm sorry about this umm.. this pandemonium, but this isn't my fault," I said bowing my head to the ground."Then whose fault is it?" He snapped angrily."I have no idea what happened and how it occurred but I heard it was impossible to shift while in the prison
SIERRAI stood frozen, my eyes wide and my stomach turning. The rabbits weren’t moving anymore. The white one had stopped twitching first, then the brown one slumped beside it. My hands were still outstretched, fingers trembling as the energy from the failed spell faded into the air like smoke.The silence that followed was unbearable. It was as if the whole world had paused to judge me, to make me feel the weight of what I had just done. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even blink. All I could do was stare at what my magic had done.The warlock didn’t say anything at first. He just walked up to the small wooden pen, stood over the lifeless bodies, and looked down with a heavy sigh. His face gave nothing away, no anger, no sadness, just quiet acceptance of the outcome. Then he slowly turned to face me."This," he said, his voice low and sharp like a blade slicing through still air, "is what would have happened to your sister and Ariel if you had jumped into this blindly."The words hit
SIERRAI had just finished spending time with my mates. My body still felt warm, and for once, my mind was quiet. I was finally beginning to feel like myself again.But then I heard shouting from outside.My heart jumped. I threw on a robe and rushed out.I barely made it past the hallway before I saw everyone gathered in the courtyard. And in the middle of it all… Ariel. Screaming. Crying. Holding a knife.“What the hell?” I whispered under my breath, my eyes widening.“I said let me in!” she yelled, her voice cracking. “You’re not the only one who loves them! I deserve to be in there too!”She was pointing the knife at her own chest, trembling like she was seconds away from doing something stupid.I didn’t even think twice.I raised my hand and whispered the first protection spell that came to mind. A shield burst around her in a dome of blue light. The moment it closed around her, the knife fell from her hand and clattered to the floor.She looked around in confusion, then rage.“W
ARIELI paced the hallway, scowling, my arms folded tightly across my chest. For the fifth time, I tried to step forward, right into the damn hallway, and for the fifth time, it felt like I’d slammed into a wall. But there was no wall. Just… air. Heavy, invisible, and impossible to pass through."What the hell is going on?" I growled, pushing again, harder this time. Nothing. It was like the space itself refused to let me through. My breath hitched as anger flared in my chest. I wasn’t someone who got denied things. Not rooms. Not people. Not Dane.I turned on my heels and stormed down the hallway, heading straight for Maya’s quarters. If anyone knew what kind of stupid magic trick was being pulled, it had to be Sierra. I knew her mother was always around the others. Always listening. Watching, and I needed to see her, and I asked what the hell was going on.When I got to her door, I didn’t knock, I kicked it. Hard.“Ariel?” Maya’s voice called out, soft and hesitant. She opened the d
SIERRAThe warmth of their arms around me made it easier to breathe. The tension that had wrapped around my chest like a tight rope was starting to loosen, bit by bit. Zane’s steady heartbeat under my cheek, Dane’s arms around my waist, and the calmness in Kane’s eyes, everything felt safe here. I felt like I was finally home.But it wasn’t just the comfort. It was the way they looked at me. The way they held me was like I was the most precious thing in the world. Like they’d fight the stars if it meant keeping me safe. I hadn’t realized how much I needed them until this moment. I needed to feel wanted, needed to be touched, loved, needed to feel alive again.“I’ve missed this,” I whispered, glancing up at Zane, my fingers gently resting on his chest.“We’ve missed you more,” he replied softly, brushing his lips over my forehead.“I don’t like seeing you this stressed,” Dane murmured behind me, nuzzling into the crook of my neck. “Let us help you relax.”Kane was kneeling beside me ag
SIERRAI ran out of the room angrily and frustrated. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t want to explain how I felt, not even to Alpha Thane. I just needed to get away, to let the frustration and fear out in a way that made sense. And that’s why I shifted.The air felt cold on my fur as I ran, my paws pounding the earth beneath me, my mind barely able to process anything except the need to escape. My heart was racing, and the adrenaline pumping through my body only made the anger and fear swirl together like a violent storm.I ran deeper into the woods, ignoring the world around me, just focused on the rhythmic pounding of my paws. The trees blurred by in a mixture of green and brown, the earth beneath me firm and solid. But even in my wolf form, the worry gnawed at my insides, and all I wanted was for the weight to lift, even if just for a moment.Eventually, the tension in my body started to ease just a little, but I wasn’t running anymore. I slowed down and then stopped, my b
SIERRAI walked into the room, my mind racing with questions. The man, the warlock, was standing by a table covered in books and strange artifacts. His eyes flickered up when I entered, and I could feel the weight of his gaze. He knew why I was here."You are here," he said, his voice calm but heavy with something I couldn't place.I didn't waste time with pleasantries. "I need your help," I said bluntly. "I need to learn how to use my powers. And I need to do it fast."The warlock raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "Binding spells," he said slowly, almost to himself, "are tricky. Especially one like the one you're asking for."I didn’t have the patience for his caution. "I don’t care about how tricky it is," I snapped. "I need to stop her. Ariel is... she’s going to ruin everything. I can’t let that happen. I just need to know how to make it work."He looked at me, the seriousness in his eyes growing. "Binding spells are not something to take lightly. They tie you to someo
SIERRAI could feel my whole body burning with anger as Ariel’s voice cut through the garden like a sharp knife. She just stood there, smirking at us like she hadn’t just interrupted something important, something real.I turned to her, fists clenching at my sides. "Don’t you have anything better to do than irritate me?" I snapped, my voice louder than I intended. Dane shifted uncomfortably behind me, but I didn’t care. I was tired of her games.Ariel just giggled like I had told her a joke. "Nope," she said with a sweet shrug. "Turns out, irritating you is way more fun than I ever thought it would be."I wanted to slap that smug smile off her face. I really did. But I held myself back because that's exactly what she wanted, to push me until I broke.Then she turned her full attention to Dane, her smile softening in a way that made my stomach twist in disgust. "I miss Dane," she said in a whiny voice. "I want him to stay with me for a while."I stepped protectively in front of Dane w
DANEI woke up to the sound of soft giggles.My head felt heavy, like I’d slept for days, and for a second, I didn’t even know where I was. But then I blinked and saw her, Ariel, sitting at the edge of the bed, grinning at me like I was some kind of adorable pet.“You look so cute when you’re sleeping,” she said in a sing-song voice.My whole body tensed up instantly. Memories rushed back….the food, the plan, everything. I shot up, heart pounding.“What happened?” I croaked, throat dry.Ariel gave a playful shrug, almost like she was proud of herself. “You tried to drug me, silly. But I’m smarter than that.” She leaned in closer, lowering her voice like she was sharing a secret. “I swapped the plates. You ate the laced one instead.”I cursed under my breath and swung my legs off the bed. I couldn’t even look at her as I stood up."Aw, don't be mad," Ariel called after me as I stormed toward the door. "You needed the rest anyway!"I didn’t answer. I just left.When I finally made it do
SIERRAI didn’t move. None of us did. We just stood there and took it as Ariel laughed like we were the biggest fools she had ever seen. Her voice echoed off the walls, high and sharp, like a knife digging into my already shredded nerves.“Oh, my sweet, sweet Sierra,” she said between giggles, wiping a fake tear from the corner of her eye. “You actually think a few little weeds are going to save your precious sister from me?”I kept my face blank, even though my heart was hammering against my ribs. If I gave her any more reason to doubt me, she would tear us all apart.Ariel circled slowly around me, hands clasped behind her back, her boots clicking softly against the floor. I could feel the others tense up, ready to move if she tried anything.She leaned in close, so close I could smell the sickly sweet scent of her perfume. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with,” she whispered. “No idea how deep this bond goes.”I clenched my teeth to keep from flinching. I would not give her t