NORAThe water was cold, but not as deep as I imagined it to be. I thought, I would fall into it, and then I was going to sink to the depths until I was going to turn into an ice block but that didn’t happen.Instead, a sharp rock in the water dug into the back of my head as soon as I fell. The hit and the pain were so strong, that all air left my lungs and water penetrated them. I didn’t get the chance to enjoy the little misery show, because everything blacked out and turned into nothing.I thought it was the end. But now there were hands pumping at my chest—quite brutally if I must add as if trying to get something out of me. It was amusing, and at the same weird because I was aware of the wet ground beneath, of the coldness that seeped into my bones and played hide and seek, and the scared shouting.“ Come on. Wake up. ” He was repeating the same thing, over and over again and the new addition was the word please, which he was chanting like a prayer.When I was done, sensing ever
STRIKERI felt panic, in strong waves. One moment, I was discussing war strategies with Chester in the throne room, and the next, I was bracing myself against the throne I despised.I couldn’t shake off the panic, couldn’t understand the pain that pierced my heart and made me double over, couldn’t even comprehend why I felt like crying.This was not me. It couldn’t be. When I heard Lana’s voice inside my head, telling me that she needed Striker, I finally made sense of it.It was her.She needed me.Something happened.And she was in pain.I didn’t know what I was doing when I sprinted out of the throne room, away from the Euthoria Fortress, and kept running. Everything was a blur, I didn’t remember having so much strength and speed before. I didn’t even know where I was running off to.There was one thing I was sure of. She was hurt, and she needed me. She kept repeating it, and every time, it sounded in my head. I couldn’t stop myself, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.I had to ge
STRIKER“ Levian?” I breathed out and tightened my hold around her.“ Mar—Margrette called him Levian. ” She sobbed, wetting my shirt with her tears.I combed her hair back and picked my head when I sensed Dustin coming close. Our gazes clashed. He gritted his jaw and rested his side against the tree without saying anything.He knew she needed me, and not him. But why me when she was so close to him just a while ago? I could come back to it later. Right now, I needed to make sure she was really saying that the man who attacked her and this Margrette was…Levian.“ Tell me what happened, Little lamb. ” I pulled her head out of my chest, getting agitated.Her wet face came into my view. My heart twisted inside my chest. Cupping her cheeks, I wiped her tears with my thumb and watched her choking on her breath.“ I—I went to see Margrette…she…” She glanced into my eyes as more tears flowed out of hers.“ Who is Margrette? ” I wondered.“ A friend. ” Lana sniffled.“ It was not Margrette. S
STRIKERShe fell asleep in my arms, but I couldn’t do the same. Having her body clinging to me after so long was doing the usual things to me. I was out of breath, my heart was beating so fucking fast that I wanted to punch it to slow it down.On top of it, lingered Dustin’s scent on her. It didn’t let me rest, not for a single moment.So, when she started to snore, I removed her arms from around me and got down from the bed. Separating myself from her proved hard—harder than the last time because I didn’t have that strong resolve anymore. When I asked her to leave a month ago, I was not aware of how painful and haunting it was going to be, for me, but now I knew—and I still had to do it.I sucked in a sharp breath and walked out of the cabin without stealing a single glance at her gorgeous face. I was not sure I would have found it in me to step out if I had caught a glimpse of her, that’s why I didn’t look at her the last time either—this thing, this one thing was always going to re
STRIKER“ We can not defeat him. We can use all our force, and kill all his army, but we can not defeat Levian. ” He said, keeping the stoic face on.I searched for a hint of sarcasm, but there was none this time either.“ How do you know it if we haven’t tried? We are greater in numbers now and we are advanced. We don’t go by the old ways an— ”“ Levian has seen it all. ” Dustin cut me off. “ he is the age of the first Lycan—fucking centuries years old. And if our grandfather’s grandpa couldn’t defeat him…how do you expect us to do that with the South hiding behind a wall, the West facing a threat of attack every day, the East having a puppet for a King, and the North fucking in the middle of every fuckery? ” “ You are talking like a little shit. ” I rolled my eyes.“ I see things for what they are, Striker. I don’t waste my time on stupid little hopes, and daydreams. In short, we are fucked. And you are double fucked because the wall in the West has fucking holes big enough to attr
NORA Margarette's face haunted my sleep, chased me until I gave up on resting. It had been so long until I had a dead dude hunting me down, making me scared. I thought I was beyond this stage where I would wake up in bed, drenched in sweat, feel pain in my heart and stare at the ceiling for some minutes straight. But it was all coming back again. The harder I was trying to run, be selfish and be happy like my mother had asked me to do…the more I was moving in the other direction. I had become just like her. Just like her in hell. Getting down on my knees, pleading, crying, telling him I was in pain…I had lost it. I had no control over myself, I couldn’t help it anymore. Striker took away my strong resolve, left me with the same pathetic tendencies as my mother. That’s why my mother had often told me to never fall in love, never be weak for a man, and never be selfless. I could imagine my mother shaking her head in disappointment, thinking I failed her. I failed to be happy.
NORANo Moving. No Running. No Breathing.I became a statue instantly. My muscles were so taut and sharp that I felt like I was going to crumble with a harsh breeze my way.“ Nora. ” He whispered, in an almost inaudible voice.And it sent my nerves into raging mode. Nora? He had the audacity to call me Nora—the same nickname my mother gave me?“ Don’t. ” I hissed, turning around.There were no tears, no dropping to knees, or a dramatic breakdown. I always knew this day was going to come. I had hoped I was wrong and had done everything to prove myself wrong.But when my gaze landed on the all-familiar man with dark eyes, and short hair that was turning grey from the edges…I just…couldn’t keep the tremors from claiming my hands.Needles pricked my eyes, my heart, and my flesh making me stumble back. My father, on the other hand, had his eyes wide, his face painted with shock and relief at the same time.All the memories that I had locked away, the happy moments, and the worst moment cam
NORAI didn’t know what to make of this whole situation, the new truth and a different direction to life.I suffered for nothing. When it was for my mother, because of my father, or even for Striker…I suffered for nothing because I got nothing out of the suffering.“ I am sorry. ” I muttered quietly as I sat on the chair opposite my father’s chair.All eyes were on me. Dustin, Tyson, Dad…everyone was watching me, giving me a headache. It was as if they all knew I was stupid. I had never felt so dumb in all honesty.“ It’s not your fault. ” Dad whispered.And then silence fell between us.Even after knowing he had not killed Mom, I didn’t know what to say or feel. Things were the same. The fact that Dad had led her to her death would never change, even if he was not the one who ordered her and my murder.Some things were hard to take back. If he had come back sooner, if only he never left, if he stayed with us…things would have been different.Perhaps, it was not only about Dad. I had