LAUREL’s POV I reach the training ground. Thunderous shouts from the warriors in training echo across the valley as they move in a uniform line, all struggling to reach the finishing line. Their ankles are shackled to heavy iron balls that weigh them down, making each and every step a torture. This is a basic training that every warrior in training has to undergo; one which will ultimately help in strengthening the muscles in their legs and enable them to outrun their foes in the event a war or fight breaks out. “MOVE IT, YOU WEAKLINGS!” Helios roars from the finishing line and my eyes dart over to where he stands. And boy, is he a sight to behold. He is in black jeans that hang off his hips and his naked muscular chest is glistening in sweat. He is glaring at the trainees, eyes blazing. To say that he is displeased would be an understatement. He is pissed. He crosses both arms under his massive chest and yells, “ARE YOU PREDATOR OR ARE YOU PREY?” “Predators!” the warriors shout
LAUREL’s POVI don’t know why they call this a heartbreak. It feels like every part of my body is broken too and it takes all of my might just to make it out of the valley. Physically, I trudge through the Morningstar square but my mind has long left my surroundings behind.And somehow, instead of walking back home, my feet bring me right to the doorsteps of the Blue House. It actually takes the meowing of a tabby cat nearby to bring me back to my senses.I stare at the front door and blink a few times in confusion. Strange, why are there only two guards at the door? Normally, the Blue House is a fortress but today, it is as empty as a haunted house.I frownDidn’t Ares say that Diego is still held captive? Perhaps I should go in and take a look. Maybe a chat with Diego will take my mind off all that had just happened. I haven’t asked him how my parents and Jamie got the poison from him. Even more curious is how he got into the Dark Forest in the first place. Members of our pack dread
LAUREL’s POVLight begins to dim in the western sky when I finally reach Helios’ chamber. I had wasted precious time going to the training ground earlier on in a bid to seek him out only to be told by one of the trainees that Helios had retired to his chamber. The guard announces my presence to Helios and I hear him answer from behind the timber doors, “Let her in.” I take a deep breath as the doors swing open and I march in to see Ares in deep discussion with Helios. A quick glance around the room tells me that the bed that I slept in has been cleaned up. The sheets have been changed and the tables cleared of medication. In fact, the room no longer has my scent. “Alpha,” my voice comes out bitter as I walk straight to his mahogany desk, “I need to speak to you. In private.”Helios glances up from the stack of papers on his desk and for a moment, he looks strained. His jaw is clenched and his eyes are tight. But the moment is all too fleeting for the expression on his face soften
LAUREL’s POV “There, you can open your eyes now,” Ares says, giving me a pat on the shoulder. My eyes peel open and I stare into the full-length mirror in Jamie’s old room. A young woman with wavy hazel curls styled in a loose coiffure stares back at me. I blink and so does she. “That’s me…” I whisper and the young woman in the mirror does the same. I am mesmerized by her ocean blue eyes and long eyelashes that flutter back at me. Her skin is clean and glowy without a hint of green on them and her makeup is kept minimal with a faint pink tint to her lips. “Of course it’s you. A better and upgraded version of course,” Ares says proudly, beaming from side to side. He twirls a few loose strands of hair near my chin and when I attempt to tuck it behind my ear, he slaps my hand away. “No,” he says like a disapproving teacher, “Let it hang loose, the curls accentuate your oval face.” Then he rests his chin on a hand and frowns as he looks me up and down. “Hmm…the dress looks wonderful
LAUREL’s POVHelios.I see him at the entrance. He is unmasked and stands tall and regal with a presence that commands everyone’s attention. Every single one.The joyful atmosphere that had initially filled the ballroom comes to a stifling silence as all eyes land on him. No Alpha has ever set foot at a blind date convention before. Alpha heirs maybe but never an Alpha. And even if one did, no one would expect the Alpha of Morningstar to come.People are afraid of Helios, and rightly so. His savage reputation precedes him. Helios starts walking my way and the crowd immediately parts like a curtain for him. And from the corner of my eye, I see Ares abandoning his new love interest in a desperate bid to reach out to Helios but one look from our Alpha and Ares quickly comes to a standstill.Breathe, Laurel. Breathe.Helios strides through the parted path, all the while holding my gaze steadily.My broken heart somehow finds the strength to hammer in my chest and my mind goes into a whirl
LAUREL’s POV Helios’ kiss…it is electrifying. I feel a strange tremor rush throughout my body even as I struggle under him. He is extremely dominant; with my hands pinned above my head, I am imprisoned. My face is held by his hand and his body restrains me from moving away. His mouth is hard on mine, unyielding, and savagely, he thrusts his tongue in and my eyes widen with shock. He takes full advantage of my helplessness, his tongue plays with the insides of my lips, giving life to a throbbing heat between my thighs. My mind screams for him to stop, but strangely, as his mouth continues to roam mine, my body begins to quiver like a leaf, not from fear but from a growing pleasure – a need. A strange desire forms within me and I moan, kissing him back. It is then that my eyes snap open. What on earth am I doing?? I must have lost my mind! This has to stop! I bite his tongue. Hard. And I draw blood. Pained, Helios releases me in a heartbeat. “You dare bite me?” he growls, wiping
LAUREL’s POV The sound of songbirds from the chamber’s open window awake me from my slumber and I open my eyes to find myself lying in Helios’ warm and comfortable king-sized bed. A slight turn of my head tells me that the man himself is sleeping soundly right next to me. He is a sight to behold and I exhale, revelling in the fact that I am here with him. Quietly, I shift so that my whole body faces him underneath the giant quilt and in the tranquillity of the early morning, I take the opportunity to study Helios’ sleeping form. In his sleep, Helios looks much younger than his twenty-eight years of age. Gone is his signature scowl and in its place is a very sensual face that beckons for me to touch. And I do. Gently, I run my fingers through his dark mane before they trail to the bridge of his nose and finally to his lips. He is so beautiful, so much so that my heart aches. What happened last night wasn’t a dream. The touch of his lips, the caress of his fingers; they were all r
LAUREL’s POVLong-sleeved hands suddenly appear from the shadows and grab my shoulders.What the?Instinctively, I shove them away and spring back to the other side of the path in a defensive stance, ready to fight off my assailant whoever it might be only to come face to face with the one person I had been trying to avoid.Marty.Shit.“My love…my mate…” Marty’s mouth curls up in a disgusting smile as he steps forward with outstretched arms. But suddenly, he stops mid-stride and the ugly smile turns into an uglier scowl.And as the first flash of lightning rolls across the greying sky, his eyes darken. “The mate bond is gone,” he says, his voice climbing dangerously into a snarl.He takes another step closer, his boots digging into the muddied soil and cocks his head. A spirit of pure loathing crawls up his face and he spits into the ground. The spit lands on a tiny pebble near my boots.“You’re not the Laurel I met at the Morningstar Square.”He knows.My nightmare has come true. Bu