I raised my hand, placing three fingers and counting, as soon as I reached zero all the air around me changed, becoming tense and dangerous. The first to come at me was Marco, he was using a Gladius sword with a wide straight blade 70 cm long. I used my wakisashi to defend myself by warding off his blow, spinning around I removed the katana from my waist to strike Claire and used some of the energy to actually throw her against the marble, I heard the sound of bones breaking.
I jumped backwards, running over the other two attacks that followed me, James and Jack in tandem, one trying to hit me in the shoulders and the other with a crawl, but I managed to get past them. Soon Marco turned and I could feel the claw penetrating the left side of my body, at waist height, bu
Bonus Chapter - Preparing for the missionLilith POVThe meeting with Kendrick was quick. The group and a few other people would be going out on a mission. Not a new thing, it had been almost a year since we had stopped at the castle and I was even happy to have a break while we took care of Hope.I didn't find it too strange how Hope was behaving. For me it is normal and one of the things that helped Hope control herself was getting lost in the Dionysus parties, after all, having sex and having multiple orgasms helped to get dopamine and controlled the girl well.Not having it made her even more on edge. I'm waiting for the time when she's going to get out of control, everyone is. And the onl
Hope POV - Monday afternoonI am standing near Miss Clark's office and I can smell Kaiden approaching. I turn so that I can look at him. I know he has showered because my scent on him was very mild and his clothes are normal, a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and black hiking boots. I arched my left eyebrow."Hey! Come here." He called to me and opened one of the doors leading to another classroom that was empty. I walked past him and into the room, worried. "Um... Hope..."I saw him start to speak, as he closed the door, he was trying to find the right words."You guys are going out on a mission." I spoke and twisted my mouth."Yeah, but... Not quite." Kaiden turned to me, picking me u
Kendrick POV - Monday nightI felt Hope's breathing become steady and her body relax in my arms. I closed my eyes and lowered my head, nestling into the curve of her neck, pulling in a sharp intake of breath and smelling her scent even more. Most of the she-wolves have a sweet smell, many remind of flowers, vanilla, honey, caramel, among others, of course always with variations, but Hope always had a different smell, strong, striking, and not sweet, despite a touch at the end like a natural perfume, the top notes remind of French Ladder, Sage and Cassis, while the body notes remind of Nutmeg, Clover and Roses and, finally, the bottom notes remind of Oak Moss, Sandalwood and Cedarwood from Virginia (Writer's note: the perfume to which I refer is reminiscent of Shiraz, from Natura Cosmetics)I could feel Night relaxing and purring happily to be so close to Hope, knowing that he and we were managing to connect so deeply that we were able to take away much of her pain. Now I understand wh
Kendrick POV - The game of the nightHope's nipples were hard enough to rub against the palm of my hand. Could I make her cum just by stimulating her top? It was a good challenge. I pulled my lips away from hers, ending the kiss, but letting a trickle of saliva drip into her mouth, which was still ajar. With her eyes wide open, Hope stared at me with a mixture of pleasure and doubt.I brought my left hand to her face and stroked it lightly, in an intimate and tender gesture, much more than purely sexual. Hope leaned in for more contact, and I let her. Her sigh of acceptance was all I had been looking for to make sure I could continue.I slid my hands down the side of her body, reaching up to her dress and pulling it up, I noticed that it was caught between her wrists, I ripped the two straps, finally freeing her once and for all from any fabric, if she wanted, now would be the time to break free and ask to stop. I held my breath and waited."Condom..." Hope whispered and I nodded, I k
Kendrick POV - The Night GameWhen our breathing finally returned to normal, I pulled out of Hope, removed the condom, tied it up, and threw it in the trash on the side of the bed. Then I lay down again and pulled the female body against me, gently stroking her left arm."Kendrick..." Hope began."Xii... Just sleep." I spoke in a low voice and gave her a kiss on the forehead."It's okay."Her voice was low, groggy, and it didn't take long to feel that she was asleep. I closed my eyes, I wanted to spend the whole night making Hope scream for me, but I know how tired she is, both physically and emotionally.----I wake up missing something, the bed is too cold, her smell is so faint right now. I shake my head lightly, rubbing my eyes, and notice that the bathroom light is on. I look at the time, it is early morning, 2:30 a.m.I get up and go to the bathroom. I see Hope already fully dressed, her amethyst eyes show something completely different than I expected. They are cold and distant
Hope POV - Tuesday morning'Rachel, where am I going to train?'I asked via telepathy to Rachel. Normally in the morning I would train with the guys in my pack, but only Kendrick was in the castle.'Today I'm in arena 1, with the guys who started with you.'I took a deep breath, bringing my hand to my neck, feeling the black mark, and took another deep breath. For me, who wanted to avoid Dylan, it didn't seem possible.'Um... okay, fine.'I agreed and started walking towards the arena that Rachel indicated. I put my hands in my pockets, when I was close I could feel the mark start to throb, but it was calmer, quite bearable.
Hope POV - Tuesday LunchYou know when you feel so lost that it doesn't matter where you look and there is no way out? That's what I'm feeling. No matter what happened or what I did, everything seemed to lead to the same place. My defeat was inevitable.The spiral was endless, no matter how many entrances and exits I had, I always ended up falling down, either at the top, at the bottom, and it all started again. I am in the middle of those stairs, with so many paths to follow and yet meeting at some point.For someone like me, who can see about 40 moves ahead, the chessboard was still the same, with me pushing the king's piece and accepting my fate. The blood dripping down the edges of the board and the faces of those I had killed being placed on the pieces and squares of the board.
Hope POV - Tuesday afternoon"You never said much about him." Rachel looked at me with raised eyebrows."I don't have much to say. He's stronger than me and most people I've ever lived with. He doesn't care what I am or how I am." I smiled a rather sad corner smile. "But for reasons beyond my own choice, I can't be with him.""Got it. Is he of a different race?" Rachel asked.I shrugged only, that would be my answer. I looked up and arched my left eyebrow watching my recruits fight, the smell of their blood permeating the air, but it wasn't strong enough to make me want to take it.I remained silent, arms crossed, watching my recruits. I could see their every move, see their muscles twitching before an attack or an escape, hear their hearts beating, some faster than others, but there was something about them all. They were enjoying it, the adrenaline of fighting like that, wild and with the only thought of winning.My face remained impassive for most of the moment until I noticed some