CIARA'S POV
The last few days had seen a further worsening of Noah's condition. His motions were slow and strained, his formerly bright eyes now dull with suffering. With a troubled heart, I watched him from the doorway. It hurt me to see him struggle because I was his partner. The idea of losing him was unbearable to me, especially at this point when his stability was vital to our pack.
"Hey, Ciara," was Noah's feeble greeting upon my entrance into the room. His voice was barely a whisper, and it made me feel pain.
"How are you feeling today, Noah?" I questioned, trying not to let my dread get the better of me.
Noah forced a meek grin, but the pain was evident in his eyes. "Just another day, I guess," he replied, his voice strained.
The priestess Zara spoke in ancient tongues while chanting in a little clearing far into the forest, her voice resonating over the foliage. Standing next to her, Ciara's heart was heaving under the weight of what lay ahead.Her hands lifted to the sky, "By the ancient powers of the forest, we beseech thee," she said.With breath caught in her throat, Ciara observed the enchanted circle that Zara's words created around them. Even though she understood what needed to be done, the concept made her shudder."Ciara, Noah needs you," Zara whispered gently, knowing in her eyes. "As you are his mate, you are the only one who can give him what he needs to survive."Ciara reached out to Noah, who was quiet and pale on the ground, nodding, her hands trembling.
~CIARA'A POV~If I were a number, which would I be?Numbers are beautiful. Numbers are divine. Numbers are an intricate form of art of a simple design. They help build the world around us and they help bring it down but there is nothing that can truly destroy the nature and value of numbers.I love numbers. I love how they are so important and yet no one thinks much of them. I love how they help shape the world without actually doing anything. I love how they are so easy yet so difficult to understand. And I love how they excitedly run circles in my head, begging to keep me company.Two eyes, ears, legs, hands, a face, and ten toes are most of what I was born with.Eight thousand thirty days, one hundred and ninety two thousand, seven hundred and twenty hours, is how long I've lived in this accursed world.Seven weeks, is how long I have been taken away from the only family I have.A window, four walls, two metal restraints, and a hu
~CIARA'S POV~He walked towards me with fluid strides and with each step he took, I craned my neck to get a better look at him.A pointed nose which is cringed in disgust, a pouty lips drawn into a line, two perfectly shaped ears, two enchanting cobalt eyes that bled with hatred and a mop of blond hair on his head which easily made him the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes on.I hadn't realized that he had gotten close to me till I felt his breath on my nose, so minty with a hint of cigar."Don't you know it's not nice to stare."Each word he spoke was more venomous than the last but even his toxic tone couldn't hold my tongue."It's not my fault you are so lovely, to look at," I said with what I can only imagine was a sly smile on my face.Stupid! Why would you say that to him? Why do you still speak when you know what will happen when you do? But I couldn't help myself. I can't help the way I speak whene
~NOAH'S POV~ I fell to the floor with a thud and a dull ache rang in the back of my head. My heart pounded against my ribcage and it took the intervention of the goddess for me not to have a stroke. "Is that all you got, Richards?" I jolted up at the sound of that high-pitched voice and resumed the battle stance I held minutes ago. "I'm not even tired.” The smirk on her face dropped and her pouty lips drew into a line. In this pack, there are two important rules that you must follow in your life. The first is to never mess with the alpha and the second is to never anger Ava Miller. And I didn't just anger her, I pissed her off. She circled me as a predator would do to its prey and I did the same, both our eyes became instruments of observation and intimidation. The arena cleared in seconds, the tension in our bubble drew the attention of everyone else and in no time whispers began to fly. "Don't they ever get tired of this?" "How can they get so serious five minutes into t
~CIARA'S POV~ A friend in need is a friend indeed.From the days of my childhood, I have never been able to understand what this phrase meant.Does it mean that it is only a friend who is in trouble that is a real friend or is it something else entirely different? I pondered on this very riddle and I had almost given up on it.Until now.Now I know what it means by a friend in need is a friend indeed. What it means to have a friend who is there for you in tough times, What it means to have someone willing to sacrifice everything for you.What it means to have someone like Ava Miller. That girl is a rare gem and anyone would be lucky to have someone like her.Just as she had proven to me.~FLASHBACK~"I'm pregnant, Ava."Mockery. My demons were mocking me, the words they spoke revolved along the lines of me being a worthless piece of flesh that no one cares about and I tried not to believe them, I did but as I saw Ava's face get pal
~CIARA'S POV~I sat in a pool of blood that used to be the fetus in my belly and my heart was saddened with each second that passed. I have cried till I can cry no more and cursed till I could curse no more, but nothing I did could ease the ache I felt in my chest.Because nothing can bring it back to me.I lowered my head and the tears that I thought had dried up flowed from my eyes like an angered river and a sob left my lips.How could you do this to me, goddess?I looked up into the ceiling and the anguish in my soul fuelled the anger in my chest.How could you forsake me after all I have been through? How could you take the only silver lining I had in this stormy condition you gave me for life?How could you let the evils of this world take my only joy?And how could you sit there and do nothing while the innocent people suffer for what they know nothing about.My heart raced and my breathing got ragged but my head was still hel
~CIARA'S POV~ ~FLASHBACK~ "Auntie, please could you help me get my bike?" I turned from my work and stared into the pleading eyes of my neighbor's child. I've seen enough teary eyes to know the real from the fake but if there is one thing I learned from all my years of being a teacher, is that when a child wants something he will go to any length to get it, until he does. And this little boy wants something. I smiled at the mischief that blended with the innocence of his eyes and I didn't have the heart to deny the child before me of his request, even though he had an ulterior motive because every child has an ulterior motive. To explore the life that we adults are too broken to enjoy. So I set off into the forest, to find the bike of a child who would lose it again. I moved with haste, determined to make it back in time before Nana woke up so I could prepare our meal. Except, I didn't go back. I couldn't go back. Not when I was attacked by wolves who were double my size and who
~NOAH'S POV~Perspiration coated my skin and heavy pants fell from my lips as I trained by myself in the field. It's been a week since I last visited that vermin and the anger I felt then still burns brightly in my soul. Who broke my toy before I could? Who had what it took to break the spirit that had been trying to shatter for weeks? But why does it bother me? I should be thrilled that she has lost her will to resist the truth. I should be ecstatic that I am one step closer to getting my revenge on that cursed woman. And yet…why does it bother me that her eyes have lost their shine? Why did my heart ache when I didn't hear her perverted comments? Why was I consumed with guilt when her broken voice bounced off the damn walls of that cursed cell?I fell to my knees in agony as a sharp pain ran through my chest. My breathing grew frantic and my heart pounded against my ribcage as dark spots st