STARLETTE“That bitch.” Bella hissed, her nose wrinkling with disgust. “I always knew She had something up her sleeves. But I didn’t think she’d be desperate and audacious enough to pin a pregnancy on the Alpha.”My eyes narrowed at Bella’s statement, and she rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t look at me like that. I know you are also having the same thoughts. She’s been with the Alpha for years and couldn’t conceive. It was even prophesied that you were the only one who could bear his child. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she’s pregnant? It didn’t make sense to me at first, but now it does. The pup isn’t his.”“Don’t jump to conclusions yet.” I cautioned, clearing my throat. “We don’t have any evidence. Yet.”“If you say so.”“Let’s get back to what we came here for,” I said, steering the conversation back to the task at hand. That was my top priority at the moment.“Okay.” She shrugged, and as she spun around, my eyes caught the book she was holding. It looked very familiar. “Bella.”
STARLETTE“Pre—pre—pregnant?” My lips trembled with panic as I stared at Bella. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. “You’re pregnant!” She repeated as she pulled away from me, her face glowing with happiness. “Alpha would be so pleased to hear this!”“No.” I said quickly, shaking my head. My throat felt dry, and I swallowed to moisturize. I couldn’t fully grasp my emotions at that moment. I wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t sad either. I was just... there, not knowing how to feel. The smile on her face faded when she noticed my blank expression. “What happened?” She asked. “This is good news. You should be happy.“I should. But the feelings that stirred within me were deeper than I could explain. I wasn’t only feeling like this because I was carrying Maximus’s child. But also because… I was having a baby!“Please, don’t tell anyone yet. When I’m ready, I’ll tell him myself.” I pleaded, holding her hand. “I beg you.” She sighed, then nodded. “I don’t know your reason, but I’ll do wh
STARLETTEI quietly slipped out of the bedroom before Maximus could wake up and met up with Bella in front of the pack house, where she was already waiting for me. The land of the witches was far, and we couldn’t cover the distance even on our fours without burning out in exhaustion, so we opted to run our journey with a stolen car, Maximus’s. We got into his black Mustang and fastened our seatbelts like we owned it. I had managed to steal the key from him while he was sleeping, and thankfully, driving was one of the few useful skills my father had taught me, although it was mostly so I could run errands for him and my sisters. “So, what’s the plan?” Bella asked as I started the engine. “Do we even know where we are going?”I reached into my backpack, pulled out a piece of paper I had taken from Maximus’s office, and handed it to her.“A map that leads to our destination.” I told her. She unfolded it and studied it before glancing back at me. “This is absurd.” She hissed, her disa
STARLETTEBella let out a heavy sigh of relief, and I exhaled sharply, though still in shock. Never in my wildest dream did I imagine that the witch I came seeking for was the daughter of the elder. Emelia turned her gaze to me, a wide smile spreading across her lips as she pulled me into her arms. “It’s been so long. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”I pushed the shock in me to a hideous depth and replaced it with a cheerful demeanor. “It’s good to see you again.”“Come with me,” she said, helping Bella up and wrapping her arms around our shoulders as she led us out of the gloomy room.“Be careful, Amelia. These wolves are not to be trusted.” Her father called after her. “Don’t worry, Dad. I trust this one.” She assured him before we exited the room. We walked through the dark corridor in total silence, none of us addressing what just happened. My head was filled with billions of questions, my mind hoping she would agree to what we came here to ask.Stopping in front of a gi
MAXIMUS I stretched my hand forward, reaching for my mate, but the bed beside me was empty. My eyes snapped open, scanning the room. But she wasn’t there. It was unusual for her to wake up before me and leave without a word. Maybe she went out for a walk, I thought. Yesterday, she seemed distant, lost in thoughts. I wished she would let me help her, allow me to be a shoulder she could lean on. But she still didn’t trust me, and that hurt. She wasn’t to be blamed, though. It was all my fault. And making amends was all I had been trying to do. To fix what I had broken. She hadn’t been treated well in her former pack—something I only realised when her father visited. I should have suspected it earlier when he sold her to me without a second thought. What kind of father does that? The way he belittled her in front of me... it took everything in me not to tear him apart.She deserved better. My goal was to make her feel more loved and cared for than ever before.Someone tried to mind-li
STARLETTE “Iris.” I called on my wolf as soon as I started driving. “Yes?” She replied and sighed in relief. I couldn’t imagine how I would have felt if I had lost my wolf forever. Imagine losing one’s wolf in the process of searching for how to free another person’s wolf. That would have been tragic. “I’m glad you’re still here.” I said. She groaned. “I hated being constrained. It was as if I was locked in a dark hole; I could hear everything but couldn’t do anything.”“I’m sorry I put you through that.” “Okay.” She simply replied before retreating to the back of my mind.My thoughts drifted to Lucius’ wolf, my heart filling up with pity for him. I wondered if that was how he had been feeling all his life. It was a torture no one should have to endure.“Check on your wolf.” I told Bella, and she snapped her head in my direction. “I did that the moment we left that place.” She replied. “Is she okay?” I asked. “Yes.”Suddenly, a couple of military vans appeared in front of us,
MAXIMUSStarlette had been moving really funny. I didn’t want to suspect my mate; I wanted to trust her, but she was making it really difficult. She went from disappearing inside the woods, smelling like my brother, to leaving the pack and lying about her whereabouts. What was she really up to? She made me really anxious. And adding to my growing anxiety was my recent discovery about my brother, Lucius. What did he plan to do now that he had gotten his wolf? Was he conspiring with Starlette to betray me? Was that why I smelt him on her? Damn, my mind was going crazy with infuriating thoughts. I desperately hoped it wasn’t true, because if it was, I didn’t know if I could survive the heartache.The door to the bedroom was pushed open, and Starlette walked in. I had been waiting for her.“Where did you go to?” I asked for the nth time, hoping I would get a different response this time. The truth.She took a deep breath as she approached me, sitting beside me on the bed. I refused to lo
STARLETTEI was feeling down, my spirits low. Maximus had returned to the bedroom late last night and left before I even woke up. It was clear he was avoiding me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of me now. Did he hate me? Did he consider me a traitor?A pain pulled on my chest at that thought. My mind was a crazy mess as I wandered around the pack, hoping to clear my head and ease my mind. But the more I thought about everything, the more my thoughts seemed to spiral out of control. Like hell, I hated this feeling. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to tell him. I had gone to great lengths and risked a lot in trying to help Lucius get his wolf back; I couldn’t back out now, and I certainly couldn’t tell Maximus either. He would ruin every plan. Lucius suddenly appeared before me, pulling me out of my stream of thoughts. Talk about the devil.A smirk played on his lips. “I heard you wanted to see me yesterday.”I sighed heavily. “But you refused.”“But I’m he
AXELIt took everything in me to release Violet and follow Aunt Amelia back to the witches’ kingdom after that sweet intoxicating kiss. I wanted her in my arms at all times, I wanted to devour her. Hell, I couldn’t wait to put my mark on her, to officially make her mine.My father was notified of the recent development and he promised to be at the witches’ land shortly.The witches’ clan leader was in the throne room, waiting for us when we arrived.He quickly leaned forward and raised a brow as he asked Aunt Amelia. “Did you get it?”She nodded, and pulled the black headband out. “Here it is.”“Then let’s get to it.” He said as he stood up and started walking towards the giant doors.Aunt Amelia followed and so did I.“Where are we going?” I asked her as we walked out of the throne room and down the corridor.“To the spell room.” She told me.“And he is not going in with us.” Kaelin called out from ahead. I scowled. “Why?”“Because it is sacred for the witches and I can’t allow wol
VIOLETTThe first thing I did after waking up was check if the headband was still in my pocket—and I was relieved to find that it was. I immediately called Axel to inform him, only to find out that he was already at the Witches’ clan leader’s place, asking him to free me. My chest spread with warmth at that information, knowing that my mate truly cared about me. I couldn’t believe that I had ever doubted his love for me.They would be here any moment to take the headband and undo the hex. I couldn’t be more excited. Living with this sickness was hell and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy—except Lila though. I had hated her before, but the hate doubled over after my interaction with her. She had no atom of remorse in her.I stared at the black headband in my hands, a satisfactory smile touching my lips. She’d soon be done for.A knock suddenly sounded on the door and I quickly sat up, a smile spreading on my lips as I expected Axel and Daisy’s mom to walk in. But that smile quickly
AXELIf the man before me wasn’t Aunt Amelia’s father and Daisy’ grandfather, I would’ve charged at him and gouged his eyes out. How could he be so heartless, causing an innocent girl so much pain? I understood we were all desperate to root out Lila and put an end to her menace once and for all, but hexing Violet? That was too far.And the cure to the hex was bullshit. How could he insult the mate bond like that? Mating and marking of one’s mate was sacred to the werewolves. It was supposed to be done when both parties were fully ready. But the Witches’ clan leader here had turned it to a cure to a fucking hex. “You have to find another way!” I barked at him. I had full desire to mate and mark Violet, but not this way. We have to do it out of our own free will, not when we are being forced. “Why?” He raised his brow, totally unbothered by what he had done. “Why do you care about that? Tell me the truth, are you her mate?”“What if I was?” I snapped. “Would you consider finding anot
VIOLETShe turned around just before my fist could connect with the back of her head, gripping my fist and hurling me backwards. I gasped as I landed on my back, pain shooting through my body.“Oops.” She pulled an exaggeratedly apologetic expression. “Didn’t mean for that to happen.”I quickly stood up and tried to punch her again, but before I could reach her, she disappeared into thin air, only to reappear behind me.“Nice try.” She chuckled.I flipped around, feeling intense rage and hatred consuming me. She was the menace we had been looking for all these while, and I couldn’t let her go. I had to find a way to trap her. But there was so little I could do when I was alone and she was more powerful than I was. “Where are the girls?!” I growled. “Damn!” Her face twisted into a frown. “Why does everyone keep accusing me?”“Don’t even attempt to lie to me.” I retorted. “All evidence points to you.”“Really?” She folded her arms across her chest, pinning her gaze on me. “What evid
VIOLETI opened my eyes, feeling how weak my muscles were. This was so frustrating. I woke up every time, not knowing the next time my temperature would rise and make me faint again. I couldn’t continue living this way. I was on the verge of losing my sanity. My father wouldn’t tell me why the witches’ clan leader hexed me, and he wouldn’t succumb to his demands either. That showed how little he cared about me and my heart ached at that.Groaning in pain, I reached for my phone on the nightstand to call Daisy. He was her grandfather so she might have some idea.“Violet!” She beamed from the other end of the call when she picked up. “I had tried your line several times but it wasn’t going through.”The pain was so much that I forgot I had a phone. It was not until this evening that I asked my mom for it and she gave it to me. “There’s been a lot going on.” I told her with a tired sigh.“How are you? You don’t sound well. I thought you would have recovered.” She asked, sounding worr
AXELMy eyes sparked with amazement, mesmerized by the beauty of the town as we strode through it. Every pathway was adorned with flowers of beautiful colours. I even sighted a group of children practicing their magic by trying to revive a withering flower. Finally, one of them did it and they all jumped up in excitement with echoes of their giggles spreading around the area. It was beautiful and heart-warming.This place was so different from all the werewolf kingdoms I had been to.At the centre of the town, was a giant castle which I believed the clan elder resided in. “Is that where the clan elder live?” I decided to ask Aunt Amelia.“Yes, that’s where I live too.” She glanced at me and winked. “You know, since I am the princess.”“Can I see inside?” I asked.“Let’s show you the surrounding first before—““I am really curious to see what it looks like. Please?” I interrupted.The witches’ land was indeed magical. But that was not why I was here.She sighed. “Okay.”As we walked t
AXELAfter I left Violet, I went in search of my Dad, knowing they’d be looking for me since the meeting was over. I found him and the others—uncle Lucius, Kade and Tom, in the hallway leading to the hall where the meeting was held. Their voices were hushed while discussing something I presumed they didn’t want anyone else to hear, but when my Dad saw me, he paused, casting a disapproving look my way. “Where have you been?” He groaned. “I brought you here for a reason.”“I am sorry, I had to go and ease myself and I got lost.” I let the lie slip off my tongue. The look on his face showed that he didn’t believe me, but he decided to let it go anyway. “The meeting is done. We are heading back now.” I nodded. “Okay.”On our way to the car, I moved closer to Uncle Lucius, lowering my voice as I asked curiously. “What’s the conclusion on Lila?” “If you wanted to know, you should’ve stayed for the meeting, but...” He leaned closer and reduced his voice to a level only I could hear.
VIOLETI didn’t know how, but I sensed his presence the moment he got to this pack and I had been waiting for him ever since. I was so happy and relieved that Axel was here, even though I still held a bit of resentment due to his betrayal.“You don’t look good.” Axel said, worries flooding his face as he sat on my bed and held my hand in his. “What is wrong?”“My Dad said a witch had hexed me.” I told him.“What? Why?” He asked, confusion saturating his features. That, I didn’t know either as my dad had refused to give me the full details. He always hid things from me, even though it concerned my health.I shook my head. “I don’t know either. But he mentioned that it was the Witches’ clan leader’s doing.”“Kaelin?” He said, confusion evident in his face. “Why would he hex you?”“I don’t know either.” I sighed. “I guess my dad got on his wrong side.”“And he wouldn’t say what it is that is between them. Or what condition Kaelin was giving to ensure your release.” Axel said, more of a
AXELI hadn’t been able to get Violet off my mind since she lost consciousness. Orion even wouldn’t stop howling in pain, desperate to see his mate. When her parents were informed, they arrived within a few hours and didn’t hesitate to transfer her to the hospital in the south. Now, I was in the dark about her health status and nothing could be more frustrating than that. I couldn’t be more glad that my dad had invited me to tag along for the Alpha King’s summit that was to take place in the south. That was my opportunity to check up on my mate.As planned, I was picked up from school and joined them as we travelled to the south. Uncle Lucius, kade and Tom were also with us. We arrived at the south and we were led to a grand hall where other Alpha Kings with their Betas and Gammas also joined us. “I welcome you all and thank you for honouring this invitation.” Silas said, darting his gaze between everyone in the room. “What I have called you here for is really important.” “It