It's late in the evening, and Jude still hasn't returned. Lana's calling, so I answer. She asks, "What's up? We talked, and then you fell off. You ignore our group texts. Bethany and I went to your home and yoga studio to no avail. Where are you staying?""I know how to hide, Lana.""You're such a liar. I talked to Zelma." "So you stayed in contact with Zelma after Phyllis died?""Zelma's a part of our sorority.""How convenient." "Ajay, you shouldn't be there. I'll say it for you since you're beating around the bush. You're a witch. You told Justine, who told Zelma, who told me.""What else has Zelma told you?"Lana tells me Zelma isn't an innocent bystander. From the moment she dropped me off at Jude's house when Aaron left me stranded, she's been watching me. Dean was unaware of how much his daughters knew about the Knights. Zelma and Justine's mother died before they moved to Knight's Island. Feeling hopeless, Dean needed a way to bring meaning back into his life. Dean was se
Lana yells, "Ajay! Answer me!""I'm sorry, Lana, I have to go.""AJAY!"Racing out of the house, Wilson stops me. "Wilson, let go of me!""I'll let you go after you tell me where you're going," says Wilson."AHHHH!" I scream.Wilson asks, flinching, "What's wrong with you?""Are you all lying to me? Where's Jude?""Ajay, we're not lying. We thought he was with you."His doe eyes and scrubby face make Wilson look adorable and innocent. Your mind convinces you it's impossible for him to lie. I let out a loud sigh, and he gently touched my hand, saying, "C'mon, Ajay. Let me get you something to eat.""If it's from the villa, I don't want it."Wide-eyed, he looks my way. Now staring at the food in his hand, he asks, "Something's wrong with it?""Do you trust Deena?""Since you put it that way, " he's wrinkling his nose.He hands me a smoothie and sits across from me. There isn't any negative energy coming from Wilson. Dazed, he sips his beverage, deep in thought. Because his aura leaves m
"Jude said those exact words to you?" I ask. "Yes." Although my heart's shattering like broken glass, I say, "That's what you guys' intimate talk was about?" "Mhmm." "Is he in love with you too?" "What? No! And I'm not in love with Jude. After we talked, he explained why I felt that way. Everything I shared was his words. I just repeated his wise counsel to you because it made perfect sense. Also, as you know, he can mate by biting. He once thought it was the only way, but now he knows there's a deeper connection involved when mating." "So you don't love Jude?" "Have you heard a word I said? Yes, I love Jude, but I'm not in love with him. He's going to skin me alive for telling you this, but I kissed him." "When!?" "When we first went to Knight Island," he says with a yucky face, "It was disgusting." "Did he kiss you back?" I wince. "Not at all. He tried to kill me." I watch him, hands over my mouth. Waving me off, he says, "Go ahead and laugh." An uncontrolled laugh erup
I'm in the mirror analyzing my back tattoo. Gino asks, "Do you like it?""It'll have to do."Gino swipes my credit card, and it declines. He scolds, "No, Chiara! Not this time!""Gino, you know I'm good for it. I need to make an impression on some lames tonight. I promise it'll be in your bank account by noon tomorrow."While he massages his temples, I gently kiss him. Once we lock eyes, I give my lips a sensual lick, saying, "Thanks, baby."Lucy is waiting in her Jeep for me. She's wearing a pastel purple mid-drift knit top and matching shorts. As I enter the car, I say, "Don't you look gorgeous?""Thanks. Let me see your back. Gliding her finger down my spine, she whispers, "It's awesome like you."Two guys are gawking our way. I motion for her to come closer, and we let our tongues massage for a few seconds, and then we kiss. When we look up, those guys are entranced. Lucy and I burst into laughter before we speed off. Smoothies in hand, we enter Your Portion, and Dawn sprints ove
Dawn was livid and demanded I tell her everything. Then, Noor's finding of those sacred grounds was gold. It was then that Dawn's disposition flipped toward me. She returned supportive and gushed over my being the chosen one, touting, "Only Chiara Wolf could lead us into greatness!"The praise and flattery made me believe I was superior to the rest of the coven.Now that I had resurrected the werewolf spirit, Dawn was too anxious for me to find a mate. During our bonding time, Lucy would question why Dawn was in such a rush.A full moon was near, so I was gone into hiding. Phoebe and Dawn didn't know Lucy was still in the office. They were debating, and then Lucy overheard Phoebe say, "Chiara gave you the formula, so why didn't you shapeshift instead? Her arrogance and narcissism make her untrustworthy. Aren't you nervous she'll find the Alpha and turn on us?"Dawn answered, "Not at all. Her book tells her that Alpha's are picky. If he doesn't like her, he'll discard or even kill her.
Wilson and I sneak out without telling Andrew. The closer we get to the villa, the scarier Wilson becomes. He grabs my arm, saying, "Something's so off, Ajay. You don't feel that?" "If you're asking if I'm afraid, of course I am. But we have to push through this. Chiara needs us."The villa is visible in the distance, and Wilson says, "Nope. This is wrong. Jude is right. We need to stay put until he instructs us what to do next. Suddenly, we hear talking. Crouching in the greenery, we eavesdrop. It's Micah and Andrew. Micah says, "That wasn't the plan. We have to convince the others to leave before she starts this battle with Jude."Andrew huffs, "Bro, we're in too deep now! If we turn on Deena, we'll be killed. Jude's never going to side with us! We've already betrayed his trust."Wilson and I glanced at one another, then heard Deena ask, "What are my two warriors discussing?""You lied to me, Deena," Micah answers."Oh, Micah, stop it. Jude changed you, then ripped his power out o
Upon entering Jude's home, Andrew and Wilson are in the kitchen waiting on me. Wilson is sipping his beverage and intensely watching me. Andrew glances up, asking, "Where did you go?"Eyeing Wilson, I answer, "To the beach. I needed some air.""That was mighty brave of you, considering we have an ancient witch lurking who wants you dead.""I refuse to live in fear because Jude abandoned us," I sigh.Now, Andrew's staring at Wilson. Squinting, he asks, "What's on your mind, Wilson?"Wilson stutters, "M-Me? N-Nothing! I'm just anxious as to why Jude left us like this.""Well, I questioned Deena and Micah, and it seems he's left the island."Glaring at Andrew, I reply, "Without notifying anyone?""It's Jude, Ajay. Who can stop him?""I guess," I huff, then focus on Wilson. Momentarily, we sit dazed and in our own heads. Palms on the table, and Andrew says, "Well, I'm going to check on Chiara, then go to bed."Wilson goes to tell him she's gone. Discreetly, I shake my head to get him to
Rolling to his back, he looks away, answering, "I think so."Immediately, I hopped out of bed and went to the kitchen. Andrew and Wilson were conversing. Wilson smiled, seeing me. Andrew sighed, "I'm sorry about last night, Ajay. Wilson told me what you guys heard.""What did she hear?" Jude enters, grabbing my waist.Gently pulling away, I go to the coffee maker. Feeling my tears welling up, I glance at Jude and then hang my head. Andrew asks, "What's wrong?""Don't worry about her. Answer my question?""I've been pretending to team up with Deena like Micah. Wilson and Ajay heard me scheming, and Ajay went to tell you immediately," answered Andrew. Now facing me, he says, "I'm sorry I didn't trust you. Knowing you and Wilson were willing to take on that fight changed my perception of the both of you.""What do you mean scheming?" asks Jude.Andrew replies, "Deena took Chiara's powers during the full moon, which made us attack her. While we were changed, we sensed she wasn't one of u