The eight-year-old sat by the lake, staring into the clear blue water absentmindedly. In her eyes, her reflection was that of her wolf, staring back with so much sadness. It was a day after her mother told her that if she does find her mate, she should reject him; twenty-four hours after learning the reasons why she must avoid her mate at all costs. They were sad."I don't want to spend the rest of my life without a mate, Zinnia, we'd be lonely like Mother is," she said sadly, sniffing at the end of her lament. Her wolf rolled her eyes around."But even if she is alone, she did meet your father and he was her mate. Although she will never share the memory of him with us, she still has wonderful memories to brighten her day. I see her sit and smile, staring at the ring on her finger. She knows how the mate bond feels, she knows how it feels to be in love and have someone put you before anyone else. Why does she want to take that away from us?""Zinnia, Mother is trying to protect us, c
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.The sound of her whip cutting through the air resonated in the empty forest. She had a blindfold over her eyes so she could rely on her hearing sense instead. Her mind was occupied as she practised using the silver whip coated in wolfsbane with silver spikes and a scorpion tail tip. Her movement was like a dance, following the rhythm of the forest and her heartbeat. If only her thoughts were as serene as the training.Sapphire sighed and lowered her hand as the training came to an end. She pushed the blindfold up her head and blinked a couple of times to adjust her eyes to the brightness of the day. Once her eyes adjusted, she wrapped up the whip and pinned it to her belt, then stretched on her toes, looking up at the clear blue sky.She smiled as she saw some birds flying away like a happy flock and she couldn't help but wish for that freedom. ‘What's so special about being meat? Scrawny meat?’ Her wolf's voice echoed in her head, breaking the serenity of the
A stab from a friend cuts deeper than a stab from a foe. – Amit Kalantri____Betrayal, an emotion I hadn't felt before. I never felt it because I was never close to anyone to suffer that painful emotion. I didn't have any family members except my mother and she loved me more than herself. I unconsciously never gave room for betrayal and I didn't know it would hurt so much. It's true what they say, with love comes a lot of pain in different kinds of ways.It's certain that I didn't know how to deal with new emotions. The ache in my chest is caused by the tightness in my heart. The burning sensation spread across my chest and heated my stomach and for some reason, I thought the stir in my stomach felt like boiling acid. The unusual reaction of my inside left a lump in my throat and made my windpipe beg for full liberty to air.Memories of the times Zinnia vowed to make sure she accepts our mate returned to my head. It was obvious she tampered with my memories and temporarily shut them
I stayed silent for three days trying to decide. I spent twelve years working on my survival skills, twelve years doing nothing but trying to survive and now, I had to give that life up. Either way, my life would be taken because even if I tried to run, Hendrix would find me. There is nowhere I can run from the world's strongest alpha. His pack might not be the largest but they were considered the strongest and if he asks for the other packs to find me, I would be found.Now, there are three ways it'd turn out. He would chase me because I'm his runaway mate, unaware of why I ran. Or he'd figure out what I am and chase me for that reason. He could easily tell everyone that I was cursed and others would be on the hunt for me. You'll think that the other alphas would take the opportunity to capture me so Hendrix's pack would be destroyed, but you are wrong. The moment the curse is activated, I become a walking epidemic. No one would be safe from me.At the same time, while the disaster i
The fire crackled as it burnt fiercely in the chimney. He didn't need the heat of the fireplace to warm himself. The cold did not bother him. The curtains fluttered as the wind continued to play and the window shuttered lightly. The breeze was particularly disturbing but he couldn't be too bothered by it, not now.He flipped through the pages of the folder in his hands, staring at it with confusion and surprise. The grey large tufted wingback armchair he sat on almost swallowed his body, but he managed to remain sophisticated despite the appearance of his body in the huge chair. His full attention was on the folder and one could tell he was not just confused by what he was seeing, but also in disbelief and curiosity.He looked up from the folder when he felt someone else walk into the room. It was his father's study and no one except the two of them were allowed inside without permission. He didn't need to see that it was his father who entered to know, he knew but looked up anyway to
‘Hendrix! Sapphire has left the main boundary of the pack. Follow her!’ Alaric's only words before I felt it myself and took off. She was running away, she was going to leave and I didn't plan to allow that to happen.I thought she would stay and only hate me for a while then start liking me again. She's been quiet for three days and I thought it would be okay, one way or the other, but she was already leaving. I needed to find her and chain her down if I have to. I never planned to let her go whether she liked it or not.Everett and Cooper were quick to run after me when I suddenly took off and soon, I heard Manchester's wolf howling. He must have felt it too and alerted all the Guard-Gifted. Now it was a chase to capture our luna. She'd have to forgive me. She has to forgive me. She can't leave.“Alpha, she's heading to Ðela Dzĩ!!!” Manchester shouted over the link. My heart sank to my stomach when I heard the name. Ðela Dzĩ was an enchanted but disastrous waterfall. The water from
Scarlette stared at the empty cliff where her friend stood, her heart pounding and cold sweat breaking out of her skin. It was rare for her body to go through perspiration as she is always cool inside. She only sweats when in an intense battle or when she suffers from horrific shock. She's only ever suffered from horrific shock a few times and this was one of them.For the past few days, she had been feeling guilty and depressed because of her friend and she didn't know why. Scarlette was certain that Sapphire did not want a mate because she was afraid. She never truly understood why Sapphire feared shifting in front of everyone and thought it had something to do with her true rank. Scarlette thought that maybe she didn't want her alpha to find out that she is also an alpha and that her wolf is some kind of rare type that other alphas envied. She never imagined the true horror behind her secret that she discovered only a few minutes ago.Scarlette was burdened by her friend's reaction
Young Sapphire hummed as she trimmed the hem of her skirt, occasionally stroking her chin and nodding when she did it right. She was well aware of her mother's intense gaze but didn't want to bother herself. If her mother wanted to speak, she'd speak without hesitation. And as long as her mother doesn't speak on her own accord, she won't be able to get anything out of her. Sapphire knew that fact very well.She continued her work and when she was done, she held the skirt out to the sun with a proud smile on her face. Lobelia sighed, grabbing Sapphire's attention again. She rolled her eyes and rolled the skirt up. "You know, Mother, you can speak if you wish to. If you keep sighing like that, you'll only annoy me," Lobelia sneered at her daughter. She didn't like her sass."Well sorry if I was trying to be considerate about telling you what's on my mind," she retorted childishly."Oh, do tell, my considerate and compassionate mother," Sapphire teased, then giggled. Lobelia tried to mai