Nikolai POV
The moon festival was just a few hours away. I could feel my heartbeat rapidly in my chest. The long wait for my revenge was finally over. Running the plan one more time in my head, my eyes scanned the map once more to enable me to recollect all the exit routes.I leaned lazily on the Van Drew had arranged for us for the kidnap, awaiting Stephan and the others. The material of the costume and mask I wore was made of a scratchy material and I vowed to tear it off my skin once I was done. When they arrived, we got into the car and soon, we reached the road.It was a rowdy environment; different packs all over the world gathered to celebrate one man. It was obvious that they were compelled to be here due to Jonas' reigning terror amongst werewolves. His title of the most superior alpha was not in vain. No one dared to cross or disobey him.The festival was about to kick off in a few minutes. I told Drew to move the car straight to the exit route and wait in the car as my backup defence, ordering everyone to turn on their surveillance earpiece and set their stopwatch to 45 mins. In case there was a problem, I'd give an emergency signal. Stephan and I got out of the car, pulling the mask down our faces and heading towards the main entrance. As it was a big gathering, there were sure to be hordes of security. Luckily, Stephan had already made arrangements with a neighbouring pack to get our gate pass. I had commended him on the smart move as it had also crossed my mind. When we eventually got in, I tapped Stephan's shoulders, giving him a signal. He nodded in affirmation and walked down the step path into the building to get a clearer view of where the target was. It was large multi purpose hall with two floors, decorated and designed like a 5 star restaurant with with lowlights and chandeliers on the ceiling and a medium sized table all over with three chairs around it for the invitees, the VIP section was a little close to the podium and it had two chairs around the table each.After a while, he waved his two fingers in the air, a signal that Jonas and his family were yet to be seen. He had already counted five men who stood as standby security guards, monitoring every suspicious movement close to the podium. While moving straight to the seats close to the podium as I wasn't really aware that it was for the VIP's, two hefty security guards approached me."May we know who your VIP invites are?" One asked, looking at me over suspiciously. "Elites with invites are the only ones allowed to sit here sire.""Oh, I had no idea," I replied, and walked straight back.They exchanged looks and I saw one give the other signals to keep an eye on me. I took a walk around like everyone else did, waiting patiently for the commencement of the program. After what seemed like eternities, Jonas walked into the hall. He wore a stiffened linen shirt coloured red with metal armour plates on his shoulder and a bronze breastplate covering his chest down to his stomach with greaves covering his legs. He was fully dressed like a soldier from the Roman army, the only thing missing was his helmet. He feigned surprise to see the large numbers of people that turned up. Bastard, I cursed him under my breath, gritting my teeth. Fucking bastard. He knew how feared he was among the people. So why was he acting like they were his friends? My eyes travelled to the woman that hung closely by his side, clad in a very revealing red dress. I took a wild guess, presuming her to be his wife. From where I stood, I couldn't see her features clearly to ascertain if she looked younger or older. But I couldn't move closer now, it would draw attention. My anger grew as I watched Jonas walking majestically whilst waving to the crowd as he stepped onto the podium. "Welcome, ladies and gents," He spoke brashly into the microphone. "It is such an honour to have these numbers come around to join me in celebration. As you all might have guessed, it is difficult to earn and maintain my dominance as the world's number one."I longed to drag him off the stage and rip him into two. But I stayed calm. "And my utmost joy," He continued, stretching out his hand to usher in a new figure on the stage. "Is that my daughter is walking in my footsteps, taking after me." He grinned so wide I thought his lips would tear open. "I'm so proud of her."As he finished, a round of clapping burst from the crowd. My eyes were still on his daughter. She had on a typical garment worn by women in ancient Rome kingdom, a long piece of cloth fastened about the waist with a belt. Part of the cloth was folded down over the belt to make it appear like it was two pieces of cloth. The fabric she wore was expertly draped around her body and slightly transparent.Noting her build and physique, and the long back hair that hung to her back, I saved them to memory. All I had to do now was wait for the right time. I was less concerned about Jonas' speech, his voice fading into the air while I had my eyes focused on the target, biding my time as I patiently waited for the perfect moment to strike. "Champagne, sir?" A waiter walked right in front of me and smiled. My wolfside was itching to emerge and strangle the living daylight out of the idiot but I tamped it down. No matter what, I couldn't afford to lose my temper here."Get lost!" I growled.The waiter, seeing the mood I was in, walked away without another minute to spare. I trained my eyes back to the target and discovered she had left. Cursing the stupid waiter who had distracted me earlier, I quickly brought my mouthpiece closer. "Stephan, do you still have eyes on the targ-"Hey handsome," I felt someone run a finger over my shoulder. In a flash, I dropped the mouthpiece. Spinning around, my eyes fell on the young lady who had stood on the podium with her father. I recognized her because she was the only one wearing the transparent fabric with a mask on her face.It was almost comical. We were looking for her, and here she was flying right into my arms. I played along, making sure I kept my voice low. "Handsome? How can you tell when I'm wearing a mask?" Her eyes raked over me and I could see the hunger in them. Moving closer to me, she pressed herself against me and gave a small laugh. "Your body tells me everything I need to know." I aImost shuddered, feeling disgust run through me. She was shamelessly throwing herself at me. It made my motive stronger. I faked a laugh, extricating myself from her unwanted embrace. "I see." "Do you mind if we dance a little or how about we go somewhere... quiet," She suggested, winking at me and pouting her lips. "It'll be much more fun I promise."I nodded, all the while thinking, of how I would enjoy making her suffer. Shameless bitch.She started off towards the back of the hall. "I'm not wearing any underwear," She whispered in what she thought was a sexy voice, motioning me to follow her."Drew, get ready," I said. This was going to be over soon. As I headed in her direction, a small crowd separated us. I cursed, afraid that I had lost her. I looked around frantically. And then I saw her in the distance, past the security guards.I noticed her head for the room close to the exit route. Straining my eyes, I saw a flash of her jet black hair going over a bend. I knew she was moving towards the direction of our exit route where the car was parked. Without wasting any more time, I gave Stephan a signal to follow suit, making sure we weren't being followed. The area was semi dark, so I shifted into my wolf, ready to strike. I watched from a short distance as she raked her fingers over her hair and sighed. As silent as I could, I stealthily approached her. A twig crumpled under my feet, making her jump up in surprise. Her eyes widened. Even in the dark, I could see the fear in her eyes. As she opened her mouth to let out a scream, I grabbed her roughly, clapping a hand tightly over her mouth. Not too long after we got to the car, I shifted into my human form, nude. Then I blind folded her with a small piece of cloth, her struggling body making contact with me down below. Instant arousal surged through me, hardening my cock but I ignored the urge. I wanted to complete the task. I motioned to Stephan to throw her into the car, as I watched her scream and cry and struggle to escape his grip."Let's go," I ordered Drew as I got into the car. The girl still sat, shaking as she struggled to free herself. The sound of her sobs irritated me so I landed a heavy blow to her face to shut her up. As she fell unconscious, I exhaled. This had been easier than I expected. Feasting my eyes on the girl's now silent form, I tightened my knuckles, exhilarated. Now I could avenge my Ella to the fullest. For every single way they made her suffer, I would make Jonas suffer. When he saw the pain I would put his daughter through, then he'd feel the pain I had felt. And till then I wouldn't stop.It had only just begun.EPILOGUEThe black-haired man who sat on a large ottoman fidgeting quickly sprang to his feet when he saw a middle-aged woman appear from the room directly opposite him. He had been wiping his clammy palms from time to time throughout his stay outside the room. At intervals he would shut his eyes in a silent prayer to the Goddess. His heart leaped in fear when she solemnly began to take off her gloves, and with his heart in his mouth, he waited for her to speak. But instead, her lips parted in a wide grin. "It's done. You can see them now."He raked a hand through his hair, smiling and then leaning in to accept the hug she was offering. "Jeez, Margaret. I was scared for a moment there."She only gave another chuckle. "Go on, they're waiting for you."He nodded shakily, walking into the room. His eyes first flew to the frail-looking woman laid out on the bed. She opened her eyes weakly when he walked in, smiling as she saw him. "Baby..." He whispered, quickly moving to her side. He t
Liyah's POVI tightened my arm over Nikolai's torso, leaning into him and not wanting to let go. I still felt eternally grateful to have him standing by my side alive and well. His wounds had been so bad that he had fallen unconscious for days. Margaret and I had to work day and night to treat him, mixing concoctions and applying them on him and the other man he had asked us to bring back with him. He still hadn't told us anything about the strange man. His wounds were nearly fatal, ten times worse than the ones Nikolai had sustained. I didn't know who he was but I was praying he would be okay. Nikolai chuckled and it sounded like music to my ears. It felt good to hear his laughter again. "Li, I know you love me and that you're happy to have me back, but now you've got me thinking you're planning to send me back into a coma."I laughed, loosening my hold on him. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I touched you or even smelled your hair? Let me have my moment," I joked, pu
Nikolai's POVAs I waited with my eyes shut for a final blow that never came, it all happened at once. One second Jonas was staring at something on the other side of the garden, the next he had slumped to the floor, blood gushing from the hole in his forehead. Still in shock, I stared at Jonas' unmoving body on the floor through my heavy lids, and then I looked to the other end of the garden. That's when I saw her. Liyah dropped the gun from her hand, racing towards me in a split second. "Nikolai..." She breathed, placing a hand behind my head for support. "Drew and Annalise will be here soon, okay? I mindlinked them already. Just hold on..."I smiled, feeling my busted lip ache, but I didn't care. Liyah was here...leaning over me and smoothening out my hair. She was here...she was alive. And Jonas was dead. It felt like a dream. Everything had happened so fast, I wasn't even sure it had happened. My chest was burning, and everything was beginning to get blurry. But that was okay.
Nikolai's POVI could feel the heavy swelling in my right eye as I slowly regained consciousness. I knew I had only been knocked out for a few minutes but I could feel my head spinning. I clutched at the grass, trying to pull myself to my feet but my hands were too shaky. I fell back heavily onto the grass, expelling sharp breaths as my chest started to burn. A piercing scream made me look in the direction of the sound and I looked up to see Jonas digging his fangs into the other man's side. I gasped in shock, trying once more to stand to my feet. I had almost forgotten that the man called Gabriel had come to my rescue. As I tried to crawl over there, I saw Jonas ram his fists into Gabriel's face...over and over again until he finally stilled, his damaged face buried into grass as he fell from Jonas' grip.No, no, no."No!" I yelled, grabbing Jonas' attention to me. As long as he was yet to snap his neck off his shoulders, there was still hope. Maybe he could be saved. Jonas swung ar
Liyah's POVI counted my steps as Barbara and I circled each other, everything I had learned during training resurfacing in my head. I knew she was waiting for the perfect chance to strike, but for now she wanted to stall, make me wait before she came at me. I knew she was confident...the glint in her eyes and the way she was walking calmly as though she were strolling told me she was. And I knew it was because she didn't think I stood a chance against her. She didn't know I had a wolf now. That, was my advantage. She was confident enough that she thought I would be dead in a heartbeat. But she wanted to take her time, taunt me and toss me around before she could really enjoy tearing me into pieces. Which was why I played along. Since she didn't know I was a full werewolf now, why tell her? I would only wait. Wait for her to make a mistake. Then I would play my hand. "Oh, step sister, this will have to be the most interesting thing that has happened in this pack for a long time," S
Nikolai's POV'Nikolai?' My heart skipped a beat when Anna's voice filled my head in a mindlink. I stopped in my tracks, my breath caught in my throat, praying silently that she was about to deliver good news.'I can hear you Anna, what's up? Did you…' I paused, not knowing what exactly to ask. My insides churned as I waited for her response.'We've found Liyah, she's alright.' I felt my heart muscles loosen at the sound of those words, my clenched fists relaxed and I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank the goddess. Liyah was alive. She was safe. Everything would be alright now. 'Okay. That's very good.' I breathed'Drew says our soldiers have already rounded more than half of the Monhowl pack, a lot are dead and the few who are wounded are surrendering.' She sounded in my ears.I scoffed. So these were the best fighters of Monhowl. Pathetic.'Okay. I'll need you to help him gather all the prisoners, maybe into their dungeon or something then wait for my command.' I said and broke the m
Liyah's POVAs I sprinted out of the dungeons, I checked for any sign of life in the cells I passed, but there was no one present. I knew that most times Nanny Maria was either in the cells or in the servant quarters depending on which mood Mira was in. I needed to find her. She was the only member of this pack that I cared about. As I made my way up the passages where I knew she usually was, I prayed that she was still alive and well. I could feel the blood pump in my ears as I kicked the door down and stepped in. My heart fell. The room was empty. No, no. Where else could she be? "Maria!" I yelled into the deserted room. But there was no one around. My head spinning with different thoughts, I held onto the door to steady myself. Maria was alive. She is alive. And I was going to find her. I repeated the mantra in my head until I began to feel better. As I walked out the door, I heard someone sniff. I froze in my steps. It was short and ever so light. But I was sure I heard somethi
Nikolai's POVAnna held my hand in a light squeeze as we waited for Drew to arrive. He had already mindlinked us saying that he was close by. I nodded at her, understanding all she was trying to communicate to me. But I knew I would not be able to relax until Liyah was standing unharmed by my side. I signaled the pack to hide in the shadows as we heard footsteps approaching.Anna and I did the same. A few seconds later, a figure clad in a cloak slipped into the courtyard. My wolf growled but I held back. We needed to be calculative. As soon as he was in the middle of the hall, I stepped out. The spy staggered back in shock. As he made to escape, Drew pushed at him from behind, dealing him with a deathly blow before he could recover from the shock. As I walked toward the man who lay on the floor squirming and begging, I shifted to my elbow. He played a huge part in Liyah's abduction. He was part of the reason why she was not here with me. Kicking him up in the air, I held him forward
Drew's POVFear gripped my insides as I walked out of the study. I couldn't help but continuously blame myself. Why did we leave them both alone? We should have been around, at least we would have been able to stop them before they went too far. But we didn't. And now Nikolai would not stop blaming himself for everything. We were all at fault...we should have been more watchful. If a spy had slipped into our territory unnoticed, it was because we had all let our guard down whilst making preparations for the wedding and the engagement party. I tried to hold myself steady, looking in Nikolai's direction every now and then to make sure he was okay. I couldn't imagine how he must be feeling. As we halted at the entrance of the hall where he had ordered every single pack member to assemble, Nikolai stepped forward. He had already masked his expression as that of anger, and I marveled at how well he was keeping it together."A couple of minutes ago, I found out that my would-be Luna has be