Xander Pov" Elise is pregnant, Xander. Your mate just got fucked by your enemy," Lucia whispered, gloating.The air froze and I felt the shackles around burn, literally. The sound that came from my throat was barely human – a roar of anguish that seemed to echo from the depths of my soul. I could feel it, even if I was the bearer. My heart was shattering just like how my growl was deafening. I struggled to get away but I thrashed against my chains with renewed fury, the silver burning deeper into my flesh as I fought against bonds that wouldn't break." Lucia!!!" I threatened, my claws elongating as Skye awakened. I struggled, ignoring the searing pain from the shackles that were obviously laced with wolfsbane. I couldn't care less how my skin tore while blood sputtered all over. Skye wouldn't let go as it reared it's head, fighting to break free from the doomed shackle.But his whimpering sound, amidst the piercing pain all over my battered body reminded me that this wasn't just a
Xander Pov"The night she vanished, I was patrolling the eastern border like you ordered. But I felt something – a disturbance in the pack bonds. By the time I got back to the house, she was already gone." Jason's hands clenched into fists. "But there were traces, Xander. Magic traces. Strong magic.""Could it be Lucia," I whispered."I didn't know it was her then. But I knew someone had used magic to take Elise. I tried to track the signature, but it was too well-hidden. By the time I could follow the trail, it had gone cold."My mind was reeling. "If you knew she was taken by magic, why didn't you tell me?""I tried!" Jason's voice rose, then dropped back to a whisper. "But you were so angry, so ready to blame me for everything. And when that spy came back with reports of seeing her at Drake's pack, you stopped listening to anything I had to say."The memory hit me like a physical blow. Jason trying to speak to me in those desp
Xander's POVStill shackled, I let out a growl. Muffled yet filled with the bitterness of what Lucia just shared about my mate. I couldn't think straight neither could I fight my already tired self.I wanted to make an excuse for Elise, tell myself that perhaps there was a reason she accepted Drake. But I couldn't. My muddled mind couldn't point out any reason." Elise, we promised forever..."Yes, we promised forever. Maybe I didn't love her enough. Maybe she blamed me for not being there when she was taken. Maybe she blamed my love for her. Yes, my love for wasn't enough to shield her from all the mockery of the pack members. It wasn't enough to shield her from her father's cruelty.It wasn't enough to shield her from being captured by Drake.Hours passed. Or maybe days. Time had no meaning in this stone tomb where they'd buried me alive. The only constant thing was the pain – the silver burning my skin, the poison weakening my wolf, and worst of all, the image of Elise in another m
Xander PovMy head lolled forward, too heavy to hold upright. I wasn't oblivious to Lucia's initial plots, but I had tried to know who was truly behind her. That was one of the reasons I agreed to play along with the Arc's suggestion of being mated to her.What I didn't expect, was the glaring fact that she was a witch. A dark witch. But who exactly was pulling the entire strings?The war sixteen years ago. Appearance of Elise's wolf and her sudden disappearance from Moonsville. I needed answers and Lucia was a key to some of the answers. "You know, Xander," she said conversationally, settling onto a stone ledge across from my chains, "none of this would have been necessary if you'd just been reasonable. I offered you everything – my body, my devotion, a partnership that could have ruled more than just one pack."She stood and began pacing, her heels clicking against the stone floor. "But no. You had to cling to your precious m
Xander's POVShe looked beautiful...those silver eyes. I could forever drown in it, not wanting to take my eyes off. Those pouting lips, kissable, as always. I took brisk steps, closer, ready to claim her. As always." Xander..." Her soft voice broke through my hasty steps.I stopped, my heart thumping faster than the sounding drum sound of our Pack's emergency unit. Just a step more and I could hold my beloved again, in my arms. Yet, I stood there as my legs seemed glued to the ground." Elise..." I breath out, stretching my hands towards her beautiful figure.Or silhouette. "Xander..." Was all she could chant, even when I saw more words in her eyes.I struggled. I cried. I bled." Elise, wait for me..." I whispered, eagerly, my breath edged. But what followed was the deafening silence and the fading aura of Elise's silhouette. I tried to grasp her but it was futile as I fell down feeling w
AUTHOR'S VIEWTwo days later, in the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of pack territory, the secret rebellion held its first official meeting. Twenty-three pack members gathered in the darkness. Meghan stood before them, no longer Elise's personal guard but the unofficial leader of the resistance. "We all know why we're here," she began. "Our pack is dying under Lucia's rule. Our Alpha is imprisoned and tortured. Our people live in fear."Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group."But we're not helpless," Meghan continued. "We have options. We have allies. And we have something Lucia doesn't expect – the truth." "What's the plan, General? We can't fight her directly. Her magic is too powerful.""We don't fight her head-on," Meghan replied. "We use her arrogance against her. Lucia believes she's untouchable, that fear will keep us passive forever. She's wrong."She produced the list Gerald had given her. "I need volunteers. People willing to leave the pack territory and car