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111 | VIOLET
I couldn’t peel my eyes away from Violet’s grave as Samyak spoke. Everything felt hyper-realistic: the rustling trees, the stark white of the sky, the feel of his hot hands wrapped up in mine.
“You really tried?” I breathed. His behaviour had led me to this conclusion before, but hearing him admit to it, out loud, made my throat close up and my blood run cold.
“Yes. I – I’m ashamed of it now. But at the time it felt… logical. Like it was my only choice, my only option. I’d always been her responsible big brother. I looked after her, always. This was just my way – the only way I could see – of continuing to do that. It was my fault that she had… died,” he said, stumbling over the word. “It was my job, my responsibility, to bring her back again.”
I nodded, my heart numb in my chest. I could just barely feel it beating, just barely f
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The Beta's Daughter 112 | PINECONES
The days after Samyak’s revelation passed in a haze. The world around me felt blurred, only coming in to sharp focus if I looked too long or too hard. My hearing was muffled, the thudding of my heart pounding rhythmically through my brain.I’d wanted to scream at him, to yell; but instead I’d sat, very still, very quietly, as he’d cried. There was a strange emptiness in the air now: the tension was gone, released, but in its place there was… nothing. Just nothingness, pushing us apart.I didn’t want it to be that way. I’d promised to understand, to know him as only he knew himself. And it was not his fault, not entirely at least – I felt certain that the hunters would have uncovered the knowledge they needed without Samyak’s help.I fixated on this point as I folded linen. Luna Carla was beside me, scurrying between guest rooms and setting candles in windowsills. The
The Beta's Daughter 113 | SUNRISE
I awoke in the early hours of the morning. The twilight of the evening had passed, the world rolling through to a hazy dawn while I’d slept. My neck ached from its crooked angle, pressed against the wood of the window seat and tilted downwards.I’d slumped forwards, but the small, purple book was still balanced on my lap. I looked around, blinking through the stupor that came from falling asleep unintentionally.The lantern was still flickering, but the burning light of the morning sun outside was brighter. It spilled into the library, brushing against the spines of the old books and dancing across the trailing green leaves of the houseplants.I wrenched my curled body out of the window seat, and carefully tucked the book into my tote bag. My forehead felt sweaty, and I dabbed at it with the hem of my sleeve. I felt disorientated, as though my dream world had not quite left my mind. It was unsettling, but I s
The Beta's Daughter 114 | SILVER CRESCENT
“Mum! Dad!” I shouted, a wide grin spreading across my face. Then I was wrapped in their arms, and I was finally home. I felt complete; whole, though I hadn’t realised that I’d been missing anything until now. They towered over my head, and I felt safe, secure.Then they released me, and another set of arms tackled me from the side. I pulled back, and stared up into familiar, warm sea-blue eyes. His short dark hair was tousled, more so than usual, and stood up at irregular angles, falling in waves across his forehead.“Jake,” I breathed, smiling. I felt dizzy, overwhelmed, as he pulled me flush against his toned body.“Ari,” he whispered, and the hole inside me filled a little more. I’d missed him; not the person he’d been when I’d last visited Silver Crescent, but the best friend that I’d known for years, before mates and relationships and sto
The Beta's Daughter 115 | BLOOD
“Blood?” Samyak frowned, a crinkle appearing between his eyebrows. “How will blood help us?”“It’s all in here,” I said, gesturing to the small, purple book.Luna Carla’s eyes widened, and she cocked her head to one side. We were upstairs in the pack house; all of the highest ranking wolves from both the Lapis Moon and Silver Crescent packs were in attendance, cramped together in the seating area by Alpha Felix and Luna Carla’s offices. The last vestiges of the sun’s rays were slanting through the windows, burnished gold warming our faces and brushing highlights into our hair. Speckles of dust span through the light, floating upwards and spinning slowly as they rose.“What’s this old book going to tell us?” Ryna asked, sliding one hand onto her hip. Her slim, blonde eyebrows raised slightly, and I sighed.&ld
The Beta's Daughter 116 | ORB
The next few days passed us by quickly, running together and blurring into one. Rosa and the other warrior wolves arrived, and we spent her first evening sat together in her family’s guest cabin, catching up and gossiping about Joshua, Jacob, and Samyak.The sunlight had slanted in through the window, warming the sides of our faces as we’d grinned. I’d caught sight of Ryna stalking past outside, and had watched her disappear into the woods with a grim feeling settling in my chest.Though I wanted to talk to Samyak, I found the days were slipping by without a moment for us to be alone together. The only part of the day we had to ourselves was at night, as we climbed into bed, and we were both so exhausted from the days of training that we fell asleep quickly, with little more than a hurried “Goodnight,” and a chaste, sleepy kiss.Our days were filled with training, both mental and physical. A
The Beta's Daughter 117 | AURAS
I felt my face pale. I clung to Samyak, my hands scrabbling at him like the terrified claws of a prey animal. The moon’s light glittered in my eyes, spinning slowly like a distorted, monocolour kaleidoscope.“Arienne?” Samyak asked, his voice whipping like static against my ears. “What is it? What’s wrong?”Black spots pulsed through my vision, but I shook myself, determined to find out more.Gedeon? What time tomorrow? I sent back, my mind scrambling to find his. But no reply came, and I felt myself falling.Before I hit the bottom, however, I yanked myself back up to the surface. The tidal wave was coming, but we had time. We were prepared, and we could be ready. We would be ready.I pulled back, and my gaze met Samyak’s. He looked soft, his lips plump and his eyes tender. They furrowed in confusion when he saw my own exp
The Beta's Daughter 118 | THE DARKNESS OF THE DAWN
The sun was rising, the first glimpses of orange light tickling the purple sky of the dawn. I stared straight ahead, my flask of coffee going cold between my hands.They were coming, and we were ready.We’d been sent to bed halfway through the night. I’d struggled to sleep, but had fallen into its warmth an hour before I had to wake up again. The broken pattern of napping had made me more tired than I had been before, but my steely focus and determination was keeping me awake now.Samyak had excitedly filled his parents in on his gift, but when they had asked me about mine I’d had very little to say. Ryna’s aura, if that was what it had been, gave me hardly anything to go on. Samyak’s gift was real, palpable; we had both witnessed its effects first-hand. Seeing one maybe-aura was not much to brag about; besides, even if it had been real, I didn’t know what it meant.&nb
The Beta's Daughter 119 | BATTLE
Alpha Brius was shadowed on either side by his family. His hair, red as blazing fire, stood out even in the darkness. The glow of the sun shone on it, blood dousing flame, and it rippled like water as he stepped forward beside his mate. I could just make out Luna Lucille’s classical features in the dim morning light, though her hair, darker than Brius’s, was obscured.“We said we would stand beside you,” he called. “No matter the task. You saved our son, and the White Elm pack is in your debt, Lapis Moon. We have come to fight at your side.”Luna Carla beamed, and walked down the slope to greet them, Alpha Felix at her side. “You came,” she breathed.“We did, Luna,” said Alpha Brius, bowing his head to her. It was a gesture of respect, and one that was not necessary under such circumstances. “You called, so we came.”I beamed dow
Bab terbaru
- The Beta's Daughter 122 | EPILOGUE
- The Beta's Daughter 121 | AIRINI
- The Beta's Daughter 120 | NIGHT
- The Beta's Daughter 119 | BATTLE
- The Beta's Daughter 118 | THE DARKNESS OF THE DAWN
- The Beta's Daughter 117 | AURAS
- The Beta's Daughter 116 | ORB
- The Beta's Daughter 115 | BLOOD
- The Beta's Daughter 114 | SILVER CRESCENT
