Chapter 22: An Unexpected UnionMikalya’s P.O.VOur lips moved in sync, a perfect harmony that spoke to the depths of my heart. My wolf sighed in contentment, basking in the scent of my mate.Abhay was shy at first, kissing me hesitantly, but as the seconds ticked by, he grew bolder, nature taking over to guide him through his primal urges.He broke the kiss to trail soft, wet kisses down my neck, moving aside the blouse to reveal my shoulders where he kissed me tenderly. He then moved back enough to look into my eyes, as if seeking permission to move forward.Smiling, I took off the dupatta, placing it to the side before I reached to my back, untying the strings of my blouse, but not all the way through. I wanted him to do the rest. When I smirked up at him to continue where I had left off, I saw him swallow nervously, but there was no denying the desire in his eyes.I turned slightly, pulling my hair over one shoulder as I bared my back to him. And then I felt his fingers moving up
Chapter 23: Behind these Icy EyesMikalya’s P.O.VThe sound of wings resettling into feathery bodies woke me up from my sleep.I opened my eyes to the faint light of dawn that was seeping in through the fabric of the tent. It took me a while to realize that it was Abhay’s warmth that surrounded me in a cocoon and not a blanket.Any other time, my instincts would’ve been to get as far away from him as possible. I didn’t make connections, didn’t know how to keep them. This might in fact be the first time I’ve ever spent the night in a man’s arms. But the wolf recognized its mate. It felt sated and happy lying in its mate’s arms for the first time in a century, even though I knew I couldn’t stay.Once again, my mind got distracted by the sound of ruffling feathers. Cautiously, I rose from the makeshift bed, careful not to wake Abhay and pulled up the zipper from one side of the tent, enough to take a peek outside.Falcons. About a hundred of them. And they were surrounding the dunes arou
Chapter 24: Twist of FateAbhay’s P.O.VI watched in horror as Mikalya, the woman I had adored, the woman I had spent the best night of my life with…now turned into a beautiful white wolf whose fur glitter silver in the morning sunlight.I couldn’t even believe my eyes, couldn’t believe that a human could suddenly…change…into a creature…a wolf!I felt a numbing sensation take over me as I watched the other girl, Ruksaar, also change into a dark brown wolf as they jumped into the middle of the falcon flock and a fierce battle of survival began among the two groups.“No… please,” I whimpered, unable to believe that any of this was even real.I watched astonished as a falcon tried to get too close to the white wolf and it caught the bird’s neck in its jaws. A sickening crunch of a sound later…she dropped the bird onto the ground, bloody and lifeless.I felt a sense of complete helplessness take over me as I watched the battle continue. Blood splattered everywhere and the cried of the fal
Chapter 25: Living a NightmareAbhay’s P.O.VI woke up on my bed in cold sweat, my head throbbing, and my mind a jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions.“What?” I croaked, looking around the familiar yet unfamiliar room from my childhood, and it took me a good few minutes before realization dawned on me that I was no longer in the blood soaked sands of Gujarat where I had witnessed the unthinkable.Instead, I was in my parent’s house, in my childhood room and I was safe.“Was it…all a nightmare?” I could hardly get the words past my throat, but even as I said it, I knew that I was only trying to fool myself into thinking that I wasn’t living in a nightmare where humans could turn into wolves…and I’d fallen for a woman who had ripped apart and killed several falcons, that had then turned into men…Ever since that morning a month ago, when my life had turned upside down, I had been living in my parent’s house, hoping that it would give me some kind of a temporary respite from the nightma
Chapter 26: Finding the Truth Part 1Abhay’s P.O.VAs I stood there, thinking about what I had just witnessed, I made a split decision as I turned around and rushed downstairs, bypassing my parents who looked at me like I had lost my mind.“Sorry, I just need to get something.” I called out to them as I rushed out the front door. “Be back soon.”I had no idea if they even heard me or not, but at that moment, I had more serious matters at hand to tackle, and the first thing on my mind was that mysterious woman who I had seen in the desert with Mikalya. If I was going to find answers as to what the hell was going on, she was my best bet.Asides from fining answers to all the questions that had been plaguing my mind since that day, I also needed to know whether I was hallucinating and if this was all a figment of my imagination.I needed the assurance that I hadn't imagined the whole thing so I could once again go back to my normal life, whatever the fuck that was. This was a deviation,
Chapter 27: Cowards Way OutMikalya’s P.O.VI stood in front of my newly built house, staring at the cloudy skies above. It was going to snow soon, and the tiny buds of flowers that I had witnessed growing in the curvature between two rocks, would soon wither away when the temperature fell.An aching pang of guilt fills me as my thoughts keep wandering to the man I had left behind, the one who was my mate. My other half.In my mind, I knew I did the right thing because humans and wolves don’t belong together. Our worlds were never supposed to meet in the first place. I had done what I had to do to keep him at arm’s length, but in the end, I had failed to protect him from the horrors of the supernatural world.He was better off without me; without getting involved in my tumultuous life. I had already caused him so much pain and confusion…I didn’t want to add to the hurt and betrayal he was already feeling.I glanced behind me when I heard a movement and Ruksaar came to stand beside me,
Chapter 28: Finding the Truth Part 2Abhay’s P.O.VI took Kashmira to a motel nearby and ordered her to lay low. She had travelled a long way with a child and the best thing to do right now was for her to rest, while I figure out what to do next.“I will find a way to take you to Mikalya once I figure out where exactly I need to take you.” I told her as we settled into the privacy of her room, where no one could overhear our conversation.I wanted to give her the assurance that I would be able to find out where Mikalya was, but even though I had mentioned the Himalayas earlier, it wasn’t like the Himalayas were a tiny hill. It was a gigantic mountain range that had several inhabitable places. Finding out exactly where Mikalya was in the Himalayas would be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.“Don’t worry, you will find it eventually.” Kashmira chimed in, sounding more optimistic than I felt. “Since you are Mikalya’s mate, the bond will eventually pull you towards her and yo
Chapter 29: The Journey AheadAbhay’s P.O.VAs Kashmira spoke, her eyes illuminating a strange intelligence, despite her young age, I still reeled from the revelations made about Mikalya’s age."You're telling me," I began slowly, trying to wrap my head around the revelation, "that Mikalya, who looks to be hardly in her mid twenties…yet she could be a century old?"Kashmira nodded solemnly, her gaze fixed on a distant point as if she could see through time itself."That's what I sensed," she confirmed, her voice low and grave. "Though appearances can be deceiving, especially when it comes to the shifter world, I could tell that there was something ‘old’ about Mikalya, like someone who had seen empires rise and fall…someone who had withstood the tests of time."I felt a chill run down my spine at the thought. Mikalya, with her youthful face and vibrant energy, hiding a secret so profound it defied logic. It was a revelation that shook the very foundation of my understanding of the worl