Mikaela's Point of View
Julian seeing Luciana's back brought down the final blow. Feeling his anger bleed from him. Every fibre of my body wanted to comfort her. Help her. Show her that all of those gruesome things that had been done to her was in the past. We were her future. No one would ever touch her again. I knew from looking at Julian in that moment that he would gladly go to war, if only to right the wrong that happened to Luciana. Happened to the love of our life.
So many years had gone by where she was marred, not just physically, but mentally as well. After a while he had become more careful in what he did to her. Had gotten healers to fix her up before people truly started noticing. Luciana never broke, instead her spirit grew stronger, more rebellious. She never ran to anyone else. Never tried to get her father to stop. At some point, I knew she had started believing that she deserved every hit. Every drop of blood she had lost. Her father
After last night's run, the three of us had tangled within the sheets again. The release was more blissful than any before it. Being bonded and playing in the woods had brought us more close than any conversation could have. Julian had seen us in our true forms. Most primal bodies and he had loved us even more for it. I was so much smaller than Mikaela in wolf form, yet he treated us the same. Loved me all the same. It reminded me of that time he had come searching for me at the pack. How I had shifted in front of him. Back then, he also had a look of awe within his eyes. Somehow he loved me even when we weren't mated. Didn't treat me any less than because of my Omega status. I loved him all the more for it. For the first time in what felt like ages, I had slept soundly by Julian and Mikaela's side. Neither stirred during the night, either. Our little session was filled with energy and emotion. No wonder we had slept so soundly. Being in love was exhausting. The first run wi
Amber had brought our tiaras shortly after I had finished getting dressed. The golden snake at my back was cool against my skin, but was welcomed all the same. It was a reminder of our first little spat as a couple. A truly mated couple, that is. We would need small reminders, like such, to keep us intact with where it all began. Three people with a shared vision for the future. As well as a prophecy who lead us all together. Sure, the waters were more turbulent than we had first anticipated, but that didn't mean we wouldn't try and ease the journey. Hell, Andrew was still locked in a cell beneath our very feet. War was knocking on our doors. And a clan of blood thirsty vampires now sat at our table. All of it was enough to set my nerves aflame. Embers crackling beneath my too calm surface. I could feel my anger rear and crash, but tried to steady it. This wasn't the time. We would figure everything out as it happened. First came those bloody royals awaiting our entrance.
Our little spat with Amber still lingered within the crevices of my mind. Maybe I had overreacted. Caused more problems than I had solved. Granted, she had to learn respect. Be shown that we were one now. Julian was no longer the only person to consider in this house. No longer the only person who had any sway. To disrespect us, was to disrespect him. Her King and the man who had tried his best to ensure their species were happy for over a hundred years. Julian found us soon after we had exited our room. He was waiting for us in front of the door to the dining hall. The outfit he wore made him look every bit like the King he was, but laid back enough as to not make him seem too imposing. It suited him perfectly. He tried his best to pair the ensemble with both silver and gold accents. Another tribute to his mates. I smiled warmly at him, until I peeked behind his shoulder. Amber skulked
The nausea wouldn't subside. It barely wavered as I walked down the halls of our home. Lillian had ushered me to my room. Somehow she knew what was going on with me. Knew that something was amiss. I chalked it up to an old woman who had seen a few things in her many years on this earth. Lillian's senses were much more acute than my own. Plus, a stressful week and a few spats made my senses all but numb. Byron had warranted that little accident, but I still hated myself for it. What must the other royals think of me now? Think of Julian? They would blame him for bringing in an untamed dog into their society. I still hated how he had spoken about Julian. A boy in age, compared to them, but still their king. Tolerating such clear sign of disrespect was out of the question. I had known such mockery my entire life, and I never wanted to let Julian experience it as well. Thinking back to his moods, maybe he had experienced it before. He had felt uncomfortable yesterday as the royals came
I sucked in my first deep breath and steadied myself against the broken window. People ran in every direction in front of me. Fear twisted their faces into ugly masks as they fled whatever horror was taking place inside of the house. Security details escorted some of the people, most likely the royals, to what they deemed safety. From here, I knew there was no such thing as safety. Wolves sprinted around. Dashing to one victim, then the next. Screams curdled within throats as blood misted into the air. So many lives were already lost. Forgotten amongst the chaos. Julian and Mikaela, luckily, wasn't among the deceased. Small mercies counted in moments like these. Precious moment in which hard decisions were bound to spring into life. Getting down wasn't my problem, it was staying alive once I was there that would prove to be difficult. The flimsy dress I wore wasn't even close enough to battle attire. Nerves bounced off of each other in a frail attempt at forming a plan. I wa
Mikaela's Point of ViewLuciana's outburst had left everyone in shock around the table. No one had expected her to react in such a way. Feral and irrational. But I had known something would happen eventually. Byron still had his throat intact, meaning Luciana had used restraint. More restraint than she had ever showed before. Maids would have to take away the broken chair eventually. If only I hadn't sat so far from her. Hadn't been involved with my conversation to the point of becoming deaf to everything else.Nevertheless, Selena was a pleasant woman. Up beat and optimistic. She wouldn't stop gushing about how thrilled she was that Julian had found Luciana and I. They seemed close, but that wasn't why she was so thrilled. Selena was an avid believer in the prophecy. In changing the world. Her father, Arjun, had called herthe new generation,even when she was further away from me in age than even Julian. Selena was part of
Mikaela's Point of View Debris littered the floor beside me. My ears sang within my skull, pitching with every breath I took. This was what hell felt like. Being tossed about as if I was nothing more than a rag doll. Sharp pangs throbbed through my left side. The side closest to the window. Bracing myself on my elbows, I glanced to where Julian had stood last. The side of the room was gone, exposed to open air. Dark sky. I shook my head harshly, praying the ringing subsided. Julian was half sprawled across his table, blood dripping through his white shirt. Glass shards dotted around him, along with a brick and wood. This was a nightmare and all I wanted to do was wake up. To not be here. Slowly, I pushed myself up and into a sitting position. Hissing through my teeth from the pain, I glanced down at my side. Broken glass shimmered with crimson in the murky light. But my head still pounded, still sang with every movement. My vision blurred at
Dreams of fire and chaoscurled and shuddered in front of my eyes. People were screaming, fleeing some unseenmonsters. Bullets peppered the sky, raining down upon me like a freshly gathered storm. This was what hell looked like and I knew it. Wolves hunted scared women, ripping out their throats when they finally caught up to them. My own personal hell, formed especially for me. Julian wasn't far off from the carnage, his eyes blank as he stared at a dead Mikaela. Her head was at an odd angle, glass shards sticking from her thin body. Tears of blood streaked his handsome face, paintinghim every bit of the monster my people so vigorously feared. When I approached, he turned his head to me. There was no love present. No form of tenderness and hope that had grown there over the last few months. Only hatred and anguish curled within his mind. A worm wiggled its way from his ear and fell on his shoulder. If Julian knew it was there, he didn't say a w