I still remember the moment I died. The feeling of betrayal as I looked into my uncle’s eyes laced thick with anger, his fist slamming into my chest and pulling out my heart. I heard my brother, Kai, calling me just as I fell to the ground.The last thing I remembered was his anguished roar as he stumbled upon my lifeless body.I dug into the wrong places, asked the wrong questions, and put suspicion on myself. I got too close to the truth, and the enemy saw fit to eliminate me. Who would have thought that enemy would be the one the Moon Goddess blessed me with?Now I’m sitting here, wherever here is, watching them and being the only one privy to the danger so close to them. How do I warn them? Is it even possible to tell them?When I arrived in The Other, I was so confused. I felt a hand on my shoulder and when I turned my head, my heart completely shattered. She still looked the same as she did when I last saw her; long blonde hair, piercing blue Volkova eyes, and a touch as gentle
I sift through my memories, and when I see the place I end up in, I let out a big sigh. Of all the places to end up in, it’s 13-year-old Viktor’s memories.A loud crash from downstairs woke me from my sleep, and when I opened my eyes, and strained my ears. I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or not. I’ve always been the cautious one out of my brothers; the ‘think first, act later’ type. Konstantin always mocked me for this, but then again, he’s the hot-headed one. So, me being me, I got out of bed to make sure it truly was a dream.We usually live in the mansion at the estate, but because of Kai’s ceremony that night, our parents had us sleeping here at the penthouse for the evening. Back then, I wasn’t sure what the ceremony was about, but I would come to learn its importance later on. I watched as 13-year-old Viktor cleared his throat and straightened his back before walking downstairs, then I let out a laugh at how stiff I truly looked back then. No wonder Konstantin always used to t
When the bright light disappears, I find myself still in my bedroom, but this time I lined my shelves with thick books, there are accounting papers and textbooks all over my desk and my room is incredibly neat.From the old Nokia cell phone laying on top of my textbooks, I chuckle as I remember this phase of my life - Boring Viktor. I was a stickler for rules, never bending them for anyone, and had finished high school the day before I turned sixteen. My uncle, Dominik, advised me to go in the accounting direction since it would be an asset to the Bratva side of our family. I didn’t mind since crunching numbers was quite easy for me and I enjoyed it.But as I watch myself pace the floor in worry, I realize that it’s the day before I turned sixteen - the day before my Mate Bond Sighting clicked. “Why bring me here?!” I exclaim, but of course, no one answers me. The last thing I want to see is the look on my face when I see Ilya or the way he faked his feelings for me.I sigh and sit
When I blink again, I notice that I’m in the forest behind the Volkov mansion. In the distance I can see lit torches and chanting; someone walks past me and I see sixteen-year-old Viktor following close behind his brothers Kon and Dimitri.We’re all dressed in black cargo shorts and no t-shirts while wearing somber expressions.I swallow hard, knowing what’s happening tonight and the backlash it caused. Kai’s becoming Alpha and naming Kon as his Beta, Dimitri as his Gamma and me as his Delta. He mentioned naming Nikolai the Epsilon when he comes of age, too. This is where the rift with Dominik truly started because he expected to be named Beta, not Kon.I follow them and lean against a tree to get a better view of everyone gathered here. My brothers, Dominik, three members of the council back home, and the newly formed BloodCrest witches.The blind witch, Kaede, is about Kai’s age here; she left with Kai and Kon for Russia under training to take over from our deceased parents. It’s a
I find myself walking into Kon’s club, Fang, and suck in a breath when I see my brothers as I remember them. Kai and Kon are covered in tattoos, they’ve bulked up incredibly and are laughing like they used to. I watch the door as 20-year-old Viktor walks in with a stack of envelopes. “We’ve been granted the spaces - the strip will be under complete Volkov control,” he says as he hands the papers over to Kai, who grins.“It’s about fucking time,” he says, opening the envelopes and looking up at me. “Good job, Viktor. You know one of these will be yours, right?”Younger me blanches. “What? I don’t know anything about running a nightclub, Kai,” he says, looking to Kon for help but my brother only shrugs his shoulders. “Apparently we’re all getting a club, even Nikolai when he’s old enough,” Kon says, grabbing one of the envelopes to open and look at.I remember fighting with Kai not to place the responsibility on me, but he was adamant I would do well. I hated being relied upon, think
When the light clears from my eyes, I thought I would be in another memory but I found myself back in what I call The Other. Only this time, things were different…this time there was no darkness surrounding me. Instead, it was as if I was in a wall of one-way mirrors.And I am currently seeing Caterina curled up in bed, crying. “Why am I seeing this? It’s no memory of mine!” I call out, only to be ignored again. This isn’t the first time I am questioning the Goddess and her decisions, and I doubt this is the last time. I swipe a hand over my face and breathe out a sigh before facing the weeping mess of a woman I grew so close to in such a short amount of time. She’s alone in what seems like Kai’s bedroom and she’s curled up in the fetal position, whimpering. My heart constricts as I can feel her absolute misery from here. Why is she crying? What happened? I can’t enter her space, it seems, so I’m just watching from what seems like the other side of a window. The bedroom door opens
“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!” I cry out, just as I’m dropped into another memory and stumble, falling onto my ass. “You cannot keep on doing this to me! What was the purpose of showing me how my brother was being tortured?!”But even as I say these words, I know the Goddess showed me that vision to let me know Nikolai wasn’t dead. Why show me how he lost himself, though? What was the point of that?I grit my teeth and push down my anger, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath so I can focus on where the hell the Goddess decided to drop me now - Volkov Forest. It’s dark, and above me, I can see a full moon just after it’s done its crest. Swallowing deeply at the sounds of absolute rapture echoing through the trees, I know exactly where she’s brought me. I scoff as it occurs to me that Goddess Tiarin must love to see me suffer. I step into the clearing and watch the two figures lost in each other; slick skin and moans of ecstasy and groans of painful pleasure are like a silver dagger t
I sigh as the Goddess drops me into another memory for some or other fucking reason and blanch when I see Kai exactly as I remember him - long blonde hair, more tattoos, built like a tank, and angry. We’re in his office at Fang, the one separate from Kon’s. It’s just me and Konstantin present, and we look at each other while my brother seems to be slowly losing his mind.He’s pacing the floor and rakes his fingers through his hair. “I am nearly 35 years old and have not met her yet; the pack will start to think our God did not bless me with a mate,” he says. My eyes widen as I remember this moment; Kai freaking out because he hadn’t met his mate yet. He was never one for having a Luna but knew he’d need one to rule properly. Our mother was the Alpha and my father was the Alpha-Consort, so we grew up with an entirely different dynamic.It also reminded me that this took place about two years before I died.“Have you considered going to Kaede for help in tracking your mate?” I ask, th