The Peltvinian warlock sighed as his eyes drifted from the bunch of waxy red leaves, to a pile of black ash kept in a tray—all that remained of the attacker that had struck the mansion two days ago. His workroom was illuminated only by the soft light emanating from candles, giving a golden glow to the charts hanging over the black stone walls and glass jars of varying shapes stacked into shelves, but it looked far neater than how he had left it.His mind, on the other hand was complete chaos. There were so many thoughts swirling about at the same time that he struggled to tell one from the others. His emotions were raw—regret reigned over the other. Not once, but twice he had been absent when his suject had needed his protection. He had made a promise to himself. I will not betray her like I did the others, he had told himself. But unwillingly he had.After hearing the vicious tales on his return, his mind was

That morning Eira dreamt the werewolf dream again. She was running through the woods, being chased closely behind by the half-human, half-wolf beast as the full moon looked down at them wickedly. The whole dream was exactly the same; it ended when she was about to find out what lay behind the satin—only this time the werewolf had put on Hela's face. Her fur was darker and somehow shinier than the one she had seen before. Her amber eyes had watched Eira hungrily while her jaws opened and closed, revealing sharp teeth threatening to rip her to pieces. When her eyes opened, the sun's warm rays brushed her face. The little dove drawn on her back felt warm and it made her touch her neck. The wounds had healed but the memories were deeply engraved in her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Rafael with his white pupils and pointy fangs. She shook the memory away for time being and got out of the bed. She hoped it for a good day but the hope vanished the moment Nate said Damien wan

They arrived late for the first class as Eira had predicted. Entering into an already settled class was a greatly embarrassing task especially with a handsome hunk by her side.The stares everyone gave them didn't go unnoticed by her but she pretended to be unaffected by them. Nate was introduced as a new transfer student from the neighbouring town Everwinter. The way some of the girls in her class had looked at him the whole time stirred something inside of Eira.The bell indicated the end of a torturous hour. No longer had the professor left the class than Bella jumped on her from behind and engulfed her into a bear hug.The reunion was quite emotional, even though Eira wasn't the emotional type. A stray tear slipped down her cheek and Bella teased her for acting like a 'softie' but soon they were discussing more important things."Since when?" Eira tried to keep her voice low but the surprise was too much for her. Some of the people sitting around them passed her disapproving glares

The drive back to the Carters mansion was a quiet one. Eira sat in the passenger seat silently contemplating as the tires ran smoothly over the grey road. Occasionally, Nate stole glances at her—she pretended to enjoy the scenic beauty of the sun going down. It was all an act at first but soon she unintentionally managed to enjoy it. The view was tranquil and gorgeous over the open fields on either side of the road. But it was over soon and she found herself looking at tall green trees. Darkness overwhelmed in a twinkling and brought along with it the cold winds. The car slowly lost speed before coming to a complete halt in front of a huge open gate. Through its metal bars, the great mansion stood divided into a hundred long slits. From the inside, the mansion appeared creepy, so vast like a maze, you could get lost in it, but from the outside, there was just one way to describe it—beautiful. Eira found herself lost in its grandeur—long, round stone pillars stood greeting visitors an

"You're the one who doesn't know the full story. I asked Damien to get rid of Cameron, the former alpha."Something in the air shifted. The winds that were once gentle now blew harshly. Eira could feel the air nibbling at her open arms and she hugged herself while her mind absorbed the meaning of Trish's words. When the shock passed, she opened her trembling lips to speak but Nate beat her to it."What? Damien killed him because you said so?"Trish raised her arms in defence, "Well, I didn't ask him to kill the alpha. I'm not half as mad as Damien." She pressed her lips together and her eyes lowered to her feet when she continued, "Cameron—The alpha...He wanted to sacrifice the pack in a ritual to become immortal. I realised it now but he possessed the Videns viribus—perhaps the other part of it as well. It was going to play a part in the ritual. He ha