ALEXIOSIt took two days to reach Nightshade territory much to my chagrin. Mother chose to follow me and surprisingly so did Fiona. I did want to tell her no. But she was her own person. As much as I knew why she was joining us, I didn't have the heart to stop her. I was convinced she would eventually come around. We were accepted into the almost desolate pack grounds that happened to be Nightshade. My heart thumped as the vehicle I was in slowly carouseled around the maze that was their settlement before eventually stopping in front of a mansion. It was vast in every manner. So much so that it almost rivaled the Rose mansion. In front of the entrance was Vitale, the new Alpha of the Nightshade, and next to him were two elders. One's demeanor was cool as the starry night. The other however looked as blue like a ghost. The whites in his eyes became almost bloodshot at the sight of me. I could hear his heart from the comfort of the car. He was very much afraid and rationally, there were

ALEXIOS I bolted up to sitting, aware of the way I melted into the bed I was in. The chill of air brushed against my bare chest, kept from my knowingly naked body by a thick duvet tucked around me. I half expected to see nothing but crimson. But the would on my forehead and the broken bones were gone. The room was dark. The lamps were dim and the curtains blocked a lot of the sun lights phasing through the windows. That and the broad dark shadowy figure that blocked the lamp light in front of me from reaching me.He stood before me. Vitale. Shadow cast across his cheekbones which hollowed out the features of his heinous face.I looked down, unable to hold his dreary stare, and muttered, “You saved me.”Even in my state, I knew how to act. Humble and grateful. Despite the rage surging inside me like electricity. Fiona had probably gotten what she wanted. An answer to where Lydia was hiding. "Where is my mother?" I further asked."In one of the guest rooms," Vitale answered. "She cou

LYDIA The day after Elliot sacrificed his totem to see my mother for my sake, I found peace. For the first time in ages, I finally found it in me to leave this place. It had always been a youthful dream of mine to travel around the world and now that the weight of my mother's murder was off my chest, I found it possible to finally do good on that dream. So I made it known to Elliot during breakfast. Elliot made bacon and eggs. The smell of simmering fat crammed the air. As Elliot passed my plate towards me, I cleared my throat to speak."I have to go and see Vitale today."I watched as Elliot choked on a slice of bacon. I rushed to the kitchen sink and turned the valve, filling a glass with crystal clear water. I rushed back to the side and placed the glass to his lips but Elliot refused it. "What do you mean you want to see Vitale today?""Well... I want to leave town soon." I began, dropping the glass in my hands on the counter. "I didn't reject Vitale. It would be unfair of me to

FIONA Fire licked my fingers as I trailed my fingernails against the familiar car that was now packed in the cemetery I was scouting. It had taken one murder to get something about Elliot. A jacket he had gifted an old friend. Burning that ugly piece of fabric had given me an answer I was so desperately looking for. His DNA had been little to nothing but it revealed this much. The omega who went by the name Elliot was around here. Imagine my surprise upon discovering that Alexios could have beat me to it. I clicked a finger and one of the car doors flung open. Someone inside gasped. The driver's seat opened and one of Rose's sentinels stepped outside. His initial riposte was to shut the unhinged door but his gaze instantly flew my way. I could tell his instincts told him to run, flee or scream. Anything to ensure he was safe. Unfortunately for him, the gift of intuition would be his downfall. "You bitch!" He tried to sound intimidating but I could hear the blood curdling fear lace

LYDIA My eyes fluttered open when I noticed the air shift. The warm heat that surrounded me had been replaced by a cool breeze. There was chatter across us. Only then did I realize we were back in Nightshade territory. The square of the estate to be precise. "We made it," I whispered to Elliot but he didn't reply. His body dropped to the floor like a swatted fly and only then did I realize our hug was not the only thing that kept me warm in this exposed area. My shirt was drenched in crimson. Elliot's blood! I dropped to the floor and tore off his shirt off his skin. I gasped at the sight I had exposed with my own hands. Elliot had cuts and burns in every part of his body. Injuries that weren't there prior to the teleportation. "Elliot!" I screamed. My heart threatened to yank out of my ribcages as I realized he was barely clinging to life. What happened, I wondered. He was fine. We had been fine. It wasn't like Fiona cast some offensive magic before we absconded his bungalow. If