HAZEL'S POV; I woke up with a start— a very strange way to actually wake up after being unconscious for hours. I realized I wasn't in my own room and when I looked around, I realized that I was in Damien's room. I sat up, ignoring the dull pain at the back of my head and the stiffness of my joint. From the looks of it, it was almost dawn. The dark skies were beginning to fade and when I looked at the clock, I realized I was right. It was almost six o'clock in the morning. I touched the dark brown sheets on the bed. He didn't sleep here. So where the hell did he sleep? How could he leave me in his room when my room was there? I tried to ignore the butterflies in my belly but I couldn't and I broke into a smile. He had brought me into his room and I didn't care about his intentions. I loved that I was in the safety of his room. It had been a long time since I actually came into this place. It had changed a bit. Oh, just the sheets. I checked my body for bruises but there were none

HAZEL'S POV;I climbed down the hill with a smile on my face. I was gladdened by how happy these people were, regardless of the ruins that had been left behind by the slavers.I knew they were unhappy but somehow, they found the joys of survival. They found joy in the fact that we were together and I saw it in the way they woke up, spoke to each other and hugged as they spoke in excited tones.As for the men, they worked together, cleaning up and repairing damages. Some of them carried planks of wood and some were with tools while some tilled the farm and as I walked into the settlement, I realized how harmonious everywhere was.How there could be harmony in chaos was something that made me really impressed. Seeing these people pick up after themselves made me feel a wave of hope.There was hope in survival. Great hope in survival.As I walked into the street, the door to the hut beside me opened and a little girl ran out, yelling at the top of her voice in excitement.I caught her b

XAVIER'S POVOnce we were parked properly, I killed the car's engine and we all climbed out of the truck."How about the others?""Fuck!" Felix exclaimed and we both burst into laughter. Iris looked at us in confusion."What's funny? We had about three vehicles following behind us and they're nowhere to be found and you both think it's funny?"I shook my head. "We're laughing because of an inside joke.""You better make me understand what's going on. I don't give a shit about your inside jokes,""They must have stopped on the way. We don't go at the same speed because it raises suspicion and makes it easier for us all to be attacked.""Isn't it easier if they attack us when we're together? We can fight them."I held myself back from face palming. "I understand but we're in human territory and the Agents lost track of us for a long time. If we're seen moving in groups, we would be forced to stop and there's no way they wouldn't be finding out that we are werewolves. We don't want such

HAZEL'S POV;As early as three in the morning, I stirred awake. It was something I was used to. Colin had instilled it into me from a very young age.I remembered when I used to receive punishments for not waking up early enough. It had been a form of training and whenever I woke up later than usual, I was asked to complete a daunting task that either took me days or left me with an injury.It wasn't until I was able to set a clock in my head that it stopped. And these days, I could set an alarm in my head and wake up earlier than usual even when there wasn't going to be any punishment of the sorts and yesterday, when Xavier had made mention of us waking up as early as four, it had triggered a trauma response. I hadn't told him but I was very afraid.I had slept with the fear of being whipped awake by one of Colin's guards so I woke up as early as three.I chose not to wake Xavier. He had driven for hours and the last thing he needed was disturbance. Knowing that he was still going to

Chapter 59HAZEL'S POVThe rest of the drive was silent. I was still shaken by what had just happened minutes ago.We were moving smoothly on the freeway but my body wasn't relaxed. I still felt like there was danger looming but Felix kept assuring me that we were past their borders."We're in another portal, Iris," Felix said to me. "We're no longer in the human world,"I sat back and leaned my head against the headrest of the car, trying to close my eyes but I kept having flashbacks from minutes ago.I saw how the car had exploded. Nothing I had ever seen before. It had me shaken and unable to relax. My hands still trembled and when I turned my head, I saw Xavier looking at me."You okay?"I sighed and shook my head. "No, I am not.""You'll get used to it, don't worry,"I shook my head. "I don't want to ever get used to it. I am only used to fighting with my fists and not bombs and that level of destruction. It's enough to give me post traumatic stress disorder and I already had eno