Carolina The sun began to rise into the blue sky, chasing away the darkness once again with its bright rays. Birds began to chirp as they awoke, the forest came alive as the fears of the night were erased by the new day. Fears laid to rest for another night as the predators of the night fell into a deep slumber until the darkness called them to rise again. The animals may not have been too afraid on this bright morning, but a dark brown haired girl looked out of the window of a small, uninhabited old house, unfazed by the promise of a new day, for even in the light, darkness remained. Pale, long fingers smoothed her silky hair, the tips touching soft ears that twitched at the light touch, while her brown eyes watched the sunrise. Her mind was in turmoil, as it had always been. His head rested on her lap, her legs tucked underneath him, while she stroked her lover's hair almost absentmindedly. No, it wasn't. That wasn't true at all. Not anymore. Rylan was neither hers nor her love,
Selene Mike, please don't die because of me. She pleaded silently, sitting vigilantly on his stomach as he slept soundly. They were at the pack house of the Moonlit Grove after Joshua had dropped them off safely at the Moonlit Grove. It was hard to trust the man with his friends' lives, but Mike would die without his help. It was even harder when Joshua led them to a small stream and gave no warning as he jumped into the cold river. She was afraid that she had made a big mistake and now they were all going to die if she didn't get them out of there, but somehow they were able to leap into the air a few seconds later. Apparently, the wolf was able to carry herself and the others from one body of water to another. They made it to the Moonlit Grove Pack in a short time, less than fifteen minutes, and the older healer named Rose was trying to pour a potion down the feverish Mike's throat. The older healer had warned that the poison might have spread too far throughout his body, but S
CarolinaThe breeze was faint, a gentle caress that barely existed on bare skin. Yet she was aware of the shy touch, a physical reminder that life was all around her. Where once the thought had brought joy, now only bitter sadness remained as she was painfully reminded that she was no longer part of the normal cycle of life.The presence of many tall and strong trees, blooming grasses, and vibrant flowers was a bitter reality to her now open eyes.Carolina walked beside the man she loved, their hands so close, almost touching, yet she dared not take the strong man's hand. She could not help but think that perhaps meeting the dark witch priestess, Uma, was a necessary evil - to open her eyes to her folly.Since her reappearance, she knew she was unworthy, yet she allowed her feelings for the man beside her to bring her false dreams and false hopes. Despite being an eternal dark shadow, it seems she still has the feelings of the man who was once in her life, and that makes her decision
Selene Somehow, bitterness flashed across her face before she could hide it. She withdrew her hand and hurried out of the house so as not to be heard. "Do you think I don't know the meaning of flatterer when I hear it? Don't make me laugh!" Memories of Mike's womanizing flashed before her eyes. Was that why she reacted so strangely around Joshua? Was she really so easily swayed by the empty words and promises of a man who said that she would respond to the attention he gave her? The thought lowered her confidence and ignited her anger. Anger directed at herself, but directed at her unwanted acquaintance. Her eyes widened in shock at the realization. Did this mean that she didn't really love Mike? Were her feelings just masked by Joshua's gentle words and expert touch? Was he just playing with her feelings like he had done with so many other women? Was it really him? "Selene..." A hand touched her shoulder. She did not even realize that she had turned her back on the man. Turning a
Selene She led the way, lost in thought, her mind focused on the two confused men in her life, while Joshua walked quietly beside her as they made their way to the river near the village surrounded by cliffs. It was the same river they had emerged from when he had carried her across the water to reach Moonlit Grove in time to save Mike. As her eyes gazed at the clear surface of the water, she felt the heat of the sunlight reflecting off the smooth surface. She blinked quickly and squinted her eyes to reduce the blinding effect of the reflected sunlight. When she heard the sound of clothes rustling next to her, Selene automatically turned her head to the right and saw that he was once again taking off his clothes. A hot blush flushed her cheeks and she quickly looked away. "Warn me before you do that!" She could hear him chuckle. "No need to look away, sweet Selene. I'm not embarrassed in the least. If you are curious, you may look at my naked body." She stuttered for a few secon
Samuel "Do you think we should have trusted Joshua with Selene, Granny Rose? He's allied with Nathan," he grumbled, sitting down near the old healer and the sleeping man to reassure. He usually sat next to Felix, but Felix was asleep, recovering from his injuries. "I'm sure his loyalty has changed. He's no longer a threat to our Selene," Rose said with a small smile, holding a cup of hot tea between her wrinkled hands. "Maybe I should have come along..." Samuel said, still in a disbelieving tone. He had been the leader of the pack since Rylan had left and Mike couldn't go because he was unconscious. Rose chuckled and patted the young man's shoulder reassuringly, then changed the subject. "Would you mind going to the water well and filling this bowl with cold water?" She held out a small round wooden bowl. "The water for Mike's fever is already warm." "Sure, Granny. I'll be right back." He hurried outside and walked to a corner where there was a clean water source. It was early in
Selene She let go of his grip and grabbed the hilt of her other weapon, ready to fight. They continued to advance in hushed silence, their senses open to their surroundings. Selene could hear nothing but the sound of their feet on the stone floor and their breathing. Her vision was improving as her eyes had time to adjust to the strange, dark green glow of the worms, but it was far from perfect. There were still many rocks and boulders hiding behind her, shadows too dense for her eyes to penetrate. She knew that Joshua had no limits in this area, and she partially focused on him, trying to get clues from his body language so that she could react faster to danger if the warning through words came too late. The smell of the stench of death reached her gradually and quickly became more pungent. Out of an abundance of caution, she pulled out a gas mask and tied it behind her head to cover her nose and mouth. There was nothing to disguise the familiar stench of decay, but at least she k
KarenSitting in front of the mirror, Karenina did not pay much attention to her own reflection, focusing instead on Helga's nimble hands as she wrapped fresh bandages around her body after cleaning and washing her wounds. Lifting her gaze, she noticed Helga's worried expression, her eyebrows knit together in a deep frown on her forehead, her sad brown eyes, her pursed lips.Then Karen raised her right hand to grasp her friend's clawed hand, instantly drawing Helga's attention as those troubled brown eyes stared intently at her. "I'm fine, Helga, really. It's not as bad as it looks, and it healed faster than it would have without Xavier's help."Although the wound on her shoulder was still deep, it was not what it used to be. She was amazed and surprised by the healing process. Today is the fifth day since Karen accidentally entered Xavier's mate selection competition, where she was attacked and eventually injured. She has a long but fortunately not too serious laceration on her back