SLADE POV"How about we purify this room now that she's gone? We can ask the seer and elders to do it," Mother suggested, scanning the room before glaring at me."Why did you let her seduce you into sleeping with her here? This place reeks of sex! Britney was never this bad, and she never talked back to me. Now, I feel sorry for coming between the two of you.""Mother..." I muttered, but scowled at me and cut in."You always jump to her defence. Has she bewitched you into defending her? Did she threaten to leave you if you didn't support her?""Winter is the best daughter-in-law you could ever hope for. You should be grateful for the kind of woman she is. She's a healer and a wonderful Luna.""Why should I be grateful? It's not as if you met her when she was pure. She's been ruined, and I can't understand why you won't let her go..."I slammed my hands on the table, tired of my mother's nagging and, especially, her distaste for Winter."If you only want to say horrible things about my
SLADE POV I shuffled towards the infirmary, my thoughts racing with the upcoming battle. Slowly, I pushed open the door, revealing Lisa sitting by Jude's bed and administering medication."Alpha!" Lisa exclaimed as she noticed me. Then she furrowed her brows. "Lady Winter said you shouldn't be allowed to enter the infirmary. She'll throw a fit if she knows.""Would I be sent out even away from my pack? The fact that my mate doesn't want me around, and as the king, should I listen to what she says?" I retorted with raised brows."N...No....!" Lisa stuttered and added. "But Alpha, she cares about you, and it's for your good."Ignoring her, I moved closer to Jude. "How is he?""He's recovering faster," Lisa replied. "Perhaps in a week, he should be out of the clinic.""Good," I murmured. I couldn't afford to wait longer than a week to get what I needed from Jude. His recovery was important not only to me but to the pack as well.I had been planning to attack the Hunters, but everything
A WEEK LATER"How much longer do I have to stay here? Feels like an eternity," Jude complained."Just a little while longer. You're the first patient to recover fully," I flashed him a smile, but he winced in response."Considering the number of shots I got, I'd say it was bound to happen sooner or later," he said.I shook my head, knowing that my initiative made the difference, not his supposed ability.Despite repeatedly trying to call forth my healing powers from my aura, I had come up empty. It was as if nothing was left in me. After my attack on Summer, all the powers I believed I had vanished.For healing, I had to rely on herbs instead. I ground them up and concocted a mixture that I used on Jude. He was my first test subject, and I was relieved it had worked."This infirmary is giving me the creeps," he shuddered. "I never want to come back here again.""I hope you won't have to," I said, rubbing his arm before administering his final shot."Fúck, that stung!" he groaned, grit
JUDE POV (SAME DAY, AFTER LEAVING THE INFIRMARY)I dodged the blade that Jed thrust towards me, feeling the wind as it whizzed past my ear. Swiftly, I landed a sharp kick on his jaw, and he grunted in pain, spitting out blood."Fuck!" he exclaimed. "Good to see that you're still in shape, and the sickness took nothing from you.""It feels like I had the flu," I replied, grimacing at the bitter taste in my mouth.Although I could move around freely, I wasn't entirely healthy. Still, staying in the infirmary wasn't an option for me. Winter had assured me that I would be back in action soon, and I trusted her expertise."That's an awful experience I don't want to relive," I said, catching the bottled water Jed tossed towards me mid-air."I don't want to live it again either," he replied. "The last few days made me fear for my existence. I kept seeing people falling in and losing their lives. It wasn't a pretty sight to behold.""I'm glad you're back," Jed said."I'm glad, too," I wiped
SLADE POVI paced the office for what felt like the hundredth time, groaning as a fresh wave of pain shot through my head. The ache had been present intermittently for the past week, but today it had become unbearable. I kneaded my brows, trying to ease the discomfort.I had been dismissive of the pain before, believing it would disappear. But as I swallowed the pills I had taken from my desk, I knew I couldn't ignore them any longer. Werewolves had strong healing abilities, but sometimes medications were necessary for complete recovery.Despite my abilities, the past few days and the thought of losing Winter had made it difficult for my healing reflexes to kick in.Jude entered the room, snapping me out of my thoughts."Everyone's gathered," he informed me.I nodded, snatching my phone before leaving the office and heading towards the meeting hall.Winter was already there, and she walked over to me as soon as she saw me. I enveloped her in a warm embrace before pulling out a chair f
WINTER POVI turned around to face Slade as he slipped into the room."Why didn't you tell me? Why did you hide it from me and let me hear it from others?" I asked, my voice trembling with rage.After leaving the meeting hall, I returned to the room since there was nothing left for me to do in the infirmary. Ever since the herbs I had given to Jude had worked, I had administered them to the rest of the members, and they were recovering faster. But now, I couldn't shake off the thought of those who had lost their lives. If only I had known about the herbs from the beginning, maybe I could have prevented some of the casualties."I didn't mean to keep it from you. I was trying to protect you," Slade replied, his voice calm.I scoffed and scowled. "You call that protection?""I know you would have reacted irrationally if you had known about it. That's why I kept it from you," he explained."That's absurd!" I shoved my hands into my hair before glaring up at him. "How do you think I feel n
SLADE POVI sighed, tugging at my hair and pacing around the room. I had been doing this for hours since Winter had angrily left. I couldn't bring myself to face her, not after how she had spoken to me. I wondered if she would curse at me even more if I tried to make her understand.Part of me knew that it was my fault. I had been too selfish, assuming she would be okay with everything I said. I should have found a better way for both of us.My attention snapped to the door as the doorknob twisted, and Winter walked into the room. I jumped from the bed and rushed towards her. "Darling!" I extended my hands to her, but she walked past me, making me frown.Winter wandered around the room for a while before walking towards the door."Are you still mad at me?!" I shouted at her retreating form before exhaling in frustration.Using my super speed, I swooshed towards her, slammed the door shut, and nudged her gently.Winter gasped and glared up at me, clenching her teeth. "I told you to leav
WINTER'S POVI paced back and forth, my eyes fixed on the wall. Each time my thoughts turned to what had been happening, I clenched and unclenched my hands, feeling a mix of frustration and anxiety.Apart from the issues with the pack members, a week had passed since I rejected Slade, and he hadn't said anything about it. He stopped talking to me altogether, even when I tried to make small talk with him.It was as if I didn't exist, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was doing it to spite me for rejecting him. But then again, it was partly his fault for being so selfish.My mind returned to our last argument, and I couldn't help but feel angry. Slade never considered my feelings before making decisions. He was only concerned about what he wanted, even if it went against what we had discussed.I stumbled slightly on the carpeted floor and groaned before making my way to the bed. Collapsing onto the bed, I sighed deeply, pouted my lips and glared at the door. "Why isn't he here? What