WINTER'S POVI stared at the second envelope I had retrieved from my jacket pocket today, furrowing my brows as I turned the delicate pink paper over in my hands. I tried to think of who could have sent it, but no one came to mind.Even the seal was an unfamiliar delicate pattern of interlocking vines etched in shimmering gold against the pale pink paper. Each vine was dotted with tiny pearls that glimmered like stars in the light. As I traced my finger over the seal, I felt a sense of intrigue and anticipation."An invitation?" Lisa's voice made me jump, and I quickly shoved the envelope into my jeans pocket."Oh, no!" I said, trying to sound nonchalant, but Lisa raised her eyebrows sceptically."It's nothing," I repeated, hoping to reassure her.Lisa shrugged, "As you wish, my lady.""Please keep this between us," I mumbled, looking around nervously."That only makes it more suspicious," Lisa replied with a frown."There's nothing suspicious about it," I insisted. "I just want to kn
WINTER'S POVI woke up queasy and bolted out of bed, rushing into the bathroom. My stomach heaved, and I retched violently into the toilet. Clutching the lid, I closed my eyes as I expelled the contents of my stomach. I remained in that position for a few minutes, waiting for the nausea to subside before pushing the flush button and standing up. Trudging to the sink, I ran a hand through my hair and looked at my flushed face, resulting from our lovemaking.I blushed at the memory of my wanton behaviour in front of Slade, urging him to retake me even after he had finished the first time. Turning on the faucet, I splashed some water on my face and reached for a towel from the cabinet. As I dabbed at my face, I caught a whiff of Slade's cologne on the towel. His name was written boldly on it, but that didn't stop me from using it. After I finished using the bathroom, I stepped back into the room.My eyes wandered to the rumpled sheet where Slade and I had writhed earlier. I reached out t
WINTER'S POVI rolled over in bed, reaching out to where Slade's body usually lay. I missed his warmth already, even though he had only been gone for twenty-four hours. I tried to remind myself that it was just a day/two days journey, but the thought didn't seem to ease my yearning for him.Whenever I reached for my phone to call him, I remembered that he had left it behind, along with Jude. They were smart to leave their phones, knowing they would be bombarded with calls if they brought them along. I knew I was a potential distraction for Slade and could easily persuade him to abandon his mission with a simple request.In hindsight, I understood why he didn't take his phone. As I turned once more, I noticed a lump in my coat pocket from the previous day. Curious, I reached for it and retrieved the envelope I had tucked away inside.Heavily exhaling, I smoothed the paper again, hoping its content had magically changed, but it still delivered the same ominous message. "Find me," I mumb
WINTER'S POV:I blinked hard and rubbed my eyes, but the figure behind me remained. Britney's scent enveloped the air, unmistakable even after all this time.I moved closer to her, not daring to touch her, to make sure she was real."Why are you here?" I stammered. "You were in the enemy camp. How did you escape?"Britney rolled her eyes and laughed, tossing her head back. The sound echoed through the forest."Really? That's your first question?" she said, still chuckling. "I thought you were smarter than that, Winter."I swallowed hard and looked around, scanning for any sign of danger. I was close enough to our territory to run back, but my feet were glued to the spot. Something about Britney's presence unnerved me, even though I couldn't put my finger on it.She wasn't the same Britney I knew. She was colder, more hostile. I wondered if she had been turned against us or was just traumatised by her kidnapping."Did you fake the kidnap just for attention?" I asked, my heart pounding
SLADE POV (THAT SAME NIGHT)I gritted my teeth and shoved the snaking vine away from my hand. This was the second time I had to push it aside, and I was getting tired of it. Glancing at Jude, I saw that he was also struggling to make his way through the dense forest. It seemed like the journey had no end.The first time I came here, it was smooth sailing. But today, I was experiencing all the roughness I had heard about on my way to the hills of no return. A creeping sense of doubt began to take hold of me. Would I even make it back home alive?As we trudged along, I spotted a large oak tree and grunted, "How about we rest there for a while? We can't keep going like this without passing out from exhaustion."Jude panted and bent over, clutching his knees. "I would love to," he grunted. "But do you remember all the obstacles we faced on our way here? It's insane. I don't recall the journey being this crooked and difficult."His brows furrowed as he scanned our surroundings before turn
SLADE'S POV (THE NEXT DAY)The morning sun peeked over the horizon as we set out on our journey once more."I hope we reach the mountain soon. I'm starting to miss home, and I can't believe I haven't had a bath," Jude said. "The sweat from the day before is stuck to my skin and it is starting to irritate me.""It's only been twenty-four hours. It's surprising to hear your concern about your appearance. It's the first time I've seen you care about personal hygiene," I replied."It'll be a day soon," Jude added. "When you're with someone who cares about personal hygiene, you can't help but try to please them."I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless. Although Jude didn't have poor hygiene, I teased him about it, and he always fell for it. I liked that he always took my teasing seriously.Jude grimaced as he swatted at a fly that buzzed by him. "This has to be the worst journey ever.""Agreed," I said, running my hands through my dishevelled hair.My ears twitched, and my nose wrinkled
WINTER'S POV The events of last night kept replaying in my mind. I hadn't slept well because of what Britney had said. I didn't want to believe it was true, but deep down, I knew it was. Slade was hiding something from me which could be as severe as what Britney had claimed.He had made a promise to the coven, but why had he broken it? And now, I was the one who would suffer the consequences of his failure: me and my child.I got up from the bed and started pacing around the room, my back aching from the aftermath of staying up all night with my back hunched.Glancing at the wall clock, I realised it was already past noon. Slade and Jude should be back by now, judging from the time it took to get to the mountain in East Copperborrow. It was a seven-hour journey by car, and I wondered what mode of transportation they had used. If they had used anything other than a car, the trip might take even longer.Nonetheless, I couldn't stop thinking about what I would do when Slade arrived. Was
SLADE POV(BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE PACK)Jude pointed overhead. "There's something over there, Alpha."I shut my eyes, ignoring his words. "I see nothing. Now's not the time to joke. I'm famished and could pass out at any moment. I need a warm bath and my Luna's body as a welcome." Winter was on my mind, and I missed her. It hadn't even been forty-eight hours, but I couldn't wait to release the tension in my body by taking her to bed as soon as we arrived at the pack."The Luna's body can wait," Jude said. "She's not going anywhere, and there's something definitely there."Jude climbed down from his horse and jogged forward. I did the same."It's a body; looks like it's been here for a week," he yelled.I moved closer, wrinkling my nose as the strong scent of decay wafted toward me. "What rotting corpse is this?""Don't know," Jude said.Squatting to examine the corpse, a frown etched on my face, Jude asked, "Do you have an idea who might have done this?"I tuned out his voice and conc