Rayne's POVBy now, I could already tell that the people of Mysticrock were in no way like the people I had spent two decades of my life with. They lived life to the fullest, embracing every moment that came with tight hands, and choosing to hold on as long as they could. It was an admirable way to live, and I saw more of it as I helped them continue setting up the venue for the festival.By the time we were done, the sun had descended lower in the sky, and its rays had gone from bright yellow to deep orange, indicating that evening waited not too far off. After giving my greetings to the other youths I'd worked with, I met up once again with Sal, who was also on her way to leave.Working that afternoon had given me the chance to really, really think deep about the things she had said. I couldn't help but agree that trauma had a way of tightening bonds. When in doubt and times of incredible despair, people latched onto anything that they felt would ease the pain, even if it meant feed
Rayne's POVOn getting to my room, I discovered that someone had already been there, and left something on my bed. I picked up the rectangle parcel, testing the feel and weight of it to get an idea of what it could be. Atop the box, was a rose and a small white card folded in two taped to it. Carefully, I took them off, and opened the card to read. All it had was one sentence.“An emerald dress for a precious lady,” it read. The symmetrical cursive writing on it gave little clues as to who could have written it, but I already suspected someone. All I had to do was wear the dress and see what he had to say about it.I opened up the box and took out the dress. Spun with fine silk and tailored with definitely experienced hands, the dress clearly screamed class and elegance. It wasn't anything too over the top, and had a design that was both simplistic and artistic. On seeing it, I became eager to wear it.The one thing I loved most about it, had to be the striking green colour. Not wan
Kaiden's POVI would have preferred to do the opposite of helping her close up her dress. On more than one occasion, my fingers brushed the smooth skin of her back, and I would hear her nearly gasp from the contact. It didn't help that my wolf just couldn't get enough of her and kept trying to get a lot closer to her than I felt she would be comfortable with.I finished tying the ‘lace’ of her dress, securing it with a right knot. I had seen too much of her skin to let her risk exposing it to anyone else. Was it a childish notion? Yes.Did I care? No.Rayne turned around to face me, testing out the dress. She resembled a doll in it. Pride welled up inside of me. I had made the right choice by picking this outfit for her. Earlier, when I had been driving through the town at the other edge of our pack borders, I had caught sight of it in a dress shop. The moment I had seen it, Rayne had come to mind. With her beautiful green eyes, the color would have suited her perfectly.“You're th
Rayne's POVWild hunger razed through me, fanned into existence by his kiss. Like fire, it coursed through my veins, setting every single part of me ablaze. I wanted more, no, needed more. I didn't know how much I had been craving a taste of his lips until I felt them against mine.With a small moan I didn't even think myself capable of releasing, I pressed myself up against him even more tightly, bringing my arms up around his neck.The intensity of his crushing kiss had me pressed up against the door, but it was fine, since I no longer thought of leaving. The feeling of his skin sent delightful shivers up my spine. I used the opportunity to trace the muscles of his back. Indeed, he was clearly a powerful man that made his enemies shiver and yet, right here, he had reduced himself to a simple man just to kiss me. His true power sat underneath his skin, just waiting and flexing with his muscles. His hands went down to my waist, and then lower, until I practically sat on his hands. H
Rayne's POVThe festival got off to an exciting start.First off, the people didn't come to mess around. They dressed in beautiful clothes, wearing smiles on their faces and holding tightly to friends and family with an eagerness that had neither a beginning or an end. Fabrics or reds, blues, yellows and greens swirled all round, blessing the world with the magic of colors and celebration. Children ran about, chasing themselves while excited squeals flew out of their mouths. Overhead, the small tents had been set up perfectly, with waterproof material draped over them so that people could sit underneath, although most people preferred to sit outside them on the mats and watch the stars.At the center of it all rose a dancing fire that some people danced around. They changed a song as they all moved in sync, waving their hands and swinging their bodies in tune with the beating drums and harmonious flutes. I watched in blatant awe of their splendor, wanting nothing more than to kick o
Rayne's POVI placed my hands over my mouth, not wanting to believe the news I just heard. No. They couldn't have taken Sal. Why would they? “Rogues don't take people,” Savannah said, looking at both men. “Right? That's not what they do.”“Bradford,” Kaiden started calmly, “I need you to give me details of what happened. We're wasting time by just standing here doing nothing.”Bradford shook his head. “There's nothing to do right now, apart from tracking them down. They came upon us so quietly. I'd never known rogues to be able to do that. It's like they're evolving.” He sighed. “Sal and I were in the woods at the moment, and the next three of them came out of nowhere, attacked me, and just . . . took her.” He punched the ground. “I couldn't stop them. They were far more organized than I had anticipated.”Someone screamed again, this time much closer than the previous screams we had been hearing. Kaiden hastily pulled Bradford up and towards him until their foreheads touched. “Loo
Rayne's POVThe loud silence nearly deafened me. Save for the sounds of my foot trampling leaves underfoot, I couldn't hear much. The eerie atmosphere sent shivers up my spine, eliciting goosebumps along my skin.I hadn't noticed the light chill in the air that evening earlier, but now that there was no longer a large roaring fire to keep me warm, the chill no longer had any barriers. Nevertheless, I had a job to do, and I wouldn't leave until I at least found that boy's sister.I sniffed the air, not quite sure what to expect. Tinges of grass, wet earth, and leaves permeated my senses, and somehow they beckoned me closer, like invisible fingers pointing me to the way. I followed them, still cautious, but knowing that since I had taken the initial risk, I couldn't turn around and give up now.The path I followed took me further into the quiet woods with every step I took. Occasionally I would hear a sound afar off, like someone shouting or loud thudding, but it never came close enough
Kaiden's POVLuckily, from what I had seen so far, not a lot of people had been hurt this time around compared to rogue attacks in the past. Thankfully we had gotten to the scene before things got even more worse.From the look of things, they really had another target, because if they didn't, things would have been more terrible. Rogues were ruthless creatures, treating their kin like mere prey for feasting. When they struck, they didn't even care if you were once from the same pack as they were. While some rogues could still remember certain things about their past for a little while after becoming rogue, turning wild slowly made those memories degenerate, until they couldn't even remember who they once were before. At this point, it usually became increasingly difficult for them to transform into their human form, so they remained in wolf form.I didn't know how Rayne expected to catch one of them and test out her theories, no matter how smart she was. I just hoped that she hadn't