The hallways are quiet. After bidding Umber good night, I inch down to my room quietly. I close the door behind me, leaning against it by degrees. When I push off the hard surface, I freeze on seeing someone in the middle of the room.
Heidi. I mouth the word, unable to speak it. I clear my throat. "I thought you'd be asleep."
Those shuttered eyes hold mine. "Where were you?"
"I was... I was a bit thirsty so I went down to the kitchens."
Wordlessly she gazes in the direction of my bed. On the table beside it sits a glass of water.
My stomach knots.
Her eyes come back to mine. A silent scoff. "Watch your back."
The hairs on my nape rise. Her words follow me to the training camp early next morning. And when the sun rises high and we're all in the library, the words are still stuck to my mind like a terrible song.
Umber looks at me from the side of her eyes. "Relax," she whispers. Because for some reason, the Herras' have dec
MALCOLM____"I want to see my mum."The little voice has me dragging my near frantic attention away from the papers sprawled all over my desk. I look at the boy a few feet away and wonder, not for the first time, what to tell him. Noticing something else, I ask, "Where is your omega?"He continues to look at me, the set of his jaw so painfully familiar I find myself looking away."I don't want an omega," he says. "All she does is sleep. And the other children think I smell funny."A surge of protectiveness has me scowling. "Did they say something to you?""No. Just that I don't smell like a wolf."I relax. Just then the door comes open and a portly woman rushes in, frantic. "Alpha, I don't know w--oh, goodness! There you are."She bows, face apologetic. "I'm sorry. I closed my eyes for a bit and then he was nowhere."Rylan turns a shocked gaze up at her. "She's lying. She didn't close your eyes for a
Next week approaches too soon. Flakes of snow drift down languidly, swirling in the frigid air. King Orion's weathered face beams as we shake hands. "Malcolm. Thank you for extending the invitation."I nod. "My pleasure." I gaze past him, seeing no one else. "And your daughters?""They will be coming at a later time. I just wanted us to have a little man to man."For all his boisterous tone, his blue eyes reveal nothing. "Alright," I say. "Come, then. Let's head to my office."His bodyguards trail behind him as we near the sprawling front steps wrapping around the building. They are dressed in the official colours of the Eld, white and blue. Till today, no one could glean any substantial information about their dimension. No one even knows how they fight, or the powers they weild. Their combat skills, however, are legendary.My own guards stand sentinel behind the columns riding down the walls of the castle. Soon the double doors are opened to us a
"Do you have any leads?"Yunam, the castle's tech guy, smiles, his teeth white against a dark face. "You will be excited to know I have, Your Highness. You said the explosions took place at Catamount, so I had some men sent out to collect samples around the grounds: snow, grass, figs. They brought them all in a few weeks back and I had a bunch of tests run on them. The results came out this morning. One thing the samples have in common are the presence of a rare oxidizer, capable of increasing the combustible potential of--"I raise a hand, growing impatient. "Get to the point, Yunam.""This advanced technique has only been reportedly used in three countries. Moscow, Belarus and Serbia. I learnt these places are common spots for Hunter activists as well. W--""Alpha."My attention snaps to the werewolf that'd just barged into my office. Elias. "A word, pl--""Out."His eyes grow insistent. "Your Highness, this is serious. I fear
I welcome the Lunas to the castle the next day.After introductions are done, we head to the dinning hall. The women are dressed impeccably, covered in expensive jewelries and even more outrageously expensive clothes. I don't miss the underlaying tint of competitiveness in the air.Most of the women don't come alone. As I'd hoped, they brought their courts and retinue as well: equally lavishly dressed female wolves who hung on their Luna's every word.When I take my seat at the table, a hush falls over the hall. A riot of scents flay the air, but beneath the cloying layers I pick up on ill-concealed interest."Welcome," I say. "I am glad you all managed to make it here on such short notice. I know you're saddled as it is with running your packs, but I ask that you extend the warm qualities particular to your stations as Lunas to the daughters of the Eld king." I motion to Elodie and her sister. Imatra's missing.The women turn their att
Rylan thrashes on his bed, screaming. And he is unrecognizable.Scales dot his skin, glowing translucent in the harsh glare of the lights. His eyes are slitted, serpentine, and black claws curl out from his fingers, shredding the sheets.Behind me, the omega whispers in fear, "I thought they'd gone extinct.""Apparently they haven't," I answer absently. He's a dragon.I walk over to his bed. "Rylan," I call gently. Close enough now, I take him in my arms and hold tight, subduing his frantic attacks. He soon calms.What feels like an eternity passes before I ease him back. "Did you dream about your mother again?""No." Frightened eyes meet mine. "I dreamt about you."My breath stops for a moment. "What did you dream about, buddy?""You died. Y-your throat was open and it-it bled.""It's just a dream, okay?" I say, hugging him back to me even as my heart races in my chest. If he's a dr
GWEN___"That's her."Heidi's words bring a chill sweeping through the air. The crowd parts automatically, distancing from I and Umber like we're ticking bombs about to go off. Herra Eunice's face flushes red with anger and she starts to speak. I don't think, I just let my instincts take over. The pulse on her neck beats faster and her words cut off abruptly. A perplexed expression dawns on her face before a spurt of blood gushes out of her mouth and into the air.People scream, lurching back, and it's all the distraction I need. I grab Umber's hand and in seconds we're running down the sand, toward the vast sea.Above the wind, she screams, "What are you doing!?""I don't know!""We don't have a boat, Gwen! How are we going to sail through?"When we're just a foot away, I let go of her hand. Mid-run, I slice an arm through the air in a series of practiced movements, praying to god the
I feel ice beneath me. The rhythmic splashing of water causes a groan to slip past my lips. I peer through blurry slits, making out the vast, blue sky. I reach up to shield my eyes from the sun, turning over to fold into myself. The action causes me roll into freezing cold water."Gwen!"I feel hands grabbing at me.When my head breaks surface, I suck in a loud breath, clawing my hair out of my face as Umber drags me onto the ice sled, pounding my back. When my spine threatens to break under her administrations, I burst, "Stop. I'm fine--I'm fine, that's enough."She relents, seating back. "Goodness. Thought I'd lost you." A nervous, high-pitched chuckle. "Imagine that, me alone out here. I know we're going to die at some point, but it's relief to not do it alone."My stomach bottoms out when I take a look around. Vast, unending blue sea. "Don't talk like that," I tell her with a stroke of determination. "We're going to pull through and t
We'd swum all the way to the tank. I come up for a breather, eyeing the hull. Sailors line the deck, tall and frightening. These are the Eld, I think, disbelieving that I could be seeing them--and still have breath in my lungs. On my lead, we swim over to the aft. The rear is empty.I brace myself. The waves ripple silently, lifting me onto the deck. Warmth immediately engulfs my feet once they make contact with the floorboards. I line up against the metal edifice, daring a peek around the hulking structure. My blood runs cold.A few feet away are Eld warriors. Some lean along the rails, chatting. While a few remain watchful, menacing expressions on stoic faces. When one of them starts to look in my direction, I draw away instantly, not daring to breathe.I remain there for God knows how long before I'm hit with a stroke of inspiration. My arms lift and I shut my eyes. I draw on some last reserve of strength I have and soon the ship rocks. The men quiet. M