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ROYCE. Sick of this family, I stand up.“Excuse me.”“Royce!” Dad snarls.“What do you mean by that, Royce?” Mom asks sharply.“Why don’t you ask your mate and favourite son exactly what they’re up to?” I growl. “Come on Charlotte, I’ll buy you some takeout.”Charlotte jumps up.“Ok.”“Sit down.” Dad snarls at her before his gaze turns to me. “The both of you!”She hesitates, glancing at me as I wait for her, before Mom takes hold of her wrist, forcing her to sit down, a pleading expression in her eyes.I shake my head and storm out of the dining hall.Dad shouts at me to stop, but I can’t.I’ve had enough.Walking down the hallway, I frown, lost in my thoughts.Just thinking about Skyla saying she felt sick and tired. Why do I feel Aleric did something?For how long do I stay silent, when I know they are hurting those important to me.Mom, Charlotte, Sky…Fuck…I look at the gold-framed portraits of the past Alphas of this pack, each one proud and powerful.The similarities between
ROYCE. “Royce!” I turn to see Charlotte run over to me. I can see she’s near to tears as she latches onto my arm. Concern fills me as she buries her head in my chest and I wrap my arm around her, rubbing her back. We may argue often, but she’s still my little sister. “Hey… it’s going to be alright… The offer to get out of here still stands?” I offer gently. She nods, moving back and taking a deep breath. “Yeah, I don’t want food, though. I want ice cream from one of those poor hygiene places.” I cock a brow. “They may be smaller places, Charlotte, but that doesn’t mean the hygiene isn’t good.” She shrugs, “Ok, can we go?” I nod, “Sure we can.” I’ll face the consequences later. I know I will, but tonight I’ll aim to make one of us have a good end to the day. “Let me go grab my keys.” I say to her, “I’ll get them!” She says quickly. “I need to grab my coat!” “Sure. Grab my wallet too.” I say, as she skips upstairs. I shove my hands into my pocket, staring at the blank space
SKYLA. I shut the door after he leaves and I lean against the wall, resting my head back. I’m unable to wipe this stupid smile off my face. Royce Arden… My stomach does a flip, and my smile vanishes. I’m falling for him… even if he isn’t Reign… I’m somehow falling for him, which means… I’m going to have to tell Aleric… I’m so fucked up… “Sky! If you’re done flirting, do you want to actually come and watch?” Jayce calls. “I’m not flirting. He’s gone.” I say, rolling my eyes and heading to my bedroom, I quickly change out of my dirty clothes. I wipe my face and neck, my heart skipping a beat as I remember how his hands had run along my throat… Fuck… I close my eyes, holding my shirt against my neck, as I inhale deeply. His scent lingers… “Fuck, that one must have hurt!” Ares curses, snapping me from my thoughts. Tossing my clothes in my washing hamper, I head to the lounge. I’ll shower later… I don’t mind his scent lingering on me a little longer, even if I do feel a little st
SKYLA. My heart hammers as I stare at the blood pouring through the cracks before I quickly get out of the car. “Stay hidden.” I whisper to Malevolent before I shut the door. The rain instantly drenches me as I stare at the body on the back of my car. Fuck. I rush over, my brain going into emergency mode. I need to stem the bleeding! First, I slowly turn the body of the girl over before I gently lift her off the car, my heart sinking as I recognise her. She’s a witch student from the academy, one I’ve seen around campus here and there. She’s a few years younger than me but I don’t know anything else. Her breathing is uneven, and she’s losing blood fast. I can see she’s missing a leg and a good chunk of her hip and one arm. Fuck… “I’m going to call for help.” I say, reaching for my phone in my pocket, only to realise it’s in the car. I pull off the hoodie I'm wearing and wrap it around her waist. I need to call for help asap! “No… help… them…” She chokes out, her eyes flitting
SKYLA. Then Sky fucking grab her and run! But I know that I won’t outrun it… I’m barely standing… The rain continues to pour down; the darkness becomes visible, almost like smoke and soon all I can see is just me and the snake in a cloud of darkness. ‘Daughter of Selene…’ The voice seems to come from all around me. Chilling, powerful, and pure evil… I scan the area. Where is that voice coming from? My plum eyes snap back to the snake, my heart thudding loudly. That intelligent look has returned, and I wonder… Can it speak or is something controlling it? My mind returns to Kataleya’s words. Apophis… I stare at the snake, avoiding looking at its bloody mutilated eye as its body flicker in and out of my vision. I don’t know how it’s doing that disappearing act, but I should be more focused on the fact it can fucking speak and not that it’s got some wacky magician tricks. “Servant of Apophis…” I counter, making sure to keep my voice strong and powerful. I keep my gaze locke
ROYCE. I stare at her, processing her words. There’s no way, I mean, how can that even be possible? If she is alive, then where is she? Why isn’t she here? “Lottie… Why do you say that?” I ask her quietly. She looks down. “Trust me, Royce, I know she is. I heard them speak of it with my own ears.” She mumbles, her heart thumping as if fearing getting into trouble. “Who?” I ask, my own heart racing. “She was stillborn. There’s got to be a misunderstanding.” “No Royce, she was meant to be… offed.” Offed. I know what she means, and I wait as she struggles to keep calm. My own emotions are havoc as I try not to let her see it as I wait for her to continue when she’s ready. “How do you know?” I ask, trying to remain calm. “I snuck out one day to go to the packhouse, and then when I was trying to get back home, I overheard Beta Quade and Delta Harry talking in his office. Beta Quade said he couldn’t do it, so he instead commanded an omega to leave the pack and gave him money to mo
ROYCE. “What happened? The King will have my head! That thing was in my territory! I should have been alerted!” Prescott mutters, visibly panicking as a group of doctors rush to Skyla’s side the moment I place her down. Charlotte’s coat covering her. One of the guards who had accompanied me from the entrance of the hospital now passes me some sweatpants and I pull them on quickly, looking down at her. The beautiful goddess is in pain. I can see it on her face and the way her body is trembling ever so slightly. The venom of the snake shuts down the body, and depending on how much venom the person is exposed to, their death can be fast or can take up to a few days. Those who we know have been poisoned are healed before the venom can kill them. Skyla had been inside of him. Even if it was for a few seconds, she has still been exposed to an extreme level of venom and I had felt her body beginning to shut down. “She’s so cold…” I’ve frozen her somewhat, to slow the spread of the pois
ROYCE. “Give me a minute, I need to check if my sister is alright.” I say, knowing I sound cold, but I need a moment, turning I leave the room. Prescott is pacing the hall, but I can tell he’s mind linking. He’s frowning, and I can sense his worry. He sighs and runs his fingers through his beard. “Has my sister arrived yet?” I ask him when he finally turns to me. “She’s on her way. The two bodies have been collected and the king ordered them to be brought here…” He hesitates. There’s something different in his behaviour. He’s different from the panicked Alpha I had seen when I came in. He looks almost uneasy. “What is it?” I ask, frowning. “There’s… there was no sign of this apparent monster, Alpha Arden.” He says quietly. I frown as I look up at him sharply. “What do you mean there was no sign of the body? I killed it. It was there.” “Ah yes… you did say that… but there is nothing in the woods.” He huffs, shaking his head. “However, my men have brought Skyla Rossi’s car and c