Violet’s P.O.V.A slew of images and sounds flashed through my head. They were tethered to a golden thread that my soul recognized and reached out to touch. It slipped from my body, following the brilliant light until it swallowed us whole.Each image was tainted in a misty film that reminded me of the poison rushing through my veins.Perhaps they were nothing more than drug induced hallucinations. I didn’t particularly care, not when Hael’s face filled the darkened corners of my mind. His murderous expression somehow eased my fear, filling me with an odd peace I prayed I could hold onto.‘I’ll storm every home, every business. I’ll burn this entire pack down to get her back.’Even if it weren’t real, I held onto his promise.‘I’ll find you, Violet. I’ll find you and set you free.’Slowly, my soul descended back into my body. The sounds I heard next didn’t come from the depths of my mind, or from some ethereal chord of light. They trickled into my ears, astoundingly real and terrifyin
Violet’s P.O.V.“What do my secrets have to do with Hael being busy?” I demanded.Lorenzo tsked, “Normally, I’d knock a person’s teeth down their throat if they caught that tone with me, but I want you to know why Hael isn’t coming to your rescue. Nic caught you doing something very, very naughty. A situation your little boyfriend had to swoop in and help you clean up.” No, I wouldn’t believe it. Hael would’ve known if someone had been watching that night. “Does the name Blaze Madden ring any bells to you? It should considering you murdered him.”The memory of Hael’s voice filled my head, but rather than provide any comfort or warmth, it filled my insides with ice.“Blaze’s body is missing.”It wasn’t missing. No, it had been stolen.A sudden surge of rage took over, coating my vision in a layer of crimson red. This piece of shit stalker had been watching me likely since I’d first stepped foot in Hael’s pack. Either he’d been here the entire time, or he’d managed to follow Elijah and
Hael’s P.O.V.It was pure pandemonium once word about the decaying corpse spread. People surged left and right. Women squealed, clinging to their mates. Warriors were on high alert even though the body had been dead long before the party began. They had no clue the murderer wasn’t in their presence, rather she’d been kidnapped by another.Sometime during the chaos, someone must’ve recognized Blaze behind the mess of blackened flesh. Things only got worse from there. Panic blanketed the crowd, following them as they were escorted back into the ballroom by security. In the past I would’ve waited for my father to arrive to survey the scene. I would’ve stuck by his side, offering my knowledge when prompted. Not this time, though. Not only did I not give a shit about Blaze’s corpse, but I had way more important things to do than cater to my father yet again. A bleating chime sliced through my thoughts. I thought my heart might stop at the sound, but the name on the screen wasn’t Viole
Hael’s P.O.V.“So we thought.” Cole chimed in. “She slit his throat and set the place on fire. Fuckers like a cockroach, I guess.”“Either that or someone pulled him out.” Marcel mused.I shook my head. “That’s not possible. There was a body and everything. His father practically demanded a meeting with my father to interrogate me.” I paused, a whisper in the back of my head nudging my thoughts forward. “Unless his father is in on it.”“His father held a private funeral. No guests were permitted on the property. I wonder how many have actually seen the body.” Cole frowned, turning his attention back to his laptop. “I need to look into this.”There had been no other vehicles in the lot or on the camera, which meant any guards Lorenzo brought along had to fit in the three sedans. I was more than confident that Lorenzo and I could handle things ourselves. I’d taken down more men than that by myself.“We can handle getting Violet back. Look into Lorenzo’s death, see if you can find an aut
Violet’s P.O.V.It wasn’t until my memories began resurfacing that I felt this pull towards the past. At first it was faint, easily ignorable. The more I remembered, the more that feeling continued to grow.With every face, that frayed chord hardened into something unbreakable, something I couldn’t fight even with the help of my medication. I’d been trying so hard to outrun the avalanche that was my past, not realizing that with every memory I regained, the snow I trudged through only grew deeper.All of it accumulated to this moment. The moment when my past finally caught up to me.The wall that protected me for so long came tumbling down.Time was no longer real. I was both here and there, human and beast. Smothered by the shock that I now stood on four feet, stark white fur sprouting from my massive body. I’d never felt so strong, packed with muscle that propelled me towards my kidnappers.I could see Lorenzo’s scarred face, his one eye bright with genuine fear, just as I could see
Violet’s P.O.V.With a click that sounded a lot like a bone breaking, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place.One month in hiding and Alice began to change. We were never close to begin with, but with nothing better to do she had started interacting with me. Pinches and practical jokes weren’t exactly what I anticipated when I told mom I wanted a sister, but it was better than the cold shoulder she often gave me.Those little, innocuous actions began to happen more and more, slowly growing in intensity. I’d been blind to the seeds of fear she sowed deep within me, only noticing them when they began to sprout.Six months in, and those practical jokes had taken a dark turn. One afternoon, she tripped on her way to the kitchen table and spilled her bowl of scalding soup down my back. Another time I’d woken up to my hair five inches shorter than what it had been when I went to sleep. Next to my pillow was the scissors she used.Mom didn’t believe me when I told her Alice was purpose
Hael’s P.O.V.Cole took one look at Violet, covered head-to-toe in blood, and whistled under his breath. I shook my head, warning him away.She was still on edge. Still whispering about fragments of her past. Some I understood, while others seemed like the confused ramblings of a child. My presence was the only thing that seemed to pull her out of her mind. She didn’t even seem to notice her professor following just a few feet behind, Macon’s head dangling from his hand, keeping an eye out in case anyone had survived.Before we left, I searched what was left of Lorenzo’s pants for Violet’s old cellphone. I found what I’d been looking for, ignoring the fact that half of his left leg remained in the pants.After helping her into Marcel’s suit jacket, which I planned on burning the second we were home, I wrapped her in my arms and made a silent promise never to let go. I would’ve given her my own if it hadn’t been soaked through with blood.On the walk back to the car, I thought only abo
Hael’s P.O.V.We had just pulled into the paved driveway of the cabin when Violet’s head snapped up. She scanned our surroundings twice, lingering on the dense forest with trees so tightly packed together that it was near impossible to see through. Their canopies hung low, only adding to the feeling of absolute privacy.I steered her down the driveway, and onto the porch. Cole and Marcel followed close behind. The newly reinforced front door unlocked with a loud click and opened to reveal the living room with its rustic brick fireplace and plaid sofa.The scent of charred wood hung in the air, and I uttered a silent thank you to Cole for cleaning the place after torturing the fucker who poisoned Olive’s brother.Just as I began to think Violet might never notice Marcel, she stopped her search of the place and frowned.With her head slightly tilted, she asked, “Why is Professor Langford here?”I looked at the man in question, his dress shirt so caked with blood it looked more crimson t