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
Violet’s P.O.V.As worried as I was for Hael, I wasn’t at all ready to jump back into things. I had enough blood on my hands, and not a single clue on how to deal with it all.Seeing Marcel validated every one of my memories, cementing them so that they no longer felt like the daydreams of another little girl.Marcel leaned back in the armchair, crossing his feet at the ankles. “Tell me about this man that found you.”“His name is Elijah. He was the doctor at our old pack. While the Alpha and Luna debated on shoving me in some foster home, he took care of me. He wasn’t exactly looking to have a child, but he’d spent some time in the system himself. He didn’t want me to go through that too, especially with my trauma.”I rarely asked Elijah about his past out of respect. He’d given me enough details for me to piece things together. The only child of a middle-class couple, in a pack where feral attacks happened every other month. One attack in particular claimed the lives of his parents,
Violet’s P.O.V.I went to follow after Hael when Carmen spoke.“Don’t you want to know who’s after you, Violet? What I have to say might just surprise you.”There was a decision to make, and it was time I stepped up to the plate. The power and authority of a Luna ran in my blood. I was no longer the forgotten bookworm forever perched in her gilded cage, waiting for the moment when someone came and set her free.I understood now that only I could free myself.And so I did. “Cole, go after Hael. See if you can keep him from murdering his father.” The command I issued to my mate’s Beta was sharp and powerful.Cole sensed it as well and paused. He dipped his head in a respectful nod, mistrust in his eyes as they danced over to Marcel.“Yes, Luna.”As he passed by Marcel, he paused. There was nothing left of the easy-going, slightly psychotic man I was beginning to like. Only the manic, torturer with a hint of the rogue gene remained.“Hurt her and I will personally hunt you down.”Marcel
Hael’s P.O.V. This was it. This was what finally severed the last tie I held to my father. They fluttered in the chilly breeze. Floating in the wind that raced through the trees. It howled a slow, foreboding tune, as though the trees themselves knew what I was about to do. It was always going to come to this. “Fuck, Hael. Hold up a damn second!” Cole bellowed, bolting out the front door. It slapped against the house before the wind slammed it shut. I paused, the chill now deep within my bones. His hand came down on my shoulder. The urge to tear it off his body had me spinning around with bared teeth. A warning snarl worked its way up my throat, one my Beta was smart enough to listen to. He removed his hand but didn’t back down. “I wasn’t there for you when we were kids—” Was this what he wanted to talk about? Was this him trying to deny me what I’d earned through blood, sweat, and the innocence of my youth? Frustration sent my teeth on edge, constricting the skin over my muscl