WINTER'S POVAs soon as he finished speaking, a bright light flashed, piercing my eyes."Watch out!" Goddess Selene yelled, her hand stretched out, perhaps to catch me. However, the gesture flung me backward, and my back slammed into the wall.I closed my eyes briefly as pain flooded into me before opening them again. But something was wrong. I couldn't see. My vision was blurry, and I tried my best to blink away the haze, but it was futile. It seemed like the more I blinked, the more blind I became."What happened to you giving a warning before you changed? And why can't you stay in this appearance?" I heard Goddess Selene scold."Well, I didn't know I had to announce my actions to mortals every time," came the annoying voice of Helios.Somehow, he reminded me of him. Rafael. He was as annoying as Rafael, or maybe the latter was more bothersome than he was. Yet, there wasn't much difference between them. They were egotistical, selfish, and cared only about themselves rather than othe

WINTER'S POVDeath... The last time I thought I would hear or see that was when Slade died. Yet, here it was again, looming like a dark cloud. Another cursed prophecy, hinting at its arrival.Or maybe Rafael was bluffing, but his expression showed no trace of jest. Even if he were joking, I doubted he would have come to this pack bearing such grave tidings only to tease me."I don't understand," I said, my voice trembling slightly."What don't you understand?!" Rafael snapped, causing me to flinch.Since I had awoken, despite Jude and Kendall's attempts to provoke him and even Linda's subtle hints for him to leave, he had never lost his temper—until now."It's simple, Winter," he said, his tone tense. "We're embarking on a quest together, in search of who knows what, and if we fail, death awaits us!""When did you receive this prophecy?" I inquired, making him scoff in response."Do you truly believe this to be a joke? Why would I come here just to toy with the concept of death? Think

WINTER'S POVI found myself trying to understand the bewildering circumstances that surrounded me. It was disconcerting to realize that I was clad in nothing but a towel while Rafael bombarded me with incredulous questions about my feelings for Jude. His eyes bore an unsettling mixture of curiosity and something more ominous, like a brewing storm."I've asked you a question, Winter," Rafael's voice snapped me back to the present."Your question is ridiculous," I retorted, furrowing my brow and attempting to extricate myself from his grasp. However, his fingers held onto mine with an unyielding grip.Rafael guided me towards the wall adjacent to the bathroom, pressing me against it. A soft gasp escaped my lips as my bare skin grazed the rough surface of the wall."How long have you both been in love with each other? How many times will you toy with me, Winter?" His expression contorted into a scowl."Let's be clear. I'm not dignifying that question with an answer. And for the record, t

RAFAEL POVTraveling through the darkness was no easy task, and being in an unknown territory made it even worse. What had transpired between Jude and me weighed heavily on my mind. I knew I was partially at fault, but Winter putting all the blame on me was unwarranted.If Jude hadn't intercepted me while I was out and provoked me about not being good enough for Winter, I probably wouldn't have thrown that punch. He taunted me, and I responded in kind by mentioning that I had kissed Winter. Though I never revealed the real reason for telling Jude about the kiss that led to our fistfight, I doubted Winter would want to hear it from me. She seemed furious, and I suspected she had already made up her mind about sending me away.Maybe, just maybe, if I had tried harder to convince her, I wouldn't be aimlessly wandering here now. Yet, the urgency to do so had escaped me at the time. Exhaling a breath, I paused by a massive tree, leaning against its trunk before closing my eyes.A calm bree

WINTER'S POVI groaned as I awakened, my eyes wandering around the room, trying to orient myself. My head throbbed, and my mouth tasted sour as I squinted at the blurry figure of Linda—yes, it was definitely her.She stood a few paces away from the bed, engrossed in conversation with Jude. Whatever they were discussing had clearly captured their attention; they hadn't noticed that I was awake."Linda," I said, gaining their attention. Immediately, she turned, and her eyes met mine.Her eyes widened, and a sharp screech escaped her lips. "Winter is awake!"Her voice pierced through my ears, and a rush of memories flooded back. How I had sensed something was wrong and had received a mental message from Rafael. Though I couldn't control the overwhelming feeling, it had led me to him, and that was when I encountered the basilisk."Rafael," I muttered, my gaze searching. "Where is he?""I am here," Rafael's voice came as he entered the room, with Kendall following closely.Stepping down fr