Delilah's POV:I don't know for how long I had been unconscious. All I remembered was being brutally betrayed by Stella and it was a total blackout after that. And now I was feeling someone vigorously shaking my shoulders and frequently patting my cheeks. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear my name being called over and over in urgency.I tried to chase the voice and come out of unconsciousness but the more I tried, the more I seemed to drown in deep slumber. My whole body was feeling like a mass of jelly. It felt like I was locked up in my own body.And then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, I felt water splashing all over my face. I let out a sharp gasp as my eyes snapped open. My head hastily moved left and right and it only took me a moment to realize that I was in my hospital room. Taking a shuddering breath, I jerked up in bed and found a very shaken-looking Asteria beside my bed. I had never seen her so...afraid.Her wide eyes filled with horror roamed all over my face as

Xander's POV:Lucas's hands were shaking with fright as his eyes traveled between me and Stella. For 100 years of his life, he must have thought about this very specific moment when he'll finally meet his fated mate.For sure, things changed after he fell in love with Adeline but still, he must have constantly been thinking about the moment he was going to meet his mate and what he'd do after meeting her. But I was sure as hell that never even in his wildest dreams had he imagined meeting his fated mate like this where his Alpha was a moment away from ripping her apart. His eyebrows dipped lower as he asked in a hoarse whisper, "Who are you?"My lip curled up as I bit out with venom, "A traitor," at the same time Stella whimpered, "Your mate." Of course, now she was trying to gain his sympathy.Lucas lingered in the doorway and seemed too shocked to step inside. His thoughts were all over the place and as an Alpha, I could feel the storm brewing inside him. He must be feeling a rush o

Xander's POV:The mansion gates flung open and a swarm of my pack started pouring out to welcome us. There were hootings and tears of gratitude all over the place. Families hugged each other closer together on the safe return of their loved ones.After a few nods, I left them to it and ordered the guard, "Ask the pack doctor to be in my room immediately."He scurried off toward the pack clinic whereas I passed by everyone and entered the mansion. I could not help stealing a glance at Delilah every once in a while. It was hard to believe that she was finally in my arms with her cheek pressed against my chest.My heart swelled as I realized that she was now safe and sound. Even though she was not in her consciousness the peace adorning her face made it clear that she knew it too. She knew she was in safe arms now.I kicked open the door to my room and walked over to the bed. With great gentleness and care, I placed her on the mattress. Hovering over her, I took a good look at her. My ey

Xander's POV:My lips lifted in a lopsided grin and my eyebrow quivered, "What a change of events, Asteria. I like it."Her menacing gaze turned to Lucien as she bit out poisonously, "I want you to kill him first. I want to watch him die in front of my eyes."My head tilted to the side and I said amusingly, "Consider it a parting gift then."With that, I turned around and started to walk away. I had just taken a few steps when curiosity nudged at the back of my mind. When it got hold of me, I finally turned around and walked back to Asteria, "Do you regret it?" She did all that for Lucien, I wanted to know whether she regretted it now or not. Would she have taken a different path, and made different choices had she known that she was going to be betrayed like this?For once, her eyes saddened as she mulled over my words. Millions of emotions flashed in her eyes as she said in a broken voice, "If you are to take my heart out of me, I'm sure you'll find it brimming with billions of crack

Delilah's POV:I felt grogginess when I came back to my senses. My eyes snapped open and I jerked up in the bed. I was back in Xee's room. Adeline, who was sitting on the couch, rushed to me and asked worriedly, "Hey, are you okay?"The piercing headache of the morning was replaced by a mild one. I stayed like that for a long minute, slowly breathing in and breathing out as the events of the morning replayed in my mind. I glanced out the window and frowned at the soft glow of the sunset, "What time is it?"Adeline glimpsed at the wall clock before telling me, "It's almost 5 in the evening."I rubbed my temples, "Did I just sleep the whole damn day?"She brushed my hair out of my face and murmured, "After the shit you had gone through, you deserve a week's worth of sleep at the very least."She was sounding so off. I lifted my face to look at her and I surely didn't like what I saw. Dark circles, sad eyes, fake smiles, tensed shoulders. The usual brightening demeanor of my jolly friend