REJECTED BY ALPHA

A PARANORMAL WOLF SHIFTER REJECTED MATES

ROMANCE

GERTTY RUDRAW

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 CONTENTS

Death Sentence
You don’t know who I am
Who you are
The tip of the iceberg
On the flip side
Myself
Body memory
A single flame
A second bond
Visions of the future
Broken inside
Everything but you
A bad omen
Awakening
The promise of an alpha
The call of desire
Crystal mask
A stranger among lunatics
In the temple of the goddess
Field of ashes
A life in exchange for another
One Forever
Finally, together
For eternity
Also by Gertty Rudraw
Chapter 1: Birthday Jitters
Chapter 2: The Crime

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 D E AT H S E N T E N C E

SKYLAR

T he instant I opened my eyes, I knew. I was going to

die.
There are times when words are not necessary. A part of
you just knows. You know the worst is over, and there is no
escape. Death is coming.
My head hurts. I'm dizzy and confused, and a strange taste
of metal sticks to my tongue.
As soon as I look up, the moonlight hits me. It's a full moon
today, and its amber glow rains down on me. It is so
dazzling that it blinds me.
But I am not on the outside. Instead, I am inside what
appears to be a container. Everything is dark, and although
the ceiling is made of glass, the light is only reflected in the
space where I find myself.
I try to move, but I am tied up. Thick, rusty metal chains
hold me to a stretcher kept in a horizontal position.
“Don't struggle,” says a voice behind me. “It won't do any
good.”
I try to turn toward the voice. It is then that I notice that
we are not alone.
How did I get here? I ask myself. That intrigue keeps
spinning inside my head as I see the figures emerging from
the shadows.
They are all standing, surrounding the stretcher. They are
dressed in long black robes and wear masks that cover
their faces. Their shows are white and mimic the look of a
raven. The pointed beaks surmount the shadows of their
hoods.
One of the figures approaches me. It is he who has spoken.
His mask, unlike the rest, is not white, but golden.
The stranger then removes his hood and mask, revealing
his face. He is a beautiful young man, but there is
something terrible in his beauty. He is taller than I am, with
a slender body and delicate, sharp features. His hair is
straight and silver. It shines in the moonlight. His skin is
almost sickly and colourless, with a charming and
dangerous smile.
“Who are you? Why do you have me here?” I demand to
know as he slowly paces around, circling the table on which
I find myself.
“So many questions. And in such a short time,” he
chuckles. “Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough.”
The man then moves his fingers, and something strange
happens. It feels as if the force of a magnet is pulling the
stretcher. It moves and stands upright. I can't help but let
out a groan.
I am in front of a full-length mirror and look at my
reflection for a moment.
Because of fear, my coppery brown hair is tousled, and my
skin is paler than usual. They took off my jacket, so I only
wore my olive green T-shirt and black pants. My boots are
gone too.
My eyes look back at me with fear. They are big and blue.
They are framed within a heart-shaped face. Full lips, once
pink, now, slightly parted, upturned nose and a path of
freckles furrowing my cheeks that I know as well as the
palms of my hands.
“To be honest, I've always found you rather mundane,”
murmurs the stranger, stopping beside me. “Who knew
such a common girl could be so important? And yet, you
are. We're all here because of you.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, startled.
One of his fingers brushes my cheek. I try to pull away, but
I just can't.
“You'll know soon enough,” whispers the stranger.
He approaches me. I begin to struggle, but it is impossible
to escape. One of his hands holds my hips tightly and
precisely, while the other grabs my face by my chin. I hold
back a moan and his face comes closer to mine.
“Get away from me!” I shout, but he ignores me.
His lips open before he moves down to my neck. I notice
right away that he has long, sharp fangs, like those of a...
No. Impossible.
“No!” I scream. “Let me go!”
My heart begins to pound and panic. The stranger ignores
my words. His lips brush my neck, and his fangs prick my
skin. I hold back a whimper and bite my lips, closing my
eyes in terror. My hands clench into fists.
“No...” I whisper in vain, feeling him close his lips around
the wound. He begins to suck my blood. As he does so, the
heat descends from my neck and travels down my
extremities, emptying my senses.
“So sweet...” he whispers, licking his lips. His eyes have
changed colour. They used to be blue, almost as white as
his hair, but now they glow blood red.
He comes closer again, to drink from my neck one more
time. I try to scream, but I cannot. My life slips away with
every breath from his lips.
Just when I think I'm going to die, a sound explodes in the
distance. Strong and loud, the clamour of the glass from
the roof bursting rains down on us as the shards fall to the
ground. I close my eyes instinctively and lower my face, as
the vampire leaps away from me.
“Shit!” he shouts, and I open my eyes.
Just then, I see them—creatures out of fantasy. Tall figures
on all fours show sharp fangs and snarl at the hooded men,
who soon start running to try to escape. Wolves, but not
just any wolves. They are as big as a house and seem
determined to finish off the hooded men.
I struggle in vain to free myself before any of the creatures
notice me, but I am too weak to do so. My head then drops,
and I gradually lose consciousness.
It is then that he appears. Maybe I'm dreaming it; perhaps
this is just a dream because the beautiful man coming
toward me doesn't seem natural for a moment. Much taller
than the rest and with a rugged face. His eyes are a vibrant
shade of green, and he has chocolate hair, straight and
falling over his face. His jaw is square, his lips are full and
open in a furious expression, and his body is tense. His
hands are strangely encircled by shadows, as if they cling
to his skin.
“Skylar, hold on!” he calls out to me. His voice is thick and
dense. He approaches me and raises his hand. The shadows
around us follow his movements. They morph impossibly as
he moves and breaks through the metal.
How did he do that? How did he know my name...?
As soon as the chains break, I fall, not against the ground
but in his arms. The stranger catches me in the act and
wraps his body around me. His scent of woods and cologne
erases the world around me and fills me with a strange
sense of protection and well-being.
“Sky, come on, are you okay?”
One of his hands brushes my face. It makes me look up. His
face is so close to mine that I feel that with just one breath,
I could drink from his lips. It's strange that amid chaos and
being on the verge of death, suddenly, all I crave is to be
able to join my lips with those of this stranger who has
come to save my life.
“I...” I murmur in disorientation, and my face falls. My
forehead rests on his chest. The world around me does not
stop spinning.
“Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here,” he
promises.
Without waiting, he lifts me. My arms go around his neck
as the stranger begins to run at breakneck speed.
Behind us, someone seems to shout, but he doesn't stop.
When I look up, I notice dozens of hooded figures closely
following us. I hold back a groan and feel fear rise in my
mouth, but he doesn't seem to be affected. Instead, the
stranger turns and snarls. One of his hands grows and with
it, so do the shadows that immediately swallow up those
chasing us.
“Impossible...” I whisper, noticing how they have
disappeared into nothingness. But my saviour doesn't seem
surprised. His hands hold me tightly, and he jumps to an
impossible height, reaching the top of a set of stairs leading
to a closed door.
“Asher!” shouts a voice behind us, and my saviour turns
around. I follow his gaze and notice the vampire drinking
my blood earlier.
The vampire then advances toward us. It is too fast, but
Asher raises his hand towards him, and the shadows come
to his call. They rise and pounce on the man, trapping his
body in chains from which he cannot escape.
The vampire screams in annoyance, and Asher grabs my
arms again.
“We have to leave. I won't be able to hold him for long,” he
whispers with a growl.
He kicks the door open. It opens into a brightly lit corridor
through which Asher begins to run. Behind us, the entrance
is swallowed by shadows.
Only then does Asher stops? Carefully he sets me down. His
leaf-green eyes linger on my face as one of his hands
caresses my cheek.
“Sky, please answer me. Tell me you're okay,” he implores.
I don't understand the gentleness in his tone, the concern I
see in his eyes. I keep my gaze locked on his but holding it
for long is impossible.
“I don't understand what's going on,” I murmur.
“That damn Adrien,” Asher mutters in annoyance. His
fingers slide up to my neck. “Shit... the bleeding won't stop.
Wait.”
Before I can say anything, he approaches me. I hold back a
sigh and a moan when I feel his mouth on the exact spot
where that man bit me earlier. My hands close around his
black leather jacket, and I think of him as he sucks my
blood.
“No...” I start to gasp, but Asher pulls away from me. He
then spits on the floor the blood and wipes his lips.
His palm rests against my cheek.
“Are you feeling better?” he asks me softly.
“A little,” I murmur. “Thank you... But why are you doing all
this?” I ask.
He laughs. A sound full of sarcasm.
“Why do I do it?” he asks acidly. And then, something in my
eyes seems to answer his question. “Sky... Do you…? Don't
you remember who I am?” he asks.
I shake my head.
“No... Should I?”
Even though I don't know him, I notice the exact moment
when his expression breaks. Something changes inside
him. Suddenly his face is a mask of ice.
“I'll kill him for this,” Asher promises and then stands up.
He lifts me in a fluid and somewhat jerky motion. “Come
on. I've got to get you out of here.”
Without waiting for me to say anything, he runs off. Behind
us, the shadows seem to groan, and the door reappears
between them. Someone struggles on the other side to
open it.
Luckily, we're out of the hallway by then. Asher runs
through an abandoned lobby and out a door leading to a
darkened alley. He hurries down the path and arrives at a
parked motorcycle with many others.
“Your name is Asher, right?” I murmur. He nods. “Please
explain to me what is happening. I don't understand
anything...” I ask him.
Asher pauses for a moment. He breathes in slowly as if
trying to control himself.
“Don't worry. I'll explain everything, but first, I must get
you out of here.”
He then settles me on the bike. He gets on it and kicks it
off.
“Hold on to me,” he asks me.
Asher has placed me in front of him, not behind. I guess
he's afraid that, given my condition, I might fall.
I nod, not strong enough to fight and let my face fall
against his chest. My arms wrap around his hips when he
starts the motorcycle, rushing away from the nightmare
scenario where I almost see my death.
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 Y O U D O N ’ T K N OW W H O I A M

SKYLAR

E ven when I try, I can't keep my eyes open. I feel dizzy

and on the verge of fainting, and my skin burns, even
though I feel a wave of cold that makes me shiver.
“Hang in there,” Asher repeatedly asks, driving through the
city as if our lives depend on it probably because it does.
He stops and leaves the abandoned bike, crossing the
streets with me in his arms. The noise of New York stops as
if nothing and no one inhabits this part of the world.
“You'll be all right,” Asher promises.
I look up and see the shape of an abandoned vault with
coloured lamps that were bright in the past.
“Are we in...?”
“City Hall Station,” Asher finishes. “We're almost home.”
My gaze is lost in the scene around me. I took this tour
once, I remember. It cost me fifty dollars, and getting
tickets was quite a hassle, but I enjoyed it very much.
Who was I with at the time? I could have sworn there was
someone with me. Someone important, but I can't
remember who.
Asher's movements snap me out of my thoughts. He jumps
onto the rails and swerves out of the way through a closed
tunnel. Shadows and the scent of piss and vomit filled the
air for a moment, but it's all gone.
He descends, and I hear the sound of his footstep on what
sounds like steps. His arms hold me tightly.
“Not long to go,” Asher whispers.
My eyes open, and I feel the light. As I look around, I notice
what appears to be a cave large enough to house a fifty-
story building. In its center is a tall and majestic structure.
“Impossible,” I whisper.
It must be the fever playing tricks on me. But Asher doesn't
seem surprised. He descends to the very center of the
structure and slips into it.
“Sabine!” he shouts as soon as we enter the vast foyer of
the structure. “Sabine, it's an emergency!” Asher shouts
again.
All around me, the world blurs, and at times, everything is
confusing. As I do so, the scenery and the faces around me
mutate into an intelligible chorus of visions that make no
sense.
“What happened?” someone asks. A girl, I can intuit from
the tone of her voice.
“Adrien. He bit her,” answers Asher.
“Oh, shit! Ash, this is not good,” says the female voice.
“I know. Sabine, she doesn't remember anything...”
My eyes open slowly. I don't understand much of what is
happening. I see a face above mine—a wonderful young
woman with burnt caramel skin, full lips and onyx hair.
“You have to save her,” Asher says, standing next to the
girl.
“I will do my best,” promises the stranger, placing a hand
on my forehead.
A pang runs through my arm. I hold back a groan and
notice a needle when I look.
Immediately, heat rushes through me. My eyes close
hopelessly, and the world around me disappears without
saying goodbye.
I open my eyes after what seems like an eternity. I'm short
of breath and feel like I'm suffocating. Someone next to me
screams, but I don't understand what they are saying at
first.
“Asher, it's not working!” shouts the stranger. “Adrien's
poison has invaded too much of her system.”
“I can't let her turn into one of them,” says Asher. I notice
that her hand is holding mine. “What can we do?”
“Your blood,” the brown woman's eyes widen. “We have to
counter one poison with another. Your blood is the only
thing that could save her.”
Asher lets out a curse. His hand releases mine. My eyes
search for him, and I notice how he brings the back of his
hand to his lips. He lets out a slight growl, and his lips are
stained with the tinge of his blood.
Without waiting, he approaches me. Does he know that I
can feel life slipping through my fingers? And yet death
seems a price worth paying for him.
Before I can understand what he's doing, he comes closer.
His thumb presses against my lips and opens them. His
mouth is placed over mine. I feel the wetness of his lips,
stained with blood, and his tongue, sneaking inside my
mouth and claiming me.
I close my eyes. I breathe in slowly, deeply. The taste of his
blood washes everything away. It doesn't taste like metal or
anything I've tasted before. It is sweet against my tongue,
like his kiss.
Instantly I breathe in, and again, I can live. A moan of relief
leaves my lips as he sinks deeper into me. His hands hold
my face tightly while my hands cling to his forearms. Asher
lets his tongue wander over my lips and roam them, wiping
away the traces of blood and letting my tongue go to meet
him as I taste him.
“Good girl,” he whispers against my lips as a gasp leaves
me.
“It's working. Her pulse is stabilizing,” whispers the woman
next to us.
Asher doesn't wait for directions. He drinks from the cut on
his wrist again, and his lips get mine once more. I feel the
warm liquid moving down my throat, his lips moving
against mine and his tongue playing at tangling with mine.
When he pulls away from me, I feel like I haven't had
enough of him, but I don't have the strength to hold him
back. He runs his thumb across his lower lip, wiping away
the trail of blood, and brings it up to my lips.
“Lick,” he orders me.
I meekly obey, wiping the red from his skin until Asher
smiles.
“That should do it," he says.
He then turns away from me and folds his arms. My heart
flutters inside my chest with force, but I notice that I no
longer feel dizzy or weak as I once did. At least now, my
head is clear enough to understand what is happening
around me.
So, I immediately understand that the pretty brunette
woman next to me must be some kind of doctor and that I
am inside an infirmary.
“That will slow down the poison,” the woman murmurs. She
looks tired.
“Poison?” I ask blankly. She nods.
“Vampire poison. It got into your system when Adrien bit
you.”
“It was turning you,” Asher then says. “But my blood will
slow it down enough so it won't have any effect.”
“At least, not so fast that we can't find a solution first,” the
doctor murmurs.
Asher sighs. More than tired, he looks deeply tormented.
My lips open to ask for the reason, but the doors to the
infirmary open.
“Sky?” says a girl with fear etched in her eyes. “By the
goddess, Sky, you're alive!”
The young woman throws herself at me without waiting.
The scent of her hair fills everything as she embraces me.
“I was so afraid of losing you...” she whispers.
She pulls away from me and looks at me. She has a vaguely
familiar face, but because it looks just like mine, though we
are not identical. Her eyes are blue, but her hair is darker
than mine. Her full-lipped, sensuous face causes me a
twinge of envy. She looks like an improved version of
myself. At the very least, more sensual.
“I'm sorry,” I say to the stranger and move away. “Do I
know you?”
She turns away from me as if a bucket of cold water had
washed over her.
“What?” she says in a clipped voice.
Asher then places a hand on her shoulder, and she looks at
him warily. The closeness between them causes a twinge of
jealousy inside me that I try to ignore.
“Don't take it personally, Le. She doesn't remind me
either.”
The girl's expression changes. She no longer looks hurt but
astonished.
The doctor then intervenes.
“Adrien has probably done more than just drink her blood.
He must have drugged her with something that suppressed
specific memory segments.”
“Maybe,” Asher says. “She didn't seem to know who he was
either.”
“Who was who?” I ask, annoyed that I'm the only one who
doesn't understand whatever's going on. But they ignore
me.
“But I don't understand,” says the girl Asher called ‘Le.’
“What happened?”
“I don't know,” Asher sighs and runs a hand through his
tousled hair. “We were late. Things went wrong. I barely
got Sky out of there before Adrien hunted us down.”
“Is the pack still there?” the girl asks, looking scared.
Asher is silent for a moment. He closes his eyes and then
shakes his head.
“No. They're on their way. They have managed to escape.
Some are wounded, but no one is dead.”
The two women sigh in relief.
“It's confusing to be the only one who doesn't understand
anything,” I say, annoyed. “Who are they, and what
happened?”
The three of them look at me, each with a different emotion
painted on their faces.
Asher seems to be the least willing to answer. Instead, the
brunette girl starts by saying.
“My name is Sabine,” she clarifies. “And I am the doc... The
doctor of the pack.” her lips curl into a grimace. “You may
not remember by now. We think they've used some kind of
poison to erase your memories, but you belong here. This is
your home. You and I were friends.”
“I'm your sister,” hurries to say the pretty girl who has
rushed to embrace me. Her hand takes mine. “We are
twins. My name is Leah,” her eyes blurred with tears. “You
don't remember me?” she asks with a broken voice.
I slowly shake my head.
“No... I'm sorry,” I murmur.
She holds back a moan. She brings her hands to her face
and covers them as she begins to cry inconsolably.
Leah takes refuge in Asher's chest. He hugs her for a
moment, but his eyes don't leave mine.
Who are you? I keep asking myself inside my head. His
gaze seems to be able to read my thoughts.
“We have to wait until the situation calms down a bit. We
will explain everything to Skylar when we are clearer about
what has happened,” Asher says.
He turns away from Leah and comes toward me. Leah
sniffles and hugs herself.
“It's for the best. Skylar needs rest to recover,” says the
doctor, Sabine.
“She will, but not here,” says Asher.
Without waiting, he comes to me and pushes the blankets
aside. He takes me in his arms and lifts me, even against
Sabine's protests.
“Asher, what are you doing? You know Sky is safe with me.”
“I know,” he says, though his voice has no apology. “But I
don't plan to let her out of my sight again. The last time I
did, she was kidnapped. And look what she's been through
because of it.”
His words seem to significantly affect Leah, who looks away
from Asher and me. He walks out of the infirmary with me
in his arms without another word.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask.
“To my room,” he answers quietly.
My heart begins to race. He smiles as if he can hear it.
“Don't worry. I won't do anything to you,” he says. I feel my
cheeks redden. Is it so obvious what I've been thinking, or
can he read my mind too?
“I don't understand. Why you're doing all this? I don't even
know you," I say.
“Yes, you do.”
Asher then stops in the middle of the hallway. Silence takes
over the scene for a moment. His gaze remains fixed on me.
“I don't. I don't know who you are, where we are, or what
happened,” I say between whispers, his eyes on mine.
He takes a moment to respond.
“My name is Asher, Asher Wright, and I am the leader of
the Full Moon, a pack of shapeshifters. Of wolves,” he says.
Inside my head, his words sound impossible. At least, they
would be if I hadn't seen the vampires and the wolves with
my own eyes that night.
“But I don't understand,” I say, shaking my head. “Even if
all of this is true...”
“It is,” he cuts me off in a blunt tone.
“Even then,” I continue. “What has all this got to do with
me? What have you got to do with me...?”
The question goes beyond what I can express. Because
even if what he said is true, I cannot understand how a wolf
pack's leader can relate to me.
Asher smiles bitterly as if the answer is something obvious
that hurts him deeply.
“Because you and I are one,” he says, bringing a hand to
my face. “You may not understand it now or remember it.
But you are my mate. The one destined by the Goddess to
be with me for a lifetime. For all eternity.”
His words quicken my pulse. They make my heartbeat as
my lips open in disbelief at his confession.
‘Together for a lifetime’ seems too long to be accurate.
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 WHO YOU ARE

SKYLAR

A sher's hand settles against the hollow of my waist. He

stopped in the middle of our walk and pulled me
down. His other hand remains resting against my cheek.
His thumb absentmindedly caresses my skin, causing a
tingle to run through me until it reaches my lips.
His eyes remain fixed on mine. His gaze is full of pain but
also determination. I can't look away from him even if I try.
“I know you don't understand right now,” he starts to say.
“Adrien played a nasty trick on us by erasing your
memories. But you belong to me. You're as much mine as I
am yours.”
His statement gets my pulse racing. It seems like a joke of
fate that someone who looks unattainable as he is in every
way is linked to someone like me.
“I want to believe you,” I say, holding back a grimace. “But
just now, everything seems to be so confusing...”
“I know,” his lips draw a grimace of disgust. “Just like I
said, Adrien has played us all by erasing your memory.”
Asher then breaks away from me. He takes my hand and
starts walking. At the end of the hallway, he opens the door
to his room.
He waits for me to walk in. The room is as big as a luxury
apartment in the city's center. It is painted black, gray and
white. A shelf next to me takes up an entire wall and is
piled high with books. On the other side of the room, huge
windows overlooking the cave's center are closed and
covered by long black curtains.
I slowly enter the room. Asher closes the door behind us.
He sits on the bed and watches me wander around the
room. Pictures of us are on the dresser, the mantel, and the
vast bookcase. Images of what appear to be friends and
good times. He can't be lying about this.
“How come I don't remember any of this?” I say, frustrated,
picking up one of the photos. I'm smiling with a group of
people I don't even recognize. Sabine, the doctor, Leah, my
twin, and Asher are among them.
“What's the last thing you remember?” he asks me.
“I don't know,” I say, frustrated. “Everything is fuzzy in my
memory. I remember waking up in the middle of that
darkened room just before the vampire... Adrien” My lips
curl into a grimace. “Bit me.”
“And before that?” Asher presses me. “What's your last
memory before that moment?”
I try as best I can to think. I rack my brains until the
images slowly come to me.
“A yellow-walled kitchen with a table in the center. There is
a white tablecloth on it and flowers.”
“Your parents' kitchen,” Asher says. “You remember a
house you haven't visited in over eight years. They are
memories from when you were twelve.”
“How is that possible?” I say, terrified, turning to look at
him. “How is it that everything else before that time has
disappeared?”
Asher sighs.
“I told you. We think Adrien erased your memories.”
“Including Leah?” I ask. “She was part of my childhood.
Shouldn't I remember her?”
“Not necessarily. She belongs to this world as much as you
do. If Adrien intended to erase us from your memory, he
would start with her and me.”
“But why?” I ask desperately. “Why invest so much effort in
erasing the memory of someone you want to kill?”
“Because his intention was different,” Asher affirms
seriously. “He didn't want to kill you. He wanted to turn you
into one of them. To have you for himself.”
His words strike deep inside me. The memory of the pain, a
product of the bite, is drawn in my memory, as well as
everything that has happened in the last hours.
I can't help but feel confused and frustrated. Asher waits
silently for me to finish my tour of the room. His eyes
remain fixed until I lean against the wall, arms crossed and
beside the shelf.
“I can see you're not lying to me,” I say. “But you have to
understand that right now, everything is confusing. Even
though I know you're not lying to me, it seems like...”
“Impossible?” Asher finishes. A bitter laugh leaves his lips.
“I imagine it's probably because humans have difficulty
believing anything outside their reality. Even when the
truth crashes into their faces.”
My lips draw a thin line in annoyance.
“Would you believe what a stranger tells you right off the
bat?” I refute. “That fairy tales are real. There's nothing
unreal about fantasy, and everything you believe in and
remember is a big sham.”
“I would believe it if I had seen it with my own eyes," he
says, standing up. He takes a step toward me. “Only an
idiot denies what he has seen. And as far as I know, you're
no idiot.”
He's coming towards me. He's fucking tall, and I think as I
look up so that his gaze and mine meet. My arms are
crossed over my chest in a false attempt to protect myself.
He rests one arm at my face level and lowers his so that
our gazes compete to win this silent fight.
“What about you and me?” I say.
“What about that?” he asks defensively. One of his hands
reaches out, and a crooked smile creeps up his lips. “There
is more than enough evidence all over the room of what we
are.”
My heart begins to race.
“You said we're something... a couple?” my eyebrow rises
at the question.
“It's not a courtship like humans if that's what you mean,”
he clarifies immediately.
“What is it then?” I ask curiously.
Asher slowly licks his lower lip. He smiles.
“I can prove it to you,” he says with a dangerous gleam in
his eye.
His arms close around my waist. I hold back a moan, and
he lifts me. He carries me to the bed and drops me onto the
sheets.
I don't have time to react. Asher settles on top of me, his
legs locking mine. His hands take my wrists and hold them.
His face comes close to mine.
“What are you doing?” I say, my pulse racing.
“Be quiet and pay attention,” he says severely. I breathe in
slowly. “This is not something I can lie to you about. There
is no way to disguise this. Even if you don't remember me,
you should feel it.”
I try to pay attention. Asher looks at me intently. He sighs
in exasperation and moves closer to me.
“Silence your thoughts,” he asks me. “Concentrate on what
you feel.”
Part of me envies his calmness, but the other part of me
tries to do as he asks. My eyes close as I try to obey. For a
moment, all I can feel is the racing pulse coursing through
me; but behind that curtain is something else—a second
instinct beating inside me.
It's like a voice in my head, only more than a voice; it
seems to be a feeling. It goes from me to him and allows
me to intuit what he feels and thinks in some strange way.
My eyes widen. They stay fixed on him. Asher nods.
“Is it like this all the time?” I ask.
“Between us, yes,” he says in a whisper. For a moment, I
lose myself in the memory of our last kiss, which is drawn
amidst his breath and the scent of his perfume.
Asher smiles as if he can sense that I find myself thinking
about it.
“I'm not lying when I say we are one,” he begins to murmur
closer to my face than before. “That's how I found you.
Even in the distance, I can feel what you feel, desire what
you desire...”
One of his hands catches both my wrists. The other begins
to walk down my body. It goes from my hip and up my
torso.
“If I concentrate, I can see what you see. Hear what you
hear, though it only lasts for a moment.”
I must bite my lip to keep a moan from escaping them out
of desire. Asher seems to sense it. He knows exactly where
to touch me to make my hips rise or open my mouth
because of the moans begging to escape from it.
“What we feel is undeniable. Not even all of Adrien's tricks
could suppress the bond we have.”
His hand slips under my shirt at the exact moment when I
begin to crave his fingers brushing my skin. The sensation
is overwhelming. It obliterates all my senses and makes it
impossible for me to concentrate on anything but him or
the rhythm his hands set.
For me. Nothing else exists at this moment. I close my eyes
and feel his forehead pressed against mine. His lips are so
close that I would only have to travel a few inches to taste
them again.
“Don't you remember anything about who we are?” he says
then. I open my eyes and find his deep green gaze fixed on
mine. One of his eyebrows is raised. “The conversations,
the secrets... The nights you spent here, with me.” He
smiles.
“No...” I whisper in a raspy voice.
His hand goes a little further up under my shirt. His fingers
brush the end of my breasts.
My lips open, and a moan escapes them.
“Your memory may be gone, but not your body,” Asher says.
Some of you still remember me; I won't let that be erased.
I feel his face lower. His lips go to meet my neck. A moan
leaves my lips when his tongue begins to run along my
skin.
My body reacts instinctively. It curves against him and
seeks him out. Our legs tangle together as a growl leaves
his lips.
And then, nothing else matters. What does he remember or
what happened? It feels like being close to perfection. As if,
for a moment, everything terrible I've ever experienced, the
painful or the overwhelming, disappears, making way only
for him. To the delicious sensation of his tongue running
over my clothes, his hands closing around mine, and my
lips crying out for his so loudly that I'm surprised he hasn't
come to my rescue yet.
“Shit,” murmurs Asher.
But the moment is erased. By the time I'm aware of what's
happening, he's on his feet. He wipes the moisture from his
mouth with his thumb and looks at the door.
A hurried tap on it two seconds later makes me jump out of
bed. I look at him, dismayed and wondering how sharp his
senses are. I have only an instant to get to my feet before
the door opens.
“Sky!” say two girls, who come running towards me. For
the second time in the night, I am rammed by a series of
unexpected hugs. Both girls cry and hold me tightly as if
they are afraid I will disappear if I let go.
“She doesn't remember you,” Asher says behind us. They
pull away from me, and I notice he has taken a seat in the
chair in front of his desk. “Don't overwhelm her. She is
quite confused.”
The two girls break away from me then and look at me
intently. They must both be close to my age.
One of them has kindness etched on her countenance. She
has a slightly rounded face, dark slanted eyes, fair skin and
thin lips, with straight black hair that falls below her
shoulder blades.
The other has a slightly more shy expression. She has an
oval face with pink lips, fair skin and wavy, waist-length
hair the colour of burnt honey. She is small in build and
looks rather delicate. Her eyes are light green, and her face
resembles Asher's.
I look at them both. Asher's gaze goes from the honey-
haired girl and back to me. She pouts and turns away. She
goes to sit next to Asher on the armrest of the chair. As
they are next to each other, it is more than evident that
they are siblings.
“I told you so,” Leah says. I notice she's standing in the
doorway, leaning against the door frame with her arms
crossed.
“Oh, shit. It's only getting worse,” says the black-haired
girl, who is still standing next to me. She sighs then and
points to the other girl. “My name is Megan, and this is
Claire.”
“We're your friends,” Claire then says. “Your best friends”
I nod slowly.
“It's probably all tough to understand right now, but I
promise we will help you understand what's going on,”
Megan says.
Claire nods behind her with conviction. They both seem
hopeful in their words, but Leah and Asher don't seem so
convinced.
Honestly, I'm not convinced either. It's all too overwhelming
right now to make sense.
“At what point did they decide to have this party without
inviting us?” a male voice then says.
I look at the entrance to the room. Two guys, shirtless and
almost as tall as Asher, enter the room.
One of them undoubtedly resembles Megan. Black-haired,
slanted eyes and fair skin; pronounced musculature and
thin lips. The other has dark curly hair, gray eyes and full
lips. The dark-haired one is not as muscular as the other
boy or Asher himself, but it gives him a more elegant
bearing, not so fierce.
“We've heard the story,” says the boy with straight black
hair. "Sabine filled us in on Sky's situation, but I think we
can leave the introductions for later.”
“I never leave introductions with a lady for later,” says the
young man with thick, curly hair. He smiles charmingly at
me. “My name is Lucian, and the nincompoop next to me is
Maddox. It's a pleasure to meet you again, Sky.”
He winks at me flirtatiously. Maddox slaps him on the arm.
Asher grunts and stands up.
“Stop joking, Luke,” Asher orders, and although the boy,
Lucian, keeps smiling, he remains silent.
Asher walks towards them. As he does so, his bearing
changes. He seems more determined. His emotions are
covered, and his face adopts an expressionless mask.
“Either way, we need you, Ash. We need to discuss what
happened tonight,” says Maddox. Lucian nods in
agreement.
“I wasn't planning on leaving Skylar alone, but I guess this
can't wait,” Asher sighs. “I trust you to take care of her.
And please don't leave her alone. I'll be back soon.”
He gives me a meaningful look and leaves the room.
“So much drama,” Leah says, grimacingly closing the door.
“As if we haven't always taken care of her,” she states.
She sits down in the chair Asher used to occupy, and Claire
comes to sit next to me on the bed.
“You know how he gets when he's worried,” she says to
defend her brother. Then she looks at me. “So, Sky, how are
you feeling?”
She and Megan are staring at me. I try not to let that make
me uncomfortable.
“Confused, I guess. Tired...”
“It's been a long night,” Megan nods. “It must be tough to
lose your memory.”
“The hard part is trying to assimilate the information.
Understanding who I am,” I sigh. “Asher told me some
things, but I hardly know anything about myself.”
“We can help you with that,” Claire says with a smile. “No
one knows you better than the three of us,” she says.
“Except Asher.”
I hold back a grimace.
“He says we are something. A couple,” I affirm. All three
nod.
“Among wolves, it's a very respected thing,” Claire says.
“You only have one mate for life,” Leah murmurs, as if the
subject bothers or tires her.
“You may not remember it now, or it may be confusing, but
you and Asher are very close,” Claire continues.
“You're both skilled warriors. You especially. You've always
been the strong and brave of us, " Megan says.
“It's true,” sighs Leah.
Their statements feel strange. I can't imagine myself as the
person they say I am.
I can't help but shake my head.
“How long ago exactly did I disappear? They all looked
apprehensive.”
“You were missing for two weeks,” Megan then says.
“What happened?” I ask.
“You were kidnapped when we visited our parents' grave,”
Leah said. Her gesture becomes serious.
Megan and Claire look at her carefully. It seems to be a
tense subject.
“Dad and mom had been dead for years. You fought with
Asher because he didn't want you to go up to the surface
alone. But this was our thing. Just yours and mine,” Leah
says. “We ran away. We went to our parents' grave, and
there, waiting for us, was Adrien. We tried to run away, but
he knocked me out, and I fainted. When I woke up, you
were gone.”
Her face drops. She seems to feel guilty.
“It wasn't easy going back without you. Asher hasn't slept a
single bit since you disappeared,” Leah says.
“The pack combed the town looking for you,” Megan
whispers.
“I'm sorry you've been in so much trouble because of me,” I
say. Claire puts a hand on my shoulder.
“The important thing is that you're back,” she says with a
kind smile.
“But I don't understand. This Adrien guy... He went to so
much effort to kidnap me for what?”
Claire and Megan look at each other then. Leah snorts and
says.
“It's because of who you are. Sky. Or rather, because of
what you are.”
“Because of what I am?” I ask without understanding.
“In our world, there are old legends,” Claire says. “Legends
of sleeping and dead gods. They go beyond the myths of
humans.”
“Many of our gods existed,” Megan clarifies. “Some fell into
oblivion, but others remain asleep, waiting for the moment
to be reborn among us.”
“Our most important goddess is the goddess Luna,”
continues Clair. “She is the goddess by definition of the
wolves and almost all the creatures of the twilight. Legend
has it that this goddess will one day incarnate among us.”
“That goddess is you,” Megan then clarifies. My eyes
widen, but the revelation surprises only me. “That's why
Adrien planned to kidnap you. Because he wanted your
power.”
“I can't be whom they say I am...” I affirm, feeling vertigo
creeping up my throat.
“You are, Sky,” Leah says with a severe expression. “You
are, and that's why we had to run away. That's why mom
and dad died. Because ever since Adrien found out what
you were, he's been hunting you to take your power.”
Her words are rude. They seem to make Claire and Megan
uncomfortable.
I hold my breath. A bitter taste fills my mouth.
But Leah doesn't seem aware of it. Her eyes remain fixed
on me, full of determination.
“I know this is all hard to understand, Skylar, but the
sooner you do, the better: What Asher says is true. What
everyone has told you is true. You're fucking important to
us. Not just because we love you, but because of who you
are. The sooner you understand, the sooner you'll
understand that the only goal of this pack is to keep you
safe, no matter the cost.”
The gaze of the three of them stays fixed on my face. I feel
like I can't breathe for a moment, so I just try to
understand what they are saying.
But in my head, the ideas don't fit together. Because as
much as I try to understand the connection between Asher
and me, it's even harder to believe that I can be whom he
says I am. The embodiment of a sleeping deity.
OceanofPDF.com
 THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG

ASHER

O ne of the most challenging parts of being an Alpha is

when you have to contain all your feelings, the anger,
helplessness and determination to kill because too many
people's lives depend on you, and you can't just act on
impulse.
Instead, I have to restrain myself. I walk behind Maddox
and Lucian in silence. They know how I feel, or at least they
sense it. The connection between Alpha, Beta and Omega
are not as powerful as the one between couples, but it has
a certain similarity. At the very least, we can sense the
most vital thread of our emotions.
Maddox pauses before the double doors of the great hall.
Lucian's lips pucker into a grimace.
“Ready, Alpha?” he asks.
My face remains blank, but inside I feel anything but calm.
“I never am, but fuck it. Go ahead.”
Maddox and Lucian open the doors, behind which is a large
living room with a vast circular table occupying its center.
As soon as we enter, my mother looks at me. Her blonde
hair is tied back, and her arms are crossed. She's not
wearing her white coat today; instead, she has a sleek,
green blouse.
Next to her is Dustin, my younger brother. Of the three of
us, he is the one who perhaps looks the most like our
mother. They both have the same hazel eyes and thin lips
on an oval face, though Mom has a more dour expression
than Dustin, who has a gentler look.
He looks at me. His arms are crossed. His expression is
serious. He's been told off first.
“May I ask what you were thinking?” Mom says by way of
greeting.
She's coming towards me. She is much shorter and looks
significantly younger than she is. She doesn't look a day
over thirty.
“It's good to see you too, Marie,” I say with a sigh, taking a
seat at the head of the table.
Lucian and Maddox follow me. They take a seat next to me.
Dustin mimics them.
Marie takes place across from me. Her eyes sparkle.
“Answer me,” she says, pronouncing each syllable. “Do you
even know the danger you've put us in? Your brothers could
have died. You could have died,” she demands.
I breathe in slowly. I look at her thoughtfully.
“Nobody died,” I say calmly.
“But they could have died!” she almost screams then. “It's
about time you started to think things through….”
I grit my teeth.
“I think things through before I act. I know the
repercussions of my actions,” I cut her off. “My decisions
may not please you, but I am not only your son. I remind
you that I am the Alpha of this pack. I never take a decision
lightly, even less so without considering the risks to my
own. Don't forget that.”
She challenges me with her eyes. Before I can say another
word, the double doors open and Sabine, along with other
respectable members of the pack, enter the room. Silence
settles in, and Marie walks over to take a seat, promising
me with her gaze that it's not over here.
I hold back a grimace. I wait for everyone to take their
seats. I know that many feel as my mother does about what
happened since the mission to save Skylar was unplanned.
The elders on the council wanted to wait until they had
something better planned to go after her, but deep inside, I
knew that it would be too late if I didn't rescue her that
night. And indeed, in a sense, it was.
“Let's get right to the point,” Sabine then says, with an
ever-present expression of seriousness. Sabine serves in
the pack as my mother's senior apprentice and official
healer, giving her a rather important position on the
council. I trust her like a few others and know that far from
seeking drama, she always acts in a way that is right for
everyone. “What has happened means a problem with
serious repercussions for everyone.”
Next to me, Maddox, Lucian, and Dustin nod.
“According to what the Alpha has informed us, Adrien has
managed to drink a good amount of Skylar's blood,” Dustin
affirms, clasping his hands together at chin level and
observing me seriously.
“It's true. I have checked Skylar as soon as she arrived, and
I can say with certainty that she has lost much blood,”
Sabine pauses and looks at me. “She almost died. Asher
had to give her some of his blood to stop her
transformation into a vampire.”
A murmur of astonishment and concern runs through the
room. Indeed, this is not good news.
“I heard that Skylar has lost her memory?” someone asks. I
nod.
“Her memory has been fragmented. She has lost the
memories that link her to the pack,” I state, not showing
how bitter that is to me.
“And there's no way for her to recover her memories?” my
mother asks across the table, looking at her ward.
Sabine shakes her head slowly.
“I don't have enough information to undo what Adrien has
done. Finding out what he suppressed her memory with
will take a while. Even then, it could be dangerous to force
her to remember.”
Another round of murmurs. My hands clench into fists
under the table.
“Maybe the most worrying thing right now is not that,”
Dustin then states and looks at me with concern. “If Adrien
has consumed so much of Skylar's blood, we are in trouble.
He is now far more lethal than he has ever been.”
Silence.
“Could Adrien take Skylar's powers just by drinking her
blood?” Lucian asks. My mother and Sabine are silent for a
moment.
“It's likely,” Marie finally says. “Vampires do much more
than drain a person of their blood when they drink it,” she
affirms.
“For all we know, Adrien and his clan could now be more
dangerous than ever,” says Sabine. Her statement causes
concern to cloud the gazes of everyone present.
“We need to take action immediately,” says a council
member.
“That's right. Seek measures to sanction Adrien,” says
another.
“We have to kill him,” I say in a low tone. And yet, everyone
has heard me.”
Looks turn to me. I remain calm and think about my words.
“What has happened is a violation of the treaties. Adrien
has attempted the lives of all races by kidnapping Skylar
and drinking her blood. He is now a more real danger to us
all than he has ever been. We have to stop him before it's
too late.”
My gaze meets my mother's. Her lips turn into a thin line.
She is not at ease with my words.
“For now, it will be best to plan our movements carefully. A
new incursion into enemy territory will be impossible for us
to carry out for a while,” my mother says. One of her
eyebrows rises as she looks at me, as if dropping the blame
she places on me as a result of it.
The meeting goes on for a while longer. Conversations
cross and gradually subside. Finally, after an eternity, the
council members stand up and leave.
Before they leave, my mother comes toward Dustin and me.
Her gaze remains fixed on mine.
“Are you going to continue with your sermon?” I jokingly
ask her in a sarcastic and cutting tone.
She pays no attention to my words.
“If you plan to do something against Adrien, you'd better
act soon and without hesitation.”
I raise an eyebrow and look at her with interest.
“What makes you think I'm going to do otherwise?” I ask.
“Please, Asher. Even if no one says it, we all know that your
past friendship with Adrien has kept you from attacking
him in the past. But this is different.” She rests a hand on
the table and approaches me. She gives me a dangerous
look. “It's about time you remember what you are to this
pack and act accordingly. We can't allow another mistake
like this.”
Her words make my lips pucker. I know exactly what she
means. She blames me for Skylar's kidnapping in the first
place since the day Sky ran off with her sister to visit her
parent's grave, and I had promised my mother that I would
keep a careful eye on her, which I did not.
Marie doesn't wait to hear my reply but leaves. We see her
leave the room with the clacking of her footsteps, which is
lost in the proximity.
“She can be so sweet...” Dustin murmurs next to me and
places a hand on my shoulder.
I notice the words he holds back. I'm somewhat thankful he
doesn't say anything about it. My brother knows me well
and knows it would do nothing but make me
uncomfortable. But in his silence, he supports me, and I
appreciate it.
“Asher, do you have a moment to talk?” asks Sabine, who
has come to us.
I then say goodbye to the remaining members of the
council. Dustin and Maddox come with me, but Lucian
relegates himself to avoid being disturbed. I watch him
banter with the older council members as he throws truths
in their faces in the form of subtle jokes that no one
notices.
“What's going on?” I ask Sabine as soon as we are alone
with her. Her worried expression does nothing but alerts
me to the seriousness of the situation.
“I fear that Skylar's situation is more difficult than I have
allowed myself to express in the meeting,” Sabine assures
me. “By biting her, Adrien has done more than steal her
power; he has put her life at risk. Even with your blood in
her system, the poison will continue to move through
Skylar's bloodstream, preventing her from healing
completely. Not only will it sap her strength, but if we don't
stop it, it could reach her heart anyway.”
Her words leave me stunned. They cause strange anxiety in
me.
“What about turning her?” I ask, crossing my arms. “We
could turn her into one of us.”
The idea is not one of my favourites. We usually wait until
anyone turns twenty-one before we think about converting
them into shapeshifters, as the conversion process is
painful and can be risky. But for Sky, it looks like we don't
have a choice.
Sabine shakes her head and says to me.
“That would be worse. Two kinds of ‘poison’ fighting in her
system to transform her could kill her.”
I restrain the desire I feel to scream.
“What do you recommend to do then?” I ask him.
She is silent for a moment. Then she says.
“There are other methods,” she clarifies slowly. “Hidden
and forgotten instruments could create an even greater
anchor in the bond between you. However, I am not sure
about them yet. I would have to do more research on that.”
“Do it then,” I encourage her.
She nods and leaves. I know she will do her best to find a
solution to this matter, but her words do not stop worrying
me.
“It will be all right,” Dustin says next to me, trying to keep
me calm.
Maddox's expression is sterner. He doesn't seem so sure
about it.
“For now, the fact that we have Skylar back is enough to
keep us hopeful. We must believe that we possess sufficient
means to get her back to normal. Adrien can't have taken
that away from us.”
Dustin's words try to create comfort in me, but it proves
impossible. Right now, I can't help but feel that I have lost
her.
“I won't let Adrien take her away from me,” I murmur.
“That won't happen,” my brother promises.
Still, his words don't comfort me. I know how serious the
situation is, how dangerous it is.
By biting her, Adrien has done much more than steal some
of her power, even condemning her. He has made us all
vulnerable. Without Sky, I will lose not only my destined
mate but also the only link we possess to the goddess and
enough power to stop Adrien from his attempts to take over
the city and plunge it into chaos.
Inside me, desperation grows. It doesn't matter what my
mother thinks about it. She is greatly mistaken if she thinks
for one second that I will forgive Adrien for everything he
has done to us in the name of a past friendship.
He will not come out of this victorious. I will not allow his
actions to take away the only thing I love and honestly care
about in this life.
OceanofPDF.com
 ON THE FLIP SIDE

SKYLAR

A s soon as I open my eyes, the darkness gets me. But

this is no ordinary darkness. Dense, heavy and
monochord, it is charged with the fear that something is
wrong. I can't see anything, but still, my instincts warn me
to run. It's as if I know I'm about to face imminent danger—
a fatal sentence.
“Don't worry. I'll protect you.”
As soon as the voice manifests itself at my side, fear
returns. I see him next to me and try to find the reason for
not having seen him before. His elbows are resting on the
table where he had me tied back. His silver hair falls over
his face, and his gray, almost white eyes are fixed on me. A
dangerous smile creeps across his lips.
My heart begins to beat fast, and I hurry to get up. I notice
I'm not tied to the table this time, so I slide to the other end
and fall to the floor.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, startled, looking around.
“How did I get here again?”
Inside my head, my brain scrambles to find the exact
moment I returned to this nightmarish prison. But try as I
might, I can't do it.
“You're not here... at least, not physically,” the vampire
manages to say. Now I know his name is Adrien.
He slowly walks around the table. He comes to my side and
stands a short distance away from me. He looks at me with
interest.
“But there's something between us, you know, a kind of
bond,” he teases.
I have to contain my nausea at his statement.
“Nothing exists between you and me,” I tell him.
“Oh, but you can't deny it. Otherwise, how is it that I
manage to reach you in my dreams?”
Adrien disappears for a moment, but immediately I feel his
presence behind my back.
I try not to scream and to pull away, but he grabs me by the
wrist. His free hand settles on my waist, pulling me against
his body.
“Let go of me!” I scream at him.
My hand goes up to hit him, but he stops me. He's fucking
fast. His eyes remain unchanged, fixed on me.
“So much violence,” he says, laughing. It's obvious he's
making fun of me. “I know what he's told you about me. But
he's lying. I'm not what they make you believe.”
“You kidnapped me,” I snap at him. “You tried to turn me
into one of your own. You erased my memory.”
“Well. Maybe you've been told some true things,” he
admits, amused.
I manage to free my hands and push him away from me.
Anger seems to overshadow fear at times.
“But there is a good cause for acting the way I did,” he says
with his palms raised as if asking for a truce. “Asher has
monopolized you. The Moon Goddess belongs to all
creatures of the twilight, not just wolves. He acted wrongly
in isolating you from us.” Adrien takes a step toward me. “I
know you think he is good and love him, but what he did is
wrong. He only seeks to fulfill his interests. He wants your
power for himself, just as he has led you to believe it is with
me.”
Adrien then takes a step toward me. I step back.
“At least he didn't have to tie me to a stretcher and drain
my blood to get what he wanted,” I rebut him, but Adrien
bursts out laughing.
“Oh, no. Instead, he did something far worse: He went
against the treaties of all creatures of the night and stole
you when you were just a child. You were susceptible,
vulnerable and lost. He used all that to his advantage to
make you fall in love. He made you believe he was a
saviour. But he's not.”
“How do you know that?” I ask. He smiles.
“Because I was there when it all happened. Asher almost
killed me in his attempts to get to you.”
Adrien then approaches. I'm trapped between him and the
ritual table he kept me tied to.
His hand reaches out to my face. He tries to caress it, but I
pull away. He restrains himself and lowers his hand. His
expression turns serious.
“Maybe what I did wasn't right, but I don't regret it. It was
the last desperate attempt to keep Asher from having you
all to himself.”
A bitter laugh leaves my lips.
“You can't say that and expect me to believe you're the
good guy in the story," I say.
“Maybe I'm not the good guy, but I'm not the bad guy
either,” he says with a raised eyebrow. “Keep an eye on
Asher, and you'll understand what I'm talking about. If you
look at him well, you will see that beyond that charming
gesture, he is hiding something. He is dangerous. As
dangerous as I am, at least. You would do well to see him
for what he is and not for what he tries to make you believe
he is.”
“Why do you care so much?” I say then.
“Because believe it or not, I'd like you to be able to decide
for yourself what you want and whom you want to be with,”
he says.
His face comes closer to mine. Adrien rests his arms on my
sides and comes closer to me, but this time I decide not to
run away, but my gaze faces him.
“Even if I have a choice, you will never be an option for
me,” I declare.
My words sound like a bombshell, without knowing how I
woke up from the dream.
“Sky, calm down. Are you okay?”
I turn around in a panic and realize I'm in another room. To
be more precise, in my room.
Leah is next to me, lying with me on the bed. Slowly I begin
to remember. After our conversation, the girls proposed to
take me to my room to see if anything in there would
somehow help me regain my memory. They stayed with me
for a while, but as the dawn progressed and my tiredness
increased, they left except Leah, who stayed by my side
until we both fell asleep.
“I'm fine,” I say as I sit in bed and rub my eyes. I try in vain
not to show the tremors running through my body.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Leah asks. She sits beside me
on the bed and rubs my arms to warm me up.
“Something like that,” I reply with a grimace, my throat
feeling dry. It hurts like I haven't stopped screaming all
night.
“Tell me what you dreamt,” she asks gently.
I look at her. Her clear eyes remain fixed on mine. After
taking a slow breath, I start to tell her.
“I dreamt about Adrien.”
Slowly I remember the dream. It was too real to be called
in such a way, but luckily, it was. The nightmare returns to
my memory, and I tell Leah all the details. As I continue,
her face becomes serious. The concern is evident in her
expression.
“He says he can communicate with you through dreams?”
my sister asks. I nod.
“It seems so. From what I understood, Adrien claims that a
bond has been created between the two of us.”
“Must be a side effect created by consuming your blood,”
Leah mutters. “Shit, Sky. This is not good.”
“I know,” I hide my face in my hands. “But what can we do?
How can I stop it from creeping into my mind anymore?”
Leah thinks about it for a minute and then gets up.
“We should talk to Marie,” she decides.
“Who is Marie?” I ask her.
“She's Asher's mother. An expert healer knows more about
this than anyone else in the pack. She'll know what to do.”
I nod because I can't think of any other option and stand
up. I go to the closet and wear a sweatshirt before leaving,
as I keep feeling cold.
As soon as she sees me, Leah smiles.
“What's wrong?” I ask.
“That sweatshirt is mine,” she says, amused, touching it
with one hand. “I lost it months ago. You said you didn't
have it.”
“I... I'm sorry,” I murmur apologetically, not remembering
anything about it.
“It's okay,” Leah sighs melodramatically. “You always steal
what's mine.”
A smile tugs at her lips. It's obvious she's joking. I try to
smile back, and she entangles her arm with mine.
As soon as we leave the room, I notice the vast windows
running along the corridor, overlooking the immense cave
inside the enclosure. A series of giant crystals glow softly
at the top of the cave, filling everything in their path with
light.
“It's beautiful,” I whisper. Leah nods.
“I know,” she responds, also lost in the view.
In the distance stretches the cave, almost to infinity.
Hundreds of other structures form in the space, like small
dome cities.
“What is all that?” I ask.
“Other species besides wolves live down here,” she
explains. “Creatures like vampires or like the shapeshifters
themselves. Many live on the surface with humans, but
other races avoid them. They have created their lives in
this subway world, far from the sun and the sight of men.”
“You mean... Like fairies and all that?”
“Something like that,” Leah answers with a mysterious
smile. “But some of those creatures aren't as charming as
you think. That's why wolves act as protectors in a way.
They protect them even when they keep their distance from
many other races. Especially from vampires.”
I look at her without understanding what she means, but
she doesn't seem willing to give me much more
explanation. She speeds up her pace then and guides me to
where Marie is.
Only, when we arrive, we discover that she is not alone. A
tingle runs through me, even before I see him. I know
Asher is with his mother.
Leah leads me to what appears to be a more private
doctor's office and almost as large as the same infirmary I
woke up in. There Asher is with a woman I couldn't possibly
call his mother. At least, to me, she is too young to be. Next
to them are two other people, Claire, who smiles as soon as
she sees me, and another boy, undoubtedly the brother of
the two.
“Don't you ever sleep?” I ask Asher between whispers. He
gives me a quiet, tired smile.
“Not when duty calls. What are you doing here?” he asks.
“We've come to see Marie. We need to talk to her,” Leah
answers for me. “Something's bothering Skylar. We think
you need to know.”
The blonde woman raises an eyebrow. Her expression is
serious and grim. Though I try, I don't trust her, but
everyone seems to.
I hesitate for a moment between whether or not to say
what I've dreamt, but everyone's gaze is fixed on me, so I
sigh and begin to tell my dream.
As soon as I do, the expression of everyone around me
changes. Claire looks scared, and her brother, Dustin, looks
distressed about it. But of all of them, the fiercest
expression is Asher's, who looks like he wants to sneak into
my dreams to beat Adrien to death.
“This is a twist I wasn't expecting,” Marie says with a sigh,
jotting everything down in a notebook.
“That bastard...” whispers Asher next to me and clenches
his hands into fists. “He's trying to manipulate Skylar,” he
says.
“Evidently,” Marie says and raises an eyebrow. She looks at
her son with interest. “But, for now, we need to figure out
how to stop this from happening.”
“We can't,” Asher says with a bitter laugh. “It's clear that
bastard's got the upper hand on us, even in this. He's
tainted, Sky.”
For some reason, the way he says it hurts me.
“What do you mean?” I ask him.
“What I said,” says Asher, whose gaze remains fixed on
mine. “Adrien has tainted you. He left his imprint on you so
that he could communicate with you regardless of the
distance and try to turn you against me.”
Asher lets out an exasperated chuckle and sits down on the
couch. Claire walks over to him.
“Asher, you must calm down...” she asks him.
“Bullshit!” he bursts out. “I won't calm down. That dirty
bastard has gone too far this time. And I swear I'll make
him pay for what he's done to us. All of us by poisoning
Skylar's mind like this.”
I look at him, the way his gaze avoids me, and I swallow
silently.
At this instant, I don't feel strong enough to contradict his
words or to bring anything else to the table. One part of me
understands his anger, but the other feels broken.
Inside I keep wondering if maybe Adrien was right. At least
part of what he said, and if maybe Asher is not just looking
out for my well-being after all, but for my loyalty to the
pack.
It's all too confusing at this point. I find that I want to go
home, only, for now, I no longer know where that place is.
OceanofPDF.com
 MYSELF

SKY

“S ky, wait!” shouts Leah behind me.

She comes running to catch up, but I don't slow down. I'm
not clear where I'm going, but I need to get away from
everything.
After Asher's statements, I left his mother's office without
looking back. Luckily, no one tried to stop me. They all
seemed too distressed by my confession to trying. As if I
was a different person than the one they knew. They were
tainted and impure somehow, just as Asher implied.
“Sky!” Leah shouts. Her hand reaches for mine and makes
me stop.
She looks up at me. She gasps slightly, but her eyes remain
fixed on my face. She doesn't think I'm an outcast. At least
not at the moment.
“What do you want?” I ask her, trying to remain calm.
“Talk to me,” she then demands with an anguished face.
“What do you want me to tell you?” I answer in
exasperation. “I have no idea what is going on, but it seems
that the fact that I have incomprehensible dreams makes
me completely unwanted.”
“Maybe you are to them, but not to me,” she grips my
hands tightly. “No matter what happens, you are my sister.
All we have is each other, and that's not going to change.
Could you not run away from me? Ever.”
I nod and sniffle. I hate crying, and I know that. But I feel
fickle and on the edge of everything.
Leah then guides me to the top of a wide spiral staircase.
She sits with me, and we both stand silently, watching the
shapes drawn through the windows.
“Can I ask you something?” I whisper.
“Of course,” she nods and looks at me intently.
“What was it like...? Well, rather, what was our life in the
pack like?”
After a moment of thought, Leah shrugs her shoulders.
“Good, I guess. We've been with them most of our lives.”
“But I mean, did they always treat us right? How did we get
here in the first place?”
Leah's lips draw into a grimace.
“It was right after our parents died. Adrien's clan killed
them. Asher found us that very night. The pack prevented
the vampires from taking us, prisoner.”
“Adrien is to blame for the death of our parents?”
“So I understand,” Leah whispers. She doesn't seem to be
comfortable with this story. It's something that still hurts
her. Probably the memories haunt her.
I can't help but wonder if they haunted me too.
“That night, everything was dark. I barely remember
anything, but I know that by the time we discovered what
was happening, mom and dad were already dead. Part of
it... it's better that you don't remember. The blood and
their... Their bodies being cut up...”
My hand takes Leah's. She looks at me. Her eyes are
brimming with tears that she tries to keep from escaping.
My sister then wipes her nose with the sleeve of her shirt
and continues.
“The smell of smoke awakened us.”
“I remember,” I say in a whisper. “It's a blur, but it smelled
like-”
“Like singed hair,” we both say at the same time. Leah
nods. “Yes. After they were killed, the bodies were set on
fire. We barely made it out of there alive. That's when
Asher found us. The whole pack was with him. They pulled
us out of the fire and brought us to this place. We've lived
here ever since,” Leah finishes.
“And what has it been like growing up here?” I ask.
Leah takes a moment to think about her answer.
“Different, I guess. It had nothing to do with our life on the
surface. Asher was candid from the beginning. He
explained why we were here and why Adrien's clan had
attacked us. From that day on, we traded math and history
lessons for defence and weapons lessons.”
Leah's lips curl into a grimace. I can't help but laugh.
“You mean I don't know how to add, but I know how to load
a gun?” I joke.
“Oh, no,” she shakes her head. “They taught us everything
they teach in human schools and universities,” she assured
proudly. “But we have other knowledge. You are not so
much of guns. You prefer bow and arrows.”
I raise a curious eyebrow, and Leah laughs.
“Curious. I'd like to see if my body remembers anything
about it.”
“I'm sure you do. You're pretty good at it,” she says.
I smile at him, and then I'm left wondering.
“What about Asher?”
“What about him?” Leah asks, curious.
“How are things between the two of us?”
She shrugs.
“I don't know, perfect? He fell in love with you the second
he saw you. Wolf thing, I guess. You guys have always been
kind of like the envied couple.”
My lips are pouting.
“Why the long face?” Leah asks.
“Things seem broken between us,” I say. “I don't remember,
but I know I have strong feelings for him. But Asher doesn't
seem happy with me.”
“What he doesn't like is that your memory has been erased.
Well, that and the fight. He partly blames you a little bit for
everything because of that.”
“A fight?” I ask with a frown. “What fight?”
Leah clicks her tongue.
“A bit my fault,” she confesses. “You and Asher fought
pretty hard a few weeks ago. Things were complicated with
Adrien's clan. He had been threatening the wolves for a
long time, and because of that, Asher was very suspicious
of you. He wouldn't let you leave the fortress.”
My lips pursed.
“It doesn't sound very nice,” I say.
“It wasn't. He was driving you crazy. You claimed it a
thousand times,” Leah smiles. “You're not much of a docile
shut-in, you know?”
“Sounds like I' m not,” I smile. “What happened?”
“Well, the anniversary of our parents' death was coming up.
Asher intended for you not to leave the fortress until you
turned twenty-one, but you didn't want that. We always
visit mom and dad's grave on that date,” Leah stares at her
hands. “So, I told you to come with me anyways. It was only
for a few hours. We were supposed to come back soon,
but-“
“But we didn't,” I conclude. Leah nods.
“I felt so bad coming back without you. I thought Asher
would throw me out on the streets. After that, things got
violent. He was like crazy. He could sense that you were
locked up but didn't know where.” Leah's gaze wanders to
a dead stop as she tries to remember. “In the end, I think
he's relieved that he got you back, but at the same time, he
blames himself for not doing it sooner. He must think that if
he had gotten to you a little sooner, Adrien wouldn't have
any control over you, nor would he have as much power as
he has now.”
My lips draw a grimace.
“Why did he want to keep me until my twenty-first
birthday?” I ask.
Leah raises an eyebrow, curious.
“Hasn't anyone explained it to you yet?” she shakes her
head. “No, of course not. It's too much in too little time,”
she says.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
She sighs.
“Sky, you are critical. You know that” she says. I nod. “The
thing is, Asher has these plans for you. He's had them since
he found us when we were twelve. Supposedly when you
turn twenty-one, you two will be able to perform a complete
bonding ritual. It will make you practically one. Among
wolves, it's kind of like marriage, only more powerful. But
not just that.”
Leah is silent, and I wait impatiently for her to finish. Her
lips purse as if she doesn't like the idea of being the one
who has to tell me this, and then she affirms.
“The thing is, Asher not only wanted to perform that ritual,
but also a mighty one that would awaken the goddess in
you. With that power, Asher intended to end vampires once
and for all.”
“Shit,” I blurt out without being able to help it. Leah nods.
“And that's why Adrien was so desperate to get me.”
“Yes. And now he's taken a good part of your power and
wiped your memory.”
I'm slowly beginning to understand why Asher is so upset.
“It's... too much to process,” I put my hands to my head and
look at Leah. “I wanted all this?” I ask her. “To be a
goddess and everything, to end the vampires. Was that my
desire too?”
Leah seems to choose her words carefully.
“You love Asher...” she starts to say. “And you wanted to
make him happy. The wolf council and Asher have put a lot
at stake for you to carry out this mission.”
I shake my head.
“That's not what I'm asking you,” I say.
She sighs then.
“Honestly, Sky, I always thought the idea didn't appeal to
you. The ritual to awaken the goddess is dangerous and
would put your life at risk. Asher seemed convinced that it
was the only option if they wanted to stop Adrien's clan, but
it always seemed that you had reservations about it.”
“He wanted to do it, even though I didn't agree?” I ask.
Leah shrugs.
“As far as I know, you fought a couple of times over it...”
“It's all too much to process,” I sigh and stand up. “I'm
sorry, but I have to talk to Asher.”
“What will you tell him?” Leah asks curiously.
“I don't know!” I say, feeling like I'm one breath away from
screaming. “But I have to figure this all out. I need to
clarify this situation between us.”
Leah nods but says nothing. She watches me walk away in
silence as I try vainly to bring order to my feelings and the
thoughts tormenting me.
My footsteps then hurry into the fortress. Luckily, a part of
me seems to be able to sense where he is. If I concentrate,
I feel it, and as I get closer, that feeling grows to where I
am sure he is.
As I turn a corner, I hear his voice. He is talking to Sabine,
the healer who treated me as soon as we arrived.
“I'm sorry for the bad news, Ash, but you don't have to lose
your temper. I'm sure we'll find a solution.”
“What solution could there be?” Asher replies bitterly.
“You're telling me I've lost my chance to bond with Skylar
fully.”
His words take my breath away. A gasp must have left my
mouth because the door to the infirmary opens.
Asher's eyes get me. He is tired, but the exhaustion, rather
than physical, seems mental.
“And speaking of the devil...” he murmurs, stepping aside
to let me pass.
I avoid looking at him and instead focus on Sabine.
“What news have you given Asher about me?” I demand to
know. “What's wrong with me?”
Sabine's eyes search Asher, and he nods as if giving her to
understand that he can tell me whatever is wrong. The fact
that she is asking his permission, even in such a subtle way,
to reveal something that concerns me bothers me, but I
avoid saying it.
Sabine then sighs and says.
“I told Asher I ran some blood tests on you, and I just got
the results.”
“And what do they say?” I asked, clenching my hands into
fists.
“Nothing good,” she confesses. “But nothing definitive
either. For now, we have managed to slow down the spread
of the poison in your system. It continues to make its way,
but it does so at a slower pace. But that doesn't mean it will
stop,” Asher purses his lips. “As long as it's in your system,
Adrien will have access to you one way or another. Similar
to the bond between a pair of wolves, Adrien will be able to
sense your thoughts and access your mind when it is
vulnerable,” says Sabine.
“Great,” I reply sarcastically.
“Yeah, I know it's not a pleasant prospect, but vampires are
like wolves. They have a hive mentality. As long as the
poison is in your system, Adrien will be able to attack you.”
“And there's no way to eradicate it?” I ask desperately.
Sabine's face is blank.
“That poison is what turns humans into vampires. You will
understand from this that its influence is quite strong on
you. However, you have more wolves in you than humans,
so the poison will not be able to transform you,” Sabine
grimaces. “On the contrary, it would kill you if it were to
reach your heart.”
As soon as she pronounces the sentence, my heart begins
to pound. It is as if I were trying to accelerate the process
that foretells my death.
“The only option we have to save you would be to
accelerate the process of your conversion,” says Asher, to
which Sabine nods.
“It is risky, but it may be our only alternative,” Sabine
assures. “If we awaken the goddess in you and you bond
with Asher, your powers will return, and you will have
enough strength to stop the progress of Adrien's poison
inside your system.”
The prospect does nothing but makes me nervous. For a
moment, I realize that the silence in the room is formed
because both of their gazes are fixed on me, waiting for my
comments on the matter.
“Do I have a choice?” I say with a sarcastic tone that hides
the real fear I feel at such a statement.
“At this point, I don't think we do,” says Sabine.
Asher then comes to me. He puts his hands on my
shoulders and looks at me carefully.
“I know it scares you,” he assures me. “But it may be the
only way we have to bring the real you back and stop
Adrien's attempts to have control over you.”
My lips quirk into a grimace. I nod and look away from him,
still thinking about this. An unhinged choice that could kill
me is perhaps the only way out of a completely unhinged
situation.
Inside I wonder what I from the past would think—the one
who had her memories intact. But even if I try, I don't know
what she would want because, in a way, I don't feel like her
anymore.
And I wonder if I will ever feel like that again myself.
OceanofPDF.com
 BODY MEMORY

ASHER

“A re you sure about this?” Dustin asks as he looks at

me. His lips are pursed in a grimace that he usually
draws when he feels uneasy or anxious about something.
I nod, looking at the plan in front of us. I'm not sold on the
idea, but it's the only option I have if I want Skylar back.
Dustin sighs and runs his hands through his hair. He stares
at the plans and the sheets scattered on the table for what
seems like forever. Finally, he nods.
“Good. I support you in whatever decision you make. You
know that.”
“Thank you,” I reply, looking at my brother. His faithfulness
knows no bounds.
He nods towards me the second there's a knock on the
door. Without waiting for me to give directions, a small
group begins to enter—Maddox, his sister, Megan, Sabine,
Claire, Lucian, Leah and finally Skylar.
They sit on the couches and chairs that line my study and
look at me. All except Skylar, whose gaze eludes me, but I
can't blame her. We've barely exchanged a word or two in
the last three days.
“The whole gang together at last,” says Maddox, smiling as
if to ease the tension. He sits down next to his sister, who
looks at me curiously. “Well, what's going on, Alpha?”
I try then to organize the ideas in my head. I've made a
decision, I remind myself, so it's time to carry out my plan.
“As we all know, the repercussions of Adrien's plan have hit
us hard.”
The majority nods. Leah takes Skylar's hand and squeezes
it. She still won't look at me.
“By erasing Skylar's memory and absorbing some of her
power, Adrien has made sure to gain us a considerable
advantage.”
“Advantage that has not ceased to increase,” then
intervenes Dustin, showing some of the reports that the
watchers have brought from the surface this morning. “The
vampires have gone crazy. Adrien's clan is making disasters
in New York.”
Everyone's face turns into concern as they read what I read
just a few hours ago. The numbers of dead, the wounded
and the transformed.
“We have to stop this,” Claire says, looking up at me.
“Our only option still lies with Skylar,” I then affirm. “Only
then will we be able to stop Adrien.”
“But Sky doesn't have his power anymore,” Leah says,
emphasizing the obvious.
“We know that. But there is a way to get it back,” Dustin
then affirms.
He spreads a blueprint on the table, the same one we've
been working on all morning. Everyone stands up and
comes over to us to see what it is.
On the table is spread out a map of New York, with special
signage for its inner tunnels and the parts of the subway
city to which they lead.
“Here,” I say, marking one of the points with my finger.
“There is a secret entrance to a forgotten tunnel that leads
directly to the temple of a sleeping god.”
“A sleeping god?” Skylar asks with a raised eyebrow while
looking at me curiously.
I remember she doesn't know what I'm talking about, so I
explain.
“Every culture in the world has gods,” I explain.
“I know,” she answers, snorting.
“But what you don't know is that those gods are nothing
but ancestors of the races,” I clarify.
“They are beings of incredible power. They believed they
were responsible for giving life to all living creatures today.
Like the wolves themselves, or the vampires,” Megan then
clarifies.
“Those gods did not disappear from the face of the earth.
Many of them are still among us, but others were a huge
problem, so they were put to sleep. Some others just died,”
Maddox adds, joining the conversation.
“How come they were put to sleep?” Skylar asks.
“Through ancient and very dangerous rites, they suppress
the power of the gods in sacred places that remain hidden
for the protection of all races,” Claire explains. I nod.
“Those places are still sources of power. And what is even
more important, they possess all the resources to awaken
the gods if necessary,” I explain.
“But not only the sleeping gods, any god, in general,”
Dustin clarifies. “Those resources would serve to awaken
the power in you,” he says to Skylar.
She looks at him with her lips open in the shape of an "O."
Her expression is so comical that I would have laughed for
sure in another instant, but now I can only think of the
seriousness of the situation.
“One of those places is right here. Right under the city of
New York,” I tell Skylar.
“The problem,” says Sabine, following the point on the
map. “Is that the entrance is precisely in the vampires'
territory.”
Everyone is silent. I nod.
“I know it's not a particularly favourable prognosis, but it's
the only option we have,” I add.
“With the resources in that place, we can save Skylar and
give her back her powers. It would be a checkmate against
the vampires,” Dustin then says.
“And can I regain my memory if they awaken my power?”
Skylar asks.
“We don't know for sure,” I say.
“Most likely not,” then clarifies Sabine, always sincere.
“Whatever Adrien used to block your memories has another
cause. But it would be a good point in how you recover that
could help us to help you remember.”
“I understand,” murmurs Sky, who seems abstracted.
I try to ignore her feelings for a moment and continue
explaining.
“As you know, it is a dangerous mission,” I explain.
“Undoubtedly, the council won't approve it,” says Maddox,
with his arms folded.
“So what?” Lucian laughs. “When has that stopped us from
doing what we want? Besides, Asher is the Alpha. We do
what he wants here.”
Lucian winks at me. I try to ignore his jokes and continue.
“Alpha or not, acting against the council is against the very
laws of the pack, but I indeed have the final say in this
decision. And since it's the only thing that could help
Skylar, I see no other way to proceed but this.”
Maddox shrugs.
“Well, then we'll do it. We'll take care of those old wolves
when we get back when we have old Sky back with us,”
Maddox says.
He smiles and pats Skylar on the shoulder. I know he meant
it with the best intentions, but she doesn't seem too
amused by our words just now.
“So, shall we do it?” Leah asks with a raised eyebrow.
“We don't have a choice,” I clarify.
Claire nods.
“Fine. If it's in Skylar's best interest, we'll support you,
Alpha.”
I nod quietly.
“There's only one problem,” Dustin says.
“Only one?” Lucian scoffs. Dustin ignores him.
“If we are to succeed in the mission, we must act before the
next full moon, when Skylar's power will be at its peak. If
Adrien still controls the goddess's power, he can use it in
any way he pleases.”
“It will be chaos,” Megan says mournfully and shakes her
head. “We can't let that happen.”
“But, to go on this mission, we must first train Skylar,” I
clarify.
“Me? Why?” she asks.
“Because you've lost your memory, evidently,” I refute her,
to which she draws a grimace on her lips. “Not only have
you lost the notion of who you are, but also how to defend
yourself and use the little power you may still possess to
your advantage. Besides, we must teach you how to block
Adrien from discovering our intentions.”
“Wonderful,” Skylar mutters grimly.
“Hey, relax. We'll all work together on this,” Claire assures,
placing her hands on Sky's shoulders.
“If we move in time, we can recover Skylar's power and
stop Adrien. But to do that, we must act immediately,” I
clarify.
Everyone nods in agreement. They are convinced that this
is the best thing to do and will do whatever it takes to make
the plan work.
The problem is that Skylar herself doesn't think so. Not
only do I see it in her face, but I feel it.
“If we want to carry out this plan, I'm going to need help to
plan some strategies,” says Dustin.
“I'll go with you,” says Maddox immediately.
“And me,” Megan says, smiling at Dustin.
Dustin and Megan hold hands. Just as Skylar and I are a
couple, so are the two of them, although, in my opinion,
they have always had a much calmer relationship. They
both have very similar personalities, after all.
The three of them leave the studio. Claire goes with Sabine
and Lucian in time to prepare some details regarding
medicines and supplies for the trip, so it's just Leah, Skylar
and me in the office.
“Shall we go?” Leah asks her sister.
Before Sky can nod, I say.
“I need to talk to Sky. Alone.”
Leah frowns but says nothing. She says goodbye to Sky and
leaves, closing the door behind her.
As soon as I sense she's away, I turn the desk around and
walk over to Sky, arms crossed.
“Good. Tell me what's going on, Pierce,” I order her, calling
her by her last name, just like I always have.
She looks back at me. Her arms are resting on the back of
the chair. Her straight hair falls on her back, and the scent
of her shampoo wafts through the room. She's wearing a
black T-shirt that exposes her arms and part of her firm,
worked abdomen. She is not wearing a bra.
The memory of her body against mine assaults me with a
force that makes it hard to breathe. Her distrustful gaze
has nothing to do with the past. The easy way our bodies
got closer to each other and the looks she would give me
when she smiled when mischief would rise to her blue orbs
and draw the corners of her lips a second before she kissed
me.
Instead, now she looks like a stranger. She's still the
woman I love and a completely different person than I
remember.
“It's just that all this is so overwhelming,” she confesses
and bites her lower lip in a gesture that, at the very least,
I'm grateful she hasn't changed. I think she has done that
for as long as I can remember.
“I know. It's not easy for any of us,” I assure her.
“Yes, but it's more than that,” she affirms and fixes her
gaze on mine. “You all talk about getting the old Sky back.
About the sacrifices that have to be made to save me. I
don't even know who that person was to be so valuable that
so many people want to risk their lives for her. So valuable
that even I feel like I'm failing her by fearing whatever
might happen on this mission.”
A pang goes through my chest, and I understand then that I
feel what she is feeling—fear, confusion, despair and
anguish.
I slowly walk towards her. We stand facing each other.
Skylar lifts her face and looks at me as if searching for the
answers to her anxiety in my face.
“I know this is confusing, but we'll figure it out. For now,
you have to trust me.”
“I do,” she says doubtfully, and I know she's not lying,
though her words don't carry the weight they used to.
“But you still doubt,” I clarify.
She looks away. I take her by the chin and make her look at
me.
“Tell me what's wrong.”
Skylar finally sighs.
“I was just wondering about the fight we had before she
was kidnapped,” she says.
“Do you remember it?” I ask with a note of hope, but
immediately, she shakes her head.
“No, but Leah told me about it. I know something serious
happened.”
My lips draw a grimace.
“We don't always understand each other,” I clarify. “But we
always find a way to make it all work out.”
“But you didn't agree with me going to the surface.”
“I wasn't ok with that. And I was right to think so. Look
what happened because of it.”
Sky's lips quirk up into a grimace.
“Is it true you were planning to keep me imprisoned here
until you could awaken my power?” she asks.
“’ Prisoner’ is a strong word. It implies that I was holding
you against your will.”
“And you weren't?” she presses. “I agreed to stay here and
be guarded until the time of my awakening came?”
I almost want to smile. For a moment, her expression and
words look terribly like the Skylar I remember.
“You weren't, but you trust me, and you knew it was for the
best,” I affirm, omitting specific points of truth.
She clicks her tongue, folds her arms and tilts her face.
“You know, something about what you say sounds terribly
like you're telling me only what you want to, not what
happened between us.”
Looking at her, I can't help but smile.
“You've always been a stubborn girl, Pierce,” I say.
“I know,” she almost, almost smiles. “No vampire poison
could erase that from my memory.”
“I'm glad it does. I hate it, but also, it's one of the things I
like most about you.”
As I look at her, I feel for a moment that she is herself
again, and my body reacts in response. I advance to her
and corner her so that her body is between mine and the
wall.
She holds back a gasp and lifts her face. She looks at me
like a little mouse cornered between a cat's claws.
Like little red riding hood before being eaten by the wolf.
I smile.
“You've always been stubborn. Stubborn,” I challenge her.
She tries to look brave. She raises an eyebrow.
“Good. Then you know I won't give up until you tell me
what I want to know,” she declares.
I laugh.
“Oh, no...” I mutter, gluing the crown of my head to the
wall and watching her. She has to look up a lot to meet
mine, but she pretends it doesn't affect her.
My hands slowly start to come up. They caress her side,
and she opens her lips. Her pupils dilate, and surprise
paints her face.
My smile grows wider.
“But you've forgotten that it's rare that I don't get away
with it,” I say.
“It probably only happened to you when you were facing
me," he declares after swallowing slowly.
My body sticks a little closer to hers. My hips brush against
her, and I feel her unconsciously push her pelvis against
mine, seeking me out.
The longing throbs inside me. It's so painful that it makes
me want to rip off her clothes and take her over to the
couch. Only my incredible mastery over my desires makes
me restrain myself.
“Sometimes, indeed. But also, I've learned over the years
how to beat you in the games.”
“And how is that?” she asks. Our closeness makes her lose
her balance. Sky rests her hands on my forearms. I feel her
fingers close around my muscles.
“I've learned that if I distract you the right way, you'll soon
stop dwelling on the issues,” I say.
“What are you...?” she starts to say, but I cut her off.
Before I can say another word, my lips go to meet her. I
take her without even thinking about it, letting my instinct
flow. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind and surrenders to
me. Our lips meet, and my hands move down her body. I
squeeze her buttocks with my fingers and lift her as she
spreads her legs and wraps them around my hips.
Her back slams against the wall. Immediately my chest
sticks to hers. Skylar gasps. I feel her tongue in my mouth,
and my teeth bite her bottom lip. She lifts her face, and my
mouth starts down her chin. I follow the curve of her neck
and down to the start of her breast. She tangles her fingers
in my hair and gasps, and I feel her pulse quicken—the
scent of sex wafting from her skin, calling me like a siren's
song.
My hands reach up, catch the straps of her T-shirt and rip
them smoothly. Her torso is bare as the fragile fabric slides
down her marble skin and falls to the floor. My mouth
reaches down and catches, without even thinking about it,
one of her nipples. She raises her voice in a louder,
lingering moan and presses my face harder against her
breast. My tongue outlines her aureole as she moans until
my teeth close against the erect nipple. Sky gasps my name
and moves her hips unconsciously against mine in a motion
I recognize from memory.
My body reacts to his touch. I feel the arousal grow inside
my pants, but she seems to welcome the invitation. She
makes my mouth move up, getting it, and our tongues
tangle as my hands move down her smooth, shapely
abdomen to the edge of her pants.
“Oh, Asher...” she murmurs.
I bite her neck and undo the first button of her pants.
“See? I have a knack for making you change the subject,” I
affirm against her mouth, laughing smugly.
She glares at me for a moment, but as soon as she does, my
lips drop down and catch her nipple as I move her around
the room. I drop her on the table. Her back is sprawled
across the papers as my hands spread her legs. I run my
hands up her thighs over her clothes and feel her hips
thrust towards me.
“At least your body hasn't forgotten this,” I murmur.
She looks at me. I pull away for a moment and look at her.
Sky's hair is tousled and sensual. Her lips are parted and
red from kissing. Her nipples are erect and at my disposal.
She bites her lower lip in a subtle, desirable way. Her legs
slowly close, and she makes a gentle movement with her
hips that has always indicated to me that she is ready for
me to possess her.
Inside me, I feel I can't wait for her anymore. My mouth
goes down, and it gets her. My hands begin to slide down
her skin until they catch her pants. I pull down the zipper
and feel the lingerie against my fingertips. One of my hands
slips inside her, and Skylar raises her voice in her moan as
my mouth releases a gasp.
“Fuck. You're so wet...” I whisper.
She doesn't look at me but closes her eyes. She pushes her
sex against my fingers, which caress her mount of Venus,
moving down slowly until one of my fingers sinks inside
her.
“So... Fucking... Wet,” I whisper against her mouth.
I start unbuttoning my pants myself. My finger slips in and
out of her, setting a rhythm that I know drives her wild.
During pleasure, her breast brushes mine, and she lifts my
shirt, ready to remove it until our skins finally get.
“Asher...” she murmurs between my lips. “Keep going. Keep
going...”
Her lips leave mine. She lifts her face to the ceiling. His
lips open in a delicious prelude.
And suddenly, his body changes rhythm and stops moving
to the rhythm of our desire.
“Wait,” she says. “Stop.”
Without warning, she pushes me away. Her strength is not
enough to pull me away from her, but I obey out of inertia. I
look at her without understanding what is happening and
then notice her pale face. Much paler than usual.
“Pierce,” I say immediately, startled. My hand is placed
against her cheek. “What's wrong?”
She brings a hand to her throat. The veins under her skin
begin to turn black. Her eyes widen, and her bruised lips
open in an attempt to breathe.
His heart races frantically. And suddenly, I feel him inside
me as if he were in my chest. The impending suffocation
and extreme fear rising through his body along with the
cold.
“Skylar!”
Her name leaves my lips. My teeth get the back of my
hand. I don't think twice but take a sip of blood and pull it
towards her mouth, letting my tongue slip inside her and
pushing the liquid until I feel her swallow.
Again and again, I repeat the operation. In the end, her lips
are red. They are an ink stain against the pale composition
that is her skin at this moment.
“Resist,” I ask her.
She closes her eyes. She falls against my arms, inert.
Her heart stops. After a moment, it starts beating so slowly
and softly that it almost seems as if it is not still there.
My arms take her then, and without waiting, I run with her,
shouting Sabine's name along the way.
Because I know inside me that the beating is a struggle of
her heart to resist, to stay alive, but it's a battle she could
lose at any moment.
OceanofPDF.com
 A SINGLE FL AME

SKYLAR

S lowly I regain consciousness. Even in the dark

thicket, pain is all I can perceive.
Voices begin to appear. At first, I didn't understand what
they said, but soon I knew it was a conversation between
Sabine and Asher.
“It was their... Hum, their encounter,” Sabine clears her
throat. “That collapsed Skylar's system.”
“I don't understand,” Asher says. He's frustrated. “She was
fine one moment, and the next... I don't understand,” says
Asher.
“You must understand that the venom coursing through her
veins reacts in a hazardous way to stimuli that activate
Skylar's wolf side.”
“What do you mean?” Asher asks.
I finally regained some control over my body. Slowly I open
my eyes.
Asher and Sabine are standing very close to me, on either
side. They talk while Sabine makes notes on her medical
report sheet.
Sabine sighs and looks at Asher as if trying to explain a
delicate subject to a small, foolish child. Her expression
would make me laugh at another time, but I'm in too much
pain to utter a sound.
“Look,” Sabine begins to say. “What I'm trying to say, as
hard as it is to hear, is that the contact between you is
dangerous for her.”
“But my blood is what has kept her safe so far,” Asher
states, to which Sabine nods.
“Your blood counteracts the poison. It slows it down. But
the excitement activates the instinct of her wolf within
Skylar,” Sabine says.
“I didn't know I had a wolf. I thought I was human,” I
whisper hoarsely, and they both turn to look at me.
Sabine comes towards me. She makes sure the syringe
passing serum to me hasn't come out of my arm and then
says.
“You are human, but not completely. You are connected to
the powerful Alpha of a pack, and you are the embodiment
of a sleeping deity.” Her lips smile patiently and smugly as
if trying to make me see the obvious. “That means no, you
are not fully human. Even if you don't yet possess a wolf,
you are more of our kind than any other race.”
She then looks at Asher, and with a severe expression, she
says.
“And that means that awakening that part of your essence
is in danger. You can imagine the reaction similarly to your
system's antibodies when detecting a virus. The white
blood cells go to fight off the threat. But at this point,
Skylar's system is too weak to present a worthy defence, so
the vampire venom reacts within her and instead begins to
attack Sky from within.”
“Great,” Asher massages the bridge of his nose. Looking at
Sabine, he seems like a different person. He is full of pent-
up anger. “You want to tell me that I either stay away from
her or kill her.”
Sabine purses her lips into a grimace.
“I wouldn't exactly put it that way...” she starts to say.
“No. We have to be clear. That's what you mean,” says
Asher.
Sabine doesn't say another word. Asher has drawn the
correct conclusions.
“You got to be fucking kidding me!” Asher shouts and hits
the wall hard. The mark of his fist is imprinted on the
metal.
“What's going on here?” asks Marie, entering the infirmary.
She looks first at Asher, then at the wall, then at Sabine
and finally at me. Her eyebrow raises in a gesture that I
understand; it is a question. Something inside me keeps
questioning her age. Marie doesn't look a day over thirty,
which strangely unsettles me. She doesn't look old enough
to be Asher's mother or anyone older than five or ten.
Curiosity is left inside me, wondering about the length of
the shifter's life span.
“Asher, come here a moment,” says Marie, taking her son
by the arm. He follows her, not precisely docile, and they
both move to a corner to talk.
“All this must be confusing for you,” says Sabine after
coming to my side.
I look at her for a moment and nod.
“’ Confusing’ is an understatement. I'd rather say it's
terrifying,” I affirm.
“I understand,” Sabine gives me a warm smile. “You have
much pressure on your shoulders, a lot to figure out. The
most complicated thing must be to place who you are now
with the world around you.”
I nod. It's oddly comforting that someone can understand
how I feel right now.
In the distance, Asher screams. His mother asks him to stay
calm. He takes a breath, and they both start talking in
whispers again.
Sabine looks away from them and looks at me. Her hand
takes mine.
“You have every right to be scared, and you may find the
intensity of Asher's behaviour off-putting at times. What
you must understand is that he is apprehensive about you.
He won't be calm until you are safe.”
I nod, trying to hold back her words.
“I'll keep that in mind,” I murmur.
Sabine gives me another smile. As soon as Marie and Asher
finish talking, they approach us again.
“Based on what is happening, I will take steps to slow the
advance of this poison in your system. I believe I can create
not an antidote but something that will slow how fast it
spreads. At least until we can find a cure,” Marie says as
she looks at me.
“Thank you, that will be very helpful,” says Asher in a
severe tone.
His mother looks at him for a moment, scrutinizing him,
and then leaves. The tension is palpable in the atmosphere.
“Asher, can I talk to you for a moment?” I ask.
“I'm going to see the results of your blood samples,” Sabine
steps forward and leaves to give us some space.
Before I can say anything else, Asher cuts me off.
“We'd better stay away from each other for a while,” he
says.
His words stay with me. They are much worse than the
choking sensation caused by the poison.
“What? No. Why do you say that?” I try to straighten up on
the stretcher but can't move.
Asher stops me. He puts his hands on my shoulders and
makes me lie down on the pillows. As soon as he sees that I
stop moving, he moves away from me.
“Just a few hours ago, we were...” I start to say, and I feel
the blush rise to my cheeks. The memory of his tongue on
my breasts makes me feel dizzy.
“I know,” he smiles sideways in a bitter gesture. “And I
almost got you killed because of it. No, I'll stay away until I
know how lethal our closeness can be for you. I'm sorry.”
His eyes linger on me for a second, and then he walks away
without another word or even giving me a chance to
change his mind.
“Shit,” I whisper under my breath and bring an arm to my
face to cover my eyes. An inexplicable sensation runs
through me as he walks away, as if I've been injected with
cold water, and it's going up through my system, from my
feet and to my head.
In a few minutes, Sabine is back. I manage to control
myself enough, so she doesn't see me cry.
She seems to understand the situation without me having
to say anything. She approaches me and looks at me
intently.
“Why don't you try to rest? It will do you good. In the
morning, you'll be able to think clearly.”
“I will. Thank you,” I answer.
She leaves me alone and dims the lights to avoid disturbing
me. Anxiety climbs my chest without remedy, but now I am
too tired to fight anymore, so I give up and soon fall into a
dreamless rest.
I awake after a few hours. The murmur of conversation and
laughter pulls me out of sleep. Looking around, I notice
that I am still alone in the infirmary. Sabine doesn't seem
anywhere, but I hear laughter again and understand that
she is in her office next to the infirmary.
Her door is open, and the lights are on. The sounds of
laughter are more evident now. Slowly I get to my feet. I
feel dizzy and somewhat dazed, but I manage to walk.
But as I reach the office, I think I shouldn't have. Sabine is
with someone. She smiles. Her eyes are closed, and her
hands slowly caress the back of the girl sitting on her lap.
They both laugh and talk in whispers. The girl's wavy, dark
honey-coloured hair soon looks familiar, and I understand
who she is.
Claire lifts her face and looks at me. My cheeks flush red
for interrupting them when they were obviously in such an
intimate moment.
“I'm sorry, I...” I start to say.
But Claire laughs. She doesn't look worried. She stands up
and turns away from Sabine, rearranging her shirt.
“It's okay.” She comes over to me and runs a loving hand
through my hair. “I heard what happened. How do you
feel?”
“Better,” I answer. My eyes meet Sabine's, but although
serious, neither seems bothered by the interruption.
“I came to see you, but you were sleeping soundly. I
thought it would be a pity to wake you up,” Claire says
kindly.
“It's all right,” I say.
She looks at me sweetly.
“Come. I'll walk you back to bed.”
Sabine nods and lets us go. I feel strangely uncomfortable,
as if I have seen something I shouldn't have. A secret in
plain sight, I think.
“I'm so sorry to have interrupted you...”
Claire lets out a gentle chuckle.
“Don't worry about it. You didn't interrupt anything.”
“Okay.” I sit down carefully on the bed, and Claire sits
beside me. Curiosity gets the better of me, so I ask, “Have
you and Sabine been together for a long time?”
Her cheeks seem to redden. She's a pretty girl, more like
Asher than their mother.
“A few years. Like everyone else, I discovered she was my
partner when I was sixteen, but we've decided to keep
things private.”
“Why?” I ask. I'm curious about a thousand things. This is
just one more of them.
Claire shrugs.
“I don't know. It's simpler that way, I guess. Sabine and I
grew up together because her parents died, and Mom
always cared for her. She's like family, but for some strange
reason, I could never see her as a sister, and she never saw
us as her siblings. But we are close, and that complicates
things. I'm sure Mom wouldn't understand if I explained
that we're a couple, even though it's the most natural thing
in the world.”
“This couples thing seems to be an extraordinary subject,” I
comment vaguely. Claire nods.
“It is. Nothing is more important to wolves than their mate.
It's a sacred bond that we honour with our lives.”
“Asher once told me that it's more than just a courtship, as
it is with humans,” I affirm. Claire pushes her hair away
from her face and nods again.
“It's like that. Humans can fall in love thousands of times,
but we can't. Without our destined mate, a part of us
remains empty.”
I look at her, realizing how happy she is with Sabine. I can't
help but think of Asher.
“It's like that for you and him too,” Claire clarifies, as if she
can read my mind. “That's why Asher is so upset these
days. You're not just the woman he loves; you're something
more. You are his half... his compliment. If something
happens to you, it happens to him too,” he says.
“I understand,” I murmur, looking at my hands.
Claire takes mine and gives me a gentle squeeze. She looks
at me with sincere affection.
“It becomes easier to understand if instead of thinking it,
you feel it.”
I nod, understanding what she's saying. Asher's absence
takes my breath away. It's like a cold that doesn't leave me.
“Thank you. For explaining it to me,” I say.
She shrugs indifferently.
“I know it's hard for you now. We're all strangers to you,
but to me, you're still my best friend. And that won't
change. I will do everything in my power for you.”
Her sincerity and gentleness overwhelm me. For a moment,
I am grateful to this person who came out of nowhere and
showed genuine love for me.
“Thank you,” I say.
Little by little, the tiredness overcomes me again. Claire
lets me settle down and go back to sleep, but as my eyes
close, I can't stop thinking about Asher and how his
absence makes me feel.
It's funny, I think, that the same fire that can light you up
inside, leaving a warm feeling of heat in its wake, can
create an arctic chill when it goes out, making you forget
for moments how it once felt to find the sun in the middle
of a summer that seems, will never return.
OceanofPDF.com
 A SECOND BOND

ASHER

T he memory creeps into my thoughts, burning inside

me like fire. Her laughter at seeing my surprised
face when the bathroom door would open in the morning
when I thought her asleep.
Skylar would sneak into the shower with me. She used to
wear nothing but one of the t-shirts I sometimes took off to
sleep. She would take it off slowly, pulling it over her head
and letting me feast my eyes on it. Her defined and
undoubtedly feminine body revealed itself to me. A
temptation I certainly couldn't resist.
“Enjoying the view, Alpha?” she teased, raising an eyebrow.
Steam clung to her hips. Her torso was furrowed with
mischief, her dishevelled hair cascading down her back.
Her breasts were a temptation to me. They made me think
about moving down her abdomen, letting my mouth get her
sex and finally, when she begged me to stop, possessing her
until she climaxed.
“Come here, Pierce,” I would say, calling out to her with
one finger.
Skylar laughed. She was coming toward me at a slow pace.
She moved like a goddess. We played to see who was the
hunter and who was the prey, and I always devoured her
with relish.
A growl bursts from my lips in the present. My eyes are
closed, but I still feel the heat of the boiling water on my
body. It slides down my naked torso. The excitement begins
to build, and I feel like I can't control myself. The sky is still
present in my memory. The girl she was, the one I love. My
half. My partner.
The memory of her body comes to me. The way her hips
sought mine. She would reach out and tangle her arms in
my hair; I would lift her and glue her back to the wall as
the water poured over us. As I think of her moans and the
memory of her breasts brushing against my skin, the pain
from arousal becomes more constant, and I can no longer
stop. My arm leans against the wall. I trust my face against
it while my free hand reaches down. It starts to move up
and down my erection, feeling the wetness of the shower.
My lips open. My eyes close tightly, and she moans inside
my head, repeatedly calling my name.
Her nails scratch my skin. Her hands cling to me. Her lips
get me. Longing kisses I could never get enough of. Her
tongue sank into my mouth as her legs wrapped around my
hips, and I rammed her harder and harder.
When she reaches orgasm amidst my memories, I orgasm
myself, and I can no longer contain the moan that leaves
my mouth. My eyes open, and the steam from the shower
gets me. Hot water continued to rain down on my head—
the scent of shampoo and soap clouded my senses.
But there is not her scent. She is not there. Her body
remains far from mine. The woman I see in my dreams
might not return. The relief of orgasm evaporates, and only
frustration and anger remain. Her body and mine may
never meet again like they once did.
Frustrated, I step out of the shower. All the rancour and
anger of the last few days have returned to me like a
hurricane.
I dry my damp hair and hurriedly get dressed. Inside I
grope in the distance until I finally find Sky. I don't know
where she is, but I know she is tired. If I concentrate, I can
feel everything she does. That sense is honed after the
bonding ceremony when we should be one. Still, I became
familiar with it in the last two weeks through my search—
tracking her all over town to find out where Adrien had her
hiding made it very easy for me to learn to differentiate her
emotions. From pain to dazed.
A knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts.
“Come in,” I say in a monotone voice after putting on my
shirt.
Maddox enters the room without greeting. His ordinarily
kind face remains serious.
“We're in trouble.”
I look at him curiously, not allowing the gravity in his voice
to upset me.
“More?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
Maddox nods.
“It's Adrien,” Maddox alerts me. “He and his vampires have
snuck into our territory on the surface.”
A snort leaves my lips.
“Great,” I respond by grabbing my jacket, feeling
everything inside me throb. “That will give me an excuse to
finally finish him off.”
I step forward and start walking in a hurry. Maddox follows
close behind me.
As soon as I move, I feel Skylar. I instinctively follow the
thread of me pulling towards her and find her in the gym,
along with Megan and Leah training.
As soon as they see me, they stop. I avoid looking at Sky.
Her sweaty body and the T-shirt clinging to her chest bring
back too many memories for it not to be a painful
experience. Having her away for the last week has been the
most complicated thing I've had to do in a long time, but I
restrain myself from approaching her. I know well the
consequences it can bring to both of us.
“Megan, Claire,” I call out to them.
As soon as I say their names, they approach me. They both
look at me thoughtfully.
“Protect Sky,” I order them. “Maddox and I will raid the
surface.”
“What's going on?” Claire asks.
“It's Adrien. He's in our territory,” Maddox alerts us.
Skylar watches us from a distance. Her pained and longing
expression follows me every step of the way. I, too, find it
challenging to have her close yet so far away, so I hurry to
speak.
“We must leave. Do not leave her alone until I return and
personally give you the order,” I add.
They both nod. I know they are both excellent warriors,
regardless of their age. I trust them completely, allowing
me to leave, settling my affairs with Adrien in time.
As soon as I walk away, the link between Skylar and me
jumps. Her pain, which becomes mine. I feel the anxiety
and longing welling up in her. I promise myself this won't
last much longer.
Hopefully, taking down Adrien will settle the debt between
the two of us and remove the hold he has on Sky.
As soon as we reach the surface, the chill of the night
envelops us. With Maddox, I make my way to where we
have the cars and motorcycles we use to get around New
York unnoticed. We prefer our wolf form, but a pack of
wolves as big as houses running through the city would set
off a few alerts.
“We have to hurry. We're not far from where they are,”
Maddox assures us.
I nod. I was climbing into the black van with Maddox and
thinking about the wolves on surface watch today. Lucian
was leading the team of about twenty wolves. Dustin is with
my mother, and Sabine is in the infirmary, so no other
members of my close group are around.
I immediately accelerate, leaving a trail of fog behind the
car. Every member of the herd is valuable. They are all in
my care, and I don't plan to lose them to Adrien's taunts.
With Maddox, we glide in the car for at least three blocks
until we finally reach a vacant lot from which hangs a "no
trespassing" sign. An abandoned half-constructed building
decorates the area. The streets are dark, and the smell of
blood permeates every corner.
“I'm going to kill that fucker,” I whisper.
As I step through the rusty gate, I feel the scent of human
blood mingling with the stench of vampires.
“Well, if it isn't, the big Alpha wolf has decided to come out
and play,” Adrien laughs in the distance.
His voice isn't thunderous, but I detect it without trouble. I
look up and get it high up in the metal rafters. He grins
mischievously. His lips are red with blood, and his hands
are stained.
He takes a step and leaps into the void. He falls more than
fifteen stories but lands like it's nothing. He stands about
ten meters from me, and as he walks, dark shadows begin
to sprout from the night. A group of at least thirty vampires
emerge from the shadows, following in their master's
footsteps.
But I do not fear them. Behind me, I feel a kind of purring.
A slow vibration runs down the back of my neck, and I
know without looking at them that the pack is here. The
wolves manifest themselves in the middle of the night—
some in their human form, most in their animal bodies.
Lucian advances. His face is severe, and his expression is
vinegary. Adrien has not attacked them but has waited for
me to arrive. My wolves have cornered them in this place,
but I know he has the strength to fight and defeat them.
With Sky's power in his hands, he can work all kinds of
calamities, and he knows it.
“I'd ask you what you're doing here, but I don't care. You've
given me the perfect reason to take you down.”
My words make the smile on Adrien's lips grow bigger. He
tilts his face and looks at me with bloodlust.
“What kind of reception is that little wolf? I thought I'd pay
you a friendly visit. I thought it wasn't just me missing my
old friend.”
I snort under my breath.
“I was an idiot to think I could be friends with someone like
you. That I could change you,” I affirm.
“Ouch,” Adrien puts a hand to his chest melodramatically.
“Aren't real friends supposed to accept you as you are?” he
sighs and looks around. “And here I thought we had an
arrangement... I even brought you some presents.”
Above me, I hear the laughter, the voices whispering. I look
up and see the vampires positioned high in the rafters.
They hold bodies in their hands. Bare-breasted women and
weeping faces murdered children with the last scream held
between their lips—strangers from the street taken in the
middle of their walk home or an outing with friends.
All of them, people who were under my protection and
whose lives he took.
Adrien's vampires drop the bodies, which hit the ground.
The sound of flesh crashing and bones popping is
sickening, but Adrien smiles.
“Don't worry; I got the blood out of them. I know you're not
a big fan. But I thought maybe your mutts would like a
bone or two to gnaw on.” He bows to me melodramatically,
looking at me with amusement. “Don't thank me for the
favour, old friend.”
A snarl then leaves my lips. I've had enough of him.
“Attack,” I order.
As soon as I say it, the wolves behind me start running.
Maddox and Lucian each stand at my side, waiting for
directions.
“Show them what we are capable of when they violate our
territory,” I order them.
As soon as I say so, Maddox and Lucian take off running.
Maddox jumps up at high speed and holds out his hands.
The light bulbs from the streetlights around us start to
explode and electricity flashes across the distance,
shooting up through his hands. The vampires begin to flee
in panic, but he soon catches up, flaunting his power.
Lucian is more reserved. He runs to lead the herd nearby.
His gift is to heighten his senses one at a time. When I see
him, I know he has strengthened his sense of hearing
because he starts shouting orders to the wolves about the
position of the vampires while remorselessly attacking
them.
“Don't you want to play with me, little wolf?” Adrien
challenges me.
As soon as he says it, I jump at him in my human form. His
hands reach out, and the beams behind him begin to crack.
Metal roars, screeches, and falls as he manipulates it,
hurling metal blocks at me.
I dodge them and run at full speed, feeling my senses
expand with each second. My hands reach out, and the
darkness overtakes me. The shadows come to me. They
wrap me in their cloak and leap the distance. They stop the
vampire's attacks and trap the enemies, which they
liquidate without a second glance.
Adrien smiles and jumps over the rafters. I follow him. We
climb up the lattice at high speed. He weakens the metal
around me, trying to catch or make me fall, but the night is
my element. I push myself with the shadows, opening a
path where there is none, and jump, until I catch the
vampire. My clouds surround him and trap his neck. I let
out a growl and sent all my anger and frustration toward
him. Adrien falls, and I go after him as my hands finally get
him.
“Not so fast, little wolf,” he exclaims, amused, in the middle
of the fall.
As soon as he says it, Skylar's power hits me. One look from
Adrien, and my body bends in pain. It's as if a vast hand
closes in on my brain and grabs it until it's squeezed. I
scream, feeling my power fade, and Adrien pushes me away
from him using Sky's powers. Invisible hands close around
my chest, on my neck and arms. They send me crashing to
the ground. The impact takes my breath away for a
moment.
He descends close to me, standing up. He comes closer,
smiling. He looks at me as he wipes the blood from his lips.
His expression is amused.
“Do you like what I've done? I've finally learned to get the
hang of your girlfriend's powers. It hasn't been easy, I must
say.” He reaches over and steps on my hand. A wince
curves my lips. Invisible bonds keep clinging to my body,
preventing me from moving. “But I finally understood what
it was all about. Funny, her power. The gift of manipulating
the minds of others through telekinesis. A fascinating gift
that I never get tired of using.”
Adrien raises a hand. He moves me without touching me.
He makes my body rise. He presses his fingers into a fist,
and my ribs burst inside my body. I hold back a cry of pain
and feel the fire of the wound coursing through me as he
smiles.
“It's a wonderful thing to think about. It only took a little of
her blood to do all this. Do you like the modifications I
made to your girlfriend, by the way? I thought you'd
appreciate my intervention. You always did like a challenge.
She's certainly one now.”
Adrien bursts out laughing at his joke. His words do
nothing but ignite anger in me.
As soon as he says it, I manage to draw strength from
where I had none before. My hand opens, and the shadows
jump. They ram him hard and pierce his chest, causing him
to fall ten meters further. The blow causes him to lose
control, so I fall to the ground gasping.
I don't give myself time to react but immediately get to my
feet. In two steps, I am transformed. I change, feeling my
bones grow and rearrange, my vision change and my
senses expand. Adrien opens his eyes wide as he sees me
coming and tries to move, but before he can, I jump on top
of him and throw him to the ground with my front legs.
As soon as I have him in range, I attack him. I don't
hesitate but let my teeth pierce his skin. The taste of blood
fills my senses. The venom from his body burns my lips, but
I tear a chunk out of his shoulder. Adrien screams and
brings a hand to the wound. He reaches out a hand and
launches me into the air with Sky's powers, but before I
pull away from him, one of my paws gets his face. The
claws pierce the skin and tear the flesh until it's red hot.
“Damn you!” Adrien screams and gets to his feet. I fall to
my feet myself. I look at him, snarling. He bares his fangs
at me. The wounds on his body start to smoke, and I see
how it slowly regenerates. They do it much faster than
before, so I understand that Sky's powers influence him in
more ways than I initially thought.
Without waiting, I launch myself into the attack. Adrien
welcomes me with open arms. His hands transform into
sharp claws. His metal nails pierce the skin of my muzzle,
but it's not enough. In my wolf form, I am stronger than
him, so I push him away and bite him in the face, tearing
off his ear.
The bad thing is that I know it will grow back. But that
won't happen if I don't leave him alive.
Soon we are engaged in a fierce battle. Adrien attacks me
with all his might, but I decide to give him no respite. This
time my aim is different from all the previous times. For the
first time, I am determined to annihilate him.
The pack knows it. The wolves attack the vampires, and
although they seem to have the upper hand at first, they
are nothing without the help of their leader. One by one,
they begin to fall. The remaining few try to flee, but my
wolves catch up with them in the bushes.
All in all, fatigue and the energy his body spends on
regeneration begin to take their toll. He may have Sky's
powers, but he doesn't yet know how to use them to their
full potential. The regeneration she is capable of takes a
heavy toll on the system. I know this from experience.
He starts to get tired; he gets sluggish. As soon as his
movements lighten, I jump on him and bite his arm without
waiting. Blood fills my mouth, and my enemy's scream
pierces the air as I feel my teeth shatter his bones.
As soon as I feel Adrien raise his other arm to defend
himself, I attack him. And this time, I know I have the
upper hand. One more move, and then, I will end his life.
But just then, Adrien bursts out laughing.
“What a clever little wolf you are,” he mutters. His mouth is
full of blood. His blood. “You think you've won. You don't
even stop to think about the details of the matter. “
His hand moves make a strange movement, and inside me,
I feel... A tugging. An unexpected pain. But it's not me that
hurts. It's more like a reflex, like a dormant termination
that slowly begins to awaken.
As if I feel what someone else feels. Someone... a person on
the other side of the link.
My eyes widen like saucers. Adrien bursts out laughing.
“Did you think you could just kill me without suffering the
consequences?” he jokes and then clicks his tongue. “What
a naïve little wolf. Right now, her bond with me is almost as
strong as yours. I can make her feel everything I feel.”
That's when the pain pierces me. And I know something is
wrong, terribly wrong. I feel her fall on the other side of my
connection to Sky.
For a moment, my vision blurs. I see what she sees. I feel
her gasping for breath, the pain coursing through her. I
vaguely hear Claire's screams as she calls out to her.
Adrien begins to laugh, bringing me back to the here and
now.
“If I die... she dies, puppy. You decide. Is my life worth as
much as hers?”
He raises an eyebrow. I step back. I phase out and look at
him full of horror.
“You're a...” I start to say.
“Yes, I am. Spare me the insults.”
Adrien struggles to stand on his feet. A little more than five
vampires are left at his disposal. My wolves surround them
as they group behind Adrien.
“That's why I came here. To inform you of this amusing
twist in the plan,” his eyebrow rises, and he smiles
triumphantly. “From now on, I own this town. And if you
doubt it, just remember that your beloved's life is tied to
mine.”
My hands clench and unclench into fists.
“I could finish you now. Take you prisoner and force you to
release her,” I threaten.
He shrugs.
“Maybe. But in the time you'll waste trying to attack me,
she could die. Unlike me, Skylar is in delicate physical
condition. I, on the other hand... Let's just say I possess
certain healing gifts a goddess bestowed on me.”
He shows me his shoulder, which has been healing slowly
until it has almost completely recovered.
“It's up to you, little wolf. As always, everything rests on
your shoulders.”
Inside me, I want to scream. If I hold back, it's only
because I have excellent self-control.
“Get this scum out of my territory,” I order the wolves. “If
you see one of them around here again, kill them. No more
mercy.”
Adrien bursts out laughing. He waves me away.
“What drama! I love it,” he teases. “Come on, come on, pick
up the pace, puppy. You're in for a pleasant surprise when
you get home.”
A pang of pain shoots through my chest as if to confirm it.
One look at Maddox is all I need to know that he and
Lucian will take care of the situation.
Without waiting, I shift and run out, knowing that on the
other side of the link, Sky is in danger.
For once, I don't care what New York might think about the
prospect of seeing a wolf running through its streets. I'm
not the worst creature to prowl these streets, after all, and
I know well that there are far worse things for citizens to
fear.
OceanofPDF.com
 VISIONS OF THE FUTURE

SKYLAR

E verything starts to go wrong when he leaves, without

even looking back.
Without even glance at me.
“Hey, are you okay?” Megan asks, coming to my side.
Claire lingers a little longer, talking to her brother. He
gives me a furtive glance and then briefly hugs his sister
and places a kiss on her forehead.
Their closeness hurts me. At this moment, I envy even his
sister because she may have something about him that I
don't: Affection.
Claire comes toward us. Both of their expressions are
serious.
“Are you going to tell me what's going on?” I sigh as I take
the boxing gloves out of my hands.
The two of them exchange a cryptic look. My lips draw a
grimace.
“Come on, tell me. I know something is going on. They
can't hide it from me.”
Claire sighs.
“Asher and Maddox go to the surface. Our patrols have
discovered an infiltration,” says Claire.
“It's Adrien. He's snuck into our territory,” says Megan. She
seems deeply upset with the situation.
“Why did he do it?” I ask, anxious about the possibilities.
“Is it because of me?” I ask. They both shake their heads.
“No. Ever since he stole your powers, Adrien's been doing
his thing. He's snuck into our territory just to provoke
Asher. He's trying to show that he's not afraid of him,”
Claire says, placing her hand on my shoulder in a
conciliatory manner.
“Well, that sucks,” I whisper.
“What we can't do is get discouraged,” Leah says, coming
towards the three of us. She's wearing a white t-shirt and a
black sports bra underneath it. She looks fucking good like
this, with her hair pulled back in braids. She looks like she
was born to train, unlike me.
She comes over and throws a wooden knife at me. I look at
it curiously. She leaves her gaze fixed on me.
“Worrying about what happens on the outside won't change
anything. The best thing you can do right now is to keep
training and try to prepare yourself for what is to come,”
Leah says.
“For now, Sky can rest,” Megan defends. “She has been
training for hours. She must be exhausted.”
“Perfect,” says Leah, raising an eyebrow. “In combat,
there's no time to rest. We all know that. When you're at
your worst, weakest, most tired, that's when you need to
remember your training the most.”
The three of them exchange a meaningful look. Something
inside me seems to say that, although Leah is my sister, and
Megan and Claire are my best friends, they don't get along
very well.
I sigh.
“It's okay, girls. Leah's right. I don't want to be a burden
anymore.”
“Are you sure about this, Sky?” Claire asks in a conciliatory
tone. Leah answers for me.
“She is. Come on; we don't have time to waste.”
Claire's lips pull into a pout, and Megan folds her arms. I
follow Claire to the center of a mat. She takes a fighting
stance, and I try to remember what Megan and Claire have
been trying to make me understand all morning.
“Ready?” my sister asks.
“No. But I feel like I never will be,” I affirm
“It's better this way. The enemy will never wait for you to
be ready.”
Without warning, Leah jumps at me. I shriek in surprise,
but she's on top of me before I know it. She disarms me in
two moves and knocks me off my feet with a blow to my hip
that knocks the wind out of me.
“Shit, that hurt!” I say.
“One more bruise, one less,” Leah mocks and holds a hand
to help me to my feet.
I frown. I get back into a fighting stance. Before I'm ready,
Leah comes at me, but I wait for her this time.
We start to fight. I'm not as good as her, but I'm glad to
know I haven't forgotten everything. My body sometimes
responds instinctively, as if it remembers certain defensive
moves.
“Good,” Leah says, praising me despite falling again.
“You've dodged me for almost a whole minute. Now let's try
to make it two,” she says.
She bursts out laughing and helps me up. And out of
nowhere, she attacks again.
We keep sparring until I have no strength left, but Leah
comes after me. She takes me down quickly and disarms
me, showing me the hundreds of little flaws I possess amid
my movements.
“That's enough,” Claire says, coming toward us. “You're
asking too much of her. The sky is just a rookie.”
“No. She's not,” Leah refutes, standing in front of Claire
without fear. “Sky is a skilled and trained warrior. She's
better than any of us in combat, and she won't remember it
if we keep being gentle with her.”
“Neither will she if we beat the crap out of her,” Megan
says, seconding Claire. “That's enough for today.”
“Don't worry, girls,” I say between gasps, feeling like I've
sweated all my weight. “I can go on,” I affirm.
“No, you can't,” complains Claire, putting a hand on my
shoulder.
“Why are you protecting her?” Leah complains. “This way,
she's not going to get anywhere.”
“Because you're being too strict with her!” Claire shrieks.
“And it's not fair. Sky deserves to go at her own pace.”
“I know what her pace is. I'm her sister,” says Leah.
“Then act like one, not like a resentful bitch,” Megan says,
stepping in front of me.
“Girls, stop it.” I stop them, standing in between them.
“No. This is perfect,” Leah scoffs, hatred permeating her
gaze. “You may have lost your memory, sis, but this is a
perfect lesson. These two always overprotect you. They
make me look like the bad guy.”
“You're not,” I tell Leah in a conciliatory tone. “I'm sure
Claire and Megan are just trying to be good friends.”
“That's it. We care about you,” Claire says, looking at Leah
with hatred. “Unlike her. She may be your sister, but she's
envious of you.”
“Envious of what?” Leah says, laughing sarcastically.
Megan steps forward.
“That you could never be half as good as Sky is,” she says.
Leah's gaze changes then, and I feel it in the air. I think the
fight will be settled between them without knowing what
will happen.
“No. Stop it,” I say.
But they ignore me. Leah moves forward, and so do Claire
and Megan.
I look at them, scared, not knowing what to do.
“Stop it,” I ask again.
“Say that one more time,” Leah challenges Megan.
“Sure, you envy Sky because you know you'll never be as
good as she is at everything,” she says.
Leah pushes Megan by the shoulders, and Megan
immediately comes on her attack. The two look at each
other as if they don't plan to allow the other to be left
standing.
“Stop it!” I shout.
Inside me, I feel something strange. Something unknown. I
don't know what it is, but it springs up at my call and obeys
my wishes. It is a force that emanates from me outwards. I
feel it vibrating through my hands, which become an
extension of me when I move them.
That unknown force reaches Leah and Megan. It sends
them far from each other to where they fall in opposite
directions, at least five meters apart.
Claire looks at me in amazement. So do Megan and Leah.
I fall to the ground, feeling like I have no strength. My body
begins to shake as if I am suffering from a severe case of
frostbite.
All three come running toward me.
“Are you all right?” Claire asks.
“I am,” I nod and look at them in terror. “But please, don't
keep fighting.”
“We're not,” Meg says in a consoling tone.
“We faked everything,” Leah says with an apologetic smile
on her lips.
You bitches! I think.
“Why is that?” I ask them.
“Because fear is one of the triggers of your sleeping mind,”
Claire says apologetically. “We looked into it last night with
Sabine.”
“There was a possibility that a stressful situation could
awaken dormant instincts in you because of adrenaline,”
Leah continues explaining. “And we thought this was a
good way to put that theory into practice.”
“Shit,” I say, putting a hand to my face. “I don't know
whether to thank you or hate you for what they did.”
“It can be a little bit of both,” Megan laughs.
I try to smile, relieved to know that at least the three of
them don't hate each other, but then a pang goes through
my chest, leaving me breathless.
“Sky,” Leah's voice whispers next to me, sensing that
something's not right.
I don't have time to answer. A searing pain immediately
follows the stitch in my shoulder. And suddenly, a thousand
more erupt throughout my body.
I scream, unable to contain the pain, and fall to the ground.
“Skylar!” the three of them cry out in desperation.
“Tell me this is part of your plan, too!” I beg them.
“No, it isn't!” Claire touches my face. “What's the matter?”

I try to answer, but another sting of pain pierces me. It's

as if thousands of knives penetrate my skin, leaving it
raw.
My vision blurs at times. I try to breathe, but I cannot.
When I open my eyes, I see Asher instead of the girls next
to me.
For an instant, the vision transforms. The cold outside
envelops me. The pain becomes more insistent.
I hear Adrien's hoarse, metal-like laughter. He coughs and
then says to Asher.
“Did you think you could just kill me without suffering the
consequences? What a naive little wolf. Right now, her
bond with me is almost as strong as yours with her. I can
make her feel everything I feel.”
The pain increases inside me. The world is erased. It
disappears in a blaze of fire.
Too late, I understand that what I feel is probably what
Adrien must be feeling. But there is something else. A
sharp sorrow erases everything in its path, making the
world around me blur until finally, it disappears.
I wake up somewhere else, feeling strange, painless. But at
the same time, everything is too real.
Above me is the sky streaked with stars. The moon is full
and partially hidden above the clouds. A glass ceiling keeps
away the feeling of the night wind on my skin. There are
massive walls all around me and structures that seem to be
taken from another era or another world.
All around me, the world explodes amidst the screams of
battle. I turn and look at my loved ones. Leah, Megan,
Claire, Maddox, Lucian, and hundreds of other wolves.
They are facing the vampires in a fierce battle that seems
no one can win.
I scream and try to protect them, to pull them away from
the fight. But my movements are useless. I try to run and
reach them, but I fail.
In the very center of it all, I see him. Asher is standing
under a moonbeam. His shirt is torn, and he is bleeding
from different places. Shadows climb up his hands and
dance around him like a protective cloak.
In front of him is Adrien. The vampire wears his silver hair
stained with blood and dishevelled. He has a wound on the
side of his face, and one of his legs is bleeding profusely.
Yet he smiles. Metal swirls around him like liquid.
He raises a hand, points at Asher and attacks him. Asher
shifts shape. Amidst my screams, I see him turn into a
colossal wolf. The shadows follow him wherever he goes.
They catch Adrien and try to overpower him, but Adrien
attacks back and charges Asher with such force that I feel
his pain.
My screams cross the space but achieve nothing. Adrien
advances toward Asher, laughing, raises a hand, punches
him and then lifts him by the neck. My breathing stops, and
I know it's the same with Asher. He is dying.
And then, something catches my attention. I see an altar
standing at the top of a marble staircase. On the altar sits
the statue of a wonderful woman, and between her
outstretched hands rests something: A silver-handled
dagger.
I know it is some sign; without thinking, I intuit what I must
do. I run in a hurry, pushing aside all who try to stop me,
and I reach the altar. The figure of the stone goddess seems
to be watching me, judging my actions.
I look at her for a second, and Asher screams behind me.
His death is near. Without thinking, I take the dagger,
breathe slowly, and plunge it into my chest.
The searing pain grows and rises through my system as
soon as I do. I fall to my knees on the ground and turn to
watch the fight. Adrien is down as well. He bleeds in the
same place where I have stabbed him with the dagger.
“Why?” Adrien's lips formulate in the distance. I can't hear
him but feel his words vibrating inside me.
“Because I love Asher more than my own life,” I affirm
fearlessly.
As soon as the words leave my lips, Asher rises. He is
imbued with a new light that envelops him, pushing away
the shadows. His eyes search for me, and he calls my name
in the middle of the distance.
My eyes close. I smile. I know he was worth dying for.
“Sky!” his voice says, and my eyes open. Waking up, I see
his eyes, deep green, fixed on mine.
A sigh of relief leaves his lips.
“For the goddess, Pierce... You must stop scaring me like
this.”
I try to smile, but my lips grimace. I hear the rhythmic
"Beep" of the machine and soon understand that I am in the
infirmary. Again.
“Don't push her too hard, Ash,” says Sabine, coming to
meet us. “She is in a very delicate condition. She survived
by a miracle.”
Asher's lips draw into a grimace. He turns away from me. I
want to beg him not to, but his attention is diverted.
A hand gently caresses my face. I notice who is around me:
Leah, Megan and Claire, Dustin and Sabine, who remain
very close to Asher with a severe faces.
“Are you all right?” Claire asks with concern. My lips draw
a grimace.
“I think so. What happened?” I ask in a mushy voice.
“You fainted in the middle of training. You started
screaming, and your veins turned black,” Leah explains.
“We brought you immediately to the infirmary,” Megan
affirms.
“Is that true?” demands a different voice. I turn and see
Marie, who is walking straight towards Asher. She is
furious. “Tell me that my informants were wrong to tell me
that Skylar almost died because the connection between
her and Adrien is so powerful that he can transfer his
wounds to her.”
My lips draw into a grimace. I then vaguely remember what
I saw before I fainted: Asher's look of terror and Adrien's
laughter as he confessed that he could hurt me.
Asher breathes in slowly as he responds.
“No. Your informants have told you everything correctly.
The sky is vulnerable to Adrien's influence,” Asher states in
a slow, monochord voice.
Everyone present draws the worst expressions of terror in
their eyes. The fear is so palpable in the room that I can
almost feel it crawling up my skin.
“Shit,” Leah whispers next to me. “This is not good.”
“I've had enough of this situation, Asher,” Marie demands.
“As the leader of the ruling council, I demand that Skylar
be placed in isolation and kept under constant
observation.”
“No way!” shouted around me at least four different voices.
“That won't happen,” Asher determines in a neutral tone
and clenched fists.
“This decision doesn't depend on you alone,” determines
Marie, glaring at her son. “Her presence endangers the
whole pack. I will not tolerate her serving as Adrien's spy
while they figure out how to rid her of whatever he has
done to her.”
“Sky is not a spy!” shout Claire and Megan.
“You’re crazy if you think you’re taking my sister!” counters
Leah at my side.
Asher raises a hand, silencing everyone. His expression is
fierce.
“You're not taking her to an isolated cell,” Asher sentences.
“You have to think beyond whether she's your mate or not,
Asher,” Marie says. “The pack always comes first.”
“I know. And I will protect them with my life. But that won't
mean putting Skylar in a cell.”
“It's not your decision alone," Marie threatens. “The
council- “
“I am the Alpha!” shouts Asher, taking a step toward his
mother. “And what I say will be done. My order is that Sky
will not be taken to solitary confinement. That is my final
word on the matter.”
There is a strange vibration in the air as he utters those
words. Everyone falls silent. Marie trembles, but something
tells me she can't disobey Asher.
She turns away, not looking at him. She leaves the
infirmary and closes the door behind her with force.
Inside the infirmary, a dense silence can be felt. Everyone
looks at Asher, but he doesn't give them a single glance.
Not even at me.
Dustin takes a step toward his brother, but then he walks
away. He walks straight to the exit and closes the door
behind him without glancing around.
His absence weighs on me. I close my eyes and feel inside
me the emptiness left by his departure. It grows in my
chest with each beat of my heart, reminding me how
horrible it has supposed to lose him, even if it was only in
my dreams.
Dreams that, I hope, will never manifest in reality.
However, I know that today we have been close to that
happening.
OceanofPDF.com
 BROKEN INSIDE

SKYLAR

T hree days pass before I finally feel fed up with it all.

In all this time, Asher hasn't come to see me once. I
feel him through the nexus we share, but his presence is
vague and elusive. As if he is trying to avoid me at all costs.
The feeling of helplessness grows by the minute inside my
chest. It's strange how everything can be ruined so soon.
Tiredly I stand up and pull the IVs out of my veins. Sabine
has kept me under observation, but by now, I feel fine. Or
at least as well as I can handle, given the situation.
“What are you doing?” asks the brunette as she sees me
grab my clothes and start to dress.
“I'm leaving. I'm going back to my room,” I tell her.
She sighs. I give her a pleading look.
“Come on, Sabs. We both know I'm as well as I can be. You
can't keep me here, monitoring my every heartbeat for fear
that Adrien will decide to squeeze my heart at any moment
and kill me.”
Sabine's lips draw into a grimace. She folds her arms and
nods.
“I guess not, but it would still be good for you to stay close,
just in case.”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“Are you kidding me? If we keep going the way we are, I'll
have to move in here officially.” I smile at her slightly
friendlier gesture and walk over to her, taking her hands. “I
appreciate everything you've done for me. You're amazing,
but I feel like I can't rest in this place.”
“I guess I understand.” She pats me on the shoulder and
pulls the sheets off the bed. “Okay. But be sure to keep me
informed of any changes in your condition, no matter how
minor.”
I nod.
“I will. Thanks, Sabs.”
Sabine smiles at me. I decide to leave before she changes
her mind.
For a moment, after leaving, I think about going in search
of Asher, but I immediately change my mind. I decided that
my presence had done nothing but brought him trouble. He
doesn't seem comfortable with me, and although I know he
can't change how he feels about me, a part of me wonders
if he is avoiding me as a way of running from precisely
those feelings.
It's a bitter thought that does nothing but depresses me.
Confronting Asher right now may not be the best option, so
I let my feet go another way. I start wandering through the
corridors until I finally remember the route that leads to my
room in the middle of all this maze.
The room is dark, but luckily, it remains the same as the
last time I was in it. Strangely, I have spent little time here,
I think. Everyone seems so aware of my situation that they
keep me from spending much time alone, so I now know
Claire's or Leah's room better than my own.
I find that I like the tone of the walls. I take comfort in
knowing that it's not all pink. But instead, there is a
minimalist design with light tones sprinkled throughout the
room. My eyes are drawn to the expansive bookshelf,
spending a good bit of time perusing the titles and thinking
about whether or not I remember reading them. I can't
help but wonder which one was my favourite and which one
I wouldn't want to read again.
Frustrated, I stretch out on the bed. I stare at the ceiling,
and then my attention shifts—a collage of photographs
intertwined with notes and a few clippings on the wall next
to the bed. Friendships, adventures and desires are
jumbled together illegibly on a map linking my past and
wishes for my future with the present. It is a map of my life.
Or at least of my old life. Of the old me.
I follow it carefully, letting my fingers wander over the
photos and down the wall. I'd like to know this Skylar, I tell
myself, what she was like, who she was. What things she
wanted and what things she didn't. Everyone seems to miss
her, and even though I am her, I know I'll never measure
up.
The thought makes me feel strangely frustrated. My vision
drops, and then I notice that there seems to be some sort of
arrow at the end of the photo map. I follow it with my
fingers, and as I feel around the wallpaper, I notice an
unevenness.
Curious, I feel with my fingers until I discover that the
wallpaper is loose. I carefully lift it and see a square in the
wall behind it. My fingers reach out as if discovering a
treasure, and I find a diary with pleasure—my diary.
“What do we have here?” I whisper. “A little glimpse into
the Sky of the past?”
As soon as I open it, a photo disappears between the ink-
filled pages. It is a picture of Asher and me, of course. He is
lying on his bed and taken from above. He kisses my cheek
in the photo and smiles. His eyes are closed, and his hair is
tousled; one of his hands holds my waist, and the other
sneaks under my shirt.
My face is smiling. I'm wearing one of his black T-shirts. I
look whole in that picture. Complete. Happy.
I appear to be a completely different person.
Sighing, I put the photo aside. I begin to read the notes.
The Skylar who speaks to me from the past is strong,
determined, arrogant, and somewhat stubborn. Her
discussions with Asher are interspersed with plans for the
future.
But there is something constant. Hidden among the notes
of daily life are sketches of worries. The old me didn't like
the idea of turning the rite into a goddess. The thought
made her quite nervous, it seemed.
Didn't Leah tell me something about it? Asher once said
that he and I didn't always agree on everything, but that
one way or another, we found a way to reach a middle
ground. But he didn't seem convinced about it but
somewhat elusive.
“What is this?” I murmur, sitting up in bed. “Sky, you didn't
seem very convinced with this plan about the rite to
awaken the moon goddess...” I say to myself.
My confusion about what I should or shouldn't do is
repeated between entries. Thoughts cross with entries
about discussions with Asher or Marie on the subject. He,
in particular, seemed determined to convince me that this
idea was the best one to proceed with. Only in this way
would we succeed in curbing Adrien, who was increasingly
threatening the lives of other species and humans in his
quest to prove that he had absolute power and total
domination of the city.
“Why did this subject cause you so much anxiety?” I
wondered, turning the page.
Asher's partner, I'm supposed to be on board with this. That
I should want to restrain Adrien as much as he does. And
yet, between notes, the fear and confusion as to whether
this was the best decision kept repeating itself.
And then I see the black ink drawing of a temple I've been
to in my dreams.
My lips fall open in astonishment. I hold back a groan and
begin to read between whispers:
“The dream repeats itself...” I murmur. “Over and over
again. My feet move without getting anywhere. I call out
his name, but he doesn't seem to hear me.” Memories flash
through my head as I read. In the Greek-looking temple,
the wolves are fighting the vampires. "Asher is so far away
from me at this instant; it would seem a chasm separates
us. He takes his Wolf form, and Adrien lifts him into the air
amidst his final victory laugh..."
The vision is too precise not to know that it is the same
dream.
“A silver dagger,” I read on another page, following the
notes I made a week after the previous one. “I hold a silver
dagger in my hands. The goddess looks at me, analyzes me,
and I know what I must do. If I want to save my beloved, I
must lay down my life for his.”
My throat goes dry. I begin to hurriedly turn the pages,
searching for the repetitive fragments of this dream.
The notes take me back almost six months. I discovered
that I had been dreaming about this from the very instant
Asher and I decided to perform the ancient rites to awaken
the goddess's power in me.
Asher seemed to say that this was all just a bad dream. A
bad dream, a product of anxiety.
“But it's not him who dreamed it; it's me,” I read my words
in the diary. “Only I know what it feels like to lose him. To
see him die. Only I understand that this is more than just a
dream,” I finish reading and close the diary.
Without thinking, I stand up. I walk barefoot to the door
and leave the room, almost running through the corridors.
His room is at the end of the hallway, up the stairs near my
room. As soon as I get there, I feel him on the other side of
the door. I don't have to knock to know he has thought of
me coming too.
I open the door and look at him. The site is as painful as it
is expected. He is standing in front of the windows. He's
wearing black pants, but he's shirtless.
His gaze is scrutinizing. He analyzes me instantly. I
advance toward him.
“You shouldn't be here,” Asher says by greeting.
“Is that all you have to say after so many days without
seeing each other?” I demand. He raises an eyebrow at my
accusing tone.
“I don't know what else you expect from me,” he sighs,
looking tired, bored. “It's better if you stay out of it for
now.”
“Better for whom?” I claim.
“For both of us,” he affirms with conviction, and his gaze
remains fixed on mine.
“Is that what you want? Or is that what your mother orders
you to do?” I declare. His expression turns vinegary.
“Nobody orders me anything.”
“That's right. Because you are the powerful Alpha,” I laugh
at him. “And what you say is done, isn't it?”
“Exactly. You should remember that before you say another
word,” he challenges me, taking a step to get closer to me.
“And you should remember who I am,” I exclaim. A sour
smile creeps up on his lips.
“Do you?” he scoffs.
I throw the diary on the bed between us.
“I'm partly doing it. Because I've had the same dream as
the Sky in your memories, a dream that has haunted me for
the last six months and that you think is just a nightmare.”
Asher looks at my journal. He takes it and opens one of the
pages. He starts reading, and as soon as he understands
what I'm talking about, he sighs and puts it aside.
“It's a small matter. I had your paranoid, but there's
nothing to be afraid of.”
“Is that all you have to say about it?” He looks at me with a
raised eyebrow.
“What else do you want me to say?” he asks with a
dangerous edge in his voice.
“Asher,” I pronounce his name almost as a command. “I had
the same dream in the infirmary when Adrien attacked
me.”
His lips draw a grimace. Even though he tries to keep up
appearances, I feel the memory haunting him.
“Maybe it's a sign that a part of the old you have returned,”
he says, but his tone contains no hope.
“Or maybe it's a sign that something may happen.
Something serious.”
He hesitates for a moment but then slowly shakes his head.
“I don't think so. And even if it does, I'll figure it out,” he
says.
His tone makes me laugh. But not because I find it funny,
but because of the helplessness.
“Why are you so fucking stubborn about this!” I demand.
He clicks his tongue and sits in the chair in front of his
desk. He points at me.
“Right there. You sounded like the old Sky. Maybe the way
to get your memories back is to make you mad enough at
me,” he says. He's trying to annoy me into changing the
subject.
“Maybe!” I affirm, full of anger. “Or maybe you should stop
thinking about her for a moment. The woman you know
may be locked in my memory. But believe it or not, it's still
me. I'm still standing in front of you. And I tell you that this
dream is an omen we should be paying attention to.”
I approach him; Asher raises his face and looks at me with
interest.
Then, I notice the multiple wounds that furrow his chest
and arms. I look at him curiously, noticing the bruises. The
scars look weeks old, not just days, I think, but I recognize
them.
He notices how I look at him. He looks away and says.
“They're from the battle I had with Adrien.”
“It's... Impressive,” I whisper. “They have healed so fast...”
one of my hands reaches out to touch him. He immediately
stands up and pulls away.
“Not fast enough. The vampire venom makes the wounds
heal slower. It's annoying.” Asher goes to the closet, picks
up a black T-shirt and puts it on, hiding the marks on his
chest.
The way he avoids me is excruciating. I watch him move
around the room, subtly keeping the distance between us.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask him, letting go of the anger
and feeling the deep unease that consumes me. “Why are
you avoiding having me close?”
“It's the best thing for both of us. At least for the moment,”
Asher assures me without looking at me.
“Is it?” a dry chuckle leaves my lips. “I can feel what you
feel. I know you miss me as much as I miss you.”
His expression turns bitter. I move closer, but he pulls away
from me.
“No, Sky. That's enough,” he demands authoritatively,
turning away from me. I take another step toward him.
“You used to call me by my last name. Pierce,” I remind him
“You were someone else then. Another Skylar.
His gaze meets mine. We are so close to each other that I
can see the scent of forest on him—the smell of his cologne.
I breathe in slowly. The distance between us is suffocating
me. It's as if I'm trying with all my might to swim, but the
surface never comes.
He looks at me for a moment. Something inside him seems
to soften for just a second, probably mistaking my pained
expression at his remoteness for the discomfort caused by
Adrien's poison.
“How are you feeling?” he asks me.
“I'm fine,” I lie.
My gaze wanders away, wanders to the bed. The memory of
his body on mine and the feel of his lips on my skin makes
everything inside me collapse.
“What if I'm never the same again?” I ask him.
A moment of silence from him.
“I don't know,” he says sincerely.
Then I go to bed and take the diary. I hand him the photo I
got tucked between its pages.
He stares at it for what seems like an eternity.
“I miss this person,” he says.
“I am that person,” I remind him. “I can still be her. My
memory does not define me.”
“No. You can't be her. You never will be,” he says sharply.
His jaw clenches, and something inside me snaps.
He holds the photo to me, but I don't take it.
“Keep it. It doesn't look like it's you and me in there. Or at
least, I know that's not me.”
He doesn't look at me. Instead, he looks at the photo.
Finally, he sighs, runs a hand through his hair and draws an
expression of false seriousness on his face.
“Do you need me to walk you to your room?” he asks.
The message is clear: "Go away," he seems to be trying to
say.
I laugh.
“No thanks. I know the way perfectly well.”
“Good.” He nods.
“All this will pass,” I remind him. “And whatever the
outcome, one day you'll have to deal with the fact of what
you've done to both of us.”
“What I've done to us?” Asher smiles a bitter smile. “Okay.
I'll find a way to make things right then.”
“No, you won't,” I refute him. “Because there's no possible
solution to this. You've become so infatuated with the
woman of your memories that you forget that your partner
is still me.”
He draws a smile on his lips—a bitter gesture. I walk
towards the door.
“You can save telling me again that I'm not her. And that I
never will be,” I add and look at him with hatred. “But even
if I get my memories back one day and go back to being the
Pierce of your memories, that won't erase the fact that you,
Asher Wright, have been a real asshole to your destined
mate at a time when she needed you the most. And rest
assured: It's something I'll never forget.”
He scrutinizes me with those deep, green eyes of his.
“Good night, Sky," he bids me farewell, slipping his hands
into his pants pockets and ending the conversation.
I leave his room, locking the door firmly behind me. My
pulse begins to race painfully fast, and I feel the tears
trying to well up in my eyes.
But I hold them back. I remind myself that I can't cry for
him. Not now, when he has made it clear that even though I
am his mate, I can never return to being the woman he
truly loves.
Not unless he proves that the Sky of his memories, I am
still me.
OceanofPDF.com
 EVERYTHING BUT YOU

SKYLAR

“R eady?” Leah asks, coming toward me.

She's wearing the sweater she once told me I stole from
her. It honestly looks good on her. Much better than me.
My lips pout. She sighs.
“Come on, Sky,” she folds her arms and looks at me with a
scolding expression. “Sooner or later, you have to face it.”
“I guess,” I sigh. “I don't have a choice.”
She nods, and I stand up, walking towards her. We leave
the room together and start walking. Asher has called us
for a private meeting to discuss the plan to invade the
vampires' territory and enter the secret chamber where the
temple is located, where they plan to awaken the goddess
that resides within me.
We have barely taken a few steps when we meet Marie. Her
presence surprises me since she usually doesn't come here.
“Hello, Skylar. I wanted to talk to you,” she says bluntly.
“Is something wrong?” I ask her curiously. Marie is as
elusive as Asher. I'd almost say they're competing with
each other to see who's better at avoiding me.
She looks at Leah and tenses a smile on her lips.
“Would you mind if we talked alone?” she asks.
“Yes,” Leah immediately steps between us. “Of course, she
would mind. Whatever you have to say to Sky, you can say
it in front of me.”
Marie looks at her and then at me. When she sees that I
don't protest Leah's statements, she sighs and her
expression changes, becoming severe.
“Fine,” a grimace curves her lips then. “In that case, I'll get
straight to the point: it seems that you are not considering
things properly now.”
Leah lets out a sullen chuckle, but I look at Marie blankly.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“That maybe you'd better reconsider my offer. All this
acting like nothing happened to you is ridiculous. You're
affected by vampire poison. It's something we can't forget.”
She takes a step toward me. Her gaze remains fixed on
mine.
“I'll be honest: Right now, you represent a huge danger to
everyone. What you can see or hear could be of Adrien's
knowledge. We don't know how much access he has to your
memories, but he could use them against you.”
“You're unbelievable, seriously,” Leah interjects. “Did you
come all this way to ask Sky to check herself into your
asylum so you can study her?”
“Not in an asylum. I just wish you were safe. And so do we.
The Sky I know had the pack as a priority,” Marie says,
looking at me.
Leah doesn't give me time to answer.
“The Sky you know is here, in front of you. And the only
difference is that she doesn't remember you. But if she did,
she would surely tell you can return to where you came
from with your shitty propositions.”
Leah also steps forward, facing Marie. She's not as tall as
the blonde woman but just as imposing.
“Sky may not remember, but I do. I know how you treated
her and how you two got along. I seriously find it
unbelievable that you would go above Asher's authority to
come and ask this of her when she's vulnerable.”
Marie's lips turn into a thin line. She doesn't like Leah's
tone, but she's holding back.
“All I'm asking you, Skylar, is to give us some thought.
Asher is letting his heart decide what to do with you, but
we can't let the pack take any more risks. If Adrien attacks
us in the current situation, we will all be lost. Thousands of
lives will be sacrificed for yours. For not taking the right
action when we could.”
Her words alert me. They make me suddenly feel a deep
anxiety.
“Enough,” Leah says. “I will not allow you to manipulate my
sister like this.”
“It's not manipulation,” Marie objects with a proud
demeanour. “I'm just telling her the facts.”
“And I'll tell Asher the facts if you keep talking,” Leah
challenges her. “I'll tell him how you've gone over his
authority and done whatever you want.”
“Fine, do it. I'm not afraid of my son,” says Marie.
“Maybe not, but Asher is not just your son. He's the Alpha
and Skylar's partner. I'm sure that plays a few cards
against you in this situation.”
They both look at each other, full of anger. They look ready
to get into a fist fight at a moment's notice.
“That's enough,” I ask and step between them, taking
Leah's hand. My gaze crosses Marie's. “Marie, I understand
your concern, and I will consider your words, but for now, I
choose to listen to Asher. He has a different perspective on
this. I must trust him.”
Marie snorts under her breath.
“Of course,” she says. “You know, you haven't changed that
aspect of yourself. You've always taken refuge in Asher's
authority to do whatever you wanted.”
Her words cause a pang in my chest, but I decide to ignore
her. I pull Leah by the wrist and take her away before she
can beat her.
“That…” Leah starts to complain as soon as we walk away.
“She's Asher's mother, and she only cares about the good of
the pack,” I cut her off. She laughs under her breath.
“You don't remember her,” Leah affirms.
“Maybe not. But the last thing I want right now is to have
her against us too.”
“Too late,” Leah replies with a giggle. “For Marie, anyone
who doesn't do what she wants is already against her.”
My expression turns bitter. Luckily, we soon arrived at the
place Asher told us to.
Asher is meeting with his group in his office. We knock
twice on the door and enter just in time, as everyone seems
to be waiting for us.
He glances at us and then looks away. Since we met a few
nights ago in his room, he has become colder, more distant.
The tension between us keeps growing. I feel that my
breathing becomes more torturous with each new day of
the distance between us.
Megan and Claire greet me smiling. I approach them as
Asher begins to speak.
“Are we all set?” he asks Maddox, who immediately nods.
“Yes, Alpha. Right now, I have a group preparing the
distractions so we can leave as soon as possible.”
“Well,” Asher stares at the plans he has spread out on the
table. “We have no other choice: we must act tomorrow.”
Claire grimaces.
“Tomorrow? I thought we'd wait at least two more days to
invade enemy territory.”
Asher shakes his head.
“Tomorrow is the perfect day. It's a new moon, so Sky's
powers will be at their lowest, and therefore, Adrien's will
be at their lowest. Mine, on the other hand, will be
stronger. We must be sure to take advantage of that
opportunity and sneak into their territory tomorrow.”
Maddox nods.
“I'll have distractions ready by then,” he says.
Lucian stares at the blueprint. He clicks his tongue and
then looks at Asher.
“I must admit, this sounds fucking dangerous, but I like it.”
The three of them seem determined to carry the plan
through. From their conversations in past meetings, I've
understood that they plan to create a strong enough
distraction on the other side of town for Adrien to come.
That way, we will keep him entertained long enough for us
to sneak into their territory and get into the tunnel leading
us to the secret entrance of the temple we plan to go to.
It will all be hazardous, and we cannot guarantee it will go
well. Half of the group will stay with Maddox on the
ground, distracting Adrien, while the rest of us go into the
tunnel.
“Well, we have no time to waste. We must move fast if we
want this thing to go through.”
Everyone nods.
“I'll make sure we have everything ready for tomorrow,”
says Maddox, heading for the door briskly.
Everyone else gets ready to do the same. Each of them has
assigned tasks. Claire and Sabine will have some supplies
ready in case we have an accident and need medicine, and
Dustin has been planning a diversion to keep Marie busy,
so she won't notice we've left, at least until we're out of the
lair.
“Hey, are you okay?” Leah whispers when she notices I'm
vaguely absent. I nod.
“I'm fine,” I lie, staring at Asher. “But I need to talk to
Asher for a moment.”
Leah sighs.
“Sure. I'll go help Megan and Lucian with tomorrow's
preparations,” my sister says.
She gives my hand a gentle squeeze and leaves.
After a moment, Asher and I are finally alone.
He doesn't look at me but stares intently at the map. He
seems tense; I know it's because he wants to prepare
everything for tomorrow.
“What's going on?” he asks without looking up.
I walk over to the desk.
“I was thinking about the plan,” I say, sitting on the desk.
Very close to him.
I know Asher remembers as well as I do the last moment
we spent alone in this office. His lips on mine and the
memory of our bodies crying out in mute pleas for each
other.
But I deny it to myself. That has passed, and he seems to be
very different from me just now. Yet I would swear that
inside him, I can feel something pulsing. Something is
calling to me.
“I wanted to know what you think about all this.”
He sighs and runs a hand over his face.
“I don't love the idea, of course, but we have no choice. If
we want to save you, it's now or never.”
I grimace.
“It's much work to try to save someone you no longer care
about,” I affirm.
He looks at me, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course, I care about you,” he says.
“You don't act like it,” I reply, tilting my face to one side.
Asher looks at me for a long moment. I think he will
approach me, but then he looks away.
“I'm just doing what's best for both of us. I'm protecting
you,” he says.
“Your remoteness doesn't benefit us,” I assure him.
“Neither of us feels good about this.”
“It will be over soon,” he assures.
“What if it isn't?” I say then. “What if tomorrow something
goes wrong, and I don't come back?”
Maybe he can sense the anxiety in my voice. He looks at me
and approaches me.
“That won't happen,” he says in a harsh voice as if
challenging himself.
“You don't know that,” I answer him. His gaze is fixed on
mine.
Asher moves closer to me. He places his hands at my sides.
I look at him, feeling the tension welling in my body
because of his closeness.
My gaze lowers, and I stare at his arms' taut, shapely
muscles. Desire chokes me. Unable to help myself, I reach
out my hands and brush against his skin, running my
fingers up his arms and outlining the musculature with my
fingers.
“I need you to trust me on this,” he asks.
I nod.
“I will. But I just have one thing to ask of you.”
He raises an eyebrow.
“What is it?” he murmurs.
His mouth is close to mine. His breath brushes my lips.
“Kiss me,” I whisper.
He grimaces.
“Why are you asking me that?” he says reluctantly. And yet,
his lips come dangerously close to mine.
“Because we don't know what might happen tomorrow,” I
answer, moving closer to him. My fingers slip through the
sleeves of his shirt. “And I don't want to risk dying without
one last kiss from you.”
He fixes his gaze on my lips.
“Sky...” he whispers.
Before I can say another word, my lips seek him out. They
come closer.
Asher doesn't push me away. At first, he looks surprised,
but a moment later, he's surrendered and takes control. His
hands close around my waist, and he pulls me to him as my
hands close around his shoulders. He grips me tightly,
letting his pelvis and mine meet above my clothes.
My legs close around his legs, and Asher opens my mouth
with his tongue, which roughly penetrates mine, collapsing
my senses.
As soon as the kiss begins to deepen, I feel the pain that
incites the venom inside me. It beats once in my chest as a
warning, then begins to pulse through my system, burning
the endings in its path.
But I don't care. I now feel like I can't pull away from
Asher, not if my life depended on it.
Asher notices it, the stitch of pain coursing through me. He
gasps and tries to pull away from me, but my fingers tangle
in his hair, holding him back.
“Sky, stop... he whispers.”
“No. Please...” I beg. “I can't take another second away
from you.”
My words seem to disarm him. Asher stays in place. His
lips mould to mine with ease, and as his tongue plays with
mine, his hands begin to roam over me, lifting my shirt and
caressing my abdomen.
I sigh against his lips. He leaves my mouth and begins to
kiss my neck. My hips push against his, and I feel his sex
against my pants. The desire for him to possess me is more
significant than everything else. All pain or suffering seems
dull compared to my longing for him.
A voice inside me screams at me that enough is enough.
The pain begins to creep dangerously up my skin. But
something inside me holds it back. It's as if there's a
dormant force inside me. A point that refuses to part from
Asher.
Finally, his lips leave mine. We are panting, and I know he
is as excited as I am.
“I can't lose you,” he says with his eyes closed. His
forehead pressed against mine.
“You won't lose me,” I whisper, caressing his cheek. He
shakes his head.
“If anything happens to you...”
“Shhh...” I murmur. “Nothing will happen to me. Everything
will be all right.”
Asher nods and comes toward me. His lips search for me
frantically, unable to let me breathe. Unable to pull away
from mine.
But I don't resist. In this instant, I know I could be missing
anything else in the world. The air, gravity, my senses. But
not him.
I can give up everything but him.
OceanofPDF.com
 A BAD OMEN

SKYLAR

I breathe in slowly as I adjust my leather gloves. My

reflection looks back at me through the mirror. My
hair is in a high ponytail, and my bangs are falling over my
face; my expression is serious.
I'm dressed all in black, just like in my dreams. I had the
same vision last night: the temple, the moon, and the fight.
Asher fell into the hands of Adrien, who laughed at the
victory. He lifted Asher in the air seconds before killing
him.
My gaze met his for just a second. The dagger was in my
hands. I would plunge it into my chest without thinking,
and Adrien would also fall to the ground, bleeding. Asher
towered over both of us, victorious, but at what cost? The
victory made us lose each other.
I breathe in slowly, and someone knocks on the door. I turn
to see Leah and Megan walk in, coming for me.
“Ready?” they say.
They're both severe too. I decide there's nothing to be
gained by scaring them, so I follow.
“Yes. All set,” I responded.
Together with my friend and my sister, we go to the
entrance of the lair, at the top of some stone stairs that
climb up the mountain, until we reach the tunnel through
which I entered the time when Asher rushed me back
home, a few weeks ago, when we still didn't know the
seriousness of everything that was going on. It has been
both a long time and a short time between then and now,
but it certainly feels like an eternity.
Surprisingly, we find Marie at the top of the driveway. She
stands next to Claire and Dustin.
She looks at us with a raised eyebrow.
“Did you think you could fool me?” she says.
Marie looks away from me to someone behind me. I look
closely and then notice Asher, who doesn't seem surprised
to see his mother there.
“So you know,” he affirms as if it were nothing.
“You can't leave us like this,” Marie replies.
“I won't,” Asher says. He stands in front of her and looks at
her with authority stamped on his face. “We will be back
tonight, and I will see to it that everything goes well,” he
assures her. He places a hand on his mother's shoulder and
then affirms. “You'll be in charge while I'm away. Make sure
everything is in order.”
“Asher...” Marie begins to say. He doesn't stop to listen to
her.
“It's time to go,” Asher says, noticing that the rest of the
group has finally arrived.
Marie and I exchange one last look. She doesn't say
anything but just watches us. Before we leave, Claire gives
her mother a big hug and then comes running. She takes
my hand and squeezes it when she reaches my side as if to
encourage me. I return the squeeze, noticing her eyes are
blurred with tears she refuses to shed.
We all know, though no one says it, that this could be the
point of no return for some of us. Probably for many. I know
that for me, at least it is.
If this is the night I've been dreaming about, and if Asher is
going to die in that temple... No. I won't let that happen.
Things may not be settled between us now, but I know I
can't lose him. Living without him is not an option.
If it must be him or me, then I choose me.
Our footsteps furrow the silence. They are the only melody
heard against the dark walls of the tunnel. We climb with
the echo following us until we arrive back at the station
where it all began.
Only then do we part. As agreed, half of the group will
leave in another direction to create an effective distraction
for Adrien. As soon as they are in position, we can go.
“Good luck,” says Asher to Maddox. They shake hands and
give each other a brief hug.
“Same to you, Alpha.”
We watch them go. Maddox and Megan, whose ability to
create illusions will be indispensable when carving out a
good cover for Adrien to take the bait; Dustin accompanies
them, of course, and so does Leah.
“Take care,” says my sister coming towards me and giving
me a tight hug.
“You too,” I ask her, burying my face in her hair.
I feel tremendous anxiety at having to be separated from
her. Leah has fought tooth and nail against Asher, objecting
that she should be with me right now, but Asher has
refused. She is an excellent warrior, and Adrien knows well
that she would not be separated from me, so it stands to
reason that I will be there where Leah is.
She's as good bait as any for Adrien to fall for; for now, we
have to hold on to it.
They all set off together with a small group of the pack that
has agreed to be part of the mission. They will entertain
them enough, and why not say it? They are excited at the
thought of being able to take down a vampire or two along
the way.
“Ready?” Asher asks me.
I nod and follow him to the place where they hide the
motorcycles. I climb up after him and wrap my hands
around his waist.
“Whatever happens, don't leave my side,” he orders,
turning his face to look at me.
I nod.
“I wasn't planning to do that,” I answer.
As soon as the team is ready, we start to cross the city. The
motorcycles speed through the town, weaving through the
heavy traffic as if it didn't exist. The overwhelming feeling
makes me dizzy, but Asher seems to enjoy it.
“Do we have to go so fast?” I ask between shouts, trying to
make myself heard over the laughter. Asher bursts out
laughing.
“After our wolf form, this is what we love the most,” he
replies. “A good motorcycle allows you to go as fast as you
want without stopping.”
I'm terrified at the prospect of being slammed into the
pavement, but Asher's reflexes are truly prodigious, so he
moves through the city without any problems.
“This is it,” he says after stopping in an alley.
The rest of the pack follows him. They stop the motorcycles
and park them next to a drunk, begging for spare change.
Asher over him in the middle of the street and places
something in his hand. I only see the glint of a coin before
the man nods almost imperceptibly toward him.
“What was that?” I ask, running to catch up with him.
Asher turns to look at the man.
“Sometimes I forget how little you remember about my
world,” he sighs. “New York is populated by people who are
not what they seem.”
“Are you saying that man isn't human?” I say, looking at the
homeless man.
“He's not. He's another kind of creature. He'll hide the
bikes and our trail so we can get around this part of town,”
Asher says.
“Alpha,” then Lucian calls and approaches us. “All set.
Maddox has sent the signal.”
Asher nods.
“Let's get going then.”
He takes my hand and starts walking with haste.
We cross a corner and sneak around the side of an
abandoned hotel after dodging a group of people. Asher
goes to what must have been the kitchen door, effortlessly
rips off the thick planks that gave entrance to the place and
after checking that no one is following us, passes through,
closely followed by the rest of our group.
The musty smell of storage is overwhelming in this place,
as is the darkness. I discovered that it has probably been
closed to the public for about twenty years.
Asher guides us in the silence to a large reception room,
which still has some of the tables that decorated the lobby.
The bookshelves are all stacked at the back, in one corner.
The large crystal chandelier that was supposed to decorate
the place and give it a look of elegance hangs from the
ceiling, full of dust.
“It's this way,” Asher guides us, leading us to a set of
secondary stairs leading down to a musty basement.
“Yuck, what's that smell?” I say, disgusted, covering my
face with my jacket.
“Death,” Sabine whispers behind my back.
“Don't stop,” Claire asks, coming to my side. “We're almost
there.”
Asher stops in front of a damp wall. He probes the surface
with his fingers and then beckons us over.
“Out of the way,” he orders.
With a single blow, he opens a huge hole in the wall made
of rotten wooden planks.
Dust rises into the air. Between Asher, Lucian and Sabine,
they remove all the planks and open a path down.
“After you,” says Lucian, looking at the path with a sour
face.
Asher takes my hand and starts to descend. The texture of
the stairs changes. I notice the soft sound of a dripping and
the scent of damp earth. As I step, the sound of the sole
against the surface is different, and I soon understand that
these are rocks.
At the end of the tunnel, some clarity is evident. We
descend for an eternity until we finally reach a huge cavity.
“Holy shit, is this really under the city?” I ask.
Lucian turns on some flashlights, and Claire does the same.
The light cannot illuminate the cave's ceiling nor the
farthest walls. I notice a chasm in the center of the cave,
and a wooden bridge is over it.
On the other side of the bridge, there is an entrance.
“It's that way,” murmurs Asher.
“No shit,” replies Lucian sarcastically, clicking his tongue
as he speaks.
Asher takes my hand and starts walking towards the
bridge. I find that inside I'm shaking.
With every step we take, I feel the anxiety growing inside
me. Something is not right, but I can't figure out why that
feeling.
“Asher...” I start to say, knowing I have to warn him. He
squeezes my fingers in response.
“It will be over soon,” he promises me.
I start to cross the bridge in his hand. With every step I
take, my anxiety grows.
“Something is not right,” I tell him.
But Asher doesn't listen to me. His gaze remains fixed on
the entrance to the other side of the cave, behind which is
the temple of God.
We stop for a moment, and he sees the grotto. He is wholly
blinded as if something or someone is calling him on the
other side.
I feel a call too. But it's an entirely different one.
“You really should learn to listen to those around you,” says
a voice behind us.
We all tense up then. As we turn around, we see Adrien
emerge from the shadows. His white hair matched a suit of
the same colour.
He smiles and looks at us amused, knowing full well that he
has caught us.
“Skylar has been trying to tell you for at least five minutes
that something is wrong, and you haven't heard her. If
you'd been paying more attention, you'd know I was
waiting,” the vampire continues.
“Shit,” Lucian mutters. Claire takes up a combat position
immediately.
“Asher, what do we do?” she asks without taking her eyes
off Adrien.
Before he can answer, a murmur comes from the grotto.
Diffuse figures then emerge from the shadows, and I see
them coming. Then, the other children of the night.
The vampires seem to sprout from the walls. They jump the
distance and land on the bridge, blocking our way. They
laugh as they watch the expression on our faces, and just
as Claire, Sabine and Lucian have done, they take combat
positions.
“Well?” says Adrien raising an eyebrow. “What are you
planning to do against us, Alpha cub?”
But Asher doesn't seem intimidated. He puts me behind his
back and steps forward.
Immediately, Claire, Lucian and Sabine follow suit.
“What I'm best at, of course,” he answers fiercely. “Winning
fights.”
OceanofPDF.com
 AWA K E N I N G

ASHER

P art of me keeps saying I should have listened to

Skylar. Her heart beats behind my back; I feel it
racing, her pulse pounding as a silent gasp of fear leaves
her lips.
My hand rests on her arm protectively. No matter what
happens, I won't let anything happen to her. Not to her, not
to the rest of my pack.
Although I hoped it wouldn't happen, I came to think it
might, although I can't explain how. The plan was a secret,
and I took arduous measures to carry it out.
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best, they say. I
knew there was a remote possibility that Adrien would
discover my plan, which is precisely what happened. Now
all that's left is to take charge of the situation and protect
my people so we can get out of here.
As I look to my side, I notice Lucian, who has moved into
the position that Maddox would otherwise occupy. Sabine
stands to my left, indomitable and unalterable. Claire
remains at my back, next to Skylar, determined to protect
her no matter what.
“This will be over soon,” Adrien states, obviously amused
and makes a flick of his wrist that signals to his followers
that they can attack us.
“Indeed. It will,” I reply.
There are at least a hundred of them. Probably more. As
soon as they leap toward us, I run and gather momentum.
My hands open amidst the deep, coarse expanse of
darkness, and I feel the shadows vibrate through the space,
answering my call.
“Look out!” Adrien shouts, realizing my intentions too late.
The shadows come to me. I gain momentum and leap over
the links of the bridge. The vampires follow my movements.
I pull the shades from the bottom of the cavern, feeling the
whispers, like wails in my chest, until they cling to the
vampires. Thousands of hands seem to sprout from the
darkness, trapping the vampires and pulling them into the
abyss.
Their screams fill the cave with echoes. They disappear as
they fall, and their voices echo in the distance until their
bodies, at some point, finally meet their death.
“Do you want to play tricks? Fine, we'll play,” says Adrien.
He comes towards me. He rises because of the momentum
and sends an impact towards my body, which runs through
me with ease. I know him well from my training with Skylar
in the past. I see from it how painful it can be to fall prey to
its powers, but also how to free myself from them.
With a superhuman effort, I move my fingers and clench
them into fists. I focus only on my strength, even as behind
me, the screams of Skylar, calling my name over and over
again, pierce the space. But I ignore her, feeling the
pulsing that cries inside me to get out.
And before I am conscious, I manage to shift into my wolf
form. A howl leaves my lips, and thanks to the strength of
my other state, I tend to break the bindings Adrien holds
me with, long enough to run across the bridge and seek to
leap over him.
Behind me, the battle rages. The vampires have made it
across and are attacking mine. But Sabine, Lucian and
Claire are not weak fighters.
“Want to play, you little vermin?” shouts Lucian, feigning
his powers to amplify his senses while depriving the enemy
of his own.
Sabine seizes the advantage and takes her wolf form,
attacking the vampires and throwing them down the chasm
while Claire and Skylar run towards the cave entrance.
“Oh, no, little one. You won't escape,” Adrien shouts.
I run towards him, trying to get to him before he can attack
her, but the vampires outnumber me. They throw
themselves on me in a pack as Adrien runs towards Sky and
raises his hands. He stops, and I see the effort it takes him.
I try to get to him and start to fight the vampires, finishing
them off with one bite, but then I hear a snapping sound
and turn around in terror.
“Look out!” Claire shouts and stops in mid-run.
She raises her hands over her and Skylar's bodies, and a
protective barrier is created over them both as Claire can
generate force fields, so I watch with some relief as the
cascade of rocks falls around them and not on them.
Skylar looks up, and Claire does the same. Through her
eyes and my own, I see how the cave entrance has
collapsed thanks to Adrien.
A growl of anger erupts from my maw as Adrien bursts out
laughing.
I run towards him, shaking off his vampires and feel
Claire's mind enter into connection with mine as she takes
her wolf form.
“I'm going to get Sky out of here!” she says in our
thoughts.
“Good. We'll try to clear the way for you. Now!” Sabine
encourages them.
Claire then mounts Skylar on her back and creates a force
field to repel the vampires in the middle of their race.
Lucian takes his wolf form and, along with Sabine, begins
to fight off the ten vampires chasing them, looking to open
up a space in the crowd so Skylar and Claire can escape.
“Leaving so soon, little wolf?” asks Adrien, laughing as he
launches himself at them.
I run towards him, stopping him before he can reach them.
My jaws dig into his leg and bring him down, but he throws
a punch at me using Sky's powers.
“Damn wolf!” he roars, and I feel the impact of a
materialized fist in the air hitting my chest. I fly through
the air and fall to the ground, feeling at least a couple of
broken ribs.
“Asher!” shouts Skylar.
“No, come back!” Claire screams inside my head.
I turn then and see that Skylar has jumped off Claire's
back. She runs towards me, but a couple of vampires catch
her on the way.
She screams, and I try to get up, but Adrien stops me.
“Oh, no, little wolf. You're playing with me,” he says,
obviously amused.
He pulls me into his body using Sky's powers and lifts me
into the air. An invisible hand squeezes me, cutting off my
breath.
“Asher!” three different voices shout in my head, feeling the
pain I feel.
“No!” Skylar screams.
She pushes one of the vampires away from her body using
one of the fighting techniques she's been practicing for the
past few weeks. I'd be proud of her any other time, but
right now, I just wish she'd get out of here.
“Does it hurt, little wolf? This is just to show how much I
love you,” Adrien mocks.
He throws my body against a wall, and I feel the rocks dig
into my skin. The pain is overwhelming, but I manage to
stand up. I throw my shadows towards the vampires,
pushing them away from Sky, but Adrien catches me
halfway.
“Don't get distracted, little wolf!” he yells at me.
Another blow hits, this time against my face. The force of it
sends me rolling across the ground to the edge of the
abyss.
“Asher, no!” Skylar screams again, desperate.
Inside me, I feel her fear, her helplessness. If I concentrate
hard enough, I can even feel the pulse of her heart.
“This will be over soon,” Adrien promises.
He lifts me with Sky's power. He holds me over the
precipice and approaches me, laughing and with blood-
stained lips.
The voices of my pack roar inside me at the presence of
death. They all struggle like mad to get to where we are
but try as they might, it's impossible.
“Don't worry; you can rest assured,” Adrien begins to say,
savouring the victory in advance. “I promise they will suffer
when they die, and I will not leave a single drop of blood
inside Sky's body.”
I can't let him touch her. I can't let him get to her...
My eyes close for a moment. Beyond the bond that binds
me to my pack, I feel Sky fighting with all her might to get
to me.
“Asher, NO!” Skylar shouts.
And at that moment, something snaps inside her.
A pale light bursts out of nowhere, filling the cave with a
silvery glow that drives the vampires back.
In front of me, Adrien screams and brings his hands to his
face. The strength I was holding on to collapses, and I feel
myself falling. But it happens only for a moment as I hit a
malleable surface that bends slightly under my weight. As I
open my eyes, I notice Claire, who has come towards me
and is holding me with one of her force fields.
“Are you all right?” my sister asks after setting me down on
the ground. I nod and stand up, feeling strangely better.
“Shit,” Lucian says in my head. He looks shocked.
“What's going on?” Claire asks and turns around, following
the light.
And then my eyes meet hers. Skylar, glowing like a full
moon.
Something inside her seems to have changed. I don't feel
her presence through the bond for an instant, but it
returns. She raises her eyes, and her gaze meets mine. Her
orbs are silver. All of her seems made of silver.
Skylar stands up and slowly looks around. She seems like a
different person. Her hair flows as if it lacks the gravity to
make it fall.
One of her hands then rises, and the light grows brighter
inside the cave, reaching unparalleled dimensions. I hold a
howl and feel the blood burning inside me. But it is a
pleasant sensation. The broken bones heal instantly, and
my strength is renewed.
“Ready to fight?” says a new voice inside my head. Skylar's
voice.
“Let's get out of here,” I say to my pack, using our
connection.
Feeling a renewed and fully empowered strength, I run
towards her. Her light prevents me from using the
shadows, but in return, she seems to be able to give power
to everyone in the pack. Lucian comes towards us along
with Sabine. They position themselves at our sides and
start attacking the vampires, who run away from the light
to open a path for us. Skylar climbs onto my back, and I
feel the warmth gushing from her skin. She raises a hand,
and as Claire creates a protective field to shelter us, rocks
break away from the walls, burying the vampires coming at
our attack.
“Don't let them go!” Adrien shouts, trying to come after us.
His face is in a strange state. It burns from the light
steadily but regenerates almost as fast. It doesn't take me
long to figure out that he's using the powers he's stolen
from Skylar to try to restore. But even though she
struggles, her strength is not strong enough to match the
management of a newly awakened goddess.
“You...” says Skylar looking at Adrien. Her voice is strange,
warm and charged with power, like liquid silver. “I will
make you pay for what you’ve done,” she says to the
vampire.
Sensing his intentions, I turn away, so our path meets
Adrien's. He raises his voice in an angry shout and raises
his hands, but Sky moves his hands faster. He brings his
hands to his chest and then, with open palms, throws them
at Adrien, launching a fist at Adrien that propels him into
the air.
Adrien falls slumped against the wall long enough for us to
flee. His vampires have fled or moved out of our way,
fleeing Skylar's light.
The tunnel walls glow from Sky's light. We run down the
stairs at an impossible speed, up through the basement and
into the abandoned reception room.
As soon as we do, Sky's power begins to fail. I feel her, her
strength waning, and I brace myself. As soon as her body
gives in to exhaustion, I transform and take her in my arms,
cradling her against my chest.
She looks up. Her eyes are still silver, but the light no
longer illuminates her body.
“What the fuck just happened?” Lucian shouts, shifting
shape. Sabine and Claire mimic him.
“We don't have time to talk about it. We must get out of
here,” I order.
Sabine begins to lead the way, and we set off running,
feeling at every new step that the vampires could catch up
with us at any moment.
As we reach the street, the chill of the night greets us.
Skylar, in my arms, barely manages to keep her eyes open.
She wraps her arms around my neck, and I feel the warmth
still gushing from her skin.
“Asher!” a voice shouts, and I notice a late-model van
parked at the beginning of the alley. Dustin opens the
passenger door, and I see him and Maddox driving.
“Get out of here!” I order.
The pack follows me without complaint. We jump into the
car, completely forgetting about the motorcycles. As soon
as we're all in the vehicle, Maddox starts up, driving at a
crazy speed and ignoring the rest of the world.
“What happened?” Dustin immediately asks, but I don't
have time for him or anyone else.
My eyes drift to Sky, who is still awake. I place a hand on
her cheek and try to shake her awake.
“Are you all right?” I ask.
She smiles—a mysterious, strangely familiar smile.
Before she can answer me, she faints into unconsciousness.
Her wake is erased, and for an instant, all I feel inside me
is silence.
Silence and the echo of a brutal force capable of ravaging
the world.
The force of a sleeping goddess.
OceanofPDF.com
 THE PROMISE OF AN ALPHA

SKYLAR

M y eyes open to the starry sky. Above me, I can see

the moon. Its amber glow illuminates everything
with a faint calm, like a prelude.
I am lying on the ground. At first, I don't understand why,
but then I feel the bangs and screams, the pain and the
scent of metal that comes out when the skin opens, and the
blood runs free.
Lifting my face, I look around and realize we are inside a
Greek temple. The stone stairs go up to its entrance, and
there, in its center, stands an altar, in front of which is
drawn the stone image of a sleeping goddess.
Without needing anyone to tell me, I know that this is me.
Being aware of it, I stand up and start running. Wolves and
vampires fight around me. The screams are horrible.
Bodies fall fearlessly, meeting death all too soon.
In the distance, I hear my name, but I don't stop. I climb
the stairs until I reach their peak. There I face the statue.
My face in another life, rising amidst a mute question. In its
hands lies a silver dagger. The dagger that will end my life.
Just then, Asher's scream penetrates the distance. Adrien
lifts him in the air, threatening to end his life. His unhinged
laughter pierces time and fills my heart with fear.
“Are you going to do it?” someone asks next to me.
I turn and see that the statue has taken shape. Mine. My
eyes look back at me. They hold the dagger in their hands
with an absent expression.
“Who are you?” I ask her. She smiles.
“I am you. The ‘the essence’ that Adrien took from you,”
she answers.
Asher's scream grows fiercer. Inside me, I feel his life
slowly ebbing away.
“What should I do?” I ask my other self.
“I don't know. I always have to die in my dreams for him to
live.”
“Is it an omen?” I ask.
“Maybe,” she answers and holds the dagger out to me. “I
just know everything ends the instant I make the decision.”
Without thinking, I take the dagger. As soon as I do, she
takes my hand.
Her eyes, my eyes, I think, remain fixed on my face.
“Whatever happens, Sky, remember to trust your intuition,”
she asks me.
Without hesitation, I bring the dagger to my chest. Pain
clouds everything and makes me fall.
Strangely, with pain also comes release. And I know I did
the right thing.
As darkness overtakes me, I fall into a strange lethargy.
There is nothing around me but a constant presence,
pulsing strongly within me.
“Tell me,” I ask the presence. To that other me. “Is there
any way to burn Adrien's poison out of my body? “
“Only you can do it,” the other Skylar murmurs.
“How?” I ask her.
“You must let the goddess take care of it.”
I open my eyes. I see a vast silver light. It shines as bright
as the sun. My hands reach out towards it. I don't get to
touch it when I feel like I'm burning and immediately try to
pull my hand away, but I can't.
“It's the only way,” says the other Sky in my mind.
My arms reach out. I sink into the light and let it burn me.
It's like stepping into the sun.
The heat overwhelms everything, and I feel like I will burn.
I start to scream, but I know my lips don't utter a sound.
My skin disintegrates, and my blood evaporates; my bones
break, and my voice is lost in pain.
The process lasts an eternity, but as it begins to subside, I
understand that the pain itself was not from me or the
power but the poison burning through my veins. Only then
do I start to feel like me. As the heat fades, a different
sensation takes over my body. It is like a heartbeat. A
memory of something I thought I had forgotten but was
always there.
And then, I finally opened my eyes again.
I find myself in a darkened room. The sheets are black and
dishevelled. The pillows are arranged around me like a fort.
A scent wafting in the air, of damp earth, like after rain. As
I look around, I see the windows of the room open. Asher is
standing in front of them. He is leaning on the balcony, his
arms resting on the railing, his gaze lost in the stone
columns that lose themselves in infinity and give shape to
the city below New York City.
Slowly I stand up. My whole body hurts. My wrist is
winded, and several cuts run all over my skin. A strange
sensation of tenderness fills my extremities. It is all too
real, as if I feel the world around me for the first time in my
life.
As I stand up, I stretch. I'm wearing one of Asher's T-shirts
and nothing else. I walk to the balcony and stop next to
him.
He looks up at me. He seems surprised to see me standing
for a moment, but then he calms down. His shoulders lose
their tension, and I sense relief from his inner self. He sighs
almost imperceptibly and immediately looks away.
His hair is dishevelled and damp. He has recently
showered. He smells of shampoo, soap and something else.
A scent that belongs to his skin and never leaves him.
“I remember spending months trying to decipher your
scent. It was something that completely abstracted me,” I
confess to him.
He looks at me with a raised eyebrow, curious and
uncomprehending.
“What do you mean?” he murmurs.
“When I came here,” I say with my eyes lost in the
distance. “One would think that what would fascinate me
would be the discovery of a new world under a known one,
but no. It was your scent that made me more curious. It
was something familiar and, at the same time, totally
unexpected. It enchanted me, so it took me a while to
realize that I was obsessed with it.”
Asher looks at me suspiciously. He doesn't seem quite sure
how he should interpret my words.
He finally says in a calm tone. Or at least pretending to be.
“You told me the same thing once. Years ago...”
“I know,” I smile. “That's precisely what I mean. It took me
almost a year to understand what you smelled like. It was a
wild scent, like the one I used to find in the woods when I
visited my grandmother in Alaska.”
Asher then stands up. His gaze takes on a sombre tinge.
“Leah told you that?” he asks. I shake my head.
My gaze lingers on his. Asher's heart starts pounding.
“I'm back,” I whisper.
For a moment, he seems unable to believe me.
“Prove it,” he challenges me.
He's so suspicious, I think. So, fucking questionable
sometimes.
A small laugh leaves my lips. I nod and start to think.
“The first time you kissed me wasn't here. It was on the
surface. You'd taken me with you on a wrong mission.”
“Go on,” he murmurs.
“We had to get away from the rest of the pack, and we hid
in a forgotten warehouse. We spent about two hours there,
talking about everything and nothing simultaneously. I was
sixteen years old.”
I step toward him slowly, cautiously. He doesn't move away.
“You avoided me for years,” I claim. “Always maintaining
that perfect demure Alpha attitude. Always absent from
everything. I had dreams where I met you, but when I woke
up, you were like an ice floe,” I grimace. “It took me years
to learn to read through the cracks in your façade. To learn
to understand who you were. When I did...”
My hand is placed on his chest. He looks at it and holds his
breath for a moment.
“You couldn't hide anything from me from then on. You had
no secrets from me.”
He reaches out a hand. He places it on my face. I look at
him, analyzing his expression.
“I know it's been hard for you,” I comment in a whisper.
“But it's okay. You can get rid of that armour. It's me, Ash.
I'm back.”
Asher won't let me say another word. He doesn't wait for
me to react but instead takes me in his arms. I'm ready,
longing to have him close to me by then. His hands close
around my waist, and he lifts me lightly, allowing my legs to
wrap around his waist. His lips find mine and open them
shamelessly and bluntly amid a kiss full of ferocity and
desire.
He begins to walk. My hands tangle in the hair at the nape
of his neck. My tongue and his meet. Asher reaches the bed
and drops me on it. He climbs on top of me and takes my
hands with one of his, pulling them up over our heads as he
claims my mouth.
“How?” he growls against my lips.
I wrap my legs around his hips and moan, feeling his sex,
which brushes against mine. I push against him, and in
return, Asher responds to my call by having his sex brush
against mine in the middle of a delicious movement.
My face rises, and I smile. He begins to kiss my neck.
“What do you mean?” he repeats.
“I don't know,” I affirm. “When it was all over, I found some
sleeping strength inside me. Adrien couldn't steal it. He
just suppressed it.”
He doesn't say anything but starts to go down—my hands-
free themselves from his in a fluid motion. I move like a
mermaid under the weight of his body and roll us over on
the bed.
Asher gives me a puzzled look. He's much more potent than
me, but I remember everything now, and I know how to
beat him at his games.
I smile at him. My hand takes him and slips it under his
shirt. He stands up on the bed and seeks my mouth. His
hands run down my back, squeezing my buttocks and
pressing me against him as I begin to move slowly against
his sex, over my underwear.
A gasp leaves my lips. I close my eyes and feel the burning
fire of the poison inside me. It is there, I think. It will
remain a part of me until we end Adrien's life, but it no
longer has power over me. I know who I am and what I can
do, and he can never again take advantage of that fact.
So I suppress the pain and let my hips move along with
Asher's. My fingers move down, running down his taut
abdomen, feeling the tip of his erection protruding from his
boxers. His sex is wet, leaving my fingertips warm.
I slowly bring them to my lips. I taste his salty flavour. I
smile, remembering other moments like this. The moans,
the laughter, the pleasurable ache that remains as a
memory after the encounters...
Again and again, I think. I have belonged to him in infinite
ways; those memories have returned to me. They have
become part of the present.
He brings his hand to my face. His thumb slips inside my
mouth. I lick it and then find his mouth. Asher runs his wet
thumb down my abdomen, outlining my figure until he
reaches the start of my underwear.
Before he possesses me, he looks at me for a moment. A
mute question etched in his orbs.
I know exactly what his eyes say.
“I promise you that you have nothing to fear….” I whisper.
Slowly I stand over him, leaning the weight of my body on
my legs. I look up at him from my vantage point and take
his hand. I slip it into my underwear and run his fingers
down my sex. We both hold back a moan.
My face rises, and his fingers find their way inside me.
First, he slips one in slowly, and then another.
I moan and laugh simultaneously, lowering my hips slowly
to let his fingers go deeper into me. Asher moves them in a
delicious rhythm, knowing exactly where to touch me.
Inside me, the heat spreads. At first, it is uncomfortable,
but I immediately suppress it and surrender to him instead
to the sensation of his closeness.
My mouth seeks him. He spins us around on the bed. He
spreads my legs with his body, and his fingers sink deeper
into my sex. I moan, and my back curves, and he repeats
the movement.
“I hope you're not tired,” he says then, his mouth glued to
mine. “And that you have fully recovered from your
injuries.”
“I have,” I affirm against his mouth.
“Good,” he lets out a grunt. “Because if you think you're
going to sleep tonight, you're very wrong.”
I can't help but laugh.
“Believe me: my last wish is to sleep.”
“I'm glad,” he affirms and starts to move down my neck.
“Because that's the only thing I won't give you tonight:
rest.”
His mouth starts to move down. I tangle my fingers in his
hair and close my eyes.
“Good thing I know you're an Alpha of your word. Now,
keep your promise and keep me awake all night,” I
command.
And I know for a fact that you will keep your promise.
OceanofPDF.com
 THE CALL OF DESIRE

SKYLAR

A sher lets the hot water flow, and soon the bathroom
fills with steam.
“Let's get some of that awful vampire scent of your body,”
he suggests.
I burst out laughing as he pulls off my shirt, leaving me in
just my panties. His gaze wanders over my half-naked body;
he puts his thumb to his lips, and his pupils dilate.
“Enjoying the view?” I ask him with a purr as one of my
eyebrows rises.
He doesn't answer but comes toward me. He pulls me into
the shower so that the hot water begins to pour over our
bodies and then removes his clothes before reaching to my
side.
The monument of his nakedness is left in full view, his
erection exposed. I enjoy watching him before he comes to
me.
Stepping into the shower, Asher kneels in front of me. He
starts kissing my abdomen and then works his way down
with his tongue. I lift my face and feel the water dripping
on my face as my lips open. My eyes close, and my senses
are focused on the path his tongue marches down to find
my pubis.
He rests one of my legs on his shoulder and makes me
spread my legs. I gasp with pleasure and feel him playing
with my desire, licking the water that runs down my thighs
without touching my sex.
My fingers tangle in his hair; I push him with my hands to
where I want to feel him. He chuckles and finds my mount
of Venus, his warm, willing tongue. I moan loudly then,
feeling him begin to play with my sex, moving up and down,
licking with precision and knowing exactly what he has to
do to drive me wild.
“There. Keep going,” I ask him.
One of his hands goes up. He starts playing with my
breasts. I clutch his palm, which cradles my wet, exposed
breasts as his tongue makes me go wild with pleasure.
“Keep going,” I ask Asher between gasps.
“Or else what?” he challenges me.
Asher stands up. He comes toward me. He corners me
against the wall. His sex meets the surface of the mine. I
feel the tip of his erection brush against my mount, making
me go wild with desire.
“Oh... That's just cruel of you,” I purr.
He raises an eyebrow, evidently pleased to see me
frustrated for this reason.
His hands come up and glide over my skin. He lifts me and
licks the water running down my breasts. His tongue
tangles with my nipple, and he takes turns between my
breasts, making me go wild.
His hand grips my thigh, making me lift it as he slips
between my legs. His sex is deliciously positioned against
the entrance of my sex. I involuntarily push against him,
wanting him to possess me, to penetrate me... But Asher
pulls away just as the tip finds its way to my entrance.
“What's the rush?” he murmurs against my mouth.
He turns me roughly than in the shower. His hands pull
mine up over our heads, and he starts kissing my neck. My
breasts are pressed against the tiles while his sex brushes
against my buttocks.
“I'm going to take my time with you, Miss,” he threatens in
a sweet, thick voice.
I close my eyes and hold back a moan. One of Asher's
hand's clutches mine; the other moves to the liquid soap,
takes some and starts moving down my body.
“What are you doing?” I say with a laugh.
He has his mouth against my neck. He bites me to remind
me he's in control. Pain mixes deliciously with pleasure and
desire as his hand roams over my skin, lathering every
surface he touches.
“What's not obvious?” he says as his tongue moves up to
my ear. His teeth catch my lobe and bite down. I hold back
a moan. “I'm cleaning you,” he states.
His hand moves down to my sex. The water washes away
the soap. His fingers then sneak down to find my mount of
Venus, and his fingertips begin to rub in a slow, insistent
rhythm against my clitoris, making me feel like I might
faint with pleasure.
“Oh... Right there. Keep going,” I ask him.
I press my buttocks against his sex, and in return, he
pushes himself against me. I feel the fierce force of his
presence, of his possession. His fingers begin to move
against my clitoris with more power. As if he knows exactly
what I want and when I like it. How much do I need it?
Again and again, I moan his name, wholly surrendered to
the sensation. He bites my neck roughly at the point where
he will mark me as his mate in our bonding ceremony, and
in return, a rush of pleasure runs through me.
My moans rise, and he knows: I'm about to orgasm.
Only then does Asher seem unable to contain himself. His
hands release mine and go straight to my hips. They
accommodate them, pulling me against his sex and making
me bend slightly. One of his fingers slips between my legs
and probes my entrance, immediately feeling wet.
“Please...” I ask him.
He takes his sex in his hands, places it between my
buttocks, reaches the entrance of my sex, and very slowly
slides it inside me.
The pain lasts a moment. Immediately my voice rises in a
slow, delicious moan. It's like finally being whole again.
He moans too, and then, unable to contain himself, he
thrusts hard against me just once, penetrating me deeply.
His hands are against my hips, and he lets out a gasp. A
minute passes without moving, his cock pulsing inside my
sex, sending delicious sensations through my entire body.
His fingers pause for a second before I orgasm.
“Asher, please...” I beg.
“It's been so long since I've felt you... like this...” he
murmurs huskily.
Asher climbs out of my body, rolls me over and lets me
tangle my hands in his hair. He lifts me quickly, and then
we walk out of the bathroom. My mouth loses itself on his
lips. His mouth against mine and the feel of his tongue lost
inside my mouth.
We fall to the bed. Asher spreads my legs and reaches for
his sex. He slips it between my legs without prelude,
roughly and passionately.
“Oh, yes... please,” I ask him.
He pushes himself against me. My hands and his become
entangled. My legs slip but finally remain with my ankles
knotted at his hips. And then, Asher moves against me in a
steady, steady rhythm.
I moan his name, lift my hips, and my lips open to the point
where I feel myself losing myself, searching inside me for
orgasm. We are wet, our skin soaked and wholly
surrendered to the anxiety of having each other. Separation
is something impossible to assimilate at this moment.
He kisses me, biting my lips and then picks up the pace. I
say his name repeatedly, releasing my hands from his and
digging them into his back as Asher seems to give himself
over entirely to the pleasure.
And then, in the middle of an unexpected and desired
burst, something inside me explodes, and I feel the orgasm
coming. I say his name one last time before a moan leaves
my lips, and then he picks up the pace inside my body.
Once, twice, three times and then he stops just as I reach
orgasm.
His lips open and bite my shoulder, his hands tear at the
sheets and his whole body tenses around mine. A second
later, the tension leaves him, and he falls against me.
Only then do I open my eyes, between gasps. It takes a
second for my gaze to focus, but finally, I fix my eyes on the
ceiling. My lips remain open between gasps, feeling the
twinges of arousal that run across my skin, making it
bristle.
He looks down at me, kissing me deeply and inside me, his
sex throbs. He may have reached the orgasm but hasn't lost
his arousal. One slight advantage of your boyfriend being a
shapeshifter and not a human. You don't have to wait long
for a second round.
“Ready?” he says then, and I smile. I know he'll retake me,
whatever he says.
“Like never before,” I affirm.
He smiles, and his mouth comes on my quest, no waiting.
I know in my heart that he plans to keep his promise.

“Asher…” his name leaves my lips, and my face rises.

He looks at me with a raised eyebrow, amused at my
desperation.
“I'll get revenge... You know it...” I spit.
If I could, I know I'd laugh. Instead, his tongue sets an even
slower pace.
My legs begin to tremble, feeling like they might give out.
Asher holds me upright on the bed, my body weight resting
on my knees. He is beneath me, his face between my legs.
His tongue traces slow circles against my sex over and
over. He speeds up by the minute, and just as he senses I'm
about to orgasm, he stops.
My hands are tied. They are behind my back. If I could free
them, I would move to force him to release my orgasm or
else to make him penetrate me.
I know his sex is hard and ready for me, but he refuses to
give me what I want. It's his way of getting revenge, I
guess. Torture me until I can't take it anymore.
Instead, I move my sex against his mouth slowly. His
tongue slides from my entrance and down to my mount,
brushing against my pubis.
He starts to pick up the pace then—one more time. I move
my hips against him and feel myself getting lost in the
delicious rhythm his tongue sets.
His hand reaches up, cupping one of my breasts. He
pinches the nipple, and a gasp leaves my lips. I am aroused
and entirely eager for him to possess me. I desire, not to
say I need to orgasm.
But he is an expert at torturing me. Instead, he drops me
on the bed just as he senses I'm about to come.
“Who knew you had such a cruel side?” I whine.
He lets out a chuckle. He stands up and then pulls me into
his body by my ankles.
“You should be able to tell. You know this side of me very
well,” he says.
His sex brushes against mine. He starts playing with it to
provoke me. When he sees that I can't take any more, he
penetrates me slowly, but not completely. Half of his sex is
out of me.
I moan in desperation and push against him, but Asher
stops me. His hands settle against my hips, and he leans
against my body.
He licks my breasts until I feel like I might go crazy. When
my hips begin to draw circles against his sex, he slowly
pushes himself inside me, once again, in a deliciously
agonizing way.
“Say it,” he whispers, moving up so that his mouth and my
meet. “Say you want me.”
The taste of my arousal is imprinted on his lips—a sweet
and salty taste simultaneously.
“I want you...” I murmur with my eyes closed.
He bites my tongue. His sex penetrates deeper into me.
“Again,” he asks.
“Asher... I want you... I need you.” My eyes open. They
search for him.
“You're mine,” he says.
He rests the weight of his upper weight on one of my arms.
His sex pushes hard into me. Just once.
I moan loudly and then lick my lips.
“I am,” I say between gasps hoarsely. “I am yours.”
His hand grips my hip. Again, he pushes against me.
“Only mine,” he repeats. I nod.
“Only yours... And you're only mine,” My tongue then runs
slowly over my lower lip. “Please, Asher... I need you...” I
ask him.
He can't seem to resist any longer then. He comes towards
me and rests the weight of his body on both arms. His sex
pushes against mine once, twice, three times...
He picks up the pace. In return, I do it myself. My moans
rise with increasing insistence. My legs tangle around his
hips, and I push myself against him. Asher lifts me and sits
on the bed. With me on top of him. I moan louder as he
takes one of my breasts into his mouth.
When I feel I can't take anymore, I press myself against
him, and then the fifth orgasm of the night gets me. It's
been five for me and six for him.
Asher sinks inside me, grunting and with my breasts
clinging. He finally succumbs to pleasure and falls against
my chest, satisfied. At least, for now.
He then releases my hands, which wrap around him. He
settles us on the sheets, one against the other, without
taking his sex out of me. He pulls me onto his chest, and I
lie against his sweat-damp skin, feeling his heart pounding.
Gradually we regain the rhythm of our breathing. His
fingers roam up and down my back, causing a pleasant
tingling sensation to run up and down my body.
“I thought I would never have you like this again,” he says.
His voice is husky. My eyes are closed from pleasure and
exhaustion, but they open slowly.
“I didn't think I would ever be the same, either,” I said.
Then I lean my chin against his chest and look at him
intensely. Asher looks back at me.
“I know why you did it. To leave me aside,” I then say in a
whisper.
He doesn't answer me, but I see the guilt in his eyes.
“Now I understand. But that doesn't imply that you made
me feel like crap for a few days.”
“I know.” He strokes my hair. “I felt everything, just like
you.” I nod.
“I had no choice. You know that.”
“Yes,” sigh. “I know.”
My face falls against his chest. He hugs me tightly.
“Hurting you is the last thing I want. Losing you means
losing myself too.”
“I know,” I murmur.
“But I had to push you away. The poison consumed with
each new encounter.”
“It was painful,” I admitted in a choked voice. “I felt lost
without you inside myself. I didn't know whom to turn to or
what to do to make things right between us.”
My hands press against his sides. The pressure in my chest
increases because of the pain.
He can feel it.
“Calm down,” he whispers, lifting my face to look at him.
“It's all right now,” Promised.
His lips seek mine then, and Asher kisses me slowly for
what seems like an eternity.
By the time he's done, my heart rate has picked up again. I
am exhausted, and my body aches in a thousand different
places from the tempest in the middle of which we have
found ourselves as we give ourselves over to desire. And
yet, I want more. I want more of him.
“I promise we will never be apart again,” says Asher.
Then I think of my dreams. The voice inside me asked me
to follow my instincts.
That voice says that everything could be close to ending
differently than he expects.
My lips push to curl into a grimace. Instead, I hold back. I
kiss him slowly and say against his mouth.
“No matter what, I love you.”
“And I love you,” he whispers.
“Don't you ever forget that,” I beg him?
“Never,” he promises.
Asher leaves me cradled against his face. The dawn begins
to pass, and his pulse and mine calm down.
But try as I might, sleep doesn't get me. I know inside me
that I should be grateful to be back, but the truth is that by
drinking my blood, Adrien had done more than erase my
memory.
He had taken away a feeling of anxiety that was always
with me. Every moment. A sense that has now returned to
me renewed and strengthened beyond comprehension.
A feeling that cries out to be heard. In the middle of the
night, it omits all other thoughts and makes me think again
and again of the truth I have been trying to deny for so
long.
The truth is that I will soon have to say goodbye to my
great love. To choose between his life and mine.
Only really, there is no choice or decision to make. If I have
to choose, it will always be Asher's life above all else.
This time I remember. I choose his life over mine. And soon,
the time to confirm that truth will come to us.
OceanofPDF.com
 C R Y S TA L M A S K

SKYLAR

T here is a cry that prevails amidst the darkness,

tormenting my senses. It manifests as a roaring
chimera that tries vainly to placate me. But I am not the
same. I am stronger now, and I can fight it.
This time, it is Adrien who is at a disadvantage.
My eyes open to meet a horrifying sight. Adrien is sitting
on some sort of throne made of rusted metal. Silver hair
falls over his face. His skin is furrowed with burns that do
not heal and emanate a foul odour. The pain is evident on
his face, but I also feel it materialize as soon as I approach.
He looks up as if knowing I am here. His gaze and mine
meet, and he lets out a growl, baring his fangs at me.
“What are you doing here?” he asks with a growl.
I look around, realizing that this must be his lair. The more
time I spend in this place, the easier it is for me to know
what he knows.
I realize that, in a way, Marie was right. The bond that
unites us because of the poison makes Adrien's mind and
mine connect in the middle of sleeping hours. He used to
use these moments to torment me, but now, it is he who is
weak. Vulnerable.
I omit his question and take a step toward him. His
shoulders tense, and his expression turns fierce.
“Is this all because of our meeting?” I ask him.
Adrien looks away. I can't help but smile at his
apprehension.
“Things didn't go as planned,” I say.
I fold my arms and look at him. I can't help but be amused
by this situation. In a sense, it's as if the odds have been
turned against you.
“Does my pain amuse you?” he claims, standing up and
coming towards me. He looks scary, but something inside
me has lost its fear of him.
I smile. He wraps one of his hands around my neck. He is
decisive about how delicate he appears to be.
Adrien lifts me off the ground. He looks at me with hatred.
The choking sensation begins to burn against my throat.
“I think you're forgetting something,” I say.
This time is different from our other encounters. Inside me,
the power beats and rises like a wave. I push Adrien with
the force of a truck, pushing him away from me and
sending him crashing into one of the walls.
He lets out a groan of pain and struggles to his feet.
I approach him slowly, stopping next to him. Adrien looks at
me, immediately tying the ends together.
“So, you've recovered your memory,” he says.
“I've done more than that,” I say.
I raise my hand, and he lifts himself into the air. A grimace
comes over his face. But I don't plan to kill him. But
instead, I drop him.
All in all, Adrien laughs. He looks tired and annoyed, but
that will never stop him from being as arrogant as he is.
“In a sense, I'm glad you're back. The clueless you turned
out to be a very unpleasant person,” he says.
He turns away from me and goes to his throne. He is
having difficulty recovering from the wounds caused by our
encounter.
“But if you think this intimidates me in any way, you are
very wrong. Your memory may have returned, but not your
powers. I still own a good portion of them.
He raises an eyebrow in amusement and looks at me. He
wiggles the fingers of one hand and launches a storm at me
that I only hold back because I know what's in store for me.
He smiles innocently, making his point.
“Soon, you'll see I have more cards up my sleeve. If you
think this is over, you are sorely mistaken,” he states.
“Fine. But remember this, I am not afraid of you. Now that
I've regained my power, I'm not at a disadvantage. And I
intend to use everything in my power to stop you.”
Adrien's smile grows wider.
“Good luck with that,” he affirms, and then, as if
remembering something else, he adds. “Oh. And good luck
trying to save Asher in that temple. From what I've seen in
your dreams, you always fail in the attempt.”
He winks at me and then uses the last of his strength to
push me out of his mind.
Suddenly, it's as if a door closes in front of my face. I fall
into the void and wake up in a gasp.
The sun must be about to rise over the city by the time I
open my eyes. I've only slept for a couple of hours, but it's
something I don't care about right now.
Beside me lies Asher. He is exhausted. His slow, paced
breathing tells me he's having better luck than I am
sleeping.
Slowly I get out of his arms and stand up, grabbing a few
pieces of clothing scattered around the room. Recovering
my memories brings a bitter charge, for only now am I
aware of how much my head hurts. Probably from trying to
assimilate all the information I possess and finding a way to
organize it coherently in my memory.
As I look in the mirror, I discover that the woman looking
back at me almost appears to be a stranger. Until a few
hours ago, I didn't know who she was, and now I know all
too well. The awareness of the Sky I have been in the last
few weeks blends abruptly with the one I have been in all
my life. Conditioning, beliefs, and experiences become
entangled, trying to shape a new me that emerges from it
all.
It is difficult to explain, feel and live, but I understand that
I have nothing to do about it. Sighing, I start to get dressed
when I feel a movement behind me.
“Leaving so soon?” Asher says behind me.
He slowly grabs me by the waist, pulling me against his
body. He is still naked so that his sex brushes against my
buttocks. His bare torso touches the small of my back while
his hands begin to roam my abdomen, slowly moving up to
brush the edge of my breasts.
His lips lose themselves in my neck. I tilt my face to give
him better access to my skin and then smile.
“It'll be just a moment,” I say, trying to put my shirt on, but
he stops me.
“Why are you in such a hurry?” he growls.
His hands make me turn. His lips go in search of mine. I
find I lose myself in his mouth, and before I'm aware of
what's happening, Asher pushes me back into the bed.
A slow laugh leaves my lips. Asher lays me down on the
sheets and begins kissing me passionately as I try vainly to
free myself.
“Wait, wait,” I say, laughing. He brings his hand to my sex.
He brushes it in precisely the right place and makes me
moan. “Wait,” I ask him once more, feeling my body
respond spontaneously to his every demand.
“What?” he growls.
I pull away and stand up.
“I must find Leah,” I say. “There's something I need to talk
to her about.”
Asher sighs, but as he feels my emotions, he discovers that
this is something important to me, so he nods.
“Good,” he says.
He then stands up and puts on his boxers and pants.
I mimic him and start getting dressed, but his voice catches
me.
“How did you do it?” he asks. I turn to look at him.
“How did I do what?” I ask.
“Go back,” he says simply. “Recover my memory.”
I slowly shrug my shoulders and fold my arms.
“I told you last night. As far as I remember, it was all by the
goddess's power. I managed to burn off much of Adrien's
poison by going into a state of alertness, I believe, and that
allowed me to regain my memories.”
“Does that mean he no longer has control over you?” Asher
asks.
I shake my head, remembering the dream I had recently.
“No. He still has some control over me. The poison is still in
my body,” I say. “But I managed to get rid of some of it.
Still, if we want to eliminate it, we must perform the
awakening ritual before the next full moon. Just as you
planned.”
Asher pouts. He runs his hands through his hair, obviously
frustrated.
“I don't think that's possible,” Adrien destroyed the
entrance to our only chance last night. I'm afraid the
temple has been cut off forever.
But inside, I know that's not true. The dream keeps
repeating itself, and even Adrien has seen it. He, too,
seems to believe that there is something prophetic about
what I have been dreaming.
“Trust me: there's another way to make it,” I tell Asher. He
looks at me with a raised eyebrow by way of question, but I
shake my head. “I don't know which one yet. I only know
that there is a way to achieve our plan.”
I finish dressing then. I pull my hair back into a makeshift
ponytail and kiss Asher chastely before heading for the
door.
“We'll figure this out,” I promise him.
He nods quietly.
“Hey, Pierce?”
“Yes?” I turn to look at him. Asher smiles.
“I'm glad you're back. I've missed you.”
His words make me smile.
I then leave the room, walking in a hurry. I walk down the
hallway and the stairs, crossing the corridor until I reach
Leah's room.
She is already awake. When I knock on the door, she opens
and looks at me curiously, obviously surprised.
“What are you doing up so early?” she asks me.
Her arms are around me. She pulls away from me after a
second and places a hand on my cheek. Her face is full of
concern but also of other things. Things I couldn't
understand before.
“Are you all right?” she asks. “I heard what happened last
night. Lucian told me everything, but I couldn't be there. As
soon as we saw that the mission had been a failure,
Maddox sent me back home for fear that something might
happen to me.”
How could I have overlooked those gestures of displeasure
in the past? I didn't know Leah as well then as I do now.
“I'm fine,” I reply and enter the room. She closes the door
behind me.
I walk over to her bed and sit on it. Leah smiles, pulls up a
chair, and comes to sit across from me.
“I'm glad to hear you're okay," she says.
“I'm more than fine,” a sigh then leaves my lips. My gaze
sweeps around the room until it stops at one point—an
piece of clothing resting on the shelf.
I smile helplessly.
“It was a dirty trick on your part to have used that letter
against me,” I affirm.
She frowns.
“What are you talking about?” she asks, smiling.
I point to the jacket on the shelf.
“You know what I mean. You made me think it was yours,” I
affirm.
She looks at the sweatshirt. She pretends to be relaxed, but
I can see the tension in that smile.
“You can have it back if you want it. All you had to do was
ask Sky.”
Leah gets up. She reaches for the jacket, and I shake my
head.
“That's not what this is about,” I affirm. “You left out the
truth and took advantage of my memory loss. You made me
believe it was yours, but the truth is it's mine. Asher gave it
to me.”
She stops then. Her posture is tense.
Leah looks at me with seriousness painted on her face. And
like melting ice, her mask falls and shatters.
“Did you get your memory back?” she asks.
I nod. “I did,” I say seriously.
She grimaces with her lips. She sighs and sits on me.
“Good. It's partly better this way. It was exhausting to keep
pretending we were getting along.”
Her eyes avoid me, but I know exactly what he's referring
to.
“Why didn't you tell me, Leah?”
“Tell you what?” she says with a bitter chuckle.
“About the fight, we had before Adrien kidnapped me.”
Silence takes over the room for a moment. Leah's eyes stay
fixed on a dead spot. Away from me. “Why didn't you tell
me how you felt about Asher?”
She curves her lips into a bitter grimace. She stands up and
crosses her arms.
“What good would it have done?” she states in a stern
voice, resuming some of the characters I remember.
In the last few weeks, Leah has been good, sweet, and kind
to me; but she was taking a role that was not hers to play.
I love my sister, but I know all that she can be. I know she
can be cruel, manipulative, and vindictive. And I know
there's a reason she acted the way she did and pretended
everything was fine between us.
“It would have allowed me to get to know you better.
Understand our situation. It might have helped me
remember,” I say to Leah. She laughs sullenly.
“Of course, it would. And as usual, it's all about you. About
how you were going to feel. I omitted my feelings about
what I could or couldn't do to help you.”
“Leah, I never asked you to leave anything out,” I said. “I
just wanted to know who you are. Why didn't you ever tell
me how you felt about Asher?” I claim.
That memory keeps replaying in my mind, after all. Leah
and I fought the cemetery before Adrien showed up. The
way she yelled at me about how she felt about Asher. She
had always loved him, just like I did.
But she'd never told me.
“Because it wouldn’t have done any good!” Leah exclaims.
"It was you, always you. From the first moment, he noticed
you! Not me. I could be a fly on the wall, and it wouldn't
matter,” she says, laughing acidly. “No one would care. It's
been about you, and you are alone our entire damn life.”
“That's not true!” I demand. “You matter to me. You are my
only family. If you would have told me how you felt about
Asher...”
“If I had what?” she answers, challenging me. “Would it
have changed anything between you and him? Would I have
made you stay away from him so I wouldn't get hurt?”
No. I think without really saying it. It wouldn't have made
me pull away from Asher, but only because it's different.
Leah loves him, but she's not attached to him like I am. He
and I are one. Giving him up could have killed me.
“We would have found a solution,” I whisper.
Leah bursts out laughing.
“You see? You always make that face. That same pitiful
face, and you expect everything to be solved with sweet
words. But in the end, you do exactly what you want, and
fuck you all.”
“That's not true,” I claim.
She then takes the jacket and throws it in my face.
“Do you know why I didn't tell you anything? Because it
was easier that way. It was easier to pretend you were dead
and that I had another sister. To pretend that this new you
didn't give a shit how I felt.”
“Of course, I care about you!” I cry out in pain, feeling her
words burn inside me.
“No, Sky. The only thing you care about is yourself. I'm
tired of being your shadow. I am tired of everyone
comparing me to you. Do you know how exhausting it is?
How depressing is it to be the human sister of the goddess
incarnate? Of the Alpha's mate? Of the perfect girl? I'm sick
of it, Skylar. Sick of you and all this shit.”
She turns her back to me, picks up a backpack and starts
stuffing things inside.
My heart races with pain and anxiety.
“Leah, what are you doing?” I ask her.
“Something I should have done a long time ago. I'm
leaving,” she affirms.
“You can't leave. This is our home,” I tell her.
“No. This is your home. Not mine,” Leah replies, looking at
me with hatred. “You are the one who belongs in this
world. You are the chosen one. I'm just a leftover, and
they've always made me feel like one.”
She then closes her backpack, hurriedly puts on her shoes
and glares at me with hatred.
I try to stop her but to no avail.
“Leah, please stop. We can talk about it.”
“There's nothing more to talk about, Sky.” I take her hand,
but she slaps it away. “I'm sick of you. Sick of all of you. You
can keep your shitty gifts and Asher and your stupid pack.
I'm out of here.”
“No, Leah, wait! I'm begging you.”
But before I can touch her, she stops me.
“I hate you,” she says. Her gaze fixes on mine. “And it
doesn't matter what you do or what you say. It's something
you can't and won't change.”
Her gaze remains fixed on mine for an eternal time as if to
record her words, after which she turns away from me,
goes to the door and slams it shut after leaving.
Her footsteps are lost in the distance, and I drop onto the
bed, feeling a deep hole in my heart.
I think getting my memory back has come at too high a
price, for in exchange for my memories, I have lost the only
thing I had left of my family.
My sister.
OceanofPDF.com
 A S T R A N G E R A M O N G L U N AT I C S

SKYLAR

S ilence takes over the room. It feels as if it sneaks into

my system through my breath, squeezing my lungs
and depriving them of air.
Leah is gone, I think. She has left me.
The thought repeats over and over in my head until it
creates a state of panic. I run out as soon as I can move my
feet and look for my sister, but she is gone.
“Leah!”
I scream her name through the corridors, but to no avail.
It's as if the earth has swallowed her up. Her expression
has remained intact in my memory and added to her words
of hatred. They do nothing but torment me.
I rush down the stairs, thinking about where she could go.
If she plans to go to the surface, I believe there is only one
way she could have gone, so I decided to get there first and
stop her.
But before I can do that, Megan and Claire find me.
As soon as they see me, they jump at me. I hear their
laughter as they hug and look at me as if I'm entirely
different.
“Asher told us what happened!” Claire exclaims
immediately and then kisses me on the cheek.
“I still can't believe it,” Megan says, wiping a tear from her
cheek. “Do you remember what day my birthday is?”
“No,” I frown. She bursts out laughing.
“Well, that's good. That's good. You never remembered,”
she says.
“But I remember one time Claire and I made you a cake.
We mistook the salt for sugar.”
This time they laugh.
“Yes. It was on my seventeenth birthday,” says Megan.
“You ate most of the cake before we noticed the mistake.
You said it was delicious,” I murmur.
“Yes!” another shout from her. They both hug me again.
“Oh, you're back. What a joy!”
Still, the memory is not as straightforward as it should be
in my head
They notice my frown and ask about it.
“What's the matter?” Claire asks.
“I'm still not sure. Memories come and go. They are clearer
than before, but I feel that not everything has come back.”
“It will pass with time,” Megan says. “Your memory will
become clearer as you stabilize.”
“For now, it would be best to let Sabine check you out. To
make sure everything's okay,” Claire then says.
“No. I can't right now,” I exclaim. They both look at me
blankly. “Leah is gone.”
Horror and astonishment paint Claire's and Megan's faces.
Briefly, I explain what happened between us, the fight and
everything I remembered, although I omit the detail that
she was always in love with Asher.
“I feel terrible. It felt terrible between us all this time, and I
never noticed it,” I confess. “I have to make things right
with her.”
“We'll go with you,” says Claire. “Maybe all of us can
convince her to stay.”
“If you talk to Leah, I doubt you will stop her,” says a fourth
voice, interrupting the conversation.
I turn around and find Marie coming toward us.
“I saw her a moment ago talking to Asher. She has formally
notified him that she is leaving the pack.”
“No!” I whimper. “I must go get her.”
I step forward, but Marie stops me as soon as I do.
“What good will it do you? Your sister has made the best
decision.”
“What do you mean by that?” I ask with a frown.
“She doesn't belong here,” Marie answers seriously. “A
pack of wolves is no place for a little human girl. I told
Asher that from the beginning, but he never wanted to
listen to me.”
“He was right not to,” I reply bravely. “Leah has proven
countless times that she belongs in the pack.”
“No. All she's done is slow everyone around her down by
trying to protect her. I don't deny that as a human, she is
formidable, but among us, she is just a weak link. The best
thing is for her to return to her kind.”
“Her place is next to me,” I say in a challenging manner to
Marie, lifting my chin as I look at her.
My outburst of bravery doesn't intimidate her in the
slightest.
“You don't belong with us either. At least, not yet,” she says
with her arms crossed.
“How can you say that?” Claire complains, coming to my
side. “Skylar has been very helpful to the pack.”
“Her gifts give her a certain advantage,” Marie says coldly
to her daughter. Then her attention shifts to me. “But
you've always been rebellious, impulsive, and arrogant,
Skylar. You do whatever you want without thinking of
others.”
Her words sound painful like those Leah has dedicated to
me. I try not to show how much that affects me.
Marie takes a step toward me and confronts me.
“In a pack, there is no room for individualism.”
“You should remember that,” I say as I confront her, feeling
my pulse tremble with anger. “Your actions leave much to
be desired. In the past, you have acted on impulse, not for
the pack's benefit. I know that better than anyone.” I raise
an eyebrow. “Remember... Asher shares everything with
me. I know everything he knows.”
Marie's gaze turns cold. She is upset.
“Not everything,” she assures with a smug smile. “Only
what he wants you to know.”
I shake my head in exasperation.
“I don't have time for you or this power play right now,” I
claim, pushing past him and running down the hall, looking
for my sister.
Behind me, I hear Claire and Megan approaching. They
catch up to me and try to track Leah using their more acute
senses. But just as I thought, there's only one way she
could have gone.
“Leah!” I shout as soon as I reach the entrance to the
tunnel that connects us to the surface. Leah is wearing her
headphones, and her eyes are red from crying. As soon as
she takes them off, I hear the thunderous music in the
background.
“What do you want?” she asks with an angry look in her
eyes.
“Don't go away,” I ask her again. She shakes her head.
“There's no point in me staying here, Skylar. Not anymore.”
“Yes, there is,” I beg, taking a step towards her. “We can fix
this. Just give me a chance to change things around. To
make it better for you….”
I reach out my hand to my sister. She looks at it but then
shakes her head.
“What would be the point, Sky? There's nothing you can do.
This isn't about something you can change. This is about
you and me. About our relationship. And it's not working.
Nothing can be right between us, no matter how hard you
try to make it right.”
“Maybe there's something to be done,” I insist. “You could
still find happiness with us. We can do anything, Leah... I'll
do anything. But please...” I feel my eyes start to water; the
tears push them away. “Please don't leave me. You're my
only family.
“No. I'm not,” Leah looks behind me at Claire and Megan,
silently waiting for the scene to play out. She knows that
under the circumstances, it's best not to intervene, no
matter how much they thought they could help before.
“They are all your family. You are like them. I'm just a
stranger among the lunatics,” she affirms with a bitter
smile.
“You're part of us, even if you don't want to accept it,” a
voice behind me declares.
I turn then and see Asher coming towards us. He stands
next to me and looks at Leah seriously.
He watches us. His gaze wanders from her to me, fixing
how he places his hand on my shoulder, staying by my side,
just as he always has.
“Even if you decide to leave, you will always have a place
between us,” Asher affirms.
“Nice thought,” Leah declares, sniffling and looking in
another direction. “But, ensure you're not so relieved that
your partner's mortal sister is finally leaving next time.”
“Asher doesn't feel that, Leah. None of us are relieved that
you're leaving.”
“Yeah.” She clicks her tongue. “We'll see how true that is in
a while.” Then shakes her head. “I'm sorry, Sky, but this is
the part of the story where our paths separate.”
Leah turns her back on me. She starts walking towards the
tunnel exit. I follow her because I can't just let her go, and I
stop beside her when we reach the streets of New York.
Outside, the air is cold. Night has fallen upon us, and the
sky is dark behind clouds that promise a storm.
“Where will you go?” I ask her.
“I don't know. I'll find out on the way,” she affirms.
She puts on one of her headphones and wipes her face.
“Try to take care of yourself and be a great leader, little
sister. And try not to destroy the city on the way. Remember
that I'll meet you there, somewhere.”
Her words make the tears finally overflow from my eyes. I
run and throw myself against her, hugging her for what
seems too short a time.
“Please...” I beg.
“Goodbye, Sky,” she replies, letting go of my arms and
marching towards the city.
I watch her leave as Asher comes to my side. His hand is
placed on my shoulders, and he pulls me against his body,
noticing that I don't stop crying. I am heartbroken and feel
that by letting her leave, I have lost the only link that tied
me to my past, my parents, and the life I once thought I
belonged.
Leah doesn't turn once. She crosses the street and
disappears into the crowd. She gets lost in the streetlamp’s
lights while the night's darkness has wholly taken over me.
“You must be patient,” Asher asks me. “It may not seem
like it now, but there will come a time when she is ready to
make amends.”
I shake slowly with my face.
“I doubt it,” I say, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my
jacket. “I know she won't forgive me for this. She will make
her life far away from me or all we are.”
Asher hugs me, knowing he's probably right, and there's
nothing I can say or do to shift the tide.
“Come on. It's time to go home,” Asher then says to me.
I turn my face, taking one last look at the spot where Leah
has lost herself in the crowd, and then I see it, almost by
casualty. Almost as if I shouldn't have noticed that obvious
fact.
A bus passes down the street in front of us. It stops in the
distance in front of the bus stop to pick up a group of
people. The bus is a double-decker. It advertises the new
exhibition opening soon at the MET.
“Sky...?” Asher says, noticing my gaze is lost in the
distance.
I step away from him, step forward and take a closer look
at the picture. The center of the photograph belongs to a
temple of white granite columns. They rise on stairs that
seem to lead to infinity...
The photographs have several objects: a bow, a harp and a
knife with a silver handle.
And in the center of it all, a statue. The familiar statue of a
sleeping goddess.
That's me.
“Asher,” I say at once. He comes to my side, and I point to
the image. The bus has started moving, but it moves slowly
through traffic.
“What's going on?” he asks, following the spot I point to.
“That's where it is,” I answer then. I look up and look at
him.
It takes him a moment to understand. I know the exact
second he does, for his eyes take on a new sparkle.
“The display of the Greek gods,” Asher whispers.
“The temple of the goddess Luna,” I murmur in response.
“The place where I can awaken my power,” I affirm.
The same place where I am destined to die.
OceanofPDF.com
 IN THE TEMPLE OF THE GODDESS

ASHER

“I t's right here,” explains Skylar, pointing to one of

the photographs from the exhibit the MET presents
in less than a week. Everyone's eyes are fixed on her. “This
is the place I've been dreaming about for months.”
The tension is evident in the scene. We find the usual group
gathered inside my office. Claire and Megan stand close to
Skylar as if trying to protect her while Maddox, Lucian and
Dustin examine all the information with a critical eye.
Lying on the desk are photographs we have printed out
about the exhibit and pulled from the internet. Annotations
accompany them from Skylar about the site and many from
Dustin about how we can access the site.
She points to the table. Dustin has a tablet in his hand and
is writing down all the points of interest in the mission
while he and Maddox plan how to sneak into the MET.
“Time and time again, I've seen us get to this place,” says
Skylar.
“And you say that at the bottom of that temple is the
instrument with which you can awaken your powers for
good?”
She nods and points to the photograph of the silver knife
referred to as an antique that presumably belonged to a
priestess of the moon goddess.
“Yes. Whenever I see myself awakening, it is in this temple.
Holding this dagger in my hands,” she says.
Her lips curl into a grimace that she quickly tries to hide.
And that doesn’t go unnoticed by me.
Her words are present in my thoughts. She always woke up
in the middle of the night, remembering the events in that
place.
The first time she dreamt of that place, she looked as
affected as she does now. Even if she tries to hide it, it's
evident to me that something is going on.
“And you say that as soon as we arrive, Adrien and his
coven of vampires do as well,” Dustin affirms. Once again,
Skylar nods.
“They're always there. A terrible battle breaks out and...”
She is silent for a second. Shortly after, she shakes her
head. “All I know is that we end Adrien's life, and I manage
to awaken my power.”
I’m not convinced. She is hiding something from me. She's
hiding it from all of us.
“Great,” Lucian clicks his tongue. “A few fewer vampires
are running around and an awakened goddess. It sounds
almost too nice to be real.”
“Do you think it's possible?” Claire then says.
“The question is not whether it is possible or not,” Sabine
intervenes. “But instead, if we can do it, avoid Adrien from
being there too.”
“He knows we're coming,” affirms Maddox and then looks
at Skylar. “Do you think he knows because of your
dreams?”
She shrugs.
“I can't think of another theory. When I was weak, I could
feel him in my head. I know he could sneak into my
thoughts, but as soon as I regained some power, things
reversed between us.”
“So he knows it's going to happen, but he doesn't know
what day it's going to happen either,” Dustin says.
“Maybe,” says Maddox. “But he probably has the place
staked out.”
“That's true. Adrien being as he is, I doubt he'd sit around
waiting for a random night to show up and see if we're
there too,” Lucian observes.
I then step toward them and intervene for the first time in
the conversation.
“I think it would be best to go tonight.”
The gaze of the whole group meets mine.
“Are you out of your mind?” says Sabine.
“We are not ready,” Dustin intervenes.
“That's right. That's why we know Adrien won't be either,” I
answer, looking at the members of my pack one by one.
“Think about it: Adrien must be keeping an eye on us. He'll
probably think we'll be prepared for the attack once we've
found out about the MET.”
“That would be the smart thing to do,” Lucian chuckles.
“Maybe. But he won't think we'll strike right away. We can
sneak in since they probably aren't expecting us just today.
Now.”
They look at me like I'm crazy. The sky seems to be
deciding the best plan to act on, as do Dustin and Maddox,
the ringleaders of all my projects.
“Could you create an illusion strong enough around us that
we'll go unnoticed?” Dustin asks Megan.
“Not without help,” she replies with a grimace. “There are
too many people to keep individual illusions around each
other.”
“I could help you,” Claire intervenes then, with an idea
painted in her eyes. “If I create a large enough field around
us and we stick together, you could create an illusion of the
dome and not of each of us. That way, it would be easier to
maintain it.”
“It could work...” Megan whispers, not very convinced, but
then nods. “I'll give it my best shot,” she affirms.
“That's all I expect from both of you,” I reply, proud of
them.
They both nod, knowing this is for the pack. Lucian runs his
hands through his hair.
“So we'll do it, we'll jump in the void?”
“Yes,” I answer quietly, grabbing my jacket.
He shakes his head and laughs.
“For our sake, I hope we're as good at flying as we are at
fighting. Otherwise, we're going to end up like crushed
eggs.”
 ...

“Good. Now,” I order Megan and Claire after we're all

inside the car.
Claire breathes in slowly. She brings her hands up and
opens her palms. A subtle exhalation leaves her body and
covers the vehicle. Megan then breathes in, closes her
eyes, and begins to murmur. The illusion takes place
around us. It is invisible to us because we are inside it, but
if you look closely, it is like a fog covering the vehicle.
They both nod, and Maddox picks up the signal. He sets the
car in motion, driving through traffic to cross town.
We prepared in less than an hour. We sent extra teams to
various corners of the city to throw off any of Adrien's
vampires who might be watching our territory, and we've
emerged from the shadows, leaving no trace.
Hiding behind the bubble created by Claire and Megan, we
cross the city in silence. Sky's hand doesn't let go of mine. I
know she's hiding something from me, but she doesn't
seem willing to talk in front of everyone. She keeps her
gaze straight ahead as if trying to predict any possible
obstacles before the others do.
Luckily, we make it to the MET before anything else
happens. As I look around the prodigious museum, I feel
my moment arrive.
“My turn,” I mutter and look at Maddox. “Ready?”
He nods. We get out of the car and stand beside him,
protected by Megan and Claire's illusion. Maddox then
raises his hands and concentrates, causing the electricity to
fail.
I center myself and begin to breathe in a while, drawing in
the darkness. Inside me, it feels like a coldness that I
welcome and spreads without rhyme or reason. I push,
expanding that sensation in all directions while the night
randomly takes different points of the city to create
distractions.
“It's now or never,” Lucian mutters, using his heightened
senses to detect possible enemies around us.
We get out of the car and move as one until we reach one of
the MET's secondary entrances. Dustin then positions
himself in front of us and holds out his hand, feeling the
magnetism of the doors.
His brows furrow, but after a moment, the doors open. His
power to repel or attract magnetic fields, combined with
Maddox's power to manipulate electrical currents to his
advantage, makes almost any door open for us with ease.
We sneak inside the museum. The darkness is total, so
Megan and Claire let go of their illusion.
“Do you feel anything?” I ask Lucian, but he shakes his
head.
“A couple of rats and many insects, but no despicable
vampires,” he whispers.
“Let's go then,” I answer.
We walk through the museum, avoiding the alarms before
we find them and dodging possible guards with the help of
Megan and her illusions until we finally reach the main hall
where the exhibition of the Greek gods will be presented
soon.
“Close the doors,” I order Dustin, who creates an enormous
magnetic field around us. Maddox takes care of shutting
down the cameras by taking out their electricity.
So only the moonlight illuminates the sleeping temple.
Above us is a glass dome letting in the stars' glow. Skylar
beside me looks up, and her lips open slightly.
I feel her heartbeat, the anxiety that bubbles up from her
skin. My hand grips hers tightly, and I look down at her.
“Are you all right?” I ask. She nods, recovering quickly.
“A little nervous. That's all,” She forces a smile to her lips
and looks at me as if trying to reassure me.
“We'll be done with this soon,” I promise him.
We enter the room in silence. Our footsteps do not echo as
the shadows absorb them. It's like walking in the middle of
a world of the dead.
“I recognize it,” Skylar says as he sees the bust carved in
stone of a woman with beautiful features.
She reaches out to touch it but stops at the last moment.
“It's a representation of Selene, the goddess of the moon,” I
murmur.
Skylar's eyes begin to wander across the exhibit. At the top
of an imposing temple built of white stone stands a statue
holding a silver dagger in its hands.
“That's the one,” Skylar then says, pointing to the top of
the temple. “Selene's dagger is the key element to awaken
my power,” she says.
She lets go of my hand and goes to the dagger. She climbs
the first of the steps and stops.
“It is strange,” she whispers as soon as I reach her side. “I
feel a strange presence all over the place. As if I know that
my power is asleep amid all these artifacts.” A grimace of
displeasure takes over her face. “It's like a buzzing sound
that gets louder with every step I take.”
“Don't stop,” I ask, placing my hands on her shoulders.
“Only this way can we put an end to all this.”
“We'd better do it soon,” says Dustin's voice, coming closer
to us. “And leave before...”
“Before what?” asks a voice that seems to come from all
directions.
Instinctively I look up at the same instant that the dome
over our heads breaks.
“Watch out!” I shout.
Skylar screams, and I spread the shadows over us. Claire
does the same, extending her force field as far as possible
to protect us from the rain of crystals.
Adrien's laughter then takes over. I push the shadows aside
and watch him hit the ground along with his vampires, who
easily triple our numbers.
“How careless of you to know I wouldn't be here tonight,”
Adrien says with a smile.
Immediately the whole pack moves in, surrounding us and
protecting Skylar, who is in our midst.
“Shit!” I hear Lucian whisper. “Ideas, Alpha?”
“Take the dagger and get out of here,” I mumble, annoyed.
He bursts out laughing.
“Just as I thought,” Maddox reasons, whose hands begin to
fill with electric flashes.
“Getting ready to leave so soon?” says Adrien, delighted
with the scene. “And I've prepared everything for you to
enjoy this party. Look, I even brought a surprise guest.”
He then turns away, giving way to a small figure standing
next to him.
“No!” I hear Megan and Claire say. Skylar's eyes widen like
saucers, and she tries to run away, but I stop her at the last
moment.
“No, Leah!” she screams in terror.
Leah looks up at her sister. She's wearing the same
sweatshirt she had on a few hours ago. Her eyes are
indecipherable in the distance, but I know they're not
exactly filled with fear.
“Sky, stop,” I say, trying to calm her down.
“Let go of me!” she shrieks and hits me in the chest, “Can't
you see they have Leah!”
Adrien's laughter fills the room.
“Don't worry!” he boasts. “Leah is coming voluntarily, isn't
she?” he says, looking at Skylar's twin with a raised
eyebrow.
Skylar waits in silence, but it's not Adrien talking; it's Leah.
“Enough talking,” she says in a clear voice, so we can all
hear her. Her gaze and Skylar's meet. “Let's get it over
with. Finish her off.”
OceanofPDF.com
 FIELD OF ASHES

SKYLAR

“N o!” I scream after finally releasing myself from

Asher's arms. “I won't allow it!”
“Skylar!” Asher shouts, trying to catch me. My friends try
to stop me, but anger burns with fear inside me. It's too
powerful a fuel to stop just like that. A grenade is
exploding.
I push everyone away as soon as the power kicks in, and
my friends fall to the ground. I jump over them with
incredible force and start running until I reach the middle
of what I know will be a battlefield.
My eyes meet Leah's. At first, she seems impressed by the
display of power I have shown, but then her face turns
serious.
“How could you do this to us!” I demand.
“I didn't do anything,” she says, annoyed. “You did it all
yourself. From the beginning, it was only you.”
She steps, stand next to Adrien and looks at me fiercely.
“Do you think I'm the bad guy? Well, think again. It was
because of you that our parents died. You're the reason I
lost everything. That I was forced to live underground for
years, and for what, so you could flirt with Asher and play
the perfect couple? Well, no! It doesn't seem fair! They
deserved to live, and, if it was up to me, it could have been
you who died that night!” she screams in response.
The anger is evident on his face. Her words pierce me with
force.
“Skylar was not to blame for what happened that night.
Adrien and his coven of vampires took it upon themselves
to end your parents' lives,” Asher says with determination
as he comes to my side.
“We?” Adrien clicks his tongue in amusement. “What an
insistence you wolves have on blaming us for all your ills.
Have you forgotten why we were there in the first place?
You had threatened to take the moon goddess for
yourselves,” Adrien affirms.
“Skylar is my mate. I had a right to have her by my side,”
Asher says.
“How convenient that is!” Adrien applauds. “And obviously,
that gave you the right to bend all the rules. So we decided
that we could do it if you could do it. That night we just
went to talk to Ella. You were the one who started the
fight.”
Asher lets out a growl.
“You were planning to kill them all and take her with you.
We prevented a massacre,” he assures.
“No. You just accelerated it,” says Adrien with a feigned
tone of gentleness. “In any case, you are as guilty as we are
for what happened,” says Adrien.
“And that's why you took their side?” Asher asks Leah in a
stern voice. She seems to tremble under his tone but
immediately pulls herself together.
“You're as much a murderer of my family as Adrien is. If
anything, he offered me a better outcome.”
“Did you make a deal with him?” I say hurt. Leah nods.
“I did it a long time ago. I started working with Adrien,
planning how to get you out of the way a long time ago.
He's right; your powers shouldn't just be for wolves,” he
says. “But you've never been able to see how selfish you
are. You do everything for Asher without a thought for
anyone else.”
“Me, selfish?” I shriek. “You've unleashed a war to get rid
of me!”
“It wasn't supposed to be like this!” declares Leah. “Adrien
promised he would make everything look like you had
chosen him.”
“It was you,” I say then, suddenly understanding
everything. “That day, at the cemetery...”
After a long pause, Leah finally nods.
“Adrien was supposed to take you away without a trace. He
would erase your memory and make it seem like you had
chosen him over Asher.”
“You...” Asher says next to me. Anger begins to pour out of
his body in waves. “I'll make you pay for what you've done
to us,” he threatens my sister.
“It was the best thing for everyone,” Leah says, standing
firm and feigning bravery. “You'll never see it, but your
mother is right: with Skylar by your side, you are blind and
weak compared to other wolves.”
“Leave my mother out of this!” Asher says, exploding.
I can feel the rage consuming him—another word from
Leah, and he'll destroy her with his teeth.
My hand is placed on his arm. He doesn't push me away,
but I feel it tremble against my skin.
“I can't believe you betrayed us like this. All of us, that you
would do this to us...”
“Please, Sky,” Leah asks, rolling her eyes. “Stop the
melodrama. You made your choices, and I made mine. You
destroyed my life, whether you want to admit it or not. It's
time you got what you deserved for what you've done.”
“You won't lay a finger on her,” Asher says with a growl.
Adrien smiles.
“We'll see about that,” he says, amused, then fakes a yawn.
“Shall we start?”
He looks around, raises a hand, and his vampires take
attack position. Behind my back, the pack does the same.
Asher places an arm protectively over me.
“Don't leave my side,” he asks.
“Bullshit,” I reply. “I'll get my sister.”
He tries to stop me, but then the coven rushes at us. We
have very little time to react, as everything happens in
seconds.
As soon as the vampires attacked, I ran away. Asher
spreads his shadows around me, shouting my name and
trying to stop me, but this is not like the last time. This
time I am powerful, and I can prove it.
When the shadows come after me, I push them away. My
hands reach out and create a field around me that seems to
glow like the moon. The vampires turn away in terror at my
glow. As Adrien lunges after Asher and the pack tries to
help him, I run to my sister, who receives me in a fighting
stance as soon as she sees me.
“Well, do you want it to be like this, sis? Let's play then,”
says Leah.
I leap into the air and push against her, but Leah is ready.
She's always been fond of guns, so she doesn't hesitate to
pull out a pistol and point it at me. She fires an accurate
shot aimed at my shoulder, which ricochets through the
protective field and destroys a vase.
I hit her, and with the momentum of my lunge, I knock the
gun away from her, but Leah is far from defenceless. She
lunges at me and starts fighting with her fists and kicks,
throwing a more accurate blow than the previous one
towards my body.
“What's the matter, sis? Can't you bring yourself to play
without your powers?” she shouts. Enraged, I throw a
punch at her, but Leah dodges it. But she counterattacks on
my face instead and knocks me down.
“All this time pretending you're so perfect... But you've
always been a pathetic, pitiful thing,” she declares.
She throws a kick at me, but I stop her and knock her
down. We stand up simultaneously, and I start throwing
punches against her, but she blocks them.
“How could you do this to me!” I say, holding back tears,
full of anger. “We are sisters!”
“No, we are not!” she shouts after blocking one of my
blows.
She grabs my arm and bends it behind my back. I moan as
she pulls me close to her face by the hair.
“Sisters take care of each other. They protect each other.
You took everything from me. You made my life miserable
for years. You deserve to suffer for that.”
A scream leaves my lips, and my power throws her away
with it. The vampires begin to approach. There are many,
more than I thought I remembered from my dreams, but
the silver glow of my body scares them away.
Behind me, the most vicious battle rages. Asher fights at
least five or six vampires. He protects the others with his
shadows while the rest of the pack takes out one after
another of the beings trying to take their lives.
I know this is all my fault. I should have foreseen that no
matter what, this would happen.
Next to me, Leah bursts out laughing.
“Were you surprised to see us today?” she asks, wiping the
blood from her lower lip. “It was a pending invitation. You
told me months ago about your months. I've been waiting
ever since. When I saw the announcement about the MET
exhibit come in, I knew this was the place, and I alerted
Adrien. We've spent weeks watching this place. Waiting for
this moment.”
“You've doomed us all,” I say with tears of anger in my
eyes.
“No. I condemned only you. Adrien has promised me. He
will take your power and appease the wolves to let the
people of that city be free. No more wolves in the dark, no
more vampires on the rooftops. They will go away and
leave us once and for all to live our lives in peace. No
nightmares like you haunting the night.”
A scream leaves my lips. My power lashes out at her.
“What an idiot you are to believe him!” I say, throwing a
blow that she luckily dodges. “Adrien will make everything
chaotic. He will squeeze this city like a grape between his
fingers!” I declare.
“He promised me he'd leave. All of them would!”
“He lied to you!” I declare.
Leah throws a punch at me that throws me against the
wall. She rushes over and places her arm against my neck,
squeezing hard and cutting off my breath.
“I just wanted a chance,” she confesses. I see the pain, the
rage in her eyes. “A chance to be recognized. To be
appreciated for who I am, without being compared to you
all the time.”
“And you thought this was the way to get it?” I tell her,
crying.
“When you spend too much time in someone else's shadow,
you forget what it's like to shine in your light,” he declares.
I push my power against her. Leah falls to the ground, and I
go after her. She has a cut that bleeds at the level of one of
her eyebrows and a massive bruise on her cheek.
“This is not shining,” I tell her. “Not if you have to dim the
light of others to do it.”
Before she could say anything else, I hit her, knocking her
unconscious.
I expect another of her mocking or angry words for a
moment, but it doesn't happen. Leah's eyes remain closed
while her pulse becomes slow, though steady.
I can't leave her here, I think. Even if she has betrayed us
all, she is still my sister, and I love her. Just because she’s a
cruel, hate-filled being doesn't imply that I don't somehow
want the Leah I love back.
So I take her under my arms and hide her behind a statue
as best I can. At least as far away from the battle as
possible. That way, I can keep her safe until it's all over.
But I know I must act. Otherwise, it will be her death, along
with that of many others, that I will mourn.
The exhibition is in ruins. Everywhere debris is flying and
scattered. Valuable relics that told stories as old as
humankind have been left in tatters on the ground while
wolves and vampires fight as they try to win this war.
I know this confinement will not last forever. At any
moment, Asher, Maddox or Dustin will lose control of the
situation, and the guards will show up in the middle of the
battle. What will happen to them then? I can't allow them
to be held hostage during this carnage.
Leaving Leah behind, I start running, dodging the blows,
and jumping between fallen enemies until I get as close as
possible to the exhibit. I must get up the temple stairs, I
think. If I can do that, I can grab the knife, and then I will
carry out the prophecy that has been repeated repeatedly
in my dreams.
Only from here, I can't see the dagger. Worse, I must go
through the very center of a bloody battle that seems to
have no end to get to it.
“Sky!” shouts a voice in the distance.
I follow my friend's call and find Claire facing three other
vampires. Sabine's unconscious body lies next to her. They
have them cornered.
Claire's clear-eyed gaze pleads with mine, and I know I
can't lose her. I can't leave her alone in the middle of this
war.
Without waiting, I run to her, screaming and throwing
waves of my power against the vampires cornering her.
They turn and look at me with fear painted in their dark
eyes. But I don't stop.
This war may have taken a sister from me, but it won't take
the rest of my family.
OceanofPDF.com
 A LIFE IN EXCHANGE FOR ANOTHER

SKYLAR

“C laire!” I shout, trying to reach her.

One of the vampires lunges at me and manages to knock
me to the ground. His body falls on top of mine as his jaws
open, seeking to drink my blood. I scream and throw a blow
at him, which he dodges and throws back at me, but his fist
hits the ground.
His open mouth closes on me, but a glare crosses the
distance and hits him squarely in the chest.
The room falls at least a meter away from me, but the smell
of burnt and scorched skin is evident. I look up and see
Maddox in the distance, electricity coursing through his
arms.
“You'll thank me later!” he shouts and then launches
himself against three other vampires after him.
Deciding that he's right and that there will probably be
time to say thank you later, I get up and run towards Claire,
who is backed into a corner. Before her strength gives out
and the vampires attack her, I launch an attack at the two
of them that sends them flying. One hits a wall, and the
other goes flying until it hits the bust of the goddess
Selene.
Claire falls to the ground. Her face is pale. She is
exhausted. She gasps, but as soon as she notices the enemy
coming at us, she raises her shield again.
Sabine's body is at her back. She is in her wolf form. Her
breathing is ragged and increasingly scattered.
“Do you think you can save her?” Claire asks in anguish.
“What happened to her?” I ask.
“A wall was thrown at us. She positioned himself between
me and the stone before it fell and took the full impact,”
Claire says. Then I notice that her eyes are watering.
My hands reach out to Sabine. I try to breathe and stay
calm, ignoring the other noises that populate the
surroundings. I feel her wounds through the pulse, and as I
can, I push my power towards her. As I do so, it feels like
the heat leaves my body. My limbs begin to go limp, but
that same light seeps into her body in a shift. And for a
small moment, we are one.
In that instant, I can feel her bones reset. They fall into
place and heal as her breathing normalizes. Sabine then
takes a long inhale and stands up with her eyes open, as if
she has woken up from a terrible nightmare.
“Oh... Thank the goddess!” Claire whispers, crying.
She looks at both of us and soon understands what's going
on, walks over to Claire and rubs her muzzle against her
face while all around us, our friend's defences, begin to
struggle.
I am too tired just now to fight, but Sabine comes out to
attack two vampires. Her jaws close around the neck of one
as Claire gets to her feet and goes at the other. She shifts
and lunges at him, tearing at his arm and chest.
I slowly try to catch my breath. Around me, the world spins.
I hold on to the wall, and finally, Claire and Sabine come
toward me.
Sabine brings her snout to my face. I know she silently
thanks me for saving her.
“Are you both okay?” I ask them.
They both nod. Claire seems much better now that she
knows her partner is out of danger. I slowly stand up.
“I need to get to the top of the temple,” I explain. “I must
get the dagger. Only then can we stop this.”
Claire crouches down, and I climb onto her rump. Sabine
steps in front of us, and the terrain starts to run after
scanning.
Soon Dustin joins us. The pack is trying to clear a path for
us, so I figure they have communicated mentally, as they
usually do when they are in their wolf forms.
Maddox watches what is going on and clears the ground.
His lightning bolts fly in all directions as Dustin pushes the
vampires away from us.
But then the enemy seems to notice our intentions. They
rush at us, making a united front that stops us.
“Sky!” shouts Asher in the distance when he notices the
vampires attacking us. Dozens of them rush at us, and soon
we are surrounded. They are like wasps that don't hesitate
to stick their stings in, even if it means dying.
Asher's shadows loom over us, and I see the tentacles
emerging from the darkness crawling over the enemy's skin
before bringing them down. Immediately, Sabine, Claire,
Maddox and Dustin begin to fight, while Lucian and Megan
run to Asher's aid to protect him.
“Your fight is with me, little wolf!” Adrien shouts in the
distance, making Asher jump into the air.
When he does, I collapse, feeling the venom rising in my
veins.
“Did Sky forget that you and I are connected too?” Adrien
shouts.
His veins turn black, but in turn, mine do too. I fall off
Claire's back and begin to feel short of breath.
All around me, my friends moan and howl, trying to help
me, but the vampires have their powers beyond the
advantage of being outnumbered.
Slowly they begin to pull my friends away from me. I look
at them, feeling like I can't breathe and, at the same time,
fearing that they might die.
“Sky!” Asher shouts again in the middle distance.
That's when the shadows crawl across my skin and trap
me. For a moment, everything goes dark. It feels like falling
into the middle of a frozen sea. I hear nothing, feel nothing
beyond the cold.
But soon, the feeling passes. Asher welcomes me into his
arms. As I look at him, I notice that the veins in his neck
have also turned slightly black, only he resists Adrien's
tricks better than I do.
“Do you enjoy the sensation of poison, moon goddess?”
Adrien mocks, prolonging my pain.
In response, I concentrate and launch a flare of my power
toward him, which hits him straight in the chest. Adrien's
grip on me is released as soon as it does, and I can breathe
again.
Gasping, I stand up and let the power flow. The sensation is
unsettling. It sweeps over me from within like sunshine,
causing an embracing warmth to wash over me. I throw my
light against Adrien, noticing that even Asher is blinded.
But the difference is that he is unaffected by the glow,
while Adrien and the other vampires are burned by it.
“And you, enjoying the power of the goddess?” I answer.
Adrien screams, but halfway through, his moans turn to
laughter. He stands up and raises a hand. And again, I feel
the choking rise in my neck.
“We can play this game all night. I can't wait to see who
can hold out the longest,” he assures me.
I look at his face, full of rage: the skin rebuilds and burns at
breathtaking speeds. Smoke trails billow from his face as
he tries in vain to stay strong at the beginning of the glare
pouring from my skin.
But finally, the effect of the poison takes effect, and I fall.
Asher screams my name and holds me up as my veins turn
black again, and then Adrien bursts out laughing.
“I am stronger with each passing second. And I promise
you, dear goddess, you will pay for choosing him in life and
not me.”
Asher doesn't wait for another word from him. With a
scream full of rage, he shifts and launches himself at
Adrien, letting the darkness consume them both.
Adrien loses his grip on me as soon as he does, so I start
coughing and gasping as I feel like I can breathe. I put a
hand to my neck and stand up on shaky legs.
My eyes soon get them. They've gone to the other side of
the room, and Asher is on top of Adrien, but this is short-
lived. When Adrien bursts out laughing, I know it's because
he has a trick up his sleeve. He then pulls the nexus
between us, using the power in me to lift Asher to an
incredible height and then drop him.
“No!” I scream in terror.
But Asher stands up, just not fast enough. Adrien lunges at
him then and pushes him against a monument. When he
does, I feel a sharp pain inside me; I know he's broken
something.
“Asher!” I cry out in desperation.
But Adrien manages to gain the upper hand. He corners
him, and his writings fill with metal as he attacks Asher.
The wolf fights back the vampire's attacks as best he can,
but the more they fight, the more obvious it becomes to me
that Adrien is managing to beat Asher.
That's when a strange sensation takes over my senses.
“I know this,” I whisper, immediately understanding where
it comes from. The sensation is a curious mix between déjà
vu and anxiety. As if I suddenly understand that the time
has come.
The time to die.
Only then do I stand up. Around me, the battle is fiercer
than ever, but I understand that everyone is distracted.
With my remaining strength, I start running towards the
temple, feeling my lungs burning with each inhalation.
One by one, I climb the steps. Vampires that come across
my path are pushed aside by some ally until I finally reach
the top.
Strangely, the battle doesn't seem to have reached this far.
Not really. The statue of the goddess remains intact. In
front of her is a monument explaining a bit of her history,
and right next to it is the silver dagger that will end it all.
It feels unreal, then. I've dreamed of this before. I've lived
this moment a thousand times, but never like this. My eyes
roll back as I feel a deep pain throb inside my chest, and I
see the exact second Adrien lifts Asher into the air,
stretching out his pain.
Asher's gaze searches for me in the distance, and his eyes
get mine amidst Adrien's crazed laughter and the screams
of battle.
That instant is all I need. My hands reach out for the
dagger. I push aside the protective glass that shields it and
then take it, feeling its power pierce the hilt and wash over
me. It is like a heartbeat. As if it were alive. The dagger
calls to me with superhuman strength.
As I look at the statue of the goddess resting beside me, I
think of the dream I had that last time before I reawakened
my essence. The Skylar of my dreams told me something
about a sacrifice I only now understand.
Asher's howl travels the distance. His pain pierces me.
Adrien has broken his rib cage. He laughs at his acts, and
the strength of his grip closes once again around Asher. As
soon as it does, the venom begins to burn inside me.
I feel it coursing under my skin, obliterating my senses. It
makes the world a living hell.
But I know there is only one way to end this.
I fall to the ground, to my knees. The more power Adrien
has, the weaker I find myself. The hand holding the dagger
trembles, and I know my pulse will soon be gone. I close my
eyes, dedicating one last thought to all the people I have
loved in this life. To each of the faces that at some point
have made a difference to me.
Leah's face comes to mind, and I find that I forgive her and
that even now, I love her. But more than anything, Asher's
eyes, his lips on mine, and the memory of his warmth drive
me on.
“I love you,” I say in the distance as if he can hear it. And
he may not, but his heart feels it. We are one. It will be so
until the end of our days. Until our last breath.
My last breath.
“I love you, Asher.”
In the distance, I feel his howl of pain. But this is a different
pain. I take one last breath, and amidst the chaos, I bring
the dagger's tip against my chest. Just once, piercing the
skin and letting the warmth that welcomes death wash over
me just before the cold arrived.
Around me, the world is lost then. I fall while everything
becomes silent, dark. It's like falling back into the arms of
darkness, I think. Like sinking into an icy sea behind which
I hope to find Asher again...
Only this time, he won't be on the other side of his trance.
It's his life for mine, I understand. And this time, I have
chosen his life.
But I know, even in death, that I have chosen well.
OceanofPDF.com
 ONE FOREVER

ASHER

A heartbeat runs through my body; painful at first, as if

something inside me had fragmented, but it invades
me with power. As if lava runs through my veins. It burns
and heals at the same time. I feel the pain and satisfaction
from the thrill, and my lips open to let out a howl that
crosses the distance and pierces boundaries, finding the
mind and heart of each of my wolves.
We are one mind. When we shift, there are no distances
between us. We can feel what they all feel, so when the
forces invade me, it fills them. I run through the mind of my
pack, feeling the invading staff charge them with energies.
Maddox rises from the ground and begins to glow from the
electricity filling his body; Claire can repel a massive attack
by forming a protective shield around our friends, and
Dustin sends out a magnetic wave that strikes the vampires
and launches them away.
I feel the power fill me with energy. The shadows climb up
to me and shelter me. They embrace and welcome me to
their bosom until they take me away from everything,
letting the cold and the silence is part of my world for a
single instant.
But then, the explosion overcomes me, and I can free
myself from Adrien's grasp. His power breaks, and I fall
into the shadows, only to appear next to him. I feel the
strength this time that makes me capable enough to defeat
him.
I throw myself against the vampire, feeling his weight
crack beneath me. Adrien seems fragile and broken in
some sense. Try as he might, his power doesn't seem
enough to stop me this time.
He lets out a scream, gathers the metal around him and
tries to attack me with it, but I cover my body in shadows,
and the metal pierces through me, shooting the members of
his coven closest to me instead.
The vampires notice that something has shifted in the
battle. They protect each other and those who can try to
flee. My wolves are fewer, but they give them no chance.
They hunt them as prey they could not leave scattered in
the forest.
Meanwhile, Adrien screams under my paws. My teeth get
his wrist and break it, and he calls. His free hand tries to
scratch my face to get rid of me, but his attempts are futile.
He has no control over me. No more.
Desperate, an angry roar erupts from Adrien's lips. At the
sight of him, I think of my friend. Of the boy, I once knew.
Adrien was an intelligent, wimpy kid with a good heart.
That boy, I think, has been buried under the layers and
layers of greed, evil and anger he tried to cover himself
with. He is a different person. My childhood friend is long
dead.
“You won't beat me, you fucking wolf!” Adrien shouts.
He finally manages to escape from me and launches an
attack, but his strength is less. He is weak and tired. I run
to catch him, and I manage to do it while throwing him to
the ground. Several cuts bled over his face, and I realized
he could no longer heal.
As I realize this, the throbbing inside my chest intensifies.
A kind of voice or intuitive feeling tells me that Adrien does
not possess the goddess's powers. His back is curved, and
the weight of fatigue is evident on his face.
He knows as well as I do that this is the night. He is going
to die.
A laugh bursts from his lips in response as if he can read
my thoughts.
“Do you think you're going to be the one to finish me off?
Don't get your hopes up, little wolf.”
In a desperate attempt, Adrien tries to escape, but he fails.
My jaws close around his leg, making him fall. The
helplessness is evident on his face. He tries to regain the
strength he once possessed, but try as he might, he can no
longer access it.
Instead, I find myself imbued with a strange blessing. Cuts
heal easily. His attacks can no longer harm me.
“Damn you,” Adrien barks in a last attempt at bravado.
“You and your filthy Moon Goddess... Damn you all for
making me what I am.”
For a moment, I hesitate. Death should always be the last
option, but now I have no choice.
But Adrien seems to be able to decide for me. The metal
used to protect him begins to creep up his face. It seeps out
of his mouth, out of his nose and out of his eyes, creating a
strange illusion as if he were crying silver tears.
“No!” I scream after shifting back, struggling to stop him
from taking his own life.
But it's too late now. His heartbeat stops, and his silver
eyes are fixed on the void.
With his death, a strange emptiness forms inside me. It
doesn't feel like losing one of my parts, but like something
has been taken from me.
I understand then that it must be the poison. With his
death, Adrien has finally freed Skylar from its poison.
Thinking about her, I understand what is wrong. Something
inside me doesn't feel right. As if something is broken,
lost...
“Sky.”
I turn my face to look for her, and even though I don't see
her, I feel her inside me. Or rather: With every second that
passes, I stop feeling her. Every instant makes her feel
more distant.
Desperate, I leave Adrien and run to the top of the temple.
Around me, the rest of the pack regroups. After Adrien's
death, the few vampires left alive have lost strength, so
they have regrouped and fled in terror. My pack group
makes sure they are no threat to us.
“Sky!” I shout as I reach the top of the temple.
I find her pale body lying in the middle of a pool of blood,
spilling and dripping slowly down the steps as she loses her
life.
“Skylar!” I shout.
She is pale, and her lips are purple. Her hair is stained with
blood, and her shirt is red and soaked. A deep gash runs
across her chest. At her side lies the weapon that has
ended her life: The dagger of awakening. The one with
which she thought to invoke the power of the goddess.
But she did not use it to awaken, I understand, but to give
her life to me.
“Sabine!” I cry out loudly, desperate.
She comes instantly. All the others do. They watch the
surroundings for us, taking care that we don't suffer
another attack while Sabine checks Skylar's wound.
“This is serious, Asher... I can't feel her.”
“You have to save her,” I order.
Her pulse is getting weaker and weaker. Her heart is about
to stop. I feel her inside, not as a whisper, but just a sigh.
At any moment, she will disappear, and I won't be able to
get her back.
“Save her!” I shout to Sabine.
“I can't, Asher,” She looks at me solemnly. “At this moment,
only you can do something for her.”
“How?” I ask.
“You are her partner. At this point, I think that only the
bond can save her,” Sabine is silent for a moment and then
answers in a cautious voice. “You have to convert her,” she
says.
“No,” I shake my head, looking at Sky. “No way. That could
kill her.”
We wolves have a rule: We usually wait until we're twenty-
one to turn or take our mates. To do it before that involves
high risk. Her body might not resist, especially in this state.
“This is the only way you can save her,” Sabine says. “If her
body accepts the bond, your regeneration can accelerate
her healing. It is the only way,” she affirms.
I look at Skylar, feeling the terror running inside me cold
and steady.
“I could lose her,” I affirm.
“You're going to lose her anyways if you don't do
something,” Sabine says.
Understanding that maybe this is the only way to do things,
I nod. I bring my hand to my lips and cut with my teeth. I
take a sip of blood and then sneak it between her lips,
making the liquid run down with the help of my tongue.
“With this gesture, I take you, Skylar Pierce, as my mate,” I
whisper against her lips, feeling the vibration of my voice
draw me closer and closer to her. “With the moon as my
witness, I join you in body, mind and soul. We are one and
will be in life until death finds us and reunites us, beyond
the sunset.”
“I reach down her neck, turn her face and bite her skin,
marking it as my own.”
“Please...” I ask then. “Please, Pierce, live.”
I let my forehead rest on hers. My heart begins to beat in a
rush, desperate. I am trying to evade the silence that
springs from her chest.
For a moment, nothing seems to happen. The silence of her
body is imminent. The voice inside her consciousness is lost
and fades away.
Shortly before I lose hope, a single heartbeat echoes across
the distance. I open my eyes and then see her lips open
slightly. She breathes in as if clinging to life with all her
might, and slowly her skin begins to turn colour.
“It works,” Sabine says next to me, laughing nervously.
I laugh too and kiss Skylar's forehead while the wound on
her chest begins to regenerate. The colour returns to her
cheeks, eyelids, and lips. It goes down, stopping the blood
loss and making her skin no longer cool to the touch.
As she heals, I feel something different inside me. We've
always been connected, but this time it's different. More
than a connection, it feels like retrieving a dormant limb.
As if I had forgotten for a while that I had another arm,
another leg and another heart.
Her pain becomes mine. I understand well the healing
process going on under her skin. I feel my heart beating in
its rhythm and how the heat is gaining ground as she
regains more and more of her body's strength.
Because of the power of the goddess residing in her and
the accelerated healing of the wolves, her body heals
quickly. She is weak and doubtless exhausted, but the
wound finally closes, and the danger passes.
Her eyes then open. They meet mine.
“Hello you,” she whispers.
I see something different about her. A silvery, slightly
tremulous glow seems to emanate from her skin.
“Welcome back, Pierce,” I whisper.
I kiss her softly, feeling the warmth of her lips. Her body
beats against mine, and my heart races with joy.
You are mine, I think. For the rest of eternity, we are one...
“Please tell me she's recovered,” Claire then says, coming
towards us.
The pack forms a circle around us. Carefully I stand up,
carrying Skylar in my arms.
My gaze sweeps over all the members of the pack. My
friends, my brothers. They have deep cuts and war wounds
that we need to heal as soon as possible. But we finally
won. The vampires have been repelled, and Adrien is dead.
Skylar's power has awakened and returned to her at last.
“The vampires have retreated,” says Maddox. “We have
granted forgiveness to a few of them who were reluctant to
fight from the beginning.”
“We hope this will serve as a lesson to them but also help
us resume peace in the future.”
I nod.
“They did the right thing,” I affirm.
“The best thing to do is to leave,” Dustin says. My gaze
sweeps over the destruction we have caused as the rest of
the pack does the same.
It's unfortunate to have left the place in ruins, but I realize
there was no way it could have been any different than it is.
“If we don't leave soon, the police will want a few
explanations from us.”
I nod then. I look at Claire, Dustin and Megan. Their
strength is depleted, and I know they're not well enough to
get us out of here the same way we came in.
Luckily I have Sky. Her power emboldens me as well. This
time I can take care of everything.
“We're going home,” I tell them.
Shadows open up for us in the middle of a wall. They rise,
forming a kind of door. They look at it without
understanding my intentions. Sky runs her hands down my
neck and buries her face in my chest. I look at my pack and
then walk, stepping into the darkness.
I disappear as soon as I do. The cold fills my senses, and
the darkness takes over. One by one, the pack follows me.
But this time, I know we haven't slipped through the
shadows. Instead, we've jumped through a portal that will
take us far away.
Hopefully, to a place where we can all feel safe at last.
OceanofPDF.com
 F I N A L LY, T O G E T H E R

SKYLAR

“Y ou know?” I ask Claire, who arranges the blankets

for me as Sabine makes some notes about my
condition. “I wouldn't mind if I never have to see this place
again,” I joke.
Claire smiles sweetly, knowing full well what I mean.
Sabine raises an eyebrow and looks at me suspiciously.
“I wouldn't mind either if you stopped occupying the
gurney. Some of my sick people need more attention than
you do,” she jokes.
Luckily, I'm the only one who remains in the infirmary. The
others have suffered injuries, but nothing as serious as
dying from a near-sacrifice to save the Alpha's life, so
they've been discharged early. Sadly, both Asher and
Sabine have insisted on keeping me in a little longer. They
don't want to let me go until they are sure I have fully
recovered from the vampire poison.
Apart from me, there is only one other occupied bed. Leah,
whose eyes haven't opened in almost two days, is on the
other side of the room. She is in the middle of a coma from
which I hope she will recover soon.
My gaze is always searching for her. At night, when I can't
sleep, I stare at my sister's face. Only this time, unlike the
others, I find her awake.
“Hello, you,” she whispers hoarsely.
Sabine and Claire turned to look at her as soon as she did.
Sabine approaches and checks her vital signs. Claire, on
the other hand, avoids her.
“I'm fine, doc. Nothing for you to worry about, I promise,”
Leah says to Sabine.
With an effort, she sits up on the bed. After checking that
everything is in order, Sabine separates from her.
“We'll leave you two alone so you can talk,” she says, taking
Claire's hand to join her.
Claire seems reluctant but follows her. Leah runs her hands
through her hair and takes a sip of water. She looks at me
with a blank look on her face.
“What am I doing here?” she asks.
“The pack brought you. After the vampires fled, we thought
that leaving you stranded in the middle of the chaos at the
MET would not be considered by us.”
“It would show that they have lousy manners,” Leah states
sarcastically. “So you won.” I nod.
“We did it.”
“Well, good for you,” she sighs. “I guess everything's back
to normal now. You and Asher, the super couple who will
bring order to the city and give the bad guys what they
deserve.”
“That's not what this is about,” I whisper and stand up. I
slowly approach Leah. She looks at me suspiciously but
doesn't move away.
“I remind you that I tried to kill you,” my sister says.
“And I remind you that I beat you up,” I joke. She grimaces.
“Only because you had your super goddess powers. You
wouldn't beat me in a fair fight even if you wanted to.”
“Maybe,” I smile. “But I'm falling for that one.”
“Coward,” she says sarcastically.
I smile, knowing that sarcasm is her natural way of
protecting herself from any painful emotions.
I sit at the foot of the bed and look at her.
“I feel I owe you an apology,” I affirm.
She bursts out laughing.
“I remind you: I was the one who ambushed you and tried
to kill you.”
“I know,” I smile bitterly. “But that doesn't imply that it may
have been my fault, at least partly. I didn't know how
miserable you were with us.”
“Please, Sky,” Leah rolls her eyes. “Stop blaming yourself
for everything. You don't carry the weight of the world. I'm
old enough to carry my responsibilities.”
“Yeah, I know. But still…”
“No,” Leah puts the finger on my lips and shushes me. “I
won't let you be the martyr for this,” she says. “What
happened is my business. Let me take the blame.”
I sigh.
“I don't want to lose you,” I affirm.
“We both lost each other a long time ago. This is not what
sisterhood is about.”
“Are you sure?” I frown. “It seems to be precisely about this
dispute in many stories.”
She bursts out laughing and shakes her head.
“No, Sky. It's been enough drama for one lifetime. It's best
to recognize that our paths are part here. I've burned all
bridges with shapeshifters, and I don't want to hear
another word about vampires. My path is in the human
world. It's where I've always had to be,” she says. “And it's
where I plan to go back to.”
“That was your plan. But do you know where to go or what
you're going to do?”
“I don't,” she sighs. “I've spent enough time buried
underground. I'll take some time for myself anyway. I'll
start travelling and find my place in the world.”
“Sounds like a nice idea,” I affirm. “I hope that place is not
too far from here.”
“Please, Sky. Do you always have to be so dramatic?” she
teases, but it's in a friendly way.
She takes my hand and looks me in the eye.
“One day, we can get together and talk about our lives.
Maybe we'll even forgive each other for everything that's
happened.”
“Maybe,” I murmur. “But we have much shit to deal with. It
could be years before all is forgiven...”
“Then let time pass. I'm tired of doing things at someone
else's pace. I'll go at my own pace this time. No pressure,
no time and no shapeshifters and goddesses incarnate
telling me what to do.”
Leah smiles at me. It's not full of love, but it's sincere. For
now, it's the best I can ask of her.
She stands up then, testing the resistance of her body.
Finally, she sighs and gives me a look.
“Come on, Sky. It's time to say goodbye.”

...

Our steps stop when we reach the entrance of the cave.

Leah is carrying a backpack in which she packed the few
belongings she wanted to keep. Photos of our parents,
some clothes and her savings for the trip.
“You know where to find me if you need me,” I murmur.
“At the bottom of the earth. Sure.” She winks at me.
“Maybe things will change in the future,” I say hopefully.
“Maybe they will. We must wait and let time act,” she says.
I look at her, knowing that this is probably the last time we
will be together, and unable to resist it, I hug her, but it is
only for a short time.
Leah squeezes me back, sees the tunnel entrance and
sighs.
“Take care, ok?” she asks me.
“You too,” she winks at me.
“Goodbye, the moon goddess. Have a nice life.”
Then she turns and starts walking. I watch her disappear
into the distance as she rises to find her way into the
outside world.
I breathe in slowly and turn around, surprised to find
Asher.
“I heard what happened with Leah,” he states.
I nod, crossing my arms and kicking a rock.
“I feel like there's not much to do. At this point, I guess it's
just letting time pass.”
“It all comes back if you give the river time. Even the
heaviest rocks can't resist the tide.”
“How philosophical,” I joke.
“I've become quite the poet. It's because of sharing my
mind with yours,” he says, smiling.
He stretches out his arms, and I take refuge in his chest.
He hugs me for a long time, kissing the back of my neck
until I finally sigh and pull away.
“What happened to the vampire clan? Have we heard from
them? Will they declare a new war on us?”
“Not,” Asher smiles. “The last encounter has thinned their
numbers quite a bit. But then again, having the moon
goddess as the Alpha's partner has perhaps made them
rethink things a little better.”
I burst out laughing.
“Good. Hopefully, that will slow down the conflicts a bit.”
“I hope so,” says Asher, taking my hand as we start walking
deeper into the tunnels. “After Adrien's death, the coven
has been forced to choose a new leader. This one seems to
be much more peaceful.”
“A little peace would do us good,” I sigh. Asher nods.
“With your powers and a new leader for that clan, we can
make some adjustments. Hopefully, we'll bring some
harmony to the city.”
“Sounds good,” I comment, smiling.
We run into Marie, coming down the stairs in the middle of
our walk.
“Skylar, it's so good to see you well. I'm glad you've healed
from your injuries.”
“I have, thank you,” I reply quietly as Asher puts his arm
around my shoulders, pulling me to him.
Marie looks at us for a moment and then says.
“I hear you bonded. It's a feat that you resisted.”
“Sky is strong,” Asher says proudly.
“To tell you the truth, I have no memory of what happened.
I only know that I survived thanks to him,” I answer with a
smile on my lips when I look at him.
Marie smiles back. For the first time, I see some sincerity in
her gesture.
“The wolf's power lies in the couple, and that of a pack, in
its Alpha. I must say it's been a long road to travel, but I'm
glad they've finally made it. Together.”
I nod quietly, and Asher pulls me tighter against his body.
“Thank you,” I reply.
“You know?” she says as if analyzing the situation. “It's a
shame the pack couldn't witness their leader's union with
his mate. Maybe we can fix that,” she says.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“The full moon festival is coming,” says Marie. “It's a
perfect time to celebrate the union.”
Asher looks at me with a raised eyebrow. The question
flows from him to me amid our emotions.
“Maybe it's a good idea,” Dustin affirms, suddenly
appearing with Megan by his hand.
She's suffered a big cut on her arm, but she's recovering
well. She looks radiant next to Dustin, whom she takes by
the hand.
“We may also think about joining in the ceremony,” Dustin
then says, looking at Megan with sparkling eyes.
She holds out her hand and shows me a ring. She smiles
like a little girl.
“We are engaged,” she says.
“Congratulations!” I say delightedly, letting go of Asher to
give my friend a big hug.
She bursts out laughing and plants a kiss on each of my
cheeks.
“You and Claire will be my bridesmaid,” she affirms.
“Of course,” I say with a laugh.
“Okay, but maybe that's a problem,” Claire says, coming
towards us.
For the first time, I see her leaving Sabine's hand. Marie
notices that fact and raises an eyebrow, amazed. Claire
reddens but squeezes her hand tighter, not letting go of
Sabine.
“Finally,” Asher says, smiling. I look at him incredulously.
“Did you know?” I ask.
“From the first moment,” he says and winks at me. “I am
the Alpha. You can't hide these things from me.”
I tap him on the shoulder, and he laughs.
“You two... since when?” Marie asks Claire.
“Since I was sixteen, when I could recognize Sabine as my
partner,” Claire says, smiling at Sabine.
She returns the gesture and then looks at Asher.
“We wanted to ask your blessing to join us in the festival,”
she says solemnly.
Asher approaches them both. He kisses Claire on the crown
of her head and hugs Sabine.
“Of course you have it. I wish for your happiness more than
anything else,” Asher affirms.
“Of course,” says Marie when Claire gives her a look. “My
three children, united with their partners... It will be
wonderful to see,” she affirms.
Dustin and Claire smile at their mother. Claire runs to hug
her, and Megan shakes Sabine's hand in congratulations on
their union.
“Well, that just means we have three weddings to plan,”
she jokes.
“As if one isn't stressful enough,” Megan laughs.
We all laugh, feeling a different kind of relief in our chests.
We are indeed aware that the danger has passed for the
first time. The dark times are gone, and now, finally, we can
enjoy life.
Together.
OceanofPDF.com
 F O R E T E R N IT Y

SKYLAR

T he moon rises over the sky. Flowers decorate the

place and fill the air with their pleasant scent. The
surface of the nearby lake is peaceful, perfectly reflecting
the clear sky.
“You look beautiful,” I say to Claire as she shows us her
wedding dress. She smiles like a little girl.
Wolves don't usually have weddings as humans do, but we
typically have a bonding ceremony at the full moon's first
light. In doing so, it is a tradition that brides can choose
how they celebrate the ceremony, and some are like Claire,
who prefers a style that others would call "conventional."
She is dressed, therefore, in a long white gown that gives
her a princess-like appearance. Her hair is tied back with
matching flowers, and she wears a long veil that falls to her
feet; Megan has chosen a more traditional celebration. Her
bonding ceremony with Dustin took place the night before
in the main hall of our lair, decorated with candles to
chronicle the passage through darkness and light until we
finally bonded with our destined mate.
But today, the night has a perfect glow for the ceremony.
Claire wanted to do it by moonlight, so we orchestrated it
all to prepare the perfect wedding for her and Sabine.
Now the guests are waiting for Claire.
“Do you think everything will go well?” she asks.
She takes my hands. She is very nervous. I give her a
gentle squeeze and look her in the eye as I answer.
“It's going to be great. Trust me. It will be great.”
She gives me a wide, nervous smile. Just a few minutes
later, Megan enters the room.
“How beautiful you look!” she says to Claire, hugging her
tightly. She looks beautiful too. We wear dark blue dresses
of different cuts and designs, but they match each other.
“You do,” Asher says, entering the room and looking at his
little sister with pride.
He looks lovely, with his black suit and his hair combed.
The sight takes my breath away.
He looks at me and gives me a wink, after which he
approaches his sister.
“Ready?” he asks.
“As always,” Claire answers.
“Well, then, let's get to work!” Megan orders us.
She takes the bouquet, and I arrange the veil behind Claire
as we walk out with her.
Before we leave the room, Asher comes to my side. He
takes me by the waist and kisses me.
“You look beautiful,” he says between whispers.
I smile and push him away from me, laughing.
“Stop it, and you're going to ruin my make-up!” I snap.
He smiles and lets me go. We all walk down the hall
together.
We make our way to the lobby, in front of which Marie
stands. She is wearing a dress in a lighter shade of blue.
“You look beautiful,” she says to Claire after adjusting a
lock of her hair.
She is undoubtedly surprised but also pleasantly happy for
the union of the youngest of her daughters with her
partner.
He takes Claire's hand and kisses it, after which she settles
down next to Asher, who will lead her to the altar.
“Ready?” I ask. She nods.
Megan and I open the doors to a beautifully decorated
garden illuminated by moonlight. A harp melody begins to
float through the air, and one after the other walks, leading
Claire up the aisle.
At the end of the path is Sabine, looking beautiful in a
white tuxedo. Her eyes fill with light as soon as she sees
Claire arrive.
She greets her with an outstretched hand, giving each
other a loving look. Asher and I stand on either side of
them, along with Dustin, Maddox, Megan, and Lucian, and
then Marie arrives at the front of the ceremony and takes
her place of honour. As one of the oldest members of the
pack, it is a tradition that she has the benefit of
pronouncing the oath that will bind them together for life.
“May the moon be a witness to the union of these souls,
who today, before the eyes of all those who love them,
finally become one.”
“May they be one for all eternity,” repeat those present.
My gaze meets Asher's as he says the oath. His eyes shine
as if this were our ceremony.
“And may the goddess grant them many years of a happy
union,” we pronounce solemnly before our lips meet in a
sweet kiss.

...

The music is soft, and although the atmosphere is relaxed,

no one seems to mind. Claire and Sabine dance in the
middle of the dance floor. Their hands are clasped together,
and they laugh as they try to get each other to eat a piece
of cake without getting dirty.
I watch them in the distance. I am sitting in front of the
lake, a glass of champagne in my hands, when Asher comes
toward me. He sits down next to me and takes in the view.
His family is enjoying the wedding in grand style.
“I didn't think I'd live to see this,” I say.
“You always knew what would happen at the MET,” he
whispers, not looking away from the party. I nod. “Why
didn't you tell me?”
“Because then you'd change your plan. And if you had, we
wouldn't have been able to stop Adrien.”
“You put your life at risk,” Asher claims.
“It was necessary to do it,” I affirm, holding my hand out
for him to get it.
Asher takes it without hesitation. He kisses me on the back
and leaves his gaze on me.
“But you saved me. Against all odds, you made sure to
make luck play in our favour.”
“I never thought I'd lose you again,” he says. “After
everything that's happened, to think of living without
you...” he says.
I shake my face and move closer to him, letting my arms
around his neck.
“Don't think about it. It's not worth it. It's all right now.”
“Maybe I should change my thoughts,” Asher says,
wrapping his arms around my waist.
He pulls me against his lips. I stand on tiptoe to reach for
him and feel the warm taste of his kisses running over my
skin and igniting my endings.
I sigh against his lips, and Asher returns the gesture,
pulling me tighter against him.
“He may have other thoughts in mind,” he assures me.
I raise an eyebrow and look at him curiously.
“What's on your mind?” I ask.
He smiles and looks at the wedding. Our friends smiled,
and their siblings laughed and danced with their partners.
“Maybe I’ll think of something like that.”
“A wedding?” I frown and then chuckle.
“I mentioned it the other day,” Asher adds.
“I thought you meant it as a joke,” I answer, a little
impressed.
“I was serious about you.” His frown deepens. “Don't you
want to marry me?”
“No, it's not that...” I hasten to say. “I'm simply impressed. I
never saw you as a man who thinks about marriage and
stuff. Besides.” I smile. “Wasn't our union sealed the day
you saved my life and marked me as yours?”
He clicks his tongue.
“Call me simple, but maybe I want more than to seal the
bond with the love of my life in the middle of a war against
our mortal enemies.”
“Don't forget the part where I almost died,” I say with a
laugh.
“Yeah, about that...”
Asher then breaks away from me. He reaches into his
jacket and pulls a black box out of his coat.
I know the scene too well not to know what's going on.
“Asher... Are you serious?”
He smiles mysteriously. He opens the box, and I look at it. A
gold ring with a diamond in its center rests inside a black
velvet pillow.
“It's beautiful...” I murmur, impressed.
He takes my hand and raises it.
“I almost lost you twice...”
“Three times,” I correct him.
“True.” He grimaces. “The fact is that it has made me
reflect on what I want. And the only thing I want is to stay
by your side for life and show you, my love, in every
possible way.”
He slowly places the ring on my finger while I look at him,
enraptured.
“Will you marry me,” Asher asks.
Tears cloud my eyes. Finally, I nod, feeling deeply moved.
“I will,” I reply as I look at him. “I will marry you.”
Asher smiles and lifts me into his arms. I start laughing as
he spins us both around.
His lips get mine. His kiss is soft, laden with desire.
Through the contact, I feel my whole body begin to burn.
The desire to lie in his arms and just be his is more
significant than ever.
“Do you mind if I...?” I start to say.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Asher says, smiling
against my mouth.
He takes my hand. We separate from the rest and walk
back, down the hall and into the room where we prepared
Claire for the wedding.
His hands then get my body. Asher pulls me against his skin
and begins to kiss me while his hands untie the straps of
my dress, letting them fall and baring my shoulders.
I laugh against his mouth and kiss him lingeringly, letting
my tongue and his merge. His hands roam me and pull the
dress down to leave my breasts bare. He starts down my
chin and then bites my shoulders. I moan, tangle my fingers
in his hair and feel his tongue, which traces circles on my
nipples.
My facelifts, my body clings to his, and Asher begins to lift
the dress up my thighs, up to my buttocks.
He pulls away from me, looks at me and raises an eyebrow.
“You're not wearing any underwear,” he observes.
I smile mischievously.
“It would show with the dress...” I answer.
He lets out a completely sensual growl and kisses me
again. My hands eagerly reach for the zipper of his pants as
he brings me against the wall. His hands then grab my
thighs and lift me so he can kiss me better.
I moan, feeling his erection through my clothes. Asher
holds me with one hand; with the other, he pulls his pants
aside so his sex can get me.
“Oh, please... Hurry up,” I murmur dry-mouthed, wanting
to feel him inside me.
He smiles against my neck, bites my lower lip and guides
the tip of his sex into mine.
He presses himself against me and pushes his sex slowly
into my body. I moan low, and he finally penetrates me,
letting me melt into the delicious feeling of having him
inside me.
I look into his eyes, wishing we could stay like this for life...
“I love you,” I whisper.
The words meet us in the middle of a thrust. He begins to
move against me slowly, making my pulse race.
“I love you,” he growls against my neck.
I smile. The sensation becomes complex and utterly
delicious. As we climax, our feelings become synchronized
and collate. We can become one, not differentiating where
his pleasure begins and mine ends.
His name leaves my lips. His hands slowly roam my hips
until he clings to my waist and finally comes. When he
does, everything is erased, and for an instant, there is only
him and the pleasure we feel as we are united.
His mouth moves up, his lips find me and his tongue
tangles with mine. Slowly, as if allowing us to savour this
moment.
Then his face separates from mine, just a little. I nuzzle his
neck and melt into his gaze.
“Promise it will be like this for life,” I ask.
He lets his forehead rest against mine. He sighs slowly,
slowly, feeling the pleasure pulsing between us.
“I promise,” he answers.
And I know there are no lies or rejections in his voice. Past
conflicts are erased, and the future is painted alone in a
beam of light.
My skin begins to glow because of our shared joy. It's a
small detail I'll have to get used to. But Asher doesn't seem
to mind.
“My Luna,” he whispers, kissing my shoulder. I sigh with
contentment.
“Only yours,” I reply.
His mouth finds mine again. We merge in a new kiss, and I
feel his excitement grow inside me again.
I smile, knowing that the future will give us many moments
to profess our love. But here and now, he is mine alone. Not
an Alpha in charge of a pack or the anonymous defender of
a city, but just a man. My soul mate, to whom I find myself
attached and whom I will love for as long as my existence
lasts.
He is mine alone, I think. And I, I am only his.
It will be so for the rest of eternity.
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 A L S O B Y G E R T T Y RU D R AW

Forbidden

A Paranormal Wolf Shifter Rejected Mate Romance

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 C H A P T E R 1 : B I R T H D AY J IT T E R S

MINA

I frowned, my eyebrows almost reaching each other as

my hands moved faster. Even with all my efforts, I
could not still clean the stain. I sighed and leaned
backward, almost wanting to give up. My eyes drooped
slowly because of how sleepy I was, it was almost midnight.
"Mina, the Luna calls for you," Denika, a maid like me, said,
boredom seeping in her tone. She entered the kitchen but
stopped abruptly when she saw what I was doing.
I nodded at her, getting up immediately. She glanced at me,
almost as if she wanted to say something.
"You don't have to clean it, I'll be back soon." I sighed,
nodding to myself. With that, I ran out of the huge kitchen
with my curls bouncing beside me, feeling as tired as ever.
I loved my new look compared to what I used to be,
especially when I had my glasses on. Remembering how I
had been bullied then, by those even in my own pack. The
memory made me involuntarily shake my head, trying to
shake its hold on me even now.
As I grew up, the sharpness of my eyes increased with
training from the Luna. I was also able to strengthen myself
from the rather shapeless being before, into the curvy
shape I currently was in. Which brought with it a lot of
unwanted attention. They were like weeds in a garden that
I just wanted to pluck out.
I jumped up the stairs and stopped mid-stair suddenly when
I saw a tall lean figure coming down. I stopped, pretending
I was invisible, dropping my head and waiting for him to
pass a sign of respect. It had only a moment, a glimpse, but
enough to have seen him.
His shoulder-length curls were packed up slightly, releasing
some of their band. He looked so attractive, and his aura
was intense. I couldn't help but notice the difference
between his body now and when we were in middle school.
His loose shirt draped off his chest. Like his chest wanted
nothing to do with clothing. He looked like he was prepared
for bed.
I guess I was not the only one who changed in the time
since we had seen each other last.
Hearing my footsteps, his grey eyes shifted in search of my
brown ones, and he stopped too. My heart slammed into my
ribs with each beat because of his actions. He never
noticed me, and always found it very easy to pass me by.
But today, on this normal day, he stopped to look at me. It
took all of me to even begin to lift my head to look back at
him.
"Are you going to answer my mother?" He asked, with his
voice a bit low and I shivered. Cursing myself because I
wondered why I was attracted to it, and him.
"Yes," I replied and he nodded at me, already looking
elsewhere and making the face he used to make when he
used to ignore me. The emptiness of the look, comforting in
it’s familiarity.
"Clean my room, Mina. Before I come to bed," He ordered,
his footsteps began again as he passed me by. I looked up
and saw two other maids coming down the stairs with
disturbed looks on their faces. It seemed like they had a lot
to say, and I was doubtful whether they would say it to me
in person. There was a lot of hate behind their eyes. I
understood why they did, although it didn’t stop the sting
that followed their glares. Most of the maids in this manor
hated me. Luna Avara, my role model, a woman that I
adored and loved like a mother, always looked at me, unlike
her son.
For some reason, I was her favorite. She would tell me how
great my destiny would be. It was hard to believe most of
the time, being where I was. I didn't understand all of what
she would go on about, but I knew that I liked to stay near
her and protect her at all costs, but I was far too weak. A
lowly Omega if I do say so myself. Which is why I am a
maid.
In the Dark Moon pack, you are not allowed to be weak,
and everyone has to work. Just as if we were in our own
class system, Omegas were made workers or maids. When I
met Luna Avara, it was like a piece of the puzzle simply fit.
From the start, she had always chosen me to be by her side
when she was around. I was the only one allowed to clean
her son's room, or hers. It made others resentful, but I
wasn't bothered because I was on my own mission to
gather knowledge.
It felt as if she had raised me, teaching me how to deal with
men without reaching the wolf state. She lectured me on
my shape, speed, and agility. Pushing me to be better than I
ever thought I could be. It was during these lessons that
she would tell me stories about herself. And her son.
I shook my head suddenly, trying to clear my thoughts as I
reached the guards who secured her door. They nodded to
me, and I knocked, entering immediately.
The cold air hit me as soon as I came into the room, and I
smiled. This woman loved the chilliness. She sat on the
bed, with her black straight hair, cascading down and
between her shoulders. She wore a bright smile when she
saw me, and she looked effortlessly beautiful.
"It appears my son wants no graduation celebration." She
said lowly, a flick of her wrist told me she was only mildly
annoyed. I smiled.
The memory of stopping school after middle school because
I felt I had no use for it, flooded back. The evening when
the Luna had interrogated me about it, I told her that I
didn't want to go back. That there was no point. I
remember the distressed look on her face, but that look
was no longer there when I laid eyes on Luna now.
"Bless you, Luna," I greeted, and she waved off my greeting
like she always did.
"Come sit, dear, I'm far too bored. My husband would tell
me lots of stories but now, I'm just alone," Her tone went
from playful and mischievous to sad and then back to
sarcasm. I shook my head and smiled at her.
"I'm sorry Luna, I would love to tell you stories, but…" I
answered with a smile, and she shook her head and
stopped me.
"My son asked for his room to be arranged, didn't he?" She
asked and my eyes widened when I remembered the
conversation on the staircase.
"Yes Luna, but-"
She laughed, cutting me off and I couldn't help but blush,
thankfully it didn't show with my skin color.
"That's your future Alpha dear. Please do hurry and then go
to bed, tomorrow is a special day after all," She smiled with
a wink.
My mouth fell.
"Go on birthday girl, we will talk in the morning."
I bowed down and she smirked at me which made me blush
the more. Then finally, I hurried out of the room with a
smile on my face. That was why she called me, to remind
me of my birthday tomorrow.
I ran off, getting excited, and walked through the hallway
to River's bedroom. I was already used to the piggy sight,
sometimes I even suspected that he had a problem.
I shook my head, getting to work. As I folded and cleaned,
words kept ringing in my head. Clothes go in the drawer,
shoes go on the rack, wristwatches go to the cabinet and
the cabinet-
I fell in shock at the open cabinet. When did he start doing
things like this? My stomach heaved as I raised the two,
very recently used condoms. I knew what he used them to
do but I couldn't help but blush.
Some time ago when I was eavesdropping on River and his
friends talking about sex, they asked the icy prince what
his “body count” was and he tiredly said three and
counting. I was so scared then that I had thought he had
killed three people until I had to eavesdrop on three maids
gossiping about the conversation. That was when I
understood that 'body count' meant the number of people
that you've had sex with.
I dropped the condoms into the garbage and tried to steady
myself. I decided to focus on cleaning and pretend I didn’t
have to deal with what I just saw. I took a new bed sheet
from his cupboard after tidying it and proceeded to leave
his room when he entered.
His presence was something I liked and hated at the same
time. Ever since River was little, he has always been icy.
Like a dip in a cold lake. His friends were so obvious that
they only cared about his position. They continued to stick
by him even with his actions. And he looked like he hated
it.
"I'm done, sir," I cleared my throat, and he sniffed the air,
his face burning up a little. River was two years older than
me and had seen his wolf. Visions of his wolf-self danced in
the back of my head, and the memory of his howl played on
repeat. I liked his wolf, especially the howl. It was
powerful, seemingly like a true Alpha.
"Get out now," He growled softly, and I nodded, already
used to his attitude but as I was about to walk out, he held
out for my hand ever so slightly. The movement caused him
to shake like the room was chilly. It was chilly though, I
thought to myself, same as his mother's room.
"You want me to turn down the air conditioning?" I asked
but instead of answering me, I almost squealed when he
dragged me towards him.
His eyes showed a deep red color. I held my breath as he
held me, breathing hard, it was like he was stopping
himself from doing something. I was trying my best not to
scream at his sudden closeness of him.
"When is your birthday?" His cool breath hit my face
directly and I couldn't help but shiver at his gentle hold.
"T-tomorrow," I answered, and he nodded, letting my wrists
go. I stepped back cautiously, and he stepped forward a bit
before shaking his head.
"You're going to see your wolf, right?" His face looked
unsure, and it made me wonder what he was up to.
"Yes," I answered.
He nodded at me and waved his hand as a sign of telling
him to leave. I bowed down and shuffled out of the room,
with my heart seemingly left on the floor behind me.
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 CHAPTER 2: THE CRIME

MINA

M y eyes drooped open and my heart beat fast. I

shifted my tongue to the different parts of my
mouth and stood up, feeling something sharp. I ignored it,
standing up tiredly and stretching, making sure to not
wake the other sleeping maids who didn't have morning
shifts today.
I walked to the bathroom tiredly and held the door with my
fingers tight, almost leaving an imprint. For some reason, I
felt stronger and my mind wasn't awake yet.
"Bring the pancakes, Alicia," I heard and turned to the door
with my eyes still moving slowly. Where was Alicia? And
who said that? My ears perked up again and I heard some
slow and calculated footsteps, making my mind ring
danger.
Without knowing, I posed a defensive stance and waited for
the person to open the bathroom door. Two loud sighs were
heard immediately I saw it was Denika, the maid from
yesterday. She held her chest and I looked at her confused,
smelling a weak scent from her.
"It's just you, oh," She said, walking in like a robot. She
cleaned her eyes tiredly and took her brush. "I think the
Beta was here, or River passed by the room just now. The
aura is lingering, it's sort of powerful too," She complained
again tiredly and I nodded too, taking my brush.
"Maybe."
"What the fuck?" She turned to me and my eyes widened at
the fear in her voice.
"What is it?"
"It's you! Wait a minute, isn't your birthday today?" She
asked and my heart beat faster.
"Yeah, you should wish me a Happy Birthday instead of
cursing at me," I replied hourly, blaming my mood on the
morning air.
"Happy Birthday," She said immediately and I turned to her,
my brush stopping to move as she spat out. Did she just
listen to me?
"Thank you," I answered with my mood, coming back to
life. After some time, she turned to me again, with her eyes
widened more than before.
"You just compelled me. Like ordered me," She complained
and I chuckled incredulously.
"What the hell are you talking about, Denika?" I questioned
in a light mood and she shook her head, turning to me.
"Listen to me, I think- I don't know how but, I think your
wolf has awakened," She slowly said her words, cautiously
and I nodded at the tone flow.
When it registered in my head, a cheeky smile enveloped
my face, causing my looks to appear more mischievous and
happy than babyish. And her breath hung in the air and I
stopped smiling.
"Why aren't we smiling?" I asked her, exasperated. "I've
waited for her for a long time."
Denika just nodded still looking afraid of me, "Smile again,"
She ordered which made me have a bit of disgust within
and I didn't know why. I did as she said and she held the
sides of my face, turning me to look at myself in the mirror.
When I did, my heart flew into the air. My fangs were
sharp! And my eyes had gone from brown to icy blue, and I
felt it, my aura. It was powerful, almost like-
I turned back to her and she nodded, dropping her
toothbrush, "You smell like a growing Alpha, Mina. That's
an Alpha wolf in you, and I don't know why, your mum and
dad are-"
"-dead. I was brought in here as an orphan. And I was
considered weak. But as far as I can remember, they were
Omegas too," I finished up and she shook her head.
"Two Omega wolves can't give birth to this, look, Mina, we
tell no one about this," She cautioned, and I nodded,
confused. When did she start caring about me?
"The scent-" I started but she looked out of the bathroom to
check and looked back at me, shaking her head.
"It only comes off in waves when you're mad, or you feel
threatened. Your wolf must have read the room and is
trying to protect you. You smell like a normal Omega wolf
now, which is weird. But try not to get mad today."
I nodded and we both walked out, proceeding to get ready
and I could not stop thinking. What if River's friends stared
at my ass today? What if the other maids disgusted me in
the kitchen? I sighed and wore my maiden dress. It seemed
a bit too tight.
I walked to the mirror to check it out and paused again. My
curls were softer and longer, and my breasts were firmer. I
touched my hair and sighed loudly at the softness, it was
almost like it was wet but it wasn't. It was just more
beautiful. I was more beautiful.
"Mina."
I heard a whisper from downstairs and realized it was
Denika. She must have known that I could hear her.
I ran out of the room and went downstairs in a rush. My
legs went hard on the staircase and I sighed when I
remembered that I had not gone to visit Luna Avara that
morning. Getting down, I saw Denika at the bottom of the
stairs, holding two rakes which made me confused.
"Garden duty," She bit out tiredly and gave me one of them.
"I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I told the chief maid that it
was your birthday today to attract lesser work but I sort of
forgot-"
I chuckled and she stopped talking, with a surprised look
on her face. Had she expected me to be mad? Denika didn't
know me much and hell, it was just this morning that she
started talking so much but, she didn't seem that bad of a
person.
"You're laughing," She said, in more of a questioning tone
than a statement.
I nodded and started walking outside. "It's not your fault.
They hate me. She would have done that for another maid
but not me," My eyes squinted as we walked under the sun.
She walked quietly beside me, not saying anything after
that, and I wondered if I was sounding compelling again.
The grass was soft and I didn't like stepping on them, they
were someone's duty.
My ears perked up as I picked up a lot of grunts and blows
from in front of us. When we got there, we passed without
heads down as usual. The women too were strong and Luna
Avara made sure of that, that was I loved her and loved the
lack even though it was messed up for me in so many ways.
My heart thumped faster as a familiar scent I liked so much
wafted through my nose. Chocolate and Cinnamon. It was
like someone had lit a candle, or sprayed a perfume. I loved
it and it made my mouth water.
I ignored it and continued digging the grass till something
tingled inside of me. The scent grew stronger and stronger,
almost tearing my head to pieces. I wanted to run towards
it and have a big drag of it so that my body would become
calm, but I couldn't look away from the dry leaves I was
raking.
"Garfield!" Someone called across the field, his aura
radiating everywhere. I looked up and my heart got stuck
in my throat if that was even possible.
River.
He was bare-chested and his abs were defined. His curly
hair was cut short to his neck, but his curls were almost
like mine, wet and fucking attractive. When had he cut it? I
wondered.
I wanted to run to him and it made me confused. A voice in
me was talking in whispers but I couldn't understand the
words till I closed my eyes and listened deeply, and when I
did, the whispers were gone, I sighed loudly and suddenly a
calm voice in my head, almost like mine bit out.
"Mine."
I almost choked.
My wolf just spoke to me for the first time, and what it
could say was that River was mine. I tried thinking
otherwise but all my energy was pointing to him.
"Mina," I heard a whisper and it brought me back to the
garden and I took in clean breaths as her hands were on
my shoulders.
"Yes?" I said between puffs and she rubbed my back as I
bent down all of a sudden.
"You-you were radiating just now. And you plus River was
just too much. He was looking at you but then he walked
out."
I nodded at her words, also deciding to take a break, "I
need a break too, I'll be back soon. I need to see the Luna,"
I told her and she nodded, agreeing immediately.
I stood up and walked the other way, instead of going the
way we took, I didn't want to see him again. He must have
felt it, but he didn't do anything. He must not want me as a
mate.
Luna Avara joked about us being together before in our
presence about a year ago and he had walked out of the
room fuming and by her laughter, she didn't give a fuck.
Did she know already?
I ran upstairs, ready to tell her everything, ready to tell her
about my wolf and everything else. The guards were
nowhere to be found and it made me worried, so I walked
to her chamber doors and knocked.
I looked to the end of the hall and saw a shadow figure, and
my legs moved. Without thinking, I followed it and went to
the end of the hall, gasping when I saw the guards
sleeping. They were snoring like there was no tomorrow
and it made me worried.
I ran back, with my legs moving faster than my shadow, and
opened the door with a bang.
"Luna!"
"No, no, please no. Luna, no!" I shouted as I knelt beside
her.
My brain shut down at the sight and I held her bleeding
body, she seemed to be unhurt and there were silver pills in
her hands. But they looked planted. "Somebody help!"
Tears were leaving my eyes and I felt like I was blinded.
Luna Avara was the closest thing I had to a mother, and I
had just lost her. River also was an orphan now. And I cried
and cried, for me, for my Luna, for my mate, and the pack.

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