《Rejected Luna: Untamed Desire Of The Lycan Alpha》


 Chapter 1: Fifteen Years Ago

    <h4>Chapter 1: Fifteen Years Ago</h4>


    In the middle of a bustling street stood Inez, a small girl, anxiously gazing around for her missing mother, who had promised to return in a few minutes.


    She was adorned in a white dress gifted to her by her grandmother; however, her tinum blond hair ties in pigtails was disheveled and standing up on all sides. Adding to that, her green eyes shimmered with unshed tears as they carefully studied passing strangers for a glimpse of her mother, making her overall appearance quite forlorn.


    "Hey, freak!" Someone called from behind her, and Inez jumped, startled by the shout. She immediately turned to look at the tall boy, around the age of ten, who was leering down at her.


    Fear surged within her heart as she tightly sped the sides of her dress.


    She had hoped Billy would be too busy to pay attention to her today. After all, it was the day of the Fair and Prayer Ceremony arranged by the five packs to pay their respects to the Goddess of the Moon.


    Unfortunately for her, it seemed he intended to tease like he had three days ago.


    Dominic, her best friend, had chased Billy away and warned him not to tease her. But being the big bully that he was, Billy didn¡¯t seem to care about that little warning.


    Inez didn¡¯t want her pigtails to be pulled or her arms to be scratched, so she turned on her feet and dashed to the opposite side of the street before Billy could stop her.


    "That rat is running away! Stop her!" The boy shouted from behind before chasing after her.


    Inez quickly weaved through the crowd beforeing to a stop in front of a stall at the very end of the fair. She was quick on her feet and was an expert at running away.


    This was because she was the lowest of the low within the pack, a half-blood. It would have meant her death if she was not adept at escaping danger.


    Upon stopping at the stall, she overheard a woman say, "How did you get your hands on this? I thought such a thing was too precious to be sold!?" The woman was intently admiring the vial in her hands. The pearly white fumes within had clearly impressed her.


    The merchant manning the stall gave a cunning smile and chuckled. "Can¡¯t divulge all my secrets now, can I, Madam? But I assure you that this is the real deal. As long as you are willing to offer me a grand, this vial will be yours."


    "A grand? Aren¡¯t you being a bit too greedy?" The woman remarked with a frown. Her eyes shed with irritation as she looked at the man.


    "Madam, Madam, Madam... you can see at first nce that it is real. Do you really think that this can be mimicked? Never." The merchant directed an oily smile at the woman. "Just a single sip, and even the most dangerous wound or disease will be healed."


    "Do you honestly think that a grand is too much for a treasure like this?" the stall owner enticed.


    Inez nced at the vial within the woman¡¯s hands and sucked in a breath before picking up her skirt and walking away. She tried to look calm and collected while pretending to be ignorant.


    Thirty steps away from the stall. Inez suddenly found herself lost in a dark alley.


    "Where am I?" She mused while looking at the grimy,tall walls of the building.


    "There you are!"


    Inez stiffened upon hearing the familiar voice. She turned to look at Billy, who was jeering at her.


    "You little rat! You had me in a pinch! I was looking for you for so long!" Billy stalked over to Inez with his group of friends following him.


    They took three steps forward, and Inez took several steps back.


    "How dare you tattletale to Dominic! Did you think that he will protect you all the time?" Billy sneered as his outreached hands violently seized her hair within their grasp and pulled harshly.


    "Ahh! I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t tattletale. Inez¡¯s face was scrunched up


    in pain as she tried to free herself. "I didn¡¯t tell him anything. Dominic saw me hurt and figured it out himself because you always bully me."


    "Shut up!" Billy threw her on the floor. He turned to look at his group of friends and said to them, "Beat her up for me! Because of her, Eve came crying to mest evening."


    He snorted before continuing, "I don¡¯t understand why Dom ys with this rat and refuses to y with my sister. She is the daughter of the beta of the pack!"


    Upon hearing his order, they charged at her.


    "No! Let go of me!" Inez shouted in pain as she was kicked and punched. With her hands covering her head, she tried to protect her face and body.


    "What are you doing?" A voice interrupted and everyone paused to regard the silver-haired boy who intervened. His grey eyes were staring at them with a cold glint.


    Billy was initially annoyed that someone stopped him, but once he recognised the person, all his displeasure vanished instantly. He then smiled tteringly at the silver-haired boy.


    "Killian, what are you doing here, mate?" He enquired.


    Killian turned to focus his attention on him. "Do I know you?" He asked bluntly, and the smile on Billy¡¯s lips slipped away.


    "We met at the Moon gst week. I am William Cruz," Billy reminded Killian, who raised a brow.


    "I don¡¯t remember you," replied the silver-haired boy with an apologetic smile, but it was one filled with derision. He nced at the rest of the group before saying, "None of my friends or acquaintances hurt a girl to feel good about themselves."


    "That... she is half-blood," Billy said to Killian as if it made everything eptable.


    "And?" Killian raised his gaze and looked at the boy with a wicked smile. "Just because she is half-blood, you think it¡¯s fine for you to beat her like this? I thought the strong were supposed to protect the weak. Or does your pack have different views? If that is the case, then I might have to tell my mother to stay clear of your pack."


    Killian then turned to consider the little girl still sprawled on the ground and said to her, "Are you stupid? They stopped beating you. Why haven¡¯t youe over to my side yet?"


    Inez snapped out of her daze; she nced at Billy and his friends, and even though they were frowning, they didn¡¯t make any further moves to hurt her.


    She got to her feet and ran towards the boy, who had his hand held out for her to take. As soon as he had her hand, he proceeded to drag her away from the alley. Inez had never experienced anyone protecting her, apart from Dom and her three best friends.


    Having a stranger save her, Inez felt touched as a surge of warmth erupted in her heart before spreading all throughout her body.


    "Stop crying," the boy sighed as he turned to look at Inez. However, his eyes widened before returning to normal. "You are ...ouch!"


    The boy groaned painfully before releasing Inez, who had stomped on his foot.


    However, Killian couldn¡¯t care less about the throbbing pain of his foot as he stared down at the wispy silver fumes that appeared instead of drops of water.


    The exact same fumes that the merchant had been selling for a grand.


    ***


    On the other hand, Inez continued running. She was tired and scared of the world that seemed intent on hurting her.


    She turned to nce behind her, filled with worry that the boy would chase her after discovering her hidden identity, one that was meant to be kept secret from everyone, when ¡ª


    "Ouch!" She bumped into someone. Startled, she redirected her gaze towards the boy in front of her. "Dom!" She gasped.


    "Why are you roaming alone?" Dominic asked. His gaze fell on Inez¡¯s split lip, and he frowned. "Did Billy beat you again? How many times have I told you to fight back, Inez?"


    He pulled her towards him. "Let¡¯s go; your mother is looking for you."


    "Is she?" Inez was surprised, as her mother never paid attention to her. But then she looked at Dominic, who was holding her hand and understood exactly why her mother was looking for her.


    "Yes," Dominic sighed helplessly, "Really Inez, you are no longer a child. So stop running away from your mother just because you are angry. It¡¯s not a good habit."


    "But I didn¡¯t."


    "I know... I know.." the boy said but Inez could tell that he was patronising her and did not really believe what she was saying.


    However, she remained silent because she did not want to fight with her best friend. If only she had known what Dominic¡¯s disbelief of her words would lead to, maybe Inez would have made another decision that day.

 Chapter 2: The Thief Who Stole A Life

    <h4>Chapter 2: The Thief Who Stole A Life</h4>


    Fourteen yearster,


    "Are you sure that you want to leave?" Dominic looked at the young woman who was holding her duffle bag in her hand and asked with a frown, "Abby is not happy with your decision to leave."


    Inez blew the strand of hair that was determined to make her lose her temper and replied, "I am only going for a few days. It¡¯s not like I will not return and you said that it¡¯s nothing serious; Abby will be fine, right?"


    She didn¡¯t know how many times she had asked Dominic this question, and every time the man would look into the horizon before answering her that everything was alright.


    And just as she expected Dominic looked at the far end of the room before nodding. "She will be fine."


    Though she knew that the man was lying, Inez didn¡¯t push him. She knew how touchy Dominic became when it came to his sister.


    She pursed her lips before popping a chewing gum in her mouth. She said, "Then I don¡¯t see the point of changing my ns, Dom. My grandma is sick and I need to go; I don¡¯t know whether I will see her again or not."


    At the mention of her grandmother, her eyes turned red and Inez sighed thickly.


    Fortunately, Dominic got the message and he nodded with a stiff neck.


    "Then you should go and see Abby; she was asking for you," Dominic told her.


    Upon the mention of the little girl, Inez¡¯s eyes softened. She pulled the straps of her duffle bag and nodded. "Then I will just hop in and take a look?"


    "Sure."


    The two of them then left the small house that belonged to Mia and her family before heading to therge mansion where Dominic lived with him.


    "Hello, Mrs. Cherith," Inez greeted Dominic¡¯s mother, who seemed wrought with worry but still smiled at her when she heard Inez greet her.


    "How are you, my dear? All set to go to your grandmother¡¯s?" Mrs Cherith asked.


    "Yeah," Inez nodded in response before looking around. She frowned when she didn¡¯t find Abertha. "Where is Abby, Mrs. Cherith?"


    "She is lying in her bed," replied Mrs Cherith as she nced at Dominic.


    Upon hearing this, Inez turned to look at Dominic and said to him, "You said it was nothing serious!"


    She then turned on her feet and headed upstairs, where she rushed to Abertha¡¯s room.


    "Abby!" Inez called the little girl who was lying on the bed with a pale face.


    "Nessie!" Abertha smiled back, though her smile was tinged with pain.


    "What happened?" Inez asked. She looked at the little girl and frowned. She had asked this question again and again, but no one answered her. If they had, then maybe she could have saved Abby from whatever was hurting her.


    "I am fine," Abby replied with a sigh. "You don¡¯t need to worry about me; what about you? Are you prepared for the trip?"


    "I am," Inez bit her lip. "But I don¡¯t want to go."


    "Don¡¯t be silly," Abby chuckled, which turned into a cough.


    "Abby!"


    "Abby!"


    Inez and Dominic rushed over and held the poor girl who was having a fit.


    Once she was done coughing, she waved her hand and said to Dominic, "Tell her to go, Dom. After all, I will get better for sure by the time she returns."


    She then turned to look at Inez and said, "Your grandmother is really sick after losing her mate, Nessie. You should apany her."


    Inez didn¡¯t want to leave but then Abby pouted and threatened, "If you don¡¯t go, then I will not talk to you."


    "For, um, six days!"


    "Oh my, such a grilling punishment," teased Inez as she ruffled Abby¡¯s hair and sighed, "Fine, I will go."


    She leaned down and kissed Abby on the cheek before saying, "I will be back in a month, Ab. Make sure that you get better by then."


    "Sure."


    Inez nced at Dominic before turning on her feet and heading out of the room. Seeing her leave, Dominic looked at her wistfully.


    "When are you going to tell her that you like her?" Abby asked with a sigh. She knew that her brother liked Inez and had liked her since he understood what it meant to like someone.


    Hearing her words, Dominic rolled his eyes. He pinched her cheek that Inez had kissed and stated, "When a certain someone gets better!"


    "Then I need to get better real quick, hahaha!"


    Seeing her tease him, he smiled and patted his sister on the cheek, "I will be back. I just need to do onest negotiation."


    "See you soon,"


    "See you soon, my butterfly."


    Back then, Dominic didn¡¯t know that it was theirst goodbye.


    "DOMINIC!"


    Dominic turned to look behind him and frowned when he saw his friend running towards him.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" he asked.


    Tao looked at him and panted, "It¡¯s Abby! She is having a fit again. That witch¡¯s poison is attacking her again."


    Hearing this, Dominic left everything behind and rushed out of the training hall. "Go and bring the siren¡¯s tears!" hemanded as he ran back to his home.


    "ABBY!"


    "Dom?" Abby looked around when she heard her brother¡¯s voice. She clutched her chest and shouted, "It hurts, Dom! It hurts so much!"


    "Don¡¯t worry." Seeing his sister in pain, Dominic felt as if his heart was being gouged out. "Tao is bringing the medicine; you will be fine."


    He then turned to look at the people behind him and shouted, "Go and call Tao! Where the fuck he is?"


    The shifters scrambled at once to look for Tao, who returned but returned empty-handed.


    When Dominic saw Tao¡¯s empty hands, his eyes turned red with anger and he raged, "Why didn¡¯t you bring the vial?"


    "It¡¯s stolen," Tao replied. His words all jumbled as he rushed to speak, "It¡¯s gone, Dominic!"


    "What a shame," one of the mourners looked at the casket where a young woman was lying before shaking his head. "She was so young. Who would have expected that such a thing would happen to her?"


    The woman next to him looked at Dominic, who was holding a lily in his hand and sighed. She lowered her voice and whispered, "Poor Dom has suffered twice the loss. His sister died and the one who killed her is his best friend. I bet he is feeling guilty."


    "Do you really believe it is Inez who stole the siren¡¯s tears?" another woman asked with a frown.


    "Isn¡¯t that a given? Her grandmother was dying and was on her deathbed, but now that woman is up and about, I heard... " the first woman spoke conspiratorially. "That woman is going to live another twenty or so years. While I do understand her desperation, why did she have to snatch the chance from Abertha? I mean that the poor girl was only sixteen."


    "It¡¯s sheer selfishness at this point."


    "I know, right? The Siren¡¯s Tear could have saved Abertha¡¯s life; why did she have to steal and give it to her grandmother, who had already lived enough?"


    Away from the murmurs, Dominic was looking at his sister, who was lying in the casket surrounded by lilies.


    ¡¯Dom, when I get better, let¡¯s go and y in the Valley of Flowers. I want to be surrounded by lots and lots of flowers.¡¯


    His sister had said those words to him with a smile on her face, and she was indeed surrounded by a lot of flowers ¡ª just not in the way he wanted her to be.


    "Dom," Tao stepped forward as he patted him on the shoulders. "Don¡¯t worry, she will have to pay for this."


    "Damn right," Luca agreed with tears trickling down his eyes as he wiped them with the back of his arm. "I cannot believe that Inez would steep so low¡ªbut what can we expect after all the investigation?"


    ke ced the lily in his hands quietly in the casket before remarking, "We will make her suffer until she is begging for death."


    "But we won¡¯t give it to her," Dom promised as he crumpled the lily in his hands. Inez had stolen his sister from her, and he would still have everything precious to her.


    ***********


    Three yearster,


    "I, Dominic Cherith, Alpha of Blood Moon Pack, reject Inez Sinir as my mate. A traitor who has betrayed her alpha and pack does not have the right to be my Luna."


    ??


    "Wipe my mouth, trash."


    Inez sighed at the cocky tone and absurd order. She bent doubled and picked up a tissue with which she wiped the milk-stained mouth of the brat sitting on a chair and ordered her like he was her king.


    "Did no one teach you?" She said to the boy after she finished wiping his mouth for him. "You shouldn¡¯t call anyone older than you trash. Especially if you are asking for help from them."


    The ten-year-old boy looked up at her and drawled, "But that¡¯s what everyone calls you. Now how about you get me chicken wings, trash?" the boy rolled his eyes and stated, "And you are not helping me. You are serving me, be clear about it."


    Inez¡¯s expression faltered when she heard the cocky words of the little boy.


    "What was that?"


    "Nothing; did you say chicken wings? I will get them for you," Inez shed a polite and ttering smile at the boy. Not because she was scared of him or his parents but because she just saw arsehole number one flexing his muscles at her.


    Though no words were exchanged, Inez knew that if she said something wrong, Tao would knock the stuffing out of her head.


    "Then hurry up." With his many chins wobbling, the child demandingly spoke to her.


    Inez was ready to throw the boy out of the window but instead, she shed him a smile and turned on her feet before heading to the table where food was served.


    She had no choice; if she so much as touched a single strand of this brat, Inez would find herself wiping the floor of the toilets of the training grounds. With a toothbrush.


    In her defence, cleaning the toilets left unclean by shifters who were all brawn and no brains was a shitty deal.


    And that was how life was for her¡ªshitty.


    Things could be good or bad. But whenever it came to Inez¡ªlife suddenly took a turn for the worse. Like there was no other default setting other than that.


    To make things worse, Inez was half blood. As she did not have what others would call a dominant wolf¡ªthe shifters did not think much of her. If that didn¡¯t help, Inez was also part siren, something she needed to hide from the rest of the pack. Unless she wanted to be locked up and tormented for the greatest remedy that their kind had known. The Siren¡¯s tears.


    "And what a lovely decor." She heard a simpering voice from somewhere to her right.


    "I am d that you love it, Mrs. Fawcett," a masculine voice with rich, deep timbre answered the woman and Inez felt her wolf let out a yip. It should have been a growl, as it was their work that was ripped off from them and handed to someone else.


    But her wolf had always been an idiot.


    Inez, however, did not raise her head but continued to ce chicken wings on a clean te. Once in a while she picked up a small ss filled with apple juice and drowned it but no matter how many sses she drank, her thirst didn¡¯t go away.


    Her mouth was bone dry.


    Why was she sniffing Dominic Cherith¡¯s scent like it was herst stash of illegal substances?


    *****

 Chapter 3: Mate

    <h4>Chapter 3: Mate</h4>


    <strong>3</strong>


    Dominic Cherith, her ex-best friend and her current tormentor. Once, when she was six, he had stood by her side and protected her from her bullies; he had fought them to the extent that a baby tooth got knocked out.


    But maybe he realised that standing up for a weak half blood was not a good idea, that it made him stand out like a ck sheep in the crowd of white ones. So now he stood on the other side, with her bullies, making her life hell.


    It was all part of growing up.


    Shaking off that troubling thought, Inez picked up the te heaped with chicken wings and proceeded to carefully migrate around the tables in order to avoid running into Dominic.


    All was going ording to n until she passed a table that was a good ten steps away from him and abruptly felt a wave of heat crash through her. What the hell? It had to be at least twenty or twenty-one degrees here, so why was she suddenly sweating like it was ny?


    Her arms felt shaky and so did her legs. How wonderful it would be if she could simply drop the te she was holding and leave. It would certainly do thatzy boy, Ron, a world of good to jump off his chair and fetch his own food for a change.


    Ugh. Sweat dripped down her inner thighs and her back, and there was this weird churning sensation happening inside of her stomach. She better not have caught a bug or something.


    She couldn¡¯t afford to get sick. Not now.


    ¡¯I need to get out of here,¡¯ thought Inez as she continued past the tables and almost dumped the te of chicken wings in front of Ron.


    "Took you long enough," Ron griped as he picked up a wing and helped himself. "No wonder you are called trash; you are so slow." As he spoke, he literally swallowed the meat off the bone before hurling it at her forehead. "Pick it up," hemanded.


    Inez gritted her teeth. However, the thought of being used as the pack¡¯s punching bag stopped her from retaliating. After six months of being kicked around, she dared not go against Dominic or hisckeys.


    She crouched and picked up the bone before throwing it in the trash can.


    However, as she stood up, she had the unmistakeable feeling of being watched. She turned around to locate the culprit and unexpectedly spotted Dominic staring at her.


    And no sooner did their gazes meet than heat burst through her core, causing her toes to curl.


    What the ¡ª


    Inez could feel her heart thumping as the delectable smell of bonbons, whisky, and something else flooded her nostrils. The scent was so potent that she could almost taste it.


    What was going on?


    Inez had no idea what was happening but something about the situation triggered her inner wolf. She pawed at her from within as she chased her tail. She was, of course, not moving; it was just an anthropomorphization of her emotions.


    Her wolf, Nia, was ecstatic.


    ¡¯Him, Him, Him. ¡¯ Nia was demanding and the instant Inez¡¯s gaze met with Dominic¡¯s wide one, the frantic chant inside of her head changed.


    <i>¡¯Mine, Mine, Mine</i>.¡¯


    Her inner wolf wed at her inner surface, and even though Inez wanted to look away, she was certain that even a team of one hundred horses could not tear her away from her spot.


    ¡¯<i>MATE</i>!¡¯ As if to answer her confusion, her wolf shouted that word with such intensity that her head buzzed.


    No.


    Dominic Cherith? The one who had turned every single minute of her life worse than hell was her mate.


    Oh Hell the Fuck, No.


    ***


    Inez felt nothing but sheer panic. Obviously, she did not share the same joy as her wolf. She could feel her hands turning mmy the second Dominic¡¯s nostrils red, and his wolf shed in his eyes.


    His eyes widened for half a degree before his lips set into a thin scowl.


    ¡¯Don¡¯te here.. please.. Don¡¯t.¡¯ Inez prayed silently in her head. She suppressed her desires, which were raging in her very blood. Thankfully, beingtent must have helped her because her wolf couldn¡¯t run wild. That was a hell lot of good news because Inez could feel her wolf going feral when Eve unexpectedly turned around and kissed Dominic.


    On the lips.


    And he did nothing. If he knew and realized that she was his mate, he made no signs to show it. He remained where he was, letting another female kiss him.


    Inez heard her wolf howl in anger¡ª so hard that she caused her head to buzz for three or more seconds.


    It was painful, shitty and the absolute worst kind of feeling¡ªfar worse even than finding out that her childhood friends were no longer her friends but abusers.


    "HEY TRASH! DO YOU NOT HEAR ME?" An angry roar snapped Inez out of her thoughts as she turned and looked at the boy sitting on her left. He was ring at her, and he was ring hard. "Do you not see the litter on the ground? Why haven¡¯t you picked it up? And what about the ice cream? Where is my chocte ice cream? Did you forget what you need to do tonight?"


    It was only then that Inez remembered that she was supposed to be the nanny of this brat for the party. Cursing herself, she bent down and started cleaning up the mess Ron had made.


    Inez might be the nner behind this entire party, but all her credit had long been snatched away, leaving nothing for her but this thankless nanny-duty.


    "Ronnie-kins? What¡¯s wrong? Who made you upset?" Mrs Fawcett came rushing over with concern a few secondster, and Inez heard her worried litany the moment she approached the table.


    "It¡¯s her. She is driving me mad, Mommy," Ron replied, and from her peripheral view, Inez could see him hugging his mother. "I asked her to bring me ice-cream but she is so slow. Can¡¯t I get someone else other than this trash?"


    "Now, now, Ronnie. There are not enough waste of spaces like her," Mrs Fawcett chuckled heartily at her joke. "They don¡¯t have the time to run around as they have too much free time on their hands."


    Inez felt her blood boil at the words. She had worked until her entire body started creaking. From the napkins to the chandelier and the ice statue, they were all her creations and yet she was being called a waste of space.


    However, she had learnt the hard way not to run her mouth. So, even though her wolf nipped at her surface, she stayed quiet while inwardly trying her best to suppress the embarrassing desires that were surging in her veins.


    "Is something the matter?"

 Chapter 4: I accept your rejection

    <h4>Chapter 4: I ept your rejection</h4>


    Inez sucked in a breath; the scent of bonbons was overwhelming and her wolf was frantic. Of course, these two things had no connection whatsoever but both of them were driving her crazy.


    She could practically feel her wolf thrashing against her surface, pleading, whining and crying to get out and rub against her mate.


    But the restraints held her back.


    Inez had always felt sorry for herself as she could not shift but this time around, she was d. Because if she was able to shift, she would have torn Eve¡¯s head for leaving marks on their mate.


    However, somewhere beneath the worry, fear and confusion, she felt thrilled. Maybe he did care? Maybe he still had some feelings for her? Thoughts like these swirled in her mind, causing her to feel giddy.


    "Ah yes." Mrs Fawectt frowned as she turned to look at Dominic. "I don¡¯t want toe out as rude, Alpha Cherith. As yourpany had done such a fine job in preparing for my Mother-inw¡¯s ny-ninth birthday, but this nanny¡ªthat you have prepared¡ªmy son is not satisfied with her."


    Inez threw the bones in the trash can as she turned to look at Dominic, who was studying her. His gaze was appraising rather than lusting as hers; a heartbeatter he smiled and turned to look at Mrs. Fawcett before saying, "I see. Has she upset you?"


    "Very much."


    "I understand," Dominic nodded, his voice still as frustratingly calm as usual and it irked Inez. Why? Why was he reacting as if he couldn¡¯t sense that they were mates?


    No, he did sense they were mates¡ªbut he simply did not care enough to show it, and it made Inez angry. Soon she could feel her anger much more clearly than the heat that was coursing in her veins.


    The way he was reacting ¡ªit was as if he didn¡¯t even deem her important enough to react. But the second he nced at her, Inez wished he hadn¡¯t even acknowledged her at all.


    Dominic turned and nced at Inez lightly before saying, "Please don¡¯t worry, she will be punished thoroughly." There was a sadistic glint in those eyes, which terrified Inez.


    This was how Dominic looked at her when he was about to hand the most soul-crushing punishment to her.


    A sense of foreboding rose in Inez¡¯s heart as she warily eyed the man in front of her.


    "No." even though Inez didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of idea what the man was going to do, she still shook her head and pleadingly spoke to him. "Don¡¯t do this, Dominic."


    Maybe instinctively she knew what the man was going to do.


    Dominic ignored her just like he had ignored her pleas in the past few months.


    He parted his lips while staring at Inez coldly.


    "I, Dominic Cherith, Alpha of Blood Moon Pack¡ª"


    "Dominic, NO!" Inez shouted but Dominic continued speaking, "Reject Inez Sinir as my mate. A traitor who has betrayed her alpha and pack does not have the right to be my Luna."


    It got so quiet in the banquet hall that Inez could even hear her breathing along with the crushing noise of her crumbling heart.


    Rejected? Dominic¡¯s words ring in her ears. Traitor who has betrayed her alpha? When did she!? She tried to recall the things that she had done in the past few months and other than not attending Abertha¡¯s funeral, Inez couldn¡¯t recall doing anything that could make Dominic hate her.


    There was also the part of her being part siren¡ªbut even if he knew that she was a siren, neither of these two reasons was enough for Dominic to reject her.


    Unless he never cared enough for her. Or maybe he was waiting for a moment like this where he could humiliate and hurt her in this way.


    Maybe her existence was nothing less than an inconvenience to this man, which was why he rejected her.


    After all, how could atent like her who couldn¡¯t even shift be the Luna of this pack?


    Inez roared but at that moment she couldn¡¯t hear anything other than the mewling of her wolf as she cried for help.


    She was half blood, to begin with ¡ª and with this rejection, her wolf had weakened even more.


    There were thousands of questions that Inez wanted to ask but when she opened her mouth, only one word spilt out of her lips: "Why?"


    "You know why," Dominic answered coolly and Inez curled her lips in a watery smile. Though her eyes were filled with tears, she refused to cry.


    "That¡¯s the thing; I have no idea," Inez retorted. Her wolf exhaled in agony as she tried to reach forward and called for Dominic¡¯s wolf. That besotted wolf was still hoping that their mates would change their decision.


    However, neither Dominic nor his wolf showed them any mercy.


    Inez felt her wolf howl inside of her head and she closed her eyes.


    She drew a ragged breath. "Fine," she was sweating so hard that her clothes were sticking to her skin. Inez could sense and feel the gazes of every single person in the banquet hall.


    She knew that by tomorrow morning, rumours of how she held such less importance in Dominic¡¯s eyes that he rejected her over a brat¡¯s tantrum would spread all over the pack as well as the other packs.


    Somewhere she heard someone snicker.


    It was horrible ¡ªthe pain, the humiliation and on top of the heat and rejection. All of the emotions were jumbled and she was about to lose her head.


    "I ept your rejection." Inez chewed the inside of her cheek as she epted the rejection. She didn¡¯t think that their rtionship woulde to this but now that it had, she knew that she had toe to terms with it.


    Another pain sliced through her. It was sharp and deep, almost making her faint. It was a terrible longing. A loss filled with despair.


    Somewhere inside of her ¡ªthere was a crack like her very spine had broken.


    And just as the pain intensified, it suddenly disappeared.


    Though her body was still shaking because of the pain, Inez could at least breathe. She raised her head and looked at Dominic, who was staring at her with an appraising gaze, like this wasn¡¯t what he expected.


    Laughter bubbled in Inez¡¯s throat. What else did he expect? Did he think that she would get on her knees and beg him? Like how she had been doing for the past few months.


    Three years ago, she left the pack because her maternal grandmother was seriously sick after losing her mate.


    As she was part siren, Inez wanted to use her half-baked skills to save her grandmother, which was why she left the pack. Back then everything was fine; Dominic and she were still friends.


    Her other three best friends also treated her well.


    But when she returned, every single thing had turned upside down. Dominic, who had once stood by her side and protected her, turned his back on her.


    No, it would have been better if that was all there was to it.


    He had tormented her, turned her into the pack¡¯s punch bag and she had epted it. In return, all she had asked was for Dom to tell her the reason why he had turned his back on her, and yet he had never once answered.


    Now, Inez had enough of it. Since this was what he wanted, this was what she would give him.

 Chapter 5: Trash In Trash Can

    <h4>Chapter 5: Trash In Trash Can</h4>


    Inez turned on her feet and walked away; she didn¡¯t wait for anyone to throw her out of the hall or for Dominic to hurl another round of jeers and taunts at her.


    However, just as she took three steps, a wall made of muscles and raw masculinity came to a stop in front of her. Inez raised her head and looked at Tao; like Dom,he was her best friend as well but after the summer, he also turned into a jerk just like Dominic.


    "You are going just like that?" Tao said to her with a jeer. "We haven¡¯t even finished yet, thest remaining ceremony of this fantastic rejection."


    He then turned to look at Ron, who was hugging his mother¡¯s neck and called out to him, "Hey boy, do you want to see trash going in the trash can?"


    Inez¡¯s eyes widened as she looked up at Tao, who stared down at her with a grin on his face. But his eyes¡ªoh those darned eyes¡ªremained two chips of ice.


    "I want to! I want to!" the snotty brat yelled in glee and at some point others joined as well but Inez continued to look at Tao.


    "Please," she pleaded with him. She had enough. Inez had no idea what and why Tao and the rest were doing this to her, but she couldn¡¯t do it¡ª she couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    "Words like ¡¯please,¡¯ do not suit sinners like you," Tao growled at her and before Inez could open her mouth to defend herself, a disgusting scent filled her nostrils, followed by something gooey and sticky trickling down her head, past her shoulders, and into her clothes.


    Inez blinked her eyes and looked up at Tao, who was holding a dustbin in his hands. And that dustbin had been overturned on her head.


    "HAHAHAHA!"


    "Mom, the trash is in the trash can! Hahaahaha!"


    Tao appraised Inez¡¯s expression as if waiting for the rage to explode but when it didn¡¯t, he looked at Ron and the Fawcetts before saying, "Is this enough, Mrs. Fawcett?"


    "Of course," said the woman before saying in a hypocritical voice, "I think you went a bit too far. The poor girl looks like she is going to cry."


    "Not at all, Mrs Fawcett." ke, who stood next to Dom, smiled and said in a polite voice, "The trash of our pack dared to make you upset; this is the least we could do. Not to mention it¡¯s quite upsetting to have someone like her as our Luna; take it as if we are cleaning up our trash. As for crying¨C"


    "You do not have to worry about that." Inez raised her hand and wiped her face before pushing the locks of her hair back. She turned and looked at ke,pletely ignoring Dom. "No matter how worthless I am in your eyes, I will not waste my tears on cold-hearted bastards like you. So I am sorry, the show¡¯s over."


    With that, she turned on her feet and walked past Tao, making sure to bump as hard as she could into his shoulders.


    Even if that man might not feel anything as she was too weakpared to him, Inez wished to inflict even the tiniest bit of pain on these men as they had done to her.


    "Inez Sinir, what did you do now?"


    Now, she loved her mom. Had loved her from the very moment she gained consciousness but she really wished that her mother could be a tad bit polite and loving to her.


    Like, what happened to you, sweetie? How was your day? Did you have a good time? Were you bullied? Or what¡¯s with the trash that¡¯s sticking to your clothes and hair? Who did it to you?


    However, Maria Sinir was too lost in her own perfectionist world to care about these little things. What she cared about was what her daughter did to piss off the Alpha, as it could threaten her peace and the position of her son.


    "Good to see you too, Mom." Inez greeted her mother as she took off her heels and walked inside the house, ignoring the way the fabric of her dress clung to her. As for what kind of nasty liquid was trickling down on her skin, Inez didn¡¯t want to think about it.


    If she did, she would throw up. And God forbid if that Nora Loui carpet were to get dirty. Her mother would rip her a new one.


    "Do you think it¡¯s funny, Inez? Because it¡¯s not?" Mrs. Sinir came face to face with Inez before snapping angrily, "Can¡¯t you stop causing trouble for me and your brother for just one day?"


    Of course, her mother was going to say this to her. Inez didn¡¯t even know why she even bothered to hope that her mother would look past all the shiny and glittery benefits she could get by licking Dominic¡¯s arse and care for her.


    She took off her jacket and dumped it in the trash can before saying to her mom, "Well, I am sorry. I know I should have thanked them for dumping the entire trash can on my head, Mom but you know I was trying hard to not drink something icky lest your reputation gets ruined by it."


    "Don¡¯t talk to me in that tone, youngdy," snapped Maria just as Inez walked past her, who chased right after her, hot on her heels, as she eximed angrily, "Do you even understand what is on the line here, huh? Your brother had put his heart and soul into getting a chance to work right under Tao, the beta of the pack. As long as he is epted by Tao, the whole pack will have to ept your brother."


    "Ricky has done so much for our family while you have only caused trouble. Because of him, the bullying has lessened and we no longer have to walk around as if we are walking on eggshells. While you have only caused our family to be humiliated and trampled on. Now I only hope for you to stay quiet and go with the flow; is it that hard?"

 Chapter 6: Why are you doing this to me!

    <h4>Chapter 6: Why are you doing this to me!</h4>


    Inez had been listening to the same words over and over again, to the point that she was about to go crazy. And this was all because Dominic and the rest turned their backs on her.


    Over and over again, she had questioned herself a million times. <i>Why? Why did they hate her? What happened that made them hate her?</i>


    She bit her lip and turned to face her mother before saying to her, "Do you really think that? Do you really think that it¡¯s my fault? Then I will go and tell them the truth; let¡¯s see if they will still me me once they realise where I was and what I was doing."


    No sooner did she say those words than Maria¡¯s expression changed. She rushed over to where Inez was standing and yelled, "No, you can¡¯t!"


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t because the fact that her daughter was a half-siren was the biggest regret and shame for Maria Sinir.


    She looked at her and said sternly, "You will not do such a thing. I have had enough of all the trouble you are bringing to our house, and I will not have you ruin your father¡¯s and my reputation as well."


    Inez scoffed. "Of course, who cares that I must pay for your well-maintained reputation to stay clean by being the pack¡¯s punching bag, right? Are you really this blind mom? Or do you simply not take me as your daughter?


    She spread her hands in front of her and showed the muck and grime sticking to her clothes and hair to her mother. "Can¡¯t you see this? All you care about is your reputation, your love life with your mate and how your son is doing but what about me? You know that I was not in the wrong but you won¡¯t let me tell the pack the truth because you fear your reputation getting damaged."


    "I am not going to let you ruin Ricky," she said, pretending as if she could not hear a thing that Inez had said. "You could have simply avoided all the trouble if you had just apologised instead of maintaining that you did nothing wrong and made our alpha angry at you."


    Inez clenched her fists so hard that her nails cut through the skin of her palms.


    It didn¡¯t even matter to her mother whether she was at fault or not. As far as her mother was concerned, Dominic and the rest were at the top of the food chain of this pack where they lived. And because their family was at the bottom of the pyramid, her mother wanted to kiss Dominic¡¯s feet until everything went back to how things were.


    However, Inez refused to shatter the onest thing that she was proud of.


    Her pride.


    As a part siren, she would rather die than lower her head and admit that she did something that she didn¡¯t. Sirens were prideful creatures; in fact, if Inez was to say that pride flowed in her veins instead of blood, she wouldn¡¯t be wrong.


    The only reason she stayed in the pack was because, as a part-shifter, she craved the connection and trust of her pack mates. More importantly, with the radicles running¡ª the ¡¯We hate shifters and all creatures that were not humans deserve to die,¡¯ movement¡ª was quite terrified of the notion of running away.


    If she escaped the pack, there were only two options left in front of her. Either die in the hands of a rogue or in the hands of those shifters-hating organisations.


    That¡¯s why she stayed in the pack. But ¡ª


    There was no way she was going to bow her head in front of Dominic when it was clear that it was him who gave up on her.


    And the one person who was even more devastated because of this sudden cklisting was her mother. She had long enjoyed the privilege that came with being the mother of the alpha¡¯s best friend. However, the second Dominic turned his back on her, her mother started to lose her temper with her as well.


    Now she didn¡¯t even have the patience to listen to the things that Inez had to say to her.


    "Can¡¯t you stand up for me just once in your life? I love you, Mom, but you are making it really difficult for me to look at you with the same respect that I used to have for you."


    Her mother¡¯s lips twitched as she looked at her and silently appraised her. She then licked her lips and mulled over how to respond to what Inez had said to her. She then said, "Of course, I want to stand by your side but¡ª"


    "Really? Because that¡¯s not what I can see. You don¡¯t help me when I get bullied and you don¡¯t even care that I am being tormented."


    "You can see that I was treated like a dirty rag but you still me me for causing trouble. Why? Just because I can no longer bring glory to you and your son, I no longer deserve the basic human respect?"


    "Enough! Is this how you are supposed to talk to your mother?" Maria snapped with an annoyed expression.


    Inez rolled her eyes as she turned on her feet and climbed back upstairs. She knew that even if she were to waste her time quibbling with her mother, she would only waste her time.


    And with the condition she was in, Inez would rather take a bath than try to make her mother understand her problems. Because she knew that even though her mother loved her, she loved the very idea of perfection more. And with how she was, Inez knew that she didn¡¯t quite sit right with the perfect world her mother wanted to create.


    "Wohohoho," As soon as she opened the door to her room, which she shared with her sister, Inez heard her half-sister hoot.


    With her fiery red hair and green eyes, Scarlet looked at her with amusement flickering in her eyes.


    "They got you good, huh?" she remarked with a hint of teasing in her voice.


    "Shut up, Scar." As close as Inez was to Scarlet, she really didn¡¯t wish to talk with her right now.


    "Hey, don¡¯t take it out on me," Scarlet raised her hands in the air before asking, "Do you want painkillers?"


    "I do, loads of them," replied Inez as she marched to the bathing room and closed the door behind her. Because as much as she didn¡¯t wish to be alone, Inez knew that nothing would help her more than crying a river in her bathtub.


    And as she slipped inside the warm water and brought her knees closer to her and buried her face within them, Inez could no longer hold back the tears that she was trying to stop from falling.


    "Why? Why are you doing this to me?" She questioned with her shoulders shaking just as forcibly as she said those words.


    However, no one answered her and just like how Dominic had sneered at her upon hearing this question, the silence sneered at her.

 Chapter 7: How could you be so foolish?

    <h4>Chapter 7: How could you be so foolish?</h4>


    When Inez stepped out of the bathing room, she saw Scarlet holding a first-aid kit in her hand. She arched a brow when she saw the hint of surprise in Inez¡¯s eyes and remarked, "What? Were you hit so hard in the head that youpletely forgot all about what a first aid kit is?"


    "No, it¡¯s just a shocker to see you care for someone, Scar," stated Inez as she marched to her bed and sat down.


    "Haha," Scarletughed dryly before sitting on the small cushion chair and taking out a ball of cotton from the box. "Given how dry your humor is, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they told you that the reason they hate you so much is because you made some bad dad joke ages ago."


    She saw the look on Inez¡¯s face and muttered, "Sorry."


    "There is no need to apologize." Inez sighed and waved her hand dismissively. She knew that Scarlet was only trying to make her feel better, and she appreciated her attempts. It¡¯s just that Inez had no energy to smile; the pain and humiliation that she had suffered tonight made her feel as if she had lost a part of her soul.


    And maybe she did; her wolf was hurt, angry, and in a really heartbroken mood. She had tried tomunicate with her wolf but thetter refused to listen to a thing; all she knew was that her mate had rejected and abandoned her and that was the end of the world.


    As for what Inez had to say, her wolf did not care about it.


    She had retreated so deep within Inez that even Inez had no idea when her wolf would be willing to step out of her shell.


    "Are you okay?" Realising that Inez was even quieter than usual, Scarlet couldn¡¯t help but ask. She knew her sister was no longer the same after things went south, but she had never seen Inez so silent before, as if the light in her life had been snatched away. "Is it because that bitch retook your credit? We already knew this was going to happen, Inez. but if it makes you feel good, I will try to put green dye in the shampoo of that woman the next time I sneak into her house¡ª"


    "I found my mate."


    "what ¡ª"


    "It¡¯s Dominic."


    "Wait¡ª"


    "He rejected me."


    Scarlet looked at Inez as if the woman had gone crazy but when she did not hear her sister say, ¡¯Sike, it was a joke,¡¯ her eyes softened. She reached out and hugged Inez, "I am so sorry, sweetie."


    "If I had known that he was going to do such a thing one day, I would have sliced his throat," growled Scarlet.


    Though the two of them were half-sisters, Scar was as protective of Inez as if she were her true sister.


    "It¡¯s good to hear that at least one of you has my back," Inez stated, wondering what kind of reaction her mother would have when she found out that Inez was Dominic¡¯s mate. That she had the chance to be the Luna of the pack and yet failed.


    Scar pulled away, ready to say something, when the door of their room opened and Ricky barged in.


    "Is it true?"


    The door of their room burst open and Inez swore she saw her future for two seconds.


    A WOMAN ARRESTED FOR SHOVING A GIANT UMBRELLA UP IN THE ASS OF HER BROTHER AND OPENING IT.


    "Get out," Inez had enough of Dominic¡¯s shit than worrying about Ricky¡¯s as well. She pointed to the door of her room but her brother downright ignored her as if he could not hear a thing that she was saying. He looked at her and questioned once again,


    "Is it true?"


    "And I said, Get lost, Richards! Can you not hear what I am saying?" Inez repeated feeling even more upset. Thest thing she wanted was for her family to question her when she and her wolf only wanted to hide and lick their wounds.


    "What¡¯s the matter? Why are you two screaming?" Her mom came rushing up the stairs as she looked at Ricky and Inez. Her brows scrunched up in a furrow as she waited for someone to clear up the air for her.


    "She is Dominic¡¯s mate," Ricky announced before Inez could think of how to break the news to her mother.


    "Really?" Maria turned to look at Inez with a gleam in her eyes. A gleam that Inez knew all too well.


    "Don¡¯t be too happy, Mom," Ricky added with a gloomy expression. "She epted his rejection." Only the Moon Goddess knew how thrilled he was when he found out that his sister was the alpha¡¯s mate but it took less than a second for his thrill toe crashing down when he heard that his foolish sister epted Dominic¡¯s rejection.


    "What!?" Maria shrieked and she turned to look at Inez with fire in her eyes. If she could, she would have burnt Inez alive. "Did you really do such a foolish thing, Inez Donna Sinir?" Her mother asked with such brutality that it made Inez shrink her shoulders.


    There was no helping it. Her mother was a dominant wolf, while Inez was a half-blooded shifter with siren¡¯s blood mixed in her veins. When her mother unleashed her true dominant vibes, Inez had a hard time standing her ground.


    However, she still gritted her teeth and stated, "What else was I supposed to do? He was the one who rejected me in front of the entire pack. I too have my pride ¡ª"


    The sound of a crisp p echoed in the room and Scarlet gasped when she saw Maria p Inez. Though their mother was articte in mental torment, she had never raised her hands on them. It was quite clear that their mother was quite unhappy at the moment.


    "Then you should have clung onto him! If you have refused to ept his rejection, do you think he would have any other choice but to ept you as his Luna? Do you even understand what a severe mistake you havemitted, Inez?"


    Their mother breathed heavily and pressed her fingers on her forehead. "Even though I always tell myself that you are silly and your actions are nothing but foolish. This is too much!"

 Chapter 8: Grieve something that wasn’t dead

    <h4>Chapter 8: Grieve something that wasn¡¯t dead</h4>


    Inez smiled mockingly. She didn¡¯t even know what she expected. Her cheek was throbbing but more than that, it was her heart that was hurting. She had been humiliated, embarrassed, and rejected all in one night. But instead of worrying about her, her family held her ountable for losing the opportunity that could have brought them to higher heights.


    Even if it meant her pride was used as a tissue to wipe Dominic¡¯s ass.


    She took a breath and swallowed hard before saying, "It is a done deal. He rejected me and I epted it. There is nothing that we can do about it, so you might as well forget it."


    Though she said it, Inez felt her wolf whine inside of her. She was weaker than the other dominant wolf, but she was still very much alive in Inez. Thus, when she heard Inez say that they should forget all about Dominic, the wolf couldn¡¯t help but make her presence known.


    That she was still grieving and forgetting was not on her agenda.


    Inez didn¡¯t me her wolf. Every shifter dreamed of that moment when they would find their true mate. Inez had too. She had envisioned several and multiple scenarios but she had never once imagined a scenario where her mate would hate her guts and would rather kiss a stinky, two-faced bitch than ept her.


    Every vision that she had of her true mate had been killed and brutally snatched from her. It just evaporated like smoke. And the reason? Inez didn¡¯t even know of it. She just knew that Dominic hated her. And God, she hated him for that too.


    How could he hate her? When she had never once done a thing that would let him down. Yet he looked her in the eye and told her that she had backstabbed him.


    She should have stabbed him with a pitchfork when they were children and as much as her wolf was mourning the loss of their mate, she growled at that idea in appreciation. Because somewhere beneath the pain, she was stung and angry at the rejection.


    In her heart¡ªdeep down in her heart, she and her wolf knew that this was nothing but the ultimate betrayal on Dominic¡¯s part.


    "This is not up to you!" Inez heard the hysterical shout of her mother. Her eyes were wildly flickering as Maria said to her, "I will go and talk with the ex-alpha; he¡ªhe cannot do it; how can he?"


    Inez didn¡¯t stop her mother. Because she knew that no matter what Maria did now, it wasn¡¯t going to change anything. She had been chasing after Dominic for six months but the man had never given her the answer that she had been looking for.


    That man could be colder and quieter than a corpse if he wanted and it would have been good if he was dead because, at least that way, Inez didn¡¯t have to grieve over something that wasn¡¯t dead.


    Her mother left the room and so did Ricky, but not before shooting her a disgusted re. He was her brother; he should be standing next to her but god, he was an arsehole to even think things through his head and not his ass.


    "Are you okay?" Scarlet looked at Inez, whose left side of the cheek was swelling really badly. Seeing the pain in the eyes of her sister, Scarlet asked, "Why don¡¯t you leave the pack, Nessie? How long are you going to suffer like this?"


    And honestly, for the first time, Inez asked the same question as well.


    "You are in for trouble," a woman with her hair dyed in silver dye walked over to Inez¡¯s cubicle and dumped a stack of old files. "It seems like you really pissed off, Alpha Dom,st night."


    "By doing what?" Inez asked as she picked up the file that was on the top of the stack and coughed when the dirt furled to her nose. "What are these for?"


    Cecil smiled at her in the manner that said ¡¯bless your soul,¡¯ before replying in a soft voice, "You have been put on the case of Alpha Sokolov."


    "What!?"


    Her shout rang throughout the small office, which was more like a storeroom than an office, making many of the shifters turn and re at her but Inez didn¡¯t care.


    She didn¡¯t say a word when she found a used condom in her coffee; she didn¡¯t say a word when she was called the pack¡¯s slut and someone dropped a punch of sexy lingerie on her house¡¯s door with their number and a dor.


    And she didn¡¯t say anything even when she was tripped, punched, and even had her hair pulled.


    But this was whole-level different.


    Killian Sokolov.


    The most difficult client of their events and interior decorpany. She had never dealt with him personally but she knew that the man was one of the pickiest men she had ever heard about.


    He wasn¡¯t a brooder like Dominic, no. He was quite a charmer when it came to dealing with women. Never had she seen him looking angry or broody or losing his temper.


    But boy, that Lycan had the ability and skill to make all the interior decorators who went on a meeting with him cry with a smile stered on his lips. She never once heard of a single meeting going well.


    And if that wasn¡¯t all. He had never, ever liked the work of theirpany.


    If not for the fact that they had an alliance, Inez would have wondered if he had a bone to pick with Dominic.


    The fact that Dominic had pushed such a man in herp, it left her speechless and angry. What was that man angry about? It was she who was disrespected and humiliated.


    Strictly speaking, she should be spitting in the cup of his coffee, so why was he pulling this stunt on her?


    "You are not happy," Cecil, if nothing but sang.


    Inez gritted her teeth and threw the file and asked, "Will you be happy if you were in my shoes?"


    Not only did she have to put up with Eve¡¯s bullshit, but now she had to deal with this mess.

 Chapter 9: Not a moment of peace

    <h4>Chapter 9: Not a moment of peace</h4>


    "Well, you should have expected this after what happened yesterday," said Cecil. Though she looked at Inez with pity in her eyes, that was her limit of sympathy, and Inez didn¡¯t me her. After all, thest time someone helped her in the pack, they were brutally mutted by Tao.


    The poor guy had to stay in bed for more than two months, and that was how everyone in the pack got the memo. No one was allowed to help Inez and if they dared to show mercy on her, then they would be the ones suffering for it.


    Ever since then, no one dared to show even an ounce of kindness to Inez and preferred to be just an onlooker.


    Inez closed her eyes and breathed in and out. She wanted to calm down and think rationally but she couldn¡¯t. Her wolf was already in pain; she didn¡¯t even get enough time to lick her wounds and heal but before Inez could even think of a way to bring peace to her wolf, Dominic came up with another way to torment her.


    After another failed attempt to calm herself down, Inez shook her head and told Cecil, "Tell him that I am not doing it."


    With what happenedst night, Inez thought that Dominic would be done tormenting her. He had not just rejected her; he had destroyed a piece of her soul. It should have been enough, but apparently it wasn¡¯t.


    "Are you sure?" Cecil asked as she raised her brows. "Making this decision will bring you pain in the long run. He is not going to like it."


    "Well, he has to deal with it," Inez bristled. "I have enough mess in my hands; maybe if he asked his sweetheart to do her job instead of paying her for strutting around in those slutty lingeries that she calls dresses, I will have enough time to meet with Alpha Sokolov."


    Inez was not exaggerating. When Tao and Dominic asked her to join theirpany, she had agreed in a heartbeat, all because she thought that they had moved past whatever bullshit that they were going through.


    Except they didn¡¯t. They had made use of her trust in them and had her sign a contract where she agreed to work as a shadow worker for Eve.


    Thus, all the work in which she poured her heart and soul¡ªwell, its credit went to Eve automatically.


    So, while Eve lived a carefree life pretending to be a genius interior decorator and event nner, it was Inez who did all her work. At a pay that could never be called decent.


    Cecil shrugged. She didn¡¯t bother to convince Inez before leaving.


    Inez watched her leave before turning her attention to the new project that was handed to her by Eve and pursed her lips. She looked at the notes that Eve had taken down before resigning herself to the fact that she had to call the client and retake these notes.


    Because they were a mess!


    And Inez was certain that Eve must have done it deliberately. She loved it when Inez was scolded by the clients for being a messy assistant. Even though she wasn¡¯t, this was what she chose and Inez had to pay for her decision.


    She sighed and picked up the phone on the table, already prepared to hear a diatribe from the client.


    "You have been called to the office." Cecil returned after half an hour and pointed at Dominic¡¯s office just as Inez ced the receiver of the phone down. She gave a look to Inez and stated, "He was beyond pissed when I told him that you had refused. Just a heads-up."


    "Thanks," Inez got from her seat and locked theptop before leaving her cubicle. She walked past the many cubicles while ignoring the snickering and contemptuous looks that the other shifters shed her. It was hurtful at first but now she was almost used to it.


    Ignoring the looks, she went to the office where Dominic was and raised her hand to knock.


    Knock. Knock.


    She hit the surface of the wood for two times before dropping her hand.


    "Come in," a muffled voice drifted past the wooden door and Inez cursed when she felt her wolf perk up. Even though she had been humiliated like that, she still held some hope for her mate. Pathetic.


    Inez ignored the way her wolf started pacing inside of her; instead, she pushed open the door and walked inside. She ignored Tao, who smirked at her and said, "You called me, Alpha?"


    "I did," Dominic raised his head and looked at Inez. His eyes shed with dissatisfaction when he saw that the woman was still standing tall without any signs of breaking down. He thought that after his rejection, Inez would make a fuss but other than her initial objection, she did not show any signs of difort or disappointment.


    It made him upset and angry. His wolf for one was filled with rage at the idea of her cold response. Even though they rejected her, ording to his wolf¡¯s expectations, this woman should have begged them. Lowered her head and pleaded with them to take her back.


    Only then would a part of them be satisfied.


    And the revenge that they wanted to take on her would have been fulfilled.


    However, Inez didn¡¯t do anything. She didn¡¯t reach out to them, even though Dominic was fully expecting her to.


    But when she didn¡¯t, it made him mad.


    Thus, he deliberately brought up the project that they received from Killian Sokolov and pushed it into Inez¡¯sp. He wanted her to react, which he knew she would because she was already busy with the project that Eve had received.


    And Inez didn¡¯t let him down.


    "I heard that you rejected the project that I asked you to handle; any particr reason for that?" he asked even though he knew that she was already buried in work. He was more than just formal with her; even though he had rejected her yesterday night, Dominic wanted to make Inez realise that she mattered less than a grain of salt to him.


    "Other than being strapped with two projects, three meetings, and five home visits, I don¡¯t see any other reason, Alpha," replied Inez with a sarcastic sneer. "Of course, if you can just wait for my soul to leave my body after all the work that you are piling on me ... I think I can manage this meeting with Alpha Sokolov."

 Chapter 10: Stabbing where it hurts

    <h4>Chapter 10: Stabbing where it hurts</h4>


    "You have to hand it to her, Dom," Tao, who was sitting on the ck leather couch, smugly sneered at Inez. "Even after being shown her ce again and again as the pack¡¯s trash, she is quite stupid."


    He gave Inez a look and stated, "I mean, you would think she would get the message by now but that head¡¯s quite thick. Don¡¯t you think?"


    Inez felt her heart stung a little when she heard Tao call her ¡¯trash¡¯; after Dominic, if there was someone she had trusted more than herself, it was Tao. Her foolish and naive self hadn¡¯t thought twice before spilling all her secrets to Tao and this man had publicized all of her secrets in front of the pack, making her a joke.


    Some of the pack members stillughed and mocked her for acting like a baby, while some asked her if she wanted a tissue to wipe her tears after being treated like an unwanted child by her mother.


    It was one of her biggest insecurities and secrets that she had shared with Tao, and that man had shown her why she shouldn¡¯t have done that.


    Thus, even though her heart was hurting, she didn¡¯t acknowledge him. Instead, she waited for Dominic to speak.


    The man held her gaze and waited for her to show the same pained expression that she had shown him in the past. But hey! There was a limit to which a person could feel pain and these men had long surpassed those limits. It would be a surprise if Inez still felt as hurt as she did the first time; they had let her down.


    "Tao¡¯s right," After a long pause, Dominic spoke up. He arched a brow and asked, "What makes you think that you can refuse my orders?"


    Inez looked at Dominic, and this time around she didn¡¯t look at him as her childhood friend or the boy who had once rescued her from her bullies. Instead, she looked at him like he wanted to, as her tormentor, and calmly replied, "The fact that I am the best event nner of thispany? Or the fact that I bring more than enough projects for interior decorations?"


    "You are a contractual worker¡ª"


    "A worker whose contract is about to expire," Inez countered with a calm voice. When she returned home, she was obsessed with the idea of finding out what made Dominic and the others rece her. So, even though the contract was more than unfair, she had signed it again and again.


    Of course, there was also a little pressure from her mother, who simply refused to admit that they could never return to the past. But more than that, Inez was much more concerned with the truth behind their changes.


    However, afterst night, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was even worth it. Now she was d that the contract she had signed wasing to an end; as long as the contract expired, she could hand in her resignation and pat her ass before leaving the fuck out of this office.


    And the fact that the day of her freedom was only a day away brought a thrill to Inez.


    "Are you threatening me?" Dominic asked, his voice lowering by a pitch as a growl erupted from his throat. She could sense that his wolf was pressing against his surface as the room slowly started to feel much more stifling due to his alpha vibes that oozed through every pore of his body.


    Inez was not an omega but being a part siren meant that her wolf was not as strong as an alpha. She lowered her head but refused to let her knees buckle under the pressure. Inez knew that he wanted her to kneel and oblige with his order but she simply refused to!


    Thus, even though she could feel every nerve in her body scream in pain, she said through clenched teeth, "I dare not; I am just reminding you that if you want Eve to continue standing firm on the pedestal that you have pushed her onto, then you need to leave a way out for me as well. If work keeps piling on me, even I will make a mistake."


    After she finished speaking, Inez heaved a sigh in relief.


    She had been pushing herself way too hard these days. She did it because she wished to be acknowledged by Dominic and hoped to get the answers to her questions, but the motivation that had once pushed her on had be a burden.


    She did it because she cared but what was the point of this care when it was only going to hurt her?


    She noticed Dominic shooting her a fierce scowl. "You do understand that this cannd you in trouble, Inez. I do not mind locking you up in the prison."


    "Then you will have to exin the dy to Mr. Patrick; I don¡¯t think he will like it," replied Inez with her palms sweating.


    BANG!


    Dominic smashed his fist on the table. He red at Inez, anger radiating from him. He demanded, "So all in all, are you going to handle this project or not?"


    It was one thing that she was behaving as if the rejection never happened, as if she wasn¡¯t bothered by his refusal to ept her¡ªbut the audacity of the woman to defy him even when he hadmanded her as her alpha made Dominic livid.


    "No," Inez knew that she was ying with fire. But after weighing the pros and cons, she decided to be a little selfish. No one knew how hard she had worked on thest event, and without having enough time to rest, she was pushed to deal with Mister Patrick¡¯s engagement ceremony.


    That man was a human and his partner was really particr about a few things. Because of this, Inez had more than six meetings piled up in just three days; she truly could not fit Killian Sokolov on top of them.


    If Dominic was determined to corner her, then she could only choose one.


    Dominic stared at her, and the way he was staring at her made Inez nervous.


    However, she was determined to not show the effect that he was having on her and thus pursed her lips and stayed quiet while waiting with bated breath.


    "Tao."


    "Right away, Dom," the man behind her chuckled like a devil¡¯s minion, which made goosebumps erupt all over Inez¡¯s skin.


    And then ¡ª


    "HELP ME!"

 Chapter 11: Her Apathetic Cruelty

    <h4>Chapter 11: Her Apathetic Cruelty</h4>


    Inez whipped her head and looked at the video that was ying on Tao¡¯sptop.


    "You fucking¡ª" She turned on her feet and marched towards Tao but before she could make a move on him, someone came hurtling down at her. The man knocked her on the floor and stepped right on her head before Inez could get back on her feet.


    "How many times do I need to tell you, Inez?" Dominic questioned as if he was trying to make a stubborn and rebellious kid understand that one plus one meant two and not eleven. He pressed his foot down on her head, making her stay put. "You are not a member of this pack. You are nothing but a piece of trash that I have discarded; you have no right to curse my friends, much less talk to them with that haughty tone, do you understand?"


    Inez gritted her teeth; she didn¡¯t want to ept it. She didn¡¯t want to bow her head but when pain shot through her temples, she gritted out, "I understand."


    Only then did Dominic pull his feet away and smile at her.


    "This is what I like about you, Inez. You are a wise girl, so don¡¯t go around acting like an idiot."


    Inez didn¡¯t speak; she simply climbed to her feet and looked at the video that was still ying on the screen of theptop. She clenched her fists, realising how much her pain soothed and amused these two men. However, she didn¡¯t dare to act impulsively.


    If it was her, she would have taken the risk. But this¡ªthis concerned Scar. Her sister, who had all the reasons to hate her but she didn¡¯t.


    "Amusing, isn¡¯t it?" Tao remarked as if he was showing her some funny video. "I wonder what will be Scar¡¯s reaction when she finds out that the entire pack has seen it?"


    Inez growled when she heard the teasing words of the man. "I thought that there was a limit to how low you two could go. It turns out that even beasts would take lessons from you two because you are worse than them."


    This video was supposed to be deleted and hidden away and yet Tao had recovered it. All for the sake of controlling her.


    "You don¡¯t get to tell us what we are, Inez," Dominic stated as he stepped forward and looked down at her. "The appointment is for one o¡¯clock, and I will have you know that you are runningte."


    "Delete that video first."


    "What if I don¡¯t?" Dominic challenged her with a quirk of his brows.


    "Then you might as well kill me right the fuck now because I am not moving until that video is deleted with a promise that it will never see the light again." Inez looked straight into his eyes and stated it coldly. She would rather die than let Scar face this kind of cruel humiliation.


    "Are you sure?"


    "I am sure."


    Inez didn¡¯t even finish replying when Dominic reached out and grabbed her by the throat. He raised his arm such that Inez¡¯s feet were dangling in air and yet she closed her eyes and epted her fate. She didn¡¯t struggle nor did she scream for mercy.


    In her life, if she owed a person her life, then it was Scarlet and she would go to any lengths to protect that girl.


    Inez felt her chest feeling stuffy as if cotton had been filled into her lungs; ck spots started dancing in front of her eyes and a horrible ringing sound that made her head pound started to ring in her ears.


    Just when she thought that she was going to die, the grip around her throat loosened and Inez fell on the floor like a rag doll. She coughed and sputtered while clutching and nursing her throat.


    "Do it, Tao." Dominic looked at the woman with a sadistic gleam in his eyes. He felt relieved seeing the pain in Inez¡¯s eyes when she saw the video that she had gone to lengths to delete.


    He never wanted to target Scarlet because he didn¡¯t have a feud with her; it was Inez he wanted to torment.


    "Sure," Tao looked at Inez and smirked before turning the video off and deleting it.


    "Hurts, doesn¡¯t it?" Dominic crouched down and knotted his fingers in Inez¡¯s hair before pulling her head back so that she was looking at him. "Did it feel good?"


    The woman looked at him with hatred, anger, and pain, but the one emotion that Dominic wanted to see never appeared.


    Guilt.


    He wanted Inez to feel guilty for what she had done. But the woman didn¡¯t seem to realise it or maybe she was too good of an actress; she knew how to mask that one emotion.


    He let go of her hair and said, "Now get your arse fuck out of my office."


    "Your oath," Inez coughed and spoke in a hoarse voice. "You forgot your oath."


    Dominic had to hand it to Inez. Even though she was battered and bruised, she cared about her sister a lot. Even when he choked her until she was half dead, she was still inclined toward safeguarding Scarlet¡¯s safety.


    Shame. She didn¡¯t give a ratass about Abby.


    He sneered and promised, "I won¡¯t do it; I give you my word as your alpha. I am not you, Inez."


    And there it was¡ªthat confusion again, as if she had no idea what she had done. But he knew that she was pretending. He had seen her enter his room in the surveince recording and had collected enough evidence that proved that it was she who stole the Tears of Siren.


    She killed his sister because Abby meant nothing to her.


    Seeing her fiercely protecting Scarlet only made him pissed off. He raised his foot and kicked her on the shoulder before snarling, "Get out! Get the fuck out!" He roared at not only Inez but at the injustice of Moon Goddess.


    Why? Why take his Abby away? Why let Scarlet be alive and do well?


    If he lost his dearest little sister, then Inez deserved to lose her too!

 Chapter 12: One more —just one more

    <h4>Chapter 12: One more ¡ªjust one more</h4>


    Inez shuddered in fear when she heard him shout at her. She knew that Dominic was out of his fucking mind, but she never thought that he also had these maniacal episodes. She had no idea what had triggered this response from him but she was not going to linger behind and ask him.


    She scrambled to her feet and rushed out of the office, and once she was in the privacy of her cubicle, she took a deep breath and tried to shake off the jitters.


    Inez wasn¡¯t amused by Dominic¡¯s actions nor was she proud of the fact that even after suffering such humiliation, she had to stay in this ce and work as if everything was alright.


    ¡¯One more day, just one more day,¡¯ Inez told herself and calmed herself down.


    She breathed out and pulled the drawer of her table open, ignoring the resignation letter in the drawer that was lying inside the drawer, she took out the small box of balm that was pushed to the very end of the drawer before closing it shut.


    It wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t thought about handing the letter to Dominic. But her haywire emotions that were scattered all over the ce because of the sudden change made it difficult and the remaining difficulty arose from the contract that she had signed.


    Inez didn¡¯t want to be locked up in prison for viting the shifter contract; thus, she had no choice but to abide by the uses. If she resigned before the term was over, Inez knew that Dominic would not think twice before sending her to the Shifter Council.


    With his contacts, she might as well forget abouting out for the rest of her life.


    What was more, even though she had never been to that ce before, she knew that the prison of the shifter council was not a ce where she would want to ever go. She had heard rumours about that ce and knew very well that once a shifter went inside that prison, they would never be the same.


    That ce left a mark so deep within a shifter that the trauma was imprinted on the soul of the very shifter.


    These past three years, she had hoped that one day she would be able to move Dominic and her friends with her determination but even Inez had to admit that she was kidding herself at this point. Dominic hated her and with how things were going, that man would probably resent and despise her for all his life.


    It was a harsh reality but it was a reality that she would just have to live with.


    Inez sighed and packed up her things. Since she had to go to this meeting, she needed to rearrange the meeting that she had with Mister Patrick.


    And boy, she was not looking forward to it.


    "...and I think arge floating bed would be nice; what do you think?"


    "I think it will be perfect, Mister Patrick," Inez replied with a half-hearted smile. This was the eighth time Patrick had changed his mind, causing Inez to redo the entire n. Sometimes she wondered if this man just didn¡¯t want her work to end like Dominic.


    "I know." With his brown hair tousled to the point that it could not be tousled anymore, Patrick swept his bangs back with his fingers. He looked at Inez with a hint of haughtiness in his eyes and stated, "I might not look like this but I too have a little knowledge of interior designing."


    Inez only smiled at this point. She had listened to these words countless times, just as she had noticed the lustful gazes that Patrick had shot her more than just once. She had turned him down politely and Patrick had also epted her refusal like a gentleman, making Inez believe that the man had let go of his intentions of sleeping with her.


    She had been wrong. Like always.


    Patrick was still clinging to her. He arranged at least three meetings in a week, and in these three meetings, he didn¡¯t forget to show off his wealth, body, and all the features that came attached to him. But no matter how wealthy the man was, Inez had never been the kind of woman to get involved with a married man or one who was about to be one.


    Just as always, Patrick reached out and threw an arm around her shoulder before pointing it to the wall behind them and speaking in what he thought was a casual voice, "And I think I am going to have a Demi-O clock ced right here. It cost more than one million, so I hope you will handle it with care, haha."


    "Sure," Inez said in a clipped tone as she noted the points down and turned to look at Patrick with a professional smile on her lips. "I will get back to you by next Friday, Mister Patrick. Don¡¯t worry, I will have this bedroom arranged just as you and your fiancee want it."


    "Really, thanks¡ª"


    "There is no need." Inez picked up her bag and ced the G-pad inside along with the electric pencil. She looked at the man and said to him, "This is my job, and I will definitely do it well. As for the wedding arrangements, please ask Miss Lily to get back to me. She asked me to arrange for pink peonies instead of white lilies, as you have requested. So I need to just confirm it before I can ce an order."


    The more Patrick clung to her, the more Inez couldn¡¯t help but remind him that he was about to be a married man.


    Patrick¡¯s brows creased. Just as Inez figured out, he didn¡¯t like being reminded of his status as a married man but then again, he shouldn¡¯t go around unting his wealth to another woman all for the sake of getting her in his bed.


    "I will tell her that," he said to her while chasing right after her. "By the way, Miss Inez, are you free this Friday night?"


    "I am sorry, Mister Patrick." Inez¡¯s smile went stiff as she shook her head and stated in a calm voice, "I have a busy schedule; there are some meetings already arranged and I am afraid that I cannot push them."


    "I would expect nothing less than from the assistant of a famous interior designer and event manager," Patrick nodded as if he understood her troubles.


    The thing was that no one did.


    Inez gritted her teeth when she heard his words. After all, she was not an assistant. She was the brain behind everything but as per the contract, she couldn¡¯t announce that. She climbed down the stairs and headed to the small truck that she drove but then ¡ª


    "What the fuck do you think you are doing here?"

 Chapter 13: Tying her once again?

    <h4>Chapter 13: Tying her once again?</h4>


    Eyes narrowed Luca said, "Nice to see you too, Inez. I am d you are in a jolly mood."


    Inez rolled her eyes at him. She knew that the man was trying to mess with her; that was the kind of man Luca was. Unlike Dominic and Tao, whose hatred was simply palpable, Luca¡¯s was like venom. It flowed deep in his veins but it never appeared on the surface unless he wanted to show his fangs.


    Though he spoke and talked with her as if they were still friends, Inez knew that he didn¡¯t think of her as his friend anymore. The fact that he had once been the ringleader of a rumour that she was pregnant with a rogue¡¯s child, which had intensified the bullying, was enough evidence.


    She walked past him. Inez had no freaking idea why this man was here or why he couldn¡¯t have just waited for her in the pack to ruin her life. But she was not going to stay behind to find out.


    However, just as she stepped past him, she saw that her truck, which was parked right under the shade of the little archway that was outside therge manor, was gone. Fury ripped through her heart. shifters were highly territorial creatures and they didn¡¯t like it when people messed with what was theirs.


    She might be half-blood, but she was a shifter nheless.


    "What did you do?" Inez asked, sounding perfectly civil, even though she wanted to rip Luca¡¯s throat for messing with her. She had been rejected, humiliated, and even threatened in less than twenty-four hours. Thest thing she wanted was her truck, which was a gift from her grandmother to be thrown in a ce where she might never find it again.


    This was why she didn¡¯t want to talk or deal with Luca. The man didn¡¯t fight fair; he didn¡¯t touch the people he had a grudge against; he attacked their vulnerabilities.


    "Nothing. Not yet at least," he tipped his chin at his sleek sports car and said to her in an imperious tone, "Get in."


    Every fibre of her being was against the idea and maybe it showed on her face because Luca chuckled at her. He said to her, "I wasn¡¯t asking you. I was telling you, if you don¡¯t, then you might not see that little truck of yours. I believe it¡¯s precious to you?"


    It was more than just precious. It was thest memory of her grandpa and her grandmother had gifted it to her when she had turned eighteen. Even though the truck had multiple ws, Inez had never thought of recing it, even though she had to turn it on with a bunch of curses.


    All because that truck held precious memories for her and her grandmother. Maybe her mother too. If that woman could get down from the high pedestal of arrogance, she would admit that she liked having that truck in her garage.


    "What do you want?" Inez asked coldly. She was not in a good mood and Luca¡¯s actions of touching her truck and taking it away when she was working only made her even angrier.


    "Just get in, Inez. I don¡¯t bite unless you want me to." He winked at her, making Inez grit her teeth. This was thest thing she needed. If it were up to her, she wanted to turn around and head back to the pack on her feet, but she knew that Luca was not joking.


    If he came this far just to threaten her, then he wouldn¡¯t leave her alone just because she seeded in avoiding him.


    As for how she knew this? Haha, that was just the perk of being his ex-best friend.


    Inez sighed unhappily. She looked at the man with resignation and Luca only smiled in return. He opened the door on the passenger seat and made an exaggerated gesture of bowing like a gentleman.


    But the more he was like this, the more Inez started to get worried. She walked towards the passenger seat, tapped it with her hands, and carefully examined it. She even went out of her way to examine the brakes and steering wheel.


    "You are getting nervous for no reason," Luca chuckled lightly when Inez slid into the seat next to him with the air of a person who believed that the car was about to explode.


    "What can I say? Your presence makes me super nervous, Luca." Inez was not lying; if she had to take a man down in a fight, then she would rather hope that it was Dominic.


    At least that man would kill her in a matter of seconds. Luca¡ª on the other hand, had the habit of ying with his prey.


    He was also the head enforcer of the pack, who was in charge of interrogating criminals. The way he could break someone¡¯s nerves was phenomenal.


    The man onlyughed.


    His careless manner made Inez bristle with anger. However, she didn¡¯t show it on her face. She hated that tiny part of her heart, which was still hoping that this man would tell her that he never meant what he had done to her and simply squashed it down.


    Turning to look at him, she asked in what she thought was a polite voice, "Why did youe looking for me?"


    "It¡¯s nothing." Turning the radio on, Luca started humming along as he continued, "There was a slight change in ns. Alpha Sokolov has pushed the meeting to tomorrow because he has to attend to some emergency."


    Even though Inez knew that the trouble had only been pushed by one day, she still heaved a sigh of relief. This was good as well; her contract was expiring tomorrow, which meant that she could just finish the meeting and hand in her resignation.


    Though the process would be a bit bumpy, she didn¡¯t mind it as long as she could leave this hell hole.


    "And I also wanted to talk about your contract."

 Chapter 14: Coercion

    <h4>Chapter 14: Coercion</h4>


    Inez cursed herself inwardly. She and her big mouth¡ªwhy did she have to mention that her contract was expiring in front of Dominic? She should have kept her mouth closed and opened it only to say ¡¯Yes, boss,¡¯ and silently handed her resignation.


    However, she was so angry upon being used and thrown as if she was a discarded piece of rag that she couldn¡¯t help but put Dominic in his ce. She wanted to see him regret missing out on her.


    And she wanted him to show some panic at the fact that her contract was soon expiring¡ªthat shepletely forgot that these men would not let her go so easily.


    When she didn¡¯t speak, Luca arched a brow and nudged her slightly. "What¡¯s with that look? Do you want to make any amends in the contract?"


    He spoke so fluidly as if he was going to let her do that.


    "No," Inez.


    "Thats good¡ª"


    "Because I won¡¯t be signing any," she finished her sentence without bothering to even pay attention to how swiftly Luca had cut her off.


    The man didn¡¯t say anything. For a few minutes, the car fell intoplete silence but Inez knew better than anyone that this silence was only momentary. Luca must have sensed her rejection and he knew that the old tricks of using their friendship bond wouldn¡¯t work.


    Thus, he must be thinking of some other way to convince her to sign the contract.


    "You know, sweetheart," he spoke up after a pause of a whole five minutes. "This is not going to help your case. If you refuse, then Dom will only pass out the orders that will make your and your family¡¯s lives hell. And there is also the matter of your brother working right under me. Do you really want to go down thisne?"


    And there it was.


    In the past, Luca would use the friendship that they shared and cajole her into signing the form by telling her that she could maybe move Dominic with her determination. Back then, she didn¡¯t know that Luca was in cahoots with Dominic and the rest, which was why she trusted him and believed his words.


    It wasn¡¯t until recently that she cottoned on that Luca was just ying the role of the devil¡¯s advocate. He lied, coaxed, and twisted the facts around such that she would trust him. But in truth, he was just ying her like a fool.


    "You can do whatever you want," though Inez knew that she was provoking a tiger. But, really, what other choices did she have? If she stepped back now, then she would fall back into the very same cycle that she wanted to break. These four men had done enough damage to her and her wolf; Inez wanted to safeguard whatever was left of her.


    "What did you say?" For the first time, there was a crack in Luca¡¯s confident expression.


    Inez sighed and repeated, "You can do whatever you want. It is not like my life currently is a walk in the park. Not only do I have to pick up Eve¡¯s ck but I also need to take on extra jobs. And it is not like I am not being bullied."


    "Ricky¨C"


    "I don¡¯t care about that," Inez lied. She swallowed and continued, "If you want to kick him out despite how hard-working and skilled he is, then be my guest."


    Though Ricky was an arrogant piece of little shit, he was skilled in what he did. If not, Luca would not have let him on the enforcer team. Of course, he did it to control her better but Ricky¡¯s skills also mattered.


    She knew that this was going to start another house war in her family but she would rather be free and bullied than extorted and bullied.


    That was like the worstbination.


    The man studied her for two seconds. His lips curved slightly as he questioned, "Are you sure?"


    "Positive." Inez nodded.


    "Alright," Luca agreed without saying anything else.


    Did he agree just like that? Inez frowned and her fists clenched even tighter. She turned her head and looked at the door¡¯s lock and wondered if she should clutch the safety belt tightly just in case the man threw her out.


    But Luca didn¡¯t do anything. On the contrary, he drove her back to the pack¡¯s territory. What was he trying to do? Was he trying to find a secluded spot to bury her?


    "We are here."


    His words snapped Inez out of her thoughts and she heaved a sigh of relief. As they came to a stop at the parking lot of the office, she could feel the tension uncoiling and her limbs easing up a little. Inez admired her patience and courage; if it was someone else, they would have cried because of how stiff and terrifying the entire car ride was.


    She hopped out of the car without even waiting for Luca to say something. However, before she could leave with her stuff, Luca walked around the car and caught her hand.


    "Do you really have to be so heartless, Nessie?" he almost purred as he looked into her eyes.


    His touch made Inez recoil. There was a time when she held his hand and ran around the pack¡¯s territory but now this touch only brought bad memories.


    "What are you doing?" After staying as a loner for so long, she preferred staying away from men and liked her own or her sister¡¯spany.


    "You think I have nned something?" Luca asked with a raise of his brow.


    "You always have a n," Inez deadpanned as she tried to push the male away from her. However, as a half-shifter, she didn¡¯t have the strength or the means to kick the man away and as her mother had suppressed her siren side, she could hardly even use a single skill.


    Even seducing a man was out of the question for her.


    "You are wrong," he cupped her chin and moved his head slightly to the left. "This time around, I have nned nothing."


    After he finished speaking, he let go of her hand and walked away, which left her confused. Until ¡ª


    "YOU BITCH!"

 Chapter 15: Leaving the pack

    <h4>Chapter 15: Leaving the pack</h4>


    Inez felt her body jerk forward and m on the ground. Because she had been unprepared for this sudden attack, she didn¡¯t even have the time to stop herself from hitting the gravel. Her chin smashed on the hard ground and Inez tasted blood.


    How delightful. This was just the thing she needed. She turned around and looked at the woman who had pushed her and frowned when she found it was none other than Helen. Though the woman was a powerful enforcer under Luca, she was also a skilled stalker.


    There was this incident where Inez had caught this woman staring at Luca in the middle of the night with infrared goggles. But why was she¡ª


    Oh.


    Inez gritted her teeth when she realised how perfectly she had been schemed against.


    Luca must have known that Helen was watching them, and he must also know about her feelings, which was why he used Helen against Inez.


    She marvelled over how that man could make Helen do his dirty work without even saying a single word. No wonder it took so long for Inez to find out that the man was behind the bullying as well.


    She masked her pain and tried to get up from the ground; the pain due to her bad fall made Inez wince but what made her wince harder was Helen catching hold of her hair and pulling her hard.


    "Was it fun? Did you think it was funny? I told you about my feelings, Inez!" Helen screamed so hard that her voice cracked and Inez had to close her eyes to stop herself from physically flinching.


    She looked at her as if Inez had betrayed their friendship but honestly, they had no such rtionship. At most¡ª


    This woman had indeed told her about the feelings that she had for Luca and had once asked Inez to help her deliver a love letter to Luca when they were fourteen. She had done that but Inez didn¡¯t know whether Luca had bothered to write a reply or not.


    Not that it had deterred Helen.


    "It is not what you think," Inez gasped as she tried to pry Helen¡¯s fingers off her hair.


    "Bullshit," the woman snapped as she pulled Inez along with her and mmed her head on the hood of the car harshly. "I saw it with my own eyes; you kissed him."


    "Then you need to get your eyes checked!" Inez screamed back. "It was him who leaned closer; how can I be the one to kiss him? Not that it happened."


    "Then it must be you who seduced him inside the car," Helen countered. Luca had been a god-like figure in her eyes and she could never believe that he would pay attention to a woman. Especially someone like Inez. "It must be you. You must have done something."


    She kept repeating the same thing as if she had lost her mind.


    Inez cursed Luca as she kicked the woman on the shin with the back of her boots. Helen must have thought that she would not fight back, which was why she let out a yelp and released her hold on Inez¡¯s hair.


    Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Inez turned around and ran towards the exit of the parking lot where her truck was parked. But before her fingers could touch the handle of the door, Helen tackled her down and rolled to the right such that she was straddling Inez.


    "No wonder, Alpha Dom would rather refuse you than im you as his mate. Betrayal is in your blood, Inez!" Helen raised her fist and brought it down heavily on Inez¡¯s face.


    Inez felt pain explode over her eye and her vision turned blurred. She tried to shake off Helen but the woman was like a mad dog. She didn¡¯t leave Inez alone even though she was scratched and bitten.


    The two women tussled for a long time but with Helen being a dominant female shifter, it didn¡¯t take long for her to suppress Inez.


    "This is not over!" Helen pushed herself off Inez when she felt a bit calm. She raised her foot and kicked Inez on the side, making her groan in pain.


    Once the woman had walked away, Inez pushed herself off the ground and spat a mouthful of blood onto the gravel-covered floor. She could feel her entire body aching. Her head was throbbing as if someone had used it like a drum and her chin felt like it had been torn and strapped back in ce.


    "Was it enough to convince you? Or do you need more?"


    Inez snapped her head and looked at Luca. Her heart, which should have already turned into ashes, started to hurt once again when she saw the man step out of the corner.


    So he was here. He was watching her get beaten up and he never stepped out.


    She blinked her eyes and willed her tears away. It wasn¡¯t worth it, she told herself. She wiped the blood from the corner of the mouth before standing up and picking up the papers and her bag that had been tossed on the ground when Helen tackled her.


    Luca stared at her. He frowned lightly and asked, "Do you have nothing to say to me?"


    "I do," Inez raised her body after she picked up another paper and looked him dead in the eye. She, of course, caught the triumphant glint in those stormy blues before stating, "You are a shitty head enforcer."


    "What did you say?"


    "I said you are a shitty head enforcer and an even shittier person," Inez snapped. She finished picking up the papers from the floor and looked at Luca, something she was having trouble with as one of her eyes was swollen so badly that she couldn¡¯t focus on the man. "You are supposed to protect your packmates; no matter what grudge you have against me, you shouldn¡¯t be ignoring your job and responsibility but it seems like I was the one who expected too much from a person like you."


    Head enforcers were protectors by instinct; they would do anything to keep their packmates safe. They just couldn¡¯t ignore this primal drive of theirs.


    But maybe Luca and the rest didn¡¯t even consider her as a packmate. Maybe that was why it was so easy.


    Luca assessed her and sneered, "Is that a new tantrum?"


    "You can think whatever you want," Inez sighed as she limped over to her truck; however, just as she went to open the door, Luca caught her wrist and pulled her back.


    "You have no other options other than agreeing, Inez!"


    "Oh but I do," Inez calmly stared at the man with her one eye that was functioning right.


    "What?"


    "Leaving the pack."


    **


    Please do show some love by golden tickets or powerstones!

 Chapter 16: Would you help me run away?

    <h4>Chapter 16: Would you help me run away?</h4>


    Luca stared at her before bursting out in a hearty chortle. "You cannot be serious. Its impossible for you to leave the pack, Inez. You will die the second you lose the protection of the pack."


    He was right. If Inez were to leave the pack, she would only have two options left in front of her. Either join another pack or live in the human world.


    Joining another pack was not easy, especially if you were discarded or a runaway from your old pack. And living in the human world was even more difficult. After all, in the eyes of humans, shifters were nothing but demonic entities that needed to be burnt on a stake.


    If her identity was ever found, Inez was certain that the humans would give there all to kill her. And to top it all, the Zealots were getting more active now than ever.


    They were a fraction who believed that shifters didn¡¯t belong in their world and had no right to live and breathe in their society. These people targeted the lone shifters and killed them in the worst possible way to create a sensation and fear in the shifters and among theirmunity.


    Of course, there was also the option of turning rogue. But Inez knew she couldn¡¯t leave as a rogue¡ªwasn¡¯t this the reason why she had stayed in this pack for three years even though she had been treated worse than the omegas of the pack?


    But now that the situation had gotten this severe because of herck of action, Inez wondered whether there was any point in staying here. She didn¡¯t want to die but was she even alive if she was living like this?


    "You don¡¯t have to worry about that," Inez remarked as she opened the door of the truck. "This was what you wanted anyway, right?"


    Her tone was casual, as if she couldn¡¯t be bothered with her own life and death.


    Luca stared at her and felt a sense of unease.


    However, he couldn¡¯t understand the reason for this unease. He should be d that they had broken Inez the way they wanted. She was now craving death, and this was exactly what their goal had been from the start; he should be recording this moment and sending it to Dominic so that they could party in the evening.


    But he couldn¡¯t.


    He caught hold of Inez¡¯s wrist and pulled her back.


    "You have lost your mind, Inez," he rumbled, incredulous. "Living in the pack is better than going out of the pack and getting yourself killed."


    His words causedughter to spill out of her lips. She looked at him and chortled, "Its not me who has lost her mind. Its you."


    She turned to look at him and deadpanned, "The rogues would be kinder to me than you all have been, Luca. I don¡¯t know what the fuck I did to you all but you should be fucking happy right now. Imagine breaking someone to the point that they would start believing that dying is a much better option than living."


    It should. She was right. This was what they had nned all along after Abertha¡¯s death. Making her pay for the murder that she hadmitted, even if Inez didn¡¯t know how severe Abertha¡¯s sickness was, she shouldn¡¯t have stolen the tears of sirens.


    But he didn¡¯t feel fucking overjoyed. Instead, there was a subtle sense of panic, which made his wolf pace.


    Inez didn¡¯t care what was going on in his head; she wrenched her wrist out of his grip and slipped inside the truck.


    Though Luca¡¯s expression showed that he was not feeling well, Inez didn¡¯t bother to linger. She had been betrayed more than once; to trust these men again was foolish.


    She drove out of the parking lot, leaving nothing but a cloud of exhaust behind.


    Luca watched her leave and rubbed his fingertips with an annoyed expression. This was the first time Inez had turned her back on him without caring about him; ever since they were children, she had been the gullible one.


    Even if Dominic, the father figure of their little group, didn¡¯t trust him, she would.


    But now, even when he showed raw vulnerability on his face for a second, she didn¡¯t care about him. Was it supposed to hurt this much?


    "Oh my god!" Scarlet looked at Inez and gasped in horror. "What the fuck happened?" she pulled her in the clinic and examined the injuries of her sister from head to toe.


    "Luca happened," Inez replied as she told everything that happened in the parking lot. Once she finished speaking, Scarlet bristled angrily as she started to pull this bottle and that as she ced them on the counter.


    "That bastard," she cursed as she pulled the plunger and dabbed the alcohol on a cotton ball. "I wish I could get a chance to mess up that pretty face of his."


    She didn¡¯t like it when those men hurt Inez. Just as she didn¡¯t like when ke came to linger in her clinic and tried to talk to her as if the two of them were good friends.


    Inez smiled. Her cold heart warmed slightly when she heard the worry in Scarlet¡¯s voice. She let her sister fret over her as she bandaged her and after a short pause, she asked, "Would you help me run away?"


    However, as soon as she finished speaking, Inez cursed herself inwardly. She had caused enough trouble for Scarlet already. If not for the fact that Scarlet could heal and treat the shifters, she would have been tossed around by Dominic and the rest just like she was.


    "Forget it¡ª"


    "I thought you would never ask," Scarlet rolled her eyes. She closed the bottle that she had opened and said to Inez, "With how much leverage you have given those men over you, I already booked a casket for you. All set and ready to go with a gothic dark theme. Fortunately, your eyes are opened and I can get my money back."

 Chapter 17: Won’t let us down

    <h4>Chapter 17: Won¡¯t let us down</h4> "You are willing?" Inez took a double take. She didn¡¯t honestly believe that Scarlet would take this risk for her. No matter how good their rtionship was, if she helped her run away, things could be messy for her.


    Scarlet was a passionate shifter who had her own codes on which she functioned. She also lived a quirky yet quiet life and Inez didn¡¯t want to mess it up for her.


    Her sister rolled her eyes at her and threw the cotton ball that was now a ring shade of red. "Of course, I am willing, and yes, I know the risks of helping you," she added when she saw Inez open her mouth to say something, most probably to warn her of the things that could happen after she helped her escape.


    But Scarlet was willing to take that chance because Inez living a life like that of a punching bag was not eptable to her. Since she was a child, she had been out of tune with the rest of the female shifters. She didn¡¯t do frilly dresses and hooking up with high-ranking shifter males, which often made her mother wonder if she had carried the wrong child back.


    It was Inez who gave her the confidence and told her that she could do whatever she wanted because it was her own life. And not once had Inez subtly delivered a backhandedment to her with the attitude of¡ªOh, I am doing it for your own good.


    "You know better than anyone that living here will only break you even further. Those men, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with them but they will not stop Nessie. I told you this three years ago and I will tell this again to you, I would rather have you live somewhere far from here than see you broken and dead in a casket."


    Scarlet stared at her with anger and concern vibrating from her. She stated, "I know the risks and I don¡¯t give a flying fuck about them because you matter more. If getting whipped one or two times gives me the fucking relief that my sister is out of there, somewhere, and is freaking alive and living her own life¡ªthen I will take it."


    Her words brought a relief that Inez didn¡¯t even know she could feel. She closed her eyes and leaned against Scarlet, who didn¡¯t even need her to say anything. She embraced Inez and said to her, "You have done more than enough for me, Nessie. If not for you and Cian, I might not be even here. So, let me protect you this time around."


    Inez didn¡¯t argue with that. Even her wolf conceded with Scarlet. They needed to get out of this pack because that was what they needed desperately. Staying here, watching Dominic hug and kiss Eve, was something that neither Inez nor her wolf could forgive or ept.


    And working for Eve and letting her take credit for their hard work was even more impossible.


    The two sisters nned for the entire night before they finally came up with a n. Scarlet was in charge of driving Inez¡¯s truck to her friend¡¯s garage in the name of leaving it for service after the stunt that Luca pulled on it, while Inez was responsible for going on with her day as usual.


    She would go to the meeting and then hand in the minutes of the meeting to Eve while submitting her resignation to Dominic. As for whether or not he would approve of it, Inez didn¡¯t care because she was ready to run away in the night.


    With Scarlet calling a few of her friends to take them to the party, Inez was going to head over to the club and then slip away in the middle of the night. Though it was dangerous, Inez felt her wolf¡¯s delight and relief at getting away from this pack.


    Even if there was a danger of turning rogue, her wolf would rather ept that than stay in the pack. She needed distance and peace to work with her pain.


    If only Inez knew what wasing for her, she would not have waited another day to escape.


    The next morning, Inez got up from the bed like usual and headed to the bathing room, where she dressed up for the meeting while ignoring the many injuries. She didn¡¯t even bother to hide them at this point because there were simply too many of them.


    "Make sure you do a good job," She heard her mother say.


    "I always do a good job and you know that," Inez deadpanned as she walked over to the dining table and picked up some avocado toasts with poached eggs and a smoothie.


    Taking a seat next to Scarlet, she started on her toast when she heard Ricky say, "I heard Luca say that you haven¡¯t renewed the contract yet."


    He was eyeing her carefully as if trying to see what was going on in her mind. Too bad for him that she was wearing sunsses to hide her swollen eyes.


    Unless he could read her mind, Ricky would never know what she and Scarlet had nned.


    "I haven¡¯t," Inez replied as she brought the toast to her mouth and took a bite.


    "Then when are you going to do it?" Ricky asked persistently.


    "Come on, Rick," Scarlet rolled her eyes as she pulled the bacon and mashed potatoes towards her. She gorged the bacon down and stated, "You have been doing an excellent job in avoiding your sisters and acting like we simply don¡¯t exist. So don¡¯t ruin it by poking that overlyrge, hooked nose of yours in our business."


    "Scar, you¡ª"


    "Scarlet, be nice to your brother," Maria snapped at her second daughter with an eyeroll. She then turned to look at Inez and stated, "Ricky is just worried that if Inez doesn¡¯t renew the contract, then our family will be in trouble like in the past. But I know Inez will not do anything to let us down, isn¡¯t that right, sweetie?"

 Chapter 18: Biased blindness

    <h4>Chapter 18: Biased blindness</h4>


    When Inez didn¡¯t reply at once, Maria frowned and pressed on. "Did you not hear what I said, Inez?"


    Trying to chew the toast as fast as she could, Inez replied, "I did."


    "Then why are you not replying?" Maria questioned as she buttered up a toast and handed it to her husband like a good wife and mate.


    "I don¡¯t think that it is necessary, Mom. I am way past the age where I need my mommy to make the decisions for me," Inez remarked flippantly.


    She had nothing against her mother. The woman made a mistake by falling in love with a man who swept her off her feet and then left her alone to fend for herself and their child.


    It was only understandable that Maria hated Inez¡¯s father for leaving her.


    While she wanted a home and a family, Jared wanted to explore more of the sea and the ocean. At least that was what Maria told her.


    ¡¯He wanted freedom and I needed a home,¡¯ she had told six-year-old Inez when she asked where her father was for the first time.


    Thus, Inez didn¡¯t me her mother for moving on with a man who gave her what she wanted. A family, the protection of a pack and a mate.


    A warm home.


    One who made her feel like a woman who was loved but Inez had enough.


    She had done enough to keep the peace in the family.


    And she couldn¡¯t do it anymore.


    While Maria was happy living in the small bubble she so adored, Inez was the one who was paying the cost for her peace.


    Inez had held on till now because she knew that Maria had somewhere suffered because of her existence. She had been humiliated for trusting someone who did not belong to the pack, not to mention bullying. But her mother had never abandoned her.


    True, she had often said that she never wanted to have her¡ªbut then her mother had hugged her and apologised to her as well.


    Because of this, Inez had gritted her teeth and suffered all kinds of torment. She believed that she owed it to her mother and the sufferings that she had gone through.


    Her love for her mother had stopped her from leaving the pack other than her fear. But more than her mother, Inez cared for her wolf.


    Nia wanted to get out of this pack, so that was what Inez was going to do.


    Maybe it was the little friction and tangles of the mate bond that made Nia so fond of Dominic and she had often stopped Inez from leaving the pack. Now that the two of them were of one mind, Inez didn¡¯t want to listen to anyone and change her mind.


    "Inez Sinir!" Maria ced the bowl of butter on the table heavily and snapped. Her voice crackled like a whip over the dining table. "I am your mother and I have the right to know what¡¯s going on with you."


    When she saw that Inez was not saying anything, Maria¡¯s brows furrowed even more and she stated in frustration, "Everything is going fine, so I do not understand your hesitation ¡ª"


    "Going fine for who?You? Or him?" Inez questioned with an innocent expression as she raised her head and looked at her mother. "I know that you like to pretend that things are fine bute on, there is a limit to how much you can turn a blind eye to."


    She whipped the sunsses off her eyes and showed the swollen ck and blue eye to her mother and questioned, "You think this is fine? If so, I have more. You can count them one by one and then look at me in the eye and say that it is fucking fine!"


    Maria turned her head away and shuddered when she saw the serious injuries on Inez¡¯s face.


    She pursed her lips tightly and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Not a word of concern.


    Not that Inez had expected it. She sighed and put her sunsses back; getting to her feet, shemented, "By turning your gaze away, you cannot fool yourself into believing that it¡¯s not happening."


    She walked past the dining table without ncing at Henry, her stepfather, and Ricky.


    "Where are you going?" Ricky stayed quiet for half a minute before turning to look at Inez.


    Hearing his question, Inez paused in her actions of draping her jacket over her shoulders and raising her head, "To the meeting."


    She then opened the door and left the house without giving Ricky the time to question her anymore.


    Inside the house, Ricky heaved a sigh of relief.


    Noticing his actions, Scarlet snorted in her coffee mug as she set it down.


    "What the fuck was that?" Ricky¡¯s gaze moved to his sister and he demanded, "You think this is funny?"


    "Oh yeah. It is funny," Scarlet said very seriously. She popped bubble gum in her mouth andmented, "You act all big, mighty, and brutish. Who could even tell that you are using your sister as a punching bag for all the glory that you enjoy?"


    "I am fucking not¡ª"


    "Then you wouldn¡¯t be mouring in front of Inez like a baby," sneered Scarlet as she picked up her bag. "Even asking your mommy to back you up."


    "Scarlet!"


    Henry looked at his daughter and shook his head.


    Seeing this, she scoffed and walked out of the house without looking back. There was a time when she revered her father, thinking that he was a hero but now that she had grown up, Scarlet knew that her father was no hero. He was a selfish man who pretended to be the head of the house and enjoyed the reverence and love of his mate, who was simply blind to his ws.


    Though he let Inez live under his roof, he never epted her. She was an outsider through and through.


    So, what if the outsider was beaten or, worse, killed for the prosperity of their family?

 Chapter 19: Alpha Sokolov

    <h4>Chapter 19: Alpha Sokolov</h4>


    Inez arrived at the small rustic cafe where she was going to meet Killian Sokolov.


    When she was told that she was going to meet with Killian, Inez expected that the man would arrange a meeting at a chic and ssy restaurant. However, as she stepped inside the small cafe¡ªbustling with noise, children yelling, and people watching the ser match on arge television¡ªInez seemed to have a new understanding of this lycan whom she had yet to meet.


    It seemed like Killian was anything but not like Dominic.


    She had once heard Dominic say that alphas were all about grandeur and power. Their actions represented their pack and might; thus, they would never do anything that would make others question them or their strength, whether physical or material.


    "Seat for one?" the waitress who was serving the customers swaggered over. She was chewing on gum as she tapped on the switch of her pen and took out her notepad from the apron that she was wearing while waiting for Inez to reply.


    Inez looked at the woman whose wavy caramel locks were carefully styled and tried to ignore the harsh chewing of the waitress. "I am here to meet with Alpha Sokolov. I wonder if he has arranged a table prior to our appointment. Or should I book one?" She added.


    Given how Killian had asked her to meet him at this small cafe, Inez really could not take this man seriously. Don¡¯t tell her that he was just trying to pull her leg or something of the sort. Maybe he was upset that the great genius didn¡¯te to meet him.


    Wouldn¡¯t be the first time.


    "Ah so it is you," the waitress did a double take.


    Inez didn¡¯t know what she was doing but given that the woman looked quite satisfied.


    It was after a short while that she understood what was going on; the waitress was all dolled up for Killian and given that Inez looked like a banged-up freak, it wasn¡¯t a surprise that the woman was feeling smug.


    The rival she had been anticipating fell t without a fight, after all.


    "Follow me," the waitress used her pen to point at a table that was at the very back of the cafe. The only good thing about it was that it was subtly private and there was no sound of children crying.


    Inez had nothing against children but she didn¡¯t believe that she could work with a brat screaming at the top of his lungs in her ear.


    "Thank you," Inez said, ignoring how the waitress was trying to get a better look at her face, and took a seat. She picked up the menu ced on the table and said to the woman with all the politeness that she could muster at the moment, "I will call you once Alpha Sokolov is here."


    "Sure," the woman took onest look at her face, which was covered with sunsses and a mask, before turning to walk away on her stilettos.


    Once the woman was gone, Inez sighed and touched the mask on her face. She also knew that it was quite unprofessional for her to turn up with a mask and sunsses to a meeting but she didn¡¯t want to leave without leaving a grand gift for Eve and Dominic.


    If she didn¡¯t sign this contract and leave the project in the hands of the so-called genius designer and event nner, how could she take the little revenge that she had wanted for so many years?


    Thus, this contract must be signed.


    She had just ced her hand down when the sound of heavy footsteps striding towards her pulled Inez out of her thoughts. Secondster, a neer prowled towards her. He had a smouldering gaze, and each of his steps was slow, smooth, and controlled with a hint of swagger thrown in.


    Inez sucked in a breath as the man scanned the cafe and his gaze fixated on her. She had to admit that Killian Sokolov exuded confidence,pelling charisma and the promise of raw and unbridled pleasure.


    "Miss Sinir?" the man stopped in front of the table where she was sitting and held his hand out for Inez to take. "I hope I wasn¡¯t toote," he added as Inez took his hands and shook them lightly.


    "No, I just arrived as well." Inez took her seat just as the man sat opposite her. He used his long fingers to pull the menu close to him and questioned, "Did you order something?"


    "I was waiting for you, Alpha Sokolov," Inez replied with a light shake of her head.


    "Well, aren¡¯t you polite, gorgeous?" he remarked casually as his eyes flicked through the menu.


    Gorgeous? Inez looked down at her attire, which could be called average at best and then turned to look at her reflection in the window. A pair of sses and a mask covered most of her face. Yup, this man was either a natural-born liar or he was used to seducing women everywhere he went.


    Given that he was a Lycan, it could be anything. They were mischievous to that degree.


    Ignoring how his sublime charm made her wolf study him closely, Inez pulled out the notepad, including the many designs that she had prepared ording to the requests that Killian had put forth.


    "Alpha Sokolov, I have taken in your requests and it seems like you want your house to be redesigned with an oundish yet modern touch?" This was what Inez could make out after studying his hums and haws.


    Killian Sokolov might be one charming man but he was just as difficult. Instead of telling her what he wanted, the man had twisted the entire thing into a little bit of this and that, which made his request even harder to understand.


    "Is that what you think I want?" Killian asked as he crossed his arms on the table after snapping his fingers.


    "I believe that is why we have arranged for this meeting, Alpha Sokolov," Inez tried to ignore his flirtatious tone with ease. She liked her man with a little more substance than yers who thought they could get whatever they wanted as long as they used their pretty face to use.


    She pushed the designs that she had created and stated, "I have brought some samples with me; if you want, then you can take a look at them."

 Chapter 20: A mark

    <h4>Chapter 20: A mark</h4>


    Killian nced at the bunch of designs that Inez had ced in front of him and flicked through them one by one.


    "Boring, boring...super boring... super-duper boring," he muttered as the waitress returned and ced the dishes that Killian had ordered for the two of them. Given how the woman ducked her head when Inez looked at her, the woman must beughing at her for even trying.


    If she was being honest with herself, Inez too wanted tough at her own stupidity.


    Did she really think that she could win this man over with her skills? Yes, yes, she did think that maybe her skills would be able to meet the standards of the great Lycan alpha Killian Sokolov.


    Now that she was jolted out of her dreams, Inez felt quite self-defeated.


    Killian threw thest design on the table but Inez felt the hit on her face. Though she had never imed that she could meet every request of her client, she had never been rejected in such a manner. It made her question her own skills for a second.


    "Is this the best the genius designer could do?" Inez heard Killian ask as the man lounged back in his seat with an arm thrown back. "I thought and expected from someone like her, given how Alpha Dominic imed that the woman had fantastic skills when it came to designing and redecorating. But it seems like it was no more than a gimmick. What do you think?"


    Honestly? The only thing she could think of at the moment was to gouge out those piercing eyes, which were taking in every move and expression of hers. It was the stare of a predator and Inez very much felt like a prey with Killian focusing all of his attention on her.


    "I believe if you had cleared up what you wanted better, then maybe the designs would have suited your taste more, Alpha Sokolov." Inez would have loved to say a few nicely chosen words to the man but when she thought about the contract in her bag, she swallowed her pride back and gave the man a clipped smile.


    He arched a brow at her and fired back, "If I wanted to go into detail, why do you think I would even bother to contact yourpany and hire you for the work? That too at the exorbitant price."


    "You haven¡¯t signed the contract yet, Alpha Sokolov," Inez reminded the man. She was having a really hard time keeping her smile on her lips. At that moment, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that she was keeping her smile bright with nothing but sheer will.


    The man scoffed as he pulled his hand back from behind the chair and remarked, "A good thing, too. Imagine paying millions for this bullshit."


    If she could, Inez would have loved to pay millions aspensation for redesigning that gorgeous face, but when she thought about the bnce in her ount, she could only purse her lips and count to three.


    She exhaled heavily before taking out a pen and paper before saying, "You can let me know the things that you need or want to be changed. I will try my best¡ª"


    He shed her that infamous smile of his, which was rumoured to make any woman blush and trip over herself to fall into his arms. "Change? No, darling. These designs don¡¯t evene close to what I want."


    "But you said that you wanted something homely and modern." Inez felt her brows furrow even further.


    "I didn¡¯t say that," the man shook his head and took the pen from her. As soon as he touched her fingers, Inez felt her nerve endings spark to life. What the hell?


    Inez didn¡¯t know if the man felt the spark or not, but if he did, he simply ignored it and started writing down on the notepad before turning it around and pushing it in front of Inez, who lowered her head and started reading the things that he had written on the paper.


    "You want beach house decor?" Inez skimmed through the lines that read "oceanfront, firece and whatnot.


    "That¡¯s right. Did I not mention that I was going to move my territory to the oceanside?"


    Inez closed her eyes and then opened them again. She wanted to hurl a bunch of curses at the man in front of her but she held herself back from groaning at the face of the man. She said, "No, Alpha Sokolov. You did not."


    She hated rude and forgetful bastards like him. They always wore this authority and arrogance like a second skin, which made it impossible for them to apologise to anyone.


    "I didn¡¯t?" the man had the audacity to frown at her.


    "No, you did not." What was that awful grinding noise? Oh, it was her. She was the one who was grinding her teeth.


    Her wolf peeled her upper lip as well. Even though she was weaker than the man in front of her, her wolf, just like her, despised it when someone wasted their time.


    For a second, Inez thought that her wolf would rush to her surface and growl at Killian for doing what she hated the mos,t but she didn¡¯t. She stayed inside of her, annoyed but refusing to make an appearance. Much to Inez¡¯s annoyance and disappointment.


    "Are you sure?" Killian asked as he scratched his cheek. "Because I am sure that I did tell you that I wanted a clear, dual jacuzzi in front of my beach house. I like to take a dip at midnight."


    "For the love of Moon Goddess, Alpha Sokolov... I haven¡¯t turned fifty yet," Inez stated, clearly frustrated with him, her wolf and herself. "I can remember things better than that, especially when it concerns my job. If you had told me that you wanted a beach house, I would have given you a beach house."


    Killian did a double-take when he saw the woman lose her temper with him. Though he was used to women losing their shit with him, it was usually when he didn¡¯t give them what they wanted.


    A mark.


    But before that, every woman he had met had ttered him with a smile. It was his first time getting a whish from a woman whom he hadn¡¯t even seduced in his bed yet.


    And it only made his smile wider.

 Chapter 21: Playing her like a fool

    <h4>Chapter 21: ying her like a fool</h4>


    "Are you angry, Miss Sinir?"


    Dear Moon Goddess, she was. She had never met a man as clumsy and annoying as Killian Sokolov before. Because of him, she had wasted hours designing those designs, which were not going to be used now.


    It was aplete waste of her time and efforts.


    Even though she was going to resign today, Inez felt annoyed at the sheer audacity of this man who mocked and insulted her even though he was the one who made the mistake. It was as if the universe knew that she was finally going to get the freedom she so badly craved, that it sent this man as onest straw to test her patience.


    Not to mention, she would not be able to enjoy the sight of Eve panicking once she realises that she would have to finally face theeuppance of her lies.


    How could she not be furious?


    However, the customer was god. So, she could only smile at the man and say, "Of course not, Alpha Sokolov." Even though she knew that the chances were rather low, Inez wanted to try her luck at convincing the man into signing the contract.


    Being perfectly polite and civil was her only option to get what she wanted and that was not the only reason she was being overly polite with him.


    Lycans could hardly be considered the ster member of the shiftermunity.


    They lied, stole, gambled and fought with an intensity and motto that said, Win or die. They were positively fearless and wouldn¡¯t back down from a fight at the smallest sign of provocation.


    Inez learnt the lesson that you don¡¯t piss off a lycan unless you have a masochistic tendency of being beaten until you are only a brink away from death¡¯s door when she was six.


    And Killian Sokolov, who was known for being the sadistic tyrant and executioner, was the kind of lycan you would think twice before picking a fight with.


    Killian drummed his fingers on the table. He hadn¡¯t touched the food that was served and was now assessing her with that intense gaze of his. Inez wondered if the man would deem her as impolite if she was to take a bite of the cakes that were served.


    To her defence, how could anyone resist chocte cakes?


    Maybe her gaze was way too intense as she looked at the tempting sugary and chocte delight in front of her that Killian pushed the small bite-size cake in front of her.


    "Go ahead."


    "You don¡¯t want it?" Inez asked politely.


    Killian¡¯s lips curled into a smirk as if he was relishing an inside joke. He shook his head and said, "No, you can have it."


    Inez didn¡¯t bother to delve further. As much as her curiosity poked at her inside, she was not the kind of person to act on it. She simply picked up the cake and took a small bite from it. Her eyes lit up when she tasted the molten chocte coating the inside of her mouth.


    Killian watched Inez with an amused glint in his eyes. He had seen that look in the eyes of many females but it was usually directed at him rather than desserts. He originally wanted to decline the contract as he had no interest in doing business with Evelyn.


    That woman might be called a genius; Killian didn¡¯t see an ounce of wit behind those dumb baby blue eyes. Unless the schemes on how to seduce alphas were counted. Having been speared by her cheesy and flirtatious talks, he often wondered what kind of trauma Dominic went through as a child that he was willing to stay with Evelyn.


    However, Dominic requested that he meet with Eve¡¯s assistant and have onest talk with her.


    Killian had no desire to talk or discuss anything with Eve or her assistant. After all, someone who worked under that woman couldn¡¯t be any different than her. However, he and Dominic had an alliance treaty signed and Killian wasn¡¯t going to ruin the peace of his pack over a woman.


    Thus, he had given a bunch of wrong information to this ¡¯assistant¡¯ when she had called.


    However, when Dominic told him that Evelyn¡¯s assistant was going to meet with him, he had expected a familiar version of a B¨Cdoll. Blonde, faker than the smiles that the elders in the council gave him, someone with all beauty and no brains.


    But he had to say that Inez came as a surprise to him. She had more substance than the woman behind the designs and event decor, which made no sense to him.


    He stopped drumming his fingers on the table and questioned, "Who would be presiding over the next meetings?"


    The woman paused and raised her head to look at him and Killian was sure those glittering, cheeky eyes did something to him. Maybe it was because this woman was incredibly intelligent and looked at him as an equal instead of a pole to climb and satisfy her vanity.


    "No," she replied crisply. Her eyes were evasive as she said, "I am just an assistant; the one who is in charge is Miss Evelyn. Since she was busy today, she sent me to her ce. It¡¯s just a one-time thing." What a joke; she had been looking forward to throwing her resignation letter at Dominic¡¯s face from the night he rejected her. Why would she get involved in any more meetings once she resigned?


    "Since that is the case, I will not be signing the contract."


    "What?"


    Inez sputtered. She hadn¡¯t even shown him a design draft and he was already rejecting the contract?


    "You heard me," Killian rubbed the tips of his fingers. "If it¡¯s not you who is presiding over the meeting, then I will not be signing the contract. I need someone with a head over her shoulders instead of a woman with the body of an adult and the mind of a horny teenager."


    The woman studied him. Her eyes narrowed into slits as her lips thinned in a straight line.


    "You never wanted to sign the contract, did you, Alpha Sokolov?"

 Chapter 22: Dumb Dumb Dummy

    <h4>Chapter 22: Dumb Dumb Dummy</h4>


    "Is it that obvious?" Killian chuckled softly. He appreciated women who were not only smart but also straightforward. What surprised him was that even his beast liked Inez. Though his beast didn¡¯t show any kind of dislike when it came to Killian¡¯s choice of women, he had never shown any attention to them either.


    This was the first time his beast was paying rapt attention to a female, and that too to the point where he was drinking in her every move. Even her smallest frown made his beast peel his lips in appreciation.


    The two of them knew that Inez was not a dominant shifter. Her scent made it clear. However, she still held his gaze with confidence and looked at him with annoyance that was as clear as the day. It wasn¡¯t every day female shifters called him out on his bullshit.


    "Very," she responded in a clear and crisp voice. From her re, it was clear that she was not happy with his response.


    "You seem unhappy, Miss Sinir?" he calmly remarked and that only made the woman even more angry. Her spine straightened up and subtle vibes started to ooze from her skin as she gave him a smile. Which was most probably her fakest smile.


    "Of course not," Inez gritted out through her teeth. "How can I be angry at someone who knew from the start that he was not interested in signing a contract but still agreed with the meeting that pushed workers like me...haha... To work overtime? When this certain someone could have said a simple¡ªno? So , no, Alpha Sokolov. I am not at all angry."


    She clenched her fingers on herp when she recalled the beatings she received yesterday. Dominic and hisckeys treated her worse than a criminal tied to the torture chair for this meeting. A meeting that was nothing but a farce? If this man had said that he wasn¡¯t interested from the start, then would she have been beaten like a dog on the street?


    Ignoring Inez¡¯s raging expression, he ced his hands on the table and remarked in a soft voice, "Sweetheart, I hope you are not really that naive. The world is not a kind ce. You will meet with all kinds of people, some rude, some problematic and some who are right down arseholes. You cannot me me for the troubles you went through; I did what I thought was right and as much as you might think it was selfish, I have no obligation towards you. But I do have some towards my pack."


    He lounged back in his chair and said to Inez, "You might not know this but I have an alliance with your alpha. If I said that I didn¡¯t and wasn¡¯t interested in signing a contract with your pack, it could have caused strife between the two packs."


    Inez pulled the sunsses off her eyes and Killian felt his wolf go really still. A sudden rush of anger washed over him and his beast, who was notorious for being cranky and sullen, and the cold creature suddenly showed a new emotion¡ªanger. The beast didn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass that the woman in front of him was aplete stranger and that they had no right to show concern towards her.


    The only thing that mattered to him was that Inez was hurt, and he was not happy about it.


    This sudden rush of emotions came as a surprise to Killian, and it even spooked him.


    She ced the sunsses on the table and stated in a cold voice, "True. You have no obligation towards me, Alpha Sokolov. But maybe the next time you do something like this, remember to be a kind person."


    "Because you might never know what someone has to pay for your bullshit!"


    After she finished speaking, she stood up and fished out a couple of dor bills that she ced on the table and walked past Killian.


    Killian watched the angry wolf storm out of the cafe, and though his inner beast whined at him and asked him to chase after Inez, Killian told him that it was fine.


    However, as he got to his feet and chased after the woman, he realised that he was so full of shit that he himself didn¡¯t know.


    He wasn¡¯t a chaser. He had never given a woman a chase in his entire life but after meeting with Inez, he had a feeling that there were going to be more of these instances.


    "Hey!" He opened the door of the cafe and rushed after Inez. Killian didn¡¯t know why he had stopped her or why he even rushed after her but he moved before he could stop himself.


    "What?" Inez turned and looked at the Lycan shifter who hade running after her. Her eyes eyed him warily as she pulled her bag close to her. It was only after rushing out of the cafe that Inez realised what she had done. Though she regretted her actions, she couldn¡¯t go back and apologise to the man, as her pride didn¡¯t allow her to do so.


    Inwardly, she had prayed to the Moon Goddess and hoped that Killian wouldn¡¯t chase after her; unfortunately, she had underestimated a Lycan¡¯s desire for revenge. This man actually chased her out of the cafe! What was he nning to do to her now?


    Killian saw the look in her eyes and curled his lips in amusement. "Do you think I will hurt you, sweetheart? I am hurt. I might not look like it, but I am quite a gentleman when ites to beautiful women like you."


    Inez eyed the man in front of her with a strange glint in her eyes. She straightened her spine and gave him a dismissive smile before saying, "Why don¡¯t you go and y with the Dumb Dumb Dummy?" As she spoke, she tipped her head to the spot where the waitress who had served them was standing.


    The woman was staring at the two of them, and her jealousy was quite evident.

 Chapter 23: The ultimate betrayal

    <h4>Chapter 23: The ultimate betrayal</h4>


    "Dumb Dumb dummy?" Killian turned to look at Inez; his eyes shed with amusement as he remarked, "You have quite a fascinating skill in naming people, Miss Sinir."


    Oh, yeah, she did. This was the only way she could take her anger out on people who bothered and bullied her. She couldn¡¯t fight them, but she could give them really ¡¯cool¡¯ names that she could use while cursing them inwardly.


    "Thank you." Inez took a step back. She stared at Killian with eyes gleaming with wariness, and she asked, "Anything else you want to say, Alpha Sokolov?" It didn¡¯t matter what he wanted to say to her; unless it was an apology, Inez had no interest in listening to him.


    She was going to tune him out. Totally.


    "...I like women with more substance, Miss Sinir." She heard the man say, and even though she wanted to roll her eyes so badly, she held back. With a smile on her lips, she remarked, "I see, Alpha Sokolov. It seems like all the rumours surrounding you are nothing but exaggerated lies." Liar, Liar pants on fire.


    Killian eyed the woman curiously in front of him. He could tell that she was pretty much furious with him and the troubles that he had brought her but as if the fire had been extinguished, Inez Sinir was perfectly polite and calm once again.


    Even when she was angry just now, she hadn¡¯t thrown a ss full of water in his face. She was perfectly civil even when there was a furious rage bursting through her veins.


    Inez hadn¡¯t yelled or threw shit on his face. Nor did she point fingers at him, and now she was speaking with no inflection. It made him wonder how many times the woman in front of him quelled her rage that she was so perfectly in control of her temper that it was terrifying.


    A shifter wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. Especially a wolf shifter. They were the kind that beat someone up first and talkedter.


    There was so much pain and anger packed in ice within her that Killian wondered what kind of storm Inez had braved.


    "No, they are not lies."


    "But you just said¡ª"


    "Just because they are not good enough to be imprinted on doesn¡¯t mean they are not for anything else," Killian remarked with a raise of his brow, and Inez bit back the scathing remark. However, she still couldn¡¯t help it and said, "It must be fun to be fawned over by a bunch of starry-eyed females, Alpha Sokolov."


    "Is it a problem if that¡¯s what they want?"


    Inez mped her mouth shut again. She counted to three and opened it again. "Is there something that you wanted to say to me, Alpha Sokolov?"


    "Why won¡¯t you be overseeing the meetings in the future?" he asked. If it was Inez who held the meetings, he had no problem signing the contract. The woman was skilled, and it was fun to converse with her.


    Inez looked at him. Right dead in the eyes and stated coldly, "I don¡¯t think I need to ry my personal reasons to you, Alpha Sokolov."


    Call him weird, but that princess-to-peasant look did something to him.


    "Did anyone tell you that you have really alluring eyes?" He remarked with a twinkle in his eyes.


    Unbnced by his sudden and unexpectedpliment, Inez narrowed her eyes. She sighed and said to Killian, "If thats all, I will be ¡ª-"


    THUMP.


    Before she could finish speaking, Inez felt her heart start thumping.


    "What the¡ª" The wildly drumming heartbeat soon turned aching and throbbing. Inez, who hadn¡¯t expected such a thing to happen, staggered.


    "Hey." Killian noticed that something was wrong with the woman in front of him. Her face, which had been glowing with a rosy and healthy hue, suddenly turned pale. Her hand shot to her chest, and she sped it as if she was having a heart attack.


    Herplexion turned pale and sickly. Her eyes became unfocused as if she was looking at something afar but Killian had no idea what she was looking at, as there was nothing wrong in the parking lot.


    It could only mean that Inez was staring at something else, through the pack bond or maybe the mating bond.


    HOWL.


    The heartbreaking howl of her wolf echoed in Inez¡¯s head. It was mournful and filled with so much anguish that it made Inez breathe as if she were breathing herst.


    The pain was excruciating to the point that Inez felt as if she had been tied to a stake and set on fire. Her entire body was shaking with pain, as if every nerve in her body was burning. Her body was overloaded with heat, but not the good kind.


    "Ah!" She screamed as another howl ripped through the throat of her wolf. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground.


    "Hey!" Killian caught the woman before her knees could hit the ground and she looked at him. "What the fuck is wrong with¡ª-"


    He trailed off. The look in the eyes of woman in his arms made it impossible for him to finish his words because he knew that look. He had seen it on a stormy night. A night when everything changed for him and his pack.


    The look of absolute betrayal.


    He swallowed his words and helped Inez settle down on the floor. With his hands patting her on the back awkwardly, heforted her, "It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s okay ¡ª"


    However, Inez couldn¡¯t hear a word that Killian was telling her. At that moment, she was burning in her own hell. The hell that Dominic had personally created and decorated for her.


    The sharp spasms of pleasure and desire shot through her head and body, but they only made her disgusted and heartbroken. She never knew that Dominic could stoop so low.


    But now she did.


    For the sake of breaking her, he actually held back frompletely breaking the mating bond. He made her go through that humiliation but didn¡¯t let the bond break. He left some tendrils attached.


    All because there was an absolute finale left.


    Inez could feel the roar of pleasure that was rising high and low; she could sense how much pleasure the woman with whom Dominic was sleeping was bringing him, and it didn¡¯t just break her.


    It crushed her.


    Bile started rising in her throat, and her extremities started to tremble with anger and humiliation. Her wolf¡¯s pain matched her own.


    There was so much ache, pain and heartbreak that Inez could feel her head throb. Her vision turned more and more blurry before the veil of darkness fell over her.

 Chapter 24: Too Late

    <h4>Chapter 24: Too Late</h4>


    "Are you okay?"


    Truthfully, no. Though Inez waspletely fine physically, her body was aching as if it had been run over by a bus. Every nerve in her body was pulsating, and her head was throbbing like she had spent the night breathing booze.


    Something that Inez had never done. She liked drinking, but she was also scared that she would end up telling the people around her that she was part siren.


    Because of this very reason, she had never drunk a single drop of liquor when she was with someone or somewhere outside. Why? Because sirens were hated and despised for their powers and abilities that had nothing to do with strength.


    Shifters respected the strong and the powerful, while the sirens relied on their beauty and charm to bring the shifters to their knees. In the eyes of shifters, sirens were weak, and they despised weakness.


    There was also a small problem that sirens were connected to water and shifters didn¡¯t like water.


    But as much as they hated sirens, shifters were also attracted to their power of healing. Siren¡¯s tears could be used to bring even the dead back to life. Because of this, many shifters tried to use their overwhelming strength to imprison sirens and make them their ves.


    Inez didn¡¯t want a life simr to that; thus, she had hidden her secret from the pack. She didn¡¯t want to be locked up and forced to cry every day. They would hope that one day she would be able to cry tears of siren.


    And Inez didn¡¯t know much about the lives of ves, but she didn¡¯t fancy one.


    She had also held back from running away from the pack, even though she was treated like shit. Her packmates didn¡¯t trust her; her mate tormented her for a woman who was not even as good as the toothpick that Inez used, and her mother only saw her as a quick and easy way for her son¡¯s inevitable sess.


    But how was she supposed to stay there any longer when her mate had humiliated her in the worst way possible? Not to mention the pain that he had given her wasn¡¯t something that Mia was going to forget in a hurry.


    After what Dominic had done to her, Inez was sure that she would never be able to trust men, especially Alpha men in general. She could still hear his moans and groans, which made bile rise in her throat again.


    "Here," Killian handed her a trash can, which Inez took at once. She hurled whatever was left in her stomach before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.


    "How long was I out?" she asked. Looking at the golden and orangish glow outside the window, she was sure that she had been knocked out cold for more than just a few hours.


    "For twenty hours," came the prompt reply.


    Shit.


    Inez rubbed her forehead as she looked around the small infirmary. She turned to look at Kin with a questioning gaze, and the man simply shrugged in response. He said to her, "You passed out in the middle of the parking lot. What was I supposed to do? Given the circumstances, I don¡¯t think you would have liked it if I took you back to your pack."


    No, she wouldn¡¯t have.


    True, she and her wolf had craved Dominic like their next breath, but now that this had happened, Inez just knew that it was no longer going to be the same case.


    Shifters were territorial and possessive creatures. Though they could ept their mates¡¯ past before they found out about the mating bond, they would no longer ept another person¡¯s im on their mates once they sensed the bond.


    To make things worse, Inez was part siren. They were arrogant and prideful creatures as they took themselves as the rulers of the sea and the ocean. Pride was something that sirens wore like another skin; this was also the reason why Inez would rather break her spine than her pride.


    Sirens never came second to anyone, and their pride wouldn¡¯t let them take in someone who had discarded and reced them. Whose body had been tainted when it should have belonged to them?


    Since that was the case, she and Dominic were pretty much done. Her wolf would never forgive him, nor would her siren part.


    Of course, sirens were also vengeful, which meant that Inez had to get her ass out of the pack. She could control her siren side just fine, but as she sensed the rage bursting through her veins, she knew that a part of her wanted to rip Dominic¡¯s d*ck and then stuff it in the grinder before cooking it and feeding it to the woman with whom he slept.


    This was a grudge, and sirens never forgot a grudge.


    "Thank you," she said to Killian. Though the man had caused her trouble, he also helped her by bringing her to her pack, and Inez was not going to be ungrateful.


    Killian simply shrugged. He paused for a moment before asking, "What are you going to do now?"


    "I haven¡¯t thought about it. Yet," Inez lied. Though she was grateful towards Killian for bringing her to his pack, she couldn¡¯t trust him. The man was in an alliance with Dominic. Thest thing she needed was that man to find out that she was nning to run away.


    Killian studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I will send you back to your pack¡ª"


    He was still speaking when Inez¡¯s phone started to ring. It was only then that she noticed that Dominic, Luca, ke and Tao had called her countless timesst night. In the past, she would have answered this call in a heartbeat, but ¡ª


    ¡¯They are toote,¡¯ Inez thought as she swiped the reject button and switched off her phone. She turned to look at Killian and asked, "Can I take a shower?"

 Chapter 25: Might never surface

    <h4>Chapter 25: Might never surface</h4>


    Inez let Killian drive her back to the pack, but didn¡¯t let him drive her inside the pack. She didn¡¯t want Dominic to use anything against her when the two of them started hashing out their odds.


    "Thank you." Unbuckling the seat belt, Inez thanked the man in gratitude. He had given her shelter and let her take a quick shower in the most luxurious bathroom that Inez had ever seen. To cap it all, he even drove her back to the territory.


    He might have done it on a whim, as Lycans were not known for their kindness. They were known for doing sporadic things just for their amusement. Nheless, he had helped her and even asked one of his packmates to drive her truck back to the pack.


    Now, it was resting under the shade of arge tree hidden in the shadows.


    "There is no need." Killian winked at her. "I was going to meet with your alpha anyway. The two of us have some matters that require careful consideration and discussion."


    "I hope it is not about the contract?" Inez asked hopefully. Thest thing she wanted was another beating just before she left the pack. And in case Dominic realised that she had gone out of his control, he might even lock her up under the pretext that she had failed in her job.


    She would rather not be locked away.


    Scarlet had taken enough risks to send her away, and she didn¡¯t want things to go south. Especially not when it could cause trouble for Scarlet.


    Killian shook his head. He said to her, "You don¡¯t have to worry about it. I will let your alpha know that I need to discuss the contract and designs further. As for today¡¯s meeting, it has nothing to do with the contract; it is closely rted to the trouble of missing shifters."


    Ah, yes. How could she forget? Over the past few months, shifters had slowly started to disappear. Especially shifters, who were known for their uniqueness and exquisiteness.


    Inez heard about the disappearance of a lion shifter with part seer blood. No one knew where he went or was taken; they only knew that the man was no longer in the territory or his office.


    It was as if the man had disappeared from the face of the earth. Though there were adequate signs that he was taken away by force, there was not a single shred of evidence, which led shifters to wonder if this was one of the witches¡¯ foul ys.


    They were the same kind.


    Children of Night, but it was as if there was some invisiblew; shifters and witches had never gone along.


    If someone put a witch and a shifter together, it would result in blood being drawn. However, this had nothing to do with her.


    "I see," Inez sighed in relief. As long as this man stuck to his word, she didn¡¯t have to worry about being locked up.


    She got out of the car, thanked the lycan again and watched him drive away. She gave him a ten-minute head start before driving her small truck to the pack¡¯s territory and driving it to the office.


    As soon as she stepped out of the truck, a bunch of cold gazes locked on her. Even though they didn¡¯t physically hurt her, Inez felt a bit disappointed seeing the look in the eyes of her pack members.


    It was bad enough that they were riding on whatever bandwagon that Dominic was driving; they evenpped up all the lies that Eve told them.


    Inez had no idea why she was treated as a liar when she had done nothing wrong. Though the sight of those cold and contemptuous gazes as if they were hoping for her to drop dead hurt her, Inez still held her head high.


    Even though shifters were tactile creatures, Inez knew that she would be fine. No matter how important social touch and trust were, she would never do a thing as foolish as bowing her head and hoping for eptance.


    Because she knew that she wouldn¡¯t get it.


    Dominic and the pack had pretty much proved it to her.


    "Where have you been?" Cecil walked over to Inez¡¯s cubicle when she saw her arrive. Her expression was tense as she crossed her arms and questioned, "You are two hourste, you know? Do you even know how much I had to listen to Alpha¡¯s scolding because you werete and, to make things difficult, you switched off your damn phone ¡ª"


    She paused in her diatribe and looked at Inez with narrowed eyes. "What¡¯s wrong?"


    "What?" Inez pulled the drawer of her table and took out the envelope that she had thrown inside years ago. She had once naively thought that this wouldn¡¯te in handy, but surprise, surprise.


    "You have that look in your eyes," Cecil pointed to Inez¡¯s face. "That same one when you are about to do somethingpletely fucked up."


    "Well, because I am about to do something like that." Inez smiled at the woman as she walked past her and headed to the office where Dominic was.


    "Where are you going?"


    "To meet with the Alpha, he called for me, right?" Inez turned and looked at Cecil. The woman parted her lips but then closed them. Indeed, after doing such a cruel thing, how could Dominic not see the effect that he had left on her?


    That sadistic bastard must have called her to see how deep the dagger had sunk. And it did sink too deep.


    So deep that it killed her heart and her wolf.


    Her wolf was still a pretty big presence inside of her, but she hadpletely locked herself inside of Inez. The desire to protect Inez had stopped Nia from fading, but that was it. She wasn¡¯t responding to Inez, nor was she actively hissing or cursing like she used to in the past.


    She was there, but she was almost dead¡ªalmost.


    She didn¡¯t want to break past the surface and had lost the will to survive.


    Inez was now sure that Nia would never be able to shift; the chances of it happening were close to null to begin with because Inez¡¯s being half-blood made it difficult for her wolf to take over, and after this, Nia might never surface.


    She had turned into atent from a half-shifter, and it was the fault of the man whom she had trusted more than herself.

 Chapter 26: Not letting her go

    <h4>Chapter 26: Not letting her go</h4>


    Inez came to a stop in front of the office door. She raised her hand to knock on the door but paused. Her hesitation wasn¡¯t due to the love she had for Dominic; it was because she knew that after today, she and him would walk on parallel paths that would never intersect.


    However, the hesitation onlysted for a few seconds when her siren side reminded her of the pain that Dominic had brought to them. It was not just their friendship and bonds that were brokenst night; he broke her pride and humiliated her in the worst way possible.


    She could ept him pulling back from their mate bond but she could never and would never ept him breaking her pride.


    With her teeth gritted, she knocked on the door.


    "Come in," came the gruff response and Inez rolled her eyes. She knew that he had sensed her standing outside, thus the harsh tone. If it was Eve, there would be a subtle touch of softness in his voice.


    However, it didn¡¯t matter anymore. She had already given up; the one who was holding on was her wolf. Afterst night, even Nia had given up on her mate. There was no reason for her to feel hurt because of his indifference. Even if it stung, it didn¡¯t hurt as badly as it used to.


    She entered the room and the second she stepped inside, Inez felt a st of alpha vibes and cigar smoke. She raised her head and looked at Dominic, who looked pissed as if someone had insulted his alpha pride.


    "Where were you?"


    "What?" for a second, Inez was sure that she had misheard him. Why would he of people question where she was? And what was with this concern in his voice?


    Dominic raised his head and Inez frown deepened. There was certainly something wrong with Dominic; his eyes were ring red as if he had spent the night drinking without a wink of sleep.


    Inez scoffed when she recalled the bone splitting pain she had to sufferst night; of course, he was with his sweetheart. How could he have any sleep?


    "Where were you?" he repeated. His eyes were locked on her as he carefully assessed her from head to toe as if he was looking for something. When he didn¡¯t find it, Inez saw the relief in his eyes, which was quickly reced with anger as he snapped, "We called you. Texted you, why didn¡¯t you reply?"


    "Because I didn¡¯t want to," Inez rolled her eyes. This man had to be cracking pot if he thought that she would pick up his call.


    "I am your alpha, Inez Sinir!"


    And those were the words that made Inez¡¯s eyes sh with anger. Her blood boiled with an unknown rage; however, she didn¡¯t go off like Evelyn. She remained calm. But the calmer she was, the more deadly her revenge would be.


    Sirens were known for their silent revenge. She couldn¡¯t bring him down yet but one day she would bring this man to her knees for the pain he had brought her. She was going to be generous but if he didn¡¯t want it, then¡ªforget it.


    She curled her lips in a sneer and muttered, "Oh? So, you knew this? I thought that your head was so up in Evelyn¡¯s arse that you forgot about it. I wouldn¡¯t me you. After all, with how stinky her personality is, it must have stunk quite hard."


    "Inez!"


    "Oh, can it, will you?" Inez snapped. She had suffered countless humiliations at the hands of this man and at that moment it all burst forth. Even if Inez wanted to hold herself back, she couldn¡¯t. She had lost everything.


    Her friends.


    The pack bonds.


    She could withstand all of that but when it came to her wolf, she just couldn¡¯t do it.


    Nia was her pride and this man broke her spine so hard that she refused to surface. He made her lose faith in herself.


    "There is no need to yell my name. I know what I am called," Inez rolled her eyes with a scoff. "And there is no need to call yourself my alpha. Because I don¡¯t ept you."


    A booming silence stretched across the room and Inez noticed Luca shaking his head at her. She knew that this would piss Dominic off but then again, her wolf retreating within her and refusing to surface made her pissed off as well.


    A wolf required¡ªno, craved the touch of his or her packmates, the freedom and the caress of nature. In case a shifter¡¯s wolf locks itself within the shifter, it would slowly go crazy or disappear if it refused to make its appearance.


    A wolf¡¯s refusal to surface could leave the shifter vulnerable to the greatest danger. It was the biggest loss for a shifter.


    Dominic slowly got to his feet and walked over to Inez. as he came to a stop in front of her, he questioned, "What did you say?"


    His alpha vibes shrouded Inezpletely. However, she still raised her head and looked the man in the eye. Even though the pull asked her to lower her head, she didn¡¯t. "I said you are not my alpha. If you were my alpha, you would have protected me. Not make me suffer the torment that I had to go through the past few years."


    She raised her hand and mmed her resignation letter against Dominic¡¯s broad chest and stated, "I am resigning. Since the contract expired yesterday, I have no legal obligation to continue working for you or Evelyn."


    After she finished speaking, Inez turned around and was determined to walk away without escting the quarrel any further.


    "You cannot turn your back on me!" Dominic¡¯s roar followed her just as she turned to head out of the office.


    Inez knew that this was going to piss him off but she never expected the man to chase after her and catch her by her wrist. "You are not going anywhere."


    As he spoke, he pulled her towards the table, where Inez noticed a copy of the contract with an ink pad.


    Was this man trying to force her into signing a contract?

 Chapter 27: First time rebelling

    <h4>Chapter 27: First time rebelling</h4>


    Realization crossed across Inez¡¯s expression as she started to struggle against Dominic¡¯s hold. She gave him a hard look and said to him, "Let go of me, Dominic."


    However, the man didn¡¯t let go of her hand. He pulled her across the table and nearly mmed her hand on the inkpad. Her eyes red with anger as she ced her foot against the leg of the table and pulled her hand back before it could touch the ink pad.


    She might be a half shifter but she was one nheless. Her pride was just as strong as any dominant female shifter, and Inez didn¡¯t like how Dominic was dragging her around like a rag doll. She stared at his eyes, but she could not find any guilt for the humiliation and pain he had brought her yesterday.


    It only infuriated Inez.


    "I said let go," she snarled at him. Her eyes were burning with small mes as Inez pulled her hand away from Dominic. She would have liked to say a hell lot of things to him but Inez knew that this was not the time to listen to her heart but her head.


    Dominic stared at her as if he found the entire thing tiring and a bit amusing. Like a big bad wolf teasing a rabbit before closing onto her and taking a bite out of her neck. "You know you can never beat me, Inez. So might as well just get this done with."


    After speaking, he pulled her harshly, almost dislocating her shoulder.


    "NO! I DON¡¯T WANT THIS."


    Inez felt her siren side stir. Her eyes shed with a hint of golden specks, something neither Inez nor Dominic noticed because of their tussle. However, themand that left her lips made Dominic loosen his grip on her wrist.


    Not wanting to waste anymore time, Inez flicked his hand away and rushed past the table. She knew that the chances of her escaping were small but she would rather take them instead of letting herself be tied with the same restraints that she had allowed to bind her foolishly for years.


    "Inez Sinir!"


    Dominic didn¡¯t understand how and why he let go of Inez but the second he snapped out of the haze, he turned around and chased after her. He didn¡¯t know why he did it; he just knew that he couldn¡¯t let her leave.


    He knew that the reason Inez was acting so rebellious was because she knew what he had done yesterday and as much as Dominic wished to exin the happenings, he didn¡¯t want to. His pride to bring this woman to her knees and break her until she could no longer stay sane anymore was holding him back.


    Dominic wished Inez to go through the same pain that he went through when his sister died.


    So, he held back, but at the same time, when he heard Inez say that she was resigning, that she was leaving the cage that he had built for her, Dominic couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of annoyance.


    The panic and sense of breathlessness that had been nudging him since yesterday came hurtling and crashed right against his lungs until he found it was getting hard to breathe.


    Inez heard his roar and she knew that Dominic was more than just pissed but she didn¡¯t stop. Instead, she picked up her pace and sped up.


    Upon reaching the door of the office, she pulled it open and rushed outside. She didn¡¯t even see where she was going; she just wanted to get away from Dominic.


    He might have washed Evelyn¡¯s scent off him, but Inez could still smell that nauseating scent on him as if it had smoothed itself over Dominic¡¯s skin. It made her want to hurl everything that she had eaten. Her head was throbbing, and her throat was rolling.


    She felt like she was about to pass out.


    BANG!


    Inez collided with a hard wall of muscles and sheer strength. However, the scent didn¡¯t make her feel disgusted; if anything, it soothed her anxious self and calmed her down. She raised her head and looked at Killian, who stood in front of her and swallowed hard.


    "Hello there," Killian greeted her. There was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.


    Noticing the glint in his eyes as if he was looking at a toy with which he could y for a while because he was bored, Inez felt spooked. She stepped back but stiffened when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.


    "Come here, Inez." Dominic stood behind her like a statue of barely contained rage, right behind her. Something about her standing so close to Killian made Dominic¡¯s wolf growl in defiance and anger. All these years, the two of them had been perfectly in sync with one another, but at that moment, Dominic felt his wolf rebel.


    Everyone in the office turned to look at Inez in confusion, contempt and mockery. The massive amount of attention made her tense. To her surprise, Killian, who stood behind her, stepped forward and almost covered her with his massive build. Now, Inez was as proud as any dominant female, but at that moment, her heart surged with an unknown emotion.


    When was thest time someone other than Scarlet had stepped forward to protect her? Inez was certain that it didn¡¯t happen. Not even once.


    And that was when the realisation struck her. She was all alone in this pack for thest three years. The feeling was excruciating, almost painful to the point where she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    What was she even doing here? Inez couldn¡¯t help but wonder. She should have left this pack ages ago. But she had been foolish and greedy, wanting to take her friends back from the vindictive, greedy and unhinged tramp. She was sure that her best friends, at least Dominic, would see through her lies.


    But now Inez felt like a clown. She was trying to take back something that was never hers to begin with, because if these men were her true friends, then they would have never made her go through so much suffering.


    They didn¡¯t do that. Instead, they isted Inez to the point where she became miserable and alone. And they all watched the show while sitting in the front seat.

 Chapter 28: Accusing her despite the betrayal

    <h4>Chapter 28: using her despite the betrayal</h4>


    "And just what do you think you are doing, Alpha Sokolov?" Dominic¡¯s voice wasced with annoyance when he saw Killian step in between him and Inez. Even his wolf growled at the audacity of the lycan, who was trying to interfere in a matter that didn¡¯t belong to him or had nothing to do with him.


    Killian had the good grace to look politely troubled. He raised his hands in mock surrender and said to Dominic, "I do not mean any disrespect." He spoke in a tone that clearly showed how little he thought of Dominic and his threats. "But I believe that the young woman doesn¡¯t want to go or stay with you, Alpha Cherith. Since that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you respect her wishes?"


    Inez was d that he was trying to talk some sense into Dominic. Just now, what he did to her in that office, shook her up. The Dominic she knew would never do something so low, such as forcing one of his wolves to submit to him forcefully.


    However, the man clearly was not the one with whom she had grown up. He was bitter and resentful about something and Inez had no idea what it was. But she was done asking.


    If he wanted to me her for murdering his pet dog, then go ahead and be done with it. She would rather be executed than suffer through another round of humiliation.


    "This is between me and my wolf." Dominic growled as he shot a threatening re at Inez, asking her to step past Killian ande stand next to him.


    Like she was an idiot.


    "Indeed," Killian¡¯s voice was calm without any signs of anger. Even though Dominic was almost into his face, the lycan didn¡¯t show any signs of sping Dominic by his throat and shaking him by his neck, which made Inez wonder if the rumours about Killian were even true. "However, you have to understand that Miss Sinir is not only one of your wolves; she is also an individual who has her own thoughts and actions."


    "You cannot subject her to forceful subjection, can you? I don¡¯t think, as her alpha, you are allowed to do that." There was pure taunt in his voice, which made Dominic wonder if this man had heard Inez refute him just now.


    "I never¡ª"


    "Don¡¯t do this." Just as Dominic was about to re up at Killian, Luca rushed over. He sped hold of Dominic¡¯s arm and pulled him back. "Don¡¯t forget that we have an important alliance signed with him; do you really want to offend him because of Inez?"


    Tao and ke came running after Luca.


    Clearly, they had sensed Dominic¡¯s anger through the pack bond and knew that the situation was not good. To avoid the situation from escting, they dropped their jobs at hand and rushed back to the office.


    They knew that with Inez¡¯s temper, Dominic was bound to lose his mind but they never expected that Killian would join the fray.


    Luca turned to look at Killian and said to him politely, "Alpha Sokolov, it seems that our pack mate has troubled you."


    "Not in the slightest," Killian arched a brow and stared down at Luca with a hint of mockery. "If anything, the fact that she was running as if she was being chased by a monster was what bothered me the most. Care to tell me why such a thing happened?"


    "Why would a wolf run from her own alpha as if she was about to be killed?" He mused with a finger on his chin. "I am quite curious."


    Dominic flushed slightly. However, he recovered almost instantly as he said to Killian, "You are misunderstanding something, Alpha Sokolov. It¡¯s not what you think; she did something wrong and I was simply punishing her for her dereliction."


    "Were you now?" Killian asked with a tone that showed that he didn¡¯t believe a thing that wasing out of Dominic¡¯s mouth.


    "Yes," Ignoring the taunting tone, he turned to look at Inez, who stood behind Killian, looking at him as if he was an inch away from stepping on herst nerve. "Enough is enough, Inez. I believe that it is time for you to¡ª"


    "Enough?" Inez raised her head and looked at Dominic with a hint of amusement in her eyes. "That¡¯s what you have to say to me after what you have done to me?" she was not the one to lose her temper, oh no. but for the first time, Inez felt fucking livid. She did not go through so much pain and anguish just to be told enough was enough.


    Inezughed but there was a bitter edge to it. "That¡¯s one fantastic way to end a show. You took everything ¡ªeverything including my wolf and pride¡ªfrom me and now you have the audacity to say that enough is enough? Where was this gracious thought of you when I was begging you?"


    "Your wolf is gone?" Dominic blinked his eyes; he didn¡¯t understand. Though he knew that the consequences of his actions from yesterday would be severe, he never intended to cripple Inez.


    He hated her. That was true. But Dominic also understood the importance of a shifter¡¯s wolf to them; a shifter losing their wolf was simr to losing their limbs.


    "What? Are you filled with delight?" Inez asked with a mocking curl of her lips. "Are you trying to make sure that my wolf is gone? Can¡¯t you sense it already?"


    Now that she had betent, her wolf had receded within her. She was no longer responsive and as long as Dominic searched through the pack bond, he would soon realise that even though the bond was intact, there was a wolf who wasn¡¯t responsive to him.


    Indeed, just as Inez expected, Dominic did search through the pack bond but he never received any response from Inez¡¯s wolf despite using his authority as his alpha.


    His gaze cut to Inez¡¯s. When he saw her smiling humourlessly, Dominic couldn¡¯t help but say, "It¡¯s because of what you have done, Inez. If you want to me anyone, then you can only me yourself. This is what you deserve."


    He spoke as if it justified his actions of sleeping with another woman and stepping on her and her wolf¡¯s pride.

 Chapter 29: Stating the real facts

    <h4>Chapter 29: Stating the real facts</h4>


    Inez knew that she needed to shut her mouth and walk away. However, her siren side was filled with rage and humiliation. Sirens were never good with walking away from a fight and Inez was finding it hard to do the same. They were creatures so ethereal that even Kings would fall to their knees at first sight, so how could Inez ept thisck of respect?


    "You are wrong."


    "Excuse me?" Domini pinned her gaze with his and questioned, "What did you just say?"


    Inez sucked in a breath and stepped past Killian. She was thankful that the Lycan shifter had stood up for her but this was her battle and she needed to fight it if she wanted to have thest word. She tilted her head to one side and stated, "You are wrong. The reason you went on with this torment is not because I did something to deserve it."


    She rolled her eyes because she didn¡¯t even know what she had done to deserve this much pain and humiliation. She had asked, begged and even grovelled for the pack to ry the truth to her, but they were sort of unified. As if telling the truth had be taboo.


    Holding Dominic¡¯s gaze, Inez spoke to him, "You did it because you knew that I was weaker than you, because you knew that I cared for you and my friends."


    Her smile turned a tad bit mocking as she continued, "And because I care about you motherfuckers, no matter how you take your anger out on me, I will not fight back. I will take your anger and unjustified usation because I fucking liked you."


    "Inez, you have no idea what you are talking about," Tao snarled as he rushed to the aid of his alpha at once.


    Inez cocked a brow and shot the beta male a smirk, "Oh but I do."


    She turned to look at Dominic and said to him in a clear, cold voice , "If you really believed what you said I did, then you would have killed me, Dominic. You might not like to hear this but I know you better than anyone."


    "The fact that you left me alive is enough proof that somewhere you also know that there is something fishy about the so-called evidence that you speak of. But you let your anger rule your judgment, and by the time you calmed down, it was toote for you to back down."


    Inez¡¯s words brought a surge of emotions that Dominic shut down. He wasn¡¯t wrong; he saw the woman in the surveince recording and knew that it was her. There was nothing wrong with his judgment.


    Of course, Inez knew what the man was thinking. After growing up with him, she knew that his stubbornness was like her pride. Once he had set his mind to something, he would never listen to anyone else unless they provided contradictory evidence.


    Something that she didn¡¯t have at the moment.


    She shook her head. There was no point in harping over her ¡¯truth¡¯; not a single person alive on this could make Dominic believe what he didn¡¯t want to believe.


    "I think I have repaid whatever I did in your opinion ¡ª"


    As soon as she finished speaking, Dominic¡¯s face flushed and he snarled at her, "You can never fucking repay what you have done, Inez!"


    "Oh, but I did," Inez growled back. Her wolf might be too weak to surface, but she hadn¡¯t lost her siren side. She straightened her spine and growled right back. Tugging off the wolf ne that she always wore, she stepped forward and thrust it into Dominic¡¯s hand. "I didn¡¯t say a word when you made me the punching bag of the entire pack. I didn¡¯t fight back when you imed that I was a traitorous tramp, but you know what?"


    She scrunched up her face and continued while staring into Dominic¡¯s eyes. "I did it because I cared but I don¡¯t. Not after what you didst night. You ruined our friendship, fine. You rejected me as your mate? Also fine. But you had no fucking right to snatch my wolf from me, Dominic. Not a single fucking right!"


    "My wolf¡¯s almost dead, and so am I! This is what you wanted to see, right? I hope it was fucking worth it." and now she needed to get out of there.


    "Inez, don¡¯t you dare storm out."


    As she turned on her feet and headed towards the exit, she nced back at him over her shoulder. "If you truly believe that I did what you think I did, you would have your hand wrapped around my throat and snatched my heart out of my chest. But deep down, you know and your wolf knows too, that I didn¡¯t do it." She turned her head and faced the front before stating in a calm voice, "Anyway, you can believe whatever you want. Because I just don¡¯t care anymore."


    With that, Inez waltzed out of the office building. Then, while cursing a blue streak, she stomped to the parking lot. This day couldn¡¯t turn any shittier, could it?


    However, as she stepped inside the parking lot, she realised that, yes. Actually, it could turn even worse. Standing against her truck, draining one of the cans of coffee that Inez usually carried in her truck, was the one woman Inez didn¡¯t want to see today.


    Everything in her wanted tosh out, to put this bitch out of her miserable agony that she always mirrored onto Inez just because she was so insecure in herself. But that was exactly what Eve would want her to do. That would give her another reason to cry and sell pity, where she would ask Dominic to lock Inez up in the prison like she did in the past.


    However, with her big escape n set in motion, Inez would be a fool to fall into the trap that this woman had dug for her. But running from a problem was never Inez¡¯s response; thus, she stepped forward and walked over to where the heifer was standing.

 Chapter 30: Savoring the little victory

    <h4>Chapter 30: Savoring the little victory</h4>


    "Well, hello there," greeted Eve, wearing a superior and ugly smile. As usual, she was dressed in a white dress, which entuated her innocent face but only Inez knew that behind that mask of innocence was a hideous face. "I was just waiting for you when I saw this coffee can lying inside. I hope that you don¡¯t mind that I took one?"


    The fact that she knew that this coffee was sold in the town where humans lived and was not found anywhere around their territory made it clear what Eve was trying to do but Inez would be a fool to give her the reaction that she wanted.


    "You can have it." It would be perfect if she just choked on that liquid, thought Inez.


    Evelyn delicately swept her finger over the marks that Dominic left on her skin and Inez wouldn¡¯t lie. Even though she had given up on Dominic, the sight of these marks made her chest ache as if sharp shards were lodged inside of her.


    "Aren¡¯t they pretty?" Evelyn questioned. As she brushed a lock of hair and showed off more marks on her corbones to Inez. "Dominic was pretty wildst night."


    Inez didn¡¯t even bat an eye as she pointed to the door of her car and stated, "They are but did all the mirrors in your house break? Is that why you are appreciating these marks in front of my car?"


    Her smile faltered as her cheeks turned almost as red as the marks on her skin. "It must be hard to lose your mate to someone else, right? Embarrassing too. If I were you, I would rather chuck myself off the cliff than to stand in front of the woman who was imed by your mate when you were rejected."


    She tucked a fluttering lock behind her ear and continued, "My words might sound rude but I am being honest. Your own mate and pack mates don¡¯t trust you, Inez... a loser like you ¡ªdo you really think that you deserve to live?"


    "I don¡¯t know if you are just that shameless but if I were you, I would have died of hurt and shame."


    Who said that she was not dying? Inez was dying every day. Theck of trust of her pack mates, the loss of her friends whom she trusted with her life¡ªeverything burnt like a motherfucker. But she was not going to show it to this woman.


    Inez would rather die than let Evelyn know how defeated she felt at the moment.


    She felt a surge of annoyance. Why couldn¡¯t this woman leave her alone? Didn¡¯t she already get what she wanted? She had taken Dominic, Tao, Luca and ke. The pack was also respectful towards her because she was protected by the top dogs. There was nothing left for Evelyn to take from her except her life. But Inez was dead sure that Evelyn didn¡¯t want her life.


    At least not yet.


    This woman was too perverse for that.


    "And if I were you, I would try to keep my nose out of other people¡¯s business unless you want that pretty nose broken."


    "You are jealous. Why don¡¯t you admit it?" She asked with her arms crossed in front.


    It only made Inezugh. "Why would I be jealous of someone like you?"


    "You are. You won¡¯t admit it, but you are jealous of Dominic¡¯s love for me and the boys¡¯ care."


    "This is getting real old, Evelyn." Inez shook her head. Too tired to quibble with the neurotic woman.


    "You are; I know you are jealous of me."


    "Why? Because you are one maniptive bitch? Or the fact that you are quite quirky when stealing others¡¯ credit and work? The fact that you are delusional? The little demons under your bed who tell you that the world revolves around you?" Done with the quarrel, she pointed to her left and said, "You need to go."


    "You can¡¯t dismiss me yet!"


    "Why?" Inez asked with a raised eyebrow.


    Evelyn straightened up and haughtily stretched out her hand. "You haven¡¯t given me the report from yesterday. I hope you are done with the designs?"


    "Ah," Inez smiled. She was kind of d that Evelyn had asked about the designs. However, instead of dropping the bomb straightaway, Inez smiled charmingly. She said to Evelyn, "Can you step aside?"


    "You cannot tell me what to do," Evelyn snorted with a roll of her eyes, but that only made Inez scoff.


    "Well, then the two of us can stand here and discuss the weather. Because if you don¡¯t step aside, I cannot hand you the documents that you want."


    The skank shot a look of pure suspicion in Inez¡¯s direction but after a little pondering, she stepped aside. Inez knew that she would; Evelyn¡¯s entire persona of being a genius event nner and an interior decorator depended on Inez. If she didn¡¯t get her hands on the designs, it would mean losing her position as a genius.


    Because the boys wanted to take literally everything from her, they had even taken her wisdom and creativity. Though they couldn¡¯t take it literally, their actions of making Evelyn¡¯s shadow hurt nheless.


    And Evelyn was rather clear on her own skills.


    Evelyn might be dumb, but she was not that dumb.


    Inez stepped towards her truck and climbed inside. Only when she had locked the doors and made sure that this woman couldn¡¯t cause her any more trouble did she raise her head and state, "Well, there are no documents, but thanks for stepping aside."


    Heat rushed to Evelyn¡¯s face as she fumed. "How dare you, Inez!? You know how important this project is, and you are still dragging your feet; just wait until I tell Dominic about your dereliction of duty. You will be fired."


    "There is no point in him firing me because I have quit," Inez beamed at Evelyn¡¯s expression. She had been dying to disclose her resignation to Evelyn, and now that she had done it, Inez had to admit that it felt jolly good.

 Chapter 31: Savoring The Little Victory (2)

    <h4>Chapter 31: Savoring The Little Victory (2)</h4>


    "You are lying." Evelyn¡¯s eyes bugged and her cheeks turned purple. Though she didn¡¯t lose her temper like usual, Inez knew that it was only because the woman was used to acting as a fragile damsel in distress. If the two of them were somewhere more private, Evelyn would have lunged for her throat by now.


    "I am not." Inez¡¯s voice was calmer than a stagnant pond. She looked at Evelyn¡¯s eyes, which were wider than the saucers and said to her, "I truly did resign from my post. How do you feel? Happy? I think you do. After all, you went through all that song and dance to get Dominic into your bed. What?"


    Inez gasped. "Don¡¯t tell me you thought I signed the contract?"


    Evelyn bit her lower lip. She indeed thought that Inez had signed the contract again. When she had called Dominic and asked about it, the man had told her not to worry about it. She thought that it was a given that Inez had signed it.


    But now this bitch was telling her that she hadn¡¯t signed it. What would be of her reputation now?


    "You bitch¡ª"


    "Tsk, tsk," Inez waved a finger in the air and remarked, "We are in public, sweetie. You cannot curse like that in here. If Dominic or the boys hear you calling me a bitch, what will they think? Wouldn¡¯t they be upset that their damsel in distress has been lying to them all along?"


    That sapped most of her energy out as Evelyn looked around and when she didn¡¯t find anyone, she turned to look at Inez and muttered angrily, "How could you? How dare you? Do you not ¡ª"


    "Care about Dominic?" Inez finished for her. She smiled sweetly and stated, "You were right when you used him against me, Evelyn. Indeed, when I saw you clinging to him, I wanted to rip your bloody throat out, but you also need to understand this ¡ª"


    Inez dropped her smile and continued, "I don¡¯t have the habit of picking up anyone¡¯s sloppy seconds. So the second you got into his pants¡ªBAM! You sealed your future."


    "Dominic was my leash, yeah." Inez shrugged beforementing, "But not anymore. So, I think this is goodbye." She smiled when she saw Evelyn¡¯s expression turning uglier than she had ever seen. "I will see you around or not?" Inez pulled the truck out of the parking lot and drove away.


    The exhaust fumes that drifted behind made Evelyn cough and sputter as she kicked a pebble on the pavement angrily.


    Inez saw everything through the rearview mirror and chortled. For the first time in three years, she felt truly free. She smiled inwardly at how satisfying it had been to watch Evelyn¡¯s reactions as she realised that she couldn¡¯t continue stomping on her head anymore.


    "You don¡¯t seem very pleased with me, Alpha Cherith." Killian picked up the cup of coffee and slowly took a sip from it. However, just after taking a sip, he ced the cup down. He couldn¡¯t taste the tea but given the murky colour of the brown liquid, he was quite certain that it didn¡¯t taste exotic.


    He raised his head and looked at the man who was staring at him with sheer loathing. "Does it have to do something with the little wolf who left just now?"


    "She is one of my wolves." Dominic had no idea how he was keeping his rage in check. He was furious at Inez, at Killian and at himself. "Your interference was not necessary."


    "True," Killian agreed without any signs of denial. "However, I just have this..." He rubbed his fingertips with his thumb as he searched for the correct words. "This little soft spot for beautiful women like her. I just can¡¯t help when they run into my arms."


    "She is my mate!" Dominic for the first time, felt his wolf bristle. All along he believed that Inez was right under his palm and now that the woman had escaped, tipping the entire jar down, scattering bits and pieces all over his fucking chessboard¡ªDominic felt things were going out of control.


    "Ex-mate," Killian corrected him with a soft smile. "She is your ex-mate, Alpha Cherith. I heard that you rejected your mate through the grapevine."


    "Nheless, she is a member of my pack." Slightly stifled by Killian¡¯s words, Dominic clenched his fingers around the edge of the armrest. He knew Killian and though he didn¡¯t dare to im that he understood this man, Dominic knew one thing¡ªKillian was not the kind of man who would fall in love with a woman.


    At most, he would be attracted to them because they amused him. Like little toys, arranged neatly in a toy store. He would be attracted to and possessive of his favourite toy unless he got his hands on it. But once he got it, Killian would no longer be interested.


    He would y with it just for the sake of going through all the trouble, but that would be it.


    Women were just the same for Killian.


    He charmed, wooed and treated them with respect, but once he had his fill, he would send the woman away.


    Dominic couldn¡¯t understand how Inez provoked such a man. However, just because he could not go to war with Killian, didn¡¯t mean that he was going to let this man make him lower his head.


    For Killian to have intervened in his pack matters was nothing but an act of humiliation. One that Dominic didn¡¯t like. Especially when this man let Inez escape his grasp.


    Killian must have sensed his anger. However, the man didn¡¯t seem to be bothered. The lycan calmly stared right back at him and said, "I know that she is your pack member. But like I told you back then, the little wolf didn¡¯t appreciate what you were doing to her. Though I have no idea what you were trying to do, that made her so resistant towards you."


    "And you helped her because you are just that kind?" Dominic questioned with a sneer. "I didn¡¯t know that you even had such an emotion in your body, Alpha Sokolov."


    "Dear me," Killian blinked his eyes with his fingers interlocked. A smile yed on his lips as he remarked, "When did I say that it was out of kindness? She just amuses me."

 Chapter 32: You are not welcomed

    <h4>Chapter 32: You are not weed</h4>


    Unbeknownst of the trouble that was steering in the office, Inez returned home. Fortunately for her, her mother was not at home and neither was Ricky. Sighing in relief, Inez took off her jacket and then threw it on the rack. She had been wearing it for an entire day and night; now it was sticking to her skin, which made her feel icky.


    She headed for the stairs and went straight to her room, where she took a bath and changed her clothes. Just as she stepped out of the bathing room, she saw Scarlet rushing right in.


    The second Scarlet¡¯s gaze fell on her; she released a heavy sigh of relief.


    "What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked. Marching towards her, Scarlet hugged Inez tightly. "Where in the world did you gost night? If you wanted to change the n, then you could have just told me. Why did you go missing out of nowhere?"


    Scarlet didn¡¯t tell how worried she was when she didn¡¯t see Inezst night.


    Inez threw the towel with which she was drying her hair and sighed. "It¡¯s a long story."


    "Then shorten it up for me," Scarlet shrugged her shoulders and remarked. With her arms crossed, she said, "You know that I will not leave the matter alone if you don¡¯t tell me the truth."


    Simple and straightforward.


    Though Inez liked her sister¡¯s personality, sometimes she wondered if Scarlet even knew how to hesitate sometimes.


    Finally, Inez released a heavy breath. She then ryed what happened yesterday to Scarlet and by the time she finished speaking, it was not a surprise that Scarlet had gonepletely still.


    For two minutes she simply stared at Inez, but then she rounded on her feet and headed towards the door.


    "Hey, hey! You can¡¯t," Realising what she wanted to do, Inez pulled her sister back. She pushed her inside the room, but Scarlet, being Scarlet, fought tooth and nail with her.


    Red-faced and smoke almost billowing out from under her head, she said in a hoarse voice, "Step aside. I will rip that bastard a new one."


    "No , you can¡¯t." Now positively struggling to keep her sister inside the room, Inez panted and said to Scarlet, "You cannot just march inside the office of the alpha of the pack and rip him a new one."


    Scarlet smiled in a falsely sweet manner before saying, "Oh, watch me. Since he loves to act like such a big asshole, then he needs his own rip. Because the current one does not match his personality."


    Inez smiled at her sister¡¯s loyalty but she wouldn¡¯t want Scarlet to be locked up in prison and interrogated because of her. She said to her sister, "I am grateful but if you get yourself imprisoned, who will help me escape?"


    Scarlet¡¯s struggles came to a halt. She raised her head and looked at Inez before asking, "Are we still doing it?"


    "Yes," Inez replied in a heartbeat. She would never be able to forgive Dominic. Not only because he slept with the one woman he shouldn¡¯t have, but also because her pride as a siren wouldn¡¯t allow her to take in a man who betrayed her so deeply.


    More importantly, he was also the cause of her wolf¡¯s condition. Inez had no idea if Nia was done licking her wounds and was willing to step out of her shell. She had been calling Nia since she woke up but her wolf never responded.


    It made Inez wonder if her wolf would ever be able to let go of the pain.


    Scarlet studied her expression for a second. She seemed to be struggling but after a few seconds, she sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. She said to Inez, "Very well. Then I will go and drop your truck off at our hideout."


    When they were young, the two sisters just had enough of Maria¡¯s constant quibbling and her weird ways of teaching them. Maria, like every other female shifter, believed that, as a woman, their first job was to imprint on a male and have pups with him.


    Especially half-blood shifters like Inez.


    Her mother had often drilled this idea in her head. ording to her dear mother, since Inez was not skilled enough to be an enforcer or hold any other significant position in the pack, the least she could do was to imprint with a strong, dominant male and give birth to a litter of pups.


    In the past, when she was friends with Dominic and the boys, her mother had never put such ideas or suggestions in front of her, but the second they flipped their shit on her, her mother also turned her back on her.


    She became cold and withdrawn from Inez.


    And because Inez became what her mother would call a failure, she started pressuring Scarlet just as harshly, such that she wouldn¡¯t follow the steps of her elder sister and turn into a failure as well.


    Frustrated with the continuous scolding and teachings of their mother, the two sisters had finally taken sanctuary outside the pack, where they often went.


    "Okay," Inez knew what Scarlet was talking about and agreed with her little sister.


    "I will get on it then." Scarlet picked up the keys that Inez had thrown on the little cab and went outside the room. Since they had already made ns, they might as well be done with it.


    Inez watched her sister leave and walked over to the small bed that was sitting in the corner of the room. She sighed and sat down, feeling sapped. It was as if all the energy inside of her body had been sucked dry. However, just as her butt touched the mattress, she heard a loud growl, followed by a loud thump.


    Though Inez was about to hurtle downstairs, she paused. Scarlet, unlike her was a dominant shifter; she wouldn¡¯t like it if she ran downstairs and intervened in her fight, but that was until ¡ª


    "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING HERE, BLAKE?"

 Chapter 33: You are not welcomed (2)

    <h4>Chapter 33: You are not weed (2)</h4>


    Inez rushed downstairs in a heartbeat. As soon as she jumped down thest step, she smelt a yummy scent that she hade to dislike. With her heart thudding in her chest, she stepped inside the living and strode over to stand next to Scarlet.


    The confusion in the eyes of her sister was mirrored in her own as she stared at the mountain of the man who was standing in the middle of her living hall as if he had the right to do so.


    "Now, Scarlet," her mother chided Scarlet as if she was being rude to the Moon Goddess herself. "This is not the way to talk to our guests."


    Scarlet wheeled to look at her mother; she was simply shocked at the actions of their mother. She said in an usatory tone, "Guests? Have you finally lost it, Mom? Have you forgotten what this guy and the rest did to Inez?"


    Inez felt a surge of pride and warmth in her heart when she heard Scarlet¡¯s words. At least someone in the pack was willing to stand up for her.


    "Scarlet!" Maria hissed at her younger daughter when she didn¡¯t seem to be backing down; she simply turned to look at her oldest. "Do you have nothing to say about this?"


    "Yeah, I do." Inez nodded and replied before turning to look at ke and stating in a cold voice, "Goodbye and get lost."


    She knew why ke was here, and she didn¡¯t like it.


    It was one thing that Dominic and the boys had tried to govern her life when she was tied and bound by a contract but Inez wasn¡¯t happy with their actions of forcing her to submit to their will when she clearly had no intentions of doing so anymore.


    In the past, she was willing to try anything to get her friends back and she was too much of a coward to run away. But maybe it had something to do with her wolf being so forcefully snatched from her that she wanted to escape this ce that had taken everything away from her.


    "Inez, what do you mean by those words?" Maria sounded harassed as if she was having a hard time raising two unreasonable daughters who could not understand her efforts.


    She briefly nced at Inez. "I am so sorry, ke, but Nessie is having a hard time with everything that is going on with our lives. I assure you that she doesn¡¯t mean it and she is very apologetic about whatever she might have done to make you and the alpha upset."


    Her mother was on a roll, wasn¡¯t she? She was literally saying things that Inez didn¡¯t even mean. In fact, she didn¡¯t even think that she needed to be apologetic towards anyone. Not once.


    "Of course, I understand, Miss Sinir," ke smiled as he turned to look at Inez, who stood her ground. "Can I talk to Nessie for a minute?"


    "No."


    "I would rather shove a hot poker down my throat."


    Scarlet and Inez refused at the same time. Though the two sisters didn¡¯t know why ke was here to see Inez, they knew that it was nothing good.


    However, they underestimated the charm and temptation of getting into the good books of Dominic held.


    Maria turned to look at the two of them and stated in a cold voice, "ke is a nice guy, Inez. He came to see you despite everything you have done ¡ª"


    "And he knows what I have done, dear mother?" Inez turned and nced at her mother. Though she didn¡¯t say anything out loud, it was enough to make Maria stiffen. Her face twitched and she turned to look at ke, "Excuse me."


    She then marched over to where Inez was standing and caught her by her wrist before pulling her inside the small study that belonged to Inez¡¯s stepfather.


    "Now, you listen to me," Maria raised her hand just as her voice simmered down. She peered at the door that was tightly closed and shut behind the two of them before wheeling around and looking at Inez. "You are not going to ruin this for us, Inez. I am warning you."


    She looked so wild and chaotic that Inez looked at her mother with an rming gaze. She furrowed her brows and questioned, "Ruin what?"


    "ke came to see you here." ignoring her question, Maria continued as if the two of them were having a one-way conversation. "You are going to go outside with me now and you will have a nice and docile conversation with him, just like he asked you." though her mother¡¯s voice never rose past the sickly, sweet decibel, Inez knew that this was equivalent to screaming for Maria.


    "If I don¡¯t, what will you do?" Inez asked. She held her mother¡¯s gaze and stated, "You know that it¡¯s hard for me to hold a one-sided conversation with anyone."


    Maria smiled at her. Just the way she usually did when she was about to drop the most ridiculous punishment. Locking her up in the basement, starving her or throwing her outside in the cold weather ¡ªall in the name of teaching her better.


    "Then I think you also remember that Scarlet doesn¡¯t like the little dance ss that I arranged for you when you were sixteen. Unless you want me to make her join one, you need to go and get your act together," Maria spoke with a polite, simpering tone.


    "That¡¯s a low blow and you know that, Mom." Inez couldn¡¯t believe that her mother was actually using her own daughter to make her lower her head. Not that it came as a surprise; she knew very well, that for her mother, the one thing that mattered the most was her reputation and how many envious gazes she usually got.


    Everyone,including Ricky, was just a stepping stone for her.


    As long as her children were useful for her, her mother would be the sweetest woman on this but Moon Goddess forbid if they were to be useless in her eyes.

 Chapter 34: A Befitting punishment

    <h4>Chapter 34: A Befitting punishment</h4>


    "I know," ignoring the re that Inez shot her way, her mother patted her on the shoulders and stated, "But rebellious kids like you need some stern talk. Unless your weak pulse is pinched, kids like you just won¡¯t listen."


    Inez sucked in a cold breath. She tried to ease the subtle burn in her chest but nothing eased the anger after listening to the cold and heart-chilling words of her mother. That was all she was and would be in the eyes of her mother¡ªa rebellious kid who didn¡¯t know anything better.


    Just because she had the blood of a siren in her veins, her mother had determined that she was a lost cause and there was nothing that she could do about it.


    Her words were hurtful but not enough to make Inez lose her calm. She pursed her lips and spat, "Fine."


    She then spun on her heel and ignored the triumphant smile on her mother¡¯s lips. Just one more night, tomorrow she would be free of this nonsense. Though she knew that her sister would have to suffer quite a lot of injustice because of her actions, Inez knew that Scarlet was made of tougher shit than her mother.


    She stepped outside the room and walked to the living room, where ise was waiting for her.


    "What do you want to say?" she asked with a stern note in her voice. Inez didn¡¯t wish to waste any more of her time than she already had. She could be getting ready to escape this prison of hers but no, things just had to go south and in a way that she didn¡¯t like.


    ke studied her carefully before saying, "Can we talk in the garden?"


    Inez studied him right back. Though she didn¡¯t know why this man wanted to drag her to the garden, she nodded. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t as if he could kill and bury her in the garden of her own house and even if he did try, she would have a better advantage of running away from him.


    The two of them stepped out of the porch and walked down the stairs before stepping down the freshly mown grass. Just like everything in the house, it was perfectly trimmed without any signs of overgrowth. The shrubs and bushes were neatly cut and little fairy lights glitter all over the garden.


    It looked pretty but it was not something Inez would like. She had this artistic streak that poked her from within and told her that she could do much better but in the eyes of her mother it would turn into nothing but a wasteful effort; thus, Inez never tried.


    "It is quite nice here," ke praised but Inez didn¡¯t take the bait. She stayed quiet, waiting for the man to tell her what he wanted to tell her. Since he certainly didn¡¯te here to praise and admire her mother¡¯s gardening skills.


    Inez watched him walk over to the old tree in the corner of the garden and then heard him sigh, "I remember nting this here with you and the boys." He touched the trunk of the tree with a reminiscent look in his eyes and spoke, "Do you still remember how we used to climb this tree to get into your room?"


    She did. But since she didn¡¯t want to shake her resolve to escape this ce and leave these people behind, Inez crossed her arms and stated in a cold voice, "It¡¯s going to be cut down in a few days, so you might as well take a snap of it."


    ke stiffened as he turned to look at her; he looked visibly confused and asked, "You are cutting it down?"


    "Yes," Inez replied coolly.


    "Why?"


    "My mom keeps yapping that this tree has gotten old and doesn¡¯t suit well with the look of the garden. So I let her cut it down," Inez lied. Though she hadn¡¯t given her permission to her mother to cut down the tree, it was true that her mother didn¡¯t like this old and gnarled tree and had been asking Inez to let it be chopped and removed.


    Hmm. Maybe she would let her mother have it removed. Maybe that would soothe her mother a little once she found out that her daughter had run away from the pack.


    "And you agreed?" ke looked at her as if he was looking at someone else other than Inez and honestly, she understood his surprise. In the past, her mother had asked her to cut down the tree and she had never agreed. Even when her mother gave a long lecture on how the tree was ruining the entire vibe of the garden, she fought with her mother tooth and nail.


    For Inez, this tree was the proof of their friendship¡ªthat she and the boys were once together. She kept the tree safe and protected because Inez thought that she was protecting their friendship but now she thought of her actions as silly.


    Neither Dominic nor the rest of the boys cared about her, much less about this tree and yet she had gone to war after war with her mother for it. She was just defending their friendship alone and it was about damn time she stopped it.


    "Yes," Inez answered without putting much emotion in her response. She had given too much and now she was taking it all back.


    ke slowly raised a brow at her and turned around. "Luca said that you were behaving abnormally. I thought that he was thinking too much but it seemed like he was right. You really did seem weird?"


    "Then when do I not look weird?" Inez asked with a light-hearted smile. "When I¡¯m crouching on the ground, letting the entire pack beat the shit out of me?"


    "You deserve it."


    She had heard these words so many times that they were getting boring.


    "Okay. So what of it?" Inez asked without questioning ke. "Did youe here just to tell me that I deserve being treated like a doormat by the entire pack?"

 Chapter 35: Grip to Death

    <h4>Chapter 35: Grip to Death</h4>


    "Inez¡ª"


    "Look," she said, raising her hands in the air and sighed. She knew what he was going to say¡ªthat the things she had done had consequences and since Inez was daring enough tomit such heinous crimes, she should have been prepared for such retaliation.


    Inez knew these words by heart. She had listened to them for three years and was now so used to them that she even started to wonder if she had trulymitted a heinous crime. Did she hit her head and forget about it? If not for the Scarlet telling her that nothing like that happened, she would have totally doubted herself.


    How could shemit a crime that she had no idea of but the entire pack seemed to be convinced of it?


    Inez was not sure of it and she was not even willing to ponder it anymore.


    "You had three years of fun, didn¡¯t you? I might not like to admit it, but you have crushed my soul, and my confidence and taken my wolf from me in the matter of just three years. You have basically turned me into a handicap," she said bitterly. "I think this is enough. I am not asking you to take me back; I can¡¯t and I won¡¯t. So can you all leave me¡ªme alone?"


    "You have some nerve saying those words," keughed out loud. He was not a cold person like Dominic but he was dangerous; there was just something about him which made Inez wary of him. He didn¡¯t speak much but when he did, he cut to the chase. "After taking the most precious thing away from Dom, you dare to look us in the eye and ask us to leave you alone¡ª"


    "Then kill me."


    "What?"


    That threw him off his high horse. Well good.


    "I said kill me," Inez repeated. Her eyes were firm as she stared coldly at the man. Just because she hadn¡¯t lost her mind, doesn¡¯t mean that she was not losing it. Her wolf was yet to return; all her hard work and credit had been taken away from her and her mother wanted nothing more than for her to be a puppet in the hands of the four strongest dominant men of the pack.


    With her arms crossed in front of her, she looked at ke and repeated, "Kill me; you have taken everything away from me. My friends are not my friends. My pack is a living hell for me and even my home was not left untouched. I feel like I have a noose tied around my neck that is suffocating me slowly."


    "Compared to that, I would rather have my breath cut off in a second."


    "Do you think I dare not do it?" ke asked with a sneer.


    "Oh, no, you will do it," Inez stated without any sign of fear in her eyes. Because honestly, she felt dead. After going through the bone-chilling pain yesterday, she could no longer function as a normal shifter anymore.


    After the loss of her wolf, Inez felt as if she had lost a part of her soul.


    She had called and begged Nia but she had never responded to her, which made her wonder if her wolf had also abandoned her. Her presence was so light that it was hard to trace.


    She blinked her eyes and stated in a low voice, "You will do it because you all fear nothing. I am weak with my mother worrying more about her darling son instead of me. I have no one to protect me. I am weak and unable to retaliate, so of course you will deal with me in ways that you like."


    Inez hardly finished speaking when ke raised his hand and curled his fingers around her throat. She could feel him almost crushing her windpipes and vocal cords with his strength and the sharp ws that were digging into her skin.


    But she didn¡¯t beg for her life. Even when dark spots started to dance in front of her eyes and her breathing turned shallow, she stayed calm andposed. Maybe tonight she would get her liberation one way or another.


    ke was waiting for Inez to break and beg him to let him off. He wanted to prove to her that there was still enough life and hope left in her for them to shatter but even when Inez¡¯s face turned blue due to the suffocation, the woman didn¡¯t beg him.


    Not even once.


    A sense of helplessness and anger surged in his heart and he threw Inez on the ground like a discarded piece of tissue.


    "Cough, cough..." Inez sputtered and coughed as she gasped for air. Twisting her head slightly upwards, she curled her lips and questioned, "Whats wrong? Can¡¯t find the will to kill me? Feeling merciful all of a sudden?" She scoffed and stated, "I don¡¯t need it. Not anymore. So if you want to kill me, you better do it tonight, ke. If not, you might not get another chance again."


    ke stared at her. His cold stare burned into her skin, and it hurt. It was heart breaking when she thought about how their once beautiful rtionship had been changed and turned into something so ¡ª


    Inez had no words to exin the current situation. She knew it was fucked up but somewhere she knew that it was even worse than that.


    "You are not allowed to leave the pack."


    Inez snapped out of her thoughts and scrambled to her feet. She stared at the man in front of her and asked, "What was that?"


    "It¡¯s the alpha¡¯s orders," ke spoke as if it made all the sense in the world. "You are supposed to stay in the territory until the ban is lifted."


    "You cannot just ground me!" Inez was furious. She had finally summoned enough courage to get out of this pack and she wanted to do it before her heart changed or before she ended up getting soft-hearted.


    And Inez knew that Dominic somewhere had a tentative idea of what she wanted to do; thus, he initiated this ban.

 Chapter 36: Time to make his claim true

    <h4>Chapter 36: Time to make his im true</h4>


    ke stared at her without showing any signs of anger or frustration; it made her feel shitty. Because here he was, standing in front of her like nothing bothered him while Inez was losing her fucking mind. She wanted out of this ce, this territory and away from these people.


    Such a little thing and yet she was not allowed to do it either. She said to him, "You cannot do this to me."


    "This is the alpha¡¯s orders," he repeated as if she hadn¡¯t heard him the first time. Defiance red in her eyes as she stated, "I don¡¯t want to ept these orders. If you want to ground me like a child, then you might as well go and look for a real child, because I don¡¯t need the permission of the alpha to leave or enter the pack."


    "This is the alpha¡¯s orders," ke repeated and this time much more sternly. "You are not allowed to leave the pack; the guards have been alerted about this and you will not be allowed to leave, so I will suggest that you don¡¯t bother."


    He then spun on his heel and walked away without letting Inez refuse any further.


    "ke!" Inez shouted after the man. She was furious. It was one thing that they had humiliated her in every possible way and now they wanted to trap her; more likely, Dominic wasing up with a sinister n to have her cornered so that he could make her sign that damned contract, which would make her putty in his hands.


    Inez didn¡¯t want it. She knew that if she stayed, that man would do anything. Literally anything, including using her own family to get what he wanted; maybe he might have already started making ns. She couldn¡¯t stay in this pack; if she stayed, Inez knew that she would be trapped in a much worse whirlpool.


    She chased after ke. But the man was faster and more agile. He swiftly dodged Scarlet, went past the couch in the middle of the room and left the porch. By the time Inez caught him, the man had already gotten in his car and was driving away.


    "ke!!!" Inez shrieked in anger when she saw ke¡¯s car turn around the corner and disappear in the darkness of the evening.


    "Why are you yelling?" Her mother came rushing. She took one look at Inez and said to her, "You need to be a bit more polite to men, Inez. They like females who submit to them without questioning them, instead of someone who would fight them."


    "Then they need to go and find tramps who would let them fuck for money, Mom," Scarletmented from behind. "Any woman who has a little more substance would fight back. And Inez is not someone who would lose her temper for no reason. You should at least ask her what made her furious."


    Her mother waved her hand and scoffed, "You don¡¯t know her like I do, Scar. She has always been like this. Spoiled and a bit arrogant in the face of those four, however, Inez, sweetie. I think that you need to take that arrogance down a notch. They are no longer your friends, and they are finally willing to talk to you, so try to be a bit more pleasing. Like Eve, what do you say¡ª"


    "They grounded me!" Inez snapped as she turned to look at her mother and interrupted her. "They fucking grounded me and you are telling me that I need to please them for what!" She demanded angrily.


    "You want me to please these men who don¡¯t even treat me as a living person."


    Sure, her wolf was gone and she couldn¡¯t trace her presence any more but Inez was still a shifter. Asking her to stay low and ground her in confinement was like caging her beast. To add to the insult, she was a siren. Sirens were creatures of the sea.


    Like the sea, sirens and other creatures could never be confined to a ce. This made her suffocate.


    Inez spun on her heel and then left the room; she knew that her mother would only tell her that she was overreacting.


    Hot on her heels, her mother chased after her as she stated, "You are overthinking Inez; how can such a thing be possible? Maybe you did something if you can only correct your actions ¡ª"


    "Can you please stop?" Scarlet hissed at their mother as she climbed up the stairs. She knew that her mother was blind to the ws of others because she cared more about what others would think or whether Ricky would be subjected to unnecessary trouble because of them.


    But this was just on another level!


    She rushed inside the room and found Inez sitting on her bed with her face buried in her knees.


    "Hey, are you alright?" She asked when she saw Inez being too exceptionally quiet.


    "Of course I am not okay," Inez sucked in a breath. She blinked away the tears but they fell anyway; she was just so tired of pretending to be strong. Trying to take control of her own life but no matter how hard she tried, nothing seemed to be working. It was weird that way.


    Her own life and yet she had no reins over it. Everyone was just quick to make the decisions for her.


    She didn¡¯t even want to stay in the pack, which would in turn end the misery for a lot of people and yet she was not allowed to do that. It was frustrating and excruciatingly painful.


    "Hey," Scarlet walked over to her bed and shook her by her shoulders. "You are not giving up alright? We can get you out of here."


    "How?" Inez asked as she pushed her hair back with a frustrated sigh. "Dom warned the guards to not let me out of the territory. They will be prepared to send me back the second they see me."


    A wicked smile curled onto Scarlet¡¯s lips as she said, "You know what? It¡¯s about time we make his ims true."

 Chapter 37: Ran Away

    <h4>Chapter 37: Ran Away</h4>


    "Where do you think you are going?" one of the guards stepped forward and looked at Scarlet. Earlier this woman had taken Inez¡¯s truck out of the pack¡¯s territory under the pretext that it needed servicing. As Inez was still in the pack and the truck had been checked from top to bottom, they let her go.


    But now the woman was back, and this time around she was carrying two trash bags in her hands.


    "What?" Scarlet shot them a look of pure innocence and questioned, "Don¡¯t tell me that I can¡¯t even throw my trash now?"


    "You are the only one who is not allowed to do it," the guard on the left clipped.


    Scarlet turned her head slightly to her left and smiled at the man before dumping the trash bags on the ground. "Then go ahead; you can check these trash bags as well. If I were in your shoes, I would be against it, as they have been sitting on thewn for ages." She drawled with a suggestive look. "But if you want to investigate, then be my guest."


    The guards stared at her. For two seconds neither of them moved but upon remembering the orders of the alpha, the two men stepped forward and untied the rope that was tied around the trash bags.


    The second they unravelled the trash bag, Scarlet stepped back, and a foul scent, which was enough to make the two men gag, erupted out of the trash bag. They raised their heads and looked up at Scarlet, who smirked at them before stating in a jolly voice, "I did tell you that these bags were sitting out for a long time; who can you me but yourself?"


    The guards stepped back and red at the woman. Though Scarlet did warn them, they had a feeling that the woman did this all to pull their legs.


    Of course, Scarlet deliberately provoked them. Who was the one who came to look for trouble first anyway? It certainly wasn¡¯t her.


    She took in a deep breath and then tied the trash bags again before saying, "If you want to satisfy your fetishes the next time, you can tell me. I will ask my mom to set these bags out a bit longer."


    Looking at their disgusted expression, Scarlet chortled lightly and then turned around on her feet to walk away.


    She walked out of the pack while carrying the two trash bags and then dumped them at the small pile, which was not far from the entrance of the pack¡¯s territory. However, the trash bags dumped by her were away from the prying eyes of the guards who were patrolling outside the fence and the surveince cameras.


    As she turned around, Scarlet whispered, "See you soon, Nessie."


    Three secondster, the sound of stic wrap being torn echoed in the silent clearing and Inez, who was inside the trash bag, picked up a banana peel and threw it down on the ground.


    She muttered, "How many times have I told you not to call me Nessie?" Though her voice sounded exasperated, her eyes were twinkling with tears. She raised her head and looked at the shimmering stars that were gleaming on the dark nket along with the moon and pursed her lips.


    She would be back.


    One day.


    When it would no longer hurt as badly as it did now.


    Inez got to her feet and looked back at the pack where she had grown up. Though a part of her ached at the sudden departure, Inez was also sure that she knew that this was what she wanted. What she needed.


    No matter how used one was to drinking poison, in the end, poison would remain poison; it would not turn into ambrosia just because they were used to it.


    With one final look, Inez turned her back on the pack¡¯s territory, ready to forego every bond that she held in this ce.


    Dominic bit back a growl. He had a feeling that something was going to happen, and he just knew it in his gut. He was just blessed that way. He was not one to believe in foolish ideals like karma is a bitch. He was the kind of man who believed in taking revenge with his own hands rather than leaving it in the hands of some strange power that he knew nothing about.


    Why should he? When he could do it on his own.


    And yet he always got this itch whenever something went wrong. He got it when his dad was attacked and when Abertha died.


    Though he had never gotten this itch for the past few years, he was getting it now all of a sudden.


    "Are you alright?" Tao asked him as he sensed the edginess that was oozing out from Dominic¡¯s pores.


    As the beta of the pack, he was closely attuned to Dominic and knew when things were turning south for Dominic.


    "I don¡¯t know," Dominic rubbed his forehead. His wolf, sensing his agitation, started pacing inside of him. Well, at least they were finally on the same page for once. Dominic had prided himself on being closely in sync with his wolf. The only time the two of them had a disagreement was when it came to Inez Sinir, their mate.


    His wolf¡¯s stance was pretty much clear. Though what happened to Abertha was unfair and wrong, Inez had repaid it all by suffering under their pack¡¯s wrath. She was their mate, and therefore, they needed to im her and bond with her before making her the Luna of the pack.


    But Dominic didn¡¯t think as straight as his wolf. What Inez did was nothing but a low blow in his eyes. Her actions had not only caused the death of his sister, but she had also broken his once pure heart.


    He had once loved her more than his own existence, and Inez had stepped on his true feelings by stealing the medicine that belonged to his sister.


    How was he supposed to forgive that?


    He couldn¡¯t do that. Which only left him with another option.

 Chapter 38: The Pack Bond Broke

    <h4>Chapter 38: The Pack Bond Broke</h4>


    To mate with another woman and make her the Luna of the pack. Hell, Dominic tried to do it. Many times. The problem was that his wolf had stopped epting anyone other than Inez. The second he found out that Inez was his mate, hepletely let go of the anger that the two of them were holding onto and was determined to make her his.


    His wolf no longer cared about the grudges that the two of them had. Inez was their mate and needed to be imed. It was simply a ck and white matter to his wolf.


    And to make matters even more tricky, his wolf was in a rather shitty mood ever since he woke up next to Eve. Dominic had no idea how it happened, nor did he n to do such a despicable thing. Though he hated Inez, he knew where to draw the line.


    He didn¡¯t hold back the mate bond because he wanted to hurt her even further by using it, but because of his wolf. So, imagine his surprise when he woke up next to motherfucking Eve.


    Turned out that he had been drugged out of his mind, as the woman hoped that he would mark and im her. Something his wolf had refused to do, even though neither of them was sober.


    Dominic had seeded in not marking that woman, but he had caused some inexplicable damage to Inez.


    When that woman barged into his office earlier, he thought that he had finally gotten what he wanted, but the look in her eyes terrified him so much that, for the first time, he felt flustered.


    Inez was right.


    The reason he was so bold was because he knew that Inez was not going to leave him because somewhere he knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to bear their separation. But this morning, the look in her eyes gave him chills. It terrified him out of his wits.


    Like he had already lost her.


    So what else could he do but entrap her under his¡ª


    SNAP.


    Dominic felt something snap within him. It was a subtle feeling. If it were some other day, he would have ignored it. Wouldn¡¯t have bothered with it because a pack as big as his would often lose members, and sometimes a few weak wolves would run away because they couldn¡¯t withstand the training and torment that they needed.


    However, today was different. The second the loss of the pack bond resounded in his very core, he heard his wolf let out a mournful howl. One that was strong enough to make his head buzz and his body stagger backwards.


    Dominic jumped to his feet and dashed past the table and out of the office.


    "Dom?" Tao called him, but Dominic didn¡¯t turn back. He headed out of the office building and past the scattered lodges before reaching the one ce that he was looking for.


    It was a tiny lodge with the most perfectly trimmedwn. Usually, this perfect garden that was maintained by Inez¡¯s mother was something that he disliked, and sometimes it even grated on his nerves. But not today. No, today his wolf was stressing over somethingpletely different. It was also rather pissed at the fact that Dominic had not realized it till now.


    Inez¡¯s scent.


    It was faint. Extremely faint.


    Dominic trembled against his better judgment and rushed inside the well-maintained garden. Down thewn and past the porch, he raised his hand and started banging on the door of the Sinir house.


    "Dom, what¡¯s the matter?" Tao, who could sense the agitation leaking within the pack bond, looked at Dominic, who was knocking on the door with a pallidplexion.


    Dominic knew that his actions looked nothing but bizarre in the eyes of others, but at that moment, he didn¡¯t care about anything.


    It took Mrs. Sinir three minutes to open the door; she looked a tad bit harassed¡ªno surprise there because he did knock on the door like he was about to break it down.


    When she saw him, her eyes lit up, but then she stiffened and questioned, "Is it Inez? Did she do something again? I am so sorry, Alpha; please don¡¯t get angry. I will have a word with her."


    Mrs. Sinir had always been like this.


    From annoyance to eptance, Dominic had gone through every single emotion towards this woman before it turned into indifference. He walked past her and took a long whiff. The scent, which he hoped to get stronger, was even weaker than it was outside.


    He wheeled around to look at Mrs. Sinir and asked, "Where is she?"


    "Where is who?" Mrs. Sinir asked with a frown when she saw that he was looking at her impatiently; her heart skipped a beat. She blinked her eyes as her head started to churn. She then asked tentatively, "Are you talking about Inez? She should be in her bedroom."


    Mrs. Sinir hardly finished speaking, and Dominic jumped to motion; he charged right upstairs and then rushed inside the bedroom that belonged to Inez and Scarlet.


    Without even ncing at the woman who was sitting in her bed, he walked over to where Inez used to sleep and pulled off the covers.


    It was just as he expected. There was nothing but a bundle of clothes underneath the cover, and the person who should have been under it was gone.


    He turned to look at Scarlet, who didn¡¯t seem surprised by his sudden visit and asked, "Where is she?" The unease he felt tingled down his spine even more harshly when the woman raised her head and looked at him as if she was silently mocking him.


    "I do not believe that it is important," stated Scarlet. Her arctic blue eyes were drilling into his. "What¡¯s more is that you listen to this carefully. My sister repaid whatever she owed youst night after the shameful betrayal that you gave her. Stomping on her pride was equivalent to killing her; since you dared to make that decision, then you might as well leave her alone."

 Chapter 39: Where is she?

    <h4>Chapter 39: Where is she?</h4>


    The fact that the woman had refused to obey his order should have made Dominic furious, but all he could think about was why the scent that was lingering in the room was so faint. It was as if Inez hadn¡¯t slept in this bedst night. If she were not here, then where did she go?


    "Like I said, her whereabouts are none of your business," snarled Scarlet.


    Dominic, on the other hand, ignored the confused expression of his head enforcer, tracker and beta as he focused all his attention on Scarlet and said to her, "She is my mate; she will always remain my business."


    That made the woman lunge for his throat. If not for the fact that ke stopped her, that woman would have slit his throat if possible. "You goddamn motherfucking son of a bitch."


    "Calm down." ke pulled the woman back, and it was only then that Dominic noticed the tears that were swirling inside her eyes. For Scarlet to be so upset, it was clear that Inez didn¡¯t just go on a walk around the territory.


    "I will not calm down. You all took my sister away from me, you bastards. Why don¡¯t you all fall into a ditch and die?"


    And that confirmed it. Inez was gone.


    "Gone? Where did she go?" Mrs. Sinir questioned, realizing a tad bit toote that there was something more to the surface than others were letting on. She wheeled around and looked at Scarlet. She demanded, "Where did she go, Scar?"


    "Somewhere far from here," Scarlet told them. "Somewhere, you all will not be able to hurt her anymore."


    "Scarlet," Dominic growled. His eyes shed wolf¡¯s, and for the first time in years, the two of them were finally on the same page, except Dominic couldn¡¯t feel happy about it.


    He wanted to see Inez break, just like he and his mother did when Abertha died. But now that he had seen it, he didn¡¯t taste the victory that he had been craving.


    Taking a step forward, he questioned Scarlet again, "Where is she?"


    "I don¡¯t know." The woman held his stare, and if he was not panicking from within, he would have appreciated Scarlet a bit more. But he couldn¡¯t. Not when the woman had helped Inez sneak out of the pack.


    Alpha vibes started to ooze out of his skin as he stated, "You better tell me where she is or else ¡ª"


    "Or else what?" Scarlet asked with a sneer. "You will drag me to hell? Well, newssh, alpha. Watching my sister suffer under you and your minions was hell for me."


    "So even if you skin me alive, I will never tell you where Nessie went."


    The vibes in the room turned even stronger, but Scarlet held on. She didn¡¯t lower her head, nor did she buckle under the weight of his gaze.


    She was a powerful shifter, and Dominic knew that. But at that moment, all he held for Scarlet was annoyance and anger. He leaned forward, cing his face close to Scarlet and meeting her gaze full on. "I have no interest in skinning you alive, Scar¡ª you are the sister of my mate, and I am willing to control my rage for this particr reason. But do not take my silence for granted. Do you hear me?"


    Scarlet had the audacity to roll her eyes at him. She scoffed and said, "You mean your ex-mate? News sh, Alpha. You abandoned my sister, and you used the lingering remnants of your mating bond to hurt her in the worst way possible."


    "You have hurt her enough and it¡¯s time for you to let her go."


    Dominic growled impatiently. He said to her, "You do not tell me what to do, Scar. It¡¯s the other way around. I am your alpha, and I have the right to tell you what you need to do, and you don¡¯t."


    "Well, you are too thick-headed to understand simple advice."


    "SCARLET!"


    Scarlet turned quiet but Dominic had to hand it to her; the woman didn¡¯t say a word throughout the intimidation. She was calmer than the many prisoners he had caught and confronted. And those bastards were trained.


    "Take her to the prison," realizing that Scarlet was really not going to give him any information rted to Inez, he turned to look at his enforcers andmanded.


    "Dom!" ke tried to stop his alpha but when he noticed Dominic¡¯s wolf pressed right against his surface, he swallowed his words back. He knew that this was not the time to push Dominic any further because that would only make him even more vtile.


    Tao nced at his two friends and sighed. He knew that this was going to happen; there was a time when he told Dominic to hold back but the man didn¡¯t listen to a single word he said to him.


    He nced at Scarlet, who defiantly stared back at him.


    "No hard feelings, Scar." He held his hands up in the air as he reached out and caught Scarlet¡¯s hands and tied them behind her back. The woman didn¡¯t even struggle, as if she were prepared for such a thing to happen; it only proved that she knew and aided Inez in escaping.


    When Mrs Sinir saw Tao arresting Scarlet, herplexion turned pale. She stepped in front of Scarlet and said to her in a hurry, "Scarlet, what are you doing? Just tell them where Inez is... they will not do anything to you. It is not your fault, sweetie. It¡¯s Inez who has always been a troublemaker¡ª"


    "Mom, can you stop?" Scarlet interrupted her mother¡¯s diatribe. With a scowl on her face, she stated, "Do you really think that this is Inez¡¯s fault? I am sorry to tell you, ma, but it¡¯s not. This can be anyone¡¯s fault but not Nessie¡¯s."


    Mrs Sinir¡¯s mouth dropped open when she heard the words of her daughter; she hadn¡¯t expected her daughter to stand up for Inez. She spluttered, "Scar¡ª"

 Chapter 40: Where is she (2)?

    <h4>Chapter 40: Where is she (2)?</h4>


    "Let¡¯s go," Tao nced at Mrs Sinir, who wanted to quibble with Scarlet before shoving the woman out of the bedroom.


    "No, wait!" Mrs Sinir shouted as she chased after Tao. "Scarlet, say something, please. Tell them where that girl is. If you don¡¯t, then what would happen to Ricky¡ª"


    "So that¡¯s why you are doing this?" Scarlet paused and turned to look at her mother with an incredulous expression. "You don¡¯t care about me or Inez; you only care about Ricky. Well, thanks for letting me know, Mom. At least now I don¡¯t have to feel guilty anymore."


    She finished speaking and continued to walk away, leaving Mrs. Sinir to look at her with a stunned expression. She stared at her daughter¡¯s cold back and blinked her eyes. Did she do something wrong? But all she wanted was the best for her family!


    Dominic nced at Mrs. Sinir; his cold eyes swept past her as he inhaled deeply and followed Tao, with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. He was fighting every fiber of his being to remainposed when all he wanted was to set the world on fire. Damn it, it fucking hurt that she left him like that. Not just because she was away from him, but because she found it so easy to leave him behind when he, despite knowing that she killed his sister, couldn¡¯t let go of her.


    And he was angry.


    Angry that she could leave him when he couldn¡¯t find the strength to kill her for killing Abertha. His dearest sister. And he was angry with himself for taking the warning signs so lightly. He thought that it didn¡¯t matter if Inez was to leave or die.


    But now that he was faced with the situation of never seeing Inez or having her in his life, Dominic realised that he couldn¡¯t do it. He still hated her, but he didn¡¯t wish to be away from her. It was a subconscious reaction ¡ª the instinct of his wolf, something that he couldn¡¯t ignore.


    "Look for her."


    "Dom," Luca spoke in a wary tone. But Dominic ignored him; he continued speaking in an even tone, "Look for Inez and bring her back to me. I don¡¯t care what you have to do, Luke. But I want to see her within three days."


    That was his limit, and beyond that, he had no idea what he might do.


    Inez let out a sneeze as she stepped out of the public restroom where she had not only taken a quick bath but even changed her clothes. She was not good at wiping trails, but when she was young, she had gone on small missions with Luca and ke where she had learned a few tricks that could be used to wipe off her trails.


    And to make things better, she was also part siren; as long as she mixed her scents, Dominic and the rest would never be able to find her because they never found out about her true identity, something Inez was d that she never disclosed.


    Feeling odd as she walked to the parking lot of the gas station without anyone ring and poking and pointing fingers at her, Inez made her way to her truck only to hear a growl followed by a low thump.


    Inez frowned; she was certain that she had driven way past the territories of the shifters and was now in the city where the humans lived. Strictly speaking, there shouldn¡¯t be any shifters here. So where did the growlinge from?


    A part of her wanted to ignore the curiosity in her head, but at the same time, she knew that there was no other choice. The sound came from the front of her truck, and she needed her truck to keep driving. She needed to head to South Caroline before anyone traced her and caught her when she was in the middle of running away.


    Inez sucked in a breath and then walked over and around her truck but she had just taken three steps close to the front when she smelt the scent of blood.


    This made her pause for thest thing Inez needed was to get involved in something dangerous. Once again. She didn¡¯t know whether it had something to do with her being a siren and her desire for adventures that such problematic things came to look for her.


    Her heart was telling her to ignore the situation in front of her, and for the first time, her mind was agreeing with her as well, but then¡ª


    "I know that you are there, Miss Sinir."


    A familiar voice and teasing tone.


    Inez closed her eyes and released a shaky breath. It seemed like her n to ignore this person was going down the drain.


    She stepped forward and looked down at the shifter who was leaning against her car. Though it was dark, Inez knew that the man in front of her was Killian Sokolov, as the scent of Vodka, sea salt, and hot sex flooded her lungs. Ever since she discovered her crush on Dominic, no man had ever held any sort of attraction to her.


    However, Killian Sokolov was an exception. He made her body tingle as her siren side stirred with arousal. It was at times like these that Inez wished that her wolf was active within her. At least with her wolf being a rather loud entity within her, her siren side didn¡¯t cause any trouble for her.


    She could have ignored it, but now that her wolf was gone, her siren side became dominant, and it became hard to ignore.


    Inez held mixed emotions as she stared at the bleeding man who was smiling up at her and questioned, "What are you doing here, Alpha Sokolov?"


    "The same thing as you."


    "Me?"


    "Yes, you," Killian grinned. He stared up at Inez and said to her, "I am running away. However, unlike you, I am running away from my enemies."

 Chapter 41: Caught in trouble

    <h4>Chapter 41: Caught in trouble</h4>


    All other thoughts escaped Inez¡¯s head as she stared at the man with a stunned look in her eyes. But a secondter, sheposed herself and stated, "I have no idea what you are talking about."


    "Is that so?" Killian remarked with a curl of his lips and just as she was about to nod, the man tilted his head to one side and stated, "Then if I were to call Alpha Cherith, I will not find anything unusual about your sudden appearance in this gas station that¡¯s like six hours away from your territory?"


    When Inez didn¡¯t reply, the man actually took out his phone and seemed prepared to call Dominic.


    "Stop!" Inez pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn¡¯t trap herself in the trash bags with a hell lot of shit thrown inside just to be dragged back to the hellhole she wanted to escape. She eyed the man who had gotten hold of her weakness and questioned, "What do you want?"


    "Your help."


    "I am not a healer," Inez deadpanned with a nk expression, though she could indeed heal this man, but she had no desire to do so. The lycan had done nothing but piss her royally off every time they met and now he even went as low as to threaten her.


    So forgive her if she really had no desire to put up with his bullshit at that moment.


    "I am not looking for one at the moment either," the man tried to grin, but a secondter he grimaced and said, "I need you to take me out of here. I was a tad bit careless and ended up falling into a well-thought-out trap dug by the hyenas and almost got my neck slitted."


    "Thest thing I know, they were chasing me down the south pavilion street, though I threw them off my scent; I can¡¯t take any more risks by staying on the street."


    It was then that she smelled the scent of another woman on the clothes that he was wearing. Realizing what the well-thought trap was, she sneered, "You mean to say that you were thinking with the thing between your legs and didn¡¯t see through the intentions of the other person?"


    The man didn¡¯t deny it, and that only made Inez snort. Though Killian was a great alpha, he was also ady killer. He had a bunch of females flocking towards him, and he went through them like he was changing vor every week. Inez didn¡¯t look down on the man for sleeping around, but she did look down at him for changing his woman every once in a while without showing any signs of settling down.


    It was rather disrespectful towards the female shifters he yed with.


    "You don¡¯t like me," Killian stated as if amused by the look of sheer disdain in her eyes, to which Inez sniffed haughtily. She said to him, "I don¡¯t like the idea of helping someone like you, Alpha Sokolov. But since you did not give me a chance, I have no other choice but to help you."


    "Then I will thank you."


    Inez helped the man back on his feet and then dragged him to the truck that she owned. It was not an easy job for a half-shifter like her. The man was all muscles and sheer power. It was as if she were being crushed by a tiny mountain.


    Thus, when she half-dragged and half-shoved Killian inside the truck, Inez felt relieved as the weight on her body disappeared. She raised her head and looked at the man who was now lying on the back of her truck and grimaced when she saw the blood that he was getting on the new leather cover.


    There went her check.


    "Where do you want me to drop you off?" She asked as she got inside the car. Though Killian did a good job of hiding his scent, Inez also did her little thing to hide the scent that was lingering in her car. Thest thing she wanted was a furious chase by murderous hyenas.


    "Take me to Mysterio." Killian swallowed hard. His face was twisted in pain, but his voice never once wavered.


    Inez arched a brow. Though she was curious about how the man knew about the human hotel, she didn¡¯t question him. She turned on the ignition of the truck and then pulled out of the gas station.


    The entire ride was filled with silence. Inez knew that the lycan was taking care of his wounds, but for some reason, the wound that should have been healed by the time they walked into the shady-looking hotel, Killin was still holding the bloody wound on his abdomen.


    Seeing her look at his wound, the lycan told her, "I was attacked by a mamba shifter."


    Well, that exined why the lycan was having a hard time dealing with this wound.


    The poison of the mamba shifter was not something that could be dealt with easily. It took sheer willpower and luck. Unfortunately, luck yed a vital role when it came to mamba poison.


    "Do you want me to look for a coffin for you?" Inez asked as she helped the man inside the room that she had booked for him. She was determined to dump him and leave him alone. Whether he lived or died, it would have nothing to do with her, as she really couldn¡¯t muster any mercy at the moment.


    Killian simply chuckled as she dropped him onto the bed.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t want to talk, she was about to leave but was stopped by the man who held her by her wrist. The searing warmth caused her to stiffen, and she turned to look at the man with a troubled look in her eyes. "What?" She questioned.


    "Stay with me until someone from my packes for my rescue."


    "I don¡¯t want to."


    "Dominic¡ª"


    "Alright, fine!" Inez rolled her eyes as she walked over and sat down on the couch. She crossed her arms and cursed, "I hope you drop dead, motherfucker."


    "Hahaha! I will try not to, sweetheart."

 Chapter 42: Saving a life

    <h4>Chapter 42: Saving a life</h4>


    "What do you usually do on weekends?" Inez¡¯s head snapped up, and she looked at the man on the bed, whose pallor was looking worse than before. She had tried to help Killian by purchasing some medicines that humans used, but the poison of a mamba shifter was not something that could be treated with a few ointments and bandages.


    She said to the man, "Save your breath and call your pack members." Inez was simply exasperated when she thought about how this man was talking about useless things when he should be worrying about his condition. What in the world was he even trying to find out by asking her what she did on the weekends?


    "Just answer the question, Miss Sinir." Killian turned his head and smiled at her with a charming look in his eyes, which would have looked better if he weren¡¯t so close to dying. "I mean, there is no harm in telling me about your life a little, is there?"


    There wasn¡¯t, but Inez was not someone who liked to party, nor did she try to go around hooking up with other shifters, even though shifters craved having intimacy like a second breath. She was a rather boring individual.


    "I like to sing." Seeing that he was still waiting for an answer, Inez let out an exasperated sigh and answered, "My mother has this piano that she only brought to make her house look a bit more elegant and posh, but she doesn¡¯t know how to y it. So usually, I sneak into the piano room and y it once in a while."


    Her mother didn¡¯t know how to y the piano, but she also didn¡¯t like it when Inez ¡¯messed¡¯ with it. Though her mother said that she was worried that Inez would ruin the piano, the truth was that Mrs Sinir knew that ying the piano brought Inez happiness.


    As a siren, music was like therapy to her but her mother, who wished to keep her siren side as downtrodden as possible, didn¡¯t like the sight of Inez singing or ying the piano. She wished to keep Inez trapped and suppressed and away from music, such that Inez would forget the siren part of herself.


    In the eyes of her mother, Inez being a siren was like her being addicted to drugs. She thought that as long as she kept Inez away from music, she could get rid of Inez¡¯s inner siren, which was terribly amusing in a way.


    "You can sing?" Killian raised a brow and looked at Inez, who arched a brow right back at him.


    "What?"


    "I thought that you would say something like eating your enemy¡¯s soul or something. Never expected something so girly from you."


    Indeed. Inez didn¡¯t me Killian. Because her mother was worried that people would notice that there was something amiss about Inez, she bought baggy and ugly clothes for Inez, which made her look like a goth wannabe.


    Personally, she had nothing against dresses and bows, but her mother, who was worried about the notion of anyone sensing that she was a siren because of her beautiful face, made sure that no one would be able to see how enchanting Inez could be.


    And after dressing like this for so long, Inez was toozy to change her style.


    She rolled her eyes and stated, "Just because I don¡¯t dress up to impress a man doesn¡¯t mean that I am not girly enough, Alpha Sokolov." She paused and added, "Not to mention singing cannot be defined as girly; even men like to sing sometimes. It¡¯s relieving."


    "I never said that it was limited to a particr gender; it¡¯s just hard to imagine you doing it."


    "Then you need to get your head checked."


    The lycan parted his lips; he seemed like he wanted to say something, but his deteriorating condition made it difficult. The second he opened his mouth, he started coughing and he coughed so wretchedly that his life seemed to be hanging by a thread.


    "Are you alright?" Inez asked when she saw Killian cough up blood; her eyes darkened slightly when she saw that the blood that Killian had spat out had actually turned ck. If this went on, even if he were a lycan, he would die in a matter of three to four minutes at most.


    She could, of course, ignore him, and that was her n, but then Killian reached out and held her wrist. "Can you promise me something?"


    "What?" Though Inez knew that it was bad to promise anything to a dying man, she just couldn¡¯t help when she saw the lycan almost on the verge of copse. He was no longer yful and teasing like he usually was, which made her wonder if there was something serious that he wished to tell her.


    "When my beta arrives, tell him to send my sister to the Blood Dew pack. He will refuse, but tell him that it was necessary to keep her safe."


    Inez stared at the fierce protectiveness in the eyes of the man and pursed her lips. A part of her wanted to ignore him but when she saw Killian protecting his sister, she was suddenly reminded of the time when she wanted to but couldn¡¯t save Abertha¡¯s life.


    She couldn¡¯t save Abertha, but she could save Killian.


    She gritted her teeth and stated, "It seems like I owe you something!"


    cing one hand on his eyes, Inez parted her lips. She had once promised her grandmother that she would never save the life of a shifter ever because that would only cause trouble for her but now that she was truly watching someone die in front of her, Inez realised that she wasn¡¯t as heartless as she thought she was.


    Because of the poison bursting in his veins, Killian had no idea what was going on or where he was but his mind, which was filled with haze, slowly started to clear up. He heard a melodious voice flooding in his ears and thest thing he saw was Inez singing thest note that brought the biggest relief to him.


    And that was when he passed out.

 Chapter 43: A Place To Stay

    <h4>Chapter 43: A ce To Stay</h4>


    "You are a siren."


    That was the first thing that Killian said to her the second he woke up. Inez was not even surprised that he had put two and two together. She simply sighed and said, "You are mistaken."


    "Am I?" The lycan raised a brow and questioned. "You can deny all you want, but it will take just a simple test from the council, and we can deduce whether you are a siren or not."


    "I beg your pardon? I think I saved your life," Inez scoffed. It was one thing that this man had not said a word of thank you, but now he was threatening her with the council.


    "That you did."


    "And yet you are threatening me?" Inez asked with a raise of her brow. Though she was indeed terrified of the notion that others would find out that she was a siren, she couldn¡¯t show any signs of weakness.


    His dark eyes slowly raked over her, lingering a little too long at her mouth. Though she knew why Killian was staring at her lips, heat still flooded her cheeks.


    "I am not threatening you," his silky smooth voice slid over her, teasing her senses. "I am giving you a choice."


    Inez frowned. "And what kind of choice are you speaking of?" because she certainly didn¡¯t hear anything at the moment.


    "I can take you to my pack."


    Shit. This was one thing that she didn¡¯t want.


    "I am thankful but¡ª"


    "Don¡¯t be in a hurry to refuse," Killian raised his hand and stated in a calm voice. "You might have everything nned in that little head of yours and I know that you do have a n, but I believe that it is not going to work."


    "And why do you think it won¡¯t work?" asked Inez.


    "First things first, I think that you are nning to live in the human establishment, right? Now here is the thing. While it looks as if Alpha Cherith looks like he doesn¡¯t have all his screws in ce, he is not a fool. He will look for you in every city and even trace your traces."


    "That¡¯s what he is going to do after all; you and I both know that you have no ce to stay. Your first choice will be a human establishment, and this is something that even a ten-year-old can think of."


    He paused to pick up the ss of water sitting on top of the cab next to him and took a sip. Only then did he continue, "What¡¯s more, shifters with rare skills are getting kidnapped, and we have no idea where they are being taken to, while no one knows anything about your ability; can you be certain that no one would catch anything?"


    Killian inclined his head. "I won¡¯t deny that I do have some motives to bring you with me. But with me around, you wouldn¡¯t get involved with anyone who wants to physically hurt you. That wouldn¡¯t be the case if you were to stay without the protection of a pack."


    When she didn¡¯t speak, he added, "I am a lesser devil whenpared to Dominic and the radicals. I will bring you no harm; that¡¯s a promise. As long as you help me out, I will let you go. You should know that I am known for keeping my promises."


    That was true. The fact that Killian once fought a battle with the cougars, all because he promised them, showed that he was a man of his word. Still... "You don¡¯t need to worry about me. If you want my help, then I can give it to you while hiding from my previous pack."


    "Why?" Killian asked curiously.


    "Because myst pack showed me so much hostility and bitterness, and I don¡¯t even know the reason yet." It still left a sour note in her mouth. Thest thing she wanted was to be surrounded by the same prejudice again. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to face another disappointment again.


    "I can keep you safe."


    "I am pretty sure that you can, but what if your pack members found out that I am not only a shifter but also part siren?" she asked. Inez didn¡¯t believe that the shifters would be able to keep their instincts under control once they found out that she was a part-shifter.


    "I owe you a favour. This is the least I can do."


    "Very noble. But I have seen more depth in a kiddie pool than in your sincerity." She would bet it was impossible for Killian even to keep a secret from his pack. Their loyalty ran so deep that even Dominic said that he would never try to go to war with Killian¡¯s pack.


    When she saw the lycan¡¯s lips twitch, she rolled her eyes and then said to him, "Since you know you can¡¯t even do it, why are you even trying?"


    "I need your help; I need to do anything to keep my sister safe."


    "Well, aren¡¯t you a good brother?" Inez smiled mockingly. "But I am not convinced. What if you let it slide? Wouldn¡¯t my neck be put on the line¡ª"


    "I swear on the name of the moon goddess. I will never say a word about your identity as long as you save the life of my sister," before she could finish speaking, Killian interrupted her. He took a severe oath while holding her gaze. "If I don¡¯t, then I will say goodbye to my beast."


    He paused and added, "Is it enough?"


    "Do you really have to do this?" Inez asked with a bewildered expression. Oaths taken under the name of the moon goddess were not to be taken lightly.


    "If that makes you follow me to the pack, then I guess yes."


    Inez eyed the man for a while before sighing in resignation. "I got it; I wille with you."


    Killian watched the woman turn around and leave, and a chuckle left his lips. He and his wolf had many differences when it came to women but for once, they were in total agreement when it came to a woman: Inez Sinir was fucking captivating.

 Chapter 44: Protecting Her Peace

    <h4>Chapter 44: Protecting Her Peace</h4>


    "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked in a low voice. The two of them were now waiting for Killian¡¯s pack members toe and get them. However, Inez didn¡¯t think that she would be weed by them. Not only was she infamous, but her reputation was in shambles, all due to Eve.


    Killian raised a brow and stated in a quiet voice, "Well, unless they are idiots. They will know better than to judge a person on baseless rumours."


    "You mean to say that you trust that I didn¡¯t cause any trouble for Eve and the pack?" Inez asked. However, Killian noticed that rather than voicing her disappointment, she had nked her expression,pletely shutting him out¡ªwhich his beast didn¡¯t like in the least¡ª and turned her head away. Her rosy lips pursed in a thin line as she looked away from him.


    Killian¡¯s eyes darkened as he too turned his head away from her because at that moment, he sensed that his beast actually wanted to rub his scent on Inez. An act so possessive that it terrified Killian slightly, and he had this urge to step away from the female shifter next to him.


    This was going to get annoying really soon. He sighed and changed the topic. "Why didn¡¯t you tell Alpha Cherith that you are a siren? I don¡¯t think that he would have treated you in such a reckless manner."


    In response to his question, Inez burst outughing. She said, "I would rather die than beg someone to love me. I might be a part-shifter, but I have the pride of a siren, and sirens never beg a man or woman to love them." She turned her head and looked at him with those glittering, jewel-like eyes. "Lovees to find us effortlessly as long as we want it to."


    Killian swallowed hard when he heard Inez¡¯s confident tone. Though she was a part shifter, her strength was not less than a dominant one. And that tone ... it had his wolf falling head over heels in lust.


    Pathetic.


    Soon the sound of wheelsing to a halt came from front and Killian raised his head to look at his beta who came to a stop right in front of him.


    "Finn," Killian raised his hand to high five the man but Finn simply crossed his arms in front of him. With a raise of his brows he stated, "Please tell me that this is not the woman with whom you have elopedst night, Alpha? The cougars are still out to hunt you down and this is thest thing that I need at the moment."


    "No..."


    "I will not sleep with him even if I was paid." Before Killian could refute Finn¡¯s ims, Inez rolled her eyes and stated, "I just saved your alpha¡¯s life, so I think I deserve a bit more respect. What do you think?"


    After staying in her old pack, she realised that some things needed to be cleared right away. Unless she wanted Killian¡¯s pack to treat her in the same way as Dominic¡¯s, she would never foolishly let them believe that she was actually sleeping with this man.


    Inez knew that the quickest way to die was to make ims as stupid as sleeping with the alpha, and that too in a pack where she hadn¡¯t even proven herself.


    Finn turned and looked at her. His brows were still raised, but this time around, he was filled with amusement. He turned to look at Killian and remarked, "Well, there is always a first, isn¡¯t there? Never thought that I would see a woman openly showing her disdain for you, Alpha."


    Killian only rolled his eyes.


    He nced at Inez, who was filled with wariness and suspicion, before saying to Finn, "Just get our things in the trunk, will you?"


    After speaking, he pulled Inez into the SUV parked in front of them. However, as soon as they settled inside, Inez pulled her hand away from the lycan, who looked at her with amusement in his eyes. "Are you so worried that we will be mistaken for something more?"


    "I am not, but I would like to keep myself out of trouble." Thest thing she wanted was to get involved with one of the glitter goblins, this lycan raised in his pack.


    Switching on her phone, she inserted her earbuds. She smiled inwardly when she thought about how Dominic would be looking for her everywhere. Never in his worst nightmare would he imagine that she was right next to him. But more than that, the tension of where to stay and how to survive had left her. She was now away from Dominic, from the wolves who had betrayed her, and from the danger of being repeatedly med for something that she didn¡¯t do.


    And hopefully, she would never run into them again.


    However, more than the amusement that was coursing through her, she was worried about the reactions of Killian¡¯s pack. Though the lycan said that he had everything under control, she didn¡¯t quite trust him. Just as his pack was not going to trust her. Thanks to Eve, her name was quite popr in the shiftermunity.


    Inez would be surprised if she found any warm wee. If anything, they would be distrustful of her the very second they hear her name.


    Yeah, her time with Killian¡¯s pack was not going to be peaceful or easy. Even more so with how much her siren was fascinated by the man next to her. Contrary to the distrust and reluctance that her siren side had shown to Dominic, she was simply enchanted with this guy.


    Inez could not understand where the attractiony, but for some reason, it was there.


    The sky slowly started to darken, and when they finally crossed the border of Killian¡¯s pack, Red Blood Hill, Inez smelled the scent of ocean and sea salt. Her siren side stirred. Her night vision allowed her to see the surroundings of the pack and she couldn¡¯t help but suck in a breath the second she did.

 Chapter 45: A New Beginning

    <h4>Chapter 45: A New Beginning</h4>


    Leaves littered the dirt path, and the entire pack was surrounded byrge, regal-looking cliffs that faced the shoreline. At a distance, she could notice a gigantic forest that was not far from the territory.


    There were rather impressive lodges at the base of the cliffs where the ocean was. The ce was illuminated withnterns andmps, making it seem cosy and almost magical.


    Finn pulled to a stop in the centre of a row of all kinds of vehicles, which left Inez¡¯s mouth to fall agape. She knew that Red Blood Hill was filthy rich, but she never thought that they were this rich.


    Inez pulled out her earbuds and stepped out of the car before Killian could open the door for her. She didn¡¯t know whether he was a gentleman or something of the sort, but he looked quite miffed when he saw that she had stepped out of the car without his help.


    ¡¯Maybe he is just used to chivalry?¡¯ Inez thought. However, she didn¡¯t pay attention to him and instead turned her gaze to the sultry ocean. She was enjoying the scents of sun-warmed earth, moss, sea salt and peace. If only Nia could enjoy this sight with her.


    She hoped that her wolf would be willing to forget the scars once she basked in a peaceful yet untamed atmosphere.


    Carrying her luggage, Finn turned to look at the two of them. He said, "The rest of the pack is waiting for you two," which basically meant that he had already snitched about her arrival.


    Inez sighed as she followed Killian. The two of them hiked down the stairs that led to the many lodges that were at the base of the cliff, and soon, the three of them arrived at the base of the cliff. Killian led her past the many boulders that were sticking out of the sandy beach.


    He took her to the lodge that was at the centre. Inside the living area, eight males were waiting for Killian and from the looks of it, they were most probably the ones who held the highest authority in the pack. A middle-aged woman sat at the centre with a fairly young brte. The two of them were staring at Inez with familiar hostility that she had seen in her previous pack.


    Inez sighed. She knew this was going to happen, and to make things worse, she also sensed a confrontational energy from two shifters who looked like siblings.


    Next to them sat an old woman who was looking at Inez with subtle distaste. As if she were really offended by Inez and her audacity to stand in the living hall.


    ¡¯Wonderful, just the thing that I need.¡¯ Inez thought as she could feel another headache arising.


    "Well, that¡¯s one way to scare¡ªI mean, wee us," Killian remarked while looking at his pack members, who were staring at him and Inez with wariness and anger. If Killian weren¡¯t sure he brought a female shifter with him, he would have thought he brought a monster. A hideous one at that.


    "Wee her? Now that¡¯s a good joke," that deep voice belonged to the male who sat next to the young woman. He was not as good-looking as Killian, but he seemed to be trying hard to assert his dominance and that too in a way that was¡ªwell¡ªnot very attractive. Inez just had to look at his posture, and the sh of annoyance and bitterness shed in his eyes; this was enough to know that the guy had a chip on his shoulder. Inez wondered what that chip was about.


    The man continued to re at Inez and said, "We don¡¯t wee a traitor like her. We will never wee someone like her."


    "And I don¡¯t think I asked for your opinion," retorted Killian with a smile. "So, can you fuck off?" That seemed to only piss the man off even more but Inez was not under the illusion that Killian¡¯s assertive dominance was going to shut him off.


    Finn sighed beside Inez. He then leaned forward and whispered, "He is Fenric Vire, my cousin. I am really sorry about him. I hope you will not take his words to heart because he was diagnosed with a deficiency of politeness when he turned sixteen."


    "In short, he is an arsehole." Inez deadpanned.


    She only received a smile from the man just as she turned to look at the woman who was sitting beside Fenric. Inez had a feeling that the reason Fenric was so against her had something to do with her.


    "She is Nyx, Fenric¡¯s sister," Finn ryed when he saw Inez staring at the young female shifter sitting beside Fenric.


    The woman seemed to have heard him; she nced at Inez before snorting and turning her gaze away.


    Yeah, her time with this pack of wolves was going to be awesome.


    Inez knew that although it was important that she be respectful despite being the outsider in the pack, it was also important that she didn¡¯t appear weak. That meant that she couldn¡¯t cower under the rejection, disapproval and vexation.


    "Inez Sinir, I appreciate that you all have given me such a warm wee," she spoke in a polite yet mocking tone. "I was invited to the pack by Alpha Sokolov."


    "It is nice to meet you, Inez," the man with a cheeky smile greeted her. Inez could sense that the man, though not as dominant as Killian was, was strong in his own way. "I am Ajax, the head enforcer of the pack."


    He then pointed to the brooding man on the side of the couch and continued, "And he is the pack¡¯s tracker, Levi. Next to him is Matt, our precious hacker." The charming man with chocte brown hair nodded at her.


    "And they are Laxus, Ryder, Miles and Henley, the rest of the pack." Ajax introduced the rest of the males. Before moving to the old woman sitting at the centre of the couch. "She ¡ª"


    "And I am Kill¡¯s grandmother, Elira

 Chapter 46: Objections

    <h4>Chapter 46: Objections</h4>


    "Greetings," Inez had no idea what the woman expected from her. So, she simply nodded at her, but she might have as well ignored the woman because the second she finished speaking, Grandma Elira red at her with dissatisfaction coating every wrinkle.


    Not wanting to get into a round of trouble with Killian¡¯s grandmother, she turned her gaze away. However, the old woman had her own ideas. When she saw that Inez was no longer paying attention to her, she narrowed her eyes.


    Grandma Elira plonked the teacup that she was holding in her hand onto the table, snatching Inez¡¯s wavering attention. "So... you are that infamous Inez Sinir." Grandma Elira spoke to her as if she were interrogating a serial killer. As she spoke to Inez, she didn¡¯t forget to re at her.


    And so it began. Sighing, Inez replied, "I am."


    A haughty sniff escaped from Grandma Elira¡¯s lips. "You really have some nerve. If I were in your shoes, I would rather have died in a rogue fight than harmed another pack." Grandma Elira had heard all about Inez and her glorious deeds in her old pack. A woman so jealous that she ruined a fairly good maiden¡¯s name. Even tried to steal her hard work and put it in front of others under her own name.


    Grandma Elira simply could not understand why her grandson brought such a woman to their pack.


    "Did you really steal the design that Eve made?" Matt picked up the snacks in front of him before taking a bite. When everyone turned to look at him, Matt simply shrugged and stated, "Just clearing things up. We only heard word of it; there was never a piece of evidence. Or was there?"


    "I didn¡¯t," Inez replied with her head held high. She didn¡¯t care whether the lycans under Killian trusted her word, but she was not going to stay silent and bear any more usations that Eve had ced on her.


    Nyx snorted, and so did Grandma Elira.


    Apparently not done, Grandma Elira continued to re at Inez. "I am a straight shooter, so I will tell you right now that I do not wee you here in my pack. I am not convinced that you didn¡¯t try to steal and kill Evelyn several times. After all, if you hadn¡¯t, then you would have had at least one person by your side." She paused and added, "I heard that even your mother didn¡¯t help you clear the guilt, which shows that you were indeed suspicious."


    Inez ignored the subtle pang in her heart. She shrugged and said, "That¡¯s all right; it is not like I came here to convince you."


    "That¡¯s right, we need to know why you brought her here, Kill?" snarled Fenric. "Don¡¯t tell me that after messing around with all kinds of trash, you have lost all respect for yourself and your pack?"


    An unnerving snap filled the room when Inez¡¯s siren lunged to the surface. The continuous disrespect with theck of her wolf taming her siren side made Inez even more unstable.


    Killian¡¯s attention turned to the fidgety male. "Don¡¯t insult her, Fenric. You heard her; it was I who brought her here. She never begged me to take her in, so you ought to respect that, do you hear me?" Even though Killian only brought Inez to the pack for Selene, the very idea of anyone insulting her made his blood boil. Why? He had no idea.


    Fenric pursed his lips. Keeping his head lowered, he got up on his feet and stalked out of the room. Nyx gave Inez a look of pure loathing and then followed after her brother.


    "I expected more from you," Morrh got up from the couch and stared at Killian with a look of pure disappointment. "I never thought that you would step on Lyra¡¯s memory like this."


    Inez sensed the change in the atmosphere the second the woman took Lyra¡¯s name. She nced at Killian, who was now staring at Morrh without the usual smile on his face. She heard him say, "I never had such intentions, Morrh, and even if I did¡ª I am afraid to tell you that I do not have to answer you because I am your alpha and not the other way round."


    Morrh sneered. She didn¡¯t say a word to Killian, but when she turned and looked at Inez, she made it known that she weed Inez into the pack as much as a bedraggled dog.


    She turned around on her feet and headed out of the living room, leaving Grandma Elira to re at Inez alone.


    "I can see that you have a spine, but this is not enough to earn our respect, especially with what you have done."


    "I have done nothing other than ignore you," Inez sweetly replied. Her siren half wanted to bare her teeth at the older female, but she controlled her temper as Killian stepped forward and covered her partly behind him.


    "Grandmother, I brought her here to take care of Selene," Killian spoke in a soft yet firm voice. "Inez knows some healing skills and can help Selene with her illness. There is no need for you to be so harsh on her."


    Grandma Elira¡¯s expression shifted and turned, if possible, even more livid. "You want to leave your sister in her hands? What kind of healer can we not invite?" She turned and snarled at Inez, "Do we need her to help Selene?"


    "Just to rify¡ª" Inez folded her arms and questioned, "If I can really help her, then do you not want me to do that? Would you prefer kicking me out than helping your granddaughter?" The second she finished speaking, Grandma Elira started hesitating to answer. The young girl who was sitting next to Grandma Elira raised her head and looked at Inez silently.


    Though her expression was nk, Inez could see that the youngdy was tempted by what she said to her.


    Finally, Grandma Elira stated, "I never heard that you had healing abilities!"

 Chapter 47: The Only Mistake

    <h4>Chapter 47: The Only Mistake</h4>


    Killian sighed tiredly. "Grandma, I know that you mean well. And I also know that you are looking out for all of us. But it seems you are forgetting who the alpha is around here." The reprimand was gently delivered, but it still rang with strength.


    Grandma Elira straightened to her full height. She said, "I haven¡¯t forgotten." Her gaze returned to Inez. "But I also haven¡¯t forgotten that there were many healers who came to the pack and imed that they could help Selene, only for them to make the situation even worse. Thest thing Selene needs is another liar. And from what I heard, this woman is prone to lying." She paused when she saw that Inez was not even looking at her. "Are you even listening to me?"


    "I was. But then I got distracted by how much spit was flying from your mouth," Inez blinked as she remarked. "Does it always happen when you are speaking nonsense?" Hearing the choking noises, Inez turned to look at Ajax, who was patting seriously good-looking Henley on the back.


    Grandma Elira flushed red. She raised her hand and pointed at Inez before saying to her, "Don¡¯t think that you will be fine if you insult me like this! Just because my Kill is willing to protect you, you cannot disrespect me. I bet even a submissive wolf in my pack can take you down."


    Killian wasn¡¯t sure about that. He knew how quick Inez was on her feet, and with her abilities as a siren, if she was allowed to unleash her full potential, she could drive someone crazy with her words alone. What was more, Inez had good reflexes and skills as a female shifter. He noticed that she cleaned her traces quite well. If not for the fact that he was paying attention to her, he couldn¡¯t have traced her.


    He nced at Inez, expecting to see her bristle at his grandmother, as he knew how prideful sirens were, but Inez was quite calm. Maybe it was because she was part siren, but she looked rather bored than angry. Killian was quick in epting the fact that no matter how much he learnt about Inez, he should never ¡¯expect¡¯ anything when it came to her. She was not easy to read or predict.


    However, he turned and nced at his grandmother, who was about to say something else. "Enough, grandmother."


    The older woman ignored his warning. She red at Inez and stated, "I do not trust you."


    Inez smiled gently. "And I told you that I am not here to impress you, Madam Elira."


    For a moment, his grandmother didn¡¯t say a word. Maybe she couldn¡¯t. Apparently, Inez had another skill of robbing someone of their ability to speak. Realising that she was losing the battle, she turned to look at Killian. "You cannot be serious about this, Kill."


    "I am," Killian stated firmly. "Selene will be under Inez¡¯s care from now on." He paused and said, "And pass my order around the pack. No one is allowed to leak the information about Inez staying with our pack to Alpha Cherith. If I find out that someone has betrayed the pack, I will not only banish them but also brand them with the mark of a traitor. Do you all understand?"


    Though Fenric, Nyx and Morrh were not in the living room, Killian knew that they were also eavesdropping on his thoughts through the pack bond.


    Grandma Elira stared at him. Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish¡¯s. A secondter, she shook her head and stated, "You will regret it." Then, muttering under her breath, she walked out of the room.


    Killian turned to look at Selene. The young woman was staring at Inez with an amused expression and said to her, "She will be taking care of you, Sel. Are you alright with it?"


    Inez also nced at Selene, who was oddly pale. She was also wearing a ck dress that made her look like she was attending a funeral. Her long blonde hair fell behind her, and her red eyes stared at Inez with a touch of curiosity. Just as Inez wondered if the woman was going to refuse, she saw her nod.


    She heaved a sigh of relief.


    Seeing that his sister had agreed, Killian smiled. He said to her, "Then you can go back and rest for today. I will arrange for your sessions with Inez once I have cleared the entire thing with her, alright?"


    "...Alright," Selene replied. She then turned to look at Laxus, who got to his feet and then walked over to where she was sitting. A secondter, Inez saw the lycan help Selene in a wheelchair.


    Inez watched the two leave; however, just as they reached the door, the door burst open and a woman rushed inside.


    "Killian!?"


    Killian sighed. He had just been wondering that Inez was nothing like any woman he had slept with, and certainly not like the woman who was heading towards him. Once, just once, he made the mistake of sleeping with Ally, like six years ago. However, ever since that night, she acted as if she had some sort of im over him and his life.


    He had been hoping that this woman would move on, but apparently she thought that it was impossible. How? He had no idea.


    Inez arched her brow and turned to look at him. "Your ex?" She questioned. "Do I need to step out for a moment?"


    "No, and she is not my ex¡ªshe is just someone I used to sleep with."


    Inez turned to look at the woman again and remarked, "No wonder little Ricky thinks that you will willingly fuck even a trash bag. He is not wrong."


    "She is the only mistake that I have made."


    "Killian, is it true?" demanded Ally as she stomped to where Inez and Killian were standing. She took a whiff of the air and instantly turned to face Inez.

 Chapter 48: Psychotic Ex

    <h4>Chapter 48: Psychotic Ex</h4>


    When Inez saw the woman looking at her, she sweetly smiled at her, but there was something dark about her smile, something that should have warned Ally to tread carefully.


    Unfortunately, Ally always had trouble following any kind of warning, thought Killian with a sigh.


    Inez tilted her head to one side and stared at the woman in front of her. Oh, she had truly underestimated Killian¡¯s taste in women. When she heard that he liked all kinds of glitter goblins, she had expected someone with bleach blonde hair and plump lips injected with all kinds of chemicals.


    However, this woman simply surpassed Inez¡¯s knowledge of foo-foo females. This woman seemed to have stepped into a pool of tan instead of just getting one; with peroxide blonde hair and an overabundance of makeup and assets too big for her tiny stature, she looked like a bad example of a moving, talking blowup doll.


    While Inez was assessing the woman in front of her, Ally was doing the same.


    Ally narrowed her eyes at Inez.


    She didn¡¯t take this woman seriously at all, as she couldn¡¯t sense her wolf, which proved that this woman was worse than a half-shifter. At least a half-shifter¡¯s wolf was a big presence within them, but Inez¡¯s wolf seemed to be missing. Even if she were to challenge Inez, she knew that she would wipe the floor with her.


    Just the very idea of such a shifter hooking up with Killian left a bad taste in her mouth, and to make things worse, Killian brought this woman after she told him that she liked him. This was what made her mightily pissed.


    Ally¡¯s focus returned to Killian, and she said to him, "You brought atent? You actually stooped so low that you are willing to fuck a meretent?"


    "What are you screaming for? Did you not hear what I just said through the pack bond? I didn¡¯t bring her back for me but for Selene and even if I brought her to the pack as my fucking mate, I don¡¯t think I need to answer you, Ally."


    Ally looked more than just offended. Ignoring the bit where Killian said that he brought Inez to the pack because he wanted her to take care of Selene, she said, "Do you even understand what you are saying? She is the ex-mate of Alpha Cherith, a woman who had severely bullied another woman because she could not see the man she liked loving someone else. She is crazy and delusional."


    She paused and added, "Compared to her, I am a better match for you. I always thought that we werepatible in bed."


    "The one who is heavily delusional is you," Killian pinched the space between his brows and stated, "We only fucked once, Ally. And you seriously need to consider why it only happened once."


    Not only was she a stage 1 clinger, her core smelt so bad that Killian wondered if something rode up her core and died there. He only went along with her because he knew that if he didn¡¯t, she would feel bad and even if Killian was not a master of caring about others¡¯ feelings, he didn¡¯t want to be the one tond such a hurtful blow.


    He respected women enough to do such a thing.


    The second he finished speaking, Ally gasped while his enforcers let out a series of snorts. They seemed to be trying to suppress theirughter but were failing badly.


    Ally blinked her eyes as if she was trying to will away the non-existent tears. A secondter, she turned to look at Inez and said to Killian, "Well, I guess you need to introduce us at least."


    "Do I need to?" Killian remarked, but when he saw the woman swelling like a bullfrog, he sighed and went, "Inez, this is Ally."


    "And I am just Ally to you?" demanded the woman.


    "I seriously wonder when I said that you were more than that."


    "All for this woman¡ª"


    "It seems like this is where I need to step in." Inez held her hand up. She was polite yet firm with her voice as she said to Ally, "I suppose there is a mistake here. I have no interest in getting into a lovers¡¯ quarrel, as I am not what you think I am. This is simply an employee-employer rtionship. I am supposed to take care of Miss Selene, and in exchange, Alpha Sokolov would give me a ce to stay."


    "You cannot fool me," Ally crossed her arms and stared at Inez usingly.


    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to take a lot," Inez remarked.


    "You are not his type."


    "I know. Alpha Sokolov seems allergic to women who can read, write and think for themselves. But hey, everyone has their own life."


    Killian heard his enforcers snort withughter once again; apparently, their disapproval over Inez¡¯s presence was not enough for them to not agree with her.


    Ally might be stupid, but she was wise enough to understand that she was being looked down at. She stomped her feet and turned to look at Killian. "Are you seriously going to let her insult me, Kill?"


    Kill finally gave the whiny woman a nce. He said, "Respect is all about give and take, Ally. You cannot expect her to respect you when all you have been doing is talking down to her."


    He then ignored the woman who was about to burst into a hissy fit and turned to look at Inez, who stood quietly on the side. She was staring at Ally with a frown as if wondering if this was what men liked. He thought of Eve, who had been chasing after Dominic and cleared his throat.


    "Let us go."


    He needed to ry to Inez everything about Selene¡¯s condition, and they were seriously wasting their time.


    Killian wheeled on his feet and walked out. Inez, too, turned to follow him.


    When Ally saw them leave, her eyes shed with murderous intent as she shouted, "I will not let her stay, Kill. She doesn¡¯t deserve toe between us."

 Chapter 49: Not Willing To Let Go Of Her

    <h4>Chapter 49: Not Willing To Let Go Of Her</h4>


    "I apologise for their actions," Killian said to her. "I didn¡¯t think that they would react in such a way."


    Inez rolled her eyes but didn¡¯tment. Sure, he didn¡¯t know. With how wonderfully Eve had discredited her name, it would be surprising that they would be weing towards her.


    She asked, "Do you really believe that they will not tell Dom that I am here?"


    "Yes." When Killian saw the look of mocking disbelief on his face, he exined to her, "Lycans are different from wolves, sweetheart; they are tied to the alpha by a bond that makes it impossible for them to defy their alpha."


    Inez furrowed her brows and questioned, "Isn¡¯t that the same thing as us?"


    Killian shook his head. "You do share a pack bond with your alpha, but that doesn¡¯t mean that the bond will break. But lycans are different¡ªif they defy their alpha, then their bond with the pack will weaken."


    "Your bond weakens?"


    "That¡¯s right," Killian nodded. "So don¡¯t worry, even if they don¡¯t like you, they will not dare to risk weakening the bond for I will find out."


    Inez didn¡¯t quite trust the pack because of what happened to her in her previous pack; however, she decided to trust in Killian¡¯s judgement. The two of them walked past the many lodges before Killian took Inez to the one lodge that was at the very back of the pack¡¯s territory.


    He stopped at the threshold and knocked on the door before saying, "Selene, I aming in."


    Though he seemed to be asking for permission, Inez noticed that the man didn¡¯t bother to wait for permission and simply pushed open the door before entering the lodge.


    What an arrogant man, thought Inez as she followed him inside the lodge.


    The second she entered the lodge, she saw Selene sitting on the couch serenely. She raised her head, and when she saw Inez, her eyes brightened. However, the expression on her face remained calm.


    "You are here," Laxus remarked, and Inez nodded in response.


    Inez¡¯s gaze turned back to look at the woman. She said to her, "I will be taking care of you from now on, Miss Selene. I hope that we can get along from now onwards."


    "You can just call me Selene or Sel," the young woman responded in a weak voice.


    While the two of them were exchanging greetings, Killian turned to look at Laxus. He said to him, "Can you leave us alone for a moment, Lax?"


    Laxus¡¯s golden eyes flickered from Killian to Selene and then settled on Inez before he nodded and walked out of the room without looking back. Once he was gone, Killian turned to look at Selene and Inez.


    Looking at the two women, he started speaking, "Selene, while I do understand that you do not wish to hold on any longer, I hope that you will give Miss Sinir a chance. However, I hope that you will keep the process of your treatment aplete secret from the rest of the pack."


    "Including Laxus?"


    "Including him," stated Killian in a clipped tone.


    Inez noticed that whatever rtionship Laxus had with Selene, Killian was not happy with it.


    "Miss Sinir will be in charge of your well-being from now on. Make sure that you don¡¯t answer the unnecessary questions of the pack when asked. Do you understand?" Killian ordered his sister, who hummed in response.


    He then turned to look at Inez and said to her, "And I hope you will find the strength to deal with the Poison of Iris."


    "Did you find her?" Dominic questioned Tao, who returned from his search for Inez. He, Luca and ke had been gone for an entire day, and yet when they returned, Dominic was half certain that they hadn¡¯t found anything worth mentioning from just the expression on their faces.


    Tao sighed. He sank into the couch inside the office and then said to Dominic, "Do you really think it will be that easy to find her, Dom?"


    He looked at the man sitting behind the curved table and reminded, "Inez grew up with us; she knows all the necessary skills to hide her traces. Even if I want to find her, I cannot find her in a day or two."


    "Where does the trail lead to?" Dominic asked. Even though he knew that Inez must have most likely faked her trail, he still wanted to hold on to a subtle hope that she would be found.


    Luca tentatively nced at Dominic before replying, "The trail leads to the southern city, but I am afraid that she didn¡¯t go there."


    "How do you know?"


    "Because we chased the trail," Tao exined with every bit of patience that he had in his body at that moment. "And it disappeared somewhere around the middle." He had to admit that he was impressed by Inez¡¯s skills. She only trained with him for three weeks, and she picked up everything that needed to be learnt by heart.


    If not for the fact that her mother stopped her from bing an enforcer, Tao was certain that she would have be a wonderful asset to their pack.


    Dominic banged his fist on the table, which startled the three men. They looked at the man who was breathing heavily and exchanged a look with one another.


    "Pathetic," Dominic growled. "Three of my finest enforcers couldn¡¯t find one woman."


    ke frowned subtly; he went to say something, but he was stopped by Tao, who shook his head and turned to look at Dominic. He said to Dominic, "Don¡¯t lose hope, Dom. We will find her soon. There is no way any pack will take her in."


    "That¡¯s right," Luca chimed cunningly from the sidelines. "And if there is someone, then we can drop a word to them. I would like to see who will be willing to go against us after that."


    Dominic¡¯s eyes shed, and he straightened up in his chair. He raised his head and looked at his three friends; the scowl on his lips turned into a triumphant smile as he ordered, "Let the other pack know that if they take her in, they will be making an enemy out of us."


    He wanted to see if Inez would still dare to act rebellious when she had nowhere to go.

 Chapter 50: Just Perfect

    <h4>Chapter 50: Just Perfect</h4>


    "Those are some fascinating words, Alpha Cherith."


    Inez stiffened when she heard Killian speaking on the cellphone. Though she was unaware of the content of the call, she didn¡¯t believe that it was anything good. However, even though she was worried, she tried her best to ignore the nervousness that was bubbling within her heart.


    She turned to look at Selene, who smiled at her with a kind expression. The woman waspletely neutral; even though Killian told her that Inez could help her out with the detoxification of the poison of Iris, the woman didn¡¯t show any fluctuations in her mood.


    Maybe it had something to do with her being let down too many times.


    And in all honesty, Inez didn¡¯t me her.


    The Poison of Iris was not something that could be dealt with just with one¡¯s desire alone.


    This poison could be traced back to the eighteenth century and was created by a witch. Though no one knows what kind of grudge the witch held against the shifters, she created a poison that was not only deadly but could also kill a shifter by slowly corroding their internal organs.


    What was even more dangerous was that no one could trace the poison when it was administered. Only when it was toote was the poison detected; no wonder Killian was willing to take the risk of bringing her to his pack, all in exchange for her treating his sister.


    He must have run out of options.


    Inez heaved a sigh and eased her nervous extremities before smiling at Selene. She said to her, "We will start then?"


    Selene calmly nodded at her as shey back down on the bed and closed her eyes. When Inez saw her trust in her, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit touched. After being stared at by nothing but distrust, Selene¡¯s vulnerable belief in her was like a breath of fresh air.


    By the time Inez finished, three hours had already passed. Selene had long fallen asleep, and her breathing had evened out. Inez, on the other hand, looked extremely pale and weak. She had expected this to happen as she was only part siren.


    And an unskilled one at that.


    "How is it?" Killian had finished his call and was waiting for Inez to finish.


    He frowned when the woman turned to look at him with an extremely washed-off pallor. He heard her say, "I am still a novice when ites to healing a person. I can handle normal poisons, but this is a highly concentrated and dangerous one."


    "So, you can¡¯t clear it?"


    "Not for now," Inez was not dishonest. "I can continue to read more about the poison, and maybe one day I will learn a skill strong enough to clear this poison. For the time being, I will be honest with you¡ªI can only stabilise her poison."


    Killian stayed quiet for a while before nodding. "Alright, you do that. I will arrange for books that will help you with your studies." Though he didn¡¯t show it on his face, Killian was rather relieved when he heard that Inez could stabilise his sister¡¯s poison.


    What happened to Selene was not fair, and Killian had carried the me of not caring for and protecting his sister all these years in his heart. Now that he had finally found a breakthrough, Killian felt the weight on his shoulders ease a little.


    Inez arched a brow when she heard the man¡¯s response.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" he nced at her confused expression and asked.


    She huffed and stated, "I thought you would ask me to get out of here."


    "You did, didn¡¯t you?" Killian arched a brow and remarked, "Well, what does this teach you?"


    "That you are unpredictable, Alpha Sokolov?"


    "No. That you shouldn¡¯t assume things about others," he deadpanned. He nced at his sister, who was sleeping peacefully for the first time without showing any signs of having another attack, and said to Inez, "Come with me. I will bring you to your lodge."


    Inez had nothing against that; she was so tired that it was getting difficult for her to even keep her eyes open. Thus, when Killian turned on his feet to walk out of the lodge, she followed him without a word. As they walked past the archway, Inez saw that the dining area of Killian¡¯s pack was an open space with a beachside bar vibe.


    She liked it at one nce.


    As she was walking past the many lodges, she noticed a cuddly golden retriever trotting over.


    "This is Ruth," said Killian, watching as the dog rubbed his body all over Inez¡¯s legs and started butting his head against her hand for a stroke. And he had to admit that his beast was downright jealous of the dog, as he wanted the same attention. And for a lycan who was known as the king of lycans, this was just in pathetic.


    "Let¡¯s go." Watching the siren y with Ruth was not in his n. But even when they left the dog behind, he followed right after Inez. he stayed by her side as Killian escorted her into the guest lodge, which irritated his beast and pricked at his jealousy. Pitiful. When did he be so pitiful?


    Inez was unaware of the thoughts and rollercoaster of emotions that the man beside her was going through; she was currently in awe as she looked at the lodge where Killian had brought her. She hadn¡¯t envisioned this at all. It was just ...so beautiful. The timber U-shaped lodge was wraparound a porch that looked out on the ocean she could see behind the building.


    The front of the lodge was covered with zed ss, which would allow generous light to fill the space. And it was separated from the rest of the lodges, which meant that no one was going to bother her every day.


    It was just perfect.


    "Is it good?" Killian asked even though he already knew the answer.


    "It is fantastic." This was all she had ever wanted. A space that she could call her own, and this lodge was just what she had always wanted.

 Chapter 51: An Alpha’s Obsession

    <h4>Chapter 51: An Alpha¡¯s Obsession</h4>


    Killian smiled upon hearing her response. "Don¡¯t be so quick to pass a judgment. Take a look inside first."


    Inez didn¡¯t quite understand what he meant by this, but as she stepped inside the lodge, she understood why he said those words. The two-story lodge was gorgeous, with an electric firece, a corner sofa, a coffee table with countless drawers and right above the stone firece, there was a massive TV.


    She raised her head and nced at therge swing that was right next to the bedroom, which was located right above the cosy kitchen.


    The entire flooring was covered in a cosy, warm carpet. If Nia were with her, Inez was certain she would have been pushing against her surface to take a nap on this soft carpet.


    "What do you think?" Killian asked when he didn¡¯t hear her say anything. "Is it any good?"


    "It can do with a little renovation," remarked Inez with her imagination bubbling loudly within her veins. "But other than that, it¡¯s really good." She paused and turned to look at Killian before asking, "I can change things inside as I like, right?"


    Amused, Killian assured her. "Of course. This is your ce and you can do anything that you like to it."


    He ced down the small duffle bag that she was carrying with her on the corner of the room and said, "I would have put it on the couch, but I think you need to wash it first." He pointed to the banana peel that was sticking to the fabric of the duffle bag.


    Then, before he could stop himself, he asked, "Don¡¯t tell me you snuck out in a trash bag? What did they do to you that you had to go to such lengths?"


    Memories smacked into Inez. Getting med. Locked up and being used as everyone¡¯s punching bag. Her begging Dominic to tell her what she did wrong, only for him to ¡ª


    She closed her eyes and mmed a door on the memories. When she finally spoke, her tone had gone cold. "I don¡¯t want to talk about it. Not now. Not ever."


    After she finished speaking, she turned on her feet and headed upstairs. Killian was quite amused when he realised that Inez had actually dismissed him. Did she not realise that he was the alpha of this pack? Or does she just not care?


    He followed her upstairs and found her studying the bedroom closely. When Killian looked at her, he noticed a childlike excitement in her eyes, and his expression softened. "I won¡¯t press you for answers." For now, at least. "But there is something else that I need to know."


    Finally finished looking around the room, Inez walked over to the small refrigerator, where she grabbed a water bottle and unscrewed the cap. She didn¡¯t reply to him, wanting to make a statement that he was not at all wee to stay in her bedroom.


    Annoyingly enough, the man was simply too stubborn for his own good.


    "And what do you want to know?" She asked, finally giving in.


    Killian leaned against the doorframe. Keenly aware of the way Inez and her actions unnerved him. The woman was way too sensual for her own good. And she didn¡¯t even know it. He eyed Inez carefully, watching the water drop cascading down her lips, past her chin and neck.


    His eyes settled right back on her luscious mouth, and images of just what he could do with that mouth of hers flickered in his head. And these images satisfied his beast to the point that he started purring. His beast and purring? Damn, Inez Sinir was going to be his death.


    "Is it true that you stole Eve¡¯s designs? I have heard all kinds of rumours. From Eve herself and Dominic, as well as the others, but I have never heard your side of the story."


    He had a feeling that Inez was wrongly used. When he met with her thest time, she seemed smart enough to deal with all kinds of requests from the clients. What¡¯s more, he had investigated her a little and from the investigation, it was clear that it was Inez who went on the visit to the clients¡¯ homes.


    Even after she was used of theft, Eve didn¡¯t stop using her. Was that woman really that kind? Killian didn¡¯t believe so.


    "You know all you need to know. She said that I stole her work and tried to kill her when she raised her voice. I didn¡¯t."


    "There¡¯s more to that, right?" He had a feeling that there was something that Inez was hiding. "Listen, I know that you are notfortable with sharing the details, but you are forgetting that I am your alpha now. I am in charge of protecting you; I can¡¯t do that if I don¡¯t know anything." And yeah, he was being nosy. He just wanted to know something¡ªanything.


    Turning to face him, she threw the empty bottle of water in the trash can. "I am away from them, and that¡¯s all that matters for now. Because even if I tell you the truth, you will never find any evidence."


    She turned to look at the balcony, and when she saw the swing that was big enough for her to lie down on, Inez had a very good idea where she was going to spend the rest of her time.


    Walking over to the swing, she settled down on it.


    Killian followed her,ing to stand in front of her, where she was sitting on the swing. Ruth settled right beside her, his tail wagging as he nuzzled his face against hers. "You really think that they will leave you alone? Obviously, you have no idea how possessive an alpha could be of his mate." Killian¡¯s beast growled when he remembered the call that they had with Dominic. "He still considers you as his. Neither he nor his wolf is going to let go of you. Don¡¯t underestimate him, sweetheart."

 Chapter 52: Teasing Boundaries

    <h4>Chapter 52: Teasing Boundaries</h4>


    "You are losing it." Dominic, considering her as his mate, was simply asking the sun to shower snow. She shook her head and stated, "I am his ex-mate; why would he care about me?"


    She didn¡¯t believe that Dominic cared for her; if he did, then he wouldn¡¯t have done such a despicable thing to her. Particrly since he hadpped up all the lies that Eve told him. He even refused to let Inez go when her grandmother asked him to transfer Inez to her pack instead. He had done everything in his power to hurt her in ways that Inez couldn¡¯t even speak of.


    "If he cared for me, he wouldn¡¯t have hurt me the way he did."


    "Trust me, he hadn¡¯t let go of you yet. Do you even know why he called me just now?" Killian said to her.


    "Why?"


    "He has passed down the order that no pack is allowed to take you in."


    Inez sucked in a breath when she heard his response. She knew that Dominic loathed her, but she never thought that he despised her to this degree. He knew that if a wolf went rogue, the chances of their survival became almost negligible. Their only chance at survival was to join another pack.


    And what Dominic had done was nothing less than cutting off her only chance at survival! Would he only stop tormenting her when she stopped breathing and her body turned cold, with no breath left in her?


    "Do you know why he did that?" Killian¡¯s voice brought her back, and Inez nodded. "I know. He wants to watch me die." Other than that, Inez couldn¡¯t think of anything else.


    However, to her surprise, Killian shook his head. He opened his eyes and pointed out, "You are wrong. He doesn¡¯t want you to die; what he wants is your defeated return to his pack. He believes that as long as he stops other packs from letting you join them, he will be able to push you right where he wants."


    "That¡¯s stupid." Inez¡¯s brows furrowed as shemented, "He knows me. I would rather die than go back."


    Killian smiled at her as if he found her as amusing as a little girl. "That¡¯s where you are wrong. Alpha Cherith only knows what he believes. If he truly knew about you, then would he have treated you in such a way?"


    He took a step toward her,pelled by the wicked urge to touch her, but Killian suppressed his beast and resisted. Of course, it was nearly impossible, as her scent was driving him crazy. If he hadn¡¯t lost Lyra, he would have thought that Inez was his destined mate.


    But having already lost his mate, Killian knew that it was just the chemicals in his body messing with his head.


    "Tell me."


    Caught in that powerful gaze of his, Inez had no other choice. She gave him the truth, at least a fraction of it. She told her how Dominic brought Eve to his side and how that woman made things difficult for her. "Believe it or not, those designs that she had presented were mine to begin with. As for how she got her hands on them, you don¡¯t need to know."


    "However, she knew my situation in the pack and took advantage of it." She paused before adding, "I think she wanted me to get executed eventually. What she was doing to me was nothing but a cat chasing its prey. She physically tormented me while building the entire aura leading to the main event." She sighed and then got to her feet. "Well, that¡¯s all. It is gettingte; you should go and take some rest as well, Alpha Sokolov."


    Dismissed again, Killian went to catch her by her wrist. She paused, but a secondter, she flinched as if his touch burnt her. ring at him for touching her. It shouldn¡¯t have bothered him. Not even a tiny bit. But it did. A growl almost erupted from him as his beast tugged at the reins.


    He was both offended and angered by her rejection.


    "It seems like you are not good with people touching you," he rumbled.


    "I just don¡¯t like when someone gets too close in my personal space."


    Every time someone got too close to her, she would be reminded of the time when others attacked her. Killian was fortunate that she controlled her instincts, or else she would have smashed the vase sitting on the cab next to the bed right onto her head.


    "And why is that?" and why did he care?


    "Because thest time someone held my wrist was to drag me into the dungeon and hang me by the chains," Inez snapped. "Happy now?"


    Both he and his beast stilled. "They tied you in the dungeons?" This kind of punishment was only given to the most horrible criminal. How could Dominic do such a thing to her? No matter what she did, Killian didn¡¯t believe that her crime was worth the punishment that Dominic gave her.


    "That¡¯s right." Inez curled her lips and remarked, "Why are you tempted?"


    Startled that she would suspect he would do anything of the sort, he said, "Why would I do such a thing?"


    "Because I think that things won¡¯t change here either. You saw how your pack reacted when they saw me, right? Certainly, some of them would definitely target me. I don¡¯t think that you will stand by my side when that happens."


    Affronted, he sniped, "I don¡¯t know what you think of me. Understandably, you do not trust me, but I would like to let you know that I am not as blind as Dominic. I trust my instincts rather than hearsay."


    "I know."


    The faith and affection in her words calmed down his beast. Killian was not an unreasonable person but Inez just knew how to mess with his fucking head just as much as she messed with his senses.


    Was this because she was a siren?

 Chapter 53: Brewing Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 53: Brewing Trouble</h4>


    "You do?" Killian arched a brow as he had never anticipated such an answer from her.


    "Yes, I do. You gave me a ce to stay even though you heard the rumours flying around me," said Inez. She patted Ruth, who was clinging to her. "I am not a fool; I can see who is being genuinely kind to me and who is not."


    "And yet you do not trust me enough to tell me why and how Dominic treated you?"


    An emotion flickered across her face, but it was gone too quickly for Killian to identify what it was.


    "Will you tell me why you hide your real substance? You have so much anger and me packed in thick ice that it¡¯s terrifying, and yet you present yourself as a slick charmer who is nothing but an open book. You have so much potential, and yet you are wasting it away. Why?" She shot back. As she had expected, he closed down. Herugh was empty of humour. "See? Unless you are willing to share your secrets, don¡¯t try to poke your nose into mine."


    Perversely, Killian had to admit that her defiance amused him just as much as it did his beast. Inez Sinir might be broken, but she still had some fight left in her. And Killian respected that, even if it made him annoyed that she was not giving him the answers that he wanted.


    "Very well. Don¡¯t think about running," Killian said to her. "Even if you try to run away, I assure you, my enforcer and I will track you down in a matter of seconds." After all, her scent seemed to be designated to fucking tantalise him and his beast.


    Inez rolled her eyes at him. "Let me assure you that if at any point I wanted to leave, then I would walk right in front of your eyes."


    "Like you did to Dominic?" Killian arched his brow.


    Inez smiled at him with a hint of ferocity. "Believe it or not. I did tell him that I was walking out; he was the one who never believed me."


    Killian¡¯s lips curled up. "I should have known." With that, he spun on his heel and strode away, taking Ruth with him.


    Once he was gone, Inez exhaled a shaky breath. Being so close to Killian was really hard. It was nearly impossible for her to keep herposure when all he was doing was existing, and yet somehow he pulled all kinds of sexual reactions from her body, which rmed her.


    And what was up with Dominic? When she was right in front of him, that man wanted nothing more than for her to die. That too, a death that was simply inhuman. Now that she was out of his hair, why was he looking for her? Was he really trying to corner her?


    Inez felt she could no longer understand Dominic. She had once prided herself on knowing that man better than anyone, but then again, her belief came crumbling when that man had her kneel in front of the entire pack years ago.


    The next morning, Inez kept her head held high as she walked into the main lodge. She wanted to stay in her own lodge, but Inez didn¡¯t want the rest of the shifters to think that she was scared of them. Sending out such a message would only cause trouble for her.


    She wasn¡¯t going to have them thinking she was spineless. Shifters pounced at the smallest sight of weakness.


    In the open kitchen, Edira was working while the rest of the pack was seated around therge dining table. When Ajax saw hering, he raised his hand and waved at her. "Hi, there, beautiful. Had a good night?"


    "I did," Inez nodded as she peered around the table. She could sense that the feelings of the pack hadn¡¯t changed one bit towards her. The only one who was slightly different was Laxus. Maybe it had something to do with Selene looking better than yesterday.


    The woman sensed her looking at her and smiled at her. "Good morning, Inez."


    Inez nodded at the young woman. "Good morning, Sel."


    "It seemed likest night¡¯s session worked," remarked Finn as he picked up the ss of juice sitting next to him and took a sip from it. "You seem like you are doing well, Sel."


    "You can say that," Selene replied with a soft smile. She reached out and picked up some soft-boiled eggs and ced them on her te.


    Inez didn¡¯t know why, but everyone, including Edira, looked at Selene with shock when she picked up something to eat. It was as if she had not just picked up an egg but saved someone from a burning fire.


    "Well, it seems like you are at least good at something," Edira remarked as she plonked a tray of freshly grilled bacon on the table. However, the re that she sent her way was enough for Inez to know that the woman was far from opening up to her.


    "Not everyonees to this world to just be a burden, Madam Edira."


    "And what is that supposed to mean?"


    "I am figuring it out myself."


    Huffing, Edira sat down on the chair as she watched Inez pick up the bacon, mashed potatoes and some avocado toast. She said to her, "I hope you are not getting toofortable here. The day my Selene gets better, I will have my Kill kick you out."


    "I will be waiting," Inez remarked, feeling slightly miffed. However,pared to the taunts that her mother shot her every now and then, Edira¡¯s sounded rather soothing.


    Edira narrowed her eyes when she saw Inez treating her lightly. She scoffed and said, "I know you must be thinking that our pack will start treating you as Sel¡¯s saviour. But you are mistaken. We do not take the likes of you in our pack."


    "Likes of me?" Inez raised her head and questioned. "What do you mean?"


    "Why don¡¯t you see your pack web?" Another voice joined in as Inez turned to look at Ally. "You might find something amusing."


    And Inez didn¡¯t doubt her for a second. As the woman was smiling at her as if she knew that Inez was in rather grand trouble.

 Chapter 54: Need To Be Careful

    <h4>Chapter 54: Need To Be Careful</h4>


    Inez didn¡¯t waste another minute as she logged into the pack web. The second she was in, numerous messages and notifications started flooding in. For two seconds, Inez had no idea what was going on, as she had never received so many messages. Not since she was pinned to the pir by Dominic.


    Her screen froze for a while. And it took several minutes for everything to calm down.


    Once the screen was back on, Inez started reading thements and messages that were sent to her. At first, she couldn¡¯t understand the gist of the situation, but that was until shended on a video posted by none other than Eve.


    The woman was sobbing. And when she said sobbing, Inez meant full-blown sobbing as if she was about to faint. In her video, Eve said a bunch of things, including that she never meant such a thing to happen and that it was only a mistake. She even begged Inez toe back and said that she was willing to leave the pack if her presence made Inez ufortable.


    "I ¡ªsniff¡ªI never thought that Dominic had such intense emotions for me. I... I never meant to hurt you, Inez. But I can understand that this all was very hard for you, as you were rejected by Dom just a few days ago. I am sorry, but pleasee back¡ª I will leave if it makes you feel better."


    Following those words were even more sobbing.


    Inez felt her headache when she heard the woman¡¯s brawling. She stopped ying the video and then blocked the entire Venus Pack. She knew that Eve had a ir for dramatics but Inez had no idea that her passion for acting was this serious.


    What did she mean by that she would leave if things became ufortable for Inez? That Dominic¡¯s feelings were way too intense, and she couldn¡¯t refuse?


    Wasn¡¯t she just trying to tell everyone willing to listen that Inez was one toxic, jealous ex who couldn¡¯t withstand her mate moving on with someone else? The image that Eve had painted of her on the pack web, Inez wondered if she was the one being delusional. That she was indeed the toxic ex who was bullying the kind-hearted lover of her ex-mate.


    "I really wonder how you can sleep at night." Hand over her heart, Ally continued to speak with fake misery. "I suppose I should have expected this from you, after all; not many shifters are unlucky enough to lose their wolves. Only those with the darkest heart and sinful fate would be punished in such a manner by the Moon Goddess."


    A cruel smirk formed on her lips as she asked, "Tell me, how does it feel to betent? To know your wolf will never return to you?"


    "How does it feel to be filled with so much spite that every time you speak, you only spit out poison?" Inez snapped back. She put her phone back in her jeans¡¯ pockets and then turned to look at the woman who was trying to pull her down.


    Ally¡¯s smile fell right off her lips.


    When Killian stepped inside the kitchen, he noticed the two women ring at one another. Given that Ally was scowling at Inez as if she wished she could shoot her dead, Killian knew who was winning.


    "What¡¯s up,dies?" Killian mused as he strode inside the open space.


    The second he stepped inside, Inez sat up straight. She felt the siren within her stir as her anger was quickly reced by anticipation. Something Inez was quick to suppress. She turned to look at the man who was walking with a sense of purpose that had her body humming with delight. It flustered Inez a little too.


    He turned to look at Ally, who was snarling at Inez, and questioned, "Is there a problem?"


    Ally turned to look at him. She pointedly said, "I was just talking to her about the little trouble that she had created."


    "Is that so?" Killian¡¯s voice turned low, and the air around him chilled a little bit. "Last I remember, I was the alpha of the pack. No matter what the trouble, I will handle it. Do you understand this?"


    "But¨C"


    "No buts," Killian stopped Ally from speaking any further. "As you all can see, Miss Sinir is the only one who could control Sel¡¯s attacks. For the first time, Selene could sleep without suffering another round of attack, and I would like to keep it that way. Unless someone wants to put my sister¡¯s life in danger, you better keep your mouth shut."


    Ally bristled angrily. She smashed her hands on the table and said to him, "I do understand that you are worried about Selene. But do you really want a lying, backstabbing bitch to be near your sister? What she did is unforgivable, and she had to suffer the consequences for her actions. By allowing her to stay in the pack, you are just trying to harm us all."


    "Harm?" Killian repeated, sounding amused. "What do you mean by being harmed? Is her presence making the sores in your butt throb?"


    "Kill!"


    "I can hear you just fine," Killian stated as he sat at the head of the dining table. "But what I cannot understand is how Inez is causing you any harm? As far as I can see, you look perfectly fine to me."


    Ally scowled at him, and so did Edira. She turned to look at her grandson and said to him, "Ally is right, Kill. Though I admit that this woman can help Selene, there is no need to keep her here. We share an alliance with the Venus pack; it¡¯s not right to go to war against them over a woman, is it?"


    Killian spared a nce at his grandmother just as a submissive wolf came to serve him his breakfast. He said, "It¡¯s not about her. It¡¯s about Selene, and I will do anything¡ª including going to war for her."


    "Seriously, Kill, how can you be so stubborn? Honestly, if it were your brother¡ª"

 Chapter 55: Need To Be Careful (2)

    <h4>Chapter 55: Need To Be Careful (2)</h4>


    Inez sensed instantly that Madam Edira had said something wrong because the entire room turned unusually quiet. Killian, who was sitting at the head of the table, ran the tip of his tongue across the front of his teeth. He dropped the fork on the table and said, "Well, unfortunately, the head of the pack is not my brother but me, grandmother. So, you have to listen to me."


    He paused before smiling cruelly. "But of course, if you miss him so much, then you are free to walk out of here."


    Madam Edira parted her lips. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but after a second, she seemed to have thought things through and closed her mouth. "I never intended to say such a thing." After she finished speaking, she got to her feet and then walked out of the dining area.


    Nyx shot a look of pure disappointment at Killian before saying to him, "I never thought that you would hurt Madam Edira like that, Kill. No matter what, you have at least shown enough respect to her."


    "What can we expect from someone who lost respect for my Lyra?" Morrh snorted. She nced at Killian, who seemed to be smiling, but Inez could sense that there was an undercurrent of rage under that smile. "I expected more from you, Kill; my Lyra deserved a lot more than what you are giving her."


    With that, Morrh left the dining area with her children.


    Fortunately, the rest of the pack sensed that Killian was not in a good mood and didn¡¯t bother him.


    Inez, too, didn¡¯t want to cause any more stir; thus, she silently finished her meal in a matter of a few minutes. Once she was done, she was prepared to get on her feet and run out of the dining hall, but she was stopped by Killian before she could do that.


    "Miss Sinir, wait a second."


    "Do you want something from me?" Inez turned to look at Killian, who was getting on his feet as well now that he was done with his meal.


    "Indeed, there is something that I want to speak to you about," Killian said, looking at her.


    Inez sighed. Feeling like a child who was going to get a scolding that she didn¡¯t deserve.


    She followed Killian out of the dining area, ignoring the many gazes of the submissive wolves who lived under Killian¡¯s wings.


    "I am torn if I should apud you for sustaining this far." Killian turned to look at her, and Inez, for the first time, felt a bit embarrassed in front of him. The smile on his lips dropped as he stated, "Or should I be surprised that you decided to pick a fight with one of my pack members on the very first day of your stay in the pack?"


    "It was she who was picking a fight with me. Not the other way round¡ª"


    "Inez," Killian interrupted her from speaking any further. "Do I look like I am interested in hearing about what led to the quarrel? I am asking you whether this move of yours was a smart one. You know that they are going to antagonise you. Is it wise to fight against them?"


    Inez pursed her lips. A frown etched on her forehead. She said, "I can¡¯t let them sense any weakness. You know that shifters pounce when they sense weakness¡ª"


    She had hardly finished speaking when the man shot out and caught her by her wrist. The next second, Inez found herself pushed against a tree trunk with Killian¡¯s warm body pressed against hers.


    "Wh¨Cwhat are you doing?!" Inez stammered as she tried to push the man off her, but Killian was way too strong, and Inez had no strength to push him away, especially when they were in this position.


    Her eyes widened as she said to him, "Just what do you think you are doing?" Blood rushed from her neck to her face.


    Killian¡¯s lips twisted, and his eyes started to get filled with mirth. He said to her, "Checking where the strength that you speak of is, darling. I don¡¯t think you understand your condition truly, do you?"


    Inez turned her head and eyed him warily. The man waspletely unapologetic as he stared at her.


    He said to her, "Lycans are not forgiving creatures towards those who provoke them. Which is why you need to tread very carefully... You never know when they will lose their temper and attack you. Unless you have the strength to make them bow down to you, I will suggest that you look out for yourself." There was a sliver of warning in his words as he pulled away from her.


    Inez turned to look at him with a hint of anger in her eyes.


    Noticing that she was not looking convinced, he asked, "Is there something that you want to say to me?"


    "I would love to," Inez stated. "However, I would keep my thoughts to myself, Alpha Sokolov." She hated to admit it, but Killian was right. Just now, she faced just a small trailer of the true strength of a lycan, and yet, Inez found herself at the mercy of this man,pletely.


    Though Killian was nothing but rude to her, Inez knew that he was just looking out for her.


    With her wolf gone, there was nothing she could do, thought Inez with a sigh.


    Killian arched his brow. "It is good that you are willing to learn so quickly. Try not to provoke Ally; she is quite... impulsive."


    "I understand," Inez replied. She was about to turn on her feet and walk away when Killian shot another question, "I heard that sirens could control andmand animals; is it true?"


    Inez paused and turned to look at him with confusion in her eyes. "We can; what about it?"


    The man simply beamed at her as he replied, "Don¡¯t think too much. It was just a question to sate my curiosity."

 Chapter 56: Need To Be Careful (3)

    <h4>Chapter 56: Need To Be Careful (3)</h4>


    Inez frowned when she heard his response. She couldn¡¯t understand what the lycan meant by asking such weird questions.


    She turned around and was about to leave, but then Inez suddenly paused.


    "What is it?" Killian asked as he noticed the actions of the siren. "Is there something that you want to say to me?"


    "Um, there is indeed something that I wanted to ask. Of course, if it¡¯s alright," Inez added, her eyes staring into the grey eyes of the lycan. She noted how his eyes were much more lively than his expressions.


    "What do you want to ask?" Killian asked, rubbing the back of his knuckles.


    "Who is Lyra?" questioned Inez, and she noticed how the man stiffened as soon as she questioned about the woman. "It is not that I want to poke into your business, but is she someone I need to watch out for?"


    All of a sudden, the air around them got filled with hostility. A glint of annoyance shed in Killian¡¯s eyes. He said, "You don¡¯t need to worry about her." The look in his eyes turned cold as he continued, "Because she is dead."


    Inez¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as she watched the man leave. For some reason, the look in his eyes unnerved her. However, Inez didn¡¯t get the chance to brood over it, as she was called to Selene¡¯s lodge by Laxus.


    "Are you willing to talk now?" ke looked at Scarlet. It physically hurt him to see her hanging by the chains and starving, but the woman¡¯s will was made of sheer steel. Even after getting tormented to this point, Scarlet didn¡¯t say a word about Inez.


    "Fuck you," Scarlet spat at his face and ke dodged it like every other time.


    He sighed and said to her, "This is getting tiresome, Scarlet."


    "And yet here we are," Scarlet rolled her eyes. Even though she had been whipped, stabbed and burned by candles and needles, she was still tough as ever, and ke could respect that.


    He said to her, "Inez is not worth your loyalty."


    "Hah," Hearing his response, Scarlet scoffed. "If there is someone who is not worthy of her efforts, then it¡¯s you and that arsehole."


    "Scarlet," ke warned her in a cold voice.


    In response, Scarlet narrowed her eyes and snapped, "Don¡¯t you ¡¯Scarlet¡¯ me, ke. You know my sister. She is the one who saved us when we were kids. I don¡¯t care if you have forgotten everything that she has done for you, but I can never forget the things she did for me. She raised me when my own mother left me to my own devices. You can say anything, but I will not listen to you."


    "You don¡¯t know what she has done ¡ª"


    "And you do?" Scarlet sneered. "Honestly, ke, if you had any evidence, you would have brought it out ages ago. And even if you did have any evidence, I don¡¯t care. Because I trust Nessie."


    ke wondered what kind of potion Inez had given to Scarlet. The woman was acting deaf and unbothered, even though he continued to insist that Inez was not what she thought she was.


    "You will soon realise that you trusted the wrong person." ke turned on his heel and headed out of the dungeon. Even though his heart ached at the thought of leaving Scarlet in the cell, he knew that it was important for the woman to understand the truth.


    Thus, even though his wolf kept pressing against his surface while asking him to go back and bring her out, ke willed his feet to walk to the office where Dominic was waiting for him.


    "Did she say where Inez went?" Just like every other time, Dominic asked the same question the second he stepped into the office. It had been less than a day since Inez went missing, and his alpha, well, he seemed to have gone crazy with the sudden disappearance of his ex-mate.


    It made ke wonder why Dominic even tried to push Inez to this point.


    "No, and honestly, Dom... I don¡¯t think that she will tell the truth," said ke. "You know that the two of them had the strongest bond when they were kids; even if you push Scarlet, she would never say a word about Inez."


    Dominic knew that. In fact, he was not even hopeful when he caught and dragged Scarlet into the dungeon. Inez¡¯s absence shouldn¡¯t bother him so much, but it did. To the point that he couldn¡¯t sit still anymore.


    Everything and anything annoyed him and to make things worse, his wolf was being an absolute arsehole to him.


    He was furious at Dominic for letting their mate slip past their grasp, even though she was right in front of them. Like he wanted such a thing to happen.


    "What about the rest of the packs?" Dominic asked.


    "No one has responded for the time being." Tao promptly answered, and that only made Dominic frown. What was going on? He thought. If Inez didn¡¯t go to take shelter with any of the pack that were aligned to him, then where did she go?


    He raised his head while tapping on the surface of the table. He said to Tao, "Did you ask Mrs Sinir about Inez? Did she go to her grandmother¡¯s pack?"


    "I did," Tao answered. "But from what Mrs Sinir told me, it doesn¡¯t seem like Inez went to the Collington pack."


    Dominic felt his wolf lunging for the surface. It wanted control and the authority to look for Inez, but Dominic held him back. Raising a hand to rub his forehead, he mused, "Just where did that woman go?"


    Inez let out a sneeze as she finished singing thest note. She turned to look at Selene, who seemed at peace while lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. "You did really well today, Miss Selene."


    Putting away the handkerchief which she had used to wipe Selene¡¯s sweat, she said to her, "I will try to look for another way to heal you ¡ª"


    "You should be careful."

 Chapter 57: Lyra And Killian

    <h4>Chapter 57: Lyra And Killian</h4>


    Inez raised her head and looked at Selene with slight wariness in her eyes. Hershes fanned against her cheeks as she questioned, "What do you mean?"


    Just when the woman was about to say something, someone stepped inside the bedroom.


    "Oh. It¡¯s great that you are awake."


    Hearing someone speak behind her, Inez turned to look behind her. It was Nyx; the woman was dressed in baggy denim jeans and a white tank top. Her ck hair was parted in the middle and pinned right behind her ears. She shared the same features as her brother¡¯s and looked just as harsh and mean as Fenric.


    "I was worried that you were asleep; it¡¯s a good thing that I came here before that." Nyx spoke in a tinkling voice; she walked over to the bed on which Selene was lying and sat down at the edge. She patted her on the legs and questioned, "Do you feel like going on a run? It has been a while since you went on a run in your wolf form. I believe a little run will help you out."


    "She can¡¯t."


    Nyx sharply raised her head and looked at Inez, who had spoken between the two. She narrowed her eyes and remarked, "And who are you to decide this?"


    Inez knew that she was only getting herself in trouble by contradicting Nyx but she did what she needed to do. "I am the one taking care of Miss Selene," She replied in a soft voice. "What she needs at the moment is nothing but rest because shifting in her wolf form would activate the poison in her heart."


    She then turned to look at Selene and asked, "You feel dizzy and a bit tired when you shift, right? The chances of getting an attack also get higher on the night of the day when you shift. Am I correct?"


    "You are right," Selene agreed. Indeed, her heart felt like it was going to burst when she shifted into her wolf form.


    When Nyx heard Selene¡¯s response, her eyes widened and she held out her hand towards her. "You do? Why didn¡¯t you tell me such an important thing, Sel?"


    Her voice was filled with horror that was so raw that even Inez was half confused if this woman was really concerned about Selene or was just faking it. It was not her fault; she just couldn¡¯t link the concerned woman with the one who had been ring at her ever since she came to the pack.


    Selene smiled at Nyx when she saw that the woman was looking bad. She said, "Because I like going on runs with you. No one in the pack treats me like a normal person, only you¡ªcough¡ª"


    "Selene."


    "Miss Selene."


    Both Nyx and Inez got to their feet.


    Nyx patted Selene on the back while Inez handed her a ss of water and said, "Please don¡¯t be agitated."


    Selene took a few sips of water and calmed down under the patting of Nyx. She cleared her throat and then apologetically said, "I am sorry; I didn¡¯t mean to worry you."


    "It¡¯s my fault," Nyx spoke softly. "I never thought that the runs were taking a toll on you. I just wanted to keep you happy, but it¡¯s alright, Sel. Even if Inez is stopping you from shifting, she is only doing it for your own good. Just hold on tight for a few days and things will get better."


    Selene nodded while Inez frowned.


    Though Nyx didn¡¯t say anything explicitly, Inez couldn¡¯t help but feel that the woman was targeting her.


    However, before the suspicion in her mind could solidify, Nyx turned to look at her and said, "It seems like you really know your stuff. I thought that Kill was lying to keep you in the pack but you really are one skilled healer, Miss Inez."


    Inez simply smiled, not knowing how to respond to the backhandedpliment.


    Not wanting to be dragged into a conversation that would obviously make her ufortable, Inez said to Selene, "I will take my leave. You two carry on."


    And when Selene nodded, Inez turned on her feet and walked out of the room. She thought that it would be the end of her task ¡ªand she would just go back to her lodge, where she would spend the rest of the day designing. But Moon Goddess obviously had other ns.


    Nyx followed right after her.


    When Inez saw her, she inwardly groaned, prepared for the woman to hurl a bunch of harsh words at her.


    "I am sorry."


    "What?" Inez was ready but she was not ready for Nyx to apologise all of a sudden. She turned to look at the woman and questioned, "What did you say?"


    "I said that I am sorry," Nyx apologised again. She was smiling now. "I know I didn¡¯t show you my finest side but really I didn¡¯t mean it. It was just too much for me to take in and my mother told me that you were another rebound that Kill had brought back to the pack."


    The two women were now walking outside the lodge; the white sand felt nice and warm under their feet and the shining sun was shimmering in the sky, casting a warm glow.


    Inez pushed back a strand of her hair which had flown in front of her face because of the breeze and turned to look at the woman with confusion in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t understand what she meant by rebound.


    Thus, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, "What do you mean by ¡¯rebound?" Her voice was filled with curiosity.


    "Oh, Kill didn¡¯t tell you?" Nyx¡¯s brows furrowed in confusion, and when she saw Inez looking at her with the same confusion in her eyes, she rolled her eyes and sighed, "It seems like we really misunderstood. He didn¡¯t bring you to the pack as Lyra¡¯s substitute."


    "Lyra?"


    "That¡¯s right, Lyra." Nyx nodded as she continued, "His mate¡ª and my sister."

 Chapter 58: Lyra And Killian (2)

    <h4>Chapter 58: Lyra And Killian (2)</h4>


    That would exin why Killian went so rigid and weird when she talked about Lyra with him. As someone who was mourning her mate even though he was alive, Inez could, to some degree, understand his pain.


    "She was your sister?" Inez asked, picking up another detail that Nyx had let slide.


    The woman nodded with a saddened sigh. "That¡¯s why me and Fenric were so unfriendly towards you. We thought that Killian had brought another woman to discredit and embarrass the memories of our sister. Though we are not against him moving on¡ªhe should at least find someone stable and imprint on her."


    She paused and sighed heavily. "We are not against him imprinting but by sleeping with different women¡ª" she trailed off, not finishing her sentence but Inez understood what Nyx wanted to tell her.


    "You think he is mocking the memory of your sister?" Inez sounded out and the woman smiled at her embarrassingly.


    "I know it feels a bit stupid but we think that Lyra deserved more," Nyx sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. They were now walking down a cobblestone path that led to another lodge. "She gave Kill everything that she could; she even trusted him when no one else did and you know what he did?"


    "What?"


    "He hit her." Nyx¡¯s eyes shed with anger as she gritted out.


    "What!?" Inez didn¡¯t take Nyx¡¯s word for it but she was still surprised by what she had told her. Because what Nyx said was not a light-heartedment, it was a really serious usation. A mate was the biggest gift the moon goddess gave to a shifter. To hurt and embarrass much less hit him or her was something that Inez could never think of doing, not that it mattered for her mate had already rejected her.


    "You don¡¯t have to believe me," Nyx remarked when she saw the hint of disbelief on her face. "My sister and Killian sensed that they were mates when they turned eighteen, like most of the shifters. Naturally, we thought everything was going to end well¡ªthat was until we saw Lyra returning home with all kinds of bruises."


    "Of course, Lyra never told us what was happening to her. She simply said that it was nothing but we knew what was going on." Nyx shook her head and took a deep breath before saying, "We tried to confront Kill but Lyra stopped us, saying that it helped him. At twenty we moved away from our old pack as things got tough and Lyra was with Kill at every step but then things got out of control and..." She trailed off once again.


    Her eyes were blurry with tears as she finished off, "And she died."


    She raised her head and took a deep look at Inez. "I am not telling you these things because I am trying to sow discord between you or Kill. I am just putting you on guard¡ªKill¡¯s not sane and you have long heard of this."


    "So make sure you are careful. Once you are done, get out of here; thest thing you want is catching the attention of that man."


    Nyx then turned on her heel, making her way through the cobblestone path, leaving Inez even more confused than she already was when she came to this pack.


    While Inez was lost in her thoughts, Nyx made her way back to her lodge; her eyes flickered slightly when she heard her mother sobbing once again. She sighed and pushed open the door before saying to her mother, "And what¡¯s the point of crying like this now that things havee to this point?"


    "You just don¡¯t miss your sister like I do." Morrh wiped her eyes as she cleaned the tears off her cheeks. She said to Nyx, "It¡¯s bad enough that Kill keeps bringing all kinds of hussies to the pack every now and then but he just has to bring that one." Morrh almost spat on the floor when she recalled Inez¡¯s beautiful face.


    "I have to say that his taste has gone down the ruins ever since my Lyra was gone," Morrh said bitterly. "He is just going around bringing anyone with a pretty face, while my Lyra was not only beautiful but also smart and witty."


    Fenric stayed quiet. He didn¡¯t refuse what his mother was saying, which meant that he silently agreed with her in his heart.


    Nyx, on the other hand, sighed and sat down on the couch. Discussing Lyra was not on her mind. Thus, she changed the topic and said to her mother, "Did you hear that Debby ran away with a rogue?"


    "I did hear about it," Morrh sighed with a hint of regret in her voice. "I have to admit that Miss Rachel has it hard. But then again, this is what happens when you do not keep good control over your children. What do young people like, you know? It¡¯s us who have seen and faced more."


    She then turned to look at Nyx and stated, "And speaking of this, when are you going to start with your dance lessons? I did tell you that we are going to go to the Moon Ball, didn¡¯t I? Are you going to embarrass me by acting like aplete buffoon?"


    Her mother paused and added, "And what¡¯s with the weight that you are gaining? Can you not see that you are about to be as fat as a hippo?"


    Nyx pursed her lips and looked at her thin arms and legs. She was certain that she hadn¡¯t gained any weight that her mother spoke of but she knew that there was no point in insisting otherwise. She blinked her eyes and said, "I talked with the healer and I think that she is really here for Selene¡¯s matters."


    "Oh, please." Morrh¡¯s aim turned to Inez as she scolded her. "I will eat my kettle if that woman was here to just treat Selene. Just you wait and watch, Nyx. That woman would show her true intentions in a while. I am sure of it."

 Chapter 59: Lyra And Killian (3)

    <h4>Chapter 59: Lyra And Killian (3)</h4>


    Morrh was certain that Inez was only pretending in front of the pack. How could a woman who had nowhere to go resist the temptation? She must be hiding her true intentions and when they were no longer guarding against her, that was when she would show them.


    "Kill has lost his mind. For the sake of solving his itch, he has brought that woman to the pack and even risked going to war against the Venus pack. I really have no words to say about this." she then turned to look at her children and questioned, "Why don¡¯t you all try to stop him? If this goes on, then his reputation, along with ours, would be burnt to a crisp."


    "You are thinking too much, mother," remarked Nyx. "Kill must know what he is doing; I don¡¯t think he is foolish enough to go to war for a woman."


    "Does he? If he did, then why did he bring Alpha Cherith¡¯s mate to our pack? And don¡¯t even get me started on the fact that she is his ex mate. I know very well how the possessiveness of a shifter and that too of an Alpha works. There is no way he will be willing to let Inez be with someone else," Morrh stated with a frustrated sigh.


    She turned to look at her daughter¡¯s picture and wondered out loud, "Maybe if Lyra were here, then we wouldn¡¯t be in so much trouble."


    Fenric scoffed. "He used to beat her, mom. Do you think that Kill would care about Lyra if she was here?"


    "Every mate has their own way to go along with their mates¡ª"


    "All I see is that you were so blinded by the perfect ending for yourself that you never saw anything other than that," Fenric snapped as he stood up from his chair with a smack on the armrest. "Your daughter was killed; you should be hating that person who ruined everything for her, not daydreaming about things that are no longer possible."


    "Think before you speak, Fenric," Morrh warned her son. "That¡¯s your alpha; you swore your loyalty to him when you came to this pack with him."


    "The only reason I followed him was because I don¡¯t want him to forget what he had done any time soon. If not, I would not have bothereding to this ce."


    Fenric held no respect for Killian. He just liked making things difficult for Killian at every turn. Just like how he didn¡¯t hate Inez but he hated the fact that she was getting the respect that his sister deserved but couldn¡¯t get. Why was it that the woman was given so much admiration and respect while all his sister got was humiliation?


    She was Killian¡¯s mate!


    He could still remember the time when his sister returned home with a swollen eye and an uppercut to her lips.


    He was only sixteen back then and Lyra returned home reallyte. Back then, he went to y a game with his friends and snuck out of the house. Thus, when he returned home, he ran into Lyra, whose face was badly bruised.


    ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with you?¡¯ He had demanded it the second he saw the injuries on his sister¡¯s face. ¡¯Who did this to you?¡¯


    Fenric was horrified, not only because he was afraid that his sister was getting bullied but also because he couldn¡¯t understand why Killian had not stopped someone from hitting his sister in such a harsh way.


    ¡¯I will go and ask Kill what he means by this. How can he not save you when someone was bullying you¡ª¡¯


    ¡¯No!¡¯ However, his sister was horrified with the idea of him confronting Killian. She held his wrist and shook her head before saying to him, ¡¯No, you won¡¯t. Promise me, Fenric. You will not go to Kill... no one bullied me.¡¯


    ¡¯How can you say such a thing while looking like that?¡¯ Fenric snapped angrily when he saw the terrified look on the face of his sister. ¡¯Someone hit you so heavily and you want to hide them? Shouldn¡¯t you be telling Kill¡ª¡¯ when he saw the fear in her eyes, he understood something and questioned sharply, ¡¯Is it Killian? It was him, right?¡¯


    Lyra shook her head and repeated while clutching his wrist, ¡¯Just promise me. Don¡¯t tell anyone; I will be fine... I promise that it will get better.¡¯


    However, whatever it was ¡ªit never got better. Not even when his sister¡¯s life was lost.


    So how could he allow someone like Killian to live a peaceful life? something that his sister could never get?


    Returning to the present, Fenric clenched his teeth; he had tried everything to make Killian feel guilty for what he had done but the man had only irked him. Treating him like a child who didn¡¯t understand anything.


    There was a knock on the door and a submissive lycan appeared at the front porch. Seeing this, Nyx walked over and opened the door, and the submissive lycan entered the room while carrying a cardboard box.


    "What¡¯s this?" Morrh asked as she looked at the bag.


    "Ah, it¡¯s just a little something that I bought." Nyx recalled that she had ordered something a while ago. She turned to look at the omega who bowed and walked out of the room just in time, as Nyx reached out and pulled the box over the tea table.


    She said to her mother, "I brought you something good, mom."


    Hearing the tone of mystery in her note, Morrh frowned, but a secondter her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the gift that Nyx had pulled out from her box.


    "This¡ªwhat is this?" She stammered as she looked at the luminous, wispy pearl that Nyx was holding in her hand. "Is that¡ª"


    "It¡¯s a Siren¡¯s tears," Nyx nodded with a smile. "It took me a lot of effort to get my hands on this precious thing, Mum."

 Chapter 60: Spies

    <h4>Chapter 60: Spies</h4>


    "You don¡¯t say," Morrh gushed as she picked up the vial that held the siren¡¯s tears. She shook the vial lightly and noticed the shimmery fumes that were trapped inside the vial in the shape of a smoky pearl. "Where did you get this from?"


    "I asked Madam Palfrey. You know the seer?" said Nyx, while Fenric took the vial from her and studied it carefully. "I visited her thest time because I wanted her to peek into my future."


    Fenric turned and looked at her before questioning, "Are you talking about the time when she said that she couldn¡¯t see your future?"


    Though seers could see the future, their visions were never urate. They couldn¡¯t see the vision of a particr person just because they were asked to. Their vision was always abrupt and random. Thus, it was almost impossible for them to see the future of a person just because they requested it.


    When Nyx heard thement of her brother, she pursed her lips. Her smile nearly fell off, but she held it back and replied, "That¡¯s right. The very same seer." She then turned to look at her mother and tried to gain her attention once again. "Madam Palfrey was quite upset because she couldn¡¯t help me. You know I am always helping her with her shop and everything else?"


    "So, she asked me if there was something that I wanted. That¡¯s when I recalled that you mentioned that you wanted the siren¡¯s tears, Mom." Nyx lied as she tried to make her mother look at her with more affection and love. The truth was that she had to literally beg the seer to get her hands on these siren tears, all because she wanted her mother¡¯s love.


    Just one loving gaze would be enough.


    However, Nyx was destined to be disappointed, as Morrh¡¯s attention was on the siren tears, and she never once looked at her daughter.


    Seeing this, Nyx couldn¡¯t help but prod her mother lightly. She asked her mother, "Well, do you like the gift, mother? I bought them as a birthday gift."


    Only then did Morrh pay a fleeting nce to her daughter. She said, "It is indeed a wonderful gift, Nyx. Thank you so much; I will make sure to use it well." Morrh was healthier than any other shifter in the pack, but she still couldn¡¯t help but feel happy when she saw the siren¡¯s tears.


    As a woman who cherished her life, how could she not be happy upon receiving such a gift?


    She then sighed and said with a light-hearted voice, "It would have been better if only I had had such a precious thing in my hands when Lyra met with that unfortunate ident. If I had these tears in my possession back then, I am sure that my daughter would have survived that tragic ident. What a shame!"


    Nyx had been waiting for her mother to praise her for getting something so rare and precious. But when she heard her mourn the loss of Lyra, even when she was right in front of her, doing everything that she could to gain the recognition that should have been hers to begin with, Nyx couldn¡¯t help but clench her fingers tightly.


    Fenric, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He said to his sister, "It seems like no matter what you do, you will never be able to fight against Lyra?"


    He spoke in a light voice which was barely above a whisper.


    Thus, even though Morrh didn¡¯t hear what he said, Nyx did hear what he was saying.


    She turned to re at him, but then her lips curled into a smile. She said to him, "I brought something for you, too, Fenric. It is a good thing that you spoke up, and I was able to remember it, or else I would have forgotten itpletely."


    Fenric raised his brows until they hit the edge of his forehead.


    "Really? How thoughtful of you," remarked Fenric dryly, as he knew that nothing that came out of his sister¡¯s hand would be good. However, he still had some hope, as he thought that she would give him something good. "Is it the siren¡¯s flesh?"


    Unfortunately, he shouldn¡¯t have thought anything.


    Because as he opened the box that his sister had handed to him, he realised that she had actually given him a dried rabbit paw.


    Fenric¡¯s face fell.


    "Ah, siren¡¯s flesh," Morrh sighed ruefully. "I have thought of having it more than once. But it is such a shame that the council refuses to let us have them." Years ago, the council banned the shifters from eating the flesh of sirens. It had an intoxicating element in it, which drove many shifters crazy if they ate too much of it.


    But the siren¡¯s flesh was so tempting that a shifter who had eaten it could never forget the taste of it. Especially when it was roasted.


    "It is really difficult to get our hands on sirens now that they are a protected species under the council," stated Nyx with a sigh. She, too, missed the taste of roasted siren flesh, but nothing could be done now that the sirens had started fighting against the shifters.


    Noticing the dark expression of her brother, Nyx couldn¡¯t help but tease him. "What¡¯s wrong? You do not like it? I heard that nothing is going well with you; that¡¯s why I asked the seer to give it to me. Keep it with you; it might not be good-looking, but it is blessed by the seer¡¯s powers. Thus, it¡¯s really lucky."


    "It seems like you have turned foolish with all the dabbling in the seer and the future talk. She said that this is lucky, and you believed her? How can a rabbit¡¯s paw be lucky? Isn¡¯t it a rotten and dried piece of corpse?" snapped Fenric as he closed the box.


    Nyx had a thoughtful look on her face as she stated, "Is that so? I just thought that this way, you would be able to pass the enforcer exam this time around. Since nothing else seems to be working."

 Chapter 61: Spies (2)

    <h4>Chapter 61: Spies (2)</h4>


    A nerve twitched in Fenric¡¯s jaw the second he heard the taunt that his sister had passed at him. He remarked, "It¡¯s all because Killian wants to suppress me. He is worried that I will take control of the enforcers if I pass the exams; that¡¯s why he refuses to let me be an enforcer." Once he finished speaking, he didn¡¯t forget to snort heavily, as he really believed that Killian was only trying to make things difficult for him.


    Nyx rolled her eyes upon hearing his response. It was because she knew that her brother was only looking for excuses. Killian was not the kind of person who would deliberately cause trouble for anyone.


    She got up from the chair on which she was sitting and said to her mother, "I am going on a run, Mom." She waited for her mother to turn and look at her, but Morrh never even spared a single nce at her. Seeing this, Nyx¡¯s smile turned even more rueful.


    She stepped out of the lodge.


    Her head was held high even though her world was crumbling behind her. When she walked down the cobblestone path, her eyes fell on Killian, who was heading to the dungeon.


    When she saw him, her eyes lit up, and she immediately walked over to where Killian was standing, but at the same time, she made sure that her expression was not too excited. She came to a stop in front of Killian.


    "Kill, are you going on a run?" Nyx greeted Killian with a smile on her face, which was both fearful and polite.


    Killian arched his brow. He paused and turned to look at the curvaceous woman in front of him. He offered her a smile of his own and remarked, "You shouldn¡¯t act kind when you cannot, Nyx. We all know that you are a little spiteful child who sees the world with nothing but her ck tinted sses."


    "Kindness doesn¡¯t suit you. Don¡¯t try to fake it¡ªlike how you try to fake your confidence."


    The deceitful smile on Nyx¡¯s face faded. She blinked her eyes as her face turnedpletely nk. She said to Killian, "I am still better than the pitiful child that you brought with you to the pack." She nced at the far distance and stated in a cold voice, "How pitiful; she doesn¡¯t have even a single person to love her."


    "Mhmm. Does that make you feel better?" hummed Killian. He raised his hand and tucked away the lock of hair that was fluttering in the air behind her ear and said to her, "But no matter how pitiful she is, she will never be as pitiful as you, Nyx. You know why?"


    He paused and gave her a brilliant smile. "Because she never pities herself."


    Then, before she could say anything, Killian turned away on his heel and walked away from there without letting Nyx respond.


    Inez busied herself in the kitchen as she prepared herself a small meal. Even though Killian allowed her to go everywhere in the pack, Inez didn¡¯t wish to make things troublesome for herself and the rest by gracing them with her presence.


    It was a good thing that her grandmother insisted on teaching her how to cook.


    ording to her grandmother, learning these important life skills woulde in handy. Thus, her grandmother had taught her almost everything, from riding in a car to picking a lock, as well as how to knock a man unconscious.


    Not to mention the manynguages that her grandmother taught her.


    She finished frying the chicken and ced it in the dish before scooping it up from the kitchen counter and then heading out of the lodge. She sat down on the porch at the back of the lodge and stared at the seemingly calm ocean.


    However, a few minutester, she heard the sound of rustling and her entire spine stiffened. It was because she could feel the presence of a lycan near her and without her wolf to hold the fort, Inez knew that she would be like a fish on the chopping board.


    She turned and looked at the lycan who was eyeing her curiously¡ªno, it was better to say that he was eyeing the chicken wings on her te. Taking in his scent, Inez realised that it was Ajax. Stopping a few feet away from her, his eyes were glued to her te. His tongue flicked out, and he growled.


    Inez didn¡¯t speak Lycan, but she knew that this beast wanted nothing more than snatching the wings from her te.


    She rolled her eyes.


    "Really? Right in front of my wings," she remarked, but when the lycan didn¡¯t move, she flung him a few chicken wings, including a chicken leg.


    "Now go; I haven¡¯t eaten yet."


    The beast understood her words and left, but a secondter, another lycan appeared; this one was dark grey. He was broader than thest one, and her eyes widened when she realised that it was Laxus. "You too?"


    She couldn¡¯t believe that the stoic-looking Laxus would follow the lead of others as well. She rolled her eyes and flung another chicken leg to him.


    The lycan took a big bite of the chicken leg and waited for her to throw more.


    Inez had no other choice but to throw a few more chunks of the chicken wings. Once he was done, Laxus turned around and walked away, only for another lycan to walk over. This one was a mix of ck and red. Finn.


    "Do you guys have any shame?" Inez was speechless. She threw him a few of her wings and said, "Now I have nothing more."


    After she finished speaking, she started eating her lunch. Just in time, as her chocte cake was done baking. However, just as she finished covering it with whipping cream and stepped out, she saw the three lycans standing at the back of her lodge once again.


    "Oh, for goodness¡¯ sake, please tell me you are joking."

 Chapter 62: Spies (3)

    <h4>Chapter 62: Spies (3)</h4>


    "What do you think?"


    Eve smiled at Dominic and the rest as she looked at them eagerly. She had been trying to gain the attention of the boys after Inez¡¯s departure, but no matter how hard she tried, she realised that neither of them was even willing to take a look at her.


    In the past, she could use Inez to attract the attention of Dominic and the rest, but now that the woman was gone, no one seemed to care about her. She had more or less faded into the background, something that she could not stomach.


    Dominic looked at the chocte cake that Eve had baked and frowned. He asked, "What is this?"


    "It is a chocte cake," Eve replied. She turned to look at Tao, who turned to look away before saying, "I heard that you like eating it. So I baked one for you ¡ªwhat¡¯s wrong, is something wrong?"


    Wrong? Everything about this cake was wrong. He didn¡¯t know what made Eve bake this cake, and this particr one at that. But he couldn¡¯t help but remember the chocte cakes that Inez used to make for him.


    He eyed the extra-sweet cake and recalled the taste of the chocte cakes that Inez used to bring him every now and then. It was neither too sweet nor too bitter; it was the perfectbination of both, and he loved every bite of it.


    Because of this, many of the pack members thought that he liked eating chocte cakes. The truth was that he didn¡¯t like eating them; he only liked eating the ones that Inez made for him.


    "Don¡¯t bake them from now on," Dominic told Eve, who was waiting for him to praise her efforts. Hearing him say such harsh words made Eve¡¯s smile fall.


    "Oh, I thought¡ª"


    "I don¡¯t like to eat it." Dominic interrupted her. He raised his head and looked at Eve and stated, "And even if I did. What makes you think that I will eat what you gave me?" He hadn¡¯t forgotten the drugged drink that she had given to him thest time the two of them met.


    Eve¡¯s face turned red. She parted her lips to make an excuse, but Dominic had no patience to hear her excuses. He raised his hand and said to Eve, "Go back, Eve. We will talkter."


    As for when thister woulde, Dominic wasn¡¯t sure.


    "I understand," Eve choked as she turned on her feet and ran out of the office.


    Once she was gone, Luca let out a whistle. He turned to look at his alpha andmented, "That was brutal."


    Dominic simply nced at him without saying anything.


    "Dear old Hudson will not like it," remarked ke worriedly. He nced at Dominic and said to him, "He has been hoping for his daughter to be the Luna of the pack. I wonder what he will do and how he will react once he finds out that you have lost your patience with her."


    "I never made any promises," Dominic stated in a cold voice. "Nor did I say that she was going to be the Luna of the pack. If he believes otherwise, then he needs toe and talk with me."


    Of course, Dominic knew that the ex-beta would have something to say about his treatment towards his daughter, but honestly, Dominic didn¡¯t care about that. The one thing that he cared about at the moment was Inez¡¯s disappearance and theck of response from everywhere.


    Where did the woman go? Howe no one saw her? It was as if she never existed.


    "Did you arrange for the meeting with her grandmother¡¯s pack?" Dominic asked. As alphas couldn¡¯t just visit the territory of other packs because they wanted to, Dominic had to arrange for an appointment with the alpha of Inez¡¯s grandmother.


    "He agreed." Tao sighed before saying, "But he also said that there is no point in talking with her, Dom. That old woman doesn¡¯t know anything about Inez."


    Of course, Dominic knew that, but how was he going to make his heart and wolf understand this?


    "Just arrange the meeting," he told the three wolves. "I will take care of the rest."


    Once he finished speaking, he turned to look out of the window and wondered if Inez always had someone as her backup. Was that why she ran away without looking back?


    "I said, let go of me!"


    Inez was sleeping in her hammock when she heard someone scream in the distance. Startled, she got up and turned to look behind her.


    At first, she thought that she was dreaming, but then she heard the scream getting louder and louder. She stepped down from the hammock and headed in the direction of the screams.


    "Let go of my arm. I told you that I am not the spy," shouted a woman as she was dragged out by the enforcers under Ajax¡¯smand. When Inez saw the changes in the air of the pack, she couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. She turned to look at the woman and then the man who was being dragged along with her.


    "I really hate when people get mouthy, honey," said Ajax with a hint of warning in his tone. He looked at the woman who was struggling with all her might and stated, "We have collected enough evidence to prove that it was you who has been acting as a traitor in the past few months."


    But the woman was not willing to stop her struggles. Not only did she continue to scream, but she also started to il and kick. There were many times that she almost broke free from the enforcers.


    "We didn¡¯t do anything!" her mate screamed along with her. "I am just an omega, and my wife is the same. How can we do something so dangerous as kidnapping shifter kids and selling them? There must be some kind of misunderstanding!"


    But before he could say anything else, one of the enforcers kicked him on the back of the knees and made him kneel in front of Killian, who was sitting on a small boulder looking bored by the entire mess.

 Chapter 63: Blood Traitors, Witches and Shifters

    <h4>Chapter 63: Blood Traitors, Witches and Shifters</h4>


    "Tie him up." Ajax nced at the enforcers who let the man escape. He said to them, "You can¡¯t even control an omega? How did you pass the enforcer¡¯s exam?"


    The enforcers lowered their heads at once in embarrassment. Seeing this, Ajax rolled his eyes and said, "What are you lowering your head for? Go and grab him before he runs away!"


    Just as the enforcers made a grab at the omega male, he reached out and hugged Killian¡¯s legs. He shouted, "No, we didn¡¯t do anything wrong. There has to be a mistake! Please listen to our pleas, Alpha." The omega male begged and iled his legs, but to no avail; the enforcers grabbed him and pulled him back.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Inez asked as she stepped forward and came to a stand beside Selene, who was sitting in her wheelchair a bit far from the sight of trouble.


    Selene raised her head and whispered, "I am not sure, but I think my brother found the witch who was hiding in the pack¡¯s territory." She looked extremely worried while looking at the omega couple.


    Another scream echoed in the silence of the shore, and Selene turned to look at the omega couple. So did Inez as she looked at the omega couple who were being dragged away from the crowd.


    "It is just that we have no idea who the witch among the two of them is," Selene added with a sigh. "It¡¯s a shame that even the innocent one is being punished."


    Witches and shifters had been going after each other¡¯s blood ever since they came into existence. While witches believed that they were the closest to the Moon Goddess, the shifters believed that they were the most loyal devotees of the Moon Goddess; because of this, the two factions had been at odds with one another for centuries.


    Not to mention the fear.


    The witches feared the armour of the shifters that made it difficult for them to cast spells on them, and the shifters feared the magical abilities of the witches. The two factions never belonged to one side and had always stood on the opposite side.


    The witches had tried to kill the shifters¡¯ cubs on many asions, while the shifters had tried to kill the witches in retaliation. As for the low-ranking creatures like Inez, they have always been caught in the middle between the two factions. They were either used as sacrifices, or their blood was used to boost the strength and adrenaline.


    Finn looked at the omega couple and said in a cold voice, "You better tell the truth. Where did you send the children?"


    "We didn¡¯t!" The male omega seemed truly horrified at the notion. He seemed to be shaken to the core that such a terrifying crime was being pinned on his head. "I have lost kids in the hands of witches, too, Finn. You know that. How can I even think of joining hands with them and bing a traitor of my own kind?"


    Finn, however, remained cold. He eyed the man and his mate with a hint of distaste, something that Inez had felt and experienced in her old pack.


    "Are you sure that they are blood traitors, Finn?" someone in the pack asked as they looked at the omega couple with sympathy in their eyes. One of the females couldn¡¯t help but say, "They have been nothing but kind... I suppose that you are making a mistake."


    "You think that we are making a mistake?" Ajax was the one who responded instead of Finn. He curled his lips and then said to the female shifter who spoke, "It seems like you don¡¯t trust our investigation. Do you want to try, honey? Feel free to do so."


    As soon as he finished speaking, the woman who had spoken for the omega couple turned red with shame.


    Inez clenched her fists because she could see herself in the omega couple. In herst pack, she too was treated like this when she had never done anything wrong. And yet every time someone tried to speak up for her, Dominic and the others would shame that person until everyone stopped speaking for her, and she was ostracised by everyone.


    They did it until even a five-year-old child knew never to take a stand for her.


    "Now if everyone is done speaking¡ª"


    "Do you really have evidence that they did it?"


    Among the whispers and murmurs where no one dared to say a word against Killian and the rest of the enforcers, a new voice spoke up.


    Killian, who waszily sitting on the boulder, curled his lips in an amused smile as henguidly raised his head and turned to look at Inez, who had just spoken up. He should have expected the little firecracker to speak up just now, and it was not a surprise that she had done it.


    Finn frowned lightly when he heard Inez¡¯s remark, while Ajax simply smiled at her. He looked at her as if she were a naive little girl who didn¡¯t understand the way of the world, and damn if that didn¡¯t make her feel annoyed.


    "Honey, do you really want us to hand over the evidence?" Ajax asked with a tilt of his head. The reason why he was so polite with Inez was because her chocte cake had won his heart, and it would be a real shame if he had to bring down such a talented and skilled woman in the kitchen.


    "Why not?" Inez asked while wondering if everyone in Killian¡¯s pack was just this brazen. "The omega male keeps saying that he is innocent while you say that they are not." Ignoring the tugging on her sleeves, she continued, "Your pack deserves transparency, Ajax. And if these people have done something wrong, then the pack members deserve to know it lest they think that they wronged an innocent person."


    "Inez¡ª"


    "It seems like you have a lot to say, Bubbles."

 Chapter 64: Blood Traitors, Witches and Shifters (2)

    <h4>Chapter 64: Blood Traitors, Witches and Shifters (2)</h4>


    Selene closed her eyes when she heard her brother speak. She knew that trouble wasing their way now that Killian had spoken up. Her brother was not someone who exined his actions, but if someone questioned him, he would go to such lengths to exin his actions that it was almost ¡ªterrifying.


    Inez¡¯s face turned red when she heard the man call her by an endearing name but she still raised her head and looked at the lycan with a determined look in her eyes. "Did I say something wrong? You owe an exnation to your pack as well as the one who is innocent among the two. At least they should know what wrong they hadmitted before they were punished or executed."


    "I guess you are right." Killian smiled at her, but there was something unhinged about his smile. But before she could catch what that glint in his eyes could mean, Inez saw the man turn to look at the enforcers who were dragging the tied-up shifters andmanded in a low voice, "Stop. Bring them to me."


    Everyone held their breath when they heard hismand. They all turned to look at Inez, wondering whether she would be punished along with the omega couple, for she had intervened in their punishment and questioned their alpha.


    The enforcers exchanged a look with one another before dragging the two omega mates in front of Killian.


    Inez watched the man stand up on his feet with an air of calm around him. She heard him remark, "I was going to give you an easy death, but Bubbles here..." he pointed at Inez, whose face turned cold as ice when she saw the lycan pointing at her. "Wants justice and evidence."


    He shrugged casually before saying to the two, "Then I shall give it to her. I am a little weak when ites to pretty women; don¡¯t mind, kay?" He added with a wink.


    Killian then turned to look at her and said, "Now make sure to keep looking, bubbles. If you miss it, I am afraid that we will not be able to do a redo."


    He noticed her eyes had hardened, and Killian had to admit that gaze of hers was like a sucker punch to his guts. The shadows in her eyes were filled with soul-deep loneliness, and yet there was iron in them which showed that whatever had made her feel left out was not going to break her.


    Something that Killian could rte to.


    He took out a sk from his pocket and turned to face his pack. He questioned, "Do you know what this is?"


    When the pack members didn¡¯t respond, he smiled and said to them, "This is thetest potion prepared by the council. As the witches have invented a potion that makes them more shifter-like, this potion will wash off the effect of it."


    "Ready or not?" he said to the woman who was kneeling on the ground, and before she could say anything, he turned the vial upside down on her head, causing her entire figure to be drenched in the potion that smelled like the sea.


    It was only then that Inez realised that this potion contained a siren¡¯s blood. As sirens could lure their victims by creating powerful hallucinations with their power, their blood could also wash clean any kind of mirage.


    Inez¡¯s brows furrowed. She watched as the woman buckled under the effect of the potion. A secondter, her beautiful face turned wan and sallow. Herplexion turned dark yellowish, and her eyes turned ck.


    Everyone gasped and took a step back when they saw that the woman whom they had taken as omega was actually a witch!


    "How ¡ªHow could it be you?" The witch¡¯s mate was filled with disgust when he saw the woman whom he had taken as his wife and mate turned out to be a witch. He had slept with her on one bed, and this ¡ªthis-this was what she was all along.


    Ajax nced at the man with sympathy. He said to him, "This is what happens when you jump into a rtionship without properly going through the getting-to-know-you period, Jackson. I hope that you will think things through next time."


    The man named Jackson did not respond; he was staring at the witch as if trying to fool himself into believing that he was only dreaming. But Inez and everyone knew that he was not going to fool anyone. Not even himself.


    Slumped on the floor, the man looked crushed.


    However, no one had the time to care about the man at the moment, as everyone was paying attention to the witch who was kneeling on the floor.


    "Where are the children, Merope?" Killian asked in a soft voice, but there was a firm edge in his tone.


    As soon as he finished speaking, one of the females charged at the witch and shed her ws at her.


    "You damned bitch. I have been nothing but kind to you, and you dared to harm my son! Where is he? Where is he now!? Tell me," the female shrieked. Her eyes were filled with tears as she red at the witch.


    The witch screamed in pain but didn¡¯t respond. She lowered her head and allowed the woman to do what she wanted, but not once did she speak up about where she had hidden or taken the children. Seeing this, even Inez felt a surge of anger, but underneath it was embarrassment and humiliation.


    Turned out that she was wrong to feel sympathetic for this woman, as she didn¡¯t deserve an ounce of it.


    Unlike her, this witch deserved everything that was being done to her.


    Kilian allowed the female shifter to take her anger out on the witch before turning to look at her mate. The man nodded. Even though he too wanted to kill the witch, he knew that right now was not the time.


    Thus, he walked over and pulled his mate away from the witch while Killian turned to look at the witch. "Now, was that enough or shall we continue?"


    **


    Hey fairies, can you show some love to this book through golden tickets and power stones. sobs, please do--fairy begs you.

 Chapter 65: N.M.H

    <h4>Chapter 65: N.M.H</h4>


    The witch obviously had nerves made of steel. She not only looked Killian in the eyes, but she was also rather calm about the entire thing, even though she was beaten until her face swelled twice its size.


    Seeing her like this, Killian curled his lips. He turned his head and scoffed, "


    Isn¡¯t she cute? Acting all mighty and strong in front of us?"


    "I don¡¯t like this," Inez heard Selene say. She turned to look at the woman in the wheelchair and questioned, "What¡¯s the matter?"


    "He is too calm," replied Selene nervously. "I don¡¯t like it when he is this calm." Her brother was notorious for his temper. His beast had the worst temper among all the lycans of their pack, even among lycans. Killian¡¯s temper was the worst.


    Though her brother concealed it really well, Selene knew him too well.


    "Do we need to worry?" Inez asked, wondering if this was the opportunity to sneak away; she had heard about lycans¡¯ temper, and she didn¡¯t want to be close to one when he was about to lose his temper.


    Even kids knew to hide when a lycan lost his or her temper.


    "Wait for a minute," replied Selene; she was barely whispering while eyeing the scene in front of her. "If he makes a move to shift, you and I need to get away from here." Killian¡¯s beast tended to turn feral when he was in control.


    They didn¡¯t need to be close to him when he was out of control.


    Inez turned her head just in time to see Killian¡¯s smile turn feral. "You are doing a great job, but you know what, darling? You don¡¯t piss off a lycan. Do you know why?" he reached out and knotted his fingers in her hair and pulled her up by her neck. "Because if you make me mad, do you know what I will do? I will crush your little body until you are almost a breath away."


    "Do your worst," the witch hissed, her forked tongue flicking out of her mouth as she red at the man angrily.


    Killian¡¯s smile turned wide. If not for the fact that she could see the witch with her own eyes, Inez would have thought that the man was speaking to a little bunny.


    The man leaned in close and patted the witch on the cheek. He said to her, "You are wrong if you think this is my worst. When I said that I would leave you a breath away, I meant to say that I would ask my pack¡¯s healer to heal you such that I can torment you all over again and again and again until you are willing to speak."


    "And if that doesn¡¯t move you," he paused, causing the witch¡¯s breath to hitch in her throat. "You know why lycans are so feared? Because when we attack our prey, we don¡¯t just kill them. We eat them bit by bit. Bones and sinew altogether; unless you want to be my sphemous dinner, you better speak."


    The witch swallowed hard.


    When she didn¡¯t speak, Killian arched a brow and pulled her up such that she was dangling in the air like a ragged doll.


    Inez winced upon seeing the condition of the witch.


    She scrunched up her nose and remarked, "Oof, that¡¯s got to be painful."


    "Well, at least it is not we who are in danger." Selene sighed in relief.


    Ajax took a menacing step close to the witch. "I see that you are still not speaking. Where did you take our pups?"


    "I have no idea," the witch blurted out with a wince.


    "Go on," prodded Killian.


    "Can you put me down?"


    "No."


    The witch winced one more time before letting out a sigh of resignation. She looked around the pack, including her mate, as she hoped that the man would help her, but the man was looking at her with utmost revulsion.


    "I don¡¯t know anything. I am a halfling. I was never given a ce among the pure-blooded witches or wizards. They only call us when they need us."


    "So you came here to kidnap the pups? What did you think ¨C that if you followed theirmands, you would be given a ce among them?" remarked Finn as he observed the witch¡¯s expression.


    "I just wanted to be epted by my own brethren."


    Ajax snorted upon hearing her response. "Well, some good it did to you." he tilted his head to one side and stated, "Where are they now? The witches of your brethren? Are they going toe and save you?"


    "They will never save a halfling."


    If Inez were not so disgusted by the shameless and cruel actions of the witch. She would have felt sorry for the witch, as that woman felt truly aggrieved due to theck of sympathy and loyalty that the witches had among their own kind.


    "Since you have so little sisterhood among yourselves, I don¡¯t think you would mind telling me where the kids were taken to and where these witches¡¯ hideout is?" Killian dropped the witch only to catch her by her throat. She gave her a cautioning squeeze, and the witch wheezed.


    "I don¡¯t know. We never stay in one ce because you shifters always try to sniff us out."


    "Like you all are sweet little cookie girls," remarked Killian with a smile. "Now tell me where they are or how we can reach them. You should know this very well: shifters are protective of their young ones, and you attacked my pack¡¯s pups without understanding what kind of dangerous risk you were taking."


    "Can you feel the rage I am feeling at the moment?"


    "I told you that I don¡¯t know anything; they just asked me to take the pups out and nothing else."


    "Then what do you know?" Laxus finally spoke. His brooding tone echoed in the silence of the surroundings.


    The witch fell silent for a moment. She then closed her eyes and said, "N.M.H."

 Chapter 66: Vicious Yet Cute

    <h4>Chapter 66: Vicious Yet Cute</h4>


    Ajax¡¯s brows furrowed. "What did you say?"


    Opening her eyes, the witch parted her lips and said, "It¡¯s a site that was created by the witches. You can check for answers there but you will not like what you will see there."


    Killian allowed the witch to drop to the ground. "There, was that hard, sweetie?"


    The witch cupped her throat and asked, "Am I allowed to leave now?" She wanted to use her magic to leave, but something about the potion that Killian had used on her ¨C her magical abilities seemed to have been sealed, leaving her with no choice but to stay under the mercy of the lycans.


    Killian actually smiled at her. "Leave? How can you leave?" He looked up at the female lycan who lost her pup in the hands of the halfling and stated, "If you leave, then how will these people who have lost their children release their anger?"


    "You promised!" The witch¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at the man with disbelief.


    "Ah," Killian remarked with a smile on his lips. "That¡¯s another lesson for your next life. Never trust a lycan; we like to lie just as we like to drown our vodka."


    No sooner had he finished speaking than the female lycans jumped on the witch, tearing her apart. The sound of their flesh and bones snapping apart echoed in the clearing, and Inez turned her head away. She had never seen a sight before, as wolves never ate their prey; they yed around with their trophies, but they would never eat their victims.


    "Does it make you ufortable?"


    While she was looking away, Killian, who was standing a bit further away from her, stepped forward and came to a stop in front of her. Inez raised her head and turned to look at him.


    "I have never seen anything like this before." There was an ugly crunch, and her face turned slightly green as she turned to look away once again. Dry heaving lightly, she said to Killian, "I am sorry. Just now I spoke out of line."


    The man arched a brow as if he was not expecting her to apologise.


    "What?" She asked with a frown.


    "It¡¯s nothing." An emotion flickered in his eyes, but it was fleeting, and she couldn¡¯t catch it before it disappeared. "Walk with me, will you?"


    Inez frowned even harder when she heard him say that he wanted her to walk with him. She wondered if Killian wanted to talk about what happened just now. She sighed and followed him; however, just as she turned around, she heard someone shout behind her¡ª


    "Watch out!"


    Inez turned around only to see another witch jump at her; she must have been hiding in the crowd and lunged at her when she got the chance to do it. Of course, she knew that the witch¡¯s target was not her but Killian. However, before the witch would attack him, Inez, just as fast, caught the female by her throat and mmed her to the ground.


    She tied the witch¡¯s hands behind her back, which put a stop to her attack.


    Witches needed their hands to draw the spells; as long as they were tied, they would be at their mercy.


    Inez nced at the witch who was subdued by her and remarked, "You should have acted more wisely. What kind of fool would attack when they are outnumbered?"


    The witch hissed at Inez. She heard that the woman was atent; thus, she thought that the woman would definitely be taken down by her in a jiffy. And as long as she attacked atent, Killian would rush to save Inez.


    But the witch never expected Inez to move faster than she could, and Killian ¡ªthat man watched her attack the woman beside him, but he never made a move. He let her attack Inez and remained calm, causing her entire n to be jeopardised.


    "Let her go before she faints," Killian remarked while looking at the woman pinned down on the ground. "Let the enforcers take care of everything from here now."


    Inez nced at him before turning to look at the witch. She said, "I will let you go, but don¡¯t you try to make a move against me or I will break your hands."


    When the witch stayed quiet, Inez calmly snapped her wrist.


    As soon as the sound of bones cracking and the screams of the witch echoed in the clearing, everyone in the crowd sucked in a breath. They all turned to look at Inez, who was calmer than the serene sea moving behind her and turned to look at the woman.


    Who would have thought that the vulnerable-looking woman could break someone¡¯s wrist without changing her expression?


    Inez let go of the witch and, ignoring the shocked look on Killian¡¯s face, she turned and wiped the dust off her hands. "Close your mouth; it looks like it¡¯s about to fall down on the ground."


    Killian snapped his mouth closed as he turned around on his feet and walked to where Inez was going. He questioned, "When did you learn these skills?"


    "Tao taught them to me," Inez replied while walking to her lodge. "When we were still friends, he was worried that I would be bullied because I was a half-shifter and half-human; thus, he showed me some skills to save my life in case of danger."


    Inez didn¡¯t like to talk about Dominic and her rtionship with the other three, but she decided to be generous, for she had been rude to Killian earlier.


    Killian arched a brow upon hearing her response, but she didn¡¯t push him any further.


    Seeing that the lycan was not saying anything, Inez turned to look at him and remarked, "Alright, let¡¯s do it."


    "Do what?" Killian asked with confusion brimming in his eyes.


    "Didn¡¯t you bring me here because you wanted to tell me off for overstepping my boundaries?" Inez asked, mirroring his confusion, only for the man to curl his lips upwards.

 Chapter 67: Wolves In Sheep’ Clothing

    <h4>Chapter 67: Wolves In Sheep¡¯ Clothing</h4>


    Kin stepped close to her. Frustratingly enough, she was conscious of every single fibre of that solid, deliciously masculine body pressing against her.


    She should have felt trapped by how close the man was getting. But she didn¡¯t.


    Killian, like every other lycan, was pushy and really dominant. And he kept invading her personal space just as he liked. And yet, all she felt was the urge to inhale more of his scent. Just what was happening to her? But if Inez was being honest with herself, she didn¡¯t truly me herself.


    This guy oozed sensual energy, power and danger.


    It was like a lethal drug that could make any female go high on it. Even Inez, who often thought that she was used to and immune to the charm of alpha and dominant shifters, couldn¡¯t help but get slightly drunk.


    "You misunderstood," he announced just after he had made things really annoying and stimting with his gorgeous smile. "I never said that I brought you here because I was upset with you questioning me or my actions."


    "Then why¡ª"


    "You are a brave woman, Inez." Killian handed out thepliment, which left Inez slightly dumbstruck because she knew that lycans. Alphas would never hand outpliments to females. They were broody to begin with, and they only handed outpliments when they felt that the female had done something worth noticing. "I admit that you have the heart and soul of an enforcer. But¡ª"


    He paused before continuing, "But I think you need to control that temper of yours just a tad bit unless you don¡¯t want to die a sorry and pitiful death."


    And there went all the bubbly feelings that she had in her heart upon hearing him praise her.


    She pursed her lips and said to the man, "I just cannot ept anyone getting punished without any sort of evidence. It makes me¡ª"


    "Feel sympathetic?" Killian offered with a raise of his brow, and when Inez didn¡¯t say anything, he sighed. "I for one am all about every life matter, but my dear bubbles, the world that we live in is not as simple as you think. It is not just ck and white. There is no more evil than you canprehend. Of course, that only makes you want to protect what is left of the innocents, but you cannot. You are not a hero who can save everyone; you never will be. So, it¡¯s better to watch your back instead of worrying about others."


    "You want me to stay quiet when things are going wrong and when innocent people are getting bullied?" Inez questioned, but more to herself, as she couldn¡¯t understand what wrong she had done.


    Her eyes met Killian¡¯s, and she said, "I just did it because I know how it feels to be wronged. When I was being dragged and used as the pack¡¯s punching bag, I wished that someone would take a stand for me and stop what was happening to me."


    "You were a victim, and I understand your emotions," Killian remarked as they came to a stop in front of her lodge. "However, not everyone is a victim like you, bubbles. Just because they wear the mask of innocence on their face doesn¡¯t mean that they are from the same brethren as you. They might be wolves in sheep¡¯s clothing."


    "So watch out, alright?" He winked at her before turning around and muttering, "We have one in our pack, too."


    As for what he meant by those words, Inez had no idea about it.


    A few days passed by, and Inez spent her days controlling Selene¡¯s poison and ignoring Eve¡¯s constant ramblings on her social ount. The woman was simply relentless and a tad bit crazy because Inez had blocked more than three of her social media ounts, and yet Eve made more of them, all to curse her and ask her toe back to the pack.


    Inez wondered what was going on in the mind of a woman. Did she think that she could make Inez go back to the pack with all the cursing and yelling? If that was all that it took, then Inez would have never dared to run away from the pack.


    So, this time around, instead of blocking Eve, she had shut down her ount altogether. Though Inez knew that it was going to be a bit problematic since she couldn¡¯t contact Scarlet, she knew that even if she somehow managed to do it, Dominic must be keeping an eye on her.


    He must be furious about her sudden disappearance.


    And it worried her.


    Not because she was concerned about the sudden loss of her ce in her previous pack, but because of Scarlet. If Eve was this angry, she wondered how enraged Dominic must be, and if he was furious, then he must be taking it all out on her sister.


    Inez was worried, but she couldn¡¯t even reach out to Scarlet because she knew that her sister would be more livid if Inez got herself caught because of her. Not to mention the sacrifices and pain Scar was going through¡ªit would alle to nought.


    "I hope that she is doing alright," Inez sighed, as she was really worried about Scar.


    "Such a simple thing, and you couldn¡¯t even do it?" Inez heard Nyx before she could see her. As she approached the pack hall, she saw Nyx standing outside with her face contorted in sheer fury while Fenric was beside himself as he chuckled.


    The submissive wolf was kneeling in front of her, holding fear in his eyes.


    He sped his hands together and said to the woman in an aggrieved voice, "Forgive me, Miss Nyx. I really didn¡¯t see youing just now... the dishes that I was holding were too many and I¨CI bumped into you. If only you had seen me ¡ª"


    When the submissive wolf raised his head and looked at the woman, she red at him with a re filled with nothing but rage. This made the submissive wolf lower his head as he closed his eyes in despair. It was over, he thought in his head.

 Chapter 68: Wolves In Sheep’ Clothing (2)

    <h4>Chapter 68: Wolves In Sheep¡¯ Clothing (2)</h4>


    "Oh, so you mean to say that this is my fault now?" Nyx questioned the submissive wolf, looking at the wolf who was nowhere close to her status; she felt a surge of anger in her heart. How dare this man say that she was the one at fault?


    She said to him, "If you couldn¡¯t carry so many dishes at once, then you shouldn¡¯t have done it! How could it be my fault? Do you even know the price of this dress that I am wearing? You can¡¯t even afford it even if you save every penny of your sry!"


    "Please forgive me," said the man. He beseeched her on his knees as he reached out to hold her skirt, only for Nyx to pull it away from his hands. She snapped, "I have enough filth on my clothes without you touching me!"


    Nyx was about to say something more, but then she heard the sound of footsteps and raised her head just in time to see Inez, who was looking at the sight in front of her with a confused look on her face.


    "Good morning, Inez." Nyx smiled at her, even though she was a mess.


    Inez looked at the remnants of food that were sticking to her clothes and nodded at her before greeting her back, "Good morning, Nyx."


    Her eyes turned to look at the submissive wolf, who looked like he was about to cry.


    She was about to ask what was going on, but before she could say anything else, she heard Nyx say, "I am d that you are feeling good enough toe out of your lodge. I thought you were going to lock yourself up in the lodge for a few more days. It¡¯s good to see you."


    Inez turned to look at the woman with confusion in her eyes. She doubtfully asked, "Why would you think that?"


    "Because you spoke in favour of that witch," replied Nyx, her chin tilting up slightly as she reminded Inez of what she had done a few days ago. Hearing her response, Inez¡¯s face turned slightly pale. Even though she had meant no harm, it could cause her a lot of trouble. She wondered if the pack members would start doubting her, just as the mate of the witch who was now locked up in his lodge.


    Nyx smiled at her. "Don¡¯t worry, Inez. Everyone has forgotten about that incident, as many days have passed. No one will talk about it anymore. So you don¡¯t have to worry about others doubting you."


    And yet this woman was bringing up the matter that was supposed to have already passed. Inez pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say anything.


    She could only nce at the submissive wolf and then turn to look at the woman who was still smiling. "Then I am d that I don¡¯t need to worry about being targeted¡ª" Fenric snorted as he turned around on his feet and headed inside the main lodge. "Anymore than I usually am," she added loud enough for the man to hear.


    Fenric paused and red at her before turning to stride right into the lodge.


    Nyx, on the other hand, turned to look at Inez with a sweet smile on her lips. She reached out and held Inez by her arm before saying to her, "What brought you here? I hope you are here to have breakfast. I missed your presence in the dining area. If you hadn¡¯te today, then I would havee to your lodge. You are such a doll to get along with." She praised Inez.


    But that only made Inez more awkward, as she was not used to being praised, and yet something about Nyx¡¯s praises made her feel a bit thrown off. Unlike Killian, who made the butterflies in her stomach flutter, Nyx made the butterflies in her stomach curl up.


    "I am not here to eat," Inez exined. "Killian ¡ªI mean, Alpha Sokolov asked me toe here."


    She received a message from Killian earlier in the morning in which he asked her toe to the main lodge; if not, she would have stayed in her lodge. She didn¡¯t like the idea of being red at first thing in the morning. However, this was amand given to her by the alpha.


    No matter how much she would have loved to go against Killian, Inez knew better than to question the authority of the alpha of the pack.


    When Nyx heard that it was Killian who called Inez, her eyes flickered and her smile hooked downwards for just a few seconds before she hitched it right back. She then said to Inez, "Oh, you received that message too? It seems like Kill has taken you as a member of the pack. This is good; usually, he takes a lot of time to warm up to new members. You have no idea how many wolves, lycans and other shifters want to get in our pack, but he never lets them join."


    "You must have some special skills as a healer for Kill to pay so much attention to you?" Nyx asked curiously as she stared up at Inez, who was taller than she was.


    "I am just your normal healer, Nyx," replied Inez while trying to calm down her thumping heart. She couldn¡¯t let the woman notice that there was something wrong with her expression or that she was lying. Fortunately, her grandmother had taught her to keep her heart calm in times of danger.


    Thus, Nyx didn¡¯t notice anything even with her shifter senses.


    When she didn¡¯t hear the answer that she wanted, Nyx was a bit disappointed, but she didn¡¯t show anything on her face. She could only say, "Is that so? I wonder what made Kill ept you then?"


    After speaking, she paused and eximed, "Don¡¯t get me wrong. It¡¯s not like I am saying that you have nothing to offer. I just think it¡¯s a bit weird and, well... I am a curious person."


    Inez smiled without saying anything.


    "I can¡¯t get into the website."

 Chapter 69: Pull Of Attraction

    <h4>Chapter 69: Pull Of Attraction</h4>


    Inez raised her head and looked at Ajax, who had thrown his phone on the table.


    Beside him, Finn also ced his phone down and said with a sigh, "Me neither. It seems like this site is really particr; we need to be subscribed members to enter."


    Grandma Edira poured some tea for herself and Morrh before remarking carelessly, "Then just fill in some fictional details; it¡¯s not like you cannot do it?"


    "That¡¯s not how it works, Grandma." Killian was frowning while looking at theptop. "The information that they are asking for is pretty specific. From requiring to state the pack name and location to the alpha name. It seems like they are going to cross-reference to make sure that the person exists."


    He turned to look at Grandma Edira before stating, "It seems like the person wants everything to be preapproved before she would let them enter. Or he, depending on the person who made it."


    "Then are you saying that we will let these witches harm our pack and let them go!?" Morrh eximed. Her eyes widening as she remarked, "That will only make them even more bold, won¡¯t it?"


    A nerve ticked in Killian¡¯s jaw as he stated, "I never said that I would let them go." He turned to look at Levi and Matt before saying to them, "Get on it. I don¡¯t care what you have to do; just find me the information that I need."


    "Well, one thing is clear," stated Selene in a cold voice. "It¡¯s not specific to just witches."


    An awkward silence stretched all over the dining area. There were all kinds of betrayals, and yet the one that came from their own kind was the deepest and most painful. The fact that this site allowed shifters to enter showed that there were a few shifters who were with the witches and were helping them run this site.


    It was truly sickening to ept.


    "Did anyone find out what N.M.H. stands for?" Inez asked as she stepped further inside the room.


    "It doesn¡¯t say a word," Killian responded. He didn¡¯t like the secretive and mysterious air around this site. However, as his eyes snapped to the two women who came together, the worry was quickly reced with a hint of amusement. "Looks like the sun rose from the west today, Jax." His eyes were wide with astonishment, which he clearly didn¡¯t mean, as his lips curled up in a mocking smile.


    "Don¡¯t tell me you think that it is surprising to see Inez at the main lodge?" Nyx remarked with a hint of sarcasm. "I thought that you had forgotten all about what happened, Kill. I never thought that you were this petty."


    "I am indeed surprised to see her here, but more than that, I am surprised to see you getting close to her,"mented Killian. He arched a brow and then turned to look at Inez. "Since when did you get immune to poison?" His words caused the sweet smile that Nyx was wearing on her lips to fall.


    Nyx, however, was not someone who would give up so easily. She said to Killian, "I think you went too far with that joke, Kill. Just because I am a straight shooter doesn¡¯t mean that I am poisonous."


    "Ah, that¡¯s what we call people like you now?" Killian remarked with a raise of his brow.


    "What do you mean by ¡¯people like me?" replied Nyx through gritted teeth. "I just have the habit of telling the truth. You might not know this because you are used to telling lies to tter women."


    "Are you sure that I need to lie?" hummed Killian. He tilted his head to one side before winking at Nyx. "Last I remember, I didn¡¯t even need to do anything, and women were the ones who threw themselves at me." He paused and added, "You should know it better than anyone."


    Inez turned to look at the rest of the pack, only to see them minding their own business. It seemed like Killian pushed everyone¡¯s limits, and they were more or less used to seeing such a thing now.


    Nyx¡¯s smile could no longer smile. She sent a re Killian¡¯s way and said to him, "Maybe if you got the eye treatment that I asked you for, you would recognise the correct person next time. But it is a shame that you don¡¯t take others¡¯ suggestions and only know how to me them. Anyway, I hope that you will stop with the recklessness, lest you want our guest to think that the two of us had something between us."


    She then turned to look at Inez and said to her, "Don¡¯t take his words seriously; he knows how to make fun of others." With a re, she turned to sit down next to her mother.


    "Dear me," Killian remarked with a disgusted look on his face. "Goddess forbid, if I ever think of sharing a bed with you. I swear I would rather cut my thing off." He then exined to Inez, "There are times when some people start daydreaming too much; I have to bring them back down on the floor."


    But Inez was sure that this was not the truth, at least notpletely.


    "Alright." Finn, being the sensible one, raised his hand and said, "First, we need to find a way to deal with the current situation." He turned to look at Levi and Matt before asking, "How long do you think that it will take you to crack the site¡¯s firewall?"


    "It is not as easy as you think," Matt replied with a helpless expression. "You need to give us at least a week or even more; There is no way we can trace these things down unless we get some kind of link."


    "Link¡ª" Killian¡¯s smile was a little feral. "Then we will think of finding that link that you speak of."


    He then turned to look at Levi before saying, "Fine, everything that you can about that halfling. I don¡¯t believe that she ever contacted anyone other than just the witches."

 Chapter 70: Pull Of Attraction (2)

    <h4>Chapter 70: Pull Of Attraction (2)</h4>


    "Don¡¯t smile like that," Selene said to him with a frown on her face. "You will scare the living daylights out of some people."


    "If they are scared of me, then they are at the wrong ce, my sweet, baby sister." Killian smiled at his sister and replied with a calm voice, "Alright, I don¡¯t see the point of continuing with this meeting any further. We will wait for Levi to find the links before continuing to break the firewall. For now, let¡¯s eat."


    He turned to look at Inez, who seemed inclined to leave. "You too."


    Inez would have loved to leave, but with Killian¡¯smand, she had no choice but to sit down and eat the breakfast that was served on the main table. Of course not a single bite was peaceful, with Edira constantly telling her that her dressing sense was like that of a low-ss hooker.


    And as someone who couldn¡¯t take anyone¡¯s bullshit, she called Edira an old antique that needed to be in the museum rather than in the dining hall of the pack.


    From the frown that Edira passed her as she stood up from her chair, it seemed clear that the woman was not pleased with what she heard. Good. That would put a stop to herments for a while.


    It was then that she noticed that Kilian was following after her, and Edira¡¯s expression turned even more sullen along with Morrh¡¯s. The two women were staring at her as if she were the one who had asked Killian toe with her. She turned to look at Killian with a frown on her face.


    Killian, of course, noticed what was going on, and honestly, he had no idea what to think of the current situation. He had no intention to follow Inez. But the second she walked out of the dining area, it was as if a sudden pull of attraction made him follow. Killian didn¡¯t adore this sudden pull. His beast, however, was full of awe.


    As for the res that his grandmother and Morrh were passing him, he didn¡¯t me them. Because they were indeed correct, the kind of X-rated fantasies that were running through his mind involved no one else but Inez. If his grandmother found out about the things that he had in mind when it came to Inez, he wondered if she would cry until she lost her voice.


    He heard Inez say, "Can you tell me why you are making the target of your glitter goblins?"


    Taken aback by her sudden remark, he turned to look at her. He blinked his eyes and said to her, "I don¡¯t think that my grandmother can be counted as a glitter goblin."


    Inez snorted. "Not with that glittery shawl that she wears?"


    "Alright, you do make sense." Killian sighed. "But I never intended to make you the target of the pack, sweetheart."


    "You don¡¯t have to." Inez rolled her eyes and said to him, "Your grandmother thinks that I am a slut."


    "She thinks like this for every woman I get close to. You aren¡¯t special."


    "She is going to confront me at this rate and tell me that I need to stay away from you."


    "Are you going to listen to her now?"


    "I will," Inez promised. She had no desire to get close to Killian, not after the things that she went through at the hands of another alpha who was also her mate. She had long learnt the lesson that no matter what kind of promises a man made to her, he would let her down in the end for the sake of everyone.


    "But I won¡¯t."


    The two of them paused as she turned to look at Killian. The man was holding her gaze, as if he was determined not to let her miss the determination in his eyes. "Just thought that you should know about it."


    He raised his hand and brushed the pad of his finger over her jaw.


    It made Inez stiffen as she pulled away from the lycan. She knew that the man was smooth, but she never thought that he was this ... skilled. "I think you need to stop. I am not one you can y your games with, so don¡¯t tease me." She really didn¡¯t know how to y the games that he was ying with her. She could deal with the taunts, but she was not good at flirting. It made her feel really vulnerable, as if she were something that she wasn¡¯t.


    Like she was out of the league of many wolves.


    Inez knew that with her pale skin and tinum blond hair, she was nothing but a sickly woman in the eyes of many shifters. They like curvaceous and tanned women. She was not tanned. Nor was she beautiful.


    She was a tomboy as Dominic and others constantly reminded her. She was not the kind of woman who would be pursued by anyone.


    "What made you think that I am ying with you?"


    Inez snorted upon hearing his response. "You y with everyone, Alpha Sokolov. I don¡¯t like being yed by a man, and you should know that as well."


    "Hmmm?" Killian turned his head up slightly. "It seems like Dominic never flirted with you. Goodness, you really sold yourself cheaply, didn¡¯t you? Well, that does happen when you are in love with someone. Anyway, bubbles ¡ªflirting is supposed to be yful and fun. Just because I am not handing out a ring to you doesn¡¯t mean that I am not being serious."


    He leaned close to her so that she was the only one who could hear his voice.


    And Inez had to suck in a breath as she realised how intimate their positions were at that moment. "I want you. It might be a little funny to you, but I wanted you from the very day I saw you. I want you in my bed so desperately that my touch will burn in your skin. That you will never forget the feeling when I am with you."

 Chapter 71: Fraudster

    <h4>Chapter 71: Fraudster</h4>


    Inez swallowed hard when she heard his unapologetic words. Killian had spoken his desires out loud so directly that she had no words to say. And even if she somehow managed to unclench her throat, she couldn¡¯t say a word because the darkened gaze of his, which was raw with need, stole her voice the very second their gazes met.


    "Quite gripping, don¡¯t you think?" he asked, addressing the pull and tension that was between the two of them. She could feel her siren stirring inside of her as she almost surfaced, only for Inez to suppress her back down because she knew that if her siren made an appearance, Inez was not going inside the lodge alone tonight.


    "I will have you," he rumbled as he raised his hand and caught her by the back of her neck. "I will fucking have you, Inez. You can deny me all you want, but you will be mine and..." he used his thumb to brush against the crook of her neck. "And I will leave my brand right here, bubbles."


    On the other hand, at the Venus pack, Scarlet finally stepped out of the dungeon. Her clothes were in tatters, and there were numerous wounds covering her skin, but when she walked out of the doors of the dungeon, her head was held high.


    "Do you really think that your sister is going to be free forever?"


    Scarlet raised her head and turned to look at Eve, who stood outside the dungeon like a dungeon guard. She sighed, not wanting to engage in a foolish quarrel with a woman whose IQ was less than a mentally retarded person¡¯s.


    However, just as she turned to walk away, Eve chased after her. She came to a stop in front of Scarlet and remarked, "Are you trying to kill her, Scar? You know that Inez is now atent. She has lost her wolf. She cannot shift, nor could she fight with the rogues. Letting her run around alone is like leaving a piece of meat in front of wolves. She will be eaten clean."


    "And yet." Scarlet paused as she looked at Eve and ke, who stood right behind her. "They will be kinder to her than the ones in this pack."


    Eve¡¯s face turned pale upon hearing the mocking words of Scarlet. She parted her lips and swallowed hard, but no word came out of her mouth.


    Sensing that the woman had turned silent, Scarlet walked past her; however, she had only taken four steps when ke came to stop her.


    "What now?" she questioned, sighing heavily as she was annoyed by the constant obstacles. All Scarlet wanted was to go back home and take a bath. She had been locked up in the dungeons for more than a week, and she was covered in filth. She needed a bath as quickly as possible.


    ke studied her expression and spoke, "I am telling you to not back up Inez, Scar." His voice was like a whip. "That woman... she is not what you think... she has been lying to you all along."


    "Are you sure that she is the one who is lying to me?" Scarlet snickered as she tilted her head to one side. "And is it not you who are seeing things incorrectly? Sometimes things are not what you see, ke." She added it when the man went to say something. "There are many ways to see and exin one perspective without proper investigation. I trust my sister, not because she is my sister, but because I saw her fight till she was bleeding when we could have lost our lives."


    "She could have died that night, ke," Scarlet reminded him coldly. "The fact that you stood with everyone despite knowing what kind of person Nessie is only proves that she should have left you alone to die that very night. Even her worst enemy would have been kinder if she had saved them like she did for you."


    After she finished speaking, she walked past ke. Her shoulder bumped into his as she strode past him.


    "I am only looking out for you. I just think that you are being lied to because I saw¡ª"


    "I don¡¯t care what you saw." Scarlet paused and turned to look at her with an annoyed expression. She spread her arms and said, "I really don¡¯t. Nessie is my sister and my saviour. The one person who became my mother when my own was too fucked up to care for me."


    "If she hadn¡¯t stepped up, I wouldn¡¯t be here. I would be lost in some drug addiction centre," she raised her hand and exasperatedly spoke. "She is my everything, ke. Maybe you will never be able to understand it, but I do. And I will never stand against her, no matter what. So you can go and tell your alpha like a good little mutt that I am not saying anything."


    ke clenched his fists when he saw Scarlet walk away without looking at him. The distance between the two of them grew more and more until he could feel his wolf press against his surface.


    He wanted nothing more than to lunge at the woman and bring her back, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t. ke knew that even if he made his im on Scarlet, she would deny it. Even if it meant dying in the process.


    "What¡¯s up with her?" Eve stomped her feet and red at Scarlet, who had walked away without giving her the answers that she wanted. She turned to look at ke and stated, "Why did you let her go? You should have peeled ayer of her skin. As long as you had tormented her enough, she would have spoken the truth!"


    "Do you even know how many projects are pending at the moment? Everyone keeps asking me to finish them. How am I supposed to do that when Inez is not here?"


    "Maybe use your head?" keshed. He turned to look at Eve while suppressing his wolf, which wanted to take a bite out of her neck for insulting Scarlet. "You have been working with her for so long; don¡¯t tell me that you cannot even draw a single design?"

 Chapter 72: Fraudster (2)

    <h4>Chapter 72: Fraudster (2)</h4>


    Eve was stunned when she heard ke say such harsh words. For the boys have never been this harsh on her ever since they started to ostracise Inez.


    "ke, how could you? I was just¡ª" She was still speaking when ke turned on his feet and strode away without giving her a chance to speak. Eve watched the man leave and kicked a pebble that was lying next to her. She could see that the affection and care that Dominic and the rest had for her were slowly fading.


    No, this won¡¯t do. She needed to bring Inez back. Only when she was here would Dominic and the rest pay attention to her.


    "Achoo," Inez sneezed as she entered the lodge that belonged to Selene, and because she was not paying attention to where she was going, she ran into Killian. The man looked down at her with mirth dancing in his eyes and questioned, "What¡¯s wrong? Did you realise that my arms are much morefortable than your bed?"


    "Are you always like this, Alpha Sokolov?" Inez asked as she stepped back. She raised her head and looked at the man with a slightly confused expression.


    "Like what?" Killian asked as he stepped forward, and Inez had to take a step away from him. Her reaction caused his lips to curl up, and he smiled. It revealed his perfectly aligned teeth along with his sharp canines.


    "Like a dog in heat?" Inez red at the man when he leaned his body slightly towards her.


    Killian chuckled when he heard her words. He answered, "I always wake up in that state. What can we say? I am a young man with plenty of energy to spend." He paused and questioned, "I have been noticing that you have been spending quite some time with Nyx. Care to tell me what kind of secrets she is telling you that you cannot stay away from?"


    "Nothing in particr. She just spoke of some general things," replied Inez, and she noticed how the man¡¯s eyes narrowed when he heard her response.


    "Lying is a bad habit, bubbles," he drawled, waiting for the correct answer. "You should speak the truth; maybe you don¡¯t know that I can always poke my way into your mind. You are forgetting that I am your alpha."


    "You are going to trespass inside my head?" Inez squeaked. Her voice turned sharper as she red at the lycan.


    The smile on Killian¡¯s lips remained firm as he stated in a calm voice, "Well, I hate it when people lie to me. If you won¡¯t give me the answer that I want, then I will have no choice but to take it. What can we do?" He added with a sigh. "That¡¯s the alpha way."


    Inez didn¡¯t want the man to poke inside her head. Thest thing she wanted was for him to find out about theplicated feelings that she held for him, about Dominic and the X-rated dreams that she had. Worse, he had been the main feature of her dream. Inez was yet to find out whether it was a good or bad thing.


    Killian stared at her for two seconds before saying, "Now, what will it be? Do you want to tell me the truth, or do you want me to find out the truth myself?"


    Inez wondered if the man knew something, which was why he was so intent on finding out what she was talking about with Nyx. She sighed and replied, "It¡¯s nothing; she was apologising and said some things about ..." She dropped her voice and added, "Your ex-mate."


    As she finished speaking, she raised her head. Inez thought that the man would be filled with rage or sadness upon hearing her mention his ex-mate, but when she looked at him, she realised that Killian waspletely in control. If anything, there was a hint of annoyance in his eyes as if he was frustrated with her for bringing up the matter of histe mate.


    Why? How could he hate his mate?


    Inez didn¡¯t think that there was anything wrong because she herself had the same feeling when it came to her mate. But it did make her curious. She wondered if there was something that she didn¡¯t know.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" she asked. "Did I say something wrong?"


    Killian¡¯s lips twisted, and so did the look in his eyes. A soft chuckle left his lips that Inez was sure would taste like sin. However, hearing himugh left her bemused, and she couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Why are youughing, Alpha Sokolov?"


    ill


    "Why, let¡¯s say¡ªNyx is not the person you would want to trust. She is what you would call a fraudster." He paused and then added, "No, it¡¯s better to say that she is a pitiful child. One that is so pitiful that it would be merciful to let her die."


    Inez frowned. She raised her head and looked at the lycan apprehensively. She wondered if this was some kind of test that Killian had put forth in front of her to test her loyalty towards the pack members.


    She said to the man, "She is a member of your pack. Shouldn¡¯t you be protecting her?"


    "And this is why I am warning you. Do not trust a word thates out of her mouth, and stay clear of her path. Thest thing you need is to believe something that is not the truth. Honestly, I would hate to behead that woman, bubbles. But believe me, sometimes that woman crosses the boundaries."


    He raised his hand and poked her on the forehead before saying to Inez, "Anyway, you are quite silly when ites to trusting people. I saw it happen with Dominic; I don¡¯t want you repeating the same mistake."


    The mention of Dominic caused a nerve to pop in Inez¡¯s forehead. His reminder poked her where it hurt the most.


    "You don¡¯t have to worry about it, Alpha Sokolov." Inez rolled her eyes as she stated in a dry voice, "I am only going to stay with you and your pack until Miss Selene gets better. Once the poison of ivy in her body is treated... I will be gone¡ªwhat are you doing?"

 Chapter 73: A Touch Of Concern

    <h4>Chapter 73: A Touch Of Concern</h4>


    He tilted his head to one side and remarked. "Why are you so pissed off? Let me guess¡ª you are jealous?"


    "No. But I am about to get really annoyed by your assumptions?"


    Chuckling, he pulled away from her. "What did my dear Nyx tell you about Lyra?"


    "That..." Inez paused, not understanding whether she should speak the truth or not. However, when she noticed the knowing look in his eyes, Inez knew that there was no point in hiding the truth. The lycan could easily see through her thoughts; if she lied, then he would not think twice before peeking into her thoughts.


    As annoying as it was, Inez knew that there was nothing that she could do about it.


    She decided to tell him the truth anyway; it was not she who would lose anything. "She told me that you were used to ... beating your ex-mate," ryed Inez, and Killian, who heard it,ughed as if he had heard some kind of joke.


    Seeing himugh, Inez couldn¡¯t help but frown. She questioned, "Why are youughing? Is it not the truth?" Her expression was filled with confusion as she looked at the man who wasughing as if he were amused by what she said.


    "Oh, no. It is indeed true. It¡¯s as true as it could be." Though he said that, the second his emotions closed off, Inez knew that there was more to the story than he was letting on. He said to her, "You should go on with your work. Selene might not look like it, but she doesn¡¯t like tardiness."


    After he finished speaking, he turned to walk out of the lodge.


    Inez watched him leave; however, just as Killian was about to walk out of the lodge, she reached out and caught his wrist. The lycan paused and looked down at the small hand that was holding his own. He arched his brow and asked, "And what is the meaning of this, bubbles? No matter how kinky I am... I am not going to go down and dirty in the lodge that belonged to my sister. That will be really weird."


    Hearing his words, Inez let go of his hand as if she had been whipped. She looked at the man with wariness in her eyes and said to him, "I didn¡¯t mean anything like that." Taking out the chocte that she usually carried with her, as Inez liked to eat something sweet whenever she was feeling a bit down, she handed it to Killian and said, "You should eat something sweet when you are upset."


    When Killian heard her words, he burst intoughter. This was his first time hearing someone say anything concerning after hearing him confess to hitting his mate. Usually, they looked at him as if he were a monster who had done something despicable without knowing the truth.


    He expected the same reaction from Inez, which was why he turned around and left without taking a look at her expression, but he never thought that she would actually hand him a piece of chocte.


    Taking the piece of chocte from her, he raised it in the air and said, "Cheers, bubbles."


    Inez smiled at his actions before hurrying upstairs to the bedroom where Selene was.


    When she pushed open the door, she saw Selene staring out of the window. She was looking at the ocean, with her eyes devoid of any emotions. Seeing her like this, Inez was startled. She couldn¡¯t help but hurry inside the room as she said to her, "Miss Selene, is something the matter? Did something happenst night?"


    She thought that it was because the woman had another attack, which made her react in such a manner.


    Selene turned and looked at Inez with a smile. She shook her head and replied, "No. I slept like a babyst night. I was just woolgathering and nothing else."


    She then patted the side of her bed and asked Inez toe and sit down next to her. She said to her, "Did you run into Kill? I hope that he didn¡¯t give you a hard time. Though he mighte out as someone who has little to no substance, the truth is that he has a lot of substance within his heart."


    Inez smiled. She didn¡¯t want to break Selene¡¯s heart by telling her that her brother only had substance when it came to her; as for the rest, she couldn¡¯t be clear about it at the moment. Killian was the kind of man who hid himself too deep. And Inez had no desire to dig him out of the shell.


    "He didn¡¯t make things difficult for me." though Inez would have loved to say otherwise, she didn¡¯t want to make Selene upset. She sat down and took her hand in hers before saying, "Before proceeding, can you tell me what is weighing on your mind? While it is important to physically recover, you should also heal mentally. If there is anything that is burdening you, then you need to tell me the truth."


    Selene said, "It¡¯s nothing. I was just recalling something from the past, and it made me slightly upset."


    Inez stared at the woman whose eyes were filled with emotions that were simply too hard to exin. She patted her on the back of her hand and said, "Do not be disheartened, Miss Selene. In time, you will be able to forget the scars of the past. The present is always full of surprises and gifts; that¡¯s why it is called a present." She tried to cheer up the young woman.


    Selene, however, was not a young child. She didn¡¯t blindly trust Inez¡¯s words, but, at the same time, she wanted to believe Inez¡¯s words. Notpletely, but half of them. She hoped that the future would give her a present so good that she would forget all about the bitter memories from her past.


    "Then I will start with the treatment?" said Inez as she parted her lips and began singing a soft melody.

 Chapter 74: Not As Easy

    <h4>Chapter 74: Not As Easy</h4>


    "Thank you," Selene said to Inez when they were done with the treatment. She moved her wrist and smiled softly when she realised that she could move her hands without feeling excruciating pain. "I feel much better than I usually do."


    "This is what I should do," Inez replied, as she didn¡¯t feel like she had done anything special. And she indeed thought that she was not doing anything worth the praise or the gratitude. She was only repaying Killian for giving her a ce in his pack when everyone had refused to let her in.


    It was a deal with each of them getting what they wanted; Inez felt it would be too shallow if she let it get to her head.


    "That¡¯s really sweet of you," Selene remarked. Her eyes, which had softened, turned a little stern as she questioned, "I wonder if you are getting along with the pack members? I hope that no one is causing you any trouble after the fiasco at the dining area?"


    "I don¡¯t usually get involved with the pack members," Inez replied as she poured herself a ss of water. "I stick to my lodge most of the time."


    Selene nodded when she heard her response. She softly murmured, "I think that this is better; at least you will be safe."


    "Safe?" Inez repeated. Her heart couldn¡¯t help but suddenly clench when she heard Selene¡¯s remark. What did Selene mean by saying she would stay safe?


    However, before Selene could reply, someone knocked on the door. Both of the women turned to look at the man who was standing at the threshold of the door.


    "Are you done?" Laxus asked. "Killian has called for another meeting, and he is asking everyone toe to the pack hall."


    "We are done," Inez replied. Suppressing the curiosity in her heart as well as her thudding heartbeat, Inez stepped aside as Laxus walked over to the bed and helped Selene into the wheelchair, but he did pause and look at her in confusion when he heard her thumping heartbeat.


    "You alright?" he asked, sensing that there was something amiss with Inez.


    "Yeah." Inez nodded as she walked out of the room. The wan smile that she had given to Laxus fell off her lips as she started to walk out of the lodge. What was going on? Was her life in danger? Inez¡¯s thoughts were consumed by what Selene had said to her, and she couldn¡¯t understand what she meant by those words.


    However, her thoughts came to a cease when she entered the pack hall. The second she walked inside, Inez felt Killian look up at her. And the second he looked at her, Inez was certain that she was going to be a pool of nothing but heated desire.


    There was something so intense and gripping about his look that she couldn¡¯t exin.


    And it would have felt a lot better if something had not been bugging her.


    She raised her head and turned to look at Ally, who was ring at her with just as intense animosity.


    "And what do you think you are doing here?" She asked as if she had not received an answer to that question many times before.


    "I thought it was a stripping party," Inez replied. She no longer had the patience to deal with Ally or y along with her. The woman was as smart as a hamster that was on crack. No matter how much she tried to speak politely with Ally, the woman would only take it as a weakness and try to pounce on Inez at every possible chance that she could get.


    Looking around, Inez added, "Where is the stripping pole? Let¡¯s get this party started."


    "Ooooh, very witty. Very clever," Ally snapped. Her duck lips twisted into a sneer, which looked rather hideous due to another jab that she had gotten a few days ago, which made her lips look even more hideous. "There is no point in saying such things because I bet no one would watch you strip even if they were paid."


    She crossed her arms with a snort as if she was rather pleased with that retort.


    However, her smug smile didn¡¯tst long as Killian remarked, "Don¡¯t bet on it. I will watch it as long as she is willing to do it."


    "Me too," Ajax raised his hand in the air and snickered when Killian raised his head and looked at him, "What? She is hot."


    "KILL!" Ally stared at Kilian as if she could not believe that the man had said such a thing. Her eyes popped out of their sockets, and she said to him, "Have you lost your mind? She is not even your type."


    "She is from now on."


    "Why?!"


    "Because she has a brain?" Killian offered innocently. "It¡¯s a plus that she can read and write, Al. Don¡¯t re at me like that; I wasn¡¯t the one who asked you to get an F in all your tests." He added, causing Ally¡¯s cheeks to flush red.


    "Alright." Selene, who entered the pack hall with Laxus, nced at the table that was full of toddlers trapped in adult bodies. She said, "I think that you should be telling us what we were called here for, Kill."


    "Matt here was about to tell us how useless he is," Killian pointed to the man who was typing behind the screen while cursing in a rapid-fire manner. "It has been an entire day, and he couldn¡¯t even break through a single firewall."


    Matt looked even more annoyed than Killian. He raised his head and looked at the man who was speaking for him. "What I do is not as simple as you think it is. Okay? This website is not simple. It has encryptions all over the ce, and not to mention, there is some magic also at y. I am trying to deal with it. But I need a curse breaker. Do you even know how many times I have gone to the restroom because my stomach felt uneasy?"


    "See, useless?" Killian offered innocently.


    Matt only scowled at him.

 Chapter 75: Blood Traitors

    <h4>Chapter 75: Blood Traitors</h4>


    "Would you give me some time?" Matt snapped. "You said that you would give Levi and me a week, and yet you are hovering over our heads just the next second."


    "You know I am not a patient man, Mattie," Killian smiled and said to the man. "And yet you took your sweet time. You should have known that I woulde down hard on you."


    "At least give us some hours?" Matt looked annoyed with himself and Killian. He said to him, "I am doing my best, but it needs a few more hours."


    Only then did Killian rx a little.


    He then turned to look at Levi and questioned, "Did you find anything about the witches?"


    Levi pulled the hot towel off his puffy eyes and remarked, "Here is a suggestion, Kill. The next time youe down hard on us, you might as well tell us right away. What¡¯s the point of giving us a week when you were not even going to wait for an hour? Do you think I am a fucking fairy godmother?"


    "I can¡¯t track things with just a flick of my wrist and a little bibbity, bobbity."


    "I need the answer, Levi. Don¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t find anything." Killian rolled his eyes and said to Levi, who scowled and threw the towel covering his face onto the couch. He said, "Who said that I found nothing?"


    And if Inez was not wrong, there was a hint of smugness in his tone. He took out an envelope and threw it at Killian, who caught it with ease. "These are the shifters who met with the witches in the past few years. It was really hard to delve this deep. You are fortunate that I am your tracker, or else you would have never found anything."


    Killian opened the envelope and took a look at the photos that were nestled inside. He heard Levi say, "The one at the top is Luis Brown. You might already know him as Alpha Brown. And next to him, the woman sitting on the right? She is a witch. Even though many will not associate her with witchcraft, as she doesn¡¯t look like one. The truth is that after Brown met with this woman, his injuries, the ones that would have certainly killed him, got better."


    "What¡¯s more, the alpha who defeated him in the pack battle died mysteriously not long after the two of them met."


    He continued, "And the one underneath is Brandon. Alpha Brandon, as we all know him. You might have even heard that his mate was about to die, but she miraculously recovered. However, as soon as she recovered, her three sisters died one after another."


    "And the other three: Tatum, Sirius and Remy? They had more or less the same incidents after they met with this woman. And even though they seem to have met with three different women, if you take a look at her little pinky on the right hand."


    "It¡¯s chopped off," stated Finn as he took a look at the photos along with Killian.


    Levi looked at his beta and nodded. "That¡¯s right. It¡¯s impossible for all five women to have a missing pinky, isn¡¯t it? This means that these five women are the same, and if I am not wrong, then these five shifters knew this as well. If anything, they might have connected to this witch through one another."


    "We need to question each one of them," Killiam remarked as he flipped through the photos and then turned to look at the rest of the pack. "We cannot leave them alone lest they think that they yed their cards too well. Not after my pack lost more than three pups."


    "You have to punish the ones behind this rotten n," one of the female Lycans spoke up. Inez turned to look at her and saw her red eyes; it seemed like this woman also lost her child at the hands of the witches.


    "Don¡¯t worry," Killian smiled at the female lycans. "Since they dared to make a move on our pack, they will certainly have to pay for it."


    He turned to look at his enforcers before saying to them, "It¡¯s time we split up. I don¡¯t think either of you will be able to make Remy talk, so I will take him." He paused and turned to look at Finn before saying to him, "You should go and deal with Sirius. I think that man will talk with you."


    "It does make sense," Finn smirked with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "After thest time, I don¡¯t think that he will dare to say no to me."


    "Then I will go and talk to Tatum and Brown." Ajax crossed his feet at his shin and stated, "It will make so much sense for me to go because the two of them are rted to my mother in one way or another. And if you go there, I am worried your mother will try to make things difficult for you."


    Inez noticed how tense Killian became when he heard the mention of his mother, and she wondered what was the cause of his reaction.


    Edira also snorted at the mere mention of Killian¡¯s mother, and what was surprising was that there was so much contempt in that one snort that it made Inez wonder if Edira truly didn¡¯t hate her.


    "Wait a minute!" Just as the men were finished discussing the matter of the interrogation, Ally raised her hand and turned to look at Killian. "If you send Finn away, who will go with you? You are the alpha; you cannot go alone! What if you are attacked there?"


    As soon as Ally finished speaking, Nyx also turned to look at Killian. Her eyes were extraordinarily bright, and she stated, "She is right, Kill. You cannot go to the territory of another alpha without your beta."


    "Who said that I am going alone?" Killian asked with a raise of his brows.


    "But if Finn is not going with you¡ª" Nyx began with a frown but she was interrupted by Killian, who said to her, "Inez will be going with me."

 Chapter 76: Not Worthy or Worthy

    <h4>Chapter 76: Not Worthy or Worthy</h4>


    As soon as he finished speaking, the two women turned to look at her. While Nyx was simply bemused, as if she was wondering how it was possible for someone like Inez to protect Killian if things turned out of control, Ally looked beside herself.


    She mmed her hands on the table and shouted hysterically, "You have lost your mind, Kill. That woman is atent! You want to say that you are going to take atent with you under the expectation that she would protect you in case things went south?"


    Inez scowled when the woman kept calling her atent; she sounded so much like a parrot that Inez wanted to m her head on the counter that she was banging so hard. Maybe that would stop her nagging about Inez¡¯stency.


    However, before she could make a move, Killian mmed his fist on the table.


    The dining area turnedpletely silent as everyone turned to look at Killian, who was still smiling, but no one was foolish enough to think that the lycan was truly smiling. "I would like to know who here is the alpha of the pack?" He asked with an even voice. "Just because I let you all get away with a lot of shit doesn¡¯t mean that I am willing to let every kind of disrespect aimed at my position slide as well."


    "I am the alpha of the pack. I make the decisions, unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary; don¡¯t contradict me," he pointedly stated while looking at Ally, who was no longer yelling anymore. "Am I clear?"


    Ally didn¡¯t utter a peep, which made Killian raise his voice at her, "Am I clear?"


    "Yes, Alpha."


    Only then did Killian let her off. He then turned to look at Inez, who seemedpletely bewildered by the entire thing.


    Edira, on the other hand, turned to look at Inez and stated in a cold voice, "You can do much better, Kill. Don¡¯t let her beautiful face fool you. She is not worth the trouble, I am telling you."


    "And you can do much better than staying alive," Inez snapped at the older lycan woman. "Would you like to change the status, or would you like to keep the status quo?"


    Edira didn¡¯t seem to be surprised or affronted by what Inez said. If anything, there was a hint of appreciation in her eyes as she shuffled, "You are not good enough for my Kill. You might deny it all you want, but this is the truth."


    Inez gasped as she said, "Oh, whatever will I do after being deemed unworthy of your grandson? Don¡¯t tell me I will die this very second because of the shock?" After faking her surprise, she added while looking around, "I think I will live. Since I didn¡¯t die of spontaneousbustion. I think it is not too big of a crime for me to feel sorry about?"


    "How about we discuss this matterter on?" Killian stood up from the chair and looked at his grandmother. "I will listen to all about your worthy and unworthy list once I return, but till then, keep holding onto it, grandma."


    He then walked past Edira, who said to him, "Take care of yourself."


    "He is not a child." Inez rolled her eyes as she added, "He can look after himself, I am pretty sure."


    Her words were confident, supportive and a tad bit defensive. Killian was sure that the woman herself didn¡¯t know what she had done while relying on her instincts. She didn¡¯t appear any happier about the fact that his grandma was coddling him. In fact, she seemed a bit offended on his behalf, and Killian didn¡¯t know how to feel about it.


    Grandma Edira turned to look at Inez and stated in a quiet voice, "You better not think that your buttering will work, hussy. I am into your games and I know that you want to seduce my Kill and worm your way into this pack, but I am not letting you do it."


    "Grandma." Realising that the woman was getting a tad bit too defensive because someone had stopped her from coddling him, Killian turned to look at the elderly woman. He gazed at her warningly, but the woman ignored him.


    "I have seen the way you look at my Kill, and I don¡¯t like it. Keep this strictly professional; do you understand?"


    "And I can offer the same advice to you," Inez smiled at the woman. Even though Grandma Edira was a lycan and a full-blooded one at that, Inez was fine holding her ground. Seeing this, Killian couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes. It seemed like Inez¡¯s father was not simply a siren.


    For a half-blood to stand against a true lycan, it was no small feat, and this was something his grandma realised as well because she looked just as surprised as him.


    "You can say whatever you want, but I won¡¯t let you near my Kill with a ten-foot broom. You are not worthy of him."


    Inez smiled at the woman with pure taunt. "Firstly, your grandson doesn¡¯t need you to tell others what he wants. Secondly, he is not a baby who needs to be babied. If you want to do this to a full-grown lycan, I sure as hell can tell you that he will not appreciate it."


    After a short, tense moment, Finn stepped in and pulled Edira behind. He said, "She is right."


    The woman turned to look at him with sheer rage; however, when she turned to look at Inez, her eyes were filled with confusion and slight annoyance. "You don¡¯t know him like I do."


    "And what a relief it is," Inez rolled her eyes and stated. "I can¡¯t even imagine coddling a man as big as him."


    Edira shot her a menacing re before spinning on her heel and heading inside the lodge.


    Only then did she turn to look at Killian, who was smiling at her.


    "What?"


    "Thank you."

 Chapter 77: Sirens’ Skills

    <h4>Chapter 77: Sirens¡¯ Skills</h4>


    "What for?" Inez asked as she turned on her feet and strode out of the lodge without looking at the man. She had no desire to stay in the room and let everyone ogle at her as if she were some rare breed of animal that needed to be studied. She just stood up for Killian because Edira reminded her of her mother.


    Just like her mother, Edira seemed to be too used to coddling her grandson, but in truth, she was only trying to control his life in her own way. And Inez didn¡¯t know if there was something worse than someone trying to control a dominant shifter. Even she, as a half-shifter, felt too stifled under her mother. She wondered how Killian lived his life.


    "Hey, wait." She didn¡¯t, but Killian ate up the space between the two of them in less than three strides. He turned to look behind him when he sensed someone ring at him, and was not amused when he saw Ally staring at Inez with nothing but sheer hatred. However, he didn¡¯t throw back the re, as he couldn¡¯t be bothered by the woman.


    But his beast, on the other hand, was in another mood. He was spitting and snarling while looking at Ally without blinking. He wasn¡¯t a fan of the woman who was trying to scare his object of fascination. Killian, however, just smiled when he caught the woman looking at him.


    The two of them walked for a while, and Killian came to a stop in front of her when he saw that Inez was heading down to her lodge. He looked at the woman and said to her, "Alright, where are you heading to? Didn¡¯t I say that we would be heading out?"


    Inez gave him a glowering re. "I think you have lost your mind, Alpha Sokolov¡ª"


    "Killian," he corrected her with a stern look, causing Inez to roll her eyes, but when the man continued to press her, she had no other choice but to sigh. She corrected herself and said, "I think you have forgotten something, Killian. I am not your usual pack member. I am someone who ran away from her pack. Do you think that I can just march out of your pack and go to another pack where I can interrogate an alpha?"


    "An alpha who is also aligned with Dominic? I don¡¯t think so."


    She was content with her current life. There were no sneers and no jeering. This was good enough.


    Why would she step out of herfort zone?


    However, just as she turned around on her feet, she heard the man say, "So you are scared?"


    Oh, she heard the challenge in his voice. Inez knew that she should ignore the man, but something about that tone struck her as wrong. Her siren side jeered as she slowly turned to look at the man who was looking at her with an eyebrow raised. She asked, "What did you say?"


    "I asked if you are scared?" Killian took a step towards her and smiled at her in a mocking manner. "You are a siren, Inez. Don¡¯t tell me; you don¡¯t even learn the basic skills of seducing men and women?"


    Inez gritted her teeth. Wow, that was a low blow, and she had to admit that it was working.


    "You know that you are an arsehole, do you?" She said with a scowl.


    "A really handsome one at that."


    Inez rolled her eyes while grinding her teeth. She said to the man, "Fine. Stop winding me up; I will get ready."


    As a siren, she learnt how to change her appearance. Of course, she didn¡¯t learn itpletely; she had to take the help of a makeover.


    And when Inez said a makeover, she didn¡¯t mean to say the kind of make-up that women like Ally and Eve did. No.


    Sirens had skills that could help them change their appearance into apletely different person. This was something that young sirens were taught when they were just ten or eleven years old. This was due to the sudden rise of the siren hunting.


    Even though the council put a ban on siren hunting, Inez, as a siren, knew that it was still in full swing.


    But Inez, who had no one to teach her, could only change her hair colour and scent. Thus, her grandmother taught her the skills of doing makeup.


    ¡¯You should never let a shifter or witch know that you are a siren,¡¯ her grandma had told a young ten-year-old Inez. ¡¯And if you are caught, then you need to use these skills and hide yourself until they call off the hunt.¡¯


    That¡¯s how Inez had learnt these half-baked skills. With her grandmother looking out for her while her mother ignored her very existence, only learning to respect and care for Inez when she befriended Dominic, Inez somehow learnt some half-baked skills that elder sirens taught their young ones.


    As she swiped the lipstick on her lips, Inez suddenly felt a little resentful towards her father as well. How could he not show even the slightest bit of sympathy to her? If he had. Just for a while, then Inez was sure that she would have lived apletely different life.


    She set down the red lipstick and looked at her reflection. With her abilities, she was able to change the colour of her hair and scent; as for the rest of the things, she just used some makeup to hide her eyes and features.


    If she had a grown-up siren teaching her, she would have done it without makeup, but with no one looking out for her, Inez could only make do with what she had.


    She took one look at her ming red locks and green eyes before sighing and getting up from the chair on which she was sitting.


    As she stepped out of the room, she found Killian standing right outside her bedroom. He was holding a cup of coffee and spoke in a rough voice, "It seems like you really have no problem trespassing. I thought that it was just a rumour, but lycans really have the skills to be fine robbers."

 Chapter 78: Bonding Time

    <h4>Chapter 78: Bonding Time</h4>


    Killian raised his head. When he saw the beautiful woman in front of him, he raised his brows. Because he never thought that Inez would change her appearance to the point that even he would have a hard time recognising her.


    The woman in front of him was elegant and like a pixie, while Inez was like a ball of fire. Fiery and hot, though she didn¡¯t have the elegance that she was portraying at the moment, she made it up for by her sarcastic taunts and witty persona.


    And honestly, Killian preferred that side of her.


    "Well, you should take a look at your drawer," he winked at her with a cheeky smile. "Who knows? You might be missing something?"


    Inez narrowed her eyes and looked at him. "No, you didn¡¯t."


    When the lycan simply smiled at her, she stormed into herundry room and found out that she was not missing anything. Annoyed with herself and the liar outside, she strode back into the corridor. "Haha, very funny."


    "It is your fault for believing me," Killian curled his lips behind his coffee mug. "Howe you remembered that lycans are known for stealing but not lying? Anyway, I don¡¯t need to steal anything from women; they usually leave it as a souvenir for me."


    Inez rolled her eyes for the tenth time in just an hour; she crossed her arms in front of her bosom. "If you are done, then I guess we can leave?"


    Killian set down the coffee mug and said, "Sure. Just let me put this coffee mug in the dishwasher." After speaking, he turned to walk down the stairs and climbed down.


    Inez watched him go with a frown on her face; she couldn¡¯t understand what was going on with the lycan. From his flirtatious actions to his taking her along, Inez really couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking.


    Seeing her frown, Killian said to her, "Don¡¯t think too much. I am not your enemy, Inez." His voice was soft, low and soothing. "I am not going to harm you like the others, so you can rest easy around me."


    Could she?


    "How can I even trust you?" Inez said to him with a raise of her brow. "Even my own mate had discarded me when I needed him the most."


    "Believe it or not, I won¡¯t let you down," Killian said to her with a smile. The woman might not know it, but never, not even once, did he have such an idea. She might not be willing to trust him at the moment, but Killian was certain that he would one day win her trust. No matter how many walls Inez had built around her, he would wriggle through them.


    And what after that? A little voice in his head asked.


    Yeah, what after?


    Killian shook his head, not wanting to think about that question just yet.


    "Let¡¯s go," he said to Inez, who walked down the stairs in the high heels that she didn¡¯t findfortable and yet she could move in them with efficient grace. It must have something to do with her being a siren. She must be built to gain and attract the attention of men.


    The two of them walked to the parking lot, where Killian heard the sound of a wrapper crinkling. He turned to look at Inez, who was holding a pack of chips, and he snatched it from her right away.


    "What?" She snapped when she saw that the man had taken her snacks away from her.


    "You are not going to ignore me the entire ride," Killian said to the woman as he threw the chip bag in the dashboard storage. He turned to look at her and said, "You and I are going to have some really good bonding time."


    "I can already feel that this ride is going to be a mess."


    Killianughed, but he didn¡¯t hand Inez her snacks.


    Seeing this, Inez huffed and slid inside the car. This arsehole, he really was taking a mile just because she was giving him an inch.


    As the two of them drove out of the parking lot, she heard the man say, "What do you do in your free time?"


    The casual question put her on guard as she turned to look at the man and huffed. "What does that have to do with you?"


    "Come on, Inez. Sharing these little details will not cause you any harm." His tone was coaxing, causing goosebumps to break out all over her arm.


    Annoyed and exasperated, she said to him, "I read, alright? Sometimes I like baking and cooking. I also have this gamingptop that I use to y some of thetest games. Tao got me hooked on this battlefield game that I cannot let go of for the time being."


    When Killian heard her speak of Tao, he felt a pang of jealousy. It had nothing to do with Inez, but the fact that he was just a bit bitter over the fact that she had a life where he was not with her. He wondered if the Inez of the present was slightly different than she was in the past.


    Was she this wary before, or did she turn like this after Dominic rejected and hurt her?


    There were a lot of questions that he had in his mind, but he had no way to get an answer for them.


    "Are you happy now?" his thoughts came to a stop when he heard her speak again.


    Dominic smiled. "I am feeling quite ecstatic." When they stopped at a red light, he turned to look at her and said, "Do you know that we will be holding a birthday party for Morrh and my grandmother? The two of them share the same birthday."


    "And what does that have to do with me?" Inez asked with a raise of her brow.


    "Just wanted to let you know," Killian cheekily grinned at her. "If you turn up at the party without a gift, they will definitely be upset."


    "Who said that I wasing?!"


    **


    Hey, my fairies! Can you support this book with golden tickets, powerstones and if possible gifts? I promise extra Chapters as long as we hit the top ten. hehe!

 Chapter 79: A Greedy Bubble.

    <h4>Chapter 79: A Greedy Bubble.</h4>


    "But you will be missing out on the chocte mousse cake," Killian said to her with a pout. "You cannot miss the mousse cake baked by Selene; it¡¯s really good." He paused and added, "And Selene will like it if youe to the party. Maybe that will help her with the healing process."


    Inez scowled at the man. "That¡¯s a low move." He was using her care for Selene against her by making here to the party.


    "As long as it works, I don¡¯t think that there is anything wrong." Killian winked at her with a cheeky smile on his lips. He turned the steering wheel to the left as he headed down the street. However, just as they were driving past, Inez¡¯s gaze fell on a drive-through and she said to him, "Can you drive past there?"


    Killian turned to look at the drive-through that Inez was pointing at and frowned. He said to her, "You just had breakfast."


    "I don¡¯t know what that has to do with me wanting a burger?" Inez blinked her eyes and looked at the lycan who, despite his annoyance, smiled at her and stated, "We will get you a reward once we have spoken to Remy."


    "Well, if you don¡¯t let a girl grab her snack, then good luck getting me out of this car because I ain¡¯t moving," Inez said to the man. She was stubborn when it came to her snack. It was quite enough that she had given up on her chocte because of this man.


    There was no way she was going to stay silent even after losing her burger.


    That was where Inez drew the line.


    "Do you really have to act like this?" Killian was speechless. He turned to look at the woman with a hint of confusion in his eyes. "If someone sees you acting like this, they will think that I am starving you."


    "Well, you are starving me," Inez said in a matter-of-fact tone with a shrug.


    "It¡¯s just a burger."


    "And it is a two-hour-long journey. I can¡¯t wait that long."


    Killian stared at her as if he was making sure that she was speaking the truth and he must have noticed the stubborn glint in her eyes because a secondter, he sighed and turned the direction of the car, pulling it into the drive-throughne. He came to a stop in front of the menu boards and said, "Fine, get on with it."


    Inez was quite satisfied with his actions. She turned to look at the man and asked, "What do you want?"


    Killian shrugged. "There is no need to go out of your way to order something for me. I will just have a bit of what you are having."


    To his surprise, Inez did a slow blink before shaking her head. "Umm... that¡¯s not going to work."


    "What do you mean by that¡ªit is not going to work?" Killian asked, stupefied.


    "Because I don¡¯t share my food with anyone." While growing up, Inez had a hard time filling her stomach. Ricky had been a spoiled child since he was young, so sometimes even when he couldn¡¯t eat what Inez wanted to eat, he would snatch it away from her.


    So Inez developed the habit of eating as much as she could whenever she got a chance. From stuffing her mouth at odd times to hoarding food and snacks, Inez had learnt a few bad habits of not sharing her food with anyone.


    And she learnt it the hard way, just as Ricky learnt not to snatch her food after getting beaten up by her.


    Killian naturally didn¡¯t believe her. He looked at her frail figure and didn¡¯t believe that she could eat more than half a burger.


    Clearly missing that she was being serious, Killian said to her, "It¡¯s just a few bites."


    "I told you I am not going to share anything with you. I am not a person who shares her food."


    Amused despite the annoyance that he was feeling as he couldn¡¯t understand the lure of food, he asked, "What about a few fries?"


    "Never. You don¡¯t touch my loaded fries; they are the best part of having a burger."


    "What about rolls?"


    "No." Inez watched impatience flicker in the eyes of the lycan, like he thought that she was being unreasonable. As if. If he had grown up starving like her, with his mother telling him that he was eating too much, he too would have learnt the same habits as her. "Just order a meal; it¡¯s not that hard."


    "But I am not in the mood to have something."


    "So order something light."


    "Why is it so hard to share something with you?"


    "Because food is the only thing that I am territorial about."


    "Is that a siren thing?"


    "No, it is an Inez thing."


    Killian arched his brow. He said to her, "That¡¯s just you being greedy and not territorial."


    "You can call it whatever you want." She was not apologetic about her habit, as she knew that it had helped her survive the days when she was locked up by her mother.


    Inez¡¯s eyes darkened when her mind went back to the days when she was a little girl and her mother used to lock her up in her room because she was too embarrassed to let a monster out.


    Realising that the woman was lost in her own thoughts, Killian snapped his fingers and said to her, "Fine. I will have a burger too."


    However, as soon as the woman finished ordering, Killian was simply speechless. He gawked at her as Inez pulled her head inside the car.


    When Inez saw him looking, she raised a brow and questioned, "And what are you looking at?"


    "You!"


    His lips twisted as he questioned, "Do you always eat like a cow? I mean with the order that you have ced, you could have offered me an entire meal instead of a few fries, sweetheart."

 Chapter 80: Only You

    <h4>Chapter 80: Only You</h4>


    With all the dignity that she could summon, Inez replied, "No."


    Once she was in possession of her order, Inez handed Killian his burger while she dug into her own meal. She had only finished a few burgers when Killian finished his own burger.


    He then started to eye her with a bit of curiosity. "Are you sure that it¡¯s not a siren¡¯s way?"


    "It¡¯s not," Inez replied, as she knew that there was no other siren who would gorge down food like her. She raised her head and looked at Killian, who was staring at her with an amused glint in his eyes. It was clear that he wasn¡¯t interested in the meal itself, but he was going to cause a stir just to get a reaction out of her. "Don¡¯t even try if you care for your life."


    Hearing this, Killian¡¯s eyes narrowed. There was a calcting glint in his eyes, and just as Inez positioned the box between her legs, the man, quick as a sh, snatched thest onion ring that was in her box.


    "Hey!"


    Killian took a bite of the onion ring and frowned a little as he couldn¡¯t taste it, just like how he couldn¡¯t taste anything else. However, just to tease the woman, he said to her, "Was it worth so much trouble? It doesn¡¯t even taste that wonderful."


    "That was myst onion ring!" Inez snapped; it was bad enough that the lycan had snatched herst onion ring, but he was also talking as if it was not worth the effort that he had put in.


    "You wanted it so badly?" the lycan asked with a raise of his brow.


    "Of course!" Inez had hardly finished speaking when Killian swooped down. She gasped when his mouth suddenly locked with hers. As if he wanted to make sure that she couldn¡¯t pull away from him, he cupped her chin as he traced the seams of her lips.


    The little sensuous lick made her entire body tingle with sparks.


    She should be pushing him away, right? Of course she should be! But she didn¡¯t. Because the second his soft lips pressed against hers, all thoughts escaped her head. His tongue tangled with her own. The kiss turned wet andnguid.


    Every fibre of her body jumped to life, and her eyes turned light pink as she looked at the man who was kissing her. Her siren pushing against her surface, strong as ever.


    Killian groaned when Inez reached out and knotted her fingers in his hair and wed at his scalp. He reacted just as strongly when he ced his hands on her waist and jerked her toward him as his entire body went hard with need.


    As possessiveness and a crushing need to take Inez drove right into his head as if it was being hammered into his mind with a hammer and chisel, he realised that it was a foolish decision to make.


    After all, when he went after a woman, he had everything under his control, but that control was missing when it came to Inez.


    He ced his hand on her abdomen, a really protective gesture that a shifter could make. Inez¡¯s eyes snapped open as she looked at him with confusion in her eyes. Killian watched as the woman pushed her siren side back down and pulled away from him.


    "That didn¡¯t happen."


    She was freaking kidding if she thought that he was going to forget what happened between them in a hurry. His eyes shed, and he said to her, "Oh, it did happen, bubbles, and nothing is going to change that. You can deny it all you want, but remember that I only let you go because I don¡¯t want to do you in the drive-through¡¯s parking lot, or else you will be wearing my marks."


    Her siren stirred inside of her, and Inez almost let out a purr, as she was quite satisfied with what the man said. However, she didn¡¯t show it on her face. Her reaction towards Killian was so strong that it unbnced her.


    "Don¡¯t be so cocky."


    "I am not being cocky," he told her in a soft voice as he pulled the box that she had dumped on the floor of the car. "I am just confident that I will get what I want."


    "A fuck. That¡¯s all you want from me." Inez stated she was not foolish to think that Killian would want anything from a rejected female shifter.


    "Incorrect." Killian turned to look at her as they drove out of the parking lot. "I want you." He threw the trash in the trash can as he stated, "I have wanted you from the very second that Iid my eyes on you. And nothing is going to stop me from getting what I want, bubbles."


    Inez scoffed at his cheesy words. She ignored the way her stomach clenched with need at his heated words. "Has it urred to you that you are only liking the chase? I might be the only woman who truly has no intention of sleeping with you. Maybe that¡¯s why you are bent on getting me. It hurt your ego that I didn¡¯t throw myself in your arms, correct?"


    "I never said that I liked sleeping with women who throw themselves at me."


    Hearing his response, Inez barked a disbelievingugh. She turned to look at him and said, "Yeah, good one. Give me more of that."


    "I am speaking the truth."


    "But you did sleep with a bunch of women¡ª"


    "Just because I did doesn¡¯t mean I liked it. I did because it was feasible."


    Inez arched a brow as she questioned, "So you prefer chasing women?"


    "No. Just you." Killian turned to speak to her. His eyes were filled with honesty and determination, which proved that he was not cajoling her. "I am not into being around shallow, superficial women who only look at my title and money or my looks. What I want is something else. After all, when you strip me of everything, I am like every other guy... just a bit better."

 Chapter 81: Face off with Dominic

    <h4>Chapter 81: Face off with Dominic</h4>


    And there he went again. All the butterflies in her belly died that very second. She turned to look at the man and said to him, "You are still an arsehole."


    "So my sister often says. Although it only happens when I get a bit overprotective of her and stop her from going out at night," replied Killian with a smile on his face.


    "Are you close to Miss Selene?"


    Pleased that she was willing to talk with him about his personal life, Kiin said to him, "I am indeed pretty close to her. She is the only one who gets me, though Edira tries, but she has her own issues, which she has yet to get past." Going through some bad experiences made them bond together, but then again, it did leave some sour, traumatic experiences behind.


    "So you have one close-knit family?" Inez asked, and she stiffened when she saw the man¡¯s smile drop. All traces of his usual yfulness were gone, and he said to her, "Now that¡¯s not a story you want to hear."


    "When did I say that?"


    "Because I know it," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "It¡¯s a twisted story, and you don¡¯t want to hear it."


    Inez rolled her eyes when she heard his response. Alright, if he continued to ignore her questions, then it was going to get a bit annoying. But then again, did she really need to hear his answers and stories? Plus, it wasn¡¯t as if Killian himself had tried to poke his nose in her issues either. He never pushed her to confide in him about her, which could be painful for her.


    The rest of the journey was spent in silence, and neither of them spoke. But it wasn¡¯t awkward or tense. The presence of the male beside her seemed to smooth her edgy nerves. However, her nerves turned ragged the second they arrived at Remi¡¯s territory.


    As they stopped at Remi¡¯s territory, which included a bunch of cabins that were scattered all over the ce. They were escorted to the main cabin by two enforcers, and inside sat Remi, along with none other than Dominic. Inez¡¯s siren side stirred within her as she saw the man who had abandoned them. The very man who stomped on their pride and left them to lick their wounds when he should have cared and loved them.


    Inez clenched her teeth tightly as she could feel them elongating, wanting to take a chunk of the man¡¯s heart. Her siren wanted to take a bite of the heart of their ex-mate and see if he was truly as dark as they thought he was.


    "Alpha Sokolov!" Remi greeted Killian with a smile on his lips. He was a dark-skinned man with striking features and a rather handsome smile but whenpared to Killian, the man still fell short to various degrees.


    He got to his feet with a smile. As the two of them came to a stop in front of the sofa, Ines had to clench her fists. Hatred as thick as mamba venom was coursing in her veins, and yet she had to regte her heartbeat and breathing. Thest thing she wanted was for Dominic to recognise that there was something wrong with her.


    "It is." Killian shook hands with Remi as he pointed to Inez and introduced her with a smile. "And this is L." He said the first name that popped into his head, but Inez, who noticed that the name sounded way too simr to Lyra, couldn¡¯t help but turn to look at the man with a subtle glint in her eyes.


    Remi nodded at the two of them. Though he was smiling, Inez could see that he was rather worried. He gestured to the woman beside him and introduced, "This is my mate J. And over there are my beta and my two enforcers. And of course you know Alpha Cherith, don¡¯t you?"


    "Of course," Killian replied with a nod, which he exchanged with Dominic.


    He could notice that Dominic was studying Inez with an interest that he quite didn¡¯t like. He arched a brow at the man and stated, "Eh, what¡¯s wrong, Alpha Cherith? What are you doing by checking out my femalepanion? As far as I know, you already have someone by your side. Don¡¯t you?"


    "What was her name...? Ah, yes. Eve." He looked around and remarked, "Where is that woman? I was looking forward to seeing her. After all, I want to know what kind of beauty it is for you to abandon and hurt your mate in such an embarrassing manner?"


    Dominic clenched and unclenched his fingers upon hearing his remark. However, he smiled at the man and replied, "I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, Alpha Sokolov. I never did such a thing. In fact, I am looking for my mate who ran away for no reason."


    "No reason?" Inez couldn¡¯t help but raise her voice when she heard the shameless words of the man.


    The three men turned to look at her, and Inez flushed slightly red. However, she still persisted as she said to Dominic, "I don¡¯t think that a woman would leave her mate for no reason. I believe that there must be a reason why she left you, Alpha Cherith. If you are going to look for her, at least show some honesty."


    Dominic frowned, and so did Tao, as the two men couldn¡¯t understand why this woman was suddenly butting in on their conversation.


    "Forgive her," however, before either of them could say anything, Killian spoke up. "She has a rather soft spot when ites to women who are abandoned by their mates. She, too, was left behind by her mate, who slept with another woman and let her suffer through the agony of the entire affair. That¡¯s the only reason she is so protective of other female shifters."


    He then turned to look at Dominic with his lips twisted in a mocking sneer. "I know that you will not me her, Alpha Cherith. After all, you have to agree that shifters who degrade and disrespect the greatest gift given to them by the moon goddess in such a manner are nothing but worse than trash."

 Chapter 82: Face Off With Dominic (2)

    <h4>Chapter 82: Face Off With Dominic (2)</h4>


    Dominic jumped to his feet almost immediately. He looked at Killian and questioned in a low voice, "What do you know?" Did Inez meet with Killian before she ran away from the pack? Did she tell him something?


    "What do I need to know?" Killian tilted his head to one side and questioned with a frown. "What got you so worked up, alpha Cherith? Did I say something wrong?"


    His tone was perfectly even, and it would have confused even Inez if she didn¡¯t know that the man was ying with Dominic. Though she was a bit annoyed by how easily Killian revealed her wounds in front of everyone, she was amused by how he was ying around with Dominic.


    Even though he was calling Dominic ¡¯trash¡¯, Inez was certain that it would probably be impossible for Dominic to make the connection. She turned to look at the man who sat next to her and saw him wink at her with a subtle hint of amusement.


    "Dom, calm down." Tao pulled Dominic back. He had no idea what had happened with his friend, but ever since Inez went missing, Dominic had gotten more and more irritable. He would jump at the smallest sign of provocation, which probably wasn¡¯t good for their pack.


    He then turned to look at Killian before saying, "No such thing happened between the two of them. I assure you that, Alpha Sokolov. It¡¯s probably a misunderstanding. You don¡¯t have to think too much about something so small; I believe that Nessie will be back in a few days."


    Inez sneered inwardly when she heard the man call her Nessie so familiarly. What happened to trash, bitch and whatnot? Howe she was suddenly Nessie again?


    She then nced at Tao, who was speaking to Dominic. It seemed like they were lying to everyone and making her out to be someone who ran away without any reason. Of course, Inez didn¡¯t expect anything less than from them. After all, rejecting one¡¯s mate was not a big deal, but holding back their mating bond and sleeping with another woman all for the sake of causing pain to their mate?


    That was the lowest of the low moves.


    As if sensing her gaze, Tao turned and looked at her. Inez met his gaze for two seconds before turning to look away.


    Tao frowned. Though the woman didn¡¯t show it on her face, Tao had a feeling that she didn¡¯t like them. This was something that he could not understand, as he was sure that they had never met L before.


    Sensing the gunpowder in the air, Remi turned to look at Killian, who was sitting in front of him. He questioned, "Okay, what can I do for you, Alpha Sokolov?"


    All the traces of amusement died from Killian¡¯s face, which caused the tension in the room to rise. Killian spoke in a quiet but grave voice, "You already know why we are here, Remi."


    Remi tilted his head to one side. He heavily sighed, "You are seeking the witches¡¯ir because they tried to attack the pups in your pack. And I know that the trail has led you here, but I cannot help you."


    "I am keeping this perfectly civil because I don¡¯t have the time to waste my time at the council. They will definitely try to stop me from going to war with you, Remi. But you better know that I am not scared of waging war against you. If I want to kill you, you know it better than anyone¡ªanyone; no one will be able to stop me."


    A loud gulp echoed in the room.


    "Now you better answer the questions that I have for you and your pack before I lose my temper."


    Inez turned to look at Killian. No wonder this man could control so many lycans despite them being known for their atrocious attitude. She had never heard him speak in such a tone. It was dark and menacing. It also held a promise of reprisal if Remi didn¡¯t give him what Killian wanted from him.


    In fact, if she were being honest, she had never seen him look like this before. There was so much energy, intensity and darkness oozing from him that it scared even her. Thus, she didn¡¯t me Remi for straightening up in his seat.


    If she were in his shoes, she would have done the same thing. In fact, Inez wondered why the man was not speaking like a parrot despite the lycan looking at him with such an intense look.


    "We know that the witches are behind this attack on my pack," continued Killian. "We also know that you are connected with the witch who is leading the movement against the shifters. Despite knowing that the risk was not worth bing a blood traitor, you took it, and I have nothing to say about it. But you better give me the answer that I want."


    "You are connected with witches, Remi?" Dominic turned to look at Remi with a growl erupting from his lips.


    He was not a good man, but he was a shifter, and every shifter knew the feud that they had with the witches. For Remi to look for a witch¡ªit was not a simple matter of betraying his own kind. But the entire shiftermunity.


    Inez had to hand it to Remi. Even though the man was being stared at by two really dominant alphas, he didn¡¯t say a word. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders as if it were not a big thing. He replied, "You are making it sound like I did something wrong, Alpha Sokolov. I just did what I needed to when I was in trouble. It was all business. Just because I was involved with a witch one time, it didn¡¯t mean that I am still involved with them. It was just a one-time thing."


    "Where are they, Remi?" Killian asked without looking away. He was a lycan and he could sense a lie better than the one who was lying.

 Chapter 83: Visibly Whipped

    <h4>Chapter 83: Visibly Whipped</h4>


    "If I tell you, I am sure that you and your pack will kill those witches."


    Inez rolled her eyes when she heard Remi¡¯s response. Well, duh. Those witches killed newborn pups of Killian¡¯s pack; what did the man think Killian was going to do? Did he think that Killian was going to worship the ground on which those hideous witches walked?


    She turned to look at Killian and just for the sake of it, whispered in a loud voice, "Oh my god, he can read minds. I am really worried now. What should we do? I feel so ufortable."


    As soon as she finished speaking, Dominic turned to look at her. His eyes shed with a hint of amusement and a reminiscence as if he was remembering someone close.


    Inez noticed the glint in his eyes and stiffened. She silently wondered if the man had noticed something. Turning her face to look at Remi, she heard the man say, "I wish I could tell you the truth, but those witches had put a curse on me. I cannot say a word about theirir to you."


    "I call that bullshit," Inez said with a smile on her lips, which made her look like a woman worthy of a ballroom instead of sitting in a cheap living hall and interrogating a man like Remi.


    Remi growled at her. He was clearly offended by her remark. He said to her, "You doubt my word?"


    "I do," Inez nodded and stated, "You are not a man with a lot of guts, Alpha Remi. And the fact that you have looked for alliances with almost all the pack shows that you are really worried and scared of dying. And you dare to tell me that you agreed to sign a life-and-death bond with the witches?"


    She tilted her head to one side and went on, "You are a rather selfish man who would not put his life on the line no matter what. Even if you needed the help of the witches, at most, you have handed them a sacrifice. But putting your life on the line? That¡¯s impossible."


    "And that means that you have lied to me twice," Killian remarked with a tilt of his head. "That¡¯s a very bold but also very stupid move."


    "I have been loyal to you, Killian. And you are now questioning me because of a woman you only got to know for a few weeks?"


    "You are not loyal to me because you respect me, but because you know that if you go against me, your pack members will not find a single piece of bone to bury."


    Remi stiffened.


    He looked at Killian with a hint of annoyance on his face as he stated in a cold voice, "You are asking me to hand the witches over to you, but they saved the life of my mate, Killian. They have given me a new life. How can I condemn them to death? Believe me, by going against the witches, we are missing something really good. They can help us in more than one way¡ª what are you doing?"


    He turned to look at Inez, and so did Killian and Dominic.


    "They were here." As Inez was not a shifter, she could sense the scent of witches. As a siren, most probably, Inez didn¡¯t count under the spell used to wipe the scent of the witches. "I can smell their scents. They did try to clean it up, but it was not done thoroughly."


    As soon as she finished speaking, the beta who was standing behind Remi lunged at Killian, and so did the rest of the enforcers at Dominic and Tao.


    While the female enforcerunched at Inez. Her ws were unleashed. Maybe the woman sensed that there was something weird about Inez, as she sensed and noticed the presence of the witches.


    Dominic turned to look at Inez and tried to rush to her aid, while Killian was confident that the woman would be able to take care of the female enforcer. Even though she no longer had a wolf, that woman had her own skills. If she wanted, she could easily subdue that wolf who attacked her.


    Thus, he focused on the beta who was attacking him just as he heard Tao shout from behind, "Pay attention to your own fight, Dom. She can take care of her own."


    Killian turned to nce at Dominic, who had narrowly dodged an attack as he had made an attempt to save Inez. Like the woman needed saving.


    Seeing his actions, Killian shook his head. Though Inez was not a dominant shifter, she was a siren. She would not see the actions of Dominic as favourable. Especially when she was still pissed at him for abandoning her.


    Lost in his thoughts, he tilted his body to the left and knotted his fingers in the hair of the male who had pounced on him. "Now, that was rude. How can you jump at me when I am not looking? That¡¯s a kind of cowardly thing to do."


    Before the beta could swing his ws at him, Killian kicked him in the back of his knees and then knocked the man to the ground. The beta groaned in pain, but just as he was about to get on his feet and attack the man, he heard Inez speak.


    "I am going to kill her. If you want to save her, you¡¯d better drop the fight now."


    Everyone paused and turned to look at Inez. No one knew how she did it, but the enforcer who attacked her was lying on the floor with a bleeding neck, and the Luna of Remi¡¯s pack was now in her hands.


    The woman was whimpering while eyeing Inez¡¯s bloody mouth and stated, "She is a vampire."


    Shifters had never seen a siren attack anyone as they kept to themselves; thus, they didn¡¯t know that the pure-blooded shifters could elongate their sharp teeth. Thus, Luna mistook Inez for a vampire.


    But as the misunderstanding worked, neither Inez nor Killian said anything.

 Chapter 84: Visibly Whipped (2)

    <h4>Chapter 84: Visibly Whipped (2)</h4>


    Remi immediately raised his hands in surrender when he saw Inez holding his mate. Taking his cue, the beta and the enforcers also stepped back. They no longer attacked Killian or Dominic. Instead, they were eyeing them warily.


    The door of the main cabin pushed open with a bang. Two shifters rushed inside and took one look at the mess in the living hall of the cabin and turned to look at Inez.


    "No!" Remi shouted when he sensed what they were trying to do. One of the enforcers skidded to a halt, but the other one didn¡¯t take Inez seriously. He made a grab for Inez. However, the woman was calm as the sea that coursed within her. She twisted on her feet and drop-kicked the man on the back of the neck.


    It was only when the scent of blood spread through the cabin¡¯s hall that Killian realised that the woman actually wore shoes that had an active mechanism which allowed a small knife to protrude whenever it hit a surface.


    Once the man dropped to the floor, Inez brought her foot down, looking totally unruffled.


    The sight of the pretty little wolf made Killian¡¯s beast purr in delight. Killian didn¡¯t think that it was possible for his beast to be any more whipped, but as he looked at the woman standing in front of him, he realised that nothing was impossible.


    Killian just loved Inez¡¯s viciousness when she was not holding back, and as he gazed at the dazed look on Dominic, he was sure that someone else was about to fall in love with his pretty little wolf as well. And Killian had to admit that it was a turn-off. He cleared his throat to attract the attention of the male, just as he turned to look at Remi. "I was hoping that things wouldn¡¯te to this, but it seemed like you just don¡¯t listen when you are pushed into a corner. Is this rted to your kind¡¯s trait?"


    He wondered if the man was like this because he was a hyena.


    "Let her go! I almost lost her once; I can¡¯t lose her again," Remi pleaded, but Inez didn¡¯t seem too inclined to let the woman go. She tilted her head to one side and remarked, "You mean to say that she is living the life of someone else by making it her own by using that person as a sacrifice?"


    When she didn¡¯t let go of the woman, Remi made a beeline towards her but was intercepted by Killian. The man narrowed his eyes and said in a threatening voice, "Don¡¯t you dare touch her, Remi. If you dare to touch her, then I will burn your pack with you."


    "She is trying to kill my mate!" Remi snapped as dominant vibes started to pour out of his body, a really stupid move. As Killian was more than just capable of taking down ten alphas like Remi, as the man was not a born alpha.


    He released his own dominant vibes, which swallowed Remi¡¯s vibespletely until they werepletely buried and suppressed. The man was pushed to the corner, this time literally, as he tried to get away from Killian, but the lycan didn¡¯t let the man run away.


    He stepped forward and stated in a cold voice, "I understand how you feel, Remi. I really do. It feels quite pathetic when you cannot protect someone you are supposed to protect. I felt the same when I found out that a witch snuck into my pack and kidnapped a bunch of pups. And those mothers," He hissed with a click of his tongue. "Think about it? Just how painful it had been for them to ept that their pups would never return to them. All because some shifters decided to use the witches and their voodoo."


    "Betraying their ownmunity."


    "You should understand my feelings now, don¡¯t you, Remi?" Killian asked with an unhinged smile.


    Remi turned to look at his mate and then turned to look at Killian. He seemed to be wrestling with the decision that he needed to make.


    He met with Killian¡¯s determined gaze and said, "Killian...please don¡¯t."


    "You are scared of the witches? Aren¡¯t you?" This wasn¡¯t just a small matter of protecting the witches. It was more than that. Remi didn¡¯t answer.


    He licked his lips while looking at Killian without saying another word.


    "Kill¡ª"


    "AHHH!" Just as he was hesitating, his mate screamed, and Remi turned to look at Inez.


    "Sorry." the woman apologised with an insincere smile on her lips. "I didn¡¯t see where I was putting my feet." She then turned to look at the woman in her arms. "You are really delicate. It shouldn¡¯t hurt that bad."


    Remi¡¯s mate sobbed. "Save me, Remi! I can¡ªcan¡¯t. She is going to kill me." Just now, she felt Inez nip her neck, and as her teeth scraped her skin, Remi¡¯s mate felt like her skin was getting peeled.


    It was a pain that was so excruciating that it was hard to exin.


    Killian turned to look at the man again. "Are you scared of them, Remi? Is that why you are not telling the truth?"


    Under the dual pressure, the alpha swallowed and had no choice but to nod. "Yes, I am scared of them, and you should be scared of them as well."


    "And why is that?"


    Remi struggled for a while, but when he nced at his mate, the sight of her bleeding neck strengthened his determination. "That¡¯s because those witches are not normal. They are unhinged... they¡ªthey lost their loved ones in the hands of the shifters, and they are only focused on one thing. To bring pain to the shifters in just the same manner."


    "Lives mean nothing to them. They don¡¯t feel pain, and they don¡¯t want to stop. They will stop at nothing; you can skin them alive and they will not care."


    "Where are they, Remi?" Killian asked with a surge of dominant vibes that almost brought the man to his knees.


    "N.M.H... that¡¯s all I can tell you !"


    **


    Please support the book through golden tickets and powerstones dear fairies!

 Chapter 85: His and Only His

    <h4>Chapter 85: His and Only His</h4>


    "We already know this." Killian pressed the man harder until he was a shivering mess. "Tell me something new."


    "I swear to the moon goddess that I only know this much!" Remi shouted. He looked at Killian and with a terrified look on his face, he said to him, "You can kill me if that¡¯s what you want, Killian. But I really don¡¯t know anything more than this. You can ask the others as well." Remi knew that since Killian found him, he must have found out about the other shifters who were involved with the witches. "But they will also tell you the same thing. We don¡¯t know anything other than this."


    "Then, do you know how to get onto the site?" Inez asked as she growled at the struggling woman.


    Upon hearing her question, Remi shook his head. "Of course not. Only those who can match the sick and crazy attitude of those witches can afford to get onto that site. I am no match for them, and they know it too. So, of course, they never gave me the rights to open that site." He paused and added, "Not that I ever wanted to open it."


    Killian stared at the man and knew that he was telling the truth. He turned to look at Inez and nodded at her. Seeing his signal, Inez pushed the woman away from her and wiped the blood on her mouth. She looked at Remi¡¯s mate, who was nursing her throat and ring at her before smiling at her, "Don¡¯t even think about it unless you want to die."


    The woman was smart enough to sense that Inez was not joking and hurried over to stand next to her mate, who looked at the two of them and said, "Now, if you have done enough damage to my pack and me, please leave. We will not be seeing you off."


    "And maybe never will."


    Hearing his response, Killian smiled at the man and said, "There is no need to act like a sore loser, my dear alliance mate. Since you hold an alliance with me, there is no way you will stop entertaining me." he took a step forward and Remi pulled his mate along with him while eyeing Killian the whole time. "It¡¯s easy to get into an alliance with me, but if you want to step out, then it is impossible."


    Remi gulped, and once Killian was sure that his message had been delivered, he turned on his feet and walked out of the cabin. Inez watched him leave and then turned to chase after him.


    "Let us go, Dominic," Tao said to his friend. Since he already knew that Remi had connections with the witches, he didn¡¯t see the point in discussing anything with the man. A selfish man like Remi would never do such a thing as take a rogue shifter into his pack.


    Especially not one whose identity was rather sensitive.


    However, Dominic didn¡¯t respond to him. Instead, he charged right after Killian and Inez.


    "Dom!?"


    Tao shouted, not anticipating the sudden move made by his alpha. He chased after the man in panic, wondering what made Dominic run after Killian and his female in such a hurry.


    "Alpha Sokolov," Dominic called out to the man who was walking towards his vehicle.


    Killian curled his lips and turned to look at the man who was running over to where he was standing. He raised the corner of his mouth and smirked before saying to Dominic in a pleasant voice, "It seems like you are quite interested in me, Alpha Cherith. But unfortunately," he sighed. "My interest is only limited to women."


    Dominic scowled at the man. "You are misunderstanding me."


    "Am I?" Killian asked with a hint of surprise on his face. "Weird. I was certain that I was right. Why else would you chase after me in such a hurry if not for your secret, burning desire for me?"


    "I wasn¡¯t chasing after you," Dominic answered. His gaze shifted to Inez, who was in the appearance of another woman. "I wanted to ask her something." His heart was beating within his chest as he felt a soft pull towards the woman. Like she was an old friend whom he had lost in the past.


    "I don¡¯t have anything to say to you," Inez stated with a hint of resentment and anger. She hated even seeing this face that had caused her so much pain, much less talking with him.


    "Please." Dominic pleaded. Nursing the stitch in his side, he said to her, "I just feel like we have met somewhere before." As he spoke, he looked at Inez, waiting to see any signs of recognition from her, but the woman simply tilted her head to one side and smiled at him.


    "That¡¯s ¡ª a really old way to pick women up, Alpha Cherith."


    She then turned to look at Killian and curled her arm around his before saying to Dominic, "And you shouldn¡¯t do such a thing in front of the man whom I am with at the moment."


    Dominic felt his wolf nudge against his surface. Even though the woman had nothing simr to Inez, the feeling that she gave off was very simr to their mate. His gaze fell on her hand that was touching another man, and Dominic felt a growl erupt from his lips.


    He didn¡¯t even know why this urge to pull the woman away from Killian was surging in his heart. But before he could find a reasonable exnation for this feeling, he took a threatening step towards Killian.


    "Hey¡ª"


    Tao caught Dominic before the man could start a pack war between the two packs. He nced at Killian and Inez apologetically before saying to them, "Sorry about that. It must be because he is losing his mind because of his mate running away." He then turned to look at Inez and, eyeing her suspiciously, he added, "It¡¯s just that you resemble her too much like¡ªyou are just her."

 Chapter 86: His and Only His (2)

    <h4>Chapter 86: His and Only His (2)</h4>


    Inez looked at Tao with a smile, even though she could feel her heart beating faster. She knew Tao well enough to know that just like Dominic, he was also suspicious of her identity. Inez was not surprised, as she knew that Tao was smart enough not to be fooled like others. However, she only took a moment to gather her thoughts and calm her heart before smirking.


    "I think you need to get your eyes checked, mister," Inez spoke in a believable voice. "I might be many things, but I am not his mate." She tipped her chin at Dominic, whose expression was nk. "Now if you two gentlemen will excuse us¡ª"


    She had just taken a step away from the man with her arm still resting on Killian¡¯s when Dominic lost his temper and yelled, "Get away from him."


    He didn¡¯t know why he did it or what made him do it, but he still did it. With his beast lunging to the surface, he snarled at Inez. He said to her, "Don¡¯t touch him."


    When Inez saw Dominic trying to control her, she felt both saddened and enraged. She wondered how many times she had taken this man¡¯s bullshit too seriously for him to treat her so lightly. It was his instincts and wolf that couldn¡¯t reject the mating pull, and despite not knowing her identity, he was so used to giving hermands that he did it on instinct.


    And boy was that humiliating.


    She was also a siren with pride; even if she was a half-shifter, her pride was no less than a dominant shifter¡¯s. For Dominic to treat her so lightly, it seemed like it was she who was at fault. She let him get away with a lot of things that she shouldn¡¯t have.


    Clenching her fingers, she red at Dominic and stated, "And why would I listen to you? Alpha Cherith, you are forgetting that I am not your mate. No matter how much I look or act like her, I will not be her."


    She paused and added, "And even if I was, why does it matter? You have already rejected your mate. So even if she kisses, hugs or sleeps with another man, it shouldn¡¯t bother you." Curling her lips into a malicious smile, she went on, "Maybe she is already in the bed of another man?"


    And it happened in a sh. One second Dominic was standing in front of them, and the next second he was right in her face as Killian caught him by his throat and pushed him back.


    "How dare you¡ª"


    "Your alpha is the one who made the first move; I am just retaliating," Killian told Tao, who looked positively enraged. "Even if you were to hold me ountable in the council for killing him, I would be able to get away with it. Firstly, he insulted my woman, and secondly, he attacked her. You never attack the woman of an alpha unless you have a death wish, and if you do, then you need to make sure that the said alpha is beneath you in terms of dominance."


    He turned to look at Dominic, who was staring at him with a hint of burning rage in his eyes. "Unfortunately for you, I am not."


    "Who is she?" Dominic instinctively felt that there was something amiss about the woman who was with Killian.


    She was too much like Inez, as if she were the one who was standing in front of him.


    "She is L." Killian¡¯s eyes gleamed with a malicious glint as he stated, "And I know what you are thinking ¨C that she is just like Inez." he leaned forward and whispered in a low voice, "Why else would she be in my bed, if not for that? It is a shame that I couldn¡¯t taste the real deal. I bet she must be like a wild cat in bed, right?"


    "You bastard!" Dominic¡¯s rage burst forth, and he didn¡¯t even think twice before he raised his hand to punch Killian in the face.


    However, Killian simply caught hold of his wrist and twisted it slightly before throwing it away. He stated, "I know that you are in a sensitive mood these days, Alpha Cherith, but this is no way to act. L is right."


    "You were the one who rejected Miss Sinir, and you and your pack members are the ones who drove her out of the pack. If she receives the warmth and love from another shifter that she needs and desires, who are you to stop her?"


    "Dom!"


    "Dominic!"


    Dominic snapped out of his thoughts as he raised his head and looked at his three friends in front of him.


    "What¡¯s the matter?" he asked in a gruff tone. It had been more than three hours since his confrontation with Killian, and yet he could not get his words out of his head. The man¡ªas impolite as he was¡ªwas speaking the truth. If Inez found someone who was willing to give her the warmth and the care that he didn¡¯t, wouldn¡¯t she fall into his arms right away?


    But would she?


    Inez was not the kind of woman who could be won over in just a matter of a few sweet words. But then again, a voice in his head stirred and sneered at him. You have also treated her coldly and driven her to the point where she lost her wolf; will she still remain the same?


    Dominic snapped the tenth pen between his fingers.


    Seeing this, Luca sighed. "Dom, why are you so bothered by what Killian said? I thought you hated Inez."


    He hated her; that was indeed the truth. But even if he hated her, he didn¡¯t want that woman to be touched by another man; he was the first one whoid his eyes on her. He was the one who kissed her first. So how could another man take what belonged to him and his wolf?

 Chapter 87: Inez’s Father

    <h4>Chapter 87: Inez¡¯s Father</h4>


    "Dom?" ke tentatively called his alpha, who snapped his head up and questioned, "What?"


    "Do we have to continue with the search?" ke asked softly. "I mean, there is no point in looking for her anymore. With what you have done, I don¡¯t believe that Inez would ever ept you¡ª"


    A burst of alpha vibes caused ke to stiffen in fear. He raised his head and looked at Dominic, who was looking at him with a gaze so intense that it made ke tremble in fright. He lowered his head, not daring to look at Dominic anymore.


    Tao cursed inwardly. He knew that this was going to happen; it was for this reason that he didn¡¯t bring up the indecent incident till now. He, too, had many questions that he wanted to ask. Why did Dominic hold back from letting the bond breakpletely? Why did he keep Inez alive when he hated her for killing Abertha? And why did he sleep with Eve if he didn¡¯t want Inez to let go of himpletely?


    Or did he regret doing what he did to Inez?


    There were questions, but there were no answers to these questions.


    He stepped forward and diverted Dominic¡¯s attention. "Don¡¯t worry too much," He said to Dominic. "I have traced her scent around the city where the humans live. We will try to expand our area of search. I am certain that with so many enforcers looking for her, Inez would still be able to hide herself."


    "...Investigate L," Dominic said after he was done listening to Tao¡¯s exnation. "Try to find out about her and where she is from."


    Tao turned helpless upon hearing hismand. He said, "Are you sure, Dom? Trying to investigate Killian¡¯s woman will not end well. Sokolov never begins a fight, but they never let any disrespect slide either; you know that they are always the ones to end the fight."


    "Do you think I fear him?" Dominic rumbled. His eyes shing wolf as he straightened up in his seat.


    "Of course not." Tao shook his head. He continued, "I am just giving you a warning, for I am worried that you are jumping to conclusions. Even if that woman was a bit simr to Inez, her scent was not that of a shifter. She was neither human nor a shifter, which is enough to prove that she is not Inez."


    He paused and added, "And Killian admitted that she was Inez¡¯s substitute."


    Bang!


    Tao closed his eyes and went on bravely, "A substitute will remain a substitute. Who knows? Maybe she was trained to act like Inez by someone?"


    Dominic¡¯s lips moved, but no noise came out. He knew that Tao was correct.


    That woman could never be his Inez because she would have never given him the cold shoulder; she loved him way too much.


    He raised his hand and rubbed his forehead with a hint of annoyance. "Just investigate her."


    "Alright, if that is what you want." Tao lowered his head and conceded with a sigh. He knew that he was fighting a losing battle.


    "You can leave," Dominic said to his enforcers. "I want to be alone."


    Tao nodded and left with the two men without offering more words offort to Dominic, for they knew that the man would not listen to them.


    "Why did you bring up Eve?" Tao asked ke while looking at the man who was silently walking next to him.


    "I simply asked a normal question," ke responded. Tapping on his phone¡¯s screen, he continued, "Do you even know how many enforcers were pulled off their usual positions and tasks because of this matter?"


    "If I had known that she was speaking the truth, I would have stopped her back then," Luca whispered, and both Tao and ke turned to look at the man.


    Tao blinked his eyes and questioned, "You knew? You actually knew that she was going to run away?"


    "Of course I didn¡¯t." Luca rolled his eyes and snapped harshly. "Thest time we talked, she made a casual remark, and I thought that she was just saying it in anger. I never thought that she was already nning to escape. If I had known then, I would have thought of a n to counter hers."


    Luca ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. For the first time, he felt like he had been yed like a fool. The truth was right in front of him, and yet he couldn¡¯t see it clearly.


    "I just don¡¯t get why he is being so desperate." Luca lowered his voice and questioned the two men. "I mean, even if Inez ran away, it is not like it¡¯s the end of the world. Didn¡¯t he say that he wouldn¡¯t care even if she disappeared? Then why is he worried? If she is gone, then let her be gone. Think of her as dead; isn¡¯t it easy?"


    Though he said those words, he too was determined to hunt down Inez.


    Tao nced at Luca, who was gritting his teeth. As he knew what Luca felt for Inez, he knew that this matter was far from being closed.


    "Achoo!"


    Inez sneezed as she headed down to the kitchen. Once she returned to the pack, she went back to her lodge and cleaned up. However, ever since her return, she had felt a bit sick, and she knew why this was happening to her.


    "I guess it has been a month," Inez muttered as she raised her hand and rubbed her nose. She raised her head and looked at the window that was overlooking the ocean, and wondered if she would find any coral wisps growing next to the shore.


    Though those nts were often treated as weeds by the shiftermunity, they were quite handy when it came to suppressing the desires of sirens. As a siren, there were times when she craved the flesh of a man. Inez certainly couldn¡¯t feed on men, since that was the case; she could only use the coral wisps that suppressed that desire.


    It was because of this desire of hers that her mother often called her a monster.

 Chapter 88: Inez’s Father (2)

    <h4>Chapter 88: Inez¡¯s Father (2)</h4>


    ¡¯I should go and collect some,¡¯ Inez thought as she looked out at the shore. Shutting down the cab, she walked out of the kitchen and headed out of the lodge. Inez heard footsteps approaching from the other end of the path.


    When she raised her head, she suddenly felt her heart pause on noticing it was a man. A man whom she had seen in the album that her mother had stored away in the storehouse. He was a good-looking man with a charming smile on his lips.


    "Is this man my father?" Inez wondered while looking at the man who was walking towards her. With each step the two of them took, the two of them got closer, and the man briefly turned to look at Inez. However, there was no sign of recognition in his eyes, and he calmly looked away. His hair was shimmering like golden threads, and his eyes were light grey. From his clothes, Inez could already guess that the man was not simple.


    The man walked past Inez, and she undid her clenched fingers that she had tightened without even knowing it.


    Inez turned to look at the man, and she was taken back to the time when her mother had told her that it was not that she wanted to keep Inez with her, but that it was her father who refused to take her.


    ¡¯Maybe he knew that you were a monster. He kept telling me that he couldn¡¯t raise you, and it has to be me who needs to raise you. Fucking bastard. He dunked and dipped.¡¯


    Her mother¡¯s curses, which were filled with agony and anger, still echoed in her ears. Inez had once wanted to question her father about whether her mother was speaking the truth, that he truly didn¡¯t want her. She wanted to ask him, if he didn¡¯t want her, why he came to see her when she was a child.


    Why did he let her mother give birth to her?


    Seeing someone who could possibly be her father, logic left her mind, and Inez let her heart make the decisions.


    With her heart in the lead, she didn¡¯t even need to think about anything. Her legs were moving on their own; she walked in the direction in which the man had walked away. She spotted the man turning around and walking towards the east. She didn¡¯t even think twice before she headed down the path and increased her pace.


    Killian¡¯s territory was really huge, with more than ten winding paths. And for Inez, who came to this territory just a few days ago, it was really hard to find her way through the winding paths. Thus, in just a few turns and twists, Inez found herself lost. She turned and looked around while trying to find the man whom she had seen in the album from when her mother was young. Where did he go? He was just in front of her a few minutes ago.


    Her heartbeat was beating loudly in her chest.


    She turned on her feet and was about to head further when someone caught her by her wrist.


    "What do you think you are doing here?"


    Inez turned, and her eyes fell on Ally.


    "Don¡¯t you know that this side of the territory is only open for the enforcers and those who have permission to enter this region? How can youe down here without permission?" Ally¡¯s voice was dripping with suspicion.


    Inez pulled her hand away from the woman¡¯s grip as she could feel her nails digging into her skin.


    She sucked in a breath and then tried to calm herself down before saying to Ally, "I didn¡¯t know. I just went on a walk. How am I supposed to know that these regions are not permissible to enter?"


    Inez was not wrong; her exnation sounded reasonable and believable.


    But with her standing in front of her, breathing the same air as her, no matter how right Inez was and how genuine her reasoning was, Ally simply could not like her and wanted to make trouble for her ever since Killian brought this woman to their territory. She was bent on making Inez leave on her own so that he could get the position that belonged to her.


    "How convenient." Ally narrowed her eyes with suspicion dripping from them. "I believe that it¡¯s nothing but a lie. You were snooping around for some secrets, right? No wonder your previous pack didn¡¯t want you. You are a repeat offender!" she used Inez without even investigating the situation. Ally thought that Inez would be flustered, but¡ª


    But to her surprise, Inez was rather calm. She simply arched her brow and then said to the woman with a hint of amusement in her eyes, "Do you think that I am a fool? If I wanted to steal some secrets, do you think I would havee here so openly? And instead of pouring oil on fire, why don¡¯t you start doing your job more convincingly? What do you mean by that? I am a repeat offender?"


    "Have you wondered what if there was not a shred of truth in the rumours that you have heard?"


    "I know it because I have seen many people like you. Look at you; you ran away from your pack and are now hiding in our territory. A wolf like you should be handed over to the council and executed by being torn apart. You are not only lying and scheming but cowardly¡ª"


    Before Ally could finish speaking, Inez caught hold of her neck and pushed her against the wall behind her.


    "What¨Cwhat do you think you are doing?"


    "What do you think I am doing?" Inez tilted her head to one side. She smiled at the woman and said to her, "I am just apprehending the woman who insulted the alpha."


    She raised her head and turned to look at Killian, who was holding a cigar in between his fingers and smoking. "I am a really loyal member of your pack, don¡¯t you think, alpha?"

 Chapter 89: A Hybrid

    <h4>Chapter 89: A Hybrid</h4>


    Ally stiffened. She turned to look at Killian, who stood behind the two of them.


    "Kill! Look at what she is doing," Ally whimpered while looking at the lycan. She hoped that the man woulde to her help and stop Inez from hurting her any further.


    Killian walked over to where the two women were standing. He nced at Inez, who was holding the woman by her neck and said to her in a low voice, "Will you mind letting her go?"


    "Not at all." Inez dropped the woman as she flung her away from herself. "I can only feel sorry for her."


    Ally scrambled to her feet and then tried to pounce on Killian, only for the man to step away from her and dodge to one side. However, Ally¡¯s momentum was way too intense, and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from hurtling down to the ground.


    "Kill!" Ally shrieked as she pushed herself off the ground and turned to look at the man who stood behind her. "Did you see what she did to me!?"


    "God, do you have to be so loud?" remarked Killin, his face slightly scrunched as if listening to Ally¡¯s screams physically hurt him.


    On the other hand, Ally didn¡¯t seem to feel any embarrassment. She jumped back to her feet and rushed to hold Killian¡¯s arm. Like a whining child, she swung by his arm andined with a pout, "Kill, just look at her. She attacked me; if you hadn¡¯te here, then she would have killed me."


    "And what a relief it would have been," Killianmented loud enough for Ally to hear.


    "Kill!"


    "Alright, enough," Killian snapped. He pulled his hand away from Ally and said, "I heard most of the conversation between the two of you, and I know one thing for sure, Ally. Inez was not wrong in attacking you."


    Ally¡¯s mouth dropped open, and even Inez was stunned when she heard the man¡¯s response. She thought that he would certainly me her, but the man seemed much more reasonable than she had expected.


    "How¡ªhow can you support her?" Ally adopted a heartbroken voice, which was no worse than her yelling. "No matter how much you like her skills in bed, do you really have to embarrass your packmate like this? Have you forgotten the good memories that we shared, Kill?"


    Killian continued while ignoring her sobbing, "Inez¡¯s attack was justified."


    "How!?"


    "Because," Killian tilted his head to one side and smiled, "Because she supported and respected the orders of her alpha. I remember telling you and the rest of the pack that they are supposed to treat Inez with the due respect that you need to show a packmate. Why is it that when ites to you, you seem to have forgotten what I said to you?"


    He paused before adding, "Or do you think that my words are not damned to be listened to and acted on?"


    Ally¡¯s face was set aze due to the embarrassment that she was feeling at the moment. She stammered, "But she...she is somewhere she shouldn¡¯t be? What if she is here to spy on something?"


    "And she would spy on what? The prisoners who are waiting for their deaths?" Killian offered with a raise of his brow. "Ally, I will not ept another round of disrespect from you. When I say something, you are supposed to listen to me; you are not supposed to pretend that you have heard what I say and then contradict me the next second."


    "I understand, alpha," Ally bowed her head and agreed. But as she walked past Killian, she turned and red at Inez. Her re meant retaliation and this was something Inez knew all too well.


    Once she was gone, Killian turned to look at Inez and remarked, "Should I be surprised that you have made your first enemy?"


    "You shouldn¡¯t."


    "Have you forgotten what I told you, bubbles?" Killian asked with a long-suffering sigh. "Ally might be dumb, but she¡¯s still a lycan. Getting her on the bad side won¡¯t do you any good."


    "So you want me to lower my head and let that woman bully me?" Inez asked with her fingers clenched tightly into fists. "I have had enough of it in my old pack. I am not going to live like that here, too."


    "I never said that." Killian¡¯s ck eyes stared at her in curiosity as if he was already wondering what had happened to her in the previous pack, which made her so resentful. "I am just telling you to be careful. If you cannot avoid a fight, then you can let me know; I will help you."


    Inez narrowed her eyes. "I don¡¯t need you to protect me."


    "Of course you don¡¯t," Killian agreed; however, his lips were curled up in a smirk as if she had told him a joke that he found amusing. "By the way, Ally is not wrong. What are you doing here? Little Red Riding Hood lost her way in the woods?"


    Inez tried not to show any emotion on her face. She had no idea whether the man whom she saw just now was her father or not. Thus, she could only nod and agree with what Killian said to her, "You are right. I came out on a walk but ended uping down this winding path. I had no idea that it was not allowed toe here. If I had, then I would have nevere here."


    Killian found her words amusing. He snickered and said to her, "Do you know what lycans are excellent at?"


    "Theft?" Inez responded with a frown.


    "Lies," Killian corrected her. "Not only can lycans lie with their eyes closed and get away with it, as we are known for pulling tricks on others, but we can also catch a lie no matter how perfectly it was spoken."


    He took a step towards Inez and lowered his upper body such that he could whisper in her right ear, "Now¡ª"

 Chapter 90: A Hybrid (2)

    <h4>Chapter 90: A Hybrid (2)</h4>


    "Now I will not ask you why you lied to me, but I hope that the next time you do it, you will have a valid reason, bubbles," remarked Killian. After he finished speaking, he walked down the path without letting Inez say another word.


    She watched the man leave and heaved a sigh of relief. Just now, Inez was sure that the man would force her into confessing the truth. Fortunately, he didn¡¯te down hard on her or else ¡ª but at the same time, Inez wondered who that man was whom she saw and missed and what kind of connection he had with her mother.


    She wondered if he was her father or not, and if he was, then why didn¡¯t he stop to talk with her?


    Back in the small dungeon of the Red Blood Hill, where the prison was located, silence stretched along with the cries of those who were trapped inside the dungeon.


    Some of the prisoners were almost driven crazy as they banged their hands on the metal bars and asked the guards to let them go, while the others werepletely silent. They were looking at the small window that overlooked the sky with a nk expression, as if they knew that they would never be able to get out of this ce alive.


    And among these dull prisoners, a man in resplendent clothing was walking past the corridor. This man was none other than Killian. Unlike the smile that he usually wore on his lips when he was talking with Inez, he was solemn and calm. His silver hair was tousled and his clothes looked rather out of ce, as his white buttoned-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and ck trousers were cleaner than the water in the bowls of the prisoners.


    "You are here," Finn raised his head and looked at the man in front of him. He crossed his arms and stated, "You missed another council meeting. If this goes on, the head of the council will hunt you down by himself."


    "If he has the time, then he can try," remarked Killian as he peered inside the special cell, which was darker than the rest, but he didn¡¯t see anything. Only the sound of water and mice scampering right and left echoed in the silent room.


    Impatience flicked through Finn¡¯s eyes as he stated, "This can¡¯t go on any longer, Kill. You know that, too. Even if you have the strength to take on the council, you should still respect the head; he is doing everything he can for the sake of protecting you. You can¡¯t just keep finding trouble for him."


    "Did someone say anything to him?" Killian went straight to the point upon noticing that there was something amiss.


    "Alpha Cadogan had something to say about your continuous absence from the meetings," replied Finn as Ajax walked over with the key to the cell in his hands. "He said a lot of nasty things which caused me to almost rip his throat out, but he was not the only one who was speaking, so I had no choice but to hold on."


    Killian hummed. He looked at the watch on his wrist and said to Finn, "Arrange a meeting with Alpha Cadogan. I will go and have a nice ¡¯chat¡¯ with him since he misses me so much."


    "In?"


    "In about one and a half hours," replied Killian as he stepped aside and allowed Ajax to open the door. "I will be done with work by then."


    "I have tied his hands and legs," stated Ajax as he opened the door of the prison.


    "Is he the right man?" Killian asked as the door of the prison was pushed open. "I will be really upset if he turns out to be a dud like all the others."


    "Don¡¯t worry," Ajax assured him as he pulled back from the door. "Nothing will go wrong this time around; I and Levi thoroughly verified that he was the right guy before catching him in one of the bars that you own. Fucker was raving about making a fool out of you and Selene."


    Anger shed in Killian¡¯s eyes, but he held on to thest strand of rationality that he had.


    "Let us hope that he is the one," replied Killian with a shark grin. "If not, then you all will be in for a tough night."


    The three men stepped inside the special cell that not only blocked shifting but also magic and the abnormal strength of vampires.


    "Ah, so you were a shifter all along, and here I thought that you were a wizard," Killian remarked. However, he took another sniff and narrowed his eyes. "What a rare breed. You are a wizard as well?"


    When two different kinds had a child, they would give birth to a child who inherited the ability of just one parent. That was what happened with shifters, but when it came to wizards or witches having children with shifters, they would give birth to a child who had inherited the abilities of both parents.


    Though usually it was really hard for them to have a child.


    "He is a wizard as well?" Ajax whistled. "No wonder it was rather hard to track him down; he knew how to hide himself quite well."


    "I should have noticed that something was off when this bastard escaped from us thest time," remarked Finn with his eyes narrowed at the man who was hanging by the wall.


    Killian walked inside the room and came to a stop in front of the shabby-looking man. The man¡¯s clothes were torn, and dirt had been collected on them because of how long he had been trapped inside the cell. His legs were buried in water where mice had bitten his toes off until his bones were revealed.


    And yet the man was smiling when he saw Killian step inside the cell. He smirked and spoke in a taunting voice, "Well, well, well, look at who is here."

 Chapter 91: Kill’s Prey

    <h4>Chapter 91: Kill¡¯s Prey</h4>


    The eyes of man glinted with a sharp look. "I should have known that it was you who would pass down the order for me to be captured." He spat on the ground without showing any respect to Killian.


    Killian took a few steps toward the man who was hanging by the chain, causing the mice to scamper away. He reached out and held the jaw of the man in between his fingers and muttered, "I often wondered what a fool would look like; looks like I finally saw one."


    The manughed and taunted, "What¡¯s wrong? Is this about your pride? I think it is. You must be so upset for someone like you to be embarrassed in such a manner. So easy to break, that pride of yours. All I needed to do was to y along a little, and you shifters crumbled to dust."


    "And what¡¯s your name?" Killian asked with a smile. "The man who crumbled the pride of shifters to dust?"


    Hearing his words, the man huffed. He said, "What is it to you? What are you going to do with my name? I am already in this prison that you have prepared for me. You want to kill me, right? Then be done with it. So even if you are thinking of torturing me, you will get nothing out of me." He wriggled his toes that were bitten by the mice and stared Killian right in the eyes.


    With a smile on his lips, he stated in a low voice, "I don¡¯t feel the pain anymore. So do your worst, because unlike you, I have no family whom you could use to threaten me."


    "And I am not a coward like you who would need your family to threaten me," remarked Killian as he let go of the man. He flicked his head to one side and stated in a quiet voice, "If you were so resistant to pain, then you wouldn¡¯t have cried and begged my shifters to let you go just a few days ago. I heard that you were quite loud in doing so." He smiled as he raised his hand and traced the wounds on the wrist of the man who had tried his best to break free of the restraints that were holding him down.


    The man winced, and Killian beamed. "See? It seems like you can still feel pain. What a relief, right?"


    "So what if I can feel the pain? You and I both know that nothing other than death awaits me. So you better kill me when you still have the time. Or do you want to know why I did that? I will spare you the worries," said the man as he spoke with a crazy smile. His voice, however, then turned serious, and he went on, "It¡¯s all because you shifters don¡¯t understand ¡ª"


    "Spare me your whining," Killian sneered as he turned to look at Ajax, who sighed but handed him the keys to the restraints that were holding the man back. "Do you think I am bothered about why you did it? The one who should be bothered about this situation is you. If you had done a good enough job of cleaning behind you, then you wouldn¡¯t be hanging here."


    "If Selene had died that night, you would have been free, Augustus."


    The man¡¯s pupils shrank when he heard the lycan call him by his name. It seemed like that even though Killian was pretending to be unaware of a lot of things, the truth was that he saw things better than anyone.


    Thus, the second the lycan let go of him, he jumped in the air and attacked him. Finn and Ajax stepped back, not because they feared the fight but because they knew that this fight was not theirs but Killian¡¯s.


    The man who had been tied up till now didn¡¯t hold back and attacked Killian with everything that he had. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t use magic, as the prison had anti-magic defences built in. However, that didn¡¯t stop the man from shifting and pouncing on the lycan as if he wished to skin him alive and eat his flesh.


    "Fool," Finn remarked when he saw the man shift into his fox form.


    Killian chuckled. He unsheathed his ws and stabbed the fox right in the abdomen. Even though fox shifters were incredibly fast, they were not as fast as lycans; this was the reason why the lycans were on top of the shifter chain of the shifters.


    The fox dropped on the floor, and the man shifted back. He was clutching his abdomen while ring at Killian. He shouted, "I will kill you."


    "Oh dear," Killian mused in amusement. "Another one. Did you take the token? If not, then you need to take one and get in line. There are so many people who want to kill me; you ain¡¯t special."


    The shifter hissed at the man as he struggled to get back onto his feet and lunged at the lycan once again.


    "Do you think that I am alone? If you kill me, then my people will kill you! They will not rest in ease until they have avenged me," the fox chuckled. He was pushed into a corner, and he knew that he would die sooner orter; thus, he could only resort to threats. "You should let me go if you want your packmates to live in peace."


    Killian found the struggle of the fox quite amusing. He tittered and said, "What? Did you think I let you roam around free for so long because you were too skilled in escaping? Then you are wrong. I knew that if I captured you, someone woulde and rescue you. I was busy taking care of them, which is why you could live freely for so long."


    He paused and announced, "Your freedom was built on the blood and flesh of your packmates. Did you enjoy it, my dear?"


    **


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 Chapter 92: Kill’s Prey

    <h4>Chapter 92: Kill¡¯s Prey</h4>


    When the man heard that his packmates had been killed, his eyes turned red. He roared and attacked Killian. Because of the adrenaline rush, he managed to get Killian injured.


    Killian looked at the scratch on the back of his hand and chuckled; however, even though his attention was not on the battle, he was paying attention to his surroundings. Thus, when the man jumped on him again, he caught his outstretched arm and threw him down on the ground.


    The fox tried to attack him, but Killian ced his foot down on the throat of the hybrid.


    "You are truly pathetic," Killian mused, his eyebrows raised slightly as he said to the fox. "When I told you that your packmates were dead, you were supposed to hold back and think of a n instead of jumping around like a five-year-old cub."


    The man tried to attack Killian with his ws, but just as the man tried to scratch him, Killian raised his foot and kicked the man in the face. His shoe connected with the fox¡¯s face, sending him crashing into the wall opposite them. The man slid down the wall and coughed out a mouthful of blood on the ground.


    He raised his head and red at the lycan with anger written on his face. "You bastard, it was you¨C"


    "Honestly, are you really going to make that woman a victim? Because you and I both know that she is not a fucking victim," Killian told the man with his lips curled into a smile that had nothing to do with the current situation. He walked over to where the man was lying and pulled him up from the ground before saying to him, "That woman can never be a victim, and even if you and the rest of her admirers im that she was, I think that you need to get your eyes checked."


    "You believed foolish rumours and took your anger out on someone who waspletely innocent. Because of you, a life was ruined. I usually don¡¯t give a shit about fools like you but who would have thought that woman would be so stupid?"


    "This¡ªthis was something that needed to be done," said the man in a raspy voice.


    Killian sighed. He said, "This is where you are wrong. However, unfortunately for you, you will never be able to understand what you did wrong, nor will you get a chance to change what you did."


    And before the man could understand what was going on, Killian smashed his head on the wall. The fox shrieked in pain, but that was not the worst that was yet toe because a secondter, he heard the sound of bones popping and shifting. When he opened his eyes, a bear-like beast was standing in front of him. His red eyes shed with anger when he looked at the fox for attacking someone he shouldn¡¯t have.


    A howl ripped from the chest and mouth of the lycan as he attacked the fox. He charged at the fox who had tried to escape from his clutches, and a secondter, he was right on top of the man. He sliced through the cloth and skin over and over while stomping on the spine of the fox.


    There was an ugly crack followed by the mournful scream of the fox.


    "Oooh, it¡¯s a broken spine," Ajax cheered as if he were watching a show that was rather fun to look at.


    Blood oozed from the deep, vicious gashes that crisscrossed the back of the fox. The coppery scent of blood filled the beast¡¯s lungs, and it only fuelled his fury. It incited and goaded him into attacking again and again.


    The hybrid tried to buck him off. He was filled with pain, agony and helplessness. He was clearly a wizard, and yet he was dying in such a humiliating way. The lycan caught the limbs that kept kicking him, and he wed down heavily before mping on the other. He crushed the bone of the shifter and tasted blood. The crack was mingled with the agonising scream of the fox.


    The next second, he raised his foot and stomped it on the head of the fox, who felt a force like never before being ced on his head. He tried to get away from the lycan, but the beast was too powerful. He had seen lycans when they were going on their merry way, causing chaos, but he had never seen one like Killian before.


    The lycan was simply too¡ª


    He was more like a hellhound than just a shifter.


    The fox¡¯s eyes widened as he felt his skull crack under the pressure. However, he couldn¡¯t even beg for mercy, as he knew that the lycan was not going to let him go. He could only ept his death helplessly. But what he never expected was that the lycan didn¡¯t kill him; he only injured him in such a manner that he couldn¡¯t move or speak.


    "Wh¨Cwhat?"


    "Oh, did you think that would be the end?" Finn tilted his head to one side and smiled at the fox. "There is no way you thought that it was the end."


    Ajax chuckled along with him. With his arms crossed in front, he arched a brow and remarked, "Woah, I knew that you were a fool but I never thought that you were this foolish. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know how a lycan kills its prey?"


    When the fox didn¡¯t say anything, Ajaxughed as if he had heard some funny joke. He said, "We kill our prey by eating them. Alive, that is."


    hearing his response the fox¡¯s eyes widened, he turned to look at the lycan who was standing behind him and shook his head. However the second he moved, he could feel his skull throbbing with pain and his body shaking violently. The nausea rushed to his throat and thest thing he saw was the lycan jumping on him.


    "AHHHH!!!"

 Chapter 93: Playing along

    <h4>Chapter 93: ying along</h4>


    When Inez finished picking up the coral wisps that were growing along the shore, she straightened up and walked back to the lodge. She came across some lycans who continued to walk down the path without greeting her. It was clear that even though Inez was living with them, she was still an outsider in their eyes.


    Of course, Inez found it a bit ufortable; she knew that there was nothing in her hands. She couldn¡¯t be a part of this pack unless she proved her worth to them, and Inez had no desire to do it. She had given her all to her previous pack, only to be abandoned by them in the end.


    As a shifter who was burned once, she didn¡¯t dare to put her guard down again.


    On her way, she met with Laxus, who was watching Selene collect the roses from the garden. When she approached the two of them, Laxus raised his head and looked at her. He nodded at her in greeting while Selene smiled at her.


    She said, "Are you going back to the lodge?"


    "Yes," Inez replied, and a secondter she heard Selene sigh. "What?"


    "You should stop blocking the pack bond," stated the woman softly. "I know it¡¯s a bit annoying for you to listen to the chatter of the pack mates, but there is no point in blocking it either. Just now, Kill called for a meeting through the pack bond. If you continue to block, then you will miss a lot of things."


    Inez frowned when she heard Selene¡¯s reproachful words. She didn¡¯t block the pack bond because she was not used to the chatter, but because everyone kept talking about her and Inez, who didn¡¯t like her dirtyundry being hung outside, was a bit annoyed by the gossip that was going around her.


    However, she still nodded and replied, "I understand."


    Selene smiled. She knew that even though Inez agreed, she was still not going to open the pack bond. She was going to talk with Killian and have him find a new way to ry the pack news to Inez.


    She turned to look at Laxus and said to him, "You can bring me back to the main lodge; I have collected enough roses."


    Laxus nodded and, without saying anything, he pushed Selene¡¯s wheelchair to the main lodge. While the two of them were heading towards the main lodge, Inez wondered if she should go to her lodge and store the coral wisps first when she heard Selene say, "Are you noting with us?"


    "I aming," Inez replied as she ced the collected coral wisps in her bag, which she was carrying with her. Fortunately, shifters didn¡¯t know the use of the coral wisps.


    She walked down the cobblestone path as she followed Selene. As the three of them arrived at the main lodge, they ran into Killian, Finn and Ajax. The three men were covered with muck and water, and in Killian¡¯s case, blood.


    Inez¡¯s brows furrowed, and she wondered what Killian had been doing for him to be covered in blood.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Killian walked over when he saw her furrowing her brows. He didn¡¯t know why, but seeing her in distress, he wanted nothing more than to soothe the cause of her worry. He said to her, "Did something happen?"


    His beast also stopped licking his snout and looked up at Inez.


    He was looking at the woman with rapt attention as if waiting to w the person to death who made her worry.


    "Nothing happened to me," Inez shook her head, looking incredulous. Why was he looking at her like she was the centre of his gravity? "Why are you covered with blood? I saw you a few minutes ago, and you were fine."


    He shrugged, pulling her along with him. "This? This is nothing, just a little gift from someone who refused to bow down when he still had the time."


    "You mean you areing after interrogating someone to death?" Inez asked, sounding a little bewildered. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t believe that Killian had the strength to make someone submit; it was just too incredible to imagine the man interrogating someone.


    "What? You thought that I couldn¡¯t do it." Killian suddenly smiled while looking at her. "But I don¡¯t me you. People have a tendency tobel others. Since I ambelled as a charmer whose main life is to charm women and getid, no one bothers to look deeper than that. You should hear others¡¯ questions about how I was able to be an alpha when I am so young, without anyone passing the title to me." Sometimes it did bother him, but soon he stopped paying attention to it.


    Inez understood how it felt. People looked at her, and they all saw a lying, gossipy woman who stole someone else¡¯s work without even thinking about rifying the rumours that were circting about her. They never once doubted the words spoken about Inez; if they had not made the assumptions, then they would have known that Inez was a rather prideful woman who would rather die than im someone else¡¯s work as her own.


    As such, she should have known better than to make assumptions about Killian. "I am sorry."


    And that was the most awkward apology that he had ever heard. He turned to look at her and questioned, "For what?"


    She shifted ufortably under his gaze. "I misjudged you when we first met."


    Her apology was unexpected, and she looked genuinely upset with herself. Looking at her frown like that, Killian couldn¡¯t help but curl his lips. "Hey, don¡¯t worry about it. It happens all the time." When she didn¡¯t stop frowning, Killian changed the topic. "By the way, before I forget once again. It was unbelievably hot when you took down that alpha female. My beast really liked it."


    Inez fought a smile. She turned to look at him ever so casually. "It was nothingpared to when you made the alpha man kneel." Her siren side almost purred at the memory.

 Chapter 94: Broke into the site

    <h4>Chapter 94: Broke into the site</h4>


    Killianughed. "You give me too much praise," he said to her. "I am different from you. But you, on the other hand, looked so cute and defenceless when those females attacked you. They must have been fooled by how adorable you looked. That¡¯s why they attacked you without thinking twice. And the way you caught them in a headlock and bit off a chunk of flesh¨Chow did you do it?"


    He asked, sounding genuinely confused.


    "Did what?" Inez asked with a frown.


    "How did you shift from being cute to fierce in just one second?" he replied, and it only made Inez frown even harder.


    Inez paused. She slowly turned to look at the man beside her, and while taking offence to his words, she said to him, "I am not cute." Did he even look at her carefully? She was a siren. A siren was supposed to be beautiful and seductive. How could she be cute?


    Looking at her scowl at him, Killian smiled at her. "You are so many things, Inez. And you are definitely cute."


    "I am a siren."


    "Who said that a siren cannot be cute? Even cuteness had a touch of seduction to it." He pointed at her before remarking, "Especially when you smile. You look really cute."


    ¡¯You look cute when you smile.¡¯


    Recalling the praise that was once given to her by someone else, Inez narrowed her eyes and stated, "I don¡¯t look cute when I smile. In fact, I don¡¯t even smile."


    She did. It was rare to see her smile, but she usually did it when she was alone or with someone she trusted.


    "I have seen you smile," said Killian, which only made the woman frown.


    "No, you didn¡¯t."


    "Yes, I have," stated Killian with a wink. "You get dimples when you smile."


    "No, I don¡¯t!" Inez snapped. Why was this man so hung up on her smile? There was no way she got dimples when she smiled, or did she?


    "Oohh, I really love that prim and proper tone of yours," Killian whistled as he pushed open the door of the main lodge and stepped aside for Inez to enter the lodge first. "You sound like a really strict teacher."


    "Then what are you? A disobedient student?"


    "One who needs to be taught a lesson as soon as possible," replied Killian with a hearty wink.


    Inez had to bite her tongue because she could feel herself smiling at his teasing remark. She really couldn¡¯t smile at the moment, or else she was worried that he would point out the so-called dimples. She said, "I have absolutely no response for that."


    "Then you can give me a kiss. I am open to the options."


    Seeing his teasing and impish expression on his face, Inez understood what was going on. She blinked her eyes and stated, "You are trying to y with me." Since she was used to ying with boys, she was used to joking around, but this ying was rather different.


    "And you yed along with me," Killian remarked smugly. Though it was little progress, he was slowly drawing Inez out of her shell. She was finally letting him in.


    "You are such a jerk."


    Killian simplyughed upon hearing that.


    A few momentster, he heard her sniff before saying to him, "Do you think there will be something to eat?"


    "What?" he asked, sounding exasperated.


    Entering the main lodge, they found everyone surrounding Matt, who sat on the couch while typing on aptop. Killian walked over to the coffee table and asked, "Is he done?"


    "Almost." Finn was the one who answered while looking at the screen in front of him.


    Killian turned to look at Levi and asked, "Did you find any information from the investigation?"


    Levi sighed. "I tried to gather as much information as I could. However, these alphas had no idea that the woman next to them was the same person. ording to them, they never had any idea that they were being yed by one single witch. And apparently these women with whom they were working together are all decent witches. They never harmed anyone."


    "Do they call sacrificing other shifters as nothing?" Inez questioned.


    "Well, as long as they are not the ones suffering," Levi nced at her and remarked.


    "Did anyone have a way to contact the witch?" Killian asked.


    "They did, but this witch is quite a fan of using non-humans as her spokesperson. She uses rabbits and pigeons enchanted with magic to talk with her clients."


    Disappointment clouded the eyes of every single member of the pack. "Then you didn¡¯t find anything?"


    "I cornered Sirius down, but he kept saying that he stopped talking with the witches."


    "Then did you believe him?"


    "No, so I did what I do the best," Levi smiled and remarked. Even though Inez didn¡¯t know much about Levi, she knew that the man had a reputation for making anyone talk with the parrot. There was not a single person who didn¡¯t break under the presence of this shifter.


    "What did Sirius say then?"


    "The same thing that you heard; he didn¡¯t know that the witch was the same person."


    "Not umon for a person who is involved in plenty of illegal activities," Inez remarked. She wondered why she was not stepping away from Killian, who was absentmindedly ying with her hair. She also questioned herself regarding why she liked it so much.


    "However, he did promise that he would tell us about the witch if she tried to contact him."


    Killian arched a brow. "And what if he doesn¡¯t?"


    "He will," Levi replied with certainty. "He is not an unreasonable man and understands the importance of cubs to one pack. He will speak when needed. If not, then I don¡¯t mind taking another trip to his pack."


    Killian knew that he was speaking the truth. He continued ying with Inez¡¯s hair around his finger. Her scent of vani shampoo mingled with her own delicious scent, teasing him and his beast.


    "Guys, we are in."

 Chapter 95: Playing Tricks Behind Her Back

    <h4>Chapter 95: ying Tricks Behind Her Back</h4>


    Trigger warning: Might be sensitive for a few readers, please read this Chapter with caution.


    **


    Upon hearing that, everyone gathered around theptop sitting on the table. Inez peered over the many heads and read the letters that said, ¡¯No Mercy Hunt¡¯. As soon as she finished reading the name on the screen, a chill crawled up her spine. The blood-red letters sttered over the ck backdrop looked really terrifying.


    "What¡¯s the meaning of this?" Nyx asked with a confused voice. She looked at the screen with the same confused expression as the rest of the pack.


    Killian shook his head and leaned forward before saying, "Well, we are about to find out." As he spoke, he scrolled down the screen, and the confusion that the pack members were feeling at the moment cleared up in an instant as they read through the many titles of the videos that were scattered on the screen.


    [Tiger Shifter tied and torn in five directions.]


    [Wolf Cub skinned and sacrificed.]


    [Fox cub used in a failed experiment.]


    [Bear shifters¡¯ duel to death.]


    [Wizards having fun with a drugged female lion shifter.]


    [Poisoning a Wolf shifter and watching her body melt.]


    And these titles went on and on, with just one familiar note¨CViolence.


    The titles alone were so gruesome that Inez felt disgusted by the sight of the thumbnails. Something told her that these thumbnails were not fabricated but the real deal, and it only made her feel even more nauseous.


    Once they were done scrolling, Finn, who stood beside Inez, snapped in a hoarse voice which was thick with anger, "So, these witches and wizards have been running an illegal site in which they use shifters as their means to have fun. Just look at this; they are actually making shifters brawl to death while using the cubs as sacrifices." Some even cooked the cubs to eat them. That was not the end of it. There were witches who were doing a kind of ASMR while eating the shifter¡¯s flesh.


    It was truly sick.


    "Read it carefully, Finn," Killian said in a calm voice, but Inez still cottoned on to the anger in his voice. "These witches don¡¯t see it as cruelty. They see it as something fun. By killing the shifters and their cubs; they think they are doing something revolutionary, taking out the pain that they had suffered under the many sufferings." As for what kind of suffering they had gone through, no one knew about it.


    "Like hell they did," Ajax objected. "The witches have never been suppressed by anyone. They have injured and killed as many shifters as their own kind died. This is some sort of sick site for those who have ugly and cruel fetishes that they justify under the guise that they are doing and providing justice."


    Inez felt sickened as well. Her gaze was fixated on the video where a siren was eaten alive, and the sight alone was enough to make her disgusted to the bones. Though she knew that the shifters and witches were used to eating the flesh of sirens, she still couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was too cruel.


    What¡¯s more, no one seemed to be bothered by the video.


    ¡¯Maybe it is because they are used to seeing cruelty towards the siren,¡¯ Inez thought in her mind.


    Killian tapped on a video where two bear shifters were fighting in the ring, and behind them stood many wizards and witches who egged them on, telling them what to do. It looked like the bear shifters were being forced to fight even when they didn¡¯t want to. Nauseous, Inez put her hand on her stomach.


    "Those cubs... do you think these witches did the same thing to the cubs whom they stole from our pack?" Selene spoke in an unsteady voice. "Do you think that¡¯s why they did such a thing? There are no lycan shifters in these videos; maybe that¡¯s why they kidnapped those kids."


    Growling, Laxus wrapped his arm around her and said to her, "Don¡¯t think too much."


    "We need to tell the council about this," Ally said to the pack. "This is something that is out of our hands."


    Killian pursed his lips. "I don¡¯t think that it would be the best idea." Upon hearing this, the entire pack turned to look at him with a questioning look in their eyes. Killian went on, "If we tell the council about this. Only one thing will happen. Do you know what it is?"


    When no one spoke, he continued, "They will take the matter out of our handspletely, and they will try to track these witches down by tracking down the family of the victims, and then what do you think will happen?"


    "They will hide even further," Finn pointed out. "The shifters will take it as a deration of war. Those who lost their cubs would certainly want the blood of those who killed their cubs."


    "And that will only make them hide even deeper," Ajax caught the valid point.


    "It is no wonder they are hiding," rumbled Killian. "They cannot run something like this in the open."


    "Can you track the IP address of this site?" asked Edira. "We need to either find the cubs or bring justice to them."


    Matt looked a bit insulted. He said to them, "Of course, I can. But it will take some time. Because I think that they must have taken some measures to mask their IP address, a website like this ¡ªthey would be dumb to leave the IP address unmasked. If they hadn¡¯t done it, then I could have tracked the IP address in just an hour."


    "So if they have masked it. How long will it take?"


    "A few days. Maybe a week or two at most."


    "Find it," ordered Killian. "Trace them and once we find them, they need to pay for the sinister things that they have done. These bastards think that they can y us like fools but we will be the first one to take care of them."

 Chapter 96: Playing Tricks Behind Her Back (2)

    <h4>Chapter 96: ying Tricks Behind Her Back (2)</h4>


    When Inez was done with the meeting, she packed her things and walked out of the empty corridors of the main lodge. She came across a few omegas who continued their jobs without saying a word of greeting to her.


    On her way, she ran into Morrh, who was supposed to be sick and staying in the lodge, talking with the man whom Inez had seen before. The two of them shook their hands, and with a nod, Morrh said to the man, "I will arrange for everything as you have told me."


    After speaking, she paused and turned to look at Inez upon hearing the sound of footsteps. When she saw that it was none other than Inez, her eyes shed with a hint of annoyance. She said to Inez, "What are you doing here?"


    "Walking. Is that not allowed?" Inez asked with a tilt of her head.


    "Then continue walking," Morrh sneered. "Why are you stopping here?" She seemed to be distressed and disgusted just at the very sight of Inez, as if just looking at her made Morrh lose several breaths.


    Inez arched a brow. She looked at the man who stood next to Morrh and then walked away. However, she slowed her pace down as much as possible, for she wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation of the two people behind her.


    "Jared, I will be leaving this task in your hands. Make sure that you find a way to get what I want. I promise that I will pay you back just in time," said Morrh with a smile on her face.


    "There is no need to worry about it," said Jared in a polite voice. "We will talk about itter on."


    After speaking, he turned on his feet and walked away.


    Inez watched the man leave and turned to chase after him. However, as she was chasing the man, she crossed paths with Ally, who was with another shifter who looked at Inez with a smile but was quick to drop it when Ally red at her.


    Ally questioned Inez with her eyes narrowed, "What are you doing here? Don¡¯t tell me that you are still trying to snoop around the pack for more information. If you are, then I am telling you to stop when you have the time, or else I won¡¯t bite, taking a chunk out of your throat. Not that I don¡¯t want to, but I am holding back because killing you would be like killing an ant. I don¡¯t want to do such a thing."


    The words of the woman stopped Inez from walking away. She paused and turned to look at Ally, who was speaking to her. "Are you saying these words because you felt that what happened earlier in the morning was a bit embarrassing? It must have been quite embarrassing, as I don¡¯t think being choked by atent is something that you might have liked."


    "You think that you took me down?" Ally growled angrily. "I am telling you that it only happened because you took me by surprise and nothing else. Don¡¯t think that such a thing would happen¡ªARGH!"


    The woman was still speaking when Inez hooked her leg behind Ally¡¯s and pulled her down. The woman who was scolding her fell t on the ground with a loud thump.


    Inez looked at Ally, who was spitting out the mud that was force-fed in her mouth and said to her, "You are a shifter; should you not be on guard all the time? Or do you think that you will talk shit about a shftertent or not and they will listen to your nonsense calmly?"


    Finished speaking, Inez continued to walk down the path without waiting for Ally to get back to her feet.


    Ally was furious when she saw that the woman had insulted her once again and was now walking away without paying for what she had done. She scrambled to her feet and wanted to rush after Inez, but her five-inch heels were nothing whenpared to the boots that Inez was wearing.


    This left Ally with no choice but to stop where she was and stomp on the ground in anger. "How dare you! Don¡¯t think that you will be fine after insulting me in such a manner!"


    "Why are you getting annoyed with atent?" said Gisele coyly. She yed with a lock of her hair and then said to Ally. "You have more than one way to make that woman pay for what she has done."


    "Like what?" Ally snapped harshly. She whipped around and looked at Gisele with an angry expression. "You saw how Killian is treating her. Doesn¡¯t listen to a word that we have to say and is inclined to dote on that woman as if she were the star and the moon of his sky. A bloody liar and a despicable woman. That¡¯s what she is."


    "If I could, then I would have ryed the news of her hiding to her old pack, where she would be executed, but Killian made us swear. I don¡¯t and can¡¯t risk being abandoned by the pack," she added fretfully.


    Gisele rolled her eyes. She said to Ally, "You are thinking too much. We can do it our own way; we don¡¯t need to chase that woman out of the pack to take our revenge. We can do it on our own."


    Ally raised her head and looked at the woman who was already staring at her with a sly glint in her eyes. She narrowed her eyes and stated, "What do you mean by that? What can we do?"


    "Of course we can¡ª" Gisele whispered in Ally¡¯s ears, whose eyes started to turn brighter and brighter as she listened to the things spoken by Gisele in her ears. When she pulled away, she shook hands with Gisele and said to her, "That¡¯s really exciting!" Hah! After this, she wanted to see what Inez would do and how she would stay in this pack any longer.

 Chapter 97: Chasing her father?

    <h4>Chapter 97: Chasing her father?</h4>


    Away from the two women, Inez hurried after the man. She had reached the boundary line of the pack. A gigantic gate appeared in front of her, and just as she turned to look around for the man, she saw a ck car driving past her. As the car drove by, it spat thick exhaust fumes at Inez¡¯s face.


    Raising her hand, she waved her hand and dusted the fumes off her face. Her eyes flickered uneasily as she watched the man leave.


    If only Ally had not stopped her just now, then she would have caught the man by now. At least the questions that she had in her mind, she would have been able to ask them.


    Inez was well aware that arguing with someone like Ally was pointless because the woman was a deadlybination of arrogant and brainless. Even if she had stayed behind and argued, Ally wouldn¡¯t have seen the sense in the argument.


    With Ally despising her, Inez knew that even if she were to make a point-to-point argument, that woman would not be able to understand. Or more like she would not even try to understand.


    And if she tried to make her point noted, it would only leave her in a precarious situation by letting that woman take advantage of hertency. As for attacking Ally, Inez knew that as a shifter, she couldn¡¯t lower her head either. Shifters took pride in their dominance; the second they sensed even a whiff of submissiveness, they would pounce on the weak at once.


    As someone who was in a perilous situation, Inez knew that she couldn¡¯t back off from a fight.


    If she did, then she knew that the woman would onlye down even harder on her.


    Inez sighed and stared at the sky that had started to change its colour. All she cared about was finding her father and the reason why she was treated like a sinner in her previous pack.


    Taking a mask out of her bag, she covered her face and changed the colour of her hair once she stepped out of the pack territory. Once her appearance was satisfactorily changed, Inez walked to the taxi stop. She didn¡¯t want to step out of the territory, but Inez knew that she had to chase that man because she wanted to find the answer to her questions.


    "Stop to Moon Talk!" the taxi driver shouted as he came to a stop in front of the taxi stand.


    Inez made her way to the taxi, as she had been wondering where to go, but now that she had heard the man speak of the Moon Talk street, she recalled that the stranger who came to see Morrh was holding a cigar which was only sold in the small pub that was at the corner of the street.


    She came to a stop in front of the taxi and said to the taxi driver, "Are you heading to Moon Talk Street?"


    "That¡¯s right, Miss," the taxi driver was quick to respond when he saw a potential customer. With a smile, he added, "I will only take five dors for the trip. Others usually take eight or ten dors, but I will be taking you to Moon Talk for just five dors."


    Inez felt that the price was a bit high. But when she thought about how she was in a hurry, Inez could only agree with the man.


    Once she slid inside the taxi, another passenger came and sat inside right beside her. One look at the person, and Inez knew that this street was not a ce where people like her could go. Comparing her rock tee shirt and baggy pants with the fancy shirt and pants that the man was wearing, Inez felt a bit embarrassed.


    She wanted to know more about this man named Jared before nning her next move. With the time being scarce, Inez decided to chase after the man and see if she would get lucky enough to find the identity of her father.


    By the time the taxi came to a stop at Moon Talk Street, the moon was shining high in the sky. However, with many neon signs twinkling on the street, Inez couldn¡¯t see the shimmering moon, much less the stars. The street seemed to havee alive.


    There was a little chill in the air, and as Inez raised her head, she could see that even the birds were returning home.


    As she was staring up at the sky, she didn¡¯t see who wasing from behind and ended up bumping into a shifter who snarled at her, "If you want to daydream, girl, then you need to go back home."


    "I wasn¡¯t¡ª" she began, but the shifter was not too keen on listening to her exnation. He was smiling at the woman who was apanying him while ring at Inez for causing trouble for him.


    Inez was speechless by the actions of the man; however, she was in a strange ce where she knew no one, so she had no choice but to lower her stance. Having note here for a long time, she had no idea where the pub was located; thus, Inez turned to look at the man who was walking past and called, "Excuse me, do you know where ¡ª"


    The man, however, didn¡¯t stop to talk, as he was too busy paying attention to the lovely woman in his arms.


    Inez looked at the pretty woman who was getting all the attention from the man and then turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.


    She sighed when she saw her appearance. It seemed like this was not cutting it. She turned around and headed to a public room where she did her make-up and changed her appearance enough to resemble a pretty woman who didn¡¯t look like Inez Sinir, not even in the slightest.


    Once she was satisfied with her appearance, Inez exhaled and then muttered to herself, "Alright, let¡¯s do this."


    This time around, when Inez stepped out of the public room, she looked at the men on the street with a little more charm so that they would look at her more kindly than they were doing before. Just as Inez had expected, when the men looked at her, there was another charming glint in their eyes as if they couldn¡¯t look away from her.


    She stepped out of the public room and walked over to the street, where she looked for a shifter she could take down with one single move and walked over to him. She said, "Can you please let me know where the Esper Bar is?"


    The young man was quite stunned when he saw a beautiful woman talking to him. He looked around as if he wanted to make sure that she was talking with him, and once the young man was certain, he turned really ttered. He turned and looked at the woman before saying to her, "It¡¯s right down at the east side of the street. Would you like me to take you there?"


    Inez smiled seductively as she shook her head. She replied, "Thank you, mister, but I wouldn¡¯t want to trouble you. It seems like you were quite busy just now when I interrupted you."


    After she finished speaking, she turned around on her feet and headed down the street. She turned east after finding a turn, leaving the young man to stare at her in surprise and slight agitation as if he were upset about losing the opportunity that came to him.


    Inez was quite quick in her actions as she headed down the street where the young man had pointed her. With the thought in her head that she would be able to see her father atst, Inez was like a woman on a mission.


    The scent of booze, power and authority reeked from every wall of the street.


    Walking around the fountain with three women who were holding vases and their fins shining with iridescent glimmer, Inez finally found the pub that she was looking for, along with the man whom she was chasing after. He was apanying a woman and standing in front of the buff bodyguard who was standing in front of the door of the pub.


    Inez looked at the fancy clothes and clutches of the women and men before putting down the bag that she was carrying on her shoulder. She ced it in the corner of an alley and hoped that it would not disappear anywhere when she was gone. But then again, with everyone carrying bags that were worth more than a thousand dors, she didn¡¯t think that anyone would steal her faded old bag.


    She turned on her feet and then headed towards the pub.


    "How is it going?"


    "It¡¯s fine," the buff man replied curtly.


    Inez took a whiff of the scent of the man and knew at once that he was a bear shifter.


    Inez came to a stop behind the couple who were talking with the bear shifter and then watched them head inside. Once they were gone, Inez stepped forward and then smiled at the man. "Hello, are you enjoying the night?"


    As she spoke, she took out a thirty-dor bill, which was the entry fee for the pub, but the man only nced at her and replied, "Vaguely."


    However, as he finished speaking he didn¡¯t make a move to budge.

 Chapter 98: Mistaken for a Human

    <h4>Chapter 98: Mistaken for a Human</h4>


    The buff bodyguard refused to budge, nor did he seem inclined to talk with her either. His responses were curt and short, which showed that the man was too impatient to talk with her. Inez, too, was running out of patience. She saw that the bodyguard was not paying attention to what she was doing and took a step forward but ¡ª


    "And where are you going?" The man questioned as he tied the ribbon that was in front of the door.


    Seeing that the man was refusing to let her inside, Inez started to grow frustrated. She spoke to the person in a low voice, "Listen, I came here from a really far away territory. I just want to enjoy the special beer that is sold exclusively in this pub alone. Why don¡¯t wee to amon ground?" She asked as she took out a fifty-dor bill from her pocket and showed it to the buff bodyguard.


    However, the bodyguard simply nced at her and didn¡¯t take the dor bill from her hand.


    When Inez saw that it was not working, she gritted her teeth and took out a hundred-dor bill. The only one that she had, as she had not been paid for treating Selene yet. She said to the man, "Fine, here, take it. But just remember that this is my entire month¡¯s grocery bill. If I die of starvation, then it will be your fault."


    And though she had handed her entire fortune to the man, that guard didn¡¯t take the bill in her hands, which made her wonder what was making the guard stop her from entering the pub.


    She decided to drop her bribing tactic and questioned the man, "Umm, Mister Bodyguard. Can you let me know why you are stopping me from entering the pub? Is it because I don¡¯t look like I can afford to dine and drink here?" She then said to him, "You see, I can at least afford a beer that I came here for." Inez hoped that her persuasive words would win the heart of the man.


    The buff man finally turned to look at her as if he was offended by her words. Like he never looked down at people regarding their fortune or wealth. His thick lips parted, and he replied, "No humans allowed. It is dangerous."


    Inez was simply speechless when she heard the response of the bear shifter; she knew and had thought of many reasons for the man to stop her, but she never thought that the bear shifter had mistaken her for a human.


    She shook her head and said in a hurry, "No! I am not a human. Look carefully; I am a shifter; it¡¯s just that I am atent and you can¡¯t sense it."


    "Still dangerous," said the bear shifter, astents were no different than humans in his eyes.


    Inez pursed her lips. Even though she understood the worries of the bear shifter, she still felt a bit stifled when she heard the bear shifter say that she was just as weak as the humans.


    Gathering herself, she said to the man, "You are mistaken. Even though I amtent, it doesn¡¯t mean that I cannot take care of myself. There is a huge gap between atent and a human." as she spoke, she unsheathed her ws and showed them to the bear shifter. "You see this? I can still fight. And I am just as quick and agile as any other shifter; I just cannot shift into my wolf form."


    "There are a lot of misconceptions," she continued, exining to the bear shifter who continued to stare at her. "When ites totent. But we are not as weak as other shifters make us out to be; we can fight just fine, and even if we cannot win, we have enough strength to run and escape from dangerous situations." She felt her throat go dry and then said to the man, "Are you convinced or should I continue speaking?"


    The man didn¡¯t speak, and Inez grew restless, thinking that the man was not willing to listen to her. Just as she was wondering whether or not she should just drop the idea of going inside the pub through the front door and try to sneak inside through the back door, the man held his hand in front of him.


    Inez heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that the man truly understood what she was trying to exin. She handed him a twenty-dor bill, which was the entry fee for this pub and said, "Thank you. You are really a nice man." Though he was a bit bad with his words, he truly cared for those who came to the pub.


    Just because he thought that she was a human, he stopped her from entering.


    It meant that he cared for the lives of humans andtents. Much better than many of the shifters who looked down on the two.


    Fortunately, Inez knew how to change her scent and make it smell more shifter-like instead of siren-like. Her mother, being an omega-submissive female, had a really weak scent, and even though Inez had inherited her blood, her father must have been a really powerful siren, for Inez smelt like a siren for the majority of her younger years when she was not given the teachings on how to control her scent.


    And her mother, who was worried about this sphemous taint being known by others, sent her to her grandmother and only brought her back when she learnt how to control her scent.


    If not, the bear shifter would have sensed that she was a siren, and that would have been totally disastrous. Inez knew that if he did find out her real identity, he wouldn¡¯t have treated her this politely. Now that she was settling the matter of her ¡¯kind¡¯, Inez heaved a sigh of relief and entered the pub to find out more about the identity of the man who had once been together with her mother.

 Chapter 99: Luca’s Flirting

    <h4>Chapter 99: Luca¡¯s Flirting</h4>


    As soon as she stepped inside, Inez felt like she hade to apletely different ce. Though she did follow the boys to Esper once when she was just fourteen or fifteen, she was taken out of the building very quickly, for Dominic got angry at her foring to a ce like this.


    Back then, she thought that it was because Dominic was really protective of her, but now she had a feeling that he did it because he just saw her as his possession. Maybe the thought of her watching men and women grinding against one another and getting all hot and bothered seemed to stifle the man.


    No wonder; he often stopped her when she tried to get close to other men. Even though he continued to reject her feelings for him, he refused to let her move on either. Inez didn¡¯t understand his actions in the past, but now she did and boy, how she hated it.


    Inez looked around the bar and finally found the man for whom she was looking. Once she found him, her face nched because she saw the man letting a woman grind against him. And from the looks of it, they might as well be doing that underneath the tablecloth.


    Was her father really a hooker who cheated with multiple women?


    A bit worried and looking as if she had seen a ghost, Inez walked towards the stool that was right behind the table where Jared was sitting. However, Inez soon stepped out of her daze, as she told herself again and again that she simply suspected the man and thought that he was her father, but that didn¡¯t make him one.


    She first needed to gather information on what he did, who this woman was, and what kind of rtionship he shared with her mother. Once she had gotten enough information, she would confront the man about what he did.


    She had waited years to face her father and question him regarding the things that he had done; she could wait for a few more weeks.


    "Youngdy, would you like something to cheer you up?" the bartender asked her when he saw that Inez looked as pale as chalk. One look at Inez and he could see that the woman was not in a good ce at that moment. As he wanted to help her out, he was quite polite and gentle with her.


    "Sure." Inez felt nauseous and thought that a little drink would be able to cheer her up.


    It didn¡¯t take more than a few minutes for the bartender to serve her her drink, which Inez took and then took a sip from. The drink was indeed quite good, but something made Inez put it down only after taking a few sips from it, as she felt her stomach churn even more when she finished swallowing it.


    She listened to the conversation of the man behind her and frowned when she heard the nasty details. It seemed like both Jared and the woman had partners, and yet they were cheating on them. But what brought her attention was the fact that Jared confessed that he was not a shifter. If he was not a shifter, then was he a siren?


    Did he lie to her mother like he was lying to the young woman?


    Was that how he charmed her mother into having an affair with him? Inez wondered.


    She was lost in thought and didn¡¯t even notice that a man hade to sit next to her. It was only when she smelled the familiar scent that she choked and turned to look at the man sitting right next to her.


    It was Luca. And why he was sitting next to her ¨C this was something that Inez couldn¡¯t even fathom. Her eyes swivelled around and she found Dominic, ke and Tao sitting right behind Luca. In her hurry to find out more about Jared, she was like a blind cat chasing a mouse. She didn¡¯t even look around her and was only fixated on her goal.


    "Hello there," she heard Luca say. The man was blocking her view as he looked at her, with his hand resting behind her chair. "If you don¡¯t mind, can I sit next to you? It seems like you are sitting here alone, looking quite pitiful."


    At first, Inez didn¡¯t understand why the man was treating her in this manner, but then she recalled that she was no longer the Inez Sinir these men knew, but apletely strange woman.


    Her back straightened on her as she looked at the man next to her. Her eyes studied Luca carefully and with a hint of annoyance, for she couldn¡¯t understand why this man hade to disturb her.


    But then again, Luca was the kind of man who would flirt with any woman. As long as he gotid, he truly didn¡¯t care about anything else.


    Inez raised her ss and turned to look away from him. She said to him, "No, thank you." As charming as Luca was, she had no desire to sleep with him.


    She knew that bying to this bar, she had caused trouble for herself. Now she was like a littlemb in the middle of countless wolves who were looking at her with covetous gazes.


    "Woah, this is the first time someone has refused me," he said with a wink at Inez as if she were simply trying to y hard to get with him. Of course, he thought that. Inez knew that there was not a single woman who would refuse to sleep with someone as good-looking as Luca.


    But having grown up with him for so long, Inez would take off her hat if Luca could use his charm on her.


    "There is always a first." Having wasted her time, Inez knew that there was no point in staying in the pub any longer. With Luca sitting beside her, it would be surprising if she could get even a small piece of evidence against Jared. She got to leave, but¡ª

 Chapter 100: Dominic Kidnaps Inez

    <h4>Chapter 100: Dominic Kidnaps Inez</h4>


    Luca didn¡¯t let go of her. He held her wrist and smiled at her softly. He was a rather intuitive man, and he knew that Inez was lying. He said to her, "You must be quite frustrated that you came here. How about I take you home? The night is no longer young; it is not safe for a woman as beautiful as you to roam on the street alone." He shed her a charming smile. Once he finished speaking, he was confident that his smile would be enough to make Inez strip off her clothes.


    Inez looked at her wrist that Luca was holding and wondered how the man would react once he realised that the woman he was trying to charm was the very same woman he despised and hated.


    "Thank you, but like I said, I am not interested," replied Inez while struggling to free her hand.


    "Are you sure?" Luca swooped down and brought his lips close to her. Just as their faces were inches away, he whispered to her, "I can make you taste the feel of heaven."


    Having run out of patience, Inez smiled at the pestering man before saying to him, "Oh, is that so? Then there is no need for you to take me anywhere. I can give you that feeling right here."


    When Luca heard her response, his eyes lit up. He looked around the pub and noticed that there were a lot of people who were going hard and heavy with one another. Wondering if the woman in front of him was the same, he questioned her, "Do you want to take this somewhere quiet?"


    "There is no need; we can do it right here," Inez responded, which only made Luca even more enthralled. However, just as he was filled with a hint of thrill in his heart, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his lower body, and he crouched down on the floor with a mournful groan.


    His hands were clutching his crotch as he looked up at the woman in front of him; with fire burning in his eyes, he questioned, "Why did you do that?"


    "For harassing an unwilling female," Inez scoffed. "Can¡¯t you see that I have no desire to follow you?"


    Inez knew that Luca could be forceful when he wanted, but she never knew that the man was so persuasive and stubborn when he wanted a woman. She wondered if she had ignored all the ws of these men just because she grew up admiring them.


    She nced at the table where Dominic and the rest were sitting, and it seemed like they had no intention of stopping Luca. It was a given that whatever Luca was doing waspletely eptable to them. Inez felt stifled and annoyed.


    However, she didn¡¯t say anything more to the man on the floor. She turned around on her feet and was about to head out of the pub.


    Luca, on the other hand, felt furious. He could feel the many mocking gazes that were looking at him, and then raised his head to look at the woman walking away. It was one thing that she had rejected him, but it was another thing that she had embarrassed him in such a manner.


    Ignoring the pain between his legs where the woman had kneed him, he got to his feet and rushed after Inez.


    Even though Inez was atent, her senses were still there. She knew that Luca was chasing after her, and she also knew the reason why he was doing it. Her gaze turned cold. She knew that she could not take on Luca, who was a dominant shifter.


    However, she also knew that there was no need for her to back down from a challenge.


    Inez recalled the teachings of her grandmother, who had once told her that a dominant shifter was difficult to defeat when he was focused on a fight. That was the reason why one should take them by surprise, because it was impossible for a half-shifter to take down a full-blooded shifter, but taking him down by a trick was always an option.


    So before the man could realise what was going on, Inez turned on her feet, clutching her fist tight; she punched the man in the face. She put all her strength into her punch, and Luca, who was not prepared for it, was sent staggering.


    He tripped and fell backwards, bumping into the waiter who was walking behind him. The server was carrying many drinks on the tray that he was holding in his hand, and was not prepared for the impact. The server fell back as well after being bumped into, and the drinks on his tray toppled off.


    "AHHHH!!!"


    A mournful scream rang out, causing everyone to turn and look at the woman who was sitting on Jared¡¯sp. She jumped to her feet and looked down at her dress, which was now sticky with the liquid that was dripping down from her head to her toes. Her blonde hair was a sticky mess, and her mascara was dripping down her face, making her look really ghastly and ugly.


    She raised her head and looked at the server, who was on the floor, and then at Luca before shouting, "What the fuck do you think you are doing?! Do you even know this dress is MM! It¡¯s fucking one hundred thousand dors, and you ruined it all!" And before Luca could stabilise himself, the woman punched him in the face just where Inez had done earlier.


    Luca was holding his nose, which was broken by Inez¡¯s punch, but was healing swiftly because of his shifter healing; however, before it could heal properly, the woman punched him right on the nose once again.


    "Not the face, woman!" he shrieked. He did hear a crack, which sounded quite nasty, and was now worried that his nose would always be a little crooked.


    "Maybe this will teach you a lesson," huffed the woman angrily as she finished criticising Luca.

 Chapter 101: Dominic Kidnaps Inez’s (2)

    <h4>Chapter 101: Dominic Kidnaps Inez¡¯s (2)</h4>


    Jared was stunned at the actions of the woman; he always thought that this woman was a naive little youngdy, but it seemed like he had underestimated her. A woman who could punch a man in the face and even break his nose could never be weak and naive. He gulped, and the words that he originally wished to say, he swallowed them back at once.


    Inez snorted when she saw Luca being held by his cor and the woman threatening him to take out the money for her dress that he had ruined. She turned around to leave; however, just as she arrived at the corridor, she met with another obstacle. Dominic.


    Her eyes narrowed, and she looked at the man with a hint of annoyance in her eyes. She knew that the man had recognised her. Not as Inez but as L. Her appearance was still the same as thest time the two of them met, except for the fact that she was no longer wearing any contact lenses, which only brought her resemnce even closer to her true appearance.


    "Alpha Cherith," Inez greeted the man with a cold voice. She had no intention of getting close to him, but fate seemed to have other ns. It was as if the Moon Goddess herself was angry at them for breaking a bond that she had bestowed on them. Thus, she made them cross their paths again and again.


    "Miss L," He nodded his head and pushed himself off the wall against which he was leaning. He looked at her and then nced at the scene that was happening behind her. He said to her, "You are really too unbridled. Does Alpha Sokolov know that you have such a side?"


    "Why does it matter to you?" Inez asked with a quirky raise of her brow. "Whether he knows it or not, I don¡¯t believe that it¡¯s a cause of your concern, Alpha Cherith. Just like how I am not your point of concern."


    The second she finished speaking, she could sense that Dominic¡¯s alpha vibes had turned really coercive and strong; it almost strangled and suffocated her, but Inez was not going to let him dominate her, not like he did in the past.


    Since she was determined to stay away from him, she turned to walk past him, but then she heard Dominic say, "Come to my side."


    "What?" Inez was stunned when she heard his response. A part of her was half certain that she had heard him correctly, but the words alone were so shocking that Inez felt like she was hearing things. "What did you say?"


    "Come and stay by my side," repeated Dominic, which surprised Inez so much that she nearly dropped her mouth on the floor. However, Dominic ignored her shocked expression and continued to speak, "If youe to stay with me, then I will take care of you much better than Alpha Sokolov could ever."


    "Thanks for the offer, Alpha Cherith." Snapping out of her daze, Inez turned to look at the man with her gaze cold as ice. "However, I have no desire to live like your ex-mate. I have heard all about the things that you have done from Alpha Sokolov, as he was there when your mate fell apart and crumbled after you slept with another woman."


    "For a shifter, his mate is supposed to be everything. No matter what you think or what that woman had done, she didn¡¯t deserve the pain of having her soul crushed and being turned into an empty shell. I fear that if I stand next to you, you might do the same thing ¡ªwho knows, maybe that¡¯s what you n to do because I look like your mate? Is this what it is?"


    "Bold!" Dominic¡¯s voice was low andced with anger and coercion.


    But Inez was not afraid anymore; she said to the man, "Forgive me, but I am not a toy that you can buy just by throwing money or your status. You might be used to women fawning over you for this reason, but I am different. Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I will take my leave."


    "You think you are allowed to leave?" Dominic asked with a chuckle.


    He turned to look behind him, and Tao, along with ke, stepped out of the small corner that was just a few steps away. They walked over and looked at Inez apologetically, just as Dominicmanded, "Take her along with us."


    Tao looked at Dominic. He wondered if the man had lost his marbles, but as a beta, he could only follow themand of his alpha. He walked over to where Inez stood and held her by her arm. "No hard feelings here, Miss L."


    ke also caught her by the arm just as she tried to get away from Tao.


    Inez initially thought that Dominic only wanted her because of a whim; maybe he was upset with the fact that someone who looked so much like his ex-mate was dancing and roaming freely in front of him. Or maybe it was his wolf who couldn¡¯t ept the breaking of the mating bond, which was why Dominic was adamant about finding a recement for his wolf, such that he could soothe him.


    She was prepared for him to be furious with her refusal, but she had never expected that he would use such shameful tactics to get her to follow him to his territory. This man actually resorted to kidnapping?


    Inexplicable fear rose in her heart as she was reminded of the terrors that she went through at the hands of this man when she was trapped in the dungeon of her old territory. She never wanted to relive the days when she was treated worse than a dog. Inez started struggling with all her might as she yelled, "Help! Help! Someone is kidnapping me! Let go of me; this is illegal!"


    She looked around, hoping that someone would stop this man, but no one did. Not a single person stepped forward to stop The Dominic Cherith.

 Chapter 102: Lycan In Shining Armor

    <h4>Chapter 102: Lycan In Shining Armor</h4>


    No one stepped forward to stop him, and Dominic continued to walk out of the pub, not the least bothered by the tantrum that Inez was throwing behind him.


    However, just as he reached the entrance of the pub, he stopped.


    Inez looked up and saw that the spacious corridor was now packed with a bunch of shifters. In the distance, she could see the man standing in front of the crowd. Inez recognised the man at once. The man was dressed in a clean white T-shirt with a ck leather jacket and matching cargo pants.


    When Inez saw him, her heart calmed down, and she yelled, "Killian!"


    Killian stepped forward. Though he was still smiling, one could sense the anger bursting through every pore of his body. The alpha vibes that were pouring out of him were thick enough to choke and bring the submissive wolves to their knees. Inez could hear the low thumps of countless people kneeling behind her, but she didn¡¯t pay attention to that as all her attention was on the vague lethality that was brimming in the air.


    She could feel Tao¡¯s and ke¡¯s hold tightening on her.


    The air around them dropped to freezing point and then ¨C


    "Can you tell me what you are doing with my woman, Alpha Cherith?" Killian asked with a dark chuckle.


    Dominic stared at the man with a determined look in his eyes as he stated, "You are used to sharing your women, Alpha Sokolov. No need to be protective of this one."


    He paused and added, "This will also help us strengthen the alliance."


    Inez felt her heart leap to her throat, fearing that the temptation that Dominic had thrown Killian¡¯s way would turn the situation aroundpletely. She held no importance to Killian, and he could always find another siren to save the life of his sister. But the alliance that he shared with Dominic was important, much more than a little siren like her.


    Contrary to her expectations, Killian smiled and said to Dominic, "Not this one, though. She is different from the rest, Alpha Cherith. So please unhand my pack member, or I will take it as a sign that you want to start a pack war with my pack."


    Inez¡¯s breathing returned to normal when she heard Killian¡¯s response. She was d that her alpha, though a bit crazy in the head, was a good man. At least he was determined to intervene and rescue her instead of using her as a pawn to safeguard his alliance.


    "Alpha Sokolov," Dominic spoke in a low voice, sounding mildly amused. "Do you really have to be like this? She is just a woman. You can have plenty more; if you want, I can send you some from my pack."


    Killian ced his hands in the pockets of his trousers, and he said, "Did I ask you to offer me other women, Alpha Cherith? I will say this onest time; release her right now."


    Dominic narrowed his eyes as a burst of alpha vibes exploded.


    Killian, however, remained unmoved. His demeanour remained unchanged; he was still wearing his rxed smile as his shifters backed him up from behind. Inez felt her heart clench as the air around her thickened with a vtile rage that could explode at any moment.


    Even though she didn¡¯t fall to her knees like the other submissive wolf who couldn¡¯t breathe due to two alpha shifters releasing their alpha vibes, Inez could feel her breathing stagnant.


    Finally, Dominic seemed to have thought it through; he raised his hand andmanded, "Let go of her."


    Only then did Tao and ke let go of her.


    The moment the two men let go of her, Inez was startled. She raised her head and looked at Dominic with a look of disbelief on her face. This was the same man who had never let go of her, even when she had begged him on her knees. How could he let go of her so easily? Was it because he was helpless in front of Killian¡¯s strength?


    A feeling of dismay filled Inez¡¯s heart.


    "What are you standing there for?" Killian¡¯s voice rang out from the front, and Inez snapped out of her daze.


    A moment of rity hit her, and she turned on her feet before mbering over to the side of the man; she didn¡¯t even look at Dominic. Finn and the rest swarmed around her, and Inez tried to calm down her thumping heartbeat.


    Dominic¡¯s eyes never left her; his eyes were fixated on her, like a predator targeting its prey.


    Killian shifted ever so slightly. He eclipsed her figure such that the man could no longer look at Inez.


    Seeing this, Dominic said to Killian, "Alpha Sokolov, you are willing to defend her now, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you will be willing to do it for the rest of her life."


    "You don¡¯t need to worry about that, Alpha Cherith," remarked Killian with a grin. "Because I assure you that I will never torment my pack members to the point where they would think that turning rogue is better than staying in my pack."


    As his words fell, he turned around on his feet and walked out of the pub without giving Dominic another nce.


    Inez followed Killian closely, but upon sensing someone staring at her intensely, she made the mistake of turning around and looking behind her. Through the gaps, she noticed Dominic. He hadn¡¯t moved from the spot where he was standing earlier. His gaze was filled with mes, like hell¡¯s fire, determined to trap her until nothing but ashes were left.


    Dread climbed up her spine, and she turned around before scrambling after Killian.


    And as she stepped out of the pub, she recalled the voice of the man who had spoken to her when she was a child.


    ¡¯You are my treasure, Inez.¡¯


    ¡¯My sweet little Inez.¡¯


    Inez was too small to remember the face of the man. But she did remember his voice a little, and unfortunately for her, Jared¡¯s voice didn¡¯t match with her father¡¯s.


    She wondered if all these years had caused the man¡¯s voice to change. But what if the man she had been chasing was never the one that she was looking for?

 Chapter 103: Aftermath of the ’Near’ Kidnapping

    <h4>Chapter 103: Aftermath of the ¡¯Near¡¯ Kidnapping</h4>


    "Well, I won¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t exciting." Ajax finally broke the silence.


    They were now sitting in the SUV that Killian and the rest drove to the pub to get Inez out of the tricky situation where she was caught. He turned around in his seat and looked at Inez, who was caged beside him. "Are you sure that your disguise is really working? That man seemed quite inclined to take you with him."


    Inez wondered the same. She couldn¡¯t help but worry if Dominic knew that it was she beneath all the alterations.


    "Maybe it¡¯s because he can¡¯t find the real thing, so he is looking for a recement," Finn suggested wisely from the front seat. "I have seen this happen many times. Especially when the alphas are in aplicated rtionship with their mates or lovers. Alphas who can¡¯t ept that they miss their ex-mates would look for some other women who will resemble their mates in one way or another."


    "Alphas are the most twisted andplicated creatures," remarked Laxus from the front seat. He turned to look at Killian and offered an apologetic smile, "No offence."


    "None taken," Killian smiled back. He turned to look at Inez, who was yet to return to her usual appearance and understood that it was all because she was still recovering from the shock.


    Finn hummed as he agreed with Laxus. "I wonder how long it will take for him to lose his temperpletely. He let go of you today, but you need to be careful from now on, Inez. No matter how much you change your appearance with makeup, you will still resemble your old self. Dominic is not a fool to forget that he is also your mate; he knows you better than anyone."


    Upon hearing his remark, Inez scoffed. If that man knew her better than anyone, then he wouldn¡¯t have treated her worse than a sinner.


    Finn raised a brow when he heard her scoff, but didn¡¯t push the woman to answer his query.


    They soon arrived at the territory and bid goodnight to one another before haphazardly leaving for their own lodges.


    Soon, it was just the two of them.


    Inez raised her head to look at the man beside her; in the dim lighting of the garage, his eyes looked dark and deep. He looked handsome as ever, but something about his appearance troubled her. With one hand in his pocket, he slowly turned to look at her.


    He asked, "Tell me, do you think you are a cat? Or do you think that just by identifying yourself as one would work?"


    "What?" Inez asked, sounding confused.


    "Do you think that you have nine lives? Why would you leave the territory? Do you think real life is like a game, bubbles? If you die, you die. Why do you have to go out of your way to provoke Dominic?"


    She didn¡¯t. How was she supposed to tell the man that she only went to look and find out the identity of the man whom she had mistaken for her father? However, she had no idea that she would run into Dominic.


    The man¡¯s brows furrowed even more, and Inez had no idea why he was upset with her again.


    She then heard him say, "I don¡¯t like it when people lie to me, and I think I have already told you this."


    He paused and spoke with a calcting glint in his eyes, "And you are not someone who would actively look for trouble for no reason. Just tell me the truth: what happened?"


    Inez was stunned by how perspective and sharp Killian was. But then again, the man was leading an entire pack of lycans; it would be surprising if he couldn¡¯t even tell when a person was lying.


    Inez sighed. She raised her head and met the gaze of the lycan before saying to him, "I think he is interested in me. Just like Finn said, that man and I didn¡¯t have a simple rtionship. There were a lot ofplications involved between us, and he has not let go of them yet. I believe it¡¯s due to the withdrawal symptoms. Now that the mating bond has been broken perfectly, he must be suffering due to them."


    As her appearance returned to her usual self, she added, "He must be looking for a kind of recement. One that could solve the itch that he is feeling at the moment."


    Killian arched a brow. He was certain that there was something that Inez was not telling him; his tingling senses were telling him, but he didn¡¯t question the woman. He nodded and then said to her, "Go back to your lodge."


    "But what about Selene¡ª"


    "She will be fine for one night," said Killian calmly. "You are in no condition to help her, and she will only worry if you were to go and see her."


    Inez pursed her lips and nodded after pondering for a while. As much as she wanted to refuse, she knew that Killian was right. She was in no condition to help Serene when she herself was in an unstable condition.


    "Alright." After she bid him goodnight, she turned on her feet and walked back to the lodge.


    Killian watched her leave and frowned. With his arms crossed in front, he wondered what this secret was that Inez was keeping from him.


    Back in the lodge, Inez went straight to the bathing room, where she washed off Dominic¡¯s scent from her clothes and skin. Though this scent was something that she had once loved, Inez despised it just as much.


    She stayed under the hot shower for more than thirty minutes before she stepped out of the bathroom and went to the kitchen. Her heart, which had stopped thumping wildly, once again started to go crazy in the silence.


    All the bad memories that she had suppressed in her mind started to flood at once, causing Inez to clutch her head and drop to her knees.


    ¡¯AHHHH!¡¯


    **


    Please support this book through golden tickets,ments and power stones fairies! A gift is more than wee! If you can¡¯t thenments are super way to support this book! To everyone who keeps supporting the book by sending golden tickets, gifts and power stones, thank you very much! <3

 Chapter 104: An Old Memory

    <h4>Chapter 104: An Old Memory</h4>


    Two years ago,


    ¡¯Inez, did you try to run?¡¯


    It was the middle of the winter, and Inez, who was fed up with the constant torment, had tried to run out of the pack¡¯s territory because she knew that if she stayed any longer, she would go crazy. So, she had packed her bags and made a run for it, wanting to escape the torment of being thrown into the dungeon or locked up in the dark room for the smallest thing that she did wrong.


    The pack despised her to the point that even her breathing made every single pack member agitated and disgusted by her, which was confusing because Inez could not understand what she had done for the pain they were putting her through.


    She had tried to understand their rage, even questioned her own actions, and yet nothing exined the torment that was being given to her.


    Unable to withstand the pain and agony that the pack made her go through, Inez had tried to make a run for it, but before she could even get past the pack boundary, she was caught and brought back to the pack.


    It was as if Dominic were an actual semnce of the real God in her life.


    He knew things about her better than herself or, more like, her mother would rather betray her only daughter than face the wrath of this man. Inez knew that it must have been her mother who told the truth about her little n to Dominic and the rest.


    Inez had long stopped questioning how her mother could do such a thing to her. There was no point in asking such foolish questions, for her mother was one of the most selfish and self-centred women. As a matter of fact, Inez was nothing to her. A mother who could call her own daughter a monster ¨C how could she care about the safety and happiness of that child?


    She must have given her away, thinking and taking it as the finest moment of her sorry, pathetic life.


    ¡¯I did,¡¯ Inez answered Dominic. She knew that there was no point in denying or trying to exin why she did it. Because Dominic was not interested in any of it. He only cared about one thing, and that was to make her suffer the worst kind of pain known to humanity.


    The man stared down at her. His eyes were nk and devoid. Like a void that had sucked everything, even the light.


    ¡¯You really need to learn your lesson,¡¯ said Dominic as he made his way to the wall where the many tools for torment were hanging.


    Inez sucked in a breath when the man picked up the barbed whip and turned around on the ball of his heels. He looked at her, brutality brimming in his eyes as he said to her, ¡¯I shouldn¡¯t be saying this to you, Inez. But I believe you are smarter than this¡ª you should have known that this would happen. That you can never escape me.¡¯ Taking one step at a time as he came close to her.


    A rush of anger surged in Inez¡¯s heart. She wished to tell the man to fuck the right off but before she could, Dominic was standing in front of her. The barbed whip in his hand was raised above his head and ¡ª


    ¡¯AHHHHHH!¡¯


    The pain¡ªthe excruciating pain¡ªmade Inez scream. She tried to hold the tears back as she bit her lower teeth and tried to calm her breathing down. She could feel the barbs raking against her skin and drawing flesh and blood.


    Inez had to grit her teeth to stop herself from begging the man to stop because she knew that there was no point. He would never show her any mercy. Something that she knew and had long understood in the past two years.


    The man looked down at her, and seeing that she was unmoved, the whip started tosh against her skin again and again and again. It was so painful that Inez nearly passed out, but her experience taught her that if she fainted, the man would bring her back to consciousness by dripping fucking wolfsbane on her back.


    Wolfsbane was a herb found in the forest where the humans and witches lived. A small, prickly nt that could be used to make a potion so strong that it could drain the shifters of their strength. Inez knew that if she fainted, it would only bring her even more pain, so she held on.


    She had no idea how long the whipshed against her back, but she was certain that by the time Dominic finished with his torment, the skin on the back was more or less skinned. The pain of being whipped had indeed doubled, which proved that the bones on her back were now revealed.


    Inez drew in a shuddering breath while being tied on a triangr wooden base that dug into her flesh a bit too painfully.


    She felt the man move, and a secondter, Dominic was crouching and looking her in the eye. He was smiling as if the prospect of bringing her so much pain made him happy, and maybe it did, because what else would exin the twisted smile on his face?


    ¡¯I hope this...¡¯ he reached out and skimmed his finger on her back, which brought another wave of pain to wash over her. ¡¯A lesson deep enough for you to understand that you can never escape me, Inez. You will live for me as long as I want, and you will die when I decide that it is time for you to die. But before that, you shall never escape my grasp. Never.¡¯


    After he finished speaking, the man got to his feet and left the dungeon, closing the door behind him and shutting down the only source of light that made the prison cell a better ce.


    Inez watched the door for a while with a helpless expression before her eyes drifted close.

 Chapter 105: Unworthy trick

    <h4>Chapter 105: Unworthy trick</h4>


    Back to the present, Inez clutched her head and knelt on the floor.


    She looked absolutely sickened and annoyed with the memories that had shed and appeared in her mind out of nowhere. She wondered if she had to live her entire life like this, where she would have to worry about Dominicing after her.


    Staying on the floor, Inez waited for more than fifteen minutes before her breathing returned to normal and her headache calmed down a little. Though something inside was still drumming so hard that it made her sway on the spot, Inez clutched the counter of the kitchen as she stood up.


    The floor seemed to be moving, but hey¡ªshe knew that it was not. She sucked in a breath and tried to calm herself down. It seemed impossible for her headache to ease; Inez knew this much, as she had simr attacks in the past when she was cornered and nothing seemed to work when she was in this haze.


    With her hand ced against the walls and the railings, she slowly made her way upstairs. Inez was wondering whether to take another dip in the water, which might help her a little, but her body was too tired to even take a step.


    Sighing, she pushed herself to the bedroom, where she pushed open the door.


    All of a sudden, Inez straightened up, as she could feel that something was off. She looked around the room, but the darkness hindered her already tired body from seeing what was swaying on the bed. Fumbling a little, she found the light switch and turned it on.


    As soon as the room was bathed in light, Inez saw the snake that was slithering on her smooth bedsheet. Her gaze turned cold when she saw the poisonous mamba on her bed. Her eyes turned to look outside the open window, and she knew at once that someone had caught this hibernating mamba and thrown it inside her room.


    The reason must be to harm her. Maybe even kill her.


    If not, she could not see the reason why a mamba that should have gone into hibernation in this chilly weather was doing so in her room. Inez, however, was unbothered.


    Even though the mamba was poisonous enough to kill her in a matter of seconds, Inez was not worried. She walked over to her bed and looked down at the snake that paused and was now eyeing her with a strong look of distaste and wariness in his eyes.


    When it saw Inez getting a bit too close, it raised its upper body and lunged but paused. Its head raised slightly upwards as he heard Inez say, "Did someone disturb your rest?"


    The snake nodded in a dazed manner.


    "Then you should go and take revenge on the person who took you out of hibernation," said Inez as she tried to turn her charm on the snake. She couldn¡¯t do it perfectly when it came to shifters and humans, as it took too much strength, but she could do it perfectly when it came to animals.


    It was easier, as animals loved sirens.


    The snake tilted its head to one side before slithering out of the room and climbing up the windowsill. It didn¡¯t take long for the mamba to disappear, and Inez, whose head was about to explode, fell on the bed. She didn¡¯t care who was the one who sent the mamba to her room. By the morning, she would be able to get an answer anyway.


    "AHHHH!!!"


    In the middle of the night, the mournful scream of a woman echoed in the pack.


    Killian, who was about to go to bed, paused and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came.


    His beast didn¡¯t seem too inclined to go and check out what was going on, as he could sense that the pack member who screamed and was in panic was Ally. Through the pack bond, they could feel the terror that Ally was feeling at the moment, but something about the entire situation dissuaded them from leaving the lodge.


    "Kill."


    Killian sighed when they heard Finn¡¯s voice through the pack bond. He knew that even if he didn¡¯t want to go, he had to because¡ª curse him for being the pack¡¯s alpha.


    He turned around and crossed the room to wear a pair of slippers before heading out of the room and to Ally¡¯s lodge. It took him less than ten minutes to arrive at the lodge where Ally lived. Upon entering the lodge, he sensed fear thick in the air along with excitement and something else, which he didn¡¯t pay attention to.


    As he stepped inside the lodge, he looked at Ally, who was a sobbing mess, and then turned to look at Nyx, who was trying tofort her. He raised his brow and remarked, "Alright? Who died?" He sure as hell hoped that someone died because he ruined his sleep schedule toe here.


    As soon as he finished speaking, Ally, who was sitting on the couch, raised her head and looked at him as if she were a damsel in distress and he were her knight in shining armour. She got to her feet and rushed towards him while yelling shrilly, "KILL!"


    Killian stepped aside, and the woman hurtled right into Ajax¡¯s arms.


    The man looked at the sobbing woman and peeled her off his body. He said to him, "Come on, Kill. We talked about this. You cannot just throw your trash my way. I did tell you this more than once, didn¡¯t I?" Ajax remarked with a scowl on his face.


    He was the pack¡¯s manwhore but it seemed like even he had some standards.


    When Ally heard his voice, she stopped crying. She raised her head and looked at Ajax, who looked down at her, before pushing him away. She pouted and turned to Killian before saying to him, "Kill! I was so scared just now! You have no idea what that bitch did to me."

 Chapter 106: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 106: Confrontation</h4>


    Inez woke up with a jolt when she heard the continuous ringing of the doorbell. With a frown, she raised her head and looked around the room, her gaze drifting over to the sky that was still dark, and the furrow between her brows turned even deeper. She wanted to sleep a bit longer, and the sudden and annoying ringing of the doorbell had changed all her ns.


    So it was not a surprise that she was not in the greatest mood when she woke up.


    She jumped off the bed and then climbed down the stairs before crossing the main hall of the lodge and opening the door. "What!?" She demanded sourly while looking at the man who was ringing her doorbell as if his life depended on it. "What do you think you are doing by ringing my doorbell at this zing hour?"


    "It seems like you are not a morning person," Ajax remarked with a chuckle as if the entire thing amused him.


    It might be amusing to him, but it was not to her. She narrowed her eyes and questioned, "Just what do you think you are doing here?"


    The man crossed his arms in front and stated, "It¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just that Ally has used you of sending a mamba into her lodge."


    Inez¡¯s eyes shed when she heard his response. Though she had expected this, Inez still felt slightly annoyed. The two of them had only bickered a few times, and yet that woman wanted her life.


    ¡¯I hope that she was bitten,¡¯ Inez thought scathingly. However, she didn¡¯t voice out her thoughts and questioned, "And why would she use me? I was not even in the pack, and even if I was, I am still learning about theyout of the pack¡¯s territory. How am I supposed to find a mamba and even send it to her lodge?"


    Ajax lifted one shoulder. He admitted that Inez did have a solid alibi, but Ally was adamant and wanted to confront her. To avoid another tantrum, Edira asked Killian to let the two women sort it out.


    What was worse was Ally being supported by Fenric and Morrh. The two of them were supporting her and kept pushing Killian to bring Inez to Ally¡¯s lodge, saying that Inez needed to clear the charge before she could continue living in their territory.


    It was a serious usation, and there was nothing that they could do to protect Inez, not without sending out the message that Killian didn¡¯t care about the life and death of his packmates in the face of the beauty of this new pack member.


    An alpha led by his nose, all because his mind was flooded with lust, was not the leader that the pack members wanted.


    "You should still head down," said Ajax. "This is a serious usation and requires your presence for you to clear your charges."


    "Charges?" Inez scoffed with an eye roll. "That woman woke up suddenly and started yelling that I sent a mamba to her lodge when I was out of the pack for the entire evening, as you already know. What defence? It is clearly a ridiculous im to smear my reputation and name in front of the packmates."


    "She doesn¡¯t like me, and this is clear from the very day I came to this pack." Inez pointed out.


    "I do understand and believe me, neither Killian nor any of us thinks that you did it." Ajax raised his hand in the air because he knew that the usation was too serious and it had put Inez in a rather defensive and offensive position. He didn¡¯t me her forshing out at him.


    Inez didn¡¯t quarrel with him. She knew that Ajax was only doing the formalities. In the end, she was an outsider while Ally was their pack member. She had never had any hope from Killian or the rest to treat her as one of their own; thus, Inez didn¡¯t feel bothered by their actions.


    It would have hurt if she had held some kind of hope towards them, but she didn¡¯t.


    "Let¡¯s go." Inez let out a sigh and asked Ajax to step aside such that she could step out of the lodge.


    Ajax raised one of his brows, but he still stepped to one side. Inez walked out to her porch, where she turned and locked the door behind her. Her actions were calm and not the least bit hysterical, which made Ajax frown, and he questioned, "Aren¡¯t you upset?"


    "Why should I be?" Inez turned and questioned with a raised brow. "First of all, I am not your pack member. It¡¯s only right that you stood up for the one who stayed and grew up with you. Secondly, I never had any hope that I would be treated as a member of this pack, so I guess it¡¯s alright."


    She climbed down the stairs of the lodge and headed down to the only lodge that was noisier than the rest. Behind her, Ajax felt a little guilty. It was not that they were standing up for Ally, but Inez was right. Somewhere deep down, they all were wary and suspicious of her.


    The rumours that were circting outside weren¡¯t pretty, and it made Inez look bad.


    Rubbing the back of his nape, he muttered ufortably, "Fuck. Why does it look like we fucked up bad?"


    Inez didn¡¯t care about his musings. She continued to head down the cobblestone path that was embedded with seashells and soon arrived at the lodge where everyone was waiting for her, Ajax following after her.


    As soon as she stepped inside the lodge, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. A still silence followed her arrival, and it was broken by Morrh, who turned to look at Inez as if she had been waiting for her. "So you are here? I thought that you would have run away by now."

 Chapter 107: Confrontation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 107: Confrontation (2)</h4>


    "Why would I run away?" Inez nced at the woman with a raised brow. "I have done nothing wrong." She then turned to look at Killian and questioned, "And what¡¯s the matter with you, Alpha? It¡¯s the middle of the night. I was peacefully sleeping when I was dragged out of my bed. I hope that you have a very good reason for your actions."


    "I am not a morning person," she added with a growl.


    "And neither am I." Killian hated that he was putting her through such an ordeal. He knew that Inez was already reluctant to trust his pack members and pack and now that feeling was only going to get even stronger.


    The very idea of Inez keeping herself away from the pack and him made him recoil. But Morrh and Fenric had escted this matter to the point where they were just inches away from using him of turning against his packmates for the sake of a woman.


    He turned to look at Ally, who was sobbing like a delicate, bullied woman and turned to look at Inez, who stood in front of him looking rather bored. He said to her, "Ally here believes¡ª"


    "It is not a belief! It¡¯s a fact!" Ally interrupted. She dropped her hands off her face and pointed at Inez before saying to him, "It¡¯s her. I know it¡¯s her; she doesn¡¯t like me and keeps embarrassing me at the smallest opportunities. She must be the one who set that snake off in my lodge; she is simply evil. Kill! Can¡¯t you see it? She wants to kill me."


    "Alright, first of all," Inez raised her hand, putting a stop to the charade. She said, "It doesn¡¯t take too much to embarrass you because you are embarrassing enough already. Secondly, I was not in the pack this evening. I was at Esper; I have enough witnesses, including Alpha Sokolov and the rest of the enforcers, as well as many alibis who saw me there."


    She paused and added, "And given how all the lycans in the pack pay attention to what I am doing, they would be able to tell you that I returned with Alpha Sokolov and the rest. After that, I went straight to the pack and never came near your lodge. The surveince footage should clear my name."


    Inez slowed down as she went on, "And what surprises me is that you are quite assertive of the fact that I was the one who set the mamba at you when you have quarrelled with many of the pack members of your pack. So why me alone? Is it your little scheme where you brought a mamba to your lodge, set it free and then used me, all for the sake of kicking me out? Given how desperate you have been, I wouldn¡¯t put it past you."


    "What!?" Ally was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She turned to look at Inez and stated, "What nonsense are you saying?"


    "Are you the only one allowed to make a damn story?" Inez questioned back.


    "Its not a story¡ª"


    "Then what is it?" Inez pressed on. "Like I told you, I never came near your lodge, and I was not even in the pack to begin with. If the mamba was set in the morning, then sure, you could have used me, but why would you do it now?"


    "You are trying to muddle the matter," Morrh used with a frown on her face.


    "I am not," Inez was used to this, and she was now so calm when used of something that she had not done that she didn¡¯t even feel a ripple in her heart. It was dead. Even if it was beating, it was dead. "I am defending myself. She used me of something that I didn¡¯t do, and in return, I defended myself. Why call me here if you just wanted to announce to the world that I was guilty?"


    Morrh¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment. She turned to look at Killian with a hint of annoyance on her face and questioned, "Are you not going to say anything?"


    "What do you want me to say?" Killian nced at the woman coldly and stated, "She is right; why did you even bother to call her here to confront her if you were just going to push the crime on her head? She is right. I was with her when she went to Esper, she never had the time to do it."


    He paused and, with anger rumbling in his tone, he added, "And if you all cannot believe me, too, then you can question Finn and the rest."


    "Kill, we never said¨C"


    "We never meant that we didn¡¯t trust you¡ª"


    "It is she who¡ª"


    "And who was the one who brought her here?" Killian questioned sharply. "I was the one who brought her here. If you want to me someone, then go ahead and me me! Stop with these ridiculous tantrums," he then wheeled to face Ally, who was so shocked by his sudden loss of control that she stopped sobbing and started hupping. "Tell me, why are you insisting that she was the one who set the mamba off on you? It¡¯s as if you already know something, but you are not letting us know."


    "You are questioning me, Kill? For her? How could you¡ª"


    "Ally, tell me the truth."


    The words were filled with so much authority that even Inez felt her spine straighten slightly. However, she didn¡¯t feel sympathetic when she saw Ally¡¯s face turning pale with fear. This was theeuppance of that woman; who else could she me if not herself?


    Ally bit her lower lip. She crumbled on the floor, but not a word of confession came out of her lips. One had to admit that she was dumb but brave. She was willing to go against the order of her alpha but at the same time, theck of her response showed that she had lied.

 Chapter 108: Past And Present

    <h4>Chapter 108: Past And Present</h4>


    "Are you upset?"


    Inez heard Killian ask as the two of them stepped out of Ally¡¯s lodge. He had punished Ally with the cleaning duty to take care of the pack¡¯s training room. From what Selene told her, that ce was no different from a ground where piles of trash were thrown.


    ording to Selene, the training rooms were sttered with blood all over the walls, floor and even the roof. Sometimes, when the lycans went too feral, they would end up maiming someone, leading to flesh and bones being stuck all over that ce.


    ¡¯A butcherhouse will be cleaner than that ce,¡¯ she told her while holding her hand and patting it soothingly. ¡¯You might think that Kill let her off easily by handing her cleaning duty, but the truth is that many people would rather get hanged upside down than clean that ce.¡¯


    ¡¯True that,¡¯ a grumpy Laxus chimed from behind Selene, and something told Inez that he, too, had been given the same punishment at some point.


    She knew that Selene told her this because she felt bad about what happened to Inez, but honestly, she didn¡¯t even care about it. Others might believe otherwise, but Inez truly felt nothing.


    "No," she replied and when the man beside her raised a quirky brow, she raised her hands in the air and said to him, "I am speaking the truth. I am not upset;pared to the things that Eve used me of, this was nothing but a pretty, cute attempt in my eyes."


    She paused and added, "In fact, if Ally had been cruel enough, like getting a serious injury or something of the sort, then I would have no case to battle. It¡¯s a good thing that she is not smart enough."


    Killian arched his brows. He questioned, "Did Eve do that a lot? Put the me on you for the injuries that she got herself?"


    "You believe me?" Inez asked, sounding quite surprised.


    "I think it¡¯s quite clear," Killian hummed with a pondering look on his face. "You are not the kind of person who would lie about something that you didn¡¯t do. Just now, I felt it through the pack bond, and so would have the rest, which is why no one pushed you for an answer."


    "You were hiding something, but you certainly didn¡¯t tell a lie." He paused and asked, "Was it Ally who put the mamba in your lodge?"


    "She did." Inez agreed without hiding.


    "And you did, exactly what..." Killian trailed off, and Inez¡¯s smile was a little feral as she said to him, "Sirens canmand animals. What do you think I did?"


    Killian turned silent. His grandmother did tell him that sirens could control animals; they could even speak to them if they were powerful sirens. But he believed that these were nothing but rumours, but now that an actual siren had confirmed the truth¡ª


    "Ally just had to pick a fight with someone; she shouldn¡¯t have, eh?" Killian remarked, and it pleased the siren in Inez when she heard the note of admiration in his tone.


    She had been pretty miffed about Killian putting her and her strength down. Now that she had gotten the recognition that she wanted, Inez knew that her siren would be a bit satisfied for a while longer.


    Inez, however, ignored everything and simply smiled at the man without saying anything. She had no idea why her siren found Killian so amusing, even though the man hadn¡¯t gone out of his way to impress them and yet her siren was simply thrilled with the mere fact that Killian was escorting them back to their lodge.


    Pathetic.


    The two of them walked in silence until they reached her lodge. She could already see the traces of a few submissive lycans peering out of their lodges and looking at her through the windows. When they saw that she was perfectly fine, they seemed a bit disappointed and went back inside.


    "It¡¯s nice to see how wee I am," remarked Inez while climbing up the stairs of her porch. She didn¡¯t want to find a ce in the pack, but shifters were tactile creatures. Social and sexual touch was important to them. And going without it for weeks was not good for their mental conditions, but Inez had no choice.


    The lycans didn¡¯t want her, and she didn¡¯t want to fit in either. She was not going to put more meaningless efforts into something that was doomed to fail. Now she was only going to live her life her own way, a way that would not bring her pain.


    Killian followed Inez up the stairs and exined, "Lycas are closely knit since they are born. It¡¯s not in their nature to ept a stranger who didn¡¯t grow in their pack. I know that their actions are a bit rude, but they are trying." At least none of them had tried to actively chase after Inez and feed on her flesh and bones.


    Killian knew that it was due to hismands, but he was nheless proud of his lycans, who were doing a great job. At least they listened to him when it mattered the most.


    Inez paused and turned to look at him. She didn¡¯t say anything and just stared, which was enough to verbalise all the curses that she wanted to hurl his way, but held on. A good thing, too, because Killian wondered what others would think if they saw their alpha being cursed at by atent.


    Upon reaching the door, Killian watched Inez take out a key that she was carrying in her pocket and twist it around in the lock. She then turned to look at him and questioned, "Do you want toe inside for a midnight snack or something?"


    "Sure," Killian replied. He knew that the woman was being just polite, but he was going to pretend that he didn¡¯t understand the undertone as he stepped right inside the lodge.

 Chapter 109: Past and Present (2)

    <h4>Chapter 109: Past and Present (2)</h4>


    Inez watched the man stroll inside her lodge as if he freaking owned the ce; in a way he did but it was still weird to see him take and use that liberty so easily. But then again, lycans were known for trespassing, stealing and burry. Compared to sneaking into her ce, this may have been better for him.


    She sighed, making sure that the man would be able to hear the annoyance in her voice before heading inside the lodge. The second she closed the door behind her, Inez had this urge to open it back again because his scent simply exploded even more intensely the second she closed the door. She found it hard to breathe, which led Inez to suck in another round of breath and it was a mistake.


    As his scent slowly started to fill her lungs, her siren stirred. A purr crawled up her throat, but Inez pushed it down. There was no way she was going to let a lycan take her to bed, especially one who was still somewhat hung up on his ex. Thest thing she needed was to get emotionally attached to a man who only wanted a quick fuck with her.


    She knew men like Killian. She had seen the same affection and twisted obsession in Dominic¡¯s eyes when he was tormenting her in the dungeons. The way he wanted to break her but still keep her alive and next to him. Inez knew that the second the man had taken her, that obsession would have disappeared. Maybe that was why she never allowed Dominic to sleep with her, even though her wolf had always been crazy about him.


    She didn¡¯t want that spark to fizzle out, only to be left with nothing but an aching hollow. However, even if she didn¡¯t want that to happen, it did happen nheless, and Inez wondered if it was even worth it.


    "What are you thinking about?" Killian¡¯s question caused her to snap her head up and look at him; he was already seated at one of the chairs around the dining table. "I thought you were making me a midnight snack?"


    "I said, if you want to get a midnight snack. I never said that I was going to make you one. If you want to eat, then you need to get on your feet and follow me to the kitchen." Inez was not his nanny or his maid, and she had no intention of ttering him. Especially when they were in a contractual rtionship where everyone got what they wanted.


    Killian arched a brow, but after realising that she was not joking, he released a long, tired sigh and got to his feet before following her to the kitchen. Inez had yet to get her sry, so she didn¡¯t have many groceries at the moment. Peering inside the refrigerator, she realised that she only had enough to cook two tes of tomato pasta along with two bacon and cheese sandwiches with a hint of her special sauce.


    Inez took the groceries out and handed Kin the tomatoes that she was holding in her hands before saying to him. "Wash them before putting them in a pot to boil."


    Killian took the tomatoes from her, and Inez watched him boil them for a few good seconds. Inez thought that the man knew his way around the kitchen, but that was until she saw him squash all the tomatoes together when she asked him to peel them. Her eyes stared at the mess that Killian had made, and she was simply speechless.


    "How¡ªhow did you even get this done?" She questioned while looking at the sttering on the walls, roof and the floor. She didn¡¯t even want to begin about the aisle that looked like it had witnessed a brutal murder of the tomatoes. Because Inez was sure that even a five-year-old would never be able to do a chaos worthy of this.


    "I thought I should tell you that I don¡¯t know how to cook," began Killian. "But you looked so sexy with that prim and proper schoolteacher tone of yours that I couldn¡¯t stop myself."


    Inez simply stared at the man. It was one thing that he had caused a mess for her to clean, but now he was trying to worm his way out by using such cheesy lines?


    She said to him with narrowed eyes, "You can at least wash vegetables, can¡¯t you?"


    "I can," he replied with a confident smile.


    Inez looked at him as if she didn¡¯t trust him quite yet, and that made Killian feel a bit affronted.


    However, as he took the basil leaves and spinach away from her, he realised that he was not made for the kitchen. He looked at the sorry state in which the fresh leaves were left and then raised his head to look at Inez, who was staring at the basin with a sinking gaze.


    "Bubbles."


    "Go and sit down in the living room." Inez pinched the space between her brows and simply refused to look at him. She didn¡¯t want to waste her time with Killian and just wished to clean the mess in the kitchen. Killian might not dislike it, as lycans were used to such things.


    But for Inez, it was nothing less than sheer horror.


    Fortunately, Killian didn¡¯t dismiss her order and went to sit in the living room. With him gone, it took less than fifteen minutes for Inez to finish preparing everything she had and set the dining table.


    "Let¡¯s eat," she said to Killian as she pulled the dish of pasta towards her and served some for herself.


    Killian followed suit, and one bite of the pasta made him groan in delight. He pointed at the pasta on his te and said to Inez, "It¡¯s really good. Did you learn how to cook?"


    ¡¯I can¡¯t have a luna who can¡¯t even take care of my pups for me, Inez,¡¯ said Dominic as he stared at the burnt cake that she had made for his birthday. ¡¯A Luna is supposed to be the mother of the pack...and you ¡ªwith what confidence did you propose to me?¡¯


    **


    Be kind to this book, my fairies! Show some love, please~ please~ love fairy tail.

 Chapter 110: A Second Chance

    <h4>Chapter 110: A Second Chance</h4>


    Pain crept into her heart, and Inez clenched the fork in between her fingers. She exhaled heavily and said to Killian, "I did learn a few tricks from my grandmother; after all, cooking is like the basic skill for survival."


    It was a lie, and Killian knew that it was a lie, but he didn¡¯t question her. Nor did he say another word when he saw the tears in her eyes. Even though his heart was breaking apart at the sight of her tears. His beast let out a roar inside of him, and Killian almost dropped to his knees to ask Inez how to make everything alright.


    How to make this stop? Because as long as she was willing to stop crying, he was willing to do anything.


    The pull alone was enough to make his heart clench with worry and anxiety. It also scared him. Killian had never faced or seen a woman in his life who had a power as strong as Inez had over him. He was the alpha of lycans, and with the blood of the lycan king flowing in his veins, how could he even think of kneeling in front of a woman?


    The thought alone was terrifying in itself.


    Why would an alpha even want to kneel in front of atent?


    Killian rose to his feet, and Inez raised her head. She had calmed down enough to will away her tears and was now looking at him with a frown on her face. "Is something the matter?" she asked.


    "It¡¯s nothing," Killian calmly replied, even though the ripples within his heart made him panic inwardly. He nced at the woman and, for the first time since he brought Inez to the pack¡¯s territory, he realised that he might have brought a lot more than just some slightly troublesome siren.


    **


    "Have you maybe considered that she might be your mate?"


    After making his abrupt escape from the lodge where Inez lived, Killian returned to his office before sharing his deepest and most profound secret feelings with Finn. The man had calmly listened to him without saying a word throughout the entire time, and once Killian had finished speaking, Finn parted his lips and asked a question which madeughter bubble in Killian¡¯s throat.


    "You are forgetting that my mate is dead, Finn," Killian barked. Just the very thought of that woman made his skin crawl. The pack only knew what Lyra wanted them to know; she had never, not once, let them find out what she had done and what kind of secrets she had carried.


    Her personality was carved and moulded to that of elegance and refined arrogance. She was like the little princess of the Vire family.


    Something Morrh had often imed.


    The mask that she had worn was so refined that even Killian couldn¡¯t see her for what she was.


    Sometimes he even wondered if there was some sort of mismatch up above in the sky. Mates usually bnced out one another. If one were darkness, then the other had to be the light. He was twisted enough in his head for his mate to be the same. But Killian knew the pull that he felt when he turned eighteen was not a mistake.


    "I am not iming that Lyra was not your mate or that you made a mistake on your part," Finn stated in a quiet voice. With a thoughtful look on his face, he continued, "There have been instances where shifters who have a failed mating would end up finding a second chance mate. It could happen to you, too, Kill. Maybe Inez might be the second opportunity that you have been waiting for."


    His mate? Killian shook his head. He didn¡¯t quite believe it. "I would have sensed it if she were my mate. I did it thest time with Lyra."


    "That¡¯s because you were eighteen and looking forward to meeting your mate," Fiinn corrected him sagely. "However, after what happened with Lyra, you seemed to have put your guard up. With your mind and soul so guarded, I don¡¯t think you will sense it. What¡¯s more, for one to sense that they are mates, they need to bare their all... You might not be prepared for that."


    Finn was indeed correct. After what happened with Lyra, forget about baring his all to someone; he didn¡¯t even want to tell a female shifter that he couldn¡¯t even taste anything that he ate. That he had lost more than he had gained every time he had loved someone.


    "Then she would¡ª"


    Finn scoffed as if he were amused by the suggestion alone. He crossed his arms and pushed the sses up the bridge of his nose. He said to him, "She was abandoned in the worst possible way by her ex-mate, Kill. Do you think she will be eager to trust another man? I asked around, you know.. About what happened to her in her previous pack."


    Killian raised his head upon hearing his beta¡¯s response. He frowned and remarked, "Did you not say that no one was willing to talk about it since Dominic passed down the order to his packmates?"


    "He did." Finn took out the information that he had collected and dumped it in front of Killian. "However, Dominic is not an excellent alpha that everyone would want to follow, Kill. His judgement is ¡ªespecially at the moment ¡ª causing quite a ruckus in their pack."


    Killian, however, was not listening. His eyes flickered left and right as he read through the information that was printed on the paper. By the time he finished reading the report, his beast was growling, and he too wanted to break the pact of not murdering another alpha without the approval of the council.


    Killian didn¡¯t believe that Dominic didn¡¯t sense the pull of the mating bond. He was older than Inez, and he must have sensed it. Even if he had not sensed it directly, he would have sensed it subtly. And yet he refused to acknowledge it leaving his mate to suffer in his hands?

 Chapter 111: A Second Chance (2)

    <h4>Chapter 111: A Second Chance (2)</h4>


    "You need to calm down," Killian heard Finn say.


    It was easier for him to say such words because he didn¡¯t understand what Killian was feeling at that moment. He felt livid. No, Killian was half certain that there was no word in the dictionary that could exin the rage that was building within him. He hated that he couldn¡¯t charge into Venus territory and throttle that bastard for putting Inez through something so sinister.


    As confident as Inez, she had her own innocence. One that was untainted and so fucking pure that even the first snow of the season would be shy in front of it. She could never have understood what Dominic was trying to do.


    This was not just a simple case of wanting to punish her, but a twisted and sick desire of a man who hated her, but because of the mating pull, he just couldn¡¯t let go of her. He wanted to break her¡ªbreak her in a manner that she would never be able to escape the palm of his hands and his twisted desires.


    Dominic hated her enough to stay away from her. He knew that he could not make Inez the Luna of his pack, but the pull of the mating bond was too strong for him to break free. So he came up with this ¡ªsadistic solution.


    "Stockholm syndrome," Killian growled through his teeth. "That¡¯s what he was trying to do to her. He wanted to break her until she was nice and putty in his hands. So he could keep her like his little pet."


    Finn stiffened under the alpha vibes that were pouring out of his pack brother. He tentatively agreed, "As far as the evidence shows, this is indeed the truth. I don¡¯t know whether Inez knew what Dominic was trying to do to her, or maybe it was an instinct of hers to run away when she sensed that something was going too far out of line."


    Killian threw the file hard on the table, and Finn nced at the anger that was radiating off the lycan as he got to his feet and started pacing around. He was calm despite seeing that Killian was losing control. He said to him, "Why are you upset if you don¡¯t even consider her as your mate?"


    Upon hearing that question, Killian paused. He turned to look at his beta, who was thoroughly amused with what he was looking at, and barked, "One of these days, you will meet a woman who will put you through hell, Finn. And I will remember every single bit of the torment that you have put me through."


    Finn only smiled. Like him, Finn carried his scars deep in his heart, and it was quite certain that he had no desire to look for his mate, nor did he have the slightest desire to imprint on another woman.


    If he were to say it in thenguage of his friend, females were a lot of hassle, and he didn¡¯t have the time for it. But Killian knew that there was something more to it, not that he had tried to break into the memories of his packmate.


    But he did see bits and snippets of it.


    The sights were not pretty, which led Killian to block those memories outpletely.


    He said to Finn, "Keep Dominic away from her. No matter what, don¡¯t let the wolf sniff his way to our pack."


    "Got it, alpha."


    **


    The world had always been twisted, demented and dark. It was not a ce where the good could ever survive. This was something Dominic knew.


    His father, a pure shithead who would send his sons to the fighting ring and watch them being ripped apart until he found the one pup who could stand tall at the end, had taught him this lesson long ago.


    Dominic didn¡¯t even remember the things or the crimes that he hadmitted, but by the time he escaped the control of his father, he had already lost a part of his sanity. He knew that he was out of tune with most of the shifters around him and didn¡¯t even know what he was missing until a certain tinum blonde made his way into his life.


    Ever since they were children, Dominic had been careful and considerate of Inez. He protected her like she was a part of him. Maybe somewhere he knew that she was a part of his soul and had kept her close. Had trusted her with his back turned on.


    She had done the same ¡ªso why did she betray him in the end?


    BANG!


    Dominic threw the bottle of liquor in his hands onto the floor and watched it shatter, just like how his heart shattered after watching Inez steal the siren of tears. He should hate her. He should be relieved that she was gone. Her life and death should have nothing to do with him anymore.


    And yet! And yet he craved her. His wolf was now refusing to talk to him. Though he did appear when Dominic needed him, other than that, his wolf was turning its back on him.


    The silence, plus the headaches and pangs in his chest due to the withdrawal of the mating bond, was making him irritable and annoyed.


    Every time he left his house, he would be reminded of the fact that Inez was not in the pack. Her scent was long gone, and Scarlet, despite bing the pack¡¯s new punching bag, was keeping her head held high. She even told him that she was not Inez. She would not crumble even if he kicked Ricky off the enforcers¡¯ team.


    She knew he wouldn¡¯t because he was already being called out for a hell of a lot of shit and kicking an enforcer who was doing his job quite well wouldn¡¯t bode well for him.


    But the fact that the woman had helped Inez sneak out of the territory was still on his mind.


    Click.


    "Dominic?"

 Chapter 112: Fingers around her throat

    <h4>Chapter 112: Fingers around her throat</h4>


    Dominic raised his head and turned to look at his stepmother, who had pushed open the door of his office with a tentative look on her face. Her eyes flickered uneasily as she took in his appearance and sighed heavily.


    Aurelia Cherith was his father¡¯s second chance mate. She was a tiny little thing when she came to the pack and had remained as one even after so many years had passed. With her red hair and golden eyes, she reminded him of an elf he had once seen in a forest.


    She was his stepmother, but Aurelia had been kind to him and had never once rejected him, even though he was not her child.


    "Mom", Dominic sat up straight on the couch, sending a bottle of liquor falling down. His expression turned a bit embarrassed when he saw Aurelia lowering her head and looking at the bottle that was spinning on the floor. "What are you doing here?" He asked.


    "I am worried about you," Aurelia replied as she picked up the spinning bottle and ced it on the table. Her eyes took in the condition of the room, and she sighed heavily. "How long are you going to continue living your life like this, Dom? This is why I told you that you shouldn¡¯t do something that you would regret."


    "A mating bond is not as simple as you think. Inez was a gift, a special one that the moon goddess gave to you; she was a piece of your half-soul. Rejecting her was equivalent to refusing a blessing that the Moon Goddess had blessed you with."


    "She is the one who¡ª"


    "I know," Aurelia interrupted him in a heavy voice. With a look of excruciating pain on her face, she said to him, "I know... and I understand that your heart is aching for the loss that you have suffered. But so have I. Abertha was my daughter, Dom. Her death hits me the closest, but you need to ask yourself if you ever told the truth to Inez?"


    Dominic didn¡¯t speak. Because he already knew the answer to that question.


    "You cannot demand honesty if you don¡¯t return it, Dom," Aurelia said to him as she looked away from him and nced at the declutter that he had made in his office. "And... I think it¡¯s about time youe out of your moping. The pack needs you more than ever now that the witches have started to run rampant again, Dom."


    Dom frowned. He ushered Aurelia into a clean chair and said to her, "What have you heard, Mom?"


    "I have heard rumours, Dom." Aurelia sat down and released a tired sigh. With her fingers, she pinched the space between her brows and rubbed them softly before saying to him, "There are all kinds of rumours flying around all over the ce. And from what I summarised, it seems like shifters are disappearing all over the packs. I wonder how many of our pack¡¯s pups and shifters were taken away without us knowing."


    Aurelia seemed worried, and her expression couldn¡¯t help but twist. She pursed her lips and added, "Our shifters¡¯ lives are at stake, Dom. This is not the time to grieve. You need to put your big-boy pants on and take charge of your pack. The morale of the alpha is the morale of the pack. If you cannot get your head out of your ass for yourself, do it for your pack!"


    Dominic¡¯s face flushed in shame.


    Aurelia was a submissive shifter. With her father being a human being, she only had half of the shifter blood, and yet at that moment, Dominic felt like his mother looked more like an alpha than he did.


    "Forgive me." Dominic sucked in a breath as he tried to suppress the withdrawal symptoms he was going through. "However, don¡¯t worry too much, Mom. We will think of something." His brows were slightly furrowed when he thought about the trouble that the witches were causing.


    He could not understand what the witches were trying to do this time around. After thest war, he thought that the witches had epted that bnce.


    However, it seemed that this was not the case. The witches were back, and with the continuous disappearances of the shifters, Dominic knew that they were back for revenge. This time, it was going to be worse than before.


    Dominic rubbed his forehead. He silently wondered what to do when he recalled Remy telling Killian about N.M.H. Maybe they should try breaking into this site as well. But as his worries piled up, another thought started to nag him.


    ¡¯Inez,¡¯ Dominic turned and looked outside the window of his office. He silently wondered where she was and whether she was safe. As much as he despised her, he hoped that she would never catch the eye of a witch, for even his torment would look like child¡¯s y if Inez were to fall into the hands of one.


    Maybe he needed to make a visit to Sokolov¡¯s territory.


    **


    Crack.


    Inez looked at the cup that had fallen on the floor, and her brows furrowed instinctively. She wondered if this was a sign of bad luck. She was not a superstitious person, but Scarlet did believe in such things. She would often tell Inez her horoscope, which, unfortunately, was quite urate.


    Of course, it could also be a coincidence, as her days in the Venus pack were all the same. Getting beaten, cursed and then locked up in the dungeon when she fought back. Inez stared at the pieces of the mug, hoping that they would magically fly into the trash can, but they didn¡¯t.


    "Shame I am not a witch," she mused as she picked up a broom and started cleaning the floor.


    It took her three swipes before she cleaned the floor and collected all the pieces that were scattered all over. Dumping them into the trash bag, Inez turned off the coffee machine and went to throw the trash away.


    However, just as she headed down to the ground where the trash was thrown, someone caught hold of her arm and harshly pulled her behind the trees.

 Chapter 113: Fingers around her throat (2)

    <h4>Chapter 113: Fingers around her throat (2)</h4>


    Before Inez could make out the head or tail of what was going on, she felt someone curl their fingers around her throat. A startled yelp escaped her lips as she turned to look at the man in front of her.


    "Did you tell Morrh about my little trip down the pub?" demanded Jared. His eyes were ring at her. But Inez could detect the nervousness in his eyes. The man was scared of his little affair being known.


    Interesting.


    However, with her neck in his hand, Inez was not going to pull any stunt. She narrowed her eyes and looked around, but before she coulde up with a n to get this man off her. She felt his fingers tighten around her neck.


    Damn this man. He better wish that she would not get an upper hand in this situation or else he would be saying goodbye to his fingers. Once and for all.


    "Did you?"


    "I didn¡¯t," Inez replied sharply. Her eyes shed with annoyance. She raised her hand and tried to push the man away, but with her wolf gone, Inez had only one trump card. A card that she couldn¡¯t even show to others unless she wanted to be caught and eaten. "I have no interest in your rtionship with her and that woman."


    Her attention was fixated on his voice, and now that she could hear him even more clearly, Inez was half certain that she had made a mistake.


    "Was it Morrh who sent you? Or was it Emma? Maybe it was my wife? Just tell me who sent you after me?" He questioned her in a low voice. His eyes were full of threats that Inez didn¡¯t appreciate.


    "I don¡¯t know either one of these women," Inez replied, and even though she was being held by her throat, the siren in her refused to bow down to this man who dared to speak to them in such an insulting manner.


    Jared heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he wondered if this woman was telling him the truth. He had a feeling that Inez had followed him yesterday. However, he had no evidence to prove that this woman had followed him. He said to her, "You better keep your mouth shut; do you understand?" He leaned forward and growled in her face. "If you breathe one word about what I did or was doing in the pub, I will make sure that it will be thest thing you do."


    He couldn¡¯t be my father, thought Inez. Sirens were prideful creatures, and they would never stoop so low as to serve other women. Sure, they charmed women and men, but they would be filled with arrogance.


    "Did you hear what I said?" the man growled, and Inez headbutted him as hard as she could.


    The man stumbled back and Inez, who was now free of his fingers, raised her knee and aimed it right where the sun shone.


    "You fucking bastard!" she snapped. Nursing her throat, she red at the man, "Who do you think you are to hurt me like this? Sleeping around with women for money ¨C that¡¯s what you do? Don¡¯t you? Do you think it¡¯s right to do such a thing? Have you ever wondered that maybe a woman you impregnated might live a life worse than death?"


    "You bitch!" Jared red at her while holding his crotch with his hands. "How dare you say such a thing? Do you think I am the kind of man who would leave a woman pregnant¡ªthey want to be with me, that¡¯s why I¨C"


    As the man was too agitated, Inez could smell his scent and pursed her lips in distaste when she realised that this man was neither a siren nor a shifter. He was the weakest of all, a merman. No wonder he was using such a strong shifter scent to hide his true form. Mermen and mermaids were like sirens, but at the same time, they were different in many ways and forms. While the sirens were like rabid chihuahuas, the mermaids were like the sweet little girls next door.


    They had no defensive mechanism, which was why they hardly came to thend, and if they did, they would hide themselves better than this man. Inez wondered how this man had survived this long without losing his life at the hands of the shifters or witches.


    Mermaids¡¯ blood was as valuable as dragons¡¯, which was why there were only a few of them left.


    "You make it sound like you are a better man if you are sleeping around with other women when you have a wife and a mate," snapped Inez.


    Before Jared could say anything else, the sound of footsteps echoed down the path. The two of them turned to look at Killian, who was standing at the top of the cobblestone path while holding two trash bags.


    "And what¡¯s going on here?" Killian asked. He slowly walked down the path, his gaze shifting from her to Jared, who was bent double. "Dear me, Jared. If you want to go and pee, then you can do it. Why are you holding it here?"


    He then turned to look at Inez before saying to her, "And what about you? You are a lostmb yourself. Why are you trying to help him?"


    Inez gritted her teeth when she heard him call her a lostmb. She replied, "I would rather help a rogue than help this man. It would be better if you kept an eye on what kind of person you let inside."


    Turning to Jared, she said, "I have better things to do rather than doing the bidding of your wife and other women." She scoffed. "I was wondering whether there were any decent shifters left in this world, but it¡¯s like it has be a trend to let your mate down. It¡¯s such a shame!" She turned around to step away from the man, but Jared was not keen on letting her go; he immediately reached out to hold her.

 Chapter 114: A proposal

    <h4>Chapter 114: A proposal</h4>


    "Mhm, I see," Killian nodded as he turned his attention to the man. Raising an imperious brow at the man, he said to him, "It seems like all the women you are serving are keeping you quite busy, Jared. Don¡¯t worry; we are worried about Morrh¡¯s childish tantrum just as much as you are. So naturally, we will keep your secret."


    Inez frowned when she heard his remark. It seemed like the lycans¡¯ senses were much better than she expected them to be. He even heard the conversation between the two, even though they were so far from where he stood just seconds ago.


    Jared¡¯s face turned red. He tried to turn the situation around in his favour. "It wasn¡¯t me who caused the trouble. It is her; she followed me to Esper yesterday. I believe she has some other intentions. Which is why I, being a gentleman, came to clear the air with her."


    When Inez heard his shameless words, she scoffed. She turned to Killian and defended herself almost immediately, "I didn¡¯t. First of all, I have always been curious about the pub, as I had never gone there but had heard a lot about it. It was just a coincidence that you saw me there." she paused and continued, "there was absolutely no need for you to drag me down here and threaten to kill me. Do you think you are painted with elf dust? Why would I chase after a man whose heart is as rotten as his dick?"


    "And not to forget, you tried to choke the life out of me just now."


    Now, Inez felt slightly annoyed. If she had known that her appearance would cause trouble for her, she would have returned to her usual self. She never once thought that Jared woulde looking for her. She only changed her appearance because she didn¡¯t want to be goggled by everyone in the pack like always.


    Who would have thought that her bad luck was this bad? She escaped the gossipy and contempt-filled eyes of the pack members but ended up getting entangled with Jared.


    Killian¡¯s eyes flickered toward her neck, and when he noticed the fingerprints on her pale skin, his lips thinned on their own.


    "It seems like you have been treating me lightly, Jared. Just because I am letting you on my territory doesn¡¯t mean that you are allowed to do anything that you want." Killian didn¡¯t raise his voice, but it was enough to make Jared shiver.


    The man, however, was either too bold, too courageously stubborn or simply a fool because a secondter, Inez heard him say, "Alpha Sokolov, are you really going to stand up for this woman? You...how could you step up for her¡ª"


    "Jared, is that how you should be talking to an alpha?" Killian questioned with a disapproving look on his face.


    Jared stiffened. However, he still held his ground and said to Killian, "You cannot threaten me, Killian. I have helped you many times. Not to mention, I am one of the few people you can use to make deals with the humans. You better think twice before trying to threaten me."


    Killian smiled. However, as he unsheathed his ws, Inez knew that the man was pissed off.


    He stepped towards the man, who took a step back. However, as Jared was not watching where he was going, he ended up slipping down the path as his foot hit the boulder that was behind him.


    With a mighty crash, the man fell on his bottom.


    "Tsk, tsk," Killian clicked his tongue as he stepped in front of the man. "I thought that a man with balls as big as you would be a bit more gutsy. Seems like I overestimated you."


    "Killian¡ª"


    "You should go back home, lest someone, especially Morrh, hear that you have been seeing other women behind her back."


    He heard the sound of fading footsteps, and when he turned around, he saw Inez climbing up the path. She was heading back to her lodge without looking at the two of them.


    Jared got to his feet; his stature was slightly crooked as he red at Killian. "Don¡¯t even think about ¡ª"


    "Retaliating." Killian finished for him. He slowly turned to look at Jared and said to him, "Don¡¯t ever think of retaliating. You might have a father with enough money to buy a bunch of shifter territories, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can control me or my actions."


    Inez, who had left the two men behind, quickly made her way to the lodge. She couldn¡¯t believe that she ended up getting into trouble once again, even though she had been careful.


    Though this time, Inez had to admit that she was careless. If she had been a bit more cautious, then Jared would have never seen her. But then again, Jared was the one who was too careful, as he was doing something wrong; he was worried about getting caught.


    "You really know how to get into trouble. Shall I tie you to myself?"


    Inez whipped around and saw Killian walking toward her. She gathered herself and responded in a calm voice, "It wasn¡¯t me who caused the trouble this time around. I had to do what I needed to stay alive. That man tried to choke the life out of me¡ª"


    "Do you think I care about that?" Killian arched a brow and questioned. "I wouldn¡¯t have batted an eye if you had killed him." He pinned her down with an interrogating gaze and questioned, "You still haven¡¯t told me why you went to Esper. Did you go to take a little peek at your ex-mate? Missing him too much, I guess."


    Inez¡¯s face turned red. She replied in a cold voice, "I just went there to enjoy it like any other shifter."


    "Is that so?" Killian questioned with a raise of his brow. "What a coincidence for you to go to the same pub as Jared and on the same night as well." He paused and added, "Bubbles, it seems like you have a really poor memory."


    "Why do you say that?"

 Chapter 115: A proposal (2)

    <h4>Chapter 115: A proposal (2)</h4>


    "I told you I am good when ites to catching lies, didn¡¯t I?" Killian tilted his head to one side and stated in a quiet voice, "It is such a surprise that a woman as wise as you keeps forgetting something so simple again and again."


    Inez sucked in a breath. She was about to speak when Killian raised his hand in the air. Seeing this, her instincts reacted before she could, and Inez flinched. Fear surged in her eyes as she froze on the spot like a deer caught in headlights.


    "A Cold towel." Before Inez could understand what the man was trying to do, she saw him trace the finger marks on her throat with the pad of his fingers. "These marks will fade soon, as if you are a shifter, even if you are atent, but the healing will be slow. Really slow. So as to avoid feeling the burn, use a cold towel to soothe it."


    Inez heaved a sigh of relief when she heard his words. So, he was just checking her injury. She thought that the man was about to hit her for causing him embarrassment by ruining a good alliance.


    "I understand, Alpha Sokolov," Inez replied.


    "Good, then you can go back and deal with your injuries first. There is no need for you toe to the pack hall today," Killian told her, as he believed that something about the incident with Jared had shaken Inez. Even though the woman wasn¡¯t showing it on her face.


    Inez acknowledged hismand and turned to walk away.


    Killian watched the siren walk up the path hurriedly. Once she disappeared around the corner, he turned on his feet and walked in the opposite direction. He met with Finn, who was heading towards him.


    "What is it?" Killian asked when he saw his beta hurrying over.


    "Your mother is here," Finn replied in a terse voice. He carefully eyed Killian, whose eyes remained nk while his lips remained curled up in a smile.


    "I see, and what is this about?" Killian asked as he continued to walk to the lodge where Grandma Edira lived. "Did she run out of money, or did she end up killing someone she should not have?" Killian was used to his mother¡¯s abrupt visits to his pack, even though she refused to follow him to his new pack and stayed where the memories of his elder brother were securely guarded.


    "She didn¡¯t say anything," replied Finn. "She only demanded that we bring you to see her."


    Kin didn¡¯t say anything. He knew that his mother would do something like this; she was a woman with a pride so broken that it could never be pieced together, and yet her arrogance knew no bounds. If she were someone else, Killian would have killed her for demanding the presence of an alpha without a prior appointment.


    When the two of them reached the office building where his mother was waiting for them, Killian noticed that Grandma Edira was rubbing her forehead with a hint of annoyance on her face. She looked as if she had had enough of whatever Molly was telling her.


    On hearing the sound of footsteps, the two women raised their heads and turned to look at Killian.


    "Killian."


    Killian turned to look at his mother, who was more like a stranger than the one woman who should have been closest to him. He didn¡¯t greet her, nor did he acknowledge her. Instead, he turned to look at his grandmother, who was sitting in the centre of the couch.


    "Finn said that you wanted to see me?" Killian asked his grandmother, who had a stern and serious expression on her face.


    "Sit down, Kill," Grandma Edira spoke to him. Her voice was soft, and there was a hint of tiredness in it. It seemed like whatever his mother told Grandma Edira was nothing good.


    "It seems like something grave happened," Killian remarked as he entered the building. He nced at his mother, who was sitting calmly while sipping on her tea. She didn¡¯t seem the least bit fazed, and it made something snap within him. "Did she kill someone?"


    As soon as he finished speaking, his mother choked on the sip of the tea that she had taken. Good. Now, at least both of them were ufortable.


    Killian sat down on the couch with his hands on the armrests of the armchair. He turned to look at Grandma Edira, who brought her hand down from her forehead and sighed heavily. She then said to him, "Your mother had brought an alliance... a marriage alliance. The girl is from a dragon shifter family. From what your mother told me, the girl is a good girl with refined education and would be a perfect Luna for the pack."


    "She even brought a folder filled with pictures of the girl. If you want, then you can take a look at the folders." Grandma Edira pointed at the folder with her chin, but Killian never reached out to take it. He simply stared at the folder for two seconds before turning to look at Molly.


    He said to her in a calm voice, "But my father is dead. Even if you want to send someone to apany him, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit too harsh to do such a thing to a young girl?" He paused and added, "And the parents of this girl agreed to arrange this ceremony?"


    Molly¡¯s face turned red in anger. She looked as if she were going to have an aneurysm at any second now. She gritted her teeth and snapped, "How can you say such a thing?"


    The smile on Killian¡¯s lips turned even wider as he looked at his mother, who seemed to be losing control. He asked, "My apologies, but did I make a mistake?"


    "The proposal is arranged for you, Killian! Why would I arrange a marriage for yourte father? The council would have my head if I killed the daughter of a dragon shifter couple. Especially when they are already on the verge of extinction."


    **


    Please support the book with golden tickets and power stones. Author San begs you all. I am on my knees here. Sobs!

 Chapter 116: The Drakos Family

    <h4>Chapter 116: The Drakos Family</h4>


    Killian stopped smiling altogether. He said to her, "I don¡¯t remember saying that I want you to look for a woman for me. This is my pack and I will choose my Luna."


    Molly pursed her lips. She was furious with how Killian had put her down; if it had been her eldest son, he would have never done such a thing. He would have understood her. Trying to ignore how easily Killian had ruffled her fur, Molly said to him in a cold voice, "You have long reached the age where the alpha of a pack should have given birth to a litter. As you have failed in settling down with a woman after the loss of your mate, I believe it¡¯s my duty to find a decent woman for you."


    When Killian arched a brow, Molly straightened her back and continued to speak, "And the family I have chosen for you is perfect. The Drakos are the only dragon shifters left of their kind in this world and time. As long as you imprint on their daughter, you will be the father of a dragon, as pure-blood shifters give birth to children with their respective abilities and beasts. Alpha Drakos has only one daughter, and she will be the perfect Luna for our pack."


    "My pack," Killian corrected the woman at once. "You do not stay here, you do not live with my pack, and you do not have any position which would give you the right to make any decisions regarding this pack."


    "I am your mother!" Molly got to her feet. Her face flushed red in anger as she red at her son. "I have the right to make such decisions."


    "You are Cole¡¯s mom, not mine," Killian snapped. "You have always been his mother. And since I am not Cole, you better not try to pull the same tactics that you tried to pull on him. He was willing to be your golden boy, but I will never do the same because I am not him."


    "Mother, say something!" When Molly saw that Killian was not willing to listen to her, she turned to look at her mother-inw. "Look at him."


    "You should have known that he would react in this manner, Molly. Tell me, what made you think that you can select a bride for Killian when you, as his mother, don¡¯t even know what his likes and dislikes are?"


    "Well, what I do know is what this pack needs. And what it needs is a well-behaved, respected woman who knows her values and can teach her pups to grow into fine gentlemen anddies. A woman of fine breed and manners," Molly stated with a haughty look in her eyes. "A woman like that, everyone will prefer unless they are blind."


    "Then I am blind," deadpanned Killian. "I do not need a female like that. If Cole were alive, she would certainly be his preference, but she is not mine because I am not my brother. We might have the same blood, but we don¡¯t share the same likes and dislikes. As I have told you countless times."


    "It¡¯s not a matter of whether your preferences are simr to Cole¡¯s or not. But you have to admit that this is what your pack needs." Molly¡¯s eyes red as she said, "I have seen the women with whom you spend your time. It¡¯s an embarrassment. Who knows what kind of woman you might make the Luna of this pack? It is only right that I help you with it."


    "Thank you, but there is no need," Killian replied swiftly. He turned to look at his grandmother before saying to her, "I have no desire to bring in a luna. You know that imprinting is a tender subject; if it goes wrong, then the worst oue could be death. It is better that I find a woman whom I like; that way, the risk factors will go down."


    "You are right, Killian," said Edira. She had no intention of forcing her grandson into getting into a marriage match because Killian deserved better than that. "You heard him," she huffed when Molly opened her mouth to speak. "There is no need to force your own son into doing something that he doesn¡¯t wish to do."


    If not for the fact that Molly had threatened to stay the night, Edira would have never allowed the woman to stay behind.


    "No, this cannot be done!" Molly eximed. She turned to look at Edira and said to her, "I have already promised the Drakos that Killian will be taking their daughter to a nice candlelit dinner. I cannot break the promise that I have made."


    Molly had finally found a way to control her out-of-control son, who refused to listen to her. She wanted to find a woman who could be controlled easily. She couldn¡¯t control her son, but she could control his luna. It would be the same.


    "Maybe this would be a good lesson for you," remarked Killian with his brow arched. "The next time you make a decision concerning an alpha, you will think twice because there is no way you can make an alpha listen to you. As you ought to know."


    "I am your mother. Alpha or not, this is not a bad deal if you think about it. The Drakos family is a family of pureblood dragons; having a son or daughter with dragon blood will only do you some good. Not to mention the treasures that might be yours."


    "If it is such a good deal, then you can be the mistress of the Drakos family¡¯s head. I believe that¡¯s not the worst of all the things that you have done." Killian got to his feet and was about to head out when Molly got to her knees and hugged Edira¡¯s knees. She said to her, "Mom, you cannot break the promise made to the Drakos family. Think about it; they will take it as a sign of disrespect."


    "And you know that dragons are inherently prideful creatures. We cannot risk a war!"

 Chapter 117: A Bad Premonition

    <h4>Chapter 117: A Bad Premonition</h4>


    Edira nced at the woman. A hint of annoyance shed in her eyes as she thought that Molly was unaware of the consequences, and that was the reason why she made a promise such as this one. However, after listening to her words, Edira understood that the woman was aware of the consequences. She just didn¡¯t use her head to the point of realising that Killian might refuse her.


    "Since you knew what might happen, why did you not think things through before? Why did you have to make a promise as dangerous as this one? I know that you are a wench who thrives on attention; you at least need to know what kind of attention you can take or not."


    "Mom..." Molly looked at Edira. Her eyes were filled with silent pleas; she indeed never expected Killian¡¯s rejection. She had been anticipating his agreement; after all, this marriage match was not a bad one. As long as the two of them ended up reaching an equal base, she was certain that the match was going to work.


    Edira Sokolov hated Molly with a passion. Because of this woman, she had lost almost all of her grandchildren. Fortunately, Killian and Selene made their way out of that incident alive, or else they would be under six feet in the ground, all because of her stupid obsession.


    However, she also knew that there was no point in rejecting a meeting arranged with the Drakos family.


    "Killian," she called to her grandson, who paused and turned to look at her with an inquisitive look. "Take the daughter of the Drakos family to dinner. Fulfil the promise that your mother made to their family. If you don¡¯t like the woman, just tell me. I will let the Drakos family know that we cannot y around with important things such as imprinting. Anyway, only fools and psychos would try to imprint on someone forcefully."


    Killian respected his grandmother. The woman had a tongue of pure and sheer venom, but she was also the one shifter who stood up against the torment of his stepfather and his mother. She fought against the alpha of their previous pack and won before taking him and Selene out of that pack and moving to his old one.


    If Edira had not stood up against the torment of his mother, he would have worried that he and his sister would have lost their lives at the hands of this woman.


    Killian knew that Molly knew this, and she was taking advantage of this but if this woman thought that she could control him, then she was damn wrong. He refused to be a pawn in her hands, the goody two-shoes that she would most definitely ruin just like she did with Cole.


    "If that is what you want, grandmother," replied Killian. He curled his lips when he saw Molly looking pleased and relieved. He said to her, "However, from the next time, I would hope that you will think twice before doing such a thing. Because begging can only take you so far."


    Molly¡¯s face turned pale when she heard her son¡¯s words. Even though the man had not said a single crude word. She knew that he was calling her a beggar.


    However, when she saw that Edira was not saying anything, she lowered her head and gritted out, "I will make sure not to do it again."


    "That will be sweet of you, mother. Not doing anything, just like always," Killian sweetly spoke as he turned on his feet and walked out of the office building. He needed vodka. A really strong shot of vodka.


    **


    "Do I really need toe with you?" Inez asked as she looked at Selene, who was dressed in a white dress with cute pink flowers printed on it. She was wearing little white pumps, which made her look even cuter. The two of them had finished another session to suppress Selene¡¯s attacks, and before Inez could leave, she heard the woman say that she wanted to go to the shopping mall to buy something for Edira and Morrh.


    Selene was applying the lip balm on her lips when she heard Inez¡¯s question. She turned to look at the woman, who seemed resistant to the idea ofing to the mall with her and said, "Come on, Inez. It is going to be fun. Think about it, if you don¡¯te with me, then Kill will never let me go to the mall."


    "With you by my side, there will be an addedyer of protection."


    Inez raised her brows. She said, "So I am being dragged because your bodyguards are not doing a good job?"


    Laxus, who was sitting on the couch with his eyes closed, pried one of his eyes open and looked at Inez, who looked right back.


    "I never meant that," Selene said sheepishly. "I just meant to say that Kill is really overprotective. If you don¡¯te with me, then he will likely refuse my request. But with you next to me, he will at least think about it."


    Honestly, Ines would have loved to stay at her lodge and try to learn new skills. One of the skills that she was learning was the Melody of The Unknown. This skill was a really useful but difficult one as well. As long as she worked hard, Inez would be able topose a melody which would give a peek into the future.


    Till now, nothing seemed to have worked, but she was not giving up.


    However, at the same time, Selene had cared for her and protected her quite well when no one else had taken care of her. Inez pursed her lips and sighed when she saw the pleading look on Selene¡¯s face.


    "Fine. I wille with you."


    "Yay!"


    "But I am not going to shop," Inez said at once. She would rather eat something nice than y the dress-up game with Selene. Something this woman did a lot.


    "As long as you are willing toe."


    Back then... Neither of the two knew the danger they were stepping into.

 Chapter 118: The First Prophecy

    <h4>Chapter 118: The First Prophecy</h4>


    "What do you think of this?" Selene asked as she showed Inez a baking book.


    "I am afraid that I cannot help you with this, Miss Selene," replied Inez with a soft smile. She looked at the innocent woman in the wheelchair and said, "I have no idea what the two women like." And even if she did, she knew that the second Selene presented the gift as something that she chose for Edira and Morrh, the two women would definitely refuse it.


    Selene frowned. She ced the book back on the counter and said to her, "You are right; I don¡¯t think that they will like a baking book." Though both of them liked to eat cakes, Selene wondered if her grandmother or Aunt Morrh would bake anything.


    She turned to look at the rest of the gift shop and groaned, "I just cannot understand what to get them. There are so many options; I just cannot fathom what to buy."


    Laxus nced at her. He opened his mouth but shut it close soon after.


    A good decision, thought Inez, as the man had given Selene more than six suggestions and none of them had worked because the woman didn¡¯t like any of them.


    "Why don¡¯t you buy a piece of jewellery for the two of them?" Inez suggested. She recalled how happy Evelyn was every time Dominic gifted her something expensive and shiny. Inez had no fondness for diamonds or gold, for sirens naturally felt proud of their appearance, which was prettier than any jewel.


    It was inherent arrogance that she couldn¡¯t get rid of.


    But women seemed to like them.


    "You are right," said Selene with a tired expression. "I might as well buy them nes or rings or something else. I mean, I will go crazy if this continues."


    As she finished speaking, Laxus heaved a sigh of relief. Though the man had notined, Inez knew that Laxus was getting tired of visiting shops after shops. And honestly, who was Inez to me him? She, too, could feel her soles hurting after walking for three hours.


    "I was thinking that a nice ruby ring would be nice¡ª"


    "When the sky peels open like skin, when the ground drinks fire and weeps tears of blood ¡ªwhen everything crumbles but not from the hand of a man. Then shall everything be razed, and something more than just men will rise."


    Selene was still speaking when Inez suddenly halted. Her eyes went ice cold and turned a pearly white. She spoke in a misty and chilling voice, which was different from her usual voice.


    Feeling hands pulling her upper arms, making her heart pound, Inez snapped out of the eerie silence where she was trapped... and found Laxus standing in front of her. The man was frowning hard while Selene was looking at her with a look of pure concern.


    "Inez! Inez, answer me!"


    Instinctively, Inez stepped back, as she didn¡¯t like it when someone touched her. Especially so hard as if they were trying to trap her. ncing around, she saw that everything was fine and yet Selene was looking at her with a worried look on her face.


    "What¡ªwhat happened?" Inez asked because she only recalled her entire body going cold and getting trapped in a space from which she could not get out.


    "You sort of went rigid and said something about the sky opening like a peeled skin and raze... what happened?" Though Selene had never seen or met with a siren before, and she had never confronted Inez regarding her identity, even though she knew that Inez was a siren.


    As far as she knew, Inez was her saviour who was giving her a chance to live her life. Other than that, she didn¡¯t care about what other identities Inez had, as she couldn¡¯t care less about anything else.


    "I¡ªwhat did I say?" Inez turned to look at Selene and asked her to repeat what she had told her just now, and once she finished listening, she exchanged a nce with Laxus. At once, realisation hit her and she said, "Run! Move! we have to fucking move now."


    Inez didn¡¯t need to say it again.


    Though the sudden change threw Laxus off, he still brought Selene in his arms and carried her out of the mall in a princess carry.


    Without breaking stride, the two of them rushed to the ground floor and nced behind them.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Selene asked as she couldn¡¯t understand why Inez and Laxus suddenly rushed out of the mall.


    "Unless you want to die, keep quiet," rumbled Laxus as he rushed past the many cars with Inez dodging. Neither of them looked behind at the SUV that they had brought with them to the mall. Instead, she ran out of the mall on their feet. And then¡ª


    A st of fire erupted. A rumble shattered the ground, and heat raced after them like a poisonous snake.


    Inez didn¡¯t even think twice before she sent Laxus and Selene sprawling on the floor. She gritted her teeth in pain as a burst of heat exploded on her back. But even if the pain was enough to make her throw up, Selene was alive. Albeit she was shocked and scared, she was alive, and that¡¯s all that mattered.


    "Oh my god, Inez!" Selene gasped from somewhere, and Inez, who could only see white spots in front of her eyes.


    "Are you alright?" Inez asked while ignoring the ringing in her ears.


    "I am fine, but you¡ªyou...oh my god, Inez, you don¡¯t look good."


    Oh, that was all? Inez thought as she copsed.


    And the second, she fell, and all hell broke loose.


    Killian ignored the knock on the door of his bedroom, just as he was bent on ignoring everyone else. Instead, he stayed put on the seat on which he had been sitting for the past three hours since he hadid an unconscious Inez on it. The sight of her ashen face and dark smudges under her eyes was enough to make his wolf frantic.

 Chapter 119: Dominic’s visit

    <h4>Chapter 119: Dominic¡¯s visit</h4>


    The woman had not even moved once. If not for the fact that he could see the rise and fall of her chest, he would have been worried that she was dead.


    Another knock echoed, followed by an even harsher and impatient knock. "Kill, open the damn door," Selene shouted as she knocked on the door. The intensity of her knocks continued to rise, and so did her voice.


    Although he loved his sister, at that very moment, he didn¡¯t want to let here close to Inez when the woman was in such a vulnerable condition. Having her lying there, while half of the pack who didn¡¯t have the slightest consideration or care toward her... ittled both Killian and his beast. The animal was on the edge. He was pacing inside Killian anxiously while waiting for Inez to wake up.


    "Kill, I am telling you to open the door! She is my friend! I want to see her! I am worried about her."


    If Killian had a conscience, he would have felt bad for his sister. He understood that Selene felt guilty over what happened and wanted to make sure that Inez was alright, but he had no ns of letting anyonee inside the room.


    He couldn¡¯t trust his packmates, not after the stunt that Ally pulled. That woman released a mamba inside Inez¡¯s lodge. Who was to guarantee him that she would not do something simr when Inez was in this condition?


    A feminine huff echoed through the door. He then heard Selene speak in a quiet voice, "You better open the door, Killian. She is atent; unless you give her proper medicine, Inez will not be able to heal properly. Do you want her skin to be scarred...even more?" She added.


    Killian let out a string of curses and then crossed the room, where he opened the door and yanked it open. When he saw that almost the entire pack was standing outside, he knew that Selene had yed him. But he also knew that she was right. Inez couldn¡¯t heal herself without external help.


    He moved to one side and pointed at Selene and Laxus before saying, "Just you two."


    And when the rest of the pack started toin, he simply ignored them and closed the door on their faces.


    The second Selene stepped inside the room, her expression crumpled into one of concern, and she looked at Inez. As the two of them approached the bed, Selene questioned, "Did she wake up? Flitted in and out of consciousness?"


    "No, she didn¡¯t even move, much less open her eyes," Killian replied. Though he had dealt with the superficial wounds and the burns on her back, they were healing rather slowly. Maybe it was one of the many cons of losing one¡¯s wolf?


    Selene frowned. She reached out and took Inez¡¯s hand in hers and carefully examined her condition. She said, "Her pulse is strong. Maybe her system has shut down because she used her new powers for the first time."


    As soon as she finished speaking, Laxus turned around and looked at Killian. He parted his lips and softly asked, "So she is a half-siren."


    Since Selene had finally stepped on the topic around which they were dancing, Laxus braced himself and asked the one question that had been pressing against his mind.


    "She is," Killian answered as he turned to look at the two of them. "Which brings us back to the topic, what happened in the mall?"


    Selene pursed her lips before replying, "She sang a prophecy. Told about the st before it happened."


    "How did you know that the prophecy was about the explosion?" Killian asked.


    "Well, we didn¡¯t," exined Laxus quietly. "We only guessed because her prophecy told something about a building being razed and something of the sort. We just made the connection and took the risk of running out in the nick of time or else..."


    "We would be dead."


    And that spoke volumes about just what would have happened if Inez¡¯s siren side had not stirred and sung the prophecy when they needed it the most.


    "I have always heard about sirens singing and luring the sailors with prophecies of their future, dreams and fatal ws, but this was my first time seeing it." Laxus rubbed his arms and shuddered. "I would rather not see it again. It was terrifying; for a second, it was as if I could feel the explosion happening around me even if it hadn¡¯t."


    Killian nced at the man and stated, "It must be due to your closeness to her."


    Laxus nodded. He had read a little about the sirens, as they had always been shrouded in mysterious air. Hidden from the shifters and the witches, they had never stepped out of their territories, which were surrounded by a magical force which neither a shifter nor a witch could trespass. It made him wonder what made a siren have a child with a shifter.


    Because never before this had they ever seen or heard of something like this before.


    "Don¡¯t let others know," Killian pointed out as he reminded the two of them. No matter how powerful Inez was, she was still prey in the eyes of shifters. If the truth about her being a half-siren was known to others, Killian was afraid that her life would fall into danger. "You are free to praise her to the moon and back, but don¡¯t tell anyone the truth about how she saved your life."


    Laxus nodded while Selene rolled her eyes. She said to Killian, "Why would I do something so silly?" She turned to look at Inez and sighed, "I hope she will get better soon." Her eyes turned fierce as she stated coldly, "I really hope Alpha Cherith will suffer a fate worse than hers. How could he make her lose her wolf? If he ever came in front of me, I will¡ª"


    "Killian," called Matt. "Alpha Cherith is here to meet you."


    Killian paused and then turned to look at his sister. "Well, it looks like your wish is about toe true, sister."

 Chapter 120: Familiar scent

    <h4>Chapter 120: Familiar scent</h4>


    Killian stepped into the office. His gaze swept towards Dominic, who raised his head just in time for their gazes to sh. Killian hooked up his lips in a soft smile as he said to him, "So what did I do to owe this pleasure, Alpha Cherith?"


    Dominic stood up from the couch and walked over to the table, where he sat in the chair opposite Killian. He adjusted his jacket and, with his eyes on Killian, he asked, "I believe that you have heard about the shifters¡¯ disappearances?"


    "I have," Killian allowed.


    "You have," Dominic echoed, his lips thinning. "Then you should have also known that this matter should have been taken to the council for the other shifter¡¯ packs to know about it as well. Don¡¯t you think that you were a tad bit careless regarding the safety of the other packs and shifters?"


    Killian tapped his fingers on the table. With a disapproving expression on his face, he stated, "I think you are the one who is in the wrong, Alpha Cherith. First of all, these disappearances are nothing new. As long as you have your wits intact, you will notice things are not as simple as you think they are."


    "And just because I didn¡¯t think of telling the council, do you think no one else did?" Killian asked softly as he leaned back on his chair. "The council have not intervened, which means they do not wish to ept these disappearances."


    Dominic¡¯s jaw hardened. He questioned, "And you have no intention of letting the council know about N.M.H.?"


    Hearing his response, Killian beamed. "Oh, so you paid attention to what I was telling you? It¡¯s a good thing that you were paying attention to the interrogation. That solves a hell of a lot of things."


    Impatience flitted across Dominic¡¯s expression as he looked at the alpha lycan. "Can you stop talking in circles? I am here because I want to ask you about this site and whether you were able to break through it or not."


    "Does it mean that you were not able to?" Killian questioned with a hint of amusement, and in response, he only received a growl, which made the lycan chuckle. "There is no need for you to be upset. After all, everyone has their own weaknesses and strengths. It¡¯s not a big issue if your pack hackers couldn¡¯t break through the site. I will let Matt help them out. If that¡¯s all, then I believe that we need to go back to our daily routine."


    The way he spoke was infuriating enough, but Dominic was not foolish enough to refuse his help; as much as he despised Killian¡¯s arrogance, he had to admit that the man had his own strength. He got to his feet before pausing and taking a look at Killian. "Where is that woman? You bored with her yet?"


    Killian did a slow blink. "What woman?" he had to have misheard this guy. There was no way Dominic was still hung up on Inez.


    He, however, had underestimated the effect of the mating pull.


    Dominic was still under the effect of the mating bond, even though he hadn¡¯t worked on his issues with Inez, which was downright pathetic in Killian¡¯s eyes. His world had been filled with ck and white; there was no such thing as grey. Either he wanted one thing or he didn¡¯t.


    There was no such thing as push and pull.


    Nothing was worth enough to cause him mental torment.


    "That redhead, the one at Esper whom you took away," reminded Dominic, and suddenly Killian found his beast pressed right against his skin. Even though Dominic had only casually mentioned it, something about this entire conversation made his beast agitated.


    "I believe that is not your concern, Dommy," Killian calmly stated. His eyes flickered to Dominic¡¯s heavy eye bags. "You should first deal with your issues; there is no point in drowning in sorrows when you know that they will rebound. You either face them head-on or you let go."


    Dominic gave him a brittle smile. "Thanks for your advice. But I don¡¯t need to take ¡ª"


    He stiffened as he turned to look behind him.


    "What¡¯s the matter?" Selene, who had arrived at the office to discuss something with Killian, stiffened when she saw Dominic looking at her with a gaze that was so intense that it sort of froze her insides.


    However, Dominic didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he strode towards the woman, only to be stopped when a wall of muscles stepped in between the two of them.


    Tension started to rise in the room as Dominic red his nostrils and took in the scent that he knew all too well.


    "Where is she?" he rumbled while looking down at Selene, who was frowning hard.


    "Back off!" Laxus spoke coldly while looking at the man who was standing in front of him.


    Of course, his words fell on deaf ears as Dominic continued to stare at Selene. He once again questioned, "Where the fuck is she?" There was no way he would mistake this scent, a scent that he knew all too well.


    "Where is who?" Killian asked calmly as he too got to his feet and stepped in between the situation that was slowly getting out of hand. He looked at Dominic, whose wolf was pressing against his surface and stated, "You need to calm down, Alpha Cherith."


    "You hid her, didn¡¯t you?" Dominic narrowed his eyes and questioned. "If not, why would your sister smell like my mate?"


    Selene felt her breath hitch, but Laxus nced at her with a stern look. She immediately calmed her heartbeat down and morphed her expression into that of a confused one.


    Killian¡¯s expression stayed nk. He raised his hand and flicked his finger on Dominic¡¯s forehead. And the impact of the flick was enough to send a man flying, but Dominic stayed put. He then heard Killian say, "It seems like you are dreaming even in the day. Why would I hide your mate in my pack?"

 Chapter 121: Suspicions Cleared?

    <h4>Chapter 121: Suspicions Cleared?</h4> "Tsk, I thought that as an alpha, you would have a brain better than others. Why are you snarling and spitting in front of my sister? Is she not allowed to buy the same scent as your mate?" Killian mocked Dominic. His lips curled up in mirth, and he said to him, "Just because you smelled the same scent, you almost pounced on my sister? I will suggest that you go and get your head treated, Alpha Cherith. Or it wouldn¡¯t take long for you to be caught and thrown into prison for molesting female shifters."


    Dominic eyed him carefully as if he were trying to see the truth behind Killian¡¯s ims, which, in Killian¡¯s eyes, was nothing but a foolish act. Lycans could lie as easily as they could down vodka. Trying to catch a lycan when they were lying was an act simply impossible.


    "I hope that you are speaking the truth," Dominic stated as he turned on his feet and swiftly headed out of the office.


    His pace was quick and yet determined.


    "Close the door," said Killian as he turned on his feet and headed back to his chair. He turned to look at Selene and asked, "What happened?"


    "I am sorry," Selene was quick to apologise. She said to Killian, "I just came to tell you that Ally tried to attack Inez after you were gone, so I sent her to the dungeon." Selene could never understand Ally¡¯s thought process. How could someone attack the weak or the injured? And what¡¯s more, Inez had saved her life.


    She had proven her loyalty to the pack, which meant that she was supposed to be given the same loyalty and respect as any other member.


    "She did?" Killian was not even surprised as he locked the drawers of his table and straightened up.


    "She did," Laxus affirmed. "She tried to sh Inez¡¯s throat when no one was looking," he paused and added, "However, we don¡¯t believe that it was her idea. "Ally doesn¡¯t have the courage to do such a thing without someone leading her to do it."


    Selene frowned and nodded. "That¡¯s right; when we caught her and threw her in prison, she kept yelling that she had no idea what she was doing or how she even got close to Inez. She said that she was innocent and there was no way she would do something so foolish. And honestly, I think that she is right; for two seconds, I did think that Ally was possessed when she approached Inez just now."


    When Killian heard her response, he narrowed his eyes. He nced at Laxus and asked, "Did anyone see Inez singing the prophecy?"


    "In the mall? There were a lot of people who saw her going rigid." Laxus stated with furrowed brows. His gaze met with Killian¡¯s, and he questioned, "You think that one of the onlookers was a witch, the one behind the explosion?"


    "Do I even need to make a guess? I am certain that this was the work of a witch."


    And Killian¡¯s guess was spot on.


    The next day, when the council finished the investigation of the explosion of the mall, which led to the death of 45 shifters and 11 humans, along with 656 injured individuals, the news reporters stated that it was nothing but a sort of malfunction. However, the shifters knew that there was no such thing as a malfunction that could cause such a dangerous ident.


    "The council are still refusing to admit that this was a deliberate attack, which means that they have caught the trace of witches," Ajax said as he took a bite of his apple. He turned to look at Killian, who was finished with his breakfast, and questioned, "Why are they so adamant on refusing to ept that the witches were back?"


    "They are not willing to face the reality." Killian ced his cutlery back on the te as he got to his feet. He nced at the giant television screen and smirked. "Thest time the witches appeared, they couldn¡¯t do a thing. If not for the head of the council who took charge of the war, they all would have died years ago."


    "Now that they have to face the same terror that they couldn¡¯t face thest time. After all theforts they have enjoyed, of course, they would be resistant to epting the truth."


    The return of the witches would put the council and elders in jeopardy. The fact that they couldn¡¯t even detect something that a child could have would certainly not look too well on their nice, shiny reputation.


    Killian curled his lips and turned his face away from the screen before heading to the lodge where Inez was. Several hours had passed since the woman passed out, and she was yet to wake up. Though she did flit in and out of consciousness, he couldn¡¯t count it because, from the looks of it, Inez was having nightmares.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what the nightmares were about, and he didn¡¯t have the right to ask her either. But it did make him curious and interested as well as concerned. He couldn¡¯t ept that this was something that Inez suffered from every night. The fact that she wasn¡¯t his concern didn¡¯t seem to matter to his instincts or his beast. And it was slowly bing a matter of concern for Killian.


    As he pushed open the door of his bedroom, Killian strode inside and saw Inez sitting up on the bed. Her eyes were wide with terror, which he was quick to catch.


    "You are all right," he told her. "You are in my lodge."


    Her gaze softened as she licked her lips, seemingly a bit calmer than usual.


    "How are you feeling?"


    It took her a long time to answer. "I am fine."


    "Do you recall what happened before you passed out?"


    After another moment, she nodded and replied, "I do. An explosion happened ...and I was the one who made the prophecy of it. Right?"


    **


    Please support the book with golden tickets and powerstones my lovely fairies <3

 Chapter 122: In your debt

    <h4>Chapter 122: In your debt</h4>


    "Yes, you did," Killian replied. He couldn¡¯t make any kind of contribution to the investigation since he was worried about Inez. All the information that he knew was courtesy of the council and Finn, as he wanted to stay with Inez. "You saved my sister¡¯s life. You actually saved her at the cost of your own life. You knew that it would hurt you, but you still did it." He hated that she had put her life at risk for his sister, as he knew that Inez was worried that if she didn¡¯t put Selene first, the me would lie with her.


    He was the alpha of the pack, and it was his instinct to protect every female and child of his pack. And he had taken Inez under his wing. She was under his protection, and yet she got injured in such a manner. He was the one who had caused her pain. If he had been careful, then nothing like this would have happened. If only Killian had given her a sense of security, then Inez would never have ced her life on the line like this.


    She swallowed hard at how Killian was looking at her. "Of course I did. Did you expect me to stay and watch her get hurt?"


    "You didn¡¯t have to. You don¡¯t owe me anything for you to put your life at risk like that."


    "I know that; there is no need to say it out loud. Just think of it as a favour that I did on your pack," said Inez as she let out a yawn. Even though she had been out of action for the entire night, she still felt tired, as most of her mana had been used in making that prophecy.


    Killian¡¯s lips twitched into a smile. "Thank you for what you did."


    "Don¡¯t thank me. It just happened; I cannot take the credit for something like that."


    It seemed like too much praise and gratitude made his siren ufortable. Killian smiled at her and said, "I am still grateful. If not for you, Selene would have lost her life today."


    Inez didn¡¯t say anything. She ran her fingers through her hair and then asked, "How long was I out?"


    "An entire night and half a day." He noticed that she was not surprised and asked, "You don¡¯t seem surprised; did you know that it was going to take so long?"


    "I read all about the sirens and their powers," replied Inez. "The book did say that making prophecies could take a lot of mana, which might cause the sirens to be unconscious for more than just a few days. Sometimes, if the sirens make prophecies that can change the future of the world, they might even stay unconscious for months."


    It was quite fortunate that the prophecy only saved a few lives. "Do prophecies happen without you knowing?" Although he had never met any sirens, they were often written as some powerful and mystic creatures who knew things better than the shifters and the witches.


    "As far as I know, it did happen without me knowing it."


    "Selene told me it was quite scary. Your eyes turned white, and it seemed like you had lost your soul," Killian ryed the information that Selene had told him to Inez. He didn¡¯t like the very idea of seeing Inez cold like that. He hadn¡¯t even seen it with his own eyes, and yet the very exnation had caused his beast to turn panicked.


    Inez opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sharp and crisp knock on the door. Though Killian didn¡¯t open the door, he knew that it was his grandmother. "It¡¯s Grandma Edira and the others. Are you willing to meet with the members?"


    Inez knew that she had to do it sooner orter, so she nodded and said, "Sure," even though she would have loved to go back to her lodge. Inez stayed where she was. With a sigh which was filled with irritation, she tried to suppress the urge to faint again. She watched as Killian opened the door and Grandma Edira walked inside with Selene. And for the rest of the pack, he pushed them all out with a growl that was chilling enough to even terrify Inez, much less his pack.


    As Inez jumped out of the bed, Killian returned to her side. When she turned to look at him, Inez was quite surprised to see that the man¡¯s stance was quite protective towards her. If she had not known that Dominic was her mate, then she would have wondered if she was the mate of this lycan.


    Grandma Edira noticed his actions and her brows jumped a little, for she had never seen her grandson so protective of a woman before. Even Lyra.


    The woman had lost the usual condemnation in her eyes, and now she was looking at Inez with a hint of appreciation.


    "How are you feeling?" Grandma Edira asked while looking at Inez.


    "I am feeling just fine," replied Inez.


    "Selene told me that you have saved your life by your quick wits."


    "That¡¯s right," said Killian, wanting his grandmother to fully appreciate and acknowledge just what she could have lost if not for Inez.


    Grandma Edira¡¯s eyes flicked toward Killian. She then turned to look at Inez. With a nod, she said to her, "I am in your debt, Inez. I will never forget it."


    Inez was going to tell Grandma Edira that there was no need, as she didn¡¯t owe her anything. However, a secondter, Selene was holding her hands and weeping softly. "I am sorry you had to suffer so much because of me. You were never given any kind of respect in our pack, and yet you were willing to give your life for me. I will never forget the risk that you have taken for me."


    "No¨C" She wanted to tell Selene that she didn¡¯t need to feel guilty because she was the one who made the decision but the woman was already heading out of the room with Grandma Edira.

 Chapter 123: Warmth Of A Pack

    <h4>Chapter 123: Warmth Of A Pack</h4>


    "Do you want to go back to your lodge?" Killian asked just as he ushered the rest of the pack to return to their lodges and leave Inez alone.


    Inez closed her eyes and then sighed before saying, "Stop, there is no need for you to be this nice to me."


    "Why?"


    "Because it¡¯s weird."


    Killian curled his lips and remarked, "I never thought that you were into such tendencies. You like it when I am being sarcastic with you?"


    Inez turned to look at the man. She pinned him with a harsh re and said to him, "I am still the same woman who is rumoured to have stolen Eve¡¯s hard work, the same one who was chased out of her pack, the same person whom you brought to your pack for saving your sister. I don¡¯t think anything changed."


    "Your pack members might be feeling grateful toward me, but sooner orter, they will forget about it."


    "You don¡¯t need to tell me this; I already know these things." Killian sighed. He then reached out and touched the wound on Inez¡¯s neck. "Do you feel pain in your neck?"


    "I do," Inez replied with a frown as she touched the bandage on her neck. "However, I don¡¯t recall getting injured on my neck." As far as she knew, she did receive an injury on her back and not her neck.


    Killian¡¯s expression became subtle. "It might be because of Ally. Selene said that she snuck inside your room and tried to kill you." He paused and added, "However, she did say that Ally was not her usual self when she attacked you."


    "You mean to say that she was possessed?" Inez offered surprising the lycan. He raised his brows and asked, "How do you know that she was possessed?"


    Inez scrunched up her nose and said, "She and I might hate one another on a daily basis, but I also know her well enough to know that she could never do something so bold as killing someone."


    When Killian heard her response, he was quite surprised. As he thought that Inez would have used this opportunity to send Ally away from the pack, but it seemed like the woman didn¡¯t hold grudges for long. As if she realised what he was thinking, Inez curled her lips and said to him, " Did you think that I would ask you to punish Ally? I might dislike her, but I will never do something like that. I know how it feels when your pack starts hating you for something you didn¡¯t even do."


    She wouldn¡¯t wish what happened to her on anyone else, for Inez knew how it felt. Ally would never dare to kill her, especially not with her pack bond at risk. The fact that she did it could only mean that she was under the influence of something else.


    It made Inez wonder if she had made her way into the red book of a witch.


    With a sigh, she raised her head and looked at Killian, who was smiling at her with a knowing look in his eyes.


    "What?"


    "It¡¯s nothing. You are quite a kind woman, aren¡¯t you, bubbles?"


    Inez rolled her eyes. She tucked her hair behind her ears and then said to him, "Stop teasing me."


    "I didn¡¯t even say anything," Killian said as he raised his hands in the air.


    "You obviously were." It was obvious that he was stifling a smile. Annoyed but amused, Inez walked out of the room and along thending of the flight of stairs. From downstairs, she could hear countless voices, which told her that the pack had not left Killian¡¯s lodge.


    Behind her, Killian sighed. He said to her, "I know that you are tired but these people are one noisy fucker and will not leave unless they see that you are alright. Just talk with them a little, and I will send them away."


    Inez felt a bit awkward after hearing his request, but she still nodded.


    As soon as she stepped inside the living room, every single person except for Fenric and Morrh, who were upset about Killian standing beside Inez like a protective guard dog, swarmed over to where Inez was standing.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Selene told me that you were hurt quite a lot when you saved her life."


    "Does it still hurt?"


    "My grandma sent a few recipes that you can make; it will help with the scarring."


    Inez was almost overwhelmed by the sudden care of the enforcers, and Killian had to step in between as he looked at his enforcers and said, "Alright, everyone back down."


    Everyone followed his orders, but they stayed around her. It was weird. Because, as far as Inez knew, she had done much more dangerous things at the Venus pack, and no one had treated her with so much care and affection. They all took it as if it were something that Inez was supposed to do, and she too thought the same.


    Finn stepped in front and looked at Inez. He said to her, "You have done a great favor for our pack; no matter what you need or want, just say the word."


    Inez wanted to tell him that there was no need for them to treat her like she had saved Selene from the brink of death, but before she could, Killian ced his hand on the small of her back and then pushed her slightly. He said to the rest of the pack, "Now that you all have seen her, she needs to leave."


    As the two of them walked past the pack, Inez heard Selene say, "Expect a lot of visits!"


    "I will being for the roasted chicken," called out Ajax.


    "And don¡¯t forget the cookies!" Levi shouted.


    The only one who had something bad to say about the entire situation was Fernric, who red at Killian and snarled at him. "You really didn¡¯t deserve her, Killian. You really didn¡¯t!" He turned his head and red at Inez with the same hatred as Killian, just as Morrh stifled a sob and chased after her son.

 Chapter 124: Irony

    <h4>Chapter 124: Irony</h4>


    "That was weird," Inez remarked as she entered her lodge. She was not used to such affectionate behaviour, especially when her own mother made it a mission to make her realise how difficult it was to love her.


    "Was it?" Killian followed her inside and nced at the woman who plopped down on the couch, with her head thrown back. He watched Inez as she twisted her neck slightly to the side and looked at him with a hint of annoyance in her eyes. "Yeah, it was, and why are you here? Shouldn¡¯t you be busy with your alpha stuff?"


    "Alpha stuff?"


    "Yeah, you know, the boring, usual day-to-day activities that you go through?" Inez offered with a sweet smile. "I bet you have more important things than to worry about me?"


    Killian arched a brow as he strode to where she was sitting. He lifted her legs and pushed them to one side before sitting next to her and said to her, "Well, I won¡¯t deny that I don¡¯t have anything to do, but I would rather wait until you are steady on your feet."


    Inez frowned. "Why?"


    "Because it is the right thing to do," Killian responded.


    "I don¡¯t need you to stay with me," she told him.


    "There is a fine line between need and want," stated Killian in a calm voice. "Just because you don¡¯t need me doesn¡¯t mean that you don¡¯t want someone to stay next to you."


    Inez eyed him with a suspicious look. "Well, if that¡¯s what you want. Be my guest."


    "Must have been hard," the two of them said in silence, and Killian suddenly spoke up. Inez raised her head and looked at the man. Her eyes were filled with confusion as she could not understand what Killian was saying to her. "Being different from the rest. Though I don¡¯t know how it feels, it must have been painful trying to adjust with shifters who can never understand your worries and differences."


    "It was." As soon as Inez finished speaking, she cursed. She hadn¡¯t meant to say those words out loud.


    "Did your identity as a siren make things difficult for you?" he asked, and from the spective look on his face, Inez knew that the man was definitely onto something and he was just waiting for a piece of evidence that would prove his theory just right.


    Dropping any pretense to continue being cordial with him, Inez got to her feet and then hopped off the couch. She said, "I am going for a swim."


    "I am your alpha; you cannot dismiss me like this, bubbles. I hope that you have understood that by now?"


    She had. And it was absolutely sickening that her siren simply adored this side of him. "Look, I am grateful that you watched over me when I was unconscious. But I am fine now. You don¡¯t need to linger here anymore."


    "I know." But he was still not going to leave, and this was something that Inez could see through his expression.


    "Fine. Do whatever you want to do."


    "I was going to." He always did, which made him a difficult person to love. Something that his mother told him many times. And so did Lyra. After all, she¡ª


    Instantly, Killian shoved the memory of their betrayals and the memories that they had left in his head before it had the chance to ruin his mood any further.


    He followed Inez out to the backyard, where he found Inez swimming in the small pool. Even though she sensed him, Killian could see that she was not willing to pay him any more attention than necessary. Inez was a stubborn and prickly little thing who was intent on keeping everyone at a distance.


    Killian could not understand why this intrigued him, nor could he understand what her scent and body lured him like a moth to a me. It must be because she was a siren; it had to be.


    <i>But no one else is as charmed by her as you are.</i>


    He had to admit that the voice in his head was right, but Killian was not too keen on acting on it. Inez had indeed earned a piece of his trust, but so had Lyra, only to show him why he shouldn¡¯t have done it.


    The sound of footsteps attracted the attention of the two of them, and they turned to look at Selene and Laxus, who had arrived at Inez¡¯s lodge at some point. Selene was holding a pot covered with aluminium foil while Laxus pushed her wheelchair to where Killian was standing.


    Seeing the two of theming over, Inez pushed herself out of the swimming pool and was about to head over to Selene when someone hurled something at her body. Inez looked down and saw that it was a towel. Scowling, she turned to look at the man beside her.


    As far as she knew, shifters were used to seeing all kinds of atrocities. Then why was he asking her to be decent?


    However, Inez didn¡¯t say anything as she tied the towel around her. She turned to look at Selene and Laxus.


    The man was looking at Killian with an amused look on his face. Even though he didn¡¯t say anything, Inez could understand what he was trying to say with his eyes, and her face turned red.


    Ignoring the way her siren twisted inside of her as heat pooled in her core, she turned to look at Selene. "What¡¯s this?" She eyed the dish in Selene¡¯s hands.


    Selene smiled, and Inez raised her brows. "This is something that grandma made for you."


    "So it¡¯s like a peace offering?"


    "No, this is her care for you. We know that you are still recovering and won¡¯t have the energy to cook, so grandma made you something." Selene replied, and when Inez continued to look at her in confusion, she exined, "There is no need for you to feel burdened; this is what a pack is supposed to do."


    Were they? Inez frowned and thought inwardly. As an old memory surfaced.

 Chapter 125: Irony (2)

    <h4>Chapter 125: Irony (2)</h4>


    A few months ago, she was travelling to another pack with Eve regarding a new project. It was a simple project, and yet somehow Eve had made everything ratherplicated. Inez looked at the pointers that the client had asked her to change and felt her head throb.


    ¡¯Did you even listen to what the client asked you the first time you went to see him?¡¯ Inez asked. She felt frustrated and angry as she had to do the entire thing from scratch. This was not about making a change in the project. It was about changing the whole thing.


    ¡¯I did, Eve replied while studying her newly done nails.


    Furious, Inez closed the file in her hands and turned to look at the woman beside her. She said to her, ¡¯No, you didn¡¯t! If you had, then I wouldn¡¯t have to change the entire damn thing. Do you even know how hard it is to make designs, Evelyn? I am not your fairy godmother who can summon things out of thin air!¡¯


    However, the woman next to her simply rolled her eyes and then took out a lip plumper from her bag. She pushed the wand two or three times in the vial and then said to Inez, ¡¯You are overreacting. Though I admit that I may not have listened to exactly what that woman was yammering about, I did hear the gist of it.¡¯


    ¡¯No, you didn¡¯t! That woman wanted a bedroom prepared for her eight-year-old daughter and not an eighteen-year-old. Which means that there was no need for the extra touch that you went ahead and added without letting me know,¡¯ Inez hissed angrily. She wished she could turn back time and do this meeting on her own. That would have been so much better.


    If not for the reputation that they had, the client would have definitely lost this deal. Inez wondered if Evelyn could even understand the importance of this deal. She turned to look at the woman who was studying her reflection in herpact mirror, and Inez was certain that she didn¡¯t.


    ¡¯Are you even listening to me?¡¯ Inez asked with a hint of anger in her tone.


    Evelyn rolled her eyes once again and then said to Inez, ¡¯Why are you getting angry? You will do it anyway, won¡¯t you? So what¡¯s the point of wasting your time yelling at me? Use that to fix the fuck up that you made.¡¯


    ¡¯How the hell is this made my fuck up¡ª¡¯


    The rest of her words came to a sudden halt as their car turned upside down with a bang. Inez could hear a buzzing in her ears. She tried to sit up when she heard the words of Luca, who was speaking to the driver, ¡¯Leave her alone. She can be a bait, and we can get away from those bastards who are chasing us.¡¯


    When Inez heard Luca¡¯s heartless words, her eyes widened. The haze in her mind cleared up. She turned to look at the man who was walking away with an injured Eve without looking behind. She was clearly just as injured as Evelyn, maybe even more. So why was she left behind to be bait?


    And the most unfortunate thing.


    When she returned to the pack, no one praised her, nor did they ask her if she was injured after shaking off the hyenas who were chasing after them.


    "Inez?"


    "Inez!"


    Inez snapped out of her memories. She turned and looked at Selene, who was looking at her with a hint of concern on her face. "Is everything alright?"


    "Yes," Inez smiled at the woman. "I am sorry; I was just lost in thought."


    "What kind of thoughts?" Killian asked with narrowed eyes.


    "What if I die of poison once I finish eating this dish?" replied Inez as she turned to look at the man beside her.


    Selene huffed. She handed the pot to Laxus and said to Inez, "I will leave the pot in the refrigerator. You can eat it when you feel like it." Laxus didn¡¯t even say a word as he took the pot from her and walked inside the lodge.


    When Inez saw him leave, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was quite ironic that she was epted in a ce where she didn¡¯t even grow up. These people trusted her even though what she did was nothing. Yet her own pack. Her friends. They didn¡¯t even give her a chance; they med her for something that Inez knew she had never done. They should have trusted her, as she had proven herself in front of them again and again.


    "My grandmother has never been fond of outsiders for her own reasons. However, you will be an exception in her eyes now. And please know that I will love you forever. If not for you, I would have lost the little time that I have gotten. To think that I would have died and that my grandmother would have med herself for this all her life."


    Selene shuddered, and her eyes turned moist.


    Killian stepped forward and patted his sister on the head. Even though no word was said, Inez still felt jealous of their bond. She, too, had a brother, but unfortunately for her, no one had ever cared for her like Killian cared for Selene. In fact, Ricky might not even be bothered by her disappearance.


    **


    "Did you receive a message from her?"


    Scarlet raised her head and looked at her brother, who was peering down at her. She scowled and said, "I told you that Inez is never going toe back... why would she do something so stupid, such as text me where she is and what she is doing? And even if she did, I would never tell you."


    "Why would you do that?" Ricky asked with a frown.


    "And why would I do it? So that you can run back to your master and tattle on everything that you have learnt about Inez?" Scarlet rolled her eyes as she shut theptop and stepped out of bed.


    Ricky scowled back at her and said, "I never ¡ªI am also worried about her, you know?"


    "Worried?" Scarlet scoffed. She turned to look at Ricky and stated, "You had, like, years to show this concern of yours, but you didn¡¯t. Forgive me if I don¡¯t believe your lies."


    "Does it not bother you that Inez might die outside!?"

 Chapter 126: On a Hit List

    <h4>Chapter 126: On a Hit List</h4>


    Scarlet burst outughing. She pointedly said to Ricky, "Aww, are you worried?"


    "This is not funny," Ricky growled. "Inez has been gone for weeks. If this continues, I am afraid that we might never see her again." he paused and added, "And I believe that Dominic regrets it just as much. Haven¡¯t you seen him? There are shadows under his eyes."


    "Well, there were wounds under Inez¡¯s clothes, and I never saw any of you worrying about it," remarked Scarlet with a hint of mockery in her eyes.


    "Scarlet¡ª"


    "Leave it." Scarlet¡¯s smile dropped, and it turned into a scowl as she said to Ricky, "Firstly, I don¡¯t know where Inez is. And secondly, even if I did, I would never tell you or anyone else where she is. Because you know what? After what you and the rest have done to her, there is no such thing as a second chance. So tell your master to kindly fuck off."


    Scarlet twisted on her feet as she dropped those words and headed out of the room without looking behind her. As soon as she opened the door, she ran into Maria, who was eavesdropping right outside of the door of her room. When Scarlet saw her mother, she rolled her eyes and walked past her.


    Maria chased right after her, and while fumbling with her words, she said to Scarlet, "Scar, you have to tell me where your sister is... she is not safe outside, believe me."


    "And she is safe here?" Scarlet didn¡¯t pause as she picked up her jacket from the rack and threw it around her shoulders. She tugged it close and then turned to look at her mother, who was teetering on the verge of saying something. "She isn¡¯t. Is she?"


    After she finished speaking, Scarlet was about to leave when ¡ª


    "She is a part siren."


    All actions ceased to exist at that very moment. Scarlet turned around and looked at her mother in shock. She whispered, "What did you say?"


    "Inez¡ªshe....she is a siren," Maria spoke. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she choked on her sobs. "I¡ªI told her to never tell her identity to anyone. But I never thought that she would one day run away from the pack. I am... oh, I am so worried, Scarlet. What if someone finds out the truth about her identity... I dislike her, but she is my daughter in the end. I can¡¯t... I don¡¯t want her to die. Please tell me where she is¡ªI am worried."


    She wrung her apron and added with tearful eyes, "Especially with the continuous disappearance of the rare and unique skills shift. I am worried sick out of my mind ¡ªevery night I wonder if those witches caught Inez."


    Scarlet stared at her mother. She waited for the woman to say something, anything that would tell her that this was just a lie, but when she didn¡¯t, Scarlet strode inside and came to stand in front of her mother.


    "Are you fucking crazy?" Scarlet hissed. Her voice was so low that no one other than them could hear it. "You hid such important information from everyone?" If she had known that Inez was a siren, she would have thought of something else. Scarlet wondered if this was the reason why Inez had always been on the edge with this family.


    She frowned and questioned her mother, "Tell me, did Nessie¡¯s disappearance have something to do with her being a siren?"


    When Maria didn¡¯t say anything, Scarlet¡¯s wolf lunged to the surface. A hiss erupted through Scarlet¡¯s mouth and she snarled, "You are fucking crazy. You knew! You knew her pain and sufferings, and yet you didn¡¯t let her tell Dom anything? Have you fucking lost it?"


    By the time she finished speaking, Scarlet was yelling.


    Her voice attracted Ricky, who rushed down the stairs and looked at Scarlet, who was fuming mad and then turned to look at his mother. "What the fuck is going on?"


    "Ask your good mother." Scarlet pivoted on her heels and then rushed out of the house. Now that she knew the reason why Inez had always been the way she was, she wondered if her sister was fucking alive or not. Thest thing she needed was for Inez to be eaten like a fucking fish.


    **


    "Achoo!" Inez sneezed as she covered her nose with her hands. Her eyes were squeezed shut, which she opened after a few seconds. "I shouldn¡¯t have gone for a swim yesterday."


    "Is that a sneeze that I hear? I never thought that one day I would hear a fish sneeze."


    She turned around and looked at Killian, who was striding towards her.


    With a frown, she asked, "What are you doing here?"


    "I came here because I had a little task for you," replied Killian with a charming smile. He then ced the folder that he was holding in his hands right in front of Inez, who looked at it and questioned, "What is this pile of papers?"


    "Why don¡¯t you open it and see what it is?" Killian said to her, which only made Inez even more curious.


    She picked up the folder from the counter and frowned when she realised that it was actually thepetition form for the S¡¯Design Awards. Though Inez had never known how to drive a car, she knew the basic functions of it. Just like how she had never participated in thesepetitions, she knew the gist of the entire thing.


    Evelyn had made a huge fuss about thesepetitions because it was through thesepetitions that she was able to get the title of being a genius. Thus, even if she didn¡¯t work hard when it came topleting projects, Evelyn would pay special attention topetitions like these.


    "What do you want me to do?" Inez asked with a frown.


    "You always moan about not having a job, don¡¯t you?" Killian winked at Inez. "This is your job, win thispetition for mypany."

 Chapter 127: On A Hit List (2)

    <h4>Chapter 127: On A Hit List (2)</h4>


    Inez frowned as she took another look at the form. She said to Killian, "I thought that my job was to treat Selene?"


    "And you are doing a fine job at it, but you also need a backup, don¡¯t you? You cannot stay a healer of the pack for your whole life, can you? I am not against it, but staying as the healer of the pack means that your secret wille out sooner orter," exined Killian. "It¡¯s better to get another job that you can use as a feint. At least we can tell the pack members that you lost your powers while treating Selene. That way, no one will find out that you are a siren."


    As much as Inez liked his suggestion, the thought of facing Evelyn and Dominic again just didn¡¯t feel right.


    She pursed her lips and wanted to refuse, but then she heard Killian say, "Are you going to put your life on hold because of Dominic?" Though there was no aggression in his voice, Inez could hear the challenge in his tone.


    With a furrow between her brows, she turned to look at the man. "What do you mean by that?"


    "You know what I meant, Inez." Killian pushed himself off the counter and looked at Inez with a hint of a dark glint in his eyes. "Thispetition is the breakthrough that you have been waiting for, or are you going to stay quiet and let Evelyn continue taking credit for your hard work?"


    "How do you¡ª"


    "How do I know? If a word about that woman being the owner of those artistic designs that she had presented in thesepetitions, then I would eat a rat... and believe me, they don¡¯t taste good."


    His words brought a smile to Inez¡¯s face, who looked at Killian with a touch of softness in her gaze.


    "So?" he waved his hand in front of her and questioned, "Are you going to join thepetition or not?"


    Unable to resist his bugging, Inez closed the folder that he had brought for her and said to him, "Fine. I will join since you want me to join it so much."


    Killian chuckled. Even though Inez didn¡¯t show it on her face, from the childish glint in her eyes, he knew that she was happy.


    His eyes flickered as he took in her appearance. "You look sick." Herplexion was pale, and she looked like she was on the verge of fainting.


    "It¡¯s nothing," she waved her hand and said to Killian in a calm voice, "It must be because I am more vulnerable to sickness with my wolf going into hiding." This was the w of being a half being. Though it came with the advantage of using the power and attributes of both kinds, it also made them twice as vulnerable because being a halfling meant that she needed her wolf and siren to coexist.


    If even one of them went out of bnce, everything would end up falling off the scale.


    Killian frowned, and so did his beast. He could hear his beast growling within his surface, as he didn¡¯t like the idea of Inez being hurt because of someone like Dominic, who didn¡¯t even have the slightest bit of respect towards her.


    "Should I call a healer for you?" he asked softly.


    "No. I will be fine in a day or two."


    She turned to grab the kettle that was sitting on the stove, inside of which pieces ofvender could be seen. But just as Inez turned around, Killian realised that he just couldn¡¯t let her stay sick. It was impulsive of him, but he knew he had to do something, even if it was stupid. And more importantly, he wanted to taste her again.


    His hand shot out and he grabbed hold of her shoulder before twisting Inez around. Before Inez could understand what was going on, he was on her. His hands fisted her hair, and his mouth started devouring her. His tongue thrust inside, as itshed against hers. She tasted just as exotic and sweet as she did thest time.


    And the thought that had been buried at the back of his head once again made its way forward. Nothing or no one was going to taste better than her.


    Shocked, Inez turned stiff against him. A part of her, the part which was still recovering from the wounds that Dominic had inflicted, wanted to push the man away, but at the same time, the other half ¡ªwanted to pull him close to her.


    And before Inez could put up a fight, thetter half won, and a secondter, she thrust her fingers in his silver hair and met his kiss.


    Their mouths broke apart a few secondster, and the two of them were panting just as Inez heard a howl resonate in her head. She didn¡¯t know why Nia was mourning for a loss that had happened, but before she could even question her wolf, the howl disappeared, just as her wolf and the one who surged to the surface were her siren.


    Killian, too, felt the surge of heat and possessiveness within his body. All he wanted was to drag Inez back to his lodge and taste every inch of her. But he knew that she was still recovering from the loss of her mating bond, and as much of a yer as he was, there was no way he would do such a thing.


    He would never take advantage of a woman who was grieving. For the time being, this was enough to sate the desires of his beast.


    He brushed his thumb against her mouth. "You taste so delectable, bubbles. I hope that you will not be upset with me for taking another bite," and he wanted more. But not now. With the restraint that he didn¡¯t have, he turned around and walked away.


    **


    "You are here," Finn stood up from the armchair and looked at Killian, who sensed his worry through the pack bond.


    "What happened?" Killian asked as he switched out of his giddy mood to a solemn one.


    "You asked Levi to investigate the attack, didn¡¯t you?" Finn said as he paused and took a moment to gather his thoughts before saying, "It seems like our pack members have been put on a hit list. That attack was not directed at every shifter but just us."

 Chapter 128: Mating Match--Siren’s Wrath

    <h4>Chapter 128: Mating Match--Siren¡¯s Wrath</h4>


    A boom went inside Killian¡¯s head as a terrifying silence stretched in the office. Killian had thought of many possibilities, and this one was at the bottom of his list. Even though he had considered it, he thought that the possibilities would be really low. Thus, even though he expected it, he was still surprised.


    Ajax, who had followed Killian, paused and said, "Can you repeat that?"


    "A hit list." Killian¡¯s voice hardened. He was quick to ept the fact, as he had been expecting it ever since they started hunting down the witches and their clients in the shiftermunity; even if they didn¡¯t know that they had tracked down N.M.H., they must have found out that they were nosing into their business. "It seems like the witches want us dead."


    "Not just us," Finn corrected. "They are after the Venus pack as well. There is also a hit on the Venus pack."


    This time around, Killian frowned because he didn¡¯t expect the Venus pack to be put on the hit list as well. Was it because Dominic was with him when he was interrogating Remy?


    A series of curses rang out in the office.


    "Does Dominic know of this?" Matt asked.


    "I don¡¯t think he does," remarked Killian with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "He has been looking for his mate, whom he chased out; I don¡¯t believe he is on track with things at the moment."


    "Now I understand what¡¯s going on," muttered Henley. He was looking at the floor as he spoke, "The reason the entire mall was blown up by the witches was because they didn¡¯t want Selene and Laxus to escape. They wanted the two of them to die together with the other shifters because that would definitely deal a blow to our pack."


    "I believe it must be the halflings. They often do things like this," Fenric added his own two bits of wisdom. "For the sake of getting epted into the circle of the pureblood witches, they would do anything as long as they could get the recognition that they want and desire."


    "Then why did they put a hit list on the Venus pack?" questioned Laxus from the corner of the office. "It makes no sense; they are chasing after us because we tried to hunt them down, but Dominic hasn¡¯t. It doesn¡¯t make sense."


    "But he was with Kill," pointed out Finn sagely. "They must be trying to bury the secret of N.M.H. altogether."


    "Did you find anything?" Ryder turned and looked at Levi. With his shirt thrown to one side, the man had crossed his arms in front of his chest and was now looking at their pack¡¯s tracker with a hint of a frown on his face.


    "No," Levi replied. With his brows furrowed just as hard as the rest, he was sitting on the couch with his arms resting on his knees. "I only found out about this after tracking down one of the elders. There is a website that allows witches and wizards to put a bounty on packs and people. Anyone interested in the bounty can take the bounty and simply do the deed and prove it afterwards."


    He paused and added, "The problem is that this site is even trickier than N.M.H., as the identities of those who have posted the bounties are fiercely protective. Matt is trying to crack the code of this site, but the more he tries, the more traps he faces. It seems like the witches are worried that we will crack the site open, and thus they added more security."


    "What about N.M.H.? Would it be affected?" asked Miles.


    "No, for better or worse, the witches are overly conceited creatures; they think that with their threats and warnings, no one would dare to tell us anything. Plus, they are confident in their small magic tricks," Matt smirked. "They don¡¯t know that I learnt these tricks when I was in prison."


    Killian nced at Matt. When the enforcer was sixteen, he was sent to prison by his own parents; no one knew the reason behind his arrest, but Killian trusted his own gut to know that Matt had been innocent. After all, he knew firsthand that there were times when parents could be wrong, too.


    "So we need to find the person behind the site?" Ajax groaned as he threw his head back. "Come on! I am getting tired of this shit. Why can¡¯t we do this the old-school way? Hand-to-handbat."


    "Witches don¡¯t have the courage to do so," stated Killian as he took his seat. He rubbed the tips of his fingers as if he were trying to draw strength from Inez¡¯s lingering warmth. "But it still doesn¡¯t exin why they would want every single person in the pack dead."


    Laxus nced at Killian. "I believe that this is more of a personal grudge than just a stupid reason for trying to track them. We have done it many times before, but we have never been ced on a hit list before."


    "You mean that someone pissed the witches off quite thoroughly?" Matt exhaled heavily. "If that¡¯s what you are trying to say, then we can narrow down the list."


    "It¡¯s not that simple." Killian tapped his knuckles on the table and stated, "We can narrow down the list regarding those we know were witches and wizards but what about the ones we don¡¯t know?"


    "The Zealots could be behind this as well," stated Ryder with a tilt of his head. "Think about how they find the presence of shifters an abomination."


    "They dislike the witches and wizards just as much. What makes you think that they would take their help?"


    "The elders of the council could be behind it as well," remarked Finn coldly as he nced at Killian, whose fingers were still tapping on the surface of the table. "They hate that you have too much power, Killian."


    Upon hearing his beta¡¯s remark, Killian smirked. "Well, that¡¯s right. They must be missing their little minion." He was talking about the halfling that he had killed a few days ago, but then again, they should have known better than to target his sister and poison her with such a deadly poison.

 Chapter 129: Mating Match --Siren’s Wrath (2)

    <h4>Chapter 129: Mating Match --Siren¡¯s Wrath (2)</h4>


    "For now, until we find out the culprit, we need to step up the security and defend our territory. Don¡¯t go dispersing around while trying to find the culprit behind these attacks," said Killian. As the alpha of the pack, he could not allow his arrogance to sway his decisions and actions.


    "I will notify Dominic," said Finn. "His pack is in alliance with ours, as much as I despise the fact that the man had let go of himselfpletely for a woman, I believe that he should be notified about this. At least we will have more people against the witches; it will help divert their attention as well."


    Killian nodded as he jammed the pack bond. It was quite painful with so many raging thoughts running through his head. However, just as he thought that he had had enough nonsense for the day, he received a call from his mother.


    "Hello?" he swiped the answer button and answered the call, knowing that the woman would not stop calling him if he didn¡¯t pick up.


    "Killian, did you leave the pack yet?" Molly reminded her son patiently. "You remember that today you need to meet with Miss Drakos."


    Killian¡¯s brows furrowed as he turned to look at the calendar that was sitting in the corner of the table. Only then did he realise that the weekend that he had been dreading was finally here. He needed to keep a good eye on things, to think that so many days passed by one after another without him knowing.


    "I understand," Killian replied.


    "Don¡¯t tell me that you haven¡¯t even started getting ready?" Molly frowned when she heard the leisurely tone of her son. Her eyes widened, and she questioned, "That girl has been waiting for you since morning. You cannot be this careless!"


    "How rude, Mom," Killian chuckled as he said to his mother, "I have to look my finest for someone as grand and royal as Miss Drakos. Of course, I need to be careful."


    Molly knew that her son was ying with her and gritted her teeth. She said to him, "You better go to the restaurant on time, Kill. I don¡¯t care what your reasons are, you better not let me down!"


    After she finished, Molly ended the call, and Killian closed his eyes when he heard her shrill voice followed by the beeping of the call.


    "What is it?" Finn asked. He nced at his alpha, who was smiling, but there was something wrong with his smile.


    "It¡¯s nothing." Killian got to his feet and then said, "Arrange for a car; I need to go and treat a deluded damsel."


    As soon as he finished speaking, Finn frowned and questioned, "What about the hit list?"


    "What about it?" Killian mockingly asked back. "As long as I go to this damned mating match, who cares if I get blown into bits?"


    Finn studied the reckless thrill on Killian¡¯s face before saying to him, "Where do you want to go?" He silently sent a prayer for the poor Miss Drakos, who had no idea what kind of trouble she had fallen into.


    Killian licked his lips and said, "I am in the mood to eat fish." A rather beautiful one at that.


    On the other side, Inez blew her nose on the handkerchief. She suddenly felt a bit better and couldn¡¯t help but frown. Was this due to the kiss? Don¡¯t tell her that the stupid and cheesy lines that Scarlet used to tell her really worked?


    "Inez!"


    Inez turned and looked at Nyx, who was standing outside the lodge with Selene sitting in her wheelchair next to her.


    "Nyx? Selene?" Inez walked over to where the two women were standing at the threshold of her lodge. She looked at the two of them and questioned with a sniff, "What¡¯s the matter?"


    "Do you want toe with us?" Nyx asked with a sweet and weing smile. "There is this new ce that opened just around the corner. It¡¯s exclusive to all shifters, and we wanted to go and try it."


    Selene rolled her eyes and then stated in a quiet voice, "She just wants to mess with Kill¡¯s mating match."


    "Mating match?" Inez¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. Did that man really agree to go on a mating match after kissing the life out of her?


    "That¡¯s right," Nyx nodded with a sly glint that was quick to disappear as she said to Inez, "Kill always makes things difficult for me. I will never forget that he chased one of my boyfriends away just because he couldn¡¯t ept that I was dating. I look a lot like my sister... that¡¯s why it was hard for him to ept seeing me with another man," she added upon seeing Inez¡¯s confused look.


    Though Nyx didn¡¯t say it outright, her words made it sound like her status in Killian¡¯s life was different from that of other women due to her rtionship with Lyra.


    Inez¡¯s frown deepened, but at the same time, a surge of rage started to rise in her heart. Her siren too hissed angrily. How dare that man kiss them and go on a date with another woman? As far as her siren knew, Killian had kissed them, which basically meant that the man was supposed to worship the very ground that they walked on.


    How dare he look for another woman?


    Red, hot and zing fury shot through Inez¡¯s head and before she could stop to think that she had no right to stop Killian when they had never cleared their rtionship. At that moment, she only knew one thing, and that was Killian was with another woman, and that was like ash of a whip to her siren¡¯s pride.


    Her eyes almost turned into slits as she agreed, "Fine, let¡¯s go." With a smile curling her lips, she said to the two women, "We should take a little revenge on our dear alpha for all the good things he usually does to us."


    <i>Killian Sokolov, you better wait for me.</i>


    **


    If we reach 700 golden tickets this month, dear author san will publish an extra or two Chapters every day in the next month.

 Chapter 130: The Spoiled Princess

    <h4>Chapter 130: The Spoiled Princess</h4>


    In one of the pce-like mansions of the city, a woman was standing in front of the ss wall. She was looking outside, and her beautiful face was twisted in a frown as she looked at the deserted parking area of her mansion. She was wearing a decent-lengthvender dress, and the skirt of the dress had a bit of ir to it like a ballerina¡¯s skirt.


    With her arms crossed and her ash blonde hair curled and set in waves, the woman looked really beautiful, and she would have looked even more beautiful if she were not wearing a scowl on her face. She turned to look at her maid and then said to her, "Where is he? Was he not supposed toe here at eight?"


    The maid lowered her head and replied in a soft voice, "We received a message from the Red Blood Hill pack. It seemed like there was an emergency, and the alpha of the pack was dyed because of that. He will be here in forty minutes, Miss Jules."


    Jules Drakos was not happy with the tardy attitude of her mating match. When her father told her that he had found a lycan for her, she was not happy. After all, she was a majestic dragon shifter and Killian Sokolov, no matter how skilled and powerful he might be, in the end, he was just a lycan.


    He could never match the glory of the Drakos family.


    This was the reason why she was determined to show Killian his ce from the start. She deliberately took her time when she was getting ready, as Jules wanted to make the man wait. With how many admirers waiting for her, she thought that Killian woulde to get her an hour before the promised time. However, who would have thought that the man would be missing, even though she was already ready and waiting for him to take her to the date that was promised!


    "Be patient, Jules," said her elder cousin as she elegantly lifted the cup of tea in front of her. She turned to look at the woman and said in a whisper, "Men like Killian Sokolov are not like those little shifters and admirers whom you meet and see every day. They are useless men without power or money. Killian Sokolov, on the other hand, is the leader of the lycans. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that he, too, has the bloodline of royalty, as his ancestors were Lycan Kings."


    "You need to be on your best behaviour if you want to be chosen as his luna."


    Jules rolled her eyes. She hade to her cousin¡¯s pack in the hope that her sister would stop her father from making her meet mating matches. Who would have thought that her elder sister was on the n with her father? Now she had fallen into the same trouble as before. The onlyfort was that her sister had promised her that as long as she went on this dinner date, she could go clubbing.


    "I am always on my best behaviour," Jules stated with a pout. She walked over to the couch and plopped down beside her elder sister. "But what about this man that you and Father have picked up, sister? You can¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t find his actions rude. A finedy like me can make a man wait, but since when has a gentleman started to make a woman wait?"


    The maid raised her head and turned to look at the woman who was speaking about manners, when her attitude was nowhere close to being like ady.


    Jules huffed as she crossed her arms and leaned back on the couch. She said to her sister, "This man better be worth my time. You and Daddy keep telling me that this man is a perfect match for me, and that¡¯s the only reason I am willing to meet with him. Don¡¯t think that I am an unwanted woman! Countless men are waiting for me to just look in their direction."


    Her elder sister, Serafina, turned and looked at the woman next to her. She sighed and said, "They are just after the many treasures and countless trophies that you can bring to their home. Killian Sokolov, however, is the kind of man who wouldn¡¯t be impressed by money or power. If he starts liking you, then he will like you for who you are."


    "And even if he doesn¡¯t have a throne to inherit, he is considered with respect and honour by the lycans for he has the blood of thest Lycan King."


    Jules turned to look at her elder sister. "Howe I have never heard about him? If he is so popr, then I should have known about him, right?"


    Serafina calmly nced at her sister. Her sister, who had the habit of asking for attention, had lived in her own little world with her fake friends who didn¡¯t care about her as long as she paid their bills. With the kind of life that she had lived, it would be surprising if she had ever heard about Killian Sokolov.


    The man who rose to power after he separated from his old pack.


    However, she didn¡¯t have to worry about telling these things to her sister, as the sound of a caring to a stop in front of their mansion reverberated in the living hall.


    "It seems like Alpha Sokolov is here." Serafina¡¯s husband, Peter, who was in his study, came hurrying down the stairs when he heard the sound of the car¡¯s brakes.


    "Calm down, Peter." Serafina frowned when she saw the eagerness on the face of her husband. She understood Killian¡¯s poprity and power, but her husband was also mated to a dragon princess. How could he show such manners when he had imprinted on her? It was an embarrassment to her name.


    Peter frowned, but he lowered his head when he heard his wife and mate speak. However, what Serafina took as a sign of submissiveness was an act of hiding the hatred that Peter had for her.

 Chapter 131: A Reckless Payback

    <h4>Chapter 131: A Reckless Payback</h4>


    Serafina turned to look at her sister before saying to her, "Now be polite to Alpha Sokolov. Don¡¯t say or do things that might make him upset, alright?"


    "When did I ever?" Jules rolled her eyes and then stomped out of the mansion without looking behind her.


    When Peter saw her leaving, he opened his mouth but turned silent when Serafina turned and red at him. This was not the time for them to talk about alliances, anyway. If this mating match worked, then their pack would be aligned with the Red Blood Hill anyway.


    Of course, her husband didn¡¯t understand her meaning and thought that she found him embarrassing, which only made him resent her even more.


    While Peter was stewing in his own frustrations, Jules was troubled as well. She looked at the sleek ck car that was half hidden in the darkness and frowned hard. Shouldn¡¯t that man havee outside by now and opened the door of the car for her? Why was he sitting inside?


    Did he think that she was just any girl he was taking to a dinner date? Stubborn and arrogant as she was, Jules stood where she was without making any move. She was the princess of the Drakos family and deserved just the finest treatment.


    Ryder, who was the driver for the night, looked at the woman. He opened his mouth and turned to look at Killian, who had his eyes closed. Even though the man was dressed to impress, he didn¡¯t seem to have the slightest bit of inclination to impress this woman. He parted his lips but swallowed his words as he knew that the man wouldn¡¯t bother with Jules.


    Stepping outside, Ryder walked over to the other side of the car and opened the door.


    "Miss Drakos, please."


    He didn¡¯t say it outright, but he hoped that the woman would be smart enough to understand his meaning.


    However, his hopes were doomed to dash when the woman crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed, "I am the princess of the Drakos family. Is this how your alpha is going to treat me? As my mating match, he should be the one opening the door for me."


    ¡¯What a waste of such a beautiful face,¡¯ thought Ryder as he turned to look at Killian, who was sitting inside with his eyes closed and then turned to look at Jules. All of a sudden, he felt he was stuck between the stones of a stone mill. He was going to end up as dust.


    However, Ryder knew that there was no point in talking about gentlemanly attributes with Killian, so he stood on the side with his arms crossed.


    A good three minutes passed by, and Killian never made a move; it only made Jules even angrier. What was this man trying to do? Why didn¡¯t hee outside to greet her? She thought while fuming inwardly.


    With the dy, it didn¡¯t take long for Serafina and Peter toe outside and see what was going on. And when the time continued to tick by, even the servants and the maids started to stop and see what was going on. Soon, the submissive shifters also started to peer in their direction.


    Another four minutes passed by, and finally Killian opened his mouth and said, "Ryder, what¡¯s going on? If she is not ready, then let¡¯s go back. I am done wasting my time here."


    What did he say?


    Jules¡¯s eyes zed with anger as she snapped, "I am standing right here. Why don¡¯t you open your eyes and take a look?"


    Killian didn¡¯t. He was used to handling women like Jules, who believed that the world revolved around them, especially when they were thest of the shifters of their kind and everyone wanted to imprint on them.


    He said in a calm voice, "Since you are already here, what¡¯s with the halt? This is not the sixties or the nies. Get in the car on your own. Don¡¯t tell me that you were dreaming of a knight in shining armour?"


    Jules¡¯s face turned red with anger and embarrassment. How rude. She thought as she walked past Ryder and got in the car. Her father would hear about this! How dare this man treat her in such a way? She was the princess of the dragons. The finest of the dragons. No one had dared to treat her in such a way.


    While Jules got in the car, she had no idea what was waiting for her. Or the fact that the fancy date that she was hoping for was never going to happen.


    **


    "Are you sure that this is the correct ce?" Inez asked as she entered the sushi restaurant. No matter how she looked at it, this ce didn¡¯t seem all too great for a first date. A great ce to hang out, but not a great ce for dating.


    She looked at the stic tables that were ced all over the building, along with the many stools ced in front of the moving machine on which multiple sushi tes were ced.


    "I am sure." Nyx was pretty confident in her reply. She turned to look at Inez and said, "It might look a bit weird, but that¡¯s how Killian is. He still hasn¡¯t forgotten Lyra, which is why he ruins every mating match meeting that his mother arranges for him."


    And there it was. The subtle pang in her chest at the mere mention of Lyra.


    It must be anger.


    That man had kissed her twice when he was still trapped in the memories of his mate. How could she not be angry? How dare that man use her as he pleased?


    Her eyes hardened, and she turned to look at Nyx. "What are we going to do?"


    "Nothing stupid, please," said Selene.


    "Of course not," Nyx¡¯s eyes glinted as she told the two of them her ns, while Inez agreed with her on it being one nasty payback, Selene simply groaned as she announced, "So it is a stupid n."

 Chapter 132: Met with a Murderer?

    <h4>Chapter 132: Met with a Murderer?</h4>


    Outside the sushi restaurant, the sleek-looking car came to a stop. Ryder stepped out of the car along with Killian. The man looked utterly calm as he swiped the non-existent dust off his shoulders. Jules, who was inside the vehicle, scowled when she saw that Killian had stepped out of the car without opening the door for her.


    She was in a terrible mood, but she still opened the door and stepped out. Because of theck of lighting in the car, she couldn¡¯t take a look at the man. If she had, then she would have pped the heck out of him right then and there.


    Annoyed and severely frustrated with the actions of the man, she smoothed the wrinkles in her dress. Once she deemed her dress suitable, Jules turned around, ready to scold the man who treated her as if she were just a regr girl. But when she turned around, she was stunned. The man was tall and handsome, with his silver locks framing his chiseled jaw and outline.


    He looked like a model who had stepped out of the cover of a magazine.


    Jules was momentarily blown away by how good-looking Killian was; she blinked her eyes with her mouth agape. For his good looks alone, Jules was ready to forget that this man was her mating match chosen by her father.


    Realising that this situation was not particrly bad for her, Jules decided to y it to her advantage. She stepped forward and greeted Killian with a sweet smile on her lips, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Sokolov. I am Jules Drakos. It seems like it was fate that brought us together."


    "Has it?" Killian arched a brow and questioned. Even though he was looking at her with a smile, Jules couldn¡¯t help but feel that the man didn¡¯t hold any interest in her. However, a few secondster, she denied it in her head. How could that be possible? She was the only princess of the Drakos family.


    A pure-blooded dragon shifter. How could anyone dislike her?


    She hitched her lips back into a smile and said to Killian, "Of course it is. I am really hungry. How about we order some rare steak¡ª" She was still speaking when her eyes fell on the building in front of her. Her eyes widened, and she whispered in raging outrage, "This is not Three Half Fangs."


    "I know." Killian nced at the woman. He asked, "Who told you that we were going to Three Half Fangs?"


    Jules¡¯s smile wavered. She looked at the man nervously before saying, "I was promised that I would be taken to a candlelight dinner. This is not a ce where we can have a candlelight dinner."


    "You have the wrong information," stated Killian calmly but coldly. "I was asked to bring you to a dinner date, so I did."


    Jules was stunned when she heard the rude words of the man. She clenched her fists and stated in a cold voice which matched Killian¡¯s, "You cannot treat me like this; I demand that we go to Three Half Fangs this very moment. I will not have lunch in a horrible ce like this."


    "Then you can starve; be my guest," said Killian without looking back. He turned to look at Ryder, "Park the car ande inside. We can have dinner together since Miss Drakos doesn¡¯t find sushi appetising."


    After he finished speaking, he headed straight to the sushi restaurant, while Ryder drove the car to the parking lot without giving Jules the time to make another fuss. When Jules turned her head and looked at the subpar vehicles that were parked in the parking lot, her expression turned even more disgusted.


    She had never been to a ce like this before and felt really frustrated that a man who was supposed to treat her like a princess was treating her in such a manner. It was just too much!


    However, when she looked around, she saw a few hyena shifters stopping and watching her. Though Jules was not a celebrity, she had her own following on the shifter. She was worried that she would be recorded and posted on social media. Thest thing she needed was for everyone to find out that she had been dumped by another man.


    And this time, before the date even started.


    "Wait for me," Jules shouted as she chased after the man. She had nevere to this part of the city before and was afraid that she would end up losing. As the council had ced rather strict restraints on dragon shifters, she couldn¡¯t shift into her dragon form either. She chased after Killian and said to him, "Do you think that my father will be happy about your actions? How can you bring me to a ce like this? I am the princess of the Drakos family."


    Killian paused. He had never cared about what the head of the Drakos family thought about him or what his mother would say. He simply nced at the woman and muttered, "I am sure that your father will be pleased to see you grow up, Miss Drakos. If your entire personality is based on the mere fact that you are the princess of the Drakos family, I think that you need to touch some grass."


    Hisment made Jules¡¯s face burn with shame. She parted her lips but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say anything and before she could even speak a word, she heard Killian say, "Anyway, eating food from these ces won¡¯t kill you; at most you will get a trip to the hospital if you are unlucky to get a stale batch."


    "You¡ªare you serious?" asked Jules as she continued to walk behind Killian. However, the man was too fast; even though she was running to keep up with his pace, she couldn¡¯t. When she saw that Killian was not saying anything, she shrieked, "I am not going to eat in a ce like this. How can you bring me to a ce where they don¡¯t even care about the basic safety protocols?"

 Chapter 133: Met with A Murderer (2)

    <h4>Chapter 133: Met with A Murderer (2)</h4>


    "Basic safety protocols?" Killian arched a brow. "I am a lycan, and if you don¡¯t know about our kind, then I would like to tell you, we eat everything. I have even eaten rats; a little worm in my sushi is not going to send me to the hospital."


    "But I am not used to eating such things!" Jules stated, hoping that it would move the lycan, but if she was hoping to melt Killian¡¯s heart, then she was simply waiting for the sun to rise from the west.


    "Then you will get used to it," remarked Killian with a little shrug. "If you cannot even eat rats, then how will you be the luna of my pack?"


    "You¡ªyou want me to get used to eating rats?" Jules repeated, sounding horrified. Why did no one in her family tell her that she needed to get used to eating rats? And why did they never tell her that lycans were used to eating everything? How was she supposed to survive with a man as barbaric as Killian?


    "How may I help you today?" As soon as Killian stepped inside, a waitress walked over to where he was standing. With a sweet smile stered on her lips, she looked at the man and said to him, "Would you like to sit on the counter or the table?"


    "A table, please!" Jules was quick with her choice when she saw the kind of people who were sitting on the counter. She didn¡¯t want to sit between drunken humans and shifters. However, her voice startled the waitress, who flinched and turned to look at her in surprise.


    When Jules saw the look in the eyes of the server, she red at her. "What are you looking at?"


    The waitress looked at the woman who was acting rudely with her for no reason and then turned to look at Killian, who smiled warmly at her. He said to her, "Forgive her. She is just having a little fit and nothing else." he paused and added, "If there is anything that can make a kid happy, then you can bring it to our table."


    "Sure, we have some cakes and rice dumplings that children like," replied the waitress.


    "Excellent," Lucas said to the woman as he pointed to Jules. "Bring some for this one."


    The woman seemed a bit surprised, but she still nodded. "Sure, sir."


    When Jules heard their exchange, she was so furious that she wished she could turn around and leave this rotten ce at once. However, when she thought about how she came here with this man, she knew that there was no way she would be able to go back without Killian driving her home.


    Thus, she reluctantly stayed put, but at the same time, she was determined to make this man pay for the things that he had said and done to her. How dare he treat her in the same manner as one would treat their child? She was way older than that.


    When the waitress led the two of them to their table, Jules frowned even harder. She took a look at the stic table, and her heart became even more unsettled, especially when she saw the many stains on the chairs and the table. Even though it was cleaner than most ces, Jules had been to even cleaner ces. She just couldn¡¯t withstand the idea of sitting and eating on a chair which seemed like it had been stepped on.


    She tried to suppress her nausea and turned to look at the waitress. "Where is the restroom?"


    "Just down the corridor, Miss," replied the server.


    "It¡¯s cleaner than this ce, right?" Jules asked as she moved her fingers and pointed to the entire space where people were eating.


    When the waitress heard her question, her eyebrows twitched. However, she still maintained her politeness and said to her, "Don¡¯t worry, Miss. We take the matter of cleanliness really seriously. There is no need to worry about anything."


    Jules nodded before turning around on her feet and heading down to the restroom.


    Inside the restroom, Inez was washing the fake blood that she and Nyx had collected.


    "Oh my god!"


    Just as Inez reached out to wipe her hands with a tissue, she heard someone exim behind her. She turned and saw a woman staring at her with a shocked look on her face, her hands covering her mouth as she looked at Inez¡¯s bloodied hands. When she saw Inez look at her, the young woman seemed to be shocked silly.


    She slid down the floor and pleaded, "Please don¡¯t kill me. I ¨C I am already having a really bad day. My date turned out to be a jerk, and I am in danger of going to the hospital. I don¡¯t want to die. So please leave me... let me live."


    As the young woman started to sob, she covered her face with her hands and started crying.


    Inez, who saw her series of actions, was stunned. She walked over to the woman in a hurry and said to her, "Are you alright?"


    "Oh my moon goddess! Look at my awful condition; even a murderer isforting me. Why is this happening to me?" cried Jules like a drama queen.


    "Murderer?" Inez was speechless, but then she saw her hands, which still had some remnants of the fake blood. She gasped and then said to the woman, "It¡¯s not real blood. This is fake... I nned a prank with my friends. This is definitely not real blood. Here, smell it; it smells like paint."


    Jules eyed the woman in front of her warily, but she still sniffed the air, and the scent of paint flooded her nostrils. Her heart settled down a little when she realized that she had just overreacted. However, a secondter, she realized that she had cried like a child, and her expression stiffened.


    She immediately got to her feet and then pointedly said to Inez, "Why are you acting like a serial murderer and scaring others?"

 Chapter 134: Bathed in Pig Blood

    <h4>Chapter 134: Bathed in Pig Blood</h4>


    "I just came here to teach a jerk a lesson." Inez looked at the light pink color on her palms and suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. She should have thought a little more before joining Nyx and her suicidal mission. Now that she was thinking everything through, she realised that if they got caught, Killian would skin them alive.


    However, a secondter, she shook her head. It would be if Killian found out that it was her and Nyx. However, when she thought about the possible reaction Killian might have if he ever got a whiff of this. Pissed off was going to be a milder reaction.


    "You are?" Jules¡¯s eyes widened, and then she nodded as if she understood her situation all too well. "I understand. I came here with a jerk as well; oh, how I wish I could kick him in the face." As she spoke, her eyes turned red again, and she started sobbing again.


    When Inez saw that the woman had started crying again, she felt a bit helpless. She wondered what happened to this woman who kept crying at the smallest thing. However, she had long since learnt her lesson not to meddle in the matters of otters. Thus, she was about to head out of the loo when she heard the woman say in an aggrieved voice, "What have I done to deserve this? I am also someone¡¯s precious daughter. I also have feelings. Why do people keep treating me like this?"


    As she spoke, the woman turned left as if she were pulling something out of her purse, but then Jules remembered that she had left her purse at the table. Her face scrunched up, and she choked on her sobs.


    "Here," Inez couldn¡¯t see the woman cry. She handed her a tissue that she had taken out from the box in the restroom and said to her, "There are a lot more in the box on the counter." She paused and realised that she might have been a bit rude. She said, "Don¡¯t let it get to you, alright? There are people with lives worse than yours."


    Was she not in a situation worse than this woman¡¯s?


    Inez couldn¡¯t understand if it was worth crying over a man like this.


    However, when she recalled her own foolish actions, she understood the woman a little more. Forget it; every woman acts like a fool once in a while in her life.


    The young woman looked hesitant when she saw Inez handing her a bunch of tissues. However, Jules still took it, as she was worried that she would be seen with snot running down her nose.


    "Thank you," she said to Inez as she wiped her nose and sniffed. "I will pay you back for this favour." She was raised with good manners, and Jules would never take advantage of anyone. If someone helped her, she would help them.


    "There is no need," Inez said with a shake of her head.


    Jules, who had only faced mockery at the hands of her friends and lovers, was touched by Inez¡¯s actions. Everyone only knew how to insult her for being naive and dumb. For just being a good time. This was her first time; someone had cared for her without any selfish interests.


    However, she was used to looking down at other shifters because her father often told her that she was better than the rest. Thus, she blurted out, "I insist. I don¡¯t like to owe anyone."


    "Thank you for being so kind," Inez was startled by the insistence of the woman, but when she saw how awkward the woman looked, she smiled and said to her, "I just gave you some tissues. Anyone would have done that." After she finished speaking, she shed another smile at the woman and then walked out of the loo.


    It was only when Inez left that Jules lowered her head and looked at the paper tissues and remembered the things that her so-called friends had done to her. She sniffed and said, "Not everyone, Miss. Not everyone."


    Inez had no idea what the woman was thinking about; currently, she was walking to a corner where Nyx and Selene were waiting for her. As Inez walked, she noticed the distinct dark silver hair, and a sh of thrill and fear ran up her spine.


    She wondered if Killian would skin ayer of her skin once he found out that she was behind the prank that was going to happen with him in a few seconds. But, hey, he was the one who did something wrong in the first ce. Who asked him to kiss her when he was looking for another woman as his Luna?


    Someone needed to teach that bastard a lesson, and what was she if not a Good Samaritan?


    The three of them had done a really good job of bribing the staff of the restaurant for the mess that they were going to make. Now, all they needed to do was stay low and hit the button before all hell broke loose.


    <i>¡¯You are going to be fine, Inez.¡¯</i>


    ¡¯You are just doing what you should do.¡¯


    <i>¡¯Never will you be a man¡¯s toy once again.¡¯</i>


    She told herself the same words again and again.


    This was how she had gotten past all the sufferings that she had gone through in the Venus pack, by telling herself that she was going to be alright, and Inez believed that if she could walk through that hell, she could do just about anything.


    As Inez came to stand next to Nyx who smiled and winked at her, Inez knew that phase one was done. Though Inez knew that it was time for the second phase, her heart suddenly felt a bit stifled. Not out of worry but excitement and fear.


    She wondered how Killian would react once she was done with him.


    Together with Nyx and Selene, she made her way to the back door before turning around and looking at Killian, who was slowly getting to his feet. Her fingers were mmy and sweaty with sweat but when they pressed the trigger, they were rather firm.

 Chapter 135: Bathed In Pig Blood (2)

    <h4>Chapter 135: Bathed In Pig Blood (2)</h4>


    Just as she pressed the trigger, the gates of hell opened and the surging mes poured out. Alright, that was a bit dramatic because what poured out was nothing but pig blood. Killian, who had just gotten on his feet, was drenched from head to toe in blood. His fancy clothes became a mess of goo of slimy ugliness.


    A collective gasp overtook the crowd, and Inez, despite knowing that she needed to be sneaky,ughed in a low voice.


    ¡¯Take that, prick.¡¯


    ¡¯Now you will think twice before flirting with me,¡¯ thought Inez with a sneer.


    A few seconds passed by, and some shiftersughed. Most probably, they were too drunk to realise that the person in front of them was someone they could never offend. Ryder rushed to Killian¡¯s side and helped him with the mess.


    "Let¡¯s go," said Selene, as she was really worried that her brother would catch them, even though she was his sister; she knew that her brother needed such doses once in a while for him to stay grounded.


    Inez turned to look behind her just to see the man looking like a fool, but the second she turned her head, she saw Killian looking right at her. He had wiped the blood off his face and was now smiling like a psychopath while looking at Inez.


    There was a twinkle of revenge in his eyes as he made the universal ¡¯I caught you¡¯ sign, and Inez turned around before running the fastest she could in her life. She didn¡¯t even run that fast when she was running away from her old pack.


    Jules, who had locked herself in the loo, stepped out. She was determined to give the man a piece of her mind. After spending a good ten minutes in the cubicle by herself, Jueles hade to the decision that she needed to put her foot down or else the man would definitely continue treating her like trash.


    However, just as she stepped out, she saw Killian covered in blood. All of a sudden, she was reminded of the woman whom she saw in the loo, and her lips curled up in a smile. Before she knew it, she was chuckling at Killian¡¯s appearance. She walked over and said to Killian, "It seems like you need to start treating women gently, Alpha Sokolov."


    Killian was rather calm, even though he was humiliated by Inez and the rest. He wiped his face and cleaned the rest of the blood that was sticking to his skin and then said to her, "I want to do that as well. But what can I do when our family has the tradition of eating their mate after they give birth to children?"


    Jules stoppedughing as she looked at the man in front of her in shock. "You are joking!"


    "Why do you think my father suddenly disappeared into thin air after the second child was born?" Killian smiled at the woman in front of her, whose entire face turned pale as she looked at the man in front of her with a terrified expression.


    **


    Soon, Killian returned to the territory, but he didn¡¯t chase after the little fish that had taken a nip at the tip of his fingers and instead went to his lodge. He was not in a hurry to corner the little siren; anyway, she couldn¡¯t run away from his grasp.


    Killian first cleared up the pig blood from his body, and then he walked to the balcony with a ss of vodka in his hands. With his hand resting on the railing, he watched the gates of the territory and smirked when he saw a car driving right inside in a hurry.


    "Looks like the Drakos were rather upset," Killian murmured while taking a sip of the vodka that he was drinking.


    He heard the sound of footsteps behind him and turned to see Nyx, who seemed quite surprised when she saw him.


    However, a few secondster, she smiled at him and greeted, "You are here, Killian?"


    "What? You thought that I would go to look for Inez?" Killian offered as he turned around and leaned his back against the railing. He looked at Nyx, whose face turned stiff and questioned in a low voice, "You had quite a lot of fun, did you not, Nyx?"


    "I have no idea what you are talking about." Nyx tilted her head to one side. She smiled sweetly and then said to him, "I just gave you a taste of the medicine that you always hand me. Didn¡¯t like it? If so, then you should stop pulling my leg; it¡¯s getting old."


    She walked into the room and questioned with a hint of curiosity and wariness, "So, did you like the woman? Was she like Lyra?"


    Upon hearing her question, Killian burst outughing. He said, "No. There is no way that girl could have matched your sister. I believe no one can ever do that¨C" He slowly turned his head to look at Nyx, and his eyes hardened as he continued, "A woman like that ¨C even the devil will start trembling in his shoes if that woman were toe back to life."


    Nyx raised a brow as she made her way to the balcony and peered out. "My sister has always been perfect. My mother made sure of it."


    "And she did a rather fine job of making Lyra someone perfect."


    "Perfectly damaged," he added swiftly.


    Nyx didn¡¯t agree or deny. She reached out to take the ss of vodka from his hand, but Killian had already drained it.


    Seeing this, Nyx gritted her teeth. She eyed the man beside her and questioned, "It seems like you are really interested in that woman. If it were someone else who disrespected you in such a manner, you would have killed them. The lightest punishment would be being thrown in prison, but you didn¡¯t do anything to her." Nyx leaned against the railing as well and questioned, "Don¡¯t tell me that you have fallen for her?"


    **


    Thank you for supporting the book with golden tickets and power stones. You all are awesome, my little fairies!

 Chapter 136: Are you?

    <h4>Chapter 136: Are you?</h4>


    Killian nced at the woman. He curled his lips before asking, "What¡¯s wrong? Are you worried about a littlepetition? Don¡¯t worry. We can y fairly." As he finished speaking, he winked at Nyx, whose face turned cold.


    "Why would I be in love with a woman like her? I was just worried that you were thinking of making atent Luna," scoffed Nyx. Her face, which was filled with smiles when she was with Inez, had turned cold as she ripped the mask off her face. "That would be embarrassing. Compared to her, I would love having my sister as your Luna."


    "Unfortunately, the world doesn¡¯t run how you want it, Nyx," Killian drawled. Noticing something from the corner of his eyes, he smiled at the woman in front of him and said to him, "From now on, you better not enter my lodge as you please. The next time you please your mother for the passcode, I will have your entire family locked out. Do you understand?"


    He then ced the ss in Nyx¡¯s hands before walking past her. As he walked out, he heard the sound of something breaking behind him and curled his lips in a small smile. He climbed down the stairs and, upon reaching thest flight of the stairs, he saw his mother standing at the base of the stairs.


    She seemed to be saying something to Grandma Edira in rapid motion, which Killian didn¡¯t quite catch, as he was not interested in whatever Molly was saying.


    "What did you do!?"


    The second Killian stepped down thest stair, and Molly wheeled to look at him. Her eyes were zing with anger as she snarled at him. His beast snarled back, as he didn¡¯t like a lycan weaker than him showing an attitude. However, Killian smiled calmly. He said to his mother, "Did I not do what you asked me to do?"


    "Don¡¯t y with me, Killian," said Molly; his eyes shed with anger and disappointment. Oh, how she wished that in that ident, the child in her belly would have died rather than her perfect son. If he were here, then he would have never treated her in the same manner as Killian. "What did you say to that poor girl? Her sister just called me. She is furious! She told me why I bothered to make this arrangement when you were not willing. She asked me how I could be so daring as to insult the Drakos family?"


    "The poor girl has been crying in her room, and no one canfort her. Just what did you say to her? I only asked you to take her to dinner and bring her back!" Molly questioned in an exasperated tone.


    "I did just what you asked me to. I brought her to a nice sushi ce for dinner. It¡¯s just that the girl and I have really lowpatibility," replied Killian in a calm voice.


    "Sushi? I asked you to take her to a candlelight dinner!" Molly stated through gritted teeth.


    "I like my food a bit raw," Killian fired back. "I mean, what¡¯s wrong with eating sushi? Miss Jules should get used to living in a lycan territory. Since she has realised that she cannot do it, let her be."


    When Molly heard his response, her nostrils red up. She was sure that the man was lying to her; after all, she knew that Jules Drakos was not the kind of woman who would lose her temper over something so simple. Killian must have done something that he was not telling her. From Serafina¡¯s stance, it seemed like the woman was really angry and no longer looked as enthusiastic as she had in the past over this reunion.


    Molly didn¡¯t understand where she went wrong with Killian; she obviously tried to make him just as perfect as herte son, but this son of hers turned into a monster. She didn¡¯t know what to do with him anymore. Now she wondered if there was a woman left in this world who could tame this beast.


    This was because she had met with Jules and epted that the woman was really smart and kind. If Killian couldn¡¯t get along with her, Molly wondered if he could get along with anyone.


    "If that is all, I have many important matters to attend to." Killian was still smiling, but his eyes were ice cold as he turned on his feet and headed out of the lodge.


    Seeing this, Molly turned to look at Grandma Edira. She said to her, "You see that? That boy doesn¡¯t even listen to me. His mother. If this goes on, then no one will pay attention to me. They will take his actions as permission to disrespect me."


    Nyx stepped down the flight of stairs and smiled at Molly before saying to her, "Don¡¯t worry too much, Aunt. Even though Kill mes you for the things that you have done in the past, he wouldn¡¯t let you get insulted by others," said Nyx, ignoring the palingplexion of the woman. "As for the match that you are worrying about, you can let the young woman attend the birthday party we are arranging for my mother and Grandma Edira. This way we will be able to smooth the rtionship between the two families."


    Though Molly disliked the fact that Nyx had brought up the old incidents, she was indeed convinced by her suggestion. She nodded, and the frown on her face smoothed as she said to her, "You are right. Maybe there is still a chance for the two families to work out their differences."


    When Grandma Edira heard her response, she frowned and couldn¡¯t help but say, "You should stop when you still have time." Her gaze fell on Molly, and she sneered coldly. "I don¡¯t know why you are trying to be his mother, Molly."


    "I am not bing his mother; I am his mother."


    "Are you?" Grandma Edira sneered and returned the question to Molly, whose face turned pale.

 Chapter 137: His Head at Her Feet

    <h4>Chapter 137: His Head at Her Feet</h4>


    Leaning back in the seat, Killian raised his hand and rubbed his aching eyes. He had spent most of the time of the day at theputer, watching many of the vile videos on N.M.H. with Matt and Finn. He had hoped that they would be able to find some familiar faces, which would narrow down their search. As long as they could find even a single familiar face, they would be able to hunt down these sadistic bastards.


    Killian didn¡¯t consider himself an emotional person. He always believed that he was the kind of person who felt too little, and yet it was quite hard for him to block every bit of emotion to watch these horrendous videos. It took everything in Killian to shut off his emotions and observe these videos without losing his sanity.


    Unfortunately, even after watching the hundredth video, they realised that the faces had been carefully concealed. The only thing that wasmon in all videos was that these witches appeared in the same ce in every video. It was like an old pce dungeon, with the floor covered in old blood, with chains dangling from the walls. Other than that, the entire space waspletely empty.


    Matt was quick to tell them that the IP address of the site had once again been masked. If not for his little trick, they would have lost the site once again. He told them that this was done really carefully; if not for an expert like him tracing it down, he was worried that they would have been blocked out of the site long ago.


    Though he had, of course, failed in tracing down even a single person who had posted the videos because they had done it anonymously, that didn¡¯t mean that they would be able to hide for long.


    "Keep trying," said Killian as he watched the entire pack file into the dining room. "We cannot let these bastards escape."


    "That¡¯s right," Ajax yawned before letting out a sneer. He was tired after patrolling for the entire night; in the past, he could at least get some shut-eye, but with the witches targeting their pack and putting them on the hit list, he had no time to even close his eyes. These days, he was working so much that he wondered if he was going to die while running around the territory boundary. "If I don¡¯t get a chance to rip their head off their shoulders, then what¡¯s the point of staying alive?"


    "I am trying, and I should be able to do it. But as you can see, they have used a proxy to post these videos anonymously. It will take some time, and if you are expecting the IP address of every single person who has used this site, then you need to wait for a few months. I mean, just look at the long library of the clips," Matt sighed. He scrolled down the list of videos and continued to speak, "It might be best to just try to get our hands on the subscribers¡¯ list of a channel that will narrow down our suspect list."


    "You might as well¡ª"


    "Wait," Just as Finn was speaking, Killian stopped Matt. He said sharply, "Go back up." He pointed to a certain clip and cursed out loud. When Inez heard him curse, she peered at the screen of theptop, as she was quite curious what could make the man curse. And as she looked at the frame, her eyes fell on the title ¡ª [Wolf Tied and Tormented.]


    As Matt clicked on the thumbnail, it erged, and the face of the woman appeared on the screen. The female looked wild, petrified and betrayed. It was Inez.


    Her stomach dropped, and Inez looked at the screen. Her brain seemed to have stopped working. Inez was conscious of the fact that everyone around her had stopped talking, and they were looking at her. She wanted to shatter theptop, as she knew what this video was about.


    She couldn¡¯t believe that Dominic had stooped so low. How could he¡ªhow could he do such a thing?


    Suddenly, she felt suffocated. It was as if she were back in the room where she had been stripped naked. Though shifters were used to such things, Inez felt it was quite humiliating, as she was a part siren. With chains hanging by her wrist, she was left to dangle in the prison cell, where Dominic woulde to question her every day and night.


    And each time it would be the same question.


    <i>¡¯Do you regret it?¡¯</i>


    She never got to ask him what she should have regretted. Befriending him? Leaving him when he needed her? Or even existing? She only knew that every day was hell for her and that was when her spirit started to break.


    "Inez?"


    Inez snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Selene¡¯s concerned voice. She could see the pity in the eyes of the lycan shifter, but that was not what she wanted. She wanted a life where her past wouldn¡¯t chase after her.


    Her siren side stirred. She wanted to take charge such that she could make these people forget what they had seen. Wanting to eradicate the stain that they had to bear with even though they had never done anything wrong, but they couldn¡¯t because this video cannot be deleted.


    She needed to get out of the room.


    And so she did.


    Without looking at anyone, she turned on her heel and raced through the corridor and rushed out of the main lodge. She didn¡¯t even know how long she ran; she just ran and ran until she could no longer run.


    Unfortunately for her, the run was not enough to drown out the rage that she was feeling at that moment. It was still there, bubbling under her skin like poisonous magma. Her lungs ached, and her breath left her body in short, worry-filled pants. Her siren side had long gone crazy, taking the video as an insult to their pride and wanting nothing less than the head of Dominic Cherith at their feet.


    And honestly, Inez agreed with her.

 Chapter 138: A Siren’s Rage

    <h4>Chapter 138: A Siren¡¯s Rage</h4>


    Inez raised her hand and punched the tree again and again until her knuckles were bleeding. She let out a gut-wrenching and painful roar that was filled with all the anger, frustration and pain that she was feeling at that moment.


    "Why? Why would you do this to me? What have I done? At least tell me what I have done, damn it!?" Inez screamed as she scrunched up her hair in her hand; she let her head fall back and sucked in as much air as possible to get her breathing under her control. Inez didn¡¯t get angry easily; if she were that easy to anger, then she would have lost it long ago when she was trapped in the Venus pack. But when she lost her temper, it was really hard to gain control over it.


    Even though Inez was trying her hardest to calm down, she couldn¡¯t do it. Her raging siren didn¡¯t help her either. Their pride had been wounded, and they wanted nothing less than the blood of the person who had insulted them in such a manner.


    Their emotions mingled together, and Inez punched the tree trunk once again. The rough surface scratched her already wounded skin even further, but even the burning sensation didn¡¯t soothe the pain in her heart.


    She had once trusted Dominic with her heart and soul; she had bared herself to him. Shared every single small and big thing with him. She told him that the one thing that she protected more than her life was her pride, and he stomped on that very thing. Again and again.


    Inez knew that Dominic had recorded every punishment that he had given her, and like a fool, she had allowed him because she was worried that the man would stretch his hands to Scarlet; she would rather let him step on her pride than let him touch her sister¡¯s scar.


    She thought that the recording was something that Dominic would keep just to himself and never share with anyone. Even though she had been pushed to that point, she still had some trust in that man.


    But he allowed it to be seen by others. As shame and horror added to her rage, Inez started punching the tree even harder.


    "Inez."


    Inez paused and spun to face Killian. He stood just a few feet away from her, and while that brought a sort offort to her, the humiliation surging in her heart made her snarl at him. "Go away. I want to be alone."


    However, the stubborn lycan stayed where he was. Seeing this, Inez frowned and said, "Get lost."


    "No." Killian stepped forward. As if he would leave her alone at a time like this. Inez had no idea, but he had been chasing after her from the moment she ran out of the lodge. He had no intention to step forward and let her sense him, but he couldn¡¯t stay silent, not when Killian saw her hurting herself like this.


    He wanted to have her sce and not pain. Killian said to her, "You might want to stay alone, but that¡¯s not what you need, Inez. And believe me, desiring someone to be by your side when you need it the most is not a weakness."


    Inez felt her siren side gopletely still when she heard his soothing tone. ¡¯Shit,¡¯ she cursed when she heard her siren side lunge to her surface. Dark and lustful energy started swirling within her veins, and Inez knew very clearly that her siren was filled with desires at the moment.


    Most probably because this was how sirens calmed their raging emotions. In the past, with Nia being a big force inside of her, Inez never had to face such a situation, but with her wolf retreating within her, her siren side became the dominant force within her, which left her in a situation such as this.


    "You need to leave."


    "I am not leaving," Killian stated with the same firmness as her. How could he leave her when she was in a condition like this? He knew better than anyone how deep Dominic¡¯s betrayal ran within her heart.


    His beast, too, was pacing in distress. He wanted to go to Inez and soothe her. His beast also wanted to find the fucker who had caused her pain and rip that person into shreds. This was the first time Killian realised how deep his concern ran for the female in front of him. He would kill for her in a heartbeat, and what was even more terrifying, his beast would back him up.


    Stepping just a few feet away from Inez, he said to her, "Inez, look at me."


    She didn¡¯t want to. Not when the man in front of her was the answer to her siren¡¯s rage. He could help her. She knew that.


    Her eyes turned a pearly white as she turned and looked at the man whose erotic mouth was still speaking to her. She couldn¡¯t listen to a thing that he was saying; all her attention was on his lips. All she could think of was his lips on her body.


    Her siren agreed. She was more than willing to let Killian give them the outlet that the two of them needed. However, Inez refused to give in to her desires. She was not going to use Killian like that. No matter what kind of person he was, she was not going to stoop so low as to use him.


    She sucked in a breath and tried to calm herself down before saying to him, "You need to go. Now."


    However, if she were stubborn, Killian was just as stubborn. Nothing she said was going to make him leave her alone. Even if his alpha instincts wanted him to leave, his protective instincts overcame them. What he wanted to do was to hold her in his arms, but he knew that it would only make Inez feel even more awkward. He stepped forward and crossed the distance that she had made between them. He said to her, "I am staying right here, bubbles."


    "I am not going anywhere."

 Chapter 139: A Siren’s Rage (2)

    <h4>Chapter 139: A Siren¡¯s Rage (2)</h4>


    Inezughed. She said to him, "Is this because of what I did? Are you taking revenge on me by getting on my nerves because I covered you with pig blood?"


    "No," he shook his head and stated in a calm voice, "You will pay for that little prank, bubbles, but not now. I am a lot of things, but I will never make use of someone¡¯s vulnerabilities against them."


    And that¡¯s what made him different from Dominic in many ways, thought Inez with a hint of admiration in her eyes. However, she didn¡¯t have the time to appreciate his kindness. She sucked in a breath and turned her head to one side. She said to him, "That¡¯s very noble of you, but you need to go."


    "Why?"


    Her siren side lunged to her surface when that slow,nguid drawl unintentionally seduced her. Before she could stop herself, the truth had left her lips, "Because you are forgetting that I am a siren! Do you even know what kind of rage a siren would feel when they are angry?"


    At first, Killian was stunned by her outburst, but then he realised what she was saying and suddenly his eyes darkened. The air slowly started to charge with sexual tension that had always lingered around the two of them. It had never crossed the line, but it had been there, subtly reminding them of the attraction that they had been refusing to see.


    "You should know this. There is a reason why sirens are used and treated as ves. Why are they kept downtrodden and furious?" she continued. "That¡¯s because the more heightened their emotions were, the more their desires surged. The driving force for a siren¡¯s lust is their anger. That¡¯s weird as fuck and I know that many look down on us because of this. Because we use others as if they are our ves."


    "I don¡¯t want to use you like that, so you better go." Or she would really use him like the other women had used him. She had seen and understood Killian enough to know that the man was a good person. He had given her a ce to stay, even though Dominic had passed out the order that no one was allowed to give her a ce to stay.


    He was a true protector who cared for his pack and family.


    He wasn¡¯t as vain and arrogant as she had thought. He had much more emotional depth, even if he didn¡¯t show it. He was ... a kind man.


    And what was even more tormenting was ¡ª


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that," said Inez as she stepped away from the man. Her siren purred within her as she felt satisfied with the hungry look that Killian was giving them. That sensual gaze soothed the burn and pain that they had received at the hands of Dominic.


    Killian smiled at her. "I didn¡¯t even say anything."


    As he spoke, he moved toward her, and she immediately stepped away from him. Her eyes flickered as she could feel her body heat up. Every time he took a step, she would backpedal.


    Seeing this, Killian stopped, as he didn¡¯t like the sight of her stepping away from him. And so the two of them stood where they were with the raw and intense sexual energy pulsating in the air.


    "Just leave me alone." She couldn¡¯t stay close to him, not when her body was reacting in a manner which Inez didn¡¯t have the slightest control over.


    But the man stayed put. He stayed still, with his steel-grey eyes staring at her. Once in a while, his eyes would turn an electric blue, as his beast lunged to his surface.


    She could feel her siren reacting to the presence of his beast. It wasn¡¯t good; she could feel her consciousness drifting and being reced by a need so fierce that she felt scared because of it. Inez had never felt like this before, not even when she realised that Dominic was her mate.


    "I told you that I am not going anywhere," said Killian as he crossed his hands behind him. He was still smiling as he spoke in a slow drawl, "Not because I want you with the same intensity as you want me. But if this is the kind offort that would make you stop hurting yourself, then I am willing to give it to you." His beast rumbled in delight when Inez¡¯s siren surfaced and looked at him with that intense gaze. "Come to me, my siren."


    Inez felt her siren trying to break free of the restraints that she had ced on her. It was clear that the siren wanted to go to the man who was the answer to all of her questions. Really, really wanted to. But Inez held back. Because using him would not be good. What was more, Killian was like one fucked-up drug. If she got her hands on him, he would make her feel really good.


    So good that she would forget all the pain that she was suffering from.


    But that would also leave her desiring more. She knew that it would only make her look even more stupid and reckless. She needed to hold back. This was what Inez knew, but the man looked so tempting that she didn¡¯t want to hold back.


    And ¡ª


    Would he have the intense desire for her if he saw her naked? Inez didn¡¯t think so. Her skin was covered in scars. Scars that her previous pack and friends had given her. Killian had seen countless beautiful women. As if her mind was inclined to make her climb down the rabbit hole, it reminded her of the woman whom she had seen in the sushi restaurant.


    She would never be able to match a beauty like that.


    Her siren, however, felt insulted. Her body might be covered in scars, but her beauty surpassed every other woman.


    "Come here," said Killian like a devil determined to make hermit the deadly sin. "It will soothe both of us. We can finally have what we want, Inez."

 Chapter 140: Mark

    <h4>Chapter 140: Mark</h4>


    Trigger warning: +18 content. Some readers might find it difficult to read. Please read it with caution, and don¡¯t curse the writer. Hahaha, okay fairies?


    **


    "Who said that I need this?" Inez stated coldly. "I never said that I wanted this."


    Killian smiled upon hearing her response. He said to her, "There is one thing that I like about you, Inez. You are a straightforward woman who doesn¡¯t lie. Then tell me, why are you lying to me now? I can see that your siren desires to have me at this very moment."


    Inez gulped. He was right. Her siren side truly wanted him. His attention soothed the burn and ache in her hollowed heart that was left by Dominic. She sighed and decided to give him the truth. "I don¡¯t want to use you like everyone else." Her eyes flicked upwards as she looked at Killian, whose eyes were filled with shadows that matched her own. "I know that you were once let down in the worst possible manner, and I don¡¯t want to do the same thing to you."


    And he appreciated her for that. "You don¡¯t have to worry about that, bubbles."


    "You haven¡¯t seen me¡ªI am not like those glitter goblins with whom you sleep," informed Inez. In the past, she had never cared about the scars on her back¡ªnor had she felt insecure about the marks left by the many torments that she had suffered. To her, these marks were evidence of her survival. But with Killian, things were different.


    She didn¡¯t know how it was different... it just was.


    "You know me, Inez. Do you think I would have followed after you and offered you thefort that you want because I pity you? No, I am asking you to submit to me because this is what I want. What you want. What we want."


    And that was when Inez felt the restraints within her give way. Her eyes turnedpletely white as she ran towards Killian, who collided with her midway, and after that, Inez had no idea what happened. All she knew was that his greedy mouth was all over her in a matter of a few seconds. His tongueshed against hers as he kissed, licked and nibbled on her lips, tasting and teasing every corner and nook of her mouth.


    In a matter of seconds, his tall and strong body had pressed her to the ground.


    It should have annoyed her siren to have a man press her down like this, as sirens usually liked to dominate their partners. However, her siren didn¡¯t feel that there was anything wrong with what the man was doing. If anything, it only made her even more frantic for him.


    So much that she didn¡¯t even hesitate before tearing his shirt off; the sound of buttons popping and falling all over the ground echoed in the surroundings, revealing his broad chest with sleek and rock-hard muscles.


    "I need you," Killian muttered as he tore her ck t-shirt and within a matter of seconds, he had herpletely naked. With her body pinned to the ground and her legs wrapped around his waist.


    There was no soft coaxing, nor were there anyforting caresses. Killian was not the kind of person who would treat his woman in such a manner, but he was just too caught up in Inez and her scent. His beast was not helping either, with his desire surging and mixing with Killian¡¯s to the point where they only retained enough sanity to prepare Inez for them.


    His fingers pumped inside of her as he sucked on her hardened bud. With his teeth, he would bite and tease them before soothing them with a flick of his tongue. His thumb fluttered and flicked her clit, making her core feel itchy and burn.


    Inez had never felt like this before. She could feel the tingle spread all over her spine and body. Before she knew it, her toes curled up and she exploded. The masculine hands that were exploring all over her body paused and gave her reprieve for a few more seconds. But then, a secondter, Inez felt Killian move and position his length against her core.


    The second, she felt the head of his length brush against her core, her body moved on its own; she wanted to shift slightly and take his length within her core, but the man didn¡¯t let her move. Killian¡¯s hand shot out and caught her by her throat. The surge of dominance vibes made her choke. She raised her head and looked at Killian, who smiled at her and shook his head.


    He was going to give her what she wanted, but he was going to give it to her in due time.


    When Inez saw the man tease her, she curled her lips and snarled at the man, feeling annoyed and upset with his actions. However, Killian didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t thrust within her at once; instead, he slowly fed her his length.


    The slow and delicious burn made Inez throw her head back and cry out in delight.


    He was thick and long, and he slowly stretched her, causing one of the most pleasurable burns. She felt him pull back, and just as she thought that he was pulling away because he took her as too weak to handle him, Killian gave one forceful thrust and went deep inside her.


    Killian groaned when her core mped around his length. "Fuck, you are so tight." He had known that she would and had known that it was her first time. But he never thought that Inez would feel like she was the missing piece of his soul, like the one piece of the puzzle that he had lost the second he came into this world.


    Damn. he thought that after this his need for her would get better and not worse but now that he had finally made her his¡ªKillian realised that his desire for her would only get worse from here and not better.


    Why was this happening to him?

 Chapter 141: Mark (2)

    <h4>Chapter 141: Mark (2)</h4>


    Trigger Warning: 18+ content. Please read with caution. Thank you very much, my fairies.


    **


    Killian stared at the woman underneath him. He could feel a sharp tug in his chest while staring at her dazed eyes. He knew that if he continued, then he would definitely cross all the lines that he had set in the past. Killian was the kind of person who never did anythingplicated, and everything about this woman was nothing butplicated.


    He knew that if he didn¡¯t pull away now, then he was going to topple right into a messed-up emotional pit. It didn¡¯t make sense.


    The smart thing would be to leave. Killian knew that he was not good with emotional intimacy and didn¡¯t even have a shred of it. But he knew that he couldn¡¯t walk away from Inez. Not when the desire to make herpletely his was driving him crazy. "Now, you are finally mine."


    His beast growled in satisfaction upon hearing those words.


    "Stop holding back," said Inez. She slid her hands over his solid and bulging shoulders. "I can take it."


    "You sure about that?" asked Killian. His eyes shed with concern, which made Inez growl with dissatisfaction. "I am not a doll that will break if you go a bit harder."


    "Since you have asked for it." Killian smiled as he grabbed her bottom and started thrusting right within her. Now that he knew that she was prepared to take it, he didn¡¯t want to hold back, and as her fingers raked on his back, Killian stopped holding back altogether. "That¡¯s right, bubbles. Show me how much you want this."


    Every other time, Inez was too guarded and distant. But right now at this moment, she was honest and unguarded. Inez didn¡¯t hide, nor did she hold back. This was how Killian had always wanted her.


    Inez mewled in pleasure. With Killian swooping down and kissing the length of her neck, she gripped his shoulders hard. Her eyes shut close as she relished the feeling of his lips against her skin. The soft kisses plus the harsh hammering within her core felt so damn good that Inez could see white spots dance in front of her eyes.


    No wonder women were so eager to flock to this man. He knew what he needed to do to make a woman happy. Her eyes shed with a hint of resentment when she thought about how this man had slept with probably half of the female shifter poption, and she dug her nails into his back, leaving marks on his back for all the glitter goblins to see.


    The second her fingers scratched his back, Killian smiled at her. His eyes found hers, and he said, "Are you marking me, Bubbles?"


    Heat flooded her cheeks, and Inez scowled at him. "No, I didn¡¯t."


    Killian just smiled at her. He arched a brow at her and said, "There is no need to lie, princess. If you want to mark me, then you are free to do it¡ª just don¡¯t get angry when I mark you."


    "No." Inez shook her head in objection. She didn¡¯t want to be marked by anyone.


    "That¡¯s not fair, princess. You cannot expect me not to mark you when you have left enough marks for everyone to see. Not only am I going to mark you, but I will take you however I want you now. Because you are mine."


    "You jerk!" Inez punched and pushed him away. Her legs hit him on the back, but he just pinned her tighter. As his length rammed in and out of her. "Don¡¯t you dare mark me."


    She knew what a mark meant to a shifter. It was much more than just a mark¡ªit was a im.


    "There is no point in fighting, Inez. I am going to mark you... There is no way I am going to ept that this is going to be a one-time deal for us. Once is never going to be enough when ites to you; I need this more than just once," said Killian and when Inez continued to shake her head, he nipped her shoulder.


    He squeezed her thighs, and she dug her nails into his shoulders. "You are close; I can feel it. Your core is mping down on." As he spoke, he brushed his hand against her core and brushed his length against the sweet spot, which made Inez tremble.


    Upon noticing her reaction, Killian curled his lips and started hammering against that very spot again and again.


    Inez could take it once, but she couldn¡¯t take it anymore after the third thrust. An explosion of pure and raw pleasure shot through her. The scream that was lodged in her throat tore past her lips and that was when Killian sucked on her skin and sank his teeth. With the pleasure and pain mixed, her orgasm reached its peak. Wave after wave of sheer pleasure started to crash against the edge.


    Killian rammed into her one final time before letting out a groan. His length pulsed inside of her, as he filled her with his essence. Anyway, shifters could never have children without the mating or imprinting mark. Thus, Killian was not worried about having a child. However, as he pulled away, he couldn¡¯t help but feel regretful.


    He would have loved to have a daughter like Inez.


    "You marked me," Inez panted while looking at the sky above them.


    "And so did you," said Killian.


    "I never meant it to happen," she croaked.


    "Liar, liar..."


    Yes, she was indeed lying, and that scared the hell out of her. Thest time she felt like this was when she found out that Dominic was her mate. However, Killian was not hers.


    Killian watched her reeling from what happened and slowly gathering the strength to build the walls around her once again. He reached out and gripped her chin. He said, "Oh no, no, no. There will be no such thing. You are not pushing me away, Inez. You are not a coward, so don¡¯t act like one."


    "You are not going to deny that this didn¡¯t happen because it did."


    "And what if I do?"

 Chapter 142: Rage And Promises

    <h4>Chapter 142: Rage And Promises</h4>


    "Stop panicking, Inez," said Killian as he picked up her clothes and handed them to her. Once the woman had slid on her shirt, which had many tears in the fabric due to him being too agitated, he continued to speak, "I know what you are scared of. But I am not going to hurt you, nor am I going to control you. You are your own person ¡ª you have your own life, and as it¡¯s your life, you are free to live it how you want. No one is going to make the decisions for you."


    He continued to look at her and noticed how her tensed shoulders slowly started to rx. "However," He paused and saw her getting stiff all over again. "You will have to get used to my possessiveness now." It was bad to begin with, and now that he had finally got what he wanted, Killian knew that it was going to be even worse than before.


    Inez hummed because she knew that it was going to work in both cases. "Just remember, don¡¯t try to trap me. I am not going to let you break me." She shivered when she remembered the things that Dominic had done to her in the past, all for the sake of breaking her. She raised her head and looked at the man, expecting him to bristle for doubting him, but his expression softened.


    He walked over to where she was standing and reached out to cup her nape. He rubbed the pad of his thumb against her skin and softly spoke to her, "I will never do anything to break you, Inez. This will never be about that." He paused and then added, "But if I see you with someone else, I swear I will kill them."


    "I won¡¯t do such a thing," said Inez. While it was normal for sirens to never settle for one person until they found their mates, Inez didn¡¯t grow up among them. She wasn¡¯t going to use Killian and then move to another partner. She raised her head and said, "The same goes for you."


    "I don¡¯t think I will need someone else after you."


    Inez gave him a stiff nod. "Good." Her voice had turned husky due to the arousal which was still coursing through her body. It was tough to suppress her desire after getting a bite of the cake, but Inez underestimated Killian.


    He had simply stolen her breath by iming to want her and no one else.


    A noise suddenly prated the silence. Someone was calling Killian¡¯s and her name. Not just anyone, Morrh and Fenric. She could also hear the voice of Nyx once in a while. Each time they called their names, Inez could hear their voices getting closer.


    "They are going to be furious."


    A few momentster, Morrh, along with Fenric, burst through the clearing along with Nyx and Finn. The second they arrived, they all paused as if someone had pushed a pause button. Morrh froze, and her nostrils red a secondter. Then, before anyone could stop her, she was charging right at Inez. "You bitch!"


    "Morrh, stop right there,"manded Killian as he stepped in between Inez and Morrh. Inez, however, didn¡¯t even flinch when Morrh charged at her. She stared at the woman, ready to take her on head-on.


    "You¡ªhow dare you touch the mate of my daughter?"


    "He was the mate of your daughter," corrected Inez. "Now that she is not here, he doesn¡¯t owe anyone anything."


    Morrh growled. She turned to look at Killian as if she didn¡¯t want to waste her time on Inez. She said to Killian, "She is not good for you, Kill. You don¡¯t want someone like her; she is nothing but a pack of trouble."


    "You are telling me what is good for me?"


    Morrh winced at that dangerously soft tone. Telling an alpha male what was right and wrong was not a good idea.


    When Inez saw her face turning pale, she felt a bit bad for the woman. Actually, no, she didn¡¯t.


    She understood that Morrh was grieving the death of her daughter, but she really needed to ept that Lyra was gone, and she had no right to make Killian pause his life for someone who was never going to return.


    "I have respected you because you are the mother of my ex-mate. But we both know that neither of us owes each other anything," said Killian as he looked at the woman in front of him.


    "You fucking bastard!" Fenric stepped forward. With his hand raised, he pointed at Killian, "How can you say that¡ªyou know what you have done?!"


    "What I have done?" Killian¡¯s lycan surged to the surface. He turned to look at Fenric and spoke in a quiet voice, "Tell me what I have done."


    Though the man didn¡¯t raise his voice, there was something dangerous and explosive about his tone, which made both Morrh and Fenric flinch.


    However, Fenric didn¡¯t stop. "She is atent."


    Killian¡¯s beast didn¡¯t like anyone insulting Inez. He didn¡¯t understand how Dominic could stay quiet when his pack was insulting Inez because he and his beast wanted to rip a new one for Fenric for calling Ineztent as if it was an insult. "And you are one big, bad alpha? I bet I can beat the hell out of you in a matter of seconds."


    "That¡¯s different."


    "How is it different? If you want to bring up someone¡¯s weakness, then you better be damn sure that you are unbeatable."


    "She is not what you need! There is no way she is what you will ever need!" Morrh shrieked, losing her head altogether. "This woman must be just a little fun for you. That¡¯s right! That¡¯s what you will be to him! Just a bitch with whom he can sleep and throw¡ª"


    "ENOUGH!" Killian snapped. Having listened enough, he looked at Morrh, who was acting out of line. "Say what you want to say to me; don¡¯t drag her into this matter. If you think that I have let your daughter down, then youe at me. But don¡¯t you ever say that Inez means so little to me."


    "AHH!"

 Chapter 143: Rage And Promises (2)

    <h4>Chapter 143: Rage And Promises (2)</h4> Morrh dived at Inez, livid with rage. Once again, Killian stepped in between the two, but this time Nyx also stopped her mother. She stepped forward and pulled Morrh back before saying to her, "They are saying the truth! Mom, no matter how much you refuse to ept it, Lyra is gone. You have to ept this truth!"


    "Shut up!" Morrh¡¯s rage was simply unbridled. She looked at Inez and pointed at the mark on her neck before saying, "He marked her! He fucking marked her." Marking was the sign of possessiveness, but that was not all. A mark left by an alpha was also a sign that he respected the woman enough to leave his brand on her.


    Morrh thought of her poor daughter. Even though she was Killian¡¯s mate, he had never left his mark on her. No matter what their differences were, Killian should have shown her the respect that her daughter had deserved when she was alive. But he didn¡¯t.


    Never even showed any signs of ever epting her daughter as his mate.


    But he allowed his beast to mark Inez. How could she not be furious? Killian had a lot of sexual partners, but he had never shown them any form ofmitment. He had never marked them, which was why Morrh had never felt any form of anger or rage in the past.


    Inez, however, was different. She was the only woman who had received a mark from Killian, which made Morrh lose control.


    The fact that Killian didn¡¯t mark his mate but marked this woman¡ªit was enough to let her know what kind of importance Inez had in his life. Her rage, therefore, was justified.


    "That... will be enough, Morrh." Grandma Edira, who came with Selene and Laxus, looked at the sight in front of her. She raised her brows and eyed Inez, who was being fiercely protected by Laxus. However, she didn¡¯t make anyment on the two of them; instead, she turned to look at Morrh, who was baring her teeth at Inez.


    She said to her, "We are all upset over the loss of someone like Lyra, but you cannot expect Killian to put his entire life on hold for her. Even if you don¡¯t wish to ept it, your daughter is gone."


    Looking even more enraged than before, Morrh breathed hard. She stared at Grandma Edira for a few minutes before turning to look at Inez. If her eyes could spew fire, then Inez was sure that she would have been burned to death then and there.


    However, she didn¡¯t say anything. She turned on her feet and walked away without looking at either Killian or Inez.


    "You will regret this," hissed Fenric. "Lyra gave you all her light and you handed her all your darkness; the least you could have done was to respect her memory by recing her with a woman worth her calibre, not sometent." Once he finished speaking, Fenric turned on his feet and walked after his mother.


    Once the two of them were gone, Selene heaved a sigh of relief. She turned to look at Killian and Inez before saying to them with a smile, "For what it¡¯s worth, I think you guys look really cute together." Then she asked Laxus to push her back to her lodge.


    Grandma Edira, on the other hand, turned to look at Inez and sniffed. "I really don¡¯t like you. However, I will let it slide¡ªsince Kill is the one who has chosen you. But if you ever hurt him¡ª"


    "You don¡¯t have to worry about it, Grandma," said Killian with a smile. He nced at Inez sideways and remarked, "Even if she hurts me, I will willingly ept it all."


    Inez paused and raised her head to look at the man, only to catch the fleeting smile on his lips.


    Grandma Edira stared at her grandson. She didn¡¯t say anything for a while before sighing. She turned on her feet, and then she too was gone.


    Killian¡¯s beast finally rxed. He turned to look at Inez and said to her, "Well, that went well."


    Inez gawked at him. "You call that well?"


    "There was no bloodshed," he spoke to her in an amused voice. "I was worried that you were going to kill Morrh."


    "If she had made a move on me, then yes. Sirens do not take a threat to their life well, and without my wolf controlling her, it¡¯s not wrong to say that your pack would have been in for a show." She then turned and nced at him, "You would have stopped me."


    "I would have, because thest thing I want is for you to be locked up in the prison cell of the council. Morrh might be a bit annoying, but she has her own connections. It would be annoying if she were killed." Killian dabbed a kiss on her forehead and continued, "Do you feel better now?"


    Inez sighed. "I am still annoyed, but I am in control; at least my siren no longer wants to go to war with that jerk."


    "It might not necessarily be Dominic who uploaded that video," said Killian and when Inez raised her head and looked at him, he exined in a soft voice, "While Dominic was indeed the one who shot the videos, he is not a fool. He wouldn¡¯t publish the videos on the site, which is closely rted to the witch."


    "Given howx he is when controlling his pack, it won¡¯t be a surprise that someone was able to copy these files." He paused before saying to her, "However, the fact alone that he had once ced you in a situation like that is enough for me to hunt him down and deal with him and his pack."


    Something the person behind the scenes wanted very much. Either they knew that Inez was with him and knew her importance, which was why they dared to take this bet. If his pack and Dominic¡¯s went to war¡ªthen the ones who would certainly win this bet would be the witches.

 Chapter 144: Fixed

    <h4>Chapter 144: Fixed</h4>


    "Well, we will hunt down the person who posted that video very soon," said Inez as she corrected him. She paused before saying, "Promise me that you will never see the video. Don¡¯t even think of watching it, not even once." Maybe it was stupid, but she didn¡¯t want him to see her condition back then. Cornered like a little animal who had nowhere to run. Helpless and terrified.


    She didn¡¯t want him to think that she was a fool to keep trusting and hoping for Dominic to change for the better and trust her.


    Killian understood why she was requesting him not to look at the video, and he nodded at her. He cupped her cheek and said to her, "I will never look down on you, Inez."


    She was not the kind of woman upon whom he could look down.


    "Just promise me."


    A part of Killian wanted to watch the video; he wanted to see what kind of torment that Dominic had made Inez go through, such that he could recreate it when he got his hands on Dominic. He wanted to see what she had gone through, but he couldn¡¯t refuse her.


    He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to deny it, not when she was looking at him with those eyes, which were filled with nothing but pain. "I promise I will not watch it, and I will bar anyone from seeing it either."


    She swallowed hard. "Thank you." Inez knew that since the man had promised it, he would never break her trust. The man smiled at her as he reached out and embraced her. Inez didn¡¯t know what to do with such an intimate action; she was fine with sleeping with Killian, but she was a bit ufortable with such caring actions.


    However, with the man engulfing her, her siren calmed down as Killian¡¯s warmth and scent covered them from head to toe.


    Killian pulled back as he kissed her on the top of her head. He said to her, "Come on. I will walk you to the lodge."


    "Do you want Morrh to chase me with a stake?"


    "No, to remind her that she needs to start epting the changes." He ran his fingers over his mark on her neck. It should have scared him that he had lost control like that. Never before had he ever marked a woman, but there was no such thing. He didn¡¯t feel scared or terrified. Instead, he was filled with self-satisfaction. The kind of satisfaction that he had never felt before.


    He looked down at those beautiful green eyes that were always filled with a sense of wariness. "And so do you."


    **


    "You can stop smiling like that now, Miss Selene," said Inez as she helped the woman to the balcony. Selene had been mouring that she needed to sit on the balcony and see the ocean to feel better, as she felt cooped up.


    Selene¡¯s eyes were glowing. She said to Inez, "Well, it¡¯s not my fault that I am looking at my sister-inw."


    "I am not your sister-inw. It¡¯s nothing like that," Inez said to the woman, who only smiled at her.


    "My brother wouldn¡¯t have marked you if he didn¡¯t have such intentions."


    Inez frowned. "He should have done it with others, at least with his mate?" Though she had tried not to think too much about the mark on her neck, she just couldn¡¯t help it when she remembered how Morrh had looked at her. It was as if she had stolen something that was supposed to be Lyra¡¯s.


    Upon hearing her question, Selene¡¯s eyes softened, and she shook her head. "No. Believe me when I say that you are the one and the only woman my brother has marked. He is not the kind of man who would mark just about anyone. He has never done it. Never before."


    Her eyes fell on the mark on Inez¡¯s neck, and she smiled when she saw Inez¡¯s look of sheer worry. "However, you don¡¯t need to think too much. Since Kill has note after you regarding the little prank that you did, I believe that he will most likely respect your opinions."


    When Inez heard the response of the woman, her face turned a bit pale. Even though Killian had not confronted her regarding the little prank that she had pulled, Inez wondered if she was really safe from his retaliation.


    What if these actions of his were just lies?


    Her heart twisted into knots with just the mere thought of it.


    Someone knocked on the door, and when the two women turned around, they saw Nyx. She was wearing a polite smile on her lips and said to them as she walked inside, "I hope I didn¡¯t interrupt the two of you."


    Selene shook her head while Inez replied, "No, you didn¡¯t. We are already done with the session."


    "Oh," Nyx spoke with slight disappointment. "I really wish to see you working. Healers are always so mysterious that I am really curious about them."


    "You know that healers never show their skills to anyone, even to their patients, Nyx," Selene intervened, as she was worried that the woman would say something that she shouldn¡¯t. She then said to Nyx, "Is there a reason why you came to see me?"


    Nyx rolled her eyes before saying to Selene, "Do I alwayse to see you when I have something to do?" She then turned to look at Inez and handed her the little pastel pink envelope that she was holding between her fingers. "This is the official invitation for the birthday party of my mother. Even though you are the pack member of this pack, I am giving it to you just in case someone tries to make trouble for you."


    Inez looked at the invitation. While she was quite touched by Nyx¡¯s actions of looking out for her, she didn¡¯t want to ept it. With how much Morrh hated her, she would definitely not ept Inez¡¯s presence at her party.


    "Nyx, I¡ª"

 Chapter 145: Snake and Friends

    <h4>Chapter 145: Snake and Friends</h4>


    Nyx tilted her head, the smile on her lips faltered, and she asked, "Don¡¯t say that you are noting. I would like it if you came to my mother¡¯s birthday party."


    The cogs in Inez¡¯s mind turned rapidly. She came up with an excuse within seconds and said to Nyx, "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want toe, but I think it will be a bit problematic if I attend the party. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I stayed at the lodge? And I also have some work to do. I don¡¯t think that I will have the time toe to the party."


    She had all the time in the world, but Nyx didn¡¯t need to know that, thought Inez.


    "Oh. Did Kill ask you to start working already? Would you like me to ask him to give you a few days off so that you can attend the party? I don¡¯t like the idea of you working hard when everyone is enjoying."


    "Thank you, but there is no need," Inez refused. She had already had enough with Morrh ring at her at every turn. Just this morning, she was staring at Inez as if she wished to take a bite of her neck. She wondered how that woman would react if Inez were to turn up at her party. "I just think that we should avoid trouble when we can."


    Nyx gave her a sympathetic look. She then said, "I understand. I am really sorry about my mom, though¡ªshe might be a bit rude at times, but she is only grieving the death of her daughter and my sister. Lyra died all of a sudden; because of this, my mother was never able to get the closure that she wanted."


    While Inez understood Morrh¡¯s pain, she couldn¡¯t ept that the woman was looking for validation by asking Killian to stay alone. Though there were shifters who stayed alone after the death of their mates, they did it willingly. Morrh¡¯s actions were selfish and couldn¡¯t be exined in just a few words.


    Just because she refused to ept that her daughter would never return, she wanted Killian to honour the bond that had already been broken.


    When Inez didn¡¯t say anything, Nyx sighed. She ced the card that she was holding in her hand on the small cab inside the room. She then turned to look at Inez before saying to her, "I hope that you wille to the party. I mean, with me being busy, Selene will be all alone. If you came to the party, then at least she will have someone to care for her." She shifted her gaze to Selene, who seemed a bit troubled.


    "I will be fine," said Selene.


    "You don¡¯t have to lie," said Nyx with a look of indignation on her face. When she saw Inez looking at her in confusion, she said to her, "Thest time we invited a few people to the pack, there were a few women who made fun of Selene."


    Selene, always the peacemaker, said in a mollified voice, "That was nothing. They just made some little jokes."


    "Calling you a little cripple is not a joke nor is asking whether you have chosen the casket in which you would like to be buried."


    Nyx turned to look at Inez and huffed. "Back then I was too busy and couldn¡¯t take care of those bitches, which is why I would like it if you came to the party and kept an eye on them. Anyway, now that you are with Kill, you should start taking care of Selene a bit more. What do you say?"


    Inez wanted to refute that she had nothing to do with Killian but she didn¡¯t because she knew that no one was going to listen to her. Instead, she turned and looked at Selene, who smiled at her sheepishly. Inez felt her heartache when she thought about how Selene was bullied because she was different from others.


    Nyx then ced her hand on Inez¡¯s shoulder. "I will not force you to attend the party if you are not willing, as I understand that my mother has never weed you. But if you change your mind, then I hope that you will attend the party. At least this time we will catch those women in the act instead of bitching about Selene behind her back."


    "I will think about it," replied Inez with a smile.


    Hearing her response, Nyx smiled. She then turned to look at Selene and said to her, "I have brought a few dresses of mine. You know, thest time you said that you liked the pastel yellow one?" As she spoke, she turned on her feet and then walked out of the balcony. However, she soon returned carrying three to four dresses that looked neither too old nor too new.


    She ced them on the small coffee table that was ced in the overlyrge balcony. As the pile settled down, she picked up the yellow dress that she was talking about and showed it to Selene. "Isn¡¯t it good? I only wore it a few times. It¡¯s in a really good condition, don¡¯t you think so?"


    Inez had to admit that the dress indeed looked pretty. With beads and pearls sewn on the fabric, but at the same time, she wondered why Selene would wear clothes that Nyx had already worn.


    "I don¡¯t think that it will look good on me," Selene looked at the dress, which was prettier than the one she was wearing and shook her head. Though the dresses were beautiful, they would be of no use for someone like her who couldn¡¯t even stand up on her feet.


    With her dull skin and coarse hair, Selene knew that no matter how much she tried, she would never be the girl who would turn heads.


    "But I want you to dress prettier," said Nyx with a pout. She lowered her eyes and said, "I know that you are suffering, Sel. But there is no need for you to stop living your life; at least try to add some colour to your world. Don¡¯t you think that I am speaking the truth?"

 Chapter 146: Snake and Friends (2)

    <h4>Chapter 146: Snake and Friends (2)</h4>


    Selene hesitated. She looked at the pastel yellow dress and nodded, "Well, you can leave it. I will try it when I have the time."


    "That¡¯s like a good girl," said Nyx as her lips curled up into a brilliant smile. She then took out a pair of heels that she had brought with the dresses and ced them in front of Selene before saying to her, "And these are matching heels that will go well with the dress. Don¡¯t you think so?"


    Inez looked at the scene in front of her and frowned lightly. Though she didn¡¯t say anything, she did feel that there was something off about this entire situation.


    "I have enough heels to wear, Nyx," said Selene as she tried to refuse the heels that Nyx had brought for her. She didn¡¯t even wear heels because her legs were incapable of walking.


    Nyx, however, frowned and said to her, "Don¡¯t refuse, Sel. I know that you don¡¯t care about how you look and what kind of clothes you wear. But you should look your best in front of others. Don¡¯t let them have the chance to say anything to you."


    "Alright," With Nyx insisting so much, Selene could no longer refuse. She looked at the shoes that Nyx had once worn and pursed her lips. She had never told Nyx about the entire incident. The reason she was bullied thest time at the party was not because she could no longer walk on her own or that she was now tied to a wheelchair for eternity.


    But because she wore clothes and shoes that were too simr to the ones that Nyx usually wore. Those women made fun of her because she was trying to copy Nyx in their eyes, so they made fun of her.


    However, when she raised her head and looked at Nyx, Selene couldn¡¯t bring herself to refuse the woman. After all, she was only trying to look after her as her only friend.


    Nyx liked the feeling of being trusted and depended on, even though she was not trustworthy. Her lips curled up in a sweet smile when she saw Selene agreeing to her requests, and even though she noticed the hesitation in the eyes of thetter, she ignored it, for she knew why Selene was hesitating to take and wear the clothes that she had given to her.


    She offered her politest smile to the two women before saying, "I will be taking my leave then; after all, I need to prepare for the birthday party."


    Inez waited for the woman to leave. Once she was sure that Nyx was gone, she turned to look at Selene and said to her, "Are you really going to wear these clothes?" She wondered if Killian even knew about these things. If he did, then why did he not stop it? She wanted to believe that Nyx had her heart in the right ce, but she could not.


    "I don¡¯t know," Selene replied while looking at the dresses and the shoes that Nyx had left in her ce. She wanted to say that she was going to wear them, but as the words touched her lips, she swallowed them back.


    Selene wanted to believe that Nyx was only looking after her and had no other intentions, but did that woman truly have no idea that these actions of hers were causing her trouble?


    Inez pursed her lips. She couldn¡¯t look at Selene, whose face was filled with troubled lines and said to her, "Why don¡¯t we¡ª"


    **


    When Inez left the lodge that belonged to Selene, Nyx, who was apanied by one of the female shifters, heard her say, "If Killian finds out that you have been handing your used and old clothes to Selene, he will not be pleased."


    Nyx rolled her eyes when she heard the words of the female shifter. She said to her, "Do you think I don¡¯t know this? Why do you think I do it so secretly? Make sure that no one breathes a word about it and keep the rumours going."


    Nyx had her own reasons for handing those clothes to Selene. When she thought about how her little ns would soone to fruition, her lips curled up in a sweet smile.


    "Of course, I will not dare to do it," said the female shifter. She was not a fool. If Killian found out that his sister had been subtly suppressed in such a manner, he would certainly lose his temper with them.


    Right now, the two of them were sitting on the balcony of Nyx¡¯s lodge, where her family lived. Nyx was overlooking the path down which Inez was walking and humming a soft tune. She could see that Inez seemed troubled; however, Nyx knew that even if the woman had tried her best to help Selene, the woman would still listen to her.


    "Such a pitiful thing, looking out for everyone," she clicked her tongue while looking at Inez. She still could not believe that Killian had chosen this woman over her and everyone else. Why would he go after a woman like Inez? Was it because of the taste of novelty or something else?


    Nyx couldn¡¯t understand Killian¡¯s actions, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she was jealous. She had been with him longer, and yet the man had never looked in her direction, even when she had made herself like Lyra. She hoped that the man would look at her like he had once looked at her sister, but no¡ªKillian had never turned his head her way.


    A burst of rage exploded in her heart, and she turned around on her feet before saying to the submissive shifter, "Go and bring me something to eat. And call the seamstress; there are some changes that I want to make to my gown. I need to stand out more than everyone else in the pack."


    Since she had gone through such lengths to make Selene her backdrop, she couldn¡¯t let it go to waste.


    "Yes, Miss Nyx," replied the submissive shifter as she took her leave.

 Chapter 147: A Sudden Friend

    <h4>Chapter 147: A Sudden Friend</h4>


    Inez, who was walking down the path to her lodge, was frowning hard. She was still lost in her thoughts and was not watching where she was going. As she walked, she didn¡¯t see that someone was walking in front of her, which led to Inez bumping into the person.


    "Ouch!"


    Inez looked up, and her gaze fell on the woman whom she had met in the sushi restaurant. Unlike thest time, the woman was no longer in a mess, as her mascara was not dripping down her face.


    Inez was quite surprised to see the woman in the Red Blood Hill pack, but when she remembered that this woman was Killian¡¯s mating match, she slightly frowned, but realising that it was not the fault of this woman, she asked, "Are you alright?"


    "I am alright," replied Jules with a nervous smile on her face. "I didn¡¯t know that you were a member of this pack. Were you alright after that little prank?" Jules was still in awe. Her sister and father had told her about Killian so many times, and each time they spoke of him as if the man were some kind of big, bad monster.


    Because of this, she was really scared of that man. However, after seeing him getting doused with blood, Jules was no longer as terrified of him as she was in the past.


    Inez¡¯s smile turned a bit awkward. She nodded and replied, "As you can see, I am perfectly fine."


    "I am d that you are alright," said the woman with a relieved smile on her face. "Though I have to say that it was quite impressive; that was my first time seeing Alpha Sokolov in such an embarrassing situation. Though he deserves every bit of it, can you believe him? He actually told my father that I was the one who did it to him. It got me the scolding of the century."


    When Inez heard theints of the woman, she was slightly stunned. She blinked her eyes and questioned, "Killian¡ªhe med you for that prank?"


    "That¡¯s right," the woman nodded with a light furrow between her brows. "He told my dad that I didn¡¯t like the mating match and embarrassed him in such a manner. I bet you¡ªI have never seen my father screech like that in my entire life. He was yelling as if I had done something really embarrassing."


    "Kept talking about the honour and pride of the Drakos family. Like dumping a little bucket of pig blood would ruin our years-long history of greatness." The woman rolled her eyes at the very thought.


    "I am really sorry," Inez apologised. Even though she didn¡¯t know the woman and her siren was still stifling her anger, thinking about how this woman was Killian¡¯s mating match, Inez still felt a bit sorry for her.


    This woman was med for something that she hadn¡¯t done.


    "It¡¯s alright," Jules waved her hand with a smile on her face. "At least it was quite cool. Even if others find out about it, they will only call me crazy, not a fool." She looked quite satisfied about it.


    "Er¨Cokay, if it¡¯s alright with you," said Inez, not knowing what to say in this situation.


    "I would also like to apologise for thest time,"mented Jules when she thought about theirst meeting. It was only when she returned home and calmed down that she realised that she might have burdened Inez with her crying and sobbing. "I showed a really unsightly side of mine to you..."


    "It¡¯s alright," said Inez with a shake of her head. "I am Ine¨CL." Thinking about how she was hiding from her ex-mate, Inez changed her words at once.


    <i>¡¯A close save,¡¯</i> she thought.


    Inez noticed how Jules moved her lips, trying to get the pronunciation right before saying, "Thank you for helping me out back then, L. I am Jules, Jules Drakos. You must have heard about me," she added with slight arrogance.


    Though Jules looked like she was showing off her identity in front of Inez, in truth, she was just trying to get close to her by using her identity as the only dragon princess of the Drakos family.


    All her life, people have only flocked to her because she was a pure-blooded dragon shifter and had the purest of all blood in her veins. Not because she was Jules but because she was a Drakos.


    And as Inez¡¯s kindness had touched her, Jules wished for the woman to befriend her.


    Though Inez had never heard about the woman, she thought that it wouldn¡¯t be right to say that she hadn¡¯t when the woman obviously looked really proud of her identity. She nodded and lied, "Yes, I have, Miss Drakos."


    "You can just call me Jules," said the woman eagerly. She wasn¡¯t often this generous, but she was willing to let this woman be her friend.


    <i>She should be grateful, right? </i> Jules thought with a smile on her lips.


    "Let me treat you to a meal. I believe that the night we met, you didn¡¯t get enough time to eat anything," said Jules, wanting to get close to Inez and find out more about her. She wondered if the woman was truly as nice as she thought or if she was trying to fake it to get close to her, as many had tried the same.


    They pretended to be nice and unaware of her identity, the first time they had met and earned her trust, only to stab her in the back and then use her for their benefit.


    "There is no need," Inez was slightly confused because of the eagerness of the woman. She raised her hand and touched her red locks only when she was certain that her appearance was indeed different, that she had lowered her guard. "I am a bit tired today and would like to go back to my lodge and rest. You must be here for something, aren¡¯t you?"


    The second she finished speaking, Jules¡¯ lips curled up in a dissatisfied scowl.

 Chapter 148: A sudden friend (2)

    <h4>Chapter 148: A sudden friend (2)</h4>


    "Did I say something wrong?" Inez asked, wondering what had happened for the woman to scowl in such a hideous manner suddenly.


    "It has nothing to do with you," replied Jules with a snort. "It¡¯s my dad. After he found out that I had done something wrong, he asked me toe here and apologise to Alpha Sokolov." This was the only thing that made Jules annoyed to bits.


    It was Killian who had treated her like she was nothing. He should be the one who should be apologising to her for treating her as if she were beneath him, and yet the one who was sent here to apologise was her! It was really too much.


    When she thought about how she had to apologise to Killian, who had embarrassed and insulted her, Jules couldn¡¯t help but feel aggrieved as if someone had shoved a sour lemon into her mouth.


    "You are here to apologise?" Inez, if possible, felt even more guilty when she heard the words of the woman. She could, of course, understand Jules¡¯ anger better than anyone. "I am really sorry¡ª"


    "It¡¯s not your fault," Jules interrupted her. "My father would have sent me here anyway; he makes it sound like I am never going to get married." She might be a bit arrogant, but she was also a beautiful woman who was rich and had a really good family.


    Was there a need for her father to treat her like she was hard to love?


    Inez stayed quiet. She hardly knew anything about Jules, and it wouldn¡¯t be right for her toment on such private affairs.


    "Jules? Jules!? Where are you? Did I not say that you are not allowed to hide or run?" Serafina, who rushed up the moor, looked at her cousin with a hint of reproach. When she saw someone standing next to Jules, her pace faltered, and she looked at Inez with a hint of confusion and wariness in her eyes.


    She hesitantly asked, "Who is this Jules?"


    "She is L. One of my friends, sister."


    Friends? Inez¡¯s expression changed subtly. She nced at the woman who had introduced her as her friend. The two of them had only met two times, and that too only for a few seconds. Howe they suddenly leapt over the get-to-know phase and suddenly became friends?


    "Your friend?" Serafina questioned as she turned to look at Inez. She raised her gaze and then dropped it down before saying, "I didn¡¯t know that you already started mingling with the members of this pack. Well, I am d that you are willing to get to know the pack members after all. If things go alright, you will be the Luna of this pack. However, I would hope that you would think twice before getting to know some people. No offence to you, Miss L," she added while looking at Inez, who simply smiled.


    "None taken," she offered. Inez wanted to leave the two women and go on her merry way to the lodge where she wanted to take some rest, but before she could, she heard Jules say,


    "I took your advice and made a friend. Weren¡¯t you the one who kept telling me that I need to befriend a few people? I did try it, but all of them are nothing but rude to me. It will be better if I don¡¯t get deep into it."


    "And you think that they are the ones who are in the wrong?" Serafinamented with a hint of annoyance and exasperation in her eyes. She wanted to say something more, but she held herself back because she didn¡¯t want to condemn her cousin in front of a stranger. She turned to look at Inez and asked, "Are you a lycan, Miss L? I am sorry for asking, but I cannot smell the scent of a lycan from you."


    Inez was d that she couldn¡¯t because if she could, then the woman would have definitely lunged at her. For they would have smelled Killian¡¯s scent off her.


    "I am atent," replied Inez, and she noticed that within seconds, Serafina¡¯s eyes were filled with contempt.


    "I see; I didn¡¯t know that there weretents in this pack," remarked Serafina. Jules nced at her sister as she noticed the slight mocking tone.


    However, Serafina pretended as if she didn¡¯t notice anything. She nced at Inez and became even more dissatisfied, for Inez was everything that she hated in a woman. She looked rebellious and frivolous, and that impression only heightened when she read the phrase on Inez¡¯s t-shirt.


    ¡¯Get off my face. I am too busy to waste my breath on you.¡¯


    Serafina hoped that her uncle would never find out about this because if he were to find out that she allowed Jules to get close to someone like Inez, he would be really cross with her.


    "Do you live in the pack or are you asked to stay outside around the boundaries?" Serafina asked.


    "You are being rude, Fina!" eximed Jules. She turned and apologised to Inez, "I am really sorry about this, L. My cousin is not usually like this."


    "It¡¯s alright," Inez replied in an offhand voice. She then turned to look at Serafina before saying to her, "No. Our alpha doesn¡¯t discriminate between shifters because of their blood and shifting abilities, so we all live in the territory like a big family."


    "I see..." Serafina¡¯s eyes turned cold, as she had not expected atent to retort to her.


    Inez knew that the woman didn¡¯t like her, and she had no intention of making Serafina like her. She hummed and said, "If that is all, then I will take my leave."


    "Did you really have to be that rude?" Jules questioned her sister as she rushed after Inez, who was walking away.


    "Jules! Jules? You bettere back!"


    Jules didn¡¯t look at her sister and chased after Inez, for she truly didn¡¯t wish to lose this friend of hers.

 Chapter 149: Ajax’s teasing

    <h4>Chapter 149: Ajax¡¯s teasing</h4>


    "L! L!"


    At first, Inez didn¡¯t stop because she didn¡¯t register that someone was calling her. It was only when Jules reached out and caught her by her elbow that she realised that the woman was calling her.


    "Are you angry at me?" Jules asked nervously. She had been calling Inez for a while now, and with the woman ignoring her, she just couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the woman was angry at her. Jules had to admit that her sister was truly rude to Inez, and if she were in her shoes, then she too would have been furious with her.


    Inez pursed her lips. She shook her head and said to her, "I am not angry, but I think it will be better if we discuss what happened earlier."


    When Jules noticed her serious expression, she became even more worried. She asked, "Is everything alright?"


    "I appreciate that you are trying to befriend me, but" Inez sucked in a breath and continued speaking, "You should be well aware that your cousin doesn¡¯t seem to like thepany that you are keeping. The pure-blooded shifters have always looked down ontents; I think you should look for someone whosepany would be appreciated by your family. For your own benefit and peace." And hers as well.


    Inez didn¡¯t want to be pulled into the murky waters. If Jules were one of thest dragons, then getting close to her was nothing less than walking down a rickety bridge.


    "But I like you," said Jules as if she couldn¡¯t understand what Inez was trying to tell her. "Since the day I came to this city, no one has been nice to me; you are the only one who truly cared for me. Usually, people only care about me because they want something from me, but you are the only person who took care of me without anything in exchange."


    Inez simply stared at the woman because this was the first time someone had told her that they would want to be friends with her after Dominic ruined her life.


    When Inez didn¡¯t say anything in response, Jules was slightly hurt by herck of reaction. She thought that Inez would agree with her almost at once, but when she didn¡¯t, her heart couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit twinged with pain.


    Was it that hard to be friends with her?


    She then said to Inez, "It is okay, if you don¡¯t want to." After she finished speaking, she lowered her head.


    Inez looked at the woman whose hands were tightly clenched at her sides. She said, "I have nothing against bing your friend." Apart from Selene, no one had truly tried to be her friend, and Inez had no idea what to make of the current situation. "However, I don¡¯t think your family will be happy if you be friends with me. And not only them, but even the people whom you know will talk behind your back. Do you think you can withstand all of that?"


    Jules pursed her lips as she tried to digest Inez¡¯s words.


    "You don¡¯t have to think about them," she huffed. "And my cousin is not that bad ¨C it¡¯s not that she looks down at you; she just likes to mollycoddle me in her own patronising, condescending way." And of course, the fact that she was trying to befriend her was going to make her ten times worse, but Jules really didn¡¯t want to miss out on someone like Inez.


    Inez simply smiled. She didn¡¯t take Jules¡¯ lie to heart because she knew that the woman was only saying it because she wanted to be her friend.


    "I see..." she nodded and turned to look behind her; at some point, Serafina hade to stand behind them and was now ring at Inez as if she were a witch who had hoodwinked her sister. Seeing that thetter was not happy with her, Inez turned to look at Jules and said to her, "I think your sister is waiting for you."


    Jules raised her head and nced at Serafina, who stood behind Inez. One look at her sister, and she flinched slightly, but soon she recovered and smiled at Inez before saying to her, "I will see you soon, L."


    As Jules walked past her, Inez heaved a sigh of relief and went down the path that headed to the lodge where she lived. However, just as she arrived at her lodge, she found that the peace that she was looking for was still far from her fingertips.


    "You are finally here," said Ajax. The enforcer was standing outside on the porch of her lodge, holding something in his hands as he looked at her.


    "What are you doing here?" Inez asked as she made her way towards the lodge at a slow and careful pace.


    Ajax raised the box in his hands and replied, "Got some crabs. I thought you would like some."


    Inez stared at the box in his hands and then raised her head to look at the man in front of her. She didn¡¯t understand what Ajax was trying to do. Why would hee to see her and even wait for her when he could have simply dropped the box and left?


    "Thank you?"


    "What¡¯s with that questioning note?" Ajax asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Are you not happy to see me?"


    "I never said that," remarked Inez. She walked over and added, "However, I would have liked it if you had left the box and left."


    In response to her barbed words, the man only chuckled.


    "Well, I also wanted to talk to you, beautiful," Ajax remarked with a wink.


    This time around, Inez halted. Her fingers, which were turning the knob of the door, stiffened and she turned to look at the man. Her eyes moved up and down as she questioned, "Who are you and what have you done to the real Ajax?"

 Chapter 150: Ajax’s teasing (2)

    <h4>Chapter 150: Ajax¡¯s teasing (2)</h4>


    As soon as she finished speaking, the enforcer paused and then burst outughing. He bent double while clutching the box in his hands. "You¡ªyou really know how to joke."


    "Who told you that I am joking?" Inez rolled her eyes as she opened the door and headed inside the lodge. She heard the sound of footsteps behind her and thought that the man was going to leave the box that held the crabs and leave her alone, but contrary to her expectations, the man followed her inside.


    Pausing in her stride, she turned to look at Ajax. she stood still and shot him a fuck off re. Thest thing she wanted was to deal with him when she had already had enough things to think over. That was what Inez did. Whenever she was faced with a situation she couldn¡¯t handle, she would stay alone for a while, think things over and get her thoughts straight before facing the problems.


    She might act like an ostrich sometimes, but once she was determined to deal with it, she would do it without a hitch.


    And Ajax¡¯s presence was putting a serious halt to her pondering session.


    "Just tell me what you want from me?" Inez asked. With her arms crossed in front, she said, "I don¡¯t think you came here to bond with me, did you?"


    "That¡¯s the thing," said Ajax as he moved close to her, but not close enough to put Inez on her guard. "I wanted to talk a little with you."


    "For what?" Inez asked as she sank into one of the armchairs.


    "Don¡¯t tell me you expected no one to bother you after what happened between you and Killian?"


    Heat flooded her cheeks, but Inez kept her expression neutral as she spoke, "I don¡¯t understand how it¡¯s bothering you or anyone else. It¡¯s not like I am going to get pregnant with his child. And more importantly, I should have the right to have some privacy¡ªespecially after the shit that happened."


    She didn¡¯t sense any disrespect or contempt in Ajax¡¯s eyes, which was the only reason why she didn¡¯t kick the man out of the lodge. The seriously hot enforcer came off as a little flirt, but Inez could see that there was more to his personality than just him trying to getid. At least she believed that he was seriously perceptive and very serious when it came to the safety of his pack and alpha.


    He allowed that with a nod. "That¡¯s another reason why I came to look for you. I wanted to make sure that you were okay. Not because I thought that you would be huddled in a corner and bawling your eyes out. But because I was genuinely worried about you."


    "Why would you be worried about me?" Inez asked, sounding honestly bewildered. There were times when she had faced situations worse than this, and she didn¡¯t recall anyone other than Scarlet caring for her.


    Her heart twinged with pain when she thought of Scarlet. She hoped that her sister was alright and Dominic didn¡¯t hurt her too much after her disappearance. If her mother had allowed Inez to let her disclose her identity, she could have at least met with Scarlet, but she couldn¡¯t because her sister didn¡¯t know that she was a siren.


    "Because you are my pack member," stated Ajax as if it made all the sense.


    Inez huffed. "It still doesn¡¯t exin anything. Do you often care for your pack members like this?"


    "Of course. That¡¯s what a pack does."


    Now that threw Inez off. It wasn¡¯t that the members of the Venus pack didn¡¯t care for her. They did, but only because she was close friends with Dominic and the boys; if not, then they would have never even looked her way.


    "You are not used to it," offered Ajax when he saw Inez lookingpletely bewildered.


    "I am not," she was honest, as there was no reason for her to lie. "I won¡¯t say that my pack never cared for me; they did, but only when things felt right." When they could please Dominic by getting close to her and caring for her. They cared, but their care was tainted.


    "Then you need to get used to it." Ajax leaned back and crossed his legs at his shin.


    "What? To your obnoxious presence?"


    "That too." Ajax watched as Inez sat on the armchair with her legs tucked underneath her. "So... Kill marked you." Inez didn¡¯t appreciate that teasing lilt to his voice. "It¡¯s a shock that he allowed such a thing to happen. He had never done it with any woman before."


    Yeah, he did, and she had heard it countless times already. What was funny was that she couldn¡¯t even vilify Killian for that because she had done the same; it would be really hypocritical. Not that she nned to tell such an intimate thing to Ajax. But something in her expression must have given her away, because a secondter the enforcer turned all smiling and giggly.


    "Oh... so the two of you marked one another," heughed. "This is going to be fun to watch."


    She narrowed her eyes and questioned, "What will be fun to watch?"


    "Kill trying to handle you. It¡¯s what alphas do when they get possessive over their females; however, something tells me that even though you are atent, you will not allow a man to control you." He cocked his head while frowning thoughtfully. "Has he tried to do it to you?"


    "No." And she appreciated that Killian had not tried to push his way further into her life when she wasn¡¯t prepared.


    "I should have known." The man threw his hand behind the couch, and his eyes narrowed as hemented, "Thest time I saw him with you, I thought that he treated you like a wild and injured beast. As if he was trying to coax andfort them and slowly make them get used to him."

 Chapter 151: Rising Misunderstandings

    <h4>Chapter 151: Rising Misunderstandings</h4>


    Inez wasn¡¯t sure if she liked theparison. She frowned and said to him, "What do you mean? What injured animal?"


    "You are missing my point. I was just trying to say that it doesn¡¯t seem like Kill is trying to control you, like every other alpha tries to do. It¡¯s more like he is trying to understand andfort you. Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s good?"


    Inez neither agreed nor disagreed. However, inwardly, she did admit that Killian was persistent in his own way. He was indeed trying to make an effort to know her, even if he was just trying to do it to seduce her. At least, he was not being too pushy with his actions like Dominic.


    He focused on her intensely, but he didn¡¯t corner her or try to make things difficult for her. Nor did he overwhelm her with that personality and alpha vibes. Ever since she came to this pack, he had given her enough physical and emotional space. Something that even if Inez didn¡¯t say it out loud, she appreciated it.


    Because that was what she needed after going through so much.


    Inez knew that the man wanted her, but he had never forced himself on her; instead, he had lured, cajoled and tried to charm her. Killian had wanted to make her take the first step, rather than doing the opposite.


    What she couldn¡¯t understand was why he would try topliment her at odd times. She didn¡¯t see how even a singlepliment that he had handed to her was true¡ªespecially how he went on and on about how she was adorable.


    Hell, as a siren, her beauty could be anything but cute. As she was growing up, Inez had heard all kinds ofpliments, but she had never heard anyone say that she was adorable. Even as a child, her mother had never told her that she was a cute child.


    She cocked her head at Ajax before asking, "Do you think that I look adorable?"


    The man paused. He quirked a brow and then stated with a smile, "That¡¯s some weird way to ask a man if he finds you attractive."


    Inez rolled her eyes when she heard his remark. She said to him, "It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s your alpha who keeps telling me that he finds me adorable."


    "And you don¡¯t think that you are?"


    She shrugged. "I just don¡¯t understand how anyone could find me adorable?" Unless, of course, Killian had some sort of filter on his eyes, which caused him to look at her in a different light. "Killian is well... super good at everything, and I am just... me." A woman with more scars than a freaking warrior.


    "I don¡¯t know why you are shrouded in insecurity. You might have your ws, but at the same time, you have your own charm. If I were honest, if Killian hadn¡¯t made a move on you, then I certainly would have." As he finished speaking, Ajax winked at Inez.


    He paused and then added, "However, I am afraid that I would have scared you off. Because I cane off as someone who would try to mould you in my own colours."


    "Then I guess it¡¯s a good thing or else you would have been in trouble because of this little ole me," said Inez as she gave the man a sweet smile.


    "Are you sure about that?"


    "I am pretty sure about it." Inez might have restrained herself when she was staying in the Venus pack, but not anymore.


    Ajax shook his head. He leaned forward and asked, "Did you receive an invitation to the party? Not that you need it, but I just wanted to make sure that you are invited."


    "I was," Inez replied with a subtle frown on her face.


    "Why does it look like you are not happy with the invitation?" questioned Ajax. He didn¡¯t sound affronted; if anything, he sounded curious, as if he couldn¡¯t understand her reasoning.


    Inez uncrossed her legs and ced them on the floor as she started to feel slight numbness. She said, "I am not."


    "Why?"


    "Why else? I am worried that something might happen. Even if I saved Selene¡¯s life, it doesn¡¯t change anything. Some people might have epted me, but that doesn¡¯t mean that everyone has. With a room full of strangers who hold me in contempt and suspicion, I don¡¯t think that I will enjoy it." Not to mention, she would not feel safe.


    Ajax seemed to have understood her situation. He nodded, but then he said, "However, I would suggest that you join the party." When Inez arched a brow, he smiled at her before saying, "You might not know this, but our pack¡¯s parties are wild. From music that could make you groove to food that will make you drool, we have everything. Not to mention the chocte cakes that Edira makes. They are definitely not worth missing. Unless you want to skip those dreamy chocte delights, I suggest that you don¡¯t miss it."


    She had heard about these chocte cakes from Killian, and honestly, she was indeed inclined to have a few, but at the same time, Inez was worried. What if something went wrong? Because if anyone were to find out that she was a siren, then she would be in the same situation as a pig in a breeding pen.


    "That¡ª"


    "And there will also be some fajitas and tacos. You can¡¯t say no to fajitas, now can you?"


    Hearing Ajax¡¯s remark, she swallowed. Indeed, she couldn¡¯t say no to them. Her empty heart, which had been left battered and bruised, surged with hope and a sudden urge to join these lycans in their party. When she was trapped in the Venus pack, Inez was never invited to any party, and even if she was, her mother wouldn¡¯t take her for fear that it would cause Dominic to be displeased. Thest time she went to a party was when she was sixteen, and it was Abertha¡¯s birthday.


    Now that she thought about it, it was ever since Abertha left that happiness had disappeared from her life.


    And now that she finally had a chance to enjoy herself, was she going to ignore it? And there was also Selene¡¯s troubles that troubled her.

 Chapter 152: Rising Misunderstandings (2)

    <h4>Chapter 152: Rising Misunderstandings (2)</h4>


    Inez wondered if Selene would be alright if she didn¡¯t attend the party. Though Nyx¡¯s actions seemed perfectly friendly, Inez couldn¡¯t help but dig a bit too deep within them. Maybe it was because she was used to being stabbed in the back that she was thinking too much. Most probably, Nyx didn¡¯t even mean any harm to Selene.


    When she didn¡¯t say anything, Ajax didn¡¯t force her. Instead, he changed the topic, but the topic only made Inez even more stifled and worried.


    "Did you hear about a siren being captured?" Ajax inquired in an off-hand voice.


    On hearing his words, Inez frowned and asked, "Where did you hear this from?"


    "I heard it from Finn, who heard it from Laxus, who in turn heard it from Matt, who received the news from the many sources that he has stretched out there," replied Ajax. "ording to Matt, this had something to do with the witches and the N.H.M. There had been quite a lot of kidnapping in the past few months, especially of sirens. I believe that it¡¯s because their blood is useful for the potion or witchcraft that the witches do."


    "I know," Inez spoke in a soft voice.


    Over the years, when she was growing up with her grandmother, she had often heard about sirens being kidnapped by either the shifters or the witches. If they escaped their deadly fate, they would be caught by the council, who wouldter use their blood and flesh as if they were livestock raised in stables.


    Sirens and unique shifters like hers had it really tough. Even though they were skilled and powerful, they always had to live while hiding because if they were caught, it would be the end for them.


    Ajax misunderstood her expression and thought that she was feeling sorry for the siren who was caught by the witches. He said to her, "I know that you feel sorry for them, but what can be done? This is how the world works."


    "I just think it¡¯s wrong," since the man had misunderstood her, Inez didn¡¯t bother to correct him. She said to him, "Everyone has the right to live their lives without fearing for their lives."


    "One can always hope that life will get better for everyone."


    **


    That was what Inez had hoped as well, but as she stood in Selene¡¯s room and helped her tug down the dress that was small for her well-endowed figure, she started to question her life and decisions. Where exactly did she go wrong for her to end up in this situation?


    "I am telling you that this is not going to fit," said Inez as she looked at Selene, who was still trying to wriggle her body left and right while trying to slither inside the yellow dress that Nyx had handed to her.


    "Why is this happening?" Selene questioned with a frown on her face. "In the past, I could always wear the dresses that Nyx had given to me. Did she get thinner?"


    "No. You have just gotten healthier," Inez stated. Her skills were not good enough to eliminate the poison from Selene¡¯s bodypletely, but they were enough to heal Selene enough for her to live a normal life or as close to one.


    When Selene heard Inez¡¯s response, she felt a bit happy. However, as she looked down at the dress that was stuck around her bosom, she felt a bit troubled.


    "Help me one more time."


    "Or you can just buy the one that fits you?" suggested Inez; nheless, she still lowered her body and started pulling the dress as hard as she could.


    Finally, after much pushing and pulling, Selene somehow managed to wriggle inside the dress, which fit her a bit too well.


    "Push me to the mirror, I will take a look at the dress," said Selene, and Inez helped her into the wheelchair before moving her to the mirror.


    "Well, it does look good?" Selene took a look at the dress and nodded in appreciation. She turned to look at Inez and questioned, "What do you think? Is it good?"


    However, before Inez could respond, there was a loud tearing sound and a secondter, the beads and pearls that were attached to the fabric were sent flying all over the room. Inez ducked but couldn¡¯t protect herself from getting stabbed in the eye with a few beads that headed her way.


    "NOOO!"


    Selene looked at the dress that had been torn and ripped in ces, and looked down at the delicate fabric that had subtle sheerness to it. "What happened?"


    "It got torn." Inez took out the pearl that was stuck in her hair and threw it to one side. Her eyes flickered as she looked at the delicate stitches of the dress and wondered if this dress was truly sewn in this manner.


    She lowered her head and said to Selene, "How about we change into something else? You can leave this dress to me."


    As she spoke, she helped Selene to the bed, where she picked up the other dresses and then ced them in one corner.


    "It¡¯s such a shame," remarked Selene while looking at the dress that was torn into bits. "It was such a beautiful dress."


    "It was," Inez agreed while studying the little stitches on the side of the other dresses. Every single one had the same single stitch and looked perfectly new. <i>Was she thinking too much?</i> Inez wondered.


    She turned to look at Selene and said to her, "It seems like we have to do some shopping just as I suggested."


    In response, Selene only sighed heavily.


    A week went by peacefully, where Inez spent her time healing Selene and listening to the investigation reports collected by Levi and Matt. The rest of the time, she did try to convince Selene to go to a mall and find a dress that would fit her, but the woman was dragging her feet. For what reason, Inez had no idea.


    However, even then her life was as peaceful as it could have been, until it wasn¡¯t.

 Chapter 153: People from the council

    <h4>Chapter 153: People from the council</h4>


    One evening, Inez was returning to the lodge after another session. The cobblestone path had been washed away by the rainwater and covered with moss, causing her to slip and skid with every step she took. She was about to turn around and head over to her lodge when she suddenly heard the sound of carsing to a stop.


    Pausing, she turned around and looked in the direction from which the sound came. However, the second she turned her head to look at the car, which had stopped in front of the rest, her eyes widened when she saw the person who had stepped out.


    "Dominic?" Inez was surprised to see Dominic standing in front of her.


    The man was wearing a leather jacket with fur around the cor, with a matching shirt and cargo pants. As he looked around, his gaze fell on Inez, who stiffened like a deer caught in headlights. She noticed how his eyes darkened as if the stormy cloud had taken hold of them.


    Inez sucked in a breath before turning her gaze away from him and looking at the man who stepped out of the car after him. The man was wearing a grey coat that had apel fold. His brown hair was slightly windswept as he looked around the territory with a stern expression on his face.


    "L."


    Hearing the familiar voice calling out to her, Inez raised her head and looked at Dominic, who hade to a stop in front of her at some point. Her siren lunged to her surface, as she had not quite forgotten the video that had been posted on the NHM site. Even Inez wanted to let her siren take over, but she stopped herself in due time, for she feared a war between the two packs.


    Though the lycans in this pack were crazy as hell and might even wee a war, Inez didn¡¯t want to be the key to start that war.


    She lowered her head and suppressed the urge to rip Dominic¡¯s head off his shoulders. She narrowed her eyes and raised her head to look at the man in front of her. She said to him, "Alpha Cherith, what are you doing here?" Once her rage had died down, what followed was surprise. She raised her hand and looked at her wristwatch, and saw that it was quitete.


    So what was this man doing here, and that too at this hour?


    "I am a member of the council. We received word that there was a witch hiding in the Red Blood Hill pack, and she was recently caught. Since Killian didn¡¯t let anyone in the council know about it, we are here to check if there are any other unknown creatures hiding in this pack. One cannot be sure about it."


    Selene, who had arrived with Laxus, was stunned when she heard Dominic¡¯s words. Her eyes flickered to Inez, who stood in front of Dominic, and she exchanged a nce with Laxus, their hearts skipping a beat. Fortunately, there was a loudmotion going on around the territory with the arrival of the council members, and no one paid any attention to them.


    They looked at Inez and then turned to look at Dominic, wondering what this man was even trying to do.


    "Unknown creatures?" Inez asked, while wondering if the man was already aware of her identity.


    "That¡¯s right," Dominic nodded with a smile on his face as he took in a microexpression. The more he looked at her, the more the woman reminded him of Inez. She, too, would scrunch up her nose and frown like this when she was lost in thought or something was bothering her. "We are here to discuss the matter regarding the witch who was caught, and yet Alpha Sokolov failed to let the council know."


    "If your men had worked harder and faster, then nothing like this would have happened. I thought you would be ashamed of theck of attention, but clearly I overestimated you and the council." At longst, Killian had made his way to the clearing. His expression was mild, and his lips were curled up in his usual teasing smile.


    He then nced at the man next to Dominic and nodded at him. "Noah, a not-so-pleasant surprise as always."


    The man named Noah didn¡¯t seem surprised by Killian¡¯sck of wee. He simply nodded and said to him gently, "Rickety and rebellious as always, Killian. You should have let the council know that you caught a witch before killing her. She could have been of great use to the council."


    "You are misunderstanding something, Noah," said Killian as he shed Noah a smile. "I don¡¯t know who told you about my pack finding a witch, but the truth is that she was nothing but a halfling who was doing the bidding of the witches under theirmand. I don¡¯t think that you would have found anything from her."


    Noah narrowed his eyes. Though the man didn¡¯t show it on his face, it was quite clear that he was quite unnerved by this explosive bit of information.


    "A halfling, you say?"


    "That¡¯s right," stated Killian, looking at Inez, who was standing a bit away from Dominic. His eyes flickered as his beast lunged to his surface; now that he had finally imed this woman, his possessiveness had only worsened. "L,e here."


    Inez heaved a sigh of relief as she walked past Dominic. However, as she stepped away from him, she heard the man let out a warning growl. It caused her to stiffen, but only for a second before she continued to walk up the slope.


    As she came to stand next to him, Killian turned to look at the two men and questioned, "If that is all¡ª"


    "No", Noah stepped forward and looked at the man. With a stern gaze, he stated in a quiet voice, "We also received another bit of information. That there is a siren living in this pack."

 Chapter 154: Hunt for Siren

    <h4>Chapter 154: Hunt for Siren</h4>


    Inez stiffened. She knew that there was a very good chance that the man was not even talking about her. There might be another siren living in or around the territory, as she had always kept to herself and never stepped out or showed her powers, but at the same time, she was worried.


    What if this man was talking about her?


    "A siren?" Killian mused as if a siren were not standing next to him. He tilted his head to one side and hummed, "Well¡ªI haven¡¯t seen one, but if you are suspicious, then you are free to search my territory or the ocean if you want."


    Inez inhaled a bit sharply, thankful for themotion that was going around her because if not, someone would have noticed something amiss. She knew that Killian said those words because he wanted to throw Noah off her trail, but at the same time, she was worried.


    What if the man stepped forward and imed that she was the siren? What if he knew it already?


    Somewhere, she knew that Killian would not let them take her away, but at the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but be scared of the possibilities.


    She pursed her lips and looked at Killian, who calmly nced at her; the man didn¡¯t seem worried, as his eyes were still twinkling with the same teasing glint, which made her wonder if he already had a n in his mind.


    Noah, too, seemed to have the same thought because Killian looked way too calm. He narrowed his eyes at the pack members of the Red Blood Hill and then said to them, "If any of you knows anything about the siren, you should step forward and let us know about it." His eyes pierced through the many lycans who stood in front of him.


    Edira took the lead as she shook her head and answered, "We haven¡¯t. If we had heard anything about a siren, then we would have let the council know." As she finished speaking, she turned around and looked at the pack members behind her.


    "That¡¯s right; we would have told the council about it."


    "We wouldn¡¯t lie about such a thing."


    Sirens were rare creatures, and the council had made countlessws that stipted that they were not the property of the shifters but the council. Thesews were rather severe and could cause them tond in serious trouble if they were caught smuggling sirens. Not that many didn¡¯t.


    "I would hope that you are speaking the truth," remarked Noah. "Because I would hate to execute your alpha for keeping a siren under his wings."


    The second he finished speaking, Inez reached out and caught Killian¡¯s hand. She knew that hiding a siren from the council was a crime, but she never knew that it was a crime worth bringing Killian to the guillotine for execution.


    She squeezed his hand to make sure that the man was standing next to her. Alive and breathing. It was only when Killian squeezed her hand back that she felt a bit relieved.


    Inez watched as the men of the council spread all over the territory and started looking for the siren for whom they hade, and her heart continued to thump harder and harder with increasing worry. Until now, she had made sure not to leave a single clue of who she truly was for anyone to leak the truth.


    "The authorities have ordered a search for each lodge. We can never be sure where the siren is hiding or where you have kept her, lest you are hiding her from the council," spoke Noah. Upon hearing his remark, Inez clenched her fingers so hard that they dug into her flesh.


    This was not good, not a single bit, and the same thought ran in Selene and Laxus¡¯s heads. Though it was not that easy to find a siren, there were still signs that could prove that a man or woman was a siren. Like the Coral Wisps that sirens used to control their instinctive desires.


    Others might not be able to understand the use of coral wisps, but the people of the council would most certainly do.


    While the three of them were panicking, Killian alone looked calm. He was even humming a soft tune as he watched the guards of the council spread out and search for the siren.


    Seeing his actions, Inez was really confused; she couldn¡¯t understand how the man was so calm when her world was about to topple to dust.


    "You seem quite at ease, Alpha Sokolov," remarked Dominic when he saw the man humming a soft tune. A few days ago, Killian had crossed him by snatching a few of his business dealings, not to mention by discrediting him in the council.


    He didn¡¯t know what he had done for the man to target him, but it was truly infuriating for Killian to cause him trouble in such a manner.


    "Well, I know one thing: that the council announces punishments based on the evidence and proper investigation. They would not take a one-sided piece of evidence and hand out punishments, and even if they did, then I have more than one way to counter them," stated Killian.


    Though he didn¡¯t hold Dominic ountable directly, he did it indirectly, which caused Dominic to purse his lips in a thin line.


    "Well, I believe then we don¡¯t need to worry about you getting into trouble since you are so confident," said Dominic.


    Killian simply smiled in response.


    While the two men were engaged in their own little quarrel, Inez was looking at the guards who were marching inside the lodges without asking for permission. Maybe they had a sort of master key in their hands because neither of them seemed to need the key to the locks.


    Seeing them enter her lodge, Inez felt her heart lunge to her throat.


    She hoped and prayed that nothing would happen but¡ª


    "We found her!"

 Chapter 155: Separation of Lovers

    <h4>Chapter 155: Separation of Lovers</h4>


    Inez stiffened, and so did Selene. The two women turned sharply and looked at the guard who had spoken, and when they saw that the man wasing out of Inez¡¯s lodge, their tension heightened even further.


    Especially Inez, who clenched her fists so tightly that she nearly pierced through the skin of her palm. She could feel her heart jumping to her throat as all sorts of thoughts started to run through her head.


    Maybe she should just make a run for it? But would she be able to run past these many shifters? Inez knew that she couldn¡¯t. She, who was atent, could never outrun these many shifters. So what was she going to do? Stay here and watch herself get caught? That was not something that Inez was willing to do.


    However, just as she tried to turn on her feet, Killian squeezed her hand. Startled, she raised her head and looked at the man who very subtly shook his head.


    ¡¯Stay put.¡¯


    She heard Killian¡¯s voice in her head through the pack bond, and so did the rest of the pack, but they didn¡¯t take it to heart, as they thought that Killian was only saying those words to them because he wanted them to stay steady.


    Only Inez knew that the man wanted her to stay calm and keep her heart steady.


    She pursed her lips, not understanding what Killian was trying to do by stopping her. Couldn¡¯t he see that the guard was heading straight towards them? What if the man wanted to entrap and imprison her? However, her siren seemed to trust Killian, and somewhere, Inez did too.


    So, even though her heart was about to burst with nervousness and worries, she was willing to trust him. With bated breath, she watched the man getting closer and closer, and as the guard was just a few feet away from her, she lowered her head. It happened instinctively as she feared being tackled to the ground.


    However, the impact that she was waiting for never happened. The guard walked right past her and came to a stop in front of Noah, where he said to him, "We found the siren but..."


    "But?" Noah prompted as he looked at the man impatiently. He said to him, "Go on and tell the truth. No one is going to say anything. I would like to see how anyone would put in an objection." As he spoke, he gave Killian a rather nasty look, which was enough to show that the two men had their differences, and these differences were substantial.


    The guard lowered his head. Sucking in a breath, he said to Noah, "However, the siren was caught living outside the territory. It seems like she has been living there for a while now."


    Noah¡¯s face turned grim upon hearing the remark of the guard, and Inez knew why. The man hade prepared to send Killian to prison, but now that it was proven that Killian had never given shelter to the ¡¯siren¡¯ that they were looking for, his ns seemed to have been interrupted.


    "It seems like you troubled us for no reason, Noah," Killian remarked with a slight push of his heels as he leaned forward.


    The man stayed quiet for a while before saying in a clipped tone, "Nheless, the siren is near your territory. You should know about it, right?"


    "Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I do not have the habit of poking my nose in the business of other people," remarked Killian while staring at Dominic, whose gaze turned slightly sinister when he heard the man¡¯s remark. However, Killian didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by it.


    He looked at the man with a hint of calm before stating, "Now are we clear of the suspicion?"


    "No. Not yet," responded Noah. "You might have cleared up your suspicion regarding the siren, but you are yet to exin the matter regarding the halfling. Whether she was a pure-blooded witch or not, it doesn¡¯t matter. The fact that you killed her has hindered the investigation of the council."


    "I apologize" Killian bowed his head as if he were genuinely sorry for what he had done. However, as he stood up straight, there was a witty smile on his lips. He said to Noah, "I really had no idea that the council was so dedicated to protecting the shifter and safeguarding our lives."


    "The next time something like this happens, I will definitely make sure to send a message to the council and will wait for your prompt response, even if it takes a week or two, like always. Hmm?"


    It would have been better if he hadn¡¯t said anything. The second he finished speaking, Noah¡¯s face turned even uglier. He gave Killian a very angry look and then turned to walk down the slope.


    Inez watched him leave and heaved a sigh of relief. However, as she turned to look in the front, she noticed Dominic eyeing her with interest. There was something unfathomable in his eyes, which made Inez truly nervous. She immediately looked away without bothering to hold his gaze.


    Sure, the man might think that she was a coward for doing that, but Inez couldn¡¯t be bothered.


    "Something the matter, Alpha Cherith?" Killian asked when he noticed the pointed gaze with which Dominic was looking at Inez.


    Dominic turned his head slightly. His gaze flickered to Killian¡¯s, who smiled at him, but his smile never reached his eyes.


    "Nothing." Not wanting to ferment their rivalry even further, Dominic turned on his feet and headed after Noah.


    Once the two men were gone along with their guards, Inez and Selene heaved a sigh of relief. The two women turned to look at one another and smiled subtly.


    "Let¡¯s follow them," remarked Morrh, her eyes shining with a look that made it clear that she was eager for the gossip. If there was anything that the woman loved more than boasting about her daughter, who was no longer alive, it was gossip.


    Thus, it was not a surprise that Morrh chased after the council guards, hot on their trail, wanting to see who this siren was.

 Chapter 156: Separation of Lovers (2)

    <h4>Chapter 156: Separation of Lovers (2)</h4>


    "Ahhhh! Let go of me."


    The mournful scream of a woman echoed in the clearing as Inez and the rest of the pack trekked down the steep steps that led them to the heart of the forest. The high-pitched scream made the hair on their back and arms rise. Especially the men who wished they could rush forward and save the damsel in distress.


    Even the mated men had a hard time holding themselves back, even though their mates were right next to them.


    "They really caught a siren," Inez whispered to Killian, who hummed softly. She raised her head and looked at the man who was holding her hand and walking next to her. From the expression on his face, she knew that the man was aware of the siren living next to the territory but had not bothered with her.


    Countless questions formed in her heart, but she didn¡¯t voice them; instead, she continued to walk down to the ce where the crowd had formed. Killian pulled Inez to a spot that was far but good enough to see what was going on. The guards had pulled the siren who was living in a small thatched hut that was built not too long ago.


    "Don¡¯t hurt her, don¡¯t hurt her. She is my mate... don¡¯t, please..." A man who was caught with the siren was pleading as he held Noah¡¯s legs and sobbed silently. He turned and looked at his mate, who was being manhandled like she was a good that could be used and thrown at will, and his heart clenched.


    He turned to look at the man who seemed to have the most authority in the group and besought, "I know that she is a siren, but she is only part siren. Her great-grandmother was one. Her blood is of no use to you."


    However, the man¡¯s pleading had no effect on Noah, who raised his foot and kicked the man on the chest, sending him down to the ground.


    "Part siren or not, she is one of the rare species, and you should have handed her to us the second you found her. Why did you hide her here?" as he spoke, he raised his head and looked at Killian. "He is a lycan. Surely, he lives in your pack, Alpha Sokolov. Tell me, what should I do in this scenario?"


    Killian nced at the man who was pleading and hoping for a miracle to happen. But ever since he was a child, he knew that there was no such thing as miracles¡ªhe had once hoped for a miracle to happen, and it brought him nothing but endless pain and suffering.


    He smiled and turned to look at Noah before saying to him, "If you were a man with a heart, I would have asked you to leave these poor people alone. You heard the man; the siren is his mate and lover. However, I know for a matter of fact that the ones in council are nothing but heartless beasts who put their interests above everything. So, of course, I know you will try to take this siren away and, at the same time, kill this lycan."


    He added with a sigh, "No matter what I say to you."


    Inez wondered if it was smart to call so many guards and their leader ¡ª heartless beasts. But it seemed like Killian had much more authority and strength than she had thought and expected for the men never made a move on him; the least that they did was send him a dirty scowl.


    "You should watch that mouth of yours, Alpha Sokolov. It can cause you a lot of trouble," said the man with a hint of annoyance on his face.


    "Then did I say anything that I shouldn¡¯t have?" Killian questioned with a tilt of his head, and when Noah didn¡¯t say anything, he smiled and said, "That¡¯s what I thought."


    Noah nkly nced at the man before turning to look away. He turned to look at the man who was held down by the guards. He said to him, "You have sheltered a siren under your wing; do you know your sins!?"


    The lycan who was pressed to the ground sniffed. He replied with a hint of rebellion in his eyes, "I only gave my mate a ce to stay. In your eyes, she might be a siren, but to me, she is my mate. The mother of my child! The one who holds the other piece of my soul, she is not amodity that you can use and exploit!"


    As the man spoke, his voice turned sharper and sharper, and he became even more vociferous.


    Inez felt her heart clench when she heard the words of the man, as she could see that the man truly loved the siren. Not because she was the most beautiful woman he had seen or because she was a rarity that he could amodate and use. But because she was his and nothing else.


    His love was the purest form of love.


    Inez turned to look at Killian and said to him, "Why don¡¯t you do something?"


    "My hands are tied, Bubbles," said the man in a solemn voice. He was no longer as amused as he usually was as he looked at the sight in front of him. "I could have helped him, if he hade to me before, but now I cannot. The council takes these cases seriously because they are closely rted to its interests. Unless we go to war with them, we cannot save these two."


    He turned and questioned, "Do you want to go to war for them, sweetie?"


    A part of Inez wanted to say that she was willing to, but at the same time, she knew that it was not feasible. Killian was the alpha of this lycan, but he was also the alpha of the rest of the pack members. He could never put the lives of his entire pack at risk for the sake of just one member.


    As cruel as it was, it was the truth.


    "AHHHH!!"

 Chapter 157: Avenge Me

    <h4>Chapter 157: Avenge Me</h4>


    Inez whipped her head and turned to look at the siren who was being held by the guards. The woman was writhing in agony as she looked at her mate, whose head had been pressed on the ground, right in front of Noah¡¯s feet. At some point the lycan¡¯s words had offended Noah, who stared at him with the deepest repulsion.


    "Kill him", without showing the slightest bit of mercy, Noahmanded. "He hasmitted the crime of keeping a siren under him without letting the council know when we have strictly stipted that no one is allowed to do such a thing. It means only one thing¡ªExecution!"


    Before anyone could move, Inez broke free of Killian¡¯s grasp and shouted, "No!"


    Her actions caused the guards of the council to look at her, and even though she was scared of so many people looking at her at once, she still looked at the man defiantly and said to him, "You cannot kill him. He was scared that you would kill his mate, which is why he hid her from you and everyone else. You cannot me him for it because his fear was legit and defined."


    Noah stared at her as if he had never seen anything like her before. A secondter, however, his expression cooled down, and he stated in a quiet voice, "Be that as it may, there is no exnation for him breaking thew. The council has made it widely known that no one can keep a siren or another outcast without letting them know and unless permitted. What he had done was nothing but a sin!"


    "Thats¡ª"


    "That¡¯s enough, Inez." Before she could say anything else, Selene reached out and pulled her back. "You need to calm down. I understand that you are feeling sorry for them, but we are not above the council. Unfortunately."


    Inez turned to look at Selene, who shook her head at her. She knew that Selene was telling her to stop, as it would only attract attention to herself but she really couldn¡¯t bear the thought of the lycan being killed just because he protected someone whom he loved and cared for.


    However, she knew that she couldn¡¯t do anything for them.


    With her heart heavy, she turned to look at the man who had stopped struggling as if he had epted his fate. He raised his head and looked at Noah before saying to him, "You will face the same fate, Fuller. One of these days, you will suffer the pain that I am going through. I curse you!" He spoke so powerfully that his voice reverberated in the clearing.


    However, Noah remained calm, looking not even the slightest bit fazed by the words that the lycan spoke. "Well, I will remember you if I face such a fate. However, I wonder if I would ever face such a stupid fate, as I would never make a mistake like you."


    After he finished speaking, he turned to look at the guard next to him, who didn¡¯t even blink as he stepped forward. Taking out the sword that he was carrying in the sheath, he raised it in the air and brought it down heavily.


    "AH!" Selene gasped as she covered her eyes with her hands while Inez turned around and buried her face into Killian¡¯s shoulder. Even if she was brave, she couldn¡¯t see the horrendous sight in front of her.


    "ARGHHHH!!!" The mournful scream of the siren echoed in the clearing. There was so much pain and anguish in that one cry that everyone in the clearing felt their hearts tremble.


    Inez turned her head to the side and watched the siren staring at the decapitated body of her lover. Her eyes were nk, and so was her face. For two seconds, the siren didn¡¯t move; however, a few secondster her eyes turned a fierce gold as her teeth turned jagged, longer and sharper.


    Before the guards could understand what was going on, the siren turned around and bit off the arm of the guard who had been holding her down. The guard let out a painful scream as he let go of the siren, leaving the other shifter to struggle with her, only for the siren to lunge at him as she scratched off his face.


    Blood sputtered all over the ground, and a bunch of guards rushed forward to stop the siren. However, the siren seemed to have gone crazy; they held bloodthirst in them.


    Noah noticed that the woman was about to turn wild and wouldn¡¯t bepliant; he turned to look at his men and said, "Tie her up!"


    However, before the men could even make a move, the siren ran towards the guard who was still holding the sword in his hands and impaled herself on the very same sword that had taken the life of her mate.


    The siren stopped struggling, and her lips moved¡ª


    The next moment, Inez heard a voice in her head.


    "Avenge me... my....my....."


    Before Inez could catch what the woman was saying, she felt a sharp sting in her head, which made her swoon. Killian reached out and held her in his arms just as the light in the eyes of the siren disappeared.


    As the siren died, her appearance changed, and she no longer looked as pretty as she was when she was in her human form. Her legs turned into a long tail while her skin started to turn scaly as wings erupted from her back, and her face hooked and turned into that of a bird.


    Her eyes turned into slits and her face turned hideous as she fell on the ground; the guard whose sword she impaled herself on turned pale. He turned and said to Noah, "I didn¡¯t mean to! She ¡ª she did it so fast that I didn¡¯t even have time to pull my sword back."


    "She ran towards you and you stood like a fool and you dare say that you are at no fault?" Noah snapped. "After we return, go to the punishment room."


    The guard turned pale upon hearing themand of his leader, but didn¡¯t refute it.


    Noah then turned to look at Inez, whose face was exceptionally pale and questioned, "What happened to her?"

 Chapter 158: Careful in the future

    <h4>Chapter 158: Careful in the future</h4>


    "Nothing," Killian smiled as he straightened Inez up with a light push to her waist. He turned to look at Inez, who seemed exceptionally pale, and even though what happened was too quick for anyone to fathom, he, on the other hand, had noticed the siren looking at Inez before she died.


    There was no mistaking the slight recognition in her eyes when she had looked at Inez. It was as if that woman knew that Inez was a siren and someone she knew very well, but Killian knew that, as a matter of fact, the siren had never met Inez before because he would have known if the two women ever bumped into each other.


    He said to Noah, "She is atent, which is why she has never been to a battle before. The sight of blood must have scared her; forgive her for her human-like reaction."


    As soon as he finished speaking, Inez noticed that the contempt in Noah¡¯s eyes turned even heavier. He hummed before turning to look at the guards behind him as he said to them, "Pick up her corpse; I believe we can still use her."


    When Inez heard his words, her heart turned even heavier. This was the reality of her own kind. Even though the siren was already dead, even in death, she couldn¡¯t get the peace that she deserved.


    Inez wished she could help the siren but she knew that she was helpless. The council would never let her take the corpse of the siren and bury her with respect and peace. Her eyes fell on the lycan whose head was severed and left to rot with no one taking care of him, and she decided to give him a proper funeral.


    Even if she could not help the siren, she could at least give her mate a proper send-off.


    She turned to look at Killian and said to him, "Bury him in your pack¡¯s territory. He made no mistake other than loving someone."


    "What kind of nonsense are you saying?" Morrh hissed the second Inez finished speaking. She turned and red at her before saying to her, "This man has betrayed the pack by hiding the siren and bringing shame and dishonour to our pack. He deserves to be left here for rogues to rip his body apart."


    Edira turned and looked at Morrh, but she didn¡¯t speak, waiting for her grandson to make the decision.


    "Thank you for the two bits of wisdom," Killian turned and nced at the woman who was speaking to Inez. He said, "However, as the alpha of the pack, I cannot allow that to happen, as you ought to know. Whether he was a traitor or not, it no longer matters, for he has paid for it with his life. We should honour everyone in death, Morrh. That¡¯s what makes us different from beasts."


    Morrh¡¯s face turned red. She opened her mouth to quibble, but Killian was no longer listening. He turned to look at his beta andmanded, "Ask some of the submissive wolves to bring his corpse back. We will give him a proper funeral, simr to one given to those who sacrifice their lives for the pack in a pack battle."


    Dominic nced at the man as if he were amused by hismand. He remarked, "You believe that a fool like him can be ced on the same rank as those martyrs? If I were your pack member, I would be too ashamed to hold my head after hearing this."


    Upon hearing his remark, Killian wasn¡¯t the slightest bit offended. He tilted his head to one side and spoke calmly, "What¡¯s braver than dying for love, Alpha Cherith? People often die for money, power and beauty. Only a few would die for love, and I believe that it¡¯s beautiful."


    "That¡¯s why you are a fool." Dominic shook his head as he bitterlymented, "Love betrays."


    "I beg to differ." Killian ced his hand on the small of Inez¡¯s back as he steered her away from the clearing. "It¡¯s the people who betray love, never quite the opposite, if I tell you the truth."


    Inez caught the look of sheer rage on Dominic¡¯s face before turning around and walking away.


    "The council will still try to pin some sort of me on our heads, Kill," said Finn as they climbed up the slope. "We have toe up with a decent exnation. After all, that lycan was indeed from our pack."


    "I will speak to them. After all, it is truly the fault of my pack member this time around. File an application to contradict whatever report Noah will be submitting. There is no need to wait because we all know that he will try to vilify our pack at all costs. At the same time, collect all the surveince recordings to prove that the lycan who died was the only one visiting the siren," ordered Killian as he marched up the slope. "Tell Ajax to examine the rest of the territory. Since a siren was able to sneak in so close, there must be a failure in the defence line."


    "I understand," said Finn. He paused and questioned, "Should we take a look at the rest of the lodges that were not checked? What if someone is hiding something else in their lodge?"


    "An ogre by chance?" Ryder offered with a sweet smile, causing everyone to turn and look at him. "What? I was just offering a suggestion."


    Killian shook his head. He then turned to look at Finn andmanded, "Send a message to the head of the council. Tell him that I want to meet with him as soon as possible. Letting riff-raff like Cherith in the council... I wonder what he is even thinking."


    "I will."


    While the men were discussing how to turn the tide, Inez was lost in her own thoughts; her heart was beating like crazy, even though the ordeal was over. What happened today could never happen again; it seemed like she had to hide coral wisps in a ce no one would be able to find them.


    "Alpha Sokolov!"

 Chapter 159: Selfish love

    <h4>Chapter 159: Selfish love</h4>


    Everyone paused and turned to look at Noah, who was walking over. The man came to a stop behind Killian, who turned around and faced him. With a smile on his lips, he questioned, "How may I help you now, Fuller? Do you want to take a look around for any more innocent people to kill?"


    Noah stepped closer. His expression was neutral as he remarked, "This is how the world works, Killian. I believe that an alpha like you knows it better than the rest; the weak get weaker, and the strong get stronger. It has always been like this, and it will always be like this."


    No one spoke against Noah. Not because they didn¡¯t see the ws in his words, but because they knew that there was no point in retorting to him. The man himself didn¡¯t see the fault in his words, so what could they even say to him?


    "I know how the world works, but as the alpha of this pack, it¡¯s my responsibility to protect my pack members," stated Killian somberly. "You have killed one of my pack members, and I have allowed that, for I don¡¯t wish to go to war with the council. Not because I fear you, but because I can¡¯t be bothered to. I hope you know that I fear no motherfucker." He added when he noticed the smug smile on the man¡¯s lips.


    His words wiped clean Noah¡¯s smile, who now stared at Killian, furious that the man had spoken to him so fearlessly. Narrowing his eyes, he said to him, "I will be submitting a report regarding the incidents that took ce today."


    "You are free to do so,"mented Killian with a nod. "I am a frail man, Noah. I cannot bear the thought of being beheaded just because I went against the council. I have people to care for."


    There was nothing wrong with what he said, but at the same time, there were too many wrongs. Noah pursed his lips in anger; for a second, Inez thought that the man was going to say something harsh, but he only scoffed and remarked, "I will see how long you will be able to get away with that arrogance of yours."


    With that, he turned around and walked away.


    Inez watched the man leave before turning to look at Killian, who stood next to her. "What¡¯s going to happen now?"


    "Oh, the usual," said Killian. "The man has been out for me ever since he joined the council. Now that he has finally gotten a hold of a handle that he can use against me, I believe that he will use it against me to the best of his ability."


    "Not with me taking care of this case," said Finn as he pushed the sses above the bridge of his nose. He turned to look at Matt before saying to him, "Come on, we have a bunch of things that we need to do."


    With that, the two of them strode to the security building to collect the recordings.


    "I need a drink," muttered Edira. She was pinching the centre of her forehead with her fingers, looking quite tired as she turned around on her feet and headed to her lodge.


    While Morrh and the rest of the pack also took their leave once she was gone.


    Selene turned her head and nced at Inez. However, she didn¡¯t say anything and allowed Laxus to take her away.


    Once everyone was gone and they were quite alone, Inez spoke to Killian, "I thought I was going to die." She was not exaggerating; she would rather die than let the men from the council take her away. She had once heard her grandmother say that there were times when shifters at the council captured the imprisoned siren and used them as a breeding machine, for they wished to sire a child who was a siren as well.


    All for the sake of profits.


    It was because of this that heavyws were ced by the council, allowing only the council to use the sirens if caught.


    "I wouldn¡¯t have let you," stated Killian as he continued to walk towards Inez¡¯s lodge.


    "I know." Inez trusted Killian enough to know that the man wouldn¡¯t have let her die.


    As the two of them walked down the path, silence stretched out between them before Inez pushed the question that she had been trying to keep in her heart. "Did you know that there was a siren residing out in thends away from the territory?"


    "I found out just recently."


    Inez frowned. She asked, "What do you mean that you just found out about it recently?"


    Killian nced as he walked beside her with his hands held behind him. He said to her in a soft voice, "I didn¡¯t know until I saw you collect the coral wisps. In the past, there were times when the wisps were collected, but I thought it was done by some curious children. Only when I saw you collecting them did I make the connection."


    "Then you¡ª"


    "I did tell the lycan to take the siren away, just like how I told Laxus to clear the coral wisps from your lodge and hide it in mine. Unfortunately, the siren was unwilling to leave, for this was where her home had always been. I wonder if the two of them were going to leave tonight."


    As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at the sky that had turned a deep shade of purple with pinkish hues. Stars were twinkling in the dark veil that was slowly stretching over thends.


    "So you knew... you knew and¡ª"


    "Let them die?" Killian finished for her as he turned his head slightly when it was still tipped backwards. "I did because the alternative would have been to see you captured or worse, killed, and I can¡¯t allow that, Bubbles."


    Inez parted her lips to speak, but she didn¡¯t know what to say to him. Was she supposed to be grateful that he had chosen her, but how was she supposed to wash off the guilt that she was alive because two innocents lost their lives when it was her turn to die?


    As the two of them came to a stop in front of her lodge, Killian paused and turned to look at her. He said¡ª

 Chapter 160: Home

    <h4>Chapter 160: Home</h4>


    "Don¡¯t think too much. There is no such thing as survivor¡¯s guilt in this case; do you understand? They had a chance to run, but they didn¡¯t take it. It¡¯s not your fault, alright?"


    Inez knew that he was right. He wasn¡¯t wrong when he said that there was nothing that they could have done, that the two had enough time to run but didn¡¯t; however, her heart still felt unsettled.


    And it continued to feel unsettled as shey on her bed and tried to sleep. However, that night, Inez couldn¡¯t sleep well. She dreamt of being captured and dragged by the men of the council. She yelped in surprise and pain and woke up with a start.


    Inez looked around and when she saw that she was in her lodge and quite safe, she heaved a sigh of relief. But at the same time, her heart was yet to calm down. It was thumping wildly in her chest, which made it difficult for her to fall back to sleep. Sighing, she got to her feet and then walked out of her room. It seemed like she was not going to get any sleep tonight.


    However, when she stepped out of the lodge, she ran into Selene, who was apanied by Laxus. The two of them were sitting out on the porch and drinking what looked like liquor.


    "You are awake?" Upon seeing Inez making her way toward her lodge, Selene asked with a surprised look on her face.


    "I was having trouble falling asleep," replied Inez as she came over and came to a stop in front of the small table on which sat a board with cheese and meat, with sses filled with whisky. "You two seemed to be having a hard time as well."


    Selene smiled, but her smile looked strained. She said, "I had some things in mind and couldn¡¯t sleep. So I called Laxus to keep mepany. Do you want some whisky?"


    Inez shook her head and said, "I will have some cheese and meat." She sat down on the empty chairs out of the four and then took a piece of ham that was sitting on the board. She said, "It feels like the territory has gone back to normal, has it not?"


    "It does look like everything has gotten back to normal, except there are some who are worried," replied Laxus in a soft voice. "If you look carefully, you can see that some are still awake."


    "What are they worried about?" Inez asked softly.


    "Their hands are not clean," stated Selene. "Lycans are known for their bloodthirsty nature, and we are much more ferocious against the witches than other shifters."


    "There are also lycans who would stretch their hands to the outcast," chimed in Laxus in a gruff voice. "Even though they stopped after thew became more and more strict, that doesn¡¯t mean that they are no longer scared of the council. They fear being caught by the council."


    "What happened today was like a reminder of what can happen and what might happen to them if they are caught."


    Inez nodded. She turned to look at the lodge that was shrouded in darkness, not far from Selene¡¯s and frowned when she saw that no signs of life could be seen there, as if the person she was searching for wasn¡¯t even there.


    "Kill had to go to the council," said Selene as if she knew what was going on in Inez¡¯s head. She told her, "If he were here, then he would have stayed with you."


    "To the council?" Inez turned to look at the woman sharply. "Why was he taken to the council?"


    "The usual." Laxus scoffed as he raised the ss of whisky and drowned it in one gulp. "Noah has an immense dislike for the lycans, and he takes Kill as the leader of all the minions of hell because he is the alpha of the pack. So he filed theint about Kill¡¯sck of attention towards his pack right away."


    He took another shot of his drink and let out a sigh. "Sometimes I really wish I could kill that bastard. Just because he has one tragic memory, he thinks it¡¯s okay to kill every single lycan? Fucking arsehole."


    "You cannot kill a council official," Selene spoke reproachfully.


    "Watch me."


    "Laxus¨C"


    "Is he not worried?" Inez asked, interrupting their quarrel. "He has given me a ce to stay. What if something happens to him?"


    "Worried?" hummed Selene, holding the ss of whisky in her hand. "I think we should be worried because your kind is one of the rarest in the shiftermunity. However, you have also saved mine and Kill¡¯s lives; this is something that we cannot forget. So, of course, we will make sure to repay the favour that we owe you."


    "And from what I know, Kill is unusually hooked on you," remarked Laxus, swirling the whisky in his ss. "He would never let anyone be a danger to you."


    Inez¡¯s siren melted right then and there, and somewhere Inez did too. However, she still couldn¡¯t help but say, "Sometimes I wonder if I should leave; maybe I should live like my kind, in hiding."


    Her presence was not a threat to just herself but also to Killian and his pack. She didn¡¯t want to repay their kindness by harming them. What if something like that happened to her and Killian¡ª


    As soon as the thought flickered in her head, Inez stiffened. Just what was she thinking? Whatever that was in between her and Killian was nothing but purely physical. So why was she worried about something such as this?


    Selene understood what Inez might be feeling after seeing what happened today. She said, "You don¡¯t need to go anywhere. My brother is not a coward who will submit to the council if they touch what is dear to him. Not to mention, the head of the council is our guardian. You do not need to worry about us. We have survived this ordeal, and we will survive many more."


    Inez hummed, but she knew in her heart that if something happened to this pack, then she wasn¡¯t going to go down alone.

 Chapter 161: Interrogation at the Council

    <h4>Chapter 161: Interrogation at the Council</h4>


    "Alpha Sokolov, do you have something to say?" On the other side, in arge chamber, twenty or so men were looking at Killian with the same contemptous gaze.


    Killian raised his head and looked at the old man who was sitting at the circr table, his bald pate shining under the lights, and he was ring at Killian as if Killian had snatched his daughter from him. Something he might have done; he wasn¡¯t sure about it.


    He said, "Of course, I do. Do you really expect me to ept this one-sided criticism?" With his fingers interlocked, Killian leaned forward on the table and looked at the elders of the council, all of them looking at him pointedly as if they wished to find a w in his stance.


    "What is one-sided about this entire report?" said another elder. With his majestic bread that dangled all the way to the floor, he said to Killian, "It seemed quite clear from Noah¡¯s report that you failed in keeping an eye on things, and a lycan from your very own pack hid away a rather valuable good."


    "Do you even understand what kind of loss your pack has made the council suffer?!"


    Killian remained unfazed even when the rest of the elders banged their fists on the surface of the table, agreeing with what the man had said.


    He waited for the apuse to subside before Killian pursed his lips and leaned back in his chair. Once the hall fell silent, Killian parted his lips and spoke in a steady and stern voice, "First of all, the siren was a living, breathing creature with her own sentience. No matter how valuable her body might be to the council or the shifters, you cannot just ssify her as a good to be used. If not, then what is the difference between the shifters who had used the outcast in the past and us? With what right did you condemn them when you are doing the same, Norman?"


    As soon as he finished speaking, Norman flushed red. He gasped for air, feeling humiliated and embarrassed, for he could not believe that a man as young as Killian had refuted him in such a manner.


    Clenching his fingers tightly, he said to Killian, "Be that as it may, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you didn¡¯t keep an eye on your pack members, which led the council to suffer a loss. If we had captured the siren before she met with that man, then she would have been useful for the council and the shifters. What do you have to say about that slight on your part?"


    "Don¡¯t tell me that you have an excuse prepared for this, too?" Norman added with a sly grin, which brought smiles to the lips of many elders.


    Even the ever stoic Noah smiled because they all believed that they had cornered Killian.


    "No, I don¡¯t have an excuse for that slight," Killian offered with a smile. However, before the final verdict could be passed, he added in a steady voice, "However, I do have a rather peculiar question, Norman. The one that I have been trying to suppress. The sudden disappearances of the fox shifters from your pack. I wonder how much of a steady and wise leader you are if you failed to ry these disappearances of your shifters to the council."


    There was a very nasty silence as everyone slowly turned to look at Norman. Seth, the head of the council, slowly turned to look at Norman. The man, though young-looking with a small stature, was the head of the dragon shifters and the only dragon who was able to survive past the age of four hundred.


    With his mint green hair and blue eyes, the man looked fairly cute, but when he addressed Norman, the man trembled from his fluffy beard to his toes, "Is this true?" Seth asked in a voice so deep that it seemed like it wasing from the pits of hell. "Are fox shifters disappearing from your pack?"


    "In response to the head...head of the seat... I wanted to tell the council about these disappearances, but I hoped that I would find these foxes before resorting to such severe means."


    "But I think that these foxes have been missing for months?" Killian spoke with an innocent expression, making the fox shifter re at him.


    He wondered how Killian found out about the disappearances of the foxes in his pack and whether there was a traitor in his pack who ryed such sensitive information to Killian.


    Seth inhaled sharply. What else was there to understand?


    "The meeting is adjourned. Norman, you need to submit a report and the portraits of the foxes who have disappeared before the weekend."


    As soon as Seth announced his decision, the elders turned outraged and even Norman couldn¡¯t stop himself from speaking, "But Head of the council¡ª"


    "If you have something to say against my decision, then make sure that your own tails are squeaky clean," Seth spoke in a threatening voice. He then turned to look at Killian before asking him, "I believe that you have a lot more information than just this piece."


    The man didn¡¯t agree or deny, but everyone took his silence as a concession.


    The elders who were making a ruckus calmed down and sat back on their seats while silently watching Seth clear Killian of all the charges that they had put on his head. Though most of them were livid, they had no choice but to ept the decision because if they didn¡¯t, then Killian might drag them through the mud as well.


    "Killian,e to my officeter," Seth said to Killian as he got down from the high chair and then walked out of the conference room after the meeting was over.


    Once he was gone, Noah stepped forward. He looked at Killian with a hint of resentment on his face as he questioned, "You lycans are really good at getting away. I wonder how long these sleazy actions of yours will save your life."


    "Sleazy?"


    "I believe the word that you are looking for is ¡¯wise¡¯," Killian corrected with a smile. "I mean, only fools wille up with sleazy tricks; I, on the other hand, use my head. So I suppose you are incorrect when you say that I use tricks to get away with all the stupid me that you put on my head."


    "Stupid?" Noah echoed as he reached out and took Killian¡¯s cor in his hand.

 Chapter 162: A Trap

    <h4>Chapter 162: A Trap</h4>


    "You bastard, just what do you think¡ª"


    As Finn and Levi took a step forward, Killian raised his hand and stopped the two men from attacking Noah. Though he would have loved punching the man in the face himself, Killian wasn¡¯t foolish enough to make a mistake so naive. He then turned to stare at Noah, whose face was contorted with fury, and remarked casually, "Your anger, while understandable, is not correct. Are you going to continue with this foolish goal of rounding up all the lycans and killing them because a single lycan brought you grief?"


    "You are all the same!" Noah roared. While looking at Killian, he was looking at a face that he despised and loathed. His anger was bursting within his heart like soft poison, causing his heart to throb with pain.


    Killian arched his brow. He calmly detached the hand that was holding the cor of his jacket and mused, "I don¡¯t know whether all the lycans are the same or not. When even the fingerprints of both hands are different for each." With his expression nk, he continued, "And killing without evidence for crimes or for crimes that can¡¯t even be considered as crimes, is nothing but a massacre. What you did today was no different from killing a pair of innocents."


    "Which makes you no different from the man who took everything away from you. He took your world away, and you ruined someone else¡¯s. I hope you always keep that right here," he added with a pat to Noah¡¯s chest where his hearty.


    Killian then walked away without waiting for Noah to say anything. Finn followed him, and so did Levi, but not before bumping into the shoulders of the man.


    "It was a close call," remarked Finn as he stepped out of the conference room with Killian. "If Levi hadn¡¯t been paying attention to Norman¡¯s trails, then we could have been pushed in a corner."


    Ever since the poisoning of Selene, they had been keeping an eye on the elders to find out the culprit of that incident. However, till now they had yet to find the puppeteer who had bribed the lycan and almost killed Selene.


    Though they didn¡¯t find the culprit, their actions still came to fruition somehow.


    Levi grunted. He was not a man of many words unless his pack or alpha was threatened.


    "Continue to monitor them," said Killian while walking down the corridor. He was about to say something next, but he was interrupted because of the ringtone of his phone. Without breaking his stride, he took his phone and answered, "Yeah?"


    "Come to the territory, quickly," said Laxus.


    Hearing the urgency in the tone of his enforcer, Killian paused. His beast shot to alertness as he questioned, "What¡¯s the matter?"


    "You need toe here, I cannot exin it on the call."


    "I aming," Killian told Laxus. He then turned to look at Finn as he returned the phone to his pocket. "Go and tell Seth that there is an emergency in the pack. I wille to see him some other time."


    Finn noticed the severity of the situation and nodded at once. He turned around on his feet and headed toward Seth¡¯s office while Killian and Levi headed to the parking lot and drove out of the spot where they had parked the car.


    Minutester, they arrived at the territory and strode to the main lodge, where most of the pack stood, including Inez. His eyes flickered to hers, and he sent her a reassuring smile when the woman looked at him with concern. He then turned to look at Laxus and questioned, "What¡¯s the problem?"


    "An hour ago, a car pulled up outside the road leading to the lodge where Selene lives," replied Laxus. "It hasn¡¯te close to the territory, but it¡¯s easy to notice the path that it was taking earlier; it stopped midway and hasn¡¯t moved since then. I took a close look at the vehicle, and there was a man inside the car. He seems to be unconscious and foaming from his mouth. But ording to Matt, there are signs of hoodwinking here."


    When Killian turned to look at Matt, the man simply shrugged and stated, "That car was not present when I was surveying the territory; it just seemed to appear as if someone had used a portal to bring that car to that spot. And if the man was unconscious, how could he drive the car? The idea of him suddenly falling unconsciouses off as weird to me."


    "You are certain that he is not dead?" Killian asked Matt.


    It was Ryder who answered, "No, we took a good look at him and he is still breathing. It¡¯s feeble, but it¡¯s there."


    Selene hugged the soft toy in her arms, something she did when she was nervous. "Though it doesn¡¯t seem right to me to leave an injured guy outside like that, something about this entire thing doesn¡¯t sit well with me."


    Henley, who stood at the corner, with his arms crossed, hummed. "Yeah, it looks like a trap to me. I don¡¯t care what anyone says."


    "Or maybe it¡¯s a distraction," mused Killian, his instincts stabbing at him. "Something to divert our attention while somethinges at us from another direction."


    Laxus¡¯s eyes widened as he let out an ugly curse.


    Things seemed to have gotten even moreplicated.


    "Is it because they failed to get our entire pack in trouble?" Edira questioned.


    "No one can be clear about this. However, the fact that something like this happened when we were attacked by the council means that there is someone who very much wants to drag us down."


    Killian was right, Inez told herself as she poured herself a ss of water.


    "What now?" someone pushed the tricky question to the front, causing everyone to pause.


    "I suggest we call the medics and let them take him away," said Inez. "I don¡¯t think that there is any need¡ª"


    "Help me!"

 Chapter 163: A Terrifying Trap

    <h4>Chapter 163: A Terrifying Trap</h4>


    Inez trembled as the ss from her hands dropped and fell on the ground, shattering into bits as it touched the floor. It was Ally¡¯s cry... the one who was asking for help. Her eyes fell into a daze as a sort of haze fell all over her, causing her eyes to turn a pearly white.


    The second it happened, Killian shot right in the direction while everyone turned to look in the direction from which the cry came and was prepared to rush out to save their pack member.


    When Selene saw Killian running towards Inez, she knew what was happening and immediately clutched her stomach and screamed loud enough for everyone to turn and look at her instead of Killian.


    "AHHH! It hurts!"


    The second she screamed, everyone turned to look at her, not noticing when Killian had brought Inez into his arms and taken her out of the lodge, and rushed to Selene¡¯s side to see if she was alright.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Is everything okay? Does it hurt too much?"


    "Should we call a healer?"


    "Where is Inez? Ask her toe and take a look," said Ajax, who btedly noticed that the woman was gone. Frowning, he turned to look around the room and realised that Inez wasn¡¯t there. "Where did she go? She was right here!"


    "I think she went to look for Ally," lied Laxus as he rubbed Selene¡¯s back. "Leave her and Killian to it; they will take a look at what is going on and tell us what happened. We should stay here. After all, who knows? This might be a trap as well?"


    When he said those words, everyone turned silent. Yes. What if this was a trap as well? They could never be sure of it.


    On the other side, Killian was running with all his might while holding the woman in his arms, who parted her lips and sang, "Beware the wail that has no pain, A song too smooth toe from the rain. For those who chase the crying sound shall find no soul but death unfound."


    Her voice eerily echoed in the forest.


    However, once the song faded in the darkness, Inez flinched as if she had been scalded by something hot. Her eyes reverted to normal, and she looked at the sky that had turned a faint shade of pink. Understanding quickly dawned on her as she turned and looked at Killian. "Thank you."


    When she saw that the man had brought her to the forest, she knew at once that he did it to protect her.


    "This is something I should have done, especially when you just saved my pack."


    "Again," he added as he helped her back on her feet, and when she swooned, he reached out to hold her. "You okay? Does this happen often?"


    Inez shook her head. "Yes, but there is nothing to worry about; I just feel a bit drained out and nothing else."


    She only needed a few more seconds to recollect herself, and then she said to him, "Let¡¯s go."


    "Are you sure?" Killian asked when he saw how faint she looked.


    "Yes, I am not important at the moment," Inez said to him as she swallowed the nausea and buzzing in her head before turning around on her feet and heading towards the lodge. She said to him, "We need to make sure that no one leaves the lodge."


    When Killian saw her actions, his lips curled up in a smile. He was already impressed by her, and now he was even more impressed by him. His beast let out a haughty purr. He seemed quite arrogant for choosing Inez.


    Killian rolled his eyes as he picked up his pace and chased after Inez. The two of them arrived at the main lodge within five minutes, and everyone who was waiting for them turned around and looked at them.


    "What is it?" Ajax asked, sounding a bit impatient. They had been waiting for the two to return for quite some time, and they only returned now, which made him a bit annoyed.


    "No need to sound so impatient. It¡¯s a trap," Killian announced as he sat down on the couch and looked in the direction from which the cry for help was stilling. He knew that there was something waiting out there for them. Most likely another halfling or a witch.


    He said to them, "I will send a pack message and tell everyone to stay inside. No one move from their ce. I am worried that the one outside is waiting for us to split up." As he spoke in that businesslike tone, he got back to his feet after having nursed his throbbing feet.


    The entire day, he had been running around without getting a chance to rest.


    He turned and looked at Inez. He didn¡¯t want to leave her, but even his beast understood that the need to protect their pack was vital. Wanting his head to be firmly on the enemy that was posing a threat to their pack, he ignored the urge to swoop her in his arms and then turned to look at everyone. "Let¡¯s go. Laxus, Ajax. I will leave the lodge to you two; you can make sure that no one disrupts the peace of the main lodge."


    After he finished speaking, he turned on his feet and headed out of the main lodge without looking back.


    "It¡¯s a really smart tactic," Edira muttered as she watched the enforcers leave one after another. "They are using a decoy to split the pack, such that someone will go and examine the man who is about to die outside. If they know Kill, then they must know that he will send his best enforcers to examine the situation outside, leaving only a few behind."


    Nyx pursed her lips and finished for her, "And with someone making a false cry outside the woods, Killian would have rushed to help his pack member no matter who it was. And if he had gone alone with a few ... then¡ª"


    "He would have died."

 Chapter 164: Tango with Witches

    <h4>Chapter 164: Tango with Witches</h4>


    There was a rather ugly silence as the entire main lodge turned quiet.


    "It must be a witch," spoke Laxus as he finished locking all the doors and activated the anti-magic defenses that they had installed to protect their pack against the witches. He walked past Nyx, who looked a bit troubled while supporting her mother, and said to her, "You should sit down." Knowing what horrors they had gone through at the hands of witches, Laxus understood her.


    Nyx nodded as she helped her mother onto the couch and then said to the rest of the pack, "Witches have been known for using such methods for a long time. They use spells to mimic the cries for help of a pack member when they want to separate a pack. This is a really old trick in their books because they know that no shifter, especially an alpha, would abandon their pack member."


    Ajax didn¡¯t seem surprised by what Nyx said. "They are trying to take down the pack bit by bit. If their intention was to divide the pack, then they nearly seeded if Selene wasn¡¯t feeling sick." At that, he paused and turned to Inez before saying to her, "Where did you go?"


    "Sorry, I had seen something like this before. So I wanted to check if it was really Ally or a witch; we didn¡¯t have much time, so I didn¡¯t wait around." Inez made up an excuse. She then turned to look at Selene, looking grateful and said, "Let me see if something hurts."


    Selene shook her head. She had only done it because she wanted to divert the attention of others from Inez and Killian; since she had seeded, there was no need for her to continue faking her sickness. "It¡¯s alright; I am feeling better thanks to your healing."


    A muscle ticked in Edira¡¯s cheeks. She pursed her lips and chewed the inside of her cheek before saying in a harsh voice, "Our pack mostly has submissive lycans, as most of the dominant lycans are killed when they are children. If we had lost so many dominant lycans, including the alpha, then it would have been a severe blow to our pack."


    "It would have also emboldened the other packs to attack us. The loss of our alpha would have made a big difference in a battle."


    "And it¡¯s also an emotional blow that can make us act out in grief and anger," said Selene.


    "How many witches do you think are out there?" Ajax asked Inez, as he came to stand next to her. He peered out of therge ss window and stared at the outside, watching for any potential threating their way.


    Inez shrugged. "I think we only heard one... I can¡¯t be sure if there are any more." She paused and added, "Do you think that Killian and the rest would be fine?" Even if she didn¡¯t want to underestimate Killian and his enforcers, they were still shifters while their opponents were witches. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they really stood a chance against those hell-raising spawns who could use magic.


    Ajax shot her an odd look before saying quietly, "Why do you think young lycans are killed when they are children? It¡¯s because our defences are better than the rest."


    **


    Far from the main lodge, Killian halted a safe distance from the clearing, and so did the rest of the lycans. With their furless dark skins that became one with the darkness itself, they didn¡¯t have to worry about being noticed. His beast raised its snout and took a sniff of the air.


    Tracking the witches was not difficult; they just needed to follow the loudest cry for help and follow it. He turned around and jerked his head to the left to the lycan with scarlet eyes behind him. His beta understood the order and led half of the lycans to the left, while the alpha of the pack led the others to the right. Stealthily and silently, the pack moved around in a loose circle to surround the witches.


    Surrounding their prey before attacking was a tactic that all shifters followed.


    The alpha lycan sensed the presence of five witches. The witches were standing in the shadows, using spells to create the fake cries.


    As they drew close to them, Killian spoke through the pack bond.


    ¡¯One of you will go ahead and lure them out of the shadows. If we don¡¯t, then I believe that they will just use their stupid teleportation spell to disappear."


    Finn agreed. He crouched and continued in the pack bond, "I and Ryder will drop back and then burst into the clearing on the other side."


    "There are five of them and seven of us. We can definitely take them down."


    Witches were good at one-to-one fights because they could focus all of their energy into chanting spells. However, when they were surrounded, it became difficult for them to focus on just one person. Thus, the chances of their pack winning were high. But not without some serious injuries.


    "Leave me alone, and you all pair up," said Killian as he stepped forward. "As the alpha, I can take two witches at once." Not prepared to waste any time, Finn and Ryder¡¯s lycans ran a distance away before loudly rushing through the forest once again. They burst into the clearing as if they had no idea what was going on. Witches were known to attack from the shadows.


    The fake cries stopped instantly. The witches hiding in the shadows took aim but realised that the lycans were too far from them to cause serious damage. They snarled in anger before leaving their hiding spot, where they had drawn the teleportation array to escape, believing that their trickery of using a decoy had worked.


    Killian waited for the witches to step further away from the clearing. He watched closely as the witches appeared in front of the two lycans, who paused and whipped around to snarl at them, and the witches hissed back.


    It was then.

 Chapter 165: Tango With the Witches (2)

    <h4>Chapter 165: Tango With the Witches (2)</h4>


    A howl split the air, making the witches freeze. The rest of the pack, who were hiding behind the trees, burst forth and rushed into the clearing, with the alpha lycan charging at the leader of the witches. He attacked the woman without hesitation. The leader of the witches was also aiming for the alpha lycan. Thus, the second she was attacked, she shot a spell at the alpha lycan.


    However, the skin of the lycans had the most powerful defensive ability. Any attacks or spells couldn¡¯t prate it easily, which made the lycans the top predator of the shifters, as well as the rest of themunities. It was for this reason that many lycans were killed before their awakening, right in their infancy.


    So, the second the witch fired the spell, it bounced off the alpha lycan¡¯s skin, and he leapt onto the back of the witch. The witch screamed as ws and teeth sank into her skin. The alpha lycan viciously tore off a chunk of flesh from the witch¡¯s shoulder. Another shriek rang out in the clearing.


    A heavyweight suddenly crashed into the back of the lycan, making him lose his concentration and turn around to see what had hit him. Another witch with green scales stood behind him; her hands were still raised as if she had just finished delivering a blow to the alpha lycan.


    The alpha lycan shook his head to shake off the dizziness that the spell had caused and then twisted and pounced on the other witch. Snapping his jaw and mming right into her, the witches shot collective spells at him, which didn¡¯t affect him but did cause some severe burns on his back.


    The scent of blood and burnt flesh spread all over the clearing. However, the lycan didn¡¯t stop as it mmed into the witch, sending her to the ground.


    He jumped on her body and swept his w at her throat, ignoring the desperate spells that the witch was sending his way. His long, sharp ws slit the skin of her throat.


    There was a hiss of fury behind him and another bang that ricocheted off his back. The alpha lycan turned around and looked at the leader of the witches, whose face was contorted in anger.


    The alpha lycan licked his bloodied muzzle and charged at the leader of the witches, who, sensing danger, turned around and tried to escape, but the alpha lycan was faster. It raked its ws on the back of the witch, sending her wave after wave of pain and tackled her to the ground.


    "Let go of me, you beast¡ªyou foul, evil creature who shouldn¡¯t even exist!" the witch screamed in horror and pain.


    Witches, like shifters, believed that shifters should never have existed. That they alone should have ruled the nightly creatures. Worst of all, shifters, they hated the lycans the most. Because they alone were the only creatures who could fight against them and their nasty spells.


    The alpha lycan snarled, tasting and licking the fear that was oozing from the body of the witch. The witch knew that the alpha lycan was not going to leave her; thus, she sent another round of ming spells at him. But the alpha lycan didn¡¯t release her. He wrestled the witch and tore off her throat as the witch scratched the inside of his stomach with her long nails.


    Once the witch breathed herst, the alpha lycan howled in victory.


    He then turned around and looked at his packmates; they were standing behind him, their sides and backs severely burnt, and blood was oozing from them. He, too, was bleeding and panting due to pain. Feeling tired.


    Four dead witchesy on the ground. The fifth one was left alive; however, she was hardly breathing. Sensing that the human wanted to take control, the alpha lycan ceded control.


    Killian hissed through gritted teeth as he stood upright. He was bleeding and aching; the burnt wounds on his back were like needles piercing into his skin. But he shelved the pain and walked over to the witch who was still alive. Blood was pouring out from the several wounds that his beta had inflicted on her, and she seemed to be close to dying.


    "Who was it?" Killian demanded, as he crouched down and looked at the witch right in the eye.


    The witch curled her upper lip, baring her teeth. "Even if I knew, I would not have told you anything."


    "You hate that I killed your sisters, but you should have thought things through when you attacked my pack."


    "Do you think that she is telling the truth?" panted Henley. With the burn mark on the side of his neck, the man seemed to have suffered the worst injuries.


    Killian nodded. "The person who is behind all of this wants to remain anonymous. If they didn¡¯t, then we would have known it by now. I don¡¯t believe that there is an IP address that Matt cannot track."


    "Witches and wizards will keeping," the witch wheezed. An ugly smirk adorned her face as she smiled at them. "They have hundreds of reasons to do it."


    Killian nced down at the woman who was smiling at him. "But now you know it wasn¡¯t worth the risk that you took, right?" The smile on the lips of the witch fell almost immediately. "Don¡¯t worry; what happened to you today will happen to anyone else whoes after my pack." He then turned to look at the rest of the pack and said to them, "Let¡¯s go; I can sense the worry of the rest of the pack leaking through the pack bond. They are about to go insane with worry."


    As the alpha of the pack, he could sense the emotions of the pack members better than the rest of them.


    Finn nodded. He then turned to look at the witch and asked, "What about her?"


    Killian turned his head as his gaze fell on the witch who was lying on the ground. "Kill."

 Chapter 166: Siren’s Melody

    <h4>Chapter 166: Siren¡¯s Melody</h4>


    When they neared the main lodge, they saw Laxus and Ajax racing towards them. One look at their condition, and the two men swore out loud.


    "They got you good," remarked Laxus as he watched Killian picking up the shirt from the front of the porch and pulling it on his skin, even though it hurt like a little bitch when the fabric brushed against his wounds.


    "They always do, don¡¯t they?" Killian remarked as he headed inside the main lodge, looking quite severely annoyed because every time he moved, he would pull his wound.


    He raised his head and looked at Inez because the second he stepped inside, he could sense her looking at him. The second he saw Inez¡¯s eyes widen, he knew that he looked like a mess because that was the kind of look that Inez reserved only when things were much worse than she had anticipated.


    Call him Mister Romantic if you want to, but he noticed things about her, alright?


    Inez made a beeline for him, and he knew that she wanted to heal him.


    "I don¡¯t need it." Inez halted and looked at him as if she were about to contradict him. And as her eyes shifted, he could see that she looked slightly hurt. As if he had rejected her. "I am not saying that I don¡¯t need your help, but there is someone who needs your help much more than I do."


    As he spoke, Ryder and Miles stepped inside the main lodge; the two of them were supporting Henley.


    The shifter¡¯s back was covered in countless boils and burns, all thanks to some nasty spell that the witches had used when his back was turned on them. Even though it was not enough to take his life, it was enough to seriously injure him.


    "Shit, Henley," Fenric cursed when he saw the wounds on Henley¡¯s back. The man had just arrived at the main lodge after he received word through the pack bond that everything was safe.


    Behind him was Ally, who looked a bit downcast but just as worried. She flicked her wavy, blonde hair out of her face and questioned, "Can just anyone tell me what¡¯s going on? Why were we asked to stay in the lodge when we could have joined the fight?"


    Inez was quite surprised when she heard the literal personification of the Starbie doll say that she wanted to join the fight. However, she didn¡¯t have the time to care about Ally. She turned to look at Ryder and said to him, "Bring him to the office andy him down."


    No one questioned her, as healers were said to be one of the mysterious beings of the shiftermunity. They were known for their secrecy, as healers didn¡¯t want their skills to be seen. Not because they feared that their skills would be copied, but because it was rumoured that seeing a healer at work would drive a person into madness, it was all due to the healers using divine beasts, whom only the healer could see.


    If someone without a bond or mark saw them, they would either go blind or, worse, mad.


    As no one wanted to go mad, they helped Henley to the office and tied his eyes with a blindfold to make sure that he, too, would not see the divine beast or spirit.


    However, once everyone was gone, Inez walked over and then stuffed Henley¡¯s ears with cotton. As she turned to take the noise cancetion earmuffs from Killian, she heard Henley say, "What¡¯s the need for this?"


    "Just some extra caution." Inez made a random excuse as she took the hand of the man in hers. Behind her, she could hear Killian¡¯s growl with possessiveness leaking from it; however, Inez ignored it. She parted her lips and sang.


    "<i>Come to the shore, where sorrow dies, </i>


    <i>Beneath the moon and velvet skies. </i>


    <i>Waves shall cradle your aching pain, </i>


    <i>And wash your wounds like summer rain." </i>


    <i>"My voice is balm and my breath is light,</i>


    <i>I sing your soul back into flight. </i>


    <i>Drift where the night dissolves the day, </i>


    <i>Let the tide take the grief away."</i>


    <i>"Soft are the shells that whisper low, </i>


    <i>Where the broken heart begins to grow.</i>


    <i>The sea remembers, the sea forgives, </i>


    <i>In every note, the spirit lives." </i>


    <i>"Hush now, hush, the storm is done, </i>


    <i>The stars have stitched what pain has undone. </i>


    <i>Let the salt mend what time had torn,</i>


    <i>In song, the lost are the once more born." </i>


    <i>"Let the waters wave your skin, </i>


    <i>Breathe deep and heal from deep within. </i>


    <i>With every word, I pull you near.</i>


    <i>You will rise anew; have no fear." </i>


    As she finished thest quivering note, the burn wounds on Henley were gone, and Inez, who had stood up suddenly, almost fell back on the floor because of the energy that she had to use to heal Henley¡¯s wounds.


    "Careful there," said Killian as he helped her up.


    Henley, who sensed that the healing was over, took off the blindfold and the earmuffs. He saw how pale Inez looked and shed her a guilty smile. "I am really sorry about this."


    "This is what I should do," Inez waved her hand and dismissed his gratitude. She then turned to look at Killian and said to him, "I can heal the rest of them as well."


    "There is no need. Their wounds are all surface wounds. By the time you have stepped out of the room, they will have partially healed." Killian insisted, knowing that she was weak from healing Henley. When the woman looked like she was about to argue, he said, "Why don¡¯t you go and take a look?"


    Inez shot him a suspicious look, but nheless, she walked out of the office, only to see the rest of the enforcers vociferously discussing what happened outside in the clearing.


    She could hear Ryder recounting the tale. However, they were already healing; Inez felt that their healing was too slow and insisted that she would heal them, which slowly drove Killian insane.

 Chapter 167: The Aftermath

    <h4>Chapter 167: The Aftermath</h4>


    By the time she was done healing Ryder, Miles, Finn, Levy and Matt, Killian was certain that he was about to go crazy. He looked at the stubborn woman who was refusing to stop, even though she looked like she was about to pass out. So when she turned around to look at him with those doe-like eyes that were filled with determination, he said to her, "I am fine, Inez. You can save your energy."


    Her gaze studied him carefully. She first looked at the burn on the side of his arm, right on his bicep and then the small boils on his neck and the underside of his jaw. "No, you are not." And if she were to leave him alone, then he would heal, but it would leave a scar behind.


    "It¡¯s not as bad as it looks."


    "Then there is no need for you to worry about letting me heal you, right?" said Inez. She was about to drag the man inside the office when she stiffened and looked at the egg roll that was stuffed in her hands. Surprised, she turned and looked at Edira, who huffed at her, "You need your energy. Don¡¯t say that you fainted because you were taking care of the pack."


    "I was thinking," began Selene, garnering everyone¡¯s attention. "It¡¯s not good that everyone is living so far from one another. Nyx, Morrh, Fenric and Ally should move into one lodge, as they live the farthest, which makes them vulnerable to the attack and to being used. Look at what happened tonight? The witches used Ally¡¯s voice because they knew that she lives too far and we would definitely rush to her aid."


    Nyx went to object but was stopped by Selene. "I know that it will be a bit hectic for everyone to crowd into one single lodge, but I think this will be better. At least no one will be in danger. If not, I am afraid that if something like this happens again, neither of us will be as lucky as we were tonight."


    "I think she is right," said Edira, pursing her lips in slight distaste. "It might be a good idea for everyone to either stay together in the main lodge or at least share the lodges closest to the main lodge. The submissive lycans are safe because the witches will not target them as they stay at the centre of the territory, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for the dominant ones."


    "For the sake of the packing out of this ordeal alive and safe, I think that it¡¯s better for everyone to just suck it up and ept it."


    "You can bunk on my bed," said Ajax as he patted Finn on the shoulder.


    The beta looked not even the slightest bit amused by his suggestion as he pped the hand that was on his shoulder and said to Ajax, "Do you really think that I will bunk in the same bed with you?"


    "You are the only one who can stay sane with Jax," remarked Laxus, sounding a bit amused. "No one else can stay with him for more than three hours and not charge at him with the intention to kill him."


    "That¡¯s because I can¡¯t bear the thought of having the blood of this manwhore on my hands."


    "Hey, easy on the cussing. There are children here."


    "I don¡¯t see them," stated Finn coldly as he whipped his head around and looked at Ajax. "Not unless you call yourself a child, which I would partially agree to, as you have the same IQ as that of a five-year-old."


    "Right here." Not sounding the least bit offended, Ajax cupped his crotch in front of Finn, who shot him a fierce look of loathing and annoyance. Inez was half certain that his desire to kill Ajax had gone up by a notch.


    Killian offered, "Then I will move into Inez¡¯s lodge."


    Beside him, she stiffened, and so did Morrh as she turned to look at the man and spoke together with Inez. "No!"


    "There is no need!"


    Inez turned to look at Morrh, but the woman was not looking at her and instead was staring at Killian. She said to him like an angry bee buzzing, merely opening her mouth as she dished out one word after another, "Now, there is no need. If you are worried about thistent, then I can give her a kip in my lodge or even my bed. But really! Letting her stay with you¡ªwhat will others think? They will think of her as the new Luna of the pack. You cannot¡ª"


    "For thest time, Morrh. Don¡¯t tell me what I can or cannot do." Killian snapped as he interrupted the woman.


    However, Morrh was not listening. She said, "You cannot do this to her. When Lyra was alive, you never gave her this status, so why her?"


    "Why!?"


    "You should ask this question of yourself, Morrh." Killian retorted, barely moving his lips as he stated, "I would rather give this status to a woman who barely stayed in my life than your daughter, tell me what wrongs she might havemitted for me to do it."


    Morrh red at him. Her entire body was trembling as she pivoted on her heels and marched out of the lodge.


    Inez watched her go, and she was sure that the woman¡¯s loathing for her had only turned even more intense after this.


    She then turned to look at Killian and said to him, "She is right. There is no need for you to live with me... I will be fine alone."


    "There is no living alone; either you stay with me, or you can live with Edira, Selene and Laxus. I believe you will totally love the noise and thepany of these people. Not to mention, you will have, like, zero privacy because Edira likes to barge into the rooms of others at odd times."


    "I told you I sleepwalk!" Edira quibbled, wearing a scowl.


    Killian turned to look at Inez with an ¡¯I told you so¡¯ look, who rolled her eyes and agreed. "Fine, I will stay with you."

 Chapter 168: She was worth it

    <h4>Chapter 168: She was worth it</h4>


    As soon as she finished speaking, Selene smiled and said, "That¡¯s excellent. This way, no one will be alone."


    Inez simply pursed her lips. She said to Killian, "You can sleep on the bed; I don¡¯t usually use it." She was much happier and peaceful when she slept on the bed swing, most probably due to never getting a chance to sit on a swing when she was a child.


    Killian smiled at her mischievously before winking at her, "Who said we aren¡¯t going to use it?"


    "I don¡¯t like sleeping on the bed."


    "You don¡¯t have to sleep on the bed."


    Ienz stared at him for a while before shaking her head as she remarked, "You are a real piece of work."


    "Kill," Edira called out. "Can we talk for a minute?" Though she spoke in a polite tone, it was clear that it was not a request.


    Killian followed his grandmother outside the lodge onto the porch that stretched out to a jacuzzi. He knew well enough what Edira was talking about, so he didn¡¯t want to y dumb with his grandmother.


    "You ... are you sure that you want to go ahead with this?"


    "Yes," Even though he had wanted to deny it, he couldn¡¯t. His heart and beast ¨C neither of them wanted to refuse.


    "Do you really think it¡¯s the best idea to get together with Cherith¡¯s mate?"


    "She is not his. He rejected her." Killian denied it right away without even blinking. "If he didn¡¯t im her when he had the chance to, then that makes her free."


    Edira pinched the space between her eyebrows. "It¡¯s not that simple, Kill. Dominic might have rejected her, but I have asked around; that man is still trying to bring her back to his side, which proves that he is not willing to let go of her yet. And that will put a serious rift between the two packs. One that can even lead to the pack battle."


    Killian knew that she was right. It was not as simple as he was making it out to be.


    "Are you telling me to stay away from her?"


    "I don¡¯t see the point," said Edira. "I might be your grandmother, but I know better than anyone that no one can stop you from getting what you want. But think about what you will be putting on the line here. Dominic, while not your friend, has proven to be a great asset as your alliance partner. Do you really want to mess everything up for a woman? And the pack, they will have to join the battle if it were to break. Do you believe that Inez has what it takes to fight for her?"


    "You saw her," Killian said. "She took care of those who were injured even when she could have stopped. Their physicalfort and safety mattered more to her than her own. Isn¡¯t that what a Luna of the pack would do for her pack member?"


    "You want her to be the Luna of your pack?"


    "I never said that... I am just saying that she has more substance than you see."


    Edira sighed. "I am not saying that she is not good enough. But she is Dominic¡¯s mate and I¡ª"


    His beast growled. "She is no longer his mate."


    "In another life, maybe she is not. But in this life she is..."


    "He rejected her!"


    "That doesn¡¯t change anything. You and Lyra might have fallen apart because even if she was your mate, she never seemed like the one for you. And you never fell apart because of her; the same cannot be said for Dominic. He obviously cares for her in his own sick, twisted manner."


    "But she doesn¡¯t. You have seen her, and she has nothing but disgust for him."


    "Yes, but imagine yourself in Dominic¡¯s shoes for a second. Let¡¯s say you two separate." A growl ripped in the air, but Edira still continued, "It¡¯s just a hypothetical situation. If you two break up and she starts dating another man, I don¡¯t believe that you will be able to ept her dating another man, will you?"


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    "Then how can you expect Cherith to be unbothered?"


    Killian stayed quiet before saying to Edira, " I do admit that I will not be able to let her go. But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that Dominic had disrespected and tormented her, taking her wolf away from her. Something that I will never do. This alone is enough for him to stay away from Inez."


    "He has no right over her anymore," and if that man dared to insist otherwise, Killian would not stop himself from shing open the stomach of that bastard, not before castrating him for giving Inez that horrible pain.


    For two minutes, Edira didn¡¯t speak, but then she softly said, "I understand. But just think about whether it is worth facing the storm that is heading over you if you continue to stay with that woman. Even if Inez¡¯s identity is hidden for the time being, sooner orter the lies will blow off."


    **


    "Are you okay?" Inez walked over to his side and looked at Killian. It had been twenty minutes since Edira left, and he had been brooding and chewing her words over and over again. Killian prided himself on being a leader with a steady head on his shoulders, but at that moment, he didn¡¯t feel as steady as he used to.


    When he didn¡¯t reply, she narrowed her eyes and said, "You are thinking about something rather hard. I can sense that you are torn." She reached out and cupped his face before saying to him, "Is something bothering you? I can help."


    As she spoke, she started humming a soft tune that started healing his wound.


    "Inez." He reached out to grab her hand, but she snapped at him, "Shut up. I cannot kiss you with that nasty boil over your lips."


    Killian sighed, letting go of her as he snaked his arms around her and pulled her close to him. All the thoughts ceased to exist. Yes. It was worth going to war for this woman. Thus, he decided not to overthink.

 Chapter 169: Molly Confronts Inez

    <h4>Chapter 169: Molly Confronts Inez</h4>


    Killian could feel his wounds tingling¡ªa soothing warmth pierced through the skin that had been burned. She then raised her arm and wiped his face with the help of a handkerchief.


    "Thank you, Bubbles." He lowered his head and devoured her mouth, licking, biting and sucking on her bottom lip. Sliding his hand a bit down, he brought her in a princess carry and then said to her, "Let¡¯s go and shower."


    Inez smiled. Her eyes shed as her siren surged to the surface. "What an excuse to get me naked."


    "Need to act as a gentleman when I am with you, baby." He returned the smile before taking her to the lodge.


    After taking Inez against the shower wall and the bathing tub, with her legs tied around his waist, he returned to the main lodge and discussed with Finn how to tighten the security measures of the pack better. Because of this, Inez didn¡¯t see him until the next morning when she went to the main lodge.


    However, she had barely pushed open the door when Killian stepped out. His expression was oddly strained, and he looked terribly upset about something. She was about to ask him what the matter was, but then his handsnded on either side of her, and he turned her around so that she was walking forward without taking a look inside the main lodge.


    It confused her, as Inez couldn¡¯t understand why Killian would push her away like this. And somewhere it hurt her too. Maybe it¡¯s because she had been rejected too harshly by her previous pack that she had gotten a bit sensitive about subtle changes like these.


    "What happened?" She asked, feeling confused, when the man pushed her out of the lodge.


    "Maybe you need to go back to your lodge."


    Inez frowned. "Why? What¡¯s wrong?" She inhaled sharply, picking up the scents that were lingering on the front porch. She could smell the scents of Edira, Selene, Laxus, Finn and a few more pack members, but there was someone else. Someone unfamiliar.


    "Is that her?" a loud, witch-like voice cracked behind them, and Killian muttered a curse.


    "Mom, you really need to stop now!" Selene spoke in outrage as she was wheeled outside the lodge by Laxus. Her eyes flew to Morrh, who had called her mother to the pack by telling her about Inez.


    The woman had the audacity to re back at her, but the second Laxus growled, the woman lowered her head but remained defiant.


    Inez stared at the woman in confusion, and her confusion became even more intense when Killian stood in front of her protectively. As if he were worried that the woman would suddenly go crazy and attack her. Rolling her eyes, she moved to one side and took a look at the woman who looked too simr to Killian, and at the same time, she didn¡¯t because her lips seemed to be fixed in a permanent scowl on her face.


    Selene looked beyond livid, while Edira was chewing her lips as if she was trying to stop herself from losing herposure, but given that Inez could hear her curse a few times, she knew that the woman was nowhere near as calm as she was pretending to be.


    Which brought her back to the point: who was this woman? And why was she here when Inez had never seen her before?


    The middle-aged woman huffed. "So," she barked. "You must be L?"


    Because of themand that Killian had given the pack, Morrh couldn¡¯t break the promisepletely, but she did y the loophole to her maximum benefit when telling Molly about Inez.


    Even though Inez didn¡¯t believe that she was really smart when it came to handling matters of emotions, she could still sense that the woman was rather hostile to her, and she had no idea why.


    Selene red at her mother, who didn¡¯t hear a thing that her brother and she said to her, and then she turned to look at Inez before smiling at her apologetically. She said, "I am sorry about her actions... this is my mother... Molly Sokolov." She introduced Molly to Inez when the woman continued to stare at her.


    Ah. So this woman was the one who was determined to get her son mated to a dragon shifter, one that would bring honour and pride to her name, or more like Killian¡¯s name, as she liked to insist. Which meant that Molly must have a rather serious problem withtents because they were always considered a point of humiliation rather than pride.


    Molly¡¯s upper lip curled briefly, and Inez had a subtle feeling that she had seen this woman before, but where?


    "I would like to thank you for doing your best to heal my Selene, but I hope that you will limit your desire and intentions and stop with that nasty agenda of yours because it¡¯s nothing but a pipe dream."


    "Stop it, Mother!" Killian snapped at the woman, but Molly didn¡¯t seem to hear, and Inez soon understood where she had seen Molly before. Her mother.


    Her mother often treated her in the same fashion, as she believed that what she was doing was right and that Inez was not aware of what she wanted or needed. Molly¡¯s arrogant expression was quite simr to her mother¡¯s.


    "Why, though? Am I lying? Isn¡¯t she here with an agenda?"


    Inez arched her brow. She quashed the anger bubbling in her heart and turned to look at the woman. She said to her, "And what is this agenda that you speak of?" She was genuinely curious because she couldn¡¯t see the agenda that Molly kept speaking of.


    "You are a healer, and healers always have an agenda. Do you want me to believe that you are treating my daughter out of the goodness of your heart?"


    "Really? I didn¡¯t know that you could see through me so easily." Inez rolled her eyes, not taking even a single word that the woman was saying to her to heart.


    However, herck of regard only irked Molly even further, and she took a threatening step towards Inez.

 Chapter 170: Sprinkling Salt on wound

    <h4>Chapter 170: Sprinkling Salt on wound</h4>


    "Molly, that will be enough. I have told you that the girl had helped us a lot with her healing powers. There is no need for you to condemn her in such a manner. Her skills are invaluable, as without her, we would have lost a pack memberst night," maintained Edira with a growl.


    "Grandmother is right," with a snarl seeping into Killian¡¯s tone, as his beast paced back and forth because of the rage that the two of them were feeling. "Inez had earned the respect of the pack, and you, as someone who is not a pack member, have no right to point fingers at her."


    Molly looked at him. "Oh, bet she is doing her best to show you all how important and powerful she is, but she is helping you because she is trying to win you all over so you will let her stay here longer. Can¡¯t you see that she is manipting you all?"


    "That¡¯s not happening," spoke Laxus in his level-headed voice. "There is simply no agenda and certainly no maniption. If there were, then we would have seen through her. Lycans are the best when ites to lying and the best when ites to catching liars as well."


    "Yes, there is!" Molly¡¯s tone didn¡¯t seem to invite argument, but she was quite firm with her words. "You just cannot see it. Morrh told me how this woman has hoodwinked my son into doing her bidding, even though Morrh has warned him again and again. But my son... as foolish as he has been since he was a child, just cannot see it!"


    Inez didn¡¯t like the patronising tone with which Molly spoke about Killian, as if he were a child who didn¡¯t know any better. She narrowed her eyes and questioned, "He is the alpha of the pack. I believe he didn¡¯t manage such a big pack out of foolishness, did he?"


    Molly whipped her head to the front and red at Inez as if she was upset that Inez had defended Killian. Her son.


    Seeing her reaction, Inez really wanted to ask Killian if he was adopted.


    "See this? This is how she is trying to win all of you over."


    "By stopping you from disrespecting and discrediting your son when it should have been you doing it?"


    An exasperated flush crept up Molly¡¯s neck and face. She said to Inez, "You can act all you want, you slut but I see right through you. Unlike you, who is trying to fill my son¡¯s head with all sorts of ideas, I keep him grounded. Now listen to me here." she raised her finger and pointed at Inez. "My son will be imprinting on no one else but Miss Jules Drakos, a truly fantastic woman with a proper identity and background. We will no longer entertain your foolish and evil intentions."


    "So you can crawl back to whatever hellhole you have climbed out from."


    She then whipped and looked at Selene. "You didn¡¯t even tell me that this woman was staying here. How could you not tell me the truth, Selene? I had to hear this from Morrh." Turning her head to the front, she questioned Killian, "Is this why you disrespected Miss Drakos? For thistent?" she spoke as if beingtent was a cursed word.


    "It has nothing to do with her," Killian spoke in a steady voice. "I just don¡¯t like that woman."


    Molly scoffed. "What¡¯s there not to like? She is rich, beautiful and a pure-blooded shifter. Compared to her, she is better in every manner."


    She shot a look of pure loathing and contempt at Inez, who was half amused and half exasperated. With an innocent blink of her eyes, she tilted her head to one side and questioned, "Did you even ask your son what he wants?"


    "Do you think that I don¡¯t know what my son wants?"


    "I don¡¯t," Inez replied with all the honesty that she could muster. "From the second you opened your mouth, all I could hear was how you think that Miss Jules is the right choice for this pack and Killian, but I never heard you ask him if he thinks the same."


    "It¡¯s because I know that she is the right choice!" Molly¡¯s face, if possible, turned even redder. "He won¡¯t understand it today, but he will one day."


    "And I don¡¯t need you to tell me what I want, Mom." Killian¡¯s tone was as harsh as it could have been. "L is staying here, and you have no right to chase her away. That¡¯s it. Now stop with this conversation because she has done nothing to deserve this."


    "He is right," said Selene, but Molly seemed to be too eager to get the stain off that her son had poured on her pride that she wasn¡¯t even listening to anyone. She once again spoke to Killian, "I am not surprised that you are standing up for her; I can smell her all over you. I thought that you would have more sense than to get involved with a healer, but NOOOO. But I should have expected such a thing to happen; after all, you can never be as wise and smart as your brother."


    Inez knew that the woman had said something wrong because the second she finished speaking, Killian¡¯s expression turned taut. The air around him turned cold, and so did his eyes.


    "That... will be enough," He said in a clipped voice. "I believe that we both have established that I am neither as smart nor witty as my brother. There is no need to bring it up at every turn you get. And if you miss him so much, then you can always try to have another son."


    Eyes practically swirling with anger, Molly turned to look at Edira. "Do you see this? He has no respect for me. This is why I wanted to raise him by my side! Look at how he has grown up."


    "Respect has to be earned," said Edira simply, "And its not like you have shown Kill any respect since he was a child."


    "He is my son! Why should I respect him?"

 Chapter 171: Putting Distance

    <h4>Chapter 171: Putting Distance</h4>


    "So what if he is your son?" Edira questioned with a hint of reproach in his voice. "Do you think that just because he is your son, you don¡¯t need to show him adequate respect?"


    "I am his mother, and I¡ª"


    "I know that you are my mother, but you too don¡¯t have the right to insult me or my woman," snapped Killian. "Now go back; you don¡¯t want to stay away from your pack, do you? You will hate it if others start to think that you are moving here, right? Wouldn¡¯t want to associate with my crazy self, right?"


    Molly gave him a look of sheer loathing. That¡¯s right, loathing. The woman hated him, and not in a light-hearted manner, but in a way an enemy would. Her gaze then shifted and turned to Inez. And the loathing within her eyes turned even more intense. Inez stared defiantly back without saying anything.


    Seeing Inez staring back, Molly scoffed before turning around on her feet and walking past the two of them.


    Killian watched the woman leave. His face was taut, and his jaw was tightly clenched as Molly stepped down the stairs.


    "Kill,e with me," Edira spoke in a no-nonsense voice. It was clear that she was not going to let Killian slide or ignore her this time around, not that he had any intention to do so.


    He turned to look at Inez, who stood next to him, and kissed her on the forehead before saying to her, "You can either stay here or go back. I wille to see you in a matter of a few minutes."


    After he finished speaking, he followed Edira inside the main lodge. As he trudged past the door of the office, Edira closed it and walked to the end of the room, where she sat down on the couch. Not a good sign. Every time Edira had to sit down to discuss something, it was not a good thing.


    "You have to stay away from Inez for the time being."


    "I am sorry?"


    Edira red at him. "Don¡¯t act like you do not understand what I am trying to tell you. You know what kind of person your mother is, Kill. She is stubborn and highly controlling; do you think that she would just ept your rebellion? You know what she did to you thest time you tried to put your foot down?"


    "Which one are you talking about?" Killian shrugged. There were countless times when his mother had attacked him, including the time when he refused to eat Percy¡¯s favourite bouibaisse. That was when his mother realised that no matter how much she tried to convert him into Percy, he as an individual would always be different from the son that she had loved and lost.


    One would hope that would stop Molly from trying to infuse all the likes and dislikes of Percy within Killian. But no, the woman, instead of giving up, searched for a witch and fed it to Killian in the hope that the boy would turn into her dead son.


    Of course, the potion had turned out to be a dud, taking away Killian¡¯s ability to taste anything.


    His mother had never felt guilty for it either. When Edira had confronted her, she had cried and made a fuss, saying that she just wanted to teach all the right things to Killian and that she never meant it to happen.


    Nor did she stop after that.


    She continued with such foolish ns, which forced Killian to escape her grasp once he turned eighteen.


    Killian had hoped that his mother would stop trying to change him because she always believed that he needed her ¡¯fixing¡¯ after he built his own territory, but clearly, he was wrong; his mother had never once stopped. If anything, that woman had be even more insane after Killian killed the alpha of his previous pack.


    That man, like his mother, didn¡¯t want his best enforcer to leave, but at the same time, the alpha had been scared of Killian¡¯s strength and alpha vibes. That would exin why he had tried to drug Killian and suppress him by humiliating him.


    Death had been easier for that bastard.


    But this had nothing to do with his mother, who adamantly refused to see sense and told him that he should have called for help. Like he had the time to do it. It was either shing the throat of that bastard before the drugs made it to his system or being humiliated by him.


    "The one where she tried to harm the woman with whom you got close thest time after Lyra. It was just a short fling, but you kept her around longer than the others. And what did your mother do? She sent a bunch of people to harass that woman until she stopped seeing you."


    "I would hate something like that to happen to Inez. Not that your mother would pick the same n. She has a ir for dramatics."


    His grandmother was a stern woman who didn¡¯t ept someone in her life so easily, but when she did, she would look after them with everything that she had.


    And though Killian understood Edira¡¯s concern, thereiny the reason why Killian¡¯s beast wanted to w his own grandmother.


    "Not to mention that she is already dealing with her own mess," Edira remarked as she stretched out her feet in front of her. "You know that with you protecting her like this, Molly is not going to like this. You already saw how she reacted when you tried to protect Inez just now. She would certainly see her as a thorn in her n of betterment for you."


    Killian clenched his fists. "I am not going to put my life on hold because of this." He hadn¡¯t let his own reservations keep him away from Inez, and now Edira wanted him to give this power to his mother. The one woman whom he had refused to control his life. Like hell, he would!

 Chapter 172: Putting Distance (2)

    <h4>Chapter 172: Putting Distance (2)</h4>


    "I am not asking you to put your life on hold for anyone." Edira began tentatively. "I am just asking you to keep your distance from Inez for the time being, at least until everything cools down. You will be surprised what could happen if Molly starts targeting her."


    Brows snapping together, Killian said to his grandmother, "She is capable of handling herself. Even if she is not a highly dominant shifter, she has faced her own share of battles ande out victorious. I don¡¯t think she will like it if I were to tell her that we need to go our merry ways just because of what happened today, and she might even think that I am looking down at her because I think that she cannot look after herself. That is going to hurt her pride for sure."


    "But at least she will understand that you are only trying to look out for her."


    Killian fisted his hands and stated, "Would you stay away if it were Grandpa? Would you leave him alone?"


    "If it means keeping him alive? Sure," replied Edira. "And even if I couldn¡¯t, then it was because that man is my mate. Inez is not your mate, and even if you keep iming that she is yours, you have no intention of keeping her with you for long, do you? Just until whatever you are feeling has fizzled out and you are free of the ties, right? So, unless you are telling me that you have ced a im on her that cannot be revoked, I think you can and you should do what I am telling you. Putting her life on the line just because you cannot stay away due to the physical intimacy that you crave, Killian, is truly, really sick and twisted."


    Edira fell silent, waiting for him to tell her that he was going to stake his im on Inez, but when he didn¡¯t, she pursed her lips and continued, "I will ask Ajax to take care of her when you are not with her. I believe that the two of them had gotten a bit close. I was going to ask Laxus, as he seemed to be more understanding of her situation, but I don¡¯t think he would like to stay away from Selene."


    The two of them had the mostplicated and twisted rtionship that Edira wouldn¡¯t want to delve deeper in.


    Killian¡¯s beast surged to the surface with a growl that rippled in the room dangerously.


    When Killian was done suppressing his beast, Edira shook her head and remarked, "I underestimated the possessiveness of your beast when it came to her. I merely mentioned that you should let another man keep herpany, and he reacted so strongly."


    Killian merely grunted.


    "That only brings me back to my earlier statement. You should put some distance between the two of you. Unless you want to be bound to Inez, you should also start thinking whether you are with her because you truly want to be with her and not because of your beast."


    When he did not say anything, Edira looked at him and said, "If you don¡¯t want to be the bearer of the bad news, then I can do it for you."


    "No. I can do it myself," said Killian. The least he could do was to exin the entire situation to her rather than push her away without facing the consequences himself. He was not that big of a coward.


    He turned around on his feet and walked out of the office before making a beeline straight to the lodge where Inez lived.


    "Hey."


    The woman was sitting on the porch and reading a magazine when she saw hime; she raised her head and smiled at him. Her smoky voice snaked over both him and his beast. It was asforting as it was seductive. "Hey, are you okay? I hope that you are not upset because of what she said to you."


    Inez got to her feet and shook her head before saying to him, "I am not upset, but I cannot say the same for you. Are you okay?"


    Fuck. She really knew how to read him. And that too a bit too easily, he sighed and said to her, "You saw my mother, right? She is used to antagonising any woman with whom I get entangled or whom she thinks might endanger the perfect ns that she has for me."


    A frown etched on her face as soon as he finished speaking. "Okay?"


    He scratched at his nape. "Edira¡¯s concern is that this is going to put you in danger with my mother. She thinks it¡¯s best if the two of us stay away for a while; I can¡¯t say that she is right or that I am fine with the idea, but I don¡¯t want you to get involved in the fuckery that my mother mighte up with."


    When Inez did not say anything, he stepped forward and ced his hand on her shoulder. "Inez?"


    "I heard you." She finally said, her voice was a bit stiff. "After all, I do understand that it¡¯s the right course of action. However, I just think that when you tried to push your way into my life, even when I explicitly told you not to, you didn¡¯t listen to me, and I never stopped you because... I thought you could take care of yourself. Is it because you think that I cannot face what your mother might throw at me?"


    Killian cursed when he heard her words. "It¡¯s not like that, Inez, and you know that. I know that you can protect yourself. It¡¯s just that my mother... is not sane. She is twisted and vile, and she loves the control that she has over me, and she will go to any lengths to keep the status quo."


    She sighed. "Fine. Whatever."


    Something about her tone put him on edge. "Inez...I am not using this as an excuse to put some distance between us, and you know it. If that¡¯s what you think I am doing to you."


    "But you are right; we should put some distance between us because this way it will be easier for me to leave the pack after we are done fooling around."


    "Fooling around?" Killian snapped his teeth. "Is that what you call this?"


    "What else am I supposed to call it?" Inez shrugged, but there was a hint of challenge in her tone.


    He truly had no answer for that question. Seeing this, Inez peeled back her upper lip and crossed her arms before saying, "You should go and get your act together, alpha. Don¡¯t want to linger around here lest you fear getting caught by your mommy." And then she turned around and walked away, leaving Killian to fume at the entire situation.


    **


    Hey everyone, please do support the book with golden tickets if you like the story!

 Chapter 173: Assassination attack!

    <h4>Chapter 173: Assassination attack!</h4>


    She needed a swim.


    Inez came up with this thought after a few days. Swimming was the only way she could unwind, and her siren seriously needed it. A couple of days had passed since Killian came up with the ¡¯we need to stay clear of each other¡¯s path¡¯ theory, and neither of them had run into each other.


    Though she did see Morrh a couple of times, the woman seemed to be in an excellent mood. It made her siren snap her teeth every time she saw Morrh. However, Inez had always been in control of her siren, other than the time when it concerned Killian. Thus, even though her siren very much wished to end the life of the damn woman then and there, she somehow managed to restrain herself.


    But that brought her back to the point that she needed to seriously unwind herself. She also needed to go to Selene¡¯s lodge and bring her shopping, as the woman had finally agreed to go with her and shop for a new dress.


    "Where are you going?"


    Halfway down the stairs of her lodge, she ran into Ajax, who had been given the responsibility of being her bodyguard. Not that she had needed one, but the alternative would have been to stay in the lodge next to where Killian lived, and Inez didn¡¯t wish to see the face of that jerk for the time being.


    Her siren hissed at the scent of another man, but Inez ignored her. It wasn¡¯t Ajax¡¯s fault that he was asked to stay guard around her lodge. She smiled at him. "Just for a swim."


    Ajax nodded. He was wearing a loose, sleeveless t-shirt which showcased his muscr arms as he had them crossed in front. "I will go with you."


    "I am good," Inez shook her head and refused. When she saw Ajax looking a bit troubled, she said to him, "I am just going to the swimming pool in the main lodge; it¡¯s not like I will be attacked there, right?"


    Ajax puffed out a breath. "I don¡¯t know. Kill asked me to keep an eye on you at all times."


    "I don¡¯t think he would like it if you were to see me when I am swimming, though."


    "Why?"


    "Because I like to do it naked."


    And that seemed to have done the trick. Ajax, who was inclined toe with her, finally thought things through and decided that it was better to let her go alone. A good decision, thought Inez as she let out a breath and continued her descent to the main lodge.


    Ajax followed her, and she didn¡¯tin. The man was a much betterpany than Finn and Laxus. He joked around and yed games with her. Sometimes he would even pull a prank on her, and Inez would retaliate right away whenever she got the chance to.


    He made her feel like she was a part of the pack. She required a good friend, and somewhere Ajax fulfilled that role.


    When Inez arrived at the main lodge, she didn¡¯t run into Killian. A good thing, as she didn¡¯t know what she would have done if she had run into him. Inez¡¯s anger was yet to subside, but it had indeed fizzled out a little after hearing the things that Molly had done to the women whom Killian had slept with in the past.


    Her visit to Selene¡¯s lodge came hurtling into Inez¡¯s mind.


    Three days ago.


    ¡¯She wouldn¡¯t let a woman linger for more than a month,¡¯ Selene had told her after they finished with another healing session. ¡¯Every time Killian stayed with the same woman for a month, our mother would either hire lone shifters to cause deadly idents or roofie their drinks when they were partying. You can imagine the aftermath. My mother doesn¡¯t have a bottom line, as she is obsessed with the idea of making Killian perfect.¡¯


    ¡¯And she has never been caught?¡¯ Inez asked her with a frown on her face. Her fingers moved in circles as she stirred the sugar in the cup of tea that Selene had given to her to calm her down.


    She thought that with so many sickening crimes that had been piled up on her head, Molly was bound to be caught, but she underestimated the cruelty of the woman.


    Selene shook her head and replied, ¡¯My mother only hires lone shifters for a reason; they are supposed to die as soon as they are caught. That¡¯s what they are good for, right? At first, we didn¡¯t know that these were her doings. We thought it was done by the enemies of our pack; you would be surprised to see Killian¡¯s reaction when he found out that it was all done by our mother.¡¯


    ¡¯That¡¯s why he never kept a woman with him for long. It was better for him to take on the reputation of a yboy rather than endanger their lives.¡¯


    Inez snapped out of her thoughts when she smelled the harsh and pungent scent of chlorine. She raised her head and looked around the pool, and was quite d that she didn¡¯t see anyone using it. She liked having it all to herself and really was not in the mood to listen to theughter and chortling or the yelling of the little pups around her at the moment.


    The pool was as basic as it could have been. There was a waterslide at the end of the pool for the kids and a diving stand with three diving boards, two of them blocked for the kids, with strict warnings that they were not allowed to use it and it would only be opened when an adult wanted to use it. Yellow life jackets were hanging on the side of the wall, along with a few water toys, swimming tubes and kickboards.


    Inez peered at the changing room for men and tried to see if there was someone, as the enforcers like toe here all the time. But when she didn¡¯t, she walked to the changing room for the women and started undressing. She changed into her bikini and then tied her hair in a bun before putting her things into the locker.


    Not noticing the danger that was lurking in the small and dark corner of the swimming area.

 Chapter 174: Assassination Attack (2)

    <h4>Chapter 174: Assassination Attack (2)</h4>


    Inez walked out of the changing room. Mindful of the slipping tiles, she was quite careful while she was walking. The water was rippling gently andpping around the edges. Thankfully, it was still empty with no one swimming in it.


    She plunged into the pool. As a part-siren, she didn¡¯t need to hold her breath and could swim deep in the water without any trouble. However, Inez still swam to the surface for mouthfuls of air just in case someone came inside the swimming area and saw her plunged deep in the water.


    Shoving the wet tendrils of her hair out of her eyes, she swam to the edge of the swimming pool and picked up the can of juice that she had brought with her. Taking a swig of the juice and letting the water sh against her body, there was something really peaceful about the entire thing.


    There was no bombardment, no fuss. No one was telling her what was wrong and what was right for her. It was just peaceful.


    Just her and the water. It enabled her to switch off for a while, which was nice.


    Once she was finished drinking the juice, Inez closed her eyes and thenpped back to the water, where she just let her body float around. The water sliding over her skin as she soaked it all up was helping her by easing the tension that was rolling within her body. She rested for a while before she started swimming again, and this time around, she pushed herself as hard as she could.


    Her muscles were screaming at her for her to rest, and yet Inez felt more and more calm. Her head was no longer filled with needless worries, and she didn¡¯t have to waste her time worrying about anything.


    However, just as she was about to turn around for anotherp, she heard a plop and turned to look behind her. No one. She couldn¡¯t even see any ripples in the water from where the sound came from. Frowning, she turned her head to the front, about to take another dive under the water. When¨C


    Something tightened around her neck and yanked her under the water. The shock of it almost stole her breath, and Inez nced at the thick coil that was tied around her throat. It looked like a rope, but it wasn¡¯t; it was a snake. Completely ck on the upper side with hues of yellow under.


    Tiger snake.


    And from the size of it, she was sure that it was a shifter.


    Panic wed at her insides. Though Inez could breathe underwater, this damn thing seemed to have realised that she was one good swimmer and could hold her breath for a long time; thus, it went for her throat. A perfect n: if she drowned here and died, everyone would think that she died due to drowning.


    Her heart was pounding wildly, and she kicked her legs as hard as she could. She wed and scratched the motherfucker but it didn¡¯t move.


    She tried to call Nia, hoping that the wolf would respond to her, but there was no response.


    "Damn, how long are you going to sulk over that jerk!?" Inez shrieked. Angry and upset at her wolf for not acting when she was about to die. Was Dominic and his wolf even worth their deaths? She didn¡¯t think so!


    However, her wolf apparently did think that dying was better than staying without their mates.


    Inez cursed as she started punching and pulling the thing off her neck. When nothing worked, she summoned her siren and allowed her nails to elongate like a witch. She used them to scratch the scales of the snakes and, at the same time, bit the end of the tail of the snake.


    The thing loosened its hold on her, and Inez immediately took gulps of air before swimming upwards. However, she didn¡¯t even break through the surface when the tiger snake reached out and bit her on the side of the waist.


    Damn!


    Adrenaline shot through her system, and she started to swim faster, almost there... she was just about to break through the surface of the water¡ª


    The tiger snake shot out again, and this time it tied itself around her ankle and pulled her down, its teeth biting down on her skin as it infused more venom into her body. If Inez were a human, then she would have died then and there. The snake must have thought so, too, but sirens had much more powerful healing abilities than others gave them credit for.


    Thus, even though the thing continued to twist and turn as it injected shots of venom inside of her, Inez was able to break through the surface even if it tried to pull her down.


    Her swimming skills wereing in handy.


    However, Inez knew that it was just a matter of time; she would sink down, and so would the tiger snake. It hissed and tried to reach for her chest, trying to crush her ribs.


    Oh no, no, no.


    Oh fuck no. She stabbed her nails hard in the body of the snake, making another ripple of blood form in the water. The snake jerked away from her body, releasing herpletely, and Inez kicked it away. She gasped for air ¡ª spluttering and coughing as she haphazardly reached for the metaldder.


    Her triumph, however, was short-lived as she could feel her vision getting blurred. Managing to climb up a few steps, she dragged herself over the edge of the swimming pool. She could feel the venom burning in her body and knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to run; even getting to the door was a feat in her condition.


    Frantically, she started to look around because she wanted to find something to use... to defend herself.


    Finally, her eyes fell on the rm that was right next to the kickboard and water toys area. If only she could get there before the shifter attacked her again ¡ª


    But something shackled her legs again and this time around it was a pair of hands.

 Chapter 175: She is mine

    <h4>Chapter 175: She is mine</h4>


    Inez didn¡¯t get a chance to look at the face of the man holding her tight. Gritting out, she shed her ws at the man¡¯s wrists. The intruder loosened his hold on her enough for Inez to rush toward the rm button and press it, but just as she did, the man tackled her, sending her down on the floor.


    Again, the two of them started to wrestle, but this time around, as the man¡¯s hands locked around her neck, she lost. Inez didn¡¯t wish to admit it, but she did. With the venom in her body, she could barely move, let alone fight or rush for the water. As all the breath in her lungs started to leave, her vision began to darken, and her body becamepletely paralysed.


    However, as her body started to be more and more numb, a tranquillity started to sit within her. It pushed away the panic that was wing inside of her. However, just as the darkness started to set in, the weight on her body was pushed away, and Inez felt someone yell her name.


    **


    "I said I am fine," Killian said to Finn. He was sitting in his office and rubbing his forehead while trying his best to ease the throbbing headache. These past few days, he had stayed cooped up in his office and handled the matters rted to his businesses and the pack.


    Killian was able to deal with the distance that he was putting between himself and Inez by keeping himself upied. His beast, however, didn¡¯t seem to be doing well. He was antsy and agitated. He paced inside Killian, erupting in growls and snappy roars as he whined and pushed to the surface, trying to take control.


    His beast missed Inez, and so did he. Very much so.


    But they couldn¡¯t meet her, which was why he pushed his beast back down.


    "You don¡¯t look fine." Finn, the diva of the pack, crossed his arms in front of him and looked at Killian with a hint of reproach in his eyes. Even though Finn came off as someone who was deeply in control, a gentle sort of prince, Killian knew whaty behind that perfect persona.


    "I am fine," repeated Killian mechanically. It wasn¡¯t as if he had never distanced himself from a woman. He had done it. Countless times at that. But this was the only time he was going through withdrawal. It was even worse than the time when he was trying to quit smoking.


    Finn rolled his eyes. Unravelling his arms, he leaned forward and ced his hands on the table. "Have you taken a look at your face? You look like a fucking zombie. If we send you for an audition for an apocalypse movie, you will pass it with just one look."


    "I will not¡ª"


    The rest of his words got stuck in his throat as the door of his office burst open and a rather troubled Laxus stepped inside. Killian sat upright. "What? What is it?"


    "Don¡¯t go postal, alright?" He said to him.


    This time around, even his beast shot to alertness. Killian slowly got to his feet and questioned, "What happened to Inez? Where is she?"


    "She is fine... we got her before things went wrong," Laxus assured him. "But there was an attack. Some bastard tried to drown her by poisoning her."


    "They did what?" Killian¡¯s beast sliced out his ws. He picked up his jacket and burst out of the office without wasting any time. "Tell me what happened? Where was she attacked, and howe no one noticed it?"


    "In the swimming pool of the main lodge. No one was present there at that moment¡ª"


    "How could that be possible?" Killian asked with a hint of a frown on his face. "I have never heard of the swimming pool being empty without a single soul."


    "I find it weird as well, but that¡¯s how it was ¡ª she pressed the rm just in time for Ajax to find something was wrong and rush to save her."


    "Where was he? Didn¡¯t I tell him that he needed to stay with Inez all the time?" Killian snapped. Though Killian knew too well that it was not Ajax¡¯s fault that such an ident happened, with his blood boiling, he was in no condition to see sense at the moment.


    Fuck, he should have never listened to his grandmother. He should have kept her close to him, where she would have been safer. Moreover, he should never have agreed to stay away from her. If he had been by her side today, then nothing like this would have happened to her.


    He would have put a stop to the attack before it even happened.


    And why did she not call out for help in the pack bond? Why did she have to wait for the rm to ring? What was she thinking?


    No, he knew what she was thinking, but what he could not understand was what he was thinking. Why did he not dere that Inez was far from those females with whom he had shared a bed? If he had, then Edira would have respected his decisions even more. But Killian didn¡¯t want to admit that truth to himself, let alone to others.


    Though Killian told Inez that he was not using his grandmother and mother as an excuse to put a distance between the two of them, he even thought that he had meant it; only now did he realise that he was talking bullshit. He had done what he always did best. He had pulled back because he could feel himself falling for Inez deeper than he had anticipated.


    "I am such an idiot." He ran his fingers through his hair and cursed.


    Sharply turning around the corner, he ran into Edira and Selene, who were already waiting in the living room of the main lodge.


    "Kill¡ª"


    "Don¡¯t tell me that I need to stay away because I tried it already and see where itnded her," Killian said. His voice was quiet butced with something very dark and haunting. "I need to see her, and that¡¯s exactly what I am going to do. Whoever," he turned and gave a very, very angry look to Morrh. "Wants to intervene can be my fucking bitch!"

 Chapter 176: She is Mine (2)

    <h4>Chapter 176: She is Mine (2)</h4>


    Edira stared at her grandson before sighing. "Are you sure you want to see her? If you are seen with her, your mother will only be even more chaotic."


    "Then let her be." Killian took a determined step forward to the room where Inez was getting treated. "She needs to understand that I am not her possession. I am her son, but that¡¯s all I will ever be to her. She doesn¡¯t fucking own me."


    "Killian¡ª"


    "Silence!" Killian snapped. His voice rang with so much authority that every lycan in the room, including Edira, knelt on the floor. He then turned to look at Morrh, who was kneeling beside her son and said to her, "It seems like you are having quite a lot of fun due to the connections and power that you have received by bing a member of the council. But let me tell you something... this power was handed to you in exchange for the life of your daughter."


    "Killian!" Morrh raised her head and looked at the man in shock. She never thought that Killian would bring this matter up in front of everyone, and that too, like this. "You can¡¯t¡ª"


    Killian, however, ignored her cries and turned to look at Fenric, who was looking at his mother in shock. "You keep on harping that I was left scot-free and that I should have been thrown into prison for what happened to your sister, right? Then let me tell you something. It was your mother who arranged for the deal. She threatened me that if I didn¡¯t hand her a position on the council, she would file aint against me."


    "It was never about her being kind-hearted, Fenric."


    Fenric turned to look at his mother at once. He said to her, "He is lying to me, isn¡¯t he? Tell me, Mom! Say that he is lying. You didn¡¯t... You didn¡¯t do it, did you?"


    "I... of course I didn¡¯t¡ª"


    "Want me to call, Seth?" Killian asked. His jaw clenched tight as he suppressed the urge to curl his fingers around Morrh¡¯s throat and kill her right then and there.


    Morrh whipped her head to the front and red at him. "Killian, you promised that you would never breathe a word about it!" She did little to hold back her shriek.


    "I did and I am still holding onto that." His eyes shed lycan as he said to the woman, "So you better not step on my bottom line once again, Morrh or else you will lose everything that¡¯s dear to you."


    Fenric stared at Killian and then slowly turned his head around to look at his mother. "What is he talking about?"


    Morrh didn¡¯t reply. When Killian¡¯s aura lifted off the lycans, she got to her feet and scrambled out of the main lodge. Killian watched her leave and then turned to look at his grandmother, who was looking at him with an apprehensive expression.


    "What?"


    "It seems like I truly underestimated her. She has be something to you, hasn¡¯t she?" When he didn¡¯t say anything, Edira rolled her eyes and said to him, "You better ept the truth, Kill or else I am not letting you see her."


    "What truth?"


    "That she is more than just a bed buddy to you," the older woman replied. "I know you, Kill. You are not the kind of person who jumps the gun; I bet you have been trying to rationalise what exactly draws you to her. And I think you med it on the fact that Inez didn¡¯t ept you right away, like every other woman does, and you thought it was just the rush of the chase. But it¡¯s because she sees you, right?"


    Though his grandmother didn¡¯t add ¡¯like your mother never did¡¯, Killian could hear those words.


    "And she expects more than just the shiny, yboy side that you show to everyone," said Selene from the side. She then paused and added, "Did you see yourself in thest few days, Killian? In the past, if grandma had stopped you from seeing a woman, you would have at most moped for a while before quickly moving on to the next one. But this time around, you stayed away from every female throwing themself at you. And you looked pissed at everything and everyone. Didn¡¯t even charm that new submissive lycan that joined the pack."


    "What I think they are trying to say is that you are too far gone to stop yourself," exined Laxus as he nced at Selene. "You better get that girl before you lose her, Kill. Was that it?"


    "Yes."


    Killian pursed his lips before saying to them, "You don¡¯t need to tell me this thing. I have decided that she is mine and nothing is going to change it."


    Edira stared at him for two seconds before saying, "Well, it seems like you are finally growing up."


    **


    Inez didn¡¯t know how long she had been out. But when she opened her eyes, she found a bunch of infuriated lycans in the room where she was lying. She could sense that something was very wrong and was about to ask what was going on, but the second she opened her mouth, she ended up choking hard.


    "Careful. Here, drink some water first." Nyx, who was right next to her, handed her a ss of water.


    Inez was d that she had because she felt parched as if she hadn¡¯t drunk anything for days.


    "What happened?" she asked after taking generous gulps of water from the ss.


    "You don¡¯t remember?" Nyx frowned and replied, "You were attacked."


    The swimming pool, the snake shifter and their battle to the death.


    As soon as Nyx finished speaking, all the memories came rushing back. Inez sat upright but winced when the side of her waist stung like a little bitch.


    "Don¡¯t move. You knocked your side on the floor pretty hard... though the healers did their job quite well, you still need some rest." Ajax helped her down. However, the lycan was not looking at her; it was quite clear that he was ming himself.


    "Ajax¡ª"


    "Don¡¯t say that I shouldn¡¯t feel guilty. I made a mistake. And I deserve drowning in guilt."

 Chapter 177: Not anymore

    <h4>Chapter 177: Not anymore</h4>


    From what Nyx told her, Ajax hade to look for her just after he finished questioning the snake. Of course, the snake didn¡¯t give them any useful information other than that he was a hired killer and someone had put forth a special request to get Inez killed. Almost the entire pack were used to Molly¡¯s antics; thus, they didn¡¯t even bother wasting time questioning the snake shifter and killed him


    And ever since then, Ajax had been guarding her like her personal guardian. "He didn¡¯t even go to the restroom," joked Nyx as she eyed the lycan with a hint of amusement on her face. "Said that he would rather hold it in than leave you alone."


    Inez turned to look at Ajax, who was tucking the nket around her legs. She said, "I am okay."


    "Well, I am not. So let me stay a bit longer." Ajax sat down on the small sofa in the room. "Do you want to drink more water?"


    "No, thanks," Inez replied with a shake of her head. Even though she had drunk loads of water already, Inez could still taste the chlorine in her mouth. Could still breathe the scent of it. She could also remember the moment when she was dragged down by the snake shifter and water started to flood her lungs.


    Even though Inez could breathe normally now, she still felt her chest burst at odd times.


    If not for the healers that the pack had called for her, Inez was certain that her lungs would still be burning, and the venom in her body would have done some serious damage to her. And if not for Ajax, who came running after hearing the rm, she would be dead by now. It was not a happy thought.


    There was a knock on the door, which caused Inez¡¯s train of thought toe to a sudden halt. Nyx took the ss from her and said, "It must be Killian. I heard him yelling through the pack bond. He is not happy," she added with a frown.


    Heart jumping in her chest, Inez snapped her eyes open. Her fuming siren suddenly halted as well and turned her attention to the door, which Nyx pulled open.


    Secondster, he came striding into the bedroom, and his eyes immediately sought her. Then, without bothering to look at anyone else, he made a beeline for her as if the two of them were the only ones there. Her siren huffed inwardly but didn¡¯t turn her attention any other way. And Inez knew that if her siren was not mad at Killian for staying away, she would have lunged to her surface the second their gazes met.


    Inez, however, flinched slightly as he got close to her, as his dominance and intense vibes were pulsating around him. Killian paused when he noticed her flinch. He suppressed his alpha vibes and then walked over to the bed.


    He took the spot that Nyx had vacated and then reached out to cup her cheek before kissing her on the mouth. "I came here as soon as I heard. How are you feeling?"


    Inez swallowed. She didn¡¯t know why, but for some reason, she had a feeling that there was something really different about the way Killian was looking at her. Something that made her wary, but not in a bad way. It made her tingly. "I am okay; there is nothing wrong with me, as you can already see."


    "What exactly happened?" Killian asked her in a sullen voice. "All I heard from Lax was that you were attacked and someone tried to drown you in the swimming pool."


    Inez took a deep breath when she heard Killian questioning her about the attack. She told him about the attack and then swiftly added, "Ajax got there in time even though when I told him that I wanted to stay alone, he stayed close for my security. And it was all thanks to him that I survived. If he hadn¡¯t given me CPR, then I would have lost it."


    "CPR," Killian echoed. He was quite surprised that his voice was so steady with how much rage was bubbling within. Ajax had to do fucking CPR on her. That was how close she was to dying. That was how close he was to losing her forever. Before he could even get a chance to explore what they had between them.


    He turned to look at Ajax and Laxus before asking, "Did I not say that we need to tighten the security around the territory? How could that shifter sneak inside the territory?"


    "We think that he must have entered the territory in his snake form," replied Laxus with his arms crossed behind him. "Snake shifters can easily break within a territory without alerting anyone. You know that they can easily fit into small cracks and ces. We are looking for these cracks, and I have already ordered sensors to detect the presence of these motherfuckers."


    Killian had to admit that his enforcers had done a damn good job in securing the territory but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from raging. Because somewhere in his head, he knew that even though his enforcers had given their best, it was still fuckingte. A bitte for his liking. "Where is that bastard?"


    "He is dead," Ajax replied. His face was set and determined as he licked his front teeth and bowed his head in front of Killian. "I am sorry... it was due to my mistake that such a thing happened."


    "Yes, it was."


    "No, it wasn¡¯t!"


    Inez and Killian spoke up at the same time.


    When Killian heard her speak, he turned around and looked at her with confusion in his eyes. "Inez, I¡ª"


    "You sent him to be my bodyguard. I know," Inez interrupted him in a clipped tone. "But I was the one who asked him to stay away. You cannot me him for giving me the space that I wanted."


    "Why would you do that? You knew that you were in danger, baby."


    "Because I was tired and suffocated. I hate it when someone follows me as if they are keeping an eye on me."

 Chapter 178: Not anymore (2)

    <h4>Chapter 178: Not anymore (2)</h4>


    Killian felt something get lodged in his throat. He wanted to tell her that he was only doing it for her safety, but when he noticed the trace of vulnerability in her eyes, he knew that he had done some really heavy damage to her.


    At once, he thought about how Inez had to live under the close scrutiny in her previous pack and all of a sudden his heart felt a bit choked up. He was one stupid bastard.


    "...I am sorry." he lowered his head and apologised, realising that he might have crossed a line without knowing it.


    Inez looked at him through hershes before nodding. "You should be."


    "Was he a lone shifter?" Killian asked Ajax, who gave him a nod and then said to him, "He was. I made him confess his identity. He went by the name Brendan."


    "Never heard of him." Killian did a quick check of the list of names that he had in his mind, the lone hunters with whom his mother had been in talk in the past, but never used.


    However, he didn¡¯t waste his time worrying about useless things because there were more pressing matters that he needed to worry about. Like ¡ª


    "The one thing that strikes me as ominous is that the man knew where to find you," said Killian as he turned his head around and looked at Inez, who was sitting on the bed upright with her back against the bed¡¯s headboard. "It was as if he knew that you were going to the swimming pool."


    Inez, however, shook her head and said, "It must be a coincidence. I made the decision to go to the swimming pool randomly. I think that the shifter snuck into the main lodge to gather information, but I was unfortunate enough to walk into the swimming pool area and fell right into his grasp."


    "It wouldn¡¯t have happened if there were no cracks and someone had worked faster, especially with the continuous attacks," clipped Killian, his voice loud enough to carry his intense rage.


    Laxus winced. "We are doing everything that we can; don¡¯t worry, we will fix every crack in the territory. I have given the orders to the submissive lycans to even fix the cracked and uneven doorjambs. Alright? Even the smallest cracks will be filled this time around, such that there will be no repetition of such an attack."


    However, that was not enough for Killian. He wanted to give Laxus a grilling session, but he knew that Inez needed him more. He then turned to look at the rest of the pack and said to them, "You can all leave. I am with her."


    "I¡ª" Ajax began, but quieted down when Killian gave him a look. Good.


    Good. he wasn¡¯t in the mood to get into a quarrel with Ajax.


    The pack filed out of the room without saying another word.


    Selene was the only one who lingered behind and said to Inez, "If you feel unwell, send word. I will call the healers again."


    "Thank you." Inez nodded at the woman, who smiled and then allowed Laxus to wheel her out of the room.


    Killian walked up to the door and closed it, and when he turned around to look at Inez, the woman hadin back down on the bed. With her face hard and her body stiff, she had her eyes closed. She didn¡¯t even look at him as she breathed through her mouth, most probably her own way to calm her anger down.


    He slowly crossed to her, invading her personal space and then sat down on the bed. Reaching out, he skimmed his knuckles on her cheek. "Open your eyes, Bubbles."


    He had expected to see torment and me in her eyes. After all, he had been acting like a jerk with her. He was hot one second and then cold another without letting her get the stability and peace that she wanted. Especially when Inez had gone through so much already at the hands of her mate¡ªmate who had insulted her in every form and manner.


    What he had never expected was that when she lifted her eyelids, the one staring back at him would be her siren. There was a warning in her eyes. The siren had been insulted and heavily hurt by his actions. She had taken it as a blow to her pride, and she was letting him know that she was not going to tolerate any of his nonsense any more. That she had had enough of it.


    Her siren must have sensed that there was something different about him. Maybe she knew that he was here to tell Inez that he wanted something more. Something more real with her, rather than just waiting and watching where it was going to go.


    Thus, she was telling him that she was paying attention to him and knew what he was ying at. The only good thing was that she was not pushing him away.


    His beast lunged to his surface, wanting to get close to the siren. He wanted to reassure him that his foolish human had understood and learnt his lesson the hard way, but the siren didn¡¯t give him a chance. She withdrew within Inez and thetter¡¯s eyes and skin returned to their usual form.


    "I thought you were supposed to be staying away from me," said Inez as she looked at him warily.


    He slid his hand down and then brushed the pad of his thumb against her lips. He said to her, "I did try to... But didn¡¯t like it. The next time, I would like to lose an inch of my skin rather than stay away from you." He leaned down and nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck.


    As her scent filled his lungs, he wished he could bury himself deep in her, but he knew that she needed to rest. She was highly strung and was still riding the adrenaline due to the attack.

 Chapter 179: Not A One Way Exchange

    <h4>Chapter 179: Not A One Way Exchange</h4>


    Killian reached out and brought her into his arms before saying, "Let¡¯s get this awful scent off you, beautiful." He carried her to the bathing room like she was made of porcin and might crack and shatter into pieces if he were to put any more pressure on her.


    "I don¡¯t feel like showering," Inez told him, and she really did not. Her entire body was screaming at her, and her eyes were fighting to stay awake.


    "You don¡¯t have to do anything. You just need to stay still and leave everything to me," said Killian as he walked inside the bathing room, where she peeled her clothes off one after another. He shed his own clothes and pulled her under the showerhead. The spray of hot water drummed against their skin before pattering off to the floor.


    The swirling mist caused the ss wall of the shower stall to turn misty.


    Killian picked up the shower gel that was ced on the aisle made of marble and thenthered it between his palms. Once done, he started soaping her body, filling the entire space with the scent of vani and coconuts. Neither of them said another word and the silence was filled with nothing but the sound of the water drops pattering on the surface of the marble floor.


    Inez closed her eyes as her muscles started to ease and her body started to unstring itself from the high that it was still riding without Inez knowing it. She could feel his length, hard and hot like a poker, pressing against the crack of her bottom, but Killian didn¡¯t seem inclined to make any moves.


    Of course, he kissed her at the corner of her mouth, the crook of her throat and her back. But he never tried to kiss her like he usually would¡ªit felt weird because, for the first time, his touch wasn¡¯t hurrying like he wanted to get what he wanted from her and then leave. No, it was grounding¡ªlike he was trying to make a sort of im. The way he touched her, skimmed his fingers over her skin. It was as if he were marking every inch of her skin with his fingers.


    As if he was giving her a mark.


    His mark.


    But that couldn¡¯t be possible. Inez shook her head and pushed that thought out of her head. There was no way Killian would risk giving her a mark. Not only was the man against marking a woman, but he was still pining after his mate, whom he had lost¡ªto add to the troubles, his mother and Dominic would go ballistic if he were to mark her. Inez didn¡¯t believe he would go to such lengths for a woman like her.


    She was not worth it.


    He was at mostforting her.


    Yeah, that must be it.


    After washing her hair off, he turned the shower off and picked up a towel to pat her skin while Inez wrapped a small towel around her head. Only then did Killian dry himself off and wrap the towel around his waist.


    He carried her back to the bedroom, where he ced her on the bed and spooned her close.


    "Feeling better?" asked Killian.


    "Yup." Inez could feel her body ease and rx as she fell pliant against him. Her siren heaved a sigh of relief as well, already on the verge of forgetting and forgiving the man for the distance that he had put between the two of them. "You are really good with your hands in more than one way."


    His mouth curved up as she buried his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent sharply. Even though he had spent quite a lot of time working on the fruity bathing gel, he could still smell the ocean from her. He said, "I really missed you. Did you miss me?"


    She upturned her eyes and looked at him. A pause and then¡ª


    "Maybe?"


    He kissed her on the neck before saying, "Give me your throat."


    "Oh hell, no."


    His lips curled up even further as he pulled her until she was straddling his length. He heard her suck in a breath as his length pressed against her core through the thick towel.


    "You are not really used to hearing ¡¯no¡¯, are you?" She narrowed her eyes and questioned, but didn¡¯t make any attempt to pull away. If anything, she gave her lower body a slow, delicious jerk, which caused her core to slide against his length. It made him hiss out a breath. He really did love that boldness of hers.


    "I am used to hearing ¡¯no, just not from you, my little Bubbles." He sucked her lower lip into his mouth. A growl of approval built up in his chest as he felt her melt against him.


    His? Inez snorted. She watched as the man pulled the towel off her body as if he were unwrapping her present. His head tilted, and his gaze met with hers. "So many secrets in those eyes." Inez Sinir was one big mystery. In the beginning, he hadn¡¯t minded that she was shrouded in so much mystery, but now he did. Because he couldn¡¯t stomach the fact that there were so many things that he didn¡¯t know about her. "Tell me something about yourself."


    Wary, Inez licked her lips. "Don¡¯t get too possessive, Killian."


    Bending over, he nted a kiss on her forehead before saying to her, "It¡¯s toote for that warning. And I think you can feel it too, right?"


    He sucked in the hardened nipple in his mouth and murmured, "Tell me, why do you like to sleep on the swing rather than on the bed?" he skimmed his hands over her arms and questioned, "I know you often have nightmares; why?"


    Her eyes fell shut as he licked and sucked her like a master. Somewhere, she knew that the man was ying dirty, but she truly couldn¡¯t tell him off. "I hate being trapped. On the bed, it feels like I am restrained, but with the swing¡ªI feel like I am free."

 Chapter 180: Its no longer the same

    <h4>Chapter 180: Its no longer the same</h4>


    Trigger/Warning: +18 content ahead; read with caution, my fairies.


    **


    The clever mouth continued to ravish her nipples, making them throb with pain and pleasure as if rewarding her for the honesty that she had shown to him. She pulled on his hair as heid her down on the bed. His mouth trailed down, setting her skin on fire before he pushed her legs aside and mped his mouth on her core.


    Inez closed her eyes as he licked at her slit. Then he was rolling the tip of his tongue around her clit before expertly pumping it inside of her. The friction continued to build as she moaned, shook and bucked at his touch, and a secondter she exploded. However, he didn¡¯t stop; he drove her higher and faster, stringing her even further until she was close to another orgasm, but before she could¡ª the man stopped.


    The jerk.


    Her body tensed as she felt him pull away. She thought that he would ask her to borate, but instead of doing that, he said to her, "One time when I was sixteen, my mother brought me to a witch. She wanted to change some characteristics that she didn¡¯t like about me." Her eyes whipped back to his; fury reced the uncertainty and lust that were swirling inside them. "I knew that she was going to do something weird to me. However, I still held out some hope that she wouldn¡¯t. After all, she was my mother in the end. But even when I pleaded with her, she didn¡¯t stop the witch from feeding the potion to me. I lost my ability to taste anything from then on."


    That was why he ate so little; Inez now understood why he often avoided the dining times and only arrived at the main lodge for breakfast, and missed dinner and lunch. She wanted to tell Killian that she was sorry about what happened to him, but she knew that would be thest thing that he would like to hear. He was frustratingly too egoistic to eptpassion from her. "Why are you sharing such a thing with me?"


    It was a memory that hit too close and was too private. Not to mention painful. Though many would think that the aftermath was nothing serious; after all, who cared if a big, bad alpha like him lost his sense of taste? What was the big thing about it? But Inez knew too well that it was not about losing his ability to taste. It was the piece of innocence and trust that he lost with it.


    He had once trusted his mother and had reached out to her, pleading and begging her. Only to be repaid with a cold indifference; this was something that Inez understood very well, much better than others.


    "Because," he gripped her thighs and angled his hips such that his length was facing her core. He fed her the head of his length and slowly pushed it within her. "This is not a one-way thing. I will share with you and you will share with me." he raised her legs in the air and kissed the inside of her calf. "Tell me, why are you scared of being trapped?"


    "It¡¯s not a¡ª" Inez sucked in a breath as he hit the sweet spot with his length. She wondered why he was even trying to know about her. "Pretty story."


    Slowly and smoothly, he buried himself deep within her. Killian groaned, "Neither are any of mine, Bubbles."


    Because Inez figured honesty deserved honesty, she sighed and exined, "Dominic and I had been friends since we were kids. The two of us were attached at the hips, if I am to be honest." She gasped when he started thrusting inside of her. Her eyes swept up, and she looked the man in the eyes. It was clear that even though he was willing to listen to her, he didn¡¯t like the idea of her being close to Dominic. Rolling her eyes at him, she continued, "Anyway, the two of us grew up together. I trusted him enough to leave him to back me up¡ªand he did the same. But one time, I had to leave the pack¡ªmy grandmother was sick and nothing seemed to be working."


    "I knew that the healers wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything for her. So I took matters into my hands; I had no idea that Dominic¡¯s sister¡¯s health would deteriorate and she would pass away. In my defence, I thought she was getting better because that was what was told to me. So when I returned, Dominic seemed to have undergone some really vicious changes. And I don¡¯t know why, but the second he saw me, he asked his enforcers to throw me in a small, dark room."


    "No one came to see me, nor did they give me any food or water¡ªI was trapped there for like a week or more... I thought I was going crazy. That¡¯s why anything that¡¯s too still or closed up makes me icky."


    Resisting the urge to detangle from her and strangle that bastard to death, Killian gave her another slow thrust. And another. And another.


    "You didn¡¯t fight back?"


    "I couldn¡¯t," she whispered. "I wanted to believe that the person whom I trusted was still beneath all the anger and cruelty that he was showing to me. It turned out I was wrong. Abertha took Dominic¡¯s innocence and kindness with her when she died." Neither of them spoke after she finished speaking. However, they didn¡¯t have to.


    Fisting the sheets, she shoved her hips, hinting to him to pick up his pace. He didn¡¯t. He cupped her cheek and said to her, "No wonder you have such a hard time trusting anyone, baby. But I hope that you will trust me."


    When Inez heard his words, she raised her head and curled her lips before saying, "Why? What difference would it make if I trust you or I don¡¯t?"


    Sluggishly sinking back into her core, Killian curled her over and flexed his back. He thrust his length so deep that Inez¡¯s mouth fell agape and pleasure shed in her eyes. "You know it already, don¡¯t you?"

 Chapter 181: A Promise of Forever?

    <h4>Chapter 181: A Promise of Forever?</h4>


    Trigger / Warning: +18 content ahead, please read with caution, my fairies.


    **


    Killian pulled his hips back and looked Inez in the eye before saying, "You do, don¡¯t you¡ª"


    "Thats¡ª"


    Sluggishly sinking back into her core, Killian curled her to one side and flexed his muscles. He thrust so deeply that Inez gasped as an agony-filled pleasure shot through her core to her head, making her mouth fall agape. "Can you feel how deep I am within you? I am so close toing, Inez. You feel it, right? I am going to mark every inch of this core, and you will know that it¡¯s mine."


    Inez¡¯s eyes shed siren as she turned wary. She looked at him with an assessing gaze. "Yours? Look here, Alpha Sokolov. Though it¡¯s fun, you said yourself that you have never ever felt possessive of a woman before, didn¡¯t you? There is no point in saying words that you¡ª" She gasped as her head hit the pillow.


    "Don¡¯t try to make this something it¡¯s not," he said, ignoring the bite in her tone when she tried to say that this was all for fun. "No more talking about how you are going to leave this pack; no more trying to push me away. No more keeping yourself away from the pack and the members by drawing a clean line. We are going to let this thing between us grow, and we are going to see how it¡¯s going to y out."


    "I am Dominic¡ª"


    "Don¡¯t talk about him." Killian cupped her face, trapping her gaze with his. "He is not worth your time. The only reason you are worried is because you think that he will set out to hunt my head when he realises that I have taken in his mate and taken her to my bed. Body and soul. But I don¡¯t care; if it¡¯s war, then we will fight one. But I am not going to let that man who insulted your pride and left you with a void so deep that you are desperate enough to hide from the world lest it show take you away from me."


    "You are not going anywhere, Inez."


    Inez wished she could tell him that he was wrong, but he wasn¡¯t. "Then you also know that I cannot put my everything into whatever you want from me. And I don¡¯t think you can either."


    "I know... and I never said that it¡¯s going to be easy. It will be hard; I know that it will be, but on the other hand, we can see how things go from here on out and deal with them one at a time. Since we both know how it feels, it might be easy for us to look after one another. We will soon find out. Alright? Just trust me."


    "And what if it takes us somewhere you don¡¯t want us to go?" she asked, her voice splintering. "What if we start imprinting on one another? What are you going to do then? Are you going to run away and give me the same pain that I am going through? Just think about it, Killian. I am atent; your pack will never ept atent as their Luna."


    "I am not afraid, and neither should you be. If we start imprinting, then let it happen¡ªI will take on theirmitment with pride. As for yourtency, that has nothing to do with your ability to not be able to be the luna of this pack."


    "What about Morrh? I don¡¯t think she will ept this... she will never let me take the position of your true mate. She will see it as me robbing something that doesn¡¯t belong to me."


    His beast bared its teeth at the mere mention of Lyra. However, Killian controlled his temper and smiled. "Is it truly robbing something when I am handing it to you? I am the one making this choice, where I chose to explore things with you. I would be a fool if I were to walk away now. I want to see where this will go... and don¡¯t lie; you want to see it too," he added as he gave another slow thrust. "Don¡¯t overthink this, Inez. There is no need to, alright? Just stay with me. There is no need for you to go anywhere. Fuck Dominic, Fuck Morrh, and Fuck Lyra. Just stay with me."


    As he spoke, he started to stroke her clit while his mouthtched onto her nipple as he sucked and bit. To make the entire thing even moreplicated, he started thrusting inside her even harder. The triple assault made Inez gasp, and her thoughts scattered. She snapped, "This is not fair."


    "Lycans never fight fair, Bubbles," he chortled as he sucked on her neglected nipple. "Stay... say you will stay with me."


    Inez swallowed hard as her gaze met his hooded eyes as he red down at her. There were so many promises within those dark grey eyes. One most probably... was of a permanent home. Where she didn¡¯t have to worry or fear that her identity would be found and she would be trapped in a cage and killed for her flesh or blood.


    Though he didn¡¯t say anything else, Inez could see that he was holding out a metaphorical invitation to her, which could make everything alright. Her siren was already hooked, for sirens were never given a ce to stay. Men and women would promise them everything but not a home.


    And Inez knew that after she was rejected by Dominic, she might never get another chance to get what she had lost. Thus, that part reached out to Killian right away without any hesitation, for she wanted to feel like she, too, belonged to someone.


    She reached out and caught him by his throat as her ws elongated and dug into his skin. Though they never pierced his skin, they still left scratches behind. "You better get this thing straight, Killian. If you fuck me over, I will rip out of your sternum and shove it up your arse."

 Chapter 182: A Promise of Forever (2)

    <h4>Chapter 182: A Promise of Forever (2)</h4>


    Killian¡¯s beast heaved a sigh of relief. Even Killian did, as masculine satisfaction started pouring through him and his beast. "I expected nothing less from you, my girl. My bubbles. My Inez." Pulling back, he snarled, "Now I will give you a nice fucking reward." And that was when he mmed home; his beast growled in pleasure the second her core mped down around his length. Mine. Killian hammered into her, keeping his teeth locked on her skin, spurring higher and higher as she moaned and gasped.


    With her body twisting and writhing around, Inez dug her ws into his shoulders. Every m of his length was a shot of pure pleasure and bliss. Her body started to burn hotter. She was so agonisingly close to shattering that she started to shake with it.


    Killian also felt himself toppling over the edge the second her ws scraped his skin. He knew that she was stopping herself from marking him again. Could sense that she was fighting that bone-deep urge. "Do you want other women trying to hang around me, Inez?"


    "What do you mean by that?" she hissed. Her eyes shed white as her siren lunged to the surface. And even though she didn¡¯t say anything, Killian knew that the siren was not going to tolerate that nonsense.


    "Just making sure, because if you don¡¯t want them to hang near me, then you need to make sure that they know that they don¡¯t go near me." As he finished speaking, he turned his neck to one side and then bared the crook of his neck to Inez. Sharp teeth dug down the second he did, and Killian cursed out loud as the pain acted like an electric shock to his length.


    "Fuck, yes, baby," he grunted as he mmed within her core even harder. Making sure that she could feel him in her womb. She never let go of him, and with the two of them attached close to their skin, the entire thing became even hotter.


    "Come for me, Inez," hemanded as he bit into his skin.


    And as his teeth broke into her skin, Inez felt a white-hot pleasure rip through her body; her lips parted in a silent scream as she tried to hold onto her remaining sanity but failed miserably.


    Killian swore when her core mped down hard on his length. He pushed his length as deep as he could before shattering so hard that he dropped right on her body. However, he didn¡¯t pull away like he usually would have done if this were some other woman. No. Hey where he was and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He knew he was crushing her with his weight, but she didn¡¯tin, and he didn¡¯t budge.


    "Just... so you know, I was not joking when I said I would rip your sternum," panted Inez as she felt his length ripple and fill her up.


    His lips curled in a smile as he tilted her head to one side and kissed her on the mouth. "I knew that sirens were vicious little things, but I never thought that they were this terrifying." He then leaned down and licked his mark, which was not at all subtle. "I really hated it when the mark started to vanish. Now it feels better. You look way hotter with my mark against your skin."


    "So do you." Inez reached out and skimmed the tips of her fingers against her mark, and her lips couldn¡¯t help but curl into a smile "What triggered it, though?" She asked with a frown on her face. "That you want to let it go and not run away."


    He kissed the inside of her jaw and whispered, "The second I heard that you were attacked and bitten ¡ª I felt like I was going to go crazy. I got this really sick feeling in my gut that my life was going to be wrecked if you didn¡¯t pull through. I knew that you were alright because Laxus would have delivered the news much more delicately if you weren¡¯t. But even then, my beast was restless, and so was I."


    "And that was when it hit me. Why should I keep my life on hold? Why should I worry about how Morrh would react? How would my mother react, or how would Dominic act? It¡¯s my life, and I am done trying to dance around the subjects that would make me happy but make others upset. Anyway, no matter what I do... they will still think of me as an arsehole. Then I might as well be one."


    "I am too old to be wasting my time. And there is no point in rationalising shit."


    Inez was quite happy that he had seen through things and knew that this was not a spur-of-the-moment thing, which he woulde to regret the second the panic disappeared from his heart. However, sirens were grudgeful to begin with, and since he had done that, ¡¯we need to have some distance between us,¡¯ then she could at least tease him a little for it.


    "Well, then I guess I will put the hunt for an apartment on hold for the time being."


    "What do you mean by ¡¯for the time being¡¯?" He stiffly asked.


    "You never said that this was going to work out. What if we get certain differences? Maybe we might realise that this thing might just not work. So I need to keep my option open when I need to leave...."


    Before she finished speaking, Killian grabbed her by her throat. He pinned her head to the pillow such that she would not turn it around. "You better be kidding me, Inez. because I am telling you, you can¡¯t fool me like Dominic. I will hunt your pretty arse down before you can say ¡¯sorry¡¯." However, his anger simmered down when he saw herughing. "You really love keeping me on my toes, don¡¯t you?"


    "What can you even do to me?"


    Killian flipped her around and pushed her body upwards. He said to her, "I will show you what I do to a naughty girl like you." But as he brought his hand down to spank her, the teasing siren was stillughing and squealing.

 Chapter 183: Missing her

    <h4>Chapter 183: Missing her</h4>


    Dominic knew that there was something wrong. He felt it in his bones the second he woke up. His wolf was pacing inside of him, agitated at something which in turn made him furious as well. The reason? It was unknown but Dominic just fucking knew that something was pissing him off.


    "Are you alright?" Tao asked while looking at him carefully. His eyes were filled with wariness, and Dominic knew that it was because he could sense that Dominic was in a totally pissed-off mood. The words ¡¯don¡¯te close¡¯ were practically printed on his face.


    "I am supposed to be," replied Dominic as he ced the documents in his hands. His fingers drummed on the surface of the table as, for the twentieth time, his eyes shed wolf. The two of them were closely linked with one another, with his wolf pressed right against his surface. Thus, there were times when his emotions would align with his wolf when he was upset.


    Tao frowned. "And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?"


    Dominic took a sharp breath before saying, "What I mean to say is that I have not the slightest bit of a clue why I am angry. But for some reason, I am." He ground his teeth, feeling another rush of anger.


    Tao looked at him. For two minutes, he said nothing and stayed quiet, but then he ced the file in his hands on the table and said, "Dom, you need to snap out of this."


    "Snap out of what?" Dominic gritted out with a snap.


    "The withdrawal of the mating bond," Tao replied, and Dominic shut his mouth. He didn¡¯t say another word and simply turned his gaze away from his beta. His eyes were now staring at the screen of hisputer, but he knew that he was not reading a single word disyed on it.


    Because Dominic knew that this was not just the withdrawal of the mating bond. No, it was far from it. He was pissed not because he was going through some stupid metaphysical unwinding. No, it was because he was missing Inez. Her smell had long disappeared, and he could hardly remember how she sounded when sheughed because she hadn¡¯t done it in years in front of him.


    In the past, it had never bothered Dominic, but now that Inez was no longer here, he started to miss things that he had never taken to heart. These days, without Inez, they were not just hard; they were terrible. Without her by his side, Dominic started remembering, even hallucinating.


    His eyes flickered as he closed them, and there she was, sitting right in front of him, her sixteen-year-old self ring at him in annoyance.


    "<i>Dominic, are you listening to me?" she said to him. Her eyes were zing with anger as Dominic leaned back in his chair. Twirling the pen in his hand, he looked at her and chuckled, "I am, but you sound B.O.R.I.N.G." </i>


    <i>As soon as he finished speaking, her eyes zed even harder. She picked up the notebook sitting on the table and hurled it at him. She said to him, "This is not funny. You are about to repeat your grade if you don¡¯t pick up. I don¡¯t think your father will like it, so unless you want to lose your position, you¡¯d better learn how Moon Mist works. It is sure toe in the test." </i>


    <i>Inez had always been the brainy type. All A+ every time she got her test papers back, while Dominic, on the other hand, had never cared about writing a damn thing on the paper whenever he got them. He was the alpha of the pack, with or without the damn education and the paper that would prove that he was educated. </i>


    <i>However, she was right. His dad was upset with him and had already called him into the office to give him the ¡¯talk¡¯ on how studying properly was important. Thus, he knew that he needed to get at least a B on this test. </i>


    <i>So, he picked up the book and started reading it again. But three minutester, he was ring at it. "Why do I even need to learn about this? What if the point of learning about this stupid herb and its stupid properties is to guide us on the paths of fae? Why should I learn this? Do you think I am someone who would go and look for faes?" </i>


    <i>"Why would I want to look for those stupid long-eared fairies who like to pull pranks?" </i>


    <i>As soon as he finished speaking, Inez tipped her head back andughed. Her softugh echoed and burned in his mind, filling him up with a sense of relief and triumph as if he had won the war by making herugh. </i>


    "Dominic!"


    Dominic snapped out of the memory and looked up at Tao, who was staring at him with slight annoyance on his face. "What?"


    "I should be the one asking this question, Dom." Tao released an agitated sigh. "How long are you going to act like this? Do you even know that the pack is falling apart while you waste your time drinking and swallowing your sorrows? Pack members are losing faith in you, and that¡¯s not good."


    "I don¡¯t need you to start on it¡ª" His mother was already doing a damn good job of reminding him that he needed to hold a rather steady head on his shoulders.


    "Then fucking do something," Tao snapped, interrupting him. This was his first time talking back to Dominic, and Dominic would be lying if he said that it didn¡¯t take him by surprise.


    "Tao¡ª"


    "You knew what it meant, Dominic. You knew, and you pushed her away; you tormented and tortured her to the point that she was craving death, Dom! What else were you expecting? That she would be your toy willingly? Your dirty little secret? Where you can fuck her while parading to the pack how much you hate her?"

 Chapter 184: Wish for her to break

    <h4>Chapter 184: Wish for her to break</h4>


    Dominic clenched his teeth. Even if Tao didn¡¯t say her name, he knew who he was talking about. "You don¡¯t know what you are talking about."


    "Oh, but I am," Tao gritted out, his expression calm yet cold. "I know that you still desire her despite all the things that she has done, and you feel ashamed of it. You are angry at yourself because you still love her, Dom. You know you shouldn¡¯t, but you do. And it¡¯s getting really tiresome. Do you even know how hard it was for me and ke to suppress the rumour that you tried to snatch Alpha Sokolov¡¯s fuck toy¡ªjust because you wanted Inez¡¯s substitute?"


    "People are questioning you, Dom. Do you even hear them? They are asking why are you hung up on the woman who killed your sister?!" Tao roared, his voice almost piercing through the thick walls of his office.


    His question was like a whip, which made Dominic flinch. He clenched his fists and wanted to say that he was wrong, but he couldn¡¯t bring those words to his lips because he knew that Tao was right. He missed Inez and still desired her to the point that he was willing to bring a substitute.


    Silence stretched within the room as the sound of Tao¡¯s heavy breathing echoed.


    "And what about you?" Dominic softly questioned. He raised his head and looked at Tao, whose eyes slowly started to fill with confusion. "Do you think I don¡¯t know that you and Luca feel the same for her? Don¡¯t try to deny it. I have seen how you two looked at her when we were kids."


    Tao stiffened upon hearing his question. He opened his mouth to deny it, but couldn¡¯t; in the end, he stiffly said to Dominic, "So, what? Even if we did feel something for her, at least we are not ruining our lives now that she has left. I still take on my responsibilities as well as yours. I am not going around looking for a fucking substitute!"


    Once he finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of the office, leaving Dominic to brood over what he had said to him. He knew that Tao was right. He knew that his mother was right.


    Everyone except him was right.


    But he just couldn¡¯t get rid of Inez. It was like she was in his very blood.


    He ran his hands down his face and muttered a curse, "Fuck!" Why didn¡¯t she break when he had tried to? If only she had given up fighting; then he could have kept her with him. Locked away and closed in his room, where only he would see her, and no one would have known that he was keeping her.


    That way, no one would have lost anything.


    But she just had to hold onto that spitfire temper of hers.


    "Why didn¡¯t you break for me, Inez? Why?"


    Dominic was sure that there was no man who would be able to ept Inez as she was.


    **


    A god awful sound woke Killian up. He reached out to turn the rm off, but as he reached out to pat the side next to him, he sensed that it was cold. His beast growled in annoyance, finally d that his human self had noticed that something was wrong. Killian sat up straight; he looked around and took a whiff of the scent that was lingering in the room, but it was rather faint.


    Annoyed, he picked up his underpants and then walked out of the room after getting off the bed.


    He found Inez in the kitchen, wearing an old nnel shirt. Climbing down the stairs, he walked over and then hugged her from behind. "You are awake too early; we could have spooned a little more."


    "I need to go to the mall with Selene to buy a dress," Inez told him. She flipped over the omelette that had pieces of bacon in it and turned to look at the man with a smile. "I need to be ready by ten if I want to go with her."


    After she finished speaking, she ced the breakfast on two dishes and started on the coffee.


    "Where did you learn how to cook?" Killian asked as he looked at the decent and tantalising breakfast that she had prepared.


    The woman paused before saying with a sigh, "I learnt cooking because I wanted to do something for Dom and the boys. Really silly of me, if you ask me. I was a teen girl, and they were the bad boys of the pack¡ªsomething about them drew me before I knew it, and the next thing I knew, I was making them lunches and cakes to get their attention. Hoping that they would give me a look like they did to their fan girls if I outdid them."


    She chuckled with a mocking tone in her voice. "I was really a fool. Wasn¡¯t I?" She asked.


    "No, you weren¡¯t." Even though Killian could feel his heart clench at the thought of Inez learning to cook for Dominic and those three bastards, he didn¡¯t quarrel with her, nor did he call her a fool. He said to her, "You just tried to do what you thought was the best." he then picked up the chicken roll that she had prepared and took a bite from it.


    He then said, "And I don¡¯t know if they regret it or not, but if I were them, then I certainly would regret it."


    "Stop. You can¡¯t even taste it." Inez nced at him helplessly as she took the roll from him and then ced it back on the te. "Don¡¯t lie to me."


    "I cannot taste it, but I can smell it, and I have never smelled something more delicious than this chicken roll before."


    Inez burst outughing as she smacked him yfully. However, soon herughter died down, and she looked at him with a hint of worry and determination on her face. "If I finish writing the Eir¡¯s hymn. Then I might be able to undo the effect of the potion."


    **


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    And do you think that Inez will be able to finish the song of healing and heal Killian? And what will Dominic do now?

 Chapter 185: The Difference

    <h4>Chapter 185: The Difference</h4>


    Eir¡¯s Hymns.


    Of course, Killian knew about it. It was the song that had been buried deep in the history of the Sirens, the song that was rumoured to create a magic so divine that it could heal almost every mdy. Whether it was poison or a congenital disease. There was not a single disease that the song couldn¡¯t heal.


    However, this song had been lost in the pages of history, and no one had ever been able to rewrite it. Many sirens had tried to fill in the lost stanzas, but they had failed in perfecting it; some even went crazy when they wasted years rewriting the song only for it to fail.


    "You don¡¯t have to take a risk so dangerous," Killian tightened his hold on her and whispered. "Though I have never seen a siren going crazy, I have heard a lot about sirens going crazy trying to rewrite the hymn. Don¡¯t try to push yourself too hard."


    Inez smiled at him gently. She reached out and cupped his cheek before saying to him, "I have to write the hymn either way. I promised you that I would treat Selene, and that¡¯s why you brought me here in your pack. I cannot break that promise."


    When Killian heard her response, he clenched his jaw. Though he wanted to say that she didn¡¯t have to, he couldn¡¯t. Because he cared about Selene just as much as he cared about Inez, he couldn¡¯t protect one and give up on another.


    Inez knew what Killian was thinking. She said to him, "There is no need for you to think too much. Be optimistic; maybe I will be the first siren who will be able to rewrite the hymn and perfect it?"


    Killian tried to smile, but he was worried. He said, "You can try, but if it gets too much, you can stop. Sel is doing better with your healing, and goddess forbid, if she never gets better, it¡¯s alright as long as her condition doesn¡¯t deteriorate."


    "But she is your sister," Inez said with a frown. "Naturally, you would want her to get better, right?"


    "I do," Killian replied as he swallowed hard. "I really do. Fuck, I want nothing more than her getting better but I can¡¯t lose you." He added softly. He cupped her face with his hands and said in a desperate and clingy voice, "I don¡¯t know how it happened, Inez... I can¡¯t exin it either, but you have be a part of my life that I don¡¯t want to lose. So you better not leave me or I swear I will do something crazy."


    Inez didn¡¯t know how to feel about it.


    She thought Killian would appreciate it and maybe even urge her toplete the song. Though he liked her and even fancied her enough, she knew that she could never be more important to him than his family. However, Killian had surprised her once again.


    He wanted to save Selene, but not at the cost of losing her, and that¡ªthat honestly did something to her.


    There were soft and warm currents in her belly, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel giddy.


    In the past, when she was at the Venus pack, Inez had tried to understand Dominic¡¯s actions. Thinking and believing that it was all due to the death of his sister that he was treating her so cruelly. But only now did she realise that maybe she never meant anything to him.


    Because if she did, then hurting her might have hurt Dominic just as much.


    **


    "Where are you two going?"


    Inez paused and turned to look at Nyx, who was walking down the rocky trail. The woman was holding a bouquet in her hands and looked rather pleased with herself.


    "We¡ª"


    "Are going on a walk," replied Selene with a calm smile. She interrupted Inez from telling Nyx that they were going shopping and tilted her head to one side. "What about you? Where did youe from?"


    Nyx smiled sweetly as she replied, "Oh, nowhere. You know how the enforcers of the pack just keep confessing to me. This was given to me by Ajax. He told me that he wants to take me to dinner. Isn¡¯t he sweet? Like, who brings flowers to ask a she-lycan for dinner? I would have agreed if he had just asked me."


    Inez looked at the red roses that Nyx was holding in her hands and pursed her lips. If she was being honest, Ajax didn¡¯t look like someone who would give a woman flowers.


    "What do you think, Inez?"


    Upon hearing Nyx¡¯s voice, Inez gathered her thoughts and looked at the woman with a hint of confusion in her eyes. "About what?"


    "What do you think about these red roses? Aren¡¯t they cute?" Nyx asked as she took a sniff of the flowers.


    "They are beautiful; I have never seen roses as red as these."


    "They are, aren¡¯t they? Men always try to give me the best things. I wonder why that is?" Nyx softly chuckled. She looked down at the bouquet that she was holding and mused, "But I am more of a chocte lover. I still remember thest time Laxus brought me those choctes; they have always been on my mind." She turned to look at Selene and questioned, "Do you remember the name of those choctes, Sel? I am thinking of purchasing them, but I cannot."


    Inez felt Selene stiffen next to her. However, the woman still smiled at Nyx and said to her, "I am sorry. But I do not remember them either; you will have to ask Lax about the name of those choctes, Nyx."


    Nyx nodded as if she understood. She then raised her hand and summoned a submissive lycan who walked over with his head lowered.


    "How may I help you, Miss Nyx?" the man asked with a polite tone.


    "Take these flowers and ce them in the vase on the windowsill next to my bed," replied Nyx as she turned to look at Selene and Inez. "I forgot to ask you, Sel. Did you try the dresses that I gave you?"

 Chapter 186: Are You Cheating On Me?

    <h4>Chapter 186: Are You Cheating On Me?</h4>


    Inez paused and turned to look at Selene; she wondered whether the woman would lie and say that the dresses fit her or whether she would even bother to tell the truth to Nyx. Something told her that Selene would rather lie than tell the truth to Nyx, and her hunch was correct as Selene smiled and lied, "I have not yet tried them."


    "You haven¡¯t tried them?" Nyx eximed. Her expression turned to one of shock as she frowned and said to Selene, "You should try those dresses. What if they don¡¯t fit? We need to get them fixed before that happens." She then turned to look at Inez and remarked, "Am I not right?"


    Inez smiled with a hint of nervousness as she hummed in a soft manner. She hoped that Nyx wouldn¡¯t question her about the dresses any further, or else she might slip up and tell her the truth.


    "You don¡¯t have to worry about it, Nyx," said Selene just in time and saved Inez from being questioned any further by Nyx. "Our sizes are more or less the same. Even if I don¡¯t try it, those dresses will certainly fit me."


    Nyx thought about it and nodded. "You are right. Our sizes are the same, so those dresses should fit you well enough." She then turned to look at Inez and said to her, "Have you thought about what you will be wearing on the day of the party, Inez?"


    "I am thinking about dressing casually," Inez replied, as she had no dresses to wear and, as she had always found them a hassle, she didn¡¯t want to wear one. More importantly, she did not have the money to buy one, nor did she have any intention of asking for money from Killian.


    "That won¡¯t do!" Nyx frowned and said to Inez, "How can you wear jeans and a t-shirt to the party, Inez? You are no longer just a pack member; with how much Kill cares for you, you can be considered the prospective Luna of this pack. You have to dress ordingly."


    She then turned to look at Selene and said to her, "You should talk to her, Sel."


    Selene smiled and said calmly, "I will talk to her, but let¡¯s not push Inez too much. She is still trying to get used to her new life. If she doesn¡¯t want to wear a dress, then let¡¯s not force her."


    Nyx parted her lips but then seemed to think against it and shook her head before saying to Selene, "Very well. If you say so."


    Inez heaved a sigh of relief when Nyx stopped speaking and turned to leave. She turned to look at Selene and questioned, "You don¡¯t want to tell her that the dresses don¡¯t fit?"


    "If I tell her, then she will send even more dresses." There was a dark note in Selene¡¯s voice that Inez could not understand. However, Selene didn¡¯t want to exin it, and Inez had no intention of making the woman ufortable.


    Their drive to the mall was a silent one. Because, for some reason, Selene didn¡¯t seem to be talking to Laxus either, who was looking at her like a pup that had been kicked by its owner.


    However, as they came out of the car once the car was parked in the parking lot, Inez heard someone call her, which broke the awkward silence that had been stretching over them.


    Inez was relieved that the silence was broken but stiffened the second she realised who it was.


    Behind her, excited and really happy, was Jules, who was waving her hands at Inez.


    "Do you know her, Lyra?" Selene asked. She finally broke her oath of silence, but Inez wished she hadn¡¯t because Inez had no answer to this question. Was she supposed to say yes? That would make thingsplicated. But what if she were to say no? That would be wrong to Jules, as she had done nothing wrong.


    "I do know her," replied Inez just as Jules came to a stop in front of her. She was beaming and looked really happy as she reached out to hold Inez¡¯s hands. She said to Inez, "I am so d that I met with you here. I was wondering when I would see you next time just this morning, and I saw you here. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s fate? We are supposed to be together."


    The way she spoke sounded as if she were Inez¡¯s mate!


    Selene cleared her throat, and Jules turned to look at her. Her brows furrowed. And she turned to look at Inez and asked, "You... you are not cheating on me, are you, Lyra?"


    The second she finished speaking, Selene coughed even louder, and Inez¡¯s expression turned into a rather weird one. She blinked her eyes and looked at Jules with a hint of confusion in her eyes. She said to her, "What do you mean I am cheating on you?"


    "Who is she?" Jules pointed to Selene usingly, like she was questioning Inez about a grave personal wrong that she had done to her. Seeing this, Inez turned to look at Selene and replied calmly, "She is Selene Sokolov, the sister of Alpha Sokolov." She wondered how Jules would react after finding out Selene¡¯s identity. After all, this woman was about to be mated with Killian, and Selene almost became her sister-inw.


    When Jules heard Inez¡¯s response, she turned to look at Selene, and this time around, her gaze turned even more vignt. She caught Inez by her wrist and then pulled her away from Selene. Once they were away from Selene, she said to Inez in a low voice, "Are they bullying you?"


    Inez frowned, finding the serious expression on Jules¡¯s face a bit amusing. She said to her, "What do you mean by that they are bullying me? What makes you think that they are bullying me?"


    Jules frowned and then innocently said to Inez, "That¡¯s what happens totents, right? They are bullied by the powerful shifters."


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 Chapter 187: Burn The Mall down?

    <h4>Chapter 187: Burn The Mall down?</h4>


    "It¡¯s not what you think." Inez was not surprised that Jules thought she was getting bullied; she was surprised that Jules cared enough to ask. In the Venus pack, people often saw her getting beaten and whipped, and yet they had never stopped to care, to see how she was doing.


    Inez shook her head and snapped out of her thoughts before saying to Jules, "I am not getting bullied. It¡¯s not what you think¡ªI am here to apany her shopping. There is no bullying going on here."


    "How odd. You are here to shop for clothes as well?" Jules questioned with a hint of joy in her eyes. "Me too. My sister asked me to go attend a party that I don¡¯t want to, so she asked me toe here and get a dress." Jules paused and then looked at the three of them with some hesitation before asking, "If you don¡¯t mind, may I join you?"


    Inez paused and turned to look at Selene, who shrugged. She didn¡¯t mind letting Jules join, as she had no qualms or grudge against her. If anything, Selene believed that Jules was a rather pitiful woman in some ways.


    Seeing that Selene didn¡¯t mind, Inez nodded and said to Jules, "Alright."


    Her response brought the light back into Jules¡¯s eyes. She happily clung onto Inez¡¯s arms and started chattering away, "I was thinking about buying something simple. Though my sister said that I need to buy a dress that would impress the alphas who will gather at the party, I sure as hell do not want to do that."


    Inez calmly listened to Jules. She didn¡¯t need to speak much, as Jules could easily continue the conversation with just hmms alone. All she needed to do was hmm at the right turn, and the conversation would flow without any trouble.


    It was a good thing because Inez didn¡¯t know what to tell Selene. She had never attended any parties or balls; her mother had made sure of it. Thus, she had no idea what kind of dresses or clothes suited the asion.


    Jules was still speaking as she clung to Inez¡¯s arm as if the two of them had been buddies for years. "She is a nice person, but she is too nice a person. I wish she would be a bit steadier and wouldn¡¯t listen to my brother-inw all the time. He asked her to send me to the party, and she actually agreed. I cannot believe that it was all it took. I swear she used to have more guts than she has now. I mean, there is no need for me to grace that party with my presence; it¡¯s seriously not worth my time."


    "The party?" Inez asked as they turned around another corner. Jules had this fantastic shop in her head that she thought was perfect for the asion.


    "Yes. I am asked to attend this party that is taking ce in one of the well-known packs. I don¡¯t know which pack, though; my brother-inw wouldn¡¯t tell me." She frowned, her brows furrowed with a hint of annoyance. "He just asked me to go ahead with the shopping and told me not to worry about anything. I cannot tell where he is bringing me, but he just wants me to dress to impress," she scoffed. "If my father had not told me to listen to that man, I would have burnt him to a crisp. How dare hemand and order a dragon princess?"


    A deep frown etched on Inez¡¯s face. She turned and asked, "Do you know the name of the territory where you are going?"


    "No. That man wouldn¡¯t tell me anything." Jules let out a long-suffering sigh. She was clearly not interested in taking part in this party, but she had to do it because she had no other choice. "He only told me that we are going to some freaking party and I need to be ready and prepared." Sheughed as she rolled her eyes. "I mean, if it were someone else, I would have set their head on fire. Unfortunately, that man is the husband of my cousin, so I cannot do anything but listen to him silently because I don¡¯t wish to cause trouble for my cousin. She is already having enough trouble with getting that slime as her mate."


    Before Inez could question Jules on what she meant by those words, the woman eximed, "Aha, we are here."


    As they arrived at the shop, Jules looked at the guard who was standing outside and barked, "What are you looking at us for? Open the damn door, you submissive."


    The way she called the wolf submissive was as if she was mocking him for his position and status.


    The man lowered his head and opened the door while Jules spoke to Inez, "This is why I ask my father to appoint dominant shifters instead of submissives; they are really slow at what they do."


    "Or maybe they are a bit troubled due to all the alpha vibes that float in the air," Inez spoke up. Even though she was a half-blood, she was still having trouble with how the air was thick and coated with alpha vibes. It was as if the shifters were here to show their dominance.


    How powerful and majestic they were.


    They didn¡¯t even bother to cover their scents.


    Jules pursed her lips and took a peek at Inez. Her eyes softened, and she said to Inez, "I am sorry. I didn¡¯t think that it would bother you." Her father always told her that she was too much like her mother and not like him, which was why she often tried to copy him.


    But it seemed like it was not correct either.


    Inez turned to look at Jules, who was frowning, and told her in a soft voice, "Stating your authority doesn¡¯t have to be through your arrogance." She recalled how Killian had never shown his temper in front of the submissive wolves, but at the same time, everyone feared him. "It¡¯s through your actions and strength."


    "So you want me to burn the entire mall?"

 Chapter 188: Running into Scarlet.

    <h4>Chapter 188: Running into Scarlet.</h4>


    Inez choked, as she couldn¡¯t understand where this question even came from. She turned and looked at the woman beside her and questioned, "Howe you even got that idea?"


    "Did you not say that I should show my strength? What¡¯s better than burning down this mall?" Jules spoke as if it made all the sense.


    Realising that the woman had taken it literally, Inez shook her head and corrected her, "What I meant to say was that you should think of doing something grand, something that would make others respect you. Like fighting in a pack battle and winning or saving someone¡¯s life. There is more than one way to show your strength rather than a literal massacre."


    Jules frowned as if she could not understand what Inez was trying to say. She pursed her lips and then said to her, "Well, I guess you are right. But my papa doesn¡¯t seem to agree with it. He believes that as a princess, my only job is to find a powerful mate and give birth to another dragon shifter who would be the heir to the throne."


    "And do you think he is right?" Inez asked.


    "I¡ª"


    "Miss Drakos." The attendant of the shop, who obviously knew Jules, stepped forward and greeted her with a smile on her lips. "It¡¯s a really pleasant surprise to see you. Are you here to buy a new dress?"


    "Yes, I would like to see Tracy, if you please," said Jules while looking at the many dresses that were hanging on the racks. "I am used to her rmendations, and you know she gets me better than the rest."


    Inez didn¡¯t know if the attendant was offended by Jules¡¯ refusal to let her apany them. But even if it did, the attendant didn¡¯t show it on her face; she nodded and conceded to the demand that Jules had put forth. "Alright, please wait for a while. I will ask Tracy toe out and attend to you."


    After speaking, the attendant turned around on her feet and walked inside the shop. Inez watched the woman disappear behind a curtain that must have led her to a room because a secondter, the woman appeared with another woman.


    This woman appeared to be the owner of the shop. She had her hair tied in a tight bun and a measuring tape hung around her neck. Her eyes were so tired that Inez could even see the sleep in her eyes, even though they were hidden behind a pair of sses.


    "Tracy," Jules greeted the woman, who nodded at her crisply.


    "How are you doing, Miss Drakos?" said the woman with a smile. "Are you here to buy another dress?"


    "Yes, show me the best dress that you have," stated Jules, and Tracy nodded. She turned around when her gaze fell on Selene. "It can¡¯t be... Miss Sokolov?"


    Selene was a bit ufortable when she saw Tracy looking at her as if she were a treasure chest. However, she still nodded and replied, "Yeah."


    "It¡¯s an honour to meet you," said Tracy as she walked over and took her hand in hers. She spoke to Selene with admiration, "I have heard a lot about you. We have still not forgotten your performance in thest pack battle, the way you took down ten hyenas alone."


    When Tracy praised Selene, the woman¡¯s face turned red.


    Jules looked at the two women and turned to Inez. She asked, "Is this what you meant by saying that I need to show my strength?"


    Inez hummed, and Jules turned and took a few more nces at Selene.


    Tracy spoke a bit more to Selene before she cleared her throat and said to the three women, "I think I have something for you all." Her eyes fell on Inez, but they moved within a second, and Inez wasn¡¯t bothered by it because that was how it had always been. No one cared about her; she had always been invisible.


    The owner of the boutique walked inside with sheer elegance, and the rest of them followed her.


    Inez was looking around the shop, trying to find a dress that would suit her well enough to get by the party without blowing a hole in her savings, when ¡ª


    "How many times have I told you that I am tired?"


    She whipped her head and turned to look behind her, and her gaze fell on Scarlet. She was holding a bunch of bags in her arms, and in front of her stood none other than Evelyn. The woman was trying on a new dress, and from the looks of it, she was dragging Scarlet around with her.


    Unlike her, Scarlet was a fully dominant shifter. The fact that she was being used like a submissive wolf must be hurting her even harder than it did to her.


    "You don¡¯t get the right to get tired," snapped Evelyn as she threw the dress into the hands of the attendant and continued speaking. "If you are tired, then just tell us where Inez is. If you do, then we will stop everything." She nced up at Scarlet, who looked mutinous. "You know that Dom and I only need Inez. We don¡¯t want to do anything to you, Scarlet. You are a dominant shifter; either way, you are of some use to us. We wouldn¡¯t want to do anything to harm you. But you are making things hard for us by hiding where Inez is."


    "I have told you that I don¡¯t know," snapped Scarlet, her anger getting the best of her. "I only helped her get away from the pack, and after that, I have no idea where she went or who took her in. If you are so eager to find her, then you need to work hard to search for her. Why are you wasting your time by making things difficult for me?"


    Eve curled her lips in a twisted sneer and spoke coldly, "You want me to believe that? Your mother said herself that if there is someone who knows where Inez is, it¡¯s you. You want me to believe that your mother is lying to us?"

 Chapter 189: Who Are You Calling Riffraff?

    <h4>Chapter 189: Who Are You Calling Riffraff?</h4>


    Scarlet clenched her jaw. Of course, her mother would do this; she was the kind of woman who would do absolutely anything to make sure that her precious mama boy doesn¡¯t lose his precious position as the enforcer. Which was foolish if someone asked her; Ricky was not weak enough to be kicked out of that position just because his sister ran away from the pack.


    Their Alpha might be half cuckoo, but he is not a fool.


    "Right, and you believe her?" Scarlet scoffed. No one in their right mind should be trusting her mother. That woman was a sucker for attention, no doubt a trauma reaction that she received after Inez¡¯s father dumped her. That woman didn¡¯t do well when she was not the centre of attention, and it showed.


    Even now, she was trying to get as much attention as she could with Inez gone. She didn¡¯t care that Inez was part siren and atent, abination so deadly that she might lose her life before any of them could even find her.


    Evelyn looked at Scarlet. Her eyes were pinned eerily on her. For two seconds, the woman didn¡¯t say anything and simply looked at her. But then she parted her lips and said sternly, "Of course, I don¡¯t. But time is running out, Scar. Thepetition is right around the corner, and with Inez gone, what do you think I can even do?"


    "Maybe you can use your brain and try to make a draft on your own for once," Scarlet remarked with her eyes rolling in their sockets. She nced at the woman who was smaller than her and stated in a quiet voice, "You have worked together with my sister for so long; you should at least know something, right?"


    Red blotched Evelyn¡¯s cheeks as she red at Scarlet. She said to her, "You better hope that we find her, Scar. Dom¡¯s patience is wearing thin, and I don¡¯t believe he will wait any longer unless you tell him where Inez went."


    "How many times do I have to say it, damn it?" Scarlet snapped. "I don¡¯t know."


    Evelyn scoffed as if she did not believe it. She then returned to checking out more dresses, and Scarlet let out a long-suffering sigh. She wished she could return home and do something worthwhile. But with her job taken and put on hold, she had nothing to do other than sleep and read books on healing.


    She nced at the woman who was still looking for a new dress and turned to sit down on the bench that had a plush couch. Scarlet had hardly sat down when another person walked over.


    With a raise of her head, Scarlet looked at the redhead who was looking down at her.


    "Can I sit next to you?" the woman asked.


    Scarlet frowned but nodded as she shifted to one side.


    The redhead sat down next to her. She didn¡¯t speak for a while, and Scarlet didn¡¯t expect her to, as the two of them were nothing but strangers. But then ¡ª


    "The weather is being a bit witchy, don¡¯t you think?"


    Scarlet¡¯s head snapped up; she turned and looked at the redhead with shock in her eyes.


    "I¡ª"


    Inez raised her hand and ced a finger on her lips. She pointed at Evelyn, who was discussing the measurements of the dress with the attendant. Seeing this, Scarlet shut her mouth, but she was still curious. She lowered her voice enough to make sure that Eve wouldn¡¯t hear her and then asked Inez, "Where were you? Do you know how worried I was?"


    Inez winced at her usatory tone. She blinked her eyes and shot Scarlet a ttering smile, which only earned her a growl. Sighing, she said, "Don¡¯t get angry at me like that now. I didn¡¯t mean to go missing, but..." She dropped her voice even further. "But you can see that things are not as simple as you think ¡ª Dom was supposed to stop looking for me in a few weeks so I can contact you, but it seems like he is not going to do that any time soon."


    "Yeah, he seems to have gone crazy," Scarlet snorted. "But there is no need for you to worry about that; as far as I know, he deserves it."


    Inez looked at Scarlet, who seemed to be under a lot of strain. She reached out and ced her hand on her thigh before questioning, "Are you alright?"


    "I am," Scarlet replied. She looked at Inez with her upturned gaze and remarked, "I would have been better if my dear sister had told me that she is a part siren; that way, I wouldn¡¯t have been blindsided like that."


    When Inez heard her remark, she flinched. So her mother told Scarlet about her being a siren? She sighed and then said to Scarlet, "I wanted to tell you, but mother didn¡¯t want anyone to know that I was ¡ª a monster."


    "Do you seriously want me to believe that?" Scarlet hissed. Her eyes darting towards Evelyn, who was now looking at them, sensing that the woman was looking at them, Scarlet stopped moving her lips. With her lips barely moving, she said to Inez, "When have you listened to our mother, Nessie? The only reason you stayed quiet was that you were worried that I would change. That you will face the same criticism in my hands as the rest of your kind face in the hands of the rest of the dominant shifters."


    "Just be honest, Nessie."


    Inez parted her lips to say that it wasn¡¯t true, but when she saw Scarlet looking at her with a gaze that dared her to say ¡¯no¡¯, she sighed. She said to her, "You are right. I was afraid that you would treat me differently if I were to tell you the truth¡ªI didn¡¯t want our rtionship to change, Scar."


    Scarlet stayed quiet without saying anything. She exhaled heavily and remarked, "You are an idiot. You know that?"


    "I¨C"


    "And who is this?"

 Chapter 190: Who Are You Calling Riffraff (2)?

    <h4>Chapter 190: Who Are You Calling Riffraff (2)?</h4>


    Evelyn looked at the redheaded woman with a suspicious look in her eyes. However, even after looking at the redheaded woman for a long time, she couldn¡¯t see the slightest simrity between her and Inez; thus, the suspicion in her eyes reduced a little, but she still didn¡¯t drop her guard.


    She smiled at Inez sweetly and questioned, "Do you know our Scar?"


    Her gaze ping-ponging between the two of them.


    "No," Inez replied with a shake of her head. She then said in a calm voice, "We were just talking while my friends looked for a dress." As if waiting for her to say this, Jules walked over. She was clutching a mermaid dress in her hands and said to Inez, "Lyra, what do you think about this dress? Do you think it will suit me?"


    Inez turned to look at the dress that Jules was holding in her hands and cleared her throat. She said to her, "I don¡¯t think that it will fit you well, Jules."


    "You mean to say that the dress is too big for me?" Jules sighed as she looked down at her figure. "My sister did say that I have an hourss figure and it¡¯s hard to get a dress that would fit me like a glove."


    Inez pursed her lips as she took a double take. She was quite sure that with how t Jules looked, there was no way the woman had an hourss figure. But she didn¡¯t say anything; instead, she simply said to the woman, "Why don¡¯t you go for the A-line dresses? Maybe that will suit you better?"


    "I¡ª"


    "Miss Drakos!" Evelyn suddenly spoke up. Her voice was breathy and filled with awe when she looked at Jules. She held her hand out and said to Jules, "Hello, it¡¯s nice to meet you. I am Evelyn... you might have heard about me, I presume?"


    Jules frowned. It was quite clear from the confusion in her eyes that the woman didn¡¯t recall meeting with Evelyn at all, but she still took thetter¡¯s hand and said, "It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you."


    Evelyn looked like she was about to pass out then and there. She took her hand back from Jules and questioned, "Miss Drakos, what are you doing here?"


    "I am shopping with my friend," Jules replied, sounding positively bemused. Inez was sure that she was trying to recall where she had seen Evelyn, or maybe it had something to do with her upbringing. To be polite and elegant, even if she couldn¡¯t understand the situation.


    "Your friend?" Evelyn paused and turned to look at Inez; her eyes turned contemptuous, and she said to Jules, "Miss Drakos, if you don¡¯t mind. Then you cane with me, and I will keep youpany. It¡¯s better to stay with me than with riff-raff like her."


    As soon as Evelyn finished speaking, Jules¡¯s eyes turned hard like burning stones. She looked at Evelyn with a harsh re and then said to her, "I am sorry, but did you just call my friend a riffraff?"


    "Miss Drakos, I was just¡ª"


    "Just what? Do you think I cannot tell the right person to befriend?" Jules sniffed and questioned harshly, and Evelyn flinched as if she had been whipped. Though Inez was never one to take joy in someone¡¯s humiliation, Evelyn was different.


    This woman was her friend; even when her brother bullied her, Inez had never treated Evelyn any differently. Until she used Dominic¡¯s anger and pain against Inez and reced her.


    "I didn¡¯t mean... I didn¡¯t mean that." Evelyn paled as she shook her head and refused at once. "I just wanted to say that I am a much betterpany¡ª"


    "Someone who talks down in their face? No, thanks. I am good." Jules stopped Evelyn from speaking any further; she then turned to look at Inez and said to her, "Let¡¯s go; you can tell me what kind of dresses you think will suit me."


    Inez nodded. She got to her feet and turned to look at Scarlet, though her heart was heavy that their time was so short, Inez knew that she couldn¡¯t stay any longer than this with Scarlet without making Evelyn suspicious.


    She said, "If you want, you cane to look for me at the Red Blood Hill."


    Scarlet¡¯s eyes shed. She nodded with a smile and said, "I will."


    Inez smiled back and then turned to walk away.


    Once she was out of earshot, Evelyn started tapping her feet on the floor and drawled, "Well?"


    "Well, what?" Scarlet questioned back.


    She arched her brow as if Evelyn¡¯s question didn¡¯t make any sense.


    "Who is she? And why were you talking with her?" Evelyn asked with a snap. Her eyes shing wolf because of her anger.


    Scarlet shrugged. "A member of the Red Blood Hill pack. You heard her."


    "Then why were you talking with her?" Evelyn questioned again, her tone heavy with suspicion.


    "Because she was sitting next to me." Scarlet rolled her eyes and said to Evelyn, "Do you want me to stay quiet if someone talks to me?"


    "You are not the kind of person who likes to make small talk."


    "That doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t do it," Scarlet spoke a bit more harshly. "And I don¡¯t like to do small talk with idiots. That woman has her wits intact, so she was a betterpany than some idiots."


    Evelyn¡¯s eyes set aze when she heard Scarlet say those words. "Watch it. You are already walking on thin ice, Scar."


    "So what!?" Scarlet snapped as she got to her feet and dumped all the bags on the floor. She had been holding back because she was worried that Inez wouldn¡¯t be able to find her if she were to move packs, but now that she knew where Inez was, Scarlet didn¡¯t want to hold back anymore. She red at Evelyn and stated coldly, "Maybe I will take a leaf out of Inez¡¯s book and run away from the pack as well."


    "You wouldn¡¯t!" Evelyn¡¯s eyes widened.


    "Try me."


    **


    [I just realised that I made a mistake in the previous Chapter, I have corrected it.]


    ¨C


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 191: An Old Friend

    <h4>Chapter 191: An Old Friend</h4>


    Inez watched Scarlet leave and sighed in relief when she saw that the woman had stopped putting up with Evelyn¡¯s bullshit. She knew Evelyn and Inez were more than half certain that Dominic might not have even agreed to this stupid n of hers.


    "Lyra, what do you think?"


    Inez heard Jules speak and turned to look at the woman who was now holding avender A-line dress. "Do you think it will suit me?"


    "I think red will suit you more," stated Inez right away when she saw thevender dress shing against Jules¡¯s red hair.


    "This miss is right, Miss Jules," said Tracy with a smile on her lips. "You need something that will bring more ir to your personality. I believe such a light colour cannot do that."


    Jules pursed her lips as she ced the dress against her body and hummed softly. "You are right; it¡¯s too simple for me. I will pick something else."


    While Jules went around picking another dress, Inez walked over to where Selene was rummaging through the many dresses put on disy. Her eyes were shining like those of a child who had seen the world for the first time.


    "I never knew that there were so many dresses ¨C and that too of so many colours."


    Her words brought a frown to Inez¡¯s face as she turned to look at Laxus, who was clenching his jaw hard. Upon noticing her gaze, he told her, "Sel stopped going outside after her ident. Ever since then, she has been relying on Nyx to bring in the dresses, and, well, things hadn¡¯t been as they were."


    Inez pursed her lips. She didn¡¯t say anything as she turned her head around and looked at Selene, who had picked a pastel forest dress and was now being helped by the assistant to put it on.


    "Thank you."


    Laxus said those words so quietly that Inez was sure that she had misheard him. She turned around and looked at the man beside her before questioning, "What do you mean by thank you? I didn¡¯t do anything."


    The man only smiled at her without saying anything, which only made Inez even more confused.


    "What?"


    "You gave hope to her." Laxus nced at Selene, who had disappeared behind the curtains. "While Nyx has been trying to help Sel, her actions and words have caused Sel to be more and more introverted. I don¡¯t usually know how friendship between women works, but it seems like you are a much better friend to Selene than Nyx."


    Inez parted her lips but then thought against it. She didn¡¯t say anything because Inez had long learnt her lesson of not saying what was in her heart out loud. Who knows when what she said would end up in the ears that she didn¡¯t want to hear?


    She let out a humming sound before turning to look around the racks that were lined up in the aisle. Her eyes flickered as she looked at the many dresses hanging up on them. The small price tags made her toes curl.


    They were really expensive.


    "Are you looking for something specific?"


    Inez jumped and turned to look behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the owner of the shop standing right behind her.


    "..Did I startle you?" Tracy asked with a tilt of her head as she looked at Inez with a little smile ying on her lips.


    "No," Inez remarked, even though she knew that it was a lie. If the woman had been a bit more sneaky, she would have caused Inez to have a heart attack. "Just¨Cjust try to tap or call me the next time, or anyone else, as a matter of fact. Sneaking like this is not good."


    The woman narrowed her eyes, and Inez wondered if she had offended her. But then Tracy looked at her while surveying her from her head to her toes. Inez half suspected that the woman was going to ask her to step out, but then the woman pursed her lips and went, "Hmmm."


    "Come with me," said Tracy as she turned around on her feet and headed inside the small office that was not far from where Inez was standing.


    A part within her hesitated, but when Inez took a whiff of the air, she realised that Tracy was a cat shifter. Their kind didn¡¯t attack anyone unless provoked, and as far as she knew, Inez hadn¡¯t done anything to provoke the woman. Yet.


    Inez turned on her heels and then headed inside the room where Tracy had disappeared. The second she stepped inside, she ran into the woman who was looking at the many dresses that were ced inside the many ss cases.


    "Why did you call me here?" Inez asked. She wanted to know what the woman was trying to do by calling her inside the room when everyone was outside.


    "Yes, I did. You seem to be looking for something cheap, aren¡¯t you?" Tracy turned to look at Inez, and even though the woman didn¡¯t use her or nce at her with contempt, her cheeks red up. Inez cleared her throat and said to the woman, "I don¡¯t have the money to buy something expensive."


    Tracy¡¯s eyes flickered as she looked at Inez and smiled with a hint of amusement. "I believe you do. There is no way the woman who bears the mark of the Lycan Alpha wouldn¡¯t have enough money to buy a simple dress."


    "I don¡¯t want to use his money."


    "Ah, it seems like you have a spine. No wonder you attracted the attention of the lycan alpha," she remarked while looking at Inez. "It is indeed hard to find a woman of your kind who would rather rely on themselves than on any man, but then again, it¡¯s better to be reliant on yourself when men these days can betray you at any turn."


    Inez didn¡¯t know what to say in response, so she simply smiled at the woman sheepishly.


    "Then let¡¯s take a look at something that will suit you better?"

 Chapter 192: Cannot Be Mended

    <h4>Chapter 192: Cannot Be Mended</h4>


    "Why are you helping me?" Inez asked when she saw that the woman had started pulling the gowns out of the ss cases.


    Tracy paused upon hearing her question. She turned and looked at Inez before saying to her, "Well, let¡¯s say... There was a time when one of my friends asked me to help him, but I refused because I feared getting involved with him. You remind me of that friend a little."


    Was she talking about her father? Thought Inez, but then she took a look at how young Tracy looked, and she shook her head. There was no way Tracy was involved with her father, given how she looked like she was of the same age as her.


    "What happened to him?" Inez asked in a soft whisper.


    "Hmmm?" Tracy turned around as she took off the pink gown that was worn by the mannequin. "I am not sure; maybe he passed away, or maybe he vanished without letting anyone know where he went. I only saw him when he came to ask for my help, and ever since then, I haven¡¯t heard anything from him."


    "I am sorry." Given that the man never returned, there was a good chance that he was dead.


    Tracyughed upon hearing her remark. "Don¡¯t be. That man is alive¡ªif he were dead, then I would have known."


    "So you are helping me just because of this reason?" Inez asked. Something about the woman¡¯s kindness troubled her, but it didn¡¯t feel malevolent, like the woman was trying to harm her. This was kind of weird because after she ran away from the Venus pack, Inez had never stopped doubting others. She was wary of them at all turns and twists.


    Not unless they prove to her that they could be trusted.


    Tracy had done nothing like that, and yet Inez couldn¡¯t help but trust her.


    "No," said Tracy. "I am helping you out because you helped Selene. She might not remember it, but before opening this store, I used to follow my mother, who died not long ago. I have visited the Red Blood Hill pack a few times with my mother, and there I met with Selene. Before she was poisoned, she was quite a fascinating woman, powerful and confident. However, once she was poisoned, Selene locked herself up. Never stepping out of her lodge and never visiting anywhere."


    She paused and turned to look at Inez. "You can say that I am quite a fan of Selene and her courage. The she-lycan who killed twenty shifters on her."


    "I just did what I think was right," said Inez with a hint of bashfulness in her tone. Everyone kept saying that she saved Selene, but the truth was that it was Selene who had held herself together in the face of excruciating pain.


    "You are modest," Tracy said as she handed the pink gown to Inez. "Try this first; let¡¯s see if it suits you."


    Inez took the dress and went to the dressing room, where she changed into the dress that Tracy had given her.


    But the second she stepped out, the woman pushed her inside without even taking a look. "No, this is hideous; try this one."


    "Not this one either."


    "This one doesn¡¯t look good either..."


    "Nah, uh, this doesn¡¯t go well with your hair."


    "Your eyes¡ªit doesn¡¯t suit your eyes."


    Inez didn¡¯t know how many dresses she had changed before the woman finally handed her a blue gown. It was a beautiful dress with royal blue fabric; its skirt with pleats was blue on the side, while whitecy fabric adorned the middle. Artificial jewels decorated the bottom of the skirt and waist. As well as the right side of the off-shoulder gown.


    Once Inez wore the gown, she couldn¡¯t help but fall in love with it. She hoped that the woman wouldn¡¯t tell her that she looked hideous in this gown as well, because if Tracy did that, then she was going to barge right the fuck out of the dressing room; she was getting tired of ying dress-up.


    "Does it not look stunning?" questioned Tracy, admiring her work that she had created with her own hands. "Let me see where it needs to be fitted."


    While the woman took the measurements, Inez realised that the jewels on the dress shimmered under the light. It was quite a sight to behold. As the jewels glimmered with all the colours of the rainbow.


    Inez stayed still as the woman made a few more alterations to the dress and then turned to look at the woman who handed the gown to her after packing it, she said to Tracy, "Thank you. I will return it."


    Tracy¡¯s eyes glimmered with amusement as she looked at Inez before saying, "I am afraid that will not be possible."


    "What do you mean?" Inez asked with a frown. Did she look like someone who would steal a dress? No matter how beautiful it was, she would never do something like stealing.


    Tracy¡¯s smile widened. "Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong. I didn¡¯t say that you would not return the dress. It¡¯s just that¡ª"


    "Miss Tracy, you are needed here," an assistant called from outside the room, and Tracy paused before turning to look at Inez. "Don¡¯t think too much; I don¡¯t mean any disrespect."


    And before Inez could ask what the woman meant, Tracy had stepped outside.


    Inez stayed where she was, with the bag in her hands. She looked around the room before turning around and walking out as well. She walked over to where Tracy was standing next to Selene and heard Selene say, "Can these dresses be fixed?"


    Tracy took the dresses that Selene was holding, and Inez realised that these dresses were the ones that Nyx had given to Selene.


    Inez sighed, wondering if Selene had changed her mind and was quite d when she heard Tracy say, "I am afraid that these dresses cannot be worn."


    Selene frowned and asked, "Why?"

 Chapter 193: The Truth About the Poisoning

    <h4>Chapter 193: The Truth About the Poisoning</h4>


    "Why?" Inez heard Selene question. She, too, turned to look at Tracy, waiting for her to answer.


    Tracy turned the piece of clothing inside out and showed the ripped threads that were falling apart. "See this? They are an inch away from tearing. Not to mention, the fabric is not good enough. Even if you mend them, the thread will pierce through the fabric, and it might tear from some other ce, as it is too thin and old."


    She paused and then said to Selene, "Where did you get this dress? Is it an old dress of yours?"


    Though she asked that question, from the knowing glint in her eyes, Inez knew that the woman had long noticed what she did. The dresses were too old, which meant that Nyx had lied to Selene, for she had said that these dresses were fromst season and she had not worn them much.


    Selene¡¯s eyes widened in surprise before the light in them dimmed a little more. A tight smile etched on her lips, and Selene nodded, "Yeah. It¡¯s an old dress of mine."


    It went without saying that the entire ride was rather quiet. Even Jules sensed that something was amiss, so she simply waved Inez back as they parted their ways and returned to the territory. Inez helped Selene back to her lodge, as the woman didn¡¯t want Laxus to be around.


    Inez had a sick suspicion that it was because of a certain chocte and jealousy mixed, but she couldn¡¯t tell that to the morbidly confused lycan who was still ring at the front door.


    "I thought she was my friend."


    Selene suddenly spoke, and Inez, who was putting the bags down on the table, stiffened. She hoped it was not what she thought it was, but her hopes were doomed to be dashed because the next second, Selene burst into tears.


    "Don¡¯t cry," Inez spoke up with a start as she turned around on her feet and hurried to Selene¡¯s side. She reached out and patted the woman ufortably on the back before saying to her, "There is no need to cry."


    Selene¡¯s chest heaved with suppressed sobs. "I knew that there was something wrong with how she treated me, but I always ¡ª always¡ªturned a blind eye to everything because she was the only one who had been kind to me after I was poisoned. The only one who reached out and talked to me when I locked myself in my room."


    Panic shed across Inez¡¯s face. She had no idea how to deal with this sudden turn of events. What was she supposed to do? She didn¡¯t know. Thest time she cried, what did Scarlet do? Oh, she called her a little bitch and asked her to suck it up.


    She couldn¡¯t do that to Selene.


    "Breathe," she said when Inez saw that Selene had started to sob harder. "Calm down. It¡¯s not your fault. None of this is your fault. There is no need to me yourself for something that waspletely out of your control."


    "I know.... I know that this is not my fault, but why did she have to¡ªwhy did she do this to me? Is it fun? Giving fake sympathy to a little cripple? I don¡¯t think so...no."


    "I don¡¯t think that it was because of that¡ªmaybe she was trying to do something else by getting close to you. Maybe she wanted Killian to notice her or something else¡ª"


    Selene burst into full-on tears. "Oh, so I am not even worth giving fake sympathy to and can only be used as a stepping stone."


    "Shit," muttered Inez when she saw that the woman had started to cry even harder. "I think I said something wrong. It backfired."


    **


    Inez didn¡¯t know how long she had waited for Selene to calm down. She awkwardly patted the woman on the back for the entire time while she sobbed. Once she stopped crying, Inez heaved a sigh of relief and went to the kitchen, from where she brought a damp hot towel.


    She ced it in Selene¡¯s hand and said to her, "Here, wipe your face. It will help."


    "Thanks." The woman let out a throaty sniffle and then wiped her face with the warm towel. As she ced the towel on her eyes, Selene said to Inez, "It was embarrassing. Wasn¡¯t it?"


    "You are allowed to cry if things be too hard," Inez said as she sat down on the couch. The sound of the leather crinkling under her echoed in the silent room. "And there is nothing embarrassing about feeling upset because someone betrayed your trust. At least you don¡¯t have to feel that way in front of me."


    Selen pulled the towel from her eyes and sighed heavily. "It¡¯s not that I never saw iting. I did." She scowled as if remembering something that happened in the past. "I am not an idiot who cannot see through things. I can see through them with apparent ease. I am a lycan."


    "I know when people lie to me..." She bit the cushion of her lower lip. Hard but not hard enough to draw blood. "It¡¯s just that¡ª"


    "You wanted to believe that she was being a true friend to you," suggested Inez, and Selene smiled.


    "I just needed someone to tell me that nothing has changed. Even when my pride had shattered into bits and everything had turned into dust, I was still the same Selene Sokolov. Maybe I was a fool to believe it all."


    **


    Inez stepped out of the lodge. She had spent a good ten minutes healing Selene as the woman had be a bit too agitated. Once she was sure that Selene was stable enough to spend the night on her own, she stepped out of the lodge. Her expression was nker than the canvas that was sitting inside Selene¡¯s bedroom, which she had never touched.


    A gift she had been told was given to her by the pack mates to do something when she was alone and bored. But as a shifter, she liked running among her packmates, rushing past the forest and relishing the scent of nature.


    "You seem to be lost?"

 Chapter 194: Truth About The Poisoning (2)

    <h4>Chapter 194: Truth About The Poisoning (2)</h4>


    Inez snapped her head back down and looked at Killian. He had reced Laxus, who was standing outside the lodge and ring at the front door. She was sure that the man was an inch away from barging inside the lodge by breaking it in the caveman style. It was quite a surprise when he didn¡¯t. Now, Inez knew why he didn¡¯t.


    It was because Killian had reced his position.


    "What are you doing here?" Inez asked as she stepped down the stairs. "And why didn¡¯t you step inside? Why wait here?"


    A crooked smile appeared on Killian¡¯s face. He said to her, "I wanted to make sure that the little lesson that my dear sister should have learnt ages ago was stuck and embedded deep in her head."


    "You knew?!" Inez¡¯s eyes widened when she heard his words. She thought that Killian had no idea what was happening to Selene, but it seemed like he knew and turned a blind eye to everything.


    Killian only sped his hands behind him. He tilted his head to one side and questioned, "Why the surprise note? You should have known me by now, Bubbles. I will do everything to protect my family. My loved ones, but when they are being exceptionally foolish, I have no choice but to leave them alone."


    "Like a naughty kid. Once they fall and scrape their knees, they will realise that I was right all along. It¡¯s only when it hurts that we remember the lesson that we need to keep in mind." After he finished speaking, he turned to look at the lodge as if he could see past the walls.


    Inez sighed. Though she understood his meaning, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that the man was being a bit too hard on Selene. "You could have told her."


    "Do you think I didn¡¯t?" Killian asked with a hint of amusement and exasperation in his tone. "I did. Many times, but she was just too lonely, too depressed, that she was willing to take the alms that were being thrown at her." He paused and added, "She needed someone like you to make her realise that she was worth more than those alms."


    "You are her brother."


    "And that¡¯s what makes everything even more difficult. Sel believes that I will support and stay by her side because we are family. She didn¡¯t need that. She needed something else."


    Inez had no idea what the man even meant by those words.


    She walked down the stairs and looked at the man with a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Are you always like this?"


    "Like what?" Killian asked as the two of them started to walk down the cobblestone pathced with seashells and beach sand.


    "Wanna be mystery man?" Inez shrugged as she continued, "I don¡¯t know¡ªwhy don¡¯t you just make things easier for everyone and tell the truth? In easier terms."


    "Sometimes when things be too easy, people start taking them for granted."


    Inez huffed. She hated it when he did that, speaking as if everything made sense. They did, but she hated how right he was at every turn.


    Noticing that she had gone silent, Killian nced at her and realised that Inez was holding back. "Something that you want to ask?"


    "There is," replied Inez with a serious expression. She turned to look at the man beside her.


    Killian¡¯s eyes surveyed her for a while before he nodded. "Let¡¯s hear it."


    "What happened to Selene?"


    The air around him turned subtly chilly, but not enough to push Inez away. Maybe that was his way of controlling his temper and letting her know that she can continue speaking, thought Inez.


    "I keep hearing that she was poisoned, but I have never heard how it happened."


    Inez also wanted to ask about his mate, but she realised that it would be overstepping her limits. Especially when she was not ready to share what happened between her and Dominic.


    "You have the correct information." The expression on Killian¡¯s face didn¡¯t change. "As for how it happened, I can only say that obsessive love never ends fairly."


    "Obsessive love?" Inez mused. A piece of the lost puzzle clicked, and she somehow understood the entire picture in a matter of a few seconds.


    Killian smiled, and this time his smile was a bit feral as his fangs became a bit more prominent. "Oh yes. You might have heard a little about my sister¡¯s great feats. Brave, she-lycan, who could take down an entire pack on her own. While fame brought her many fans who woulde to our pack¡¯s territory and leave their little gifts, which would line up all the way to her lodge, it also brought a rather persistent admirer."


    "Now, there is nothing wrong with having a certain bit of affection for someone. What¡¯s wrong is not being able to take rejection well," continued Killian. "My sister made the mistake of refusing a highly respected member of the council. The man couldn¡¯t take her rejection well. In return, he turned around and schemed with a few members of the council to poison her."


    "The aim was to kill her. What do you say in human terms? Hmm... Yes, if she cannot be mine, then I will not let her be someone else either. Unfortunately, he underestimated the strength of a lycan."


    He scraped his chin and remarked, "I had quite a fun time while trying to hunt that man down. Not that he made it any easier."


    Now that Inez understood the entire situation, she pursed her lips before adding, "It is quite lucky that she has Laxus by her side."


    "Are you sure about that?"


    She paused and turned to look at the man. There was another teasing glint in his eyes, which showed that he was holding back another bit of important information from her. "What¡ªwhat now?"


    What else was there that she didn¡¯t know?


    "The man who tried to kill Sel was Laxus¡¯s twin brother. A wolf shifter. Do you still think that it¡¯s a good thing that Sel has someone like him?"

 Chapter 195: Holding onto Tendrils.

    <h4>Chapter 195: Holding onto Tendrils.</h4>


    "That girl has it hard."


    Inez listened to Scarlet speak through the phone. Now that her new identity was more or less fermented enough, she had little to no qualms in calling her sister. Once she had returned to her lodge, the first thing she had done was to call Scarlet while Killian did his own thing.


    "I just don¡¯t understand how someone can be this cruel," said Inez as she applied thest coat of shine topper on her nail paint. "Selene didn¡¯t do anything wrong. She just said no to someone she has no affection for."


    Scarlet scoffed as she rolled her eyes; the screen froze a little due to her actions before moving once again. "And here I thought that you would be the one to understand her better than the rest."


    A frown settled between her brows as Inez asked, "And what do you mean by that?"


    "Come on, Inez. Do you really never see through Dominic¡¯s actions?"


    She stared at her for a second too long, her brain switching from ¡¯<i>I know what she is talking about¡¯ to ¡¯whatever the hell she is talking about¡¯. </i> It happened so quickly that Inez was sure that her brain started tog for a few seconds. She parted her lips and questioned, "Just what are you trying to say?"


    "Nessie... I know that you have always been in awe when ites to Dominic but you really need to step out of your little bubble. Why do you think he put you through all that torture?"


    Inez ced the applicator of the nail topper on the small bottle before turning to look at Scarlet. She scrunched up her brows before stating in a low voice, "isn¡¯t it because he wanted to hurt me?"


    "You really do not understand him... or maybe you do. You just don¡¯t want to ept it," she muttered with a scowl on her lips. "Inez, he did that for a reason. He did it because he hoped to break you."


    The realisation that she had been ignoring all this while hit her like a punch to the gut. Those thoughts that she used to have were not exaggerated at all. Dominic actually, sincerely wanted to crush her spirit until she was nothing but a hollow shell which could be manipted at will.


    No, no. She was thinking too much. There was no way Dominic would do such a thing¡ªbut as the horrors that she went through shed in her mind, she knew that there was no point in rejecting the truth. And that thought became even more assertive when she saw Scarlet¡¯s expression.


    "I mean..." She blinked a few times. "I knew that there had to be a motive behind his actions but I never thought ¡ª no, no," she scowled before adding, "In fact, I knew why he did that and what his intentions were; maybe I was just too ¡ª"


    "Much of a fool that I didn¡¯t want to admit the truth," deadpanned Scarlet.


    "You are right," she admitted and her voice was stronger than she had expected it to be. "He was someone I looked up to¡ªmy best friend ... the one man I fell in love with¡ªmy mate." Something got caught in the back of her throat and Inez ended up turning quiet.


    Scarlet studied her through the screen for a second before sighing. "I cannot understand how you even stayed alive this long with that naive personality of yours, Nessie. In a way, I believe our mom did you a favour by stopping you from telling the truth to Dominic. Maybe if you had told him the truth, then his obsession with you would have been much worse." Inez watched her take a sip of her tequ before continuing. "It¡¯s a good thing that Alpha Sokolov is a nice guy; it¡¯s a pity that he is a yer."


    "He is not a yer," Inez spoke before she could stop herself. "He has never yed anyone. He has at most kept people at bay but Killian has never hurt anyone."


    "And you are already protecting him," Scarlet spoke with a teasing look in her eyes.


    "I am not¡ª"


    The sound of knocking caused Inez to halt; the two sisters turned around and looked at the door of Scarlet¡¯s room.


    "Scar, are you in there?"


    Their Mom.


    Scarlet frowned when she heard the voice of her mother but she still called out, "I am here; what do you want?"


    "Come out¡ªLuca and ke are here. They want to talk with you."


    When Inez heard the response of her mother, her eyes widened in rm. "Scarlet, don¡¯t go¡ª"


    "I have to." Scarlet turned and nced at Inez with a hint of determination and wildfire in her eyes. "I am not hiding from those bastards."


    And before Inez could say anything else, she ended the call and scrambled to her feet.


    Scarlet crossed the room and then pulled open the door; her eyes flickered as she looked at her mother, who seemed quite satisfied. She knew that this was all due to the constant visits of the alpha and his hellions.


    "What?" Scarlet barked.


    "Did you not hear me?" Mrs Sinir spoke with a frown on her face. "Luca and¡ª"


    "I heard you just fine the first time. What I meant to ask is why you are disturbing my sleep for them? Do I resemble their pet bitch? That I need to start wagging my tail whenever they call me?"


    Mrs Sinir shot a look of horror downstairs before turning around and looking at Scarlet as if she had uttered a really bad word. She lowered her voice and said to Scarlet, "What nonsense are you saying? Is this how I taught you to behave?"


    "No. You taught me how to be someone¡¯s bitch but I resisted those genes with all my willpower," Scarlet scathingly retorted.


    "Scarlet!" Mrs Sinir raised her voice.


    "WHAT!?" and Scarlet raised her voice even higher, making the woman flinch. Seeing the look of wide disbelief in her mother¡¯s eyes, Scarlet sneered, "I am sorry to remind you of this, mother dearest. But I am not Inez."


    Scarlet then walked past Mrs Sinir wanting to see what those two idiots wanted from her.

 Chapter 196: Holding onto Tendrils (2)

    <h4>Chapter 196: Holding onto Tendrils (2)</h4>


    "You better have a very good exnation for this," said Scarlet as she came to a halt in front of Luca. She didn¡¯t even nce at ke whose eyes were fixated on her from the second she came down.


    Luca stared at the woman who was standing in front of them with her arms crossed as if she had been interrupted while doing a rather important business. "Were you touching yourself?" He asked with a flirty note to his voice.


    "Luca." ke who stood beside him spoke in an rming yet calm tone. Though the man didn¡¯t say anything further, it was quite clear that he was warning Luca from criossing the line if it existed any further.


    "Easy there champion, I am not doing anything," Luca rolled his eyes and stifled the smile that was almost about to break onto his lips.


    Scarlet studied the two men in front of her with a hint of mockery. She then said in a low voice with a touch of seduction, "Well, if I was. I wouldn¡¯t have told you?"


    "Damn Scar." ke whipped his head to growl at her just as Luca let out a whistle.


    "What are you doing here?" Scarlet questioned ignoring ke.


    "Dominic has called for you," Luca replied with the same flirty voice. He was still smiling but there was something dark about his smile. Scarlet didn¡¯t like it but she knew that there was no denying the call of the alpha. She could only purse her lips and say, "Very well."


    Her posture was stiff and her desire to escape this pack doubled fold. Maybe she needed to ask Inez if Killian had a little space for her.


    And if he didn¡¯t then she could take a kip in Inez¡¯s backyard. Anywhere was better and safe than here.


    Walking out of the house as if she was making her way out of the minefield, Scarlet headed toward the packhouse. As she walked down thewn, past the well trimmed hedges, she asked, "And can I ask you why he called for me?"


    "No."


    "Of course, I should have known it," Scarlet let out a sigh. She couldn¡¯t understand why she even bothered.


    Dominic had fallen in a whirlpool of hating Inez but still desiring her. His actions were now more instinctive than sensible. As Scarlet strode towards the pack hall, she could see many shifters shuffling their feet as they walked up the rickety path, there was a silence.


    One that made everyone suck in a breath and walk around as if they were walking in eggshells.


    She couldn¡¯t understand how the pack turned into this mess.


    They were happy were they not? So howe everything seemed to have changed so much in a matter of time?


    The three of them came to a stop in front of Dominic¡¯s office and Luca raised his hand to knock on the door. Just three crisp knocks and the door opened from inside.


    Scarlet didn¡¯t even need to take a step inside and she could feel her legs tremble slightly for the entire room was filled with a brooding alpha vibes, it was not enough to make her kneel but still, it was going to be quite stifling.


    Sucking in a breath, she stepped inside the room getting the full st of Dominic¡¯s pheromones and not in a good way.


    Her wolf growled inside of her. Though she knew that this was her alpha, Scarlet and her wolf was so in sink that their emotions were alike.


    <i>¡¯Do we really need to submit to him?¡¯ </i>her wolf asked inside her head.


    "Calm down, girl," said Scarlet. She too had no desire to submit to Killian but this was neither the time or ce for their rebellion.


    Her wolf let out a growl in her head before turning silent.


    Scarlet agreed with her wolf. Dominic had long lost their admiration and respect but her point still stands. She couldn¡¯t go against him, not when he had enough authority to lock her up. And that ce was not for wolves.


    It was dark, gloomy and ¡ª


    <i>¡¯Really small. I dislike small ces,¡¯ </i>


    <i>¡¯I know.¡¯ </i>


    Scarlet huffed. She nced at Eve who stood beside Dominic and knew that the woman had run to tattle about her little rebellion to Dominic. Not a surprise.


    "How may I help you, Alpha?" Scarlet adopted an oily voice as she questioned the man who sat behind the table,brooding as if he had lost more than just his mate. Scarlet was not looking down on the withdrawal symptoms of the mating bond breaking but after what he did to her sister, Scarlet believed that he dsevred more than just a little pain. Maybe getting a cactus showed up his orifices.


    But she would make do with the withdrawal for the time being.


    "Eve told me that you refuse toply to her orders and you threatened her with an escape...mirroring the actions of your sister. Is that true?" Dominic asked. His voice was calm and that alone was enough to let Scarlet know that he was furious.


    Scarlet nced at Evelyn who raised her chin haughtily. Alright two could y the game.


    "I refuse to listen to the woman who was the cause of my sister¡¯s pain and departure."


    Silence descended in the office and Evelyn flinched. She nced at Dominic,her eyes widening with horror.


    Scarlet knew all about how Evelyn had manipted her way out of the punishment by telling Dominic that as long as she was beside him Inez would return to the pack. And given that she was once Inez¡¯s friend, her conviction should have worked on Dominic.


    After all, the reason Dominic had went after Eve was because he wished to hurt Inez in the worst possible way. The woman had enjoyed it while itsted but Scarlet was going to make her pay for her choices.


    Dominic too, if she could.


    Her response caused Dominic to pause. He raised his head and look at her. The vibe in the room changed and turned into a gultier one but it was toote. He knew it and she knew it.


    "Is there anything else?" Scarlet asked shuffling on her feet.


    "I heard you met with Lyra."

 Chapter 197: No longer useful

    <h4>Chapter 197: No longer useful</h4>


    Scarlet sucked in a breath. Her eyes flickered subtly, but she controlled her heartbeat just in time before Dominic could catch her. With how sharp Dominic was, she knew that the man would sense something amiss in a matter of seconds.


    "Yes, what about it?" Trying to keep her protectiveness to a bare minimum, she asked the man.


    Dominic¡¯s eyes narrowed down at the woman in front of him. He interlocked his fingers and ced them on the table before questioning, "Was it mere coincidence or something else?"


    The tension in the room became palpable as Scarlet shifted on her feet. She carefullyposed her face, but there were countless worries raging within her heart and body. Trying to keep her voice awfully casual, she asked the man, "And what else would it be?"


    She nced at Evelyn before stating in a supposed-to-be calm voice, "I don¡¯t know what she has told you, but I just ran into that woman at the store and we talked a little. Why? Is there something else?"


    "You mean to tell me that you never noticed the simrities between her and Inez?" Dominic pressed on even further, and when he spoke, his voice was low and controlled, but Scarlet could taste the storm that was raging within him.


    "Simrities? Not at all." Scarlet had long adapted the art to lie. She pursed her lips when Dominic growled at her, but she didn¡¯t falter at all. Instead, she continued to speak in a cold voice, "I don¡¯t know what you are thinking, Dominic. But you need to understand that you need to stop looking for Inez in other women."


    Bang!


    Scarlet flinched slightly when Dominic banged his fist on the table. The man¡¯s breathing turned ragged as he spoke in a tight voice, "You don¡¯t need to tell me what I need to do."


    "Then you need to stop questioning me about other women," snapped Scarlet as she clenched her fists. Though she knew that the path she was taking was a dangerous one, she knew that she had to persist. "Inez is gone, and so is your bond. It¡¯s about time you get your head out of your arse and worry more about the children who went missingst week. Do you even know that the woman who gave birth to a tiger shifter lost not only her son but also her mate?"


    Pups were getting lost every other week, and that wasn¡¯t all. Unique and rare shifters were getting lost every now and then. Scarlet had lost count of how many shifters their pack had lost in the past few months. Of course, Killian¡¯s pack had lost pack members as well, but that man was at least putting in an effort to stop it.


    Dominic? Not so much.


    No one knew what the witches were nning. It could be a n for theplete annihtion of the shifters or something worse. They needed to be prepared, not torn from the inside.


    A tick appeared in Dominic¡¯s cheek, and he looked at her as if she had gone too far, but Scarlet continued to hold his gaze. "If Inez were here, she would be disappointed in you, too, Dom. Trying to look for a substitute? Are you for real? Trying to break her wasn¡¯t enough; that you are going to insult her in this way now? Really now, that¡¯s a whole new low. You know that, don¡¯t you, Dominic?"


    "Don¡¯t speak as if she is dead!"


    "She is for you as long as I am concerned!"


    Tension started to rise in the office, and Tao shuffled on his feet. Scarlet knew that he was having a hard time, especially with two dominant wolves leaking their aura in the room. Evelyn¡¯s face had turned pale, and she looked like she was having a hard time breathing, but neither Scarlet nor Dominic cared about it.


    The two of them red at one another before Dominic slid back in his chair. "Be d that you are her sister, or else I would have killed you for the disrespect, Scar."


    "She showed the biggest disrespect to my sister." Scarlet tipped her chin at Evelyn. "I don¡¯t see you killing her. So I would have been fine." She shot a fierce sneer at Evelyn, who red at her before turning around on her feet and walking away. However, just as she reached the door, she paused and turned to look at the man behind her. "And oh, the lies that she keeps telling you about how Nessie will return if you keep her by your side? It¡¯s better that you stop. Nessie was always particr about her things and possessions."


    "If someone else touched it once she got it, she would rather break her own heart and give it away, but she will never ever touch it again."


    As she turned around, a loud snarl erupted behind her, and she smirked. There. Game over.


    This was what you got for ying with her.


    Inside the office, Evelyn was on her knees as she clutched her throat. She had expected Dominic to lose his temper, but she never thought that he would suffocate her like this. Now she was feeling regretful. If she had known that this was going to happen, she would have attacked with a better strategy.


    "Do¡ªDom¡ªDominic... listen to me," she gasped for air.


    Dominic nced at Evelyn. His eyes were devoid of any emotion that she could catch. "You told me keeping you was the fastest way to bring Inez back home."


    "I¡ª"


    "Take her to the dungeons," he told Tao. "All the privileges that were given to her and her family will be taken from here and now on."


    "No!" Evelyn shouted. Her eyes widened when she heard Dominic¡¯s words. "You cannot do that to me, Dom. We ¡ª"


    "We had nothing," Dominic told her as he turned his head away. "Like you said, bringing you close was the easiest way to hurt, Inez. Now that your work here is done, Evelyn. You can get lost."

 Chapter 198: Another Shifter Disappeared

    <h4>Chapter 198: Another Shifter Disappeared</h4>


    Killian raised his hand and pinched the space between his brows. "Are you sure that the pup went missing around the border of the territory and no one took him away from there?"


    "We have traced the surveince cameras as many times as possible," said Ajax. "However, we cannot find anyone other than the child."


    "Call a witch hunter," Killian breathed out as he dropped his hand. "Ask him to hunt for sigils around the borders. Maybe thest time those dark witches trespassed thend, they were here for more than just trying to hunt our pack down."


    Ajax nodded, understanding what he was trying to tell him. He said to Killian, "I will contact Third Eye. He will be perfect for the job."


    "You do that."


    A sharp knock was heard from the other side of the door.


    "Come in." Killian didn¡¯t bother to look up from the recordings that he was watching on the screen. More and more videos had popped up on the NMH site, and though Killian was yet to find out the reason behind these violent videos, he was sure of one thing. This site was a way to boost the morale of the other witches and wizards.


    As he read through thements on the videos, he could see that these videos motivated and egged other witches tomit violence on shifters. It was like a cult. The only difference was that it had moved to a virtual one.


    Laxus stepped inside the office and nced at Ajax. "I heard from Nyx that you sent her roses. Since when did you be so romantic, Jax?"


    "Since you started handing out choctes," Ajax deadpanned, and the smile on Laxus¡¯s face dropped.


    Killian, on the other hand, beamed. Sensing gossip, he turned to look at his two enforcers. "My... my... it seems like love is in the air. Two enforcers fighting for one woman. Should I arrange for a duel to the death for you two? The winner can get Nyx."


    "I would rather slit my throat here and now," said Laxus as he sat down on the couch at the corner of the office.


    Ajax shot him a rather fierce look, like he was about to take a chunk out of the man¡¯s throat. "Don¡¯t take the words right out of my mouth. What am I supposed to say?"


    "Tell him that you would rather be fucked by a man."


    "No. I am not going to be fucked by a man, but I can fuck you¡ªif you are so interested in where I put my length."


    "I am not."


    "You have a rather poor way to show that."


    Killian chuckled. "Seems like Nyx is feeling unloved once again. Who did she tell this to?"


    "Inez and Selene," Laxus scowled and replied. "Why don¡¯t you tell Selene that I never sent those choctes to Nyx?"


    "It will work better if you say it on your own. I am neither your assistant nor your bitch."


    Laxus¡¯s scowl deepened, but the man didn¡¯t say anything further.


    "It seems like her insecurities have red up once again. In the past, it was just Selene, but now she is going after Inez too..." Killian hummed. "Did you give her a warning?"


    "I did." Laxus rubbed his hands down his face. "But you know her¡ªshe will stay in her line for two days before losing it all over again. Sometimes I wonder if that girl has a brain or not."


    "She does. It just works in the wrong way."


    **


    The next morning, Inez arched her arms over her head. Having submitted the design that she was going to use for herpetition, she felt relieved. There was something about doing what one liked. She stepped out of the room and went to the kitchen, and just as she pressed the buttons of the coffee machine and the delicious hum started to echo in the silent lodge, the front door opened.


    Killian strolled inside, looking worn out and tired. He had been carrying this look ever since the rare shifters started to disappear.


    The pack too. Even though everyone kept on with their duties without showing much change on their faces, Inez could feel that they were nervous. There was a subtle change in the air, and something told her it was not good.


    "Another kidnapping?" Inez asked softly. She took the first cup of coffee to Killian, sensing that he needed it more than she did. Even if he couldn¡¯t taste it, at least he could get the caffeine in his system.


    "Yes," Killian replied. He took the coffee mug with a grateful expression before sitting down on the couch. "We think that it¡¯s the work of the witches. They must have drawn a sigil when we were not paying attention. One that works as a portal or something else."


    He took a sip of the coffee and sighed. "We have called a witch hunter. He is the only one who can trace the sigil and erase it. Fucking witches and their sorcery."


    He looked so tired that Inez felt almost sorry for what was happening to him.


    "Do you have any ideas why this is happening?" She asked.


    "Many," Killian replied with his head thrown at the back of the couch. He looked agitated, as if he was this close to losing his temper but was holding it all in because he wished to keep things under control before he lost his shit. "However, none even close. I cannot understand their patterns. It¡¯s like it¡¯s dancing within my reach, but every time I get close, it slips because the pattern changes abruptly."


    "It¡¯s annoying." He sighed.


    Inez didn¡¯t understand a damn thing he was trying to tell her. The only thing she understood was that there was something going on, and no one had any idea. The disappearance of these rare shifters ¨C she was worried that it was more than just entertainment.


    She shifted in her seat ufortably before asking, "Now what?"


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 Chapter 199: Something Evil

    <h4>Chapter 199: Something Evil</h4>


    "We need to get another lead," said Killian as he dropped his hand and looked at the ceiling of the lodge. It was as if he were trying to pry open the skull of the gods above and see what was ahead of them.


    Inez didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but something about his expression was off. It made the siren in her whimper, and a tug in her gut told her that something was about to go wrong. Very wrong. There was something out there, and he or she was waiting for them to make a mistake such that they could take their pack down in one swoop.


    "We will be fine," sensing her worry, Killian reached out and took her hand in his. "There is nothing to worry about."


    "Yeah," Inez smiled as she changed the topic of the conversation, "I submitted the application to thepetition."


    "Thats great, Bubbles¡ª"


    The rest of his words were interrupted by the ringtone of his phone. Killian smiled at her apologetically before fishing his phone out and answering it. "Yes?"


    "You need toe out and see this, Kill. This is crazy."


    When Inez heard Finn¡¯s words, her heart jumped slightly. She had a very bad feeling about whatever this was.


    "I got it," Killian responded as he got to his feet.


    Inez followed right after him.


    "You can stay here," he told her. "Whatever this is, it won¡¯t be a pretty sight."


    "I am used to seeing sights that are not pretty," Inez told him. The man paused and turned to look at her while holding the knob of the door. He stared at her for, like, two seconds before nodding. "If you throw up, I am not going to clean up the mess, just letting you know. So you might as well pack a pair of new shoes."


    "I am not going to throw up," said Inez as she rolled her eyes.


    "You will change your mind soon enough."


    Inez narrowed her eyes at that remark. She tore after the man who was now heading toward the boundary of the territory and spoke to him in a suspicious voice, "Why are you speaking as if you know what¡¯s there?"


    "Let¡¯s say I have had a few altercations with the witches, and I know that anything rted to them can never be pretty," Killian said to her. His eyes fell on the woman walking beside him with a frown on her face, and it took everything in him not to reach out and smoothen that crease.


    It should terrify him. The impact that Inez had on him, but for some reason, she brought this calm and peace to his soul, which he had never felt before.


    If not for the silence of his beast, he would have thought that she was his mate. His second chance mate.


    <i>¡¯You haven¡¯t dropped your guard enough for me to see. Neither has she,¡¯</i> said his beast in his mind.


    True. If one wanted to find their true mate, they needed to bare their soul to the person. However, Killian had lost more than just a piece of his fucking soul thest time he did it; there was no way he was going to do it again.


    And given how much Inez had gone through, she wouldn¡¯t do it either.


    <i>¡¯You guys sure areplicated,¡¯</i> muttered his beast.


    <i>¡¯Shut up,¡¯</i> said Killian. <i>¡¯For someone who just cares about shagging shouldn¡¯t be speaking.¡¯ </i>


    <i>¡¯I don¡¯t hear youining.¡¯</i>


    Killian pushed his beast back in his conscience as he increased his pace. There were important things that he needed to face, other than burying himself deep within Inez. Not that he disliked it; he could do it all day, every day, but as the alpha of the pack, he needed to take on more responsibilities than just satisfying his woman.


    <i>¡¯So you admit that you are one big pervert?¡¯ </i>


    Killian closed his eyes and shoved his beast even further down. The two of them marched down the cobblestone path, walking past the forest and the gnarled trees. He could sense the tension, grief and anger rolling among his pack members. They had no idea what was going on, but they knew that there was something wrong.


    And it was making them agitated.


    Lycans were used to attacking first and asking questionster, but how were they supposed to do that when their enemy was invisible?


    Their agitation was palpable and justified, but Killian had no way to soothe them because he had no answers for the time being.


    "You are here." Finn marched towards them. His jaw was set in a way which told Killian that there was something very, very wrong.


    "What happened?" Killian asked, and that hit him. The scent of dread, death and decay.


    He didn¡¯t wait for Finn¡¯s response as he marched past him and looked at the pile of dead bodies that Third Eye had dug out after breaking the sigils that were drawn by the witches.


    "They used our pups to attack our pack, Kill," Finn said from behind. Something that Killian already understood. The sacrifices to break and create the portal to kidnap their pack members were the children of their pack. And as ast fuck you, they buried the bodies to rot right under the sigils.


    Killian clenched his teeth so hard, he was certain that he was going to pull a few of his nerves.


    "Killian, are you okay?" Finn asked from somewhere behind, but Killian didn¡¯t respond. He couldn¡¯t. This was the biggest defeat that he had received¡ªeven with Lyra by his side, he had never suffered a defeat as big as this one.


    He had failed. In protecting his pack. In saving these children. Maybe they were alive when they were brought here to be sacrificed. The blood did look fresh¡ª


    "Killian, it¡¯s alright." A smaller, softer hand reached out and pulled him back. "You need to calm down."


    Only then did he realise animalistic and feral growls were erupting from his chest.


    "I am going to kill this motherfucker."

 Chapter 200: Something Evil (2)

    <h4>Chapter 200: Something Evil (2)</h4>


    Dominic raised his head and looked at the sky that was darkening even further. He narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the seer who was sitting behind him. Three hours ago, she came to look for him, saying that she had seen something. As for what that something was¡ªDominic had no idea what it was because she came down to his home and then sat down on the floor with her legs crossed.


    "It¡¯s not good."


    Dominic closed his eyes and opened them again. He had to tell himself that there was only one seer in his pack and that there was no way he could kill her. Unless he wanted himself at the end of pitchforks by the pack.


    This old woman was more important to the pack members than their alpha. Traitors.


    "Did youe to my house in the middle of the night to tell me that it¡¯s not good?" Dominic asked, barely keeping the anger out of his tone.


    The old woman shook her head. Her wispy voice echoed in the silent room once again, "It¡¯s a mistake. What you have done is a mistake, and what you are doing is a mistake."


    "What do you mean?" Dominic turned around to face the womanpletely. A thunderstrike shed behind him as the cloud started to grumble louder than the stomach of a hungry shifter.


    "I don¡¯t know. There is so much interference, like someone is stopping me from seeing what lies ahead¡ªmagic, ancient and darker than the night that you are looking at." The seer rose from the floor. Her white eyes were staring ahead of him as if she could see through things which he couldn¡¯t. "You have missed what you should have noticed from the start. And now that you have failed, things have deviated from the path they should have taken. They are headed for destruction¡ªit¡¯s not a good sign."


    "It¡¯s never a good sign with you humans," sighed the seer as she walked past him. "You fail to see what is important. Always."


    And as she walked to the door of his house, she paused and turned to look at him. Her eyes staring at him creepily, "And you have lost what mattered the most to you. So, you might as well stop struggling."


    After that, she walked out of the door as if she had nevere to look for him.


    "Well, yeah... thanks for nothing," Dominic stated behind the back of the woman. His wolf raised his hackles as he processed the words that the seer spoke to them.


    <i>¡¯Does she mean to say that we have lost Inez for good?¡¯ </i>asked his wolf.


    <i>¡¯No, she must be speaking about Abertha. She was the only one who was most important to me,¡¯ </i>Dominic corrected his wolf. He didn¡¯t believe that the seer was talking about Inez.


    His wolf snorted. <i>¡¯Deny. Keep on denying. Your denial caused me to lose my mate. If you were not my human, I would have killed you with my own hands.¡¯ </i>


    "She was not talking about Inez!" Dominic snapped. His voice rose to another degree as he refused to ept the words of the seer. As for whether the man was refusing to ept that Inez was important to him, more important than Abertha or that he had lost her for good, he was the only one aware of it.


    His wolf turned silent.


    However, a beatter, he said, <i>¡¯You will regret it, Dominic. You will. Mark my words.¡¯ </i>


    After that, he was gone, leaving Dominic to fume alone.


    "If you are all going to talk in riddles, then you might as well not say anything!" Dominic snapped as he banged his fist on the wall in front of him. "Fuck!" He cursed when the pain didn¡¯t stop the rage that was erupting through his skull, heart and every freaking point from where it could erupt.


    "Dominic?"


    Dominic turned to look at Tao, who stood at the threshold of his lodge and questioned, "What¡¯s the matter?"


    "We have a problem."


    **


    "AHHHHH!!!"


    As Dominic rushed to the pack hall, he noticed the corpse dangling by the roof. It was the tiger shifter, the one who went missing a few days ago. His mate was kneeling right under the floating corpse. It was as if the body were being held by a magical string.


    Dominic walked over to the corpse, his jaw set tightly.


    "Alpha!" One of the pack members noticed Dominic and eximed loudly. Loud enough for the mate of the tiger shifter to hear. She turned on her feet and rushed to where Dominic was standing. She reached out and sped hold of his clothes. "You have to help me, Alpha! You need to bring him back... I cannot survive without him. I cannot! I beg you. You have to do something."


    Dominic looked at the woman who was begging him. He clenched his teeth and turned to look at Luca.


    "Come with us." Lucas nodded and stepped forward. He helped the woman, who was a sobbing mess and said to her, "You need to hold yourself together."


    The woman shook her head and cried, "My mate is gone; my child is gone too. What else do I have to care for? What will I even do?"


    Dominic listened to the cries of the woman and clenched his fists at his side. Whoever did this didn¡¯t do it to hurt the morale of the pack. They did it out of mockery for hisck of control and protection over this pack.


    "Someone get that corpse down!" Hemanded.


    And no sooner did he speak those words than the corpse dropped from the air. The string vanished, and the three halves of one body fell on the ground with a thud.


    "AHHHH!"


    "My Theodore!"


    The cries of the woman intensified as the pain of the woman became even more palpable in the air. Bursts of fear exploded all over the pack as Dominic stared at the corpse that had been sent over to his pack to mock him, making him look like a clown.


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 Chapter 201: Animorphos

    <h4>Chapter 201: Animorphos</h4>


    Inez looked at the countless graves that had been dug overnight. The kids who were taken away from their rightful ces had finally returned, but in silence. The pack seemed to have been shrouded with a thickyer of nothing but grief and sorrow. The loss of the pups was always a big loss, but this felt even more personal as she watched the parents cry their hearts out while trying to look for their child, who might never return.


    She turned to look at Killian, who stood just a bit far from her. He was staring at the graves that were being closed up one by one. Those stiff shoulders, those clenched fists, they told a different story. She wanted to go ahead and stand next to him, but Inez knew that Killian would not appreciate it.


    He wanted a moment of silence where he could ept the grief that was rolling in the air like the scent of the fresh soil that had been dug up.


    Her heart ached for him because Inez knew that Killian was ming himself for the things that happened. For the loss of life that happened right under his nose. They stood in silence as the funeral ceremony ended.


    However, Inez knew that she had to bring Killian away from here. All the anger, me and grief must be leaking into the pack bond. It must be stifling. She tried to channel her concern into the bond, but she knew with so many people cursing and yelling, her concern would be lost.


    She sighed and walked over to where Killian was standing. She ced her hand on his forearm and then steered the man away from the graveyard. She told him, "It¡¯s not your fault."


    The man grunted but didn¡¯t say a word.


    Inez didn¡¯t force him to say anything because she knew that he would start talking in due time. As the two of them headed down the rocky trail, she heard Killian say, "It was my mistake. I was too confident. I thought that I could see through their patterns that I knew what they were doing."


    "It wasn¡¯t your fault," Inez sternly told him. "No, really." She added a bit more pressure to her voice when she saw that the man was about to say something more to her. "You did everything that you could... it¡¯s just that you cannot always be there for them, Killian."


    "I am their Alpha!"


    "Yes, I understand that," Inez said in a soothing voice when she noticed the agitation that slipped into his voice. "But just because you are their alpha doesn¡¯t always mean that you can stop the sky from falling. You might be a big, bad alpha, but you are not that big, you know?"


    A muscle twitched in his jaw, and Inez was sure that she saw him smile. Only if it was just a little bit.


    A few secondster, she heard him sigh. "I know what you are saying is correct, but..." He gritted his teeth and continued in a harsh whisper, "Attacking kids is a low blow."


    "You are right, and we will make them pay for it..." Inez had just raised her head to look at the man beside her when she noticed the dark grey cloudsing toward them. Something about them. told her that there was something weird about them. Especially when they were moving as if they were rolling on wheels. She didn¡¯t even have the time to think as she pushed the man down on the ground and yelled, "EVERYONE TAKE COVER!"


    The next second, screams erupted all over the pack as a ming hailstorm came down on the pack.


    "Stay down!" She heard Third Eye yell somewhere behind as he started chanting a spell in anguage that she couldn¡¯t understand. Her back was hissing as the burning stones or whatever it was,nded on her back, burning through her clothes, skin and flesh.


    Excruciating pain shot through her nerves down to her extremities as Killian rolled them down under the roof of a lodge.


    "Inez! Are you alright, baby?" Killian asked, frantic as he looked at the many wounds on her back. Dread filled the pit of his stomach when he saw the red and burning flesh on Inez¡¯s back.


    Behind him, he could hear the pack¡¯s cries and Finn trying to control the situation, yet his first concern was Inez. Upon seeing the raging storm that was going on in his pack, he needed to make sure that Inez was alright.


    "I am alright. Even if I amtent, I am still a shifter," she breathed through her mouth as shey on the floor, trying to ease the pain that was shooting through her at that moment. "Go and take a look at the rest of the pack."


    He didn¡¯t. His eyes were on the red patch that was getting bigger by the second and was now slowly spreading its way too far within him. So far that it disrupted his own peace. "I can¡¯t leave you alone."


    "Help your pack first." Inez practically shoved him away from her when she saw that the ming rain had stopped. "Go."


    Killian gritted his teeth as he turned around and called for Ajax through their pack bond.


    <i>"Ajax,e to the southern hillside. Take Inez to the healer right away." </i>


    He then turned to look at Inez, who was trying to keep her eyes open, and said to her, "Hold on, baby. I wille back for you right away."


    "I know", she waved her hand weakly. "Now go and do your alpha duties."


    Killian leaned down and kissed her on the forehead before turning around on his feet and charging up the path from where he came. However, as he walked away from Inez, he felt a sort of heaviness in his chest as if he had left his very heart behind.


    "Bring in the fire extinguishers and stop the fire from spreading any further. Stop moving the seriously injured and call for the healers from the council. Tell them that if I don¡¯t see the healers in three minutes, the next thing burning will be their very building!"

 Chapter 202: Animorphos (2)

    <h4>Chapter 202: Animorphos (2)</h4>


    "Fuck." Dominic ran his hand through his hair. He looked at the notifications that were pinging one after another. The elders of the council kept asking him for answers, and yet he had nothing. He had no idea where or when it happened or how it happened. The tiger shifter was kidnapped from the pack; this was very clear from the testimony that the woman gave to him.


    She had told him that her husband was a submissive, and he had never taken a step out of the pack. He was more of a nerd who was obsessed with Gctic Wars. That man stayed in his house and loved spending his time watching movies and reading books. Which meant that the man was taken from the pack.


    Right from under his nose.


    And if that wasn¡¯t enough, the witch who was behind this brought the mutted corpse back and then ced it in clear view to let everyone know what a big fuck-up their alpha had done.


    The door banged open, and Tao barged inside. His face was set taut as he looked at Dominic. "We have apprehended everyone whom we could; they are resting in the prison cells."


    And by resting, Dominic knew that the man meant that those people were just a breath away from death. He narrowed his eyes and questioned, "Did they tell you why they did it? Why betray the pack?"


    Tao hesitated.


    "Tao?"


    "They were upset with you," Tao relented with a sigh. "ording to them, they were done with how you were losing control and barely holding on after Inez left. They took it as a betrayal. You were the one who threw Inez away. You made her an outcast, and then when she left¡ªyou abandoned the pack."


    "I didn¡¯t abandon the pack!" Dominic snapped. The words seeping past his skin made him feel more than just humiliated. It made him feel guilty, and it didn¡¯t sit right with him.


    Tao looked at him as if he were about to contradict him, but he thought it through. Good. Shaking his head, Tao said to him, "That¡¯s not what these people thought. They took your betrayal personally, and the witch ¨C the one who came to them¨Cgave them a really attractive offer."


    "Of what?"


    "Of strength. She told them that as long as they help her get a rare shifter, they can ovee the boundaries of our kind. They can be Animorphos."


    Dominic stiffened. He knew animorphos. Of course he did.


    They were the oldest and most powerful kind of shifters. The kind who could morph into any animal form as long as they imagine and see them. Even dragons, if they wish to.


    However, their kind vanished aeons and aeons ago. They had been extinct for so long that they had be folklore. No one believed that they even existed. Even Dominic didn¡¯t quite believe that their kind existed. However, his grandmother did relish in telling him of the might of the animorphos who used to fight alongside the Moon Goddess.


    And when he asked what happened to them, she would often pause and look at the horizon.


    <i>¡¯Greed. Greed happened, Dom.¡¯ </i>


    Dominic had no idea what his grandmother meant by those words. But he was quite certainly sure that their kind vanished due to the greed of the shifters. Burning through centuries as more and more shifters tried to imprint on animorphos to give birth to animorphos children, only to get shifter blood.


    Until nothing was left behind.


    He gritted his teeth and ran his hand down his face before saying, "And they believed it? They believed that nonsense?"


    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s nonsense."


    Dominic snapped his head up and looked at Tao. His eyes flickered as he questioned, "And what do you mean by those words?"


    Tao licked his lips; he shifted uneasily on his feet and then said to Dominic, "I don¡¯t know, but I think these constant kidnappings? They are a sign, Dom."


    "The site¡ª"


    "The site could be a smokescreen," he heard Tao snap. "Do you think that witches are such simple creatures? They will just go ahead and set up a site where they post videos of hurting and inflicting physical pain on shifters? Sure, they may find it amusing, but would they?"


    Dominic pursed his lips. As he brooded over the words that Tao told him, he had to admit that the man was right. Witches were never simple. They had patterns which were like mazes, difficult to crack. The fact that they hadn¡¯t done anything, even though they knew that the security of the site had beenpromised; the fact that someone had stolen the video of what happened to Inez inside the prison cell and posted it on the site¡ªpossibly one of those idiots who thought it was a good idea to betray their alpha and find out the consequences.


    "You mean to say that they want us to be thrown off and tangled with the site," said Dominic. His voice was thick with anger.


    Tao nodded wisely, visibly relieved that he had cottoned on to what he was trying to tell him. He looked around the office as if he worried that there was some magic within the walls as well, and then whispered, "I think... I think they are trying to recreate animorphos, Dom. The only creature that could go against the lycans. The apex predator of the present time, with the dragon shifters going extinct."


    **


    On the other side, far from the packs hidden behind the shadows of the city and therge buildings, at the port, two witchlings were trying their best to carry a iling siren that had been caught by them earlier in the evening.


    The siren who was caught was struggling and thrashing, but with his limbs tied, there was nothing that he could do. He could only watch the two witchlings take him away from his home.


    "Do you think the Great One would bless us once we turn this siren to her?"


    **


    Bet you didn¡¯t see thating did you?


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 203: Pardon My French (1)

    <h4>Chapter 203: Pardon My French (1)</h4>


    The witchling sounded quite eager as he spoke to his friend. His eyes were shining with glee at the thought of finally being noticed by the Great One.


    "Don¡¯t speak nonsense," said the other witchling. She looked around and then turned to look at the male witchling and reproachfully said to him, "You cannot speak of the Great One as you like." She looked nervous, as if she were worried that the Great One would appear out of thin air and turn them into rats or frogs as per her liking.


    <sub>freew\ebno\vel..(c)om</sub>


    The man rolled his eyes but no longer spoke of the Great One. Instead, he turned to look at the siren who was tied to the pole and was hovering in the air. He said to the woman, "Can¡¯t I have a taste of him? I mean, he is going to be sacrificed anyway. Why don¡¯t we take a few vials of blood from him? I heard that the blood of a siren has magical abilities. It can even be used in strengthening our sigils."


    As he spoke, he looked at the siren with a greedy look in his eyes.


    The poor siren stiffened when he heard the words of the man. He tried to free his hands but couldn¡¯t. If he had known that this would happen, he would have never taken that job in the small bar; he just wanted to be a human and live the life of a human in the human world. Howe everything went astray just because of a small mistake?


    He shouldn¡¯t have trusted this woman when she told him that she had fallen in love with him or when she told him that she didn¡¯t differentiate between species. He was a fool to believe her when she told him that the differences between the species were what ruined everything. Her sweet and charming words had won his heart, and he forgot the teachings of his grandmother, who told him that he should never trust the words of the witches or wizards.


    "Do you truly believe that you can fool the Great One? The witches under hermand told us that this siren needs to be unmarked. If you cut his skin and make him bleed, that would be equivalent to defying the order of The Great One. If they find out that we had taken blood from him, then they will certainly track us down and kill us," warned the woman with a severe re. He added, "And even if we make this one bleed, we are just half-bloods, do you think that his blood would make any difference to the sigils that we make? No, the only thing that we can do is wait and hope that this siren will help the Great One in achieving her goal. If she seeds, then we will get a ce among the other pure-blooded witches; that will be really great for witchlings like us."


    Soon, they reached the small, inconspicuous vehicle that was parked in the corner of the alley and then pushed the siren inside the trunk of the vehicle.


    Once they were done, the wizard sitting in the front stepped out of the car and looked at the siren. He took a good look at the goods that the two witchlings had delivered and nodded before saying to them, "If the Great One seeds, then you two will be counted as heroes."


    When the two heard the words of the wizard, their eyes shone with glee.


    "We are d that we could help the Great One."


    "We are thankful that you chose us."


    The wizard smiled before tipping his hat and saying, "If the mission seeds, then you will soon receive what you deserve."


    He then walked around and sat in the driver¡¯s seat before driving away from the dark alley.


    **


    "It¡¯s alright; you are alright," Killian said to Edira as he helped his grandmother into the armchair. He looked at the burns that were scattered all over her arms and back. Edira had rushed to protect Selene earlier, along with Laxus, which left her with quite severe burns.


    Morrh rushed after them. She took one look at Edira and turned to look at Inez before saying to her, "Well, why are you lying there you should be helping us by healing the injured!"


    Her voice was like a whip.


    "Morrh,y off her," Killian ground out before swerving his face to look at Inez. Seeing that she was getting up, he said to her, "You lie back down. You cannot do anything in this case."


    "Why not? Is she not a healer?" Morrh asked.


    "Maybe if you open your eyes, then you can see that she is injured too, Morrh," snapped Ajax. "You want her to use her powers when she is weak and vulnerable like this? Why don¡¯t you take a sword and run it through her? That will be much more painless."


    Morrh opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Killian snapped at her, "I saidy off her!"


    "Don¡¯t push her," said Edira. Her voice was calm but firm. "Just because it¡¯s handy to have her around doesn¡¯t mean that we canmand her. She is a pack member of our pack, not a submissive wolf or omega whom you canmand at will, and even if you could, you need to keep your heart alive. Don¡¯t turn into those beasts whom you escaped."


    Morrh¡¯s face turned red. She said to Edira, "I was just worried about you."


    "I know, but I am not dying, nor am I close to dying."


    Selene sniffled as she looked at her grandmother. "I am ¡ª"


    "It¡¯s not your fault," Edira said sternly. She turned to look at Killian and asked, "Did you catch the fuckers who were behind this?"


    "Third Eye trapped them right before they could escape," Killian replied. He turned to look at Ajax before saying to him, "I will be taking care of those bastards; you take care of the injured here. And call the council to hurry the fuck up because I don¡¯t have the patience to listen to their hums and haws."


    "Got it."


    Killian nodded and turned to look at Inez, whose wounds were rather slow to heal.

 Chapter 204: Pardon My French (2)

    <h4>Chapter 204: Pardon My French (2)</h4>


    "I am fine." Inez knew what the man was thinking. She raised her head and smiled at the man before saying to him, "This pain is nothing. I have gone through worse." And she was speaking the truth. She had gone through the worst kind of pain at the hands of Dominic when she was at the Venus pack. This was nothingpared to that; at least her shifter blood was helping her out. Even if the healing was slow, it was better than nothing.


    Killian walked over to the couch and looked at her back; though the bleeding had stopped, the burns still looked just as painful as they did thest time he had seen them. "That¡¯s the thing; you were never supposed to go through this. Not under my watch." And now that she had gone through this pain, he was going to make sure that they suffered a death worse than their time in hell.


    <sub>f.(r)eewe/bnov\ll</sub>


    His beast was going feral inside of him, and he wanted nothing more than to rip those witches limb from limb. Killian was on the n with them, but not without finding the source of this trouble.


    He swooped down and took Inez¡¯s lips. Her kiss soothed his beast just enough for him to interrogate the culprits. As he pulled back, he caressed her head and said to Inez, "Wait for me."


    After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Selene, who read his mind.


    "I will ask the healers to heal her first when they arrive; don¡¯t worry," vowed his sister.


    Satisfied, Killian apanied Finn and Laxus, who threw the bloodied t-shirt to one side; his expression was set, and Killian knew that Laxus, just like him, was fucking livid at the witches who had put Selene in danger. They walked over to the interrogation room, which wasn¡¯t far from the main lodge.


    As he arrived at the interrogation room, he ran into Ryder.


    "We have a fucking problem?" Ryder¡¯s scowl was as dark as his expression.


    "What?" Killian asked, his eyes shing beast, he was ready to explode with rage.


    "They don¡¯t speak English; they are speaking French."


    "At first, I thought that these witches were ying with us, but then I checked their IDs; they are really not from here and don¡¯t know a word of English. They are making fools out of us."


    "It¡¯s impossible that they don¡¯t speak the slightest bit of English," said Killian as he snapped his gaze at the two witches who were smirking. "They couldn¡¯t have popped here without speaking about it."


    "I think so too," said Ryder as he nced at Henley, who shook his head. "But they are acting dumb, like they don¡¯t understand us. I have no idea what to do with them; they are also doing something with their voice, which makes the trantor useless."


    "They must be instilling aether," Laxus narrowed his eyes and looked at the two witches. "The witches usually do that to charm their way out of tough spots."


    "They are speaking plenty in French to each other," interjected Henley. "But I have no idea what the fuck they are saying."


    "That¡¯s all right; leave them with me," said Killian as he looked at the witches, his voice barely human. "Once they have spent enough time with me, they will speak plenty of English."


    "I don¡¯t think that will work," said Finn as he shook his head. "They were quite calm when they were caught, ording to Third Eye, which means that they were aware that they would be caught, and yet they took on the task of eliminating the entire lycan pack. ording to him, these witches are different; they might be suicide witches. Ready to die if things get tough."


    Killian realised that the witch hunter was not present in the room and turned to ask, "Where is Third Eye?"


    "He is resting. Catching these witches was no ordinary feat. He was pale and shaking after undoing their sigils." Finn paused and then added, "He said that he would like to kill them. These two are older than four hundred years old, which means that they are veinweavers. They can regenerate if not killed by witch hunters."


    Killian gritted his teeth when he looked at the smirking witches. No wonder they were not afraid. They knew that death was not their end.


    "I wish we had that siren with us," muttered Ryder as he looked at the witches. He sighed and shrugged. When everyone turned to look at him, "What? Sirens are used to lure men and women from all over the world. Thus, they understand and speak anynguage. It¡¯s in their blood."


    "Ah, yes." Finn frowned and agreed with what Ryder said to them, but then he shook his head and said, "But the problem is that we don¡¯t have a siren with us."


    Laxus and Killian exchanged a look with one another.


    Laxus blocked the rest of the pack and said to Killian through the pack bond, ¡¯<i>Bring her here; she can understand what these witches are saying.¡¯</i>


    Killian shook his head as he refused. <i>¡¯She is still weak. How can I ask her toe here and trante what these fuckers are saying when she is still healing from her wounds?¡¯ </i>


    <i>¡¯If you don¡¯t bring her, then I will ask someone to carry her here. We need her skills, and it will be a shame not to use her.¡¯ </i>


    <i>¡¯She is¡ª¡¯</i>


    <i>¡¯I know that she is injured, but if she proves herself useful again, you will have an easy time trying to make her the luna of this pack. The lycan queen, as others will prefer to say it.¡¯ </i>


    Killian turned to look at Laxus and red at him because the man was right. If Inez proved herself, then it would be a lot easier for her to be the Luna of this pack, even if she was just a half-blood.


    Laxus shrugged in response, clearly unbothered by the troublesome words that he spoke to him. Sighing, Killian pulled his phone out.

 Chapter 205: Pardon My French (3)

    <h4>Chapter 205: Pardon My French (3)</h4>


    "How can I help you?" Inez walked over to the interrogation room, which was like a toolshed. Her eyes flicked to the man who was standing by her side as if he was afraid that she was going to keel over any second. "Why did you call me here if you are going to act all overprotective over me?"


    "The captive witches speak French," replied Laxus as he pushed Killian to one side. "I remember that you once told Selene that you know a lot ofnguages, so by any stroke of luck, do you know how to speak French?"


    Finn turned and looked at Inez with wide eyes. "You know how to speak French?"


    "She can speak at least six to sevennguages," said Killian, wanting to boast about his woman. "And that¡¯s not including English."


    free.webno(v)e\l.(c)om


    Inez rolled her eyes when she heard the pride in his tone. She turned to look at the witches and then asked, "Do they really not speak English?"


    "If they do, they have shown no signs of it."


    Inez nodded. "Very well then, how about we...?" She told her n to the men in the interrogation room, and by the time she was done, not only Killian but every other male looked possibly impressed.


    Once Killian approved Inez¡¯s idea, he led all of them inside the shed. Laxus asked Inez to follow Killian closely; she guessed that it must be because the man was worried that Killian would slit the throats of the two women if she didn¡¯t stay by his side.


    And given the rumbling that was going on within Killian¡¯s chest, Inez knew that Laxus was not wrong in doing so.


    Inez studied the two witches who were tied and secured to two chairs. They appeared more bored as opposed to afraid, but they were uneasy. She could notice that from the small movements of their eyes and fingers.


    Ryder was the one who broke the silence as he pointed to the witch on the right and said, "That over there is Ariel, and the other one on the side is Misha."


    With a predator-like pace, Killian came to a stop in front of the two witches. "I don¡¯t think we got around to introducing ourselves." The witches just stared at him. "I am Killian Sokolov; maybe you already know me, given that you made the foolish mistake of attacking my pack. Now I have one simple question: why did you attack our pack?"


    Neither of them answered the question as they put on a really confused expression as if they couldn¡¯t understand what Killian was saying to them, but Inez noticed the look of recognition in their eyes. They understood everything that they were saying, but they were acting dumb.


    "I will ask one more time," rumbled Killian. "Why did you attack my pack?"


    Misha turned to look at Ariel and said in French, "It seems like he doesn¡¯t know about the hit."


    Amusement danced in Ariel¡¯s eyes, and she remarked in French, "I wouldn¡¯t have expected any better from a mutt. They have always been stupid, haven¡¯t they?"


    Killian growled, his patience running thin as he banged his hands on the table before saying, "I know you understand me damn well. Don¡¯t you try to fuck with me. Answer the damn question; who asked you to do it?"


    "And if we don¡¯t, then he will kill us?" said Misha in a bored manner. "Like we are scared of being killed. We can always regenerate if we want to. Kill us if you want, bad boy."


    Ariel chuckled. "That¡¯s right. Why do you think we were sent here to kill this entire pack? It¡¯s because we are veinweavers. We can regenerate ourselves and even if we explode into a pile of flesh and blood. It¡¯s just that the pain is a bit of a bother."


    "I hate when they do that. Why do they always have to kill us in such a gruesome manner? We are women; even if we are witches, they could at least be a bit gentle to us. Can¡¯t they?"


    Seeing that the two women were not speaking, Killian started to pace in front of them. "Have you two ever heard of the ss sand pour?"


    Ariel turned even more exasperated when she heard his words. "One more. They are going to roll or throw us in the ss sand. How realistic. How unique."


    Misha nced at her friend and then said to her, "Like I said, shifters are not smart enough toe up with new ways of torture. It¡¯s always cut, bruised and hit. What a shame, though; I just went for body polishing just a few days ago."


    Killian didn¡¯t know what the two women were talking about, but maybe theck of respect for the torture method that he had spoken about was quite evident because he smiled. A little more feral than he should have. He turned his head to one side and then, like a professor at a university, he exined, "You might think it¡¯s a simple form of torture, but it¡¯s not. The torturer secures the captives¡¯ noses and then ces a funnel inside their mouths. They then start pouring sand mixed with ss into their mouths. The captive won¡¯t be able to hold on for long and will end up swallowing the content inside the funnel."


    Inez smiled when the two witches turned slightly pale.


    Killian continued, "The torturers would do it over and over, only stopping when the captive is full, and then we would turn them upside down and let them cough out the ss sand. The only problem is that the second they start vomiting, the ss mixed with bile and vomit wille out of their mouths and trickle down their skin and eyes, making soft, painful cuts, and we will continue doing that until you loseyers uponyers of skin."


    Ariel¡¯s mouth twisted. Her exasperation and boredom were now reced with apprehension as she turned to look at her partner and spoke in French. "I must say. I have never heard of that before."

 Chapter 206: Pardon My French (4)

    <h4>Chapter 206: Pardon My French (4)</h4>


    Killian smiled when he saw the look of apprehension on the faces of the two witches. "Merciless, right? But then, as you have already heard of me, you should have expected something like that from me. You attacked my pack¡¯s pup and all of my pack members. For that, you two will die and don¡¯t worry; I will make sure that the regeneration skill of your kind will not be an obstacle to that. Now it can happen in two ways. You will suffer the slow torment, or you can die swiftly if you tell me the truth."


    The two witches exchanged a look with one another.


    They looked wary.


    "But of course, if you want to show me how tough you are, then you can go ahead. I will enjoy performing the torture on you two. The fact that you two attacked my family and my lover is enough for me to kill you slowly. Now tell me the truth or suffer the consequences."


    Misha turned to look at the witch next to her. She questioned, "Do you think he is trying to scare us by bluffing?"


    "I don¡¯t think so." Ariel didn¡¯t look like she was nervous, but she was surely uneasy. "This man is known for a reason. He will certainly enjoy the sight of us slowly bleeding dry."


    "You two don¡¯t have to go to such lengths to protect the person behind the hit," said Killian as he looked at the two witches, who turned horrified.


    "They actually know about the hit. They got into the site," said Misha, looking shocked.


    "They are not as stupid as we thought," said Ariel with a calcting look in her eyes.


    Killian¡¯s eyes danced from one witch to another, and he softly asked, "All we need to know is the name of the one who put the site up, the one who put the hit, and you can get an easier time."


    "Sadly for him," said Ariel. "We are determined to kill them all. Do you still have the explosion sigil, Misha?"


    "I don¡¯t," pouted Misha as she turned and red at Laxus. "That rabid-looking one took the sigil from me. I don¡¯t think he understands what it is, but he knows that it¡¯s dangerous."


    Inez turned to look at Laxus and had to admit that he did look a bit rabid at that moment.


    Ariel didn¡¯t seem fazed one bit. "Don¡¯t worry. We will think of something else."


    After a long moment of silence, when it was clear that the witches were going to keep up the pretence that they didn¡¯t understand English, Killian sighed and turned to look at Finn. "Since they want to y roughly, then we might as well respect their choice. Can¡¯t say I am disappointed; I have always been a fan of rough y."


    "Maybe they really didn¡¯t understand what we were saying," said Ryder.


    Ajax winced. "You are right. Only an idiot would agree to take on ss Sand torture."


    Finn walked over to where Killian was standing. He said to him, "I say we can just call Third Eye and hand these witches to him. He is a witch hunter; he would certainly be able to make them speak."


    Misha¡¯s eyes widened in shock. "They know Third Eye. That bastard is not going to leave us alone."


    Killian nodded as he said to Finn, "You are right. Third Eye was quite upset that he couldn¡¯t track down the witch who had put out a hit on our pack. He certainly wouldn¡¯t take this nicely." As soon as he finished speaking, just as he expected, the witches looked rather scared. Third Eye was the most powerful witch hunter. He was merciless and a crude bastard and was known as one in the witchmunity.


    His name was so well known that witches often used him as an example to stop their children from crying. He was the bogeyman of the witchmunity.


    "Yes," said Finn. "I will bring him here then."


    "If they hadn¡¯t just tried to burn our entire pack alive, I would have felt sorry for them," said Ryder with a wince.


    Misha turned to look at Ariel and said to her quickly, "Maybe we should give them what they want. I would rather die a quick death at their hands rather than fall into the hands of the witch hunter. It wouldn¡¯t matter if we are veinweavers; that man will kill us in the most cruel fashion. I would rather avoid the ss Sand... as well. Look at the bloodlust of the man; he is going to kill us."


    "But if we give them the name... then we will be counted as traitors and no one wille to avenge us," Ariel pointed out. "Then no one will celebrate us... We will fail in getting what we want." She sounded quite sad about that.


    "That is true. Then, how about we give them a fake name?" suggested Misha. "A masculine name instead of The Great One. That way they will never find out that the site is just a feint and we are actually trying to revive a prototype for animorphos. That way they will be thrown off the trail and look for a male witch while the Great One will stay safe¡ª"


    f\r(e)ewe.b no\vel


    That was all Inez needed to hear. "It¡¯s a witch. Their big boss, The Great One. And they are actually trying to revive the animorphos."


    She was quite surprised that these people were trying to bring in the shifters from the old tales back; as for why, she had more or less of an idea why.


    Laxus blinked. "The Great One."


    Inez nodded. "They didn¡¯t say her name; maybe they don¡¯t know her name either. They just know her as the Great One and hold enough reverence to call her the Great One."


    The two witches gaped at Inez. When Inez saw the look on their faces, she shrugged and said to them, "What? Did you think that only you can speak differentnguages?"


    **


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 Chapter 207: Lycan And Witch

    <h4>Chapter 207: Lycan And Witch</h4>


    "You tricked us!" said Ariel, sounding outraged. She quickly switched to English, looking at Inez as if she wished to drown her in the said ss sand.


    Yes, they had been tricked. Inez had suggested that no one should reveal that she could understand theirnguage. This way, they would speak freely without any worries, as they would be under the belief that no one could understand them. "Not really smart, are you? To be yed by dumb shifters like us." She asked them in English, paraphrasing their remarks about Killian and the shifters. The witches narrowed their eyes.


    Killian turned to Laxus and said to him, "Bring in the funnel." Laxus obligingly retrieved two funnels from the tool shelves. Inez had no idea if they were just props to scare them or if Killian truly intended to use them. Given that Killian was not particrly sane and was quite unhinged, and he had watched the entire pack almost getting burnt to death, she had a feeling that it was thetter.


    Misha and Ariel both stiffened.


    Killian turned to look at them and smiled, "There is no need to be so scared. This is just a trailer; you still need to face Third Eye."


    The two witches turned even paler.


    "You can¡¯t do that!"


    Killian¡¯s expression morphed and twisted. He red at the two women and said, "I told you that if you don¡¯t tell me the truth, then I will be the one to snatch all your breaths away except one. And that¡¯s only because I don¡¯t want you to regenerate. That¡¯s the only reason I will hand you over to Third Eye."


    "But you have the truth!" Ariel gasped. She spoke in English, "This woman told you what you wanted to know."


    "Exactly. She told me the truth; you wanted to lie and give me a fake name to escape," Killian snarled at them. If Inez weren¡¯t by his side, he would have been fooled by these two witches. "That¡¯s a very disappointing mistake that you have made."


    "They still have a backup n," Inez told Killian. "They were talking about escaping; I think they have something else on their bodies."


    "There will be no escaping," stated Killian. He turned to look at Ajax and said to him, "Hang them upside down, and Finn, call Third Eye; tell him that we need to make sure that these witches stay put. I don¡¯t want them running anywhere."


    "Wait... we will tell you everything," said Ariel when she realised that she truly could not escape Killian¡¯s hands. She looked desperate as she said, "I will tell you everything."


    "But why would you do that? Were you not afraid that you would be branded as traitors and no one woulde to avenge you just now? How can we trust that you will tell us the truth?" said Inez as she tilted her head and looked at the two glowering witches.


    "That sadly means that we can no longer trust your words," said Killian with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, I don¡¯t think you know anything about The Great One. I have heard this name for ages. Witches of all ages and times would take on this title, hoping to unite the witches from all over the blood. It¡¯s just that I have never seen anyone seed."


    "This time we will seed," hissed Misha, her eyes turning cker than that of a beast as she looked at Killian.


    Now that the two witches had realised that there was no way they were going to escape, they had dropped all pretences.


    Killian simply smiled as he walked over and poured the ss sand in the eyes of the witch who dared to re at him. "Will you? I promise I will find the one who dared to harm my pack, and the death I will give her will be so promising that no Great One shall arise for the next seven generations of you witches."


    Beside him, Laxus clenched his fists and bumped the sharp hook that they were going to embed in the back of these two witches. "But first, we will take care of these two bitches who dared to hurt our pack."


    Killian pulled his lips upwards, obviously eager for vengeance on behalf of his sister and woman. "It will be a fucking pleasure."


    **


    "Are you okay?" Inez asked as she looked at the man who was washing the blood off his hands.


    "I am fine," said Killian, but there was this subtle tightness in his voice which told Inez that he was probably not alright. She sighed and said to him, "No matter what you are thinking, I think you should stop thinking about it because you are probably wrong about it."


    Killian paused. With his back still turned on her, he took the towel from the rack and started wiping his hands with it. "You don¡¯t understand."


    "Then make me understand." Inez jumped down from the counter of the kitchen and walked over to where Killian was standing. She reached out and hugged him from behind before saying to him, "What can I not understand?" She tilted her head upwards and looked at the man. "Tell me. I want to know what is bothering you other than not being able to protect your pack?"


    She felt him tense in her arms and sighed. "I don¡¯t like double standards, you know."


    "There aren¡¯t any double standards between the two of us."


    "There are. You repeatedly hope for me to share with you and stay as an open book, but then you get all cagey when ites to you. I am not saying that I want you to tell me everything ¡ª I get that there are some things that you don¡¯t want to tell me, and that¡¯s fine. But if you are going to get all defensive when it¡¯s your turn, then you need to stop asking me to be honest with you."


    "I never said that I wanted to hide it from you. You can ask me about anything, and I will tell you the truth¡ªbut you have to be sure that you can bear the weight of what you might find out."


    Inez frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "I think these attacks are more personal than just a means to get us off their path."


    "Killian¨C"


    "Lyra was a witch."

 Chapter 208: Lycan and Witch (2)

    <h4>Chapter 208: Lycan and Witch (2)</h4>


    Silence. That was all Inez could fathom at that moment. She raised her head and looked at Killian, waiting for him to say, ¡¯Sike, this was just a joke,¡¯ but the man didn¡¯t do it. He stayed quiet as he finished speaking.


    "How can that be possible, Morrh¡ª"


    "She doesn¡¯t know shit about the kind of men she gets involved with," barked Killian. When she flinched, he stiffened and turned around to hug her. "Sorry."


    "It¡¯s alright," said Inez. She was not scared of his loss of control, just surprised. She blinked her eyes and looked up at the man before asking, "Can you please exin what you are trying to say?"


    Killian sighed. He gently pushed her to the living room before pushing her down on the couch. He then sat down on the coffee table such that he could look her right in the eye; his weight caused the coffee table to groan under it, and Inez wondered if it was going to snap.


    "Morrh had always been what you would call ¡¯free-minded," said Killian. He was barely moving his lips, which showed how much he despised Morrh¡¯s actions. "After the death of her mate, she let go of herself. As you might have already noticed. Of course, every shifter has their own way to deal with the pain of losing their mates, and I have nothing against it. Hers were just too wild."


    "Getting involved with men all over the ce and never going through the getting-to-know phase. Though Nyx, Fenric and Lyra knew that they were siblings, they never knew that they were half-siblings."


    Inez gasped. "They are¨C"


    "They are unaware of who their fathers are; Morrh never told them either," said Killian. "And Lyra¡¯s father just happened to be a wizard. Either Morrh never knew the truth, or she never cared about it in the face of the circumstances."


    Inez snapped her head to look at the man and wondered what the Moon Goddess was thinking when she wrote Killian¡¯s destiny with a witch. As far as she knew, lycans and witches were aspatible as water and oil. They have never gotten together. The hatred between the two of them was in the blood.


    If lycans could imprint and mate with witches, then the sun could rise from the west. What? They were talking about fucking miracles right here.


    "Witch¡ªyour mate was a witch?" Inez repeated while trying to wrap her head around the information that was handed to her.


    Killian smiled. "I was quite surprised when I found out as well. I thought that fate was trying to mess with me. How could a lycan¡ªthat too someone who has inherited the blood of the lycan king allow a witch to be his mate, but you know ¡ªwhen you are young, a bit silly, and the foolish hormones are acting up, you think that you are the main protagonist of your life."


    "You epted her?" Inez voiced them even though the words sounded foreign to her. Her heart turned a bit heavy while her siren let out a whimper. Even though the two of them understood the fact that the woman was gone from Killian¡¯s life, somewhere, they couldn¡¯t help but be awed. What kind of person would Lyra have had to be for her to make Killian set aside their differences?


    Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Killian reached out and poked her on her forehead. She raised her head as she snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the man in front of her. "What?"


    "Don¡¯t think whatever you are thinking. I didn¡¯t love her. It was her differences that called out to me." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and continued, "She was a witch. A really strong one. I don¡¯t think I have ever seen any halflings as strong as hers. But then again, the path that she took..." he sighed as his eyes turned slightly darker.


    "Did she do something that she shouldn¡¯t have?"


    "Not that I know of." Killian stared behind her as if he were looking at the ghost of his mate. "But the things that happened when she was around¡ªwell, that is a story for another time." He shot her an impish smile before saying to her, "You must be tired after what happened today."


    Inez parted her lips but then turned quiet. She had never told Killian what happened between her and Dominic. So how could she ask him to be fucking bare with her? Not when she couldn¡¯t do the same. She nodded


    "Good girl," Killian remarked as he brought her to his arms and carried her upstairs. His eyes, however, flickered to the dark corner before moving away.


    **


    After Inez fell asleep, Killian marched back downstairs. He walked over to the pir where he had looked earlier. The shadow that he caught was gone; of course, it was gone. Earlier, he didn¡¯t want to spook Inez, which was why he had ignored the shadows lingering in her lodge. If not, he would have faced that damned thing on his own.


    He walked over to the pir, and something shiny caught his eye. Killian narrowed his eyes and strode to the silver ne that was lying on the floor. It was the ne that Morrh had handed to him when Lyra disappeared during one of her phases. She said to him that this ne was something that Lyra wanted him to have.


    However, Killian knew Lyra too well to know that she would never do something like sending him a gift. She was anything but possessive of him. And he hadn¡¯t even taken it seriously. Had thrown this ne somewhere in the drawers which he had never opened.


    <i>I am going to kill her. </i>His beast growled inside his head.


    <i>Calm down,</i> Killian told his beast as he looked at the ne and the one face that he despised to the point that he wished he could scrub every memory of this woman out of his mind. He clenched the ne and opened the window of the kitchen before hurling it as hard as he could.


    He hoped that whoever had left this ne behind was watching.


    **


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 Chapter 209: Tracing the Witches

    <h4>Chapter 209: Tracing the Witches</h4>


    Whoever was knocking on the door needed to get a life. "Go. Away."


    Killian tightened his hold on Inez, whom he was spooning, burying his face into her hair. Inez hadn¡¯t stirred the entire night, which was probably because she had quite a troubled time yesterday. He breathed in her scent, which seemed to have some sort of calming effect on him, and it had started to be a sort of addiction, which he wanted again and again.


    Moving her hair to one side, he licked the mark that he had left on her nape before cupping her core and skimming his fingers against it, smiling when he heard the low moan that escaped her lips.


    The person outside knocked once again.


    Annoyed, Killian slipped out of bed and then pulled on the shirt that he had discardedst night. He strode downstairs before pulling the door open. "What?"


    However, the second he opened the door, his eyes shed beast when he saw Finn standing outside with a solemn look in his eyes. The look in the eyes of his beta told him that the matter was serious.


    "I know it¡¯s early, but we cannot wait around. Matt and Levi had tracked the witches. We have their position."


    Ten minutester, Inez and Killian joined Matt and Levi, along with the rest of the pack members, who were eager to hunt down those witches. Even though they knew that the site was just a feint, they needed to track those witches down because only after capturing someone close to the Great One could they get a clue on how to get close to her.


    "So...where are the fuckers hiding?" asked Inez before taking a bite of the bacon on her te.


    "Silverhold". Matt scratched the back of his nape. "But I have to warn you, there is a very good possibility that this could be aplete waste of time."


    Killian frowned and handed Inez a stack of muffins. She raised her head, and bless her soul for cing her hand on his forearm, because he nearly jumped at Matt then and there. "What do you mean?"


    "The problem with IP tracing is that we can never be sure that we will catch the person behind."


    Inez arched a brow. "You mean to say that there is a good chance that this building might be empty?"


    "Well, Levi had tracked down the houses, and from what he found out, this house belongs to a couple. A human couple."


    Hearing his response, Inez pursed her lips in a thin line. "I doubt any human would help witches or shifters. They hate and fear our kind with a passion."


    "Exactly. The humans would never be as silly as to help the witches," said Matt. "In the beginning, I thought that this was a simple case. Just tracking the IP address that the witches were using, but it seemed like they were making use of magic. Even though they don¡¯t have any hackers with them, they might have made use of their voodoo to nt a false trail, like nting a virus in theputer of apletely oblivious bloke who has no idea what his or herputer is being used for."


    Killian released a frustrated growl. "You mean it¡¯s very likely that this is the same scenario. That they had nted a fake IP address trail in theputer of those humans who don¡¯t know anything."


    Matt shrugged helplessly. "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to give you an answer, but I cannot because it¡¯s impossible. I have done everything, including tracing the sigils that were hidden in the site. A perfect blend of modern technology and magic; do you have any idea how hard it is for me to unveil the entire thing?"


    "Then do we go there or not?" asked Inez with a frown. She turned to look at Killian.


    "I think it might be best if Laxus and I go there," said Ajax while looking at the brooding enforcer who was staring at theptop¡¯s screen.


    "No, we need to go there together," began Killian. "Because there is always a possibility that the witches are waiting for us there. Witches are known for their trickery; we can never be sure of what might be waiting for us. Maybe that human couple doesn¡¯t even exist."


    Laxus turned to look at Matt and questioned, "Can the witches fake someone¡¯s existence as well?"


    "That¡¯s quite easy for them. You know how many halflings hide themselves in the world of humans. They pretend and live as humans, anyway, like Kill said. Everything is possible with the witches." Matt turned and looked at Inez and said to her, "I am sorry. I did try to track down the person who posted your video on the site, but I cannot find him yet, nor can I take it down. It feels really personal, for the video has a trace of aether within it. I cannot take it down, not unless I find the poster."


    "It¡¯s okay," she told him quietly.


    "No, it¡¯s not. But I will find a way to bring it down and trace the person who is behind it."


    "Do you really have no suspicion about who this person might be, Inez?" asked Selene. "That way we can at least track the person down."


    "I don¡¯t know. Like I said, the entire pack was against me for some reason." Inez shook her head as she tried to pin down a single person in her head.


    Laxus chimed in then, "But for them to do something so vindictive, it has to be personal."


    Inez looked at him and remarked, "Only to them." He tilted his head to look at her, but nodded after a few seconds.


    "What about Dominic?" Ajax questioned as he turned to look at Killian. "What did he have to say about it?"


    "He has no idea about how the video ended up on the site. Apparently, he had locked it away quite well." Killian curled his upper lip, baring his fangs. "As stupid as the excuse sounds, I have a feeling that he is speaking the truth because he is that useless." He then straightened up and said, "I will arrange for a private jet. We will head straight to Silverhold. If the witches are really waiting for us there, then we need to let them have a taste of their own medicine."

 Chapter 210: Tracing The Witches (2)

    <h4>Chapter 210: Tracing The Witches (2)</h4>


    After a couple of hours, they were filing inside what Inez would call a rather sleek private jet with leather seats and personal attendants. She knew that Killian was rich, but she never knew that he was ¡¯richie rich,¡¯ the fact that he owned a freaking private jet was still haunting her somewhere at the back of her head.


    She truly had no idea about this man, did she¡ªno, she did know a little about him, minus the wealth that he owned, because she couldn¡¯t be bothered about it.


    "Sometimes I feel thankful that you are my alpha, Kill," sighed Ajax as he sank into his seat. "Having you is the greatest blessing or else we would be flying economy at the moment."


    Killian pulled Inez onto the seat next to him and stated, "Pity I cannot say the same for you. Make sure that you keep your hands off the attendants this time around, Ajax; I don¡¯t want any trouble."


    "That was just a one-time thing!" Ajax let out a whine as he nced at Inez, who was sitting next to Killian, before turning to look away. "And I am not that big of a man slut."


    Killian noticed his small actions but didn¡¯t say anything. He turned to look at Inez before asking her, "Are you alright?" The woman had been quite quiet ever since she entered the private jet.


    "I am fine," she shook her head and shed him a smile.


    At that moment, a fox shifter appeared. She wasthered in makeup, and with how intense she smelled, Inez had a feeling that the woman bathed in perfume rather than just spraying it. "Hi, I am Gracie. I will be your flight attendant for today. Can I get you something?" Her eyes were solely focused on Killian as she gestured to the list of food on the menu that she handed him.


    The woman was eyeing Killian like she was looking at eye candy, and thus she was in grave danger of having her arse handed to her because Inez could feel her siren stirring inside of her.


    "I am good," said Killian, given that he could not taste anything. It was not a surprise that the man didn¡¯t wish to eat anything. He turned to look at Inez, and knowing that she had a big appetite, he asked, "Do you want something, Bubbles?" Inez simply shook her head, anything to get this woman out of her skin. So Killian handed the menu back to the woman. "We are both good."


    Gracie blushed slightly at his attention. Inez, however, couldn¡¯t lose her temper with the man because Killian had done nothing flirtatious. He had at most spoken to the woman. He was polite and courteous. If the fox shifter was taking it as something else, there was nothing that Inez could do about it.


    Still not wanting to leave without getting a share of the pie, the woman tilted her head and said to Killian, "If you change your mind, just press the call button and I will be right with you." Again, her words were just for Killian.


    "Alright." Again, Killian was as polite as he could have been.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t enough for the woman, so she turned her body to one side and leaned just enough such that Killian could see what she had to offer. "By the way, I have been meaning to ask you. Have we met before? I think I have seen you before."


    Inez rolled her eyes. Gracie clearly did not catch the message, and she didn¡¯t want to leave just yet, and wasing up with simply nonsensical excuses to hang around Killian.


    "Are you sure? I think I know you¡ªthere is no way I can forget a face like yours."


    Oh, Dear Moon Goddess.


    Inez closed her eyes and ignored the flirtatious voice of the woman. She was worried that if she listened anymore, she would lunge at her and gouge her eyes out.


    But then again, what right did she have to control the man? She had no reason to, and Killian, too, had no reason to push the woman away. He might have staked a temporary im on her, but that was not enough for them to be considered as mated.


    A mating bond was a metaphysical connection that amplified the emotions of the shifters, making them more possessive and overprotective. Of course, what happened with Dominic was enough to put a halt to Inez¡¯s thoughts on mating bonds. Now her best chance was to imprint on someone; however, she wasn¡¯t looking forward to it because her trust in male shifters was at a really low point.


    Though Selene believed that she and Killian might imprint on one another, she found it hard to believe that something woulde out of this rtionship.


    "You are thinking about something really hard."


    Pulled out from her thoughts, Inez opened her eyes and double blinked at Killian, who picked up her hand and started to massage her palm. "It¡¯s nothing; I was just wondering if we will find anything in Silverhold." She looked around. Gracie was gone, and the two of them were quite alone to have a private conversation. Good. She would hate to let that fox eavesdrop on them.


    "If you don¡¯t want to tell me the truth, then there is no need for you to say it, but don¡¯t lie. I know when you lie, you know?" he sighed as if he were teaching a little brat a lesson on why they couldn¡¯t have any more sugary delights at night.


    Inez pursed her lips. Her cheeks turned pink as she turned to look at the man next to her. "Well, I am sorry that you are just so sharp when ites to picking up lies."


    "Okay ... I know you are upset, but... I would like it if you shared what¡¯s bothering you." He paused and asked, "Are you upset over the fact that flight attendant?"


    "Of course¡ª"

 Chapter 211: Breaking open

    <h4>Chapter 211: Breaking open</h4>


    "Of course not. Why would I? You didn¡¯t even do anything," said Inez. She turned her head slightly to the left and looked at him with a raised eyebrow before saying to him, "It wasn¡¯t like you were flirting with her. She was the one who was trying to flirt with you."


    When Killian heard her response, he was quite surprised, and his eyes widened slightly. Because in the past, even though he had never been serious about the women he was seeing before, they still found it quite disrespectful when another woman started to flirt with him. Sure, he liked the attention, but he wasn¡¯t cheap enough to flirt with another woman when he was on a date and yet the women would often snap at him as if he was the one flirting.


    Because of this very reason, Killian often thought that it was unfair. After all, why would they take their anger out on him when he clearly didn¡¯t flirt with anyone when with them? The fact that Inez hadn¡¯t taken her anger out on him unreasonably pleased him.


    "Of course, if you had flirted back then, I would have loved to let my siren scratch that handsome face of yours. I wouldn¡¯t have even stopped her."


    That made him smile. "Feisty." He skimmed the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand before asking, "Now what were you thinking other than doing a pretty makeover on my face?"


    "Nothing. Just a little bit of this and that..."


    "What exactly is this little bit?"


    Persistent arsehole. Fine, since he wanted to get in her head so much. "Like... just how far do the things between us even go? What happens when things just be boring, and what we have fizzles out? And how am I supposed to walk away without ripping your throat out telling me to leave once we have had our fun?" He turned quiet. Seeing this, Inez shrugged and said to him, "I didn¡¯t mean to say these things, but you asked and so I told you."


    Leaning toward her, he raised his hand and cupped her cheek. "I think I didn¡¯t make one thing clear with you." His chest rumbled as he spoke. "As far as I am concerned, you are mine. I marked you, and that mark is not just a mark; it¡¯s a im that I made on you. I never do such things lightly. Nor have I done it before. There will be no walking out, and you will not be going anywhere. And if someone does try to take you away from me, then they better be stronger than me, Bubbles, because I am going to kill them if they try to snatch you away from me."


    When she gaped at him, he smirked and closed her mouth shut before saying, "I didn¡¯t mean to say these things, but you asked, so I told you."


    Inez swallowed hard; she never thought that when the man marked her, he was determined to keep her with him. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the vehemence in his tone. She said to him, "I should have known better than this."


    "Hmmm?" Killian raised his head and took a nip at the shell of her ear before asking in a low voice, "What do you mean by that?"


    "I should have thought twice before getting involved with you. I knew that lycans were simply irrational, but I never thought that you were irrational to this point."


    "Now you are being hypocritical. Were you not about to kill the woman who was getting all flirty with me? Why is it irrational that I want to kill any man getting close to you?"


    Inez snorted. "I will never kill a woman for something so small."


    "Don¡¯t lie. I could practically smell your murderous intent just now. I am half willing to bet that if the woman had stayed any longer, then you would have lunged for her throat. And your siren? She would have loved to y with the woman before giving her a slow, painful death."


    She nced at the man before shaking her head. "You are simply insane." Though he was right, Inez knew she would have been much kinder than he was talking about.


    However, her thoughts quickly changed when the flight attendant returned with a smile on her lips.


    Inez hadn¡¯t been positive that it was possible, but she somehow managed to get down the private jet without ripping the flight attendant a new one. That woman didn¡¯t stop flirting until the end of their flight. By the time it stopped, Inez had thought of more than seven ways to make the woman disappear without letting anyone find her ever again.


    She climbed down with the rest of the pack and headed to the rented SUV across the street, where the house was. The very same one where the witches were supposed to be at the moment. She turned her head left and right before taking in the surroundings of the house. A decent garden and an expensive car, along with a fountain and garden gnomes.


    The house looked pleasant, and one look at it was enough to let her know that this ce was way too expensive for the witches to rent. They could have gotten a ce which was way cheaper than this one.


    "No one¡¯s home," said Ajax as he eyed the house in front of them. They had been keeping an eye on the house for a while, but they didn¡¯t see anyone moving inside the house.


    "Best to be sure," remarked Killian. He was drawing circles on Inez¡¯s wrist while eyeing the house in front of them. "There is a possibility that they are in the basement or the backyard. Levi, go and take a look."


    "Should we get out and move around the locality?" suggested Inez as she noticed a human woman looking at them through the only window that was open. "I don¡¯t think that we are doing a good job in staying inconspicuous."

 Chapter 212: Breaking Open (2)

    <h4>Chapter 212: Breaking Open (2)</h4>


    Inez could sense that the elderly woman was just a step away from calling the policemen.


    "She is right; we should do something instead of sitting inside the car," said Laxus. Even though he had no fondness for humans, he didn¡¯t want to cause any drama in the middle of a human locality.


    Killian squeezed her shoulder before taking a look at the woman who was eyeing them through the window. "Don¡¯t worry; as soon as Levi calls, we will get out of the car. Anyway, we have done nothing wrong. I don¡¯t believe that the policemen would arrest us for sitting in our own damn car."


    Looking at the way the woman was peeling her upper lip and glowering at them as if she knew what they were, Inez had a feeling that she wouldn¡¯t care about whether they were doing anything wrong or not.


    Fortunately, before the woman could call the policemen, Levi called them.


    Killian immediately put him on the speaker. "What¡¯s the situation?"


    "It¡¯s like Laxus said; there is no soul in this house. I did a perimeter check of the house, but I cannot see a single living soul. It¡¯spletely silent with no movement inside."


    "Do you sense any traces of witches?" Killian asked with a frown.


    "I cannot be sure of this, though the entire house is quiet... There are indeed some disturbances, which are a bit weird."


    "Alright, we will go inside and investigate. Hang in there; we will be right there," said Killian as he ended the call.


    "We cannot just barge inside the house," said Inez with a frown as she peered at the house in front of her. "If we all rush in there, I am sure that the people in the locality will definitely call the policemen."


    Nyx sighed. "As annoying as it sounds, she is right. I can almost see the old woman pondering if she should call the policemen or not."


    She paused and added, "Cross that; she is certain that she needs to call the police."


    "It will be best if we leave the SUV and walk around the locality before making our way to the back door. Levi will open the door for us." Finn peered out of the window andid out the n.


    And that was exactly what they did.


    With shifters determined to break into the house, there was no way the security equipment had a chance against their strength. It didn¡¯t take longer than five minutes for them to open the back door of the house. Quickly, they stepped inside the house, making sure that they were stealthy enough for no one to sense them entering the space.


    Not that there was anyone. As Inez stopped at thest stair of the basement, she realised that they hadpletely wasted their time. The house was ¡ª what should she say¡ªas human as it could possibly be. There were pictures of the human couple, followed by their degrees and every little human achievement that they had achieved in their lives. If she was not wrong, she could also see a few books on pregnancy.


    She nced at Killian and said to him, "If this is all a pretence to fool us, then I have to admit that the witches did a really good job."


    Killian hummed. "I just took a look at the kitchen; the refrigerator is stocked up, and there is a half-eaten loaf of bread lying on the aisle. Either this human couple is real, or the witches have been here."


    "The house smells of humans," Inez pointed out.


    "Hey, guys," Finn¡¯s voice echoed from upstairs, and the two of them turned and looked up. "You need toe upstairs. We have found theputer."


    Upon hearing his remark, Inez marched upstairs with Killian. The two of them arrived at a small office, where the navigator that was in Finn¡¯s hand was going crazy. This was something that Matt had given to them earlier. He told them that as long as they found the hackedputer, the navigator would start going crazy.


    And it was indeed going crazy.


    Inez looked at the navigator that was uttering a loud peeee and then turned to look at Finn and the rest. "Thats all?"


    Finn gritted his teeth before saying, "The witches are not using this house as their hideout, and even if they were, they have long abandoned it."


    "Which brings us back to the old topic. We have a traitor in the pack," chimed Ajax as he banged his hand on theputer. "I looked around the house. There is a thickyer of dirt, which proves that the humans left in a hurry and hadn¡¯t returned yet; however, thisputer, on the other hand, is quite clean. The witches were here just a few hours ago, but they escaped. I am willing to bet on it."


    Inez heard a soft rumble escape Killian¡¯s lips, but the man didn¡¯t say anything; he simply nced at theputer before saying, "We will leave the matter of the traitor for now. We need to get our hands on the witches and their trail. If we start looking for a traitor, then it would be a serious blow to the pack¡¯s morale. Not that they are already living in fear that the witches are regaining their lost strength."


    Ajax regarded theputer. "I think we should dispose of thisputer. The poor bloke has no idea that there is a trace of magic left on hisputer, which could cause him some serious damage if someone elsees to track him down."


    "Yeah, and breaking into his house and dumping hisputer in the swimming pool sounds like a really good option." Inez rolled her eyes.


    She could almost imagine the confusion of the man living in this house when he found hisputer in the swimming pool. That man would not even in his wildest dreams crack the code of just what happened behind his back.


    "Good suggestion, Inez. I was thinking of smashing the thing open, but dumping it down in the water works too. Less hostile, don¡¯t you think?"

 Chapter 213: Foolish Pride

    <h4>Chapter 213: Foolish Pride</h4>


    "Sooo..."


    Inez turned to look at Ajax, her gaze moving away from the bobbingputer that was floating in the swimming pool. If she knew that this was going to happen, she would have at least brought enough cash topensate the poor bloke. She could imagine his confusion upon seeing his house broken into with everything intact and only theputer dumped in the swimming pool.


    What kind of crazy bastard does that? Well, a bunch of random shifters who had no qualms against the poor human did.


    "Do you think thisputer was selected at random, or either of them is a witch or wizard?" Ajax asked Killian, who shrugged in response.


    "I would say that this was random," said Inez.


    Ajax turned to look at her and questioned, "How do you know that?"


    "Firstly, these witches had gone to such lengths to hide their IP address and their identities. I don¡¯t think that they would leave such a mess of evidence behind for us to catch them. These people are as human as they can be."


    Killian agreed with her. "She has got a point."


    Laxus ran his hand through his hair before saying, "Well, it¡¯s been a pointless journey."


    "Not necessarily." Killian flicked his head up as he scowled at the roof of the house like it had personally insulted him.


    "How did you figure that out?" Laxus frowned.


    "Well, it answers at least one of our questions. There is no point in hunting the witches down electronically. We have seen through their traps, and it means that no matter how many times we trace them down, it¡¯s going to be a dud. And that we have a traitor in the house. If not, how else would we exin the disappearance of the witches who were living in this house till now?"


    He paused before adding, "It¡¯s time we start hunting them down the old way."


    "But we don¡¯t have a clue to start looking for them," chimed Finn with a frown.


    "Do you think they are still hiding in Silverhold?" Ajax questioned with his arms crossed in front.


    "It¡¯s not entirely possible." Killian shook his head. "As Inez said, they had gone through a lot of trouble to avoid getting caught by us. I doubt they would linger behind for them to be caught. As prey, they would want to stay as far as possible from their hunters. I would do that if I were being hunted down." Not that he would ever be hunted down.


    Inez¡¯s expression turned to one of resignation. "So this means that it¡¯s a dead end for us?"


    Killian walked over and draped his arm around her shoulders. "For now. But there is no way it¡¯s going to be the end."


    No, it was definitely not going to be the end, thought Killian. There was no way he was going to allow these witches to get away with the things that they had done. Attempting to kill his entire pack, killing the pups who were young and innocent and hurting Inez in the process. For these crimes alone, he was going to skin every single one of them. The council could sing about how they wanted to bring nothing but peace between the twomunities, but he was never a fan of that.


    He turned and looked at Inez, who was still staring at theputer in the swimming pool, before tightening his grip on her shoulders. "We will find the one who did it, Bubbles. We will find them."


    **


    "Inez, I think you should start getting ready. Morrh said that she would like everyone to be present at the party," a submissive lycan told Inez while she was lounging in the back of the library.


    Inez paused and put down her pen. Since the morning, she had been cooped up in the library, hoping toplete the ancient hymns. However, her verses never reached the magical affinity that could heal Selene¡¯s poison or the effects of that godawful potion that Molly had fed Killian.


    She raised her head and looked at the clock on the wall. It was just over five, which made her frown. She turned and looked at the submissive wolf before saying to her, "It¡¯s not the time for the party."


    Even though the pack was still shrouded in mourning, Morrh¡¯s much-awaited birthday party was still going to be held. Her reasoning was simple: if they stopped the party, then the other packs, including the council elders, would think that their pack had weakened and that would be freaking embarrassing. Plus, the witches would certainly be tickled by the thought of their pack turning upside down due to them.


    This was the question of their pride as lycans. The top predator of the shifter world after the dragon but as the dragons were almost extinct, it was them at the top of the game.


    Her reasoning, as twisted as it was, was epted by everyone in the pack. Why? Shifters were all about pride after all; if their pride was questioned, they would definitely give it their all to fight back. Even if it meant arranging a stupid party.


    Somewhere, Inez was sure that this was more of Morrh¡¯s maniption at work than the pack¡¯s pride, but hey! Who was she to say anything?


    "Morrh says that.... With your sorry condition, it will take you a good three hours to get ready. So you might as well start getting ready," the submissive lycan told her. Even though the woman had her head lowered, Inez had to admit that she had done a really good job in mimicking Morrh. She even drawled the way that woman did when she was looking down at someone.


    Inez pursed her lips. She had to remind herself that the poor submissive lycan was only doing her job, and it wasn¡¯t Morrh who stood in front of her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying to the woman, "Alright, you can leave now. Tell Morrh that I will get ready and be at her very important party by seven. Cannot miss the cake even if the world wereing to an end, can I?"


    In response, the submissive lycan just smiled sheepishly.

 Chapter 214: Foolish Pride (2)

    <h4>Chapter 214: Foolish Pride (2)</h4>


    Inez closed the books that she had collected. She wondered if she could ever finish the ancient hymns written by the goddess of healing herself. When she picked up the task, she thought, ¨COh sure, it¡¯s going to be as easy as eating a little pie. After all, she was a siren; this should be in her blood. Only now did she realise that it wasn¡¯t that simple.


    She didn¡¯t feel the tug, nor could she see the aether turning golden whenever she finished writing the lost verses of the hymns. ording to the book, the aether¡ªthe very soul, the mana or the magic within the hymns¡ªwas supposed to turn golden if a siren seeded in writing the correct hymn.


    But forget about turning the aether golden; Inez couldn¡¯t even see any fizzle of it till now. No wonder the sirens who tried to rewrite these hymns turned crazy. Because she, too, could see herself walking down the same path. The lost hymns were not just hymns; they were the legacy of sirens ¨C one that every siren dreamed of.


    Sighing, she walked down the path. Her eyes flickered as she looked at the white and golden decor. The white flowers were a mix of white peonies, lilies and jasmine. Tall decorative vases sat all over the paths, which were now covered by a golden carpet.


    shy. This was the first thought that came to Inez¡¯s mind when she saw the many decorative items that were ced all over the pack.


    "No, no. Like I told you, I am trying for a more serene...atmosphere, you know? Remove the red ribbons and rece them with golden ones. We need everyone to feel at home," said Nyx with a frown as she quibbled with the man who stood beside her.


    The man nodded and said to her, "I will get them down at once, Miss Vire."


    Nyx hummed before adding, "Don¡¯t try to make these arrangements different, Mister Hopkins. My mother is going to be fifty, not fifteen. She is not a fucking teenager; if someone saw the decorations getting all shy, it would look simply wrong on my mother¡¯s part. Not to mention it¡¯s just not her birthday. Edira is celebrating too, you know?"


    "Of course, I am really sorry about the mistake made by these idiots. I will arrange only the best for you and the pack. Don¡¯t worry; by the time I am done arranging everything, this ce will look like heaven¡¯s entrance to you," promised Mister Hopkins.


    Nyx nodded. She was standing at the end of the same path where Inez wasing down from; thus, when she moved her head up, she saw Inez at once. She called, "Inez, I see you are done with the healing sessions. I was worried that you were thinking of keeping yourself cooped up all because you wanted to avoid the party."


    Inez suppressed the nagging feeling in the back of her head. After finding out the twisted personality of Nyx, she kept herself away from her. She didn¡¯t understand Nyx and her actions, but at the same time, after watching Morrh alwaysparing her to her dead sister Lyra, she had an inkling that Nyx wanted everyone¡¯s attention on herself.


    At least that way, she could feel good about herself.


    As for how honest she was toward her, Inez never stopped to consider. She stepped forward and looked at Nyx with a smile. "I was, but Morrh sent a word that she wanted to see everyone at the party." A subtle suspicion told her that the woman was only doing it because she wished to see Inez embarrassed.


    After all, Dominic would be here.


    Inez waited for the subtle pang in her heart to appear at the mere thought of the man, but nothing. She felt nothing. Somewhere, she wondered if she waspletely broken, but Inez couldn¡¯t care about that man at the moment. If anything, she wondered what Killian was up to at the moment or what he was doing. Or would he look just as deliciously tempting as he didst night when he was thrusting within her?


    See good thoughts. She was capable of having good thoughts. Though she had no idea what her wolf thought about it. Because she was still silent as ever.


    Inez knew that there were chances that her wolf could just, you know, disappear, but she had a feeling that her wolf was very much alive. Nia was one tough shit, and she would hate to give all her space to Inez¡¯s siren.


    Within her, she could hear her siren snort as if she was disgusted by the thought that Inez even thought that Nia was suppressing it. Instead, it was she who was being generous and letting that mutt be a much bigger presence within Inez.


    "Of course she does," Nyx exhaled heavily. She reached out and held Inez by her shoulders before saying to her, "Don¡¯t take anything she says to you seriously; my mom can be one pain in the arse but she will be too busy to make things anymore difficult for you than she already does." As if realising that she had said something that she shouldn¡¯t have, the woman turned to look at the front and said, "What do you think? It¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it?"


    Inez looked around and nodded. "It¡¯s indeed beautiful."


    "I know, right? Selene said that we should go with roses, red and white ones, but I refused," said Nyx as she spared a nce in the direction of Selene¡¯s lodge. "I told her that with my mother and Edira crossing fifty, there is no point in using red roses. It will not suit their age; what do you say?"


    "I don¡¯t understand such things, Nyx," said Inez, trying to subtly step away from the conversation for she knew Nyx well enough to not take her words seriously at all.


    "Oh, it¡¯s alright," said Nyx as she continued to prattle, "By the way, did you see the main lodge? Where the party will be held today."

 Chapter 215: Being Watched

    <h4>Chapter 215: Being Watched</h4>


    Inez wanted to get going. With her hair like the wildest mane known out in public, she would need at least three hours to tame it alone, plus the makeup and getting-ready part. If she was being honest, she wasn¡¯t even looking forward to it. The amount of Sleek A Gel that Inez had to use to tame this mess of tangled wire was no joke. But Nyx didn¡¯t seem to be listening; she ushered Inez to follow her, leaving her with no choice but to follow her towards the main lodge.


    However, instead of taking her straight inside the lodge, Nyx turned around and led Inez to the back of the lodge. Inez had never been here before; she never had any reason to. Behind the main lodge stood an impressive building. Unlike the other lodges, this had much more refined taste, which was enough to prove that this building was often used for holding parties.


    When the submissive lycans saw them approaching, they immediately turned around and rushed to open the doors.


    Having never stepped inside this building, Inez looked around carefully. There was a gigantic chandelier hanging by the pure white ceiling, with multiple lights that changed colours ording to the mood and the setting. A small dj stand had been arranged in the corner and the sparrow shifters were rummaging through the boxes trying to set everything in ce.


    As for the submissive lycans, they were working their way through the decorative items that were scattered on the floor, doing their best to prettify up the ce for the birthday party in the evening.


    Of course, Inez could still see the traces of gloom hovering in the room. Like the Lycans were not willing but had no choice. And maybe they didn¡¯t; submissive wolves didn¡¯t have much choice, as they were at the bottom of the pyramid and the power y of a pack. Though Inez was certain that Killian would never do something like suppressing the submissive shifters, the stigma still existed and couldn¡¯t be changed so easily.


    "I told my mother that we shouldn¡¯t hold a party, you know, considering the condition of the pack and the witches running rampant, but you know how my mother is. She told Kill that holding our lives back would only make the witches much more smug." A sigh as she turned to look at Inez and continued speaking, "Honestly, I, too, asked my mother to think things through. But she is quite stubborn at times."


    The glint in her eyes, however, told a different story. Inez was certain that the woman was just as excited as her mother. Because she could soak up all the attention, which she found to be her grind.


    "I see." Not wanting to get involved with Nyx, Inez simply nodded. She was going to bete anyway. Since that was the case, she might as well look around.


    Nyx brought her to a few more corners, which were getting decorated with arge champagne tower being set in the middle. Just then, a man walked over; from the scent, Inez could sense that this man was a dominant shifter, just not as dominant as Nyx, because he smelled weak. But when Nyx saw him, she raised the corners of her mouth and smiled at him.


    "Good evening, Nyx. I am here just as you asked me to," said the blonde man with a smile. His eyes never left Nyx, but the second his gaze flickered to Inez, he couldn¡¯t help but suck in a breath, as the woman was truly beautiful.


    "It is good to see you, Carlos," said Nyx, even though the smile on her face was colder than before when she noticed the appreciation in the eyes of the man for Inez. "I hope that you did not have any trouble finding this ce. I was afraid that you would not be able to get here on time with the council making things difficult for you."


    She then paused and turned to look at Inez. With a smile, she introduced Carlos to Inez. "L, this is Carlos. He works in the council; though his position is not high, he is responsible for many important matters of the council. He is the warden of the council¡¯s prison." She then turned to look at Carlos and added, "And this is L. She is the new member of our pack."


    Thrilled to be introduced to such a beautiful woman, Carlos stretched out his hand in front of Inez and said to her, "Nice to meet you, Miss L. I wonder whether a beautiful she-lycan like you is free this evening?"


    Wow, what a straightshooter, thought Inez. She was about to turn the man down but before she could, Nyx beat her to it; she raised her head and waved it. "Oh no, L is atent."


    The second the words left her lips, the smile died down in the eyes of the man and recing it was none other than the one look that Inez was more than familiar with. Contempt.


    Oh, would you look at that? Like she was dying to go on a date with the man in front of her.


    Carlos dropped his hand and turned to look at Nyx. This time, he was paying all his attention to the woman next to her, and it only proved Inez¡¯s theory of Nyx being an attention seeker. She had nothing against attention seekers, as long as they didn¡¯t use her as their pawn.


    "I hope you brought the gift that I have asked you for," said Nyx as her eyes peered at the man in front of her, hershes batting at the right moment.


    "Of course," said Carlos. He winked at Nyx, back to his flirty self, as he said to her, "I couldn¡¯t ruin this for you when you have especially called me in for a favour. Don¡¯t worry; I have made sure that your mother will be pleased to see it."


    Pleased to see? Just what did the man bring in for someone like Morrh to be pleased?

 Chapter 216: Being Watched (2)

    <h4>Chapter 216: Being Watched (2)</h4>


    Inez wondered what this gift was that Carlos spoke of so highly. It seemed like the gift that Nyx had arranged for Morrh was nothing simple; she then thought of the aromatherapy system that she had brought for the woman in the hope that she would stay in a better mood all day long. It seemed like she was about to get severely outsher on, not that she had any hope of making that woman happy.


    Nyx, on the other hand, smiled at the man, quite happy with the attention and the words that he had said to her. She said to him, "You better stay the night, Carlos. I don¡¯t want anything going wrong with the gift, you know, with how things could turn out badlyter on. You can go back once my mom has opened the gift. That way you can stay here and attend the party; you know how much Kill despises having people from the council in the territory."


    Carlos smiled without showing any hint of irritation.


    Realising that the two would have enough fun with theirpany alone, Inez turned on her feet and walked out of the building.


    Once she left, Carlos, who was staring at her with a look of adoration earlier, scoffed. He turned to look at Nyx and then offered her a sweet, simpering smile. "Who was the woman from earlier? Why were you standing with atent of all people, Nyx?"


    "Isn¡¯t it amusing to be kind to those who would die for just a shred of kindness?" Nyx asked with a smile on her lips. Her eyes then went around the perimeter of the building, and she nced at the truck that was standing at the end of the path. "I hope the goods are in order? Even if that thing is old and used... I would expect nothing less than the finest experience."


    Carlos smiled back at the woman before saying to her, "You don¡¯t need to worry about it, Nyx. I told you... Even if I have to do something illegal, I will make sure that you get what you want without a hitch. Thus, you don¡¯t need to worry about anything."


    Upon hearing the words of the man, Nyx smiled sweetly. She could almost imagine the look of surprise on the face of her mother when she would see her gift. And the thought alone filled her with glee as she started to anticipate the time of the party because there were things that she was looking forward to happening. Firstly, she had arranged a super rare gift for her mother that should make her mother look at her differently. Secondly, Selene¡ªshe would definitely wear the dress that she had given to her, and even if she didn¡¯t, then she would wear something that was old and out of fashion. The thought of others looking at Selene like that and mocking her brought a smile to Nyx¡¯s face.


    The only w was Inez; if she had known that the woman would snatch the attention that belonged to her, she would have thought of a way to handle her as well but then again, she was atent. With her identity as troubled as that, what could that woman even do?


    Shemanded Carlos, "Take the gift inside the warehouse; make sure that no one touches it unless it¡¯s me. Even my brother is not allowed to take a look at what is inside the box. Do you understand?"


    "As youmand, Nyx," said the man as he leaned down and pecked her on the cheek. "I will wait for you at the same ce; make sure toe, alright? I will be waiting for you."


    Inez, who had stepped out, reached her lodge in a matter of a few troubled minutes, as the weather had turned gloomy and raindrops the size of pearls wereing down from the sky. She covered her head and descended down the path that was covered with moss and pebbles while smiling stiffly.


    Upon arriving in her lodge, she couldn¡¯t help but take a look at her reflection in the ss panes of the door. Her reflection looked fine; if she was not feeling nervous, she would have thought that she looked just fine.


    But something about the iing trouble made her feel nervous. Not to mention that her ex-mate was going to be here, with Evelyn in tow. She knew that he would be here with her; Dominic had never attended any parties without shoving Evelyn in her face. Though she no longer felt anything for him, the disrespect still clouded her judgement, and it would not be any time soon that she would forget the video that Dominic had recorded of her when he was torturing her and even saved it like it was a fucking memento.


    And there was this feeling like someone was watching her all the time. She turned and looked behind her, but there was absolutely nothing that was standing behind her, and yet the prickling sensation was only getting more and more intense. It made her feel jumpy and troubled and annoyed.


    "Fuck," Inez cursed as she ran her hand through her hair. Her siren wanted Killian to be with them; his absence was only fuelling their anger and frustration. Inez closed the door behind her. She didn¡¯t say anything, nor did she look behind. It was nothing; she was being paranoid. Killian had asked Third Eye to rewrite the protective sigils all over the pack territory again. There were new devices purchased and bought to keep the witches away.


    The pack was safe. She was safe.


    But a trickle of fear continued to climb up her spine when she thought of how there was a traitor in the pack. What if that traitor did something? Like letting a witch inside the pack? But one would have noticed the break in the defences, right? It had to make a sound of rm? Right? Right?

 Chapter 217: Running Into Dominic

    <h4>Chapter 217: Running Into Dominic</h4>


    I am sorry but I am a bit under the weather today. If the Chapter is not up to the mark, I can only apologise my fairies.


    **


    "Are you ready?" Selene arrived at the lodge where Inez was staying, as Killian was busy securing the boundaries of the pack to make sure that no issue would arise tonight. She peered inside the lodge with Laxus behind her; however, when the man made a move to walk inside the lodge, she turned and snapped at him, "You stay here."


    The man looked at her with an expression of sheer hurt, but Selene remained unbothered. She turned around and then moved her wheelchair inside the living hall; the door closed behind her as she raised her head and called Inez, "You ready, Inez?"


    When Selene didn¡¯t hear a response, she was about to turn around and ask Laxus toe inside. As much as she would have loved to depend on herself rather than on anyone else, Selene knew that she was as close to walking upstairs like a normal person as shifters befriending witches.


    But before she could turn her wheelchair around, the sound of footsteps echoed behind her, and Selene raised her head. When she saw Inez walking down, dressed in the royal blue evening gown, her eyes couldn¡¯t help but widen in surprise.


    "You look beautiful," Selene breathed as Inez stepped down thest stair.


    Inez looked down. She knew that Selene was speaking the truth; the sincerity in her eyes was blinding, but even when thepliment was so raw and honest, Inez couldn¡¯t ept it freely. It wasn¡¯t her fault. Spend a good three years with a pack that treats you like trash, and you will start having doubts about your own worth.


    "Thanks," said Inez as she nced at Selene and heaved a sigh of relief. "I am d that you decided against wearing those old gowns."


    Selene smiled. A hint of amusement tinged her eyes as she remarked, "I believe those dresses will do a much better job as rags rather than as my clothes."


    Her words brought the reassurance that Inez had been looking forward to for thest few weeks. She lowered her head and grinned at Selene before saying to her, "You are right about that." A pause and then, "But why are you here?"


    They were supposed to meet at the building where the party was being held. Why did Selenee looking for her?


    "Isn¡¯t it because my brother is being a busy bastard?" Selene rolled her eyes as she waved the small box that she was holding. "Kill asked me to buy a ne set for you. He said that he has no idea about fashion and asked me to help him choose one. He was going to give it to you before the party, but then he got too busy with the arrangements and forgot all about it. I could only bring it here with me, or else it will be a waste."


    "What¡¯s the point of handing it to you after the party is over?" She added with an eye roll.


    Inez took the box that the woman was holding out. She opened it and saw a blue diamond ne with a pair of earrings. It looked really pretty.


    "Go on," said Selene.


    Inez wore the ne around her neck. "How does it look?"


    "It does add a subtle charm to the entire look," Selene remarked, her lips creasing upwards, looking quite satisfied with her choice. She then nced at the clock on the wall before saying to Inez, "We should go now; if we dy any longer, Morrh wille after us with a dagger in her hands. She can be quite dramatic when she wants to."


    Inez chuckled. Running a hand down her dress, she said, "You are right." That woman did have a ir for dramatics.


    The two of them walked out of the lodge, and Inez was quite surprised to see Laxus standing outside. The man bowed his head slightly when he saw Inez looking at him before moving to stand behind Selene.


    In the past, Inez believed that his absolute devotion toward Selene was due to his feelings for her, but after finding out what his brother had done to Selene, Inez understood that his devotion came out of guilt more than just his feelings. If he had some towards Selene.


    The three of them arrived at the building, which wasn¡¯t far from their lodges, but at the same time not as close as they would have liked. Especially Inez. By the time they were ten steps away from the ballroom, she was panting under the weight of the gown that she was wearing, plus the high heels that she was wearing were digging into her feet. If not for the fact that she was surrounded by all kinds of shifters, she would have thrown the heels aside and then turned right back around.


    Morrh could enjoy her party on her own. Inez realised that the pain was just not worth it, especially not for someone like Morrh.


    "It seems like you are not happy," remarked Selene with a teasing look in her eyes.


    "Of course, I am not," panted Inez as she pushed past the many shifters who were walking in front of her. "This will be my first andst party, I am telling you." The weather was hot, and the heavy dress was now sticking to her back; all Inez wanted was the relief of the air conditioner.


    All the time, she hadined about winter and the way her fingers froze? She wanted to take it all back.


    Selene chuckled beside her. She said to her, "You areining already? The evening has not even started yet."


    Inez was not a whiner, but at that moment, she wanted to whine. Hard.


    As she made her way to the ballroom, her feet danced around the cobblestone path in her fee,t but as she was about to reach the main entrance, Inez bumped into someone.


    "Sorry¡ª"


    "Miss L?"

 Chapter 218: Running Into Dominic (2)

    <h4>Chapter 218: Running Into Dominic (2)</h4>


    Inez stiffened as she raised her head and looked at the man in front of her. The all-too-familiar scent washed over her, and it took all her control not to lunge at the man and sh his throat from his neck. Yeah, that was how badly a siren took rejection. Her eyes met those of Dominic, who stared down at her.


    "Are you okay?" Dominic reached out to hold her.


    His reaction towards her was instinctive, as the fragments of their bonds still lingered between the two of them. Inez sighed and stepped backwards. They had no future together anymore; there was no reason for her to entertain those broken fragments.


    Dominic¡¯s eyes darkened when the woman stepped away from him. He couldn¡¯t understand the irrational desire to lock the woman up. She was not his mate; she was Killian¡¯s woman, and even if she shared many simrities with Inez, it didn¡¯t make her Inez. Even her scent was all wrong, and yet he couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to her.


    "Dom?" Eve, who was clutching Dominic¡¯s arm, peered at the woman standing behind them and back up. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the familiar possessiveness in Dominic¡¯s eyes, the same one that she had seen when the man had looked at Inez. Even when he was with her, he was looking at her as a substitute for Inez.


    She would never forget the fact that he called her Inez when he fucked her after getting drugged, even when he was out of his mind¡ªthat woman never left his fucking mind.


    Jealousy burned heavily in her heart. Why? Why was he looking at another woman with the same possessive gaze as Inez when he had never looked at her like that?


    She recalled how her father nearly had to go on his knees to get her out of prison. It was only when her father used his authority as the former beta of the pack that Dominic allowed her to step out of the prison cell, but in exchange, her family lost all the privileges that she had as the daughter of the beta.


    The humiliation was still fresh in her mind.


    Eve turned and red at Inez, who arched a brow. She stared at Eve¡¯s expression, which was filled with ferocity. She wondered if this was how she had looked at Dominic and Eve when they were together. But then she shook that thought out of her head; that was impossible. Even if she was Dominic¡¯s mate, she had her own identity other than just being a woman obsessed with Dominic.


    She would never show an expression as hideous as that.


    "I am alright. Please step aside now, Alpha Cherith," said Inez as she tried to morph her voice into one that Dominic couldn¡¯t recognise. She was still learning the skills of sirens, and without a teacher, she was not getting any better, but small advances were still better than nothing.


    Dominic parted his lips, but Inez had no desire to listen to him. She walked past him, her head held high as she could with her siren demanding that they pull his sternum out and shove it down his throat.


    If the man knew what kind of deadly thoughts were surging in her head, Inez was sure that he would have never looked at her with that stupid, adoring gaze of his.


    <i>It¡¯ste... </i>


    Her siren hissed within her head, and Inez ignored her. Her siren could speak, and she was a really big presence within her body, but she often stayed quiet without saying a word. The only reason she chose to break that silence was because she was worried that Inez would forget the pain that Dominic had given them.


    As if she could even forget the pain. The humiliation that she had received was enough to make her burn for centuries.


    "Are you okay?" Selene¡¯s voice snapped Inez out of her thoughts. She lowered her head and looked at the woman who was staring at her with a frown on her face. Seeing the concern in Selene¡¯s eyes made Inez smile. She said with a nod, "I am alright. Don¡¯t worry." There was no way she was going to let Dominic bring her down again.


    Dominic watched the woman leave. He could still not understand why his heart was feeling stifled. The familiar ache of losing his mate intensified every time he was close to L, but the woman was not Inez. There was nothing about her that was like Inez; even her scent was different. Shifters could never change their scents. Their scent was like their identity. They could mask it but never change it.


    There was nothing ¡ª absolutely nothing ¡ª that could make him confuse the woman with Inez.


    And yet he couldn¡¯t shake off the pain that was doubling even further.


    "Dominic!"


    Dominic snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at the woman beside him. His wolf, who was pacing inside of him, growled. He didn¡¯t want Eve anywhere close to him, and yet Dominic had brought her along with him because the elders of his pack told him to keep up appearances.


    Eve was still the genius designer and the one woman who had brought fame and glory to their pack; it would raise questions if they abandoned her without any answer to other packs, and the truth would shatter their pride.


    Dominic understood their reasoning. His wolf, on the other hand, did not.


    He pulled his hand away from the woman beside him. He nced at her and said to her, "Don¡¯t step out of the line, Evelyn."


    Instantly, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the man. She said to him, "You liked it better when I used to step out of the line, Dom. When did it change?"


    Yeah, when did it change? He liked Evelyn. Enough to keep her around, she was a much better she-wolf who would wait and follow him around, unlike Inez, who would stand eye to eye with him. And yet, the giddiness that he felt was gone.


    <i>Fool. </i>growled his wolf like he knew something that Dominic didn¡¯t.

 Chapter 219: Set for War

    <h4>Chapter 219: Set for War</h4>


    My fever advanced even further. I went to get a drip today, so please bear with me... I am really sorry if the Chapter is not as exciting as you all hoped.


    **


    <i>I told you. You will regret it, </i>his wolf chimed in his head, causing Dominic to purse his lips in silence. He didn¡¯t need his wolf to remind him of something that he could feel in his bones. Ignoring the sobbing woman beside him, he marched inside the ballroom. He needed something, anything, to distract him.


    "Dom? Dom!" Eve called out when she saw Dominic walking away without paying any attention to her. However, the man never turned around, nor did he pay any attention to her. Seeing this, Eve bit her lower lip. Her eyes shed with hatred and anger. She couldn¡¯t understand why Dominic just wouldn¡¯t look at her. What was shecking whenpared to Inez?


    <i>I cannot waste any more time. The elders asked me to win Dominic¡¯s heart ¡ª they told me that this is myst chance,</i> thought Eve while suppressing the hatred that was surging in her heart. The elders of the pack didn¡¯t wish for Inez to be the luna of the pack, as she was not a pureblood shifter.


    Eve raised her foot, but before she could take a step, she heard the sound of someone chuckling behind her. Startled, she turned to look behind. She thought that someone was making fun of her, but when she turned her head, Eve didn¡¯t see anyone standing behind her. In fact, she was quite alone.


    A chill climbed up her spine, and she yelped, "Dom! Wait for me." Goodness gracious, don¡¯t tell her there were ghosts in this pack; that would be terrible.


    As Eve hurried inside, the smoky tendril that was reaching her shin was pulled back, and a secondter, it disappeared in the darkness of the night without anyone noticing anything.


    This incident, however, had little impact on the party that was going on inside the ballroom and even if someone had noticed the smoky tendrils, maybe they would have ignored it, especially with Inez gliding down the floor. The gown that she was wearing was beautiful to begin with, but now that it was under the shimmering lights, it was showing its full potential. As she walked past the many decorative mirrors, Inez noticed the many jewels glittering under the dim lighting, making the gown look even more mysteriously pretty than it usually did.


    The reason Inez had chosen this gown was that Tracy had spoken to her. She never had any intention to suppress all other women in the ballroom. She stared at her reflection and muttered, "I messed up."


    "No, you didn¡¯t," said Selene from the sidelines. With Laxus pushing her, she nced around the room, her eyes shimmering with a hint of pride when the other female shifters stared at her with confusion in their eyes. It was quite certain that they were prepared to mock her, but couldn¡¯t because they couldn¡¯t find any w with her this time around.


    Inez nced at the women who were staring at her. They looked quite upset that she had snatched the attention that was meant for them. "I don¡¯t think they agree with you."


    "That¨C"


    Selene began, but before she could speak, a woman walked over. She smiled at Selene and said to her, "Selene! It¡¯s a pleasure to see you after such a long time. I was wondering whether you wille tonight or not. I mean, it has been months since the two of us met."


    Inez nced at Selene, who was smiling in a rxed manner. She knew that whoever this woman was, even if she was not Selene¡¯s friend, she was harmless. Realising that Selene would be fine, Inez turned on her feet and walked over to the small table that had a few starters ced on top of it.


    She picked up a small cracker with a piece of bacon and ranch on top of it and was about to take a bite when a man walked over to where she was standing. "Hi there, beautiful?"


    The second the man finished speaking, Inez, who had taken a bite of the snack, choked.


    "Oh my, I am sorry," the man with golden eyes gasped as he reached out to pat her on the back. However, the second he reached out to touch her, a hand shot out and caught his wrist.


    "Anything I can help you with, Cody?" Killian asked as he let go of Cody. Even though he was smiling, Inez could see that there was something really off about the way Killian was smiling at the man. Like he was silently promising him that he was going to tear off the hand of the man if he tried to step further than he should have.


    Cody rubbed his wrist. He looked at Killian warily.


    "It¡¯s nothing; I just wanted to¡ª"


    He was still speaking when Killian reached out and curled his arm around Inez¡¯s waist possessively. Cody followed his actions and turned pale; he took one look at Inez and her beautiful face with a longing look in his eyes; however, before he could say anything, Killian growled warningly and that sent the man packing.


    Once the man was gone, Inez turned and looked at Killian with an impatient look on her face. "What? I don¡¯t like it when someone looks at you like they want what¡¯s mine."


    Inez should have snapped at him and told him that she was not his or anyone¡¯s possession. The thought of a man putting any sort of im on her should have made her cringe, but something about Killian made her all pliant against him. It must be her ho phase. It had to be. There was no way she was getting used to the man throwing his possessiveness around.


    "It seems like you have been busy today?" Inez asked as she picked up the ss of wine from the tray of the server who was walking past them.


    "Did you miss me¡ª"


    "Alpha Sokolov."

 Chapter 220: Set For War (2)

    <h4>Chapter 220: Set For War (2)</h4>


    Killian growled. He knew that when greeting an alpha, he was supposed to smile and suppress his alpha vibes but not with Dominic. Never with him. Because unlike the others, Dominic had never suppressed his desires when it came to Inez. Maybe it had something to do with the remnants of the mating bond, but the man looked at Inez as if she were the answer to all of his sufferings.


    Like she was the one straw that could save him from drowning.


    Inez nced at Dominic, whose gaze was fixated on her, and she sucked in a breath. That gaze ¨C she was all too familiar with it. It was filled with possessiveness and intense desires, a look that promised her that he was going to get her. It should have done something to her. Maybe knocked her down a little, but it didn¡¯t.


    Instead, she felt irritated and annoyed.


    "Eyes up here, Alpha Cherith," said Killian. The man was smiling, but his eyes were shing beast; his lycan was suppressing against his surface. Rumbles escaped his lips as he stared at the man who was eyeing his Inez. "You are talking to me and not her."


    Killian¡¯s words were enough to make tension fizzle in the space. Inez sucked in a breath as she noticed the two men ring at one another. Even though they didn¡¯t make a move to lunge at each other¡¯s throats, Inez knew that they were imagining it. It was quite clear from the gaze with which they were looking at one another.


    She swallowed and ced her hand on Killian¡¯s back. She had noticed how female lycans calmed down their mates, and even though Killian was not her mate, he had marked her even if temporarily. It should mean something, right? She rubbed his back and at the same time dragged her nails down lightly¡ªlike she was scratching a pup on the back. Calmly.


    Though Killian was still staring at Dominic as if he wished to rip him a new one, the rumbles within his chest stopped. He was eyeing Dominic as if he were worried that the man would try to make a move on Inez when he was not paying attention. And who was Inez to kid? That hardening gaze was enough proof that Dominic would certainly try it.


    He didn¡¯t know that she was who he was searching for, but his bond was messing with his mind.


    As for why he wouldn¡¯t let go of the remnants, Inez couldn¡¯t understand. He was quite d to break the bond, wasn¡¯t he? Then why did he have to hang onto the remnants? This confused Inez.


    "I just wanted to talk with you, Alpha Sokolov," Dominic smiled and said to Killian. Inez didn¡¯t know whether the man had decided that it was nothing but idiocy if he were to challenge Killian, who was the top predator. But the man stopped staring at her. Instead, he turned to look at Killian and spoke, "Did you find traces of the witches? I heard that you have been looking for them."


    "Aren¡¯t we all?" Killian¡¯s voice was still strained with tension, but he still fell back. The two packs were the top packs of the city; they couldn¡¯t go to war because of a woman, for if they did, then the council would certainly kill Inez. They wouldn¡¯t want the peace they have worked so hard for to be ruined just because of a woman.


    Inez knew this, and she was quite touched that Killian was trying his best to keep his temper in control for her safety.


    "You mean to say that you didn¡¯t find any traces of them?" Dominic asked. His expression hardened.


    "No. why? Did they piss you off too?" Killian asked as he cocked his head.


    "You can say that," Dominic agreed, but he didn¡¯t go into the details. His eyes nced at Inez one more time before he nodded stiffly and turned to walk away. The second he walked away, Killian tightened his hold on her waist and said to her, "Stay next to me tonight. I don¡¯t think that Dominic came here just to attend the party. Alright?"


    Inez nodded. She had seen to what level Dominic could stoop to if he wanted something.


    She didn¡¯t want a repetition of it to happen.


    "Don¡¯t worry; I will be on my guard," said Inez. "But I cannot stay with you; I need to be with Selene tonight, remember?"


    "She has Laxus¡ª"


    "Laxus cannot step in matters that require female assistance," stated Inez in a clipped tone. She shot him an annoyed look and stated in a cold voice, "You cannot expect Laxus to wear a dress and quibble with a bunch of women if they shoot Selene harsh remarks, can you?"


    For two seconds, Killian did entertain the thought, but when Inez gave him a look, he sighed and pulled his hand away. He said, "However, stay with Selene all the time. If anything goes wrong, you know you need to use the pack bond." he tapped her on the forehead and said to her, "Don¡¯t block it when you need it the most."


    "Got it." Inez nodded. She turned on her feet and walked away without looking back at the one gaze that was locked on her back. She knew who it was even without looking back, but it was toote for them to exchange these gazes any longer.


    Killian watched her leave before turning to look at Dominic, who was looking at Inez. His eyes darkened upon noticing the look in Dominic¡¯s eyes.


    "Kill." Nyx walked over just as Inez left. She was dressed in a pale blue gown and looked really pretty with her ck hair tied up in a bun. She looked at Killian with a simpering smile and said to him, "Alpha ck is looking for you. He says that he wants to discuss the alliance."


    "What alliance?" Killian asked as he snapped his gaze away from Dominic.


    "Oh you know the ¡ª"


    BANG!

 Chapter 221: Let Nature Guide You

    <h4>Chapter 221: Let Nature Guide You</h4>


    Killian raised his head and looked at the man who had knocked a ss of wine on the floor. His eyes swept up to the face of the man, and he hummed. "I wonder how good of an alpha he is if he cannot even take care of just a ss of wine."


    His remark turned Nyx¡¯s face red. She nced up at him, and he nced down at her. A secondter, she said to him, "I never thought that you judged a person¡¯s capabilities with their ability to hold a ss of wine."


    "Of course I don¡¯t," Killian stated with a hint of amused thoughtfulness. "I judge them by their courage to speak to me instead of hiding behind an overenthusiastic woman who thinks that she can change my mind."


    "You misunderstood my intentions, Kill," Nyx blinked her eyes with an innocent expression. She tilted her head to one side. "Alpha ck simply brought up the topic of alliance, and I told him that I will mention it to you. There was no such thing as me being enthusiastic."


    "Is that so?" remarked Killian with a hint of amusement in his tone as he picked up the ss of vodka from the tray, which the server was carrying as he walked past him.


    "It is indeed so," Nyx said. Her gaze then drifted to where Dominic was standing, and her lips curled up with a hint of disregard. "And talking about being overenthusiastic, I never thought that I would see you causing trouble for the pack. You know, I thought you knew better than to cause a rift between our pack and the Venus pack. They have an alliance with us, don¡¯t they?"


    While sparks flew in the ballroom behind her, Inez was looking for Selene. However, as she returned to the spot where she had left Selene behind, she realised that the woman was no longer there, and even Laxus couldn¡¯t be found. For a second, she wondered if the two of them were engaged in a kind of hanky-panky, but Inez forced that thought out of her head.


    She knew Selene was not that kind of person. She would never elope from a party to get the deed done.


    With her brows furrowing even harder, Inez made her way through the throng of people and headed past the women who were talking with Selene when Inez left her alone. The blonde was now engaged in a heated conversation about thetest heels from the S&M brand. Though Inez didn¡¯t understand the context of their conversation, she could see that it was quite important to the blonde. No wonder Selene was not with her.


    She paused and turned to look around the ballroom, her brows creasing when she realised that she couldn¡¯t find Selene. This made her worried because where had Selene gone? A woman in a wheelchair could not just disappear in thin air.


    "Is she outside?" Inez mused to herself as she walked toward the entrance from where she hade earlier, wondering if Selene had stepped out of the ballroom because she felt stifled. Inez wouldn¡¯t me her if she had.


    However, as she stepped past the doors, the hem of her dress swept across the marble floor.


    Inez paused at thest stair and turned to look around the dark surroundings, but she didn¡¯t see Selene.


    However, she noticed Laxus. He was looking around the thick trees that eventually led to the forest that surrounded the territory, looking quite worried. Seeing him like this, Inez felt her heart skip a few beats. She hurried down to where the man was standing and questioned him, "What happened? Why are you here, and where is Selene?"


    When Laxus turned around and saw her, his face was filled with relief. "I don¡¯t know. She asked me to go and get something to drink, but when I returned, she was gone. Gosh, I shouldn¡¯t have done that. I should have stayed with her, especially when I know how others treat her."


    He scrubbed his hands down his face with a hint of annoyance.


    Inez sensed that there was more to what he was not telling her, but she knew that it was not the time for her to talk about what happened. They needed to look for Selene first. She frowned and asked, "Did you check her lodge?"


    "That¡¯s the first ce I went when I realised that she was missing, but she is not there."


    That meant she was hiding. <i>Moon Goddess, those people who were behind this had better escape before she could find Selene</i>, thought Inez.


    "I will go and look for her," said Inez. "You know her better than me, so you should know where she will go when she is upset. So look for her there."


    "Alright."


    The two of them separated, and before Inez headed down the southern side of the territory, she had no idea where she was going but sirens had these habitual instincts that were better than the shifters. They would let nature guide them, and with the ocean near them, these senses were better and much stronger.


    She closed her eyes and opened her senses, allowing the aether to stretch far and wide and started walking as if she had turned blind for a few seconds.


    Inez allowed nature to lead and surrendered herself to them, something that the book had told her. With only one thought in her mind, that was to find Selene.


    <i>But she is not our prey; </i>her siren side spoke to her within her head.


    Of course she wasn¡¯t but as long as it worked, who cared about it?


    Inez continued walking past the rocky trail, ignoring the way the hem of her dress got caught in the thorny bushes. She was about to turn left when suddenly her feet came to a stop and Inez opened her eyes. She raised her head and turned to look to the right. And that was ¡ª

 Chapter 222: The Worst They Can Do?

    <h4>Chapter 222: The Worst They Can Do?</h4>


    And there she was. The aether that had been twirling and swivelling around her rippled and faded in golden glitter as Inez opened her eyes. Unlike the other sirens, she didn¡¯t have better control over her magical abilities yet. The second she lost control, it would disappear, but at least it got the work done.


    "What are you doing here?" Inez questioned, taking Selene by surprise. The woman was sitting by the small pond that was hidden deep in the forest. "Don¡¯t tell me you came this far to see the stars?"


    She noticed that Selene¡¯s hands were tightly clenched in herp. From her tense shoulders to the hard gritting of her teeth, Inez could see that something had happened when she and Laxus left her. Something that stepped on Selene¡¯s pride, and yet the woman couldn¡¯t counter because of her pitiful condition.


    Inez sat down on the floor and started speaking, "You know, when I was a kid, my mother never took me to any parties. I even missed that big quincea?era¡ªshe told me that I didn¡¯t deserve it for being a monster."


    "Monster?" Selene turned to look down at Inez, who nodded with a smile on her face.


    "Yes", Inez looked at the sparkling stars in the sky and sighed. "Usually, shifters only take the properties of one of their parents, but I was an exception. Somehow, I inherited the abilities of both of my parents. I was a shifter and you know..." she trailed off. "My mom couldn¡¯t ept it; she couldn¡¯t believe that she gave birth to a freak. She wanted normal, or as normal as she could get, when she didn¡¯t ¡ª she lost her control."


    Though people told her that memories would fade, and so would the scars, Inez didn¡¯t quite believe it. How could the scars of the past fade when she still remembered the berating words that her mother said to her?


    "But that¡¯s wrong!" Selene snapped with a frown on her face. "It was not your fault that such a thing happened. You couldn¡¯t choose what you are¡ªif anything, it¡¯s your mother¡¯s fault for getting entangled with someone she had no idea about." There was very little known about sirens. Thus, it wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault but Mrs Sinir¡¯s for getting involved with someone she knew nothing about.


    "You are right," Inez agreed with her. She pulled her knees close to her chest and ced her hands on top of her knees. "Just like none of this is your fault. It¡¯s not your fault that you were poisoned, nor is it your fault that you are in a wheelchair. You shouldn¡¯t let others guide your life, you know?"


    Selene stiffened. In her understanding, she knew that Killian would have told Inez all about what happened between her, Laxus and his brother. She knew that he would tell Inez about it, and she wasn¡¯t against it, nor was she unhappy about it. It wasn¡¯t a secret to begin with.


    She sighed and turned to look away before saying to Inez, "I know. It just feels weird. There was a time when I was held in reverence. Just like how Killian is at the moment. Everyone thought that I would be the first female alpha of my pack and that Killian would follow me as my beta. But then all of a sudden..." She dropped her gaze to her legs, which were as useful as a cotton ball in a zing forest fire. "I know it¡¯s not anyone¡¯s fault, but it¡¯s still a bit of a change for me to ept the sudden mockery and taunts from others."


    "One day you will get better and then you can kick them all in their arse for causing you so much pain. It won¡¯t happen tonight or tomorrow, but someday it will." Inez assured the woman and at the same time realised the burden that she was carrying on her shoulders. A burden that she wasn¡¯t close to solving. "What you can do is prove to these bastards that you are still the same Selene Sokolov. Even if you are no longer the huntress who could kill several coyotes and foxes with one quick move, you are still the same person. The same courage still resides in your heart. If you run, then they will forget the glory that they had once spoken about with great relish."


    Selene¡¯s eyes studied her carefully before she shook her head. She said, "I don¡¯t know about that, Inez. The fact that I sumbed to the lies of a man is enough to prove that I was a fool like every other woman."


    "You were not a fool. You were alive. Only the dead will remain unmoved in the face of promises and affection. And it¡¯s not like you believed the words that he said to you," said Inez. She paused and then added, "Why don¡¯t you try to learn something from your brother?"


    "Kill?"


    "Yes. Killian." Inez recalled how the man had stood in front of her and growled at Dominic. "He is not afraid of the consequences and does whatever he wants that makes him happy. He would rather get what he wants than worry about what will happen to him or what others might do to him. You should live your life like that, and if you cannot take your brother as your prime example, then you can take me."


    "People call me names out there, and yet I live my life like I want to; even if I cannot fight them, at least I am living my life without worrying about their name-calling. What¡¯s the worst they could do?" She curled her lips and looked up at Selene. "Call you something worse? Will you lose your flesh if they do that?"


    When Selene didn¡¯t say anything, Inez said to her, "And you should be d that the trash is taking itself out. The more they act up, the more you realise what kind of person you want to be involved with, Selene."


    **


    Please vote for the book with golden tickets orments my fairies if you like the book~

 Chapter 223: Not Your Pawn

    <h4>Chapter 223: Not Your Pawn</h4>


    "I think you are right," said Selene.


    "Of course, I am." Inez smiled at the woman, who reached out and hugged her around the waist. Sensing that the woman needed it, Inez hugged her back. "You will be fine; you know that, right? There is no way those people can bring the great Selene Sokolov down."


    Selene pulled her away and beamed up at Inez. "I know."


    Inez noticed that Selene¡¯s wheelchair was stuck in the mud as she pulled away from her. She helped her a little by pushing her wheelchair out of the sloppy, wet mud and then crouched down to wipe the stains that were clinging to the hem of Selene¡¯s dress.


    Though Selene didn¡¯t say anything, for the first time, she realised what it meant to have friends.


    When she wasn¡¯t poisoned, many stood next to her and called themselves her friends, but only now did she realise that they were not her friends and nor were the ones who came to look for her after her poisoning, only to mock and show her false sympathy. Friends were like Inez, who would look her in the eyes and tell her that everything was alright even when it wasn¡¯t.


    Inez didn¡¯t notice the changes in Selene¡¯s expression. She straightened up and then pushed Selene to the ballroom. When the two of them returned, a submissive lycan, who had been waiting for Selene and Inez, came hurrying over. She heaved a sigh of relief and then turned to look behind her.


    Soon, Laxus came striding into their view. His eyes shed beast as he took in Selene¡¯s appearance. Only when he was sure that everything was fine did he calm down, and the rumbling in his chest eased.


    Inez waited for the man to calm down before asking, "What¡¯s the matter?"


    "Edira and Morrh are about to cut the cake," replied Laxus as he looked away from Selene and nced at Inez with a hint of annoyance on his face. "They are asking for her." A pause. "Nyx suggested it."


    Inez exchanged a look with Selene, whose face was set. Even though she didn¡¯t say anything, anyone with eyes could see how little Selene thought of the suggestion that Nyx had given to her grandmother or Morrh. Given how much Morrh loved to pretend that she was BFF with Edira, the two of them knew that it was probably the two of them.


    "You will be fine," Inez told Selene as the two of them stepped back inside the ballroom.


    "I will be; what¡¯s the worst that could happen?" Selene fired back as she allowed Laxus to push her to the centre of the ballroom, where Morrh stood with a beaming smile on her face like she was the life of the party and next to her stood Edira, who seemed close to a breakdown.


    Inez watched Selene leave and turned to walk around the ballroom. She didn¡¯t step forward and went to stand by Killian¡¯s side because that would be equivalent to telling everyone that she was going to be the next Luna of this pack. Something Inez was not even prepared for.


    Was she even willing to be the Luna? There was a time when she wished to be, but not anymore.


    As she walked past the crowd of shifters, Inez listened to their conversation.


    "Did you hear? There was a sighting of witches near the ocean."


    Upon hearing those words, Inez stopped right away. She nced at the three women who were discussing the witches and their confusing activities.


    "What do you mean they were found near the ocean? Do you even know what they were trying to do there?"


    "I don¡¯t know," replied the woman in a whisper. Her voice sounded conspiratorial as she looked around and lowered her voice, "I heard from my mate that those witches were looking for a siren."


    "A siren? They are trying to capture a siren?"


    "Not just any siren¡ªthey¡ª"


    The woman was about to speak when she squealed and turned to look at her friend, who had just arrived. Then the women forgot all about the witches and the siren and started discussing cakes and pastries. Of course, Inez didn¡¯t me them. If there were a chocte cake and a witch in the same room with her, she would, of course, prioritise the chocte cake.


    Speaking of cake, there should be some at the food table. Inez turned on her feet and then headed toward the sugary delight that was calling her name. Her eyes found Killian, who was now standing next to Selene, who was talking about something with Edira, who shook her head in response.


    As if sensing that she was looking at him, Killian raised his head and winked at her.


    He motioned for her toe and stand next to him, but Inez shook her head. Something mped down on her heart at the very thought of standing next to him and taking a responsibility that once belonged to her but was ripped out of her hands. Quite ruthlessly at that.


    She noticed the light in Killian¡¯s eyes vanishing when she refused to stand next to him, but Inez ignored the guilt in her heart. She was not ready to be the luna of this pack. Not yet, at least.


    "I really cannot withstand her anymore," whispered a woman who stood behind Inez. "Someone like her ¨C why is she even here?"


    For a moment, Inez stopped thinking that the woman was talking about her. But as she turned to look behind her, she realised that the woman wasn¡¯t even looking at her. She exhaled, a bit annoyed that she was being too paranoid. However, as she turned to walk away, she heard the woman say, "All she talks about is how pure her bloodline is and her father. So what if she is the dragon princess? In the end, aren¡¯t they almost extinct due to their bloodline?"


    "That fool; she doesn¡¯t even understand something so simple," chuckled another woman. She then nced over her shoulder and tittered, "Maybe there is some w in their bloodline; if not, how could someone be this foolish?"

 Chapter 224: Not Your Pawn (2)

    <h4>Chapter 224: Not Your Pawn (2)</h4>


    Inez frowned. She didn¡¯t have to be a genius to know who this dragon shifter was and about whom these two women were talking.


    "That¡¯s the only thing that she has to talk about," chuckled the first woman who had been badmouthing Jules. "If you take away her title as the princess of the dragons, then you will be taking away more than just half of her personality."


    "I cannot agree more," said the other woman with a soft chortle. She was about to say something more, but then the sound of footsteps echoed behind them. Inez also raised her head and looked in the direction of the sound.


    Jules returned with a beaming smile on her lips. Behind her was a submissive lycan who was holding a tray with four to five sses of red wine and just one ss of fruit wine. She said to the two women, "I got the liquor that you asked me to bring."


    "Thank you, Jules," said the woman who had been mocking Jules for being a fool earlier. She took the wine ss from the tray, and instead of picking up the red wine that she had especially requested, she picked up the only fruit wine ss that was sitting at the back of the many sses.


    "That¡¯s¡ª" <i>for me, </i>Jules wanted to tell the woman, but before she could say another word, the woman smiled at Jules and patted her on the arm. She said to her, "I am sorry, was it for you? I hope you will not mind, Jules. I do prefer fruit wine over red wine."


    "It¡¯s alright," said Jules, even though her nose was scrunched up slightly. Even though she didn¡¯t show it on her face, Inez could feel that she was disappointed, and why wouldn¡¯t she be? Shifters were all about strength, pride and booze. Even Inez was surprised that the woman had somehow managed to find fruit wine among the pile of strong liquor. She turned to look behind her and walked over to the submissive lycans who were walking around the ballroom carrying trays of liquor.


    "Hi, can you bring me some fruit punch or something?" Inez requested the submissive lycan who jumped in the air.


    The man turned left and right before turning to look at Inez before saying to her, "Are you speaking to me?"


    "Ah, yes?" Inez blinked her eyes and nced around them. "I don¡¯t see anyone here other than you."


    Only then did the man nod. He turned around on his feet and scampered to the end of the room before bringing back two sses of cherry soda. He said to her, "This is the only thing that I could find. All the non-alcoholic drinks have been taken away by the children."


    "Thank you." Inez smiled at the man, only for him to shudder as if she had said a cursed word. She knew that it was because the submissive lycans were not used to being treated with respect. They were at the bottom of the pyramid, and everyone treated them like shit.


    The poor bloke might not even remember when was thest time he was thanked before Inez.


    Of course, Inez knew that she couldn¡¯t do anything for him other than be polite to him. More than the others.


    She carried the two sses of cherry soda to where Jules was standing. She was still there. Standing next to the women who were now surrounded by other women who kept talking about this and that, and every time Jules tried to put in a word, she would be ignored.


    Inez sighed. She was used to this, and she knew that it hurt like a bitch.


    Making her way to where the woman was standing, she greeted her with a smile, "Hello, Jules. I didn¡¯t expect to see you here." As she spoke, she handed the other ss of cherry soda to the woman. "I see you are not drinking liquor; cannot hold it?"


    "Oh, it¡¯s nothing like that," Jules replied as she took the ss with an immense relief on her face. "I just don¡¯t like drinking. I get drunk quite soon¡ªand you know fire and alcohol never go hand in hand."


    Inez chuckled in response. She had to admit that even if Jules was a bit childish and arrogant, she could be quite funny at times.


    Jules smiled back. For once, her smile was honest and not forced. She then tilted her head to one side and said to Inez, "You look pretty, L. I was hoping that I would run into you ever since my brother-inw brought me here, but I didn¡¯t see you." She paused before adding, "But given how good you look, I understand that it must have taken quite some time to set everything in ce."


    Inez simply smiled at the remark. She said to Jules, "You look quite dashing as well."


    "Of course, my sister took me to the parlour at eleven today. She wanted me to look my best, and I had to go through a bunch of troublesome therapy before it started to get together." Jules raised her head in the air with a haughty look in her eyes. She turned to look at the group behind her before turning to look at Inez. She said to her, "Should we go and take a look around the dance floor? I was wondering if we could dance¡ª"


    "And who might you be?"


    One of the women turned and looked at Inez with a hint of a frown on her face. "I think I saw you with Alpha Sokolov just now." Inez could see that the woman was thinking about whether to approach her and establish a good connection with her, which could be used to form an alliance with Killian.


    Inez wasn¡¯t even surprised.


    Shifters were all about alliances, and anyone would jump at the smallest sign of getting what they wanted. The only problem was that Inez had no desire to be a pawn.

 Chapter 225: The Girls Code

    <h4>Chapter 225: The Girls Code</h4>


    Inezughed softly. Her eyes were glinting with a subtle malice as she tilted her head to one side and questioned, "So what if I was?" She then turned to look at Jules before saying to her, "Would you like toe with me? I saw some small desserts that I would like to try." Then, without giving the woman a chance to speak any further, Inez walked away.


    Jules nced at her and then at her so-called friends before turning around on her heels and following Inez. Behind her, she could hear those women calling Inez a lot of names. Names that sounded so rude that even Jules felt her blood boil, even when she was not the one who was getting cursed at.


    "Ignore them," said Inez. As a shifter, her hearing was better than humans. Thus, even though those women were whispering, she could hear them with ease. "Just ignore them," she added with as much dignity as she could muster.


    "You didn¡¯t have to step in between," said Jules as she nced at the women who were still whispering among themselves. "I would have been fine. Anyway, it¡¯s not the first time someone has spoken to me like that. It happens all the time." She paused and smiled ruefully, "I sound like a whiny kid, don¡¯t I?"


    "No, you don¡¯t."


    Jules smiled at Inez.


    "Thank you for helping me out, though. My brother-inw was supposed to take care of me; he promised Fina that he would take care of me, but that man went running the second he smelled the powerful alphas," snorted Jules. "I really cannot understand how that man who resembles the rats on the street could ever be the mate of my cousin. She is so much more than just a licker, and that man is nothing but one."


    Jules, however, soon realised that she had overshared the details and turned to look at Inez with a sheepish smile.


    "It¡¯s alright; there are times when we need to talk to someone," said Inez. She only hoped that someone wouldn¡¯t be her. She really couldn¡¯t do it. She was not good atforting; the least Inez could do was to listen when others were talking, but handing out anything more than sharing her own experience was pushing it.


    Realising that she might have made the situation a bit awkward, Jules said to Inez, "Howe you never called me? I was waiting for your call, but you never did."


    <i>Was that a whine that she was detecting? </i>Thought Inez. She was not sure about why someone like Jules would even want to befriend her or why she was waiting for her call. But she appreciated Jules nheless. It was a bitforting, knowing that someone wanted to be with her as her friend. Of course, if the woman ever found out that she was a siren, there was a very good chance that things might go downhill right that very second.


    "I wanted to call you, but I lost your number." Inez came up with the most random excuse she could as she took a sip of the cherry soda. "The little strip was washed along with my clothes."


    "Oh, that... could always happen," remarked Jules with a frown. "I remember doing it loads of times. Here, hand me your phone; I will punch in my number. That way we can talk even when we are not together."


    Jules finished putting her number in Inez¡¯s phone and then handed it back to her. She then said to Inez, "You have no idea how bored I am while staying here. I asked my father to bring me back home, but he doesn¡¯t listen, which is weird because my dad has never said no to me. He would bring me a roasted ox if I told him that I was feeling peckish. It¡¯s the first time he has told me no."


    She crossed her arms and muttered, "It¡¯s weird. Because it has never happened."


    Inez couldn¡¯t say anything regarding this because she had never felt the love of a parent in the way Jules had. Her mother wanted to keep her as downtrodden as possible. Maybe she thought that as long as she could suppress Inez, the siren side¡ªthe one side that she detested¡ªwould be squashed and killed.


    <i>She is an idiot. No mortal can ever control the sea; they can imagine and dream of it, but they could never do it. Nor can they destroy the creatures of the sea,</i> her siren murmured within her.


    Inez wanted to point out that the shifters had killed a bunch of sirens, mermaids and many other sea creatures, but she realised that it was not the right topic to discuss at the moment. Anyway, back to the topic¡ªshe had never been pampered rotten by her only parent. Thus, she truly couldn¡¯t understand what was weird about the entire situation.


    Did parents really care about their children so much that they would never say ¡¯no¡¯ to them? Because that was all Inez had ever heard from her mother every time she opened her mouth and faced the woman.


    The thought of such a thing happening was what struck Inez as weird, if she was being honest.


    "I know that people like to bitch about me behind my back. I am used to them doing it; after all, how many times have they called me names? They still call me a spoiled princess, which is getting kinda boring. The least they could do was to at least try ande up with a new name," chuckled Jules with a hint of mockery in her tone. She picked up the ss of wine from the tray without knowing what she was doing and gulped it down. "I mean, if they want to bully me, at least put a bit of substance to it."


    Another ss.


    Another wince.


    This time around Inez noticed what was going on and turned to stop the woman, "Hey, thats not soda¡ª"


    "I just cannot understand why no one wants to be friends with me. Am I not hot and dashing enough?"

 Chapter 226: The Girls Code (2)

    <h4>Chapter 226: The Girls Code (2)</h4>


    Inez stared at the woman whose cheeks were getting redder by the minute and looked around. She reached out and held onto Jules¡¯s arm before saying to her, "Let¡¯s get you seated, shall we? I will then try to find your brother-inw." She wondered if she could find Peter in the crowd with people mingling, dancing and grinding against one another. However, she had to unless she wanted Jules to lose control and set the entire ce on fire. Literally.


    Jules allowed Inez to steer her down the ballroom to a silent corner. She was still sobbing as she spoke to Inez in a low voice, "I mean... am I not a good person? Can¡¯t they look at me? Just me? But they don¡¯t all care about me. Not Jules but Jules Drakos. So that¡¯s what I give them, but then they say that I am too arrogant. Isn¡¯t it simply unfair? I am giving you what you want from me."


    "Maybe you need to look for your own people," suggested Inez as she soothingly patted the sobbing woman in her arms. She spoke to her in what she thought was a kind voice and said to the woman, "You are looking forfort in the wrong people. What you need is someone who will understand you, not someone who will drag you down for their own satisfaction just because they are jealous."


    "Jealous?" As Inez deposited Jules on one of the chairs, the woman raised her head and looked at her in confusion. "They are jealous of me? Why would they? Of how epic a failure I am as the only princess and the pure-blooded daughter of the dragon king?"


    Inez nced at the woman in the chair with a frown on her face. She shook her head and then said to her, "No. They are jealous because you are rare and different. These women know that even if you were unhinged, men would still flock to you because you are what you are. They hate you for that because they could never attract the attention of men like you can."


    She was right, of course. As much as Jules would like to pretend that she couldn¡¯t see the men eyeing her like she was a piece of juicy steak, the truth was that everywhere she went, men would look at her. Even now, when Inez was helping her, she could feel the gazes of multiple men staring at them. They didn¡¯t make a move on Jules, nor did theye close to her. Maybe it had something to do with her e any closer and I will rip your fucking dick off¡ªre.


    But they had stared at Jules. Hoping for a chance to mark her if Inez were to leave her alone.


    Something she won¡¯t do with these men waiting for their chance.


    Inez knew what might happen if she were to walk away, which was why she took a seat next to the sobbing Jules.


    She turned her head and saw Nyx dancing with one of the enforcers. When the light moved a little, she realised that it was Ajax. And a little further from them stood Eve, and to Inez¡¯s delight, the woman seemed to be quarrelling with Dominic. Most probably, she wanted to drag the man to the dance floor, but Dominic seemed to be point-nkly refusing.


    Not a surprise there.


    Dominic was not much of a dancer, and he had always avoided the dance floor. Of course, there was a time when the two¡ª


    Inez closed that thought right then and there. She didn¡¯t want to recall the times when she was with Dominic. Or how the two of them had stood against one another. How that man had made here with just his knee and had whispered hotly in her ears about how much he wanted her. Those days were gone and they were noting back, and nor was she going to think about it because it wouldn¡¯t be fair to Killian.


    She didn¡¯t know where things between her and him were going, but she was going to stay true to him till then¡ª


    A zap. A sudden burst of energy, and Inez turned to look around the ballroom. Just now, she was certain that someone had looked at her, and not just a fleeting nce, but a nce that was filled with the intent to kill. It was strong enough to make the siren in her jump.


    If not for Jules sitting next to her, Inez would have gone around scouting the perimeter and found the source of this threat and dealt with it. The fact that there was someone out there looking and waiting to kill her while she sat here and did nothing did not sit fucking right with her.


    However, she couldn¡¯t leave. Not when the men were staring at Jules and her, all of them hoping for the same thing, for her to leave.


    Inez knew that shifters were different from humans. Their primal instincts of power and authority toppled almost everything. If iming Jules was what would give them what they wanted, Inez was certain that these men would stop at nothing. But was she going to stay put and let the danger or risk or maybe worse walk around? No, she wouldn¡¯t.


    Just as she was about to connect someone in the pack link, a man walked over. He looked at Jules and licked his lips before turning to nce at Inez. His stance was proud and brimming with confidence. Most probably, it had something to do with him being an alpha. Jackass.


    "Do you mind if I whisk her away¡ª"


    "I do."


    "What?" the man stared at her as if he couldn¡¯t believe that Inez had rejected him outright.


    Of course he did. As an alpha, he must be used to people bending and folding for him as he wishes them to.


    "I said I do mind you taking my friend when she is drunk and half unconscious," repeated Inez with a hint of exasperation in her tone when Jules raised her hand and punched the air before hooting, "You tell them!"

 Chapter 227: She was His

    <h4>Chapter 227: She was His</h4>


    The man stared at Inez, who in turn was trying her best to suppress the gleeful smile that was threatening to break over her lips. She patted Jules on the back and turned to look at the man before quirking up a brow. She asked, "Is there something else that you would like to say to us? Though I don¡¯t have time to waste, I will humour you."


    "Excuse me?" The man spluttered in surprise, and Inez humoured him by shooting him a look of mock amusement and pity.


    "You are excused; now off you go," she told the man. "The next time you see a drunk woman. You leave her alone; don¡¯t try to shoot your shot just because you think you can mark her."


    The man stared at her, and Inez stared right back. Though she was without a wolf, she still had her siren with her, and she clenched her fingers and willed the powers of the sea within her before putting more force in her voice and repeated, "Go."


    Only then did the man turn around on his feet and walk away. Inez watched him go and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. As she was not aware of how to control her abilities and power as a siren, she used way more aether than was necessary. Because Inez couldn¡¯t control her aether carefully, she got exhausted sooner and more quickly every time she used her siren skills.


    Tearing her gaze away from the man who was walking away, Inez called for Ajax. She didn¡¯t want to have him disturbed when he was clearly having a good time with Nyx; she had no other option either. Though she knew all the enforcers in the pack, she had shared a few words with Ajax alone. Thus, Inez felt it made sense for her to call Ajax, as Laxus was never going to leave Selene¡¯s side.


    Inez was not used to calling anyone through the pack bond, nor had she ever used the pack bond. But she still unblocked the channel and softly, with a rather tentative voice, called, ¡¯<i>Ajax?¡¯</i>


    His response was almost immediate.


    <i>¡¯Inez?¡¯</i>


    <i>¡¯Yeah, it¡¯s me. There is a little thing that I need your help with. Can youe to look for me? I am near the door.¡¯</i>


    There was a short pause, and Inez thought that she might have lost the connection with Ajax, but two secondster, he replied in a dazed sort of voice, <i>¡¯I got it. I aming.¡¯</i>


    Inez heaved a sigh of relief before turning to look at Jules, who was still bbering. At first, she was only talking about something foolish like bubble tea, but then the topic diverted, and she was sobbing about a dog that she found near her home, but couldn¡¯t keep because one of the guards took it away and wouldn¡¯t give it to her.


    "I mean... I am his boss; why won¡¯t he listen to me?" sniffled Juels.


    Inez offered her a tissue before saying to Jules, "Don¡¯t cry. I believe that things will get better very soon."


    "You are really kind for that¡ª"


    The sound of footsteps snapped her attention to the front, and Inez heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Ajax walking over. She didn¡¯t know, but something about his tall, burly profile was rather ¡ª how should she exin it? Warm? Protective? Anyway, he made her feel all warm, fuzzy and safe.


    He looked like a papa bear. What? He did.


    "Is everything alright?" Ajax questioned as he came to a stop in front of her. His eyes darted between her and Jules.


    "I am really sorry for disturbing you, Ajax," said Inez with an apologetic tone. "But as you can see, Jules is really... drunk. Can you take her somewhere safe? I cannot stay with her throughout the night, and she is the only pure-blooded dragon shifter."


    "Ah," understanding dawned on him, and Ajax turned to look around the ballroom. Even though the man didn¡¯t stare at any particr male, Inez noticed that many of the men turned their gazes away; the subtle pressure that kept pressing on her shoulders was gone. Rude. Why didn¡¯t they look away when she was looking at them just now? Was her re not as fierce as Ajax¡¯s? Or was this some men¡¯s thing at work?


    Something she had no idea about.


    "No need to bully that pretty little head of yours, Inez," said Ajax as he reached out to hold Jules. "Your re is more cute than fierce. So you cannot me anyone."


    Inez rolled her eyes. She got to her feet and then looked at the man who was now supporting Jules. With her eyes narrowed, she said to the man, "Don¡¯t try to do anything that I wouldn¡¯t do."


    "Oh puh¡ªlease." Ajax raised his head and snorted. "I like my women to be more mature. There is no way I am going to get into the pants of a woman whose arrogance is like that of a five-year-old."


    "She is not five years old," scowled Inez.


    "I am not saying that she is; I am saying that she is like one," corrected Ajax, and Inez shot out her foot to kick the man. But he simply chortled and walked away with Jules leaning against his body.


    Inez watched him go and scoffed.


    However, Inez didn¡¯t have the time to think things through. With Ajax, she knew that Jules was going to stay safe, but she was not sure about herself. The uneasy feeling, that subtle yet cold prickle, hadn¡¯t disappeared. If anything, Inez could feel it getting even more intense. It was as if someone was looking at her through a hidden corner or something of the sort.


    It made her skin crawl.


    Inez wanted to tell about this to someone, but what was she supposed to say?


    <i>Hi, I don¡¯t know whether this is a bit silly or not, but I have a feeling that someone is watching me. Oh, no? I didn¡¯t see anyone ring at me or anything. I just have a feeling that someone is looking at me. </i>


    Even in her head, these words sounded seriously stupid.

 Chapter 228: She was His (2)

    <h4>Chapter 228: She was His (2)</h4>


    Realising that she couldn¡¯t raise a riot without a proper reason, Inez pursed her lips and walked toward the corner from where she felt the murderous intent flood toward her. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she slowly waded through the crowd of people, her eyes staring at the pir that was partly hidden in the darkness.


    The closer she got to the pir, the more Inez felt like a child who was trying to head down the stairs of the basement, which was always covered in darkness. Every step that she took made her breathing go even more ragged. Her heart started to beat a little more wildly in her chest, and what was that little twitch?


    As she came to a stop in front of the pir, Inez peered behind it ¡ª


    CLANG!


    She jumped and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came. Her eyes quickly found the source, and she was stumped to see Selene in the middle of the room with a violin in her hands. She wondered what was going on and quickly made her way to where Selene and Killian were; Inez didn¡¯t quite believe that Selene was doing whatever she was doing willingly.


    Her eyes quickly darted to the pir behind her, but even as she walked away, the pir looked quite normal. Cold and steady like it always was.


    Was she thinking too much? Maybe she was too paranoid due to the presence of so many shifters in the same room.


    "You really didn¡¯t have to push her like that," Inez heard Edira say when she neared her and Killian. "Why didn¡¯t you stop Morrh when she agreed with the other shifters? No matter what, Sel is not someone whom they can ask for entertainment."


    "Precisely the reason I asked her to go out there and perform," replied Killian. He had his arms crossed and looked at his grandmother, who was still ring at him. "I know that you hate me for this and think that I pushed her under an out-of-control bus."


    "Because that¡¯s what you did!"


    "No, I didn¡¯t." Killian sounded tired. Whatever he went through, the past fifteen minutes had exhausted him, and he was running out of his patience; this was something that Inez could sense with ease. "You have seen what they often do, and not¡ªletting them get away with it just because they had said just a few words doesn¡¯t sit right in my dictionary."


    "They need to understand that Selene, though poisoned and weak, is not incapable of understanding their words. They better shut their mouths because even if Sel is in a wheelchair, she is a thousand times better than them and will always be."


    When Inez walked close to him, she raised her head and looked at him with confusion in her eyes.


    "Hey, beautiful," said Killian. His lips curled in a soft smile as he leaned down and pecked her on her lips.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Inez asked, looking at the sudden change of ns.


    "Nothing," Killian shrugged. He raised his finger and pointed at a pretty blonde who was standing not far from where they were and exined, "Liza suggested that it would be a really nice little piece of entertainment if Sel yed a note. And then the bitch had the fucking audacity to im that Sel might not be able to do it."


    "Now, I had two ways to respond to that im. One shove the fucking violin down her throat or two ask Selene to politely shut the mouth of that woman," remarked Killian with an innocent expression. He turned to Edira before adding, "Edira here thought that I was being really rude for suggesting the shove in the throat option, so we went with the second option."


    Edira huffed before muttering, "If truth be told, it¡¯s rather impractical and not to mention humanly impossible for you to shove something that big in their throat."


    "I never said that I was going to be human," offered Killian.


    <i>Kill him. Rip him apart. He is touching what¡¯s ours.</i>


    This was what his wolf had been harping on and about since the second they walked into the party. Truth be told, Dominic didn¡¯t even wish toe here, not with what was going on in his pack, but Killian had him invited, and he thought it would be rude if he turned the invitation down.


    That was the only reason they hade to this pack, and ever since he walked past Inez, his wolf had lost his shit. He believed that L was his mate. She didn¡¯t smell like Inez, nor did she look anything like her. And yet he had imed that she was his mate. His better half. The other piece of his soul and damn if it hadn¡¯t confused the shit out of him.


    <i>She is! </i>


    Dominic winced under the shrill roar that resounded inside his head. This was the downside of having a wolf that was close to his surface and half feral. He didn¡¯t think things through; if he wanted something, his solution to that problem was to barge in and destroy everything that he set his sights on and then break them into pieces if they became an obstacle to what they wanted.


    <i>She is not. You can see that she looks nothing like Inez, and even her scent is different; even if it were Inez, she could have at most changed her appearance, not her scent. </i>


    <i>It¡¯s her. I know it... You might not want to believe me, but it¡¯s her. I can sense her wolf¡ªmy mate; I can sense her. She is weak due to your selfish rejection, but she is there... hidden and in pain. </i>


    Dominic narrowed his eyes. A part of him wished to believe what his wolf was telling him, but other than suspicion, he had nothing to make the im. What¡¯s more, the mating bond¡ªit had fizzled out. Sure, he was still holding onto the remnants all because of his stubbornness, but it had weakened.


    To the point that he couldn¡¯t even feel it anymore.


    But there was one thing that he knew: Inez was his and no one was going to change that, even if that someone was a big, bad alpha.


    **


    Hey everyone, if you like this story please vote and support it through golden tickets. Thank you very much my fairies ~


    and those who have supported me till now a bear hug to all of you!!!!

 Chapter 229: Out of Syllabus

    <h4>Chapter 229: Out of Sybus</h4>


    Inez was unaware of the thoughts that were currently surging within Dominic. She watched Selene finish ying the piece she had chosen on the violin and do a little fancy bow before turning her wheelchair around. Inez¡¯s eyes followed Selene, who was controlling her wheelchair; the woman paused a little in front of the woman who had pushed her into doing it and said something.


    At least Inez was certain that Selene did say something because a secondter, the face of the woman turned red and she red at Selene. She seemed close to losing her head and attacking Selene, but maybe the time and ce stopped her.


    The woman raised her head and looked at Killian. Fearing retaliation, she shuddered when Killian smiled at her and turned to walk out of the ballroom.


    "What did you say to her?" Inez asked Selene when she came to a stop beside her. She wondered what the usually polite and sweet Selene could have said to make the woman that angry.


    "It¡¯s nothing." Selene¡¯s voice sounded cool. "I just told her about a very good doctor who can help her with her little problem."


    "Her problem?" Inez echoed. She had a feeling that whatever it was. It was not good at all.


    "That¡¯s right. I heard through the grapevine that her little kitty cat smells awful, like something had ridden up there and died. I told her that there was no need to be bitter and upset because of it; we can always discuss this matter with Doctor Harrison. He would help her out quite professionally."


    Mic drop.


    Silence.


    Bada boom.


    Inez was certain that a little explosion had happened behind her. Because ¨C the hell? How in the world did her sweet Selene? The one who wouldn¡¯t even raise her voice said such a thing?


    She turned and red at Killian. This man must be the cause of Selene¡¯s changes.


    Killian arched a brow. He said to her, "Do you think that I taught her these things?"


    "I have never even heard her curse."


    "That¡¯s because she is trying to earn some brownie points in front of you. If not, she would have taught you some real nice curse words that would make others choke on a metaphorical dick."


    Inez blew out a breath. "You are pleased."


    "Pleased? I am fucking thrilled. At least my sister is using her cunning mind for something. I was worried that she would be a doormat with how she was acting; fortunately, she is safe, or else what was I supposed to do? My own sister bing a doormat and people pleaser¡ªI don¡¯t think that I could have survived the embarrassment." Killian said with a long, drawn-out sigh as if he was suffering some kind of mental anguish.


    Selene raised her head and red at the man with a hint of reproach in her eyes. She, however, smiled and said to the man, "You should worry about your own troubles, Kill. I can see that Alpha Cherith is still staring at Inez. It seems like the message that the woman beside you is yours is yet to set in his mind."


    Killian snapped his head and looked at Dominic. Their gazes met, and Dominic¡¯s eyes shed wolf. Anger was prominent in them. It seemed like Dominic¡¯s wolf was not as easily fooled as Dominic.


    He must be feeling the pulsating remnants of the bond, and that was a fucking problem.


    Neither Killian nor his beast was happy about someone eyeing their woman. Killian was set to make this thing between him and Inez permanent. No more temporary marking or anything else like that. He wished for the imprinting to start, and for some reason, it hadn¡¯t.


    <i>Maybe it¡¯s because of this bastard. He is holding onto the remnants of their mating; that¡¯s what¡¯s making the imprinting slow down, </i>his beast growled inside his head. He sounded almost feral, and if Killian wasn¡¯t holding him back, he would have lunged and ripped out Dominic¡¯s fucking heart.


    Killian also had the same thought. It must be Dominic who was holding their imprinting back.


    He wasn¡¯t too pleased about it, but there were some things that he couldn¡¯t fucking push.


    But that didn¡¯t mean that he was not fucking pissed about it.


    And talking about being pissed. There was someone who was just as fucking pissed. No, maybe even more than Inez or Killian.


    Nyx stared at Selene, who was dressed in a beautiful sea-green dress that suited her well, and her eyes then darted to the corner where Inez was standing next to Killian, looking just as fucking resplendent and beautiful.


    The attention that should have belonged to her was now on the two women; even her mother, who had something to say every time Inez or Selene came next to her in thest few days, couldn¡¯t bring herself to say anything.


    If Nyx was not wrong, then her mother was actually staring at Inez with some appreciation. Appreciation. Something that she had never given her, even when she had tried her best to make her mother look at her with that same gaze. Why? What did Inez do for her mother to pay attention to her like that?


    Nyx clenched the ss of wine in her hands tightly. Her eyes shed with anger as she looked at the woman in front of her with hatred. She was prepared for Selene, but Inez came out of the sybus.


    "Who is that woman beside Alpha Sokolov?" a woman standing next to Nyx asked in a soft voice. "Your alpha looks quite smitten with her; don¡¯t tell me that she is the next Luna of your pack. What kind of shifter is she?" The woman had walked past Inez earlier and couldn¡¯t smell the scent of her beast, which confused her because usually shifters didn¡¯t hide their scent.


    "She is atent," said Nyx. Her lips still curled in a sweet smile as if she didn¡¯t realise what she had said, "But we can never choose the person whom we love. Can we?" As soft gasps echoed all over the ce, Nyx walked away with her head held high.

 Chapter 230: Stalking Her Like A Creep

    <h4>Chapter 230: Stalking Her Like A Creep</h4>


    Dominic had been watching Inez like a predator. Every move that she made, every step that she took, he eyed it carefully. And when she walked away from Killian, heading to the restroom, he bolted right after her, leaving Eve behind.


    "Dom!" Eve watched him walk away without looking at her, and her expression turned flustered. She stared at the man who had gotten more and more distant from her, and her heart was filled with panic. If he really started to ignore her, then what would happen to her? Forget about the pack members; her own family would never let her off.


    Because of Dominic, worry had be her constantpanion, and she was now drowning in anxiety.


    "Miss?"


    Evelyn turned around, unhappy and quite upset with the person who had troubled her when she was having a breakdown. But the second she turned around, everything went dark in front of her eyes.


    Unaware of the changes that were going on in the party, Inez headed down the winding corridors that led to the restroom. Though this building was gorgeous, effortlessly so, Inez felt like it was too difficult for her to find her way through these confusing paths. Her eyes flickered uneasily as she turned and nced at the many rooms that were lining up next to her, but none of them was a restroom.


    Damn, if she had known that reaching the restroom would turn into an adventurous feat, then she would have slowed down on the soda that she was chugging down earlier.


    "They should have painted a fucking map or maybe at least given names to these paths. Like, this is Sokolov street, that¡¯s Nyxne," muttered Inez angrily as she turned around on her feet and peered down at the corridor in front of her. When she saw a small room that looked like a restroom, she sent a silent prayer to the Night Goddess to let her be free of this torment.


    She knew that many would roll their eyes and scrunch their noses at the thought of sending such a prayer, but they had no idea what kind of torment it was for one to have a full dder that was close to bursting and no restroom around them. If they knew the pain, they would never stare at her with contempt.


    Inez rushed towards the brightly lit room as if she were a step away from getting a million-dor lottery, but just as her hand reached out to hold the knob of the door, a hand caught hold of her wrist and pulled her back.


    Startled, Inez let out a yelp as she turned to look behind her. When she saw the face of the man who was holding onto her wrist, her siren lunged to her surface and swiped her ws at him.


    "Alpha Cherith, just what do you think you are doing?" Inez questioned with a frown on her face.


    At the same time, she tried her best to control her heartbeat, which was going erratic as she stood close to her ex-mate. What happened? Did he notice something? Did she make a mistake when she was not paying attention? Her scent¡ªwas it still morphed?


    All kinds of thoughts started to run rampant in her head, and yet Inez stared at the man in front of her with a hint of stubbornness in her eyes. She was not going to back down from him. If he thought that he could chase her down and make her crumble under his feet like he used to when she was in his pack, then he was downright wrong there.


    <i>You tell him, </i>purred her siren. Even though she was not making a move to surface, Inez knew that her disdain and anger toward Dominic hadn¡¯t lessened even by a fraction. The only reason she was calm was because she found it disdainful to even show her presence to someone like Dominic. Her siren thought of Dominic as pathetic.


    A man who couldn¡¯t even control himself in the face of temptation.


    Which meant somethinging from a siren.


    "You don¡¯t have to be so wary of me, L." Dominic¡¯s eyes stared at her as if he were searching for something. But that wasn¡¯t what troubled her.


    Nor did it make her heart clench. No, the one thing that made her skin crawl with only one thought shing in her head was his wolf, who was pressing against his surface. She could feel his wolf¡¯s desire, possessiveness and every other emotion that belonged to a wolf who was looking at his or her mate.


    It should have made butterflies go awry inside her belly, but instead, Inez felt something was terribly wrong. She felt sick. Violently at that, as if she was about to hurl everything that was inside her stomach. God, don¡¯t tell her that her stomach was troubled. That would be damn embarrassing.


    "What do you mean by ¡¯I don¡¯t have to be wary of you, Alpha Cherith? You followed me here instead of talking to me at the party like a normal person. Just what were you thinking when you decided to crawl behind me like a fucking stalker?"


    Dominic smiled at her, and Inez waited for the familiar flutter in her stomach, the same one that happened every time the man gave her that dashing smile of his. But it didn¡¯t. If anything, she was bored. Not her, but her siren certainly was, and as the two of them were so close to one another with her wolf going missing, she could feel her siren¡¯s emotions much more closely.


    "I wanted to talk to you alone... but I am afraid that Killian wouldn¡¯t have allowed that to happen."


    "After you attempted to kidnap me? I don¡¯t think I can me him, and neither should you."


    The man looked slightly abashed, but then he was back on his feet after a beat. That was what Inez hated about alphas: they were so fucking confident in their own skin that they hardly felt guilty or embarrassed for long because, in their head, they were fucking right.

 Chapter 231: Giving Dominic A Reality Check

    <h4>Chapter 231: Giving Dominic A Reality Check</h4>


    "I am not going to hurt you," said Dominic. His eyes were still staring at her as if he were trying to peel theyers off bit by bit.


    "So said the murderers to their victim before they killed them," remarked Inez. Her eyes flickered left and right, and just as she expected, there was not a single soul around. Dominic must have noticed it too; if not, he wouldn¡¯t havee chasing after her. She couldn¡¯t understand what this man was even trying to do.


    Back then, when their wolves sensed that they were mates, Dominic had rejected her. Quite brutally at that, without even giving her a chance to survive the breaking of the mating bond. Even when she had begged and pleaded, the man hadn¡¯t even nced at her, letting her suffer through the pain of losing her mate. Now that she had given up and moved past everything that he had made her go through, he was still holding onto the remnants of the mating bond.


    It was weirdly creepy.


    Inez didn¡¯t feel that it was romantic, but instead, she and her siren felt insulted. What was Dominic trying to do? Did he think that just because he was holding onto the mating bond, they would forgive him, even though he had humiliated them in every way possible?


    <i>Maybe he did, </i>Inez thought mockingly. How many times had she chased after him, even when the man had insulted her quite harshly? She had even lost count.


    <i>Do not feel embarrassed or guilty, </i>she heard her siren speak in her head. <i>You did nothing wrong; it was because of the mating bond that you craved and gave in again and again. You know how fated bonds can mess up your head, don¡¯t you? So, try to keep your mind open and reject any emotion that might arise in the presence of this man. I can sense his wolf. He is trying to reach out to Nia. </i>


    <i>Even if you cannot fight back, think of Nia and the sufferings she went through because of this man. </i>


    Nia.


    Inez¡¯s heart was already hardened, but at the mention of Nia, it shifted right behind an iron wall. Her siren was right; Dominic didn¡¯t deserve this. He was not worthy of standing in front of her and holding a decent conversation like the two of them were friends. They could never be anything other than enemies, if she were being honest with herself.


    "Step aside," said Inez. Her voice sounded unnaturally cold.


    She was not going to show any weakness. Not now. Not ever.


    Dominic flinched. He lowered his head and looked down at the woman in front of him. Even though he couldn¡¯t sense what was amiss, he had a feeling that something had gone wrong. Very wrong.


    "What¡¯s the matter?" Dominic questioned. He sounded genuinely thrown off by her change, but Inez didn¡¯t care. Nor did she feel sorry for him.


    "I said, ¡¯Back the fuck off," Inez snapped, her voice rising with every second as she recalled the pain that her wolf had to go through. How Nia had begged and hoped for her mate toe and ease her pain when she was going through the most brutal heat of her life. The pain the two of them went through was not something that just any shifter could survive.


    When the man didn¡¯t move, Inez snarled and pushed him away from her. Maybe Dominic was still in shock because of what she said, or maybe he was just not anticipating her reacting so strongly. Either way, he didn¡¯t stand quite steady and stumbled back when she pushed him away.


    No matter what it was, it was good. Inez didn¡¯t pay attention to the details.


    She turned on her feet and started to walk away. She would deal with the problem of her full dder some other time. No wonder girls always dragged their friends to the restroom; this was the fucking reason. What a mess; a girl couldn¡¯t even piss in peace.


    "No, listen to me¡ª"


    "No! You listen to me." Inez swivelled on the spot and red at Dominic, who stepped back, most probably scared by the rise of her voice. If not for the fact that she was quite angry at him because of Nia, she would have found the sight quite funny. A fully grown alpha, scared off by a littletent shifter who couldn¡¯t even unsheathe her ws.


    But none of that mattered right now. Because he didn¡¯t get to storm into her personal space, not after what he had done to her. She narrowed her eyes and then raised her hand before pushing a well-manicured nail into his sturdy chest. "I have not the slightest bit of a clue what you are trying to do. Alright? You see your mate in me? Fine. alright. But you know what, Alpha Cherith, you have rejected your mate. You sent her away. You were the one who pushed her away."


    "You don¡¯t get to march right up in my life and demand that I follow you because you broke your own toy and now you want someone else¡¯s, thats not how it works. That¡¯s not how it will ever work. You need to own up to your actions; do you understand? You did something wrong. You did something cruel. There is no mending whatever you did."


    "So, you better stop. Stop looking for her; stop trying to badger other women because you miss your ex, mate. You made your motherfucking choice; now deal with it!"


    Inez felt as if a weight had lifted off her shoulders. She was breathing heavily, but saying those words out loud felt¡ªheavenly.


    She pulled away from Dominic, who stood like a wooden statue in front of her, but she didn¡¯t care. She pursed her lips and stepped away. "I hope this will be thest time I will see you, Alpha Cherith."


    After she finished speaking, Inez turned on her feet and walked away. Because those words she spoke to Dominic? They were not spoken out of anger. That was her honest wish.


    But for now, she needed a drink.

 Chapter 232: Twisted Morality

    <h4>Chapter 232: Twisted Morality</h4>


    Comfortably perched on the barstool next to the temporary bar that was set up for the party, Inez gave the entire hall another look over. She didn¡¯t see Dominic, which she considered a good thing. Other than getting rid of his creepy presence from her life, Inez hoped that Dominic would snap out of whatever he was going through. He was wasting away his time and destroying his pack and his reputation for a bond that had ceased to exist the very day he rejected her.


    At least for her.


    She had told him again and again that she would only give him three chances. If he fucked them up, she would never, ever forgive him. Inez knew that it was a shitty thing to do. Her words were not written in stone; she could take them back if she wanted to. She could see that Dominic was in pain, that he was going through some serious withdrawal symptoms, but that was on him.


    Inez was willing to give him the entire world when she was chasing him, when she was in love with him, but now that those feelings of the fated bond had fizzled out, she was not going to back down. She was never going to return. Never.


    "Here you go, girl," said the bartender with a smile on his lips. He ced a cosmo on the bar.


    Inez gave him a soft smile. "Thank you." She picked up the drink and sipped it, a soft humming sound escaping her lips as she remarked, "I like this."


    "Of course you do," said the man as he started arranging another drink that he ced on the counter for the submissive to take away. He raised his head and shot her a beaming smile before saying, "I haven¡¯t heard a singleint about it from the day I started bartending. If anything, my customers return all the time to get more of it."


    "They must have," Inez agreed, because she too, could feel like having another one, and she was not a fan of alcohol.


    Her eyes flickered to the left when she heard the sound of wheels, and a secondter, a really exhausted Selene appeared in front of her. She looked troubled and annoyed, but when she saw Inez, she shot her a smile. Shemented, "So this is where you are hiding? I have been looking for you all over the ce, wondering where you went."


    "I wanted some air," lied Inez. She didn¡¯t want to tell anyone about her little altercation with Dominic. This was a party, and people were supposed to enjoy it. Bringing up the little incident where she was cornered by Dominic sounded a lot like making this thing about her, so she stayed quiet. "What about you? Are you having fun?"


    "How can I when everyone keeps jumping on me?" Selene sighed as she moved her wheelchair close to Inez¡¯s stool. "They keep asking me odd questions, and it¡¯s pissing me off. Can you believe it? A person just asked me if I stay disabled even in my lycan form or not? Is this the question you are supposed to rub in the face of a person?"


    "No, it isn¡¯t." Inez winced at the very thought of someone asking Selene such a thing.


    "Then I believe that asking the guards to deal with him wasn¡¯t an overreaction," she stated.


    Inez peered down at her, as she wanted to see if Selene was joking or not, but given that her face waspletely nk, she couldn¡¯t get the answer to the question that she wanted.


    Turning her attention away, she took another sip of her drink.


    "Is it any good?" Selene asked.


    "It is. Would highly rmend," Inez replied, and the bartender¡¯s chest swelled with pride.


    Selene¡¯s brows rose slightly, and she turned to look at the bartender before saying to him, "I want what she is having."


    "Coming right up."


    She then turned to look at Inez and questioned, "Do you have any idea what kind of gift Nyx has arranged? She was speaking quite fondly of it."


    "I don¡¯t", Inez shook her head. She wasn¡¯t close with Nyx, and something about the false sincerity that she kept showing her made a chill climb up her spine.


    Hearing her response, Selene frowned hard. She turned and looked in the centre of the room. A secondter, she whispered, "I hope it¡¯s not what I think it is¡ªbecause the way she spoke of her gift, it was as if the thing was alive."


    Alive?


    That brought a sense of trepidation. But Inez shook off the dread that was filling her heart; she pursed her lips and shook her head. Most probably it was a dog or a cat ¨C what were the chances of it being a person?


    Right?


    Inez exchanged a worried look with Selene. Though neither of them said a word, the two of them seemed to have had the same kind of thought. Inez cleared her throat and said to Selene, "It can¡¯t be, right?"


    "I can never be sure when ites to Nyx," Selene spoke with a hint of hesitation. "She ... was the youngest and the weakest of the three siblings. Fenric¡¯s father was a shifter, and thus, he is quite strong and ... Lyra had her own strength. Only she was the one who was born with part-shifting abilities because her father was a human."


    "Because of that, she has always been a bit touchy and sensitive. Not to mention, she has this obsession to make Morrh pay attention to her, something that she never did because shifters are instinctively drawn to the strong. Morrh loved Lyra and Fenric because they were made for survival. Nyx? Not so much."


    "You mean¡ªNyx is going to go all out just to hear that she did something good?"


    "Broken kids are like that," Selene spoke as if understanding Inez¡¯s confusion. "They wish to hear the words ¡¯You did great, or ¡¯I am proud of you, with all their hearts. And sometimes, when this desire gets a bit twisted, the sense of morality disappears."


    **


    Hey fairies, don¡¯t forget to vote for the book with powerstones or golden tickets. Evenments will do~ Just keep supporting this book. Author san begs for it.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 233: The Gift

    <h4>Chapter 233: The Gift</h4>


    "Everyone." Just as Selene finished speaking, Nyx, who had been standing silently at the corner of the room, stepped forward. Her eyes were shining with a childlike glee, the kind where the child was looking forward to something very much. Holding the mic in her hand, which she had taken from the DJ, she waited until everyone was looking at her with the same curious gaze with which Inez and Selene were looking at her.


    "I believe that now is the time to stop and present our gifts to the birthday girls." She did a littleugh as she nced at her mother and Edira. While Morrh beamed with a girly chuckle, Edira seemed a bit ufortable. It was clear to Inez that she didn¡¯t like being called a girl at her age. "I have arranged for something really good and special and have kept this a secret in the hope that you all will enjoy this little surprise that I have prepared for you all." After she finished talking, she winked at the crowd, which started to cheer and holler.


    She then turned to look at the submissives, who lowered their heads and turned to walk out of the party. Selene watched them go and turned worried. She bit her lip and muttered, "Oh, I don¡¯t like this. I really don¡¯t like this."


    In the centre of the room, Nyx was still talking, "I would like to take advantage of the current situation and say a few words. My mother has done everything that she could to make sure that my brother and I will grow up safe, sound and loved."


    "Loved?" Selene repeated in horror, while Inez turned and nced at the woman. Something about this entire scenario was crazily off, but what, Inez couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on.


    "Thanks to my mother, I never had to worry about not being loved by a father because she had given me the love of both a father and a mother. Without her, I wouldn¡¯t be where I am today."


    Morrh looked quite proud as she puffed her chest. She nced at Nyx and said to her, "You are so sweet for saying that. I can hardly wait for what you have prepared for me, darling."


    Inez noticed how Nyx¡¯s eyes shed with a deep satisfaction in her eyes and the hint of arrogance that she was trying so hard to hide doubled up.


    The shifters in the room turned curious as they all nced at one another before turning to look at Nyx. They, like Inez, were wondering what this gift that Nyx spoke so highly of was.


    "Is it a piece of jewellery?" asked a woman with a hint of a frown on her face.


    "I don¡¯t think so. Do you believe that Nyx would have created such a hoo-hah for something so small? She has always been someone who does grand things," said a man with a shake of his head.


    Inez, too, couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of gift Nyx had prepared for her mother. As she had never been to a birthday party after she turned fifteen. At that age, the biggest gift that she had seen was an Axton (A sports car) being gifted to Dominic; after that, she was barred from going anywhere and never participated in any parties. Thus, even she couldn¡¯t help but turn curious.


    As for her birthday, she recalled being locked up and the entire Sinir family ignoring her existence. Even Scarlet was banned from approaching her because sirens glowed differently on their birthdays. It was rumoured that if someone was to see a siren during the night when they were born, they would either fall in love with them until they could no longer think of anything else, or they would go crazy. There was nothing in between.


    Though Inez understood why her mother used to do that, it did not mean that it hurt any less.


    "Everyone step back," said one of the four men who were bringing in therge crate.


    Inez backed up and took Selene along with her, as she knew that with the crowd suddenly backing away like that, it would make things difficult for Selene, as she wouldn¡¯t be able to control her wheelchair in such a mess.


    As the crowd backed up, they all stared at therge crate that was ced in the centre of the room. Their eyes were filled with questions, and they couldn¡¯t help but start chattering among themselves.


    "What¡¯s going on?"


    "Just what is this thing? What kind of treasure did Nyx bring with her that it requires such a big box?"


    There was a low thumping sound from inside the box, which startled the crowd.


    "Do you think this is something messy? I am a bit scared."


    "Mommy, what is that sound?" Inez heard a full-grown man whine.


    "I do not have a good feeling about this," said Selene as she stared at the box in front of them. Her brows were scrunched up as she tapped her fingers on the armrest of the wheelchair. "Oh. I really don¡¯t have a good feeling about this."


    When Inez turned to look at the woman in the wheelchair, she looked a bit pale and troubled. Though she didn¡¯t understand why, her heart couldn¡¯t help but clench in worry as well. What was going on? But then she tried to calm herself so that she could think straight. Whatever was inside the box, had nothing to do with her but ¡ª


    What was with the prickling sensation behind the back of her neck? Why were goosebumps rising all over her skin as if she knew what was inside the box and needed to make a run for it? With panic coursing in her veins, it was really hard for her to focus on her surroundings.


    Nyx then announced with a jovial voice, "It is time for us to open the gift that I have prepared for my mother. Not many would be able to get their hands on this treasure."


    And as the woman snapped her fingers, the four men pulled the ribbon off the crate.

 Chapter 234: Fiery Desire

    <h4>Chapter 234: Fiery Desire</h4>


    "I feel so bad!" Jules groaned as she tried to get up from the bed, but every time she tried to slide down the bed, her two feet would turn into four, and her head would start spinning. "Why is the world rotating backwards? It should be going left and right, not right and left."


    Ajax, who had just arrived in the room, was stumped when he heard the words of the woman. Now, he regretted agreeing with Inez and helping this drunkard. He thought that she was just slightly drunk and would be fine as long as she rested a little, but taking a look at the out-of-her-mind drunk woman in front of him, Ajax felt a headache building at the back of his head.


    "I can do this," muttered Ajax. "I am the head enforcer. If I can deal with a bunch of rogues and trespassers, then I can deal with this drunk woman as well. There is no need for me to worry about anything." He wasn¡¯t going to admit that Jules and her antics scared him. He had spent nights with all kinds of female shifters. From foxes to killer whales and even dolphins, which were known for killing their partners if they were not satisfied.


    And yet it was this dragon princess who brought tears to his eyes.


    First, she ran through the territory grounds and told him that she wanted to get out of the dress that she was wearing and wanted something morefortable and short, which would not hinder her. It took quite a lot of convincing on his part for the woman to stop making a fuss.


    But that came at the expense of a fairly good hoodie. One that he couldn¡¯t even bear to wear himself, for it was branded, and in terms of Jules, she was only used to wearing brands, as the non-branded things caused her skin to re up.


    Ajax thought that it was going to be the end of whatever torment that the night had in store for him. But nope. Then this woman ran out again, and this time around, she tried to fish from the pond that was behind his lodge. The pond being his jacuzzi. She tried to catch the nonexistent fish with her bare hands, and it ended up being a failure. Of course, it would, because there was no fish to begin with.


    That should have put an end to Jules¡¯s atrocity¡ªhe knew that you thought that, and he thought that as well. But unfortunately, that did not happen. Nuh-uh. The woman was stubborn till the end, and when she didn¡¯t get what she wanted? She dried up the entire pond with her fire. A perfectly fine Jacuzzi was turned into a dried pit.


    "AHH AHH!!!"


    Ajax jolted awake from his thoughts and turned to look at the woman in front of him. When he saw her crying once again, Ajax had to close his eyes and breathe in and out again. He told himself that he could not kill this woman because she was rted to Inez and she would be most upset with him if he were to kill Jules here and now.


    Not to mention the title and position of this woman ¨C it would be problematic to have the blood of the only pure-blooded dragon princess.


    He stepped inside the room before dumping the packets of chips that he had brought with him. This was something that the woman had requested of him, and he had fulfilled it because he knew that there was no point in squabbling with her over this.


    Because even if he did try to talk sense to her, the woman wouldn¡¯t be able to understand a word. He pursed his lips and stared down at the sobbing mess of a woman and snapped, "What¡¯s the matter with you? You have your hoodie, you have your snacks, and you damn well have my sanity in your hands¡ªwhat more do you want now?"


    Ajax was going crazy; if not for the fact that he couldn¡¯t throttle this woman to death, he would have done it with a snap of his fingers.


    But Jules remained unaware of this little dangerous thought of his. Her eyes were puffy as she iled and rolled around on the bed. She said to Ajax, "I want to be loved ... I also want to go on dates and have someone take care of me... why can I not get what others can with so much ease?"


    The frown on Ajax¡¯s face deepened even further. He seemed to be thinking about something, but at the same time, there was confusion in his eyes as if he couldn¡¯t understand a thing. He pursed his lips before letting out a sigh. He ran his hand through his dark locks, and he said to Jules, "Look, if it¡¯s a one-night stand that you want, then I can bring someone to you. You can feel loved for a night¡ª"


    "I don¡¯t need that," said the dragon princess as she reached out and clung to the hem of his shirt. Her eyes glowed faintly in the dark as she said to him, "What I want is something more passionate, something more loving. A man who would want me for my body and not for the title or position that I can give to him."


    As she spoke, her eyes lingered on Ajax¡¯s lips. Even though Jules was naive and arrogant in her own ways, it was the truth that she was really beautiful. Her curves were perfect, and even if Ajax hated how the woman had tormented him, he had to admit that she was like a fucking delight to one¡¯s eyes.


    He could feel a traitorous fire building in his body and why wouldn¡¯t it? When Jules was wearing nothing but his hoodie, with her dress discarded on the floor. He could smell her arousal that was stirring in the air and damn, it did something to him.


    But he knew that he couldn¡¯t do anything to her. Inez had trusted him with Jules and he was not going to let that trust down.

 Chapter 235: Loved Even For A Night

    <h4>Chapter 235: Loved Even For A Night</h4>


    Trigger Warning: +18 content, proceed with caution. Sensitive content.


    **


    However, the woman didn¡¯t seem to understand the restraint that Ajax was showing in the face of the temptation. She leaned forward and grasped his cheeks with those fingers of hers. Ajax jerked his face to one side and red at her, "What do you think you are doing?"


    But Jules was way too far gone to care about his temper. Her eyes were fixated on the price, and that price was his lips. Ajax tried to sidestep her, but Jules caught the hem of his shirt and pulled him. Her lips crashed against his as she took advantage of his little stumble that happened when he tried to pull away from her.


    Ajax¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. He raised his hands to push the woman away, but then Jules reached out and curled her arms around his neck, pulling him close as she did this little thing with her tongue that sent tremors down his body. A little tug, a little push, and Ajax had no idea how the two of themnded on his bed or how Jules got on top of him, and why the hell was she grinding against him?


    Ajax threw his head back and groaned. He wanted to push the woman off him, but at the same time, it felt good. What? He was a shifter, and they were known for letting their desires guide them most of the time. Even his beast was tempted. Ajax could feel his beast pressing against his surface as he stared at Jules, whose fingers were working on the leather belt.


    Wait¡ª


    What belt?


    He snapped his eyes open and looked at the woman whose fingers were tugging and pulling at the belt and the hook. "What are you doing?" Ajax asked dumbly, even though he knew what she was trying to do. He should be stopping her, but he couldn¡¯t, not when she was looking at him with those desire-stricken eyes, fingers that traced circles on his skin, and warmth that made his entire body shudder with glee.


    It felt good.


    It felt right even when there was nothing good about this entire situation.


    Inez was going to lose her shit the second she found out that he had betrayed her trust.


    He shouldn¡¯t. Damn right, he shouldn¡¯t¡ªas his resolve started to build, he raised his hand and tried to push the woman away from him, but then the sound of fabric sliding down echoed in the silent room.


    Horror struck Ajax as he looked at Jules, who was now staring at his length. Her eyes were filled with fascination as she softly mused, "I have never seen a length this big."


    Of course, she didn¡¯t. There was a wise quote among the shiftermunity: once you go lycan, you can never go back to anyone else. Even his ex-bed partners told him that they couldn¡¯t find the same pleasure with their mates, the kind that he used to give them. He had felt smug about it, liked it when they had pleased him by saying sweet words to him, and yet the one thing that made him go all hard was how naively Jules was looking at him.


    There was this subtle innocence in her eyes when she stared at his length, clutched in between her fingers as she oohed and aahed at the sight of it. An innocence that he very much wanted to taint¡ªnope, not happening; he needed to stop right there.


    Jules was drunk as a skunk, and if he took advantage of her when she was like this, then he was worried that Inez would chase after him with shears in her hands. She had trusted him ¡ª<i>but she looks so fucking pretty. Just look at those luscious lips. </i> A voice in his head tempted him, doing a hell of a job as the devil¡¯s advocate.


    No. He needed to put a stop right here and now.


    "Alright, game is over; we can¡ª" His words ended up in a groan as the woman darted her tongue out of her lips and swiped it around the head of his length. His eyes darkened as heat started to pulsate within his veins, and he grasped hold of the side of the bed with one of his hands. The wooden pir groaned and creaked under the pressure.


    Ajax snapped, "Do you even know what you are doing, princess?" He didn¡¯t think she even knew what she was doing; she was like a child who had gotten hold of a toy.


    "I am making you feel good," replied Jules. She knelt between his legs and sucked on his length, her lips wrapped around the head as she hollowed out her cheeks and sucked in, sending jolts of pleasure down his spine, one that made him curl his toes.


    Maybe it was a dragon thing, but the way she sucked nearly made his soul fly out of his body.


    That would be a way to die, eh?


    "Am I doing good?" He heard Jules ask, and when he dropped his gaze, he met hers. This arrogant woman was actually waiting for him to praise her. He should have said that she wasn¡¯t, told her that the game was over and be done with it, and yet the words that left his lips were ¡ª


    "You are damn good, Jules. You are my little good girl."


    And that was when those amber eyes lit up; the difference was quite magnanimous. It changed her entire demeanour, from looking silly and naive to a woman with the sweetest smile. But that sweet smile soon turned sexy, as she took his length further deep down her throat. And well, well, well, would you look at that? No gag reflex.


    Ajax threw his head back, letting go of all the thoughts about what was right and what was wrong; he couldn¡¯t be bothered about it. He simply closed his eyes and started relishing the pleasure that he had never felt before.

 Chapter 236: Loved Even for A Night (2)

    <h4>Chapter 236: Loved Even for A Night (2)</h4>


    Trigger warning: +18 content ahead. Sensitive content, read with caution. Those not good with thest Chapter, please skip.


    **


    Jules felt like her head was spinning. She couldn¡¯t understand how shended in the current situation where she was kneeling in front of a lycan who was nowhere good enough for her to do such a thing, and yet when he called her ¡¯his little good girl¡¯, something jolted awake in her. She felt utterly pleased. Loved. Wanted. Desired.


    Even if it was for a short while, she wanted this to go on. She wanted someone to love her just because she was Jules and not Jules Drakos. For a night alone, she wanted to forget that name.


    So, before she knew it, she had slipped out of the hoodie that she was wearing. The grey fabric hit the floor with a low thump sound. However, the man¡¯s eyes never fell on his branded hoodie that was discarded like a paper towel. Instead, his eyes continued to stare at her curves; there was a hint of admiration in his eyes, and the dark glint in those electric blues told her that he liked whatever he was seeing.


    And yet he didn¡¯t jump on her.


    Thest time she was with a man, he had pounced on her, and, without doing any further forey, without giving her enough time to prepare herself, he had thrust within her. Screaming and yelling about how he was going to pump her up with his wolf seeds and make her give birth to a litter. That poor man didn¡¯t even know that dragon shifters were just like other shifters; unless they allowed a person to mark them, the pregnancy thing would never happen.


    And even if they were marked and imprinted, unless they ept having the child of their partner, it won¡¯t happen.


    This happened months ago, and ever since then, Jules had never gotten the release that she wanted, that she needed and craved, because Jules was worried that she would get another weirdo with a pregnancy fetish. Because of this very reason, she had stayed clear of male shifters because she knew that they were never going to satisfy her the way she wanted.


    But something about Ajax¡ª


    "You can¡¯t mark me," she told the man with a hint of reproach in her voice.


    "Won¡¯t even dream of it, princess," said the man as he reached out and held her in his arms.


    And the second, Jules threw herself in those sturdy, muscr arms; things went crazy. She had stripped bare to begin with, but the fabric that was clinging to the man¡¯s body annoyed her so much that she tore it off with her ws.


    "Easy there, princess," the man chuckled in that deep, rich and masculine voice that sent shivers down her spine.


    Yet she couldn¡¯t ease down. She ripped the shirt away before taking off his jeans and underpants. Once the man was naked, with his skin flushed against her, she sighed dreamily before peppering kisses down his neck and jaw. Her tongueshed, licked and swirled while her teeth bit, nipped and marked.


    The scent of the lycan was sending her into a frenzy that she couldn¡¯t understand. She closed her eyes and relished the warmth of his skin. Her dragon flushed right against her surface as she breathed in his scent. Something about Ajax made them crazy and yet just as she was about to get a hang of the thought or before she could realise what was going on¡ª


    When the man reached out and curled an arm against her waist. Her back hit the mattress, and Jules let out a little squeal. She raised her eyes and looked at those electric blues that were getting darker by the second. "You said no marking."


    He pointed to the marks on his neck and questioned, "What are these?"


    Jules¡¯s eyes widened when she realised that she had marked the man because this was something that she had never done. Not even when the man was a bit skilled in bed, which was rare, considering that she had always run into deadbeats.


    However, instead of apologising, she shrugged and stated, "Well, I can mark you, but you are not allowed to mark me. Don¡¯t forget who stands at the top here."


    The man chuckled. He reached out and pinched one of her hardened nipples; it made her wince, but at the same time, it shot a zap which hit her right into her core, sending tingling sensations up her spine.


    "I don¡¯t know about that, princess. But you are under me here for the time being," teased the man.


    Anger and humiliation filled Jules¡¯s heart. She was about to snap that the man needed to stop talking and do something when Ajax leaned down and took one of her nipples in her mouth. His tongueshed against the flesh, swirling, licking and sometimes tugging. Each time he did something with his tongue, Jules felt stars sparkle in front of her eyes.


    And those stars started to twinkle when Ajax reached out and cupped her core. There was no finesse, no sweet words and no crude vulgarity. He was straightforward and right on the spot. The palm of his heel started to grind against her clit, which sent little sparks all over her body; her head started to lighten up, and all other thoughts vanished from existence.


    A moan slipped out of her lips, and Jules wrapped her arms around the man, pulling him close. More. She wanted more.


    "I will give you more."


    Jules¡¯s eyes flickered open. Did she say that out loud? Maybe she did, but she didn¡¯t care about it. Not that she didn¡¯t want to, but couldn¡¯t, not with those thick, calloused fingers now pumping inside of her. Gasps and moans now seemed to have be her close friends. She just couldn¡¯t help but embrace them.


    The dual onught made her curl her toes as Ajax consumed her. Her nipples strained beneath the attention that he was giving her, a subtle ache that she couldn¡¯t withstand.


    But it was not enough.


    "Ajax...e on... Give me more; you promised me," she whimpered.


    **


    If you like this story please do vote for it through golden tickets and power stones.

 Chapter 237: Delightful Teasing

    <h4>Chapter 237: Delightful Teasing</h4>


    Sensitive content ahead: +18 content. Might not be everyone¡¯s cup of tea; please proceed with caution.


    Jules had never stooped so low to the point where she had to beg a man, but by the time Ajax started to suck and lick her nipple until it was throbbing with an ache that Jules couldn¡¯t take, she couldn¡¯t help but wrap her legs around the torso of the waist of the man. She tugged him forward and let out a whine, "I thought you were in a hurry."


    "I am never in a hurry," said Ajax. He drew the neglected nipple in his mouth and gave one strong suck, only to let it pop out and nip on it. He might be a yboy, but he never used women as if they were supposed to be used. He respected them and gave them a good time, even if he was only entangled with them for a night.


    However, his slow teasing was enough to drive Jules crazy. She closed her eyes and let out a groan of frustration. The second Ajax heard that little whiny noise, he chuckled.


    And that deep and rich chuckle of his only drove her crazy even further.


    His mouth was consuming her whole; the way his tongue slowly skimmed over the curve of her breasts made her arch off the bed, and she knotted her fingers to pull on the strands of his hair. Her nipples were straining under the attention that he was giving them, and that dull ache was something that Jules just couldn¡¯t bear.


    It was not enough. Even if it felt good, it wasn¡¯t good enough.


    She red at the man before saying to him, "Are you going to do it or not?"


    Ajax shot her a wicked grin. He bit the side of her breast and murmured, "It seems like you are quite impatient, princess."


    "Humph." Jules rolled her eyes. That nickname should have earned Ajax a fierce burn, and yet something about the way he called her made her feel a little giddy. There was this little tingling sensation at the bottom of her belly that made her curl her toes.


    For a second, she almost forgot that this was just for a night.


    And that it didn¡¯t mean anything.


    "You are so wet, princess. I love how responsive you are, sweetheart."


    "I¡ªI don¡¯t know," responded Jules, for she had no idea whether she was responsive or not. The men she had spent the night with had never cared whether she was prepared enough to take them. They all just wanted to take her to their beds; maybe it always was a matter of satisfying their egos.


    "You don¡¯t know?" Ajax arched a brow. He rubbed her clit with a little more pressure, pressing it with the heel of his palm. "If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have thought you were a virgin."


    Jules parted her lips to deny the im that he had made, but before she could, his mouth covered hers again. Just like before, he stole her breath away, along with the moans that slipped past her lips. His fingers were still pumping inside of her, finding that sweet spot that made her shudder with delight and pleasure.


    Each stab caused her to squeal and writhe under his body. And as the second finger joined the first, stretching her, making her feel so full that she twisted underneath Ajax. Her core was pulsating with a need that those two fingers could never fulfil.


    "Ajax, please... Oh, please..."


    He tore his mouth away from her. His eyes were dark and brooding as he stared down at her. There was something different about them. But what, Jules could not pay attention to it, not when she was so close to shattering.


    "I need to be inside of you. Now," he growled as he pulled his fingers away from her core. As the warmth slipped past her core, Jules felt the hollow echo within her heart and soul.


    It left her empty and aching.


    But not for too long.


    Ajax positioned himself between her legs and pushed the head of his length against her core. He nudged it in slightly, only to retract it back, leaving a torturous ache behind.


    "Ajax!"


    The man chuckled, and in response, Jules lifted her hips from the mattress and sought the friction. Her legs pulled him close, and yet the man reached out and pressed a hand on her stomach before pushing her down on the bed. "You need to calm down, princess."


    "And you need to hurry the fuck up," snapped Jules. She had never been tormented so tortuously before. She was aching, shuddering and trembling. Her body was shaking with the need to have him inside of her, and yet the man wouldn¡¯t give her the one thing that she wanted from him.


    Ajax shook his head. He raised his hand and smacked her right on the core; the sting sent a delicious zap straight to her head, but as the pleasure drifted out of her head, what remained was shock and embarrassment.


    She raised her head and looked at the man. Her body moved as she tried to get away from him. "Why did you do that?" She questioned him. Her expression shifting slightly as she stared at Ajax.


    "You need to learn how to be patient." He nudged his length forward again and started feeding her inches slowly and steadily. "If you can¡¯t even be patient over something so small, how are you going to reign your court, princess?"


    His remark took her by surprise. Jules parted her lips to speak but choked so hard at the mere thought of taking hold of the authority and power that her father had that she started coughing. And that was when the man chose to sink to the hilt.


    "Do you want water?"


    "Shut¡ªshut up!"


    The situation was as awkward as it could have ever been. Jules closed her eyes and pretended to die; maybe if she tried hard enough, this entire situation would turn out to be nothing but a bad nightmare.

 Chapter 238: The Gift

    <h4>Chapter 238: The Gift</h4>


    Sensitive content: 18+ content ahead. Please read with caution, my fairies.


    Ajax stared at the coughing woman underneath him. Laughter bubbled in his chest, but he stopped it from spilling because he could see that the woman was already mortified enough.


    "You canugh," said Jules. She could feel the tremors that shot down the body of the man who was towering over her. She knew all too well that the man wasughing at her for being a bumbling idiot.


    "I am ¨C ha... I am notughing." Ajax schooled his expression and looked at Jules, who shot him a fiercely suspicious look. "Really, I am not. Look at me; do you think I amughing?"


    She parted her lips to speak, but not a word had spilt from her mouth when Ajax pulled back and thrust right back in. he pulled one of her legs that was wrapped around his waist away and ced it on the crook of his shoulder. With his hand curled around her calf, he started thrusting. Each thrust doubled up in pace from thest.


    <i>What a cheater. </i>Jules thought in her head, and that was thest thought that she had in her mind as Ajax messed up with every other thought after that one.


    And honestly, that wasn¡¯t her fault.


    The angle.


    The thrusts. The pace. Even the most powerful woman would have turned into a puddle in the face of the pleasure that Ajax was giving to her. Jules¡¯s moans turned into whimpers as Ajax did his magic. Never before had she known that pleasure could reach out to even the extremities of her body, and yet somehow with Ajax it was.


    She was shaking beneath him, desperate and needy. Her body was going unusually pliant against him.


    Ajax quickened his pace, and her body turned to jelly. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed in the silent room, where, other than the sighs and whimpers that escaped from her lips, nothing else could be heard. Jules knew that she was wetter than she had ever been. And each time their bodies came in contact, Jules¡¯s back would arch off the bed a little, her fingers would knot the fabric underneath her. Everything was just perfect.


    She had sex with different shifters. All kinds of men had promised that they could give her what she desired, and yet they had failed. So often that she couldn¡¯t even count.


    This... However was different.


    It was better in many ways.


    "I am close," she told him. Sliding her hand up his bicep as she tugged him close. "I am so close."


    Ajax groaned. "You really had to tempt me, princess." He reached out and pinched her clit. "Come for me, little princess."


    His request seemed to be the key to her euphoria. Her body set off, clenching around his length, and the wave of pleasure threw her off the edge until she shattered and was reduced to nothing but a moaning, whimpering and shuddering mess.


    Ajax pumped inside of her a few more times before releasing within her body.


    His body fell on top of her and covered her like a warm nket; Jules closed her eyes and soaked in the warmth, for she knew that there wouldn¡¯t be another chance.


    **


    On the other side, in the hall where the party was being held, the excitement of the guests had reached its peak. The second the wooden bs fell to the floor, the guests were filled with a hint of thrill; Inez, on the other hand, closed her eyes as fear shot through her heart. Her face turned unusually pale.


    Beside her, Selene groaned and murmured, "I knew that she was going to do something like this."


    She looked utterly sick as she stared at the naked siren who was tied up and sitting on the chair. Her eyes were filled with fear as she looked around at the many shifters who were eyeing her like she was some delicious delight that was supposed to be eaten.


    The helpless siren tugged at the restraints that were holding her back, and her eyes, which were filled with fear, turned twice in the direction of Inez.


    "Oh my!" Morrh gasped as she stared at the siren that was sitting on the chair. Her eyes widened with delight as her beast surged to the surface. "Where did you find this one?" She asked Nyx. Her eyes stared at the siren and the tears that were escaping the siren¡¯s eyes, but none of them were in the form of wisps.


    Morrh clicked her tongue, and here she thought that she would be the sole owner of Tears of Siren.


    "I asked a little favour from one of my friends at council," said Nyx with a smile. "Though this siren has gone run through the mill, this one surely has¡ªbut my friend did tell me that her taste is just as fine as every other siren. Since she is quite useless to the council, even if she is killed tonight, no one would say a thing."


    "Oh, Nyx. My sweet daughter, you are really something," eximed Morrh. "I told you that I was craving the blood of a siren, and you brought an entire siren for me?" She truly didn¡¯t expect that she would be able to get a taste of the siren blood that was even more of a delight than drinking Toxin. A rumoured drink that was synthesised and created to taste like siren blood, the euphoria that it brought was no less than the blood of a siren. But then again, the real deal was always different.


    Nyx beamed at her mother before saying to her, "Only the best for you, Mom. I hope that you are happy with this gift that I have prepared for you."


    Morrh hugged the woman in response. She kissed Nyx on the cheek before saying to her, "This is the best gift that I have gotten in my entire life."


    **


    If you like this story please vote for it with golden tickets, my fairies~


    And a huge hug to the fairies who are constantly supporting this book. Thank you so much!

 Chapter 239: Rising Disgust

    <h4>Chapter 239: Rising Disgust</h4>


    Inez stared at the siren tied on the old chair. Her eyes were wide just like the others but instead of feeling the thrill of finally getting a chance to have a taste of the euphoria, she was worried about the safety of the siren. Maybe it was a siren thing but the woman had looked at her twice as if she knew what Inez truly was.


    And honestly? Realising that the woman knew that she too was a part siren didn¡¯t bring any sort of fear but only helplessness. She wanted to help the siren but there was absolutely nothing that she could do for her.


    If she tried to do something for her, Inez knew that these people would rip her apart. She had noticed the greed, the desire and the hunger in their eyes while looking at the siren on disy. If she dared to make a move, then these people would certainly kill her along with this siren.


    Killian would try to help her. Of course, he would. That man was crazy like that but she knew that if he helped her, then he would be dragged into a hell of a lot of trouble. Because the council would not let him off if they found out that he had hidden a siren in his territory.


    She clenched her fists while her eyes continued to stare at the siren on disy. Her mind was wrought with worries and she wondered what was going to happen to the siren now. The shifters in the party were ruthless, many being alphas who couldn¡¯t control their instincts for their desire to assert dominance was stronger than that of other shifters.


    One of the female shifters turned and looked at Nyx before asking, "Can we have a little taste of her blood as well, Nyx? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s quite charming to just look at the beauty of the siren when we can all have a little taste of her."


    "That is something for my mom to decide." Nyx raised her head and shot a beaming smile at the woman. "It¡¯s her gift; I can¡¯t say anything about this."


    Nyx was smiling and nodding at people, basking in the attention that the siren had brought her. This was what she had wanted since the start of the evening, though there were a few obstructions; as long as she got what she wanted, Nyx didn¡¯t care about anything else.


    Morrh turned to look at the submissive lycans who were salivating at the sight of the siren and rolled her eyes. She said to them, "It¡¯s not for you all. Go and get me a knife; I need to slice the skin of this siren open."


    She could have cut open the skin of the siren with the help of her ws but that would dirty her dress and that wasn¡¯t something that Morrh wanted to do.


    "Morrh," Edira seemed a bit disgusted by the proceedings. Her brows were scrunched up and she was staring at the siren with a hint of mercy in her gaze but as she lowered her gaze and saw the excitement in the eyes of her friend, she knew that Morrh was not going to let go of this siren.


    And as this siren was legally obtained, there was nothing that she could do to stop these people. Disgusted and helpless, Edira shifted to the back, not wanting to deal with the mess in front of her.


    [Sensitive content ahead might bother a few readers; please read with caution.]


    An alpha who had formed an alliance with the Red Blood Hill pack stepped forward. His eyes flickered to the siren tied on the chair and he questioned, "Morrh, you wouldn¡¯t mind if I take this siren for a little fun, will you? After all, a female siren brings not only mental but also physical pleasure to the male shifters and in case she is in pleasure, the taste of her blood turns even more delightful."


    Inez was beyond disgusted when she heard the remark of the man. She turned to look at the siren whose eyes were now filled with even more terror.


    Horrors that she had seen and felt because she had been once locked up in the council. Inez wondered what kind of terror this woman had gone through while locked up in council for her to tremble like a leaf.


    As the alpha who had spoken was a rather powerful tiger shifter, Morrh didn¡¯t wish to offend him. Anyway, his request was not too offensive to her. "Of course, if you wish to, then you can have fun with this siren. Anyway, we will be basking in the glory of your hard work or I should say hard thrusts?" Morrh joked.


    Inez thought that the alpha would at least have the decency to bring the siren to a room or something of the sort. But she had forgotten that shifters were much more open when it came to such things. He didn¡¯t even stop to think twice before pulling the siren off the chair; the ropes that tied around her limbs broke free and the siren started to fight against the alpha.


    However, years of torment and being subject to inhuman activities had made the siren really weak. Even when she tried her hardest, she couldn¡¯t fight against the alpha; she looked like a toddler trying to fight an adult.


    The alpha remained unmoved as he pressed her down on the floor and started sucking and biting her bare breasts.


    "AHHHH!"


    In the thrashing, the handkerchief that had been stuffed in her mouth had been knocked out; the siren now screamed and wailed. Her eyes flickered as she tried to push the man off her body. "Help me, please."


    However, no one came to help her. One of the men did step forward but that was only to silence the siren again by pushing the handkerchief right in her mouth again.


    The crowd remained unaffected by the horrors that were happening in front of them; instead, they seemed to be enjoying the sight of it. Inez, on the other hand, felt like she was going to be sick.

 Chapter 240: A Bloody Tragedy

    <h4>Chapter 240: A Bloody Tragedy</h4>


    The siren was screaming in agony, and even though her screams were muffled, the sound reverberated through the room and the walls.


    Inez stared at the sight in front of her and then looked away. She couldn¡¯t watch it anymore; she knew that sirens were used as sex ves for the shifters. A toy for their amusement, but watching it was different.


    She said to Selene, "I need to get some air." The scent of musk and the alpha vibes of the alpha were coating the air, making many of the half-bloods and submissives ufortable. One by one, everyone had taken their leave, for they couldn¡¯t bear the pressure; thus, no one doubted anything when Inez said that she wanted to step out.


    Selene, however, knew why Inez wanted to step out. She shot her an apologetic look as they couldn¡¯t say anything at that moment, and Inez shook her head. It wasn¡¯t Selene who had brought a siren who had suffered enough at the council already. What was the point of her apologising? It wasn¡¯t like the situation in the hall was going to get better? The siren would still be tormented both mentally and physically. She would still die in the hands of these shifters just because she was unfortunate enough to be born as a siren and caught as one.


    If only she had known. If Nyx had even let a little information slip earlier, then Inez would have gone to the extreme to save the life of that siren, even if it meant leaving this territory. She would have done it. As long as it meant that she could save the life of this poor siren, she wouldn¡¯t have had any regrets.


    The second Inez rolled down that trail, frustration started to bubble in her heart. This poor creature was locked just a few lodges away from her, and yet she never knew.


    At the same time, she wondered if it was affecting her so much because she was a siren herself.


    Humans butcher animals all the time. It was the same for sirens in the eyes of the shifters, witches and vampires, but then again, humans didn¡¯t torment the animals and did it swiftly.


    She turned on her feet and headed out of the hall without looking back.


    "She actually got her hands on a siren?" Finn nced at the sight in front of him before looking away. He found it beyond disgusting, as even though he was a siren, he just couldn¡¯t bear the sight of a woman being tormented by a bunch of shifters. The sight brought back memories, memories that he had locked and stashed away in the back of his mind, which left him shaking with rage.


    Not willing to take part in the disgusting act, he started to follow Killian outside the hall.


    "I must say that Nyx had gone above and beyond to please Morrh this time around. She didn¡¯t even slit the wrist of the siren to take a sip of her blood." This was something that put Finn in awe, for he never knew that Nyx was such a patient woman.


    "She knows how to keep up the appearances," remarked Killian as he stepped out of the hall. "If the siren was freshly marked, then there would be trouble for Nyx. Do you think she would allow anyone to say that she had done a poor job in bringing something gift to her mother?"


    "Of course she wouldn¡¯t."


    Killian nced at the pitiful siren before turning his attention away from her. He casually remarked, "But it doesn¡¯t seem like she had done a good job in finding the right kind of siren; if anything, this connection of hers had fooled her quite well."


    "Fooled her?" Finn nced at his alpha and frowned when he heard his casual remark.


    "That¡¯s right. Though the sirens are indeed subjected to inhuman tortures by the council and its members. Ever since Seth had taken over, the conditions of these sirens had gotten better. They no longer look like they have been through the mill like this one. Either this one has been sitting in the cells for a long time, or she was never a high-quality siren and was of little use to the council, which was why they allowed Nyx¡¯s connection to dump her here. A rather quick and easy, not to mention a sly, way to earn money."


    He turned and nced at Finn before saying to him, "Just wait and watch; someone will definitely point it outter."


    Inez turned around a corner and headed to the balcony, which was far enough to block all the noise that wasing from the hall. She raised her hand and skimmed her fingers through her hair. She felt disgusted and marred. A weight was pressing onto her shoulders as if she had done something sinful.


    She knew that she couldn¡¯t have helped the siren, and yet it didn¡¯t stop Inez from feeling awful.


    Her siren suddenly turned upright and peeled her upper lip as a flowery scent filled their space. The two of them were agitated to begin with, her siren suffering through the biggest burn after watching what they had to see. And now that this familiar scent had filled their space, she was not at all happy about the situation.


    Inez turned and looked at Evelyn, who hade to a stop in front of her. The woman was staring at her as if she were trying to see right through her, like she could ever do that.


    "What do you want?" Inez asked, her voice sounding hoarse even to herself.


    Evelyn raised the ss in her hands and took a sip of the mojito. She eyed Inez with a look of distaste and muttered, "Well, you certainly did quite a good job in getting the attention of my man."


    Inez sighed inwardly. She had figured that the conversation was going to head in this direction, especially with how possessive Evelyn was towards Dominic. But what she had no idea about was that this conversation was going to cause a bloody tragedy this time.

 Chapter 241: An Attack from the Dark

    <h4>Chapter 241: An Attack from the Dark</h4>


    "I don¡¯t know who told you that I would love to hear your whiny little opinions. But the truth is that the level of fuck I am giving to you at the moment cannot be any lower," said Inez with a sigh. She hoped that Evelyn would understand how tired and exasperated she was with her antics but this woman always had a screw loose when it came to Dominic.


    "You think you can talk to me like that just because you have hooked up with Alpha Sokolov? I am telling you that you need to lower down on that arrogance of yours, sweetie." Evelyn flicked her hair behind her and continued, "You might believe that you can charm just about any alpha, but the truth is that you cannot. Dom just sees you as the substitute of his runaway mate. The one who broke his heart and is probably shacked up with someone else. But that doesn¡¯t mean that you have the chance to step between us. The two of us are solid."


    Inez rolled her eyes to the sky. She had a bunch of things she would have loved to hurl at Evelyn but she knew that there was no point in talking sense with Evelyn. The girl was simply allergic to sense.


    And talking about arrogance? Inez couldn¡¯t believe that such words wereing out of Evelyn¡¯s mouth.


    "Then what are you scared of?" said Bree, wondering what had happened at the Venus pack for Evelyn to go cuckoo like this. She had always been unhinged in a way, but now she was simply out of her mind. Possibly, she was told that she needed to get Dominic¡¯s mark or get out of the way for someone else; the elders of the Venus pack could be brutal at times.


    Inez was quite d that Killian didn¡¯t have those old fools trying to muddle the pack and its policies.


    She tilted her head to one side and crossed her arms in front before saying to Bree, "If you are solid, then there is nothing that you need to fear because your ¡¯Dom¡¯", she quoted with her fingers. "Will never get attracted to me. Not like I am attracted to him either; in fact, I will be quite happy if you keep him away from me. That will be so helpful."


    Evelyn¡¯s face reddened. "Do you think I don¡¯t understand women like you? You might be saying these words but the truth is that you are attracted to him; I can see the way you are trying to hook him up. I saw it; I saw how you were eyeing him thest time."


    Really, this again?


    Inez let her gaze briefly flick up. Heaven, you have to help me.


    "You mean to say when I was ring at him for bothering me?"


    The bitch moved forward as if she were about to p the shit out of her and Inez caught her hand just in time.


    "Back the fuck off," she warned Evelyn. Her voice was filled with danger and menace.


    The female swallowed. "You cannot hurt me."


    "Yes, I can. This is not your territory, and even if I did hurt you, my alpha will protect me. And no one will be there to defend you because you are acting like a fool," Inez bit out. "You came up to me and cornered me like you wanted to attack me and then let your blind possessiveness and jealousy run rampant. You cannot just barge in here and p me in my own territory. Even if others get to know about this incident, your alpha will be the one to apologise for your actions."


    Inez then pushed the woman away from her.


    Evelyn started rubbing her arm, all the while ring at Inez. "No one will ept you at the Venus pack. They didn¡¯t ept his true mate because she was weak and no one will ept you either."


    Though Inez did feel a subtle pang in her heart, that was all she felt. Maybe now that she had a home with Killian, she no longer cared about what the Venus pack or her mother thought about her. They can all go to hell as far as she was aware.


    "I am d to hear about the power dynamics andck of freedom and respect that goes on in your pack but once again, I have no intention of going there," said Inez.


    "I don¡¯t believe you," Evelyn spat.


    Conscious that the woman was losing control of herself, Inez lifted one shoulder. "I doubt that would change the course of mt life but you do you. Wohhoo." She raised one hand in the air and cheered for Evelyn.


    But just as Inez turned around to walk away, Evelyn caught her by the wrist and eyed her carefully. "You¡ªare you really not Inez? You speak and act just like her."


    "I am not," said Inez a bit too quickly. She didn¡¯t realise that Evelyn had been paying attention to her in the past to the point where she knew how she talked or how she behaved. It was weird knowing that her enemy was paying attention to her. "And even if I were, how would it matter? Like you said, your pack will never ept her, right? So, why bother?"


    "Oh, it matters," said Evelyn, looking at her with a glint in her eyes, which made Inez frown. She stepped back as the woman stepped forward. "Because I tell you one thing, L. Dominic had always been really, really awful at sharing things. Even when he was a child, if you are what I think you are¡ªthen I think you will understand what I am trying to say. Even if Dominic had refused to im you, he would never let anyone else have you."


    Her eyes flicked to the mark on Inez¡¯s neck and she added, "And if you imprint on someone, you will be signing their death warrants."


    "Okay, you are done." ignoring the way Evelyn¡¯s voice fell over her body like a scratchy nket that rubbed her in all the wrong ways, Inez turned to walk away but just as she had taken a step, the woman behind her rushed forward and pushed her off the balcony.

 Chapter 242: An Attack from the Dark (2)

    <h4>Chapter 242: An Attack from the Dark (2)</h4>


    "Ouch, ouch, ouch." Inez grabbed hold of her twisted foot and grimaced slightly. She could not understand Evelyn; she couldn¡¯t understand her actions and thoughts either. Even when she told her that doing something like this would bring trouble to her pack, she still went ahead and did it. Did she think that Inez was going to die after she fell from the balcony? Maybe she did.


    Many shifters underestimatedtents just because they had no wolf. They took them as humans when the truth was that even without a wolf, they had shifter blood in them. Notent would die after being pushed off the third or fourth floor. Injured yes but they won¡¯t die.


    Inez pushed herself off from the ground. Exhaling as the cool air from the ocean fluttered over her skin and ruffled her hair. She tried to walk forward but the second she ced even the lightest amount of weight on her injured foot, a wave of pain shot through her. Curse her bloodline and the dynamics of the world.


    Why couldn¡¯t a siren heal herself with her own song when she could heal the entire world?


    What could she even do by mending her own foot? Take over the world? With a song? Hah!


    But then all the anger that was sizzling within her veins cooled down. Who could she me for this situation if not her? She had been dealing with Evelyn for years and yet she didn¡¯t see iting. It was never her words that got to Bree; she had been used to them. But she never expected that the woman would suddenly turn so daring that she would push her off the balcony. But then again, she did start to doubt her identity.


    Maybe that was what gave her the push?


    Realising that there was no point in standing like a fool, she started pushing herself forward with her uninjured foot. Trying to keep the weight off her injured one was a task that needed to be awarded. With the heavy dress and everything else, Inez was sure that she could have brought home a medal.


    She hopped one time, then twice. The sound of the door opening and closing echoed behind her and she ignored it, thinking it was one of the drunken guests or something of the sort. She just hoped that it wasn¡¯t Killian or else the party was about to turn into a war zone. He wouldn¡¯t like what Evelyn had done and as an alpha, he would totally take it as an attack on his pride.


    She didn¡¯t want that. As much as she would have loved to tattle, Inez wouldn¡¯t want the two packs to go to war because of her, because she wasn¡¯t that kind of person.


    A gust of wind swept over her, bringing with it the scent of rotting garbage, pine and musk along with something that didn¡¯t belong. A witch.


    Her eyes flipped open and she turned to look behind her. She put down her injured foot, ready to force it to run, when something sank into her skin. She hissed in pain. Furious, her siren shot to full alertness and lunged to the surface. She wanted to take the reins, let Inez fall back and let her deal with whatever threat that they were facing but they couldn¡¯t.


    There were too many shifters and too many risks. If they turned and shifted, then they would lose the home that they had finally found, and she couldn¡¯t let that happen.


    So yeah, they couldn¡¯t shift.


    Her siren seemed to understand it. Even though she didn¡¯t like it, she liked Killian enough to not shift.


    Inez dropped her gaze and looked at the things that were sticking out of her flesh. Darts. Fucking darts. Since when did witches stop their usual voodoo and start messing around with these things? And why?


    The culprit stepped out of the shadows. She was dressed in a hoodie that looked like a bva or those robes that the witches wore ever so often. Her face was hidden but the tranquilliser gun in her hands was sticking right out. She was staring at Inez with those eerie grey eyes that shone and shimmered even in darkness.


    Motherfucking motherfucker. It would be senseless to call for help¡ªwhatever potion that this witch had filled the darts with had jammed her pack bond. She couldn¡¯t call Killian or anyone, as a matter of fact.


    A strange lightness started to flutter through her. A feeling she couldn¡¯t quite put into words. Goddamn these witches. She knew that she was going to pass out soon. She also knew that she couldn¡¯t do that without alerting everyone about the presence of this witch in the territory or else she would attack someone else after her.


    "You should have died thest time," the witch said. "Why won¡¯t you just die¡ª"


    Inezunched herself at the witch. She didn¡¯t shift; she couldn¡¯t but that didn¡¯t mean that she was harmless. She never was.


    Inez had long learnt that there were times when she had to rely on herself. Dominic and the boys might have been a bunch of arseholes to her but there were times when they looked after her; they had taught her what she would need to defend herself. Though Inez was not skilled, she was not exactly weak either.


    Yanking the dagger out of her stocking, where she had hidden it, she stabbed it in the arm of the witch. The tranquilliser gun fell down to the ground with a ng.


    The witch screamed and Inez shot her hand forward to rip her hood off. She wanted to see who this trespasser was and how she stepped inside the territory when Third Eye had drawn new sigils to keep witches out.


    There had to be a reason. Either this witch was a pack member or she was with someone.


    The traitor who had been helping the witches. Either way, Inez was going to find out who this intruder was.


    **


    If you are liking the story please leave a vote through golden tickets. It will be really helpful~

 Chapter 243: Naughty Kids can’t Run.

    <h4>Chapter 243: Naughty Kids can¡¯t Run.</h4>


    Bang.


    The sound of fabric burning, followed by a bone-crushing pain, sent Inez flying. She dropped to the ground a few feet away from the witch. The bloody dagger was still in her hand. The witch, on the other hand, was touching the wound on the side of her neck where Inez had jammed the dagger into her skin.


    "You bitch..." the witch cursed as she red at Inez, or Inez thought that was what she was doing because it was hard to see things clearly, with her head going woozy and her body turning disoriented. However, she didn¡¯t stop. She couldn¡¯t stop. Inez knew that if she let the drug take her down now, then there would be only two things that would happen.


    One, she would be killed.


    Or.


    Two, she would be taken away.


    Death had never scared her. There were times when she had stayed locked up in the cell when Dominic lost his temper with her and put her in that small cell for weeks. Forgetting that she even existed and leaving her to starve and stare at the small window. Waiting for someone to remember that she existed.


    At times like these, Inez had seen death rather closely.


    She wasn¡¯t scared of dying. What she was scared of was being taken away.


    Away from her pack, her friends and Killian. Oh, Night Goddess, he was going to lose his shit once he found out what happened.


    The witch seemed to be surprised. She must have believed that the drug, along with the spell, should have taken down Inez. The witch had tried to injure her, but she didn¡¯t try to kill her, which told Inez everything that she needed to know. She was here to kidnap her.


    Not cool.


    Her vision soon clouded with sheer rage, and her siren rumbled a dark growl as she lunged at the witch. Inez watched as the woman tried to draw another spell, but she didn¡¯t give her a chance. Scooping the soil from the ground, she hurled it at the witch. She might be all omnipotent when it came to magic, but was quite useless when it came to dealing with soil in her eyes. Hah.


    Inez shot forward and stabbed the witch in the arm. Since witches used their hands to use magic, as long as their hands were deemed useless, they would be no different from humans. There were witches who could make use of magic without using their hands, but they were older, more ancient. And Inez didn¡¯t believe those witches had the time to bother a little siren like her.


    At least she hoped. Gosh, she was really going, wasn¡¯t she?


    The witch stumped and teetered, shaking her head hard. However, Inez didn¡¯t release her. Letting the witch get a hold of herself would be no different than signing her death warrant.


    Taking the dagger out, she twisted around and attacked the witch once more; this time around, she aimed to stab her in the heart. She sent a prayer to the Night Goddess, hoping that the dagger would go right through her heart. Because that was the only way to kill a witch. Stabbing her in the heart.


    Yeah, Yeah. So what if this method was simr to killing a vampire? They were all the creatures of the night. And it was basic biology for all living creatures, so forgive her for using a method which wasn¡¯t out of the box.


    Hands grabbed her tight before she could stab the witch. Those hands pushed her back as the woman started to chant another spell, one that sounded deadly even to Inez¡¯s half-unconscious self.


    "Oh, no, you don¡¯t. That spell is a low blow."


    Inez didn¡¯t know what happened. She just knew that one second she was standing all upright, and the next second she was pliant against something or someone. She raised her head with some difficulty and¡ª


    "Tracy?"


    What was this woman doing here?


    "You are a really big ma for trouble, aren¡¯t you, little one?" Instead of answering her question, she smiled at her and helped her down on the floor. Inez couldn¡¯t understand why Tracy was here and why she was even looking at the witch like a teacher who was facing a really bad student. It was weird, and yet here they were.


    <i>What was going on? </i> Inez couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Why was she sitting on the ground like an idiot and letting someone else fight the fight which belonged to her? Thoughts like these kept flitting in and out of her head, and yet, she stayed put. She didn¡¯t move, nor did she stop Tracy from facing off against the witch. It was as if she knew that the woman would win.


    "You have no right to interfere," the witch hissed at Tracy. Her eyes were glowing eerily in the dark as she spoke to Tracy.


    "You are wrong." Tracy tilted her head to one side and stared at the witch. "I have every right to intervene. I told you minions to let your Great One know that what she is doing is against the very course that fate had designed for you all, but she didn¡¯t listen. She is still hell-bent on doing something that she shouldn¡¯t. You have vited the very rules that are designed for your kind. So, of course, I have the right to intervene."


    The witch snarled before raising her hand and drawing the array with her fingers. The blood-red painting hovered in the air before glowing eerily.


    "Watch out¨C"


    Inez called out softly, having lost all power and strength due to the drugs in her system. However, Tracy didn¡¯t need her to look out for her. The woman simply raised her hand and snapped her fingers; the sigil the witch had drawn disappeared.


    The sight alone was enough to shock Inez, much less the witch, who realised that she had run into a formidable enemy. Inez noticed the fear in the eyes of the witch and knew that she was about to backtrack, but before she could warn Tracy, the woman had already taken out a silvery whip from the side and hurled it at the witch before catching hold of her legs.


    "Naughty kids aren¡¯t allowed to run. Nuh-uh."

 Chapter 244: Assault of Scents

    <h4>Chapter 244: Assault of Scents</h4>


    Killian stalked back to the party. His eyes flickered to the corpse that was now being taken away. The sight revolted him utterly; it was disgusting how shifters would sometimes take things too far without considering the consequences of their choices. The siren was not a pure one; maybe she was not even a half-blood like Inez. The siren blood in her veins was far too diluted to even be considered as one, but still, it made his heart twist.


    His grandmother often told him that he was not fit to live a life as an alpha because he felt too much, thought too much and saw too much. And maybe he did. He cared. While the others did not, it was not a surprise because shifters were often driven by desires, and he, on the other hand, saw things much more clearly.


    He turned his head away from the corpse that was being taken away, but not before telling Laxus to handle the funeral of the siren. The woman might be a ve in the eyes of many, yet Killian believed that she deserved to be buried with peace and respect, no matter what others say about it.


    "Where is she?" He walked over to Selene and pped his hands on the wooden surface of the counter.


    Selene gave him a wary look. "She went to the balcony. She couldn¡¯t watch whatever just happened." Neither could she, but Selene couldn¡¯t leave with her brother gone; someone from the alpha family needed to stay back to control things at the party.


    Not that there was much to control.


    Everything was already out of their grasp.


    Killian clenched his teeth, his jaw getting set even tighter as he knew that Inez would definitely have some opinions about him. From why he allowed such a thing to happen right under his nose to why he did not stop it from happening, he could almost hear her say those words.


    Heaving a sigh, he said, "I am going to take a look."


    He turned around, wanting to skirt around the throng of people and go looking for Inez by following her scent down the hall. But just as he turned around, he almost ran into Nyx, who hade looking for him when he wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    "Woah, there. Why are you in such a hurry?" She teased him with a smile on her lips.


    "There are some things that need to be handled," Killian replied. He stepped to the left as he wanted to walk past Nyx, but the woman seemed to see through his actions. She stepped to the left as well before saying, "Alright, you can deal with those thingster on. Here, I collected some siren blood for you to drink. I was waiting for you toe and take a sip earlier, but I couldn¡¯t find you. Where were you anyway?"


    "Outside." Killian nced at the ss of siren blood before saying to Nyx, "I will pass. You know I don¡¯t like to drink Siren blood. Or the blood of innocents." After he finished speaking, he stepped past her and walked out of the party hall.


    The smile on Nyx¡¯s lips could hardly be maintained. She had never been rejected like this publicly. Even if Killian didn¡¯t like her, he would give her the respect that she deserved. Never did he tune her out like he did just now.


    Some of the guests nced at her before turning away, while there was a whole lot of bunch who chuckled at her plight.


    The female shifter was close to drowning in humiliation, and her mood, which was filled with glee upon bringing the siren sessfully to the pack, had turned gloomy and damp. Before she could fix her smile, one of the female guests walked over with the ss of siren blood in her hands.


    She softlyughed at Nyx and said, "I believe that the alpha noticed that the siren that you have brought is far too inferior. I can hardly taste the euphoria when drinking the blood."


    "And what do you mean by that?" Nyx snapped. She tried to hide her anger, but her wolf still lunged for her surface, wanting to kill the woman in front of her for trying to say such a thing, but she held back.


    "I mean, this siren was a low-quality one. I have tasted the ones that are half blood and they taste rather divine. This one, however,cks that euphoria. No wonder the council gave her to you with so much ease. It was just a low borne."


    The woman had not spoken in a light voice, which caused the guests to turn and look at Nyx.


    One of them even went ahead and remarked, "And here I thought that I missed my chance. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t lose my mind at the sight of the lowborn. Or else my reputation would have been lost."


    Morrh turned red in the face due to the humiliation that she was feeling. She turned to look at her daughter, who turned even redder; no one knew if it was due to anger or embarrassment.


    She raised the corner of her mouth a secondter before saying, "And when was thest time you had a sip of siren blood?"


    The female shifter tensed because she seemed to have understood that Nyx wasn¡¯t as kind as she made herself out to be. Her expression turned stiff, but a secondter, she said to Nyx, "It has been quite some time."


    "That¡¯s right. It¡¯s only given. It¡¯s really hard to get one¡¯s hands on a siren, whether low-born or high-born; I bet half of the people in this hall might never get another chance to taste a siren," smirked Nyx, even though she was fuming mad inside."


    She then walked past the woman without letting her have another chance to speak.


    **


    Killian barged past the balcony where Inez¡¯s scent had led him to and the second he did it, an array of scents assaulted him.

 Chapter 245: A weird witch

    <h4>Chapter 245: A weird witch</h4>


    Witch. Drugs. Blood. Pain. fear. And something ancient. There was also the hint of something flowery that smelled like shit. Something that he had smelled on the woman next to Dominic, but he would care about thatter on. At that very moment, there was only one thing that he could care about, and that was Inez. Just as ¡ª


    Red-hot fury mmed into his system the second he realised what went down behind his back. He turned around to look. He caught sight of two witches. One with her face covered and bleeding profusely while clutching her right arm that seemed to be rotting, and in front of her stood another witch.


    This one had her face uncovered. Her cotton candy hair was fluttering in the sea breeze, and she looked quite at ease, as if she hadn¡¯t taken a witch down but instead took a pup to the park. Killian¡¯s beast lunged to the surface. It was furious that someone had attacked Inez and wanted nothing less than to skin this witch alive, but Killian held him back.


    He knew that they couldn¡¯t attack this witch. She had saved Inez¡¯s life, and as much as he and his beast hated the fact that they had now been reduced to useless mutts who had to rely on a witch to save their mate, he was not ungrateful enough to kill someone who had chosen to ally themselves to his pack or Inez.


    As long as this witch meant no harm to Inez, she could stay alive.


    He hopped down from the balcony,nding skilfully on his feet before heading over to where the two witches were. His eyes fell on Inez, who was unconscious, but her breathing was even.


    <i>Drugged. That pathetic witch drugged her, </i>his beast growled in his head. He was not at all happy about the current situation. Neither was Killian, but he still kept hisposure or what remained of it.


    "Who are you?" he asked the witch with a hint of a frown on his face.


    He had never seen the woman in front of him. Had never dealt with her, but she did seem to know him, because the second she turned around, the witch did a little thing with her eyes where she looked up and down at him before clicking her tongue.


    "It seems like you lycans have gone softer," the witch remarked with a sneer. "Your woman was attacked, a witch ¨C an evil one trespassed on yournd, and you care about who I am? Boy, that should be thest bit of your concern."


    Killian frowned. The way the woman spoke¡ªit was as if she was way too older than him, but the way she looked, she was clearly younger than him.


    <i>You can never tell anything when ites to witches; they can look like they are ten and be a thousand years old. I hate when they do this, </i>his beast growled in his head.


    Killian agreed with his beast. He had no idea why the witches were so hung up on looking young, but there hadn¡¯t been one witch who looked her age.


    <i>Maybe it had something to do with them being hunched back? I have seen a few in that cartoon the kids watch in the pack, </i>chuckled his beast.


    Ignoring thatment, Killian walked over to the tree where Inez was lying. He picked her up and then turned to look at Miss Cotton Candy. "I hope you are not thinking of running away."


    "I am not. I was going to keep pretending that this had nothing to do with me, but I can¡¯t. Not anymore," Miss Cotton Candy said to him. Her tone was cryptic, and she was frowning while looking at the watch that she was wearing on her wrist. It kept ringing, while the owl-shaped earrings on her ears kept glowing. At least their eyes were glowing.


    The witch looked weirder than that dancing intable doll at the petrol pump. One that looked like a gigantic d*ck with the awful shape and purple colour. And yet he was still standing there talking to her like that was the sanest thing he could do.


    He turned to look at the witch in the hood and said to the woman, "Can you take care of her...err..."


    "Tracy." The witch introduced herself with a smile before handing out her business card to him. "Here you go."


    Killian took the card from her. He looked down at the name on it and frowned when he realised that it was actually the name of a rather famous and familiar boutique. The entire scenario was so jumbled up that he nearly lost all ability to get angry. Why were these witches here? How did they even get past the sigils that Third Eye had drawn on hisnds?


    None of them mattered at that moment. He blinked his eyes and raised his head to look at the woman in front of him before questioning, "You are a seamstress?"


    Tracy simply smiled. "Well, the intion is quite bad."


    **


    "When you said that there had been trouble, I never thought that you were speaking of such major trouble." Finn stared at the witch who was locked up in the prison cell and then turned to look at Tracy.


    He had received all the information that he needed from Killian, and now he was trying to reel it all in. It was one thing that a witch had trespassed in theirnds, but it was simply another thing that another witch had sashayed her way right into the territory. Shockingly enough, she was an ally? Howe? Since when did witches start doing favours for the lycans?


    And that too, such a beautiful one.


    "What did you think? Do you think that I would have called for you in an urgency like that because I wanted to have a drink?" Killian scowled at his beta. He was slowly getting annoyed with the gaze with which his beta was looking at the witch.

 Chapter 246: Cornering His Prey

    <h4>Chapter 246: Cornering His Prey</h4>


    "Did you hear a word that I said?" Killian snapped when Finn wouldn¡¯t turn his attention back on him.


    That must have jolted him out of his reverie because the man turned and shot a sheepish look at Killian. "Ah. I am sorry; this is the first time I am seeing a witch who is willing to help lycans."


    "Not lycans," Tracy corrected him. She was still leaning against the wall and studying her nails, but there was a subtle change in her tone as she raised her head and looked at Finn. "I will never help your kind. You are way too arrogant and hot-blooded. Not to mention, you lie even better than a witch. I am here for Inez. She is the one who needs me."


    As for what and why Inez needed her, the woman was yet to tell Killian. He had questioned her more than once, but Tracy had simply rolled her eyes and told him that he needed to keep his nose out of matters that had nothing to do with him. He did tell her that Inez was his and thus the matters rted to her were also rted to him, but Tracy had shut him off by saying that she saw no sign of imprinting, which meant that his ims were simply empty.


    Killian still remembered the urge that ripped through him back then. His beast had asked him to rip the head of this witch off her shoulders, and if not for the fact that she meant no harm to Inez and had something that could be of help for Inez, he would have killed her.


    Finn nced at Killian and asked, "What is she trying to say?" What did she mean by that? Inez needed her?


    "Ask her and see if you can get an answer," sneered Killian as he turned his attention to the hooded witch, who was no longer hooded. When he caught this witch, he thought that he had gotten his hands on something good, but it was a dud once again. A halfling.


    The same thin frame, the same grey eyes and red hair. These were themon features of a halfling who had human blood in their veins. He nced at her hand, which had started to rot like it had dposed. He had no idea what Tracy had done to her, but¨C


    "That must hurt quite a lot. It looks really, really bad, and I can make it worse, or you can just answer our questions."


    He tilted his head to one side when the witch gave him a weak snarl. "What did you want from Inez?"


    The witch looked up at him, her torn-up face creased in blinding agony. However, there was a defiant glint in those eyes as she said, "I am going to die anyway. So you can do your worst." She tipped her head toward Tracy and wheezed, "She had ced the worst kind of curse on me. Do you think I will fear you mutts?"


    "You should." Killian calmly nced at the witch without showing much offence to the insult that she had thrown his way. His beast, on the other hand ¡ª


    <i>Let me at her. I will deal with her. A mutt? She dares to call the blood of the Lycan king a mutt? Get back and let me at her!</i>


    Killian sighed, pushing his beast as far back in his head as he could. He then continued to speak as if he hadn¡¯t taken a long pause, "I have my ways to make your wounds heal. After all, if this witch can hurt you, she can also heal you. And I can then ask my lycans to deal with you. I admit that I cannot do magic, but I can find ways to torture you. The first one being her healing you, and then my lycans tearing you apart."


    "Oh, there is no need to look so horrified."


    "This is not even half of what we can do to you," he chuckled. "You knew what you had risked when you decided toe after one of my pack members. You knew that you would never get out of this situation if you were caught. What you probably didn¡¯t know is that there was an unhinged witch protecting Inez. Not that you would have gotten far because I would have chased after you."


    The witch cast a fearful look at Killian and then at Tracy, who smiled at her sweetly.


    Killian crouched down at the witch¡¯s side. "I don¡¯t need to tell you how pissed I am at the moment. My beast wants to have a go at you, and trust me, I am going to let him do that. It won¡¯t be a simple case of mping his jaws around your throat and suffocating you to death. Nuh-uh. You will probably endure the torment of your lifetime until my beast is bored, which will take a long time since you touched what is his. Ours. You know how Lycans like their food? Screaming, alive and shaking with terror."


    He shrugged at the look of sheer terror on the face of the woman with a smile. "I see you also think it¡¯s quite horrible. But that is how we all are. The heart wants what it wants, right?"


    Finn circled the witch. He kept his eyes on her and stated, "He won¡¯t just take a chunk out of you. We lycans don¡¯t like to waste our food. We eat everything. Teeth, bones and even skin. So it will take a long time. So, care to tell us what your name is?"


    The witch seemed to have been shaken up. She was staring at Killian as if she were looking at him in a new light. "You wouldn¡¯t."


    "So, you didn¡¯t know what lycans do to their prey?" If this woman had not hurt Inez or tried to take him away from him, then he would have pitied her, but he couldn¡¯t. Not when she had tried to take what was his.


    **


    Hey fairies sorry for disrupting the schedule but I have something today so posting the Chapter a bit earlier.

 Chapter 247: Foolish Ambition

    <h4>Chapter 247: Foolish Ambition</h4>


    "But we can talk about thatter on," said Killian. "For now, let¡¯s start with your name."


    Still tremoring from head to toe, the witch licked her split lips and winced slightly. "My name is Macie."


    "Macie," echoed Killian with a nd smile. "That¡¯s a lovely name. I don¡¯t hear such names a lot these days. Well, Macie, tell me what and why you were trying to do by kidnapping Inez? I don¡¯t think your boss wanted her for a cup of tea or an invitation would have sufficed."


    "It was just a job, nothing personal," replied the witch in a shaky voice. "A wizard came to me and said that if I brought her with me, then I could have the protection of the Great One. You don¡¯t know how it is to live in the human world while being chased and hunted down by your kind. So naturally I took the job."


    "I swear I never wanted to hurt her because they wanted that woman to be intact."


    Killian¡¯s jaw hardened when he heard her words. What did she mean by intact? He turned to look at the witch behind him and questioned, "Do you have any idea why they wanted her intact and unharmed?"


    Tracy raised her head and met his gaze head-on. Just when he thought that the woman would ignore him, he heard her say, "Usually only sacrifices are kept unharmed because any scar on their body is counted as something uneptable. A witch will never sacrifice something whose blood has already been shed. A sacrifice needs to be perfectly fine."


    Killian stiffened before turning to look at Macie. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is this why you wanted her?"


    "I don¡¯t want her. And I had no idea what they wanted from her, I swear." Macie shook her head with a terrified sort of nce. "I was just given strict orders to keep the woman unharmed, and other than that, I have no idea what they wanted to do with her. Whether she was going to be sacrificed or something, I didn¡¯t have a clue about it. I swear to the Night Goddess."


    "You really don¡¯t know what that great one of yours wanted her for?"


    "Of course I don¡¯t. We halflings are only given orders by our leader, and he asked me to retrieve that woman."


    Standing upright, Killian dropped his gaze. "What do you mean by ¡¯retrieve?"


    "I live in the underdeveloped regions of the city. You all call these regions unregistered. The ones that are neither epted by the government nor the people, because they see us as outsiders. Since there is no mayor, a leader is selected by the halflings, and he is the one who oversees everything that goes on in the Unregistered city. He gives usmands, and we are supposed to follow them."


    "The witches and wizardse to our leader when they want the help of the halflings. Our leader would then choose one of the strongest witches or wizards and send them to do the bidding. This time he chose me, but I failed in my mission."


    "And who is this wizard who asked you to bring Inez?"


    "I don¡¯t know. I never saw him; I was just told to follow themand. But my leader might know who this person might be."


    "And who is the leader of the halflings?"


    "Joannes Easton".


    Killian had never heard this name before; he turned around and looked at Finn, who shook his head. From the confusion marring his features, it was evident that he had no idea about this man either.


    "Joannes was not going to take this job when he heard that we need to take someone from your territory," wheezed the little witch, and Killian nodded. "Smart. Then what changed his mind?"


    "The wizard promised that he could turn Joannes into a pureblood wizard."


    Killian arched a brow and turned to look at Tracy, who scoffed. "It¡¯s impossible. Even the Great One, whose power surpasses many, cannot change the origins of a person. It¡¯s destiny. The aether stored in a body is directly proportional to the strength and capacity one can hold. If we try to inject more aether in one body, especially a halfling, I am afraid that the person will explode."


    She nced at the witch. "Much like a balloon filled with too much water."


    Macie¡¯s face turned pale when she heard Tracy¡¯s response.


    Killian whistled. "Well, I guess you halflings are really not sharp, are you? In your pursuit of getting more power, you lost sight of what is important, eh?"


    "I had to admit that it was pretty stupid. Howe you got the idea that you can be a pureblood when you weren¡¯t born as one? I mean, even a kid would know that it¡¯s not possible."


    "As pathetic as it sounds, I guess we can at least give you a quick death." Killian scraped his hand over his jaw, but then he tilted his head to one side and stated, "But I don¡¯t like the fact that you tried to hurt my woman."


    Macie¡¯s eyes widened. "She stabbed me in the neck. I had no other choice."


    "You shot her with fucking tranqs!" snapped Killian. "What did you think she would do? Let you take her away just as you wanted?"


    "She was supposed to pass out almost at once! My leader said that it should be enough for atent like her. But she fought back. I have no idea how she did it, but she somehow managed to fight back."


    "Then you don¡¯t know anything abouttents," sneered Killian. "Even though they do not have a wolf that can surface at the time of danger, they are still very much like a shifter. You cannot look down on them just because they aretent. They will not go down easily like a human would."


    Macie¡¯s eyes flickered. "I swear I didn¡¯t want to hurt her." She told Killian. "It was just self-defence. I would have never hurt her if she hadn¡¯t attacked me, I swear."

 Chapter 248: Truth Taken As Lies

    <h4>Chapter 248: Truth Taken As Lies</h4>


    Killian leaned down and smiled at the witch. "And I don¡¯t give a flying fuck about that." He turned to look at Finn before saying to him, "She is all yours. Deal with her as you want." he would have killed the bitch himself, but there was something else that he needed to deal with.


    Finn nodded. With a rumbling, nightmarish growl, he shifted into his lycan form before attacking the witch. A secondter, agonising screams started to echo in the prison as Killian stalked out of there.


    "Why are you following me?" Killian turned and looked at the woman who had followed him out of the prison. "Don¡¯t you want to go back?"


    Tracy tilted her head to one side with a raised eyebrow. She said to him, "Of course not. There is something that I wish to talk about with Inez. I cannot leave without doing that, and I am going to do that whether you like it or not, so you can keep your objections to yourself." She added when Killian opened his mouth to say something.


    Killian narrowed his eyes at her with a hint of anger brimming in them. As an alpha, he truly disliked it when people tried to fuck with him and from Tracy¡¯s actions and words, he was certain that the woman was trying to do the very same with him.


    <i>She means well. She wasn¡¯t lying when she said that she wants to keep Inez safe; we can trust her</i><i>.</i> His beast spoke to him while trying to calm him down.


    <i>I know. </i>Killian clipped back. He knew that Tracy meant well, but he just couldn¡¯t shake off this feeling. It was weird that he felt threatened by a woman whose hair resembled a pack of cotton candy, but those owl earrings ¨C there was something weird about them. It was as if they were very much alive and sentient. The red gems that were used as the eyes of those owls seemed to be glowing in the dark, giving him this peculiar feeling that they were looking at him.


    "You better not be aiming for something you shouldn¡¯t do," warned Killian. He knew that the witch meant well and that she was speaking the truth when she said that she was trying to help Inez, but he still felt worried. Maybe after everything that happened, his paranoia was getting the best of him, but no one could me him.


    Twice were hisnds trespassed by these witches, and he didn¡¯t like it.


    "Even if I was hoping for something, then I am afraid that you wouldn¡¯t be able to stop me, boy," Tracy remarked with a roll of her eyes. She curled her lips up in a smirk before saying, "I mean, if I wanted to harm her, do you think you ¨C a pup ¨C could stop me?"


    Somewhere beneath his anger, he felt a ripple of disbelief. Pup? She actually called him a pup? He was nearing thirty and would turn thirty in a few years. It was simply a matter of disbelief that this woman called him a pup.


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that. For someone my age, you are indeed wet behind your ears."


    "And how old are you exactly?"


    "Oh, hush now. Don¡¯t you know that you shouldn¡¯t be asking the age of a woman? Didn¡¯t your mother teach you this?"


    Killian parted his lips but thought better and shook his head before turning his gaze away and heading to the pack hall. He needed to deal with more important things than a witch who spoke as if she were trying to solve a bunch of riddles.


    Ignoring the blinding curiosity in his head, he marched down to the pack hall, where Dominic was waiting with his beta and Evelyn. The woman looked pale and terrified. Good. She didn¡¯t get to act all unbothered after she had pushed Inez down the balcony.


    "Can you tell me the meaning of this, Alpha Sokolov?" Dominic asked with a hint of annoyance and anger in his voice. "Why did you have us removed from the party and ask your enforcers to bring us here?"


    "This question is something that you should be asking the woman beside you." Killian pointedly looked at Evelyn, who flinched upon hearing his words.


    Dominic frowned. He turned to look at Evelyn and noticed that there was something wrong with her. His eyes narrowed at her pallidplexion, and he questioned, "What did you do?"


    "I¡ª"


    Evelyn swallowed hard. She looked around, but no one stood up for her; she closed her eyes and trembled incessantly. "I didn¡¯t¡ªI didn¡¯t do it, I mean, I did do it, but it was something that I wanted to do. It just happened."


    "You mean to say that you pushed her off the balcony for fun?" Killian growled.


    "No!" Evelyn¡¯s eyes widened. She shook her head and hurriedly said, "I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t want to do it, but something kept telling me that I needed to do it. It was really hard to fight the voice in my head... and before I knew it, I had already pushed her off the balcony. But I promise... I swear... I had no intention to hurt her."


    "Evelyn!" Dominic raised his voice at her, and the woman flinched. Her shoulders shrank as she instinctively stepped away from him. She was whimpering and muttering an apology under her breath, but Killian didn¡¯t care about it.


    He turned to look at Dominic before questioning, "What are you going to do about this, Alpha Cherith? Your woman came here and hurt a member of my pack. Should I take this as a sign that you want to start a war with my pack?"


    "My apologies." Though disgruntled, Dominic decided to take a step back. With the happenings in his pack, he couldn¡¯t start a war at the moment. He nced at Evelyn, who had lowered her head and was not daring to speak a word, before turning his attention to Killian. "I assure you that Evelyn would be properly punished for her actions."

 Chapter 249: Destiny And Fate

    <h4>Chapter 249: Destiny And Fate</h4>


    "Dominic!" Evelyn cried out. Her voice was filled with disbelief as she couldn¡¯t believe what the man had promised Killian. Punished? How was he going to get her punished, of all people ¨C her? She turned her attention to the man and said to him, "I didn¡¯t mean it. I truly didn¡¯t¡ªI was just..."


    "Acting as a jealous, psychotic ex-girlfriend?" offered Selene. When everyone turned to look at her, she shrugged carelessly and added, "What? I am not wrong. I mean, she did something awful just because she was jealous."


    "I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t do it because I was jealous. I swear I didn¡¯t¡ªsomething, something just came over me and I sort of did it, but I swear I would never risk a pack war over my jealousy," Evelyn insisted. Her eyes were swimming with tears as she tried to exin what had happened to her, but unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t even remember what had happened.


    She knew that something had happened because Evelyn didn¡¯t have the guts to go ahead and hurt the woman of an alpha. Especially when that said alpha was Killian Sokolov. But her memories were fuzzy, and she couldn¡¯t recall anything. It was scary enough that she had done what she wanted to do but never wanted to act on it, but what was more terrifying was that she didn¡¯t even remember why she had done it.


    "Then, how do you exin the surveince recording?" Killian pressed. When the woman couldn¡¯t exin shit to him, he lost his patience with her. Raising his head, he looked at Dominic before stating, "I don¡¯t know about you, but if I were you, I would have locked this woman up. Not only had she chased your mate away, but now she is even putting your entire pack in danger. Be very d, Alpha Cherith, that I am not starting a war even though this woman had done her best to disrespect me."


    After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Laxus, who nodded and stepped forward. "Let¡¯s go, Alpha Cherith. I will take you to the parking lot."


    Dominic¡¯s expression stiffened. Though Laxus had spoken in a truly polite voice, the truth remained that they were kicking him out of the territory. The oue was not the worst that he had imagined, but it still left a sour taste in his mouth. He pursed his lips and huffed without saying a word that he wished to deliver.


    ncing at Evelyn, who was the cause of everything, he spun on his heel and headed out of the office.


    "Dominic!" Evelyn¡¯s heart went wrought with worries when she saw the man stepping outside without even looking at her. She had a feeling that whatever happened tonight was definitely going to change everything for her.


    The two of them rushed out of the office without speaking another word, and Killian didn¡¯t stop them. He had no intention to speak to Evelyn because she didn¡¯t seem to have even a single answer to his question.


    "She was speaking the truth," Tracy finally spoke from the side, and Killian whipped his head to look at her. He moved his neck so fast that it nearly snapped.


    "What did you say?" Killian asked. A frown settled between his brows as he stared at the witch. Confusion marred his eyes, for he couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. What did she mean by that¨C Evelyn was speaking the truth.


    Tracy rolled her eyes at him as if he were the one who had spoken the wrong thing when she was the one who was speaking like she was trying to solve an ancient riddle.


    "I mean to say that she was hoodwinked into doing what she did," Tracy exined, and Killian thanked the Night Goddess. At least this woman exined something. "I smelled the magic over her. However, the woman is a shifter through and through. She cannot perform any sort of magic. So it could only mean that she was hoodwinked and the lingering magic is still clinging onto her."


    A frown and then, "Dark magic often does that."


    "Then why did you not speak till now?"


    "That girl obviously has something against Inez. The spell wouldn¡¯t have worked if she hadn¡¯t meant it, but she truly did wish for Inez to disappear. I think that alone is enough for me to ignore those little remnants of magic." The witch sounded bored, but Killian could see the amusement in her eyes.


    "Tracy, what are you doing here?" Selene, who had not the slightest bit of an idea about what was going on, raised her head in Tracy¡¯s direction and questioned, "Why are you here?"


    "She was the one who saved Inez."


    "How can a human save Inez from a witch?"


    "Because she is not a human," Killian sighed. He walked around therge table and sat down in the chair. "She is a witch."


    He noticed the exact moment when the knowledge hit home; Selene paused and then turned to look at Tracy. Her eyes went wide, for she couldn¡¯t believe what she had heard was the truth. "You are a witch?" Her seamstress was a witch? What next? Her brother was the clown who lured children into an underground sewage.


    "I am." Tracy sat down on the couch, unbothered by the ufortable gazes that his enforcers had sent her way. Finally, a normal reaction. Better than Finn¡¯s, who was staring at her as if he were staring at the key to fulfilling all his deepest, darkest desires.


    She nced around the room and turned to look at Killian before questioning, "But why are we here? I thought you were going to see Inez."


    "I am in a moment." Killian interlocked his fingers. With his eyes fixated on Tracy, he added, "But before that, I need to make sure what to make of you. Just what are you trying to do?" he asked, just like he had asked this question countless times already.


    Tracy raised a brow. Her eyes were still alight with amusement as she said to him, "I think I already told you the truth, pup. I am here to help Inez. She needs me."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 250: Destiny And Fate (2)

    <h4>Chapter 250: Destiny And Fate (2)</h4>


    Killian frowned. He had heard this response more than twice already, but he just couldn¡¯t understand why Inez would need a witch. He parted his lips, determined to get an answer which would exin what Tracy was trying to do, but before he could even get a word out, Tracy spoke, "There is no point in questioning me about my intentions. I am here only to keep Inez safe and help her guide her on the right path. I have no intention or obligation to talk with you, lycans."


    "As if we are dying to talk with a witch," snarled Ryder. He stared at Tracy with the utmost revulsion. Among all the enforcers, he was the one who suffered greatly at the hands of the witches; thus, it was no surprise that he didn¡¯t like Tracy or her presence in the territory.


    "You should, though." Tracy tilted her head to one side, her hand thrown at the back of the couch. "You really need the help of a witch¡ª"


    "Why would we?" demanded Ryder. He stood up from the chair on which he was sitting and took three threatening steps towards Tracy beforeing to a stop. He glowered down at her and stated, "We don¡¯t need the help of a witch. We never will¡ª"


    He was still speaking when Tracy yawned and snapped her fingers. The man standing in front of her was sent flying and before Killian and the rest could understand what was happening, Ryder was stuck to the wall behind Killian. With his arms and legs sprawled, he looked like a human starfish. Just a tad bit weirder.


    Almost at once, all of his enforcers got to their feet, prepared to jump at Tracy for attacking Ryder.


    Killian turned to look at Tracy. He questioned, "Just what do you think you are doing?"


    "I hate when someone tries to assert their dominance in front of me. It¡¯s cute if it happens once or twice, but constant disrespect is quite annoying," Tracy said. She nced at Ryder, who was still stuck on the wall, and stated, "Do you even believe what you are saying? Your territory¡¯s security was breached twice, and this time it happened from the inside. You are nowhere close to catching the traitor, and your defences are like children¡¯s toys. I can break them with a snap of my fingers, and I did. How do you think I came inside your territory?"


    She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at Ryder with a smug smile. "Just admit that you are weak; there is no need to feel shy about it."


    "We are not weak!" Killian vehemently denied.


    "You sure about that? Witchesing to your territory, crossing it as if it were their back garden, bold as brass, is just the beginning. This is the first strike of the war, whose signs you are ignoring. If you are not prepared well enough, then you will be brought to your knees and beheaded when you are not paying attention."


    The amused curve of her lips fell, and she stated, "If I am not incorrect, then you know all about the witches¡¯ tries to bring the animorphous back to existence. Do you think they are doing it because they want to aid your failing poption? No. What they want is a bunch of puppets that they can control against your kind. They want blood and the extinction of your kind."


    "And you are willing to help us because?" Killian prodded.


    The woman turned and nced at him with a smile on her lips. "I am helping you out not because I want to, but because those fools are going against fate itself. Animorphous went extinct because their time was up. Because their existence itself was against fate. That was the reason why they disappeared. I cannot have the bnce and the peace that we have fought for so hard be disrupted. So, obviously, I would stop them."


    She hadn¡¯t truly exined who she was and why she was trying to intervene. And why the hell did she sound like a rather strict warden who was trying to make sure that the children in the hostel wouldn¡¯t go out of control?


    It felt weird. Like she knew things that he didn¡¯t, and boy, it didn¡¯t feel good.


    "Look, I know that you want to get the answers, but sometimes it¡¯s better not to know anything," said the witch. She held one hand in the air and spoke to him in a quiet voice, "I have told you everything that I can without triggering anything; if you push me too much... things might not end prettily for you."


    Killian frowned. "And what does that mean?"


    "Fate doesn¡¯t like it when his children try to y naughtily. Think about it like this: if you try to get an answer that you are not supposed to know before time, then you will suffer the consequences."


    "What kind of consequences?" Killian asked, wanting to know if they were the kind of consequences that he could face.


    The witch smiled at him. She said to him, "Imagine Inez forgetting everything about you when she wakes up. You are aplete stranger to her because you pushed Fate¡¯s bottom line. Knowledge is a rather dangerous thing, Alpha Sokolov. Especially when it¡¯s not meant for you. Don¡¯t try to cross some lines that are not meant to be crossed. Because if you challenge destiny and fate, they will challenge your bottom line."


    Killian pursed his lips. He didn¡¯t understand a thing about destiny and fate. But what he did understand was that he couldn¡¯t ask Tracy anything further at this point.


    He got to his feet. "You said that you are here to protect Inez. Why?"


    "Are you a danger to her?" He further asked. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked at the witch.


    Tracy arched a brow before quirking her lips in amusement. "What if I were?"


    "Then you will find your heart ripped out, witch."

 Chapter 251: Tangled Mess

    <h4>Chapter 251: Tangled Mess</h4>


    Waking up to a throbbing headache and a queasy stomach was not a joyful feeling. And why was her mouth so dry? What did she eat for it to be filled with that godawful taste? Her throat was hurting as she was parched. Awesome.


    Memories started to slither in and out of her head as consciousness slowly returned to Inez. The back of the ballroom. The witch. Her getting shot by the fucking tranquilliser gun. Anger chafed at her nerves, but she was so tired that she couldn¡¯t bother to open her eyes. She would get mad. There was no chance that she was going to let go. But she would do itter on. For now, her siren was throwing a temper tantrum good enough for both of them.


    Inez knew without opening her eyes that Killian was in her room. His scent mingled with thefortingly familiar scent of her sunshine-soaked bedding, light perfume and lily-scented room cleaner. Beneath those veryforting scents, there were other scents¡ªFinn, Selene, Edira, Laxus and many others.


    Her siren hissed and spat. Sirens were rather possessive creatures, and their possessiveness stretched to their territory as well. And Inez didn¡¯t even want to start on how hyper-alert her siren was due to the attack. Because of the attack, she was on edge, upset that so many people hade to her when she was unconscious and not capable of defending herself.


    Inez sighed. She forced one of her eyelids open and winced as light attacked her eyes. Her forehead throbbed bad enough to make her close her eyes and never open them again because she knew that it would only exacerbate the dull throb in her head. If she had known that she would be stabbed in the eyes by the sunlight, she wouldn¡¯t have opened them.


    But then again, she didn¡¯t think that she would sleep till the morning. But what else could she expect after getting shot with two tranquilliser shots? They might have taken time to take her down, but eventually they had worked.


    Closing her eyes partially, she turned to look around the room and soon found Killian sitting in a small chair next to her bed. His dark, watchful gaze was fixed on her. A hazy memory shed in her mind, and she furrowed her brows as she looked around the room, trying to find the woman who had saved her life. It was because of Tracy that she was not kidnapped. It was kind of weird that the woman was not next to her.


    She swallowed, frowning at the sound of the roll of her throat. "Hey?" She croaked.


    "How are you feeling?" he asked. His voice was t and devoid of any emotions. An ominous sign.


    "Like I was drugged the hell out of mine. What time is it now?"


    "Nine in the morning. You were unconscious for quite a few hours. Though you did wake up around three in the night."


    "I did?" She didn¡¯t recall anything like that.


    "Yes. You must have been annoyed by the discussion going on in your bedroom. So you woke up and told everyone to get out and leave you alone because they were so damn noisy, and your head was hurting. Hearing you dishing out orders with that attitude, everyone realised that you were doing better and went back to their lodges."


    "Why didn¡¯t you leave with them? You should have gone to take a nap as well."


    "I couldn¡¯t do that."


    Inez frowned hard. She knew that Killian was ming himself for what happened to herst night. She sighed and said to him, "You don¡¯t need to ¡ª" She sighed again as she realised that even if she said those words, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to erase the guilt and responsibility that Killian was feeling at the moment. Alphas were built like that. Even though they were living beings who were allowed to make mistakes, they still acted like they were carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders and were not allowed to make a mistake.


    So, she changed the topic and asked, "What happened to the witch? Why did shee to look for me?"


    "She was sent by the pureblood witches to capture you."


    She listened as Killian told her all about how good ole Macie was sent to the pack¡¯s territory by the leader of the halflings after he was promised a life of respect and admiration as a pureblooded wizard. "Do you think that they know¡ªI am a half-blood siren?" Inez couldn¡¯te up with another reason for their actions.


    "I don¡¯t think that they know that. The witch didn¡¯t let any signs of that, but then again, we can never be clear about it, as the pureblood witches would never dabble with the halflings more than they need to. I don¡¯t think they will ever leak the information about your identity to a halfling if they knew the truth, that is."


    He paused and then continued, "I have ordered a search on Joannes. I n to pay him a visit today and get the client¡¯s name. It probably has something to do with the witch they all call the Great One."


    "I think they know," said Inez softly. "I don¡¯t know why else they would chase me down for no other reason?"


    "You are forgetting that you are now my woman." Killian reminded her with a soft smile. "Witches despise lycans with the same passion as we do. There is a very good chance that they are hunting you down just to mess with me. You never know."


    Ah, she forgot about that. Maybe she was just unlucky when it came to love. Every time she got involved with a man, things would go south in one way or another. "Is the witch dead?" If the answer was ¡¯no¡¯, then she was willing to change the status quo.


    "Finn killed himst night. I was going to do it on my own but¡ª"


    There was a knock and Killian¡¯s words ended with a groan.

 Chapter 252: Tangled Mess (2)

    <h4>Chapter 252: Tangled Mess (2)</h4>


    "Open the damn door."


    The bossy voice made Killian grit his teeth, and he clenched his fists. Maybe he should have asked Laxus to scout this woman out of the pack¡¯s territory when he had the time. The witch had no idea, or maybe she didn¡¯t give a damn about showing the respect that she should be showing him as the alpha of this pack.


    "Who is it?" Inez asked with a tilt of her head. She sounded confused, bless her heart. She was the only reason why he hadn¡¯t killed Tracy and left her corpse outside the territory¡¯s borders for the rogues to feed on.


    "No one of importance," Killian spoke through gritted teeth. He wanted to ignore the woman outside, but the second he spoke those words, there was another knock, and Tracy¡¯s muffled voice echoed once again, "Do you think that a closed door can stop me? I am being nice by asking you to open the door. So open it before I lose my patience, you damned mutt."


    <i>I am going to kill her. </i>His beast growled in his head, and he sounded furious, and Killian didn¡¯t me him. He had every right to be furious, especially with how the witch continued to insult them. His beast has the blood of the lycan king, and for thousands of years, no one had looked down on him. And yet this witch, whom they didn¡¯t even know or had the slightest idea about, was looking down on them.


    <i>You can kill her once she is done helping Inez. </i>Killian reminded his beast, who was still bursting with little explosions of anger, but was now a bit more restrained. Of course, the safety of Inez was the only thing that could make his beast calm down.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Inez asked. Her brows furrowing slightly as her gaze darted from the door to him. She couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, and Killian didn¡¯t me her. She had gone through so much in just one night. What she needed was more rest and peace, but these two things seemed to have nothing to do with the witch outside. She was still banging on the door, her knocks getting louder by the second as if she was going to break the door down.


    "I aming!" Killian snapped as he got to his feet and then walked over to the door. Annoyed and angry that Tracy couldn¡¯t have waited for one more darn second. He pulled open the door as he crossed the room and said to her, "I am d to see that you understand the term patience." Sarcasm dripped from his voice, and the witch simply rolled her eyes at him.


    She walked past him and entered the room, and when she saw Inez on the bed, Tracy¡¯s eyes softened for the first time. She walked over to the bed and took over the stool on which Killian was sitting till now. She said to her with a smile, "How are you feeling, princess?"


    Inez shot a look of pure confusion at Tracy before turning to look at Killian, who was scowling at the woman. She then heard him say, "I did tell you that she needed more rest. What part of this simple sentence couldn¡¯t you understand?"


    "You do not understand what I can," Tracy nced at the man with a hint of annoyance in her tone. She sounded like a stern teacher who was dealing with a rather troubled child. She said to him, "She was attacked by dark magic. I need to make sure that there are no remnants left."


    Killian stiffened. From his expression, Inez knew that the man hadn¡¯t thought of it. He asked quietly, "Why didn¡¯t you tell me?"


    "I was going to tell you, but you were so adamant on separating Inez from me that I had no choice." Tracy rolled her eyes once again and turned to look at Inez. She shot her a smile before reaching out and holding her hand in front of Inez. "May I?"


    Inez had no idea what the woman was trying to do, but she nodded and took her hand. The second she touched Tracy¡¯s hand, she felt a zap of energy shoot through her skin. But this current was warm, soothing, like a mother¡¯s caress.


    Inez, who had never felt something like this before, was quite stunned. She raised her head and looked at Tracy, who sighed. "It seems like that witch really went hard on you, didn¡¯t she?"


    "I think she did," Inez replied, still confused.


    "Of course she did," Tracymented. "You had pushed her to a corner, and she had no other choice but to use such a spell. You are lucky that your body is stronger than you think, or else you would have diedst night." Tracy frowned as she raised her hand and rubbed her fingers; as she did it, ck fumes rose in the air and slowly dissipated with a hiss.


    She nced at Inez, whose eyes were still fixed on the remnants of the dark magic that was flowing within her veins till now. She said to her, "How are you feeling now?"


    Inez blinked her eyes and thought over. The wooziness was gone, and so was the throbbing headache. She felt better than she did when she woke up. "I feel better."


    "It¡¯s good to know," Tracy smiled.


    "What are you doing here?" Inez asked as she looked at the woman with confusion marring her eyes. It was one thing that her seamstress turned out to be a witch, but what she could not understand was why she was here.


    Tracy leaned back. There was something graceful about her actions which made Inez feel awe. "I told you that you remind me of an old friend, didn¡¯t I?"


    When Inez nodded, Tracy¡¯s smile widened. She said to her, "I came here because I had a feeling that you were in danger. Thest time I met you, things were not looking good for you. The ties of fate were way too tangled and dark."

 Chapter 253: A Virus?

    <h4>Chapter 253: A Virus?</h4>


    Inez frowned. She nced at Killian, who in turn shook his head. He didn¡¯t seem to have the slightest bit of an idea what Tracy was trying to say, and what a coincidence, she didn¡¯t either. "I am afraid I don¡¯t understand." She really didn¡¯t. She was nothing¡ªher existence had never been important; if anything, her mother had made sure to tell her how much of an embarrassment she was to her.


    How she was an abomination created by the Moon Goddess to mock Mrs Sinir, whose life was beyond perfect without Inezing into her life.


    So why would someone go to such lengths to protect her? And that, too, a witch?


    Tracy shot her a look of pure sympathy. "I know that you need some answers, but sweetie, I am afraid that I cannot give them to you now. You are not prepared enough to withstand the truth for the time being."


    "What do you mean you cannot tell her the truth?" Killian questioned. He couldn¡¯t process her words at all. The witch had continuously harped about how she wanted to meet and see Inez, only for her to say that she cannot tell Inez anything. It was simply outrageous. What was up with her? If she was not going to say anything, then why did she bothering here at all?


    "Hold your horses?" Tracy raised her head and looked at Killian. She said to him, "I told you that I am here to protect her. I never said that I was here to tell her the truth; that is something for her to find and only she can do it." She then turned her head and faced Inez, whose eyes were still filled with confusion.


    "I know it¡¯s confusing, but your life is in danger." Tracy broke the silence that was stretching over the room when the two of them looked at one another. Inez¡¯s eyes widened before returning to normal as she whispered, "Why? I am nothing special." Why would someone even think of killing her?


    "Nothing special?" Tracy barked. Her voice was harsh and cold. She stared at her imperiously before saying to her, "You are wrong. Your existence is itself a miracle. I mean, usually shifters take after one of their parents. Even if they were to imprint on another species, the children of the shifters hardly inherit the skills and abilities of both of their parents. You, on the other hand, are a special case."


    "A half-blood who has both her wolf and siren intact within her."


    "My wolf¨C" Inez began, but Tracy simply smiled at her before saying, "I know that she has hidden herself, but she hasn¡¯t faded. She is still there, alive and healing."


    Inez blinked her eyes. She already knew this, but after hearing it from the lips of a witch, she felt a bit more rxed. All along, she was worried that Nia would one day leave her alone without a sign.


    "But that still does not exin why she is in danger," Killian intervened in their conversation just like he had done earlier. Inez raised her head and nced at his scowl. She didn¡¯t have to be a genius to know that Killian didn¡¯t like Tracy or her presence around her. It wasn¡¯t surprising, as shifters and witches hardly ever mingle.


    Tracy simply raised her head and looked at the man. She said to him, "There are some things that you can understand without me telling you, Alpha Sokolov. Use your brains; Inez¡¯s very existence is an exception. Do you think that she exists only to stay next to you? There is more to the world than you, you see?"


    Killian¡¯s cheeks flushed red. Maybe this was the first time Inez had seen him act so human. He looked like a child in front of Tracy, while thetter looked like a stern mother who was teaching her son how to behave.


    "Okay, I understand that my existence is a rare urrence," Inez interjected, attracting the attention of both of them. "But what does that have to do with the attack that happened tonight? I don¡¯t think anyone knows about my identity as a half-siren. Wolf, yes? Latent, yes, but not part siren, or do they?" She tilted her head to one side while waiting for Tracy to answer that question because that was what worried her the most.


    Tracy sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair and opened her mouth only for her to close it back up again, and then a secondter, she opened it again and spoke in a steady voice, "You ¨C are correct. Indeed, others don¡¯t know about you being part siren¡ª"


    "Then why did you have to say that she is in danger?"


    "I am getting to that part if you just stay quiet!" spoke Tracy in a clipped tone. She shot a very disgusted look at Killian before turning to look at Inez. She said to her, "The universe works in favour of bnce. Everything that exists and doesn¡¯t exist is due to this Bnce that the universe needs to maintain. But there are always anomalies which throw this bnce off course, like a virus in theputer system. When that happens, fate intervenes; it writes a destiny for these anomalies for them to prove themselves worthy."


    "But until then, there will be forces who will try their best to drag you down or eradicate you because these existences disrupt the bnce that they had tried hard to achieve." She sighed. "Much like the Animorphous."


    Inez didn¡¯t quite understand what Tracy was trying to tell her, other than the fact that she was an anomaly and an existence that shouldn¡¯t havee to exist, but somehow managed to do it and now that the bnce had been disrupted, she was the one who was in danger. The hell? It wasn¡¯t as if she asked for this to happen to her. If she could, then she would have chosen to be born as a shifter rather than a siren; at least that way, she wouldn¡¯t be living a life of fear.


    <i>Hey! </i>


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 254: A Virus (2)?

    <h4>Chapter 254: A Virus (2)?</h4>


    Inez guiltily ignored the cry of her siren and turned her entire attention to Tracy. She said to her, "So that¡¯s it? Just because I am the ¡¯virus¡¯ of this world." God, she didn¡¯t even know how to feel about this. "I deserve to be targeted again and again?" Her voice suddenly rose a pitch higher because she felt annoyed and frustrated by the circumstances. What Fate? What Destiny? What Bnce?


    Were they not taught that they were all the children of the Night Goddess? So why was she the only one getting this rough treatment for no reason? It was simply unjust.


    "I know that it feels a bit upsetting."


    "A bit?"


    "Okay, a lot upsetting," Tracy conceded. "But you need to know that this is not the time for you to mourn over the poor destiny that was written for you. If you want to survive, then you need to get stronger. Do you know how to do that?"


    "Yeah, by kicking Destiny in¨C"


    "You don¡¯t want to say that," Tracy intervened before she could finish speaking. "I know that you are quite upset, and I understand it as well. I totally understand that you wish to say some undiluted insults, but I hope you wouldn¡¯t do that because Destiny can be fickle."


    No sooner did she finish speaking than there was another string of vibrations on the watch that she was wearing, which Tracy silenced by tapping on the screen.


    She continued to look at her and spoke softly. "What you need to do is to learn how to use your skills and your powers. You might not believe it, but you have way too much potential. If your powers are not used properly, things can go downhill." Tracy frowned, her eyes turned dazed as if she were calcting the countless wrongs that could happen if Inez didn¡¯t learn how to use her powers.


    "You speak as if I have powers that are different from others," Inez spoke with a mocking note in her voice. She was just a siren, a siren like every other. What was the point of making her stick out like a sore thumb when she clearly was nothing at all?


    Tracy¡¯s eyes snapped to her, and her brows furrowed. She opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly the gems-the ones that were used as the eyes of the owls ¨C turned red from green, and she sped her mouth shut, looking annoyed with the entire predicament.


    "I cannot tell you much, but I hope you will trust me on this," said Tracy. Her eyes were unusually stern. "You are indeed an exception in many ways, and your powers, some of which you haven¡¯t even tapped into yet, are really dangerous. So you better be careful, Inez, because there are only a few chances that will be given to you."


    "What do you mean?" Inez began, but then the watch started to ring, and this time around it was not a simple vibration. It was more of a ringing, like an rm. Tracy looked down at her and frowned. Hard.


    However, whatever it was must have been serious because she didn¡¯t ignore it. She tapped on the call and answered it.


    "Hello? Yeah? Like right now? Are you kidding me?" Tracy spoke in short pauses, her brows furrowing more and more with each second.


    Inez was sure that the woman was going to explode any second, but instead she let out an exhausted sigh. "Fine," she snapped. "If that is what you want, then that is what you will get."


    She got to her feet as she ended the call. "I am really sorry." She shot her a sympathetic look before saying to Inez, "I know this wille as abruptly as our meeting was cut short, but I hope you will stay on guard all the time. Don¡¯t try to use your powers too much, or else you will burn out."


    And then she disappeared.


    Her entire body rippled and morphed as if it were a 3d hologram, and then everything went quiet.


    Once the room regained silence, Inez was left alone to ponder. Just what did the woman mean? No, in fact, what was she even trying to do? While Inez was thankful that Tracy hade to rescue her, what was with her cryptic messages? She didn¡¯t even tell her what powers Inez had, which could change the world.


    Or did she even have these powers that Tracy spoke of?


    "Don¡¯t trust her words."


    Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Killian spoke up from the side. Inez raised her head and looked at him. "What?"


    "I said don¡¯t trust her just yet," repeated Killian. He took the chair that Tracy had left unupied and said to her, "Witches are just as capable when ites to lying as lycans. I won¡¯t trust her words just because she saved your life. There is a very good chance that she is working and reeling you in a well-designed trap."


    Inez pursed her lips. As a shifter, she was indeed taught these lessons, where her teachers often told her that she should never trust a witch. Because a witch always had an intention behind her actions, she or he would never help others without a reason. So, what intentions did Tracy have to help her?


    "I don¡¯t know what to think anymore," Inez spoke honestly. She felt as if she had been thrown off a loop all of a sudden. A part of her was too paranoid to believe what Tracy had told her, but at the same time, the siren side ¨C it felt quite smug, or maybe it was content. As if she were happy that someone had finally realised her true worth.


    However, Inez, who had learnt a few things from her grandmother, knew that her siren self could never be trusted. After all, sirens were creatures of pride, and their decision-making skills were always blind. There were times when sirens had started wars just because someone had looked at them in the wrong way. So Inez would rather not trust her siren and her gutfeeling.


    **


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 Chapter 255: Lack of Answers

    <h4>Chapter 255: Lack of Answers</h4>


    "Hey," Just as her thoughts were going down the rabbit hole, Killian reached out and took her hand into his. He said to her, "Don¡¯t think about it too much. Alright? I am here with you; no matter what this might lead to, you are not alone, okay, Bubbles?"


    There were so many questions rushing through her head, and fear seemed to be coursing in her veins like a secondyer of blood, but the second she heard Killian¡¯s supporting words, Inez felt a bit better. Yeah, she was not alone this time around; someone was there with her.


    "I know. I just¡ªI hoped that Tracy would have been a bit more honest with me." She was way too cryptic. She didn¡¯t even say how she knew all about what was going on with her. Nor did she tell her what she wanted from her. It made Inez feel like she was caught in a whirlpool with no chance of getting out of it. Like she knew that she was in danger and that she needed to get the fuck out, but she couldn¡¯t because the force was tremendous for her to fight back.


    That was the scary part of dealing with the unknown.


    And to top it all, Tracy told her that her very existence went against thews of fate and nature. Does it mean that her mother was right all along? That she was a monster.


    "Witches are known for being cryptic," Killian said to her. His voice was strained with worry. "I am actually surprised that she even bothered toe and save your life. Witches never intervene between packs or shifters¡¯ battles. Even if it¡¯s their kind who started it. That¡¯s why I am worried; I cannot decipher her intentions."


    And neither could she. What Killian told her, Inez knew it as well. Witches had always kept the slogan ¡¯We hate Shifters¡¯ alive for centuries. They had caused great damage to the shifters in the past.


    Their hatred for shifters mirrored the disgust that shifters had for them.


    Inez, too, was doubtful about Tracy¡¯s intentions. But unfortunately, she had no way to contact her at the moment.


    "I will send Ryder and Levi to investigate a little about this witch. For the time being, keep this matter a secret." Killian¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and then he told her, "I believe that the traitor in the pack is someone who is closely watching all our moves. I don¡¯t know whether that witch is our ally or our enemy, but let¡¯s keep this incident a secret, shall we?"


    "Alright," Inez had nothing against his suggestion. In fact, her gut feeling also told her that she needed to keep this meeting with Tracy a secret. Within her, she could feel the distraught disbelief that her siren was going through at the moment. It was quite clear to her that her siren was simply unamused by herck of belief in the words that the witch had told them about their powers. But Inez didn¡¯t quite have any proof to believe what Tracy had told her.


    If she had powers that could change or raze the world, then why didn¡¯t they awaken when she needed them the most? Why was she trodden on by everyone in the Venus Pack? If she were that powerful, then she would have dealt with Dominic and his minions with a flick of her finger, right?


    But it never happened. She was just like any normal girl out there or shifter.


    "I have ordered a search for Joannes, too," Killian looked at the watch on his wrist and patted her on the back of her hand. "I know that you would want me to stay with you but¡ª"


    "What I want is for you to drag that bastard out and skin him alive." Inez scoffed. She still felt her ribs hurt every time she breathed. Even though the subtle pain of being poked by several needles was gone, she was having trouble breathing, and it was all due to the wizard who sent that halfling after her. "I need answers, damn it."


    Killian¡¯s lips twitched with amusement. He nodded and agreed with her, "Don¡¯t worry; I will try to make that man speak." Which clearly meant that he would interrogate Joannes until he pried his mouth open. Good. That wizard needed to learn his lesson about not walking down the path of greed because down there could be a really pissed-off lycan.


    After a short pause, she turned and questioned, "What about Evelyn?" She remembered getting pushed off the balcony by that woman. It was quite amusing to even think that someone like Evelyn had the guts to do it.


    "She was taken away by Alpha Cherith," stated Killian with a frown. "I would have loved to deal with her, but she is not the pack member of my pack, which means that I have little to no say in what to do with her. Only Dominic can make the decision."


    Hearing his response, Inez scoffed. She had no trust in Dominic. Maybe that man might simply spank Evelyn on the back and let the matter go. That woman broke her wolf like no one else could, and yet she was roaming around guilt-free. Even the breaking of their mate bond could not make Dominic punish that woman; why would he even punish Evelyn now?


    Inez held the covers close to her chest and looked down, only to realise that she was naked. She turned to look at Killian and asked, "Why am I naked?"


    "The healers asked me to remove your clothes for better absorption of the spell," Killian replied, as he nced down at the covers that were hiding her curves. "They told me that your condition was quite special due to the witch¡¯s attack. That¡¯s why I agreed with their suggestion. It was a ¡¯race against time¡¯ kind of moment."


    Inez nodded as she tried to get out of the bed, only for her head to sway slightly.


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 Chapter 256: Road That Head Straight to Guilty Land

    <h4>Chapter 256: Road That Head Straight to Guilty Land</h4>


    "You need to rest more." Killian caught her by the arms and helped her sit straight on the bed.


    "I feel a bit groggy. And I am no longer sleepy; I need coffee," Inez told him. She pushed his hand away and tried to get up, only to pause and turn to look at the man. Conscious that she was butt naked, she hesitated to move. It wasn¡¯t that she had any hang-ups about being naked¡ªshe was a shifter; she was used to taking her clothes off in front of others. Still, she didn¡¯t want Killian to think that she was trying to seduce him or something of the sort. Because the man was the kind who would jump on her at the smallest chance.


    And as much as she loved the fact that the man felt attracted to her, Inez truly couldn¡¯t summon the energy to do the hanky-panky at the moment. She said to him, "You do realise that I am naked."


    His eyes darkened with something, along with amusement. "There is nothing left for me to see. That train has already passed, and don¡¯t worry, I am not going to pounce on you. As much as I would have loved to, I won¡¯t." He flicked one brow and questioned, "Don¡¯t tell me that you have suddenly gotten shy around me?"


    Oh, she could hear the challenge in his words. He was pushing her to fight back, and if that was what he wanted, that was what he was going to get.


    She slipped out of bed and walked around it. Ignoring the heat and the weight of the gaze that was locked on her back, she went to the wardrobe sitting in the corner and pulled out a drawer. Even though the two of them had not moved in together in Killian¡¯s lodge, she knew that the man had bought a few things for her and stacked them neatly in his wardrobe.


    She snatched a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt before pulling them on. Once she was done, she turned around and faced the man. Inez¡¯s breath got caught at the sight of the predatory gaze with which he was looking at her. That bold and smouldering gaze sent tingles down her spine.


    Guessing that it was time for her to change the topic, she cleared her throat. "Do you want coffee?"


    "I would like another drink if you don¡¯t mind," he told her. His eyes darkened as his gaze settled between her legs.


    Oh hell no. Her body was aching as if she had been run over by a bulldozer. Inez knew that she couldn¡¯t bear his tossing around, which was why she turned on her feet and headed out of the room. She was too tired, and the man behind her had too much energy.


    As she walked out of the room, her eyes caught her reflection in the mirror that was right across the corridor, sitting next to the cosy couch that she had arranged ording to the aesthetic balcony view that she wanted to create for herself and man¡ªthe sight was truly cringeworthy. Her eyes had long turned into slits. Her lips had been brutally cut, and she was looking oddly pale. Paler than she had ever looked. Her hair was a shaggy mess, and there was an ugly purple wound on her head.


    It was getting better, but slowly. Maybe in their attempts to save her life, the healers forgot to heal this wound.


    Inside the room, Killian sighed. Pulling his head out from the fantasies where he wanted to drag Inez back to the bed, he rubbed his hands down his face. His mind kept flipping back to the moment where he had stalked Inez, only to find her getting attacked by the halfling. The memory made his blood run cold every single time.


    He wondered what might even happen to her if Tracy hadn¡¯t stepped in to stop the witch? Maybe Inez might have already been taken away from him, and who knows what those witches might have done to her?


    He still remembered how panicked Inez looked when she passed out. Even though it was just for a moment, he had seen the panic, rage and pain as she had closed her eyes after the tranquilisers took effect.


    Killian was pissed at himself just as much as he was at the bastard who sent that halfling down to his territory. He had fucked up. Hugely. He should have taken extra precautions when he knew that the witches were attacking the territory. He should have protected her better. But he was too conceited in his own beliefs that he had done a darn good job. And what happened? Inez was almost kidnapped. The thought alone was enough to steal the breath from his lungs.


    As much as he didn¡¯t trust Tracy, he was d that the witch had stepped in and stopped that halfling. Whatever evil intentions she was hiding behind this little help that she had given to them, Killian didn¡¯t want to think about them for the time being.


    His beast was growling with him; he wanted to hunt down the threat to her and fucking eradicate it. The beast was a bit calmer now since the smell of scent had disappeared, but he still hated the threat that was looming over her head. And he wanted it gone.


    Killian heard his phone chime and fished it out of his pocket. Dominic. He let the call go to voicemail because he was not in the mood to talk to the man. Nor did he like how Dominic was way too eagerly protective of Inez. Even though the two of them were no longer mates, the remnants of the mating bond were still there, and it made Killian stifled; he hated that Dominic had something with Inez, something that he could never have.


    His phone chimed one more time before falling silent, just as the door of the bedroom opened. When Inez saw him, she frowned, "Whats the matter with you?"

 Chapter 257: You Owe Me Your Life

    <h4>Chapter 257: You Owe Me Your Life</h4>


    "Nothing. I am waiting for Selene to arrive," replied Killian as he dropped his hands to his sides. He shot her a smile when he noticed the frown between his eyes.


    Inez leaned against the frame of the door; with her arms crossed, she said to him, "I don¡¯t know how to say this without sounding bitchy. But thats not what I wanted to ask... never mind, why is Seleneing here? I am fine."


    Killian got to his feet and, as he marched past her, she heard him say, "I know. But she is worried. She mes herself for what happenedst night. Sel asked me to stay with you until she arrives; she wants to check up on you. I will stay until she gets here, or else she will throw a hissy fit. And I, too, don¡¯t want to leave you alone. Not when you are not one hundred per cent."


    Well, Inez was quite grateful that the man was looking after her, but she couldn¡¯t help but bristle when she heard his words. Her nostrils red, as she didn¡¯t like how Killian was making it sound like it was his fault that this incident happened. "That is not necessary. I am fine. I know what happenedst night was something really crazy and dangerous, but hey, I survived it. You don¡¯t need to make it sound like I nearly died."


    "You would have died if Tracy hadn¡¯t stepped in." Annoyed that she had even brought the matter, Killian turned to look at Inez with his eyes shing wolf. He pressed the button of the coffeemaker and said to her, "You know who I am. What I am to you. You cannot expect me to tuck the incident at the back of my mind and act as if there is nothing wrong because there is no way I can do that."


    "Someone under my protection. Someone whom I care about was almost kidnapped. Do you think that I can go on about my day as if it never happened?" he questioned.


    No, she understood what he was trying to say¡ªand that was when it hit her. "You are trying to track the man on your own. The one who sent the witch?"


    "Yes, I am going to fix my fuckup."


    "What fuckup?"


    Inez couldn¡¯t even believe that she was hearing this.


    "I should have kept a closer eye on you when I knew that Dominic and that woman who is with him came to the territory. I didn¡¯t, and you paid for it. That¡¯s never going to happen."


    "You don¡¯t bear any responsibility for what happened. You didn¡¯t know that Evelyn would do such a thing, and you had no idea that a witch would still be able to sneak inside the territory. It¡¯s not your fault; it¡¯s the fault of that traitor who created enough openings for the witch to trespass in the territory. You don¡¯t need to take the case into your hands. Levi can do it without you stepping in."


    Inez paused and added, "Anyway, now that the halfling has failed, I don¡¯t think that the witches will try something like this again."


    "We can only hope. If the witch who ordered Joanne to retrieve you is smart, she will back off and lie low to elude me. But the thing is that the witches have never been smart enough, and I am more inclined toward thetter option because if this witch were smart enough, she would have never sent a halfling to the territory of the lycans. But she did. Since she is so bold, or maybe I should say an idiot, she will try to find some other way to get to you. I am notfortable letting such a thing happen. The reason we are changing shifts is not because we believe that you can take care of yourself, but right now you are weak, and we don¡¯t want to leave any opening open for the traitor or the witch."


    Inez would have argued, but she knew better than that. And there was little point in arguing with Killian. She knew that the man was not going to budge. He was using what Finn called a ¡¯Lycan tone¡¯. It was cold, emotionless, and determined, and there was a hint of no negotiation.


    Finn had told her that there was no point in arguing with Killian when he was talking in this tone. ording to Finn, there was no point in talking with Killian when he spoke in that tone because there was no way anyone could change his mind. In fact, it was better to throw your hands up and walk away in scenarios like these. That was a much better and saner option.


    Someone knocked on the door of her lodge.


    "That should be Sel and Laxus," he said as he pushed a coffee mug under the machine. "I know that you are tired and edgy, but let her fuss over you a little. If you don¡¯t, then she will be worried out of her mind."


    As if Inez could have stopped Selene. That woman might be poisoned, but she was still a lycan, and lycans were a force of nature that Inez would never fight against.


    Killian disappeared down the hallway, and Inez turned to pick up the coffee mug. Of course, she eyed his arse as he moved. What? Just because she couldn¡¯t do anything didn¡¯t mean that she couldn¡¯t even enjoy the sight.


    Sipping her coffee, she heard Selene¡¯s voice. The woman was speaking about something with Killian in a rapid-fire manner. Though Inez was d that the woman was slowly regaining her momentum, she hoped that Selene spoke at a pace that was a bit understandable for her.


    Soon, Selene was pushed into the kitchen by Laxus, and even though the woman was in a wheelchair, there was something about her personality that filled the entire room.


    "Ah, it seems like I was right," said Selene with a smile. "Laxus here said to me that you might still be sleeping, but I told him no. You are strong, so it¡¯s impossible for you to be asleep till now." Selene stopped in front of her and took her hand. "You are fine now, right?"


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 Chapter 258: You Owe Me Your Life (2)

    <h4>Chapter 258: You Owe Me Your Life (2)</h4>


    Inez smiled. "Yes."


    "I knew you would be," said Selene as she nced at Laxus, who sighed in response. He turned to look at Inez before saying to her, "I am d that you are feeling alright, Inez. We were really worried after what happenedst night."


    "Well, what can I say? I am hard to kill."


    Laxus chuckled appreciatively, but he turned silent when he caught the re that Killian was sending his way and cleared his throat. He turned to look at Selene and said to her, "Do you need me to stay with you?"


    "No, I will be fine. I don¡¯t believe that the witches will make a move so soon," remarked Selene as she turned her attention to Inez. "And I believe that we need some girl time. Alone without you men, brooding at the back of our necks."


    She paused and turned to look at Killian, who was glowering at them. "And instead of ring at me, you should be working hard to track down that bastard who tried to kidnap Inez. That would be much more useful than this."


    "I never knew that you were this assertive," said Inez, sounding simply awed at Selene¡¯s manner of speaking.


    Selene huffed while Killian rolled his eyes. He said to her, "This is just a trailer of what she can do. Just because she has been all docile all these years, people have started to treat her as a kitten. They should have seen what she did to the fox who called her fugly when she was sixteen."


    "What did she do?" Inez asked, but before she could get an answer, Selene turned and red at the man, who shrugged and then said to her, "Well, let¡¯s say...itprised a teapot, a long pole and a rather agonised fox."


    Inez had no idea what the man was even trying to say, but she did try to pretend that she understood what the man said to her. How in the hell did a teapot and a pole even be a means of torture? Maybe she might never even get a chance to know.


    "We should go," said Laxus. Having received an answer from Selene, he turned to look at Killian and said to him, "There is no point in waiting any further."


    Killian nodded. He walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead before saying to her, "Call me if there is anything that you need to know."


    He left after dropping those words.


    "Coffee?" Inez turned to look at Selene and asked, trying to stop herself from feeling annoyed with how she was once again asked to stay behind. This incident was closely linked to her, and yet she couldn¡¯t do anything about it because she wasn¡¯t an enforcer and could not join the hunt.


    Selene hummed, and as Inez poured her a cup of coffee, she said to her, "You do not like his overprotectiveness." Inez had to admit that Selene was quite observant.


    No, she didn¡¯t, and somehow she did. "I don¡¯t like how he always wants to protect me from danger and yet mes himself for something that was simply out of his control."


    "My brother has always been like that; he loves to shoulder unnecessary me," said Selene, with her eyes rolling back in her sockets. "Even though Lyra got what wasing for her, he still loves to bear some responsibility for her death. You will think that it is stupid. And it is. She was beyond help. Even if he had tried to save her¡ªhe could never have done that. Because that woman never needed saving. You can only save those who want to be saved, not someone who is simply beyond that point."


    "He told me that she was a witch."


    "That is indeed true. Morrh¡ªafter her mate passed away, she started to gettched to just about anyone. Most probably, one of the men she slept with was a wizard. Anyway, while I do admit that there are witches who are kind¡ªeven if only one per cent. But Lyra didn¡¯t belong to that one per cent. And yet Killian still feels that he was the reason why she turned into what she turned because he took all the light while she was left with nothing but darkness."


    "That¡¯s stupid," Inez remarked with a frown.


    "I know," Selene agreed with a smile. "My brother knows it somewhere in his heart as well, but with Fenric repeating the same things again and again, Kill hade to believe that maybe he might have never given his all to save Lyra. Even if he didn¡¯t like her, as the better half of her soul, he should have tried better to hold her steady. I say that the mating bond had little to do with the sheer evilness that crawled in her veins instead of blood."


    She sighed and said to Inez, "I know that his overprotectiveness might be chafing, but I will ask you to be patient with him. Kill takes protecting those whom he cares about very seriously. So let him do his own thing. He will feel better if he does something about the current situation¡ªand keeping you safe is what will make him a bit more satisfied."


    Inez sighed. "I never knew that you were such a good saleswoman. You really know how to turn your brother¡¯s ws into something nice."


    "Lycans are known for being cunning and getting their way." Selene huffed as she set her mug down. "I heard that Evelyn was the one who pushed you off the balcony, and that was how the witch got the opportunity to attack you. From the whispers, it seems like Evelyn was hoodwinked by a witch to do their bidding."


    "You mean to say that the witch who attacked me was the reason why Evelyn pushed me off?"


    "That¡¯s what Tracy said, but ording to her, the remnants of the spell around Evelyn proved that she truly wanted to harm you. The witch at most gave that woman a boost of courage. So there is no need for you to feel sorry about her."

 Chapter 259: You Owe Me Your Life (3)

    <h4>Chapter 259: You Owe Me Your Life (3)</h4>


    Not that she was going to feel sorry for Evelyn. Hell had to freeze over before she could start feeling sorry for someone like Evelyn.


    Once she finished speaking, Selene turned to look at Inez and questioned, "But what did she say to you? I don¡¯t know much because after the witch left the office, she demanded that Killian take her along with him when he came to see you. The whisperers of the pack im that they did see Tracy entering your lodge."


    Inez sighed. She rubbed her hands over her face before saying, "I don¡¯t know where to begin."


    Selene was her friend. Maybe her only friend who was willing to try to get to know her. Not because she was close to her brother or because she was the only one who could save her life. But because Selene was genuinely interested in getting to know her. That was something.


    That meant something for someone like her, who was given nothing but torment and was treated worse than the rug beneath the feet of the shifters in the Venus pack. She didn¡¯t want to hide anything from her. Not like there was anything to hide, as Tracy had never given her direct answers to begin with.


    "How about what she wanted from you and why she even tried to save you?" Selene suggested.


    "She told me that I was what you would call an exception." Inez didn¡¯t want to tell Selene that Tracy had actuallypared her to aputer virus. "Said something about my existence being out of the norm, which is why I have to face all kinds of tests that fate throws at me." She frowned and added, "There was something about having powerful skills and abilities, but I have never felt a flicker of them ever since the day I was born."


    She shrugged and added mockingly, "I mean, if I were that powerful, why would I be bullied by the wolves of the Venus pack? It just doesn¡¯t make sense."


    "Well, it does sound weird," agreed Selene. "Though I have nothing against witches, they have this talent of sounding really, really persuasive as if they are doing it because they mean no harm. However, I have dealt with enough witches and wizards, as well as shifters who took their help, and I would like to suggest that you should never¡ªnever trust them without any reason. Not unless they prove to you that they are trustworthy."


    "There is a reason why Morrh and her children still believe that Lyra was a good person. Because she knew how to pretend. That and Morrh does love to bury her head in the sand. Fenric is the same. So, even if Tracy has proven herself trustworthy by saving your life, never let your guard down."


    "I understand." Inez nodded. She paused and asked, "Do you believe that Killian truly cared for Lyra?"


    "I don¡¯t know if he cared for her or not. But I do believe that he cares for you greatly. You might not know this, but Killian doesn¡¯t like to stay away from you. With women, including Lyra, he woulde up with excuses to stay away from them¡ªto put some distance between them and him, but on the contrary, with you¡ªhe would think ande up with excuses to stay with you." Selene picked up her coffee mug and continued to sip her coffee. "Do you know that in the past, he was used to dumping women at the drop of a hat? The longest he had stayed with another woman was three days."


    Inez snapped her head up. "You are joking?"


    "Of course not. He had never stayed longer than that with a woman and said something about not giving them false hope that their rtionship would lead to something more steady. But he had stayed with you for months and never cared for anyone else, no? There is also the threat that he forced upon the members. He had never used his authority as an alpha to silence the members before you. But the fact that he pushed forth his authority just to keep you safe proves a lot."


    Inez heaved a sigh. "But I never felt a tinge of imprinting." It was as if something was holding him back from marking her.


    Selene set her coffee mug down again. This time, a bit harshly.


    "He is an idiot," said Selene after a long pause, and Inez smiled at her words. "But I will ask you not to give up on him just yet. He will work through his troubles sooner orter; he always does. But if you want to move on, then I will support you. I care for you, Inez, and I believe that you deserve more than a man who is still stuck in some childish¡ªwhims?" Selene sighed. "It is indeed regretful that I have a brother who can be an idiot at times. But then again, he is only human and has every reason to have the issues that he is dealing with."


    A smile tugged at Inez¡¯s lips. "He is not an idiot."


    "Oh, but he is. Unlike I¡ªhe loves to brood over the past. I, on the other hand, love to keep moving forward. He has always loved his lessons the hard way, and I have nothing to say in support of that."


    Inez gathered the dishware. "Well, we have something inmon then. Because I have nothing to say about it either." She took the mugs to the sink. And the second she raised her head, all the air left her lungs. Because the second she raised her head, her eyes fell on a smoky figure. A figure that looked human but was barely human. Those red eyes glowed eerily as the woman looked at her.


    And two secondster, Inez watched the lips of the woman move, and even though the window was shut, she heard the coarse voice of the ghostly woman, "You will not be lucky the next time. I will get you, little one. You owe me your life."


    **


    Really sorry for the sudden change in the schedule. Had to go get my MRI done because my head was bursting. I felt I was going to die lol. But I survived, so here we are~


    Adding an extra Chapter to make up to you, my lovely fairies~


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 260: Mangled Corpses

    <h4>Chapter 260: Mangled Corpses</h4>


    "What¡¯s the matter?" The sound of wheels echoed behind her, and Inez snapped out of whatever daze she was in at that moment. However, the moment she blinked her eyes, the woman or the ghost of her disappeared right then and there.


    A furrow etched between her brows, and Inez raised her hand to pinch the space between her eyebrows. She had no idea what was happening. Did she just imagine the entire thing, or was she still too tired due to the drug in her system? Inez had not the slightest bit of an idea about what the hell was going on with her.


    "Inez?"


    "It¡¯s nothing." Inez turned and said to Selene, who looked concerned and maybe out of her mind due to worry. "I think I am still not okay."


    Selene nodded as if she understood her predicament. She said to Inez, "Though the witch used those drugs sold in the human world, it¡¯s hard to believe that she didn¡¯t mess around with them. Maybe that is the reason why you are feeling like that." She paused and added, "Let¡¯s go back to bed, Inez."


    And even though Inez would have loved to stay awake and go out in the forest where the attack happened, to find any missing evidence that others might have forgotten to detect, she had no other choice but to head back to bed because Inez knew that there was no point in running around when her head was still unclear.


    **


    It took a little over an hour to reach the downtown where the unregistered lived. The ce where Joannes stayed was located in a rough, neglected area among the stores. The small building was no bigger than the little garage that they had at the back of their territory.


    As Ryder parked the seven-seater SUV outside, Killian ryed the simple n to his enforcers: Walk inside, state that they were here to talk with Joannes, and if they didn¡¯t get what they wanted, then they would get down to the real business.


    It was as simple as that.


    As for how they would deal with a bunch of halflings? Killian brought Third Eye with him for a reason.


    The man was gruff and stoic with this solemn air around himself. His mechanical eye was moving left and right as he studied the street in front of them.


    "No traps found," said the man in a gruff tone. He ran his hand through his blonde crew cut and rubbed the back of his head with a frown on his face.


    "What¡¯s the matter?" Killian asked. He turned around on the passenger seat at the front and turned to look at the man behind him.


    "Though no traps are waiting for us, there is something wrong. The disturbance in the aether here is not¡ªfunny," he spoke, with a faint hint of warning in his tone. "The aether flowing through these streets is full of magic and power; this does not and cannot belong to a halfling."


    Killian frowned upon hearing. Whatever Third Eye meant by those words didn¡¯t sit right with him, but now that they were here, there was no point in turning around and walking away.


    "Let¡¯s take a look at what is waiting for us then."


    They all slid out of the SUV and then entered the in, sparse office. There was no one other than the incredibly disordered reception desk. And even when they stepped inside the building, no one came out to stop them. What greeted them was the thick, coppery scent mingled with the astringent smell of bleach.


    Killian turned and looked at Third Eye, whose expression was not looking good.


    "Kill¡ª"


    "Keep moving." Killian knew what was waiting for them, but he still led his enforcers inside the building; following the potent scent, they came to a stop in front of a much more private office. Both Joannes and two young women were sprawled on the threadbare red carpet. And all three of them were dead.


    Joannes, or he did think that it was Joannes, was killed brutally. His entire body had been mangled and gruesomely savaged. It looked horrifying to the point that even Killian couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to one side. The two halflings next to Joannes were in a situation simr to his. And the most terrifying thing?


    Their eyes were still open, and the horror in them was tantly clear. This proved that these three were alive when life was slowly snatched away from their bodies.


    "They were left alive after being tormented," said Killian. "My guess is that whoever did this didn¡¯t take them out in just one sweep kill."


    "I was thinking the same," agreed Third Eye. "But it makes no sense that the killer left them alive. If they wanted to kill these people before we came here, they should have killed them cleanly."


    "Unless they get some sick kick out of this, I don¡¯t see any other point." Ryder shrugged. "Maybe the witches and wizards who killed these three wanted to make a statement out of them." He blew out a breath. "Or maybe they were furious that Joannes failed in snatching Inez."


    "If that is the case," Killian narrowed his eyes as he stared at the three mangled corpses. "Then it means that this witch or wizard is keeping an eye on Inez, and I don¡¯t like the thought of that at all." His beast liked it even less.


    "But then again, they were willing to pay a hefty price in exchange for this task," said Third Eye as he sniffed the air. "If I were in their shoes, I too would be keeping an eye on him to make sure that he gets it done. After all, if he failed, then there was a chance that the person behind would be exposed. It¡¯s only natural that they were inclined to cover their tracks. We have already learned that these halflings cannot keep their mouths shut for long."


    Ryder turned to look at the ransacked office and questioned, "It seems like they were looking for something. What do you think they were looking for?"

 Chapter 261: Unstable Magic

    <h4>Chapter 261: Unstable Magic</h4>


    "They must be looking for any signs of sigils that might have recorded the promises or whatever conversation that they had," said Third Eye with a calm voice. "Witches, even halflings have the habit of using recording sigils instead of human mechanisms like voice recorders or cellphones. They don¡¯t trust them as they don¡¯t work well with magic."


    Third Eye walked over to the wall and tapped his fingers on it. At first, nothing happened, but then a secondter, cracks appeared on the ster of the wall like veins protruding out of the concrete. The glowing white lines were concentrated behind the cupboard that was sitting in the office.


    Third Eye turned and looked at them, and Killian walked over to the cupboard before pushing it away from the spot where the glowing white lines were joining. As soon as he pushed the wooden cupboard away, the sight behind it appeared.


    The wall had been burnt, and it must have been some kind of special fire or spell. Because the ckened edges were not wild, as if the mes had tried to escape and burn everything around them. No, whatever it was, it was circted within a circle.


    Killian couldn¡¯t see anything, but Third Eye, who was used to hunting witches and wizards, did notice something. He walked over and pointed at the centre. "Here, you see it? Within the spiral glyphs, there is a sign of Mannaz. It¡¯s drawn to record a memory. Most probably, this halfling was worried that the one who promised him would go back on their promise; thus, he recorded not just voices but memories."


    "No wonder they killed him," grunted Third Eye as he pulled his hand away from the destroyed sigil. "Pure blooded witches never like it when halflings like him try to pull sly tricks behind them."


    "But whoever it was, they cleaned after themselves nicely," remarked Finn. He had already examined the corpses and didn¡¯t find a thing. "There are no cellphones, no radios, even the hard disks and memory of theptops have been taken away. What can be destroyed has been destroyed, and what can be taken away, has been taken away."


    "We can talk with the other halflings then," said Killian with a scowl. "I don¡¯t believe that those witches are so capable that they can kill every single one of the halflings who worked for Joannes."


    "It¡¯s worth a shot," said Third Eye as he cast a sideways nce at the man. "You should leave this matter to me. I know that you want to do it on your own, but I assure you that these halflings fear witchhunters more than they fear you."


    "Fine." Killian didn¡¯t like the idea of leaving this task in the hands of someone else, but he knew that even though he could make use of his scare tactic on shifters, this time around, it was not going to work.


    Halflings didn¡¯t fear shifters, not unless they were tied and thrown in a prison cell. If he tried to track them down, there was a very good chance that they would disappear before he could even break down their doors. Compared to him, Third Eye was a better man for this job.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I will call my colleagues and we will pay each of them a visit today," Third Eye spoke in a soothing voice. "It will take some time, but it¡¯s necessary if we want to track down the witch who is behind this mess. We also need to make sure that this was done by those who wanted to snatch Inez from you and not someone else. Or else, after wasting so much time, we will find out that we were on a different track altogether."


    "You can do that," agreed Finn. "But I have this gut feeling that this was most probably done by the same witch we are hunting down or trying to hunt down. But then again, why did they douse the entire space with bleach? I just cannot understand their actions as they had left the bodies behind. If they wanted to mask their crimes, shouldn¡¯t they have cleaned the bodies up first?"


    It was Killian who replied, "To mask their scent. They are no fools; these witches know that they are dealing with shifters and were worried that we would hunt them down through their scents. So they covered it all up." He had seen many shifters doing it, which meant that whoever was behind this was not only aware of the magic and aether but also the habits and actions of shifters, which worried him.


    Because it meant that they were dealing with someone who was not only well aware of shifters but also knew their modus operandi, which was not good. Not good at all.


    As he nced at Finn, he knew that his beta had the same conclusion as him.


    "It does help mask their scent down, and with the additional scent of blood and death¨C it¡¯s nearly impossible to track them down."


    With a heavy sigh, Laxus rubbed his nape. "This means that if we don¡¯t get any information from the halflings, then we need to go back and tell everyone that we have no answers to the questions that they have wanted to have so badly."


    "I will talk to Inez," said Killian. "You can tell Selene."


    Laxus rubbed his forehead and scowled at him. "Oh, now, Killian. That¡¯s just cruel."


    **


    Crouching in the middle of the corpses that were stretched in front of her, Tracy licked her lips with a frown on her face.


    <i>It seems like the Blood Witches have already left, </i>the owl sitting on her left shoulder spoke in a stiff voice. His red eyes were flickering to the left and the right as he tried to scan the space in front of them. His brownish ck feathers were ruffled as he had been shuffling them in unease.


    <i>They have really left</i><i>.</i><i>A</i> snowy white owlnded on her right shoulder. She nipped Tracy¡¯s earshell and said to her, <i>I flew around the perimeter and didn¡¯t find any signs of the Blood Witches. They have already left this forest. </i>

 Chapter 262: I know where she is

    <h4>Chapter 262: I know where she is</h4>


    Tracy stood up. She already knew what Mist had told her. The Blood Witches had left the premises of this forest long before she arrived. Her eyes fell on the bodies that were scattered all over the ground, and a trace of sympathy shed in those stormy grey eyes. "I am sorry."


    Even though she was not the one who killed them, Tracy felt their resentment. Their death wasn¡¯t peaceful, nor was it painless, leaving traces of the brutality that they had faced before they died.


    "Sirens". Echo echoed as he finished ncing around. "They are all sirens, or the descendants of one. Whoever did this has some really deep feud with sirens. Because there are more than just sirens who can be used as sacrificial offerings. But this one¡ªshe keeps targeting the sirens alone."


    "Or maybe she is looking for the one who will bring her experiment to fruition," corrected Tracy. She raised her hand, and a ball of blue fire erupted in her palm. "Do not forget that the prophecy did say that only the child of the sea will be able to either bring the doom of dark magic or raze it all."


    She flicked her hand, and the ball of firended on the bodies before spreading all over the ground. As the mes started to grow hotter and bigger, the darknds ended up getting illuminated by the bluish-white glow. Tracy looked at the many silvery souls that had already turned dark with resentment and whispered, "You cannot do anything even if you stay here. Those who have killed you shall never return to thesends, for they have spilt your blood here. So you all better move on to your next life, maybe the next one will bring you peace."


    The souls stirred. They didn¡¯t seem too keen, but Tracy was running out of patience. She came here to catch the blood witches, not to help a bunch of childish souls move on. She flicked her hands, and a gust of sparks flew in the air.


    "I said move!"


    <i>"Easy there," </i>said Mist. The snowy owl clicked her beak and shot a look of reproach to Tracy. <i>"They just died and were left to suffer in these godawfulnds. They are confused and scared; there is no need for you to terrorise them even further." </i>


    "I am giving them what they need," remarked Tracy.


    <i>"And what do they need?"</i> Echo asked. His tone was already filled with amusement as if he knew what Tracy was going to say.


    "A good dose of shock¡ª"


    <i>"Tracy!"</i>


    Tracy sighed. Annoyed with the continuous chiding, she snapped, "I need to do something more, something more fruitful than guiding them. Do you even know what might or can happen to her when I am not there with her?"


    Tracy was worried. Inez had no idea what she could do if she truly lost control; she was d that Inez left that horrible ce before she lost control of her powers. The fates might try to hide it from her, but she knew that Inez¡¯s powers did stir within her when she was being tormented and rubbed the wrong way in the Venus pack.


    The Fates could lie all they wanted to her, but she was not a fool. If Inez¡¯s powers were still dormant, then she wouldn¡¯t have noticed a flicker of aether within her; her siren would have stayed low and wouldn¡¯t have be a big influence inside of her, but the truth was that Inez¡¯s siren was growing stronger, and so were her powers.


    She was still dormant after all of this? Like hell she was. With her wolf turningtent, it had given her siren a chance to grow powerful, and this was all caused by the darned fates.


    Unlike the gods and the goddess, who believed that they had extreme control over their children, Tracy knew better. Fate wasn¡¯t something that was written once, and it ended up being set in stone. No, it was like thoseputer memories that were always overwritten, changing again and again. Every second, every turn and every decision that was made would overwrite fate.


    Maybe if Dominic had never rejected Inez, maybe if her wolf had never retreated within her, maybe if she had never met with Killian¡ªthe destiny written would have walked on the path that was already set, but with Dominic¡¯s decision that he made in a heat of a moment¡ªthe fate had changed, and no one knew what was going to happen now because the destiny was still being written over.


    However, the gods were not willing to believe this theory of hers. Nor did they believe that the fate could be rewritten, and with the fates being too scared to tell them about the mess-up that they had done, Tracy didn¡¯t think that it was going to happen any time soon.


    And Inez was the only exception to the entire mess that was created by the fates.


    That girl had no idea; if she unleashed her fury, she could even turn the entire world upside down if that was what she wanted.


    **


    "Dominic! You cannot do this to me!" Evelyn screeched as she looked at the man from behind the bar. For the first time, she had felt raw, real terror. Not only had Dominic banished her brother from the position of the enforcer, but he had also ryed to the elders about the big fuck-up that she had made.


    After the elders of the pack found out that she had pushed Alpha Sokolov¡¯s woman off the balcony, the elders turned their backs on her in a second. They didn¡¯t even wait for her to say a word to defend herself, and told Dominic that they needed to show their loyalty to the alliance.


    And what good way was there other than punishing her and her family?


    Evelyn could already imagine the chaos that might be reigning in her family and the anger and hatred of her brother toward her.


    She stared at the man who was walking away from her and shouted, "Don¡¯t you dare walk away from me, Dom. Because if you do, then you will regret it. I know where Inez is!"

 Chapter 263: Standing Against

    <h4>Chapter 263: Standing Against</h4>


    Dominic paused. He turned and looked at the woman behind him before sighing in exhaustion, "I am not willing to y more of these games with you, Evelyn."


    "I am not ying any games," Evelyn said, licking her lips. Her eyes were flickering as she stated in an odd sort of voice, "I knew Inez better than you or the boys did. Even if you grew up with her, I was the one who took her as my rival and always kept a very close eye on her. I can tell things about her that you probably don¡¯t even know. I assure you that I am correct."


    As she finished speaking, she raised her head with a hopeful look on her face, but the cold and detached expression on Dominic¡¯s face turned her heart cold. She knew that he didn¡¯t believe a thing that she was saying. Evelyn just knew it. A chill crawled up her spine as she realised that maybe she had filled up the quota of her lies by telling all kinds of lies to Dominic and the boys.


    Now that she was telling the truth, the man was not willing to believe her.


    She clenched her fingers around the bars of the prison cell where she was locked up and said to Dominic, "Fine if you don¡¯t want to believe me. But when you cannot find her, remember what I said to you. I am not lying when I say that I am the only one who can tell you the truth about where Inez is hiding, and it¡¯s a ce that you can never even imagine."


    Her lips curled up in a smirk as she pulled away from the bars. "But the next time youe here, the conditions will be upgraded. You will lose more than you can even imagine."


    Dominic shook his head. He didn¡¯t believe a thing that Evelyn was saying. After all, this woman had lied to him countless times, and like a fool, he had believed in her. What were the chances that she was lying to get out of her prison cell once again? Very high, if someone were to ask him.


    "You should wait for your punishment quietly, Evelyn." Dominic nced at the woman and stated in a chilled voice, "That¡¯s enough with your lies."


    He turned on his feet and walked out of the dark corridor, but behind him, he could still hear the chortling of the woman as if she was amused by the foolish act that he hadmitted in her presence.


    "Why is sheughing as if she had gone crazy?" Luca asked him. The man had been standing guard while Dominic went to check up on Evelyn. He wanted to ask her why she had done it or what her intentions were behind it, but the woman stayed quiet. Instead, she spoke of the time that they had spent together as if it were something¡ªa memory too fond to be spoken of.


    "She said that she knew where Inez was, and I didn¡¯t believe her," replied Killian as they walked past the guards who were standing guard around the prison building.


    Luca nced at Killian, and the two of them exchanged a look with one another. "You did the right thing. We know her well enough to know that she was only trying to get out of the cell. As for whether she was telling the truth or not, we cannot be sure of it."


    Dominic hummed. He flicked his gaze at the man beside him and pursed his lips in silence. Even though Luca was trying his best to hide his own feelings, Dominic could see right through him. The man still had lingering feelings for Inez.


    "You still didn¡¯t find any traces of her?" said Dominic with a questioning tone.


    "No," Luca shook his head. "Even though she never joined the enforcers, she is no less skilled than they are. She knew how to hide her traces better than the top enforcers." There was a hint of pride in his tone.


    Of course she did. They had taught her all kinds of skills and tricks to hide from her attackers and predators. It was not abnormal for her to hide her presence from them.


    "Unless she wants us to know, the chances of us finding out her hideout are close to none." Luca didn¡¯t bother to speak lies in front of Dominic. Tao might be willing to cajole Dominic like a child who didn¡¯t know any better, but not him, never him. He was still unwilling to forgive Dominic for the things that he did to Inez.


    He did understand Dominic¡¯s anger and hatred toward Inez; that was the only reason why he had gone along with his n to punish Inez, but sleeping with Evelyn. Using the remnants of the bond to shatter Inez until she lost her wolf? That was something that he could never forgive. That was simply stooping past the bottom line.


    Not that they had any.


    But still.


    Dominic frowned upon hearing his words. The chances of them finding Inez were close to zero. These words alone were enough to make his wolf growl in his head.


    <i>It¡¯s all your fault! I told you to trust our mate, to forget the past and the pain, as your sister was never going to return either way. You could have investigated carefully¡ªthought things through. What was the point in losing the living for the dead!? </i> His wolf snapped at him. His fury washed over him as his wolf paced within him. He wanted to go and find his mate, as he was still having trouble believing that the mating bond was gone. That his mate was no longer bound to him.


    <i>She was my sister! </i>Dominic gritted his teeth and snarled back. Arabe might be nothing to his wolf, but she was his little sister. His wolf couldn¡¯t see or understand human emotions as well as he could, which wasn¡¯t surprising, as wolves could never understand what their human counterparts were thinking or feeling unless the emotion was running way too deep.


    <i>And she was my mate. I didn¡¯t see you aching when you were hurting her when you ripped her away from me without my permission. She was not just your mate, Dominic. She was mine too! I had the right to make that decision, too, but you TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME! </i>


    His wolf¡¯s words echoed in his head, almost bursting a nerve or two, for they were so loud that they made his head buzz.


    "Dom, are you okay?" Luca reached out to hold Dominic, whose face was flushed with nothing but guilt.

 Chapter 264: Rose Tinted Glasses

    <h4>Chapter 264: Rose Tinted sses</h4>


    "I am alright," Dominic replied. In truth, he was anything but fine, but honestly, he didn¡¯t want to get down and tell Luca about the anger and rage that his wolf felt toward him. Nor did he want to discuss the me game that was going on between him and his wolf. There was a very good chance that Luca might just agree with his wolf.


    Since that was the case, what was the point in even discussing something that would eventually hurt him?


    "Are you sure?" Lucas asked. His eyebrows were creased, and he clearly seemed to be worried about him and yet Dominic couldn¡¯t bear to bare his thoughts to his childhood friend. He knew that there was no point in doing it. Luca would never understand him.


    Friends, they might be. Luca¡¯s feelings might be just as explosive as his own when it came to Inez.


    "I am sure." Dominic straightened up. His gaze was unfocused, but he still straightened up his spine and looked around with a hint of a frown and frustration on his face. He said to Luca, "Go and call Tao. There is something that I want to speak to him about."


    He didn¡¯t have much trust in Evelyn and her lies, but that didn¡¯t mean he was just going to give up on looking for Inez. He was going to find her, and this time, he was going to ask her why she had done that to Arabe. Why did she betray him and his sister?


    **


    "Achoo!" settled on the recliner with a book in her hands. Inez briefly looked away from the paperback as she grabbed her cup of coffee and took a sip from it. She had always adored reading books on architecture, and the ancient artefacts had always called out to her. But today, for some reason, even with her most fascinating book at hand, she just couldn¡¯t keep her thoughts in control.


    In the end, Inez could only throw the book to one side and head over to her bathing room, where she shed her clothes and buried her head under the water. Every time Inez felt her head bursting with a myriad of thoughts, she liked staying under the water while holding her breath. The subtle force and pressure of the water over her body, along with the burning feeling in her lungs, helped to suppress the thoughts in her head.


    Inez had recovered from the drugs by afternoon, and with her making a full recovery, Selene had taken her leave. It was a good thing that the woman had left, or else Inez was worried that the woman would certainly not allow her to swim under the water or stay low for so long, even if she was a water creature.


    Though Inez was d to have someone showing concern, what she liked more was having the lodge to herself. She had gotten calls, messages and visits from the pack members all day long. Although she appreciated the concern, Inez hoped that they would give her some time alone. Unfortunately, the alone time that she had been craving didn¡¯t help her calm down much, not with so many thoughts flooding her head.


    It was as if her head was about to burst due to the pressure.


    Inez opened her eyes, which had turned into slits and stared at the man who was standing next to the jacuzzi. She hated the little flip that her stomach did due to the excitement that she was feeling at the moment, due to the man¡¯s presence. Her siren let out a seductive purr within her head when she noticed the heated gaze with which the man was looking at her.


    She quickly boxed the excitement shut because Inez knew that this was not the time. She swam out of the water and pulled the towel around her body. Wrapping it around, she turned to look at the man with a hint of reproach in her eyes. "Tell me, how will you feel if I just barge into your shower when you are naked and busy doing ... your stuff?"


    Leaning against the doorframe, he lifted his brows with a hint of a smug smile on his lips. "Well, you can if you want¡ªdo you think that letting you watch me shower is going to bother me? You are forgetting that we are way ahead of that, Bubbles."


    Well, he was right about that, but did he have to be so brazen about it?


    His gaze slowly raked over her body, taking in her curves. Her pulse quickened under his intense and bold perusal. And did she feel something zap down her spine? Shit. She did. Didn¡¯t she?


    Her siren sat up straight like an idiot; clearly, she was enjoying the attention the man was giving her.


    Inez ignored the way his gaze was following her. She tightened the towel around her body and asked, "So you are back from downtown? What did you find about Joannes and the witches who were working together with him?" She wanted to keep the tone of her voice perfectly civil because thest thing she wanted was to act all flustered due to the sexual tension that she was feeling at the moment.


    His eyes snapped back up; he caught her eyes and nodded at her. "Yes," though he spoke in a perfectly polite voice that matched hers, she noticed that there was something twisted in his tone, something that made her stomach twist. "I didn¡¯t know that you could breathe underwater. Is this something that you like to do or something?"


    "Yes, it helps when my thoughts are running out of control," replied Inez. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked at him. "I hope you came here to tell me what Joannes told you instead of peeping at me like a Peeping Tom."


    "Hmmm, are you hungry?" Instead of answering her question, he turned around on his feet and headed out of the room, leaving Inez to stare at his back in sheer confusion. "Hey!?"

 Chapter 265: Rose Tinted Glasses (2)

    <h4>Chapter 265: Rose Tinted sses (2)</h4>


    Inez stared at the man in both shock and sheer amazement when she saw that the man hadn¡¯t answered her question and had instead gone looking for something to eat in her kitchen. She blinked her eyes before chasing after the man. When she saw him pulling out a packet of ham from her refrigerator, she couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    "I have ham?" she mused, but before Killian could answer her, she snatched the pack right out of his hands and said to him, "I don¡¯t know about you, but I would like to have my kitchen intact. You know?"


    The man shrugged and said to her, "You are acting a bit exaggerated; I can put ham and bread together. "That¡¯s something that even a child could do."


    In response, Inez simply rolled her eyes. She pulled the packet of bread and sauces out of the refrigerator before turning to look at the man behind her. She eyed him warily before making a ham sandwich for Killian.


    Pushing the te of sandwiches in front of the man, she crossed her arms and asked him, "So what did Joannes tell you?"


    He took a bite of his sandwich. "You are looking a lot better than you were looking in the morning."


    "I am feeling a lot better. So, Joannes?" She nudged the man for an answer.


    Killian took another savage bite of the sandwich and hummed. "He didn¡¯t tell us anything. Couldn¡¯t. He was already dead by the time we got there."


    Inez did a slow blink. "Dead? How could he die in just a matter of a night?"


    "As much as it is hard to believe, it¡¯s the truth," said Killian in between his bites. Killian told her about everything that he saw in the small office where the halflings lived with Joannes. "I asked Third Eye to trace down every single one of the halflings who had once worked for Joannes, but unfortunately, they had no idea who this witch or wizard was with whom Joannes had a secret deal. He was quite secretive about it, as he feared that someone else could double-cross him and take the opportunity from him."


    "So we cannot confirm anything at the moment. There is a high chance that it can be my mother or someone else. Of course, we can never narrow down the list of people, as I have pissed off a lot of shifters. Or there is another probability; whatever that witch was saying was true."


    She raked her hand through her hair, feeling a bit flustered. Inez didn¡¯t like this feeling at all.


    The fact that her enemy was in the dark and she was out in the open was something that she couldn¡¯t quite process or ept. It made her feel exceptionally vulnerable.


    "Did you go to visit your mother?" She asked. A frown settled between her brows.


    "I did." Killian rose to his feet. He ced the dish in the dishwasher and turned to look at her before leaning against the ind. "She is gone."


    "What do you mean by ¡¯she is gone?" Inez didn¡¯t know a lot about Killian¡¯s mother, but something about her going AWOL in this situation sounded really fishy. Or was she the only one hyperventting? She was alone? Fine then.


    Killian¡¯s lips twitched in amusement when he heard her voice bing louder. "I don¡¯t know a lot about what she was doing before she left the pack, but I did talk with a few of her packmates, and they said, and I quote, she was talking about some seductress charming her son, who deserved more than a scrawny and thin woman. I believe that she once again went on the hunt for looking for a witch who could help her."


    Inez had nothing to say regarding this. She knew that Killian¡¯s mother had some issues, but she never knew that the woman was the kind of woman who would jump the gun at the smallest possible turn. That was kind of ¡ª alright, really weird.


    "So you mean to say that she might not be¡ª" Inez paused at the sound of the doorbell ringing. Great, another visitor.


    Letting out a heavy breath, she strolled down the hallway and looked through the peephole. Nyx. What in the world was this woman doing here? Opening the front door, Inez gave the woman a fake smile. "Hi?" It wasn¡¯t that she had something against Nyx, but after watching the woman bring a helpless siren to the party and let her be ravaged physically andter on killed due to the greed of the shifters, Inez just couldn¡¯t bring herself to like Nyx.


    Nyx¡¯s grin was all charm. "Hey, there. I heard what happenedst night. Thought I would stop by and see how you are doing."


    "Thanks. I am doing alright." Inez didn¡¯t want to step aside but realised that it would be a bit rude, so she stepped to one side and allowed her to pass.


    "I wanted toe herest night, but by the time I got to know, it was already toote, and no one wanted me to disturb you when you were sleeping."


    Inez shrugged and remarked, "Well, I was shot three times. Those were some heavy dosages of drugs."


    Nyx¡¯s grin widened. She said to her with a nod, "Well, the witches are known to dabble in the human world. They often try to mix their magic with human inventions. But I have to say that you are looking really good for someone who was¡ª" She froze only one step inside the lodge, as she had spotted Killian leaning against the kitchen¡¯s countertop. The man was drinking coffee from her mug while scrolling through whatever he was staring at on his phone. No matter how one looked at it, he looked right at home.


    And Nyx, who was L¡¯s sister, didn¡¯t seem quite pleased with the sight.


    Nyx¡¯s mouth went tight. "Killian." Her voice took a hard edge as she addressed Killian. Even though the two of them were close enough to fight side by side, Inez had a feeling that neither of them got along with one another. She wondered how Nyx was even loyal to Killian when her heart never forgave Killian for what happened with her sister.


    Killian raised his head and looked at Nyx. He grunted at her before taunting, "So it seems like the rose-tinted sses are finally off your eyes?"


    **


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 Chapter 266: Uncertain Desires

    <h4>Chapter 266: Uncertain Desires</h4>


    Nyx nced at him. Her tight smile, if possible, tightened even further.


    Realising that tension was about to be almost palpable in the room, Inez pped her hands and turned to look at Nyx with a smile on her lips. "Do you want some coffee? I freshly brewed some."


    "No, I didn¡¯te here to stay. I just wanted to see that you were doing alright. And of course, I did have some ns to stay with you, but I see that you already have that covered," she responded, her eyes cutting to Killian, and the way they hardened made Inez wonder if there was something that she didn¡¯t know about.


    However, as she turned her attention to Killian, the lycan was perfectly at ease while drinking his coffee. He didn¡¯t show the slightest bit of anger while listening to Nyx. In fact, Inez had a sick suspicion that the lycan was not even paying attention to Nyx.


    Okay, that wasn¡¯t true. She noticed the smallest twitch in his brows and knew that even though the man appeared to be paying her no attention, he was fully aware of every move that Nyx made and every word she was saying.


    Nyx then turned to look at Inez. Her brows were creased in concern as she said to her, "I am really sorry that such a thing happened to you. I cannot believe that the security of the pack has be sox that our pack members are no longer safe in our own territory. I should have done a better job¡ª"


    "You don¡¯t need to apologise for that."


    "Oh, but I do."


    "It¡¯s not like I am not used to getting attacked. It happened all the time when I was at the Venus pack."


    "You shouldn¡¯t be getting used to such things." Killian rumbled; his eyes were still on the screen of his phone as he continued, "This could all have been avoided if Morrh had just epted cancelling her birthday party instead of making it a huge fanfare. I believe she is at the age where she can understand something so simple."


    Nyx winced slightly. She looked apologetic, but at the same time, a bit annoyed. She scowled at him and said, "It¡¯s not that we didn¡¯t ask her to stop. Fenric and I did our best because we do understand that this is not the time to be partying around, but what are we supposed to do? She is still trying to reel in from the shock that you have ... that you are no longer going to grief L. The news hit her hard, Kill. And that¡¯s the only reason why she is so riled up." She sighed.


    Turning to look at Inez, she ryed, "She is really worried about you after what happenedst night, I mean it."


    Not worried enough to shove her anger aside ande to see her, thought Inez. But whatever. "You can tell her that I am doing just fine."


    A sort of ufortable silence fell over them. Because what else was there to say at this point? Though Nyx hadn¡¯t pointed it out, it didn¡¯t change the fact that the reason Killian had stopped grieving L was because of her, and so the reason for Morrh to be so riled up was her.


    "Well, I will leave you alone to rx," said Nyx. Her smile had shrunk as her gazended on Killian once again. "Killian, I will be taking my leave then."


    Not even bothering to look up from his phone, Killian simply grunted. Once again.


    As Nyx turned around on her feet and walked out, Inez turned and looked at the man. She returned to the kitchen and barked, "You were so rude."


    "I know."


    "And you still did it?"


    "I can¡¯t simply be bothered to y nice with her."


    "Why is there so much tension between the two of you anyway?" Inez asked, as she had sensed the weird air between the two of them.


    Killian let his metaphorical hackles down now that Nyx had left. He turned and looked at Inez and couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell her about the ne. One that L had given to him. Obviously, he had thrown it quite far away, but this morning, when he returned to his lodge for a shower, he had found it sitting on the windowsill of his bedroom. There was no lingering scent, but it was quite certain that someone had indeed snuck inside his room, and he didn¡¯t like it.


    It could have been Morrh or Nyx. Fenric would never dare to do such a thing. Nyx, on the other hand, would do anything to get Morrh¡¯s affections. His beast loathed the two women on principle for trying to force him to live his life like a widower, on their fucking terms.


    "There is no reason. Some people just don¡¯t see eye to eye," he told her.


    When Inez narrowed her eyes at him, he shrugged and sat down on the stool next to the kitchen ind. "She is simply upset that I won¡¯t let her be the next Luna of the pack after her sister died. She believed that I would take her in as my mate, but I didn¡¯t, so I guess she is a little sour on that."


    Inez blinked, as she had not expected this. "Are you serious?"


    "I am deadly serious," Killian replied. He was not surprised that Inez had not sensed it; Nyx was quite an actress when she wanted to be.


    "But...you are the predestined mate of his sister. Shouldn¡¯t she find it a bit, you know...weird?"


    "She should, but she doesn¡¯t."


    "Morrh would be quite upset if she were to find out the truth," Inez remarked with a frown on her face as she picked up an apple and started peeling it.


    Killian nodded as he drained thest bit of coffee in his mug. "She would definitely see it as Nyx trespassing on her sister¡¯s territory. I am certain that Fenric wouldn¡¯t like it either. But I am not sure that it¡¯s going to stop Nyx from craving the position of Luna."


    "She has always been like that, wanting to take everything that L had to prove to her mother that she, too, could be someone like L."

 Chapter 267: Why was she pinning?

    <h4>Chapter 267: Why was she pinning?</h4>


    This could not be happening. This truly could not be happening.


    This was the only thought that kept repeating inside Jules¡¯s head. She stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the ache between her legs. Never had she slept with a man who hadn¡¯t courted her before, and never had she thrown herself in the arms of a man before. Much less passing out after the man went down and dirty with her, and she had certainly not slept in a stranger¡¯s bed for an entire day.


    Jules turned her head and looked at the sun that was setting in the west and wondered just what had got into her. She must be tired; that must be it. There was no way she fainted after getting her insides rearranged.


    The thought alone was enough to make her face burn with embarrassment. She pulled the nket to her face and started rolling on the bed. She wished the floor would just split in half and swallow her whole; that way, she didn¡¯t have to face what she needed to face in a few minutes.


    "You are up?" A familiar voice, a bit too familiar, echoed in the room, and Jules stiffened. She raised her head and looked at the man leaning against the doorframe. Now that the passion from the night had faded, Ajax looked quite bored. With his arms crossed in front, he was staring at her with a hint of a frown on his face.


    Jules knew that the man was trying hard not to be rude, but it was quite hard with him ring at her. Like she was doing him a quite personal wrong by staying in his bed when she should have gotten the hell out of here the second dawn broke. And she should have. Jules sighed. She had known that men didn¡¯t like her lingering after the deed was done.


    ording to many of her exes, it was nice having her wrapped around when they were hot and bothered, but beyond that¡ªit was a hassle.


    <i>You are one-night material, Jules. Don¡¯t take offence, but it¡¯s true; </i>that¡¯s what her exes had told her countless times, and even if Jules didn¡¯t want to quite believe it, she had to with them repeating those words again and again.


    She sat up straight on the bed, ignoring the way Ajax¡¯s gaze heated up at the sight of her breasts. She knew they were hot and had seen them countless times ¨C full and supple. However, he didn¡¯t get to look at her like she was icing on his favourite cake after giving that disgruntled look to her. Jules picked up the dress that had been torn and almost shredded by the man and frowned in disgust when she saw that the dress was beyond the point where it could still be worn.


    "Here." Something came flying andnded just next to her, and when Jules turned her gaze to look at the blouse and skirt, along with the undergarments that the man had got her, she realised that Ajax had gone shopping. Well, at least the man was not as unmanly as she thought he was. At least he had the decency to buy something nice for her after ruining her dress.


    Jules picked up the flowy white blouse that had ruffled sleeves and pursed her lips. It was none of the brands that she wore, but then again, she hadn¡¯t expected Ajax to bring any. A small enforcer like him might not even earn enough to purchase her favourite shoes.


    Yet she still didn¡¯t forget her manners. "Then I guess I need to thank you?"


    "You don¡¯t have to. This is what I should do to ruin your dress," said Ajax as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "How much was your dress? I willpensate."


    "No, need."


    Ajax paused and raised a brow. He said, "What¡¯s the matter? Do you think I cannot pay for it?" He did notice the look of contempt in the eyes of the dragon princess when she picked up the dress that he bought for her. This was the first time he had purchased something for a woman, and he sure as hell didn¡¯t expect a look of sheer disgust instead of a thank you.


    Jules sighed. Ignoring her nakedness, she slid down the bed and ran a hand through her hair before saying, "It¡¯s five hundred thousand dors."


    "Five hundred¡ªwhat?" Ajax stared at the woman dumbly. For a second, he was sure that he had misheard her. Because how could a sheer and weak fabric like that be five hundred thousand dors?


    "It¡¯s five hundred thousand dors," repeated Jules as she pulled the blouse over her body. She nced at the man, who looked dumbfounded, and curled her lips in a mocking smile. "What¡¯s the matter, cannot pay me back?"


    Ajax stiffened. He wished to say, ¡¯of course, I can,¡¯ but as he dropped his gaze, he once again realised the difference between the two of them.


    "The next time, think twice before boasting; not everyone will be as understanding as I," said Jules as she tugged the skirt up her long legs and buttoned it. She turned around and looked at her reflection in the mirror sitting in the corner of the room.


    Hmm, it did look cute, Jules thought as she twirled around in front of the mirror.


    She then turned to look at the man whose face was ashen, and a sadistic pleasure flurried through her veins. There it was; she had finally avenged herself. With a flick of her hair behind her, she marched past the man without giving him another nce. Of course, as she walked past, she didn¡¯t forget to re at the man as if she were ready to drill several nails in the back of his head.


    Though she had pretended that his actions hadn¡¯t hurt her, the truth was that they did. It left her hurting, and her dragon kept whimpering in her head, something that she never did, even when other shifters turned her down or pushed her away.


    It left Jules confused as to why her dragon was reacting in such a way.


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 Chapter 268: Fates: The Chosen Destiny

    <h4>Chapter 268: Fates: The Chosen Destiny</h4>


    "I hope that you won¡¯t mind me handing you these roses?"


    Inez lifted her head and stared at the roses that the man had brought for her. She didn¡¯t know where she had gone wrong; all she did was step out of the lodge and head down to the beach for a little walk. She had been struggling with the drafts for thepetition and wanted to refresh her mind. All she thought was, ¡¯Hey,<i> if I head down to the beach, maybe I can forget all about this great power that I am hiding, for I am too shy,¡¯ </i>but who would have thought that she would run into a man who turned out to be her admirer?


    Or maybe she should put it correctly¡ªthe admirer of her beauty.


    Inez looked at the man and then at the roses that he had offered her. Her eyes flickered with unease as she raised her head and said, "I am sorry, I don¡¯t think¡ª"


    "Oh, but please," said the man as he took a step close to Inez, causing her to take a step away from him. "I swear that I fell for you the first time I saw you. I know¡ªI know, you must be shocked by the fact that someone as gorgeous and handsome as me told you that I have fallen for you, but fear not, kitten, even if it¡¯s unbelievable, it¡¯s the truth."


    Inez¡¯s gaze snapped to the face of the man, and of course, she could see where the man wasing from. He was a good-looking man with wavy blonde hair and sky blue eyes. Every time he smiled, his set of pearly white teeth would sh brightly. A set of teeth, Inez was sure, was going to be broken to bits if the man didn¡¯t walk away.


    "It¡¯s not that¡ª"


    "Mike, short for Michael." The man smiled at her again, and Inez had no idea how he was smiling and managing to sh his teeth at her every time he smiled. It had to be a sort of talent in its own.


    "Yes, Mike," Inez repeated. "I think there has been some misunderstanding, and I hope that you will listen to me quite well when I say this ¨C I already have someone¡ª"


    Of course, the man didn¡¯t listen to a thing because he was too busy smouldering and adjusting his blonde locks while posing against the sun. He shook his head and turned to look at Inez after he was done and said to her, "Oh, I am sorry. Were you saying something? I wasn¡¯t listening."


    Another smile and another sigh.


    "That¡ª is very clear," Inez remarked through gritted teeth, wondering for the twentieth time what she had done to deserve this. No matter how unlucky she was, this had to be a whole new low.


    "Mike!"


    Inez raised her head just as Mike turned his head around and looked at the man who was running towards them. Inez caught sight of a woman who ran without looking back and frowned. Even though the woman was running quite fast, Inez was sure that it was Jules. However, before she could chase after her, Ajax came to a stop in front of them.


    He shed a smile at Inez, who smiled back softly.


    He then turned to Mike and threw his hand around his shoulders before saying to him, "And what are you doing here?"


    "I was just¡ª"


    "Hey, Nessie. You should go to the main lodge. Kill has been looking for you. You know how he is; he gets worried when he doesn¡¯t see you around." Before Mike could even form a reply to hand over to Ajax, the man turned and spoke to Inez.


    His words were nothing less than a warm gust of wind in absolute cold. Inez sighed in relief and nodded before turning around and walking up the path from where she hade.


    "What do you mean by ¡¯Kill is looking for her? Why is he looking for her?"


    Inez heard the man ask, and she didn¡¯t even need her toes to think why; a secondter, Mike yelped as if she had been stung by thousands of bees.


    She shook her head and hoped that Mike would take this lesson to heart and learn how to listen to others.


    "It seems like you are getting a little more popr?"


    A familiar voice spoke from behind, and Inez whirled around. "Tracy!"


    She had not expected the witch to turn up afterst night, or much less turn up at all; however, here she was, standing right in front of her. And now that she was here, Inez had no idea what to say to her. There were countless and countless of questions flooding in her head, but at that moment, the only thing that Inez could blurt out was,


    "What are you doing here?"


    "It¡¯s good to see you, too," said the witch with a smile as she pushed herself from the trunk of the tree against which she was leaning. She walked over to where Inez was standing and said to her with a frown, "I thought that you woulde to see me after all, there was a lot for you to take. But I was quite surprised when I didn¡¯t see you turn up at my boutique."


    "I wanted to, but¡ªI didn¡¯t know you would be there," replied Inez with a disbelieving voice. She was still staring at the woman in awe, as if she were worried that the woman would disappear the next second.


    "I finished my task early because I thought that you woulde looking for me, who would have thought that you are way more careless than I thought?" Tracy remarked with a tilt of her head, and Inez frowned.


    She said to the woman, "I am not careless. But I suppose if you tell someone, ¡¯Hey, you have great powers; it¡¯s just that you just don¡¯t know about them,¡¯ no one is going to believe it. At least not when it¡ª"


    "A witch says it?" Tracy offered with a polite yet cold tone.

 Chapter 269: Fates: The Chosen Destiny (2)

    <h4>Chapter 269: Fates: The Chosen Destiny (2)</h4>


    Inez felt herself go red in the face due to embarrassment. She didn¡¯t want toe out as someone who was judging Tracy for what she was, but there was this¡ªinherent contempt that she had against the witches due to the shifter blood flowing in her veins.


    But then again, Tracy had done her best to save her, and she was being rude to her by talking to her in that tone.


    "I am¡ª" Inez began, but Tracy waved her hand and said to her, "There is no need to apologise; I do understand. It¡¯s not easy for a shifter to let go of their prejudices against witches. It would be surprising if you got used to me in a day or two."


    Inez heaved a sigh of relief. The weight on her shoulders lifted, and it was only then that she realised that she was actually carrying a weight on her shoulders. She blinked her eyes and looked at the woman in front of her, and asked, "Why are you here? I mean, why are you trying to help me?"


    Tracy turned her head to one side and stared at the sky as if she were reminiscing. After a long pause, she said to Inez, "I did tell you that I once had a friend who was a siren like you, but I didn¡¯t¡ªor more like couldn¡¯t¡ªhelp him. It led to quite a lot of mess. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that the current mess is due to the mess that we didn¡¯t fix in the past."


    She scowled at the sky and continued speaking as if she were talking with someone, "If only they had listened to what I had to say to them!"


    Thest of her words ended up in a growl, and Inez had no idea why the woman was talking as if she could see someone up in the sky.


    "Anyway", Tracy brought her head down and smiled at Inez. She shed a smile at her and continued, "I am here to fix the mess that happened a few years ago, but don¡¯t worry; with me by your side, everything should be fine."


    "Should be?"


    "Ah, did I say ¡¯should? I meant to say it will be fine."


    There was something in Tracy¡¯s voice which made Inez nervous. It was as if the witch saw things that she couldn¡¯t, and that didn¡¯t make Inez feel good at all.


    The thoughts that she had jammed shut in the back of her head started to flood right the fuck out, and Inez had a hard time surviving them without drowning. When she very much wanted to give up and die, maybe that would be more peaceful.


    "Don¡¯t worry too much." Tracy sighed as she pulled out her phone and started tapping on it because the water on her wrist was continuously vibrating. Maybe she had tapped on the setting and muted the watch because a secondter it stopped buzzing.


    "Don¡¯t worry?" Inez repeated, her voiceced with nothing but worry. "You told me that I have powers. Powers that can ruin the world or something like that," Inez insisted as she iled her hand harshly. "Now you are telling me that you are here to fix a mess that you couldn¡¯t fix years ago, and you want me not to worry? Not worry after finding out that my very existence is like a virus in this world that either needs to prove its worth to survive or be eradicated?" Her voice cracked as it reached a whole new pitch. "If I still don¡¯t worry when things are like this, then I will be some sort of godly existence, which I am not."


    Tracy waited for her to finish speaking. She stared at her like she was watching a child throw a tantrum, which didn¡¯t help Inez feel any better. The silence between them stretched even further, only to be punctuated by the birds that were returning home. "You are correct. It¡¯s not fair to you at all."


    Of course it wasn¡¯t.


    Inez began to speak, but before she could, Tracy took a step close to her and leaned in such that her eyes stared at her face. "But do you know there is a thing that we call Fate?"


    Those words caught her off guard, and soon enough, the night, the very night where she was rejected by Dominic, followed by the day she met Killian and Dominic choosing Evelyn over her, came to her mind. A secondter, something sharp and jagged got buried in her lungs, and it became painfully hard for her to breathe.


    "I do know about that," she spoke in a voiceced with pain. Her fingers clenched tight as she tried to ease the subdued pain in her chest. She had long moved on from Dominic, who had abandoned and rejected her, but at the same time, her wolf had not; she was still pinning, and it was at times like these that she felt the full-blown impact of the broken mating bond.


    She could suppress the memories, but how was she supposed to suppress the pain of her wolf when Nia was still alive and breathing, recovering from the rejection and trying to ovee the pain that the humiliation had caused them?


    And it was all due to fate that they were suffering in such a manner. That her wolf was on the verge of disappearing and was only holding on for Inez. If fate had given them a better mate, then her wolf would be here with her, happy and filled with joy. Maybe if they had given her Killian as her mate, then maybe the two of them wouldn¡¯t be tangled in a mess like they were now.


    "I know that you me fate, but remember this: that there is not one fate, but fates, in plural," exined Tracy as she walked past her and headed over to the lodge where Inez lived. "I know that your kind often says that if you are fated to something, no matter what you do or how hard you fight, there is no escaping it. That your destiny is already set in stone, but I believe that¡¯s incorrect."


    "In fact, even the fates believe that it is quite incorrect."


    **


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 Chapter 270: Greedy, Not Grateful

    <h4>Chapter 270: Greedy, Not Grateful</h4>


    "What do you mean? Do you want to say that I had another fate? Something else could have happened to me instead of being humiliated and discarded like I was in the hands of my ex-mate?" Inez asked, ignoring the burning anger in her chest. She had lost her wolf, and now someone came waltzing into her life, telling her that the fate she had chosen was not quite right. Well, sorry for that; she should have known how to pick one, but unfortunately, there were no terms and conditions applied. "It was fate who took everything away from me."


    She spoke in a harsh voice. "Dominic rejected me, and I lost my wolf; if there was any other fate, then my wolf would be by my side. All my life, I have never known happiness; Nia was the only one who brought me happiness, and she too was taken away from me¡ªno, she was ripped apart from me." Inez never knew that she was capable of speaking in such a bitter tone, and yet somehow she managed it.


    With a sigh, Inez ran her fingers through her red hair, which seemed to have turned even redder due to her anger. Weird. She could do that? Shaking the momentary curiosity away, she continued, "Fate has made me helpless. Like, no matter what I do, I will always be abandoned. No one cared for me since the day I was born." She clenched her teeth and stated in a harsh, cold voice, "It¡¯s better to ept that I can never get what I want without fighting for it rather than wait and hope that fate or fates would give it to me."


    Tracy smiled at her in a light-hearted, sympathetic manner. The expression on her face softened quite a lot of degrees. "Believe it or not, there was another option, another fate waiting for you. If only Dominic had made another decision, or you had chosen to stay back in the Venus pack. Ultimately, the fate that you get stuck with is all because of the decisions that you have made. But I assure you that fates always try to bring happiness to everyone. In the end, it¡¯s all due to the choices that you humans or shifters make."


    A bitterugh escaped her, surprising Inez because of its harshness. What kind of fate would have been waiting for her if Dominic had not rejected her? Or if she had stayed behind? Nothing good for sure.


    "I don¡¯t think there was anything good waiting for me," said Inez.


    "I know that it does feel like it," Tracy said simply, before walking past her. "But don¡¯t worry; what is going toe is going to be better than what you have imagined."


    Inez studied Tracy; the woman looked so calm despite all the bombs she kept throwing at her. Ever since she barged into her life, she had been speaking so profoundly as if she knew everything.


    Inez wanted to ask the woman who she was and what kind of powers she held. Even though she kept saying that she was a witch, Inez had a feeling that the woman was not simple. However, Inez didn¡¯t pry into the secrets of the woman; after all, the two of them were not even friends. At most, they were just mere acquaintances.


    Her fingers dug into the palms of her hands. Questions were still swimming within her head; however, she had no means to quench the thirst of her curiosity. She walked after Tracy, who was heading to her lodge as if she had walked down this path many times already. "You still haven¡¯t told me anything about the powers and those who are hunting me down."


    The thought alone that someone was chasing after her left a prickling sensation on her back, which didn¡¯t feel good.


    Tracy stopped right in front of the stairs of the lodge and stared at Inez as if she was waiting for something. Her gaze was calm but hurried. Inez frowned. She looked at Tracy and then turned to look at the door of the lodge, and suddenly, understanding dawned on her. She walked past Tracy and opened the door of the lodge with the key that she was carrying.


    Though she had a sick suspicion that if Tracy wanted, she could have easily opened the door with a snap of her fingers.


    She didn¡¯t speak until the two of them entered the lodge.


    Inez watched as Tracy snuggled deeper into the couch; she stretched her legs out in anguid movement and ced them on the tea table. "I know that you are scared, but there is no point in running." She yawned with a hint of tiredness. "Then you might as well leave the matter alone."


    "Am I in danger?" This was the one question that kept burning in her mind.


    And it was the most important one.


    Tracy sighed. "No, you are not in danger."


    "What about the pack?"


    This time around, the witch didn¡¯t say anything and that made Inez¡¯s heart turn heavy.


    "Are they going to hurt the pack members because of me?" She questioned.


    Tracy turned her head and opened her eyes, which she had closed earlier. She stared at her, and instead of answering the question that Inez had asked, she pointedly said, "You can think of running away, but there is no point. You can pack up now and leave this pack for your so-called self-sacrifice. Run all night, and find some ce to stay when you cannot run anymore. But are you sure that you will be able to live a life ofplete solitude? Because that is the only thing that can keep the people around you safe."


    "Because these people¡ªthe one after you¡ªthey are not sane. They don¡¯t kill because they absolutely have to; they kill because they enjoy it. As long as there is a human even at a hundred miles¡¯ radius from where you are hiding, they will kill them. It¡¯s what they are."

 Chapter 271: Greedy, Not Grateful (2)

    <h4>Chapter 271: Greedy, Not Grateful (2)</h4>


    Her words hung heavily in the air, and Inez could feel her heart jumping to her throat. "But that¡¯s unfair!"


    Someone outside the lodge shouted in glee; as a thud followed suit at the door of her lodge, it was most probably a child ying with his friends. Even though most of the pack had epted her, there were still a few people who hadn¡¯t epted her. Because of this reason, there were countless unwee gifts like dead rats, pigeons, or sometimes cats and dogs, that were thrown at the front of her porch.


    And yet Inez had no time to turn around and chase those children away. Who would have thought that, till yesterday, her biggest worry was how to deal with the bloody rat lying outside on her porch, and suddenly it had shifted to being hunted down by dark witches and wizards who killed people at the drop of their hats?


    "There is nothing fair in this world. Even if you run now, they will find you," she continued in a matter-of-fact tone as if she didn¡¯t just drop yet another bomb, but then again, maybe this was her lovenguage. Dropping bombs on unsuspecting people. "And they will still attack this pack for taking you in, for giving you a ce to stay when they shouldn¡¯t have. At least if you are here, that mutt will pay attention to the security and the trespassers, but if you run away, then he too, like your ex, would pay more attention to hunting you down rather than paying attention to the safety of his pack."


    "I believe that you already know that, don¡¯t you?"


    Inez frowned lightly. She did know that Dominic was looking for her and had known it for a while now, which was why she had told him to quit doing it because it was annoying as fuck. She had hoped that the man would wake up after getting a reality check from her, but it seemed like he was still on it from Tracy¡¯s words.


    As for the mutt that Tracy spoke of, she knew it without asking that she was talking about Killian. Inez pursed her lips and said, "Then what do you suggest? That I stay here and do nothing."


    Even the very idea left her with a bad taste in her mouth.


    "My solution is that you deal with one thing at a time. There is no point in panicking when things cannot be changed. So you might as well befortable. Anyway, you are not in danger at the moment, so what is the point in running away? Better to calm down."


    "Okay, well, I am calm," said Inez as she leaned forward on the coffee table and stared at Tracy with all the patience that she could recollect at the moment. "But can you at least tell me how to deal with the ones who are trying to hunt me? Or at least you can tell me why they areing after me? Why me?" Inez was trying her best to keep her voice controlled. She didn¡¯t want to raise her voice at Tracy, as the woman was her benefactor. Even though she wanted to push the woman too hard, she couldn¡¯t do it.


    Tracy tapped her feet together while looking at the ceiling above them. "I wish I could tell you everything¡ªbut I cannot. Because I don¡¯t know everything myself. I just know that you are in danger, but I don¡¯t know from what or who. Do you understand me?"


    "No."


    "Well, that¡¯s not surprising. Sometimes I too don¡¯t understand a lot of things. Including myself," mused Tracy.


    Inez frowned and straightened up. Running her hand through her hair, she questioned the woman, "Just tell me whether you can give me a proper answer or not?"


    Tracy raised her head; her eyes met with hers, and strangely, those stormy grey eyes seemed to be moving with a flicker of electricity. She wasn¡¯t even kidding; she truly noticed a thunderp appear and disappear in the eyes of the woman. The air in the living room turned heavy, and Inez swallowed hard, feeling stifled and a bit troubled.


    "What is proper for you?" she tapped her fingers on the armrest of the couch. "Just because my answers do not satiate your curiosity does not mean that they are not proper answers. They are¡ªjust not what you would have liked."


    Something inside of her snapped, and her siren rushed to the surface. Inez said to the woman, "Look, are you really here to help me or not!? Because from what I can see, you are of no help." It wasn¡¯t that she wanted to lose her temper and say such harsh words to Tracy, but it wasn¡¯t helping. She was not helping. Why couldn¡¯t she just tell her what she knew or who this big, bad dark witch was who was after her? A single answer ¨C even a single word ¨C could be much more helpful than what the woman was giving to her.


    Tracy tilted her head to one side. She looked at the window that was showcasing the setting sun, and Inez heard her say, "I think you are taking your frustration out on the wrong person. Let us be honest, Inez. Without me, you and your mutt won¡¯t even know what kind of danger you are in. You have too many enemies; you would have had a hard time narrowing them down. By the time it would be toote, I believed that you would be a bit grateful for my intervention."


    She sighed. "It seems like they were right; no matter what, the people of your kind and world would always be greedy and not grateful."


    Heat rushed to Inez¡¯s face, and she was not sure whether it was due to anger or embarrassment. She pursed her lips and said, "I am not being ungrateful. I just need an answer to my questions, and you have the answers to these questions. Don¡¯t you?"


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 Chapter 272: Protected

    <h4>Chapter 272: Protected</h4>


    "My point still stands." She sits up straight, her eyes shing with another p of thunder; they were gleaming in the shadows of the onlymp burning in the room. "Without me, you wouldn¡¯t even know anything, Inez. Yes, you might know that your pack is in danger, that the witches are attacking your pack, but you wouldn¡¯t know anything else. Without me, you would be dead. You might be upset with me for not providing answers, but think about it carefully. If I weren¡¯t here, what would you do?"


    "From whom would you demand answers? My presence here is a gift; do not take it for granted. I have shown you mercy when no one else did, Inez."


    The disappointment and anger in her tone was like a whip cracking on her back, and Inez flinched. All of a sudden, all the anger and confusion that was brewing within her went down the slump right then and there. Tracy was right. She had saved her life even when she could have left her to die. Without her, that witch might have seeded in kidnapping her, and by now, the witches might already have sacrificed her to whatever voodoo they wanted to perform.


    She had shown her kindness, and yet here she wasshing out at her.


    But what was she supposed to do? Tracy was the only one who had the answers to her questions. Yet she was not giving even a single one to her, wouldn¡¯t it make her frustrated? She was not asking for a lot, or was she?


    But still, it seemed like she had overstepped her boundaries and hurt Tracy.


    "I am sorry for taking it out on you." Inez sat down on the armchair next to the couch. "I really didn¡¯t mean to get angry at you. It¡¯s just a lot for me to take in, and when you say that this pack will be in danger because of me, I¡ª"


    There was a sharp knock on the door, and before she could even finish what she was saying, the door of her lodge started to tremble under the might of the person standing outside.


    **


    Third Eye might be an annoyingpanion, but he knew things better than the rest of them; at least he knew how the trespassing happened, except for the fact that the man could be frustrating sometimes, as he already said it earlier.


    "I am telling you that just because we drink the water, we are not rted. That does not make us cousins or whatsoever." Finn retorted, looking highly agitated. Killian didn¡¯t even have the slightest bit of an idea why his beta was so engrossed in this stupid discussion, but he was, and he was giving it his all.


    Third Eye shook his head. His gaze slid up, and he smirked up at Finn, who seemed to be getting frustrated with each passing second. "...I guess that¡¯s how biology works."


    "No, it doesn¡¯t."


    "It does. We are all drinking the same recycled water. So yeah, technically speaking, we are cousins; at least we are rted. So, you should stop talking about us, witch hunters, being different from you shifters. In the end, we are all the same."


    "So, do we have a family reunion or something of the sort when we go to the kitchen every time?" Ajax chimed in from the side.


    Finn narrowed his eyes and huffed. "By that logic, I am rted to Ruth."


    "You all are rted to Ruth; he is a dog, and you all are dogs in a way," said Third Eye, chortling when Finn gave him the stinky eye.


    "Hold up. Does that make me rted to soup? The one that Edira cooked in the morning? Dang, I didn¡¯t know that I was able to do that¡ªeating my own cousin." Ajax added more fuel to the fire, making the entire conversation even more stupid than it already was.


    "How did you evene to that conclusion?" Laxus asked despite the sheer shock that he felt at that very moment.


    "I mean, soup is made from water, isn¡¯t it? Just add in some extra ingredients. So technically it¡¯s like a cousin to water, just the fancy one who got all those prim and proper lessons." Ajax exined with a grin.


    "And you are an idiot," snapped Finn.


    Laxus raised a brow. "Then coffee must be the angry uncle who is angry at everyone for absolutely no reason?"


    "Laxus!"


    Their absurdity finally got on hisst nerve. Killian clenched and unclenched his fingers before snapping, "Did you find the reason why the witches were able to trespass on the territoryst night?" He asked, interrupting their discussion without the slightest bit of guilt.


    "I did." Third Eye pointed to the sigil that he had drawn with the blood of a witch and a bat mixed in together with fae water. He circled the smallest circle inside which he had written the runes to keep the protectors of the dark magic away from the Blood Hill Pack. "You see this? Someone has rewritten these runes. They knew what they were doing and turned the entire sigil upside down, which means that they actually strengthened the dark witch with magic instead of draining her of strength like this sigil was supposed to do."


    "You mean to say that we have a runemaster hiding in the territory?" Matt asked, pushing up his sses as he peered down the sigils.


    "A runemaster? No. But certainly another witch or wizard," said Third Eye with a shake of his head. "These runes are something that only the dark ones learn. I am quite certain of that. So whoever this traitor is, he or she is certainly a dark one."


    His words sat heavily in the air, causing another growl to rip from Killian¡¯s throat. He didn¡¯t feel good at all. Oh, he certainly did not. The fact that there was someone so powerful, so knowledgeable about the dark magic hiding in his pack, didn¡¯t sit right with him. Not at all.


    He nced at Third Eye and questioned, "Then tell me, can you trace this traitor down?"

 Chapter 273: She Is Different

    <h4>Chapter 273: She Is Different</h4>


    "I wish I could," said Third Eye with a shake of his head. "But it is not that simple. This traitor of yours is hiding too deep, and I might be sounding like an idiot, but they seem to have a sort of protection. The kind that keeps witch hunters like me at bay, see this?" He circled his finger around the changed runes and tapped on them. A secondter, the entire surroundings turned colder than they already were, and a dark puddle erupted beside Third Eye; from it rose a silverly blue spirit, who walked to the edge of the magic circle and was set on fire almost immediately the second it touched it.


    "Woah, what happened?!" Ajax stepped back as the soul, which was already dead, let out an ear-splitting scream of anguish and disappeared.


    "We use the spirits of our ancestors, the ones who died with a grudge against witches, to trace them down," replied Third Eye as he got to his feet. "Usually, it works all the time, unless the witches or wizards have some kind of really strong protection around them. This traitor of yours has that very protection."


    "What kind of protection?" Killian asked.


    "It could be anything," shrugged Third Eye. "From a little divine artefact or something that was blessed by the devil himself. We can never be sure when ites to witches; they are neither evil nor pure. They are more in the grey area, aren¡¯t they?"


    "They kill for fun," deadpanned Finn.


    "I know. But they don¡¯t kill as much as the demonic worshippers, and they do it quite cleanly instead of dragging their agony."


    "Who says¨C"


    "There is no point in starting another pointless discussion," said Killian through gritted teeth. "It doesn¡¯t matter if the witches are more evil or the demonic worshippers. For all I care, even the Zealots are in the same league. They are all evil."


    His beast rumbled within him. <i>They are trying to ease the tension; you do understand that, right? Not everyone keeps things in their hearts and wishes for a heart attack to happen. It¡¯s better to chill the fuck out a little sometimes. </i>


    <i>I do not wish for a heart attack; I am just worried about Inez and the pack. They are not helping me with all of their nonsense. </i>


    <i>But there is no point in brooding over something that is not under your control. I do understand that this is your first time liking someone so much, but there is no point in letting your temper get the better of you. You need to calm the fuck down.</i>


    <i>You speak as if you don¡¯t want to rip the throat of the motherfucker who touched her! </i>


    His beast ignored him this time around. He didn¡¯t say anything, and Killian didn¡¯t prod him either. The two of them were very much clear about the truth, and the truth was that they wanted the blood of the bastard who tried to kidnap Inez. There was a chill that kept climbing up and down his spine, which kept telling him that there was something dangerous lurking around the corner, and it didn¡¯t sit too well with him. There were too many dangers, too many out-of-equation situations, and everything was way too much.


    He took a deep breath and stated, "So you mean to say that you cannot trace this traitor?"


    Third Eye sighed. "It¡¯s not impossible, but it will take time. Interfering with the artefacts is not a simple thing."


    "How long?"


    "I don¡¯t know. Thest time I tried to do it, it took more than six months."


    Killian gritted his teeth upon hearing his response. He didn¡¯t have six months. "She is in danger."


    Third Eye raised his brows. There was a flicker of amusement in those green eyes as he said to him, "You don¡¯t have to worry about her. She has someone by her side, doesn¡¯t she? That presence will keep her alive. At least that¡¯s her intention."


    Of course, Killian knew who the man was talking about, but it didn¡¯t ease his heart. He couldn¡¯t trust Tracy, even if she had saved Inez¡¯s life. "I cannot trust her," Killian confessed.


    "You should trust her," said Third Eye. "Though I do understand it¡¯s hard for you to trust a witch when your very enemies are her own kind, she is the only ace card you have in your hands at the moment. Admit it: as odd and vulnerable as she might make you feel, she is the only one who can help you at the moment, and you know that too."


    As much as he wanted to refute Third Eye, Killian knew that he was right. In his heart, he knew that Tracy was his only chance against whatever they were facing. That woman seemed to know more than he did, and it meant something.


    "Anyway, if that woman was malevolent, then she would have done something by now."


    That was an odd sort of remark. Killian furrowed his brows and raised his head before saying to Third Eye, "What do you mean? She is not even here."


    "That¡¯s not right; she is with your lover," ryed Third Eye. "I can sense her presence, right down ¡ª three o¡¯clock to the west, thats where the lodge of your little lover is, right?"


    "WHAT!" Killian¡¯s eyes widened as he whirled around on his feet, but not before shouting at Third Eye, "Why didn¡¯t you tell me this sooner?!"


    "I thought you already knew. Who is the alpha of this pack?"


    Killian ignored the subtle jibe thrown his way; he increased his pace and ran past the forest and the clearings. For the first time, he felt regretful. He shouldn¡¯t have given Inez the lodge that faced the sea. It was way too far.


    Ten minutester, he stood in front of the lodge; the scent of coconut vani milk filled his nostrils. It brought a sense of peace andfort to him.


    <i>See, I told you she is different. </i>

 Chapter 274: Chimpanzees and Doors

    <h4>Chapter 274: Chimpanzees and Doors</h4>


    "I do know that," he muttered through clenched teeth. If he didn¡¯t know this, then why would he bother chasing after her?


    <i>Do you really now? I don¡¯t see you trying to imprint on her. </i>


    Killian clenched his hands and slowly forced them to rx. Though the effort alone felt like he was trying to force open a vacuum chamber. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t trying to imprint on her; however, each time he tried to imprint on Inez, something held him back. It was not her fault; he knew that. It was all him, and he was trying to work on those thoughts of her.


    <i> You keep doing that, and she will soon get tired of you dragging your shit. </i>


    <i>Shut up. </i>


    Killian closed his eyes and then tried to suppress the rage that was burning within his heart; he knew that if he tried to approach Inez like this, it would only make her drift further from him.


    Though he didn¡¯t imprint on her, he had done things to prove that he truly adored and desired her. He had given her a ce in the pack, allowing her to be a member of his territory, even though he didn¡¯t hand this chance over to just about anybody. He hadn¡¯t even tried to kill her ex-mate, who was the very reason he couldn¡¯t start imprinting on Inez. He had tried to make changes in his life, all because of her.


    It should be enough to prove that she could stay by his side without any worries.


    He raised his head and then looked at the door in front of him. A part of him wanted to force his way into the lodge barbarically, but he didn¡¯t. He had long lost that impulsiveness.


    His beast snorted inside of him, and Killian didn¡¯t me him. He had indeed lost the impulsiveness, but something about Inez kept him on his toes. Even now, he wanted to kick the door open and haul the witch out by her hair for daring to meet with Inez when she was alone. That witch didn¡¯t take him seriously, and he didn¡¯t like that. If not for all the gentlemanly virtues that he had collected over the years, he would have followed his instincts to assert his dominance.


    <i>Quite a hard job, isn¡¯t it? </i>


    His beast took a jibe at him, which he ignored. With his jaw clenched and fury drumming in every vein of his body, he climbed up the porch and then knocked on the door. He knocked four times, each one crisp and distinct, letting the witch inside know that he meant business and she better get lost before he got down to it. The sound echoed in the silence of the evening, and it was way too silent, like no one was inside. That witch better not pull anything.


    After five seconds, he finally heard the sound of shuffling as if some sort of silencing charm had lifted up from the surroundings. That witch!


    His beast sighed. <i> Hey. I am not happy about this either, but can you calm down a little? It¡¯s not good to think about pouncing on the saviour of your beloved. Be a bit more charismatic than that. </i>


    Which was exactly why he was knocking on the damn door instead of confronting the witch who tried to lock Inez up inside the lodge as if she had the right to do it. She didn¡¯t. Inez was like a child who didn¡¯t know much about the shifter world, all courtesy of her mother, who had kept her away from her kind to make sure that no one would trespass on Inez¡¯s secret identity.


    Whether she had done it to protect Inez or it was truly because the woman found Inez a stain on her name, Killian didn¡¯t know anything about it. But whatever her reasons were, he sure as hell didn¡¯t appreciate them because that made Inez a bit too trusting of people who didn¡¯t deserve her.


    <i>Like you. </i>


    <i>Like him. </i>


    **


    Inez stared at the woman who had taken over her lodge. She didn¡¯t know when she allowed Tracy to take over, but the woman seemed to have made herself at home. The lodge that was supposed to be hers now belonged to the witch in front of her. Don¡¯t ask her how. She was not the one making the rules up here.


    Tracy was standing in front of the door, her arms crossed as if she could see who was knocking on the door, and the scowl on her face showed that she was not happy with whoever was standing outside. And Inez had a very good idea who it was.


    "Are... Are you not going to open the door?" She asked when another rumbling knock that should have left the door cracking echoed in the lodge. Inez winced; even though Killian was on the other side of the door, his incessant knocking alone was enough to tell her how furious he was at the moment.


    "Let him be for a minute," replied Tracy as she leaned against the shoe cab sitting at the threshold. "He needs to learn a bit of patience. I really hate it when Lycans lose their tempers; they have always been strutting around as if they were royals."


    "But they were."


    "Oh, hush now, child. Don¡¯t remind me of the horrid past."


    She spoke as if she had been around since the royal family of the Lycans ruled the shifter world. Because honestly, the woman did look rather pissed off. Like she knew how the royal ancestors of the man outside behaved. But how could that be possible? Thest lycan king died like five hundred years ago. At least that was what she learnt in history.


    And Tracy, well, she didn¡¯t look a day older than twenty.


    Another rattling knock echoed through the lodge, and yet the woman stayed put. She didn¡¯t even flinch and instead scowled even harder. Well, that level of courage did look like it was cultivated for aeons.

 Chapter 275: Chimpanzees and Doors (2)

    <h4>Chapter 275: Chimpanzees and Doors (2)</h4>


    The knocking started to grow more and more violent. A few minutester, it was no different than a chimpanzee trying to break into the lodge. The door was practically crying while trying to hold onto the hinges. Inez nced at the woman, and yet Tracy didn¡¯t seem to be the least bothered by the incessant knocking.


    But then again, why would she? As far as she was concerned, Tracy took herself as her guest and didn¡¯t see anything wrong with her staying over in her lodge. She was invited for a stay, which meant that she had every right to stay in the lodge, and Killian, knocking on the door, didn¡¯t change anything.


    Inez had to admit that she was simply in awe of the control and courage that Tracy had. Not to mention her confidence. Why wasn¡¯t she like that? Maybe if she shared half of that confidence, then maybe she, too, could have looked Dominic in the eyes and told him to fuck off. That she too was a member of the Venus pack, having been born there and had every right to stay and live with respect.


    And Inez knew that she did.


    Dominic might be her alpha, but he had no right to torment her especially not when he was not giving her the protection that she deserved. As a member of the Venus pack, she had the right to live a peaceful life, and yet she had lowered herself until she was turned into a pathetic rug under the feet of the members.


    If she had Tracy¡¯s confidence, then she would have looked Dominic right in the eye the very day he pushed her in front of everyone and dered that she was on his hit list. Maybe a punch to his face would have sufficed, or maybe a kick to where his sun shone. He was too much of an arsehole to begin with, and the world could make do without his arrogance. Maybe she would have done the world a favour if she had turned that jerk impotent.


    Only if she were more like her.


    The knocking started to grow even intense, and Inez was half certain that Killian was going to break the door open any second now. She winced, surprised and honestly quite confused by Killian¡¯s impatience. The man had nevere off as impatient to her; he was polite, kind, and gentle. If not for the scent that was wafting over to her and filling up her lungs, Inez would have doubted that the man outside was Killian.


    "He really is quite impatient," Tracy snapped. Her fingers were drumming on her forearm as she finally made a move. Her movements were slow and elegant, like she was walking past time itself. Even when she raised her hand to turn the doorknob, Inez was sure that she caught her full attention.


    Oh, what she would give to be a woman like Tracy.


    Tracy yanked the door open and peered up at the man standing outside. "Are you trying to break the door open?" Her voice was filled with a chill that could have frozen a desert if she wanted. With her eyes staring frigidly at the man in front of her, she ignored the snarl that erupted through Killian¡¯s chest.


    Even though Killian looked like he was about to lose his very shit, Tracy didn¡¯t look like she was scared of him. It was a mark of her courage or foolishness that, despite a really angry lycan standing in front of her, the woman didn¡¯t even flinch. She was still standing upright, with her arms crossed in front of her.


    "You had no right to lock my woman in your magical spells, witch," Killian snarled. It was a mark of how much he detested and didn¡¯t trust Tracy because Inez had never seen him talk with a woman in such an uncalm and unttering tone before. He had always been such a gentleman outside bed that it was quite a change.


    Tracy curled her lips on one side in a derisive smirk. "Maybe I wouldn¡¯t have done that if you were cut for the position that you are standing in at the moment. You might have forgotten the tiniest bit of detail, but you have a traitor, and I can¡¯t have them eavesdropping on our conversation. Now that they know I am here, they will try to understand why and what I am doing and why I am even trying to protect Inez."


    Inez winced for the twentieth time. That was quite a blow, and it was going to hurt. She peeked at Killian¡¯s face. Yup. It did hurt.


    Killian parted his lips, but before he could let out a snappy retort, his gaze met Inez¡¯s, and he sidestepped Tracy, ignoring her protest. He came to stop in front of her and questioned, "Are you alright? Didn¡¯t I tell you that you cannot trust witches? How can you let her inside the lodge?"


    He spoke to her as if she were a child who needed some serious lessons on how to deal with strangers.


    "I am fine," Inez didn¡¯t know how to feel about the current situation. Though she was amused by his frantic anxiousness, she didn¡¯tugh at him. She understood why he was so panicky and jittery, and that warmed her heart. She said to him, "Really, look, all of my limbs are intact."


    "Thats not funny." He scowled at her, but his re was soft because he was looking at her. However, when he turned his head and looked at Tracy, it was apletely different story. He said to her, "You should leave now."


    "No, I won¡¯t be leaving anytime soon."


    Killian stared at her as if he wished to skin her alive; all pretence of gentleness that he had with her was gone, evaporated in a puff of smoke. A low growl rumbled from his chest, like a reminder of how he was a big, bad and threatening lycan and not some kitty cat that could be dismissed at will.


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 Chapter 276: Smart, Fool and Traitor

    <h4>Chapter 276: Smart, Fool and Traitor</h4>


    But Tracy didn¡¯t even flinch. She squeezed past him and came to stand between the two of them. Inez didn¡¯t know what the woman was trying to do by bing a physical barrier between the two of them.


    She stared hard at Killian, who stared right back, his lips tightening. He loomed over the witch with his tall and mountain-like stature before stating in a low voice, "You cannot disregard mymand like that. I am the alpha of this pack; the council allows me to decide on whom I give a ce in my territory. And I don¡¯t agree to letting you stay here, so you¡¯d better get the fuck out when I am being nice."


    "Oooh, I feel so scared now that you have gotten that out," Tracy sneered, her voice turning dangerously low. "First of all, you might be the alpha of this pack, but Inez is supposed to be the Luna as well, right? And I am telling you here and now, the Luna allowed me to stay with her, which means that I have the right to be here without being cornered by you or anyone else."


    Killian¡¯s eyes shed with something dangerous because, as much as he would have loved to contradict the witch, he had to admit that he caught him there. "I am not saying that she doesn¡¯t have the authority to allow people to stay with her, but she is way too naive when ites to witches and wizards like you¡ª"


    "What do you mean by naive?" She tilted her head. "Do you mean to say that she is a fool who cannot understand what is good for her? She is a big girl. I believe she can pick the right and wrong sort by herself."


    "She has never seen or heard about the cruelty of your kind¡ª"


    "Actually, I have." Realising that she had had enough of their back and forth with Killian treating her like she was a hundred-year-old porcin doll that would crack at his touch, Inez raised her hand and said to him, "I have heard all about the witches causing trouble in the city whether human or shifter, so I am not as naive as you think. And she is right; I can make the decision whether to trust someone or not on my own."


    She truly loved Killian, going all caveman and shit while trying to keep her protected. But she didn¡¯t like how easily he brushed her off either. Sure, she was not as skilled in fighting and other shifter skills with her wolf gone, but Inez knew better than to let a mass murderer inside her lodge.


    Tracy, weird as she might be, she hadn¡¯t given her a reason to keep her at arm¡¯s length. If she had, then Inez would have definitely turned around and run out of the lodge instead of staying here or at least called someone through the pack link.


    "You hear that?" Tracy said to the man with a smile on her lips. "She knows what she is doing, and you don¡¯t need to butt your way into everything that she does. She might be your woman, but she is also an adult who has free will; don¡¯t tell me you are going to guide every action of hers. I understand how dominant shifters work and how elemental your possessiveness is, but you still cannot disrupt her life. You might be a dominant alpha, but she is no submissive omega either. She is a half-blood."


    Killian furrowed his brows as if upset that the woman had countered him at every turn, not expecting Inez to back her up. "I am just trying to protect her. I am not intervening in her life or actions, but witches and shifters do not mix together, and you know that too."


    "No, I do not." Tracy straightened, her voice rising passionately. "These are the rules that you young ones came up with, but I do not have any reason to follow them, nor am I thinking of following them either. Back in my time, we were allowed to live a life as we wanted. Not divided by these stupid rules that you all came up with. It¡¯s really an annoyance, if I am being honest."


    And there it was, the tone of an elderly grandmother who was upset with her grandchildren messing up her favourite gnome in the garden.


    Killian¡¯s eyes flicked to Inez and then back to Tracy. "How old are you again?"


    "Never you mind that," she waved her hand dismissively. "All you need to know is that you cannot dismiss me."


    "And why is that?" Killian curled his lips in a faint snarl. "I don¡¯t care what you are and who you are, but you cannot just barge into my territory."


    "Again, it¡¯s no longer your territory alone unless you are nning on kicking Inez out anytime soon. If you are, please let her and me know so we can leave this ce before she faces an ugly heartbreak due to your lies," remarked Tracy with a calm expression.


    The air between the two of them started to crackle with tension. Neither of them had the smallest desire to back up, and Inez? She was simply tired. Shuffling on her feet, waiting for them to stop their quarrel, she sat back down on the couch from which she had stood up. However, it didn¡¯t seem like they were all too inclined to do so.


    Killian spoke, his voice softer now as he tried to make the witch see sense, "I am not going to do that. I love her too much to do that, but that still doesn¡¯t exin what you are trying to do. Or why are you even here? Do you have an answer for that?"


    Tracy stared up at him. Quiet as the graveyard right outside the territory, before saying to him, "Believe it or not, I am here to help her. I am not going to harm her; this is something that I can promise you in the name of the Night Goddess."

 Chapter 277: Smart, Fool and Traitor (2)

    <h4>Chapter 277: Smart, Fool and Traitor (2)</h4>


    "The promises of the witches hold no meaning," growled Killian.


    "It¡¯s up to you whether you want to believe me or not. I only promised to stop you from butting in between me and Inez; if not, I wouldn¡¯t have even bothered." Tracy blinked her eyes up at him. "You can either trust me and leave her safety to me, or you can stay with her like a shadow. But I know that as the alpha of this pack, you have more things to do than just ying the role of her shadow."


    "I will¡ª"


    "You will keep her protected?" Tracy tipped her chin up and questioned with a mocking smile. "Have you forgotten how someone snuck into your territory? How they attacked and tried to take her away? Just ept that you need someone to take care of her. And I am better than any of your enforcers for this job. At least I can detect a witch trespassing through the territory line faster than they can."


    Killian turned and nced at Inez. "And you agree with her? Do you want her to stay with you?"


    "Hey, back off, big guy," Tracy stepped between the two of them once again, just as Killian stepped close to her. She called him out, "You cannot just loom over her and growl like a rabid dog; it¡¯s going to make her feel cornered. Not everyone likes being loomed over by men, no matter how handsome they are. We are not in a stupid, braindead, smutty novel, alright?"


    When Killian tried to walk around her, Tracy followed him. If he stepped to the left, she would follow him, and if he stepped to the right, she would too. In short, she didn¡¯t let Killiane any closer to her.


    Losing his head, Killian snapped his teeth at the witch, only for her to raise her hand and smack him right across his face. Not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to jolt him out of his animal instincts.


    "Did you just¡ª"


    "I did." Tracy spoke without an ounce of fear, and this time around, even Inez nced at the woman as if she wanted to question if Tracy had lost her mind. How could she just step forward and p the alpha of a pack? It was light but still. It had to be quite a blow to Killian.


    It was because the man did lunge at the witch, quite upset that she had raised her hand at him, and Inez had to step between the two of them before pushing Tracy behind her and cing her hands on Killian¡¯s chest. She pushed him away from Tracy and said to him, "She didn¡¯t mean it ¨C"


    "I actually did."


    "You are not helping," Inez said with a sigh as she looked up at Killian. The man was still growling, louder than he was before. She could feel his chest vibrating under her fingers. His hands were clenched at his sides, and Inez closed her eyes, preparing herself for an explosion of anger and fierce temper. He might be stopping himself from attacking Tracy, but that was only because he cared for her; if he wanted to attack her, he could easily push Inez away and do it. But he was doing it for her.


    That was kind of nice of him. But it would have been better if he had acted like his usual gentlemanly self, like he did with other women.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Finn, who had chased after Killian when the man had bolted from the clearing, stepped inside the lodge. He looked at Inez and Killian before turning to look at Tracy. As soon as his gaze met with the woman, he stiffened as if he had run into his mathematics teacher while bunking his ss. "You are here too?"


    His sudden arrival helped Inez feel a bit calmer. The sparks flying in the air also slowed down while bouncing off the walls. Though they were still there, they were a bit more controlled, which was better than nothing.


    "So what if I am here?" Tracy spoke to Finn as if she weren¡¯t the one who caused the trouble just now.


    Finn eyed her like a child who was staring at his idol. There was an odd sort of appreciation in his eyes that Inez had never seen; she hoped that this man was well aware of Tracy¡¯s age before he jumped down a pit from which he would have a hard time pulling himself out.


    "I was just asking; there is no need to get angry with me," Finn said with a smile.


    He was acting way too weird, causing Inez to groan inwardly. She had a feeling that the man was way too far gone.


    Finn, however, didn¡¯t seem to sense anything. He continued to stare at Tracy before questioning her, "So, what are you doing here?"


    "Why should I be telling you that?" Tracy asked with a raise of her brow.


    Finn cleared his throat and replied, "I am the beta of this pack. As you are a trespasser, I have no choice but to question you about your intentions."


    Killian slowly turned his head to look at his beta. His eyes were shing part wolf and part human as he stated, "Oh, so you remember that you ate the beta of this pack? I thought you had forgotten that small detail, with how well you were treating this trespasser who appeared in our territory without trying to hold her down."


    The fact that both his beast and he were present to say those words, Inez understood just how exasperated they were at the moment.


    "He can try," snarled Tracy with her arms crossed. She was eyeing Finn as if she were waiting to see the man move, and she could wring him like a rag.


    Finn simply smiled at his alpha before saying, "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to. But I have seen what she can do; I would rather not intervene."


    "Smart."


    "Fool."


    "Traitor."

 Chapter 278: To A Long Drive

    <h4>Chapter 278: To A Long Drive</h4>


    Killian dragged the word ¡¯traitor¡¯ as long as he could. He seemed utterly pissed that Finn had not done what he should have done as the beta of the pack, but Inez knew that there was no point in trying. Tracy didn¡¯t seem like someone who would go down with just a tackle. If she were, then she would have thought twice before waltzing inside her lodge, so confidently at that.


    Finn cleared his throat. He nced at Tracy and Inez before turning to look at Killian. He said to him, "You should try to calm down a little and think things through. There is no point in losing your temper; at least try to listen to what is going on. Maybe the witch here is really just trying to help, and you are not helping by losing your temper."


    Inez listened to his words and hesitated. She had to admit that the man was right; it would have been so much better if Killian had just listened to what Tracy had to say. But the man didn¡¯t hear a thing. The second he saw her, he started attacking her with all kinds of usations and me, which didn¡¯t sound very nice to listen to. It would have been better if he had just calmed down and listened to what Tracy had to say.


    "She cannot just barge in when Inez is all alone¡ª" Killian began, his dominant alpha vibes oozing through his very skin. He looked thoroughly upset that Tracy hade looking for Inez when she shouldn¡¯t have.


    "I didn¡¯t barge in; I was invited." Tracy flicked her hair behind her. She turned to look at Inez and stated, "If you don¡¯t believe me, then you can ask Inez. I met with her outside, and she brought me into the lodge. I know better than to just barge into someone¡¯s private space. Do you take me as a barbarian alpha who does things on impulse rather than giving others the respect and space?"


    She scoffed. "Stop disrespecting me like that." She sounded quite affronted.


    Finn¡¯s eyes twitched as he nced at her; he then turned his head and looked at Killian, who seemed even more pissed than before, grinning. He patted Killian on the shoulders with casual familiarity and said, "Come on, alpha. Let¡¯s take this down a notch; there is no need for you to lose your shit. Inez is fine, and that is all that matters, right? Why make a fuss now when everything is alright?"


    "I am not making a fuss," hissed Killian. He stepped away from Finn, as he could see that his beta was no longer singing the same tune of loyalty as he usually did. The fucker should be backing him up, but he was standing up for the witch. He didn¡¯t know why, but he would get him back for thatter.


    "Yes, you are," snapped Tracy.


    Yes, he was, thought Inez. She hadn¡¯t spoken it out loud just because the man had been worried sick about her, and that was the only reason why she had stayed quiet till now. If not, she would have definitely spoken up by now.


    "I don¡¯t think¡ª"


    "You know what, I am not doing this anymore," Tracy snapped. Her eyes flickered as she snapped her fingers. "I think you need to take a nap or something of the sort. Try to rx a little, and when you wake up; make sure you bring us breakfast or something because I am in a shitty mood unless I eat something nice in the morning, you hear me?"


    "You, little¡ª"


    Inez didn¡¯t get to hear what Killian wanted to say because he disappeared the next second.


    Inez blinked her eyes in horror and shock. Okay, whatever sigils that Third Eye had drawn need to up their game because they didn¡¯t seem to be working on Tracy.


    Finn turned to look at Tracy and questioned, "What did you do?"


    "Nothing; like I said, I sent him to chill out a bit," she replied. Tracy then nced at Finn; her stare was monotone and t, but Inez could see that the witch was assessing the man. From top to bottom. "I like ham sandwiches more than bacon. Make a note of that."


    "And use white bread; I don¡¯t like the brown bread; it¡¯s too hard for my taste," she added, her expression nk as she continued, "If you dare to add brown bread to my sandwich, I am going to turn you into a rodent and stuff you with brown bread until you have a trauma of it. And I only likettes, so add sugar to my coffee. No ck coffee for me."


    She then turned to look at Inez and paused before saying, "Some pasta for her. I think she is craving some carbonara."


    It was a surprise that Tracy even knew what she was craving, and it made everything even more confusing. Who was this woman, and how did she know everything, including her dietary preferences and cravings? Did she tell her that she wanted carbonara? Inez was quite certain that she hadn¡¯t.


    She recalled their conversation quite well, and there was no such thing as ¡¯<i>hey, I would like to eat carbonara tomorrow morning.¡¯ </i>


    <i>¡¯Yeah, I know that it sounds crazy, but a girl has to eat.¡¯</i>


    "I will get it for you," Finn promised. He then turned to look at the spot where Killian was standing and questioned, "But can you let me know where you have sent him? I mean, I need to tell the pack members where he has gone or else things would not be pretty for me."


    "To bed."


    "Whose bed?"


    Tracy scowled. "Get your mind out of the gutter; his own damn bed. Where else do you think I would have sent him?"


    "Ah, got it," Finn said with a mock salute. "I should have totally thought that through."


    As he left the lodge, Tracy scoffed. "I really hate when shifters act all smart with me." She then turned to look at Inez and said, "Now, are we ready?"

 Chapter 279: To A Long Drive (2)

    <h4>Chapter 279: To A Long Drive (2)</h4>


    "Where are we going?" Inez asked. She had no idea how many times she had asked this dumb question, but hey, if you were more or less kidnapped and then taken on a ride without a set destination, so would you, even if the person who did it was your friend. As for her, the situation was even moreplicated, as Tracy was not her friend.


    "I told you. We are going on a long drive," replied Tracy. Her eyes were still focused on the road as she drove her RV. When the woman told her that she wanted to go on a long drive, Inez had expected a simple drive around the coastline and then returning to the pack. But¨C


    She turned and looked at the board in front of her and sighed. What were they doing fifty kilometres away from the territory? And where exactly was Tracy taking her to?


    However, after being brushed off for like ten or maybe twenty times, Inez knew that the woman was not going to answer her question. So what was the point in even asking the same repetitive question again and again? It would have made more sense if she had told her where she was taking her the first time.


    Staring at the concrete road that was getting darker and darker with each passing minute, Inez finally couldn¡¯t help it anymore. "Just in case you are thinking of killing me and burying me somewhere unknown, can you mark my grave? That way, someone might pay respects to me after I am gone."


    "Burying you and then marking your grave will ruin theplete point of taking you so far and killing you. Not to mention that psychopathic mate of yours will hunt me down." Tracy spoke without even looking at her. Her grey eyes were still locked on the street, and she was muttering what sounded like coordinates.


    Where the hell was she taking her? It was as if the woman knew where they had to go, but she didn¡¯t know what that ce was called. How could that be even possible? But looking at it, Inez had a feeling that it was quite possible. How? She was just not clear about it. Maybe some day, when Tracy was feeling extra chatty or had taken a few sips of vodka or something like that.


    "I don¡¯t get drunk," as if reading her thoughts, the woman beside spoke up.


    Inez¡¯s mouth fell open. "Did you just¡ª"


    "You are way too expressive." Tracy rolled her eyes. She nced at Inez with a smile on her lips. "You might not know this, but your face speaks a lot even when your mouth is shut."


    This was news to her.


    She blinked her eyes. "But¡ª"


    "Your mate still has a long way to go before he can start understanding your silence," scoffed Tracy with a roll of her eyes.


    "He is not my mate," Inez corrected the woman.


    "But he will be, or you are ying with him?"


    "Of course not."


    "Then there it is."


    Inez¡¯s brows furrowed as she said, "It¡¯s not that simple." Why was it always ck or white for this woman?


    "It is that simple," asserted Tracy; her eyes were back on the road. She said to Inez, "There is no need for you toplicate matters for yourself. What is the point of worrying about things when you know that in the end you are going to listen to your heart?"


    Inez opened her mouth to speak, but she turned quiet soon enough. Was that what she was trying to do? Complicating things for herself? Maybe she was.


    Inez turned silent as her thoughts drifted off.


    However, her thoughts came to an abrupt stop when the RV came to a stop. She raised her head and looked in the direction of the witch beside her and questioned, "What was that?"


    "It seems like gas ran out." Tracy was frowning hard as if she herself didn¡¯t expect it to happen, which was simply beyond Inez¡¯sprehension.


    "You were the one who brought us here! How can you not know how much gas you will need?" Inez questioned. She opened her arms, which she had crossed over her chest instinctively, while she was lost in thought. She did it always, whenever something was bothering her.


    "I didn¡¯t know it would take us so far."


    "What do you mean? What took us so far?" Inez asked.


    However, Tracy seemed to be lost in her thoughts. She was muttering under her breath, and Inez did catch a few words, but they seemed to be going over her head.


    "Always the same... they always do this. I wonder, why they have to interfere so much..."


    "Tracy," Inez called the witch tentatively, but she simply threw her head back and ran her hands through her hair. She seemed frustrated, angry even, and it frustrated Inez as well. Just what the hell was going on?


    However, before she could question Tracy, the woman dropped her hands onto her sides and stated in a low voice, "Well, I need to go and grab some gas."


    Hearing her resigned tone, Inez frowned. It was as if the woman didn¡¯t want to go, but she had to go.


    "Just what¡ª"


    Before she could finish her question, Tracy jumped out of her driver¡¯s seat and went to the back of the RV. Before she could even stop the woman, Tracy had already taken out the container and turned to her. "I will go and get the gas. I have already taken a look at the GPS; the gas station is fifteen minutes away, thirty if I go on foot. You stay inside the RV and don¡¯t go out¡ª"


    Her eyes fell out of focus, and she hissed angrily, "Fine!"


    And as her eyes snapped back, she stared at Inez and said to her, "You can go outside if you want."


    "That sounds like a threat."


    "It is."


    "And yet you want me to go outside?"


    "Well, you have to."


    She spoke with a ¡¯duh¡¯ tone before turning around and heading out of the RV. Inez watched her go and sighed, "Well, thank you for telling me everything."

 Chapter 280: You Were Wrong Dominic

    <h4>Chapter 280: You Were Wrong Dominic</h4>


    Even when Tracy told her that she could go outside, Inez didn¡¯t have the slightest wish to stride out of the RV. Something about the way Tracy spoke to her and asked her to go outside and wander screamed, ¡¯Do<i> not leave the RV.¡¯ Danger Ahead. </i>And she had no intention of letting her curiosity get the better of her. Even if she knew that there was a very good chance that she might be able to get the answers to her questions, Inez didn¡¯t want to get entangled in another trouble.


    However, an hour passed by and then half an hour trickled past in rapid motion. Inez stared at the soft drizzle and frowned. Didn¡¯t Tracy say that she would take an hour or so at most, as the gas station wasn¡¯t too far? Then why had she not returned till now? Inez couldn¡¯t help but wonder, and soon her frustration turned into worry.


    Did that witch run into a witch hunter? Did she get lost? Did she fucking die or what? Because if she were alive, why did she note back?


    Inez looked around the ce where they were stranded, only to see trees and more trees. There were no traces of human establishment or any signs around where the RV hade to a stop after the gas ran out.


    "Awesome," she clicked her tongue while staring out of the window. Inez had been staring outside for a while now, and she hadn¡¯t seen even the smallest trace of the woman returning, which only made her worries intensify. She thought about Tracy and then Killian. She wondered if the man was losing his shit in the territory.


    There was no screaming and yelling in the pack bond, but after getting involved with witches, she knew better than to trust the pack bonds. Witches had this way of blocking the pack bond, something that Inez had learned the hard way. So, there was no point in relying on it for the time being.


    She got to her feet and paced the RV, hoping for the witch to return in another ten minutes or so, but when she didn¡¯t, Inez decided to do something crazy. She decided to go out and search for Tracy. Yeah, of course she knew. How could stepping out of the RV and going to look for her friend be crazy? But with how fate had been testing her, Inez knew that something crazy was about to happen very soon.


    So, taking a very deep breath, she pushed open the door of the RV and then stepped out of the vehicle. With her eyes darting around, she waited for another attack or something equally weird to happen, but nothing happened. The forest stretched on for miles, and so did the silence. Other than the rustling of the tree leaves and the soft drizzle of rain, she didn¡¯t hear anything.


    Inez frowned, and she did it hard.


    Hesitation was running high, but so was her frustration. She needed to go back to the Blood Hill pack lest things be problematic. Thest thing she wanted was for Killian to lose his temper and hunt her down. The pack needed his attention and presence; she couldn¡¯t let that man run amok looking for her, which would only bring discontent in the pack against her.


    Letting out a curse, Inez marched down the street. Hoping to find the gas station that Tracy was speaking about.


    "Where is this ce?" she muttered as she tapped on the screen of her phone. Even after searching the location more than ten times, Inez couldn¡¯t detect any name or pinpoint the location where she and Tracy had been stranded. Thework of the phone did not seem to be working; the app that she was using to detect her location still had the dots circling like it was loading, but couldn¡¯t because of theck ofwork.


    What kind of ce did Tracy bring her to?


    Not to mention her suspicions were getting the best of her. Did Tracy bring her here because she had some other intention like killing her and then burying her alive or something of the sort? What? The woman might have saved her life once but that alone wasn¡¯t enough for Inez to trust her. What if Tracy saved her life only to momentarily gain her trust and then attack her when she had lowered her guard?


    All kinds of thoughts started to fill her head as Inez walked down the street. She was using her phone as a torch sincethere was nowork, reducing her once fine working phone to nothing but a small tin box. The sound of the leaves crunching underneath her shoes echoed in the distant forest, and filling the gaps were her heavy breaths.


    She heaved and panted as she climbed up the steep road which got steeper and steeper with each step. Her siren within her rolled her eyes, annoyed with theck of effort that Inez was putting in; most probably, she thought that her human side¡¯s physical abilities were not up to the notch but could this be med on her?


    She hadn¡¯t run for days!


    By the time Inez climbed up the slope, her calves were shaking and she was inches away from fainting. Her eyes were tuning in and out of focus as she stared at the t road in front of her. If not for the fact that it wasn¡¯t hygienic, she truly wanted to kneel down and kiss the t surface. Finally, the horrendous torture was over!


    She shut her eyes and inhaled sharply. Her hands were resting on her knees as she tried to ease her thumping heart. Once her breathing eased, she straightened up and started walking down the path. She hoped that whatever gas station that Tracy was talking about was right ahead or else she was going to lose her mind!


    Her siren let out a snort.


    <i>You said that three times already and I can see that you are quite sane. </i>


    <i>Stop taking things in a literal sense and everything will be fine. </i>


    Another snort.

 Chapter 281: You Were Wrong, Dominic (2)

    <h4>Chapter 281: You Were Wrong, Dominic (2)</h4>


    "The council wants you to go and take a look at the attack at the Norman Bridge." as soon as Tao entered his office, he ryed the itinerary that had been arranged for him by the council already. Dominic closed his eyes and opened them again, he raised his head and looked at Tao through his sses and questioned, "The what?"


    "The attack at the Norman Bridge," repeated Tao with a patience that Dominic certainly didn¡¯t have. He ced the fax that one of the council members must have sent him. Dominic stared at the paper in front of him and took off his sses before saying in an exasperated tone, "Is this really necessary? They could always use emails or maybe messages. Those are faster and much better means ofmunication."


    "They don¡¯t believe in it and you know that. Those old jerks only believe in what they want to believe," scoffed Tao.


    Dominic didn¡¯t say anything in response to that. He picked up the fax that the elders of the council had sent to him and started reading the information. The more he read, the more his brows furrowed. By the end of the report, he pursed his lips and said, "What kind of nonsense is written in this fax? What did they mean by the attack was done by a group of vampires and shifters?"


    "Since when did vampires and shifters start working together? Are they trying to shift attention from the recent attacks?" Dominic questioned. He threw the fax down on the table and pinched the space between his brows.


    "There is a possibility." Tao crossed his arms and nced at the fax that was now lying haphazardly on the surface of the table. "Those elders other than Seth don¡¯t want to ept that the witches are running rampant. It¡¯s beneath their pride to ept that there are still witches who are going against them even when they have defeated their ancestors in thest war."


    "Their pride is getting the best of them. I am certain that this order was passed down by Seth. He needs the true report of the situation about the Norman bridge and not a covered-up report that was whitewashed more than ten or twenty times. That¡¯s the only reason he asked the elders to send this fax down to our pack."


    He paused and added in a swift voice, "Since it¡¯s the order passed down by the head of the council, you cannot refuse."


    "I wasn¡¯t going to," Dominic replied with a raise of his brow. He then turned to look at Luca, who stood next to Tao and questioned, "Why are you so silent? Did something happen?" Knowing Luca¡¯s family dynamics, Dominic would not be surprised if something happened at Luca¡¯s home.


    "Dom... have you ever thought about whether we made the right decision?"


    "What do you mean? The right decision regarding what¡ª"


    "Regarding Inez." Luca didn¡¯t let him finish and spoke up. His words brought a sort of chill in the office and a frown on Dominic¡¯s face. He rubbed the tips of his fingers and said to the man, "What do you mean by whether we made the right decision regarding her? You saw it. You saw her sneaking out of my office. The vial was in her hands¡ª"


    "Yes, it was. But what are the chances that it was her?" Luca snapped. His heart and mind had been in a mess ever since the day he saw the tiger shifter die right in front of him. A witch had snuck inside their territory despite all the sigils and defences that they had implemented against their kind. If the witch could sneak inside the pack once, could she not have done so in the past?


    Dominic frowned as if he couldn¡¯t understand what he was trying to say to him but Luca knew that he did. He did understand what he was trying to say to him. He just didn¡¯t want to ept the truth.


    Luca pursed his lips and exhaled heavily before stating, "Maybe the woman who stole the vial was never Inez."


    "That¡¯s impossible¡ª"


    "How can that be impossible!? The death of the tiger shifter is enough to prove that witches can move in and out of our territory with ease. Those defences that Uncle Cherith put around the pack are useless. What if the witches had snuck in and stolen the vial of siren¡¯s tears? You know how crucial those tears are and almost everyone in the pack knew that you had acquired those siren tears. What are the chances that a witch didn¡¯t just waltz in wearing Inez¡¯s face and then leave?" Luca persisted. These questions had tormented him for days.


    Even at night he couldn¡¯t close his eyes and sleep because every time he closed them, he would recall Inez¡¯s hurt and painful expression. He had always seen confusion in those eyes of hers. He had often thought and believed that it was because Inez didn¡¯t know that they had found out what she had done.


    But now he had another angle to look at the entire situation from. What if Inez was truly confused? His heart ached when he thought about how confused and pained Inez must have felt when her bestfriends suddenly turned their back on her without letting her know about what happened or what she had done?


    She must have felt like a lostmb who didn¡¯t even know what she had done wrong.


    And this realisation made Luca¡¯s heart break all over again. Even worse than the time when he realised or thought that Inez had betrayed them and watched Arabe die right in front of them.


    "You are overthinking," Dominic said calmly but his fingers were tightly clenched. He stared at the man in front of him and repeated, "You are overthinking. There is no way I could have seen it wrong. I know her. I know her better than you¡ª"


    "Did you?" Luca scoffed. For the first time in years of knowing him, he stood against Dominic and that too for a woman. But in his heart he knew that Inez was worth it; even if she was not destined to be his, he was going to fight for her. Even if it waste. "But from what I can see, you never knew her, Dom. and neither did we."


    Luca stared at Dominic with a pained expression and stated in a cold voice, "Just admit it that you were wrong, Dom. You were fucking wrong!"


    **


    I am going to be thick-skinned here. Please vote for this book with your golden tickets, please. I have never received 100-200 golden tickets on this book and we are so close this time around; I would like to see it just once. Please.

 Chapter 282: Inez’s Father: A Dive To The Past

    <h4>Chapter 282: Inez¡¯s Father: A Dive To The Past</h4>


    She was going to kill Tracy.


    That was her only thought as she marched past the silent street. The gas station that Tracy spoke of never came into view, which strengthened her suspicion that the witch just drove her here to ditch her. Why? She had no freaking idea. With her eyes closed and breathing stagnantly, she continued to walk on and on until the sea of darkness intensified even further.


    Inez was d that she was a part shifter, or else she would have had a hard time seeing through the darkness that kept stretching on and on.


    "Where did she bring me, argh!?" Inez snapped as she came to a stop. She looked around the deserted space and almost lost her patience. She was not someone who would lose their patience without a reason, but at that moment, she did. She was tired and hungry, and everything just didn¡¯t make any sense at that very moment.


    Why was she here, and what was she even trying to do? Why did she even bother to worry about a witch? Tracy was a big girl; surely, she would be fine? And here she was still looking and searching for her.


    Inez felt abandoned and angry. She raised her foot and kicked a pebble on the road in anger. The tiny little stone flew up and struck something hard, which nged in the dark. Startled, Inez turned the light of the torch around and finally¡ªfucking finally¡ªfound a board with the name of a town and the distance from where she stood written on it.


    Letting out a whoop of excitement, she rushed to the board and crouched down to look at the numbers.


    "Only two kilometres," she mused. "I can walk for that long."


    At least it was better than walking without an aim. Inez got to her feet and started toward her newfound goal. It was definitely not as easy as she thought it would be. After all, she had been wandering aimlessly for quite a while now, and her calves, even with her being a shifter, were shaking.


    Finally, she made it to the small town of Mistville. It was an ancient town. Rather small and filled with the scent of decay and doom, as this ce had been in quite a lot of trouble due to the attacks of the vampires and the rogues. Inez carefully made her way through the town¡¯s square and looked around.


    The only upied houses were firmly shut, and there were no sounds at all. It seemed like every family that lived here had already gone to bed. Even though it wasn¡¯t even eight.


    <i>What do you expect from the people of the town where rogue attacks are considered normal? Your council is really a waste of space.</i>


    Her siren snapped within her. She seemed unimpressed with theck of care and actions that the council had shown to the people of this town, and honestly, Inez agreed with her. The council existed to protect the shifters, and yet they did nothing. It was definitely not cool of them.


    However, they didn¡¯t have the time to worry about the useless existence of the council, which should have been taking care of the shifters and this town. She and her siren were so lost in the town themselves for them to care about nothing else.


    Ignoring the frustration building in her chest, Inez looked around the small town and started focusing on the sounds rather than on what she could see. Finally, the sounds of the hammer hitting the metal echoed in the silence of the night. Realising that there was someone out there who was still awake, Inez turned on her feet and headed in the direction from where the noise wasing.


    As Inez made her way to the garage, she found a sturdy man who was jamming and hammering while lying underneath a car.


    She breathed a sigh of relief. At least she found someone whom she could ask for directions to the gas station.


    "Excuse me?" Hurrying down the garage, Inez called out to the man. "I am sorry for disturbing you, but can you tell me where the nearest gas station is?"


    The man stopped hammering and raised his head to look at her. His beady eyes squinted as he looked at her.


    <i>A human. </i>Inez thought.


    She curled her lips and smiled at the man before asking again, "Sir? Can you tell me about the gas station, please?"


    The man pushed himself out from under the car and straightened up. His tall, built look looked even sturdier, like a small mountain when he stood up. He ended up hitting themp on top of his head.


    "Oww!" the man groaned as he raised his hand and rubbed his shiny bald pate. "Ah, what did you say, Miss?"


    "I asked you for directions, sir. I want to go to the nearest gas station. My car is parked right there." Inez pointed to the closest spot and added, "But it¡¯s running low on fuel. Can you please help me out a little?"


    She didn¡¯t want to tell the man that she was quite stranded, with nowhere to go. The man was a stranger, and Inez, having trusted a stranger, already knew what the consequences of doing so were.


    The mechanic frowned and said to her, "You are quite off the mark if you are looking for the gas station, Miss. You should have taken a left five kilometres ago. You took the wrong turn. From here on out, you have nowhere to go. Beyond this town, you will only find a graveyard. Didn¡¯t you already see that in your application?"


    Inez felt her brow twitch a little, and she smiled at the man apologetically. "I am sorry¡ªbut my app is not working. There is nowork here in this ce."


    "Ah, that could happen ¡ª"


    "Honey, who are you talking to?" A feminine voice spoke from behind the man just as the door was pushed open, and a woman stepped inside the garage. She looked at her husband and then turned to look at Inez. One look at her face and she frowned. "You...."

 Chapter 283: Inez’s Father: A Dive To The Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 283: Inez¡¯s Father: A Dive To The Past (2)</h4>


    Inez blinked her eyes. Staring at the woman in front of her, she didn¡¯t know who this woman was, but the way the woman was looking at her screamed that she did know her.


    "Do you know her?" her husband asked as he turned and looked at his wife. He sounded confused because he didn¡¯t and hadn¡¯t seen Inez in this town, and his tone mirrored Inez¡¯s confusion to a tee because she, too, didn¡¯t understand why the woman was staring at her as if she had seen her before when they had never met.


    The woman tugged the shawl around her shoulders and stepped forward. She took a look at Inez and then turned to look at her husband before smiling. She said, "Of course. I don¡¯t know her. It was just a momentary thing. I thought she was someone I knew, but it turns out that I was mistaken."


    She then turned to look at Inez and said to her, "I am sorry about that, miss."


    "Its okay," Inez replied, but something about the way the woman was looking at her made her quite sure that she was lying. Dropping her phone on the ground, she turned on her feet and headed a bit further, allowing the woman and the man to have the space to discuss.


    Once she had walked quite far away, the man turned to look at the woman and questioned, "What was that all about? I am quite sure that you knew her."


    He knew his wife well enough to understand her little actions.


    "I can¡¯t say that I know her," said the woman, her expression was that of conflict as she fiddled with the little tassels of her shawl. "You remember that man¡ªthe one who was the ve of that rich woman? The alpha female who lived here."


    As soon as the words left her mouth, the man tensed beside her and snorted. "You mean that manwhore?"


    "He wasn¡¯t a manwhore¡ªhe was a ve purchased and used by the alpha females for their fun," snorted the woman as she corrected her husband. "I heard that he was a siren, and he was caught by that alpha female who used him as a means of entertaining herself and others. Poor guy, have you forgotten the scars on his back and body? He always looked as if he were suffering in pain. The maids who worked for that female alpha told me that the woman used whips on the siren before he escaped from her clutches."


    "That girl¡ªshe looked a little like that female alpha."


    "What are you talking about? That woman had ck hair and blue eyes¡ªthat girl has tinum blonde hair with green eyes¡ªshe looks nothing like that female alpha. I did see her once, even when the woman lived with her nose high up in the air," retorted the man. He reached out to pick up the hammer that was lying on the table in front of him.


    "Maybe it¡¯s because she is her daughter? That siren had tinum blonde hair too, didn¡¯t he?" the woman chimed in.


    "Did he?" Her husband questioned. He then turned to look at his wife and asked, "Did that girl smell like a siren?"


    "No, she smelled like a wolf¡ªa weak half one." The woman, being a shifter, could smell Inez¡¯s scent and knew that the woman was not an alpha.


    "There you have it," the man rolled his eyes and stated. "If she were the daughter of that female alpha, then she would smell like an alpha and not a half one. Alpha females give birth to alphas all the time. You told me that."


    "That indeed happens ¨C Miss, what are you doing here?" The woman looked quite embarrassed, having been caught gossiping about her.


    Inez picked up the phone that was lying on the ground and showed it to the woman. "I dropped this earlier." She straightened up and blinked at the woman, who nervously pulled at her shawl and then looked at her husband, who seemed just as embarrassed. However, Inez didn¡¯t have the time to worry about such things at the moment.


    She questioned, "I am sorry. I just heard a bit of your conversation and can¡¯t help but feel a bit curious. Who is this alpha female you were speaking about?"


    The two of them exchanged a nce with one another. Finally, the woman was the one who spoke up, "I am really sorry for talking about you behind your back, Miss. But you just look so much like this alpha female who used to rule over thesends a few years ago. But then she disappeared and never returned."


    "What was she called?" Inez persisted.


    "Ria¡ªI think she was called Alpha Ria," replied the woman with a frown as she tried to recall the name of the female alpha.


    **


    Frustration bubbled high in Inez¡¯s heart and soul as she walked back to the RV. Something¡ªthe very nagging feeling in her heart told her that the Ria, the woman spoken of, was her mother, Maria Sinir. But¡ª


    <i>She is an omega, a submissive wolf; how can she be the female alpha the woman spoke of? </i>Inez thought agitatedly.


    <i>There were ways¡ªmany written in the ancient textbooks. I cannot remember them at the moment, but I do recall that there were all kinds of curses that can reduce a proud alpha to an omega. However, I do admit that if that¡¯s what happened to your mother, she must have pissed off someone like a Grand Sage or a Great Witch. These curses are not simple and cannot be cast by lesser beings. </i>


    <i>¡¯You are not helping,¡¯ </i>snapped Inez. She thought of her mother; a part kept telling her that maybe she was wrong altogether. That Maria Sinir was not Alpha Ria, but at the same time, she could not shake off this nagging feeling in her chest. She had a feeling that Maria was certainly Ria.


    But if she was Ria and she was the one who trapped her father as a ve and used him as one¡ªwhat about all the torment that she made Inez go through all these years?

 Chapter 284: Running Into Dominic

    <h4>Chapter 284: Running Into Dominic</h4>


    <i>She is your mother; certainly, you would have known a little about her? If she were an alpha female, she would be bound to slip more than just once. </i>


    And that was the thing. Inez didn¡¯t recall anything about her childhood. She did have some messy memories here and there, but nothing more than that. Her mother, as a matter of fact, had never shown any signs of being an alpha female if she was one before she was cursed or ruined or both. She had been a perfectly submissive wife to her mate and never, not once, shown any sign which would prove otherwise.


    <i>And what about the authority that she had shown in front of you? Do you think that she is really just a submissive wolf?</i>


    Her siren¡¯s words echo deep within her because Inez knew that she was right. What about the authority that her mother had shown her? The way she had suppressed Inez at every turn. Hissing like a wild cat every time Inez had tried to step out of the house, but¡ª


    "I am a half-blood," Inez spoke to no one in particr. "Alpha females give birth to alphas all the time. They don¡¯t give birth to half-blood even if their partner is an omega."


    <i>Then your father¡¯s bloodline must have been stronger than that of your mother to overwhelm her alpha genes. </i>


    Inez raised her hand and started rubbing her temples. She wanted answers, not more questions! How was she supposed to find out more about her mother? If Maria Sinir was determined to hide the truth, she didn¡¯t believe that her mother would tell her anything. To her least favourite daughter, to boot.


    Something crunched behind her, and she whipped around. Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar face.


    "Inez!" Dominic shouted from the spot where he was standing.


    Inez had no idea what this man was doing in town or why he was even here, but she didn¡¯t have the time to worry about that. She whirled around on her feet and started running; the only thought in her head was that she couldn¡¯t be caught. Not by him.


    "Inez, wait!"


    Like hell she was going to wait. Instead of waiting, Inez picked up her pace, and at the same time, she tried to calm her heart down and change the colour of her hair. She cursed herself for being so casual and careless. Even when Tracy told her that they were going on a drive around the territory, she should have changed her appearance.


    It was her fault for being greedy. For choosing to stay in her true form for just a day. Sure enough, greed was truly the downfall of many.


    However, even when Inez tried her best to change her appearance, nothing seemed to be working because she just couldn¡¯t focus. And the sound of footsteps running anding close echoed behind her. Terror rose to her heart and maybe beyond that because she could feel her throat clogging up.


    "Stop right there!" Dominic¡¯s roar erupted behind her, and she could feel his rage waft over her and envelop her like it had many more times in the past. Her heart started thumping wildly in her chest, and her mind suddenly went nk. Inez could feel her legs seizing as if they couldn¡¯t move even the slightest, which was terrifying in itself.


    All kinds of thoughts started to rey in her head. Getting dragged back to the Venus pack and then being locked up in the prison cell, where Evelyn mighte every day and mock her for trying to escape, for even thinking that she could ever be free. The fear was real, and it was bone-crushingly heavy.


    <i>I don¡¯t want to be caught. I don¡¯t want to go back there¡ªno! </i>


    She had finally found herself a ce, even if she could not be free there¡ªat least she was as free as she could be as a siren. Killian, Ajax, Selene¡ªthese people cared about her, and maybe the rest of the pack also did. At least they cared more than Dominic or his pack could ever. After all, they had never disclosed her hiding in the Blood Hill Pack.


    Of course, Killian¡¯s threat was also at work, but now that Inez had slowly integrated herself into the pack, she and the pack members had grown closer. At least no one looked at her as if she didn¡¯t belong there, and even if there were a few, Inez knew that their numbers were slowly going down with Selene getting better.


    And just when she thought that she was going to topple over and grandly fall on her face, someone catches her. Their thin arms curled around her waist, and a scream erupted through Inez¡¯s throat.


    "Shut up," a familiar voice echoed in her ears, and Inez snapped her head up. The second her eyes met with Tracy¡¯s, she could feel the relief surging in her body.


    "You¡ªhow did you¡ª"


    "Not now, sweetie," Tracy said as she tapped her temples with her fingers. "Usually I don¡¯t use this; it¡¯s mad expensive, but given that we are in a hurry and an emergency. I can only use it."


    After she finished speaking, Inez realised that Tracy had not tapped her fingers on her temples; she had poured something on top of her head. The warm, slimy liquid trickled down her spine and forehead. Inez didn¡¯t understand what was going on; that was until she lowered her head and stared at her hands, which her turned almost invisible.


    No, not invisible. Tracy had turned her into a perfect human chameleon, which meant that her skin was now the colours of her surroundings, hiding her perfectly as she blended into the colours behind and around her.


    "Don¡¯t move," Tracy told her as she stepped past her and came to a stop in front. With her arms crossed, she raised her head and red at the man who came to stand in front of her. "Why are you chasing me, you bastard?"

 Chapter 285: Running Into Dominic (2)

    <h4>Chapter 285: Running Into Dominic (2)</h4>


    Inez could see it. The confusion dawning on Dominic¡¯s face as soon as he saw Tracy. He looked at her before turning to look around. Of course, he couldn¡¯t see her. This was something she was sure of, but the second, the man¡¯s gaze paused in the direction where she was hiding, and Inez couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill climb up her spine, and she huddled even closer to Tracy, making sure not to crunch any dried leaves under her feet.


    "You¡ªwho are you?" Dominic asked. His blue eyes darted left and right before settling back on Tracy. He seemed oh so confused; Inez would haveughed at his expression if not for the situation they were tangled in at the moment.


    "Me? I should be asking this question of you," snapped Tracy. With a quirk of one brow, she huffed, "Chasing after me like you want to do something unspeakable at the dead of the night. Do you even know how scared I was?"


    She sounded anything but scared. Inez wanted to remind Tracy to be a bit more careful with her acting if that was what she wanted to do, but then again, asking Tracy to act scared was simr to asking a lion to lower its head in front of a rabbit.


    "It was you?" Dominic asked. The furrow between his brows getting even deeper. It was clear that he didn¡¯t believe a thing that Tracy was telling him, but he also didn¡¯t have any proof to contradict her.


    "Of course it was me! Who else do you think it was? Do you see anyone else around here?" Tracy questioned with a roll of her eyes. "You better tell me why you were chasing after me, or I will file aint with the police against you." She paused and frowned harder. "Or are you a wolf? Should I be calling the council for the trouble that you have given me? I don¡¯t care if you are a shifter or human. Chasing a woman in the middle of the night is a really serious crime."


    Before Dominic could say anything, Tao came rushing as if his life depended on it and came to a stop right next to him. He was panting hard, and his face was flushed red to his neck. With his hand resting on Dominic¡¯s shoulder, he raised his head and looked at Tracy before saying to her, "My apologies, miss. I am really sorry about this; he just made a mistake and nothing else. I hope you will forgive him for that."


    "Mistake? You call chasing a woman a mistake?" Tracy questioned angrily. Passion rose in her tone as she red at the two men in front of her. "You really are the scummiest scums I have seen."


    "No! That¡¯s not what I mean¡ªI meant to say that he mistook you for someone else," Tao amended almost instantly. "I am really sorry that it caused you trouble, but my friend here didn¡¯t mean it. I swear¡ªhe is an alpha of a territory; he will never do something as despicable as chasing after women. It was just an honest mistake."


    Tracy scoffed. She red at the two of them, making sure her eyes were dripping with disdain. "Of course, it¡¯s a mistake. You are lucky that I don¡¯t want to engage myself with shifters, or else I would have hauled your asses to the council."


    She turned around on her feet and started walking away; Inez, realising that it was her cue, too, turned around and chased after the woman.


    "Wait."


    However, the two of them didn¡¯t even take more than ten steps when Dominic suddenly called them. Inez stiffened. She raised her head and turned to look at the man who was still standing on the top of the slope and staring at them. Because they were standing a bit far away, Inez couldn¡¯t see who the man was looking at. Was it her? Was it Tracy? Did the spell fail? Could he see her now?


    <i>You are being too paranoid. If he could see you, he would not be standing on top of the slope. He would be running down. </i>


    Her siren¡¯s words did little to soothe the emotions that were running high and wild within her heart. She knew that Dominic would have totally tackled her to the ground if he had seen her; his earlier momentum was enough proof of that. However, she still felt worried. Maybe the paranoia from the past was getting to her.


    "What?" While she was nothing but the reflection of her worries and terror, Tracy was still calm. She turned and looked at Dominic with a slow, elegant turn. Her brows quirked up as she questioned, "What do you want to say now?"


    Dominic stared at the woman in front of him. She, for some reason, gave off a scent that was too strange. It felt weird. She smelled like she was a human, but at the same time, the scent that came off her was way too off to be just called human. He knew that the woman was not a human. At least she wasn¡¯t purely human.


    However, he knew that asking that question would only make the woman even more pissed off.


    "I am sorry," though Dominic had a feeling that he truly saw Inez, he still lowered his stance and apologised to the woman in front of him. "I truly took you for someone else and didn¡¯t mean to offend you."


    "Alright." Tracy didn¡¯t bother with the two of them and walked away.


    Tao waited for the woman to leave before whipping his head to the side. "What the hell, dude? Have you lost your fucking mind?"


    "Why did you run after that woman for no reason? You are fucking lucky that she didn¡¯t make a mess of this situation. If she were one of the zealots, I swear to the Moon Goddess, we would have been in a hell of a lot of trouble."


    Dominic was still staring at the spot where Tracy was standing. "I swear I saw Inez¡ªat least I think I did."


    **


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    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 286: Provoking Her

    <h4>Chapter 286: Provoking Her</h4>


    "Where were you?" Killian demanded the second they walked through the main lodge. I


    Inez paused and turned to look at Tracy, who had promised her that Killian would still be asleep. However, from the looks of it, the man was very much awake.


    "He is stronger than I thought," Tracy muttered under her breath. "I expected that the spell would knock him out nicely for a good ten hours. Never expected that he would wake up so quickly."


    Inez rolled her eyes. She should have known better, especially when she sensed his worry through the pack link. Raising her hands in a calming manner, she said to Killian, "I am fine. We just went on a little drive and nothing else."


    "Finn told me that you were missing for six hours." Killian countered.


    Inez turned silent. She nced at the beta, who raised his hands in surrender and said to her, "Don¡¯t look at me like that. I didn¡¯t want to betray you but there is no going against him when he goes all alpha mode."


    Inez simply rolled her eyes. She didn¡¯t believe a word that Finn said to her because she knew that the man wouldn¡¯t dare to betray her in a heartbeat if he had to choose between her and Killian.


    "I am fine," Inez repeated as she raised her hand and ced it on Killian¡¯s bicep. "Calm down, alright?"


    Of course he knew that he needed to calm the fuck down but he couldn¡¯t. He kept remembering the incapacitating fear he had felt when he found out that Inez had followed this witch foolishly and left the territory with her. He couldn¡¯t even chase after her because Tracy had cast some kind of spell on him which stopped him from leaving the pack. Even Third Eye couldn¡¯t do anything.


    He told him that the witch who cast a spell this strong must be bloody powerful.


    <i>Even her spell doesn¡¯t feel right¡ªit¡¯s fleeting and dynamic. It changes every second. One moment she was smelling like enchdas and now she smells ancient, like she had stepped out from a hundred-year-old temple. She smells powerful. </i>


    She did. Tracy might be downying her powers, but Killian knew that this woman was way too powerfulpared to what she was letting on. However, that was not important. What was important was how trusting Inez was. After the betrayal that she received at the hands of Dominic, he thought that she would know better than to trust others without a reason.


    When he thought of the things that could happen to her when she was gone...the fear he had felt... he had never felt that kind of fear before. It was the fear of losing something essential to you. Something you knew you wouldn¡¯t be happy without.


    And that fucking terrified him.


    He had known he cared for her. He knew that she was important to him. But he had nevere to realise that he hade to the point where he needed her to fucking breathe. Something he did just fine without her all these years long. Had never thought that she would dig her way that deep within him. Oh, he had figured she might burrow her way inside him someday, but never ¡ª ever did he think that it would happen so soon.


    Killian had avoided putting too much thought into what might lie ahead for them, but he had believed that everything would move at his pace. He figured that with how much he cared for Inez, she was bound to get past his defences. It was only a matter of time. But he thought that he would be in control of that situation. He had thought that she would get there only when he would consciously open that door wide enough for her to enter.


    He had been wrong.


    She had somehow made herself indelible. She was not quite within his protective walls yet, but she had wedged her way through the crack she had made in them. And now he felt ...really, really threatened. It was stupid. He knew that it was stupid. But no one¡ªnot a single soul had ever made themselves as essential as she had done. Not one. He wasn¡¯t sure he liked it. Every self-protective instinct was yelling at him to stop this before it got toote.


    Maybe he should really start distancing himself from her. If she was going to do what she wanted to do without letting him know or without asking him for his opinion, then Inez might be quite fine without him, right? Even if he pulled away from her?


    "You are quiet."


    The tly spoken words after the observation cut through his thoughts; he snapped out of his reverie and realised that the two of them were now quite alone. Even Tracy had left the two alone. And Inez was staring at him; her gaze was way too perceptive. Too knowing. Like she could see right through him.


    Feeling ufortable and exposed, Killian turned to look away. "I was just thinking about how you do not even take me seriously. You knew that I would worry, and yet you left with that witch without letting me know¡ª"


    "You want to leave, don¡¯t you?" Her usation was spoken softly. Way too empty of any resentment or judgment, like she was not upset with his desire to step away from her.


    Shit. He sucked in a breath and said, "Why would you even ask that?"


    "I am not asking you. I was stating a fact. Your muscles are bunched up tight. Like someone coiled to spring... and run for the hills."


    He arched a brow at the taunt. "So, you think after you left with a witch and went missing for hours, I am not supposed to get tense?"


    Inez crossed her arms in front of her. Her eyes narrowed at him. "I know you. And I know that right now, the thing that you want to do at the moment is get the fuck away from me. Look me in the eye and say that I am wrong."

 Chapter 287: Provoking Her (2)

    <h4>Chapter 287: Provoking Her (2)</h4>


    Killian closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bubbles, there are a hell of a lot of things that are going on in my head right now. And I don¡¯t want to talk about it at the moment. I don¡¯t think I need to."


    Inez marvelled over how someone standing right in front of her could feel so far. It was as if he were almost unreachable. Honestly, the two of them might be standing on either side of and and yelling at one another, with her words never reaching him. He had withdrawn from her. Inez felt it the second he had done it. And the way he told her that he didn¡¯t want to talk about it was said with so much finality that she knew that pushing him would get her nowhere. Inez knew that the man in front of her had pulled down the shutters. And she ...well, she felt a bit lonely.


    But Inez knew that this time it wasn¡¯t just her. There was something more to the entire situation. Something that he was not telling her.


    "I think you are imagining that you want to stay away from me, right?" she said with a mocking edge to her tone. Oh, he had been making excuses in his head, telling himself that giving them the time that they needed would help them. Turning the entire situation around such that he could prove that it was good for them. Not just for him. "You are thinking that you need to spend some time alone, without me staying around you. Right?" She pursed her lips and stated, "I think that¡¯s the entire gist of the situation."


    "If you want to get away from me, just tell the truth. There is no need to dance around the topic. I bet you want to stay away; that¡¯s why you are saying those words."


    "If you want me to leave you alone, just tell me; there is no need to hide the truth."


    "Dear Moon Goddess, just what the hell is wrong with you?"


    Inez chuckled. Her voice was devoid of any humour. "Oh, I am not going to be the one who will do this, Kill. There is no way it¡¯s going to be this easy for you. You are not going to provoke me into making you leave. If you want to leave, you are going to have to make the choice yourself. But if you do leave, then don¡¯t bother to stick around. I am going to deal with whatever lies in front of me on my own. Since you get startled and scared so easily, then what is the point in even trying anything?"


    Killian stared at her. "Are you saying that I can never leave you? And if I do, it will be equivalent to ending this rtionship? That¡¯s funny,ing from you, who left the lodge and the territory without even speaking a word to me."


    "You are really trying to act stupid with me now, aren¡¯t you? I hope this is not the hill that you are dying on."


    "You just told me that if I step away from you, I will never be able toe back."


    Her siren snapped her teeth at the man and his derisive tone. Yeah, Inez didn¡¯t like it either, but she also knew that the man didn¡¯t mean to disrespect her either. He just wanted to provoke her into making the decision for him, the one that the man couldn¡¯t make himself.


    "Tell me, Killian, why would and why should I waste my time on someone who could walk out on me after something so simple?" Nothing happened. She just stepped away from him for a few hours, without letting him know where she was going and what she was going to do. There was no need for him to lose his temper over this. Certainly, he didn¡¯t have to unless he recalled how close he was to losing her on the night of the banquet and today if Tracy had not brought her back safely.


    He might have understood her importance in life or something along those lines, and whatever it was, Killian didn¡¯t like it.


    "You can deny all you want, but that is the truth. You have gone into all self-protective mode. One look at you and I can see that you are giving off those ¡¯don¡¯t touch me¡¯ vibes. You even shot me down before I could question you about what was wrong with you."


    He scoffed as he turned around. "What do you even mean to say? I am being self-protective? Certainly not. You are just making this into something that it is not. Like I told you, I am just having some trouble and nothing else."


    "So you are not itching to walk away from me? Is your body not screaming at you for having some self-preservation time where you can fall back and calm down? The idea of staying with me so close, not badgering you? The fact that my absence drew such a reaction from you is not bothering you?"


    Killian snapped. "Why would it?"


    Inez shook her head. She said to him, "Never pegged you for a coward. You are supposed to be an alpha."


    "And you are any better? You ran away from your mate, Inez, because you couldn¡¯t handle or control your emotions that were on the line because you were rejected," he sniped.


    "I am not going to get angry and walk out on you, Killian. No matter how low you stoop, if you want to leave, then you are the one making that fucking decision, not me."


    "The way you keep saying that makes me believe that you don¡¯t want me around you."


    Inez released a breath. "You are right; I don¡¯t want to be around you at the moment."


    Killian felt someone had sucker punched him, sucking out all the air from his lungs and the pain rocketed through him. Suddenly, he was sure that he was going to lose her with every word that he spoke.

 Chapter 288: She did it to herself

    <h4>Chapter 288: She did it to herself</h4>


    Inez stared at the man, who seemed so tense that he looked like he was about to snap. Sighing, she shook her head and turned around on her feet, "I don¡¯t want you because... I can see that you don¡¯t want to be with me. I am not going to force you to give me something that you should be giving me, Killian. If distance is what you need, then take it." With a calm that Inez didn¡¯t feel, she walked out of the lodge. She half expected the man to yell or scream at her. Maybe even tell her that she was overstepping her boundaries when he was the one who had given her a ce to stay in the pack.


    And yet he didn¡¯t do anything like that.


    <i>If it had been Dominic, he certainly would have done it. </i>


    Instead, he got up and started walking right behind her. He didn¡¯t say anything, but he didn¡¯t quite leave her alone either. It was weird and certainly something that Inez had not expected, and yet Killian was someone who always did something unexpected. Maybe he had something he wanted to tell her, something harsh?


    What? Don¡¯t question her. She had suffered enough at the hands of Dominic and the rest that she would have a really hard time believing that Killian didn¡¯t mean any harm.


    As she arrived at the lodge, Killian followed right behind her. Every fibre in her body wanted to kick the man out of the lodge, but something held her back. Shrugging and leaving the man to his devices, she turned around and headed straight to the kitchen, where she started to rinse off the dishware and stacked it neatly in the dishwasher. Even though the figure behind her kept staring at her, making Inez close her eyes and sigh countless times, she didn¡¯t turn around. She continued to use mundane chores to distract herself.


    When she walked out of the kitchen, it was to find Killian sitting on the couch. He was still tense as a taut bow, ready to snap at any second. He was still engaged in a pretty intense battle with his wolf. The two of them divided on an opinion, and Inez had a nagging suspicion that she did know what this was all about. But she was not going to wait for him to do it.


    Leaving him to brood, Inez vacuumed the lodge, did herundry and then finished chopping the vegetables for breakfast the next morning. By the time she was done, Killian was still sitting on the couch. His hands were angled and clenched into fists. He looked like he was still pretty strung. And he was still tantly ignoring her.


    Whatever. He could ignore her all he wanted. She was not going to y his nasty ass games. Her siren snapped at Killian. Her jagged teeth, however, were missing. Even though it was clear that she was annoyed and angry with him, her siren had no intention to hurt him.


    Sighing, Inez turned around on her feet and then headed to the second floor, where she changed into her nightdress and settled into the bed with her phone. She was deciding whether to watch a series or listen to songs. However, as her head hit the pillow, after the shitty day that she just had, she ended up closing her eyes and falling asleep.


    By the time she woke up, Inez heard her phone ttering on the floor. Cursing, she reached out and fetched it from the floor. She could still smell Killian¡¯s scent in her lodge and wondered why the man was still staying in her lodge. This sure surprised her. But she wasn¡¯t hopeful, as she was sure that the man wouldn¡¯t stay for long. After all, even if he was just a floor away, he was still a million miles away right then. Only Killian was the one who could close the distance, and he didn¡¯t seem to be prepared for doing that. Still, she was not going to ask him to leave. Nor was she going to lose her temper with him, something that he half expected her to do. Even when her siren kept telling her that they needed to tear ayer of his skin. Nope.


    Even though their pride was wounded, Inez was not going to do. If he wanted to do the walk of shame, he was going to do it on his own.


    Turning onto her side, she closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. She had barely fallen asleep when the door of her bedroom was pushed open and the familiar scent wafted over to her. Instead of walking around and taking a look at her, the man slithered into her bed. He must havee to say goodbye to her. She was sure of that. Come to admit that he was scared of whatever was growing between the two of them.


    Adjusting the pillow beside her, Killian sighed, "I was a recement...from the start, you know?" Hey down next to her and continued to speak in a soft voice, "My mom¡ªshe lost my elder brother. Selene and he were twins. After his death, she became unhappy, so she convinced my father to have me. A baby who can fix their life and fill the gap that was left behind by my brother. She thought that she could love someone else the same way she loved my elder brother."


    "But she couldn¡¯t. I know you might be thinking that I am wrong and that she is my mother ¡ª of course, she must love me too. But she didn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t love me. It¡¯s clear from the fact that she asked me to y the role of Selene¡¯s elder brother when I was the younger one; she never let me bring it up either."


    "I look just like my elder brother... uncannily at that. And I think that hurts my mother in some way."

 Chapter 289: She did it to herself (2)

    <h4>Chapter 289: She did it to herself (2)</h4>


    Killian¡¯s voice was still low as he continued, "My mom couldn¡¯t even look at me for months and years; even now, when she speaks to me... she doesn¡¯t look at me. But at the same time, she was happy that she had a living reminder of something that she had lost."


    "Like she never fucked up. Unfortunately, no matter how much I look like him, I could never be him. I was never really sharp when it came to studies; I was more of an outdoor kid. My elder brother was the one who aced every test. And as I grew up, the differences became more and more prominent, and I think that started to hurt her even more."


    "My mother started topare me more and more with my elder brother. They expected me toe out of the top just like him, and when I couldn¡¯t, it disappointed her. I was expected to like what he liked and dislike what he disliked. It was like she saw him when she was looking at me, you know? Like I was never there."


    Inez squeezed her eyes shut upon hearing his words. Even though she was not the one who went through that pain, she could feel the ache and heartbreak Killian must have gone through when he was growing up under a mother who wasn¡¯t even willing to ept his identity. She wondered if Killian was even aware of the fact that his loneliness had long seeped into his tone. Her siren had forgotten all about her anger and was now wishing he could soothe his pain.


    "And yet as much as she treated me like him, she never allowed me to enter his room," Killian went on. "They hadn¡¯t boxed up his stuff. My father was truly grieving like a normal person. Which was why he soon passed away after the death of my brother; in fact, it would be right to say that he asked me to take him out of the misery. The onest decent thing he could do for me as my father, he wanted everyone to look up to me, which was why he allowed me to bring him down."


    "But not my mother. She made that room into a shrine for her eldest son. My mom sleeps there sometimes, in his room. When I lived with her, I could hear her crying for her son, but soon I realised that there was no point in trying to reach out and console her. My mom¨C she doesn¡¯t need constion. She wants to cling to the guilt, wearing it like it is a fucking badge of honour."


    "This is not the worst she did. When I grew up, she started visiting witches and people who dabbled in ghosts and spirits. You should have seen how happy she was when those people told her that her eldest son was close to her. That he was still lingering around her. I still remember being young and just a child, and yet my mother was telling my sister that she needed to go to the attic and y with her ¡¯brother¡¯, that the unexined creaking of the floorboards and thuds were the sound of my brother¡¯s spirit moving around."


    "Selene was traumatised after being locked up in the attic and fell ill. Very sick. But my mother¡¯s twisted desires never came to an end. She started making cakes for him after finding out that my brother was still with us in spirit form. We were supposed to sing Happy Birthday and bring him gifts every year. I understand that she wanted to keep his memory alive and that she wished she could revive him from the dead. But what I could not ept was how easily she pushed my individuality away."


    "Is this why she fed you that potion? Because she didn¡¯t ¡ª couldn¡¯t ¡ª ept that you were so different from your brother. She wanted you to eat something that he liked and you couldn¡¯t?"


    "I have allergies to mangoes. I cannot eat them, but my elder brother liked eating them when he was alive. He loved the mango pudding that my mother makes, but I cannot eat it naturally. My mother didn¡¯t like it. Because she wanted me to remind her that her eldest son was still alive, I was supposed to be the perfect recement. So she fed the potion to me, wishing that she could ¡¯fix¡¯ me."


    Rolling over to face him, she said to him, "You don¡¯t need any fixing. People are responsible for finding happiness themselves. They cannot expect someone else to bring them happiness. Your mother was a coward who didn¡¯t want to face the truth."


    Killian reached out and cupped her cheek before saying to her, "You are right. She was a coward who clung to a fake reality rather than facing the truth."


    "And Lyra?" Inez prodded. Since the man was willing to be transparent with her, she couldn¡¯t help but ask him about the woman who was once mated to him.


    "Ah, her...." A soft smile etched on his lips, but Inez could see that there was a hint of mockery and pain in his eyes. "How should I tell you¡ªLyra was never the sane one in our rtionship."


    "What do you mean¡ª"


    "You might have heard someone tell you that my mate was often covered in scars. Like she has been hit, right?" Killian¡¯s eyes shed wolf as he smiled at her.


    Ignoring the awkwardness that she was feeling at the moment, Inez nodded, trying her best to look like she was not going to use him outright.


    He sighed, heaving quite exaggeratedly as if he was trying to prepare himself for something. And after a very long time, he finally parted his lips and stated, "Many people say that... there is no need for you to look so awkward. You wouldn¡¯t be the first one to think that I did it to her. Almost everyone thought it. Even my mother.... But honestly, it was something that she did to herself."


    **


    It¡¯s my birthday! hehe, please help me reach to hundred golden tickets my lovely fairies. I know, I know you all are waiting for Dominic to find out the truth .... he will. very soon! just trust on me!

 Chapter 290: Never Laid A Finger On Her

    <h4>Chapter 290: Never Laid A Finger On Her</h4>


    "What?"


    "I know what you are thinking." Killian traced the seams of her lower lip. "That mates are supposed to make each other happy. But I assure you that¡¯s just the theory; I had no interest in making her suffer or in seeing her in pain. It felt just so wrong, but she never stopped."


    "You were not happy with her at all, were you?" she guessed.


    "No, I wasn¡¯t," he admitted.


    Inez frowned. "But you were true mates; how could you not be happy with her when you were destined to be with her?"


    "And that is why Fenric always says that I took all the sanity and the light while Lyra was left with nothing but insanity and darkness. After all, matesplement each other, he med me for who she was when she grew up," Killian exined.


    "You mean¡ª"


    "I neverid a finger on her."


    Inez¡¯s brows drew even further in confusion. "But my sister said that she was badly bruised."


    "She was. She always was."


    "Killian, I am afraid I do not understand what you are trying to say."


    Killian sighed and sat up straight, resigned to the fact that he had to tell Inez this twisted tale that he never wanted to disclose to anyone. "Lyra was never truly there, bubbles. She was unhinged, and it became even more intense when she found those she called her people. They were an unsolicited group of people. I am half sure that they were not even legal. And I don¡¯t know what their deal was, but every time she returned, Lyra would return with a bunch of bruises all over her body." Seeing her perplexed look, he smiled weakly. "I don¡¯t really understand myself, but she said that it was something they did for the Great One. It was necessary, but I knew that she enjoyed it. She didn¡¯t like the pain; she just liked to suffer. And by acting that way, she made everyone suffer around her."


    Wow. Nothing he said could have stunned Inez more than this.


    "You might think that I was the one who left my previous pack, but it¡¯s not like that. Back there, Lyra knew that everyone thought that was abusing her, knew about the whispers and rumours, but she didn¡¯t care. I tried to help her, but I couldn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t want my help. She didn¡¯t till the day she died. I don¡¯t know whether she loved me or not or whether she needed my help or not, but I don¡¯t really think that we had the kind of feelings that mates would have for one another. She didn¡¯t want to be loved."


    "I did try to push my way into her life; Morrh begged me to love her, told me that all that Lyra needed was my love, and she would be fine as long as she had that. And I did try to love her as much as I could because somewhere I felt guilty because of Fenric¡¯s words. I thought that maybe it was really because of me that she was like that. But it wasn¡¯t that ¡ª she loved the pain and she loved the sympathy that overflowed for her when she came to the pack looking like a constant victim."


    The pain and rejection in his voice made her siren whine. She didn¡¯t like that he was upset because of another woman, but she also didn¡¯t like that he was rejected and wronged like that. Even Inez felt a bit annoyed¡ªno, a lot annoyed. How could Lyra even allow others to wrong Killian like that? He was her mate. Shouldn¡¯t she have defended him when he needed her?


    Wanting tofort him but not knowing what to do, Inez sat up straight. She ced her hand on top of his, and he threaded his fingers through hers and squeezed gently.


    "When she left the pack for days, I was relieved because no one woulde to me and say, ¡¯You<i> need to treat her well. I know it¡¯s hard for you, but you cannot take it out on her. ¡¯It¡¯s your mother, Kill. Not Lyra; you need to calm the fuck down. ¡¯Do you think you are the man just because you can beat your mate like that if you want a fight,e with me.¡¯ ¡¯You are the alpha, Kill. You need to get your act together.¡¯ </i> With her gone, at least I had some peace, but I also dreaded hering back to the pack."


    "Because I knew the second she came back, those stares would start again, people would start questioning me, and Morrh woulde begging me to let it all go. Tears and all. And when she returned, it was just as I expected. Covered in whip marks, burns and cuts. I don¡¯t even know what kind of cult she even joined. I just knew that it was just as crazy and unhinged as her."


    "It must have been hard." Inez almost groaned to herself when she realised that she couldn¡¯t even say anything nice tofort him well enough. But what was she supposed to say in a situation like this? That he did not deserve it, but¨Cif that was the case, then why did the Moon Goddess destinate him to a mate like that?


    "One time, it got so bad that I asked Morrh to lock that woman up. When she didn¡¯t listen to me, I did it myself. I locked Lyra up, but it didn¡¯t work because I found her cutting her arms and legs." He had snatched the de from her, but Lyra had gotten angry at him, saying that he had disrupted her very important ritual. It hadn¡¯t been thest time that such a thing happened.


    "Did she do it because she was trying to attract attention?"


    Killian shook his head. "There was indeed some satisfaction involved when others treated her as if she were a damsel in distress. But she also liked the pain and the humiliation that came with the beatings and the injuries. And Morrh let her. Instead of helping Lyra, she begged me to stay silent¡ªasked me to stay quiet and let everyone believe that I was abusing her daughter. She didn¡¯t even let me tell it to Fenric and Nyx."

 Chapter 291: He Opened Up

    <h4>Chapter 291: He Opened Up</h4>


    "Did anyone ever find out?" Inez asked.


    "No, I moved away before that could happen. I was just too tired of being constantly judged and the elders of the pack running to my home every time Lyra returned home with a new set of injuries. I couldn¡¯t stay there, so I abdicated the position of the alpha and moved here with the only people who trusted me. That way, at least I didn¡¯t have to worry about them judging me every time Lyra returned covered in injuries. I don¡¯t think she liked it."


    "Why didn¡¯t she like it?" Inez asked. It just didn¡¯t feel right that Lyra was not happy with Killian not being subjected to criticism that he didn¡¯t deserve.


    "Honestly? I don¡¯t know. Maybe she just didn¡¯t like to see me relieved? Maybe she liked me to suffer? ording to Morrh, that was her way to ensure that the two of us connected. It was the evidence that the two of us were mates." Killian¡¯s smile turned a little wry when he recalled the words that Morrh told him. "She did ask me to go back and reim my position as my previous pack¡¯s alpha."


    He paused and added, "And this is also why my mother never wanted me to take another mate, not unless she was chosen by her. My brother chose a purebred, elegant mate for himself. One she approved of, and unfortunately, she did approve of Lyra."


    "But she was simply twisted!"


    No, it was more than twisted. Even Inez, who thought she had seen the peak of cruelty, felt it was too much.


    "I know. But there was no way around it, my mother wanted me to be more like her perfect son and not Killian Sokolov" Another wry smile, another grimace. She raised her head and met his gaze, and noticed the pain and humiliation he had once gone through, which exined why he was so against getting together with another woman.


    Why did he keep his distance from everyone and never trust anyone, even when he could have done so? He couldn¡¯t even trust his mother, as she had never made him feel like he was a part of their family. It made her heart hurt to think he had spent a childhood where he had to suppress a shitload of anger for the emotionally absent parent who only gave birth to him because she wanted to make up for the loss of her perfect son.


    Killian never stood a chance against his mother, who never saw him.


    And then there was Lyra; she didn¡¯t know much about that woman, but the more she found out about her, the less she liked Lyra. She didn¡¯t want Killian to love her, but she did want him to suffer along with her. What in the world was she even thinking? With the woman gone, Inez knew that she would never get a chance to ask Lyra the answer to this question.


    She looked at the man who had never been special to anyone. Never given a ce where he could belong. Never felt the security of being loved without expecting anything in return. He had learned that it was unwise for him to love and expect anything from others.


    Now, she was not even surprised that he had cultivated the image of a yer. It was better to be epted and treated as a yer rather than to get involved with someone. Some people liked to pretend. Some pretended that they had it under control; some loved to show that they had everything that they wanted. Did she not pretend as well? That everything was alright? That she was loved and cared for, and that she didn¡¯t crave the love of her mother that she might never get.


    Just like her, he had hidden himself behind a carefree mask. In doing so, he had isted and distanced his true self from others.


    But could she truly me him for that? If she were in his shoes¡ªeven if subconsciously¡ªshe had asked herself what was the point of baring herself to others when in her heart she knew that they might never love her? Especially when she showed her real self to them. It was better to hold back than to love them or trust them with her heart. It was way better to live alone than to depend on someone else.


    "Thank you for letting me know these things; it means a lot," said Inez, knowing it had not been easy for him. He had the option of walking away, but he had stuck around, proving to her that it was worth sticking around.


    He pressed a kiss to her lips. "I am sorry; I messed up just now."


    "I know."


    "I hope you will not give up on me, Inez. It¡¯s not easy for me, you know? Needing someone. I have never needed anyone. I have always been alone. No one had ever mattered to me the way you do." He lifted her hand and ced it on his heart. "I thought I would be in control of how you would get close to me or how this would turn out. But you made your way in here way too soon, and the realisation knocked me off my feet. But you made me get back up."


    Oh, he was good. With himing onto her like that, it made it impossible for her to get angry. And now that he had brought up his upbringing and the pain he went through at the hands of his mate, she understood him better. Understood why he wanted to leave earlier. It was not him being a coward, but him being vulnerable.


    Inez had to blink four to five times to stop the tears from falling; she really felt like crying for the lonely boy Killian had been once. Never getting the peace that he wanted and craved, even in his mate. While she had shared the same experience as Killian, Inez now realised it was not that bad; at least she had received love ¡ªeven a small part of it from Dominic and the rest. There was also Scarlet. But Killian, he was quite alone with Selene, battling her own demons. He had never gotten any form of love, and now that he had her, his instincts were telling him to keep her at bay. a

 Chapter 292: Made Up

    <h4>Chapter 292: Made Up</h4>


    But at the same time, Killian was trying. He had pushed past that instinct, and he had stayed. Opened the vault behind which he locked himself up. He had exposed more of himself in front of her and, more importantly, he had admitted that he cared for her. It was something an alpha would hardly ever do. After all, alpha shifters were all about being strong and powerful. They never believed in showing their vulnerability in front of others.


    Wasn¡¯t this why Dominic often blocked her out? Because he didn¡¯t want to expose himself in front of her.


    However, Killian moved past that very instinct and bared himself in front of her. He had told her the truth even though he was feeling raw and vulnerable. Inez had to admit that it took a heap of emotional bravery. Something that even she would have a hard time showing. If that didn¡¯t take away a chunk of her anger, then who knows what would?


    And honestly, if he was willing to do it for her, then it was only fair for her to return the favour.


    "If it helps, Kill, you are not the only one who is suffering. You, too, made yourself important to me even though I had no such intention of letting anyonee close to me. You also slithered your way in through the tiny cracks. I think after what happened to me, it¡¯s really scary to care about someone. Freaking out is normal. Believe me when I say that worry about you leaving me, everyone I cared for ¡ª everyone I wish would love me ¡ª had left me¡ª"


    "I would never do that," eximed Killian, interrupting her.


    "Of course I know," said Inez as she agreed with what he was saying. "I know that you won¡¯t do it. But there is so much uncertainty, isn¡¯t there? Isn¡¯t it the same for you? What if you get bored with me? What if you get someone better than me? What if you fail to give me themitment that I want? Can this even work in the long run?"


    "You really think all of that?"


    He sounded awed.


    "I do. Caring for someone after getting my heart torn out of my body is difficult. Realising that I don¡¯t even have control over my emotions is not a good feeling; it¡¯s freaky. And I understand what you are feeling, but I would like it if you were honest with me. If you want space or a break-up, just tell me the truth. Don¡¯t try to y it around¡ª"


    "I don¡¯t want space," Killian stated hurriedly. He pulled her close and said to her, "I admit that I fucked up just now, but I do not need space, nor do I want it. Fuck, I doubt I can even open up to someone else other than you, so I know I am right where I belong and need to."


    Inez closed her eyes and hugged him. She petted him. "I know it was nothing more than your instincts getting all out of control, but if you ever feel like you need to get away from me, be honest with me."


    "And I am being honest with you; I do not need any form of space, as you are thinking. It was just a speed bump. I wobbled, yeah, but there is no need for me to take space. I will never act so stupid with you ever fucking again. I couldn¡¯t have left you. I could never let you leave me. Fuck, the second you walked out on me, I felt like you fucking ripped my soul out of my body. I am exactly where I want to be."


    "I am blind when ites to rtionships and when you don¡¯t know where you are headed. It¡¯s easy for you to bump into something. That¡¯s what this is like for me. I have never loved someone before. I know it will sound cheesying from a grown-ass man like me, but I am doing my best to navigate in a brand-new territory. I swear, if anything, you are the one who is guiding me. When you snap at me like that, I know that I have messed up."


    He let out a heavy sigh. "But that¡¯s no excuse for acting like an arsehole. I have hurt you, and I am sorry for that. I am sorry that I acted like a dick. Swear to the Moon Goddess, I never wanted to hurt you; that was thest thing I ever wanted to do." He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her on the lips. "Do you think you can forgive me?"


    She sighed heavily. "Yeah."


    Killian felt his heart melt right there and then. There was no such thing as conditions; she asked nothing in return for forgiving him. She didn¡¯t threaten him with what could go wrong if he messed up again. Just a simple eptance of his apology and the mess that he had created. Dear Moon Goddess, just what did he do to deserve her?


    And he admitted that he fucking loved her for that.


    "You truly amaze me; do you know that?" Another chaste kiss to her lips as he promised, "I swear I will never, never make this same mistake again. I am right where I want to be. I should have seen iting way before then; I did¡ªthe best thing in my world."


    He took her mouth and swept his tongue inside her mouth, pouring all of himself into her. Killian wanted Inez to feel how much he needed her and desired her and what she meant to him. He had meant to go slow andfort her, but the second he kissed her, he found himself pushing her down on the bed.


    He needed to touch her, feel her and reconnect with the time they had lost because of his petty stupidity.


    He brushed his lips against hers, "So beautiful. And all mine."

 Chapter 293: Made Up (2)

    <h4>Chapter 293: Made Up (2)</h4>


    +18 content ahead; please read with caution, my fairies.


    **


    "Of course."


    "Then I need to make sure that everyone else knows about that, too." He bunched the nightdress that she was wearing and pulled it off her body, baring her breasts and long legs. Thank the Moon Goddess that she was not wearing anything because he had been missing the sight of these breasts for days now. The two of them practically lived together, and yet they didn¡¯t even get enough time to see one another.


    However, before he could swoop down and take her lips again, the woman caught his waist between his legs and twisted him around such that he was the one positioned on the bed. Killian was not prepared to give Inez the chance to twist him around. His eyes widened, but before he could say a word, he found Inez positioned between his legs.


    His heart mmed against his ribs, and his length tore right through the fabric of his jeans.


    "Inez."


    He knew that the female shifters hardly performed oral sex on their partners. Not unless they were certain that their partners would never swipe their necks when they were doing it. It was not just about trust but letting go of dominance, which female shifters hardly ever did.


    Inez didn¡¯t reply. Curling her hand around his length, shepped at the head, licking off the pearls of his pre-essence that was oozing from his slit. His leg muscles jumped. He thought that Inez would tease and nip at his length, making him suffer for the things he said to her. However, the woman swallowed him down.


    Killian couldn¡¯t stop himself as his hand reached out and he fisted her hair. The heat of her mouth as she engulfed his length nearly drove him crazy. "Fuck, bubbles." Keeping his grip as firm as he could without hurting her, he watched her as Inez pumped his shaft and sucked so hard that her cheeks started to hollow out. "That¡¯s it; you are doing so well, bubbles. Keep that pace. Wrap your lips around my length nicely, and tighten them a little. You have no idea how many times I have imagined you doing this for me."


    His control kept fraying as she continued to suck and pump him. Constantly switching her pace. Sometimes she was fast, and then she was too slow. Just when he thought that she had hit her limit, she took some of his length even further down her throat.


    Watching her suck him off was heaven in itself.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he started to feel his orgasm riding high as tingles started to zap through his spine.


    "I am close; I am so fucking close, baby," he spoke to her, letting her know just in case she wanted to pull away. However, she didn¡¯t; instead, she hummed softly and dang, that made his entire body rumble. No wonder there were men who were willing to die for sirens. He, too, would have happily given up his life for Inez if she had asked him for that at that moment. He watched her suck him harder, and when pleasure burst through him, she didn¡¯t spit it out; instead, he watched her swallow it. Did he say how hot she was for doing that? No. Well, he would now because she was fucking hot!


    Panting, he watched her as she released his length with a pop. Shaking his head to stop himself froming then and there, he sucked in a breath and said to Inez, "Fucking hell, bubbles. I never knew you had that in you." he grabbed her and positioned her core right above his face. His length twitched right back to life when he saw the slick core in front of him, and that tantalising scent was certainly going to be the death of him.


    "You are so wet for me, bubbles." He mused.


    Inez felt heat rush up to her cheeks. Even as a siren, she had never thought about doing such a thing. She could feel his heated gaze and feel his hot breath against her skin. She felt exposed and a bit ashamed. Her siren? Her siren, on the other hand, was all for it. She felt excited and loved the way he held her. His boldness was something to die for, ording to her siren.


    Her eyelids fluttered closed as he swiped his tongue through her folds and swirled it around her clit. Damn, did he have a matchstick in ce of a tongue because the second he touched her, Inez could feel a fire light up all over her body.


    It felt so good that she didn¡¯t even have words for it.


    "You taste so good... like a desire that is forever going to be untamed," mused the man as he continued to lick and suck.


    Goosebumps erupted all over her skin as Killian continued to torment her. He was brutal with that mouth. He sipped, licked, teased and nipped. With his tongue, lips and teeth, he built up a friction so intense that she could feel desire coating and blinding her eyes until she could feel herself getting close to exploding.


    Tremors started to rake her body and¡ª


    She yelped when he pulled her close and thrust his sinful tongue within her, even deeper into her core than she had anticipated. That clever tongue of his started to stab and twist within her. Her thighs quivered, and her core fluttered before her release came shattering, barreling out of her core.


    "Killian!" She came hard, her spine arching backwards, which only pushed her core even further into his mouth, and the man continued to suck on her core. Her body twitched as hepped the remains of her essence.


    And just as she thought that the man had had enough of it, he pulled back and nipped the inside of her thigh, hard enough to leave a mark. His beast growled at the sight of the bloody mark.


    He was freaking pleased by it.


    "Oww, what the hell?"


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 Chapter 294: Kill Them With Love

    <h4>Chapter 294: Kill Them With Love</h4>


    +18 content ahead. Please read with caution my fairies.


    **


    She looked down at the man who had finished licking the blood that oozed through the broken skin. Panting hard, shemented, "Was that this is the mark of Killian Sokolov or something of the sort thing?"


    He grinned at her. "That¡¯s right. This core is mine, and so are you." he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her down on the bed. He positioned himself between her legs, but before he entered her, he flicked his gaze upwards and said to her, "I think you are close toing without me doing anything." As he spoke, he brushed the head of his length against her core, leaving her trembling.


    Inez sucked in a breath, but the taunt in his tone made her grit her teeth. She arched her brow before sweeping her nails against his chest, scraping them slightly. She curled her lips mockingly when she heard the man rumble. "Are you sure you want to challenge me when you are in a situation far worse than mine?"


    "I might be in a worse condition, but I still reckon that the one who is going to shatter first will be you. Look at how you are twitching." As if to assert what he was saying, he slowly pushed himself within her core. He gritted his teeth when her inferno-hot core mped around him. She was so fucking tempting, and yet she was all his. No matter how tempting she was, no one was allowed to touch her. No one.


    "Yup, you are definitely about toe."


    Inez rolled her eyes. This man really had some foolish ideas in his head; he was challenging a siren by saying that she would be the one who would being first. Yup. His head was definitely not in the right ce. "You are ying a game that you are going to lose, Kill."


    She squeezed the muscles of her core to assert her point, and sure enough, the man inhaled sharply.


    Seeing this, Inez scoffed.


    "What¡¯s the point of fighting over this? Let the facts do the talking," as he spoke, he mmed within her. He watched as Inez¡¯s face turned red and her breasts started to sway with the rhythm. Her core was so freaking tight that it greedily sucked him further and further deep. "I really love it when you match my pace."


    She locked her gaze with his; the second he caught her gaze, he noticed the wild and crazy stare of hers that tightened his length and tugged the orgasm even more violently. It took every bit of his control to stop himself froming then and there.


    Pushing his hips to meet with her forward thrusts, Killian reached out and cupped her breast and squeezed it. "You are mine, Inez. Look at how well your core takes me; it¡¯s like it was made for me and no one else." Mating bonds? What were they? Dominic might be her destined one, but she was his alone. There was no way he was going to let that man snatch her.


    "Is that what you think?"


    "It¡¯s not what I think; it is, in fact, the truth."


    He did her hard. Loving the feel of how her core mped down on his shaft each time he sliced through her. He flicked her nipples, squeezing and tugging them with his teeth. Each time he tugged at them, Inez felt a desperate need to break down then and there. Shit, if he continued like this, then she would definitely shatter, and that would be a really big, fat stain on her identity as a siren.


    "What¡¯s wrong? Close toing?" he asked with a raise of his taunting brow.


    "Of course not," even if she was, there was no way Inez was going to admit. She raised her hand and raked her nails against his neck and arm, marking him all over again.


    Snarling, he raised his head and looked at the woman underneath him. "You little sneaky minx." He knew that if he continued like this, Inez would certainly do something to challenge him, since he couldn¡¯t lose the game; he could only do what he did best. To up his game. He clenched his fingers and started tugging her forward as he met her with a forceful thrust each time. Her core became increasingly hot and tight, and he knew that she was about to shatter.


    "Stop resisting, bubbles. I know that you are close." Tightening his grip on her, he pulled her close to him and leaned down just in time to sink his teeth into her neck. He didn¡¯t pull away as he licked and nibbled on her skin. He continued to thrust within her, pounding her faster and harder. Deeper.


    "You bastard," she gasped when the man reached out and pinched her clit just when she was about to hold herself back from shattering right then and there. Her core couldn¡¯t hold it, and she felt it spasm and ripple as her climax broke through allyers and restraints that she had locked on it.


    She growled at him before taking a swipe at him with her nails. She drew blood, but Inez knew how much strength she needed to put into her swipe. It was barely a skin wound. Leaving a permanent brand but not bringing any severe pain or difort.


    And that was when Killian felt his beast lunging to his surface. Feeling satisfied and happy that his woman had marked him, finally¡ªhard enough for them to show off¡ªand that was how he detonated then and there. His length tightened before releasing his essence within her. He could feel her muscles rippling around him.


    Utterly spent and tired, he fell on her body, almost squashing her, but he rolled onto his side and pulled her close, embracing her loosely. He weakly syed


    a hand on her back. "Told you that you were leaking for me."

 Chapter 295: Kill Them With Love (2)

    <h4>Chapter 295: Kill Them With Love (2)</h4>


    "Alright, I think you had enough funst night."


    Inez sat up straight, cradling the nket near her body and staring at Tracy, who was staring at Killian, who in turn was staring at her. No, in fact, he was ring at her. Fortunately, he had pulled his pants on or else who knows what kind of devastation Inez would have faced upon waking up?


    "What¡¯s going on?" she asked, trying to break the tension between the two of them. There was certainly something wrong, even if they didn¡¯t show it on their faces. Inez just knew there was something up between the two of them. "Did something happen?" Now, she was quite upset about her tant nakedness. If she were dressed, at least she could have rushed forward and demanded an answer instead of staying in bed.


    "Oh, you are up?" Tracy turned and looked at her. "You should get up and get dressed. Finn has arranged for the breakfast that he promisedst night, and I think you need something in your system after getting ravaged by this beastst night." The word ¡¯beast¡¯ was uttered through sheer disgust.


    "Just who do you think you are?" Killian questioned, sounding genuinely frustrated. It was one thing that this woman just marched right into their lodge. But she also came to the bedroom and banged on it until he lost his patience and opened the door for her. But what surprised him was that this woman was not the slightest bit scared of him.


    "And what do you think I am doing, Romeo?" Tracy questioned with a raise of her brow. "You should be d that I didn¡¯te to interrupt youst night when you nearly brought this building down with your hyper-excited activities."


    Her words brought a blush to Inez¡¯s cheeks, who lowered her head, and damn, that sight made his length jerk right up, but the second he saw Tracy staring at him, his not-so-little friend went right the fuck down.


    "It has nothing to do with you," said Killian. He had the most perfect morning, with Inez scent wrapped around him and his scent wrapped around her; he was certain that imprinting had already started. This was enough to bring him the greatest happiness in years, but before he could even relish this new finding, Tracy came to look for him.


    "You have nothing to do with me. But Inez does. Do you even realise that sirens, especially those who have never learned how to use their powers, can sometimes suck a person dry of their youth, or maybe sometimes they lose control and kill men or women with whom they sleep? Inez never learned how to control her powers. You are lucky that her siren has not gotten used to a man¡¯s touch before, which is why you were able to survive till now. If she had lost control, then Inez would be ced in danger¡ªand you, unfortunately, would be dead, which would be a mess to clean up."


    Tracy sounded almost disgusted by the very notion.


    "I am d that you care so much about my life and death."


    "I don¡¯t care whether you live or die, but don¡¯t die when Inez is around you. You might think that I am scaring you, but I am speaking the truth. If you continue getting intimate like this when her siren is getting stronger, her instincts to im, bind and consume will get stronger as well. And apparently you are not strong enough to be her mate; unless you want to get your life force sucked¡ªwith your vitality unintentionally syphoned, you better keep an eye on your tiny little peepee."


    "It¡¯s not tiny!" Killian gritted out. He had slept with countless women, and none of them had ever said anything bad about his performance.


    He stared at the woman who stared right back at him. "I don¡¯t care what you have to say about the current situation. Just try to control yourself. You have no idea what a siren as strong as her can do, so keep your distance."


    "We have imprinted¡ª"


    "It¡¯s not an imprinting," Tracy cut his words sharply. "It¡¯s an illusion. The siren in her needs you; she desires you, which is why she has created this illusion. There is no imprinting between the two of you. Do you now realise how dangerous this little game you two are ying is now?"


    <i>She wants me. </i>


    His beast sounded delighted, and Killian had to roll his eyes at the stupidity of his own beast. How in the world did he skip the rest of the words that Tracy had said to him? He sucked in a breath and red at the woman in front of him. "How can such a thing happen? Imprinting is not something that can be faked."


    "Then you don¡¯t know the level of a siren¡¯s ability and skills. Only fools would consider a siren as strong as her weak. Believe me, if she wanted, she could make every man in your pack think that they were her mates and their desire to im would be just as strong as yours. You are fortunate that her siren is still learning."


    "You mean to say that it¡¯s my powers that are making him attracted to me?" Inez asked softly, her heart aching at the very thought of Killian desiring her only because her siren was getting out of control.


    "Oh no, this man has a true and honest desire to die under you. He truly likes you in all the senses of the word the human calls ¡¯love¡¯," said Tracy as she walked past Killian and looked at Inez, whose face slowly started to heat up under her firm gaze. Just as she thought that Tracy was going to say something, the woman hummed and said, "You should get ready ande downstairs. There are some things that we need to do, don¡¯t we?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Your enforcers caught a really fascinating thingst night. I am sure it will shock you to your very core, Alpha Sokolov."


    **


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 Chapter 296: Failed Prototype: Shifter + Vampire

    <h4>Chapter 296: Failed Prototype: Shifter + Vampire</h4>


    <i>She truly doesn¡¯t fear you, does she? </i>


    His beast remarked as the three of them set down in the dungeons that were built under the territory; this was to make sure that the criminals or trespassers caught wouldn¡¯t be able to escape.


    "And that¡¯s why I don¡¯t fucking trust her," he growled. Killian was still upset with Tracy over her tant disregard for the imprinting. He was certain that he and Inez had imprinted, but the woman paid no heed to what he said and simply dismissed him by telling him not to dream with his eyes open. Like hell he was dreaming. "I have never seen anyone like her before. Clearly, she either doesn¡¯t know fear or she is simply a fool. And she doesn¡¯t look like one. I let slip my dominant vibes earlier, and this woman didn¡¯t even blink. She was so fucking calm; it is eerie." Of course, he only released a fragment of his dominant vibes because he didn¡¯t want Inez to think that he was scaring her friend.


    However, even then, Tracy didn¡¯t look the slightest bit perturbed by his vibes.


    <i>She is not afraid of lycans. The way she looks at us is like she has seen and dealt with many lycan alphas before. It¡¯s really creepy. </i>


    "Exactly." Walking around a corner, he nced at the woman who was walking next to Inez. "And what do you think she wants from Inez? Sure, she is a siren, and she knows that she is a siren, but first of all, how does she even know that and secondly, why chase after Inez? There are countless sirens whom she could have chosen to protect, so why the hell did she pick Inez? What is the reason behind it¡ª"


    <i>Maybe she has something that she wants very much from Inez. </i>


    Killian paused and frowned. "What do you mean?"


    <i>That witch knows that Inez is a siren; the way she speaks is no different from a seer. Like she knows the future or something of the sort. Maybe she knows something. About Inez. About us or our connection with Inez. She did say that Inez was different from every other siren we know. </i>


    A chill ran through Killian. He had considered many angles, like the witch wanting to use Inez to trap him or take advantage of Inez¡¯s connection to him, but he had not considered that there was something different about Inez. Was there really something different about her?


    <i>Of course there is. Do you think I am going to fall for someone just like that? </i>


    Killian felt his head buzz with annoyance. He didn¡¯t want to bother with his beast and his stupid arrogance at the moment. This matter was of utmost seriousness. He couldn¡¯t bear to listen to his nonsense. Inez was different? How... what kind of powers was she hiding for her to be different from other sirens? And why? What made her different?


    All kinds of questions flooded his head, but he didn¡¯t have the time to think them over. He strode past the guards who were standing on either side of the prison entrance and pushed open the iron door. As soon as he stepped past the old, dpidated and rotting gate, he smelled the scent of blood, fear, sweat and a sour stink of living waste.


    Scrunching up his nose, he stared down at the stairs and climbed down. The sound of footsteps echoed in the silent corridor, along with the whimpers of those trapped inside the cells. As he approached the end of the corridors, he turned around and looked at Inez and Tracy before saying to them, "Make sure that you follow me closely."


    "Why?" Inez asked. Her mind snapped out of the thoughts and the exnation that Tracy had just given her.


    However, before Killian could respond, a loud whirring sound echoed behind her, and Inez turned to look behind her with a whip of her head. The simple corridor had now split into two halves and was now headed in two different directions instead of the one from where they came. Startled, she turned and looked at Killian, who seemed unbothered by the change and was now tapping on the three bricks in front of him.


    "What¡¯s this¡ª"


    "Fae magic". Tracy was the one who responded. She nced at her and calmly stated in a soft voice, "I can smell the scent of Fae." She frowned and nced at the man in front of her. "You have a fae in your pack, don¡¯t you? Or maybe someone who is part fae."


    Killian simply nced at her without saying a word to her, and the witch bared her teeth. She hated it when the lycans pretended to be a fucking mysterious force, which they certainly were not.


    The wall in front of them jerked like someone had hammered it from the inside, and a secondter, it divided into two halves and then parted cleanly. With the two halves of the wall moving to opposite sides, the space behind them was revealed, and Inez gasped when she saw the space behind it. It was ¡ªsimply humungous and scary. Totally scary.


    The ce was dark and smelled of nothing but blood and the sour stink of fear, terror and tears. Yup, she could taste the salty air, or maybe it was just the ocean.


    "Stay close," Killian repeated as he walked past the space that had appeared in the wall, and Inez, exchanging a nce with Tracy, followed after him. The three of them strode past the dark corridor, which was lit up with a dim red lighting that Inez thought would certainly fit in a horror movie. She didn¡¯t say it out loud, but she was half expecting a ghost to pop out from somewhere.


    "Killian", Finn, who stood at the end of the corridor staring at the big lump in the middle of the cell, raised his head and looked behind him when he heard the sound of footsteps. "You are here."

 Chapter 297: Failed Prototype: Shifter + Vampire (2)

    <h4>Chapter 297: Failed Prototype: Shifter + Vampire (2)</h4>


    "What happened?" Killian asked. He walked over and came to a stop beside Finn before ncing at the lump in the middle of the cell. His brows furrowed when he looked at the twisted form lying inside. In the dark, he couldn¡¯t see the head or feet of whatever was lying inside the prison cell.


    Though he knew that it was a human, it should be one, as the body inside did resemble one. But at the same time, it didn¡¯t. Even with his shifter gaze, he was having a hard time seeing through the twisted mess in front of him and could not turn to look at Finn. "What is this?"


    "We have a guess, but we cannot tell anything for the time being unless Third Eye is done with his research," replied Finn. He sounded tense, even with Tracy present in the same space as him; he didn¡¯t rush forward to charm her up like he usually did.


    "Third Eye? He is here?" questioned Killian as he took a whiff of the scent, and he did catch a few notes of Third Eye¡¯s scent among all the other scents mingled. "Why is he here? Since when did we start calling Third Eye for interrogating trespassers?"


    <i>Calm down. At least listen to what Finn has to say before you lose your temper. </i>


    His beta rolled his eyes at him. He usually did it when he thought that Killian was acting like an idiot or when he was determined to act like a know-it-all. Killian knew that very defiant glint in his eyes; he always had it when he was about to rebel against him. Usually, he had a reason for it. Killian hoped that Finn had it this time around as well because his temper was running way too low to listen to Finn¡¯s nonsensical ifs and buts.


    "We didn¡¯t call Third Eye to interrogate this bastard. We called him because I fear that this thing is neither a shifter nor a vampire. If I am not wrong, this is more or less a prototype of what you will call an amorphous." Finn nced at the thing inside the cell with disgust.


    As soon as he finished speaking, Tracy, who stood next to Inez, stepped forward and, ignoring the two men, she slid inside the prison cell without any apparent fear. The door opened on its own as if there was an invisible doorman standing behind it. Killian turned to look at Finn and asked, "Did you leave the door open?"


    "I didn¡¯t..."


    <i>It¡¯s really weird... </i>his beast¡¯s voice rumbled within him, and this time around, the voice permeated the pack bond, which meant that Finn heard him as well. Inez snapped her head up and looked at the two of them. She, too, had heard his beast¡¯s voice, but she didn¡¯t question anything. Instead, Inez stayed quiet, patiently waiting for his beast to finish speaking.


    Killian turned and looked in the witch¡¯s direction. "What¡¯s weird?"


    <i>Those eyes. I swear I saw them be thunderous¡ªlike stormy clouds. I don¡¯t think she is a simple witch; I have never seen witches do that. </i>


    Killian¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. It was the kind of detail that he would never pay attention to, for he didn¡¯t care about this witch.


    <i>You should. She is ¡ªI don¡¯t know different from other witches. </i>


    "There is something wrong about this woman," he muttered, already having decided.


    "You are just annoyed that she said that we didn¡¯t imprint," Inez rolled her eyes. Killian¡¯s beast words had shaken her slightly. She recalled Tracy¡¯s eyes turning the colour of storm clouds thest time the two of them were together.


    A witch whose eyes changed like the sky¡ªwas she just a witch or something else?


    "She is not doing anything to harm anyone," interjected Finn softly, already bent on betraying his alpha. "She seems to be helping us, so why question her? Everyone has a secret or two."


    "Like how you hate eating the skin of tomatoes?" Killian sneered from the side. Since the man was bent on stabbing with the knife, he might as well return the favour.


    "You cannot eat tomato peels?" Tracy remarked as she stepped out of the cell and looked at him with a frown.


    Finn stared at her with a face so red that Inez was sure that she had never seen him this red before. He stammered for a long time beforeing up with a straightforward reply, "I cannot eat the peels, but I am..I am fine with tomatoes."


    "You are one strange man," Tracy stated without realising that she had just stabbed the man in the heart, or maybe she did know. The blow that she delivered was not small, and Inez noticed Finn stagger under the metaphorical arrow that pierced through his heart.


    She then turned and nced at Killian. "Yup, it¡¯s a failed prototype. A failed amorphous who was supposed to inherit the abilities of both the shifter and vampire, but ended up in quite a tragedy. I would have suggested sending this corpse to the council, but I believe that there is no point in doing so because the people of that council of yours¡ªthey are useless, aren¡¯t they?"


    "Wait, you mean to say that this thing was supposed to inherit the properties of both shifter and vampire?" Killian asked with a frown.


    "Amorphous are not always shifters who can shift between various kinds of shifters, but also between species. At least that is what the theory the witches have at the moment," she nced at the man who had died a horrible death and shook her head. "It¡¯s such a shame that he was injected with the venom of a vampire and then left to work his way around the poison that was infiltrating his body. To make things worse, they must have used the <i>blood-weaving spell, </i>forcing the vampire venom into his body. He must have felt his body getting ripped apart¡ªand with the healing malfunctioning, he must have suffered quite a lot. Look at the flesh bubbles; the scars reopened again and again."


    "I believe that this shifter might be your own pack member. That¡¯s why it came here; since it¡¯s a failed prototype, the witches must have discarded him like a failed doll. Look around and see if you can find his family; thest thing you can do for him is give him a decent funeral."


    **


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 Chapter 298: Changing Situation

    <h4>Chapter 298: Changing Situation</h4>


    Tracy¡¯s words left a sour taste in everyone¡¯s mouth.


    However, there was work that was supposed to be done. Inez watched as Killianmanded Finn to take her, Tracy, back to the lodge before he rushed to the main lodge and called all the enforcers. Inez wanted to follow him, but she soon realised that there was nothing she could do to help him.


    "You don¡¯t need to feel guilty about it; you can¡¯t do anything in this situation," said Tracy. Inez thought that the woman sounded more and more like a devil¡¯s temptation because, for a second, Inez truly wanted to believe that there was absolutely nothing that she could do for Killian, and she didn¡¯t need to feel sorry about being cooped up in the lodge.


    But thankfully, she still had some sense of rationality left within her.


    "How can I not feel guilty when he is doing all the work and I am just sitting around doing nothing?" Inez opened her arms and motioned them around. epting Killian meant epting the pack, and now that the pack was in danger ¡ª most probably due to him ¡ª she just couldn¡¯t sit still.


    Something flickered in Tracy¡¯s eyes, and just like before, they turned stormy; there were zaps of electricity within them. It was exactly like she had seen thest time, but Inez knew that this was not the time to question her ability to make her eyes thunderous. She was more worried about Killian and the death of the shifter. If he were one of the enforcers who went on a mission or went missing after getting kidnapped at the borders of thend, Inez wondered how Killian would react.


    He was the alpha of this pack and took his responsibility quite seriously; he naturally wouldn¡¯t be happy if someone else died right under his nose.


    "Shifters are going missing all over the packs and territories," remarked Tracy as she made her way to the kitchen. With a flick of her hand, she started the coffee machine and pulled open the cabs before finding the bag of beef jerky that Inez had set aside. "It¡¯s just not this territory if that is what you are feeling guilty about. This has nothing to do with you. It is not a ¡¯you¡¯ problem; I am telling you this just in case you start spiralling into a whirlpool of guilt and concern."


    Inez raised her head and eximed, "Since when did shifters start going missing?" Why didn¡¯t she know anything about these disappearances?


    "I bet you are thinking why you didn¡¯t know anything about these disappearances, aren¡¯t you?" Tracy remarked, seeing right through her. Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair. "There is no need to think about it too much; you are not the only one who doesn¡¯t know anything about the kidnapping of the shifters. With the council trying to keep these disappearances a secret, it¡¯s rare for anyone to know just what is going on outside."


    There was a soft ding, and Tracy turned to look at the coffee machine. realising that the mug was almost filled, she walked over and reced the mug oftte before whipping her head around and questioning, "What do you want? Atte or a mug of ck coffee, like the soul of your mate."


    "Atte will be fine," Inez replied, her brows were still furrowed, and she looked a bit¡ªno, a lot worried. The disappearances of the shifters and the silence of the council didn¡¯t seem like a goodbination.


    Silence fell over the entire lodge, with just the whirring of the coffee machine echoing.


    "It feels wrong," finally, Inez spoke up. She twiddled with her thumbs and didn¡¯t even look up when Tracy set down the cup of coffee. "I mean, people are dying. Should they not be a bit more considerate?" She finally raised her head and looked at Tracy, who smiled at her. However, there was a note of derisiveness in her smile as she said to Inez, "You are kind and way too naive, Inez. People in power don¡¯t usually care for the lives of those who do serve any purpose for them, you know? Even gods are the same. If you don¡¯t serve them any purpose, even the gods won¡¯t remember you."


    She ced a hand on Inez¡¯s forehead, then with a soft voice she stated, "You shouldn¡¯t think too much, you know. It¡¯s not good." With the other, her hand over her heart, she frowned hard. "Your powers are still not stable enough, and with your emotions running high, they are turning even more chaotic."


    "You still haven¡¯t told me what kind of powers I have," said Inez, feeling a bit annoyed. She wanted to know more about these powers that Tracy spoke of, but the woman never let anything slip. It was weird. If she was here to help her, shouldn¡¯t she be telling her everything that Inez needed to know?


    "I wish I could." Tracy sounded wistful. "But I cannot."


    "But why not?" Inez asked as she got up from the couch just as Tracy sat down. "You know something, don¡¯t you? Then why won¡¯t you tell me?"


    "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you," Tracy blew over the foam of hertte before continuing. "It¡¯s because I cannot. There is more than just what you can see, Inez. There are a hell of a lot of dynamics at y at the moment. They are not stable at all. Do you want me to pull a fragment and shake the entire infrastructure when it¡¯s already rickety enough? Do you know what will happen if I just snap off a piece?"


    "Something bad?" Inez asked, genuinely sounding so confused that her confusion was palpable in her tone.


    "Something worse." Tracy corrected. He took a sip of her coffee, and the thunder in her eyes started to get more and more vibrant. "I cannot sacrifice everything just to satisfy your momentary curiosity, Inez. But don¡¯t worry. You will soon get an answer to your questions. I believe you already have an answer¡ªat least the hook to find them."

 Chapter 299: Changing Situations (2)

    <h4>Chapter 299: Changing Situations (2)</h4>


    "You want me to do what?" Scarlet questioned.


    "You heard me the first time," said Inez.


    Her fingers tightened around the ss of orange juice that she was holding. Inez looked at her sister, whom she had invited to the Blood Hill Pack despite the dangers and risks of being traced down by Dominic. But the answers about the past of her mother and father were important. She needed to know something, anything, about the past of Maria Sinir.


    Her sister frowned. Scarlet looked different; she had cut her red hair into a bob cut, and there were many scars on her arms and the back of her hands, something that was hard to ignore, as Inez knew that Scarlet, who was a healer, had no reason to be training in the pack ground. However, Scarlet had made her stance clear that she didn¡¯t want to talk about the scars and wounds on her body, leaving her no other choice but to stay silent and not broach the subject.


    The thought of her suffering under Dominic because of her stabbed through Inez like silver.


    "Don¡¯t think too much," said Scarlet as she sipped on her milkshake. As if getting injured so heavily were something that could happen every now and then. "I am fine. This is something that I want to do; I don¡¯t want to be used and treated like the pack¡¯s punching bag anymore." She paused and then added, "But that is not important. You say that mom was a dominant shifter before being cursed into being an omega?"


    "I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but I am speaking the truth. I¡ª"


    "I never said that I don¡¯t believe you." Scarlet raised her hand and interrupted Inez. "You know, I have always wondered how she gave birth to a half-blood when she was an omega and your father was supposedly a human? However, I am not that clear about how human blood works, so I never questioned it, but if we go by your theory, then there is a perfect answer for that question. Mom was never an omega to begin with. That answers my questions regarding your blood status."


    "So you believe me?" Inez questioned, sounding awed and in response, Scarlet simply shrugged.


    "We always knew that there was something weird about our mother, Nessie," she remarked while ying with the straw of her milkshake. "You and I can always y it off by saying that it was nothing serious. But you know it and I know it too. There has always been some sick, personal grudge that she holds against you, and it¡¯s not just because you are a siren. There is more to the story, and we are finally close to getting an answer for that."


    <i>Indeed, </i>thought Inez.


    Scarlet then looked around the lodge and asked, "I didn¡¯t see your big, bad alpha when I arrived at the territory."


    "Neither did I," sighed Inez as she picked up the ss of orange juice. After finding out that a shifter was kidnapped off the territory and used as a vessel by the witches, Killian had been investigating the missing shifters of the territory and guess what? There were more than fifteen male shifters, three female shifters and an elderly lycan was missing. Lycans of all ages and genders were taken away, and yet it happened so slickly that no one noticed anything amiss. Because of this, Killian was so busy that Inez only saw him a few times.


    The man woke up before dawn broke and returned when Inez was already asleep. There were times when Inez tried to stay awake, but she just couldn¡¯t.


    "Is he busy with the disappearances of shifters?" asked Scarlet with a knowing look.


    Inez¡¯s brows furrowed. "How do you know that?"


    "Because Dominic is busy with the same," Scarlet sighed and recounted what happened with the tiger shifter in the pack. "It¡¯s a bem. You have no idea how many strong and rare shifters went missing when Dominic¡¯s head was stuck up his arse after your disappearance. Many of the elders are thoroughly upset with Dominic, but he put an end to theirint after he killed the candidate whom the elders chose for the alpha position."


    "Someone challenged Dominic?" Inez was surprised. As much as she hated Dominic for rejecting and hurting her, she knew and admired the strength of that wolf.


    <i>You don¡¯t need to. He is an arsehole through and through; that¡¯s what he is¡ªthink about your wolf and shove that admiration off the edge of a cliff, please. </i>


    <i>I never said that I admire him; I said that I admire his strength. He has one strong wolf. </i>Inez rolled her eyes and corrected her siren. The admiration that she had for Dominic had nothing to do with him but his wolf.


    <i>His wolf is a part of him. </i>


    <i>We can always think of the two as separate. His wolf is a darling, unlike him. </i>Inez snorted, recalling the brief meeting that she had with Dominic¡¯s wolf. Back then, she didn¡¯t know that they were mates, but Dominic¡¯s wolf must have sensed something because he was quite nice to her.


    "As hard as it is to believe. It¡¯s the truth," said Scarlet with a hint of amusement in her tone. "However, that battle put an end to many of theints that had risen against Dominic. He proved that there was no better alpha of the Venus Pack than him. However, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that there were many shifters who went missing right under his nose. The elders are still grumbling due to this. We have no idea what is happening¡ªor whatever the witches were trying to do by sending the corpse of the tiger shifter back."


    Inez hesitated after hearing the words of her sister. Realising the hesitation of her sister, Scarlet narrowed her green eyes. "You know something?"


    "I won¡¯t say that I know something... It¡¯s just something that I saw a few days ago." Inez didn¡¯t know how to tell Scarlet about the mutted form that she had seen a few days ago. Though they found the family of the shifter who died, it did little to elevate the gloom and sorrow around the pack. When she thought about how three of the missing shifters were Scarlet¡¯s friends and one of the males was her ex-partner, she went around with for quite some time, Inez felt that she would be doing a disservice by letting Scarlet know of the twisted experiment that the witches havee up with.


    She found out about it three days ago, and till today she felt sickened to her guts. She wondered how Scarlet would feel if she were to find out the truth?


    **


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 Chapter 300: Bleak Future

    <h4>Chapter 300: Bleak Future</h4>


    Pathetic fool. He should have paid attention to the situation around the territory. It was obvious that the situation was not good, and yet he had not taken the disappearances of the lycans seriously. How would he? The lycans were used to disappearing every once in a while. Sometimes they would go missing for even several months and days. Going off radar was like breathing for Lycans. Because of this very reason, Killian didn¡¯t take these disappearances seriously, but now he had to.


    <i>¡¯These witches have really gone crazy,¡¯ </i>his beast growled, looking at the long list of the lycans who have gone missing. Their territory still had it better than the other territories, where more than fifty or so shifters had gone missing, but a loss was a loss. No matter if it¡¯s one or fifty. <i>They have really gone ahead and done it. Can¡¯t they just stay put and leave us the fuck alone? Look at the number of lycans they have kidnapped. It hurts me to think about how they must have been treated, and I dread to even think about their conditions. </i>


    And so did Killian. Rubbing the space between his brows, he raised his head and looked at his beta. "Why didn¡¯t their families raise an rm?"


    "You know that lycans are known for going missing," remarked Finn. His gentlemanly face was etched with worry as he too stared at the list of missing lycans. "No one took it seriously till now. It was only after the rumors of the failed prototype spread through the territory that these families came forward."


    Killian ran his fingers through his hair. He was slowly running out of patience, even though he prided himself on it, and to make things even worse, Inez¡¯s scent ¨C vani and coconut ¨C was getting fainter with each passing second. Without her by his side, Killian seemed to be having a hard time controlling his anger.


    <i>You are going through some serious withdrawal. </i>


    <i>Shut up.</i>


    Killian pinched the space between his brows.


    "Is your beast giving you a hard time?" Finn asked gently. He could sense that Killian was not feeling better, and given how many days it had been since Killianst saw Inez, it was not a surprise that Killian was not doing well.


    "Yes, he misses her."


    <i>You miss her, too. </i>


    Of course, he did, but he also knew that the weight of the responsibilities on his shoulders was not something that he could just ignore. He was annoyed and frustrated at the situation and at Tracy, who kept trying to push him away from Inez under the pretext that he might end up dying under her for sirens, when they lose control, would kill their partners after they were satisfied and sated, and at the witches who kept popping up new ns like mosquitoes multiplying in dirty and stale water.


    And worst of all...


    "What did Seth tell you?" he asked Finn.


    Finn rolled his eyes. Pushing his sses above the bridge of his nose, he stated coldly, "He told me that the council members do not believe a word that you wrote in your report. In their eyes, vampires and shifters just cannot tangle together. The venom of the shifters is deadly to those bloodsucking creatures. Thus, they keep repeating only one thing: that you are trying to disrupt the peace that they had fought so hard for. Seth cannot go against the majority of the council votes. That¡¯s thew¡ªand don¡¯t forget that the council elders do not like you because of that rebellious attitude and theck of respect that you have shown them."


    The sound of flesh hitting wood echoed in the office. Killian, with his clenched fist, nearly smashed a hole in the table. "Those old bastards!" he knew that they were going to make trouble, but he never thought that they would ignore the danger that was looming right above them, as well as the rest of the shiftermunity.


    "If the council doesn¡¯t put up a firm attitude, I am afraid that it¡¯s going to cause havoc."


    Cottoning onto what Killian was telling him, Finn nodded at once. "You are right. With the council insisting that nothing is wrong and the alphas telling the shifters that there is a waring, I am afraid that it will create a lot of confusion."


    Killian sighed, his expression grim. "And the council is not thest of our worries. Some of the alphas agree with the elders of the council."


    "How can they? They have lost pack members as well." Ajax eximed. He stepped forward and violently questioned, "How can they do such a thing? They know... They know that there is something wrong. The traces of the prototype were also found near their territories."


    "Some bastards like to bury their heads deep in the sand, Jax. Do you think that everyone is like you, who will honour the oaths that they took when they formed an alliance with our pack?" Laxus exined with an apparent air of teaching a two-year-old. "They might have allied with our pack, but ultimately, they have separate territory and thoughts. Naturally, they would stand by the council¡¯s side at times like this; going against the council has never boded well for anyone. I am afraid that if we continue to persist, the council will try something against our pack."


    "Lying, cheating bastards," snapped Ajax as he smashed his fist on the wall behind him. "Just because they are scared¡ª"


    "There is no point in getting angry," said Finn. His lips were curled up in a gentle smile, but there was a firm edge in his eyes. "The council is against the entire vendetta of the witches, causing harm to shifters. They want to continue pretending that everything is going well, that there is nothing wrong with what they are doing. I don¡¯t think that they will let anyone off if they find out that the truth they are trying so hard to hide and ignore is among the masses."


    "So, what do you want to say? Are we just going to ignore what is happening?"

 Chapter 301: Bleak Future (2)

    <h4>Chapter 301: Bleak Future (2)</h4>


    "No." Killian drummed his fingers on the surface of the table. "We will do something. I don¡¯t know what for the time being, but we will. There is no way I am going to let those old fogies in the council think that they can run us as they want and like." However, he currently had no n to deal with them. The elders of the council were too highly protected. If he were to kill them one by one, it would certainly make them wary, and killing them all together was out of the question. Because there was no way he was going to perform a mass bombing.


    "Till then, what are we supposed to do?" Ajax asked as he syed his fingers on the table. "The witches are not going to go on a sweet timeout just because we decided to take things slow. They will still hunt down the lycans and other shifters in the hope of regaining their ce in the power pyramid. Staying silent is not the answer to this question."


    "Who said we are going to stay silent?" Killian remarked. Even though he was calm, it didn¡¯t mean that he was not bothered by what was going on around him. He was enraged. He wanted to tear through those witches for daring to touch his pack members. His beast wanted to drag the person out and slice them into thin pieces. But at the moment, neither of them could summon the energy for that.


    They couldn¡¯t hunt down witches when they needed to stay by Inez¡¯s side. Tracy could say anything that she wanted, but Killian was not going to trust her.


    Her status as a witch was enough to fill his mind with doubts. He didn¡¯t dare to leave Inez alone in the presence of that witch, who straightforwardly denied that the two of them had imprinted on one another. Unfortunately, Inez believed her. The memory still brought tears to his eyes.


    "Then what do you have nned?" Ajax asked. He straightened up, his eyesnding on Killian, whose hair was longer than he usually wore it. His expression tightened a bit further as he met his alpha¡¯s gaze head-on. "The witches are nning a war, Kill. If the council continues with their stuck-up attitude, the death toll will certainly reach a new high. Even higher than thest time when we went against the dark witches." Back then, the council stood by the shiftermunity, but this time around, they were determined to act neutral for the sake of saving their own hides.


    "The council has stopped us from making a formal statement," remarked Killian, twirling the pen in between his fingers. "They never said that we cannot let it slip, anyway, once the rumours started to swirl. There is nothing that the council can do; it is bound to be difficult for them to pin the me on us."


    "But how?"


    "Make the pack attend the funeral of the shifter who was injected with the vampire venom," said Killian. "His body¡ªshall be on disy for everyone to see."


    The council had stopped him from talking about the brutal death of his pack member, but they never stopped him from holding a public funeral and letting the pack members see the corpse of the man who died. For he knew that it wouldn¡¯t help much even if the rumours started to spread, but it would still help a few.


    ***


    With the matter sorted out, Killian arched his arms over his head. Trying to soothe the ache in his muscles. He then headed out of the main lodge; as per his usual schedule, he was supposed to do a perimeter check around the territory, but instead of heading over to the boundary, he went to the lodge where Inez lived.


    "Have you seen Inez?" He asked, his voice sounding hopeful despite the tension in his shoulders.


    "No, alpha. She went somewhere with the redhead who came to see her earlier," replied the guard who had been patrolling near the lodge.


    Killian sighed in disappointment. A sense of difort settled over him. "Of course she is." They had barely seen one another. If he didn¡¯t know better, he would have thought that the woman was avoiding him.


    <i>Maybe she is¡ªyou know how she loves to overthink all the time. </i>


    "I don¡¯t think that she is avoiding me," said Killian. It was the nature of their positions. With his heart set on Inez, it was only a matter of time before she took over the position of the Luna. The two of them had their own issues and problems that they needed to deal with, which couldn¡¯t be counted as her avoiding him. Right?


    <i>Yeah, right. </i>He could feel his beast rolling his eyes at him. <i>I bet that she is back to losing her mind because of what that witch told her about her powers. Maybe she thinks that we are attracted to her because of her powers as a siren? </i>


    Killian frowned. He hoped that Inez¡¯s thoughts were not spiralling out of control because of what Tracy said to herst time. Because he knew it¡ªknew that he was clear and certain when he decided to mark her. There was no such thing as her powers affecting her decisions.


    <i>But you never really talked about it with her over this issue, did you? </i>


    "You know I was busy," Killian stated. A frown tugged between his brows. "I didn¡¯t ignore her... I never had any ns to ignore her. I am just having a hard time¡ª"


    <i>And so is she. You know that she is insecure; I don¡¯t me her for seeking validation every once in a while. The pain that she went through at the hands of her ex-mate is not something that can be dismissed. </i>


    "I am not dismissing¡ª" Killian caught himself just before another quarrel started between him and his beast. "Let¡¯s just make a round around the perimeter. It might help a little in clearing my head." Inwardly he decided to have a nice talk with Inez when the woman returned. If only he knew that the next time he would see Inez¡ªit would be in prison.


    ***


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 Chapter 302: Heading to Alpha Ria’s Territory

    <h4>Chapter 302: Heading to Alpha Ria¡¯s Territory</h4>


    "I asked around," said Scarlet as she stepped out of the car. "The people of the town where you met the mechanic told me a little about the female alpha that man and his wife spoke of."


    "They did?" Inez followed Scarlet out of the car. She nced around the town where she hade thest time with Tracy, and the worry in her heart eased a little. The town no longer looked as terrifying as it did on that night; instead, it looked quite cute and vintage, with small houses scattered all over thend. Suddenly, an odd sort of feeling, which she wasn¡¯t used to but wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with, trickled within her heart. It was an emotion that she hadn¡¯t felt on herst visit to this town.


    Nostalgia.


    Like she knew this ce but couldn¡¯t remember it anymore. As if she had once walked around this ce¡ªwhich was fucking weird because Inez didn¡¯t recall walking around this town in the past, like, ever.


    <i>It¡¯s not weird considering that thest time you were here, you were just a kid, </i>her siren spoke within her. Her voice was calm and soothing, but Inez didn¡¯t dare to trust her, given that her siren was not even in control of her own powers.


    Her siren snorted within her.


    <i>Is it my fault? You have never epted me as a part of you. Always ashamed. Always avoiding me. You don¡¯t even speak my name. If not for the fact that your wolf was incapable of assisting you at the moment, you wouldn¡¯t even pay attention to me. If you had learned how to use your powers, do you think that we would be in the situation that we are in at the moment? </i>Her siren¡¯s words left a lingering guilt within Inez.


    Right. She had always avoided even epting that she was part siren because her mother often called her a monster and whatnot. Saying that she was not worthy enough to be a shifter because she also had a siren. Because of this very reason, Inez had hardly learnt or even epted her siren¡ªno, Nerina. That was what her siren was called.


    Inez could feel Nerina¡¯s happiness within her. Even though she hadn¡¯t done anything other than ept her and call her by her name, Nerina was beaming with happiness with just that alone and that only made Inez even guiltier.


    "Are you speaking with your siren?"


    Scarlet¡¯s voice broke through her thoughts, and Inez turned to look at her sister.


    "Yeah, how do you know that?" She asked.


    "You have this guilty expression on your face. Like you did something wrong," mused Scarlet. She wasn¡¯t looking at Inez but around the town as if searching for something. "Honestly, I wonder how it feels to have two forces within your own body and head. I mean, I have M, and she alone is enough to keep me upied all day long with how chatty she is. I wonder how you haven¡¯t gone crazy with Nia and that siren of yours."


    "Nerina". Inez ryed her siren¡¯s name to Scarlet before she continued to speak. "And yeah¡ªit¡¯s really confusing with the two of them yelling and screaming at me in my head, but with Nia gone... it¡¯s quite too quiet." Inez frowned, missing her wolf who had gone silent. She could feel Nia, knew that she was alive within her. But that was it. She couldn¡¯t reach out to her. It was as if Nia was wrapped and hidden in a bubble. Inez could see and feel her, but she couldn¡¯t reach her with the barrier separating her from her wolf.


    <i>She is just throwing a tantrum, </i>huffed Nerina. <i>What¡¯s the point of pining after a wolf who doesn¡¯t even want you? She is a shame and embarrassment for all the sirens. </i>


    <i>Except that she is a wolf and not a siren. </i>


    <i>She is stuck with me. So she should know better. Men and wolves are not worth your trust¡ªand even if they are, you need to keep your heart protected. Never ever put your key to happiness in the hands of a man. </i>


    <i>What about Killian?</i>


    Inez could feel her siren going silent before Nerina exploded. <i>What about him? What about him? It¡¯s not like I am going to cry myself to death if he walks out on me. I am stronger than Nia and always will be. Don¡¯t count me in the same rank as her, alright? </i>


    Inez winced as Nerina¡¯s voice drummed within her head. She pushed her siren back to the back of her head and then nced at Scarlet, who was standing in front of her and staring at the end of the road on the right. "What are you looking at?"


    "There is something wrong," replied Scarlet. She pointed at the end of the road, and Inez followed her line of sight. "You see that? That old path had a signboard with all the streets marked thest time I came here, but now there is nothing. It¡¯s weird. who in the world would move a signboard?"


    ¡¯It was indeed weird,¡¯ agreed Inez.


    Why would someone move a signboard?


    She questioned, "Was that signboard important?"


    "No," Scarlet shook her head. "Though it was indeed andmark that I marked in my head, it wasn¡¯t exactly important. I know where to go."


    She raised her foot and headed down the road that spiralled down from a modern one to a rickety and bumpy forest path. With thorny bushes, wild nts and gnarled branches reaching out to smack them on their faces, Inez felt like they were walking down what she thought was a path to the forbidden city rather than to an old and abandoned pack.


    "Are you sure it¡¯s down there?" She asked with a frown on her face as another branch smacked her on the face, leaving a red thunder-shaped mark on her pale skin.


    "I left some marks behind." Scarlet pointed at the w marks on the tree on the right and stated, "You don¡¯t have to worry, we are on the right track. This road will definitely lead us to the abandoned pack of Alpha Ria."


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 303: The Female Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 303: The Female Alpha</h4>


    Turned out that Scarlet was indeed correct. The path did lead them to the abandoned pack. Sheltered and away from the town, the territory was hidden deep within a forest. Inez could see a few council guards walking around the old territory and couldn¡¯t help but frown when she noticed the men moving around.


    "Why¡ª"


    "The council doesn¡¯t want thend to go into the hands of the Zealots," replied Scarlet before Inez could even ask what the guards were doing there. She pointed to the only house that looked intact and new and stated, "So they sent a few guards here to live and guard the borders lest the Zealots set this ce on fire again."


    "They have set fire to this pack?" Inez asked with a frown.


    "Yup," Scarlet responded with a pop to the ¡¯p¡¯. "You know how much those lunatics hate shifters. They cannot deal with the shifter territories where shifters live. But that didn¡¯t stop them from setting fires to the territories that had been abandoned and ruined after a pack war or something of the sort. It was a ssic example of fearing the strong and bullying the weak.


    "So can we just walk right into the territory?" Inez questioned again. God, she felt stupid for asking these questions, but with Killian asking her to stay in the pack and not leave without a reason, she could only send Scarlet to investigate the situation and the pack that was once under Alpha Ria, as she couldn¡¯t make so many visits in just a few days with Killian worrying over her like a mama bear.


    "Not exactly." Scarlet nced at the guards before saying to her, "I bribed one of the guards, and he arranged a little leeway for us to sneak inside and take a look around the alpha lodge. But only for a short while. Can¡¯t let anyone catch us, or things might be troublesome for us."


    Inez had never seen or heard of a n where so many things could go wrong at once. However, the burning questions within her made it nearly impossible for her to turn around and leave. She wanted to see the truth for herself. Whether the female alpha, the garage owner and his wife spoke of, was really Maria Siir. The two women walked past the thick cluster of trees and headed down the rocky trail.


    <i>This ce smells weird, </i>said Nerina. She had been silent till now, curiously looking around the territory, even though there was nothing to see other than some half-burnt houses and rubble, along with the skeleton remains of a few houses that might have been burnt down to a crisp in the fire set by the zealots.


    <i>What do you mean by ¡¯weird¡¯? </i>


    <i>There is a lingering magical energy¡ªand it¡¯s not friendly. </i>


    Inez frowned upon hearing Nerina¡¯s response, but before she could question her siren about what she meant by ¡¯not so friendly energy¡¯, Scarlet paused in her stride. "We are here," she announced in a low voice.


    Inez raised her head and stared at the dpidated building in front of her. The second her eyes fell on the run-down house, Inez seemed to have returned to the days of her past. A memory, a rather old and buried one, surfaced to the front as she walked closer to the stairs of the mansion.


    **


    <i>Daddy! </i>


    <i>A man so ethereally beautiful that the air around him seemed to be slowing down turned around and smiled at little Inez. The worry lines on his face smoothed down as he did so. ¡¯My princess.¡¯ The man called back as he scooped the young Inez up from the ground, sending a fit of giggles. </i>


    <i>¡¯Dad, are you awake? Do you feel better? Mom said that you were tired afterst night and fell sick. How can you end up falling sick all the time, Dad?¡¯ the little girl asked.¡¯ She must have been three or four years old because she couldn¡¯t see or understand the severity of the injuries of her father. </i>


    <i>The man smiled at her and nodded, wincing slightly when the cut on his lips pulled due to his efforts to smile at his daughter. ¡¯I am awake¡ªand I am not sick. Just tired. What about you? Are you hungry? Did you finish your lunch?¡¯ He asked, kissing his daughter on the forehead. </i>


    <i>¡¯I did,¡¯ said Inez as she opened her mouth to speak further, but at that very moment, the sound of heels clicking against the marble echoed in front of her. Her father stiffened as he twisted his waist and looked at the woman who hade down the stairs, and so did Inez. </i>


    <i>**</i>


    Her blurry memories turned refined, and Inez sucked in a breath as she recalled the image of the womaning down from the stairs. No matter how much she wished to deny it, she knew and had to admit that it was her mother. She also recalled the fear and terror in the eyes of her father when he realised that her mother stood behind him. So, everything that man and his wife told her was the truth. Her mother was no omega but an alpha female who trapped her father and used him to serve other men or women as per her liking.


    "Inez, are you okay?" She snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing Scarlet¡¯s voice. She turned and looked at her sister, who was staring up at her with a concerned look on her face. "What happened? Did you see something?"


    "I remembered something," Inez spoke in a choking voice. She raised her head and looked in the direction of the mansion, even though the haunting image of her father and his injuries was already blurring, Inez could still feel her heartache. "Mom...she was truly the alpha of this pack."


    "You saw her?" Scarlet asked. Nothing about this ce rang a bell for her because she wasn¡¯t born, but Inez was already there ¨C though young, she had seen and felt the horrors of having a woman like Maria Sinir as her mother.


    Inez nodded, and Scarlet let out a string of curses.

 Chapter 304: The Day I was Mistaken as a Murderer

    <h4>Chapter 304: The Day I was Mistaken as a Murderer</h4>


    Touching the ruined and run-down furniture inside the mansion, Inez sucked in a breath. Her gaze turned as she looked around the entire living hall; though no more memories surged forth, there was still a nagging sensation within her body. The painful tug of recognizing this ce, but not being able to remember it.


    "Do you remember anything else?" Scarlet asked Inez.


    Inez shook her head and replied with a shake of her head, "I cannot remember anything else. It has been so many years; I ¡ªI can¡¯t remember much about this space." She couldn¡¯t help but take a few more looks around the room. Walking over to the wooden cab that was half burnt, she pulled it open and peered inside it. She noticed a few cobwebs at the corners of the cab with spiders dangling from them.


    Her eyes flickered to one side when she caught something gleaming. It was a brooch. A rather delicate and exquisite brooch, with marks of the past and the present left on it, but despite that, it was still intact. Inez reached out and pulled it out of the cab. Clutching the cold metal in her hands, she tried to remember something, anything rted to her father, but she couldn¡¯t.


    At least she was sure about one thing. This was where she had lived with her parents, and her mother was no omega, as she had imed to be. While most of the memories didn¡¯t return to her, Inez had at least an answer to one of her questions.


    <i>¡¯The magic here is more concentrated,¡¯ </i>Nerina spoke. She had been silent, most probably sniffing for more traces of magic around the mansion.


    <i>Do you know what kind of magic it is? </i>Inez asked her with her brows furrowing slightly, as she couldn¡¯t feel or notice any difference around her.


    <i>Something dangerous¡ªI can feel the remnants of the spell. It¡¯s not something that I have felt before, but the traces that are left behind are... </i>Nerina went silent, and Inez didn¡¯t poke her either for further answers because she knew that her siren was not going to speak unless she wanted to.


    "Do you want to stay and look around?" Scarlet asked as she wiped a trail of dust off the table that was sitting on the other side of the room. She turned and looked at Inez before saying to her, "Can you recall something else?"


    "It¡¯s not easy." Inez furrowed her brows, feeling frustrated. Not at Scarlet but at herself; she wanted to remember more about her father, but she couldn¡¯t recall a single thing. It was as if everything, every single memory of her father, had been wiped clean, other than a few lingering ones.


    Scarlet¡¯s expression softened. She said, "I am sorry for pushing you for answers. It¡¯s just... It¡¯s weird."


    "I know."


    Their mother had always been an omega as far as their memories could reach, and now all of a sudden, the woman who was supposed to be an omega turned around and became an alpha female. What happened? How did it happen? They didn¡¯t have an answer for that.


    But¡ª


    <i>It doesn¡¯t change the fact that she kept my father trapped and made him serve other shifters and alphas, </i>thought Inez. She felt exceptionally lightheaded when she realised the horrors her father might have gone through at the hands of her mother. The bruises on her father¡¯s body, the ones she saw in the memory that she recalled ¨C even the memories of those bruises made her disgusted. How could her mother allow such a monstrosity to take ce? Even if she had no love for her father, she had a child with him. Did it not hurt her when she saw her man with someone else? Or was she simply that heartless?


    And what happened to her father? Did he really run away like her mother told her, or was that another lie that she made up? Inez couldn¡¯t help but wonder.


    At first, Inez could not feel anything. Even the voices in her head and around her had be distant. She turned around on her feet and walked past Scarlet, who followed her when she sensed that there was something amiss with Inez.


    "It¡¯s not your fault," Inez heard Scarlet say from behind her, and she knew that it was not her fault. It was her mother¡¯s. And yet she couldn¡¯t understand what to do with the anger and hatred that was bubbling within her nerves like boiling hot magma. She had never felt hatred as thick and coarse before. Inez wanted to drive straight to the Venus pack¡¯s territory and question her mother. Why? Why did she lie to her? Why did she treat her father so cruelly?


    Questions¡ªafter questions kept surging in her heart, and yet Inez knew that she couldn¡¯t react whimsically. There was too much at stake.


    "Inez," Scarlet could sense the anger that was bursting through Inez¡¯s very skin. "You need to calm down."


    "I cannot calm down!" Inez gritted out. She whipped around and looked at Scarlet, who was eyeing her with a concerned look. "Do you even have any idea how I feel? All these years, she kept telling me that I was the one who ruined her life. Making me feel sorry and guilty for being what I was, but turned out it had nothing to do with me. It was on her. All her. She probably felt guilty for doing what she did to my father and that was why she always asked me to hide that I was a siren. Couldn¡¯t let the guilt get to her, could she?" She barked a humourlessugh.


    Scarlet raised her hands in the air. "I know. I know that you are angry at what our mother did, and how she treated your father. But there is no point in getting all hyper."


    "Easy for you to say; your dad is fine. But I don¡¯t even know what happened to my dad." The words slipped out before she could stop them and given the look on Scarlet¡¯s face, the damage was done.

 Chapter 305: The Day I was Mistaken as a Murderer (2)

    <h4>Chapter 305: The Day I was Mistaken as a Murderer (2)</h4>


    Inez sucked in a breath, feeling the sting of her words even though she was not the recipient. "I am sorry."


    "It¡¯s alright."


    It wasn¡¯t alright, and Inez knew that it wasn¡¯t. But the words had already left her lips, and she couldn¡¯t take them back even if she wished to. Oh, how she hoped that her siren powers came with the ability to turn time back. But unfortunately, they didn¡¯t.


    <i>It would have been much better if you had used your mind before opening your mouth. </i>Her siren chimed inside her head, and Inez nearly lost her temper with her as well. However, she knew that Nerina was right. It was her fault for letting her anger get the best of her. She inhaled deeply. "I shouldn¡¯t have said that; it¡¯s not your fault, and I am sorry for taking my anger out on you. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you in the least¡ª"


    "Like I said, it¡¯s alright," said Scarlet with a wry smile. "I know that even if you don¡¯t want to, you can¡¯t help but see me as your enemy."


    "I don¡¯t¡ª" Inez began, but Scarlet raised one hand up in the air.


    "You don¡¯t, of course. But you might still feel some resentment. My dad is alive and well, while yours is not. It¡¯s normal for you to feel angry and upset, and a little defensive. I understand that, after all, our mom did fuck up and too greatly at that."


    Inez wished she could tell Scarlet that it¡¯s not like that, but in honesty? She knew that her sister was right. She did feel a subtle resentment in her heart. Scarlet and Ricky had their father by her side while she lost hers. Why? Because her mother fucked up really good? Why should she be the unlucky one? When her half-siblings were in a much better situation than her own?


    <i>Wow, pessimist much? </i>Nerina remarked within her head.


    <i>Shut up. </i>Inez growled, rubbing the space between her brows. <i>You don¡¯t know what it feels like. </i>


    <i>Yeah. But what I do know is that she has done her best to help you out all the time. </i>Nerina reminded her, and gosh, that only made her feel even worse.


    Sucking in her lip between her teeth, Inez tried to recollect her scattered thoughts. "Look, I messed up. You are right; I did feel a bit resentful because of what I found out.. I am not angry at you." Turning around on her feet, she headed toward the path where they came from. "However, it¡¯s not you whom I am angry at. It¡¯s our mom. I really wish I could question her why she did that to my dad, but I cannot." For the first time, she was feeling frustrated about hiding her identity. If she were still walking around as Inez Sinir, then she could have barged into the Venus territory to question her mother, but now she couldn¡¯t because there was a big, bad alpha after her.


    She couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed at Dominic as well. When she was right next to him, the man had never given her a good look after Abertha¡¯s death, and now that was no longer bothering her; he was determined to hunt her down.


    Scarlet nced at her. Her expression softened with a hint of sadness. "I know that you are not ming me and even if you were, I couldn¡¯t have said anything. Not really. After all, it¡¯s true that you had it worse than me and Ricky."


    Noticing the concern in Scarlet¡¯s eyes, Inez was d that she at least had someone by her side. She smiled at her sister. "That I did. I am not going to say that I had it better than you or that it wasn¡¯t hard." She was trying to smooth the awkward air around the two. "How about we¡ª" Inez was just about to suggest that they head over to the new cafe and order their strawberry boba tea when her foot got caught on something and she fell first on the ground.


    "Inez!"


    "Ouch!"


    Inez winced as she turned around to see what had tripped her. However, her senses went into high alert when she sensed fresh blood and given the shocked expression on Scarlet¡¯s face, she might have sensed the same. The two sisters turned around and saw the corpse lying on the floor. It was a young woman.


    A young woman whom Inez recognised at once.


    It was Alpha Remy¡¯s mate, the woman whom she threatened thest time she ran into her.


    "Quick! I smell blood."


    Inez snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the voices of the guards who were running toward them. She wanted to get up and run but even without trying, she knew that it was impossible. The guards came rounding around the corner and the second they saw Inez sitting on the ground with Scarlet, they turned even more wary.


    "Quick, catch them! They have murdered someone."


    **


    Crack.


    Dominic looked down at the pen in between his fingers and looked up at the Elder in front of him. "Just what did you say to me?"


    The older man flinched. If he was not wrong, he was called Elder Rollins or something along those lines.


    <i>It would be great if he rolled off from here, or I will make him, </i>his wolf mused within his head.


    <i>You cannot; the council elders will not like it, </i>Dominic reminded.


    <i>Shame. </i>His wolf really sounded upset over the notion of not being able to send this man rolling.


    "I am not saying that you are not doing a good job, Alpha Cherith." Elder Rollins raised his hands in the air and said to Dominic, "But I did receive some reports on how you have been paying attention to look for a woman rather than paying attention to the case where the vampires attacked the Bridge at Mistville town."


    Dominic clenched his teeth before putting down the broken pen between his fingers. "Are you sure they were vampires?"

 Chapter 306: I Still Miss My Ex

    <h4>Chapter 306: I Still Miss My Ex</h4>


    Elder Rollins¡¯s shoulders stiffened, and he looked at Dominic with an air of someone who was preparing for a long fight. Rolling his shoulders, he said to Dominic, "And what do you mean by those words?"


    "You know what I mean; in fact, every single one of you knows what I am trying to say here." Dominic had been a member of the council for a very long time. Long enough to understand how to find his way in thisbyrinth-like hierarchy. However, at that very moment, he just couldn¡¯t summon the energy to lower his head, tell the man to fuck off in his head and go on his merry way. "There were signs of shifters breaking into the town next to Mistvile. Enough evidence proves that the intruders who entered the town were shifters¡ªshifters who could drink and suck blood¡ª"


    There was a loud, ricocheting bang in the conference room as Elder Pierson banged his fist on the table. He red at Dominic and stated, "What a nonsensical theory. Do you even believe what you are saying? Shifters who can suck blood? There has been no evidence to prove that such a thing could even happen. You want us to believe such a twisted story? Come on, Alpha Cherith. You can do better than that."


    The man rolled his eyes to assert his stance, but Dominic could see that flickering eyes of the man. So he was either lying or trying to avoid facing the truth, and given how much he knew these elders, Dominic knew that there was a very good chance it was both. He closed his eyes and sucked in another breath before saying, "I have nothing to say if this is your stance, Elder Pierson."


    Slowly getting to his feet, he nced at the faces of the stubborn old men. Now he knew why Killian would rather take on the title of a reckless, frustrating and infuriating alpha who would never understand the severity of his position rather thaning to these stupid meetings. Because he too wished he could do the same at that very moment. He exhaled deeply before pivoting on the spot and said to the rest of the elders, "I cannot continue with this investigation. Since you believe that I am on the wrong trail, then you can look for someone who will lead you to the right one. I believe that you have many to help you with that."


    He then stormed out of the conference room without saying anything else to the elders. Tao, hot on his heels, chased after him. He said in a hurry, "The elders will not like it. They will certainly see this as an act of rebellion."


    "Then they might as well start doing that," Dominic gritted out. His teeth were clenched so tightly that he could hear them grind. "I have done everything to make them see the truth, but they want to bury their heads under the sand and ignore the warnings that I am giving them. Since that is the case, then they might as well look for someone who will continue giving them false security."


    Tao stared at him.


    "What?" Sensing that his beta was looking at him, Dominic turned and looked at the man with a confused gaze.


    "It¡¯s nothing; you ¡ªseem to have changed," said Tao with a hint of awe in his tone. "You were always so¡ª" He frowned and continued with a subtle tone, "Disciplined. I have never seen you going against the council; in the past, you would have ignored the truth just like the rest."


    He would have; he would certainly have done that but¡ª


    <i>Someone feels guilty. But unfortunately, it¡¯s toote. </i>


    His beast scoffed within his head, and Dominic ignored him. It wasn¡¯t toote; he could still investigate the truth. As long as he could dig a bit deeper, he would know the truth. He would.


    And when the truthes to light, it would be just as he expected.


    <i>And what if it¡¯s not? </i>


    <i>It will be. </i>


    Dominic snapped at his beast before marching down the corridor. He didn¡¯t believe that he would miss something so important; there was no way he wouldn¡¯t recognise Inez in the surveince recording and yet Luca¡¯s words still rang in his head.


    <i>What if it was never Inez? What if it was someone else? </i>


    No. There was no way that could be possible. He knew Inez; he would recognise her.


    <i>Are you sure about that? </i>The voice of his wolf echoed in his head with a mocking jeer. <i>As far as I know, you are yet to realise the kind of woman our ex-mate was, you are a fool, Dominic Cherith. And you will soon realise it. </i>


    <i>She is not our¡ª</i>


    <i>Ex-mate? Are you really going to seriously deny it? I have felt the fragments of the mating bond getting weaker. They were weak to begin with but now I can barely feel them. Only a fool would not notice the changes, Dominic. Our mate is letting go of us and that could only mean one thing: she had renounced us. </i>


    The words left a stinging sensation within his very heart because Dominic knew what it meant. It meant that Inez had found someone else. Someone who meant more to her than he could ever mean to her.


    It was weird. So freaking weird.


    Because he had never seen iting, never thought of letting her step away from him even for a second. And yet it had happened. She was no longer by his side and by someone else¡¯s side¡ªeven when Dominic told himself again and again that there was no need for him to feel sorry or hurt, that there was more than one Inez in this world¡ªonly one reminder rang in his head; <i>he just wanted her. </i>


    Even now his heart was tearing apart; he wished he could hunt down Inez and skin the man who was taking her away from him but couldn¡¯t because he had no fucking clue where she was.


    "Let me the fuck go!"


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 Chapter 307: Scared To Be Seen As Vulnerable.

    <h4>Chapter 307: Scared To Be Seen As Vulnerable.</h4>


    Dominic turned around and looked at the guards who were shoving and pushing someone to the dungeons, he frowned when he caught a familiar mane of red. He took a step close to the guards, meaning to see who the woman was¡ª


    "Alpha Cherith!"


    Dominic paused and turned to look at the elder behind him and frowned. "Elder Norman?"


    "Come with me," Elder Norman ushered him to his office. "There is something that I wish to talk to you about."


    There was nothing, absolutely nothing that Dominic wished to talk with Elder Norman about. However, the man had been nothing but polite to him, if he raised his hackles and ignored Elder Norman as well, then he might be making an enemy out of every single person in the council for this man¡¯s influence reached wider and higher than his own.


    "Sure." Dominic agreed. He then looked over his shoulders and questioned, "What is going on there?"


    Elder Norman followed his gaze and carelessly brushed the ruckus that was happening at the entrance of the prison. "Its nothing. The mate of Alpha Remy was found dead earlier in the afternoon at the abandoned territory near the Mistvile town. I believe that they found the killer of that woman and are now taking them to the prison cells. This is not something that we should be caring about, when we have our matters to deal with."


    Dominic kept staring at the entrance of the dungeons, there was a nagging feeling within his gut that kept telling him that there was something amiss about this entire situation.


    "Alpha Cherith?"


    "Lets go." Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned around on his feet and headed after Elder Norman, certainly that woman could not be Scarlet. After all she had no reason to appear at the Mistvile town for no reason.


    **


    "We didn¡¯t kill her!" Inside the prison cell, Inez raised her hand and banged her fists on the bar. However, the guards had no intentions of listening to them, they harshly pushed Scarlet inside the cell as well and then locked the door of the cell, after making sure that the shifter restraints were properly snug on their wrist.


    Inez stared at the blood covered restraints on her hands and felt nauseous. She had been locked up in the cell so many fucking times that Inez had developed a trauma for ces like these. She raised her head and shouted after the guards, "We didn¡¯t kill that woman. We have nothing to do with her."


    "Shut your mouth, you bitch!" one of the guards turned around and snapped at her, "You want to tell us that you were just taking a walk around the abandoned territory where no shifter is allowed to enter without the permission of the council?"


    Inez choked upon hearing those words. Ah, and that was where things becameplicated. How as she supposed to put her defence forward? <i>That sure, I was found near an out of bound territory but I am still innocent? </i>


    Even in her head, the words sounded stupid as hell!


    "I know it doesn¡¯t look nice but we had a reason to be there," shouted Inez but the guards were no longer listening. They were marching out of the dungeons without even looking back at them. Inez watched them leave and the light in her eyes turned dim. She had a very good feeling that whatever this was, it was not going to end well for her.


    Scarlet sat up on the ground wincing. She looked at her restraints and blew her hair off her face beforementing, "They sure are way too harsh with their prisoners. If not for the fact that I can smell the blood and decay around this ce, I would have thought that they were running a bondage club."


    Spinning around, Inez looked at her sister. "Its not funny!"


    "Of course its not funny. But what good will it do for you to scream at the guards? They have made it quite clear that they don¡¯t want to hear a word that you say to them," Scarlet told her. She got to her feet with the restraints around her wrists and walked over to he bars. She peered out through the gaps and clicked her tongue. "Yup, they have no intention of listening to a word that we want to tell them."


    "Oh, if only I had told Killian where I was going," Inez felt a wave of regret when she thought about leaving the lodge without leaving a message to Killian. She thought it was going to be a short trip so she simply told Killian that she was going somewhere with Scarlet. Never did she think that she would end up walking on a myrder scene. "At least then he would have gone to look for me if I didn¡¯t return." She plopped down on the small, wooden nk of a bed inside the prison cell.


    "He will still go looking for you even if you hadn¡¯t told him anything," Scarlet flicked her gaze at Inez who raised her head.


    "What?" she asked.


    "Did you tell Killian about you and Dominic?"


    Suddenly, Inez found herself getting busy admiring with the shoes that she was wearing. "I don¡¯t understand what you are trying to say? Whats there to tell him? He knows that Dominic betrayed me."


    "You know thats not what I wanted to ask you. I wanted to know why you haven¡¯t told him everything, and don¡¯t lie to me. I know you didn¡¯t say anything about what you went through or how Dominic tormented you."


    Of course she didn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t want Killian to see that pathetic side of her where she was on her knees and begging Dominic to let her live. It made her weak, vulnerable and scared. What if Killian realised that it was not that easy to break her? Would he still see her as the strong Inez Sinir whom he could make the Luna of his pack?


    **


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 Chapter 308: Meeting With The Half One

    <h4>Chapter 308: Meeting With The Half One</h4>


    Ignoring the panic that was swelling in her chest, Inez spoke in a low voice, "This is neither the time nor the ce to talk about this matter."


    "I think it is the right time to discuss this." Scarlet slid down the bars and sat down on the floor. Pulling the knees close to her chest, she nced at her sister. "I don¡¯t think either of us is going to get out of this prison any time soon. So why not talk about it? At least that way we would be able to pass some time?"


    "Are you even taking this seriously?" A mouse scurried past them, escaping through the gaps of the bars. Inez¡¯s eyes followed him, and for a few seconds, she wished she could shift into a mouse and run past these bars. But then she remembered that she had shifter restraints on her wrists; even if she could shift, the possibility of her shifting and escaping was close to none.


    "I am." Scarlet looked at her chipped nails that were now broken in a few ces due to the harsh pulling and tagging. She frowned with a look of annoyance. "However, do you think we can do anything at this moment?" She moved her hand as if pointing out the obvious situation they were trapped in. "If you have any ideas to get us out of here, then be my guest."


    Inez scowled, feeling a bit annoyed, but her annoyance was not directed at Scarlet but at herself. Why did she even go to that damned ce today? Maybe she could have gone there yesterday, or maybe tomorrow. Any other time, which might not have resulted in her getting imprisoned. She pursed her lips and said, "I don¡¯t have any particr n at the moment, but we can always brainstorm, right?"


    "You will be lucky."


    A hoarse voice spoke from the prison beside them, and Inez quickly whipped her head to see who the person speaking to her was. Her eyes met with a shaggy man whose face was leaning against the bars of the cell. He was grinning toothily at them. His grey eyes that peeked through the matted hair were filled with amusement. "First time?"


    Inez turned her head away, not bothering with the man. However, Scarlet nced at their prison mate and stated, "We were caught in the wrong ce at the wrong time, Mister. Don¡¯t lump us in together with you."


    "Everyone says that when they arrive here," remarked the man with a taunting grin. "Anyway, you two can try escaping from here. However, the chances are close to null¡ªno one has ever seeded till now. How many people cry and scream their throat out, yelling that they were innocent? What happened to them? They are still trapped here. Who knows for how long?" Heughed like a maniac. He turned his head and tipped his chin at the long file of cells down the row of the corridor. "They all came before me. While some were executed, the rest had been trapped here for ages; I am speaking about more than twenty years or so."


    He then peered up at the two of them. He shook his long mane of hair to take a better look at the two sisters; his grin turned even wider. "Well, well, well. You two don¡¯t look like someone who can kill anyone, but then again, shifters always have that innocence to them, despite being a psycho killer. Now tell me, who did you kill?"


    "We did not kill anyone," breaking her momentary silence, Inez turned and looked at the man with subtle annoyance. "It was a misunderstanding..."


    "Then pardon my rudeness; whom did you see dying?" The man corrected himself.


    "Someone I knew."


    Hearing her words, the man whistled. "You might as well get used to this ce then; there is no point in screaming."


    "What do you mean?" Inez felt her head throb; she had a feeling that whatever this man was going to say was not going to soothe her worries.


    "Ah, you silly girl. Do you even know the meaning of being brought to this ce?" the man questioned.


    When the two of them didn¡¯t say anything, the man chortled as if they had shared some secret between themselves. "The fact that you are brought here means that you are under suspicion. And given that you have no prominent status, I don¡¯t think that you will have someoneing to save you." He shook his head as if he wasn¡¯t bothered by the fact that he, too, was stuck in prison.


    As soon as the man finished speaking, Inez turned to look at Scarlet. The two sisters shared a look before Inez scrambled to her feet and started yelling, "Listen to me! Is anyone there? I am Alpha Sokolov¡¯s mate. All you need to do is call him; I am sure he will tell you about me. Just ask him¡ª"


    "Shut the fuck up!" one of the guards who was standing outside the gates of the prison came, banging the baton that he was holding. "If you don¡¯t quieten down, then I will skin you alive. Do you understand?"


    Inez was indeed a bit scared, but at the same time, she didn¡¯t want to stay locked up in the prison cell. She pursed her lips and said, "You are making a mistake. We only went there out of curiosity and had done nothing wrong; we didn¡¯t kill that woman."


    "That¡¯s right; if we were the ones who killed her, then we would have run right the fuck away. Do you think we would have stayed behind and let you guys catch us?" chimed Scarlet.


    The man beside their cell shook his head. "Oh, you fools. You are getting yourself in trouble."


    Inez knew that she could sense that the guard was losing his temper with them. But staying cooped up in this cell was not something she could withstand. She could feel her hands going mmy and her fear doubling within her heart. If this went on¡ª


    Inez didn¡¯t even dare to think about it. She suppressed the terror that was rising in her heart and tightened her hold on the bars. "Can you call, Alpha Sokolov? He ¨C he is my mate. If¡ª"


    "Shut up." Inez had hardly spoken when the guard banged the baton on the bars, right where her fingers were. Inez winced and pulled her hands back. Just as Scarlet let out a loud ¡¯hey¡¯. She raised her hands to bang at the bars, but then she heard Inez groaning in pain. "Are you alright?" She asked, sounding worried.


    The guard nced at the two of them indifferently. But then his gaze fell on Inez, to whom Scarlet was talking; earlier, he was not present here, and thus, he didn¡¯t take a good look at the two women. Now that he had, he couldn¡¯t help but be tempted because the woman was prettier than any other woman he had ever seen. He opened the lock of the cell and stepped inside. He walked over to the two of them, and hearing the sound of footsteps, Scarlet whipped around, and Inez raised her head.


    "What are you trying to do?" Scarlet sensed that there was something wrong with the guard. She had seen that look in the eyes of many other men¡ªespecially when they saw Inez. Scarlet had lost count of how many times she had punched the shit out of a bastard who tried to tackle Inez when the two of them were in college.


    They had the same look in their eyes when they were stalking her sister.


    The guard ignored her. The audacity of the bastard. So when he tried to step past her and head close to Inez, what do you think she did? She stepped right in his path. "Step back," Scarlet growled at the guard, sensing just what the man was trying to do.


    However, her hands were restrained, and she couldn¡¯t do much, not with her hands all tied up.


    The guard raised his head and nced at her. His gaze was full of indifference, as if he were staring at a little ant that he could crush at any moment. "It seems like you do not understand your own position, do you?" The guard¡¯s eyes turned a horrible shade of red.


    <i>A vampire. </i>


    Inez¡¯s heartbeat, which had somewhat calmed down, rose right back when she realised that the man in front of her was a vampire. If this man tasted her blood, then her situation would be even more perilous.


    "I do understand my situation," said Scarlet. Just like Inez, she too sensed that their situation was no longer looking as optimistic as she had thought earlier. However, it had be even more dangerous, with the guard in front of them turning out to be a vampire or a half one. She nced at her sister, whose face had turned exceptionally pale, and covered her with her body.


    Now, Inez¡¯s life and death were in her own fucking hands. God damn it.


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 Chapter 309: Nerina--Voice Layering

    <h4>Chapter 309: Nerina--Voice Layering</h4>


    "Then what¡¯s with that attitude of yours?" The man raised the baton in his hand and ced it underneath Scarlet¡¯s chin. "If you understand your situation, then step aside. Or else don¡¯t me me for what might happen to you."


    "Our crime hasn¡¯t been proven yet," Inez spoke up. Trying to minimise her presence but at the same time trying to make her voice heard was not an easy task, but she had to do it. She couldn¡¯t hide behind her sister. Not when Scarlet¡¯s safety was at risk because of her. Squeezing her hand to suppress the panic attack that was almost on the verge of breaking out, she said to the guard, "You¨CYou cannot punish her without any evidence."


    The guard turned his attention to Inez, and his eyes shed with a glint of carnality, and he took a step close to her.


    Seeing this, Scarlet¡¯s shoulders went tense. "Step back." Tipping her chin at Inez, she continued, "You heard her; our crimes are not proven yet, and as a warden responsible for taking care of the prison, you do not have the right to punish us. It will do you some good if you leave us alone and let the specialists deal with this case."


    "Oh, so are you going to teach me how to do my job?" The guard stepped closer, snarling at Scarlet. "You sure have a lot of daring for someone locked up in a prison cell." he raised one finger and jabbed Scarlet on her bosom. "Now listen to me closely, you bitch. Here I am thew, and you will follow what I tell you to do, got it? Now get the fuck off my face. I need to interrogate her."


    Scarlet didn¡¯t budge, even when the baton was aimed at her throat. She couldn¡¯t. Because she knew what the consequences would be if she allowed this guard to touch Inez. Scarlet had not the slightest inkling of how much control Inez had over her siren powers, but she knew that their mother had never allowed Inez to learn anything about her skills and control over her powers. If this man approached Inez, who knew¡ªwith the intentions that he had toward Inez, maybe something unkind might happen?


    And given the desire that she was oozing from this half-blood, Scarlet knew that there was no ¡¯maybe¡¯.


    "You bitch¡ª"


    Scarlet didn¡¯t let the man attack her; the second he lifted the baton to hit her on the head, she smashed her head against his chin, sending the man staggering. "Get back!" She growled, raising the restraints in the air. "Don¡¯t think that just because we are tied up, we can¡¯t do anything. If you try anything, I swear I will fuck you over."


    "You fucking hoe." The guard scrambled to his feet before raising his foot and kicking Scarlet in the stomach. He knew that if he dared to punch her, she would bust his head open with the restraints. Nursing his head, he yelled at her, "You think that you can get away after hurting me like this?"


    "Scar!"


    Inez screamed in terror when she saw Scarlet tumbling to the ground. She rushed toward her sister, but the guard reached out, curled his arm around her waist and pulled her back. "And where do you think you are going? Your sister hurt me like this; aren¡¯t you going to do something about the injury that she gave me?"


    "Stop touching me." Inez struggled hard, feeling a sense of helplessness and terror washing over her.


    The guard startedughing. His chest vibrated against her back as he chuckled at her words. "Do you think that I captured you to let you go?" The man leaned down and licked her neck, sending a jolt of disgust down her spine. Intensifying her fear.


    <i>Let me take over. </i>


    Inez frowned, not realising what Nerina was trying to do.


    <i>What can you even do in this situation? </i>


    <i>Just give the control to me. I don¡¯t have much control over my powers, but I can back this vampire off. </i>


    Inez hesitated, but realising that her siren was indeed correct, she closed her eyes and allowed her siren to take over. Her lips curled up ever so slightly, and when she felt the man¡¯s hand reaching for her core, she whispered in a voice that wrapped around his mind like silk. "So eager."


    <i>You are being way too eager. Don¡¯t you think that you will regret rushing? </i>


    His grip suddenly faltered for a second, and the vampire who had been too eager to touch Inez suddenly stopped. He frowned and looked down at the woman in his arms. She had stopped struggling and was pliant, just like how he liked them, so why did he feel like it was better for him to wait rather than rushing things?


    Just as he was struggling, the woman tilted her head and smiled at him with a hint of seduction. She spoke again, her voice honey smooth, "Don¡¯t you think that it will make you even better if you make me beg for it?" Her voice slid between the two of them. Smooth, velvety soft. "You could take me now... but..."


    Another voice erupted within the head of the vampire, duelling the desire that was surging within his body.


    <i>But... wouldn¡¯t she taste better if she were begging him to take her? </i>


    His fangs slowly retracted as the desire within him¡ªinstead of fading¡ªstarted to twist and tangle with a sudden urge to wait. His pride simply purred at the thought of making this woman kneel, get on her fours and open her legs for him. The thought alone was enough to send a rush of thrill within him.


    He chuckled, stepping back an inch. The voice in his head made him believe that it was his idea to let this woman go. "You are clever, my girly." He reached out and cupped her face before smooching her on the cheeks. "I will certainly enjoy bringing you to your knees."


    Nerina smiled faintly, lowering her eyes to hide the shimmer in them. She was d that her first attempt at voiceyering had worked, or else she and Inez would have been in real big trouble.

 Chapter 310: Inez’s Worries Over Her Uncontrolled Power

    <h4>Chapter 310: Inez¡¯s Worries Over Her Uncontrolled Power</h4>


    "Gilderoy, you are needed at the office of the head guard. He has summoned you and wants to talk to you about something." Another guard called out. His expression fell when he saw Gilderoy hugging the prisoner. He said with a frown, "I know that you are used to having your way around this prison, but you better not touch these two women; they are connected to a high-profile case. If you dare to touch them without the permission of Dean, that man would peel ayer off your skin."


    Gilderoy frowned. He nced at the woman in his arms, though his mind kept telling him to make this woman kneel and suffer for him; something held him back.


    <i>Let her stay here, worrying about what I might do to her. That way, her mind would be a mess, and it would be easy for me to break her. </i>


    He curled his lips and patted Inez on the cheek. "I wille for youter, my darling." He then let go of Inez and turned around to walk out of the prison cell. The ng of keys echoed down the corridor before the iron door was mmed shut behind by the guard. However, before leaving, Gilderoy turned around and licked his lips suggestively. His footsteps faded with the passing of each second, but that disgusting stare of his remained behind.


    Inez slid down the bars, her hands and knees hitting the floor with a soft yet hard thud. Scarlet crawled over to her. Her hands were shaking as she softly called out to Inez, "What did you do? What did you do ¡ª why did you do that? You know that he wille for you, right?"


    Inez pulled her hands back and rolled back on her heels. Every muscle in her body was aching. But her gaze was much firmer, and when she raised her head, Scarlet knew that it was not Inez but Nerina. "I know, but she doesn¡¯t want you to get hurt because of her." A pause, and she looked around the grimy walls, with water dripping down from the edges. "And if she stayed here any longer, she would have passed out. You know that."


    Scarlet pursed her lips as she stared at the golden eyes that were shimmering in the darkness. She clenched her fists, trying to anchor the horrible realisation of the danger that her sister had once again taken to protect her. "Why did you do it, Nessie? You did the same thingst time when Dominic threatened you with me. You don¡¯t have to protect me. I can take this on¡ªI can let those men¡ª"


    "No!" Nerina and Inez¡¯s voices echoed in the dungeon at the same time. Nerina reached out and grabbed the hands of her sister; she gripped Scarlet so hard that she winced. "That man wants me, so even if he wishes to break me, he will leave me alive¡ªin case something like that happens. But you are different. He won¡¯t hesitate to kill you. It¡¯s better if I take on his wrath and twisted desires rather than letting you face it." She tilted her head with a ghost of a smile lingering on her lips. "Don¡¯t look so horrified; even if he tries to break me, he won¡¯t kill you."


    "Yes, that¡¯s because he will leave you alive with just one breath until he is done with you," snapped Scarlet, sounding horrified at the very notion. She shook her head and dropped her voice before saying, "You are being way too confident, Nessie, but you cannot fight whips and daggers with words alone."


    Inez¡¯s eyes glimmered in the dim light, carrying something that made Scarlet¡¯s back covered with sweat. "Of course, I cannot. But I don¡¯t need to fight back," she murmured, her voice carrying a low resonance that made Scarlet¡¯s pulse quicken. "I only need that man¡¯s ears, not chains."


    "You don¡¯t have to act brave," said Scarlet. As the silence stretched, broken only by the dripping sound of the water down the stone wall, Scarlet stared at her sister with a hint of tangled awe. Realisation hit deep when she realised that Inez had deliberately yed with the guard to make him back off, letting him think that he was controlling the situation. When, in truth, it was Nerina who was ying him like a marite.


    The two of them were thinking of <i>using</i> the torment instead of worrying about surviving it. But¡ª


    "You are afraid."


    For a moment, there was silence. Then Inez slowly raised her head and nodded. In a voice that was too quiet to hear, she replied, "Yes."


    Scarlet blinked her eyes, startled at the sudden admission of his sister. She parted her lips, but before she could say anything, Inez interrupted her.


    "But does fear matter?" said Inez with a hint of a frown on her face. Her voice sharpened again. "What matters is that¡ª<i> that man </i>never sees it."


    Inez nced at the darkness behind her. With the main entrance of the prison being closed off, the corridor had once again returned to darkness. With the security of this dungeon, Inez wondered how they would even get out of this ce. With what happened, it seemed like the guards here were not afraid of tormenting or breaking the prisoners, which was not a good sign. If Killian didn¡¯te looking for her, she was worried that they might not seed in getting out of here.


    <i>Pssh, who do you think I am? </i>Nerina rolled her eyes, sounding disgruntled. <i>I can totally deal with these guards. </i>


    <i>¡¯You are forgetting that our powers are not under our control,¡¯ </i>reminded Inez. <i>If we exploit too much of our powers, I believe that we might lose control of ourselves. Tracy did tell me not to use my powers without properly learning how to use them. </i>


    Inez could still not recover from what Tracy told her days ago. She could charm Killian into believing that the two of them had formed an imprinting bond. Inez wondered what else she might do if she didn¡¯t control her powers.


    **


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 Chapter 311: Conference At The Council

    <h4>Chapter 311: Conference At The Council</h4>


    "Good morning, Alpha Sokolov," Elder Darius greeted him with a smile, a smile that Killian couldn¡¯t return. Not when he could feel his chest ache, even though Tracy kept telling him that he didn¡¯t form an imprinting bond with Inez; the tugging and pulling within his heart made him draw a sharp breath every next second. He knew that there was something wrong with Inez. He knew that she was hurting. Somehow, he could feel it in the marrow of his bones.


    He didn¡¯t care what Tracy said about the imprinting bond not even being present.


    He knew that it was right there, and he could feel it pulse within him. If there was no bond between him and Inez, how would he know that she was hurt and afraid?


    And yet, instead of looking for her, Killian was dragged to the council by Finn and the rest of the enforcers, because apparently, this was way more important than looking for Inez.


    <i>You are overthinking, Kill. If she were hurt, then don¡¯t you think she would have called you? </i>


    This was what Finn had told him. And he wasn¡¯t alone; the rest of the enforcers were also on it. They kept telling him that he was being way too paranoid, that Inez was fine and if something happened, then she would have called them through the pack bond. But they didn¡¯t know her like he did. That girl had stayed alone for so long that she didn¡¯t even know that she could rely on him or her pack when things got rough. If she ended up getting into trouble, Inez¡¯s train of thought might not even go in the direction where she would think of relying on the pack.


    Because for years, she had been alone.


    "Elder Darius," ignoring Finn nudging him in his ribs, which was totally unnecessary, for he was still listening to what the man was saying to him, Kilian greeted the man back. "Can you tell me why I was called to the council?"


    "There is a meeting regarding the murder of Alpha Remy¡¯s mate," replied Elder Darius as they started to head down to the meeting room.


    Killian arched his brow. "Alpha Remy¡¯s mate?"


    "Do you know her?" Elder Darius asked with a hint of curiosity in his tone. He then shook his head and stated, "I just don¡¯t know what is going on. Someone could actually kill the mate of an alpha; if this is for the safety of the council, then I fear that it won¡¯t be long before alphas will start umting their own personal shifter army. The only relief is that the culprits were caught. If not, then how would we even think of stepping out of our territory?"


    "Even the mate of an alpha was killed. I wonder what more is waiting for us in the future?"


    <i>It¡¯s indeed strange. How could the mate of an alpha be killed? Howe he never noticed that she was missing until she died? </i>


    His beast was prowling beneath his skin, snarling to be unleashed, to run and to tear down stone after stone until he could see his mate again. But beneath all that anger, he was still paying attention to what was happening around him. He mused within himself, sounding confused.


    Indeed, how could Remy not sense the disappearance of his mate and howe he didn¡¯t catch on to anything before she died? There were too many missing elements in this case but what surprised him was¡ª


    "They caught someone?" Killian asked. He had been involved with many cases of the council and he had never heard of the guards being so efficient that they had caught someone in a matter of a few hours. Even when he was leading a hunting team, they took at most a week to capture a culprit. Howe this time around the culprit was caught in just mere hours? Especially when these murderers were responsible for killing the mate of an alpha and that too someone who was part of the inner circle of the council.


    Killian continued to walk down the corridor, his thoughts already weaving with ifs, buts and whatnots.


    "I believe they are trying to figure out who hired those two women to kill Alpha Remy¡¯s mate. Who do you think can be this bold, Killian?" Elder Darius turned and looked at Killian.


    "Alpha Remy has countless enemies. Anyone could have made the move for he loves to cause chaos in territories he should not be poking his nose into."


    "Like yours."


    Killian raised his head and nced at the man who was smiling at him serenely. He knew what Elder Darius was ying at but he didn¡¯t let the man poke fun at him. "Indeed, but if it were me. I would have killed that motherfucker and eaten even his intestines, making it difficult for the council to even find traces of the murder for months. So I assure you that it¡¯s not me."


    "True," Elder Darius conceded. "It¡¯s not in the nature of the lycans to leave their prey in the hands of others. They like to do their dirty dealings on their own, don¡¯t they? I heard it from Noah." He added when Killian continued to stare at him.


    "Of course, Noah knows a lot about lycans, doesn¡¯t he?" Snorting, Killian put a boost to his pace, his mind churning with possibilities. What if Inez was really in danger? What if, while he was busy with this meeting, she was suffering in pain? Could she even get out of that trouble? Or maybe she was waiting for him? What if he missed something? Was there something more in the note that she sent to him? No one other than him would worry about her going missing if she really ended up tumbling into a messy situation.


    He shoved the thought away, refusing to let them drag down the puddle of negativity. No more spiralling out of control. He would just do with this meeting and then go looking for Inez. And when he was going to find her, he was certain that his bubble would roll her eyes at him and tell him that he was acting way too crazy.

 Chapter 312: Alibi

    <h4>Chapter 312: Alibi</h4>


    Killian made his way through the clean, marble-floored corridors. Upon reaching the conference room, he walked right past the oak doors, as they were already pushed open by the guards standing on either side of the doors. Inside the conference room, other than the head of the council, there were seven other alphas sitting inside, including Dominic and Remy. while on the other side, the alphas from the small territories, with no possible significance, were sitting.


    As he stepped inside, he could see that Remy¡¯s expression was not looking good. He seemed like he was on the verge of losing control, which was not surprising as he had lost the anchor to his soul. Killian, however, only nced at the man before walking past the rest of the people and sitting next to Dominic. There was no other choice for the man was in an alliance with him.


    Elder Norman was still speaking. With his hand banging on the surface of the table, he continued speaking in a strained voice, "If someone can kill the mate of alpha Remy, then tell me how are we going to live without looking over our shoulders? We all have mates and children or people we care for. I demand that this time around, those who were responsible for killing Alpha Remy¡¯s mate should be given a severe punishment such that anyone would think twice before making another move like this."


    "You are forgetting that we are not here to discuss the safety of the alphas and the territories, Norman. We are here to discuss and investigate the ins and outs of this murder. Like what kind of grudge a person might have against Alpha Remy to kill his mate?" said another man, with a frown on his face.


    "More importantly, why did his mate go to that abandoned territory for no reason?" used another woman. The female alpha narrowed her eyes and nced at the alpha, who looked a bit shaken up, and when others turned to look at her, she threw her hands up in the air and stated, "What? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think that I am in the wrong? But we have to consider every aspect, right? So what made that woman head to the abandoned territory without letting even her mate know about it? Unless there was something more happening than we can see at the moment?"


    "My mate is dead!" Alpha Remy stood up and turned to look at the female alpha. "I demand that you treat her with some respect, Rachel."


    Rachel crossed her arms and snorted. "There is no point in yelling at me, Alpha Remy. I am just asking a casual question. It¡¯s not like your mate was kidnapped and taken away from the pack; she left on her own. This further intensifies the suspicion of her as well. Don¡¯t yell at me. It¡¯s not like I killed her."


    "Alpha Cross¡¯s questions and suspicions are valid," said Elder Norman. "Your mate left your territory on her own, Alpha Remy. There had been some reason for her to drive all the way to the abandoned territory. Right?"


    "I asked her driver; he told me that L stepped out just for a moment. She told him that she was feeling a bit nauseous and just wanted to step out for a moment. Don¡¯t tell me that it is a crime?" Alpha Remy asked with tears in his eyes. "I want to question the criminals who killed my mate. I want to ask why they even did such a thing. What kind of grudge did they have against me for them to do such a thing?"


    "But why did she even go there ¨C"


    "Did you even get an answer from these women who were captured?" Dominic asked, reaching his patience when he saw them going back and forth. "If we have some lead, then we don¡¯t have to think about our next course of action. I don¡¯t believe that the murder was nned by the two women alone. How could they be so foolish as to get caught if they were the ones behind it?"


    "How can it not be possible?"


    "How can it be possible?" Killian spoke up. He turned to look at the man who was questioning Dominic and stated in a cold yet firm voice, "Like Alpha Cherith said, those two women were way too sloppy. In fact, I wonder how those two even killed L? Did anyone even see them kill that woman, or were they just dragged down?"


    Elder Norman straightened up in his seat and questioned, "Are you suspecting that we didn¡¯t investigate the situation? I heard from the guards who captured those women; they saw those two women killing L. They stabbed her with their ws¡ª"


    "But I just read the documents, and it states that L¡¯s wounds were due to internal bleeding." Killian picked up the document in front of him and waved it in front of Alpha Norman. When the man red at him, Killian smiled at the man and leaned back on the chair. He winked at the man and said to him calmly, "There is no need to look at me with so much love, Elder Norman. I am just being a bit more careful; after all, we don¡¯t want to punish someone who has not done anything wrong just because we want to show that the council is doing something?"


    Upon hearing his words, many of the elders shifted in their seats ufortably.


    <i>What foolish humans. </i>His beast growled within his head, annoyed at the ipetence and their love for positions.


    "I made a mistake, as I didn¡¯t read the reports and listened to the words of the guards," corrected Elder Norman. He then turned to look at Seth and continued, "We already have a suspect, and as long as we give them a good enough shock, they will confess what their intentions were behind this murder. I am sure of it."


    "I hope that they are indeed the ones who killed L," said Dominic. "It will not reflect well if those two turned out to be innocent. We already have enough mess to clear up with everything that is going on."


    "Or maybe better, all the members of the council present an alibi of what they were doing that day."


    **


    My fairies if you like the book please do vote for it with golden tickets and gifts~ Thank you and hugs~

 Chapter 313: Secrets Unveiling

    <h4>Chapter 313: Secrets Unveiling</h4>


    Dominic slowly turned and looked at the man sitting next to him. He narrowed his eyes and questioned, "I hope¡ªyou are not suggesting that one of us was responsible for administering this attack?"


    Killian simply grinned at the man¡¯s question. "I never suggested that, but at least we will be able to eradicate this suspicion that it was one of us. There is nothing wrong with clearing off the suspicion, right?"


    "You are trying to muddle the situation by directing suspicion to us!" Elder Norman started with a growl. "You think that you can do just about anything just because Seth has been wiping your ass all these years?"


    "There is no need for you to be upset, Elder Norman." Killian tilted his head to the left. "This is just a simple step, one that can help us bring the culprit to light. After all, Alpha Remy is one of us. The fact that he has lost his mate must have brought him great grief, and as his dear friends, the least we can do is to make sure that he will get some ounce offort by getting the name of the culprit who killed his mate."


    "We already have a culprit. No, two of them¡ª"


    Killian simply rolled his eyes. He clicked his tongue and stated, "Only fools will believe that two women who were silly enough to be captured at the crime scene were involved in the killing of L." A pause, and with a wicked grin, he stated, "And I don¡¯t see any reason why you are so strangely against my suggestion. Unless you are scared that it might bring your deepest, darkest secrets out?"


    No one said a word, but at the same time, they were not happy with the suggestion either. No one truly liked Alpha Remy. The man was too sly, and his actions were hardly worthy of being a shifter. The way he flexibly shifted anywhere¡ªmany shifters looked down on him due to this. So, no one was really sorry about him losing his mate.


    Elder Norman huffed. "You can try to bait me as much as you want, but I have done nothing wrong to be scared of."


    Killian shot him a wicked grin. "That¡¯s the spirit."


    "Send me a detailed report on what you all were doing three weeks prior to the murder, including on the day it happened,"manded Seth. "Anyone who tries to sneak their way out of this will be strictly punished. The meeting is hereby adjourned."


    Even with the meetinging to an end, Killian couldn¡¯t shake off the annoyance and frustration that was building at the back of his neck. Usually, he felt better after pulling the legs of these elders, but today, even this was not enough to make him feel any better. It felt weird. Like some sort of evil foreboding.


    "You should be a bit more polite to the elders," said Noah as he got to his feet. With his expression ever so calm, he stated, "Even if your blood is as barbaric as it can get, you can still act civil."


    "And here I thought that you knew everything about lycans." Killian moved past the round table. Heading straight to the oak doors as he tried to shake off the tail that had caught onto him. "Lycans do not respect anyone who does not deserve it."


    "They are the elders¡ª"


    "Then let me correct myself." Killian paused and turned to look at the man behind him. With a sickly sweet smile, he stated in a quiet voice, "I meant I am only going to respect them if and only if they earn my respect. Sitting in fancy chairs and acting all lofty and mighty is not going to get them my respect."


    Noah¡¯s expression turned into something twisted. Murderous even.


    However, Killian knew that the man was way too disciplined to even try and attack him in the council. He was a follower of the rules through and through.


    Killian shed him onest smile before turning around on his feet and heading out. He needed to go out and investigate this tugging and pulling within his chest. If Inez was back in the territory, then it was well and good. If she wasn¡¯t, then the world better be prepared, for he would be an inch away from setting it on fire.


    <i>Count me in. </i>


    Killian didn¡¯t even blink upon hearing the words of his beast. "Should you not be stopping me from causing havoc?" Usually, his beast was the one who would try to restrain his temper. But then again, there was nothing usual about their mate¡¯s disappearance.


    <i>I would have if she were fine. But I know she is not¡ªI don¡¯t know how I know this, but I just do. We need to hurry, or else our mate will be in danger. </i>


    <i>I know. </i>


    "Having trouble?" Dominic caught up to him, noticing the frown on Killian¡¯s face; he raised his eyebrows slightly.


    "Nothing out of the usual." Killian turned and nced at the man walking next to him. "What about you? Any signs of your runaway mate?" His lips instinctively curled upon that question. Killian didn¡¯t care what happened between Dominic and Inez. What he cared about was the thought of Inez¡¯s beautiful, sea-green eyes staring at Dominic with tears and betrayal. A poor woman who was rejected by her mother and abandoned by her mate. The thought alone was enough to make naked rage burn in his stomach. It seemed like loving someone was hating on every single bastard who made her cry.


    Dominic stiffened. With an air of seriousness that he usually didn¡¯t have, the man turned and looked at Killian. "Don¡¯t you try to pull something on her, Alpha Sokolov. Men like you can never take care of someone like Inez. If you try to make a move at her, I will not sit quietly."


    The words simply felt too amusing, especiallying from his mouth. Killian chuckled softly as he tried to stop himself from hurling a punch at the audacity of the man. "What are you going to do if I do, and with what rights? Have you forgotten how you rejected her in front of everyone?"


    "Killian¡ª"


    Before Dominic could say something, Seth walked out of the conference room and called, "Killian."


    Killian and Dominic stared at one another before Killian turned to look at Seth, while Dominic offered a polite nod to the head of the council and then turned around on his feet before walking away.


    <i>He is still hanging on even though the mate bond is weakening. </i>


    Which was weird. If Dominic cared so much about Inez, why did he embarrass and reject her? If he was going to cling to her like that?

 Chapter 314: Secrets Unveiling (2)

    <h4>Chapter 314: Secrets Unveiling (2)</h4>


    The prison stank of damp stone and rust, but Inez could hardly notice anything other than the darkening sky and the silence. The thick and pressing silence, only broken by Scarlet¡¯s asional restless sighs. Inez could already imagine how worried Killian might be due to her sudden disappearance. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, other than getting trapped in this rotten prison. But with the shifter restraints, she couldn¡¯t reach him, not unless she found a way to break the chains that were holding her shifter abilities back.


    "Staying awake is not going to help. You might as well ept your fate and just wait for the day when you will be executed," came the words from the man in the next cell.


    Inez turned to look at him, but she couldn¡¯t see him clearly as the man was now hidden in the shadows. She wanted to snap at the enigma of a man, but something held her back. It was as if she knew that she couldn¡¯t hurt this man...


    Deciding upon civility, she ignored the annoyance in her heart.


    "It is a good thing that you have stopped making a fuss. You two were acting so foolishly that I thought I was going to see a live show of voyeurism. Not that I would have disliked the show; it has been many years since I saw anything good," the manughed as if he found everything that was happening to Inez and Scarlet amusing.


    "Why are you even locked up in here?" Inez asked. She didn¡¯t see how this man, who seemed way too jolly, was involved in any crime that would lead him to be locked up in prison. "Were you also used of doing something that you didn¡¯t do?"


    "Haha, do I look that innocent? This is my first time hearing someone say such a thing to me," the manughed. Several seconds passed, and the man didn¡¯t say anything. Just as Inez thought that the man hadpsed into silence, the sound of someone crawling echoed in the prison cell next to her, and a secondter, the man came to sit against the bars of the cell. His dark eyes stared at Inez, eyes that gleamed with secrets too heavy to carry.


    Scarlet pressed close to Inez. She whispered softly, "Don¡¯t believe anything he says... I think he is half mad."


    Inwardly, Inez agreed with her. But they were not going anywhere for the time being, not until the half-vampire came looking for them.


    So why not listen to the story of this man?


    "I tried to bring my mate from the dead... I used dark magic," he turned his gaze to look in the direction of the two sisters. "I allowed a witch to trespass on my packnds and massacre the members of the pack. I watched them die right in front of me. In exchange, I wanted the witch to bring my mate back to life, but she only brought her corpse back to life. So I killed the witch; unfortunately, that only added more to my crimes, as I vited the treaty with the eyewitnesses around. She ran to a human settlement, you see? If I had done it secretly, no one would have found out anything. I was too big of a fool."


    "Why did you kill them?" Scarlet asked, despite being the one who asked Inez to stay clear-headed.


    "They were the ones who killed my mate. Just because she was born as an outcast. They killed her¨Ctore her apart because she was not a shifter. They deserved to die for what they did to my mate," the man smiled with a hint of reminiscence on his face.


    Inez didn¡¯t make ament on it. Cautiously, she asked, "Then how long have you been locked up here?"


    "I don¡¯t know when I was brought here; I was only twenty-one... I stopped counting by the time I turned thirty," the man sighed with a hint of mncholic amusement. He then turned to look at the two of them again, and after a short while, he asked, "Where did you twoe from?"


    "Venus pack".


    "Blood Hill Pack".


    "Ah, those are some really strong names. I remember that my pack¡¯s alpha tried quite hard to grab an opportunity to form an alliance with the Venus pack. But I have never heard about the Blood Hill pack; it must have been formed recently. Anyway, even if it¡¯s a new pack, it must be better than my own. You have no idea the kind of trouble that I suffered in my pack, and it became even worse when my alpha aligned himself with that female alpha."


    "A female alpha?" Inez¡¯s voice rose a notch as she turned to look at Scarlet.


    The two of them shared a look, but the man didn¡¯t seem to notice. He was still lost in his own thoughts, as he nodded and continued speaking, "That¡¯s right... Someone called Ria... I guess. I don¡¯t remember her. A really cruel woman¡ªtruly cruel. How many lives she might have taken under her reign; even now, the thought sends a chill up my spine, making me shiver. You two are far too young to understand, but that woman was brutal. controlling and really maniptive. I heard that she used to brand her pack members. The old way: fire and an iron club. You see? Brutal."


    Inez clenched her fingers tightly in herp. Even though her mother had never branded her with iron and fire. She had left her mark in some other way. She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath. Next to her, Scarlet asked, "Did she ever get involved with a siren... we have heard a little rumour about her."


    The man tilted his head to the side creepily. He stared at Scarlet and turned to look at Inez. His lips cracked into a grin too wild, and he eximed, "Oh, you are the daughter of that siren."


    **


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 Chapter 315: Secrets Unveiling (3)

    <h4>Chapter 315: Secrets Unveiling (3)</h4>


    "I am not," Inez refused right away. Her hands were clenching herp as she tried to calm down the fear that started to surge within her. Thest thing she wanted was someone to recognize that she was a siren in this godawful prison.


    "You are his daughter. Even when you look like your mother, there is still some semnce that you share with your father."


    "You are mistaken." Inez firmly refused to admit that she was the daughter of a siren.


    "There is no denying the truth, my dear. You look so much like him that anyone who has seen him once can see the resemnce between you and your father. Your eyes, especially; they have so much vulnerability at the same time," he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together with a pondering look on his face. "Just the right tinge of seduction. They are just like your father¡¯s." He crawled over to where the two sisters were sitting and winked at them. "Don¡¯t worry; I am not a tattletale. I am not going to say anything to the guards; that will be too easy for them, right?"


    Inez pursed her lips, trying to ease her hammering heart behind her ribs. The dungeon was filled with all kinds of twisted criminals. Could she even trust this man? Especially when he was unhinged enough to massacre his entire pack? Though he had a valid reason for that, it was still terrifying. The man tilted his head to one side and mused, "What a surprise. Howe no one realised that you were a siren? Your blood sings too loud. Even now, I can feel it. Siren blood. His blood." He lifted his head and stared straight at her. "Your father¡¯s."


    Her pulse started hammering. "You knew him?"


    "I watched him rot, slowly and painfully." The man¡¯s voice cracked with bitterness. "The female alpha who imed him swore that she loved him. She wanted to chain the storm without realising what she was even trying to do. However, she soon realised that a creature of the sea could never be restrained. So she chained him, determined to break him, crumble him until he gave in to her. And for a time, she almost broke him."


    Scarlet¡¯s eyes went wide when she heard the words of the man. "Mom..."


    The prisoner¡¯s eyes flicked to Scarlet, and he hummed. "You must be her half-sister, right? I saw that woman fall right in front of my eyes. So I know that you two cannot be rted to the same father." Clicking his tongue, the man sighed. "What a poor thing. He was such a kind man, an odd one out of all. Sirens are usually more unrestrained and chaotic. I remember that he was brought to your mother as an offering for an alliance. He was supposed to stay just for a week and leave, but shifters¡¯ greed doesn¡¯t really know bounds, does it?"


    And Inez felt her rage leaving the bounds as well. A strange emotion coursed through her veins, where she could feel the molten fury bubble. She had never thought that she was capable of murder, but at that moment, she did have the intent to harm someone. The anger within her skin threatened to consume her. The rage was so alien that Inez wanted to break open the bars of this cell and then throttle her mother to death. Her own mother and she would happily watch her die at that very moment.


    Scarlet studied her with a frown.


    She shook her head at Scarlet, letting her know that she was not going to lose her temper. That she was still in control. For now. Her shoulders were square, and her stance was like that of a snake that was inches away from poisoning someone to death.


    "My mother is an omega," Inez told the man, wanting to know more of what happened between her mother and her father.


    The man shook his head slowly. "Ah, she was never an omega. At least not by birth. After the praise and fame of your father and his ethereal beauty scattered all over thends, another one came. A witch, with eyes like those of winter and a heart full of desire and hunger. She wanted him, too, you see? Could not stand the fact that your mother imed him. So she cursed her. Stripped her of her strength. Made her an omega. Unfit to lead, unfit to fight. Humiliated her with the worst kind of humiliation, all because your mother touched your father in a way she shouldn¡¯t have."


    Inez¡¯s throat tightened. "And my dad... what happened to him?"


    The man¡¯s face twisted with glee. "Him? Gone. He disappeared. Vanished into the darkness. Some say the witch took him. Some say he broke the chains that bound him and then fled to the sea. No one knows the answer to this question, as there had been chaos when it happened." His gaze lingered on Inez, hard and knowing. "But you know what, girl? The witch¡¯s obsession, your mother¡¯s ruin and his disappearance... it all began and ended with him. But with the song that runs in your veins... I am not sure anymore."


    "Why are you telling us all of this?" Scarlet shot to her feet. Looking down at the man who was still sitting and smiling at them as if he had just ryed a rather funny story. "I don¡¯t believe that you are just telling us this because you wanted to."


    The man continued to grin like a fool, and Scarlet¡¯s jaw tensed.


    "You are right; I didn¡¯t tell you this for no reason." He smiled, all his teeth in the shadows. "But because I believe secrets rot in silence. And because you are the ones who wanted to know. Anyway, I can only tell you one thing. Those who wanted him... will want you, <i>too." </i>


    The light outside their prison cells sputtered before flickering and turning off on its own, throwing the dungeon into deeper darkness.


    Inez¡¯s heart started to pound even harder; the words etched themselves into her bones. She didn¡¯t know if she believed him. But the echo in her blood sang that every bit of what the man said was true.

 Chapter 316: Silver Dawn Pack

    <h4>Chapter 316: Silver Dawn Pack</h4>


    The moon had barely risen, and yet Killian couldn¡¯t stop pacing around the pack hall. He could sense that there was something amiss, but with the current situation, he had no chance to go out and look for Inez. He stared at Seth, who stared right back at him. "You seem to be worried about something. What a rare sight. I have never seen something like this before. A fretting lycan. Should I call someone to capture it?"


    "What do you want, Seth?" Killian asked, barely concealing the rage and worry bubbling in his body. "If there is nothing more than teasing me, then I guess I will take my leave."


    "Sit down." Seth picked up a teacup and poured some chamomile tea into it. "There is something that I would like to discuss with you."


    Killian stiffly nodded as he took a seat on the chair. Even though he had somewhere he wanted to be very much, he owed Seth too much. If not for this man, he would have lost his life countless times. Those life-saving graces were enough for him to listen to what Seth had to say to him.


    "I want you to go and take a look at the Silver Dawn Pack." Seth stirred the teaspoon in the cup as he finished mixing the sugar into the murky liquid. Raising his head, he stared at Killian. "I would have offered you a cup too, but I don¡¯t think you would like it." Killian shook his head lightly.


    "But why me?" He asked. His brows furrowing in a frown as he stated, "I don¡¯t think that there is any need for that, right? There is Dominic for that. He is a member of the inner circle. I am not one of the members of the inner circle." He had strictly stayed away from those elders who were part of the inner circle. Clearly, they knew nothing about fun, and ording to Elder Norman¡ªhe was too big a manwhore that he didn¡¯t deserve the honour of being part of the inner circle.


    He was a jerk like that, but hey, that was what he liked about him.


    Seth raised his head just enough to stare at him. "You could join the inner circle anytime if you want. I have lost count of how many times I asked you to join the inner circle and you have refused me again and again."


    "Nonsense," Killian waved his hand. Annoyed at even the notion of joining the inner circle. "I don¡¯t have the slightest bit of desire to join the inner circle. I still haven¡¯t forgotten how one of the elders tried to start a revolution against the humans just because he got locked out of his phone."


    "That was a one-time thing."


    "A revolution against the humans for something so stupid should be a one-time thing!"


    Seth sighed. Pressing his hand on his forehead. "Anyway, I want you to go and take a look at the Silver Dawn pack. I believe something weird is going on in there," he pulled out a report which he had received from his shadow enforcers and ced it in front of Killian. "I believe that L went there before she died. The traces do lead there; Remy can say whatever he wants to, but either he had no idea what his mate was up to or he was aware of it and is now leading the council by the nose."


    Killian caught the detailed information on the papers, and his brows jumped high enough to almost escape his forehead. Almost.


    He pursed his lips and stated, "Dare I ask why you are even keeping track of the council members? Afraid of getting assassinated?"


    "You know that the current situation is not good." Seth tapped his fingers on the table. "You have heard all about the disappearances of the shifters, and with the site that you cracked, I am afraid that it won¡¯t be wrong to say that the witches are on the rise again. Aeback I was not looking forward to," he mused with a crooked smile.


    "Not like anyone believes it." Killian squared his shoulders as he crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back. "They believe that I am causing trouble. I heard them whisper after the meeting."


    Seth smiled. A hint of amusement in his eyes as he stated, "You know that they are afraid, scared that they would be thrown into another moment of rapid chaos. Thest war nearly wiped us all out. The only good thing is that the lycans were there to take down the witches. But with your blood¡ª"


    "Muddled through with the interjections of humans and other species," Killian finished for him. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "We cannot be med for that¡ªit kept getting harder to maintain the pure lineage of the lycans, especially with our depleting numbers."


    "Indeed," Seth agreed. "Anyway, what I wanted to say¡ªthe site that you had cracked could be traced back to the Silver Dawn pack."


    Killian snapped his head. "What?"


    "Indeed. It was quite a surprise for me too." Seth nced at the report in front of them. "However, the traces are all there, and unless this is another dud, then we can at least get a breakthrough in this situation of the Great or the Holy one the witches call her."


    "I have something to do¡ª"


    "Killian," Seth turned to look at him. His gaze was unusually stern as he said to him, "I understand that you have priorities different from those you had in the past. But you also need to understand one thing: the elders already have you as their enemy. At least cracking a case as serious as this one would silence them for a few days. Do it for your pack, Killian. Or else you will find yourself as the target of the gunfire again, and that will cause much bigger trouble for your pack. Head over to the Silver Dawn pack and see what is going on in there."


    **


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 Chapter 317: The Humming Song

    <h4>Chapter 317: The Humming Song</h4>


    <i>Can¡¯t I just take his head off? </i>


    Killian heard his beast growl in his head. He was not happy with Seth, and it must have been quite obvious because Seth smiled a little and said to him, "I know that your beast is not happy with me. But this is important: those two women who are locked up in prison might not even be involved with the murder, and this visit to the Silver Dawn pack can help us with the case. Or would you like to see those two be executed for something they didn¡¯t even do?"


    "You are asking for justice from someone who cares the least about it, Seth." Kiin shut the report and got to his feet. He had important things to do, such as hunting down a silly little fish who had no idea how ruthless the world was. However, he hadn¡¯t even turned around when Seth ced the teacup in his hand on the table and stated coldly, "I think that there was a misunderstanding. I was not asking you; I was ordering you. I have already made all the arrangements; all you need is to visit the Silver Dawn Pack."


    "Seth¡ª"


    "You owe me, Killian." Seth got to his feet. His silvery eyes stared at Killian like he could see the future, and maybe he could see it, as Killian had heard that Seth was the descendant of an angel.


    "You really have to be fucking kidding me. There are countless motherfucking bastards who would willinglyp this opportunity that you are handing to me. So why me? Why not them?"


    "Because you are the only one who will not be shaken up by the bribes that the Silver Dawn Pack might hand over to the rest of the elders. You know they care little about the life or death of the innocents," said Seth with a calm tone. "As long as they can get some benefit that might suit them a little..." He hummed with a tilt of his head. "They might just ignore the lives of those who are trapped inside the prison cell. So,pared to them... you are a much better option."


    "Seth¨C"


    "We will take on this mission," before Killian could refuse, Finn stepped forward and spoke with his voiceced with charm.


    A growl built inside his chest. <i>I am not going to the Silver Dawn pack; Inez is missing. Do you think that I have the time to investigate this pack?</i>


    <i>You are forgetting that L had a grudge with Inez; </i>Finn pack-linked directly to him. His voice was simply pragmatic. <i>What if her disappearance has something to do with L? Think about it clearly, Kill. Seth will not make you do something for no reason since he is insistent on it... Maybe there is something that he knows, but he cannot tell you directly. As the head of the council and his murky identity... he needs to be careful. </i>


    Killian felt his shoulders rx a little. Yes, L had a deep feud with Inez; perhaps that woman was the one linked to his mate¡¯s disappearance.


    His gaze drifted over to Seth. The man was still standing in front of him without any expression on his face, but his eyes were all too knowing for Killian to ignore. Did he really know something? Would going to the Silver Dawn Pack really help him trace down Inez?


    "Alright, since you have already made arrangements, then who am I to refuse? I can only follow yourmand."


    **


    Inside the prison, Inez couldn¡¯t sleep, not even for a second. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind would bring up images that she didn¡¯t want to see or remember. Either it would be the wound-covered face of her father, or it would be the eyes of her mother, who stared at her with hatred. She could now understand why her mother hated her. In fact, it would be correct to say that she didn¡¯t hate her for being a siren but because she resembled her father way too much.


    <i>Your mother was ruined and broken. Your father disappeared. </i>


    <i>All because the witch wanted him too. </i>


    Her fingers clenched and unclenched. So, this was why her mother despised her father and her. Because she med her father for her downfall.


    And her father... <i>if he was still alive, then there must be a trail. </i>


    The thought was like a me turning wild, and she couldn¡¯t ignore it. Inez sat up straight and shifted close to the bars. After the prisoner finished speaking about her father, he once again returned to his corner and stopped talking. Scarlet said to her that the man was mad and she shouldn¡¯t take his words seriously, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself. Not when this man was the only one who had provided her with the link to the past that she had forgotten.


    She raised her head and looked in the direction of the man, only to notice the prisoner watching her with eyes like dying embers.


    "Tell me," she whispered, finally cracking under the curiosity that was burning within her heart. "Give me something. A clue. Anything to find my father. You knew him, right?"


    Hisugh rasped low in his throat. "You are his daughter, alright. Always chasing the tide. The unknown. He often said that the thrill was what kept him alive."


    Scarlet stirred beside her. She slowly sat up straight and looked at Inez, who was staring at the prisoner. Feeling uneasy, she pulled Inez behind. "Don¡¯t listen to him. He is dangerous."


    But Inez pressed on. "Please tell me something, anything."


    The prisoner tilted his head as if listening to the voices which only he could hear. Then he began to hum, ignoring Inez and Scarlet. He started humming a song that made Inez even more annoyed. She raised her hands, which were tied in restraints, and banged hard on the bars. "Tell me! You know something, don¡¯t you? So why not tell me the truth¡ª"


    "Wait, listen to him," said Scarlet as she hushed Inez and asked her to listen to the song.

 Chapter 318: Arriving At the Silver Dawn Pack

    <h4>Chapter 318: Arriving At the Silver Dawn Pack</h4>


    Inez frowned, but she still lowered her hands and started paying attention to what the man was singing. The humming was low. Strange. Almost like a chant, almost like he was singing a song.


    <i>"When the river bends and shadows lie, </i>


    <i>The sea will call, the storm will reply. </i>


    <i>Seek the name that breaks the me, </i>


    <i>A crown of ash, a heart full of shame.." </i>


    Inez¡¯s breath caught in her lungs, and she found herself leaning close to the bars. "What does that mean? What name? Whose name?"


    The man leaned forward, his face caught in the silver of the moonlight. For the first time, Inez saw nothing but regret and pain in the eyes of the man.


    <i>"Cain." </i>He whispered the name like it was a curse.


    But before Inez could ask him more, the sounds of the iron gates opening with a tter broke the silence of the prison. A secondter, the guards stepped inside. They swarmed the corridor, heading straight to the cell of the prisoner with whom Inez was talking.


    "Number 72, it¡¯s your turn."


    The man turned to look at Inez and sighed. "So near... and yet so far..."


    Inez turned to look at the guards who were taking away the man. She questioned them in a hurry, "Wait, where are you taking him?" She didn¡¯t even get the name or the answers that she was waiting for. She needed a lead, any lead that would take her to her father or close to the truth rted to the disappearance of her father. She was in so much panic that Inez didn¡¯t even realise that she had controlled one of the guards with her voice.


    One of the guards nced at her. "To the execution grounds. His time is up." The guard then turned to look at the prisoner and shook his head with a frown. <i>Why did I answer the question of a prisoner? </i>


    However, the man didn¡¯t have the time to worry about these things. He turned to look at his subordinates and said, "Pull him out. The time is limited, and the executioner has prepared the stakesden with wolfsbane. The family members of those who were killed by this man are waiting to stab him to death."


    Scarlet gasped. "No!"


    The man, however, didn¡¯t resist as if he knew that this was going toe sooner orter. As he was dragged out of the prison cell, chains rattled across the stones. But as he passed by Inez¡¯s cell, he turned to look at her onest time. His lips curled in a faint, eerie smile.


    <i>"Blood remembers, song endures, </i>


    <i>Chains may break, but love ensures. </i>


    <i>Find the tide, child of the two, </i>


    <i>The sea still waits... it waits for you and just you." </i>


    The guard struck the man with the baton when he saw that the man was talking nonsense. He hauled the prisoner away, who went crackling.


    The dungeon soon returned to its usual silence, but Inez could still hear the name echoing in her head like an electric current pulsating within her veins.


    Cain.


    <i>Who even was Cain? </i>


    **


    There was something wrong with the Silver Dawn Pack, alright. They were not situated in the middle of a forest or away from a human settlement. In fact, they were situated right next to a rather busy town where humans lived. Which was weird in itself. But what surprised him even more was that these people actually lived in those tin can houses where humans lived, something that was even more suspicious because, since when did shifters start feeling alright all cooped up within these small houses?


    He looked at the well-manicuredwns; not a single leaf was lying on the roadside, as if there were shifters who were arranged to clean these roads every day.


    There was something really unusual about this ce, and Killian felt an urge to pull his hair at the back of his head. However, he resisted that urge. "How can you live in these houses?" He asked the beta who came to greet him. Just as Seth said, he had arranged everything; he indeed arranged everything. The Silver Dawn pack was holding a banquet in honor of the Moon Goddess; thus, all he needed was to attend the banquet in ce of Seth.


    Drakon turned and looked at Killian. He smiled cidly. "What¡¯s wrong with living in these houses? Even if they are small, they have all thefort that we need, and anyway, packs as small as ours cannot survive in the wild."


    "But they are way too small," Killian gestured at the subdivision that was sprawled all over the ce. "Shifters need their space, their freedom. It¡¯s too cooped up. No different than chicken coops." There was absolutely no space for them to breathe.


    This was the reason why Killian moved far from the human settlements; they were too small. Lawns as big as the size of postage stamps when they shift into their wolf forms, and a small park with stic swings and a slide came into view as the man turned the car to the left. The very thought of shifters staying here and raising their children in a ce like this made Killian shiver.


    "We are used to it," said Drakon. One street led him to another, and it was the same as the one they hade from. We sort of grew up here because our ancestors came here. Thus, how can we not be used to it?"


    "That¡¯s even worse; you mean to say that you have never been to a forest?" Killian asked.


    His beast agreed with him in his head.


    "No."


    "Why did you move to this ce? Don¡¯t you want to shift into your wolf form and run free?"


    Drakon hummed as he tapped on the steering wheel. "I would like to do that, but like I said. Our pack is really weak; we don¡¯t have many dominant shifters. If we go out and live in the middle of nowhere, it won¡¯t take long for a pack to challenge us and then kill us all to take our territory; it¡¯s better this way."


    **


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 Chapter 319: Oh Too Human

    <h4>Chapter 319: Oh Too Human</h4>


    Killian was aware of this. ording to the information that Seth had given to him, the Silver Dawn Pack had only eighty-four families. Far less than what a strong and able pack that could defend itself would have. But that was only on paper.


    "And what about the human authorities? They don¡¯t care that there are a bunch of shifters living near them?"


    "That¡¯s quite simple. Our ancestors moved here when no such nonsense as Zealots existed," exined Drakon. "Our forefathers learned how to integrate themselves into the humanmunity, and we slowly and steadily made our way right into the heart of this humanmunity. We have a history older than the zealots could ever have, so they leave us alone. Because we have everything that we need to pass off as humans. Jobs, resources, education, degrees and even our own little chess club¡ª the Zealots don¡¯t doubt us for a second. If anything, they just take us as some preppy humans who don¡¯t like trespassers and guests." He sounded quite pleased about it.


    The car started to slow down as they passed by a family of four; the two human children raised their hands and waved at Drakon, who waved back at them with apparent ease as if he did it every day.


    "And you have also allowed humans to stay with you?" Finn observed.


    "Well, it¡¯s easy that way. The Zealots get doubtful if we don¡¯t let human families move into homes, shelters or apartments that are up for sale. So we can only let them in the city and stay with us," exined Drakon.


    Killian frowned. "And what about¡ªif one of you shifts in the presence of the humans?"


    "That has never happened. Not for like fifty years, and when it happened thest time, we took care of it," replied Drakon. "Ever since then, we have worked hard on our control until we chained our beasts instead of letting them chain us."


    Killian studied the profile of the man in front of him. He was a confident man, despite being very young, no more than twenty-seven years old, and yet he carried himself with such grace and an air of confidence that he looked way different from any other shifter who had chained his beast. There was no wild glint in his eyes as if his beast was pressing against him, trying to free itself of the restraints. Even the desire to look for the wilderness was missing.


    <i>And that¡¯s what makes these people dangerous.</i> His beast spoke in his mind.


    And honestly? Killian agreed with him. There had been shifters who did try to rein in their beasts, but they had never seeded. If anything, those shifters lost their minds and became rogues.


    "Is that why you have picked up titles from the humanw judiciary?" Killianmented, remembering the man who greeted him and Finn at the entrance of the city. He called himself¡ª


    "Chief Kai?"


    "Haha, so you ran into Kai?" Drakon chuckled. His eyes crinkled as heughed lightly. "Oh, we had to do that. You see, the humans are all aboutw and order. They felt it was weird and odd that we didn¡¯t have a police station, so we had to arrange for one. It was quite a hassle, preparing all kinds of paperwork."


    "You guys built the police station?" Finn¡¯s eyes went wide, and Killian didn¡¯t me him.


    ¡¯Law enforcement¡¯ was a term that had little to do with the shifters. After all, they had had free will for years¡ªmaybe centuries. To believe that a pack actually started following thews and rules set by humans was something strange. Since when did shifters start suppressing their instincts and following humanws and policies?


    "We had to if we didn¡¯t want to be tracked down by the Zealots," remarked Drakon. "Sheriff Carl, Chief Hart and our very own alpha, Alpha Edward. They had been working as the heads of the police station for more than fifty years; one after the other, they had taken over the positions and made sure that no human would sense anything amiss. Most of the positions in the station and the head office are filled by the enforcers of our pack, so everything is under our control."


    The street turned wider, and the houses also started to look a lot bigger than they did earlier. The entire city looked uniform and well organised, as if it had been nned before being built. However, as the street started to get wider and with more and more houses popping up on the sidelines, Killian noticed something. There was no presence outside these houses. No human or shifter could be seen.


    Even the sound of children was missing. Wasn¡¯t it winter vacation in the human schools? Howe there was not a single child outside the houses? No one was walking on the street, even when the ice cream parlours were open, and ying the tune that children just loved. It was just too silent, too devoid of life.


    Didn¡¯t Seth say that this pack was preparing for a banquet in honour of the Moon Goddess? How were they going to arrange for a banquet when something¡ªwhen the members themselves were missing?


    "And the humans are alright with this?" Finn questioned.


    "They don¡¯t know that we are shifters, and Alpha Edward has always been a bitx with the regtions when he needs to be. It benefits everyone, so even if the humans sense something amiss, they stay quiet." Tapping on the steering wheel with his fingers, he continued, "Anyway, even if we are a weak pack in the eyes of others, we are still quite strong whenpared to the humans. So we can easily take down these petty criminals. Crime rates are almost zero here. So humans like to stay with us."


    Of course they did. Even the weakest shifter was stronger than a human, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise that they were able to suppress the criminals easily.


    "And what do you do with those who break thew established by you?"

 Chapter 320: Oh Too Human (2)

    <h4>Chapter 320: Oh Too Human (2)</h4>


    Killian noticed the change in the shifter¡¯s scent as Drakon shifted in his seat. "They are dealt with ording to thew that we have established."


    Killian narrowed his eyes. He immediately pack-linked Finn. He said, ¡¯<i>Something is wrong with these people.¡¯ </i>


    <i>"Are these your real thoughts, or are you simply upset that these people are wasting your time?" </i> Finn asked almost immediately.


    <i>"Don¡¯t be stupid. Don¡¯t you think that the situation around here is really weird?" </i>


    <i>"I agree. This ce is quite luxurious for a pack that ims that they want nothing to do with power or authority. The control here is subtle, but I can feel it ¨C the authority of the alpha is pulsating everywhere," </i>Finn¡¯s thought reached back to him almost immediately. <i>"This ce is well-suited for humans. But for shifters, it¡¯s way too restrained. If what this guy is talking about their control is true, then I have to admit that I am impressed." </i>


    If a word of it was true, then Killian would take his hat off for these people. But he knew that it was not.


    <i>What about the pack? </i>


    <i>It seems a bit too perfect... but I cannot say anything is wrong with what we have seen at the moment. </i>


    And yet Killian couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that there was something amiss. The pack was too quiet for his liking. Every single pack that he had visited before had pups running around the territory. Testing their strengths and the boundaries of the pack, and learning about their position in the hierarchy of the pack. Shifters, strong and bold, could be seen running ap around the territory. As for the older ones, they were often seen teaching the younger generations. That was how a pack had always been or the kind of pack that he was used to seeing.


    <i>Keep an eye on these people. There is something off about them. </i>


    <i>When have you seen me slipping, my alpha? </i>Finn asked with a sickly gracious smile, and that made Killian frown.


    He turned and looked at the man beside him. <i>Enough with that tone of yours. </i>


    Killian broke the connection as Drakon turned the car and pulled it into a driveway. He raised his head and looked at the house, which looked the grandest and thergest house yet to be seen. Cobblestone paths lined both sides of the mansion, with two garages and a fountain. There were several cars lined up inside the garages. Looking brand new, as if they had hardly been driven.


    "This is our alpha¡¯s mansion," Drakon announced as he stepped on the brakes. "And this is where we usually gather. We are going to gather here tonight for the banquet as well."


    "You don¡¯t have a pack hall?"


    "Oh no." The man turned the engine off and shook his head. "We cannot have that here, not with the humans running around. If they find out about the existence of the pack hall, then it will be problematic for us."


    "Then what if someone attacks your pack?"


    "We have several hidden paths underground," he pointed at the mansion. "That way, if we get attacked, we know where to run and how to hide."


    "You seem to have adapted quite well despite the shifters saying otherwise." It was hard for Killian to keep his voice neutral, especially with his beast growling inside his head. Whatever the Silver Dawn Pack was doing, his beast didn¡¯t like it in the least.


    And neither did he.


    Drakon smiled. He took his words as literal praise and nodded. "We have indeed embedded ourselves deep in the human society. And it¡¯s helpful in many ways. After all, we don¡¯t need to worry about Zealotsing here and knocking on our doors with torches and mes."


    "Survival is the key of necessity," chimed in Finn, and Drakon smiled, taking his remark as a sign of approval.


    As Killian stepped out of the car, he sensed that there was more than just a little amiss. There was no scent of forest, no wilderness, nothing that he could connect to the shifters or a pack. It was all about a freshly mowedwn, chemical fertilisers and the fumes of the gasoline.


    If not for the scent of the shifters lingering in this ce, Killian would have never believed that shifters lived in this darn city.


    His beast started to prowl inside of him. <i>I do not like this. It feels off. Really off. </i>


    Killian agreed with what his beast said to him, but what was he supposed to do? They had a task at hand. A task that could inevitably lead them to Inez.


    "This way, Alpha Sokolov." Drakon gestured toward the double set of gigantic doors.


    Killian nodded and followed him, but as he stepped close to the stairs, he couldn¡¯t help but turn and look at the perfect set of houses behind him. One look and he couldn¡¯t even notice anything amiss or different about this ce. It looked just like every other human city. Nothing to suggest that the top predators stayed or, much less, lived here.


    There was something weird about the Silver Dawn Pack. It was unnatural, skirting around the edges of the packw and the council that had been created for the shifters. Humans were never allowed within the territory of the pack or close to the shifters. And yet these people allowed them not only to stay with them but also to live in the pack¡¯s territory.


    Something that no shifter would ever allow because they were possessive over their territory.


    He followed Drakon inside the mansion, and a gleaming entryway greeted him. The marble was polished so hard that he could almost see his own reflection in the tiles. The wood cab was coated with a thickyer of varnish, and then there was a small pup ying around the house. It... well, It looked way too human.


    And yet he couldn¡¯t help but grind his teeth.


    "Alpha Edward is waiting for you in his office.¡¯


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 Chapter 321: A Detailed Pretense

    <h4>Chapter 321: A Detailed Pretense</h4>


    He was waiting for them at the office? Since when did a small pack¡¯s alpha start to have such an attitude? Should he not be the one greeting them? Killian felt his lips twitch at the audacity of the man.


    He followed Drakon past the corridors, and his gaze fell on the multiple photographs that were lined on the tall pastel blue wall. From the smiling pack members in graduation gowns to wedding attire, every single picture was carefully selected and ced on top of the wall. Killian could see in one nce that, more than the pack bond, Edward was more inclined to emphasise the human achievements of the pack.


    <i>Maybe he wants to prove to the humans that they are as normal as the arem,</i> his beast mused within his head.


    And that impressed and worried Killian. Edward seemed way too perfect while pretending to be something that he wasn¡¯t. A man like him...could he be even trusted? No wonder Seth was suspicious about this pack. It was an anomaly to begin with, after all, not many would dare to skirt around the line that existed between councilw and rebellious rejection.


    <i>Maybe you are thinking too much, </i>Finn¡¯s voice echoed through the pack link. <i>Maybe this is how these small packs survive. We have never been close to one before, have we? Who knows, maybe this kind of lifestyle is moremon than you think? </i>


    <i>Perhaps.</i>


    Drakon led them to the office at the western wing of the mansion, as he opened the double wooden doors, a man with greying hair and a weathered face turned to look at them. Killian nced at the man and sniffed the scent inside the room. He was an alpha, alright. But his alpha vibes were way too weak. No wonder he was hiding among humans; this man was not fit to lead a pack.


    "Alpha Sokolov," The man stood up from the leather chair. He walked around the curved table and stretched his hand out. "I am Edward Dawson, Alpha of the Silver Dawn Pack. We are d to have you here." Though he said that, the fear that was oozing through his skin told him a different story.


    <i>He smells rotten. </i>His beast sniffed in distaste, and Killian frowned. However, he didn¡¯t take it seriously, for the man smelled sour and his beast had never been a fan of sour smells.


    Killian tilted his head to one side. "Alpha Dawson."


    Drakon stepped forward and then went to stand behind his alpha, dropping the role of their guide and guard.


    "Please sit down." Edward gestured at the leather couch that was sitting in the corner of the room. "Make yourselffortable, the banquet is yet to start."


    Killian, however, didn¡¯t follow hismand. Instead, he walked around the office, taking in the details of the room. Just like the entire city, this ce waspletely devoid of any signs or traces that would prove that the man in front of him was a predator. Arge t screen dominated the wall, right above the unlit electric fire. All sorts of human art pieces were hanging on the walls at perfect angles and precise angles. A single gramophone sat as a decoration on a small table next to the leather armchairs.


    "Your territory... is not what I was expecting."


    Edward¡¯s smile turned strained. "We have indeed worked hard to integrate within the human settlement as closely as possible."


    "Well, you certainly did a grand job on that," stated Killian with a hint of a smile on his face, which eased the nervousness in the room. But only for a few seconds. He turned to look at the photo where Edward was handing out a five million cheque to the head of an old-age home. "And you are quite charitable."


    The shift in his scent was really subtle, but Killian noticed it right away. "Well, being charitable and phnthropic does help out a little. The humans treat us with respect and with constant charity; even the Zealots stay away from us, or else they woulde sniffing around. So, it¡¯s much easier to spend some money and send the trouble away."


    "Easier... and expensive," Killian pointed out. He turned to look at the man behind him with a smile on his lips that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. "Really expensive. Do you think it¡¯s worth spending so much money just for the sake of avoiding trouble?"


    His scent shifted once again, and this time around, the anxiety was so palpable that even Finn turned and nced at the man with a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Our pack has worked hard towards the path of prosperity."


    "How does a pack of only eighty-something families manage expenses as high as this?" Killian asked. His tone was straightforward and stern, making it clear that he wanted nothing but a straight answer without dancing around the bushes. "I looked around your pack, and I have to say that even my pack will fail in contrast to the wealth that you have."


    Edward shifted on his feet. He sped his hands behind his. "Our strategy to integrate with the humans has worked better than we expected. Not to forget that these donations and charities help us reduce a considerable amount of taxes. What¡¯s more, the mayor of the city is one of my enforcers, which means that I can easily shift a little money around when the humans pay the pack taxes. It¡¯s not easy, but it can be done as long as the hole is not too big for us to fill."


    "And our enforcers who work in the humanpanies also help in contributing to the wealth of the pack." Drakon chimed from behind his alpha. "Shifters age differently whenpared to humans; thus, our enforcers and pack members are much more skilled than humans, making it easier for them to get high-paying jobs. With them taking care of the pack, it¡¯s not difficult for us to handle the expenses thate with the integration of the pack with the humans."

 Chapter 322: A Detailed Pretense (2)

    <h4>Chapter 322: A Detailed Pretense (2)</h4>


    A reasonable exnation.


    "I see."


    Dawson eased a little. "Our pack members work as CEOs,wyers, engineers and even researchers." His chest swelled with pride. "I, too, work with several financial advisors. Investing in shares andnd helps us in many ways that we cannot exin. I mean, humans might be weak, but they are quite smart when ites to making money. If you want, I can help you invest, Alpha Sokolov. I promise that you will be satisfied with my work."


    His beast grumbled, not liking the technical talk at all.


    "I will think about it." Killian nced at the photographs behind him, peering at them as if he could see something that others couldn¡¯t. He calmly remarked, "What about your beasts? Are they alright with this?" He pointed to the photograph where Edward was ying with the young ones. He looked human. Pretended to be human even when he was not one. The pretence was so good that if Killian didn¡¯t know that this man was a shifter, then he, too, would have taken Edward as one.


    <i>And that makes him even more dangerous. I have never seen a beast who was content with living like this... not once; even those who grow up among humans are bound to lose control. </i>


    Edward¡¯s forehead creased almost imperceptibly. However, he soon smoothed that frown before stating, "Our beasts understand the reason why we need to do this. We are not strong enough to fight with other packs; after all, we have lived among humans for generations. Our wolves understand the necessity of staying in the human settlement for survival."


    Killian¡¯s eyes twitched. He had a feeling that there was more to the story, but he still nodded, looking unimpressed. "I would like to take some rest."


    "Of course, I can ask Chief Drakon Hart to escort you to your mansion..."


    Killian snapped his teeth, and the man closed his mouth right away. A smart move, because Killian was getting annoyed by the talks of humans and their humanws.


    Drakon stepped forward. "Please follow me, Alpha Sokolov."


    <i>They are weird. If there is nothing wrong, then I will eat like a rabbit for a month, </i>his beast grumbled within him.


    And they were going to find it.


    Killian followed the man out of the mansion, and Drakon led him to the mansion that was no different from the one where Alpha Edward lived, just a bit smaller.


    However, as he walked past the door, Killian noticed something. The man didn¡¯t ring the bell. He straight-up walked inside the mansion without alerting the person staying inside. Killian narrowed his eyes as he stared at the man who had walked inside the mansion without ringing the bell.


    And that was not even the weirdest part; the thing that was even weirder was that the mansion waspletely bare. There were no signs of life there. There were no photos, nothing personal. Even the pretentious show of wealth done by Edward was much better than this mansion, which didn¡¯t even have a kettle to show that a person lived there.


    <i>¡¯There is a sofa, </i>Finn pointed out as if he couldn¡¯t see it.


    Killian turned and nced at his beta, who seemed to be finding everything amusing.


    "Lisa".


    A new scent joined them, and a fairly young woman with curly auburn hair and baby blue eyes stepped out of the kitchen. She nced at the two of them before turning to Drakon. "Who are they?"


    "They are our guests." Drakon waved his hand behind him before pointing at Killian. "He is Alpha Sokolov, the alpha of lycans and behind him is his beta, Finn."


    The woman turned and looked at the two men, her eyes shing with a glint that Killian caught, but it soon disappeared as she smiled at them. "It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Sokolov. I am Lisa rke."


    "Are you the owner of this house?" Killian asked without bothering to greet the woman.


    "Yes, Alpha Sokolov," the woman responded. But he could notice the tightness around her smile. There was something wrong with the look in her eyes and her smell¡ªit was deceptive. "I hope that you will have a pleasant stay."


    Killian nced at the kitchen, where a coffee mug was ced on the stand with two cups. He noticed that they looked quite new. As if they had never been used and were brought here in a hurry. "It seems quite big... I mean for a young woman like you."


    "Well, even though it is under my name... The property still belongs to the pack," the womanughed. Herugh sounded a bit high-pitched and fake. "So, they handed it to me ording to the money that I bring in. Anyway, this house can serve many purposes, as I am the only one living here. You see, the mansion is big enough for our guests to stay without any worries." She pointed to the room at the other end of the corridor. "I usually stay there, and as I am alone, I don¡¯t need to use up the entire space."


    The exnation sounded as fake as the house where they were standing. There was practically not a single personal thing present in the entire mansion. It was as nk as the mind of the man beside him.


    Strange. This was really strange; looking at the house in front of him, Killian knew that their efforts to prove the legitimacy of their pack, their actions and everything else were going to be futile.


    His suspicions, if possible, turned even deeper.


    <i>I cannot smell the scent of this woman around this house; it¡¯s faint, like she just arrived here. ¡¯As if she lives somewhere else,¡¯ </i>his beast spoke in his mind, and Killian agreed with him. Edward might have given him a reasonable exnation for the so-called human integration of the pack, but Killian didn¡¯t believe a thing. In fact, after looking at the mansion in front of him, he was even more certain that this was nothing but just a pretence that they were holding in front of him.


    <i>An act to impress.</i>


    <i>**</i>


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 Chapter 323: Picking Up Cheesy Lines

    <h4>Chapter 323: Picking Up Cheesy Lines</h4>


    <i>It feels like they are not even living here. </i>


    This was what his beast deduced after taking a look around the entire mansion. There was too little life in this mansion. Even if they had stretched themselves hard to prove that their lives were properly integrated with the humans, Killian could sense that something wascking. And unless these people were outright fools, they would also notice it.


    <i>They had another reason for bringing me here. </i>


    His beast grunted in acknowledgement. <i>You have be exceptionally smart now that you have started listening to me more.</i>


    Killian ignored him. Turning around, he looked at the woman who was working in the kitchen. His lips curved up in a flirty smile as he walked over to her, "What are you preparing?"


    "I thought you two might be hungry, so I prepared some carbonara and mashed potatoes, Alpha Sokolov," replied Lisa, her breathing turning rigid and shallow.


    "Thank you for looking out for the two of us. It looks delicious," He told Lisa, digging in the side that he had buried ever since he met with Inez. Now that he had someone he cared for, Killian felt it was too weird to flirt with someone else. Behind him, Finn stiffened.


    He nced at him with a look of sheer disbelief on his face, but it was not too tant.


    <i>He must be thinking that you have lost your mind, </i>his beast tittered. d someone was finding this funny.


    Lisa, however, nced away. "Thank you for the praise, Alpha Sokolov."


    Killian smiled at the woman. Reaching out, he tucked a strand of her hair, mentally swearing that he was going to wash his hands clean with a sanitiser once he returned home. "I am surprised that you aren¡¯t mated. A woman as beautiful and handy in the kitchen as you should have been snagged by a male by now." He kept his voice light and full of charm. Usually, any woman would have been ttered with this alone, but not Lisa.


    She cleared her throat and nced at Drakon, who was sitting on the couch with Finn, before turning to look at Killian. "I like my work more, Alpha Sokolov. With a man around, I will only get distracted."


    "Of course," Killian agreed with her. Keeping his tone light, he walked around the aisle. He didn¡¯t say anything to the woman but kept filing her reactions and responses in his mental database. Something was going on here.


    Killian nced at Finn, whose eyes were filled with reluctance, but when he red at him, Finn sighed and got to his feet. He took Lisa¡¯s hand in his and kissed the back of it. "Thank you for your hospitality. I have to say that it¡¯s really sweet of you. Letting us stay in your home and even preparing a meal for us. Isn¡¯t that right, Alpha?"


    "Indeed." Killian sat down next to Drakon. He noticed the man going stiff as he clenched his hands on hisp


    However, Killian didn¡¯t acknowledge the abnormality and turned to look at the woman in the kitchen. He noticed how Finn had charmed the woman with his gentlemanly attitude, or maybe it was him whom she was resistant to. Because now that woman was blushing and giggling like a little schoolgirl.


    <i>¡¯Just say that you are jealous that your charm didn¡¯t work,¡¯ </i>his beast¡¯s mocking voice echoed in his head, and Killian ignored it altogether.


    His beast could say whatever he wanted, but he knew that the woman was simply resistant to him, and she had a reason for that. Her flushed face, batting eyshes and softened tone told another story from the response that she gave him. Didn¡¯t she say that a man would only make her distracted? But from the flirty looks that she was sharing with Finn, it didn¡¯t seem like she was resistant to having a man in her life.


    So why the lies?


    "Shall we take a look at where you will be staying?" Drakon stood up and shot a nce at Lisa, who stiffened and pulled away from Finn even though she was unwilling.


    "Sure." Killian stood up and followed Lisa to the second floor. The woman pointed to the three rooms that were side by side and said to them, "These three rooms are guest rooms. You can pick one which you want."


    "What about you?" Finn asked. "Where do you sleep?"


    The woman blushed. "On the right. That room belongs to me."


    Finn nced at the room that was at the end of the corridor and nodded. He leaned in closer and smiled at Lisa, "Are you up for sharing? I am scared of the dark."


    Killian inwardly winced when he heard the remark. After all, this was the line that he had once used on many female shifters when Inez was not in his life, and honestly, now that he was hearing it from the mouth of his beta, he couldn¡¯t help but find it cringeworthy.


    He never knew that he sounded this irritating and inauthentic. But for the sake of letting the y go on, he could only turn a blind eye to everything. Behind him, Lisa flushed, if possible, even redder. A soft giggle left her lips, and Killian felt his eyes twitch. He wondered how it was possible for the woman to even fall for this shit, but then again, women often fell for his cheesy lines as well.


    The performance was nauseating at best, but Killian continued to ignore the two. He knew that Finn was only doing it because he asked him to take over; if he showed any signs of difort or irritation, Finn would definitely stop putting up the act. Thest thing he wanted was for his beta to start ignoring Lisa when, clearly, she was the only key to getting an answer to the current situation.


    If only his beta were a bit more open-minded.


    But he wasn¡¯t.


    So here they were.


    Unfortunately.


    Why did he even make him his beta, though?


    <i>Because he is the only one who can withstand your antics. </i>

 Chapter 324: Troublemakers

    <h4>Chapter 324: Troublemakers</h4>


    "I would like to look around a little." Killian turned and spoke to Lisa. He noticed how the woman¡¯s eyes turned wide before the pupils went small. It happened for just a microsecond but he was sharp enough to catch it. However, he pretended not to know when the woman hitched her smile and nodded. "Of course. You can take a look around as you want, Alpha Sokolov."


    Killian smiled back. Shooting her a wink, he praised Lisa with all the charm that he could muster, "Thats the ticket sweetheart." And despite whatever warning that was given to Lisa, the woman blushed under his tricks.


    <i>You really know how to y a woman like a piano. </i>


    <i>I don¡¯t. I only praise them, its their fault that they believe whatever I feed them. </i>


    <i>You are heartless. </i>


    <i>I never pretended to be not. </i>


    "Lisa can youe with me," noticing the weird atmosphere, Drakon turned to look at the woman who was slowly forgetting herself.


    Lisa nced at him, her eyes filled with reluctance but she still nodded and followed the man. Killian waited for the two of them to walk away, before turning to look at Finn. "I never knew that you were this good at picking up my pick up lines."


    Finn paused in his actions of wiping his fingers with a wet wipe that he had summoned from his back pocket. He turned his head up, "I didn¡¯t want to do this in the first ce. But you asked me to do it, now don¡¯tin about how I get this thing done. You know I am not much of adies man."


    "I am notining." Killian started walking towards the other end of the corridor and dropped his voice. "What do you think of this ce?"


    Finn nced over his shoulder. His charming smiled faded as he replied in a quiet voice, "I did take a look around this house and the territory. Nothing out of the ordinary can be detected for the time being. I have been paying attention to these people and they have not prepared any sort of traps for us."


    "But..."


    "But?"


    "But there is no way that this territory is their real one." He flicked a look at the bare walls of the mansion. "Those statements that they made about being able to suppress and control their animal instincts.. There is something really off about them. You know its literally impossible unless the beast disappears or fades. I have never once heard about shifters who have never slipped up."


    "Not to mention as you have already noticed with your witty eyes." He tapped the bare walls. "This house has been vacant for a while. They might have rushed to prepare eveyrthing in a hsort while but they clearly failed. I cannot smell the woman¡¯s scent. They have tried to nt it, its subtle but I know that its not going her home. The scent is too weak for that."


    He dragged a hand down his face. "Something is off with this pack and I cannot put my finger on it."


    **


    As the sun started to set, Inez could hear the sound of screams echoing through the prison cells. Though the prisoner who was taken away didn¡¯t fight back, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the others. They fought screamed. And they screamed hard. Their words still echoed in the dungeons.


    <i>I didn¡¯t do it. I was innocent, you know I was! </i>


    <i>"Leave me! I plead you. I did nothing wrong... I have done nothing wron..wrong... please.." </i>


    <i>"I never killed anyone. I was schemed against. At least give me a trial before killing me! I deserve that!" </i>


    Inez didn¡¯t know whether these people were innocent or not but from the looks of it, she knew that none of them was given a fair trial. They all had screamed the same thing. Then what about her and Scarlet would they be even given a fair shot at justice? She had a feeling that it was close to impossible. Who would care about two women who had no position or ce in this rotten world?


    <i>Wow, pessimistic much? </i>


    <i> I am not being pessimitic. Who will fight for us? Its not like Killian knows that we are here?</i><i></i><i></i><i></i><i></i>


    If he had known that she was trapped here, then he would have most probably done something anything to get her out of here, but he had no idea that she was trapped here. How could he save her when Killian didn¡¯t even know where she was.


    "It¡¯s scary here," she heard Scarlet mutter as she watched the execution ground through the only window in their prison cell. Inez asked her why she wanted to even see such a dire sight but honestly, it was impossible for them to turn their gaze away from the sight¡ªnot when the screams were so loud.


    And like Scarlet said. It was terrifying.


    These people were cruel, heartless and sadistic. They didn¡¯t just kill the criminals; they stuffed them in a cauldron with bubbling hot wolfsbane and dumped the criminals within it. It was a sight as horrible as possible.


    Inez turned her head to one side, not wanting to look at the brutality.


    "Don¡¯t worry." She raised her head and saw the half-vampire who was walking towards the two of their cell. Gilderoy took a look at Inez and Scarlet, whose faces were unsightly due to the cruel sight that they had to face and smiled at them. "You two will be facing the same fate in a while."


    And Inez knew that unless someone came to look for her, she would certainly face the same fate as them.


    **


    "It¡¯s a pandemonium." Tracy clicked her tongue as she tapped on the screen of her watch. "These two idiots ¨C why would they go off on their own when they could have juste to me?"


    <i>Well, you wouldn¡¯t have answered them right away. </i>


    <i>"Your musings are unheard, Tracy." </i>


    <i>Shut up! </i>


    Tracy snapped, ignoring the mocking jeers of spirits trapped in her two owl earrings and turned the watch off.


    "One is about to be a sacrifice while the other¡¯s whereabouts are unknown... I really have no words to say."

 Chapter 325: Blocking The Witch Hunter

    <h4>Chapter 325: Blocking The Witch Hunter</h4>


    To the oblivious, this house was certainly what Lisa presented it to be¡ªher home.


    But a quick tour around the house, and Killian knew that it was nothing but a mansion stacked up on the lies. The entire space was devoid of any personal belongings; there was no clutter or mess around the entire mansion. Something which struck as weird because Killian knew that it was impossible for a person to have no clutter when they were living in a ce. Every piece of crockery that was sitting in the kitchen was brand new, with no scratches or evidence of being used. Even the restroom seemed to be so clean that it looked brand new.


    Killian knew, as a matter of fact, that unless they had secretly deployed mages or witches to clean these ces, there was no way the space could be this clean unless it had never been used.


    The cleaning supplies in the small closet next to the restroom were all brand new. Even the mop looked so fashionably clean that Killian could have mistaken it for a model ready to be sold at any moment. There were no trash bags in the trash can. No markings on the walls; the paint was gleaming with no scratches.


    Everything that he or any sane person would consider a daily necessity of life was missing from this house. He raised his head and took another look around the ce. His eyes, for a second, caught a glimmer of something old and forgotten. Frowning, he walked toward the staircase, but as soon as he came to a stop, the old, broken wooden statue was gone and recing its ce was a fine marble statue. He frowned harder. For he was quite certain that he had seen something old standing right here.


    "There is something weird about this ce," Killian muttered as he reached out and touched the statue. It was hard and smooth and a little cold to touch, just as a marble would be, but he had this feeling¡ªthat he was looking at something that didn¡¯t exist.


    His beast prowled inside of him. Contained but enraged. They had other things to do. Things better than looking around a weird-looking house. Like looking for their mate. Yes, mate. His beast had already decided that he was going to take Inez as his mate, and Killian had to. The importance of Inez in their life had far exceeded the point of just a woman they were sleeping with.


    The fading light in the room started to cast long shadows. His beast let out yet another growl. He had been tenser than a bowstring since they arrived in the territory, and now he had only gotten even more tense.


    And his agitation was seeping so deeply into their bond that Killian started to feel tenser by the minute.


    Taking out his phone, he looked at the picture¡ª Inez, sleeping peacefully beside him. Her long tinum hair was scattered all over the pillow, and her mouth was slightly ajar. The woman looked so much at peace that her expression alone brought a sort of relief within him. He zoomed in and traced her face with the pad of his thumb. Tracing the curves of her face through the screen, he tried to recall Inez¡¯s warmth along with her scent. A poor substitute for the real thing, but the situation had left him with no other choice. The longing to touch her, to breathe her unique scent, was wing within him.


    Being apart from her was simply agonising. And it was growing excruciating with each passing second. Because he did not have the slightest bit of an idea where the woman even was.


    "I should have never allowed her to leave," Killian muttered; he should have gone with her. Stayed with her even when she demanded to leave on her own.


    His beast growled within his head, sharing his agreement. If it weren¡¯t for this mission, which would ultimately reward him with a clue to reach Inez, he would have never bothered toe to this damned ce. Killian texted Selene about Inez, only to receive the same response as before. He had been doing this since he left the pack, and not once did the status change.


    He tightened his jaw. This mission was simply intolerable. Once he got his hands on Inez, he was going to wrap her up and send her to his lodge. There would no longer be any more instances of detective ys. She was going to stay under his care, under his wing, surrounded by a bunch of guards. He wouldn¡¯t listen to anything that she had to say after this.


    A light cough interrupted his chain of thoughts. He turned and looked at Finn, who was holding the mana nucleus in his hands. It was simr to a crystal ball. Except it was tiny, the size of a baseball. There were intricate golden designs around it. But when Killian took a good look at it, he realised that they were runes that kept running across the smooth surface.


    "What is it?" he asked.


    "Third Eye called," Finn responded casually. "He said that he sensed something amiss through the mana nucleus."


    This was theirst defence mechanism, which could summon the ghosts chained to Third Eye. Though for only a short while, it was a wonderful smoke screen, something that Killian had used only once.


    Killian dropped his gaze to the man who was peering at him through the mana nucleus and heard him say, "Something is interfering with the magical currents. It¡¯s strange because this mana nucleus can work in the presence of anything¡ªI mean anything."


    "Define ¡¯strange."


    "I don¡¯t know how to exin it in simpler terms for shifters like you," said Third Eye as he interlocked his fingers. "However, when I say it¡¯s strange, I mean usually magic is alive on its own; it carries a resonance or maybe frequency. Witch hunters can detect magic through patterns imposed on it, and we can read trails that it leaves behind. But this magic¡ªit¡¯s not obeying. I cannot look for the pattern. I cannot see the pattern. It¡¯s like I am trying to read smoke. The more I try to capture it, the more it slips away."

 Chapter 326: ’Evil’ Presence

    <h4>Chapter 326: ¡¯Evil¡¯ Presence</h4>


    Killian had already sensed that there was something wrong with this territory. He leaned down with his hands inside his pockets. "You mean to say there are traces of magic here, but you cannot trace it."


    Third Eye nodded.


    "There is something abnormal about the magic traces there. I can sense it¡¯s dangerous, but I cannot trace the danger." Something exploded behind him, and Third Eye cursed before looking over his shoulders and shouting at whoever it was. The explosions died down. He turned around and continued, "You two should be really careful; I have a feeling that there is something older... ancient trapped there."


    "You mean that this is a trap?"


    "Like I said, nothing can be traced down at the moment," Third Eye responded. His voice was firm and carried a hint of conviction. "It¡¯s not a spell. There is nothing like that, but there is a hint of something. Like that thing, whatever it is... has walked on thends of that pack. It has left its lingering magic behind. That presence is something that you need to avoid."


    Killian red his nostrils, trying to sniff this presence out, but all he smelled was the scent of home cleaner and flowers.


    "And you think that it can hurt us?"


    "I don¡¯t know..." said the man with a frown on his face. "I tried to reach the two of you on your phone, but I couldn¡¯t. It¡¯s like someone is blocking my calls on purpose, and when I tried to text you, the same thing happened."


    "But Selene messaged me," stated Killian with a frown on his face.


    "That¡¯s because she is not a witch hunter. I told you that magic is alive in itself. Everything rted to magic will carry traces. I am a witch hunter, and everything rted to me carries traces of it. I believe that whatever this thing is ¡ª it¡¯s pushing me back from reaching out to you. I was only able to call you two after I asked one of the halflings to do magic on the mana nucleus." The wizard he spoke of shivered behind him. He looked at Killian as if he were hoping for him toe and rescue him.


    Like he could ever do that.


    He frowned and immediately tapped on the screen of his phone. Only to receive the same message that Third Eye told him. The messages or calls couldn¡¯t be made whenever he tried to call Third Eye. It was as if there was an inherent blockage


    "I am arriving at the territory tonight." Third Eye rose to his feet and slowly spoke in a tone too low for only the two of them to hear. "Keep yourself alive till then. If you are lucky enough to avoid that presence till I arrive, then thank the gods for that."


    The connection was cut short there, and Killian stood up straight. "Well, that was quite a jolly message."


    He nced at Finn, who shared a look with him. "Now what?"


    "Call Laxus."


    **


    The car rumbled beneath us, carrying the rather upset and grumbling party of lycans. Laxus, for one, was not happy about being separated from Selene. But the situation called for it, and even if he wanted to refuse, the man couldn¡¯t just refuse themand of his alpha.


    Killian stared at thene in front of him, with his fingers drumming against his knees. His mind, however, was lost elsewhere.


    <i>You could have simply dealt with this matter on your own. Selene ¨C</i>


    <i>Will be fine. She is not a young girl who cannot stay without you just for a night, </i>snapped Killian.


    <i>Do you need to feed her a ss of milk? </i>Tittered Ajax.


    Laxus turned and looked at the man beside him before raising his hand and smacking him on the back of the head. Drakon, who was driving the car, jumped upon hearing the smack and turned to look behind him. He stared at the two men before turning to look at Killian. "We ... we are about to arrive at the location. I am sorry for the dy." <i>Please don¡¯t hurt me. </i>


    Even though the man didn¡¯t say those words, Killian heard them loud and clear.


    Lisa turned to look at Finn with a soft, simpering smile on her lips. "Alpha Dawson wanted to make sure that the banquet would be on par with your presence, Alpha Sokolov. We have moved the venue to the only seven-star hotel in our territory. We host all the major ceremonies there ¨C first birthdays, celebrations, mating ceremonies..." Killian noticed how the woman batted her eyshes while looking at his beta, who shifted ufortably in his chair.


    <i>What¡¯s this? Are you cheating on me, Finn? </i>Ajax questioned in the pack link with a hint of mock rage.


    <i>Shut up! </i>


    Ignoring the teasing and screaming of his beta and the head enforcer, Killian turned to look at the surrounding buildings. Just like the rest of the city, he saw not a single presence within them. If anything, he would see the sights in front of him fluctuate and turn into something old and dpidated, as if the buildings in front of him were not newly built but had been standing there for ages.


    <i>How long are they going to fight? </i>His beast grumbled in his head. <i> I am about to get a headache. </i>


    Killian didn¡¯t even bother to stop the two men from quarrelling because he knew that there was no point in doing so. <i>I am just teaching him how to let loose.</i> This was what Ajax would tell him if he tried to stop the two. Since that was the case, he might as well not bother.


    Behind him, Laxus was now sitting silently. He was staring outside the window with a frown between his brows.


    <i>He is sensing something, </i> his beast mused while looking at the scenery in front of him.


    Of course, he could. Laxus was not an idiot. He must have sensed something amiss within the pack, but what?


    <i>Guess we have to find it on our own. </i>


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 327: The Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 327: The Banquet</h4>


    Lisa shifted in the passenger seat. She looked at Killian with that ufortable look she always carried when she was speaking to him. "We have arrived at the venue, Alpha Sokolov."


    His beast¡¯s ears ttened as he started sniffing and looking around the venue where these two had brought them. <i>This is getting suspicious. </i>There was this quiet weight to his words,den with worry and suspicions that were now running so high that Killian could feel suspicion coiling around his heart. <i>I cannot smell anything weird, but I don¡¯t like being here either. It¡¯s like something I want to revoke whatever is going on here. Like an invisible evil spirit lingering around the dark corners. </i>


    His beast rose closer to his surface, and Killian had to recall Inez¡¯s scent to calm him down. His beast wanted blood ¡ª wanted to hunt down every single person in this pack and bring his mate back to his side. Since Seth told him that the key to finding Inez was in this pack, his beast only wanted one thing: the blood of these people. But rushing in without a n would only put his as well as the lives of his enforcers in danger. Killian, too, wanted to do it the old way, but he couldn¡¯t because there were lives at stake here.


    They needed to find out what the hell was wrong with this pack first. Then only...


    Finn opened the door at the back of the car, creating a diversion that Lisa seemed to adore. She cast a thankful look at his beta while Drakon turned and cleared his throat. "Shall we alpha Sokolov?"


    <i>Calm yourself down; we don¡¯t want to make a mess before we can even find where Ienz is, </i>Killian told his beast, deciding to shelve the annihtion of this pack until he got what he wanted.


    His beast hissed within him, clearly upset with the suggestion. He lowered his head, but not out of submission; instead, it was clear annoyance. His beast didn¡¯t want to look at him; thus, he lowered his head. He defiantly muttered inside of him, <i>¡¯We could have just skinned these people alive and be done with it. But since you want to do it theplicated way, then be my guest.¡¯ </i>


    The air around the venue smelled rather strange; it almost made the back of his neck feel itchy, but Killian couldn¡¯t exactly find out the reason. He looked around the surrounding area, only to find itpletely normal or as normal as a deserted territory could feel.


    Killian tugged on his tie. Ajax had brought him his shoes and suit, saying that since they were here to attend the banquet, they might as well do it in fashion. That man even got him and Finn glistening and polished shoes; who knows when he got the time to polish these shoes?


    "This is stupid," Killian muttered as he pulled on his tie, loosening it.


    "Don¡¯t you like the suit, alpha?" Ajax asked, and in response, Killian only shot him a look, which made the man shut up.


    The suit that he was wearing was something that Killian would rather never wear. Fortunately, Ajax was smart enough to bring him pants that would allow him to move without feeling restrained. But he truly could not understand the reason for trying to impress a small pack like Silver Dawn; why should he be wearing a suit for their damned banquet? They should be d that he was even attending this party.


    <i>This is a tactical retreat. </i>Ajax¡¯s voice echoed in his head. <i>Make them think that we have no idea what is going on. Isn¡¯t that a pretty clean way to deal with these people? </i>


    Staring at Lisa and Drakon, who were walking in front of him, Killian narrowed his eyes. They had been obeying everymand given to them, but he could smell the defiance and resistance beneath their surface. This was why he couldn¡¯t trust them.


    Once they were inside the venue, Killian looked up and noticed nothing but marble and ss. It looked normal, like any other ballroom in a seven-star hotel. No traps.


    Alpha Dawson strutted towards them, his lips curved up in a smile. He opened his arms wide in wee.


    "Alpha Sokolov!" His voice boomed across the entire space. "What an honour for you to join our banquet. We never thought that someone from the council would ever visit our territory." This exined why they were never prepared for anyone¡¯s visit and had to rush things. They must have believed that the chances of Sething to their territory were close to null.


    The man extended his hand for Killian to shake, and he took it. Feeling the grip tighten around his hand, Killian arched a brow. He squeezed hard enough to make the man almost buckle and grinned when Edward¡¯s eyes widened and his face turned pale.


    "Alpha Dawson", I acknowledged the man. "I have to say that you have left no stone unturned to show your hospitality."


    His beast rose to his surface. His chest rumbled with a growl as he started to ooze alpha vibes; unlike Killian, his beast didn¡¯t like the idea of another alpha showing off in front of him.


    "This is what I must do," said the man. While rubbing his palm that Killian had squeezed. Stroking the skin that had turned red, he said, "I have heard a lot about the feats and legendary tales of your battles and glory. How can I not be careful?"


    Killian simply hummed as his gaze swept across the entire ballroom. In the middle sat a statue. Hooded and ancient. With her hands stretched out in front as if she were begging. There were countless things scattered underneath the statue, including many daggers that were zed with blood. Fresh Blood. The entire thing resembled a ceremonial tform.


    <i>That blood is not even an hour old... they killed something ... or maybe someone. </i>


    Killian clenched his fist upon hearing those words; he red his nostrils, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t pick up any scent of fear or pain. There was nothing.

 Chapter 328: The Banquet (2)

    <h4>Chapter 328: The Banquet (2)</h4>


    While Killian was looking at the ceremonial statue, Alpha Edward was staring at the new addition to their small group. From the thinning of his lips, it was quite clear that the man was not happy with what he was seeing. It was not exactly hostile, but something ... more like pondering as if he was worried about something. Hemented, "I see... That you all have dressed up for the asion."


    "Well, we did have to..." Ajax tilted his head, mimicking the tone with which Alpha Edward was speaking to them. "It¡¯s only right that we honour your pack and you, no matter how small it ispared to ours."


    Alpha Edward¡¯s smile tightened; he looked at Ajax with a hint of slight annoyance before dismissing him thoroughly. Ah, from the looks of it, the man didn¡¯t quite like that jab. Did he? For someone who imed that he had integrated into the human society way too deeply, this shouldn¡¯t have caused that furrow between his brows.


    "Indeed, you are correct." Alpha Edward¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes as he turned to look at Laxus. "And this might be..."


    "My head enforcer and bodyguard," Killian told him. He nced at the man and stated, "I am sorry, but I cannot just appear anywhere without taking care of my security." More twitching.


    Alpha Edward¡¯s posture had turned rigid, but he still nodded with a smile. "We wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen to the only heir of the royal blood, now, would we?"


    He stepped to one side, allowing them to walk further in the ballroom. The space with a ss ceiling, looking out to the sky, with golden and white linens draped on the tables and golden flowers, appeared in front of them. The room was buzzing with sixty or so shifters. A small band was sitting in the corner of the room, but it skipped a few notes when they noticed their arrival. Killian nced at the band and sniffed the fear that was oozing from their pores. Humans. What were humans doing in a ceremony rted to the shifters?


    "I hope you don¡¯t mind." Alpha Edward walked over to them, and noticing the gaze with which Killian was looking at the band, he stammered, "We are not good with music... Only they can y these tunes."


    "I don¡¯t mind."


    Alpha Edward smiled, this time a bit genuinely. Killian, on the other hand, noticed the many enforcers who hade to join the banquet. The report stated that they only had eighty or so families, but more than sixty enforcers, along with their mates, appeared in this banquet hall... either they were fiercely loyal to their alpha and were worried that something might happen to Alpha Edward, or they feared him gravely.


    It had to be either of the two reasons.


    A waitress walked over to them, batting her longshes and curling her lips in a soft smile. Usually, Ajax would havepped up the charm of the woman, but he, too, only nced at her and simply took a ss of champagne without bothering to pay any more attention to her. Now that he thought about it, Ajax hadn¡¯t been bringing in any females for a while. Interesting. He would poke his nose into Ajax¡¯s life after he got his own straightened up.


    "I was looking forward to a private discussion." Killian nced at the man. Tipping his chin at the statue. "I would like to know more about this statue that you have here. I have never seen this form of moon goddess before, after all."


    "Of course, Alpha Sokolov. We will certainly have a private discussion once we are done with this party," said Alpha Edward, his smile tightening as he nced at the statue behind them. "Surely, you would like to attend this banquet. After all, my wolves havee from around the city just to meet you. The royal heir."


    He once again ced quite an emphasis on those words, which made Killian frown.


    However, before he could think of what the man was trying to insinuate by calling him ¡¯royal heir¡¯ again and again, the man turned around. Alpha Edward raised his ss in the air like he was addressing a grand crowd. His eyes were searching for something in the crowd. "Tonight we have two reasons to celebrate. First, for the blessings that we have received from our one and only. And secondly, we have Alpha Sokolov¡ªhis presence itself advocates nothing but celebration."


    A chorus of approval rippled through the crowd; however, instead of being one hundred per cent genuine, it sounded like it was practised and rehearsed many times before. The music once again started to swell in the air, slowly but firmly. Alpha Edward led them deeper into the gathering that had umted there.


    Killian could already feel his jaw tensing. Even though nothing had happened yet, he was already preparing for something as if waiting for someone to jump out and attack him out of nowhere.


    "May I introduce some of my pack members to you, Alpha Sokolov? They have been itching to meet with you ever since they returned home." Alpha Edward turned and looked at him with a polite smile. Practised and perfect.


    When Killian didn¡¯t say anything, he took it as permission and nodded at his enforcers, who immediately swarmed around Killian and the rest, looking quite eager to please. Some tried to talk to him about legal troubles, telling him that they were free to look at his legal cases with the humans. While the other started asking about the Lycans¡¯ territory. Finn and the rest were also surrounded.


    And yet the one thing that caught his attention was his beast¡¯s increasing agitation.


    <i>Something is wrong here. I know it is; something smells strange... my nose¡ªacho!! </i>


    He sneezed loudly, and Killian turned to look behind him. He tried to look for something, anything that was causing this agitation within his beast, and yet he couldn¡¯t.


    "Alpha Sokolov¨C"

 Chapter 329: Lies Above Lies

    <h4>Chapter 329: Lies Above Lies</h4>


    "It¡¯s such an honour to have you here, Alpha Sokolov." A man in his forties squeezed past the crowd and came to a stop in front of him. "I am As. The CEO of a real estatepany. If you ever need to buy a home in the human settlement, you can tell me."


    Killian hardly acknowledged the man when two women walked past the crowd.


    "Serina, chief of the hospital. We have excellent facilities. Should you ever need any kind of medical help, we are willing to do anything beyond our own abilities..."


    "I am Be¡ªthe head of the police department of this city. If you need my help, just let me know. Our enforcers can trace anything or anyone as long as we have their scent."


    Killian peeled his upper lip back. "What if there is no scent to trace?"


    The woman¡¯s face turned awkward. "That... then it will be a bit difficult."


    "Then why would I need your help?" Killian arched a brow. "If there was a scent, then I would have traced the person down on my own. Not like I wouldn¡¯t be able to trace them. Since there is nothing that can be hidden from me."


    Be¡¯s face turned pale. "I ¡ªI see, Alpha Sokolov."


    She exchanged a look with the woman who came along with her, and then the two of them scampered together.


    Finn stepped close to him; he had been looking around the ballroom in his own way, by charming thedies with his gentlemanly charm. His expression was calm and collected, but the flickering of his eyes proved that he was taking in everything that was happening around them. "There is a patio right behind this ballroom. Would you like to check it out? Countless roses are blooming in the garden facing the patio. I believe you would like it."


    Killian didn¡¯t mind following his suggestion. At this moment, he was grateful for the smallest reprieve while others stared at him as if he were a two-headed monkey. A rare breed that they were taking delight in while watching. The patio stretched along the back of the ballroom, overlooking a beautiful, well-maintained rose garden. Subtle fairy lights and hangingmps that would have suited the garden if it were in the eighties. But overall, it still suited the garden, creating an elegant ambience.


    The air was cold and icy, with winter iing. But Killian would rather freeze himself into a popsicle rather than go back and deal with the stifling hot formality of these shifters.


    "I am surprised that you haven¡¯t cracked yet," muttered Finn. He stood beside him, and yet his voice was so low that even Killian had a hard time hearing what the man was saying. "Though I suspect that you are about to snap."


    "I feel like a monkey in a zoo." Tugging on his tie, he nced behind him and noticed how the people were still eyeing him, but there was something in their gazes which made his hackles rise. "The only reason I am ying along is because I know that they have intel on Inez." He couldn¡¯t trace Inez¡¯s scent because that woman was used to hiding her scent; every day, it was a new one, and he knew nothing about Scarlet. If not for Inez, he wouldn¡¯t have bothereding to this rotten ce. Not even in his worst nightmare.


    "Don¡¯t worry; you are not the only one who is running out of patience." He nodded toward the ballroom. "I sense that these people also have some kind of motive as well. Look at their gazes; the way they look at us is as if they, too, are waiting for something." He paused and then nced at the garden. His lips peeling back as he calmly stated, "Would you look at that, there are more than seven guards. Ten surveince cameras on the back, and I noted that there were eight around the front perimeter when we arrived here."


    "That¡¯s a lot." Killian narrowed his eyes as he subtly looked around and counted the number of cameras. It was just as Finn said; there were too many guards who were walking around in front of the escapeways. More than guarding the space, it looked like they were there to stop people from running away. The red gs were rising so high that Killian could feel the rm bells ringing in his ears.


    <i>And yet, like a colour-blind, lovesick fool, you are still letting them walk all over you, </i>huffed his beast.


    "Indeed, that¡¯s a lot of security for a pack that ims that they are living in harmony with the humans. Didn¡¯t you see the expressions on the faces of the so-called humans who were ying in the band? They were totally scared when we stepped in, given that they had no idea about Dawson being a shifter. Why were they scared? Either they know everything and Dawson has been lying, or¡ª"


    Killian narrowed his eyes. "They are not humans to begin with."


    The doors to the patio swung open, Dawson stepped out with a beaming smile and together with him, he brought the air, which made his beast sneeze the heck out.


    <i>There is ¡ªachoo¡ªsomething... about...achoo...him. That...achoo... is really ...dirty...ahcoo... choo! </i>


    His hackles started to rise, and he snapped at the man in front of them. Furious and annoyed to death. He tried to take over countless times, still bent on the old ways to deal with pests that annoyed him. Fortunately, Killian had always been in control of his beast. Thus, every time his beast tried to lunge to the surface, he pushed him back.


    <i>Behave. </i>


    He told his beast, who only snapped at the air, annoyed and frustrated with the current situation.


    Fortunately, whatever scent Dawson was wearing made his beast sneeze every time he tried to speak; thus, he didn¡¯t even bother to say anything.


    "Alpha Sokolov, I hope that we did justice to your presence?" Dawson spoke in a calm voice. Two sses of champagne in his hands. "We didn¡¯t expect someone of your caliber to attend our banquet. It was a real surprise. But I dare say that we bnced out things quite nicely."

 Chapter 330: Lies Above Lies (2)

    <h4>Chapter 330: Lies Above Lies (2)</h4>


    Killian inclined his head to one side. "You do seem to pay quite a lot of attention to bnce."


    Dawson chuckled as if he had made a friendly joke. He tilted his head to one side and hummed in agreement, "We need to bnce things out nicely; if not, things will be problematic, don¡¯t you think so?"


    Something about his words made Killian frown. He turned and looked at the ballroom, where the rest of the pack stood. He carefully looked around, and that was when something clicked in his head. There was not a single young pup among the crowd. Forget about a pup; even a teen couldn¡¯t be seen. The rest of the packprised older, much more mature shifters. The youngest were Lisa and Drakon. And even the two of them, he was willing to bet his own underpants that they were at most twenty-five.


    The two being the youngest didn¡¯t make sense when a pack usually paid more attention to stretching their branches and blood. Especially small packs like the Silver Dawn pack. They would try their best to make their pack bigger and stronger by having a lot of pups. But there were no young adults, no toddlers and no babies. Killian was certain that he didn¡¯t hear a single cry from the second he arrived in this territory.


    It was one thing that they didn¡¯t bring the children to greet him, but not letting them in the banquet¡ªthat was suspicious as fuck. Because no matter how small a pack was, the packws stated that every member of the pack was supposed to attend the banquet if held in honour of the moon goddess or any other goddess; he was not going to walk down that trail again.


    One time, he did do that, and the pack leader who worshipped the goddess of fate instead of the moon goddess made him sit down and gave him a lecture on why he prayed to the goddess of fate and why it was necessary. That was thest time he even questioned anyone.


    Anyway, back to the question at hand.


    "Why are the kids not present?" Killian asked, ignoring Dawson, whose mouth was half open as if he was about to say something.


    "What?" Dawson paused in his actions to hand the other champagne ss to Killian.


    Killian tipped his chin at the banquet hall and the pack members who were dancing while ncing at the patio every now and then. "There are only adults. Where are the kids and the teens? Should they not be attending the banquet as per the packws that you believe you are bncing out while living with the humans?"


    Something flickered in his eyes. He looked back at his pack, and when he turned around, his smile had been hitched back. "Ah." He ced the ss of champagne on the small round table that was ced at the corner of the patio. "We prefer to have children with pureblood shifters. It¡¯s necessary for our pack; as you can see, we don¡¯t have really dominant shifters. Only by mating with pureblood shifters can we have strong, dominant shifters."


    "Then you mean to say that you don¡¯t give birth at all?" Finn questioned. His eyes fell on the many female shifters who had that mature charm of a woman who had given birth. "Must be hard."


    "Indeed, it is an unusual approach for a pack like yours. Usually, shifters would rush to make their pack bigger when they have such a small number of shifters." Killian pointed out.


    He cleared his throat, looking awkward once again. "Well, it¡¯s quality over quantity that matters. What is the point of having a bunch of kids who won¡¯t have strong wolves? Look at us. Our forefathers and parents didn¡¯t care about this little detail, and look at our pack. We have no other means to survive than to live among the humans."


    "But still, not having a single pup in the pack is a bit weird, don¡¯t you think so?" Killian remarked. Voice still calm as ever, but there was a note of suspicion that he couldn¡¯t hide even if he wanted to.


    "We are moving with the changing times, alpha. We know, as a matter of fact, that it is better to have children after careful consideration. There is no point in giving birth to litter after litter only for them to turn out omegas or something even worse," his voice darkened a little, and his smile tightened. "I believe it¡¯s better to wait for a pureblood shifter and then give birth to a better batch."


    "Isn¡¯t it a problem? With the pack being led by just the older ones?"


    His smile turned a bit hollow. "We do have Lisa and Drakon."


    "Just them alone won¡¯t suffice, would it?" Killian pressed.


    "Of course it won¡¯t, but they are not the only ones," said Dawson with an unnatural expression on his face. His tone was still light as ever, but there was an acidic noteced in there. Like he did not like where the conversation was heading. "Many of our young ones are settled around other cities, as their positions are a bit sensitive. We cannot ask them to stay close to the pack when their future is on the line."


    Finn shifted beside Killian. Eyes set on the wolf in front of him, as if he could sense the lies that wereing out of the mouth of the alpha in front.


    "And you don¡¯t hold any mating ceremonies?" Killian crossed his hands behind his back. "This ce looks quite romantic. It would be a shame not to use it. When was thest time you had a mating ceremony here? I don¡¯t recall seeing a photo of any young shifter having a mating ceremony."


    Again, the fear and anxiety rose in the air even when the man tried his best to hide it. "Yes, well. Our young ones have their own ideas and don¡¯t want to settle down with a mate and pup so quickly."


    "Then¡ª"


    Bang.


    **


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 Chapter 331: Torment In the Cell

    <h4>Chapter 331: Torment In the Cell</h4>


    The nk of the boots echoed down the corridor long before the torchlight reached their cell. Scarlet, who was sleeping beside Inez, stiffened. She whipped her head and turned to look at her sister. She knew that these guards were no romantic lovers. They would never pursue, nor would they charm a woman into submission. They only knew one way to make a woman submit. Though submission.


    Inez closed her eyes, knowing what wasing for her; she braced herself.


    Gilderoy came to a stop in front of their cell, grinning through the bars.


    "Time to y," the guard sneered, twirling the keys on his finger.


    He ced the key in the lock, which swung open. The metal door creaked and groaned as Gilderoy stepped inside; his lips were hooked up in a sinister smile as he walked over to where Inez was sitting. His rough hand reached out and knotted locks of Inez¡¯s hair before dragging her to the centre of the torture chamber built at the end of the prison. Chains rattled, and Inez winced in pain.


    "Let her go!" Scarlet lunged at the guard, her heart burning with pain and concern when she saw the guard degrade her sister in such a manner. But the restraints on her wrists had weakened her considerably. Bringing her to the same level as that of a human. And that was why Gilderoy didn¡¯t fear her. He sneered when he saw her attempt to rescue her sister, finding her cute.


    "You are like a tramp; words are wasted on you," he mused, raising his foot and kicking Scarlet in the stomach.


    "Scar!" Inez cried out, but her words were cut short when Gilderoy tugged at her hair. Her hands reached out instinctively as she tried to pull her hair away from his fingers, but the man¡¯s grip was like a vice; no matter how hard she struggled, Gilderoy didn¡¯t let go of her. She knew that if they wanted to escape, this was necessary, but the pain that came with the n was something that Inez could never find weing.


    He pulled Inez to the torment area and forced her to her knees. Tying her hands with the iron chains, he murmured, "Such fragile little things."


    The cold iron dug into Inez¡¯s skin, and she closed her eyes, trying to ease and smooth her breathing. However, her breathing cruddled when the first strike of the whip cameshing across her skin. Fire split her skin, and Inez bit her lower lip to stop herself from screaming. The pain was indescribable, and the familiar burn on her skin told her that the whip had been coated with wolfsbane.


    Another strike followed, harder and meaner. All to break her, but Inez held on. She had been used to this kind of pain; she could withstand it with her eyes closed. So that was what she did. Even when panic surged past her heart and wed at her throat, screams continued to build but were silenced just as they reached her lips.


    Her muffled screams of pain echoed in her ears while the prisoners enjoyed the sight of her getting whipped.


    "Leave her alone!" Scarlet¡¯s voice echoed in the cell, desperate and helpless. But she couldn¡¯t rush and attack Gilderoy, as another guard who followed Gilderoy had pinned her to the floor of the cell.


    The guards ignored Scarlet. "She must be a trained killer. Look at the whip marks; the person who sent her to assassinate Luna L must have trained her quite well. Look at her silence; even after getting whipped to this point, she has not shed a single tear."


    Gilderoy had noticed it too. When he came to the cell, he imagined the woman breaking down and crumbling at his feet. Begging him to take her rather than use the whip on her.


    But the woman stayed silent, not saying a word nor crying out.


    He narrowed his eyes, picking up the heated iron that the guard behind him had handed to him. Bringing it to Inez¡¯s arm, he let the burning hot iron press against Inez¡¯s skin lightly, just enough to let the burning flesh fill the cell.


    Inez choked on another cry while Scarlet let out another screaming ¡¯no¡¯.


    "Looks like we have something interesting in our hands. Unless she gives us the name of the person who appointed her to kill Luna L... I will keep whipping her till then. Let¡¯s see how she will not tell us the truth. Since this proud woman wants to y like this, I will certainly fulfil her wish." He knotted Inez¡¯s hair into his fist and pulled her head up. "You¡¯d better learn to speak by the time Ie back. Those pretty lips better be singing the name of the person who hired you, or else I will make you sing in agony all night long."


    Inez raised her head and looked at the guard. Her blood was thrumming. Carrying the same resonance that had once thrummed within her father¡¯s veins. So, when Gilderoy dropped his gaze and looked Inez in the eye, he noticed her eyes glimmering faintly with an otherworldly light that he couldn¡¯t quite catch. It was just for a second, but Gilderoy still caught it.


    The light flickered out as fast as it hade, but Gilderoy still felt uneasy.


    The hand that was raised in the air dropped on his side. The whip shed against the floor, making a harsh sound.


    "Let her bleed. We wille back when she remembers the name of the person who had hired her," said Gilderoy. His eyes once again found Inez¡¯s, but when he didn¡¯t see the light in her eyes, he frowned while staring at her with that assessing gaze of his. Maybe he was imagining it?


    Inez dropped to the floor when the guards undid the restraints that were tied around her wrists. Slumping like a sagged sack, rolling down.


    The door closed shut as the guards headed out of the cell, and Inez closed her eyes and heaved a sigh of relief as she heard the sound of footsteps fading away.

 Chapter 332: Finding the Trace of His Beloved

    <h4>Chapter 332: Finding the Trace of His Beloved</h4>


    Scarlet crawled to Inez. She reached out and clutched her sister¡¯s burned arm. Tears streaked her face, and she rumbled, "I will kill that bastard. As soon as I get out of here, I will kill him. Even if he hides in the pits of hell, I will find him and drag him to your feet, I swear I will!" for what that bastard did to Inez, Scarlet swore to bring his head to her sister¡¯s feet. Once she was done with him, the man would beg for death.


    Inez¡¯s lips curved into a bitter, bloodstained smile. "Don¡¯t be upset now. We will be getting out of here soon, and you can do whatever you want then."


    "You are really optimistic," one of the prisoners chuckled as they nced at Inez and Scarlet. His lips were curled into a vicious smirk. "Do you think that you can escape from this ce? Those guards will break your legs before you can even take a step out of the cell. You¡¯d better not even try to escape and ept your fate."


    "Of course, if you serve Gilderoy well, then maybe he will give you some leverage. We will also get some entertainment, hahahaha!"


    Scarlet made a violent move, but Inez caught her wrist and shook her head. They were in a dire situation themselves, and there was no point in trying to get into a fight with these men. They were rough and cruel. Fighting with these prisoners would only bring trouble. Anyway, they were only mocking her through their words; there was no harm done.


    Two hours passed like this; the two sisters supported and helped one another as they sat in silence in the corner of the cell. Scarlet had no idea what Inez was nning, but she instinctively trusted her sister. She stayed quiet and waited for the right opportunity. Since Inez said that they would get a chance to escape, then certainly they would get an opportunity.


    And it soon came.


    **


    Lisa came hurtling in from the patio; her expression was taut with worry as she hurried over to where her alpha was standing. She spoke in a low and controlled voice, and Killian, even with his enhanced hearing, couldn¡¯t hear what she was telling him.


    <i>Neither can I, </i>his beast spoke in his head as the two of them tried their best to hear what the woman was telling Dawson.


    Dawson¡¯s expression darkened before turning into neutrality. He turned to look at the two of them and smiled. "If you will excuse me, Alpha Sokolov. A small matter has arisen that needs my attention. Please enjoy the banquet; we will soon be starting our sacrifice ceremony. I promise that we will speak privately after we are done handling the matter."


    Killian watched the man leave in a hurry. He nced at Finn, who had crossed his arms and was staring at the guards, who seemed to have gotten even stricter with their guarding duty. He stated, "Something happened. Those guards have suddenly gotten even more vignt."


    Killian nced at the guards who were patrolling even tightly. Their numbers had also increased. Why?


    He turned and looked at the banquet hall and connected with Ajax and Laxus through the pack link.


    <i>Do you guys know what is going on? </i>


    <i>I did find out something.... And I don¡¯t think you are going to like it. </i>


    <i>Nothing¡ªwait, when did you hear something, Jax? And why didn¡¯t you tell me? </i>


    <i>Because I just heard it, dumbass, and not easily. I had to sacrifice all my dignity and flirt with a middle-aged woman before I could find what you would consider ssified information. </i>


    Killian ran out of patience as he snapped. <i>Just tell me what you know. </i>


    <i>The two women who killed L are sisters. </i>


    <i>What about them? </i>Killian asked with a frown.


    <i>One of them is called Scarlet¡ªdon¡¯t you think that it¡¯s too much of a coincidence? And these people know the names of the two criminals¡ªsomething that even you don¡¯t know, Kill. I am willing to bet that they had some hand in whatever you will call this... Kill? Hello? </i>


    Killian¡¯s blood froze. Scarlet¡ª he knew that there were way too many women in this world with the name Scarlet, but he had a feeling that this was the Scarlet he knew. And if that woman was locked up in the dungeons of the council, then ...Fuck!


    His beast growled. <i>Inez.</i>


    Damn it. He should have connected the dots before. Inez went missing around the time when those two women were caught. As for how these people knew this ssified information that even the council didn¡¯t know ... there was only one exnation for that. They saw Inez and Scarlet before they were brought to the dungeon and thrown into the cell. Because even the council members didn¡¯t know the names of the two women. What was this? Remy¡¯s scheme to bring him down? But would that man sacrifice his mate for something like this?


    Either way, whatever fuckery was going on, he was going to find out.


    And as for Silver Dawn Pack. He narrowed his eyes... he knew that there was something wrong with this pack, but he never expected them to be this rotten.


    Whatever their secret was, he was going to dig it out; he had expected that there were more political reasons for their weird actions rather than anything else, but now he had a feeling that there was more to what he could see. The pack was too small to cause any particr threat to anyone, but what if there was something that he couldn¡¯t quite see?


    <i>They know where Inez is... and they are hiding it.. There is something wrong with them! </i>


    Did they already see through his weakness? But how could that be possible? Inez changed her look every day. No, there had to be something else.


    <i>Kill them; they tried to hurt our mate... kill every single one of them.</i> His beast snarled in his head, his anger surging and mixing along with his own, creating a rage that Killian had never felt before. <i>I want to see blood ¡ªTheir blood. </i>


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 Chapter 333: Blood Sacrifice

    <h4>Chapter 333: Blood Sacrifice</h4>


    Ajax and Laxus came running as soon as they realised that there was something amiss. Their instincts had been top-notch from the day he had met them. Laxus frowned at him but wisely stayed quiet without asking Killian to calm down. Because at that moment, Killian knew that there was no way he would be able to control his anger.


    "Stay back," he warned the two men. If they tried to stop him now, they might end up getting caught in the fray.


    Laxus stepped forward, but Ajax caught him by the back of his cor and pulled him back. A smart move, truly.


    Dominance rolled off him like a wild tornado, swirling around as if determined to raze everything in his path. It silenced the crowd, sending a wave of anxiety through the entire banquet hall, cutting off the music and the soft murmur of the shifters.


    "Where is Dawson?" He rumbled, his eyes flickering around the entire banquet hall. But there was no hint of their alpha; that fucker seemed to have disappeared. His beast rushed to the surface, and his voice boomed through the crowd, "Where the fuck is your alpha!?"


    He stalked through the banquet hall, his vision turning red because of the rage that was swimming within his veins. The Silver Dawn Pack scampered backwards; most of the elderly cowered against the floor tiles, submission rippled through the air as Killian¡¯s dominance rolled over the entire pack. But at that moment, he couldn¡¯t care about their fear or their old age.


    He needed fucking answers.


    "DAWSON!" Killian roared, his voice cutting through the booming silence. "Come out and fight me, you motherfucker."


    Ajax¡¯s voice cuts through the raging thoughts in his head. <i>The man on the left is Dawson¡¯s beta. I heard him talk about Scarlet. Most probably, he knows why the two women were taken to the prison cell. </i>


    His world came to a stop, and Killian turned to look at the beta, his beast hardly contained within him. He wanted to lunge to the surface and rip the head off of the cowering man in front of them, but they couldn¡¯t do that. Because this man was the only one who could prove that Inez was innocent, even he wouldn¡¯t be able to break her out of the council¡¯s prison without firm and irond evidence.


    He walked over to the man. Catching him by the cor, he questioned, "What did you do!?"


    The hall turned even quieter. A chill surged through the entire pack, and the casting shadows looked even more unnatural than they did before.


    The beta shook his head, his shoulders sagging as if gravity itself was weighing heavier on him than on anyone else in the room. "I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, Alpha Sokolov. I didn¡¯t ¡ª we didn¡¯t do anything to anyone. Who are you speaking about?" Behind him stood the entire pack. They didn¡¯t even dare to breathe or shuffle at all. With bated breath, they all looked at Killian, waiting for him to make the judgement.


    Killianughed out loud, but there was no humour in hisughter. He pulled the man off the floor and brought him up, with his eyes staring right within the beta¡¯s. Killian said to him, "You better not y this game with me, alright? I know you did something, so you¡¯d better confess when I am being nice to you or else I will make sure that you will never be able to speak again."


    The beta¡¯s lips moved, trembling at first before curling upward in a humourless smile. His yellowed teeth, cracked and chipped, came into view. "You came here thinking that you could make us talk? Haha! You are a fool, Alpha Sokolov, a real fool. You are hers now. She will take your blood and soul. You will be hers! Always hers."


    Killian¡¯s jaw tightened. He reached out and gripped the beta¡¯s chin, forcing the man to look at him as his eyes were flickering all over the room like a drug addict. However, what he saw made him suck in a breath. The beta¡¯s eyes... they were zed and faintly luminescent... they reflected the lights that were brightly lit above on the ceiling. Dull grey and ss-like. Like that of a dead person.


    "Answer me," demanded Killian. "Who is she? And why did you target my mate?"


    The beta chuckled; his breathing had turned jagged. It was as if he was choking on something. Like his throat had been ripped and torn, and the voice was reverberating within his flesh. "She is in the way. She needs to be gone! It is her fault! All her fault; if she were not alive, then our sacrifices wouldn¡¯t be wasted. But if she stays alive... our sacrifice... the troubles that we have gone through, they all will be wasted."


    "Sacrifices, what kind of sacrifices?" Finn asked sharply.


    "Our wolves," the man cackled. "We have no wolves. We have to give them up. Can¡¯t you see? We are not what you think we are. We are hers."


    A ripple passed through the room. Making Killian and the rest uneasy. The shifters lining against the wall began to twitch, shoulders jerking, fingers scraping against the floor, skin and the walls. It was a horrible sight, as if they were being tormented with an invisible fire that neither Killian nor anyone else could see. Their eyes turned ssy, and they all turned to look at Killian and his enforcers. All at once. More than fifty pupils dted in an eerie unison.


    "Mommy," Ajax stepped back. His eyes stared at the crowd, and slowly he turned to look at the beta of the Silver Dawn pack. "You are acting, right? You all are ying a prank on us? This is all part of the y, right?"


    "Stop acting like a coward!" Finn snapped at the man who was jumping around like a little girl.


    "Shut up! You know I am not good with horror movies," cried out Ajax.

 Chapter 334: Determined to Sacrifice The Royal Blood of the Lycans

    <h4>Chapter 334: Determined to Sacrifice The Royal Blood of the Lycans</h4>


    "Quieten down." Killian snapped at the men behind him. His instincts red as he realised that there was something amiss. He rose, releasing the man in his hands. He scanned the room.


    <i>Something...achoo... something has changed around the room... the air... It¡¯s heavier... and denser... thick with rot and forgotten prayers, </i>his beast sneezed loudly. His sneezes started to get louder and louder with each passing second, which was enough evidence to prove that there was something wrong¡ªvery wrong in this motherfucking ce.


    The betaughed again. Even though he was slumped on the floor, his voice was loud and heavy. Killian dropped his gaze and looked at the beta whose skin was crawling like a thousand insects were seeking an escape from within his flesh. Around him, the others followed suit; spines bowed, jaws went ck, and eyes rolled around until they turned hauntingly white.


    And then it began.


    There was no shift. No one shifted into wolves. But a shift nheless. Not the beautiful crack of bones reshaping into fur and fangs. Instead, their flesh started to sag, and their skin peeled back like an old parchment. Their jaws dropped and they started to drool. Faces turned oddly grotesque between a wolf and a human. Ash-coloured veins spread under their skin like thunder, but a secondter they started to glow. Like golden magma was flowing within their bones.


    Their nails curved and twisted into talons resembling ws.


    The smell hit them next¡ªsour¡ªlike rotting flesh and blood as if they had been dead for ages.


    "Goodness gracious," Ajax clutched his pearls as he stared at the crowd in front of him. "Thank the Moon Goddess, you didn¡¯t sleep with that woman, Finn, or else you would have had nightmares for all your life!"


    The beautiful Lisa was nowhere to be found; in ce of her ce stood another woman. Dead and decayed. She no longer looked as beautiful as she did in the afternoon, and Finn raised his hand to wipe his lips, for he had kissed the woman on the back of her hand.


    Killian ignored the banter of these fools. Bracing himself, he stepped back. His pulse quickened, but his mind remained sharp as he looked at the people in front of him. They were not wolves, nor were they men. They were something hollow. A vessel of something. Or maybe traces of what was left behind.


    The beta staggered to his feet, and his voice broke into a guttural shriek as he twisted his head at an inhumane angle. "We are eternal! We are hers! All Hail the Great One!"


    And that was when the banquet hall erupted.


    Dozens of them surged forward in unison, and Killian barely dodged the first attack. Their speed was unnaturally fast. They shouldn¡¯t be this fast, and yet they were. They were like marites yanked by invisible strings. Their mouths were open in a silent scream as their talon-like ws shed at Killian and his enforcers.


    Killian ducked to one side, and yet the w somehow managed to graze his back. The wound burned like wolfsbane dropped on an open wound. He could feel his healing being hindered.


    As expected, there was something very wrong with this ce.


    His beast rumbled within him. Pressed right against his surface. <i>As expected, this was a trap to get your blood. </i>


    Killian curled his lips and allowed his beast to take over. Behind him, his enforcers shift as well. Blessed by the royal blood of the lycan family, the only heir of the royal blood... Killian¡¯s form was bigger than other lycans. His fur was midnight ck, with a subtle glow. Anyone who saw his lycan form would be scared out of their wits. For lycans were terrifying to begin with, and Killian, with his tall and sturdy form, was simply terror incarnate.


    <i>Kill them all. Just leave the beta alive. We will need himter on... </i>Killianmanded his shifters as he threw his head back and let out a gut-wrenching roar.


    A husk-faced female came at him from the left. Her w arched toward his throat. And the giant lycan shifted to the right, and Killian caught her between his jaw and, with a deadly crunch, snapped the woman in half. And yet not a single drop of blood was spilt. Instead, her body shuddered and copsed into a cloud of grey ash, leaving behind the faint echo of a scream. The lycan sneezed, sending the ash flying all over the ce.


    Four more charged at him, and Killian dodged past them. A good thing too, because just as he rushed past the one on the left, the man snapped his teeth close right where Killian¡¯s neck had been a heartbeat earlier. Killian¡¯s beast pivoted, mmed into the creator and threw him right against the wall. His ws tore open the belly of the man. The skin tore open like he was cutting through paper. And yet the man continued to w at Killian like he couldn¡¯t feel any pain. He continued hurting Killian until he disintegrated in the air.


    <i>¡¯These things cannot feel any pain,¡¯ </i>pointed out Finn as he snapped the spine of a person and watched him turn into a pile of ashes.


    <i>Well, duh, given that they are dead and have been for ages, I will be surprised if they can feel any pain, </i>snapped Ajax. He didn¡¯t sound quite happy, given that he had to face something that he was scared of.


    <i>Keep focus... they are not close to stopping. </i>Laxus warned before Finn could start another quarrel with Ajax.


    He was right.


    These people kepting. Ten. twenty. Thirty... so many that he lost count of how many hollows he had killed.


    Killianshed out with his alpha vibes against whatever these people were, and yet they didn¡¯t submit.


    <fn737e> Follow current nov?ls on Find[F]ovel</fn737e>


    <i>They are dead, </i>Killian said in an eerie, quiet voice. <i>They have been dead for a long time... and yet they are alive... how in the world is that even possible? </i>


    <i>**</i>


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 Chapter 335: Husks

    <h4>Chapter 335: Husks</h4>


    The beta staggered to his feet. His body was warped, and his face was unrecognisable now that his skin had split open to reveal glowing cracks across his skull. His voice had turnedyered with something not his own, but it now carried the chaos they had been suppressing all along. The air around the banquet hall turned static, as if it had been turned on with something more than just the molecules of the air. The glowing lights on the ceiling flickered and turned into ming torches; the marble pirs shifted into old and dpidated wooden pirs.


    <i>"Magic," </i>hissed his beast, sneezing louder than ever once the veil that had been covering the entire space disappeared.


    "You cannot stop us. You cannot stop <i>ourdy! </i>Every child that we have fed The Great One feeds her me and power. Every sacrifice that was handed to her makes us stronger. Immortal. Kill one, and another one will rise from her shadows!"


    Killian snarled. His eyes narrowed as he cut down another attacker. Their ash sprayed across the mottled stone like grey and ck snow. "They sold their wolves. They have no souls... what kind of immortality does this man speak of?" He spat on the floor, his snout moving jerkily as he did that. "They are all nothing but husks. Hollowed in and out."


    The beta growled as he lunged at him. His movements were wrong...he was too fast and stiff. Killian barely twisted in time, but the ws of the man still ripped past the fur and grazed across his flesh instead of his ribs. Fortunately, the lycans had bodies that were as strong as tanks, or else he would have gotten a rib or two broken. However, the strength of the attack still made his bones rattle.


    The pack surged again, swarming around him and his enforcers.


    ws raked at them, tearing their skin and rattling their bones. Teeth gnashed near their faces, and the air started to thicken with the stench of decay and burning magic. Killian fought them hard; each strike reduced another to dust, but he could see that the Silver Dawn Pack was not going to go down. For every time someone fell, two more pressed forward. Their hunger was endless. This fight was now starting to seem meaningless.


    At the far end of the hall, the torches started to re up even brighter. It cast shadows of the husks against the wall. For a moment, Killian thought he saw the witch. The Great One they spoke of. The woman¡¯s silhouette was right there, tall and slender. Her face was covered in a hood like the statue¡¯s, sitting in the middle of the banquet hall that he had seen earlier.


    The beta snapped his head toward the shadow of the woman as if he were answering her presence. His lips cracked wide in a grin, making his jaw stretch beyond human limits. "She can see you," He hissed, a voice chorus of whispers. "She ims you. Your blood shall make her stronger, Alpha Sokolov. You should be d that you are going to be a part of this revolution where things shall change."


    Rage red in Killian¡¯s chest. He had no fucking idea what this crazy revolution was, but this witch was not going to take him down; there was no way he was going down. Not when these people have the craziest idea of making him into a sacrificial goat. Just as one of the husks lunged at him, Killian feinted to slip, and the man pivoted fast enough to im his throat but not fast enough actually to cut through his flesh. Killian snapped his jaw closed around the throat of the husk, and he disintegrated.


    More came.


    <fn037c> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? </fn037c>


    Killian twisted and crushed the ribs of one of his attackers. Bone started to splinter. But the husk didn¡¯t scream in pain. He didn¡¯t flinch. Instead, heshed out and wed at Killian¡¯s hindquarters.


    <i>This bastard! </i>Killian heard his beast roar out loud as he twisted around and mmed into the husk.


    <i>How many are left? </i>Killian asked his beta when another husk turned into dust.


    <i>¡¯Honestly?¡¯</i>


    <i> ¡¯I am sure they are doubling up, instead of going down,¡¯</i> replied Finn with a frustrated sigh.


    Killian suppressed a growl as he stared at the husks that were indeed getting out of hand. If this went on, then they would only waste more time. They only needed one of them alive; as for the rest, they might as well burn in hell.


    His eyes flickered, and he looked up at the chandelier that had transformed into the old wooden one, with countless candles burning in it.


    The cogs in his head started to turn, and he immediately pack-linked with his beta and the rest of the enforcers. <i>Drag the beta out and keep these husks busy for the time being. </i>


    <i>Got it. </i>


    Three voices echoed in his head at the same time, and Killian lunged past the swarm of the husks and climbed up the wall. And just when the gravity started to pull him down, he shifted in mid-air and lunged at the chandelier. He crashed into the frame of the chandelier, sending it crashing to the floor. The candles were scattered all over the floor, sending sparks all over the swarm of husks. With their peeling skins and papery-thin flesh, it didn¡¯t take long for the husks to catch fire.


    mes surged all over the floor.


    <i>Was this your great n!? </i>Ajax jumped in the air as he staggered backwards.


    <i>Shut up. </i>


    Killiannded on the floor and watched the husks burn slowly. Even then, they didn¡¯t let out a single scream. With the mes engulfing them, they turned into clouds of grey ashes but stayed calm. At the corner of the room, Killian saw more and more shadows staggering as more husks started toe to life.


    <i>Shit.</i>


    The sound of rustling caught his attention, and Killian turned to look behind him. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed a husk hiding in the shadows¡ªDrakon.


    <i>Double shit.</i>

 Chapter 336: Mutilated Bodies

    <h4>Chapter 336: Mutted Bodies</h4>


    Her life was not easy. It would have been much better if she had just stayed put in her little boutique and designed clothes, but no, she had to end up getting caught in a fray that had nothing to do with her. The stupid urge to keep Inez alive had pushed her to do things that she would have normally ignored. Things she didn¡¯t care about.


    They were annoying, and for someone around her age, annoying things should either be ignored or eradicated. Usually, she ignored these things, as Tracy couldn¡¯t be bothered by them, but for Inez, she had to make sure that these things would be cleaned up before they could be a hurdle in her path of staying alive.


    <i>And you could have done all of this silently, don¡¯t you think so? </i>One of her spirits spoke to her as they watched the carnage that Tracy had wrought in the warehouse. Splinters were burning down, mes had imed walls, and the ss windows were now melting like they were made of thin wax or paper.


    <i>Talk about dramatic entrances, </i>said the ck owl as he stared at the mess in front of him. He turned and looked at Tracy before saying, "Continue like this, and you will be dragged to the front of the council of the Gods."


    "Like I care." Tracy snapped her fingers as a bolt of electricity passed through the space, lighting the entire warehouse with purple lightning. The door that had been stopping her from entering crumbled under her rage, if it could understand that there was no point in standing against her. Pathetic. Where was the fight? The crash of the door sent another tremor down the ground and through the underground chambers within the warehouse that had been built on top of it to mask the illegal and dirty dealings that happened inside the underground area¡ªSeveral shifters rushed in.


    "Who are you?"


    "How did you get here?"


    "Someonee! There is an intruder here."


    "Kill her! She has found the warehouse!"


    They repeated the same boring scripts that she had gotten used to hearing since the eighties. Not a single thing had changed. Other than the warehouse or the hiding spot. She watched as the fools who had sold their wolves to the witch in exchange for immortality. The same fools, the same strategy and the same greed. There was nothing new.


    She didn¡¯t even bother to wipe the bored expression on her face as she snapped her fingers just as the four to five young shifters came rushing at her, but then again, who knows? Maybe they were around the age of her great-great-great grandpa? Selling their soul and whatnot.


    The husks turned into ashes, and only one of them remained intact. Interesting.


    She turned to look at the shifter, who was now eyeing her with eyes that were wide in terror.


    "It seems like you didn¡¯t get a chance to sell your wolf to the witch in exchange for immortality?" Tracy remarked as she nced at the young wolf, who seemed to be looking around the space, wanting to run away but couldn¡¯t.


    Seeing the look in the eyes of the young man, Tracy smiled at him. "Don¡¯t worry. I have no intention of causing any trouble for you, at least until you are willing to act like a good boy. You will stay as one, right?" She asked, but when the young man didn¡¯t nod as she expected him to, Tracy narrowed her eyes and flicked her wrist. A thin, purple whip appeared out of nowhere.


    "You¡ª"


    "Shut up." Tracy hurled the whip at the man, causing him to close his eyes in fear. However, the pain that he had been expecting never came. Instead, he felt a stifling sensation as if his limbs were tied together, along with his mouth getting closed shut. Startled, he opened his eyes only to realise that he had been tied up and thrown in the corner of the warehouse.


    His eyes widened, and he let out a muffled protest. Shifters always forgot that they could never go against witches, but they would still end up getting entangled with them. Tracy wondered why they always did that. She nced at the man and stated coldly, "You are lucky that I am not in the mood to kill sinners like you tonight or else you would have died a sorry death. So you better not piss me off."


    The young shifter¡¯s eyes widened. He looked affronted and angered, but nheless, he quietened down. Smart.


    The corridor ahead stretched into darkness, lit only by intermittent torches of mes and little yellow bulbs. They flickered with each second that passed by.


    <i> It smells so bad.</i>


    Yup. It smelled truly bad. But it was something that they had expected. They already knew that the entire space would smell of nothing but mottled flesh and rotting blood, along with the cocktail of fear and grudge. It was terrifying. A ce no one would even bother stepping, but Tracy was not just someone. She ignored the congealing puddles of blood and old flesh and continued moving forward. She grimaced only when she noticed a pile of humans and their uncleaned waste collected in one space.


    "She could have at least used a cleaning spell or something of the sort," Tracy muttered to her owl spirits, who were following her. "Decent plumbing and cleaning could have helped this situation, you know."


    The corridor opened into a wider chamber, and Tracy¡¯s stomach tightened the second she stepped inside the space. There were ss cases, like the ones one would find in those research centres of those mad scientists, filled with what Tracy knew was a potion¡ªa failed potion. Inside the ss cases were more than three to four bodies crammed. No, it was better to say that there was just one body inside the case, with three to four heads jutting out from odd ces.


    The girl or the boy, whoever it was, opened their eyes and stared at her.


    <i>Help me. </i>It mouthed.<fnbb27> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on Find_Novel(.</fnbb27>

 Chapter 337: Morga (I)

    <h4>Chapter 337: Morga (I)</h4>


    Tracy stared at the atrocities in front of her. The sight alone would have made even the blood of the gods and the goddesses curdle. Humans called this research, while the witches called it revolution. But her? She called it madness. The same madness that had been carried on and on for centuries, without stopping. Centuries of this stupidity, and yet Tracy had a very good hunch that this was not going to stop. Maybe if the goddess of magic had learned her lesson and realized that there was no point in manufacturing any more of these witches with a screw loose in their heads.


    Honestly, how many times had she told that woman to take a closer look at the mess her children had made in this world?


    <i>"Like a gazillion times already," </i>muttered the white owl.


    Yup, she did and look where it has brought her. The development was insane. Catch on to the sarcasm here, okay?


    The creature, most likely a poor soul from a rather twisted experiment, turned his head and looked at her. His eyes were filled with silent pleading as he hoped for freedom. Staring at Tracy, he silently begged her to release him from his agony.


    <i>Please. </i>


    "I wille back for you," said Tracy, her voice unnaturally soft even though she hardly ever used that tone on anyone. "Don¡¯t worry; I will free you of this pain once I am done."


    She wished she could help him, do something more for them, but other than giving their souls the freedom they craved while living in the form of this abomination, Tracy didn¡¯t know what else to do for them. She was no goddess, and even if she wished to help these children, she couldn¡¯t do that. Because no magic could undo what they were going through. Their sufferings brought a fleeting emotion, one that she had ignored for ages. It was painful but not hard to suppress.


    Once you have seen enough, things get easier with time; after all, this was not the first example of cruelty that she had seen and certainly won¡¯t be thest.


    Tracy nced at the living as well as the dead before continuing deeper into the undergroundbyrinth. Her heart felt heavy as she ignored the mutted bodies that either had two heads or furry bodies with several human hands. Just what did that idiot do here? Was she really hell-bent on creating amorphous?


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    She came to a stop upon reaching what looked like a tri-junction. Her eyes flickered from one opening to another as she raised her hand and summoned a flicker of purple lightning. The sharp current flickered before catching the pulse of a familiar magic that made goosebumps break all over her skin. It was so distinct, so recognizable, that Tracy couldn¡¯t deny the presence inside one of these dungeons even if she wanted to.


    Turning a swift left, she entered the dungeon that was at the far end of the hollow, dome-like space.


    The mud wall covered with moss and blood disappeared, and in ce of it, the curved and arched wall of this underground corridor was now covered with marble. Sigils drawn from blood were scattered all over the ce. Ancient yet not what they were taught when they were young. Someone had experimented on them, and they had done it quite crudely, without even knowing what they were doing, or they were so reckless that they didn¡¯t care what they were doing or how many lives they were taking in their wake.


    Then again, this woman had never been an empath. She couldn¡¯t even see through the pain that she had caused to her own loved ones, much less care about those who had no rtion to her. Obsessed and chaotic. She had always been a headache since she was young.


    Tracy sighed, wondering where she had gone wrong with this woman, but then again, some witches had been absolutely psychotic since they were children.


    Not bothering to y nice, Tracy raised her hand and flicked her entire arm forward. The invisible doors didn¡¯t even have the time to open before they were sent flying. The entire doorway crashed and fell to the ground, reduced to nothing but scraps. The room behind the doorway appeared. Large and circr, with a bunch of statues and shrines created for the goddess of magic.


    There were countless carcasses of animals and humans alike. As if the goddess of magic would ept these sacrifices. Tracy wondered when these practices even started with the witches and the wizard sacrificing the lives of the innocent without any restraints.


    Tracy walked past the corpses scattered on the floor and looked at the blood sigil that was drawn on the marble. Arge circle with countless runes written in and around the entire circle. And there she sat in the middle of the circle, cross-legged. One look at the young girl, and Tracy knew that this was not her real body. If it were, then this woman would have never let her catch her so easily.


    The youngdy in the middle was no older than sixteen, and she opened her eyes when she heard the sound of footsteps echoing in the silent room. Her blood-red eyes stared at Tracy with a look of annoyance on her face. Dressed in a gothic ck dress with a matching headdress, the woman would have looked cute if not for the human skull, lemons and a voodoo doll sitting next to her.


    "Morga." Tracy crossed her hands behind her back and calmly looked at the young woman. "How many times are you going to do this? I have told you already that this brings a really bad reputation to all of us."


    The woman elegantly stood up on her feet, her eyes staring at Tracy with a look of sheer rage in her eyes. Though her expression remained nk. Centuries of living among humans, and yet she couldn¡¯t learn how to show expressions like any normal person would.


    <i>Sigh. She really was bad at learning, wasn¡¯t she? </i>

 Chapter 338: Morga (II)

    <h4>Chapter 338: Morga (II)</h4>


    "Tristana." The young woman snarled, and Tracy winked at her. "At your service."


    She stepped forward, her face devoid of any emotion, and as she did that, the mes burning inside thebyrinth started to cast shadows on her pulsing veins that could be seen through her pale skin. She raised her hand, and countless blood serpents appeared out of thin air. They rose in the air andshed at Tracy, hurtling towards her like a swarm of bloodthirsty monsters.


    Tracy knew that one bite of these snakes couldnd her in serious trouble. Having faced them more than once.


    However, she was not afraid. She raised her hand and, with azy flick of her wrist, she sent a pulsating bolt of lightning throughout the space. The blood serpents turned into drops of blood and dripped down onto the floor like blood rain.


    "It seems like you have forgotten all your lessons on how to greet your seniors." Tracy tilted her head to one side and smiled at the woman. "How many times did I tell you that you at least need to greet me whenever you see me? Or have aeons of worship from these mundane shifters inted your head?"


    She nced at the mutted corpses and questioned, "How many centuries has it been since you started this foolish experiment of yours?"


    "You are one interfering bitch," snapped Morga. Her voice was harsh and cold, not at all suitable for that cute face that she had donned at the moment. Hissing and spiteful, quite ancient, like the voices in the pits that told you to jump and let them feast on your soul. Despite all of that, Tracy didn¡¯t bat an eye while staring at the woman. "How did you get past those shifters? I swear I¡ª"


    "Gave them immortality?" Tracy sneered, walking around the runes that were scattered all over the floor. "What? Did you think that by giving them immortality, you had made them resistant to my magic as well? Come on, Morga. You are not a three-year-old; how can you be so childishly optimistic?"


    The woman snarled, and her sclera turned ck with crimson irises that started to swirl like liquid. Her fanged fingers twitched as she tried to attempt another spell, but before she could finish drawing the array, Tracy curled her lips and muttered a spell. The ground around the woman cracked due to the sheer weight of the gravity that had been amplified a thousand times.


    Rubble and stones flew all over the ce as the woman ended up ttened on the floor like a pancake.


    "It has been years¡ªno, centuries, Morga. How long are you going to continue like this? Was it a grudge? Love? It has been so long that even I have forgotten about it." Tracy clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Still, you are clinging onto a past that should have been buried and forgotten. Still, going on and on about the stupid grudge that you have against the shifters. Still, handing out immortality in exchange for getting their blood. You really haven¡¯t changed."


    "You will not understand," she hissed through her clenched teeth. "They stole what was mine ¨C"


    "Save the sob story. I have heard it many times already." Tracy released a sigh as she stepped close to the woman, crouching down such that she was at eye level with the venom witch; she said to her, "And you have taken your revenge. More than once. What you are doing now is not you trying to avenge what you lost. It¡¯s your inner psychopathing out in full bloom. It¡¯s a pathetic excuse that you keep using to make yourself feel better when the truth is that you are an unhinged and despicable murderer who gets sadistic pleasure when people are suffering."


    Making a face, she added, "So stop glorifying yourself as the victim of the shifters. It happened centuries ago, and how many shifters have you killed since then? Ever stopped to count, eh?"


    Staring at those cruel eyes, Tracy could see the ancient rage and cruelty buried deep within the beautiful face.


    "Here is one thing that you need to know about grudge, Morga," Tracy began, leaning close as she lowered her voice. "You are not the only one who has a grudge, you know? I do too. And so do the several shifters who lost their lives in the hands of your twisted sadism. The site that you created? All to get off? To get the sick pleasure of seeing their young getting mauled? Yeah, they know about it, and they are not happy about it. Imagine how brutally they will rip your heart out if I find your real body and drag it in front of them. And believe me." She nodded with a solemn look on her face. "If they ever find you, you will die without a proper body."


    The witch flinched, and Tracy smiled at her.


    "That¡¯s right, they are not happy. But we will discuss that matterter on. Tell me, where is your real body? I do have to admit that in all these centuries you have learned how to hide your real self; how many more bodies have you created?"


    "You have no authority over me, Tristana." Morga¡¯s eyes narrowed as she growled at her. Her face turned bloodless and smirked up at Tracy. "This territory might not be mine, but this belongs to my servants. They sold their souls to me, making me the lord of this ce."


    "Servants," Tracy arched a brow as she stood up,pletely fine despite the gravitational force that was almost cracking Morga¡¯s spine in half. "ves, you mean? Because you pay servants for their work, you, on the other hand, took away the only thing that solely belonged to them."


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    "They agreed!" Morga snorted, her eyes falling somewhere behind Tracy, who dodged out of the path of therge python thatshed at her from behind. However, that much was enough to break the spell and unleash the witch.

 Chapter 339: Clash of Witches

    <h4>Chapter 339: sh of Witches</h4>


    Morga scrambled backwards, her ws dragging on the floor as she eyed Tracy warily. "You speak as if you have never shed blood. By the way, why are you interfering now? did you not swear that you shall never intervene in the matters of the shifters and the witches? Centuries of silence and now you are suddenly appearing out of thin air? What got into your panties?"


    "You don¡¯t have the authority to question me, Morga." Tracy snapped her fingers and a small puddle of water appeared under her feet; it trickled and frothed before washing away the blood sigils drawn on the floor. The symbols hissed like countless snakes before disappearing into thin air. "Now, where is your body?" she raised her head and looked at the figure of the thin girl. "I know as a matter of fact that this is not your true body; you are way too sly and cautious. You will never disclose yourself so easily unless you have another nice, tricky escape n waiting for you."


    The witchughed, herugh like nails scratching on the ckboard. It had always been annoying and unpleasant, just like the rotten heart that she carried within her chest.


    "Perhaps you are forgetting that you no longer hold any authority over me, Tristana. We are not students, and our teacher is not here. You cannot demand answers from me and expect me to tell you the truth."


    "Then tell me, why are you here... this question is simple enough for you to understand with that little IQ you have?" Tracy looked down at her nails, clicking her tongue when she noticed that they were chipped at odd angles. "I don¡¯t see any reason for you toe and bother these shifters."


    Sheughed again, higher this time. "I assure you that I was no bother. They were quite happy and ...hospitable once I told them that I can give them what they wanted."


    Tracy grimaced, realizing that Morga had been hiding chunks of her soul, making promises and handing temptations to the weak, like the alpha of the Silver Dawn pack.


    Thest time the two of them met, Tracy had destroyed her body but she couldn¡¯t destroy the pieces of this woman¡¯s soul that she hid away right before the shell that she was upying exploded sending blood and flesh all over thend.


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    Rebuilding her strength must have taken years; maybe that was why Inez was able to grow up. If not for the grudge this woman was carrying against her mother, Morga would have killed Inez when she was a baby.


    <i>She has gotten stronger, </i>deduced the white snowy owl.


    <i>I can see that. </i>


    "So you gave them immortality?"


    "Yes, they were so hospitable... that I couldn¡¯t ignore them," she dragged her tongue over her lips. "They are such interesting creatures. So much strength and power, and yet so easy to fool. Always chasing more power... life... I was being kind by giving them what they wanted. Why me me when they were the ones asking for it?"


    Tracy wasn¡¯t even surprised by her confirmation. She had already suspected this much ever since she found the traces of dark magic around this territory. But it still made her disgusted. No wonder this ce reeked of blood and flesh, if Morga formed a contract with the alpha of this pack, then these sacrifices of the young must have been going on for a while now. No wonder, the smell here was so strong.


    If not for Inez¡¯s stupid mate who fell right into the trap, Tracy wouldn¡¯t have bothered to deal with this pack. They had already ruined themselves to the ground. Saving them was futile and a waste of effort. But Killian just had to get caught in the fray. With Morga eyeing his royal blood¡ª it would be difficult for her to even save that man with Morga¡¯s ws digging so deep. Would she even be able to save him in time?


    No, there was no need for her to be this pessimistic. Killian was from the royal lineage of the lycans. His blood should be able to hold on until she was done dealing with this witch. She would have rescued him first, but Tracy knew that without lifting Morga¡¯s magic off this territory, it would take her longer. Not to mention this shell would escape sensing her presence.


    The shifters of this territory were strong due to the woman standing in front of her. She was their devourer yet their savior.


    As long as she was dead, the magic that was keeping their bodies alive would be drained off. Without the magic, these people won¡¯t be able to stay alive for long.


    Tracy stepped past the sigils that were drawn on the floor, destroying them bit by bit.


    "I see so you have finally gotten over your little icky feeling that you have towards the shifters. cong¡ªfucking¡ªrattions. Now we can work on that obsession of yours. The one with the siren¡ª"


    "He is mine!" She hissed. Her voice reverberating through the entire structure. Rubble and dirt fell off the roof and Tracy had to raise her hand and wave it in front of her. Her eyes flickering with annoyance as she nces at the witch.


    "Does he know that he is yours? Thest time I saw him, he was running away from you like a little rabbit running from a wolf. He has no feelings for you, Morga... you need to stop ming him for your warped feelings."


    Morga kept at least ten paces between the two of them. She narrowed her eyes and stated, "Your jokes are not funny. I saw the vision... He was supposed to be mine but he rejected my im, you never reject a witch, Tristana!"


    "Tsk, tsk, you sound like a sixteen-year-old." Tracy made a face and mimicked the woman. "You never reject a witch¡¯s im. Gosh," she rolled her eyes. "Who cares, woman? This big of a tantrum just because you were rejected by a man? That¡¯s totally not cool; do you know that?"


    Her eyes shrank ever so slightly. "Why are you here, Tristana? Who are you going to such lengths for? Is it the Fates? I haven¡¯t done anything against them. Not yet. I yed my cards safely; I knew I did. The amorphous was bound to return."


    As if she would care about the fates. The Fates could never move her.


    "Are you going to leave this shell on your own or shall I think of a way to destroy it for you?" Tracy spoke in a t voice, bored even. "I know that even if I waste my effort in killing you, you know, there is no point. You have always been so infuriating... I bet you have already started channeling your aether out of this marite that you have picked up."


    A familiar and insufferable smirk hooked Morga¡¯s lips upwards. She had seen it countless times in the past. Different shells, the same rotten soul.


    "You are right. Since you know that there is no point, why don¡¯t you move along then?" She hissed with a taunting note. "You have been out of action for years, Tracy. You stayed neutral even when the goddess of magic begged you to intervene. Always so stoic and cold. Even when you could have saved them, with your prophecies, you turned a blind eye to the pain of those people. So why not now? Why are you here, Tristana?"


    She stepped close, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. The distance was now getting reduced to a mere five paces now.


    "You also seem to have lost your wits," Tracy stated with a sweet smile.


    "At least I haven¡¯t lost my powers after staying out of action for so long," she mocked. Her voice sounded goading. "You seem to have lost your touch, Tristana. To think that someone like you... wasted so much time before she could find me."


    Tracy blinked her eyes. "...Alright," She drawled. "It seems like you have officially lost it. Tell me, did that man die and then reject you all over again? Is that why you have lost a few screws? Because no one with a sane head and no fired nerves in their body would say such stupid words."


    The smile on her face dropped and Tracy tilted her head to one side, rubbing the sigils with her shoes as if they were nothing but criss-crosses drawn by children. She asked, "Tell me. Which part of this entire thing told you that I have gotten weak? The part where I reduced your puppets to ashes? Found your hiding spot? Destroyed these runes that you have painted on the floor? Clearing up your messy little pets?" She sent another jolt of thunder at the python lurking behind her,reducing it to puddle of blood as if to assert her strength. "Maybe it¡¯s because of my face. But then again, I have always been on the younger side."


    Morga curled her lips in a soft smirk. "But you didn¡¯t kill me; you even offered me to leave this shell." She started to circle around her now. Her pace was cautious but confident. "You were always so hot-tempered, killing and destroying everything in your wake as you liked and when you wanted. Now all of a sudden you are passing on the opportunity to kill me? That¡¯s weak. Since when did you start getting this soft, Tristana?"


    Tracy chuckled, with her hands in her pockets she tipped her head to one side. "Ah, so thats what you think? You think that I am showing mercy?"


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 Chapter 340: Murderer of Her Child

    <h4>Chapter 340: Murderer of Her Child</h4>


    "I am no longer the same now, Tristana." The air crackled with a different kind of energy, but Tracy stayed where she stood. "I can take you on; the power bnce has shifted."


    Hearing her confident words, Tracy was genuinely bemused. She stood on the spot without moving while trying to process the information that had been dumped on her. At first she thought that Morga was joking, but one look at her face and she realised that she was not joking. She was freaking serious. She meant every word that she spoke. And what was even more shocking was that she had actuallye to believe this nonsense.


    The vessel she was using was not strong enough to hold the magic of greater capacity, and sacrificing the young and making them turn into amorphous had left her with barely a fourth of her strength. The magic inside her was dwindling, and she was this close to disappearing altogether, with the flickering magic like that of a small me in the air.


    Had she forgotten what true magic was supposed to feel like? Maybe she had, after tearing her soul apart into that many pieces, like some monster.


    It had been too many years since the two of them had met. And she had been too blind to see the simplest thing with her blunt brain. As long as she could stay alive, Morga had never paid attention to anything else.


    "It seems like you have finally lost a few cells in your brain," Tracymented. "I hear that it can happen when you don¡¯t pay attention to your diet. An old woman around your age should be taking supplements to boost your brain health. Omega-3 and the kind. There is nothing wrong with them. You should try them sometimes; maybe your IQ will get onest boost; if not, then we will have to admit that you are just not the brightest bulb on the street."


    Morga paused in her confident stride, her expression twisted.


    She clenched her fists, and the blood around her started to bubble; thousands of small snakes appeared and started to slither towards her like countless worms. It was a hideous sight. Honestly, if she were any more squirmy, Tracy would have jumped on the spot after seeing the disgusting sight in front of her.


    All of the snakes hissed and lunged in her direction, spitting blood that could even meet the marble on the floor.


    The spell was supposed to be powerful, but with the meagre amount of magic that Morga had at the moment, the spell looked like a sorry excuse for power dominance. If not for those snakes carrying deadly diseases, she would have fallen to the ground and pretended to be hurt just for the sake of keeping the poor heart of the witch in front of her.


    But she couldn¡¯t do that.


    Since that was the case, Tracy sighed. Raising her hand, she muttered a spell in her mind, and a big green circle with five small ones appeared in the air. A loud explosion echoed in the room, and the snakes that were rushing toward her in arge wave of blood disappeared. Swallowed by the gnarled roots that appeared out of thin air from the ground, sending a gust of poisonous gas around. A few snakes did manage to escape, but they too soon disappeared into a faint hiss, leaving only the echo of their hissing fit.


    Morga¡¯s eyes widened. Of course, they did. She must have thought that all these years of ignorance and staying away from the world of magic had weakened her. Just like her. How cute.


    She hurled a few more spells in Tracy¡¯s direction. They all fail, spectacrly so.


    Maybe years of staying cooped up in the dark corners had made her memories a bit fuzzy. Tracy, whose elemental magic was better than any other disciple of the goddess of magic, could defuse any kind of spell as long as the aether within it was alive. And since there was no magic that could be considered dead, even if it was dark, breaking the core of these spells was not hard. Causing disruption was, after all, her forte; that was what the goddess of magic told her thest time the two of them had a decent conversation, without her barging out on her.


    Another spell, another disappointment.


    Seriously, Morga had to be a fool or maybe her head was too hazy due to all the love nonsense that had filled her head. How could she forget something so important? Was the rejection so hard that it addled what little IQ she had?


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    "How can you be so strong...how can you still be so strong...?" she muttered under her breath, her eyes flickering with rage as she stared at Tracy. Morga seemed to be trying to understand how she could have ...She well made the wrong judgment, like this was the first time she had done that.


    "Why should I be weak? Just because I am no longer the favourite of the gods or because I turned my back on them?" Tracy curled her lips and looked at the carnage that she had brought on. A part of her knew that the gods wouldn¡¯t be too happy with her for creating such a strong disruption, but honestly... who cared? If they could turn a blind eye to the monstrosity that was happening around here, they could close their eyes a bit longer.


    She shook her head. "You are a fool, Morga. I never ¨C not once ¨C showed any kind of weakness. From the second I stepped in here. In your territory, you knew that I wasn¡¯t weak; you just ignored that little truth."


    Morga shook her head, her hair flying around, giving her what one would call the crazy look. "It should have been impossible. You are no longer the favourite of the gods; the goddess of magic has cast you out... your aether should have grown weak with time. How... how could this happen?"


    She looked down at the sigils and arrays that she had drawn on the floor, her eyes flickering. Licking her lips, Morga stated, "I used the blood of the innocents to draw this array. Innocent babies! The dark magic infused in this array should have ruined you; it should have killed anyone by sucking up their strength if they tried to destroy it. Howe you are still standing tall??"


    "So that was what it was supposed to do?" This time around, Tracy was truly baffled. Honestly, it was not her fault. The magic was so feeble that she didn¡¯t even feel it. Now that she had found out that the magic was supposed to have such a great effect, Tracy was truly shocked. She never expected such a twist.


    But then again... Morga had always been mundane when it came to magic and spells. For her, it is always give and take; unless she sacrificed her own blood or someone else¡¯s, she could never use her magic or spells that required channelling her inner mana. A fool who reached for the sky ¨C that was what she was. True, she was quite skilled in creating chaos and using dark spells. But still a fool.


    "You truly have forgotten everything, haven¡¯t you? Even if I am banished, did you seriously think that even with my fallen self, you still had a chance?" Tracy quirked a brow and asked. She looked down at her shoes, which were now a bloody red. Argh, she was going to have a hard time cleaning those traces off her shoes, and this pair was pure white. Damn it.


    She should have known thating here would bring nothing but chaos.


    Why did she even wear white?


    She had to clean this all off, or else Inez was going to get worried about her. That girl was way too soft. "Maybe you should ept that even when I have lost all of my favour, you can never amount to anything. Even at my lowest, you can never meet up to my strength, Morga. It¡¯s not that hard to ept."


    The look of sheer outrage on her face was enough to make this trip worthwhile.


    But she didn¡¯t have any more time left in her hands; if she didn¡¯t destroy this vessel, then Inez¡¯s little lover would be dead, and that would be a bit problematic. That girl seemed to have gotten a bit fond of that little stupid mutt; if he died, then her powers were bound to be unfocused. That was thest thing she wanted to happen because Inez¡¯s powers were too strong for her weak body to hold. They could never be allowed to go out of control, not at the moment when she didn¡¯t even know how to control them.


    Curse her father for that.


    "You speak as if you are greater than me, but we both were cast off," she snarled. "You are still banished just like me, with rules and restraints holding you back."


    Tracy stifled a choking fit ofughter. Oh dear.


    "You are wrong about one thing. I didn¡¯t get banished; I walked out on the gods, and they threw in those restraints on top of me because of a hissy fit," she corrected the little woman in front of her. Tilting her head to one side, she let her smile drop. "And I hope you will not do it again, Morga, because honestly, being called the same as you...who killed her own blood, makes me want to vomit."


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 Chapter 341: A Vessel Destroyed

    <h4>Chapter 341: A Vessel Destroyed</h4>


    Her eyes widened. "You know¡ªhow can you¡ª"


    "Of course I know. How can I not know when I can smell the blood? You think that you are free of the signs just because you have taken on different vessels? Injecting your pieces of soul into them? You are wrong, Morga. Your sins follow you¡ªno matter how many bodies you change." Tracy took another step forward. Slow, deliberate and unhurried. "Now, let¡¯s deal with this vessel of yours. I will think of a way to deal with your real body in a while¡ª"


    "You cannot do anything to me! You have been barred from using magic to kill anyone." Morga¡¯s eyes widened as she backed away from her.


    "And I am not killing you," Tracyughed. She tilted her head to one side with her hands crossed behind her back. "What kind of life does this vessel even have with you upying it for so long? Maybe she might even thank me for giving her a quick life instead of letting a parasite take over her body."


    The air began to take on an increasingly electrified quality. A dense power permeated the room; not Morga¡¯s this time, it was hers. Purple currents started to flicker all over the dark room, seeping into the very foundation of the room where they were standing. Tracy didn¡¯t even move a finger all this time. It just started to get out of control the second she lifted the lid just enough for her powers to leak out.


    "You are a hollow... A husk without any real essence. You are not supposed to exist," Tracy continued. Her eyes were fixated on the woman, who was looking around as if she were trying to find a way to escape from her grasp. Unfortunately, not this time around; she was not going to let this witch fly out of her clutches. "I thought you would have been able to understand something so simple ages ago, but it seems like you are way too much of a dunce, Morga. Still clinging to your obsession... still trying to build something that has ceased to exist."


    The witch raised her head. Her eyes shed with defiance. "You are ming me for all the wrong reasons. These wolves appreciate my interference, Tristana. They got everything. Power, wealth and even immortality. What¡¯s there for them toin about?"


    She jutted her fingers over her shoulders and stated in a cold voice, "Those pathetic creatures... do they even know what they have gotten themselves into? That after you are done with them, they won¡¯t even have a soul to offer to the lord of hell?"


    "They certainly know what they are going to lose after getting involved with me."


    "Do they?" Tracy hissed. Her voice turned colder with each word. "Then they might also know that you hold no love or care for them. That shifters are nothing but a kind of moving magical battery in your eyes. The rage and grudge that you hold against them? That trusting you is like trusting a mad psychopath with a dagger? Or did you tell them that you want to see their kind extinct or that you run an illegal site where you kill the young, old and weak for fun?"


    <fnc2c7> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? findnovel</fnc2c7>


    Her expression tightened for just a flick of a second. And that alone was enough for her to know the truth. Of course, Morga hadn¡¯t told the truth to these shifters. She couldn¡¯t because they would have never trusted her then.


    "Killian knows," the witch smiled at her in that know-it-all way. "He was quite eager to ept my gifts¡ª"


    "Killian?" Was that why the man was trying to get close to Inez? No, that man might be a lot of things, but he truly cared for Inez. This was something that she had long noticed. That man would never make a deal with this witch. Not unless he wanted to see Inez dead.


    <i> I really want to go and look for Inez; it feels much better to stay with her instead of this woman. </i>


    <i>Then what are you waiting for? Finish this. Those lycans cannot hold on for this long. </i>


    "Are you going to leave this vessel on yourself, or shall I help you?" Tracy asked. "I am not in the mood to listen to your lies or whatever truth that you want to tell me."


    Morga¡¯s eyes shed with rage. "You will regret this, Tristana. I will make you regret even poking your nose in this matter. My followers are all over this city; you will pay for what you did to me¡ª"


    Tracy raised her head and sent the woman flying.


    A loud thump echoed inside the chamber. The woman hovered in the air for a few seconds before crumpling down on the floor. Her body, the vessel that she had taken from a child, was too weak to begin with, and after getting possessed, it had be even weaker.


    Those ck scleras turned white, and the swirling red pupils changed into silvery grey.


    Tracy winced softly when she saw the young woman looking around; her gaze met Tracy¡¯s.


    "S¨Csave me."


    "There is nothing to save, my dear," Tracy told the teenage girl. She was not lying, as the soul and the body of this woman were way too weak; she wouldn¡¯t survive even if Tracy tried to save her.


    Another nce at the almost dead eyes; Tracy shifted on her heels, and as she walked out of the chambers, a trail of bloody footprints was left behind.


    Morga was not dead. Only a fragment of her soul had disappeared, and unless she could trace back the real body that was causing all this trouble, there was no point in destroying one vessel. Another one would soon pop up.


    The mutted bodies shivered and trembled. Their eyes flicked toward her together at once. Tracy paused. A rare tinge of guilt and the desire to save them flooded in her heart, but then she looked away and walked past the many cylindrical ss cages.


    <i> I am not your hero. Don¡¯t look at a sinner with the gaze you would use on a hero. </i>


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 342: Prison Escape

    <h4>Chapter 342: Prison Escape</h4>


    Besides, even if she wanted to help them, Tracy knew she couldn¡¯t do it. She didn¡¯t have the time or the resources to take care of them. If she killed them all, then she had a sick feeling that the shifter council would hunt her down. These were the duties and responsibilities of the shifter council. There was little she could do about it without getting hunted by the shifters and the council. Unless she wanted to get caught and get burned at the stake¡ªnot like they would be able to catch her, but still, it was better to leave this task in the hands of that lycan alpha.


    He would be able to do a much better job than she. These people just needed to wait for an hour at most, and after that, they would be fine. At least they would get their sweet release, the one they had been waiting for all along.


    Tracy jogged past those ss cases and hurried out of the warehouse. The murky, rotten scent of blood and flesh disintegrated as she stepped into the clearing. Clean air hit her in the nose, and the stench slowly started to get cleansed. She raised her head and looked at the darkness in front of her. She needed to hurry. Inez must be waiting for them to rescue her.


    Tracy hoped that Inez was alright and she hadn¡¯t ended up getting involved with any other trouble. That girl always acted brave and put on a false bravado, but the truth was that she was scared of being locked up in small ces. The ce she was at the moment was right out of her nightmare. She hated being locked up and feared getting tormented. Both of the things were happening to her at the moment.


    Well, there was nothing she could do other than get a move on. She had to get Inez out of that ce. The only problem was the man who was guarding that building. That rotten fallen angel.


    But for the time being, she had to get that lycan alpha out of the trouble. But how was she going to exin the entire fiasco? Including the witch who tore her soul into pieces and then possessed different bodies as vessels to let those pieces of soul get stronger. Like a parasite. From what she knew, shifters had never heard about Shardbinders.


    She pursed her lips and rubbed the space between her brows, her gaze meeting with the shifter who had been tied and thrown to one side by her. Oh.


    **


    <fn9c9c> Official source is f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?</fn9c9c>


    Inside the dungeon, Inez was still lying on the floor; the pain inflicted on her skin didn¡¯t let her move, and even the slightest movement made her tear open the skin.


    Gilderoy hadn¡¯t returned to her cell. Inez couldn¡¯t help but wonder what and where that man was or what he was doing. But every second he was away from their cell was a blessing. Controlling a shifter was, after all, much easier than controlling a half-blood vampire. The two sisters were waiting for the opportunity, and finally it arrived in the form of a guard.


    Inez raised her head and watched the man get closer to her cell. Her eyes flickered to Scarlet, whose entire body was taut with nervousness as if she was worried that this was not going to work. But it had to work. This was their only chance.


    "Kind sir." Inez let her consciousness fall back and allowed Nerina to take over. "Can you refill our jug? There is no water in our cell and we are thirsty."


    The guard frowned and turned to look at the woman. His brain kept telling him to move forward, but his heart¡ªhis heart couldn¡¯t help but yearn to do what the woman was asking him to do. His feet instinctively moved to the cell. "What?" he nced at the jug and licked his lips, trying to hold onto thest shard of rationality. "I saw it getting filledst night."


    He spoke with certainty, but there was a heartbeat of hesitation. That was all Nerina needed; she pulled at her restraints and whispered softly, "It¡¯s cracked, my lord. You can see the water trickling down on the floor and the puddle underneath it."


    The guard turned his head and indeed noticed the puddle under the jug. His gaze met with Nerina¡¯s, who pitifully stared up at him; his heart swayed, and he walked to the station in the corridor before fetching a jug of water from it. Opening the door of the cell, he entered the dingy, small space, and that was all that Nerina needed. She turned her head and looked at Scarlet, who lunged to her feet and hurled the restraints at the back of the head of the guard.


    There was no hesitation, no mercy, as she mmed the chains on the back of the head of the man.


    "What¡ª"


    The guard reached for the electric baton, but before he could even touch it, Nerina rose to her feet andmanded, "Stop."


    It wasn¡¯t a melody. Just a simple whisper, and yet it held such an intensity that the man stopped. He froze, confusion flickering in his gaze as if his own body had betrayed him. He shook his head violently, muttering, "What¡ªwhat are you? What did you do to me?"


    Scarlet didn¡¯t let him question them any further. She mmed the iron shackles into the temple of the man, making him crumple to the floor like a kite without its string.


    Once the man fell to the floor of the dungeon, the two of them exchanged a look. Scarlet was breathing hard as she wiped the blood off the shackles onto her clothes.


    "Run?"


    "Run."


    The sisters didn¡¯t wait and turned to run out of the dungeon after pulling the guard to one corner. The dungeon twisted around them like abyrinth, and twice they ran into the patrol guards, but Nerina controlled them.


    "Look to the right; you didn¡¯t see us."


    "We have the right to roam."


    And each time the guards obeyed hermands without knowing why, their steps turned away from the path of the sisters allowing them to escape out of the twisting corridors.

 Chapter 343: Prison Escape (II)

    <h4>Chapter 343: Prison Escape (II)</h4>


    The night deepened even further, and the chilly air started to bite against their skin. Inez had no idea how long the two of them had run; they ran until their calves started to burn and their throats started to choke due to theck of water in their systems. She didn¡¯t even sweat this hard when she was training as an enforcer; though she never seeded in bing one, she did pass the tests with flying colours.


    The two of them burst into the clearing of the forest that surrounded the dungeons, but just one step into the cold and biting forest, and Inez knew that there was something wrong. The forest was too thick and too dark, and there was a visible humming in the air. She caught Scarlet by her arm and pulled her behind a pir just as the surveince camera turned in their direction.


    Scarlet was breathing hard. With her fingers digging into her arm, she whispered, "They will find out that we are missing very soon." Her voice was hoarse after running for so long. Her knuckles were white due to the force with which she was clenching her fingers. The restraints had brought her strength to that of a human, leaving her with barely any stamina to run for so long. ring at the shackles that were tied around her wrists, she snapped, "Fuck these bastards from the council. They didn¡¯t even investigate whether we were behind the murder or not. They just brought us here."


    "That must be because they don¡¯t care who the murderer is," Inez rasped. With her back pressed against the wall, she tried to drink in as much air in her lungs as she could. Having spent her precious time with Dominic, Inez more or less understood the mentality of these people. They didn¡¯t care if they were killing innocents as long as they had someone to me. No wonder Dominic and the people in the council were so chummy. They were two peas in a pod.


    Her legs were trembling, and she didn¡¯t even have the strength to move, but when the surveince camera changed direction, she still staggered up the slope to the east together with Scarlet. Her wrists were rubbed raw due to the restraints, her lungs were burning, and she really missed her shifter abilities at that moment. But something within her pushed her to move forward.


    She couldn¡¯t die here. Not when she hadn¡¯t even found out about Cain. The name that was coiled around her heart like a curse.


    "How long... how long do you think those prisoners will stay quiet?" Scarlet asked through gritted teeth, her pants turning harsher by each second. "Someone must have seen us escape, even if most of them were sleeping."


    "Not long," Inez replied. Pushing away a branch that reached to w her face, she marched forward. "Those prisoners will definitely let the cat out of the bag once they see a guard; we should continue running, or else we will be caught."


    **


    "I am Garfield Jones," the man introduced himself, with a bowler hat on top of his head. He looked around the office that belonged to the head guard. "The person in charge of investigating the case of Alpha Remy¡¯s mate. I need to speak to the two women who killed her."


    Gilderoy shook hands with the man. "Wee, Mister Jones. I am the head guard, Gilderoy Giddins."


    "Lead me to the cell of the offenders,"manded Mister Jones after he was done shaking hands with the guard. "I need to question the two of them and hand over my report in the morning." Of course, this was more or less just a little formality that he was going to do, as for whether the two women were really the killers or not, it had little to do with Mister Jones; as long as he could torment them into confessing, who cared what happened to them?


    "Sure." Gilderoy bobbed his head and then turned on his feet and led the man to the cell where the two women were locked up, but upon arriving, he realised that there was something wrong. He frowned and peered inside the cell; because of the darkness, he could only see a shiny pair of shoes and nothing else. Suddenly, Gilderoy felt a sense of foreboding, and he pushed open the door of the cell. His heart fell deep in the pit of his stomach when he saw that the door was already open.


    He stepped inside the prison and sucked in a mouthful of cold air when he realised that the one lying inside was his own man.


    He turned around and headed out of the cell, his gaze falling on the other prisoners sinisterly. "Where are the women?"


    "They already escaped," a man hoarsely replied, his lips curled up in a mocking sneer. "They beat up your guard and escaped right from under your nose."


    Gilderoy clenched his jaw in frustration as anger started to bubble in his veins. Hemanded, "Bring me those two women immediately. The two of them just escaped, so they might not have gone too far, especially with the forest being enchanted. Inform all the guards; go and catch those women for me!"


    "Yes!" The guards who followed him lowered their heads and responded solemnly before turning on their feet and running out of the corridor.


    The councilman who came to investigate was not too pleased; he turned to look at Gilderoy and questioned him, "And what is going on here? Howe the guards are inside the prison cell while the criminals are roaming freely? Is this how you manage your prisoners?"


    <fn9ecf> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?</fn9ecf>


    Gilderoy bit his tongue. This was the first time something like this happened. All these years after he was done dealing with the criminals, they wouldn¡¯t dare to cause trouble. To think that the two women actually dared to escape even after he whipped one of them so hard that she couldn¡¯t even get back on her feet. Sure enough, those women must have been trained.

 Chapter 344: A Ghost

    <h4>Chapter 344: A Ghost</h4>


    "Don¡¯t worry, sir, those two women must be around somewhere. The forest is secured with all kinds of security measures, and it was also enchanted by an old witch ages ago. Unless those two women have the authority to enter and leave the council, they would never be able to get past the forest. These escapees might still be around, hiding somewhere in the forest. I assure you that I will catch them and bring them right back where they belong. You can rest in my office while we are looking for these women¨C"


    "There is no need," said Mister Jones as he waved his hand impatiently, looking annoyed and frustrated, for he didn¡¯t think that this little task would take so long. He wanted to finish it quickly and said, "I wille with you. After the fuck-up you all have done, I don¡¯t dare to leave those two women in your hands."


    After speaking, he nced at the half-vampire with a disdainful gaze. "And this is why I asked Seth to employ filthy half-breeds. That human blood is simply unreliable."


    Gilderoy didn¡¯t refute the man. He lowered his head with his fists clenched tightly. He wanted to fight back but knew that he didn¡¯t have the right to. Not when his mother was nothing but a filthy human. "Of course. Please follow me, Mister Jones." As he couldn¡¯t offend the man from the council, Gilderoy agreed with his suggestion right away.


    <fn753e> Official source is Find~Novel</fn753e>


    In the meantime, Inez and Scarlet were trying their best to find their way out of the forest, but it was like the longer they walked, the longer it stretched. The forest was like abyrinth of roots and shadows; every step was like a gamble that they were bound to lose. The guards¡¯ shouts and footsteps started to get louder and louder, and from how frantic they were, it seemed like they knew that Inez and Scarlet had broken out of the prison.


    Damn it.


    Dogs were barking in furious chorus now because they couldn¡¯t trace their scents down.


    Scarlet tripped twice, and Inez yanked her forward. They couldn¡¯t make a sound; they couldn¡¯t afford the luxury of making a mistake at that moment.


    Finally, they broke into a clearing, but before either of them could cheer, a haunting reality struck them. They were back at the river, which they had passed by earlier.


    "How...how is this possible?" Scarlet panted. With her hands resting on her knees, she looked at the river and then at the rock that they had ced on the boulder to mark this ce. "I swear we turned south; how can we get back here? Shouldn¡¯t we have left this forest by now?"


    "You will be lucky." A voice, all too familiar, spoke to them, and the two sisters whipped their heads to look behind them. And there, silhouetted by the moonlight, stood a figure. That prisoner who was dragged out of the prison cell to be executed. The same man who had told Inez about the man named Cain before he was silenced forever.


    But how ¡ª


    "Impossible! How can you be alive?" Scarlet breathed in and out while looking at the man in front of her in shock.


    Inez¡¯s eyes went wide as well. She looked at the man who was standing in front of her as though he was waiting for them. A ghost? Or maybe something even worse? Because how could a shifter even survive the wolfsbane?


    "You..." Inez¡¯s voice cracked. "You ¨C how are you... How are you still alive?"


    "Do you want the answer to that question?" The man smiled. His thin lips stretched in an eerie sort of way, which made Inez take a step back. "Little girl, you don¡¯t have the time or the liberty to ask these questions of me. You should be asking something more...close to your heart, or else you will not... never again get a chance."


    The man sounded way too sure of it. It was weird, like he knew something... Maybe everything that Inez didn¡¯t. There was a knowing glint in her eyes.


    "Don¡¯t listen to him," Scarlet hissed sharply. "He was able to survive the execution... who knows what this man is? You really want to trust him, Inez?"


    The sounds of the footsteps were getting closer, and so were the shouts. Inez knew that they didn¡¯t have much time, that they should be running; even if they couldn¡¯t get out of the forest, they could still avoid the guards and somehow stay safe until someone came to rescue her and Scarlet. But like a fool, she stepped forward and questioned the man, "What do you know about my father? And this Cain? Who is he?" under the desire of finding out more about her father, she couldn¡¯t care less about the pain in her body or the fact that she and Scarlet were getting hunted down by a bunch of guards. She wanted to know more about her father.


    And her heritage. Where she was from and why her father left her alone.


    The prisoner, or the ghost of him, tilted his head to one side. His eyes were now glinting with a strange golden glint. No, it would be better to say that they had turned a morbid gold, like magma surging up and down inside a volcano. "Cain... oh that man is someone you should be careful with. He deals in the shadows, masked and hidden from everyone else. He made a deal with your mother and with the witch. He is the only one who can tell you where your father is at the moment. Other than him, I am afraid there is no one else who can answer that question for you."


    Inez¡¯s throat tightened. "Where? Where am I going to find that man? I don¡¯t even know the surname of that man."


    The prisoner smiled, and this time around, he parted his lips and spoke in a rhyme.


    <i>"The rivers shall seize, shadows will weep,</i>


    <i>The traitorous vow has been buried deep. </i>


    <i>You shall find the wolf who guards the liar, </i>


    <i>Be careful before the secret erupts in fire." </i>

 Chapter 345: Hoot Hoot

    <h4>Chapter 345: Hoot Hoot</h4>


    What? Before Inez could ask the man what he meant by those words, Scarlet grabbed her arm and then led her out of the clearing. The sounds of the guards screaming and yelling echoed behind them. Inez turned around and looked behind her; however, the prisoner¡¯s figure flickered, and the man disappeared like smoke, dissolving into nothing.


    "It had to be a trick." Scarlet hissed as she looked behind them. "Whatever that thing was... it was trying to slow us down."


    Inez knew that there was a very good chance that what Scarlet was saying to her was the truth, and yet those rhymes seared into her skull, like a burning hot poker pressed right within it. Every word was hammering like she had heard a prophecy.


    "Inez, don¡¯t you dare believe a word that man said to you," Scarlet snapped at her sister when she saw her lost in thought. She yanked her forward and stated, "That man... we don¡¯t even know him. Thest thing you want is to believe his words and then go looking for this man named Cain...." A pause. "If we could safely make it out of here."


    They bolted past the clearing, just as the chaos erupted behind them. Dogs were barking, and guards were stomping hard on the ground as the sounds of the baton hitting the bushes and the trunks of the trees echoed behind them.


    "They must be somewhere around here. Continue looking for them or else Gilderoy will have our necks!" one of the guards shouted.


    Nerina wed within her surface.


    <i>We can take them on... I can make them all go away...just let me. </i>


    Her words were simmering with anger, and Inez knew that Nerina could do what she had promised her, but she couldn¡¯t allow the siren to take over. Not yet. Not unless there was no other way for them to get out of this mess. Inez bit her lips, stopping herself.


    At that moment, she could only hope for one thing. For Killian to find them.


    **


    Killian was panting hard, even when he was sitting inside his car, lying on the backseat to recover his strength; he still felt that his breath wasing short and harsh. Listening to the voice of his beta...his patience that was already hanging by a very, very thin thread...had started to get even thinner.


    They couldn¡¯t get out of the Silver Dawn Pack for a long time; it wasn¡¯t until Third Eye broke through the runes that were drawn out on the territory of the pack, and that bloody witch dealt with the one who was feeding power to the pack. They somehow managed to get their hold on the beta of the Silver Dawn Pack, but they still couldn¡¯t find Dawson. He had no fucking idea where that man slipped, and even Third Eye couldn¡¯t find that man.


    He told him that there was something different about that man; however, what was different about him, Killian had not the slightest bit of an idea. And guess what? He couldn¡¯t care less about it at the moment.


    The only thing he cared about was one thing. Inez.


    <fnf689> Original content can be found at find?novel</fnf689>


    And he was going to find her. Not that he hadn¡¯t already. But it was taking way too long.


    "Where are we?" Killian barked. He sat up straight in his seat and looked at Finn, who was driving the car. "Is it that difficult to drive to the dungeons of the council?"


    "You do realise that the council hides the main entrance of the dungeons through various means, including magic?" Finn responded. "And you forgot the council badge, so it is on you and not us."


    "Was I supposed to know that Inez was locked up in a freaking prison? When was thest time you lost someone and went ¡ªhey, they might be locked up in a fucking cell?" Killian snapped at the man. He ran his hand through his hair before muttering, "And why the hell does the council use magic? I thought that the shifters were all anti-magic."


    "There is no such thing as anti-anything," said Third Eye, turning around and peering at Killian through the front seat. "The witches use the shifters when they want, and the shifters use the witches as they like. They just make sure to keep a front on the surface. The enmity which had been dragged on so long, if you ask me, doesn¡¯t even exist, and it¡¯s more like an egoistic approach to everything. The shifters wish for the magicmunity to bend, while the witches hope vice versa."


    "Of course, if they could make use of one another, they wouldn¡¯t care what kind of enmity they have," Laxus hummed with his arm draped over his eyes. "If you ask me, it¡¯s more like keeping up appearances; yes, they haven¡¯t forgotten the blood that the witches and wizards have shed."


    "That sounds stupid," chimed Ajax.


    "Well, it does, and so does the current situation. What the hell do you mean by that we need to turn to Draken Street ? There is no such street!" Killian snapped hard, his hand fisted and ready to punch whoever the fuck contradicted him.


    And fortunately, no one did because they had been looking out of the freaking windows of the car and had not once seen a board that said Draken Street. And each second, they failed to break through the mana circle, and Killian¡¯s vision dyed red.


    "Well, we might be missing something. Tracy did say that we need to take a turn to the left once we arrive at Draken Street. She is the only one who can find a way out of thisbyrinth, so ¡ª"


    Killian banged his fist on the back of Finn¡¯s seat. If the beta was not driving, he would have punched him instead, but for their safety, he hesitated. Snarling, he said, "Just tell her to give us a precise location. Something that we can catch without peering through the windows as if we all have gone half blind."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 346: Hoot Hoot?

    <h4>Chapter 346: Hoot Hoot?</h4>


    Soon, another voice cut in. Tracy¡¯s bored and annoyed voice filled the car through the speakerphone. "I don¡¯t recall asking you, big bad wolves, toe with me. I told you that I can rescue Inez just fine, but you refused to stay behind. So be d that I didn¡¯t leave you behind. Instead of being an ungrateful arsehole."


    His beast grumbled in his head. He was not satisfied, but this was the best that they could do at the moment.


    "How am I supposed to be grateful to you when nothing makes sense!" Killian snarled at the woman. He knew that she could be annoying, but he never thought that she could be this annoying.


    "Which street did you just pass by?" The witch finally spoke after a long pause.


    As if she had no idea that she was about to cross the very thin line that she wasn¡¯t supposed to cross. Honestly, this woman was about to drive him mad. Very mad, and that wasn¡¯t going to be a pretty sight.


    He heard Finn respond for it was too hard for him to unclench his teeth at that very moment. "The Autumn street. If that exists."


    "Okay, then you can turn right."


    <fn3a6a> Latest content published on find¡¤novel</fn3a6a>


    Everyone turned to look to their right and sucked in a breath when they saw a deep chasm.


    Finn cleared his throat. "I know that you are angry with Kill, Tracy. But there is no need for you to send us to an early grave for that?"


    "And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"


    "That there is a deep fucking valley on the right! Do you want all of us to turn into meat patties?" Killian snapped, trying to reach for the phone, but he was pulled back by Ajax and Laxus before he could lose his freaking mind.


    There was silence, and then the witch spoke after another very long pause. "I am sorry, but do you wolves know how to update your GPS apps? Because I think you all missed that very important lesson."


    Killian slowly, very slowly, turned to look at Finn. "Did you not update this app?"


    "We need to update it?" Finn turned and asked. The man was a borderline fine beta who could make any trespasser, enemy, and killer sing like an opera singer, but he was very bad... very bad when it came to technology.


    Behind him, Ajax covered his face with his hands and threw his head back. "Don¡¯t tell me we have been wasting our time driving around in circles. I don¡¯t want to hear it."


    "Of course you have to update the freaking app, you buffoon!" Killian bit down hard as he hurriedly tapped on the app and started to update it. From the speakerphone, Tracy¡¯s static voice filled the entire car again. "It seems like your kind did some work around here, cutting down trees and constructing another road to the south. I think that is why the confusion arose."


    Of course it did.


    It took three freaking minutes for the app to update, and Killian decided that he was going to buy Finn a new model. It was bad enough that the man was driving a tin pot of a car, but now even his phone was so old that it was about to be an antique. Three more minutes or torture. Another minute wasted meant that it was another minute Inez was with strangers who took her away for a crime that she didn¡¯tmit. He wondered how and in what condition Inez was at that very moment.


    His throat closed up when he thought about the condition Inez might be in at that very moment.


    The thought of Inez being hurt, scared or even worse made his chest feel like it was getting crushed.


    Tracy chuckled. Herughter echoed through the speaker. "I cannot believe that you all are considered apex predators of your kind when you cannot even run a simple app. No wonder the Moon Goddess blessed you with a really good nose; it was because she knew that you were going to be so lost without it."


    "Just tell me where we need to go from here."


    "Are you sure that is the tone you are going to use with me?"


    "Are you going to tell me or not?"


    "No."


    "You fucking ¨C"


    "Stop losing your temper, Kill. I found the Draken street that she is speaking about. We will start driving there," Laxus spoke up before another quarrel broke out and before Killian could lose his temper with him, the man said, "Do you want to find Inez first or are you going to fight with this witch first?" Thinking about how Inez must be waiting for him, Killian pursed his lips and decided that he would first look for Inez and then deal with this witch.


    They drove to Draken Street, which took them another hour, and upon arriving, Killian said to Finn, "Tell that infernal witch that she better tell us where we need to go from here or else I will¨C"


    "Do nothing. You cannot do anything to me," Tracy chimed in with the same bored voice. "You can yell and scream as much as you want, but in the end, you need my help. It will be surprising if you can do anything against me. Anyway, I am on the move, and I have left a little messenger behind for you to follow. Since you all are so useless when ites to following directions."


    "Wait¨C" Killian called out, but the witch had already ended the call. The sound of dial tone filled the air inside the car, and Killian, who was an inch away from throwing the biggest tantrum of his life, reached out and whispered in Finn¡¯s ear. "Now, you tell me what we are going to do?"


    "There is no need to be this angry," Finn raised his hands in the air and said to Killian, "Didn¡¯t Tracy say that she is sending someone? We just need to wait for a few more minutes...or maybe seconds?"


    When Killian continued to stare at him, he offered him a sheepish smile.


    Ajax peered out of the window of the car and muttered, "But I don¡¯t see anyone¡ª"


    <i>Hoot hoot. </i>


    "Hoot Hoot?"


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 347: Medium

    <h4>Chapter 347: Medium</h4>


    Tracy knew that there was no point in losing her temper with the brainless lycan. She was the one at fault for trusting in his authority and capability to follow simple instructions. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be med on him alone, but who would have expected that the lycan heir would make a mistake such as following the directions given to him by an old app?


    Even when it was not his fault, Tracy wanted to kick him in the face.


    She walked through the gates of the prison. Usually, she would never intervene with the shifters and their course of actions, but curse her for owing it to Inez¡¯s father. She owed this much to that motherfucker, even if he was one tricky thing to deal with. The doors banged against the wall, making the two security guards behind the reception of the prison jump to their feet. They eyed her carefully, but Tracy didn¡¯t even bat an eye in their direction.


    She should have done a better job. Maybe left a bunch of aegis around her, ones that would have gone awry the second someone approached Inez with a bad intention. They wereplicated to make, but they had simpler tasks. A single mistake, and whoever approached Inez with harmful intent would explode in countless pieces of flesh, blood and bones. Aegis were the magical equivalent of humanndmines. One wrong step and then¡ªboom!


    They were not very subtle, but who the heck likes subtle?


    "Who are you and why are you barging in like this?" The man at the reception slowly got to his feet. He was eyeing her warily as if he knew something was about to go down, and he was correct about that. Something was about to go down. This very building.


    If the king of the seas found out that she allowed his daughter to be trapped in the prison, that man would lose his shit. He had some soft spots for Inez as she was his first daughter. Of course, if he could get out of wherever he was at the moment.


    Tracy cut him off with just one look. "Inez Sinir and her sister¡ª I think she is called Barlet or something? Where are the two of them? Don¡¯t even think about telling me that they were taken to the execution grounds, or else I will kill you all. Slowly at that."


    The security officers were looking at Tracy as if they had run into their biggest trouble of the day. Of course, they were not truly happy for the big adventure because they didn¡¯t get paid enough for this shit. Their hands shifted towards their batons, and they squared their shoulders. The whole time they continued to look at her, but at the same time they pretended that they were not looking at her. There was this ¡ªwe are not looking at you, even if we are holding the electric batons in our hands¡ªthing going on, but Tracy didn¡¯t have the time to waste with these shifters. She was just that worried about Inez.


    Realising that there was no point in questioning the receptionist of the prison, she spun on her heels and then headed right towards the dungeons. A quick nce at the security guards who were now simply dumbstruck by her actions. Most probably, they couldn¡¯t believe their eyes that there was someone as bold as Tracy, who would dare to walk right past them as if they never existed. Like their authority didn¡¯t matter, and it didn¡¯t honestly.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t sit well with the two men. They slowly walked toward her, their cheap cologne wafting off to her along with the scent of their chipped egos. Ohohoho, someone was hurt. One of the guards walked over to her and reached out to stop her, the other, on the other hand, was holding the baton that he pointed behind her shoulder.


    "I don¡¯t know who you are looking for, but unless you have the authority, you cannot meet with anyone, Ma¡¯am," said Mr Muscles. "I need you to return to the reception so we can arrange something for you and your dear friends."


    Of course, Tracy was not going to stop. She was not a fan of holding or creating appointments. Especially when she knew that they meant nothing in the shifter world. They were forgetful creatures who would send her away again and again until she lost her patience. Had been there, done that. Not anymore.


    She ducked under the arm of the guard and walked past him, only for her path to be blocked by the other guard. Mister Lean red at her. "Ma¡¯am, you need toe out with us¡ª"


    <fn1392> Official source is find~novel</fn1392>


    The man didn¡¯t even get a chance to finish as Tracy snapped her fingers. At once, the three men...flew backwards. Hitting the wall behind them, and slowly crumpled down on the floor. They tried to get back up, but they were pinned to the floor. The man working as the receptionist opened his eyes wide. He looked as if he had finally realised what she was, and he opened his mouth to scream out loud, so she had to gag him.


    She was not in the mood to listen to his yelling. It wasn¡¯t as if she weremitting a murder; there was no need to be so dramatic.


    Their bodies continued to struggle behind her. They were trying to do the impossible; unless she freed them herself, these men were never getting a chance to get back on their feet. And as the kindhearted witch, as she was, Tracy had made sure that they would be able to break free of the restraints in like fifteen or twenty minutes. No more than that.


    Maybe they would be a bit terrified with some post-traumatic syndrome but fine nheless.


    Behind her, someone screamed. Mildly ¡ªno, greatly terrified due to the sight in front of them. And three secondster, Tracy found herself surrounded by a bunch of guards.


    Oh for the love of the gods.

 Chapter 348: Medium (II)

    <h4>Chapter 348: Medium (II)</h4>


    Really? She didn¡¯t have the time to bother with these people. If she didn¡¯t find Inez soon, then the lycan heir was going to lose his set the entire city on fire, and he would do it with pleasure. And if he did that, it was going to be a hell of a problem.


    Thest time something like this happened, she had to work twice as hard as she usually would have. If something simr to that happened, she was going to lose her peace for the next two decades. And do you have enough idea what kind of mess the Fates could bring if that happened?


    She was better off without dealing with that, okay? Thest time she got entangled in the mess, she ended up bribing the low-ranking gods for more than three hundred years. And when she meant bribing, she meant getting turned into a freaking hamster, being chased by a hundred-foot-long snake and falling off a really high cliff.


    With a flick of her finger, she sent those guards down on their knees once again.


    People stepped away from her when they saw that she was going crazy. Some of the ignorant ones went to look for someone who could control the current situation. Of course, they must be thinking that there was someone who could take control of the situation as if. Some of the onlookers had already clutched their pearls, like Tracy were morbidly attacking them all without a reason.


    They really were quite judgmental when it came to witches, weren¡¯t they? There was no need for the harsh gazes of contempt. She wasn¡¯t even doing anything. Yet.


    Walking over to the dungeon entrance, she reached out and sent the door flying when it had the audacity to ask for a passcode. Did she look like she had the patience to look for the passcode? The door crumpled as if it were made of aluminium foil. Once the door opened up for her, she descended. She took two steps at one time, impatience oozing through every pore of her body. One floor down, two more floors down... why the hell did these people make their prison so deep within the building? What kind of psychopaths were they holding within these cells?


    She felt a deep buzz on her wrist, and a secondter, the ck owl following her spoke in an elegant voice, "You have five messages."


    Oh, for the love of the gods.


    She tapped on the screen of her phone and looked at the countless notifications that had appeared on her screen, but she ignored them all before taking a look at thetest messages that were sent to her.


    [<i>God of Chaos: Did you really barge into the shifters¡¯ territory, Tristana?]</i>


    <i>[Goddess of Magic: And here I thought grounding you was supposed to make you humble, Tristana.]</i><fnad3d> Checktest chapters at FindN()vel</fnad3d>


    <i>[God of Madness: Oooh, what fun. Do you want me to send you some drinks?]</i>


    <i>[God of Strategy: This was really poorly executed. You could have asked me for some suggestions]</i>


    <i>[Minion of God of Strategy: You are busy, mydy.]</i>


    These foolish gods and goddesses. Why don¡¯t they pay more attention to what was going on in their world instead of what she was doing?


    As she scrolled past the new messages, more started to pop up.


    <i>[ God of Madness: OOOH! You are here, Tristana. How long has it been? An entire century? How can you leave your favourite god alone?]</i>


    <i>[Goddess of Magic: You better keep your hands away from my disciple, Madness.]</i>


    <i>[God Madness; And where is the fun in that?]</i>


    <i>[ Fates: I told you all to wait! You are messing with the fates here.]</i>


    <i>[Minion of Time: Goddess of Time says that all scars fade with time.]</i>


    Tracy rolled her eyes as she closed the messaging app and then turned to walk past the corridor, sending two more guards who came rushing in her direction. Her heart was bursting with anger, but who asked her to be the only bridge for the gods and the goddess in the human world? Being a Medium, this was her destiny, being badgered by the goddesses and the gods.


    As soon as she left the app, the ck owl sitting on her shoulder announced again, "You have forty-eight messages and three voicemails."


    Damn it.


    She wished she could throw this watch away, but there was no point. This app was tied to her very existence, so unless she died, this app was not going to leave her alone.


    When she finally arrived at the floor where she could feel the tangled mess of the siren powers, Tracy frowned hard. Inez had used her powers, which was not a good thing. It seemed like she had pushed herself past her own limits. This was not good. Her siren was getting stronger and she might end up creating a really big trouble.


    Tracy could already see countless buildings fallen on the streets, along with ambnces and police vehicles running around. If that happened¡ª


    No, that would rip her peace to shreds.


    She couldn¡¯t allow that to happen. Her peace, her coffee and her bed¡ªif those things were taken away from her, she would lose her mind.


    She walked straight to the cell where Inez was locked up, but when she saw nothing but the corpse of a guard, she headed directly to the cell next to her. As soon as she nced at the cell, she realised that there was something weird about the air. It was way too clean, like someone had deliberately erased their presence from the prison cell.


    She narrowed her eyes and then dropped her gaze to the man who was staring up at her. "Where is she?" She demanded.


    The man stared at her with confusion written in her eyes. "I am sorry, what are you trying to ask and about whom?"


    "The two women who were locked up in this prison?" Tracy pointed at the cell next to the man¡¯s, and when the man smiled as if he was about to tease her, she narrowed her eyes and stated, "Unless you want to me to hang you upside down, you better not y any kind of games with me."


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!