Chapter 1 Grim Reaper
Valentine Winters P.O.V
Nothing made sense anymore. Why were they growing so fast?
I gazed down at my children, my heart heavy with confusion and worry. It had been two months since Gabriel first noticed the changes, and the pace of their growth was bewildering. Each week seemed to add a month to their age. At three months old, Niklaus and Leia looked like they were already a year old, their tiny bodies growing at an unnaturally rapid rate.
I sat cross-legged on the white, furry carpet in the nursery, watching them play. Their laughter filled the room, a bright contrast to the darkness in my mind. I was lost in thought, so deep in my own world that I didn’t even notice Lucifer enter. It wasn’t until he sat beside me, his presence a comforting warmth, that I realized I wasn’t alone.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asked softly, his eyes searching mine.
I hesitated, then spoke, my voice barely above a whisper. “Do you think they injected me with the same serum they used on Evelyn while I was unconscious?”
Lucifer’s brow furrowed. “Wouldn’t you be showing symptoms, too, if that were the case?”
A knot formed in my stomach. “What if they injected it directly into the placentas instead?”
He shook his head, his expression skeptical. “I highly doubt it.”
He was trying to reassure me, but I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. “I think it has something to do with my vampire gene,” he finally said.
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. “The faster they grow, the faster they’re going to die,” I said, my voice breaking. The thought was too much to bear. My babies—our babies—couldn’t be taken from us so soon.
Lucifer let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. “There’s never a moment of peace, is there?” he muttered bitterly.
I leaned into him, seeking comfort in his strength as he wrapped an arm around me. “I promise, we’ll find a cure for this,” he whispered, his voice steady, but I could hear the desperation beneath it.
Tears stung my eyes. “What if we don’t? What if this time… we can’t? We don’t even know what we’re up against,” I replied, my voice trembling.
Lucifer tightened his grip around me, his expression determined. “Then we find out,” he said firmly. “We’ll get help. We’ll do whatever it takes.”
Zoe Lawson P.O.V
I watched Theodore toss his suitcase onto the bed, his face twisted in frustration. “Not only did they book me on the same flight as you, but they also put us in the same accommodation?” he snarled, his voice dripping with annoyance.
I smirked inwardly, taking a perverse pleasure in his irritation as I unpacked my bag. “We’re going to the same college too, you know,” I said, my tone light but teasing, hoping to push him just a bit further.
“I don’t want to go to college,” he muttered, his jaw clenched. “They can force me into one, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to graduate.”
I paused, turning to face him. “The more you fight this, the more likely you are to get yourself—or someone else—hurt,” I said softly, trying to inject a note of reason into my voice.
He turned on me, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and pain. “You don’t understand how I feel, Zoe,” he snapped. “I lost a parent. I’ve been turned into the very creature I despise, and now I’m being sent away against my will, away from my brothers.” His hands clenched into fists, the knuckles turning white.
I swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond. I could feel the tension between us, thick and suffocating, each word he spoke like a punch to my gut.
“And if that wasn’t enough, now my future is stolen from me, even my love life decided by others!” he continued, his voice growing louder. “It infuriates me because I can’t control these feelings when I’m around you. It’s like they’re being forced on me.”
His words stung, but I couldn’t let him see how much. “I didn’t choose this either, Theodore,” I shot back, my own frustration bubbling up. “I didn’t ask to be bound to you.”
“So, you’re saying you don’t want to be with me?” he demanded, his voice sharp.
“Yes,” I replied without hesitation, my heart pounding in my chest.
For a moment, the room was silent, the air between us thick with unspoken words. Then, his expression shifted, a flicker of curiosity crossing his features. “Is there a way to break our connection?” he asked, his voice softer now, almost hopeful.
My throat tightened. I could feel my heartbeat accelerate, fear creeping in. I hesitated, unable to meet his gaze.
His eyes widened slightly, realization dawning. “There is, isn’t there?” he pressed.
“You don’t mess with what fate has decided,” I whispered, my voice shaky, my lips trembling. “It’s not something you can just undo.”
“Not my fate,” he scoffed, turning on his heel and storming out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him.
I stood there, my body trembling, trying to hold back the emotions threatening to overwhelm me. My phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking the silence. I pulled it out and saw a message from my brother, Zachary.
Zoe, be ready to meet with the Hell Sing pack tonight to thank them for letting you and that mutt onto their territory, he had texted.
I typed back quickly, Do I really have to go?
Yes, came the blunt reply.
I sighed, a deep, weary breath. Nothing was going the way I wanted, and now I had to face a whole new set of challenges. But there was no other choice—I had to keep moving forward, no matter how hard it was.
Gabriella Zades P.O.V
A wave of heat passed my body, and I felt my wolf crave for Octavius physical touch and the dirty images she was sending in my head were clearly not helping the situation.
What’s happening?
My wolf started calling out to her mate in a needy cry and Octavius rushed in the room a few minutes later whilst I was trying to calm my heart rate that strangely accelerated.
“What’s wrong-?” Octavius began with a panicked expression before it turned stern, and his eyes slowly switched to black swirling with lust.
He closed the door behind him, locking it.
He looked like a predator waiting to claim his prey – me.
There was only one explanation for his behavior and for the way my body was responding seductively.
I was on heat.
The way he was looking at me with lust clearly swirling in his eyes had my bottom pouring while I gently sat up, and I knew he could smell my wettened arousal from the way he closed his eyes, and a low groan rumbled in his throat.
“My wolf wants you. Jacque wants you.” Octavius gritted out.
He slowly made his way towards the bed and climbed on it. My heart was pounding as he neared his face and began leaving soft feathery kissing alongside the crook of my neck before placing a gentle kiss on the spot he marked me, resulting shivers to go down my spine.
A soft moan escaped my lips, and he crashed his lips onto mine while my hands tangled themselves into his hair. He started ripping my clothes away and pulling his off wanting our skins to have bare contact.
I swapped our positions, so I was straddling him instead. He was surprised at the sudden switch. “I should know, you were never the submissive one.” Octavius uttered while his eyes remained pitch black.
A sly smirk formed on my lips. “You can’t afford to be one being an Alpha’s daughter.” I spoke.
He sat up kissing my jaw in the process. “But Jacque wants you too, he wants to be in control and to dominate you.” Octavius looked straight into my eyes.
I kissed his right cheek before leaving a few lingering pecks along his jaw down to his neck resulting him to catch his breath. I moved my lips towards his ear, nibbling on it a little bit.
“What if I don’t want to?” I whispered seductively.
“I promise to fill your insides till you feel it in your toes.” I heard him say and another wave of arousal washed over me from his words. However, it was not Octavius who said them, Jacque had completely taken over.
The moment my wolf knew it was her mate who had taken over Octavius’s body, she fought with me for control.
This was not fair though, I wanted to make love with Octavius before giving over to our wolves. “Jacque, I want Octavius.” I demanded.
“We are both here.” I heard both their voices in unison.
I caressed his left cheek before resting my palm on it and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them back and it returned to his normal ones.
“Ride me.” Octavius whispered under his breath, and I flustered, my cheeks red.
I felt my warmth coating his manhood which hardened in response, and I took a deep breath before sitting up a little so he could line up against my virgin entrance, I slowly let his shaft rub against my opening and my clitoris making me bite my bottom lip from how good that felt.
Octavius groaned, both his hands instinctively came up to hold my hips and he laid back straight closing his eyes.
I began to slowly lower myself on his hardened member and instantly I felt the resistance. Octavius was patient though; he didn’t rush any of it as he let me have control to let my walls adjust to his size. I could feel him slowly stretching my core as I gritted my teeth in pain before finally sitting all the way down.
I felt so full and suddenly my pleasure senses started kicking in. I slowly moved my hips making Octavius hiss in desire and I loved how it felt good for the both of us. Slowly I started to move up and down onto his shaft, biting my bottom lips to control my moans from escaping. I could feel his shaft hitting my womb every time I came down.
Swiftly, Octavius switched our positions and started plunging into me instead, his hips were moving in a steady rhythm making me cry out his name each time. I felt something building up in the pit of my stomach and Octavius pulled out before turning me over, so I was on my stomach and slowly eased himself into me once more resulting him to hit deeper and swiveled his hips, moaning.
He left kisses on my neck every time he plunged in and quickened his pace as I felt my walls tightening around his rod. Soon after, my release took over and I moaned out his name while Octavius had his head fall back hitting his own release before he slumped his body on top of mines. Both our bodies covered in perspiration, breathing heavily. He rolled over to the side as I watched his chest weaving up and down from our recent vigorous activity.
He then turns over to look at me. “I love you, Gabriella.” He spoke softly meeting my eyes. A slight blush arose on my cheeks, “I love you too, Octavius”.
Oz Wyllt P.O.V
“Oz Wyllt, you have spoken of the forbidden spells. There will be consequences.”
“We are coming for you.”
“Be ready.”
I jolted awake, my heart pounding in my chest, and all the books around me came crashing to the floor. I must have caused them to float in my sleep again, caught in the throes of another nightmare. Or was it a vision? I had drifted off on the table in the library, surrounded by ancient grimoires and dusty prophecies. I’d been trying to decipher the meaning behind Lorraine’s visions of the hybrid twins, hoping—desperately—that her premonitions were wrong. Because if they weren’t, a war was coming, and it would be a war that could destroy everything.
I rose from my chair, hands trembling, and began gathering the fallen books. I stacked them in my arms, their weight a familiar comfort against the chaos in my mind.
“Those weren’t nightmares,” a cold, sinister voice whispered directly into my ear. Its breath chilled my skin, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. I clenched my jaw and gripped the books tighter.
“Reaper,” I muttered under my breath, turning to face him. He loomed over me, a towering figure, seven feet tall and well-built, his infamous black hoodie shrouding his pale skin. His presence was a shadow that sucked all the warmth from the room.
He scoffed, his lips curling into a mocking smile. “I thought we agreed on Grim.”
“Is it my time?” I raised an eyebrow, my voice steady despite the racing of my heart. I turned back to the shelves, sliding the books back into place, trying to mask my unease.
“If it were, I’d have brought my sickle,” he replied with a smirk, his tone laced with dark amusement.
“Then why are you here?” I demanded. Reaper—or Grim, as he preferred—never showed up without a reason. And his reasons were never good.
“They are asking for you,” he said, his voice a low rumble.
“I’m not coming,” I replied sharply, turning away from him, trying to hide the tremor in my voice.
“Maybe this will change your mind,” Grim murmured. He raised his left hand, and a ball of black smoke swirled into existence in his palm.
I furrowed my eyebrows, stepping closer despite myself, drawn to the darkness like a moth to flame. And then I saw her—my heart nearly stopped. My breath quickened, and my body froze. I stumbled back, my eyes wide, my mind reeling.
“Imagine an eternity where you could be with your dead mate,” he whispered, his voice dripping with temptation.
My mind went blank. A wave of longing crashed over me, so intense it left me breathless.
Reaper chuckled, his voice echoing in the quiet library. “I’ll be back,” he promised, his form dissolving into a skeleton as a thick black fog enveloped him. And then he was gone, leaving nothing but a faint chill in the air.
It wasn’t her ghost that scared me. It was the desire that flared up inside me at the sight of her. The overwhelming, undeniable urge to be with her again, no matter the cost.
The terrifying part was that I wanted it. I wanted to be with her.
