KYRA I breathe in the air in Carodia. It's fresh and new, certainly been a while. A too long while since I've been here. My family didn't want me leaving Moon Wood, but I have always been a rebel. I joined Zeke's pack because I wanted to annoy my parents. But it was the best decision I have ever made. It's been years since I set my eyes on them, yet I don't know why I don't stop by at the house. Instead, I come here. To the tavern. Being the delinquent child I was, I always visited the tavern, even though I was underage. I caused trouble most of the time and picked pockets. Now I'm here to have a good drink. I'm almost nineteen, and that has to do. I laugh to myself and walk up to the man behind the wooden counter. He drops a jug before me after I place my order. I settle into the long stool and begin drinking in silence. There are wolves playing cards at a corner, some gambling, and a few others arm wrestling. They all look intriguing to me. I've forgotten what life in Carodia lo
MARE Kyra's here. That thought hasn't settled with me in the past few seconds. I'm still wide-eyed with shock. She's standing in the hallway of Chase's Manor, right outside my door. I'm stooped. I take a few steps back. She walks in, shutting the door behind her, and pressing a finger to her lips. Kyra mouths. "Where is he?" I understand she means Chase, and I look around me, wrapping my arms around my torso. "He's not here. Chase is with Loki in the throne room." She relaxes and does something that completely surprises me. Kyra hugs me. It's a warm hug with meaning. I hug her back and remember everything about New York. Even the pleasant memories have turned unpleasant to me. "How have you been?" She pulls away, holding my shoulders at an arm's stretch away. I mutter. "Okay." She studies me for a second and releases my shoulder. My energy doesn't match hers, and I know she can feel it. There's a shift somewhere that's as noticeable as a white light. Kyra shakes her head.
ZEKE They are all watching me. I smirk at the confused look on my brother's face. I'm about to give Carodia a show they will remember for ages. A ball of water forms between my palms. It's small like a rain drop, but slowly, it grows. They glimpse just a shard of my power, and I hear the loud murmurs and gasps. "A legacy! We've only known the firelink, who's our king." "He's controlling water. Who is he?" The voices spring from all angles in the arena. I can hear every word and every sound, but I'm only just getting started. They will soon know how I'm possible. Chantria's biggest secret will be out in the open. "He's a fake! A witch! That's the only explanation for the rogue's strength." Zane tilts his head and speaks to his pack's general at his side. He's speaking through a mind link, but I get the silent message. He wants him to attack. Greg Mason pulls out his sword and flashes towards me in the arena. He's angry. I suspend the ball in the air and raise my palms. Two fing
"Your throne." I want to tell him just that, but I don't get the words past my mouth. It's not time yet. I should get to know Zane better. Give him a chance. He may not be as bad as the woman who gave birth to him. "I'm here because I want my pack to be recognised for what it is. A pack. I refuse to be dubbed as a rogue. Moon Grove will be recognised in Carodia and given a spot." He only looks at me now. I don't know what he's thinking, but he is thinking. Zane releases his hands clasped behind him and says, "We are brothers, Zeke. I apologise for all the years of hunting you. Of course, you are welcome in my home and land." I'm sceptical about believing him, but I try my hardest to do that. Zane apologised, but from what I know about Chantria, she's the type to always want something in return. "Live long, Alpha Zane." I bow because of the moment, ready to kiss as many feet until I get what I want. "But." He faces me fully, studying me for a second. "There is something I want
MARE His words break me like glass. We are still staring each other down. Chase walks in and severs the trance. He grabs my wrist and pulls me to his side. Zeke glances at where my hand is joined to my Alpha's. Irritation flashes in his eyes. It shocks me because I don't expect to get a reaction out of him. "What brings you to Red Valley?" Chase jutts his chin and weilds an unfriendly tone. "If I didn't know better, I'd ask my general to arrest you. The most wanted man in the Red pack until today." "I came to deliver my message, Chase Erickson...through your methods, of course. Trespassing. I just hope I was clear to your Luna." His call brings me out of my trance again. I've been lost in thought throughout, frozen at Chase's side with a thudding heart. But I remember I'm no longer vulnerable. A threat like this shouldn't bring me to my knees. "You were clear, but I've not been clear," I say, fueling my voice with the anger I feel at him for turning against me, even though it w
ZEKE She's happier than I thought she would be, adapting well enough to her situation. I saw her there, and she was nothing that I imagined she would be. At peace. Maybe I was wrong to think otherwise, but that didn't matter anymore. She's dead to me. I chug down a bottle of bourbon alone in the confines of the room Chantria prepared. Unbuttoning my shirt, I settle into an armchair, taking constant swigs to quell my spinning thoughts, but Marelyn keeps coming back to haunt my mind. Seeing her again, so close, affected me in different ways. I sigh, drinking more until the bottle is emptied. A knock sounds on my door, and I head over to check who it is. I fastened the button of my shirts back. There's a maid on the other side of the door when I open it up. I see the way heat creeps up her neck. She's flustered by the sight of me and not scared. Still, there's no part of me that wants to want another woman. My wolf is pretty adamant, too. After kissing Alexis, I realised I may have
Chantria scoffs. "You don't even have an heir. The moon goddess's curse sticks like sweat on your skin." I work my jaw. Anger flashes in my eyes at the thought of everything that had just transpired before my coming here. I had an offspring. One that would have brought me the answers to my revenge. I would have left everything for Thorin. Zane says quietly, "I have a son. You don't." "We are brothers facing the same curse. You don't have to pretend before me." "Pretend?" Zane's tone hardens. "Your child is a fake." Chantria slams her palm on the table and shakes it like a quake. She's furious as she stands on her feet. "That's enough from you, Zeke! How dare you call the Alpha of Moon Wood's child a fake?" "Because that child neither carries silver blood nor the celtic symbols of fire and water." Chantria says, "As far as I'm concerned, your words are inconclusive." "Should we do it, then? Gather all of Carodia and show them that the royal family of Moon Wood lied to protect
KYRA I walk up to the entrance and pause before the large gates of the fortress. The weather is warm this afternoon. The sun doesn't hang high and scorch in the sky like it should. I shake my head after a beat, wondering what in the world I'm doing here. Just because he asked doesn't mean I have to do what he wants. I whirl around, stomping my feet down the path, but a thought strikes me hard. He's the Alpha king. Getting on his bad side is the last thing Zeke would want. I walk up to the gate again and curse under my breath, whirling around the second time. The car driving up the path to the large gate stops me in my tracks. Its windows are tinted. I remember the Carodia before I left eight years ago. It didn't have things like these, but now, in the space of two months, they were everywhere. Even the style of clothes is gradually changing. It's like Carodia is putting itself out there each passing day. I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing. I move away before the flashy car
I'm standing at the window edge of a hallway in the fortress. Everyone that passes greets their Alpha with a bow. Today is the exertion of the verdict I passed over all those involved in my mother's death. I took her skull down from where it was hung and finally gave her a befitting burial. Chantria Van Acker, after being tried for my mother's death and King Nikolai's death, was sentenced to death. Her execution is today, and Zane doesn't try to stop it. I knew he went to see her one last time at the dungeons last night, but she's his mother. Will that ever be enough? Hours later, Aiden hands me a platter. I open it and find Chantrias head. The last thing I can do for my mother is to replace her skull with that of the person who put her there. I tell him where to leave the human head until it decomposes, and only a skull is left. My brother stops by to see me in my chambers that evening. He doesn't seem angry that I had given the order for her death. She had killed Father, too. It
ZEKE Again, fire and water will stand against each other. I don't know what the outcome of this fight will be. In my head, I know what I want, but I can't tell exactly what my brother is thinking. It was his idea to do this. I'm not so sure why I even agreed. Revenge doesn't matter anymore. Once I looked into my daughter's eyes, all the pain I felt melted away. I healed. Mare couldn't let go of me all through the night. She was stuck to me like glue because she feared this moment. She feared losing me. My life is finally coming together. I fear losing it, too. The arena roars wild. The entire wolf lands are watching King Nikolai's sons make history. I'm already a record breaker, and he's their king. This fight will have them all at the edge of their seats. The gong goes off and shirtless as we are, dressed in nothing but shorts we fight to the death. I cast an illusion of a cloud over his head, and constant rain falls on only him in the arena. Zane is furious that I'm drenching
KYRA I'm storming into his chambers in Moon Wood's fortress. I just learnt the news of a battle between legacies. There are only two legacies I know apart from evil Jai-Blynn. All of Carodia believes the king has gone mad for wanting to fight his brother, who took down an entire pack and turned them to dust. Zeke Van Acker has gained a name for himself in the city, but that is still far from my point. How could he do this to me? We talked the second our boat arrived at the harbour. Actually, we did less talking and more physical activities for the first few hours after meeting again. I was so sure Marelyn and I made the right choice after spending time with him again. My wolf couldn't stop pining for him, but it seems I'm the only one who felt that way. How could he do this us? Zane says after I barge in, "I know you are angry. Kyra, calm down—I can't believe they just let you walk through easily." "It's not news to anyone, including your other mates, that we are together, Zane.
"That child and I can't exist at the same time on this earth, Mare." "Why, Jai?" I frown, calculating the distance with my eyes. I make a jump for it and shield Kinna from his attack with my body. Summoning my powers, I struggle to get a hold of his mind, but the calibre of power coming out of him is not to be underestimated. Now I realise he wasn't kidding back then in that warehouse. "Your little bloodline powers won't work on me. But Mare, you are no longer my concern. Give me your champion, and you can walk away from this alive." I'm shocked that he's willing to bargain. There's something he knows that none of us do. Something that makes this moment more important to him than ever. I scream hard. "Never!" The force of my voice hits him, but he only staggers back by a step, and I had really mustered up strength with that move. How powerful is he really? "Angering me will only make the terms worse, Marelyn!" "You can kill me, but not my child, Jai. I will never let you touc
ZEKE A Day Earlier... I'm standing in front of the mirror, feeling for my now thick beards. It's a new look I've been sporting. Just yesterday, the action series I starred in aired, and the viewing ratings were through the roof. It's a hit. I've always had blockbusters where I starred as the villain, but never have I been portrayed from a protagonist's point of view in one of them. It's unreal. What's also unreal is what tomorrow is. I know Marelyn is due tomorrow. My chest tightens like every other time I've stared at the date or thought about it. I've been distant. I never showed up for our daughter, but it all got to a point where I considered myself unworthy of being in their lives. She may be happy in Carodia with her date from before. Maybe it fleshed into something more. I can't tell, but it's been bugging me at the back of my mind for months. Scarlett helped me understand what those random slip-ups meant over time. Everything is clear to me now. I stare at my reflection
I don't realise that the doorknob has come off. I stare at the piece in my hand. It broke off, but my mind is fixed on their conversation. She's dating now. It's been just two weeks, and she promised that wasn't goodbye. My jaw clenches impossibly in anger. Finding a new path. Bullshit! I block out their voices and lock myself in my study. I throw my head back over the headrest of the desk chair, blowing out my cheeks. So far, the day has been terrible. I'm nervous. I want to storm into Carodia the next second and restructure the idiot fling's face. She's mine. She's fucking mine! The broken doorknob sits on my desk because I don't know what to do with it yet. Suddenly, my mind is made up. I stand on my feet and head to my bedroom. I open my suitcase on my bed, swiping clothes off the rack in the walk-in closet and dropping them inside it. It's easy not to overthink it. But soon, there's a knock on the open door, calling my attention. Scarlett is holding the broken doorknob, eyein
I've been showing up for appointments with the pack doctor at Blue Silver for the past two weeks since I arrived. He's not who I used to know, and his name is Xavier Scythe. When Ava refused to take me in because of our last encounter, Xavier showed Kyra and I a roof over our head. He is also the next catch as Kyra put it. She wants me to take on his advances and use him to forget all about Zeke. I try. I actually put in effort. He knocks at my door and I open it with a bright smile on my face. "Xavier, how are you?" His hands are locked behind him as he says, "I'm good. How are you?" Xavier runs a nervous hand over his sleeked back long black hair. It's tied up because of how impressively long his hair is. Xavier is a real catch. He's tall and looks hard all over, like a man should, but I don't get that spark from looking at him or anyone else that's not Zeke. Maybe Kyra is right. My world does revolve around only him. "The Blue Silver carnival is coming up. Would you like a p
MARE I see how worried he is. I'm not saying he shouldn't be, but it's another cold truth. She's his forever. I'm the intruder, and I have no place here. We are at the hospital. Scarlett lost her wolf. She's like a human, so I guess that's why we are all concerned because she can't heal. Kyra says, "How can she do this? Overdosing because she wants attention. Jeez." "We don't know that." Drusila chips in from across the waiting room. We are the only ones here at the moment, but it's a hospital people can arrive at any time. Unfortunately, Kyra seems pissed about spending her night here. Zeke is with the doctor. "I'm going to grab a snack." I stand on my feet without glancing at any of them. They still remember how I just cried my eyes out because Zeke made his choice. Now I'm sitting here watching him care for someone else like I wish was only just for me. It's still pure torture. Kyra joins me at the vending machine. I get a chocolate bar while she gets a bag of cheetos. At
************************** My eyes crack open. Daylight shines into my room, but I'm still stuck in last night's pack gathering. Zeke wanted a son who would challenge Zane's throne. A female Alpha will never be accepted to lead Carodia. I'm sad for other reasons than Scarlett. My happy ending keeps drifting far and far away. I wonder if he's angry with me. If this will change everything. Maybe he will finally realise that he won't gain anything from me because I can't even give him a proper heir. I will love our daughter with everything in me because she's a product of our great love. I take a shower, anxious about joining the rest downstairs. Will they see me as a failure? I couldn't protect the first heir, and now I've given them a child they can't accept. A while later, I cross Kyra and Aiden in the hallway, just above the stairs. She spares a broad smile, looking over her shoulder at me. "Hey, Mare! I can't wait to meet our princess."