Prologue
Sex, money, and drugs. Those are the three things that seem to hold power over the human realm. It's pathetic when you think about it, but it also gave me the advantage I needed to expand my family's business. Yes, we're werewolves, with a special connection to the fae world, but every species needs money to survive.
That's how entering this new form of business was a no-brainer.
When I arrived five years ago, I took over everything. My aunt Cass was worn out with the responsibilities of running the pack in the human realm. She didn't have time to keep track of the family business anymore. It was evident in all the stat sheets. The company's traffic was slowing, and the pack was taking the brunt of it.So when I confronted her about it, she gave it to me without a second thought. Once the money started rolling in, sh
Chapter one - Leaving*Five years ago*"You should have come to dinner tonight, Balor. Mother is starting to worry about you." Nesrin's voice was soft and concerned as she leaned against my door frame. I continued to stare at the ceiling above my bed. The orbs of light changed colour as they danced around me. The harp I had been playing stopped as soon as she entered my room."If she is that worried for my well-being, then why is it you here instead of her?" I muttered as I turned my gaze to her. She was the spitting image of Imelda, and it made it hard to look at her. The only thing different was that her jawline was a little more stubborn, her nose tipped up a slightly higher, and her eyes were of our mothers, matching mine perfectly. Nesrin let out a huff of air as she walk
Chapter Two - InvestigationUnknown POV*Present day*The sound of honking horns and shouting filled the brisk morning air—the constant clicking of a camera shutter beside me. The yellow tape was swaying in the cold winter wind. My fingers grew numb in the latex gloves needed to collect any potential evidence. The smell of piss, blood, and decaying flesh filled my nose.After three years of this, it never gets easier. Some say that once it becomes easy. Once the unsolved murders stop haunting your dreams and you stop caring about the body in front of you, you'velost your soul to the devil.I looked at the bruised and swollen body before me. This man was someone's son, brother, maybe even a
Chapter Three - VisitorsBalor's POVI stepped out of my car into the empty parking garage. To be at the top of the food chain, you have to show power. And to establish dominance in the human world is to flaunt how much money you have. So I built my way up, bought the biggest building in the centre of the city and turned it into my penthouse and business front. Not everything I ran was illegal or involved cutting of body parts and collecting debts.This level was my personal parking space. I had the nicest cars and bikes—the best security system and cameras to catch anyone who tried to enter. I also put wards in place, but unfortunately, that wouldn't hold up in a mortal courtroom. Nevertheless, I had learned how to adapt to this realm. I Glamoured myself when I needed to, use magic without giving myself away.Humans weren't stupid. They knew mag
Chapter Four - A Lead Reyna's POV The annoying buzz of my phone woke me from a dreamless sleep. My mouth was dry, and my hair covered my face. I wiggled out of my cocoon of blankets and blindly felt around my nightstand for the god-forsaken thing. "I'm coming. Just give me a minute." I grumbled as I finally gripped my phone between my fingers. I squinted at the bright light as I slid over the green button. "Killian, what'd you need?" My voice filled with sleep. "Good morning to you too, Reyna." Piper chimed through my phone. Morning people were the worst kind of people. I could never understand how someone could be so chipper after waking up in all my years in the academy and o
Chapter Five - DoubtBalor's POV"The Toronto police are saying that no arrests have been made for the murder of small business owner Tom Bringer. Police ask if anyone has any information to cal-"I turned off my television, slamming myremote down onto the glass table, shattering it. My jaw ached from me clenching my teeth together so hard. I gulped down the last of my scotch, chucking the glass at the wall, shattering it to pieces.I turned to John, who stood by the door anxiously. I felt the fear oozing off of him, but he refused to look at me. Instead, he kept his head down, eyes focused on the floor. Smart move."You had one job, and after five years, you choose today to fuck it up." I snapped. I ran my fingers through my hair. Irritation and anger taking hold.I can fix this. I'm used to cleaning up after incompetent huma
Chapter Six - RecklessReyna’s POVWe arrived at the house, correction, mansion. Of course, it was a rich guy who deemed himself untouchable. There were two types of people who got themselves involved with the wrong business—the first, making friends with the wrong people expecting their money or luck to save them.The second were people so desperate to get something or consumed with addiction they made a deal with the wrong person. Each situation was horrible, and I wished each situation could be avoided entirely.The cast-iron gates slowly opened, allowing us to enter. We slowly drove up the long driveway. Perfectly trimmed shrubs were wrapped, ready for the winter weather. Tall lamp posts lined the side, opening up to a large water fountain that had also been wrapped in preparations for the long winter we were
Chapter Seven - FateBalor’s POVI stood in front of my mirror. Steam from my hot shower was still fogging up my mirror. My upper body was still covered in droplets of water, my towel wrapped around my waist as I wiped away the condensation from the mirror. I was always glamoured when in the city I hardly had time to look like my true self. My scarlet hair was always dulled, my eyes not as bright, and my ears perfectly rounded.I took pride in what I was, but risking my kind's safety by becoming known wasn’t something I ever wanted. I worked hard to protect us, and yeah, I may have taken the darkened path, but it ensured my family's safety from hunters and all the other cruel things the lurked in this human realm.I took in how the tattoos sat against my tanned skin and muscular body. Each ta
Chapter Eight - Resistance* Four Years ago*Balor’s POVI woke up frantically, my heart racing as I looked around my room. Though I had lived here for over a year now, it was still unfamiliar to me. Moments of homesickness would set in after every vision that decided to visit me in my dreams.I let out a groan as I laid back down on my bed. Throwing my pillow over my face as I tried to force the images of her out of my head. I knew who she was, what she would mean to me. I had been seeing her for the last two years, and the visions only worsened once I came to the human realm.I believed these visions of the future, anyone's future
Epilogue Three weeks later Damon The pressure of the crown was building as Alora and I settled into our new roles. My father was no longer here to keep the council at bay with their demands. But despite it all, I had found that I enjoyed this new life I had been given. The new responsibilities allowed me even more control over the Kingdom than the Captain of the guards ever could. All be it; I did miss the battle prep and daily training. But I still found holes in my busy schedule to take Alora out to the training fields at least once a week. I knew that eventually, our routine would become steady, and we would have more time to relax, but new rulers came with change and to have change, you needed to vote on old and new laws to pass. Alora and I had already made some big changes, like incorporating technology from the human realm into our daily lives to allow us easier communication with other realms. But there were still a lot of issues with the old ways of running our Kingdom
Chapter 49 - To Love and Cherish ErikPeace was something that was talked about constantly. During wars, it was what we fought for. While ruling a Kingdom, it was what we strived to maintain. But I had never truly known peace until now. The thought of finally being ridden of this pain inside of me, knowing that soon I would be with my love once again, was freeing. The final night with my family started out slow, but it eventually picked up and ran right into the night. There was laughter and tears exchanged around the table as we shared stories of my past and everyone got a chance to say goodbye, getting the closer they needed.And as everyone turned in for the night, I found myself alone again; unable to sleep, I found myself outside. I stayed up looking out at the stars waiting for the sun to rise. I closed my eyes, letting the warm breeze brush across my skin, engraving it into my mind. "So you really are going to spend your last moments alive, sitting in a field of flowers like
Chapter 48 - GoodbyesErikI watched as the sun set beyond the forest, the oranges and pinks of the sky blending together as the sun bid it farewell. It had been a long time since I had nothing to do, no responsibilities with the crown or of the guards. I thought it might help me move on from the hell that the last year had been without Athena, but now I realize that was a stupid notion. It was lonely, and the weight of losing my mate weighed heavier on my heart now than it did while I still ruled.I kept as busy as a retired King could, helping Damon when he needed to seek council or helping Apollo if he needed a hand with training recruits, but I knew that they both didn't really need my help. They just didn't want me to feel left out. Apollo was a natural at his role, and so was Damon. Despite what Damon said when he first discovered he would be the next in line to inherit the throne. He took to it as a bird took to the sky. He was a born leader and shined when he was in control o
Chapter 47 - Home Alora It had been a month since I had been crowned Queen of Gardenia, the days seeming to slip away as the kingdom welcomed the summer solstice and our ruling.I was busy learning my new role, Damon's father and Grandfather helping ease us both into the important roles we both now held. However, it was easier having Helga by my side. I was happy to have her as my royal advisor, and Rachel had said she was a natural already. I knew she would be, though; she always loved to take control and never gave up the opportunity to tell someone off. It was also working in my favour because Lord folic was so busy fighting with her that he always missed out on voting for new laws or changes to existing rulings. Damon loved it, and it made the council meetings less gruelling. It was absurd how many times we had to have a council meeting. At least once a day, and most of the things brought up were trivial problems. By the end of the day, I was just happy to get some alone time
Chapter 46 - The CrownDamon It felt like an eternity had passed as I waited in the royal chambers with my father. It felt even longer when we exchanged goodbyes at the throne room, and I waited at the dais while he sat on his throne. Melody stood in front of my father, a smile stretched across her face, glowing brightly. The room was full of people, some from the council, others from royal families, friends, family, and people from our Kingdom. All watching and waiting for the ceremony to begin.I was in a black royal jacket that was made with silver threading, and our family crest stitched into my left breast pocket. The wolves were placed proudly amongst the roses and the sword that separated them as they howled at the moon. My silver crown was placed on my head, but that would be changed once mine and Alora's vows were complete and only after the mothers accepted us as the new King and Queen to signal the dawn of a new era. Drake stood to the right of me, his mate, my mother's
Chapter 45 - Long Live The Queen Damon "Again," I commanded as Alora worked to keep the wings she had summoned to remain on her back. She had learned quickly how to handle the phoenix flames since she had already worked with the fire element. But now came the hard part, only half shifting. I did it all the time, especially in battle, morphing my nails into claws and elongating my canines. But nothing about that was easy; it came with time and practice, but Alora wanted to have it mastered. With the coronation and our mate ceremony happening tomorrow, she wanted to be better at it. Not only to prove to the council and our people that she was a worthy Queen but also to herself. I didn't want to be the one to tell her to slow down, not after she had spent so much of her life ruled under someone else thumb. But I had warned her of the risks of exhaustion and told her that when I saw fit, we would end the training for the evening.Alora begrudgingly accepted my condition, and I kept tr
Chapter 44 - Worship AloraI flipped through the pages of the phoenix book the jinx family had kept for generations. There was so much to process, like what abilities I now possessed because of what I was. It made my head hurt; there was so much to learn, so much to figure out. I was now different than normal fae; I was now a shifter. But, unlike most shifting fae, my order didn't communicate with me. Instead, it was a part of me; we were one and the same. I would still live an immortal life, only having one enemy that could stop me from ever being reborn, permanently ending my life. A Basilisk. A venous snake shifter that, like me, was rare, most believed them to be extinct. But now that I existed, one would be born, if not already—the universe now having to find balance in all forms. It was mindblowing the things I had already read about. For example, I could enchant items with my flames, similar to everlasting fire. But unlike everlasting fire, I couldn't break wards or spells w
Chapter 43 - WarningDamonI sat at the dais, my legs hanging over the edge as I waited for Cedric to arrive with the artifacts Alora and I asked for. Balor was right when he said the Jinx family would bargain for their priceless information. The smug look on their faces was wiped away and replaced with wide gaping mouths as they stared at the amulet in shock.Diana had muttered a curse under her breath. One I was sure she wanted me to hear because she said it so close to me. But I bit my tongue as I handed over the amulet, not wanting to risk them being stingy with their end of the deal.Alora was waiting in the Library, looking over whatever other books Audra had found for her. Now that Alora had her dream magic again, she was more determined than ever to find out what else she was capable of doing. I couldn't help but admire her for her devotion and eagerness. I was still reeling in from the mind-blowing realization that not only was Alora a rare Pheonix shifter, but she was also
Chapter 42 - Full CircleAloraIt's funny how even after you have overcome your deepest fears that they can still creep up on you. That was how it felt right now, anyways, as we arrived at the Dream realm. It was a ghost town, everyone seeming to either vanish with my mother's magic or flee as soon as they were freed from their promise to her. The streets were quiet, the ports empty, and the palace looked haunted. The golden paint was already losing its shine and fading with the faded magic. The windows were dark and unwelcoming as we approached the not-so-gilded gate. It was now that I felt the fear of my mother creep up on me. The well of my fears bubbled in the pit of my stomach. For decades I walked through these gates and made my way to my mother's throne room to report my findings and give her the things she requested I steal. The motions all felt so familiar, but with Damon by my side, they also felt different. I knew he could sense my hesitation as we approached the giant w