LUXURIA.I stepped out of the bathroom, feeling fresh and energized. It's been a long night, and the most part of today had been far spent, too.Parthe almost didn't want to leave my side all day. We had made love all through the night until this morning, even before he stepped out.It felt... Perfect... I found myself falling for him even more. I liked this side of him when he wasn't being cruel or brutal or cold and all that.For the first time since I met him, I truly felt a connection between us. A connection that went deeper than sex and the mate bond. This connection was more intimate and exciting.The only worry I had now was the fact that he had marked me. I had stopped him too many times without a proper reason. I guess he was tired of waiting. I was his mate, after all. But Amelia's words kept haunting me. What if I was truly from the lineage of Calandus?Although the possibility of it seemed very slim, but what if...?Right now, all I could do was to hope not."What's my li
LUXURIA."Alpha?" I called when he kissed me to wake up. I didn't realize I had slept so late into the night."Call me Parthe," He said in response, stroking my hair and my cheeks heated up."Okay... Parthe..." I replied and he seems pleased."Did you sleep well?" He asked."Yes... Sorry for disrupting your day. I didn't..." I was saying but he kissed my lips, stopping me mid-sentence."It was worth every second." He stroke my cheek tenderly, "You want to say something?"I hesitated, not knowing if he'd be pleased with what I was about to say."I've told you, Luxuria, you don't have to be scared of me anymore. Feel free around me. You can do or say whatever you want to me, and it'll be fine. I promise." He reassured and I lifted my head from his chest where I lay, looking into his black eyes, and I saw assurance and sincerity in them.I smiled, "Okay," I said, resting my head back on his chest, "I wouid like to go to my father's pack..." I began, expecting a reaction but got none. But
LUXURIA."What? I... I don't..." The words stuck to my throat."You were never my child. You were the curse who made me lose my mate! A woman I had grown to love and cherish!" His eyes shot daggers at me as his jaws clenched.I was scared. He looked like he was going to murder me with his bare hands."Father... What are you saying?" I asked in a breathy whisper."Don't you dare call me father. I am no father of yours!" He thundered, rising to his feet, "You are a product of your mother's infidelity." He narrowed his gaze on me."But you... You said..." I sniffed, my whole body trembling, "You said my mother was one of your mistresses. She wasn't... She wasn't your mate."I didn't want to believe that the very little I thought I knew about my mother were all lies. My poor heart was aching terribly."That was a lie I had to tell everyone, just to cover up my shame," He took his seat, seeming calm now, as he rested his elbows on the table before him, facing me, "Your mother never listene
RORDEN.This changes everything.I had wished everyday that somehow, it was all wrong and that she was never a daughter of Calandus. But, fuck!I slammed my fist against the huge tree one more time, watching the blood coat my knuckles. But I cared less. It would heal up. The pain on my knuckles was nothing compared to the one in my heart.I loved her. I couldn't tell how I got to this point, but I knew I loved her. I had hoped that one day, I'd be able to make her mine. I was so certain that Parthe would fail her. He always did. He was never capable of loving someone.But seeing his mark on her today changes things even more.It hurts. And I know it would hurt even more when everything starts falling apart but I guess I just have to move on.Hurting Luxuria had never been my intention. It was never my intention.***LUXURIA.I ran a hot bath for Parthe. He had just returned. He noticed my mood and asked what was wrong but I told him I wasn't feeling so well.He blamed himself for lett
LUXURIA.I watched the Alpha leave the spot where he stood and walk forward. I was terrified. It seemed like he was walking towards me. But thankfully, I was wrong.I watched, barely breathing, as Parthe circled the bodies on the floor, studying them intently before crouching beside them."Step aside," Parthe said to Tervan, who hesitated before sluggishly pulling away.Alpha Parthe placed his hand on the side of Lorel's head, his fingers resting on her temple.He closed his eyes and muttered some inaudible words for a moment.A chill seeped down my spine. What if he finds out that I was the one who did it?Suddenly, I felt a presence beside me. A familiar one."Luxuria?" The familiar voice whispered, and my head snapped in the direction of the voice."Ro... Rorden?" I whispered, looking back at where Parthe had his eyes closed. I shouldn't be seen standing close to him. "What are you...""Did you do it?" He asked before I could finish my words."What?" I asked, my brain slow to proce
LUXURIA.I drew my shawl tighter around my shoulders, shivering against the bite of the cold that seeped into our chamber. Parthe hadn't returned since that argument with his Beta.That clash had rattled something deep within him. It was quite intense, and I felt terrible for the Alpha. He's being judged by so many people, even those who are meant to be the closest to him. They all misunderstood him—their perception, their resentments were shallow judgments against a man burdened with far more than anyone knew.I had to see Rorden. I didn't feel like myself, either. A strange weight pressed down on me, an aching emptiness that seemed to twist through my bones, unsettling and exhausting. It was almost as if I was living the life of someone else.My entire body ached, and my emotions have been unstable for no reason.I felt anger, frustration, hurt, depression, just name it. And I have no reason to feel that way.I also craved to see the Alpha like he is an addiction. I felt an insatiab
LUXURIA.I didn't know how and when I left Rorden's chamber, but I found myself walking straight into the woods.It was already dark, thankfully.I changed into my wolf and ran a great distance, trying to clear my head. I had to think but couldn't. My brain refused to process a single thought.What do I do?I was doomed.Amelia was the only one who had answers to my questions. She was the only solution I had.By the time I returned to the fortress, it was really late. I didn't know how I had made it back. My mind was a fog of grief, memories and thoughts swirling.I barely even noticed Parthe as I entered the room, his pacing form a blur until he stopped and strode toward me. "Luxuria. Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes scanning my body as if checking to see if I was hurt.I didn't meet his gaze. "I'm fine, Alpha," I replied, walking past him, but he gently pulled me back."Wait," he murmured, "I… I shouldn't have spoken to you that way earlier. I know I was… too harsh. That wasn't
ALPHA PARTHE.We walked into the fortress gate. Everyone with me was as quiet as they ought to be. My men and I had to put Alpha Jalar in his place. He was already beginning to bite more than he could handle.Urik was with me. I could feel the tension between us, but I did not pay any attention to him. Whatever was making him angry was no concern to me.I should be the one angry here. I was so close to ending Jalar's miserable life, but Urik stopped me.This was one of the reasons I wished Tervan was done mourning his mate. If he was there with me, he would have gladly allowed me to kill that slob."Alpha?" Urik called, coming to a halt just as we entered the fortress.Here we go. The short-tempered Urik was about to spit out his displeasure.I sincerely hoped he wouldn't anger me while at it."What is it, Urik?" I replied, turning to face him. "What was that back there? You acted too rashly, and it's becoming too frequent lately. Should we be worried?" He said, and I only arched a b
SHIKTA."Aren't you even ashamed? What manner of a man are you?" I asked the fool sitting before me, totally unmoved by what I had just told him.He sat at his desk, his broad back to me, head bent over a scroll that seemed far more deserving of his attention than I ever was. My heart twisted at the indifference he displayed and the casual way he dismissed my very existence without a glance."Tervan," I called, my voice laced with frustration as I approached him. He didn't flinch, didn't even lift his head."Tervan!" I repeated, slamming a hand down on the table. Finally, he leaned back in his chair, the wooden frame creaking under his weight. He tilted his head to look at me, his expression unreadable, his eyes lazily dragging over my face."What is it now, Shikta?" he drawled, the faintest trace of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Come to cry about something again?"My nails bit into my palms as I clenched my fists. "The Alpha tried to pry into my memories today," I snapp
LUXURIA.I barged into the chamber where I stay - I forbid to ever call it my chamber because I don't belong here.The door slammed shut behind me, and I leaned heavily against it, my chest rising and falling with frantic, uneven breaths. The air in the room was thick, suffocating, as if the walls themselves had conspired to close in on me.How could he? Why would he go to such lengths?My hands trembled as I pushed myself off the door and moved toward the window. My gaze drifted to the familiar stretch of thick, green foliage outside, the trees swaying ever so slightly in the breeze. It was the same lifeless view I had grown sick of.Nobody walked there. Nobody dared to. Rorden had made sure of that.It was almost sundown. I had to prepare for my escape tonight. I couldn't stay here anymore.On my way out of Nevada's chamber, I took note of the escape route I had seen, just to be sure I etched it in my memory.It was worth the risk, even though I didn't know where that door led. The
LUXURIA."Nevada?" I called, wishing someone would wake me up from this dream."Surprised, Luxuria? I thought you'd help to see a familiar face," Rorden said with smug satisfaction, lacing his tone.My fists clenched at my side as I fought to ignore him.What was she doing here? Did this mean she was working with Rorden? Even while at the pack? My thoughts raced like wildfire, desperate to piece together an explanation.Her face softened as her teary eyes found mine. "Luxuria," she whispered, her voice trembling with an emotion I couldn't quite place. "My child."Her words hit me like a thunderclap. My child? I froze as she reached for me, her arms outstretched. My muscles tensed, every fiber of my being telling me to step back, but I stayed rooted. When her arms wrapped around me in a warm embrace, I felt a foreign comfort, like stepping into sunlight after years of shadow.It was jarring. Disorienting.I didn't know exactly how to respond to this. Nevada had never been nice to me si
RORDEN.Her palm cracked against my cheek in a stinging slap."I never chose you, and I never will! Parthe is my mate—the only man I will ever love! There is no room in my heart for a monster like you!"Her words cut deeper than they should have."You never should have done that, Luxuria," I growled, my eyes shining a bright shade of red. My wolf, Ryker, was partly in charge. My wolf, as unforgiving as I was, detested defiance with everything in him. And so did I.I let myself loose as I seized her arm, dragging her roughly back onto the bed. Her soft cries filled my ears as I pressed her down."No! Rorden!" she gasped, struggling against me, but her strength was no match for mine.Before she could process what I was trying to do, I was already on top of her, my fingers wrapping around her delicate neck as I squeezed.Her wide, tear-filled eyes locked onto mine, a blend of fear and fury swirling within them."Listen carefully, Luxuria," I hissed through clenched teeth. "The next time y
RORDEN.It was almost time.The moment I had been waiting for—the culmination of every plan, every move, every drop of blood spilled—was finally upon me. The end was here.For all my power, for all I had achieved as an AshBlood wizard, nothing compared to this. Nothing compared to the thought of Parthe kneeling before me, stripped of his pride, his strength, his so-called invincibility, begging for mercy he would never receive.I could almost taste it.He always fancied himself untouchable—powerful, fearless, the unbeatable Alpha of the North. But he had yet to meet me. Truly meet me. I was everything he was not and could never hope to be.Growing up alone in the wilds, surrounded by predators—both human and beast—had forged me into the man I am.In the brutal law of survival, I thrived. Kill or be killed, dominate or be destroyed. There was no middle ground. Everyone who had ever crossed paths with Alpha Rorden, the Blood Alpha, had come to understand this truth. They feared me, and r
ALPHA PARTHE.It was the hardest thing to do. Pretending to care when, in the real sense, I don't. Even though I had no mate anymore, I still felt like I was betraying the bond that I once had with my mate by allowing this woman to lay on my bed... The bed which I had promised my mate never to let any other woman lay on.I stared down at the woman in my arms, who was sleeping like she didn't have any care in the world.It looked like she was actually in need of this attention so much that as soon as I held her in my arms, it only took a few pats on her back to get her to fall into a deep slumber."Shikta?" I called softly, but her soft mumble was incoherent, a slurred response from a mind far too deep in slumber to process my call. I glanced at her face, slack and unguarded in sleep. The vulnerability of it—the complete lack of awareness—was almost laughable. This woman, who so boldly challenged my patience earlier, now rested in my arms as though she belonged there.But she didn't.I
ALPHA PARTHE."You should count yourself lucky we've come a long way, Urik," I growled, my anger simmering, barely contained, as I stared him down. "You've disappointed me more than I thought possible. I feel like I've betrayed my friend because of your paranoia."Urik stood before me, his lips parted, but no sound came out at first. He was scrambling for an argument, something to redeem himself.Finally, he found his voice. "You need to look beyond all this, Alpha," he urged, "What if he knew you were following him? What if he diverted his path just to throw you off?"He wasn't going to give up on this, was he?My glare darkened, and I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, shaking my head in disbelief as I tried to shake off the obvious doubt his words stirred. "I was as careful as a hunter stalking prey, Urik. You should know better than anyone—there's no chance he saw me."There was silence. He knew the truth of my words. I was the shadow in the dark, the predator no one h
ALPHA PARTHE.Urik's words had refused to fade away since I had that triggering conversation with him. I wanted to dismiss it, but I couldn't.Just as much as I know he and Tervan hated each other, I never thought Urik would stoop so low as to make up such stories about Tervan.How could he ever suggest that Tervan might be up to something fishy against the pack? He also suggested, although without proof or enough conviction, that Tervan might know Luxuria's whereabouts.It made me laugh so hard, even though a tiny part of me was trying to betray the friendship I had shared with Tervan to believe what Urik was trying to say.Wearing this black cloak on this cold night, preparing to secretly follow Tervan, my trusted friend and Beta, to see if he was trying to betray me, seemed like a betrayal in itself. But Urik had insisted, and in order to prove him and a part of myself wrong, I agreed to trail Tervan tonight."Alpha, he's on the move." Urik mind-linked me, and I straightened up imm
LUXURIA.I had lost count of how long I'd been in this lonely hell. I hated myself. I felt like ending it all.Rorden had made me remember every single thing he made me forget, including the two times he made me betray my mate.I had cried out my eyes each time the memories came crawling in... The way he made me comply without a choice while he fucked me the way he pleased... It all made me hate myself even more for ever trusting him.All through my stay in his pack, he had refused to give me potions to take. In his words, he said, "I am preparing you for the big day ahead."What big day was he talking about? And why did I need to stay away from the potions that should help me feel better?The curse was coming back in full swing - the red flashes, the ache in my head, the uncontrollable anger, the hunger for blood and chaos... It was becoming overwhelming."Oh, Selene, please save me," I whispered as I curled myself on the bed, trying to shield myself from the pain I was feeling.My d