ALPHA PARTHE.Two thousand warriors drew their swords for a battle they knew they'd lose either way.Fools. Lesser men always are so foolish.The battleground was charged with the kind of energy I liked. Fear. Panic. Terror. It poured from Lucius's men like a pungent stench, feeding the darker corners of my soul.Even though Lucius was too much of a coward to admit his wrong and decided to keep up with his pride, his men were obviously aware of what they were up against.I watched them with detached emotion. They looked pathetic.The image of my sleeping mate kept replaying in my head. She was so beautiful when she slept. Especially when in a deep slumber like the one I had just put her in.She'd thought I'd abandon this war? She thought wrong. I had to use my powers to put her in a slumber to be able to leave."You're sure about this?" I heard Urik ask from beside me."What? You think you need to leave?" I asked in a menacing tone without even looking at him.Urik had been against th
ALPHA PARTHE.Telling Vixtin's mate about his demise was the hardest thing to do after the war. She was so shocked that she instantly went into labor.Thankfully, she and the baby boy are alive. But I can't say she was well. She hadn't spoken nor eaten in days. It kills me.We won the war but lost a very important member of our pack. I had claimed the Ray Haven pack, which was one of the biggest achievements an Alpha could have. But it was still not enough to fill the void I felt inside.I felt more like a loser than a winner.Luxuria was beyond hurt. She had warned me. I didn't listen. And everything I've tried to do to pacify her wasn't working."You promised not to go!" She had screamed at me when I returned."I never promised you anything, Luxuria. Quit the drama." I had dismissively replied to her.My life was taking a miserable turn, and it was almost as if I had no control over it. Since I got my powers back, controlling my emotions and decisions became a bit difficult.The bea
LUXURIA.I hadn't had such an intimate time with my mate in a long time. The woods were calm and peaceful under the setting sun.The cool breeze that fanned against my nostrils brought with it a promise of rainfall."It's going to be a rainy night," I said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended upon us after we talked about the Luna coronation.Parthe was certain about me being his Luna despite all odds.In the actual sense, Shikta was meant to be his Luna since she was pregnant for him and would bear him a son. I sincerely wonder how he intends to have his way with this. And Shikta was never going to keep calm about it.Deep down, I still feel the urge to leave, even though the pull I feel toward him keeps getting stronger by the day."Who best to spend a rainy night with, if not my mate?" He replied, and a blush crept up my cheek.I looked around and found the guards at a reasonable distance away from us, but I was sure they had heard him."Your pregnant mistress might nee
SHIKTA.I wiped off the tears from my eyes and went to Tervan's chamber. I was done being a fool."Shikta. What do you want? We can't be seen together!" He said through clenched teeth, looking around frantically."I have gone past caring, Tervan!" I almost screamed at him. "Take a look at me," I said, pointing at my nearly tattered self.I had become a shadow of myself. My plans - Our plans seemed not to be falling in place. Everything seemed to be falling apart.A pregnant woman needs a lot of necessities, and I wasn't getting any. My bump wasn't visible yet because the pregnancy was still at its early stage, but I was already feeling like I'd been pregnant for months.I didn't know how much of this I could take anymore."What do you want?" Tervan finally asked after taking in a deep breath."Do I repel you? Why have you been avoiding me?" I asked, searching his face for answers."I just lost my mate, Shikta. Are you that insensitive?"Oh. Now I am being insensitive?"What do you mea
LUXURIA.Parthe was still in his courtroom. He's been there all evening. It was obvious there was something crucial he was handling, especially now that he'd made Kefas the new head of the warriors after Vixtin's death.It was the best time to talk to Rorden."Rorden?" I whispered when I got to his door. I had knocked, but there was no response. I couldn't leave. Besides, I needed more potions.It's quite disturbing how dependent I have become on Rorden and his potions. I was desperate to find a lasting solution. I mean... What if Rorden were to leave one day, and I'd never see him again? What if life happens and we ever part ways? What if...My train of thought came to a halt when the door creaked open, revealing a man standing before me with his bare body.My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when they rested on his entirely naked frame. Water droplets clung to his sun-kissed skin, tracing rivulets down the hard planes of his chest and the sculpted ridges of his abdomen. His c
LUXURIA.I did all I could to steady my racing heart, but it was all to no avail. My heart drummed hard against my ribs.The door slammed open, rattling on its hinges, and Parthe walked in with someone else.Wait. Who was it?"Where is she?" I heard Parthe ask angrily.Rorden seemed calm... Too calm. "Who are you talking about?""Don't play dumb with me, Rorden. You know exactly who I'm talking about. Luxuria. Where is she?""Do I now keep your mate?" Rorden asked in a tone that sounded so mocking.I heard Parthe take some steps forward before he came to a halt. There was silence.What were they doing? Why wasn't anyone speaking?"I will search every corner of this chamber until I find her," Parthe said, and my heart jumped out of my chest."You will do no such thing," Rorden challenged him, "Have you become so insensitive to details that you can't even take a moment to sniff around? Do you perceive her anywhere in my chamber?"What? Why would Rorden make such a statement?Of course,
THE NIGHTSHADE PACK.ALPHA ZEGAN (The Dark Alpha).The Blood Alpha was highly pleased with all we had achieved so far. Everything was falling into place already, and in just a few more days, the last piece of the plan will be with us. Luxuria."So, tell me, Nevada..." The Blood Alpha began, his back still turned against the woman kneeling before him, "Or should I call you Eldora?"The woman trembled with both hands clasped in front of her, "Call me Nevada," she managed."Ah..." The Blood Alpha sighed, "I prefer to call you Eldora. And, I have told you before... You have nothing to be scared about. You are fine and well-protected here. We brought you in to keep you safe."I know the woman didn't believe a word that came out of his mouth. She was too scared to. And he looked too frightening to give such assurances.Nevada nodded either way."So, tell me. Who was Zendaya? And why is she of so much importance to Parthe, so much that he regrets killing her?" He asked the woman, who looked
ALPHA PARTHE.I've been bothered for days now. There was something definitely going on with my mate.Has she been hiding something from me?The other day, she passed out in the woods. I know it was too brief to mean anything, but I thought I saw a faint red glow in her eyes. I wasn't mistaken."I still think there is another way out of this, Alpha. We just haven't found it yet." Urik spoke, making me aware of my surroundings.Again, I had been lost in my thoughts."When you find one, let me know," I replied.Urik was always against most of the decisions I've ever made. What did he take me for? A foolish leader who can't be trusted with his choices?If not for the level of trust I had for him, I would have thought he was against me and the progress of the pack."Taking the life of an innocent girl isn't the best thing to do. Where is your conscience?" He whispered, as if scared someone might hear him."My conscience has been long dead, Urik, and you know that," I pulled out a book from
SHIKTA.I was done for. The tears refused to stop flowing as I kept begging him to stop. But he didn't care. This felt more intentional than just mere pleasure."Tervan. Please," I cried as he slammed into me with a force that left me dizzy and breathless.He pulled me closer, parting my legs even wider with his strong hands, holding them firmly apart to give him better access. His erection was harder than ever, his monstrous size suddenly seeming a bit too much for me.I was helpless. He had secured my wrists against the headboard of his bed, leaving me completely at his mercy."Didn't I tell you to stay quiet and take what I have to offer? Huh?" He slammed into me, "Can't take what you asked for?" His hand grabbed my throat, stealing the air from my lungs.Since I started cheating on Parthe with Tervan, we never had the opportunity to fuck in such a secluded space without the fear of anyone - his mate - interrupting. Hence, I'd never seen this side of him. We always met in the woods
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