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
LUXURIA."Tell me... How does it feel?"I froze. My hand tightened around the stem of the herb I was holding.I didn't need to look to know who it was. That voice, dripping with venom, was unmistakable.I turned to face her, exhaling deeply, my eyes narrowing. "Shikta, what do you want this time other than to cause trouble?" I could feel the frustration rising in me.I promised to brew some herbs for Parthe today. He'd complained about an ache in his heart through the night, and I knew just the right herbs he needed.The sun struggled to peep through the dark clouds in the sky. It sure was going to be a rainy morning today."You know, you have some nerves," She began condescendingly, sauntering toward me, arms folded, her posture smug, and I couldn't help but wonder what new trouble she was here to cause, "Coming here and thinking you can dominate!" She scoffed, the expression on her face one of pure disdain.I gritted my teeth, letting out a mock laugh. "I only came here by fate. Wha
ALPHA PARTHE.What the fuck?Something was deeply wrong, and now I was sure of it. This confirmed it all.I looked at my mate's almost unconscious body, and she looked so peaceful in her sleep that I'd do just anything to know what was going on in her head.I'd been tempted to use my powers to pry into her head to see what was happening in there, to know what she was going through. But I advised myself against it. I didn't want to do anything that would upset her.The coronation was in two days. Two fucking days. There was no room for error, no time for mistakes. I couldn't afford to have anything go wrong.This coronation meant a lot to me, and I didn't want anything to jeopardize it.I love this woman so much that it hurts. The sight of her like this made my heart ache. She was everything to me. If anything ever happened to her, it'd kill me.It was time to check on Shikta again, as promised, but I couldn't leave. I needed to be here when she woke up. I needed to see her eyes, to to
LUXURIA.My body trembled with rage as I glared at him, my heart pounding so fiercely that I thought it might shatter. His words, his excuses—they only stoked the fire burning within me.How dare he? How dare he stand there, acting as if his lies could soothe the storm in my chest?"Stop with the lies! And get out of my way!" I snarled, trying to push past him. His hand shot out, grabbing my arm and pulling me back with a force that only reminded me of how trapped I was."Luxuria, stop this madness!" he growled, his voice a mixture of anger and desperation. "You don't understand—"My fingers brushed against the cool steel hidden in the folds of my gown, and without hesitation, I drew the dagger.My skin burned where his hand had been, and I stepped back, putting as much space between us as I could. My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest heaving as the sting of his betrayal pierced me harder.I wouldn't let him touch me again. Not after everything I had just discovered."Don't touch
PARTHE.My cock still felt sore from pushing it above it's limit. It made me wonder how my mate was faring.She had fallen into a deep sleep for hours, and all I could do was watch her sleep. She looked so beautiful when she slept."Are you certain I should go with you?" She asked from my side as we walked out of my chamber to the next - Shikta's chamber."It was bad. The least you could do is apologize," I said with a smile.We had talked when she woke up. I had been able to convince her that all Shikta had told her were lies. Thankfully, she believed me, and we were fine.I pushed the door open without knocking, pulling Luxuria in behind me.Shikta was perched on the edge of her bed, a blanket draped over her legs. A servant stood beside her, spooning hot soup to her lips. Her gaze snapped to us the moment we entered, her expression souring as she registered the sight of our intertwined hands."Well," she sneered, pushing the servant's hand away. "Are you two done fucking and distur
LUXURIA.I swung the training blade hard, the dull thud of its impact against the tree satisfying but not enough to quell the restless fire burning inside me. Sweat trickled down my temples, dampening the loose strands of my hair that clung to my face. The woods were quiet, save for the rhythmic sound of my strikes and the occasional chirp of a bird overhead."I truly am sorry, Luxuria," Rorden's voice broke the stillness again. He stood a few paces behind me, "I already apologized for making you angry."I didn't respond. My focus remained on the training post I'd fashioned from a sturdy tree, my strikes coming faster, harder, as if I could drive the memory of his actions out of my mind.I decided to train in the woods today. Since the death of Vixtin, I hadn't gotten a new trainer yet to take over from where he stopped. I'd been doing it all by myself.He stepped closer, his boots crunching against the forest floor. "Are you even listening to me?""No," I muttered, raising the blade
ALPHA PARTHE.Urik finally got my attention. Any topic that had to do with my mate was a welcomed one.He insisted on speaking with me alone, even after I told him to speak freely with Tervan here.I reluctantly dismissed Tervan, promising to see him as soon as I was done with Urik.The feud between these two keeps piling up, and I can't tell what is happening between them. I knew they were never best of friends, but I never expected it to turn into a full-blown hatred for each other.These were my Beta and Gamma, for Selene's sake!"This had better be good," I said, gesturing for him to sit, but he declined."I prefer to stand, Alpha. You aren't sitting either," He said with a small shrug."So. What about her? You finally have information about her whereabouts?" I asked, resting both my hands on the edge of the table. The tension in my muscles was becoming unbearable. I needed something to hold on to."Before I begin, please secure the place. I want your ears to be the only ones that
ALPHA PARTHE.I was losing my mind. It's been two days now, and my warriors still haven't found a clue as to where my mate - Luxuria - has gone.Rorden was also nowhere to be found.Right from childhood, Rorden always left the pack and came back at will. I never saw the need to find out where he'd been going or where he had made his second home. It was never my concern.But right now, I wish I had paid attention to those details.Perhaps she had gone to be with Rorden to continue their forbidden love story.Fuck!I punched the wall behind me, and it cracked, bringing out dust and stone particles.My heart felt so empty, even though I had rejected her, and she was no longer a part of me.A knock sounded on my door, and it took everything in me not to yell at whoever was at the door, "Who is it?""It is I, Alpha," I heard Shikta from the other side of the door."What do you want?" I asked but didn't let her respond, "Leave. I'm busy," I said.It went still for a while, but I knew she ha
LUXURIA."I'll never be yours, Rorden! Not even in your wildest dream!" I summoned up the courage and spat in his face, "You are despicable. You made me trust you and ended up stabbing me in the back. How do you feel? Didn't you feel even a shred of guilt while at it?""No. I never felt guilty. I knew all I was doing was for the greater good." He turned around and walked toward the throne, "And, sorry, I killed your father. I know you won't think much about it because he was a coward, but just so you know... I was the one who killed him." He added before sitting.I stood with my fists clenched by my sides. I had stopped sobbing. All I felt for the man sitting in front of me was pure hatred. I felt like strangling him to death.Yes, I didn't think much about my father's death. I could say he deserved whatever death came his way, but Rorden? Why was it he who had to kill Odren?I took slow, cautious steps toward him, my fists still clenched tightly by my side.Suddenly, the door opened u
LUXURIA.The world was spinning, tilting on an axis I no longer recognized. I stared at him—at Rorden—my mind grappling with the truth I didn't want to believe."So it was all you? All along?" I didn't even know the right question to ask. I was confused, speechless, hurt... Scared. I was all alone with him. He had dismissed the girls who had brought me in, and I was now at his mercy. It's not like the girls would have been able to do anything to help me should they be here, and he tried to harm me."Yes," He replied, "All along."I shook my head, trying to piece together the shattered fragments of my thoughts, "Why, Rorden? Why would you do this? Why would you…?" My words faltered, tangled in the knot of emotions choking me.He closed the distance between us and gave me a dark smile."How...? Explain this—explain you! Why are you called the Blood Alpha? You're a wizard, Rorden!" I demanded as the questions kept coming in scattered bits.He smiled at me so tenderly that I would have be
LUXURIA.I had been walking for what felt like an eternity. My body ached. I also felt a slight pain in my lower abdomen. But... It wasn't that time of the month yet. Why was I...?My thoughts spiraled on their own, and the memories of all that had happened earlier came flooding in - Dashi's death, waking up in Rorden's chamber, the humiliation, and above all, my mate's rejection. I still felt the pain so fresh in my heart.I wished to pass from sleep to death, but Selene, in her infinite cruelty, refused to grant me that mercy. I guess she wasn't done punishing me yet. She didn't let death take me in my sleep.Wait.I had slept off on the wet ground somewhere in the woods. I was cold and shaking but had no choice after walking until sundown.But how was it possible that I was lying on something so soft and impossibly warm now?My eyes snapped open immediately, and every grogginess I felt dissipated immediately, replaced by a surge of confusion and wariness.This wasn't the wet ground
ALPHA PARTHE.This wasn't what I wanted. The ache in my chest was unbearable. It wasn't supposed to feel like this—this piercing, hollow pain that refused to stop no matter how much I tried to justify the judgment I passed on my mate.I had made the right decision. I had to believe that. Yet, no amount of self-convincing could quiet the storm raging inside me.I needed explanations. Perhaps it would quench this constant ache in my heart.Not long after she left, I sent some of my trusted guards to look for her and take her to one of my secret hideouts in the woods, where I used to go as a child whenever my father was in one of those moods where he'd feel like killing me.I'd been trying to reach them to see if they'd found her, but now, they are unreachable through the mind link.The last time they updated me, they said they had found no tracks, no sign of her presence. It was as if she had vanished, swallowed whole by the earth itself, and that they might have to go outside the pack'
SHIKTA.It was everything I had dreamed of, everything I had fought for, prayed for and schemed to achieve. Now, it was finally mine.Sitting in my chamber, surrounded by maids, their trembling hands fussing over the most exquisite dress I had ever laid eyes on—ironically, one chosen by Luxuria herself—I could almost taste victory.Guests from near and far were already pouring into the fortress. Even Alpha Modred had arrived!I closed my eyes, savoring the moment.Oh, Selene! Now I could look Rashina in the eyes and tell her I finally won... I'd tell her I said so. Alpha Parthe has finally become mine, and I, his Luna."What color would you want?" The lowlife of a maid asked me, and it was all I could do not to hit her. She was so small and pathetic.I turned sharply, fixing her with a glare so cold it made her flinch. "How dare you refer to me so casually and without respect?" I hissed, my voice like ice.The poor creature's face drained of color. She immediately bowed, her hands clas
LUXURIA.I was allowed to dress up before being taken outside in shame. I felt Parthe's pain. He was in pain. I had never felt such pain from him since I started mirroring his feelings.The crowd outside confirmed the news of Dashi's death. My heart aches painfully. This was all a bad dream, and I hoped to wake up from it soon.The crowd looked at me with hatred, disgust, anger... All the respect I had gained from them over time vanished within the blink of an eye. They cried and wailed, calling Dashi's name as if that would somehow bring her back to life, and I wish it would; I would have called out to her until I lost my voice.But I still didn't want to believe that she was dead. She had become a vital part of my life.Parthe, Urik, and Shikta were already standing at the forefront of the crowd while the guards led me.I saw Tervan coming out of the fortress with an expression that made my stomach drop. He had a smug look on his face that spoke of one who was proud of whatever it w
LUXURIA.My head spun even with my eyes closed, a dull ache throbbing at the back of my skull. I tried to move, but my muscles were stiff, unresponsive. A sharp, throbbing pain traveled down my arms, and my throat felt raw as though I'd screamed endlessly into the void.The cold seeped through whatever surface I lay on, making my skin prickle with discomfort. I tried to move, to shift my body just a little, but a sharp pain lanced through my shoulder, forcing a low groan from my lips.My breathing hitched, shallow, and uneven, as the events of the previous night replayed in fragments. That figure—the black cloak, the sound of their boots on the ground, their hands gripping me like iron—and then nothing. Just darkness.A loud thud shattered the fragile silence, the force of it rattling through the room and piercing my groggy haze. My eyes snapped open immediately as the sound of a door slamming against the wall followed. My vision swam, blurry at first, but I blinked rapidly, forcing cl