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
FLASH FORWARDLUXURIA'S POVThe chill wind whipped through the stone archways of the Ash Mountain pack, filtering into the large chamber where I sat.The chilling wind was nothing compared to the icy dread in my heart.Outside, in the courtyard, the ceremony was prepared. Not a marriage ceremony, as my lineage demanded, but a mating ceremony.I would be the first in my lineage to be mated without a proper marriage ceremony.Tonight was the night of the full moon.Tonight, I am to be joined, not to a man of my choosing. Not to the man I have always loved. Not even to the man close to my dream man. But to the beast who ruled the neighboring lands with an iron paw. The Alpha Of The North.I clutched the silver locket at my throat. A gift that had been given to me by the man I would do anything to spend the rest of my life with, the Beta of my father's pack, Beta Kahel. He was my secret lover. But fate was so cruel to have torn us apart.Kahel had vowed to challenge the Alpha of the North,
LUXURIA'S POV.The smell of dew made my eyes flutter open. I stirred lazily on whatever surface I was lying on.I blinked, disoriented, as my eyes adjusted to the dim light filtering through the misty woods.Then, everything snapped into focus.I bolted upright, my breath catching in my throat as I took in my surroundings.My eyes darted around the misty woods before resting on the figure lying beside me - naked.My heart pounded wildly as fragments of the previous night came crashing back into my mind.I gasped, pressing a trembling hand to my mouth as I realized what had happened. "Oh, Goddess. What did I do?" I whispered, my voice shaking as I stared at him - the monster lay peacefully beside me. The man I had feared, and yet...Is he really a monster?No. He lay there, still as death, but there was nothing monstrous about him now. His features were sharp, chiseled, and devastatingly handsome.His short, black hair fell over his forehead, covering a part of the scar at the right sid
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
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.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
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."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.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
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
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,
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