LUXURIA.I got into my chamber, and my skin flushed with hot desire and need.The coolness of the room did nothing to soothe the heat simmering beneath my skin. I tried, I really did—sitting in the icy bathtub until my limbs shook and my teeth clattered—but it wasn't enough.My mind betrayed me. The memory of him in his chamber, the way his gaze had seared through me, how his voice had rumbled low and commanding, left a mark on me that no amount of cold water could wash away.Just the thought of him sent a pulse of need straight to my core. I hated him. I feared him. And yet... I wanted him. My body ached with a hunger I didn't know how to fight. It was maddening, this war inside me.I should have known better. I should have fought harder. But I was weak. I was falling, and I hated how much I was giving in.I shifted on the bed, trying to shake off the thoughts, but it was no use. The pulse between my legs was relentless, the slick heat gathering, making my thighs clench.My breath ca
ALPHA PARTHE.Fuck.This girl was certainly going to be my undoing.I watched her fragile form freeze under my stare. She was terrified. Just as she should.My gaze was pinned to her trembling form, every inch of her body betraying her fear and shame.My length strained under my briefs. It took all the self-control in me not to pounce on her and fuck her until her tender core blows hot from friction.As I sat on the stool, I saw her fear. I sensed her panic."Don't let me stop you," I said to her, and she seemed to shrink under those words.I saw the tears in her eyes. Her sobs only made my cock throb harder."Alpha... please," she whispered, her voice shaking like a fragile leaf caught in a storm. The sound of her begging was sweet, so fucking sweet it made my blood pound in my ears.She didn't even realize how much her pleas fueled the beast inside me, how they fed the hunger tugging at my restraint.I swallowed hard.I wish she'd stop crying. It only fuels whatever she thinks she's
LUXURIA.It was dawn already, and I was nervous. How would I face the Alpha after the embarrassment I put myself through last night?He had left as if nothing happened. How did he do it? How did he stay this unfeeling?I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I applied oil to my neatly braided hair. All I could see was the girl who pleasured herself in front of a man.What other shame was more than this?"Luxuria, the Alpha awaits," The guard said when I answered the door.I nodded at him, swallowing a lump in my throat. I stepped out into the cold morning, my cloak doing little to shield me from the cold outside.Alpha Parthe was already waiting. Beta Tervan and a number of other warriors were also ready to leave.The cold air bit into my skin as I approached them, but it was nothing compared to the frost that settled deep within me at the sight of Alpha Parthe. He sat atop his large black horse, his face impassive, as if last night had never happened.His coal-black eyes flicked o
LUXURIA."Father…" I greeted with a bow, my voice steady despite the flutter of nerves in my chest. He welcomed me with a formality I hadn't expected, his gaze warmer than I'd ever seen it. I knew it was because of the alliance with Alpha Parthe—an alliance that would bring immense power and prestige. I could almost feel his satisfaction, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.He was scheming and manipulative.I glanced around the room, my heart pounding as I searched for a familiar face among the assembled dignitaries.Parthe's eyes, sharp and assessing, caught mine. He seemed to notice my frantic search, his expression shifting from indifference to a smirk that barely touched the corners of his lips.I took my seat beside him, trying to focus on the proceedings.Everyone else was with my father - his Gamma, Tarik, Elder Gareth, and a lot of others who were to bear witness to the alliance that was about to be made.But where was the Beta?Disappointment washed over me.They disc
ALPHA PARTHE.I waited in the hall for my Luxuria, but she was taking longer than she should. Then the good-for-nothing dimwit stood up and excused himself.That was when I followed. I couldn't leave anything to chance.I followed her scent. She must have forgotten that I was born to track and kill. No scent eludes my senses, no matter how faint.By the time I got to the garden, I saw the sight that made my blood boil harder than it had ever done since I was born.My breath slowed, every muscle coiled, controlled, but the fire in my blood roared hotter than ever.My Luxuria.Kissing another man.My heart stopped for a moment.No one touches what's mine.The sight of her lips on his—of his hands daring to touch her—was a betrayal that sliced through my chest.She saw me. The moment her eyes locked on mine, she froze. Trembling. As she should.She should be scared because I have a lot of punishments planned out for her already. This was a trap, and I had already prepared possible punish
LUXURIA.We had returned. And sincerely, I feared for my life.Parthe hasn't said a word to me since we left my father's pack. Not even a glance my way. It was as though I no longer existed in his world, and that terrified me more than anything else.His silence was suffocating, his cold indifference a weapon far more lethal than any words could ever be.I had made a terrible mistake.I had no idea what he would do, and that terrified me even more. He wasn't the type to lash out without thought—at least, I didn't think so. But what did I really know about him? Each time I thought I understood him, he showed a different side, one darker than before.As soon as we arrived, he went in with Shikta. A small, irrational pang of jealousy twisted inside me as I watched them disappear behind closed doors. I knew I had no right to feel that way—not after what I had done.I stared blankly at the outfit I was putting on, which Leisha brought to me.In her words, "The Alpha has instructed you to w
He lay casually beside me, his hand lifting, the backs of his fingers brushing along my collarbone, trailing lower, just grazing the skin of my chest.His hand slid downward further, ghosting over my hips and my thighs, but he never lingered long enough to satisfy the growing ache that his touch had ignited inside me."You're mine," he whispered, "Your body is mine to command."He drifted lower, his fingers tracing the line of my hip, sliding to the sensitive flesh of my inner thigh.He slid further, daring close to the pool of wetness that had gathered in my center. I squeezed my quaking core in and tried to control the sensation I was feeling.But then, just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, he pulled away. The absence of his touch was maddening, leaving me burning, aching, and desperate for more."You're weak," he murmured, his lips grazing the shell of my ear. "Look at you... trembling. And yet... you want this, don't you? You need it."I bit my lip, refusing to answer, b
LUXURIA.It's been two days now after his cruel torture and I hadn't set eyes on him since then. It was almost deliberate. We never crossed paths.Although he was out of the pack for a regional meeting yesterday, but that didn't make me feel any better.A sick part of me craved to see him. I know I should hate him for the humiliation he made me face, but I couldn't get the picture of him off my head.I craved intimacy with him, and he was intentionally starving me of it. It was killing me.I picked up a small basket from my chamber, ready to head to the garden. I had finally found something I'd like to try out as a remedy for my illness.The missing page from the book I was reading that day still bothered me. And I have been trying to do all I can to find it.I hurried out of the fortress, my eyes darting around. A fraction of me wished to bump into the Alpha, but instead, I bumped into someone else.A woman who I've never seen since I set foot into this pack. I wouldn't blame myself.
LUXURIA.I waited nervously for his return. My heart drummed in my chest but I occasionally took in deep breaths to calm it down.I wanted to thank him for saving my life. I just didn't know how.The door finally swung open and he walked in, tired and sweaty."Luxuria?" He called when he saw me still awake, "Why are you still up?"I ignored his question, rising to meet him, "Welcome back. How was the meeting?" I asked, helping him undress.I had already prepared a very hot bath for him. As if I knew he'd return stressed, I had added some relaxing herbs and oils into the hot water."It went well. You still haven't..." He was about saying when I interrupted him."I prepared a hot bath for you. Come here," I said, pulling him into the bathroom.I didn't miss the surprise in his eyes. He looked at me as if I had been possessed by someone else.I guided him into the bath tub filled with hot water.He sat, letting out a long, relieving breath."Relieving, right?" I asked, managing a smile.
LUXURIA.It was hard to believe that Zendaya was the one who almost had me killed. She was the first friend I made when I arrived here. And despite everything, I wouldn't deny the fact that her death touched me.I wonder how her mother would feel. Nevada loved her so much.As the days passed, I felt stronger. The effect of the trauma I was exposed to in my unconscious state was beginning to wear off.It had been three days since I woke up, and Alpha Parthe had hardly left my side since. I wouldn’t deny the warmth his presence brought, though I didn’t fully understand why it comforted me so much. Perhaps I was beginning to get used to being around him."I can't believe you are back to us, Luxuria," Dashi said for the hundredth time in three days. She has been so overwhelmed with joy.“How many times do I have to hear that?” I teased, rolling my eyes, though a small smile tugged at my lips.“Until the day after forever!” She sat beside me, her laughter filling the room. Then her express
LUXURIA.It was all too sudden. I fell hard, right back into the darkness I was afraid of. It felt like a force had ripped me off the light and pushed me back into the darkness.I was terrified. My eyes were slowly shutting, tempting me to give in to the sweet sleep that threatened to claim me. I'd never felt so sleepy all my life, and this time, it was too difficult to resist. I was so tired. So unbearably tired. Maybe this was it—maybe surrendering to the darkness would be my salvation. What was the point in fighting it any longer?I allowed my heavy eyes to succumb to the pull, but suddenly, I heard it again.His voice."Luxuria..."My eyes slowly open. And this time, his voice held more power and desperation than the first time."Find me," his voice urged, "Come back to me, Luxuria. I know I don't deserve you. I've pushed you away… I've hurt you. But I need you to listen now. You're stronger than this darkness. Stronger than anything that's tried to take you from me."I wanted to
ALPHA PARTHE."Fuck! Lorita! What's happening?" My voice trembled. Sweat covered my bare body. I was wearing nothing but a doublet as I held onto Luxuria's almost iced-cold hands.I had her. I felt her. Although from a distance but at least she was there.She was scared. I felt her fear so much that I felt desperate and helpless at the same time. I was consumed by the need to pull her out of that maze at once.But what's happening? Why am I loosing her?"You need to stay calm and focus, Alpha. You are too desperate and it's ruining everything," I heard Lorita's voice from a distance in the background. My eyes were tightly shut as I was standing at the very edge of whatever world Luxuria was trapped in. That was the farthest I could go.I took in deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I couldn't let my desperation ruin this.“Luxuria…” I called out again, forcing my voice to steady, but the tremble was still there. I couldn’t help it. Fuck, I couldn’t lose her.I heard her shaky voi
ALPHA PARTHE.I looked down at the blood splattered across the floor. My blood. Its dark red pools glistened in the dim candlelight, snaking along the intricate lines of the symbols etched into the stone beneath my feet.The ritual was at its final stage, and there was no turning back. Not that I'd want to turn back at any point. If this was what it would take to save her, then I was willing to do it without a second thought.The ancient words rolled off my tongue, as I could feel my powers which have been dormant for years stirring beneath the surface.I had almost forgotten what this felt like—this raw, untamed energy. It coiled through my veins like molten iron, heating every fiber of my being.“Are you ready?” Lorita asked but I didn't answer. The look in my eyes said it all.I dipped my fingers into the pool of blood before me, set for the final step of the ritual.With a deep breath, I smeared the blood over the jagged scar across my chest. The scar from the day I had locked my
TERVAN'S POV."Fuck it, Shikta! What happened? This wasn't meant to happen! How is she not dead?" I asked, pacing the dark, quiet woods."I don't know, Tervan! How am I supposed to know?" She replied, worry also lacing her tone."You're asking how you were supposed to know? You made the damn poison, remember? You said it was potent! You said..." I was still speaking when she rudely interrupted me."I know I did!" She half-yelled. I could feel the frustration radiating off of her. "I am as confused as you are. She wasn't meant to be this way.""Then what do we do now? This changes everything," I asked, rubbing my face with my palm. Everything seemed to be falling apart. Everything!"For now, there is nothing we can do about it. We can't kill her now. Not when we do not even as much as understand where and how she is trapped. We just have to pray she either dies or comes back to life for us to kill her again!" She said in a hurry through clenched jaws.There was silence. I was seething.
ALPHA PARTHE.My sense of reasoning screeched to a stop as I wasn't thinking anymore. All I wanted was to kill someone. And unfortunately, Zendaya might be that unlucky person."Where is she? Where is your traitorous daughter!" I sneered at Nevada as soon as I saw her among the concerned crowd gathered outside my chamber.Her eyes held total confusion as she looked at me. "She... Alpha? What has she done to be called a traitor?" Nevada asked with a trembling voice.I could already smell her fear. I knew just how much she loved her daughter, and the look on my face told her that she might be losing her precious daughter at any moment.She fell to her knees with her hands clasped in front of her, "Please, Alpha Parthe, what has Zendaya done? She can never be a traitor. She can't betray you. She practically grew up under you... You know her... There must be a misunderstanding somewhere," She tried to defend something she didn't even know.All she was saying sounded very distant as my rea
ALPHA PARTHE.I held onto her body, my senses going numb as I totally lost touch with reality. My eyes were wide open, but I was staring at nothing in particular.What had happened? This looked natural. She wasn't strangled or stabbed. She wasn't hit... Nothing of that sort. It just felt like she was fast asleep and then passed from there.I wish... I wished a lot of things at that point.I wish this was done by someone... I needed someone to suffer for this. I wanted to kill someone so slowly that they'd wish the death would come faster, but it wouldn't.I wish..."Alpha!" My Beta thundered beside me in a powerful tone that pulled me out of whatever hole I was sliding into.I hadn't even realized my chamber was almost crowded with concerned people - my Beta, Gamma, Shikta, Vixen, Lorita... I couldn't take note of them all. They didn't matter."Allow the healers to take a look at her," Tervan said, but I wasn't willing to. I didn't want to leave her side even for a second. I held onto
ALPHA PARTHE.Now, I am desperate. I have to admit it.I am a desperate man.It's been three days since I made the decision to treat my mate as she deserved. Three days since, I allowed myself to be vulnerable, to love her openly. And for those three days, I've felt something I haven't felt in years—hope.I was gradually breaking down the walls she had built around her poor heart, and now, she was even more at ease with me. I've seen a different side of her. A side I was starving for.I had intentionally allowed myself to love, and it felt so good. Ravorn wasn't wrong. I was behaving like a teenager in love. She made me feel things I didn't think I could ever feel again.I didn't allow a day to go by without getting her gifts and taking her for walks where we talked and shared stories about our pasts, fears, hopes, and all.We've made steamy, passionate love that I never knew I was capable of. Although I tried to mark her on three occasions, she declined. I didn't push. Perhaps she ne