LUXURIA.My entire body stiffened, and for a split second, I didn't dare move. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. I felt my pulse thudding against my throat.I couldn't bring myself to turn around. I stood there, my back still turned to him, my body betraying every ounce of composure I tried to hold onto.He was a good distance away from the entrance to the fortress, but he had managed to see my unmistakable figure despite the cloak and hoodie I was wearing.Although he called my name with uncertainty, I knew a greater part of him knew I was the one he had just seen.I felt his footsteps drawing closer.I panicked. Every muscle in my body locked."Luxuria?" He called, and I contemplated running off. For my life. Because he'd kill me for disobeying him.A cruel Alpha like Parthe didn't need to raise his voice or his hand to break someone; his mere presence was enough to rip a soul apart.His steps quickened, the sound of boots crunching against the gravel-like ground sending sh
ALPHA PARTHE.She struggled against my firm grip. I could feel my demons creeping in. My blood boiled with rage."What? I... I have been indoors," She stuttered, swallowing hard."Wrong... I saw you out there, Luxuria. You can't fool me." I said through clenched teeth.I know I wasn't sure about that anymore. But I had to threaten her to tell me the truth. A part of me believed she was the one I saw, but... She didn't look like one who had left my chamber all day."I have been in here. You asked the guards not to let me leave..." She replied, almost in a whisper.My grip on her hair tightened further. "What was Dashi doing here?" I asked, hoping for a credible explanation for this coincidence."She brought me this..." She replied, opening her palms to show me an ointment in a small vial.I released my grip on her hair, taking a closer look at the vial, "What's in here?" I asked with furrowed brows."It's... It's for the aches and sores," She replied nervously, and somehow, it calmed t
UNKNOWN POV.I have been livid. The mere thought of the Alpha's closeness to Luxuria weighed heavily on me. I hoped against all things that he wouldn't go ahead and mark her just yet before our plan came to life.If he does, then killing her would be a disaster for him. It would affect him in more ways than we'd want... We still need him strong and healthy for now, at least until all our plans fall into place.Luxuria was gradually becoming his weakness. I could smell it from afar. If he continued like this, the enemies might leverage that, and he'd become vulnerable.I stood before the mirror, adjusting my hair, ready to step out for my task for the night, when the door to my chamber creaked open, revealing the last person I imagined to see.Shikta.Shikta's presence always unnerved me, her recklessness and arrogance unmatched. I turned away from the mirror, narrowing my eyes as I crossed the room, my hands tightening into fists at my sides."You're walking a fine line, Shikta," I gr
RORDEN'S POV."Rorden. It's happening. What do I do?" she cried out, her voice strained with terror as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying to hold the chaos at bay.The sight of her—the woman I had longed for, writhing in pain, her body betraying her, her eyes filled with anguish—ripped something deep inside me. For a brief moment, all I could do was watch, rooted in place by helplessness and fury. But then instinct kicked in, and I rushed to her, kneeling beside her fragile form as she trembled on the cold floor.I pulled her into my arms, cradling her as tightly as I could without hurting her more. "Shhh... you'll be fine. Stay still," I whispered, my voice low and soothing, but I could feel her convulsing, her muscles tight with agony. She was slipping further into the curse's grip, and no amount of soft words would be enough.Her skin was hot—too hot—and I could feel the unnatural heat pulsing through her veins as if a fire was coursing through her blood. My heart
LUXURIA.I woke up feeling better this morning. Rorden had been with me until very late into the night, ensuring I was doing fine before he left.I couldn't help but appreciate his efforts. I know it's been barely up to two weeks since we met, but I can't deny that he'd been more of the friend I never had. Of course, aside from Niksha. I still think about her every day. I missed her so much.Niksha had been the only friend I had in the Ash Mountain pack. If not for her and Kahel, I wouldn't have known what the warmth of friendship or love meant."Zendaya..." I called after the silence between us stretched for so long while I ate the meal she brought me.She insisted on staying with me until I was done eating. Typical Zendaya. "Why didn't you tell me?""Tell you what?" She asked, relieved that I finally spoke to her."That you are one of the Alpha's mistresses," I said, watching her expression.She shifted uncomfortably. "I... I didn't want you to... You know..." She swallowed a dry lu
LUXURIA.Before anyone could react, an arrow whistled through the air, coming from the thick underbrush. Time slowed. I saw the gleam of the arrowhead as it sliced through the fog, heading straight for me.My breath caught in my throat, and I froze, unable to move. The world around me went silent; every muscle in my body locked in fear. I couldn't scream, couldn't cry out—just watched helplessly as death flew toward me.In an instant, Urik was moving. He lunged toward my horse with the speed of lightning, pushing it down just in time for the arrow to narrowly fly past me. I fell harshly to the ground but didn't feel the impact. I was too terrified to feel pain right now.The sharp twang of the string still echoed behind me when it found its mark—not me, but one of the warriors behind me.The man let out a sharp cry before slumping over in his saddle, blood blooming from his chest.Chaos erupted."Protect Luxuria!" Tervan shouted at the top of his voice, and warriors shouted in respons
ALPHA PARTHE.I haven't been able to concentrate on anything since they left. I trusted Tervan to protect Luxuria, but I felt it wasn't enough. Maybe I should have gone with them.I only go for inspection once in a long while, but today, I wish I had broken my protocols and gone with them.I eagerly awaited their return, even though I kept having the nagging feeling that something wasn't right.Suddenly, from a distance, I heard a familiar voice yell with urgency, "Clear the way! Call the healers! Where is the Alpha!"No.It was Tervan.The moment I heard Tervan's voice, my heart—usually cold, unfeeling—lurched in my chest. I had been restless all day, but this…this was something more.Why were they back already?A deep fear coursed through me as the words registered in my mind.'Call the healers…Where is the Alpha?'Luxuria.Without thinking, I jolted off my seat, leaping to my feet, my pulse pounding in my ears as the scrolls I had been reviewing fell off my hands and scattered ever
ALPHA PARTHE.The healers have been able to bring her out of danger while they prepare for the actual procedure needed to ensure the poison stops spreading.I asked them to make sure the potion was the most potent they could ever make. They said it was possible but they needed my blood for it - that's how much power I possess.No one can begin to imagine all the things my blood could do.I had given them more than enough. If they needed more, I'd drain the entire blood in my veins just for her. I'd bleed myself dry if it meant saving her.The potion should be ready before dawn.The assistant head witch, Dalia, was seeing to it since Shikta had been nowhere to be found all day.I stood over Luxuria, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest, my hands resting at my sides as if I could steady the world around her by my sheer will alone.Watching her pale body lay almost lifeless on my bed made me feel something I hadn't felt in a long time - fear.The pale moonlight filtered through
ALPHA PARTHE.Nothing ever prepared me for the surprise that awaited me. I didn't know what came over her but I was thankful it did.She seemed different.She teased me in ways my body couldn't bear. It took all the self-control in me not to snap that flimsy silk off my wrists, pin her to the bed and fuck her until she could no longer breathe."I am ready to love you, Parthe."Those words were all it took to snap the tiny thread holding my restraints. I'd waited so long to hear her say those words. I thought she'd never say them. I thought she'd never be able to love me ever again.But I was wrong."Unbind me, Luxuria!" I said, baring my teeth. I wanted to show her exactly what those words meant to me."Parthe..." She called nervously at my command and for a moment, the bravery she had put up slowly faded away."Scared?" I asked, arching a brow, "would you rather I break free myself?" Even I couldn't recognize my voice. Fuck, I was lost in her spell.I felt the nervous thrill that ran
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