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.I jolted awake, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat. My heart pounded in my chest. I rubbed my face with trembling hands, struggling to shake off the nightmare, but it clung to me, suffocating me as always. The same guilt, the same horror.I gripped the edges of the stool, trying to ground myself in the present. My breaths were shallow, ragged, as if I'd run through the woods all over again.My muscles burned, and the bitter taste of bile clung to the back of my throat.I looked up, my gaze drawn to the bed where Luxuria lay. I saw the steady rise and fall of her chest, which reassured me that she was still breathing.But my heart clenched with a new kind of fear.The way Luxuria had started to make me feel scared me. It was a danger to her.I know she didn't love me yet. And at this point, I think she shouldn't.I was letting myself love and care for her, forgetting the danger I could be to the ones I love and care about.I had to make it stop.If I allowed her to
LUXURIA.My body didn't feel like mine. Every part of me ached, heavy and foreign, as if the weight of the world itself had collapsed onto my chest. I groaned softly, my eyelids fluttering open, barely able to adjust to the pale light filtering through the room. My vision blurred for a moment, and then slowly, shapes began to take form.Where was I?My breathing was shallow, each breath feeling like a burden. As the room came into focus, I recognized the familiar surroundings of my chamber.How did I end up here? What happened? I wondered.Then it hit me.The rogues. The chaos. The Blood.The sharp, ice-cold tendrils of fear wrapped around my chest as the memory surged back.I thought I was going to die. How was I alive?I tried to sit up, my mind swirling with a thousand questions, but my body betrayed me. Weakness clung to my limbs like chains, preventing me from even lifting a finger. I let out a frustrated breath, the sound more pitiful than I intended."You’re awake,” a voice sai
ALPHA PARTHE.I was eager to hear what Tervan had to say. I hadn't slept a wink all night. I put all my self-control to use. Otherwise, I'd have barged into Luxuria's chamber just to make sure she was fine.My wolf wasn't speaking to me anymore. He was pissed, but I hoped he understood that this was for the best."She is recovering well, Alpha," Tervan said when he sat on the seat across from me."And...?" I asked, hoping to hear more. There was nothing in particular I wanted to hear, but I just wished he had more to say."That's it. She is recovering. She was able to speak with us. Although she's still very weak, she'd live." He reported so casually, and it grated on my nerves."I expected a more detailed report, Tervan," I said, leaning back on my seat, my eyes closed and my left hand massaging my left temple.Tervan scoffed, "A more detailed report like how she stirred lazily before her eyes fluttered open? Or the entire conversation that had taken place?"He was pissed. I know. I
ALPHA PARTHE.Did I hear correctly? Me? A coward? My entire body went rigid, muscles tensing as I clenched my fists at my sides. The blood pounded in my ears, and a wildfire of anger ignited in my veins."Geth..." I growled his name through gritted teeth, barely containing the rage surging through me."Parthe, no matter what has happened in the past, we are still family," he continued, unbothered by my fury, his calm voice somehow more infuriating. "Your mother would curse me from the grave if I kept a solution from you. It doesn't matter if you don't like what I have to say." He added, almost as if he hadn't just called me a coward."Sit." He said, but I didn't make a move. "Sit down, Parthe!" His tone shifted from casual to commanding.I hesitated for a moment before dropping into the seat behind me, every nerve in my body still seething with anger."You are one of the greatest Alphas to ever live from your lineage. It would be a waste to let that legacy slip away out of foolishness
LUXURIA."I told you the time will come faster than you even imagine..." Rorden traced a lazy path along my cheek, "The time when you'd stand by my side as mine... The time is already upon us, dear Luxuria."My restrained hands twitched, aching to curl into fists, to drive my knuckles into his jaw and watch his smug mouth spill blood.Instead, I did the only thing I could. I spat in his face."You will never succeed in this evil you plan," I hissed, watching as the glob of spit trailed down his cheek. "The goddess will never accept the abomination you just committed in the name of rituals."Rorden didn't flinch. He simply exhaled through his nose, dragging a thumb across his cheek, wiping the spit away with an infuriating calmness.I scoffed, shaking my head. "How could you even harness such thoughts against your own brother?"My eyes scanned the large field, taking in the fearful-looking men who were being fortified with Rorden's blood mixed with some kind of powerful herbs and subst
ALPHA PARTHE."It took you long enough, Urik," I said when I saw him striding into my courtroom like a man walking towards his own execution. "Finally got some nerves to face me?"Bharon and Kefas had the perfect look of displeasure on their faces as their gazes rested on Urik.Like everyone else, they had been disappointed—furious—with the way things had turned out two days ago, and Urik made sure to stay away from everyone's eyes. I hadn't seen him since the day of the false alarm.He had vanished the moment things went south, leaving me to clean up his mess.Coward.Tervan kept on asking me what really happened and how we got the information about an attack that never happened. He was also curious as to what pack was going to attack us and all, but I never gave him any reasonable explanation.Because what was I supposed to say? That I had suspected my own right-hand man of treason? And that we had gone to such lengths to actually catch him in the act... In an act that he was never
ALPHA PARTHE."Fifty men to the East entrance!" Kefas commanded.The warriors moved, their armor glinting under the early light, boots thudding against the earth as they marched to their positions. Some carried shields, others had double-bladed axes, and a few had bows slung over their backs.The entire camp was a storm of movement.Blacksmiths pounded metal against metal, forging last-minute weapons. Stable hands hurried to saddle warhorses, the beasts stamping their hooves impatiently. Runners darted between squadrons, delivering orders.Over three thousand men. Positioned strategically. Ready for war.And yet, I stood there, watching, my gut twisted into knots.What if we were wrong? This would all seem and feel stupid. But there was no time to second-guess. I had already given the command."Parthe?" A familiar voice called me, and I stilled.Tervan.I turned slowly, my face betraying nothing, though my insides recoiled. He was covered in dust, his tunic streaked with sweat. He had
ALPHA PARTHE."The warriors await your orders, Alpha,"Kefas's voice barely registered. My mind was elsewhere.Once again, I was thinking about Luxuria. No matter how hard I tried to push her from my mind, she always found a way back in.I tried offering sacrifices to the goddess, but it seemed she had also forsaken me. I didn't want to believe Urik's theory, as well as the theories of others who thought she had run away with Rorden.Rorden was always good at hiding. Whenever he left the pack back in those days, no one ever found him until he was ready to be found or until he returned to the pack. Maybe he had taken her to one of those hideouts of his, and they were probably living their best lives."Alpha?" Bharon called, and I lifted my gaze to meet their curious ones. But before I'd say a word to them, the doors to my courtroom banged open, and Urik strode in with urgency on his face."Alpha, I have gotten her to tell me everything she knows. We have to act fast. They are coming. I
LUXURIA'S POV.Nevada stilled at the sight of the monster standing before us. His aura had become ten times darker and more terrifying than before that was certain I didn't want to be in the same space with him.His eyes held promises that scared me... I wasn't safe with him... My pups aren't safe either. What if he tries to get rid of them again?"Alpha?" She greeted with a nervous how before hurrying out of the chamber, leaving me at his mercy.He barely even acknowledged her.His eyes rested on the scroll in my hands before trailing up to meet my tearfilled gaze. He moved without sound, his robes flowing around him like liquid darkness, swallowing every trace of warmth from the room. The door groaned as he pushed it shut, making me jolt in fear.A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he took slow steps forward."My little Luxuria," he murmured with amusement. "Why are you holding my scroll?"I took a step back instinctively, my heart slamming against my ribs. My hands tre
LUXURIA.I paced the room, my nails scraping against my lips as I chewed on them anxiously, my heart hammering against my ribs. Fear coiled tight in my stomach, but at least my babies were safe. For now.I was able to learn from Nevada that Rorden had gone for some kind of fortification or ritual of some sort, but she refused to tell me why. And that bothered me. Deep in my bones, something felt off. Something was definitely wrong.Rorden had instructed that I'd be taken to his chamber after recovering yesterday. The entire place reeked of him, and my stomach churned with disgust. I didn't want to be anywhere near him, let alone trapped in a space that belonged to him.My mind wandered in Parthe's direction again, and as usual, I was helpless... I couldn't stop myself from thinking about him and Shikta.Shikta's dreams would have come true... Her dreams of becoming Luna.Parthe must have moved on with his life. I knew that... Otherwise, he should have been looking for me already. Rord
PARTHE.Did I care that I lost a child?Not really.Did that make me a bad person? Maybe.But who cared?I exhaled, stretching my fingers before curling them into fists again, feeling the sharp sting of my own strength pressing into my palms.I should have cared. I should have felt something other than this quiet, creeping satisfaction that coiled inside me.But I didn't.A twisted, irrational sense of relief seeped into my bones at the thought of Shikta losing that child. I couldn't even explain why. Perhaps it was because I never wanted a child from her. Perhaps because I never wanted anything to bind me to her in the first place.Or maybe it was because fate had already taken everything from me. My mate. My peace. My patience. And now, it had stripped away something I was supposed to mourn—but couldn't.I had always wanted my heir to come from a woman I love... My mate... But fate ruined everything and is still ruining my efforts!I slammed my fist on the wooden table before me in
SHIKTA.I jolted upright, my breath ragged, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might tear through my ribs. My hands clutched at the sheets, damp with sweat, as my frantic gaze darted around the dimly lit chamber.Where was I?For a brief, foolish moment, I hoped I had woken up at the very moment the darkness swallowed me whole and that I hadn't blacked out for too long. Or that it had all been a nightmare, nothing more. But it was only a wish.A splitting headache welcomed me, as well as a terrifying dizziness that almost sent me back to the bed I had just woken up from.I swayed, barely able to keep myself upright, my stomach churning like a stormy sea."You need to rest, Shikta." I heard the Alpha's voice from somewhere around the room.I looked around immediately to see him standing in a dark corner of the room."Parthe... Parthe..." I called, too in a hurry to stand up, meet him, and explain all that Tervan tried to do, that I didn't notice the sharp pain that was plaguing my
SHIKTA."What took you so long, you pathetic little thing? How long does it take to get a simple tea done?" I snapped at the lazy maid whose thin shoulders were shivering before me.I watched her struggle to form a response, her lips quivering as she opened her mouth—only to fail miserably.How utterly pathetic.She looked far too weak, too fragile, and it was satisfying.I leaned back in my chair, allowing myself the pleasure of her misery.When I became Luna, I had turned most of Parthe's former mistresses into my slaves. He had no problem with that, and I was thankful for it. And this one—this wretched, simpering girl—had once warmed my Alpha's bed.The very thought of it filled me with rage that I wanted to maltreat the life out of her!If it weren't for the child growing inside me, I might have thrown something at her just for the satisfaction of seeing her cower."When I ask for tea, I expect it before my patience runs out," I said slowly, letting the words slither into her bone