LIRA
The first few days in Grimhowl territory had been a test of wills.
Caius, the infuriating Alpha, had made it clear that I was under his protection—which was just another way of saying I was trapped.
The northern lands were colder, harsher than home. Snow blanketed the forests, ice clung to the rivers, and the air stung my skin like tiny needles. The Grimhowl wolves were different too—tough, battle-worn, but fiercely loyal to their Alpha.
And Caius never left me alone.
At first, I thought he wanted to keep an eye on me to prevent escape. But then I noticed the little things—how he always walked beside me, not ahead; how he made sure I had extra furs to keep warm; how he brought me food himself instead of letting his warriors serve me.
It was unsettling.
It was infuriating.
And worse, it was working.
Every time I caught his scent—smoky, rich, intoxicating—I felt my resolve waver. Every time his piercing silver eyes met mine, something inside me itched to surrender.
I hated it.
So, I did the only thing I could think of to fight back.
I ignored him.
I kept my head down. I spoke as little as possible. Every time his shadow loomed near, I pretended he didn’t exist. I told myself, 'He doesn’t exist. He doesn’t exist. He doesn’t—'
“Lira.”
I tensed at the sound of his deep voice behind me. It had the same effect as it always did—like a spark to dry tinder. It ignited something inside me, made my pulse quicken, made me want to turn and face him, to demand that he stop playing this game.
I didn’t turn around.
“Lira,” he repeated, his tone more firm this time, an edge of authority lacing his words.
I kept walking, my footsteps steady, ignoring him as if he were nothing more than a gust of wind. But the silence stretched between us, heavy and thick. His presence loomed at my back, like a shadow I couldn’t escape, no matter how much I wanted to.
Then, out of nowhere, something landed on my shoulders—soft, thick, and warm. The weight was immediate and comforting, but I knew, even before I touched it, that it was his cloak. The scent of him—smoky and rich, like the forest after a storm—surrounded me.
I stiffened, my spine straightening as if the warmth was a physical weight, pressing down on me. I could feel the thickness of the fur against my skin, the scent of him wrapping around me like a vine, tightening its grip.
I whirled around, ready to shove the cloak back at him, to tell him I didn’t need his help, that I didn’t need him to do anything for me. But when I looked up, he was already walking away, his broad back disappearing into the distance. He wasn’t demanding a thank you. He wasn’t waiting for any acknowledgment from me. He was simply… giving it to me.
And leaving.
I stood there, frozen for a moment, my hand gripping the edges of the fur, my fingers curling into the thick material like a lifeline. The warmth of the cloak seemed to seep into me, and I wanted to shake it off, to rid myself of the strange, fluttering feeling that had settled in my chest.
I hated him.
I hated the way he made me feel. Hated the way he could give me something I didn’t ask for, and yet, I couldn’t bring myself to throw it back at him. I hated that I felt a pang of something that could only be described as gratitude—though I would never admit it.
I pulled the cloak tighter around my shoulders, wrapping it around myself in a futile attempt to block out everything I was feeling. It smelled like him. It felt like him. And I couldn’t escape it.
'Damn him.'
CAIUS I was losing my mind.Three weeks.Three weeks of Lira refusing to acknowledge the bond. Three weeks of her resisting even the smallest touches. Three weeks of me—Alpha Caius Vexmoor, the most feared wolf in the north—being utterly, helplessly ignored.And my Beta and Gamma were enjoying every damn second of it.I sat at the head of the long wooden table in the war room, fingers tapping against the armrest. The fire in the hearth crackled, the scent of burning cedar thick in the air, but it did nothing to warm the frustration simmering beneath my skin.Across from me, Elias—my Beta—lounged in his chair, an infuriating smirk tugging at his lips. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark brown hair and sharp golden eyes that missed nothing, Elias had the kind of calculating mind that had won me countless battles. But right now?Right now, he was too busy enjoying my suffering to be useful.Beside him, Ronan—my Gamma—was the very picture of poorly contained amusement. A hulking brute wi
LIRAIt started with small things.A cup of warm honeyed tea left on my table in the morning.A fresh set of riding gloves when mine wore thin.A silent presence beside me when I wandered the snowy paths around the fortress.Caius never said a word about it. Never pushed.But I felt him.The bond between us was a steady thrum in my veins. I knew he was near before I even saw him. My wolf—silent, waiting—stirred whenever he entered the room.And every time I looked at him, I hated that I was starting to see him differently.He wasn’t just the Alpha who kidnapped me anymore.He was the man who made sure I had warm tea every morning, who thought of me when I didn’t even ask for it.He was the man who stepped between me and his warriors when they stared too long, their eyes lingering in ways that made me feel uncomfortable, like they were measuring my worth or my strength.He was the man who never forced me to accept something I wasn’t ready for, who respected the space I needed even when
LIRAI wasn’t supposed to be watching him.And yet, I was.Ever since Caius had taken me, I had kept my walls up, refusing to acknowledge anything about him beyond the fact that he was my captor. The enemy. The rival Alpha.But my eyes betrayed me.Because I had started noticing things.I noticed the way his pack respected him—not just as their Alpha, but as one of their own. He didn’t rule through intimidation or brute force. He didn’t demand submission with a single look, though I knew he could if he wanted to.He led differently.I saw him train with his warriors instead of just commanding from the sidelines. I saw him eat alongside his pack, laughing and listening rather than expecting silence when he spoke.And now, as I watched him haul a massive stack of firewood across the courtyard, I found myself frowning.An Alpha doing chores?It wasn’t unheard of. My father—a strong and just leader in his own right—had always preached that an Alpha should guide, protect, and serve their p
CAIUSI told myself not to hope.Not to read too much into the way Lira’s gaze lingered on me a little longer each day.Not to let my wolf, Fenrir, get too excited over the fact that she hadn’t tried to escape in days.She watches us, Fenrir murmured in my head, his voice a deep, pleased rumble.She’s still resisting, I reminded him.But she is looking.He wasn’t wrong.I felt her eyes on me now, the weight of her stare pressing between my shoulder blades as I stacked firewood outside the training hall. She thought she was being subtle, but I knew when I was being watched.It took everything in me not to turn and meet her gaze. If I did, I knew she’d look away, that she’d retreat back into the guarded shell she had built around herself.Instead, I focused on my task, pretending that her stare didn’t make my skin heat.'She is ours,' Fenrir continued. 'She just doesn’t know it yet.''She thinks I stole her.''You did,' he pointed out.'You’re not helping.''You need to make her see, Cai
LIRAI was falling for him.I didn't want to be.I had fought it for weeks, clinging desperately to my hatred, my fear, my resistance. Every time I reminded myself of what he had done—kidnapping me, forcing me into his territory, taking me away from everything I had known—it was easier to stay angry. It was easier to keep my distance, to stay wrapped in my self-imposed hatred.But it was getting harder.Because every day, I saw him. Not just as Caius Vexmoor, the enemy Alpha—the ruthless leader who controlled a brutal pack. But as Caius, the man.The one who didn’t treat his people like tools to be used. The one who laughed with his warriors, shared meals with them, and made sure that even the youngest members of his pack felt like they belonged. The one who didn’t just take care of his pack—he loved them. He wasn’t the monster I had thought he was. He was… something else.And he was showing me, slowly but surely, that he wasn’t the villain I had imagined. It terrified me because it m
LIRAFor weeks, I had kept my distance.For weeks, I had resisted.But I was tired.Tired of pretending I didn’t feel the weight of Caius’ gaze on me every time we were in the same room.Tired of pretending I didn’t notice the way he was always nearby, whether it was during meals, training, or even when I walked through the pack grounds.And most of all, I was tired of pretending I wasn’t… curious.Curious about him.About the mate bond.About why he seemed so certain that I was his, even when everything inside me screamed that I wasn’t like other wolves.So when I found him alone, standing by the balcony outside the main hall, I hesitated only for a moment before stepping forward.The wind was cold, carrying the scent of pine and snow, but he didn’t seem to notice. His hands were braced against the railing, muscles tense beneath his dark tunic. The moon cast a pale glow over him, highlighting the sharp angles of his face, the storm brewing in his expression.He noticed me instantly.
CAIUS“I’m going to ask you again, where’s your wolf? What’s her name?” I asked Lira, my voice hard, more demanding than I meant it to be.I knew my question had hit something deep, something fragile. Because the second I asked it, Lira tensed so hard she might as well have turned to stone. The shift in her posture was subtle, but it was unmistakable. Her back stiffened, her shoulders squared as if bracing for an impact that only she could feel. Her hands, which had been loosely folded in her lap, clenched into fists. A muscle ticked in her jaw.For a long moment, she said nothing. Not a breath, not a flicker of movement. I watched her closely, trying to read the expression in her face. But her eyes—those eyes—were shuttered, closed off in a way that made it impossible to get past her walls. And then I wondered if I had pushed too far. If I had asked something I wasn’t supposed to know.But then, to my surprise, she exhaled—not with anger, but with exhaustion, as though she had been h
LIRAI was not expecting this reaction. Not from him. Not from Caius.I thought he would laugh. I thought he would mock me, call me weak, or say something cruel to drive home the fact that I was less than a wolf. That I had no place in this world where wolves were supposed to reign.But instead… he looked concerned. Genuinely concerned. His dark eyes softened, brows furrowing in a way that made me feel like I was being dissected, but not in the cruel, judgmental way I had grown accustomed to. No, this was different. This was something entirely new.He wasn’t pitying me. He wasn’t looking down at me like I was some kind of monster or mistake. He was looking at me like I mattered. Like my struggle was worth understanding.And it made me feel exposed.My chest tightened, my fingers trembling against my own arms as I crossed them, trying to shield myself from the vulnerability I felt spreading through me. I had never let anyone in. I’d never needed to. My entire life had been about surviv
CELESTEThe moment Lucien spoke the words that I had hoped for, the words that cracked open the door to the man I had loved, I didn’t hesitate. Time was of the essence. I could feel the shift in the air, a subtle stirring of hope rising amidst the darkness that still clung to him. But that hope needed action.Without a word, I turned on my heels, determined to act swiftly. Lucien didn’t want to come with me—he couldn’t face the guilt, the shame of facing his sister, of confronting the wrongs he had committed. I understood that. But the weight of his past wasn’t something he could simply bury. He had to confront it, even if it was just a small part of it. But for now, I couldn’t wait for him to find the courage. I had to do this for him, for us.I made my way to the prison with purpose, my mind racing as I prepared for the task ahead. The walls felt suffocating as I neared the cold, damp cells. I had seen too much suffering here, too much darkness. The air was thick with the remnants o
CELESTEThe weight of the moment settled heavily around me. I could feel the deep ache in Lucien's voice, the rawness in his words. But I also felt something else—a flicker of hope, a spark of the man I had fallen in love with all those years ago.I had always known that the darkness had not completely consumed him. There were flashes of the Lucien I had known—the protector, the fierce leader, the one who had once cared for his pack as much as he cared for me. But somewhere along the way, that man had been buried beneath the shadows, the ambition, the anger. And yet, in this vulnerable moment, it felt like I could almost touch him again.I had hoped for this. I had believed in this. But now that it was real, now that I could feel the faint glimmer of the Lucien I had once known, I had to act quickly. The darkness was still lingering, gnawing at him, waiting for a moment to pull him back in. And that moment was coming soon, especially with Malakar’s influence slowly creeping into every
LUCIENThe black crystal pulsed softly, its shadowed depths revealing fragments of voices and stories I had no business hearing. But I listened anyway, because the truth, no matter how twisted, was all that mattered now.I could hear Morgana’s voice, her words reverberating in my head as she spoke of Malakar’s daughter and the blood that ran through Caius. The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning—Caius was the vessel. He was the one that carried the dark magic, the legacy of Malakar.It made sense. It explained the strange stirrings within me, the shadows that followed me like a distant storm, threatening to engulf everything I touched. I had always known there was something inside me, something dark and ancient. But I had never understood what it was, or how to control it.If Caius was the vessel of Malakar, then… perhaps there was a way to fix this. If Caius could be cleansed, maybe the same could be done for me. But how? How could I rid myself of the darkness that was growin
CAUIS“All this time… I was the endgame.”I didn’t know how long the silence lasted after I said it. Maybe seconds. Maybe years. My voice echoed in my head, hollow and damning, like it belonged to someone else.I stared at the floor, hands clenched at my sides, my chest rising and falling too fast. My lungs couldn’t seem to hold enough air. Because now I knew.The shadow that moved when I marked Lira.The whispers I tried to ignore.The coldness that clung to my bones like frost…It was never outside of me.It was me.Or at least a part of me. A part I never asked for.“Malakar…” I whispered, the name burning my tongue like poison. “He’s been inside me this whole time.”Morgana stepped forward. Her eyes—gods, they were endless. Deep wells of sorrow and fury and love. She looked at me like she was seeing more than just a young Alpha.“When I met you,” she said softly, “I felt something. A pull. A bond.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I thought it was because of Xander… that maybe y
ALDRICMorgana’s words hit like a tempest—each syllable peeling back the layers of silence I’d carried for two centuries.Sacrifice. Heart. Xander. Mina.I stood motionless, her voice fading into the thundering in my ears as something deep inside me stirred. A flicker of something I hadn’t felt in ages. A memory long buried… by magic.Then it cracked—like ice under pressure—and the dam broke.It came rushing in.A face. A sound. The coppery scent of blood.And a child screaming.I staggered back a step, gripping the edge of the table.“I… I remember something,” I rasped. “Gods—how could I have forgotten this?”Morgana looked up, startled. Her tear-streaked face locked onto mine, and I could feel the hope—and the terror—rising in her chest.“What do you mean?” she whispered.“I followed him,” I said, breathless. “That night. I followed Xander… into the basement.”Her brows knitted. “You what?”“I don’t know why,” I continued, piecing it together, “Maybe I was suspicious. Or maybe somet
MORGANAI was in the garden, teaching Mina how to coax a bloom from a wilting bud when Xander came to me.“There’s trouble in the village,” he said, voice urgent but composed. “A witch has been spotted casting curses—terrifying the villagers. They need you.”I looked up, wiping my dirt-smudged hands on my apron. “Are you sure? I haven’t sensed anything.”He nodded. “They’re hiding her, out of fear. They sent word to us this morning. Please, Morgana. Only you can deal with this kind of threat.”He looked so sincere. I trusted him. Of course I did. He was my mate, the man who once swore he would stand against the darkness with me.I kissed Mina’s curls and whispered, “Be good for Papa,” before mounting my horse and riding out.The trip to the village took hours. By the time I arrived, the sun was past its peak, dipping into the haze of afternoon. I dismounted at the edge of the quiet settlement and walked its cobbled paths. But there were no cries for help. No signs of chaos. No trace o
MORGANAThe past clung to me like the scent of old spell smoke. I didn’t need to close my eyes to see it—the memory surged forward, vivid and raw, as if time itself folded and brought me back two centuries.Two hundred years ago, the Grimhowl Pack mansion was the heart of a thriving, unbreakable community. Nestled in the cradle of the forest, it stood proud and regal, its stone walls covered in flowering ivy and thick vines that shimmered in the morning dew. Tall arched windows caught every sliver of light, casting gold across the polished floors. The scent of pine and wild jasmine drifted in through open balconies. It wasn’t just a mansion. It was a home—a living, breathing sanctuary of pack unity, echoing with laughter, footsteps, and the howls of celebration.Xander Vexmoor, younger brother to Alpha Lance Vexmoor, and I lived in a cozy side wing of the estate. While Lance oversaw the affairs of the pack, Xander dedicated himself to study, exploration, and eventually, me. We were yo
MORGANAThe room grew quiet after the others left, their footsteps fading into the distance like echoes of a life I could never return to.Only three remained—Caius, Lira, and Aldric—and though their eyes were patient, I could feel the weight of the storm I was about to release. My fingers curled into my robe. I had buried this truth so deep that even I began to believe the lie we created. But lies rot beneath the surface, and now… it was time.“There’s something else,” I said softly, turning toward the hearth though I no longer felt its warmth. “Something only a few souls in this world have ever known.”Caius straightened in his chair, his gaze steady. Lira didn’t speak, but I could sense her heart beating faster—an instinctive tension. And Aldric… Aldric was already frowning, as if he’d sensed the ghosts creeping in.I drew a slow breath and let the memories unfold.“The one dearest to me that Malakar killed… wasn’t just a friend. Wasn’t a sister. She was my daughter.”The room stil
LIRAThe silence after Morgana’s story was suffocating. I could feel the heaviness of everyone’s thoughts pressing into the air like a storm that hadn’t yet broken. No one moved. No one breathed too loudly. We were all trying to piece together a puzzle we didn’t even know existed until tonight.But something didn’t sit right.I studied Morgana closely. She looked drained, pale, her shoulders hunched forward like she carried the weight of centuries. But her eyes… they darted—first to Caius, then to Elder Aldric. And I saw it then. The unspoken words. The way her mouth tightened just slightly, the way Aldric avoided looking at anyone.There was more.“There’s something else,” I said, breaking the silence.Everyone turned toward me.Morgana’s head lifted slightly, eyes narrowing.“You’re still holding back,” I pressed, standing. “I can feel it. And if we want to stop Malakar this time, we can’t afford secrets. Whatever you’re not telling us… we need to know it. All of it.”Morgana’s lips