CAUIS
The scent pulled me like a current. Wildflowers after a storm—soft, but impossible to ignore. It was stronger now, more vivid than when I first arrived yesterday. No doubt she was close. No doubt she was mine. I rode in silence through the thicket, five of my best warriors following close behind on foot, every one of them sharp-eyed and silent as shadows. The rest of my men—ten more—were spread across Duskborne territory, blending into the trees as they scouted possible exits, in case this didn’t go as planned. I had been here yesterday. Silent, observing, planning. But that was yesterday. Tonight, I wasn’t kind at all. The treeline broke ahead, and the Duskborne settlement came into view—dark wooden houses cloaked under moonlight, torches flickering weakly against the wind. The Alpha’s home loomed above the others, its shape etched like a scar across the night. I dismounted, boots crunching over the moss-laced path. My warriors remained behind me, alert but still. We weren’t here to slaughter—unless we had to. I approached the Alpha’s house without hesitation. There was no need for stealth. Let them see me coming. And then—she appeared. Lira stood in the open doorway, framed by the warm, flickering light of a hearth behind her. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t retreat. Her hair spilled down her shoulders like moonlight itself, and those storm-swept blue eyes met mine without fear. Something twisted in my chest—tight and primal. Beautiful. Fenrir stirred, growling low in my mind. 'She is ours.' I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. My gaze was locked on her like a man drawn to flame, fully aware it could burn him alive. There was something feral in her stance, something unbroken despite everything. Despite the silence from her wolf. Despite the bond between us that buzzed with incompletion. And then they stepped out behind her—Duskborne warriors, half-cloaked in shadow, spreading out like a wall. Their leader moved through them, taller than the rest, older, broader-shouldered. His presence, unmistakable. Tobias Fenwick. His expression hardened the second our eyes met, and for a heartbeat, the years peeled away. I saw the man he used to be. The one who used to fight beside my father. But whatever familiarity might have once existed between us vanished in the thunder of his voice. “Caius Vexmoor,” Alpha Tobias growled, his tone laced with fury. “You are here without invitation, without warning—what gives you the right to trespass in my territory?” I didn’t flinch. “I’m not here for your territory, Alpha Tobias.” My voice was calm. Cold. “I’m here for her.” The weight of my words stilled the air. The Duskborne warriors exchanged glances, uncertainty flickering in their stances. But Tobias remained unmoved. “She is not yours to take,” he said, stepping forward. “She is under my protection.” I narrowed my gaze. “She’s my mate.” They were all shocked. Wandering if I told the truth. Probably questioning how their precious Lira was mated to me. His jaw tightened. “She is my daughter. She is Duskborne.” “She is mine,” I repeated, voice low and sharp, my gaze never leaving Lira’s. “You’ve hidden her long enough.” A muscle ticked in Tobias’s cheek. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Don’t I?” I said, taking a slow step forward. My warriors behind me mirrored my movement, though none drew their weapons. Not yet. “I felt the bond the moment I saw her,” I continued, each word deliberate. “But there’s something wrong. Her wolf is silent. And you—” I turned my glare to Tobias “—you know why.” His eyes flickered. Just for a moment. A flash of guilt—or was it fear? It was gone before I could catch it fully. “There are things you do not understand, Caius,” he said tightly. “This is not your fight.” “You made it mine the moment you kept her from me,” I snapped. “You knew who she was. You knew what she is to me. And still, you kept her locked away like some fragile secret.” “I didn't know you're her mate. I kept her safe,” he said, stepping between me and Lira. “From the world. From you.” A growl built in my throat. Fenrir echoed it, his rage simmering beneath my skin. He hides her. He lies. “She’s not a prisoner,” Tobias added. “She chose to stay here.” I glanced past him, eyes meeting hers again. “Did you?” I asked her, voice quieter now. “Did you choose this?” For a moment, she didn’t speak. Her lips parted, but the words caught. Her eyes—gods, those eyes—searched mine with something raw. Then, she nodded once. Hesitant. As if it hurt her to lie. Lira’s voice was soft, but clear. “This is my home.” It felt like a blade sliding between my ribs. A lie spoken to protect someone else. Maybe herself. But not the truth. Tobias turned to her slightly, and I caught it—the faint flicker of relief in his expression. Relief that she hadn’t confessed. That she hadn’t told me whatever it was he was keeping from me. Tobias’s jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tightening. He looked ready to pounce, and yet, I could feel the tension in the air shift. There was something deeper here, something he wasn’t saying. The bond between Lira and me was undeniable, and the longer I stood here, the more it gnawed at me. But there was something else—something Tobias wasn’t telling me. “What is it you’re hiding, Tobias?” I asked, my voice cold and low. “What are you so afraid of?” His eyes darkened, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in his gaze—a mix of fear and something darker. But then, he swallowed it down, his expression becoming steely again. “You don’t understand, Caius,” he said, his voice low, controlled. “There are things in this world that cannot be rushed. Things that take time, things that—” He faltered, as if searching for the right words. I stepped closer, my eyes never leaving his. “I understand enough. What I don’t understand is why you’ve been hiding her.” Tobias’s eyes flickered toward Lira, and I could see the brief flash of something—a flicker of regret, of something unspoken. His lips parted, but no words came out. Instead, he took another step forward, trying to assert his dominance.LIRA He wasn’t supposed to be real. The stories didn’t do him justice. Caius Vexmoor stood like a shadow carved from moonlight—broad-shouldered, cloaked in black leathers, and dangerous. His presence was a storm wrapped in silence, and his silver eyes… gods, those eyes. Like frost over steel. Cold. Sharp. Unrelenting. But it wasn’t the strength in his stance or the silent power he commanded that shook me. It was the way he looked at me. Like I already belonged to him. “Step back, Lira,” Tobias warned, his voice tight with authority, his stance rigid. I could feel the tension thrumming through him, the way his energy shifted as he stood between us like a wall ready to collapse. But Caius didn’t stop. He took a single step forward—and that one step changed everything. “I won’t repeat myself, Tobias,” he said, voice low, carved from ice and stone. “She comes with me.” My heart kicked hard against my ribs, as if it recognized something my mind couldn’t yet grasp. I tas
LIRAThe first thing I became aware of was the steady, rhythmic pounding of hooves against the earth. Each beat sent a jolt through my body, waking me from the hazy fog that still clung to my mind. The sound was distant but oddly comforting, a steady cadence that kept me anchored.Then came the warmth—a thick, all-encompassing heat. It radiated from the broad chest pressed against my back, from the muscled arm wrapped securely around my waist. For a moment, I thought it might be a dream, something comforting to distract me from the nightmare I was sure I had just escaped. But the heat was real. Too real.And then… the scent.It was undeniable. Deep, rich woodsmoke and the sharp bite of frost, mingling together in a way that twisted something inside me. It was him. The scent I had come to dread. The scent of the one who had torn apart everything I thought I knew.Caius.I sucked in a sharp breath, the air tasting thick and cold in my lungs. My eyes fluttered open, blinking rapidly as I
CAIUSThe moment Lira went still in my arms, Fenrir stirred within me, his presence a low hum in the back of my mind.She’s afraid, Fenrir growled, his voice thick with both concern and irritation.I didn’t need him to tell me that. I could feel the tension in her body, the way her heart pounded against her ribs, fast and frantic. Her fear was raw, palpable. It almost bled into me, a reminder of how fragile this situation truly was.I sighed and loosened my grip just slightly. We’ll be stopping soon, I thought to him, trying to offer some semblance of reassurance—though I knew it would do little to calm her.Her silence was maddening. She said nothing, but I could feel her emotions swirling. Discomfort. Anger. Frustration. Every breath she took seemed to carry a weight of resistance. It was strange, this closeness. The bond between us, unspoken but undeniable, tugged at me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. A pull, fierce and unrelenting. And yet... something was wrong.Something isn’t righ
LIRAThe cabin was small, but sturdy. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering shadows along the wooden walls.There was only one door.And Caius stood in front of it.“You’re not going to keep me locked up forever,” I said, crossing my arms.He leaned against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest. “You’re not a prisoner.”I snorted. “Right. Because abducting someone and dragging them to the middle of nowhere definitely doesn’t count as imprisonment.”Caius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You wouldn’t be safe in Duskborne.”“Oh? And I’m supposed to believe I’m safer with you?”His silver eyes darkened. “Yes.”A tense silence stretched between us.I hated how calm he was. How unshaken.And worse—how my heart stuttered every time his gaze locked onto mine.I should be terrified of him.Instead, my body reacted like a live wire, every nerve aware of the space between us.I turned away, pacing near the fire. “Why me?”“Because you’re mine.”A chill raced down my spi
LIRAThe 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
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
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