The sound of the door opening startled me awake. I hurried out of bed, making sure not to let the towel wrapped around me slip.It won't do well to fight naked. There was no weapon in the room, not even an object I could use as a weapon so I'll make do with my nails and teeth. It was completely dark in the room so I couldn't see who entered. I kept my feets quiet as I walked to the figure I could make out in the dark. The person looked small though. I was ready to leap at the intruder when the lights suddenly turned on. The brightness made me squint, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust.When I finally could see, a petite middle-aged woman stood before me with her hands on her hips.She watched me with a scowl on her face. "What were you doing?" she asked, her voice harsher than she looks. I scratched the back of my head, my face burning with shame. "I ehn… I thought someone was going to attack me."
DARIUS POV She was beautiful. The darkness of the cell had hidden her, but now, bathed in light and cleansed of the blood, her beauty shone forth. Beautiful was too small a word to describe her: she was breathtaking. Her silver hair, now cleansed of the crimson stain, shimmered with an almost otherworldly radiance, each strand catching the light and reflecting it back with a brilliance that seemed to defy her age. Her olive skin, fresh and vibrant, glowed with a healthy luminescence, as if she had just emerged from a refreshing dip in a cool spring, the water leaving behind a dewy sheen. And her eyes... those piercing gray eyes, they burned with an intensity that was both captivating and unsettling, a fire that seemed to demand attention, a fire I found myself inexplicably drawn to, a fire I longed to quench. Her delicate features belied a strength I knew she possessed. The thought of her wielding a sword see
RAVENNA POV "How long have you been watching me?" I asked, my voice hard. "Not long enough," Lucian replied, his voice devoid of any emotion. "You're trying to learn my fighting methods and then what? Run off and tell your boss?" This new side of me was new. I usually don't taunt people like this. Hell, I don't even talk to people. But something about these people just gets on my nerves. Probably everything about them.A muscle on Lucian's jaw tick. "Why are you training alone?" he asked instead. I shrugged. "Nobody seems to even notice my presence here. I can't just walk up to someone and say 'Hey, let's spar." "You can actually," Lucian said, his face and voice expressionless. "This is a training session, and I’m the one in charge. While you’re part of this pack and want to train, you’ll answer to me. Clear?"I hated him. "Crystal." "You already know my name. Can I have yours?" S
RAVENNA POV "It's nothing to worry yourself about," Mia said as she resumed eating. "Of course it is," I said. "They just gave me a warning. I don't know you well but I'm already looking forward to hanging out with you." Mia finally raised her head and met my gaze, her face unreadable before she signed and put down her fork. "My father was a traitor to the pack," she began, her hand trembling slightly. "He made a deal with the Blood Moon Clan, promising them information about our territory in exchange for power. He thought he could outsmart everyone and elevate our family’s status."My heart sank. “What happened?”Mia’s gaze dropped back to her plate. "He was caught. The Alpha had no choice but to execute him in front of the entire pack. It was brutal. His betrayal weakened our defenses, and several of our members were killed as a result of his actions." My brow furrowed. "And now they blame you?""Exa
DARIUS POVI leaned against the doorframe of my office, my gaze fixed on the trees outside. A knock at my door pulled my focus away. "Enter," I called out. The door opened and Silver Wisp—I still didn't know her name—entered. She was a mess—covered in dirt and grime from her relentless training—but there was an undeniable beauty in her determination. Her gray eyes, sharp and defiant, reflected a spirit that intrigued me more than I cared to admit.She stood with her arms crossed and we held eye contact. To be honest, I didn't have a good reason for calling her to my office. I had been watching her train for days. Lucian had been doing the same. He reported that she wasn't as skilled as I thought, that I had underestimated her that day in the battlefield. But I doubted that. She was skilled. I knew that. I pushed myself away from the frame and stepped closer, my presence casting a s
RAVENNA POV My heart wouldn't stop beating like crazy. It's pounding so furiously in my chest, I think it might break through my rids.What the hell had happened back there? I lifted my hand to my cheek where his finger had brushed. I still felt the warmth of that little touch. The fluttering in my stomach was a betrayal. It shouldn't be there, a silly, childish reaction to a simple memory. But the way his eyes had darkened, the way his gaze had lingered on me, as if he were drinking in the scent of my hair... It was intoxicating. I'm not supposed to feel those things. He's the enemy. The enemy I'm planning to kill. The enemy that killed Lilith. That was the reminder I had needed to get back on track. My heart finally started beating normal as I felt my resolve build back up and this time five times stronger.I entered my room to find Mia lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. She jumpe
DARIUS POVRavenna watched me with her eyes hard. Now, that fire was back and it burned ten times hotter. "You're shitting me, Darius," she said. Even though I could feel the anger coming off her in waves, her voice was steady. I shook my head. "I shit you not." I haven't planned for the fight to be today. I haven't even planned to see her in the dining hall. I wanted to leave my office for a while. To see my pack and be around them. It was dinner time so I knew the majority of the pack would be here. I had entered the hall and like a magnet to metal I had found her immediately. And it seems she and Mia were getting bullied. So I had walked to her but then I had seen the fire in her eyes as she faced the girls and something had just snapped. So tonight we will have our first fight. Was I playing fair? Hell no. But I wasn't known to be fair. She was exhausted. That much was written all over
RAVENNA POV "Give me one of your most prized possessions. Something you value dearly. And do not just give me just anything and say it's prized, I would know if you're deceiving me." There was no way in hell I would know if he was deceiving me but Darius didn't have to know that. Why was I asking for his most prized possession, you may ask. It was a simple petty answer. I wanted Darius to hurt. My father had once owned a ring. It was given to him by my mother. He loved that ring more than he loved his own pack. When my mother died he used it to remember her. And then he had lost the ring during a trip. And the only time I had seen my father that heartbroken was when my mother died. Losing that ring had broken him finally. So if Darius had a prized possession like that, giving it up would hurt him, no matter how cold his heart was. It was just a gamble. I didn't know if this man could hold anything close to his heart. But it seems he did because his eyes darkened. "Ask for som
Mia moaned into Dalian’s mouth, fisting his shirt and dragging him close to her. She had been shocked by the kiss, but it wasn't unwelcome. They needed to talk—have a serious conversation, but… later. It could wait. He deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue inside her mouth and curling it with hers. He backed her up against the wall, grinding his hard dick on her and they both moaned, shuddering with want. But they both froze when they heard moans coming from the room they just left. He broke the kiss, pulling back as his nose wrinkled in disgust. “Hey, don't judge,” Mia said, scoffing as she hit his arm playfully. “We’re not saints ourselves.”He smiled, holding her hand and leading her away. “Yeah, we're not. But there’s just something about hearing my sister…”He didn't complete the words, his nose wrinkling again. Mia laughed softly and Dalian looked down at her with soft eyes. Then suddenly, he tugged her inside a small room that seemed like a closet and closed the door, pres
They talked about the plan and what it entails. About the marriage and how the pack was going to take it. They concluded that if they didn't take it well and didn't agree to it, then the plan wouldn't continue. They would think of something else that would get them allies. “That's enough for today,” Ravenna said, standing up and the others followed. “We’ll discuss this with the pack tomorrow and after that, we’ll know the next course of action and what we’re going to do next.”The room nodded. Darius held out his hand and Ravenna took it. He drew her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist as he whispered, “You okay, baby?”Ravenna sighed, resting her head on his chest. “Honestly? No. I'm scared, Darius. Mia was right; inviting our enemies into our territory might not be a good idea. It… Something could happen.”“Hey, I was just saying,” Mia rushed to say. “And that was before I heard your plan. We’re going to work with protections and warding. Nothing could go wrong with
The room was silent, even the twins who were usually noisy knew better than to disrupt this silence. Mia looked down at her feet; Lucian stared out the window; Dalian at the wall. Then, “That's a good idea,” Dalian said, looking back at Darius and Ravenna, who had been tense. They both released breaths at the same time. “I honestly wanted to talk about it with both of them, but I didn't know the best way to approach it. It's a lovely idea.”Ravenna smiled at him. “Thank you, Dalian.”“I don't—” Mia cleared her throat and all eyes turned to her. “I don't want to be the negative one here, but… but how do you go about this peace? What do we propose? And inviting our enemies into our territory? That is a problem.”Darius nodded. “We know that, Mia. But nothing is ever easy. We’re willing to do anything if it means securing peace for our future and our children.” He looked over at Juniper and Jasper who were making shapes with their fingers and giggling. “And how are we going to propose
Dalian was quiet after the shower, when they got dressed and went downstairs. And he looked lost in his head, distant. Mia didn't know what to do or say, so she just held his hand even when the pack looked at them. She didn't care. And she even held him tighter when she saw some of the girls eying her with jealousy. She felt smug. Because she knew they wanted him, but she was the only one he had eyes on.“In your faces,” those were the ones she wanted so badly to say to them, but she stayed silent, though her eyes said it all. They were about to go get something to eat when they came across Lucian. He looked down at their hands before he looked back at them as he said, “Alpha and Luna want to see the both of you.”“Is everything okay?” Dalian asked, the first words he had spoken for a while, his eyebrows pinched in worry. Lucian just waved at him and he walked past them. “Everything’s fine, relax. You wouldn't be scolded for fucking.”“Idiot,” Mia scoffed as they followed Lucian.
They stayed like that for long minutes, wrapped in each other, breathing in each other’s scent, and saying nothing, just content with each other. Then Dalian shifted, kissing her cheeks as he whispered, “You’re dangerous, Mia.”She smiled, eyes closed. “And you’re danger.”He chuckled, low and soft, the sound rumbling against her lips as he continued to kiss her. Her scent was thick in the air, wrapping around him like a spell, and he wanted to breathe it in until it filled every dark corner within him. She smelled like lilies in bloom—fresh, delicate, and subtly sweet—and like the earth after the first rainfall, rich and grounding. It was a scent he hadn’t known he craved until now, and it was all her. Addictive. Enchanting.Every breath he took only pulled him deeper under, until he wasn’t sure where she ended and he began. She was sweetness and strength, softness and storm, and everything about her called to something primal in him—and it wasn't his wolf. No, it was something else
Oh, if Mia thought she knew pleasure before, it was nothing compared to this. This was a whole different experience, a different feeling and she didn't want it to stop. Dalian settled between her thighs like he belonged there, and dragged his tongue up her center, groaning deep as he tasted her. Mia cried out, her fingers tangling in the sheets as her back arched off the bed. He licked again, slower this time, swirling his tongue before sucking her clit into his mouth. Mia’s body jerked and she gasped out his name, “Dalian,” one hand flying to his hair. Dalian hummed against her flesh, his tongue licking and swirling, doing things to her. He licked her folds before his tongue entered her and Mia moaned loudly, her other hand joining the first and she held his hair tight. Dalian raised his eyes, they landed on hers and held, his eyes hooded with lust. He curled his tongue inside her, tasting her from the inside. And when he slipped two fingers in, Mia screamed so loud that she was
Mia stood up, grumbling under her breath from the pain that shot from her neck. She moved to open the door but paused. What if it was Dalian?She breathed in and tried to fix her hair, but she stopped. What was she doing? She sighed as she opened the door, but it was another twin that greeted her. Ravenna smiled, holding up a paper bag. “I brought you cake,” she said softly. “You barely touched your breakfast, so I figured you'd be hungry.”Mia smiled back, taking the bag from her. “You're the best.”Ravenna’s smile widened. “I know.” But the smile dimmed a little. “I would really love to stay with you, but I got to go to the twin. I'll see you later?”Mia nodded. “Sure.”Ravenna pulled her into a gentle hug before she turned and left. Mia took the bag inside her room and set it down, taking off her clothes. She entered the bathroom and spent a good twenty minutes in there. Just as she came out from the bathroom, with only a towel wrapped around her, a knock came at her door. Was Ra
“Can you–” Mia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand. She didn't want to let go of Dalian’s hand. It felt like an… anchor. Even when members of the pack passed them and looked down on their joined hands, whispering behind their hands. If anything, she held his hand tighter. They could talk all they wanted, she didn't care. Pff, she cared. Goddamn it, she cared. She cares about what they think about her, how they see her. Because it hurts. Because they were supposed to be her family, but they're foes. She had done nothing except be a child of her father. And that was all they needed. Since she was a child of a betrayer, she was also a betrayer. But she wasn't. She loved this pack, even though they didn't love her back. And she wanted them to accept her. But she had stopped trying to gain their approval years ago. They hate her. Even when Darius had defended her all those years ago. She could still remember that day. He had just become alpha, and he was also fig
Dalian groaned so deep in his throat that anyone who passed by would think he was dying. Oh, if only they knew. He was in heaven. Mia swallowed his full length, her warm mouth like bliss around him. She stayed like that for a moment, breathing through her nose, her throat working around him. Then she swallowed and Dalian saw stars. “Fuck,” he groaned, his hands weaving themselves into her hair, but they just stayed there, giving her time. She started moving. She withdrew until only the tip remained in her mouth before she swallowed him again, hollowing her cheeks and swallowing. She did it slowly at first before she picked pace, her beautiful blue eyes never once looking away from him. He couldn't look away from her either. Looking at those eyes while watching his dick in her mouth was a sight he didn't want to miss. His hold tightened on her hair and he moved his hip slightly, wanting to thrust, but he stopped. He was going to take it at her own pace.But it seems Mia didn't mi