AARONThere was tension in the evening air as I paced the boundary of the estate. The bitter refrain of Lyna's beautiful rejection resonated in my head, each note driving a knife deeper into my chest. To deny someone who was as much a part of me as my soul was something I was not used to. I was ice, and she was fire; an incomprehensible chemistry that was bound to crash. I was drawn by the soft sound of rustling leaves as I turned to gaze at the house. Years of experience and intuition had sharpened my senses, and I detected the faint presence of something that didn't belong. Vampires. They were royal guards, not vampires. I had not anticipated her kind to react so quickly, but she had warned me that they would not appreciate my tenacity. As I walked into the forest and vanished into the darkness, my heart pounded. With cloaks glimmering like midnight spectres in the moonlight, the guards appeared. They walked with an authoritative stride, their eyes scanning the horizon. He called ou
ISAIAHThere was a coldness in the air that crept into my bones. I stood in the clearing, the stone altar behind me throb with soft ancient power. It was empty in the forest as if the creatures had sensed the darkness coming and had run away. To keep myself grounded while I waited, my fingers touched the edge of the altar. And then he was there. Azure condensed into some sort of shape out of the shadows, his form ebbing in and out of the shadows that surrounded him. Beyond his heavy presence—a weighing down on the soul—his eyes blazed with supernatural light. "Isaiah," he blew, his voice rumbling low like some sort of quake from the earth itself. "You're quite good for a man who's spent centuries in defeat. I was able to look him in the eye and stood my ground."Azure," I said reasonably. "I should have known you'd slink out of the depths one day." He smiled, the altar light dimmed to emphasize the cut of his face. "Crawl? Don't think so. Isaiah, I climb. You know I'm here. I clenched
RYAN City lights twinkled against the windows as the car motor hummed in contentment. Undercurrents of unexpressed tension suffused the space between. Logan sat next to me, his lips pressed tightly together as he looked out at the landscape rushing past. Today's business meeting had been successful, but we were still burdened by the weight of our own lives. I finally spoke. "You knew, didn't you?" Logan hesitated to glance at me. "Knew what?" "Logan, don't play games. You knew that Selene was Isaiah's partner." He let out a sigh through his nose and shut his eyes for a moment. "Yes, I knew." I was enraged after hearing the confession. And you did not think that it was necessary to tell me? Logan, we are a team. Logan looked at me with a face of sadness and determination. "Ryan, it wasn't my secret to share.". I did not believe that I was in a position to share that information because Isaiah had trusted me. My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel. "Logan, this has nothi
HAILEY The moon shone brightly overhead, casting a glittering gleam across the pack's grounds. My tense nerves were calmed by the chilly night and the pleasant aroma of dirt and pine. Despite the calm exterior, my heart was pounding with restless intensity. There was an impending storm that I could barely comprehend, yet it was unavoidable. I was staring out over the grounds below from the balcony of the Alpha house. As spies patrolled the outskirts and warriors trained well into the night, the pack was a hive of activity. They kept a close eye out for the unknown threat that appeared to loom just beyond the darkness. A gentle tap on the door interrupted my slumber. "Please come in. The door opened, and Isaiah entered, his face looking down; his past, particularly his relationship with Selene, weighed heavily on him even if he had shown himself to be a valued ally. "Hailey," he said, his voice tentative and low. "We need to talk." I folded my arms across my chest as I turned to face
HAILEYThe packhouse shone silver in the light of the full moon, but I didn't notice its beauty. I held onto the railing of the balcony until my knuckles turned white. I couldn't turn my eyes from the blackness that beckoned me with its secrets countless beyond the clearing. A burden—Isaiah's caution, Logan's sobering tale—had settled upon me. The wind was filled with Azure toxins, and Aaron wasn't anywhere to be found. I just kept re-mentally retracing myself over that which had entered my mind previously: "Beware, my queen, for the storm draws in closer than thou dot imagine." Ah, a storm. I'd waited long enough for it to catch up to us. I spun back around, my willifying into steel. I would not simply stand by and watch Aaron get into harm's way. Logan and Marissa were standing at the back of the big map table in the war room, their voices low but focused. Worrying shadows over his eyes, Isaiah leaned on the back wall. Logan was speaking, his jaw clenched, "We've searched the southe
AARONA dark reddish light gleamed off my wrist chains, and flames incinerated through me in torture. Yet I refuse to scream, mumble or show any weakness that'd make me even more of a target to him. Beneath me, the runes on the stone altar pounded with evil force, crushing not just my talent but my wolf's soul as well, Hades. Hades howled out, his voice strained but unyielding, "You have to wait." She's coming. We'll be found by Hailey. But with the passing of the hours, my faith started to fade. Despite Hailey's pack being powerful, this was Azure. He possessed old power and cunning tricks. His presence was as suffocating as the chains on me, and as he strode ahead of me, the shadows in the room seemed to whisper his name. "Your time is being wasted," I curse at him. "Go hang yourself on a rope, everything will work out fine." My throat hurt when I spat. Azure sneered just as cruelly as the rest of him turned his icy, calculating eyes on me. "Will it? Or are you simply too blind to r
RYANMy anger erupted the moment Hailey entered the packhouse, smirking in disregard of her filth. She was away for hours from the protection of the packhouse to rescue Aaron all by herself. My mate, my pup's mother, had voluntarily endangered herself without so much as a thought about what would happen to me, to our pups. Logan, seeming to give up without speaking, trailed along behind her, looking far too calm for my liking. "Hailey!" I snapped, the annoyance of an Alpha rich in my tone. She ceased her step halfway and turned her head, looking at me and faltering with her smile. She said to me, "Ryan," holding out her hands as if placating me. "No," I growled advancing on her "Stop 'Ryaning' me." "What were you thinking?" Hailey squared her shoulders, her chin rising obstinately. "I was thinking of Aaron. He was in trouble, and we couldn't just sit here twiddling our thumbs-" "And you thought that it was such a wonderful plan to put yourself in danger? "I snapped her off. "Hailey, y
HAILEY The air was still heavy with the suffocating tension of Azure's abrupt presence. After we hurriedly packed up the picnic and hustled everyone back to the packhouse, the children were situated in their dormitories. The uneasiness, however, stuck to me like a second skin. I was pacing Alpha's office with a lot of thoughts and anxieties running through my head. Ryan's sharp eyes followed me as he leaned on the desk with his arms folded. His voice did seem to steady me. "Hailey," he stated firmly. "You need to sit down and breathe." "I can't," was my brusque, non-malignant reply. "He approached our kids. Do you know what this means? He came at our kids without anyone being able to stop him; what can't he do at this point?..... "Breathe Hailey" Ryan pulls me to him and continuously soothingly rubs my back to calm me. "It means he's trying to rattle us. And it's working." I finally exhaled, my hands shaking as I balled them into fists. "We have to do something. We can't just wait
TURTELANight air was quiet, but there was something moving in the space around us. One moment we were sitting there, tension still thick with all that had happened, and then—I felt it.A tug deep inside me, as if an unseen string had been pulled taut and back into position. A rush of heat washed over me, as if stepping out into a frigid winter's night and into the sun. I gasped, my eyes wide with shock as my heart knew before my mind could."Mother," I whispered.I wasn't alone. Alexia drew in a harsh breath next to me, her hold on the rim of the stone table tightening. Jermaine and Jackson both stiffened sharply, their heads snapping up at the same moment. Aaron leapt out of his chair so fast the chair scraped harshly on the floor.And then, as a group, we moved.No words were ever spoken. We all knew it—the instant she was back. We ran in, our shoes clattering in the corridors, hearts racing with a single, desperate desire.We discovered them in their room.Ryan stood his ground n
HAILEYThe air was heavy with the smell of fire and blood. As soon as I entered the room, I saw Ryan.Or Ares.His wolf had emerged fully, and the sight of him sent a shiver down my spine—one not of fear, but of ragged, gnawing worry. His massive body was tense, his muscles rippling as barely repressed fury rolled off him in waves. The golden sheen of his irises had been darkened to black, the edges dancing like the embers of a dying fire.And at his feet—nothing but ash remained.Azure was gone. Not dead—destroyed.Ryan—Ares—had seen to that.The smell of charred flesh still hung in the air, but it wasn't what caught my eye. It was how his body shook, not with fatigue, but with rage barely in check. The monster within him was still fighting to get blood, still fighting to tear something—someone—limb from limb.He was losing it. Losing control to his wolf's instincts.And if I didn't stop him now, he would never come back.I crept forward, slowly, slowly, very slowly."Ares," I breath
RYANAgony.It started as a dull ache, a pressure in my ribs, then spread like wildfire throughout my entire body. It was like some thing had been wrapped around my soul—tight, choking, unyielding—and now it was being ripped away.I gasped, my head spinning, my muscles freezing as I collapsed onto the cold, wet stone beneath me. The chains that had bound me all these years clattered against the floor, and suddenly—air was mine.The spell was broken.I balled my fists, the rush of power surging back into my veins, my wolf snarling inside me, at last released after months of being suppressed and quiet. I drew in a deep breath, the stale air of my imprisonment now mixed with something else—power. A commanding, familiar, and unbreakable presence.Hailey.She did it.I let out a whoop of breathless laughter, my lips spreading in a savage grin. My mate had broken the spell. And that left only one possibility—anyone who'd placed it there was dead.Athena.I could feel it, the traces of her m
THOMASThe scent of blood and power hung heavy in the air. I floated through the garden like a specter, in fast, striking hard.Jackson didn't have time to blink before my fist hit his ribcage, and he reeled back into the stone table. His wine glass shattered against it, crimson liquid spreading across the ground like blood.He coughed, rolling onto his side, but I didn't give him a chance to catch his breath. I launched myself at him again, claws extended—A shock of energy struck my side.I was knocked back, crashing through a stone pillar before I landed on the ground with a grunt. Fire coursed through me, but I didn't have time to register it. I leapt up onto my feet as Adrian appeared in front of me, fangs bared.“You’re either stupid or desperate,” he hissed. “Attacking us here?”I wiped blood from my mouth and grinned. “A little of both.”Jermaine and Jaden were already flanking me, their wolves prowling just beneath the surface. Aurora stood behind them, golden eyes glowing, h
AURORA" Damn Auntie, you certainly are queen."I looked at her.At Her.The Queen of All Species. The Unbreakable. The one whose name carried the legends' weight and whispered fear into the hearts of the enemy.And yet, up until this time, I had never truly seen her.Hailey between the dying sparks of magic, power still snapping in the air like a tempest that will not be silenced. Light and darkness curled about her as though the universe knew whom it was dealing with. Outside, wind howled, but inside was only silence—thickness, gagging, wonder-struck silence.I had believed myself strong beforehand. But facing her there, looking at her after what had just transpired between us, I realized something profound."I see now," I gasped, my words struggling to come above the still-pulsing magic.Those eyes turned upon me—aged, knowing, unreadable.I gulped, perspiration tickling against my skin. "I understand why every mighty ruler wanted you as his wife."It wasn't her power, though that
HAILEYThe moon rode high in the sky, dropping a chill silver light across the castle grounds. I rested my arms against the railing on the balcony's edge, drawing in deep gulps of the night air. My hands grasped the railing tightly as I fought to suppress the fury simmering in my blood. Ryan was lost. Athena had cursed him. And that could mean only one thing—tonight, we hunted.Behind me, Aurora stepped forward, her golden eyes burning with determination. She had not spoken a word since the devastation in the war room, but now there was a tempest raging inside of her, quietly. Her wolf was restless, hungry for revenge."Ready?" I asked.Aurora nodded, rolling her shoulders. "More than ready."I turned and moved towards the door. We did not need an army to accomplish this. This was a personal matter. Athena had crossed a line, and she would suffer the consequences.As we strode through the castle corridors, the torches along the stone walls started to dance furiously, reacting to the s
JADENThe air in the war room was so tight you could strangle on it.Jermaine sat at one end of the long wooden table, folded arms crossed over his chest, face immobile. Jackson was leaning back in his chair, scowling as he beat a single, slow finger against the armrest. I couldn't sit still, pacing up and down the length of the room like a caged animal.The silence had lingered for too long.Then Jermaine finally spoke."We must discuss the prophecy."Jackson mocked. "Now you're interested in it?"Jermaine's eyes narrowed. "I've always been interested."I stopped pacing, spinning around to face them both. "Then why do you sound like you're only bringing this up now?" I snapped. "Ryan—our dad—is missing. Can't we be more worried about finding him rather than arguing about some prophecy that's been hanging over our heads since we were born?"Jermaine expelled a rough breath, gazing at me as if I were being silly. "We're not dealing with any prophecy here, Jaden. This one tells us that
ALEXIAThe weight of it all descended upon me the moment I stepped into my chambers. I had barely a breath, a thought, a chance to untangle the chaos that was occurring around us. It was as if the world had decided to come apart at the seams, and we were all just trying not to fall into the abyss.I perched on the edge of the bed, my fingers jammed against my temples. Hailey, Thomas, Isaiah, Jaden, Athena, Flora—too many pieces in motion, too many threats lurking in the background. And in the middle of it all, I was supposed to be stronger, smarter, more capable than I was.My fingers curled into fists. Isaiah.He had looked… tired. No, not just tired—drained. His presence, usually so steady and enigmatic, had been unraveling before my eyes. And Jaden—he had wanted answers, but the anger in his eyes had been too much, too un contained. If I had not intervened, I had no idea what would have happened.I got up and left the room, my strides quick and determined. There was no time for bro
THOMASThe stench of sweat and blood clung thick in the air as I stepped into the dungeon, the torches flickering to send leaping shadows across the cold stone walls.Bound to the heavy chains screwed into the floor was Connor, self-proclaimed King of Bears. His massive frame rested forward, but even in chains, he was a giant—a monster barely restrained. The fool had actually tried to attack me. Big mistake.His amber eyes snapped to mine as I entered, brimming with raw fury. Good.I had wanted him angry.I had wanted him desperate.Because desperation made men stupid. And stupid men made mistakes."You've finally risen to confront me, coward?" Connor swore, blood frothing on his lips. He strained at the chains, testing their limits, muscles distending. "I should have known you'd creep back to this world. Only vermin won't lie still dead."I smiled and approached him. "Watch it, Connor. Warnings aren't going to get you out of this one."His laugh was low and guttural. "Save me? From y