RYANThe doors opened and there was silence. Jaden commanded the space he occupied, standing framed in the doorway and accentuated by the arch over the entrance to the throne room. Turtela remains behind him a shadow, watching all; my angel is so wise beyond her years with so much level headèdness like that of her mother's. Hailey had been afraid no one would like her. That was a silly worry; no one could possibly ever dislike Turtela; they met her and loved her. Jaden was no longer the helpless baby we had been mercilessly forced to abandon; now he was a man. His face was so unreadable, and hard and strong. I knew I should speak up. It is time to step in and keep the peace. But I am unable to. The sight of my son made my heart, which had been wounded by war and betrayal, tighten in excruciating, throbbing grips. My son. I was anchored by Hailey's fingers digging into my palm. For the first time in years, she appeared small when I turned to face her—my mate, my queen. It was as if the
JERMAINE The smell of home was one I had forgotten existed.But the moment I stepped through the shimmering veil that separated the Fae realm from the mortal world, it hit me all at once—earthy pine, crisp mountain air, and the distinctive scent of packmates still caught in the grounds.Home.For eighteen years, I had lived among the Fae, learning their ways, their magic, and their customs. Queen Tesa had raised me as one of her own, and the realm had been my sanctuary. But never had I forgotten where I came from, never my true family.And now, I was finally returning to them.A grin tugged at my lips as I strode toward the grand castle entrance, my boots barely making a sound against the stone pathway. My heartbeat thrummed with excitement—Mother, Father, my sister, a sister I never got to witness her birth … and Jaden.Jaden.The last I had ever seen of him, we were but babes, innocent of the cruel fate which was wresting us asunder. I wonder what manner of man my brother had becom
JACKSONBefore me, glittering city lights stretched, a blinding testimony to human ambition. From floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse of my building, I watched the golden hues of the world I had designed for the sun setting well behind the blocks. Billionaire. Business Mogul. The Visionary-that was a title the press had given, but none meant anything. Not really.Because beneath all the pretensions, I remained just a wolf without a pack. A man without a home.And after eighteen years now, that was going to change.I let my gaze wander away from the window as I shrugged my shoulders and took up my jacket. The call had arrived that morning, abrupt, —no-nonsense and fewer words. Come home. An invitation wasn't even implied; the command had been issued.Mother had finally decided the time had come.I ran a hand through my hair, blowing out a sharp breath. Jaden was probably going nuts over this. Jermaine… I didn't know how he'd take it. But me? I had been waiting for this. For the o
JACKSON She was furious.The moment we stepped into the supernatural circle, she struggled in my embrace, her fists pummeling my back, her voice hoarse with anger. "Jackson, let go!" she growled, her breathing laboured. "You can't just haul me in here like some-some possession with laboured breathing I gritted my teeth and held tighter. "I can, and I did," I muttered, continuing pace without wavering toward the border of the pack. "You would have never come willingly, and you know it.""Because I don't belong here!" she hissed, "I'm not some pack wolf to be summoned at your command!"I pushed the sting of her words aside. I did understand her frustration, but facts were facts: Alexia wasn't just any wolf. She was our mate, mine and Jaden's and Jermaine's, whether she liked it or not. Her fate and ours had been joined by something bigger than us.The towering trees thinned as we neared the pack's border. I could already see the figures waiting for us in the distance: Hailey, our mothe
JADENThe room was too quiet.For the first time in my life, I was sharing the same space with my brothers—not just for passing, not just to satisfy an obligatory conversation—but really being in the same place, and this forced them to coexist.The suite in the wing was connected, grand, and almost choking. The very moment I stepped inside, I felt that there was little or no chance of getting out of this. Immediately Jackson took the opportunity as if that space belonged to him: lying around on that huge velvet couch and putting his feet on the table. Jermaine stood before the window, gazing at the sprawling treetops beyond the window, carrying a different tone outside. He was deep in thought.Me? I was standing against the door, crossing my arms, waiting for the awkwardness to finally settle in."You're sulking," Jackson said, not looking at me as a smirk pulled at his lips. "I thought you would have gotten it all out of your system by now.""Shut up."Jackson merely chuckled, undete
LOGANSitting atop the highest cliffs in the region, between gnarled, old trees which groaned on the wind, the Seer's house, my father's house ever was a location which caused one to shiver. Prophecy, magic, and other invisible powers permeated the atmosphere here. The one thing which concerned me more than anything else, though, was the question that resonated in my heart. Isaiah had the answers. And now I acutely needed them. The stairs rang out near a vow as they went up into his bedroom, a struggle in itself to fight me. She was struggling to breathe in order to power these internal tempests, where all her memories returned with a vengeance, and the visage of our genius, passionate daughter Alexia was there. My own fierce, fiery daughter Alexia had endured more than any child should have had to endure, from being a child under a society in which she should have reigned. Her wolf had been lost. She was bonded to three friends. Three. The Queen's three triplet sons, and she'd grown
RYANThe castle felt heavier than usual as if even the walls held the weight of what had occurred. Jaden's anger, Jermaine's return, Jackson dragging Alexia back against her will—everything was just happening so fast. Too fast.I stood in my office, staring out into the vast forest beyond the borders of our pack. The night sky was clear, yet even the stars shone dull, weighed down by the storm brewing within these walls.The words of Jaden still echoed within my mind."She is nothing to me but the Queen."My fists clenched, claws threatening to extend.The rage that surged through me then was nothing besides the pain that I felt on behalf of Hailey. My mate, who has suffered more than anybody, is still suffering, and all she received finally having gotten her sons back home were resentment and accusations.I should have been able to handle it better than that.I should have watched over her a little more, at least.A light, soft knock upon the door cut into my mood."Come in," I calle
RYANThe ground shook under my feet. The very foundations of the earth we stood on shook as a primordial force, something old and wild, reverberated through the trees. Throughout the night, a roar so deep it echoed in my bones caused my body to tighten automatically. Whatever was on the way wasn't pleasant. Isaiah remained still, staring into the darkness over the boundary with an unreadable face. However, Logan had partially moved, his claws longer, his breathing laboured with barely restrained rage. "What on earth is that?" Logan's gaze darted to the Seer as he snarled. Isaiah’s voice seemed unnaturally calm. "The result of cutting off fate's plan." The air changed before I could insist on an explanation. The wind increased, bringing with it a touch and chaff of unease.A whiff of strength, of the resurgence of the past. Between the woods, a flash of black and silver travelled more quickly than my eyes could track. Then there was quiet. A gigantic figure entered the area after a sin
JERMAINEThere was something about the struggle that lingered in the air long after the final enemy fell. A weight, a thrum of residual power that clung to the soul like an ethereal resonance of the dead.Though Thomas's dying breath was swallowed by silence, I could sense him.Or his shadow.His anger.His desperation.His defeat.I leaned against the broken trellis, chest heaving, heart still racing from the battle. The garden rested in shambles—blossoms shattered beneath heavy heel marks, the smoldering scorch scars of Isaiah's and Kael's fury staining the once spotless paths. Death and potency clung in the air, but what had me unsettled the most was the icy stillness that came after.Jackson was cleaning blood from his sword, face unemotional. Jaden was still standing at the ready, golden eyes scanning the area, refusing to believe that it was truly finished.Our father was standing in the center, shoulders locked, staring down at the spot where Thomas once was.Those words were r
HAILEYThe air was quiet, save for my breathing, as regular as the tick of a clock. Sleep held me in its grasp like a heavy fog, but some power pulled me out of its depths—a discord in the air, an awkward shift that didn't belong.I didn't wake, didn't flinch so much as a muscle to show I knew anything, but my senses were on high alert. The scent hit me next—bitter and flavored with evil.David.The moment stretched, charged and taut. I felt him in the darkness, holding back just beyond the edge of night. He thought me vulnerable. He thought he held the advantage.He was wrong.A breath of movement, a mere stir in the air—then a knife descended at my throat.My eyes snapped open.Before he could bring his knife to my skin, I closed my hand about his wrist in an unbreakable grip. His eyes widened, shock crossing his face. He tried to pull away, but I held tighter, bones snapping under my fingers."You're a fool, David," I breathed, my voice a killing whisper.He snarled, twisting in my
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