A Bond Inscribed with BloodVictoria had never been a believer in fairy tales. She had never believed in the stories of fated mates bringing salvation, of love forging stronger than death, of magic that defied the laws of nature, but now, as Kenzo’s blood mixed with her own, as their bond cracked back to life between them with such ferocity it felt like another heart beating inside her chest, she understood why those stories existed — because some things were too powerful for explanation, some things defied logic, defied fate, defied death.Kenzo’s body thrashed underneath as she gasped, his breath breaking, muscles tense as the bond knit itself back together, as the power of it ripped through him, through both of them, coiling around their soul like iron, like fire, like something that had always belonged to them both but had only just now been properly claimed.Victoria hardly noticed that wolves were backing off, that the fight around them slowed, that even the most seasoned warrio
The Birth of a QueenVictoria had always imagined that war would be preceded by a warning, by a long buildup of tension, by the kind of inevitable march that gave time to prepare, to brace for impact. She had imagined that the final war won between her and her mother would be one of strategy and whispers, of power plays and manipulation, just like all Parson wars before this one had been fought.But this—this was not war.This was destruction.The instant the first blade was unsheathed, the instant the first wolf attacked, the instant the first body dropped to the ground, Victoria knew that there would be no turning back, no compassion, no walking away from this unscathed. There would be no parley, no offer of surrender — not because neither side would offer it but because neither side would accept it.Kenzo was already there, at her side, before she even had to search for him to find him, his body solid, steady, stolid. He had hardly been breathing minutes before, he had scarcely bee
The Fall of the Parson QueenLady Dana had always moved as though she was untouchable, as if no one in the world bent themselves for her, as if she was a force of nature that could not be fought. She had not ruled with love, with devotion, but with fear, with cold calculation, with the absolute certainty that no one would ever be strong enough to oppose her.But that was before.That was before she’d betrayed the wrong daughter, before she’d underestimated the wrong rogue, before she’d taken too much, cut too deep, and created her own worst nightmare.Victoria had always wanted to think her mother was invincible.Because invincibility meant no weaknesses, no vulnerabilities, no cracks in the iron cage she had barred herself behind. But now, having the truth revealed to all of her senses, the large, muscular body above her, claws still buried in the tender skin at her throat, blood already soaking the stone floor at their feet, the truth was that Victoria was not kin.Her mother was j
The Throne of the ForsakenVictoria had never wanted a crown. She had never wanted power, never wanted to rule, never wanted to sit on a throne built from the bones of the wolves who had spent their entire lives looking down on her. But fate had never been kind to her, had never given her a choice, had never let her simply exist.And now—now she was standing in the ruins of the war her mother had started, staring at the wolves who had once bowed to Lady Dana, who had once followed her every command without hesitation, who had once laughed when Victoria had been cast aside like she was nothing.Now they were bowing to her.And she did not know whether she should feel satisfaction or something far more dangerous.Kenzo stood beside her, solid, steady, bleeding, but unbroken. Their bond was still alive, thrumming between them, a living thing that neither of them fully understood, something new, something raw, something that was not just a mating bond but something much deeper, something
A Kingdom of AshesThe blood hung in the air like an acrid miasma, a sickly sweet reminder of all they had lost, of all they had broken, of all they had become.Victoria looked out over the remnants of the ruins, the chill wind swirling her hair, the moon laying long shadows across the remains of the battlefield. The bodies had been cleared, the fires extinguished, but the ghosts remained, lingering in the silence, whispering in the dark,She had won.And yet victory had never felt this way.It had never felt so empty.Kenzo stood on the other side of the room, speaking to Caleb in low, measured tones, their voices low, methodical, like they were trying not to wake something sleeping. But Victoria was aware that there was nothing to awaken — only the dead, only the past, only the weight of what followed.She drew a slow breath, a hand pressed against her ribs, the bruises beneath her skin, the ache of exhaustion settling deep in her bones. She hadn’t slept since the moment she had dec
The Weight of CrownsThe moon was high, silver light cascading over the ruins of a kingdom forged on blood. Stale smoke and the rancid smell of war hung in the air, but underneath it lurked something new — possibility.Victoria gazed out from the balcony of the remains of the stronghold at the city below. The buildings had crumbled, the streets still spattered with the residue of a battle that had broken out, but in the distance she could hear voices murmuring. Not fearful, not mournful, but something else — something wary, something expectant.Hope.She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, the burden of it all weighing down on her shoulders more than it ever had before. She had fought for this. She had bled for this. But now — now the real battle started.A door opened behind her with a slow creak. She didn’t need to look to know who it was.Kenzo.He came to stand beside her, peaceable silent for a second, him centered and obedient. When he did speak, his voice was low, gruff with e
The Breaking PointKenzo walked to the rooftop edge, the blood-red glimmering ocean of the city below him a wild beast breathing in the dark. The cold autumn air offered little relief to the flames burning inside him. His jaw a grim line and his fists balled at his sides, he looked down on the streets below. For years he’d survived these streets; he knew their language, their perils, and now, all because of Victoria, all because of one infuriating, reckless, impossible woman, he was about to do something he’d never done before — bet on someone else’s war.Victoria stood behind him with her arms crossed, her green eyes fixed on him unblinking. “You’re overthinking things again,” she said, a note of both laughter and alarm in her voice.Kenzo puffed a breath, then shook his head. “No, I’m thinking just the right amount.” You just don’t like what I am thinking.”Victoria smirked, getting closer, moonlight illuminating the feral resolve on her face. “This is suicide you think,” she said,
THE POINT OF NO RETURNVictoria sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the dim light coming through the cracked blinds, fingers clenched around the thin blanket draped across her lap. The sleep had never arrived, not really, not when her mind wouldn’t quiet, not when the weight of what was coming settled onto her chest with the steadiness of an iron weight. She had always known her family’s world was built on corruption, on power plays and alliances that cared little for love, but the betrayal, the sheer depth of it, still stung more than she cared to confess. Her mate—ex-mate—and her own sister. It was no longer just about the humiliation. It was about the reality that they expected her to do that. To bow. To submit.But she was no longer that girl.A low sound rolled around the room, and she glanced at the couch where Kenzo sat, arms crossed, head craned back, eyes closed, though he was not asleep. He hadn’t slept either. She could sense it by the tautness of his shoulders, the strai
All That Was LostThe silence hung between them, heavy with things said and unsaid, and for the first time since Victoria had fallen into his life, Kenzo could feel the burden of his past bearing down on his shoulders. Outside, the night was calm, but inside the small apartment, nerves were running high. Victoria perched on the bed, the fabric of his old shirt in her hands, her eyes fastened to him as if she were attempting to crack a code no one but herself could decipher.“If you keep looking at me like that,” Kenzo said, running a hand down his face as he pushed his back against the wall. “Like you think I’m just gonna spill my guts.”Victoria raised an eyebrow, cocking her head to one side as she stared at him. “Maybe because I do,” she said, her voice low but steady. “Kenzo, you carry something heavy. Something that prevents you from opening up to anybody. I want to know what it is."A bitter laugh escaped his lips. “And why should I tell you if I don’t want to? What if it is bet
The Weight of a ChoiceKenzo sat on the edge of the bed, head in hands, breath uneven, as Victoria stirred, her warmth enveloping him in the comfort he'd denied himself for too long. But comfort was a deadly thing.” It made a man weak. It caused him to forget that the world outside this room would not stand still for the fire raging between them. And that fire — it was raging, devouring, drawing them toward a future neither of them completely knew.Victoria moved, resting on one elbow as her green eyes examined him, cutting and flared with something dangerously close to concern. “Kenzo, what’s wrong?” Her voice was hoarse with sleep, but it carried a gravitas that told him she already knew.He blew out, rubbing his palms, feeling the callouses, the roughness of a man too many decades swinging. “What do you do when you wake up to realize that you’re at a crossroads? But no matter how you turn, you’re walking into storm?”Her fingers made slow and soft circles on his back, as if she wer
Victoria lay in the gray light of Kenzo’s small apartment, dazed with the scent of him, which had clung to her, like a second skin. She still felt the way his arms had wrapped around her, the way his breath had hitched as if he were holding back something deep and primal. It wasn’t merely desire; it was something primal, something on fire. And he was fighting himself, fighting the wolf within, and she didn’t know how much longer he could restrain it.Kenzo sat at the window, moonbeams slanting across his face. His jaw tightened, eyes flashing gold in the dark. He hadn’t said a lot since they had lain down, but Victoria could feel the weight of his thoughts against the quiet. She rolled over onto her side and looked at him. “You can’t sleep much, can you?”Kenzo let out a short laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Not when my head won’t stop talking.”Victoria looked him over, the way his muscles tightened even in stillness. “You’re thinking about something. Or someone.”Kenzo didn’
The stillness in the darkened room hung over them, loaded with thoughts that neither of them would articulate, the kind that scratched at the base of the brain but would never break the surface. Kenzo lay awake, his arms stretched wide around Victoria’s sleeping body, his breathing steady, his mind far from it. His wolf, starved and erratic, prowled inside of him, demanding, pushing, aching for more. The night had been long, longer than he’d ever thought it would be, but somehow, despite everything — despite the recklessness, despite how insane their union was — he couldn’t feel regret about a single moment of it.His hand brushed against her shoulder, her skin warm and soft beneath his calloused fingers, the shallow rise and fall of his broad chest keeping in time with her light breath as she dozed next to him. And how easily had she surrendered to sleep, as if there had been no doubt, no hesitation, as if she belonged there, in his arms, unquestioningly. And perhaps that was wha
Kenzo didn't fall asleep. Sitting on the edge of his bed, his body tight, his brain keeps wandering some ways he doesn't want to think about. Over to the other side of the room, curled up in a ball, Victoria breathed steadily. But he knew she never slept now. He could sense it in the way she held herself and the fists she made of her hands as she lay there motionless. He wanted to reach out to her, shake her, demand that she tell him how she could still sit there pretending everything was all right when it wasn't. Nothing was now.Finally he couldn't bear it any longer. "How much more are you going to pretend?"His voice was rough, edged like a blade. What did he care?Victoria rolled over, but didn't look at him. "Pretend about?"Kenzo let out a bitter laugh. "That everything's going to be fine. And to a monster you mean you didn't just turn. All that he wanted-look at you handing himself and everything over, clinking it on a silver platter."She let out her breath in a slow, even str
The Border Between Love and WarKenzo didn’t return to the apartment right away. He couldn’t. The blood in his veins was buzzing with rage, his wolf pacing, but there was no stimulus to let all that rage out. He walked the shadowy streets, past the dank alleys----you could smell the damp, crumbling concrete--, and the sputtering neon signs barely illuminating the way. Every muscle in his body was wound tight, his hands itching to hit something, anything, but there was nothing he could hit.Since that battle had been lost the instant Victoria cut that deal.You turn the corner, you go into an old bar —smelling like cigarettes and sweat and fucking regret. He squeezed inside, shoulders tight, the warmth of too many bodies crowding around him, the low hum of conversation by the floor shaking the air. A few gazes lifted to him, realizing who he was, still no one approached. Good. He wasn’t very sociable at this time.Kenzo marched straight to the counter and banged a hand down. “Whiskey. N
The Price of TreacheryTHE RIDE BACK WAS CHOKING. No one spoke. No one could. The shadow of Victoria’s deal with Damon loomed like a boulder in the back seat, crowding the space between them so that every breath felt like a struggle. Kenzo’s knuckles were white from gripping the wheel, his jaw set tight and hard, a wolf snarl sitting just under his skin. Caleb, the one most likely to fill silence with offhand comments, gazed out the window with his reading smirk absent, his fingers drumming an uneasy tattoo against his thigh. And Victoria — Victoria could feel the weight of her choice settling into her bones like a slow, creeping poison.She had struck a deal with the most dangerous man in the city.She had offered herself.And now she had to live with it.At last Kenzo spoke, his voice precise and low, slicing through the quiet like a knife. “What the hell was that?”Victoria raised her chin, determined not to flinch. “A negotiation.”Kenzo laughed, but not in a way that was funny, o
Bargaining with the DevilThe drive to the Blackfangs’ territory was silent, thick with tension and the unspoken weight of what they were about to do. Victoria sat in the backseat, her arms crossed tightly, her mind warring with itself. She didn’t trust them. She didn’t want to trust them. But if there was one thing she had learned in the past few days, it was that survival required impossible choices.Kenzo drove with one hand on the wheel, his other resting against the gear shift, his gaze steady on the road ahead. Every so often, his eyes flicked toward the rearview mirror, watching her, sensing her unease, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. He already knew this meeting was the last thing she wanted.Caleb, on the other hand, was completely at ease, lounging in the passenger seat like they weren’t about to walk into the lion’s den. “You’re too quiet, Vic. You should be excited. We’re about to make history.”Victoria shot him a glare. “If by ‘history’ you mean getting ou
THE POINT OF NO RETURNVictoria sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the dim light coming through the cracked blinds, fingers clenched around the thin blanket draped across her lap. The sleep had never arrived, not really, not when her mind wouldn’t quiet, not when the weight of what was coming settled onto her chest with the steadiness of an iron weight. She had always known her family’s world was built on corruption, on power plays and alliances that cared little for love, but the betrayal, the sheer depth of it, still stung more than she cared to confess. Her mate—ex-mate—and her own sister. It was no longer just about the humiliation. It was about the reality that they expected her to do that. To bow. To submit.But she was no longer that girl.A low sound rolled around the room, and she glanced at the couch where Kenzo sat, arms crossed, head craned back, eyes closed, though he was not asleep. He hadn’t slept either. She could sense it by the tautness of his shoulders, the strai