Now it all made sense. Thane's reaction to Isabella finally made sense.I was mad, angry, and jealous, and I had every right to be. After Bella's death, Thane had been in so much pain, he couldn't bear it all alone, and that had been the very same reason he shut everyone out; it had taken so many years for him to move on, but the effect of her death remained, even till today. So I didn't exactly believe that he could just... Stop loving her.I paused in the hallways; hesitating for a moment before taking a turn, I headed to the room Isabella occupied. I knocked once, and she opened the door. I didn't wait for an invitation; I pushed past her and walked into her room. She shut the door before turning to me. There was a small frown on her tiny doll-like face. Her red hair had been made into a messy bun; she was beautiful, and I couldn't deny it, and despite myself, I felt an ache in my chest. Thane never spoke of how beautiful 'Bella' had actually been."I know why you are here," she s
"How did you get in here?" I questioned him."Let's skip that part. I was hoping you would ask why I was here.""Well then, why are you here?" I asked him."I needed to apologize.""It doesn't work that way, and I don't appreciate you showing up in my home, Bruce.""I know, and if I will try not to do that next time —if there ever has to be a next time. I didn't handle things well when you came to visit; I had been too brash and... cold. For this reason, I ask for your forgiveness.""Got it. You can leave now.""I know you wanted an explanation, but I didn't give you one...""Bruce, I don't really care, not anymore; all I need is some time alone.""I would leave, but I went through a lot to be here, and so I need you to hear me out.""You have one minute, and your time starts now.""I do have an explanation; there is a reason I had to stay away from you, but the problem is I cannot tell it to you.""If I may ask, why?""I just can't. But I want you to know that I did care for your mo
“I didn’t tell my mother about... you.” I said to him, “I didn’t do it for you though, but for her. She has moved on, Bruce; she’s in love now, and she is happy, it will remain that way.” “You did the right thing. It has been so many years; she deserves to be happy.”“She does.”“I don’t expect your forgiveness...”“I don’t plan on giving you that. What I am interested in knowing is what exactly you are. I know you aren’t a werewolf.”“You are right; I am not. I am a warlock.“A warlock?” I repeated.“Yes, similar to a sorcerer but also... different in some way. A sorcerer is born with magic flowing through their veins, but a warlock isn’t born with magic; we earn it, and for this reason, we operate on a different level.”“That’s how you were able to make Mom forget about you.”“Yes. It was a simple spell.”“When you made her forget about you, why did you compel her to believe Slade was my father?”“Because I knew it would make her hate him even more, and hate is one strong emotion;
THANEI remained in the garden. Maybe this hadn't been the right time to tell her about Bella.She was right.While I didn't love Bella anymore, I still cared, and it felt wrong.At that moment, I felt like something was wrong. It had been pure instincts but I felt the need to check up on Riley so I hurried back to the room we shared.She might need her space, but she was pregnant, and she needed company, just in case anything happened...She wasn't in the room.I moved to the bathroom, and there I saw the blood on the tile.Damn.I had been heading to the healers when I met Daisy halfway there. "What's wrong?""The Luna is in labor."That's all it took, and I was sprinting to the healing room.Riley had been placed on the bed; sweat coated her face — maybe it was tears. I walked to her holding her hands in mine."You are going to be fine." I assured her."It's not yet time; I don't know why this is happening to me.""We will get through this together, okay." I said to her, and she n
RILEYThane never left; not once in the next three days. He used the bathroom in the healing room instead.I felt so weak and tired; Daisy said I should be getting better, but I most definitely wasn't. At least the child survived, even if it would take a few more months for me to see him again. I tried lifting my hand, and it did take some effort for such a petty task."Thane, you know you could go to work...""No, nothing is more important than you and right now you need me here.""But I am fine Thane, the pack needs you too." I said to him, I did notice Regnux visits; there was work to be done, but Thane didn't want to leave me alone, I could handle myself for a few hours — maybe I'll try not to trip on my own foot while I lay on the bed."I'll only be gone for a few hours, and I'll be right back," he promised."It's alright."..Exactly an hour after Thane was gone, the door was pulled open. I had thought it was Daisy, and so I didn't bother, but then the figure got close enough.
Daisy walked into the healing room; I could see the instant alarm in her eyes the moment she spotted Gloria's corpse."Daisy." I called silently, but her eyes wouldn't leave the corpse."Let me take care of this." Daemon said to me. I feared for a moment that he would kill her, but he doesn't; instead he... kisses her. To my surprise, she kisses him back. "You won't tell anyone about this, would you, Daisy?" "I won't, if you don't want me to.""Good girl. Now go get the Alpha, make no mention of this to anyone."She nodded before walking away and shutting the door behind her. "What did you do to her?""Nothing, at all.""She… likes you?""Obsessed is a better word.""You shouldn't use her that way.""Riley, she wants to be used.".Just like Daisy, Thane paused the moment he saw Gloria, dead; of course, he knew how exactly this happened, the puncture marks marring her skin was all the explanation he needed."I'm sorry." I said to him, and those amber eyes trailed down on me."Did yo
**DAISY'S POVI had never been in love before; no, it didn't bother me when my fellow friends found their mates and I didn't; I never believed I needed a man to make me feel complete.That changed the moment I met Daemon.He wasn't like the other men; he was different. That was the best way to describe him: 'Different.' It had taken a single glance at him, one look at him, and I fell; this was more than love, I knew that; it was admiration, it was want, it was desire, it was so much more.He read me; just with a single look, he knew every single thought on my mind, and he came to me that night. He visited two more times after that, but every time I awoke, I was alone; he didn't leave notes, messages, or anything. I was jealous that Riley got to see him almost every day; he said they were family friends. That's all he was willing to tell; he said nothing more. He rarely spoke to me; it was sex, and that's it, but to me it meant... everything, and even when he was gone, I couldn't stop
RILEY’S POV I was finally discharged and free to go home, Daisy recommended that I get some quality rest—as usual. “You know, you would heal completely if you took some more blood.” Damon advised. “No! I don’t want any other person dead.” “You don’t have to kill to feed, and as for the pain, you can make it pleasurable if you wish—no harm done.” “I don’t need to drink from others; we could do without it.” Daemon didn’t seem to believe that, but he said no more. “Back there... with Daisy, what really is going on between the both of you? – I mean, it's okay if you don’t want to tell me.” He turned to me. “I don't feel anything for her, but she does for me; there’s nothing between us but sex.” “Oh.” I muttered; I felt like he told too much, but he didn’t seem to mind. “I think she was a bit jealous when I told her you visited me regularly; she wanted that.” “She shouldn’t be jealous.” Was his only response. “Who knows, maybe you'll grow to feel something for her.” “I love some
DAEMON POVHer blood tasted every ounce human. I pulled back, suppressing the urge to gag. It’s been a long time since I tasted something so painfully plain—I’d almost prefer the sting of venom-tainted blood to this.“What’s wrong?” Kaida’s worried voice cut through the haze.“Nothing. She’s saying the truth—at least one truth. She’s no more than a human now.”“Now that you know that,” she said, placing her palm on her neck as if to shield it from me. The empresses had this issue with being fed from—they felt tainted, violated. The fact that she offered told me she was desperate. “Can you now listen to what I have to say?” she asked.I wanted to consider the possibility that she was telling the truth, but reconciling her past actions with her words now was difficult.“Speak.” Alexander urged.“The High Regents have taken over from the empresses. They are far more ruthless, and I fear they won’t be as hesitant as I am if they lay their hands on her.”“They won’t find her.” I said.“You
“Let me go!” the woman screamed. “I demand to speak to the Alpha.”The voice sounded familiar.“Julia?”Daemon immediately tensed.How had she been caught trying to sneak into the pack? That was the first question on my mind. The Empresses had the gift of shifting, among other abilities—it shouldn’t have been hard for her to get in. Cynthia had managed it multiple times.She looked different too—aged, not in the usual way stress might wear someone down, but like thirty years had passed in the space of a few days.“I need to speak to you. It’s important,” Julia said, eyes wide. She kept glancing over her shoulder, like she expected someone—or something—to appear out of nowhere and attack her.“I’m not letting you in. I’m not granting you access to the pack house,” Alexander replied.“You don’t understand. Do you think I’d be here if this wasn’t a matter of life and death?”Alexander looked at me. I gave him a nod. We could let her in.The soldiers escorted Julia into the dungeons—to th
KADIA’S POVThe meeting was tense. Voices rose higher and higher; it was unusual for a gathering of pack leaders to be this chaotic. Phil sat by my side, and Austin sat by Alexander. I would’ve thought it would be wiser for Daemon to be present, but if he wasn’t here, it only meant Alexander didn’t trust him enough to attend.“When everyone is speaking, no one’s listening,” Alexander said, and all arguments ceased, the room falling into silence. “There is indeed an army of the undead; I’ve seen it with my very own eyes, and so has my Luna. Creatures that even bullets made of the finest silver cannot kill.”“How do you expect us to believe in the sudden appearance of these creatures? I’ve never seen any, and with all due respect, this sounds more like something out of a fantasy novel,” Alpha Cain said.“You are a man of your word, and if you say these creatures exist, then they most likely do. But if none of us have laid eyes on them, perhaps they aren’t truly our concern,” Gamma Timo
ALIYAH’S POVThe light blue gown I wore clung to my skin, completely soaked. I was cold. I should change into something dry, something comfortable—but I couldn’t bring myself to move. My mind reeled with everything Daemon had said.Would he really have given up his title for me?Who was I kidding? He only said that to manipulate me. The title meant everything to him—at least, that’s what the more cynical voice in my head argued.But what if he hadn’t been lying? What if he really had tried to get into the castle, but the spell kept him out? What if everything he said was actually true?That was always my problem. With him, I could never tell the lie from the truth.A part of me wondered if he was still standing out there in the rain or if he had finally given up. Still in my soaking wet clothes, I stepped into the room where Ash had been kept, surprised by how quickly he was recovering. His once pale skin had started to regain its color, and his breathing was no longer labored. He l
DAEMON“You really want to know who Ash is? He’s my soulmate,” she said.A memory flashed back into my mind. Right before I killed the human girl Tasha, she had mentioned a man. I hadn’t thought much of it, not until now.“How long?” I asked. “How long have you known him?”A moment of silence passed.“My whole life.”My chest tightened with an unfamiliar emotion I hadn’t felt in a long time—betrayal.When I tasted his blood, I felt it; it reminded me of hers. It was strange, but I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there was something more between the two of them, and now I understood why.I deserved this. I deserved to lose her. In fact, I should be thankful to Ash for saving her life when I couldn’t. But I wasn’t a good man, and I wanted her for myself. I wanted her so badly that the thought of letting her go wasn’t even an option.She believed I had abandoned her. If only she knew that she was all I could think about. Right before she walked in, Kaida and I had been picking ou
I couldn’t believe I’d never taken a moment to consider what might happen to Daemon if the venom had side effects—even on demons.“I’ll do anything for you, you know that.”“This is risky… and Sebastian isn’t even sure you won’t get hurt.”“Sebastian.” Daemon repeated the name. It struck me that he might know the man. “What do I have to do?” he asked.“I have a friend who was bitten by a flesh-eater. The venom from the bite is slowly killing him. He’s running out of time—he needs help.”“Do I know this person?”This had been one of my worries, that Daemon won’t help when he discovers who Ash was.“Yes,” I answered. Ash and Daemon did meet—Daemon had spared his life, but that was when Ash had been in his wolf form. “No,” I corrected myself. They hadn’t met in person. “He’s in this because of me. He was trying to protect me. Please, you have to help him.”Daemon only nodded before wrapping his arms around me, and in the next moment, we were right in front of Sebastian’s house.“How di
“Who are you, and state your business,” the soldiers demanded.Sebastian had brought me to the Nightshade Pack, but he’d refused to go any farther. I suspected it had something to do with the Alpha King.“I need to see the Alpha.”“What is your name?”I couldn’t tell them my real name. If I did, word of where I was could spread, and the Empresses would come after me. I had to think of something—fast.“I’m a friend of the Alpha.”“You don’t look very familiar,” said the soldier with chestnut-brown hair, eyeing me from head to toe.“I advise you to go inform the Alpha that a visitor is here to see him,” I said, sounding more confident than I felt. “I don’t think he would take it lightly if I’m kept waiting.”The soldier nodded to the dark-skinned man beside him, and the man turned to go find the Alpha.I didn’t think the Alpha knew what I looked like; the only time I’d visited this pack, I’d been inside a carriage, and I doubted the curtain had revealed much. But the Luna—she must know
ALIYAH’S POVAsh was covered in sweat, his body trembling. The infection had spread throughout his arm, dark green veins crawling beneath his skin.Another cry of pain tore from his lips.“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice breaking as I wiped his forehead with a wet towel.The warlock, Sebastian, had tried everything—every spell, every remedy he could think of—but nothing had worked. The injury was unlike anything we’d seen before, and we’ve had no luck finding demons.Bruce had gone back to the place where Daemon and I had lived, only to return with the grim news that the location had been reduced to ashes. For a moment, fear gripped me, the thought that those hunting Daemon had finally caught up with him. But the warlock, Sebastian, remained convinced that Daemon was still out there somewhere. The question was: where?For now, there was nothing we could do for Ash other than prepare for the worst. Amputating the arm had become the only viable option. Sebastian had to perform the pro
Daemon appeared out of nowhere, his gaze sweeping over the approaching swarm of flesh-eaters.“Perhaps I just saved the day.” He gripped both of us, and in the blink of an eye, we were gone.He stopped at the pack’s borders.He hadn’t been able to travel this far the last time, and the only explanation for that was that he had fed on someone.“Where is Cynthia?” I asked, my voice barely recognizable. “I warned you—I told you the only one who gets to kill her is me.”“Of course, and that’s why she’s waiting in the dungeons. You’re welcome by the way.”“You didn’t stick to the plan,” Alexander said, his voice calm but sharp.“But I came back.”“Yeah, that’s what’s surprising,” Alexander replied, his gaze narrowing. “Why? You must’ve figured out the girl was never in the castle. You didn’t have to save us, yet you did.”“We made a deal, and I’m a man of my word—well, I try to be.” Daemon said with a small smirk, but I could still see the disappointment in his eyes. We hadn’t brought back