TRIGGER WARNING: CHAPTER CONTAINS EXPLICT CONTENTS!!“How long do we have to walk?” I questioned; the walk down the tunnels was almost fifteen minutes already. Where exactly was she leading me to? But I was too far into this to back out.“It usually doesn’t take this long if I am alone, but I have to match pace with you,” she says. “We are close.”Finally, we stopped before a huge door.“What is this?”“Very curious, aren’t you? You will soon find out.”She pulled the door open with some effort. And then she walked in.The room was the biggest I had seen so far, its size rivalling a hall. But that hadn’t been what appalled me.They were so many cages, as far as my eyes could see, lined horizontally and inside the cages where.... girls.“What is this?” I questioned again. It could be the dungeons – every pack had this, but I doubted it; something about this place seemed off. The girls backed away from the cage the moment we walked in, their silent cries filling the room.“The Nightshad
I had wondered why they were both absent for the past two days, if only I knew what they had been busy with.I sobbed silently. I would never survive here. Now I doubted that Thane would keep to his words of letting me go; maybe I would end up there, just like those girls.I had never felt so afraid in my life.I rolled over Beatrix’s offer in my mind; she was willing to help me escape this place, but she couldn’t help my mother. I shouldn’t leave my mother behind, but I was so afraid, I didn’t want to be here for the next minute.I jumped to my feet when someone walked in; it was Thane. I quickly wiped off my tears.“Why are you crying?”“Is nothing?” I lied, my heart pounding. Now I knew what he could do; I would never be able to sleep on the same bed with this man. Everything about him frightened me, but what was more alarming was how indifferent he was, because this was his life. Even after what he had done – what he had been doing, he could still sleep without being hunted. He wa
“Thane... I’m sorry for last night; I don’t know what exactly got over me.” I said, the lie feels bitter against my tongue. Those intense eyes on me made me feel unsettled, like he knew.“That wouldn’t stop me from punishing you if you deny me of what is mine ever again” he says and I gave a stiff nod.“Where is Axel? I hadn’t seen him in a while.”“I’ll send him in, in a few hours,” Thane replied.“Thank you”..I waited patiently for the knock, and soon it came. I let Beatrix in. Hoping Axel wouldn’t walk in on us just yet.“I will be waiting for you just as we agreed,” she said silently to me. “You just have to do your part, and I trust you know what to do.”“Yes. Yes, I do.”“Good. I’ll be ready,” she says. She left just as silently as she came in.The second knock on the door was Axel. I had anticipated that too.“You look kind of pale, everything alright?” he asked“I am fine. Just really tired of staying here all alone,” I said, avoiding his eyes.Axel wasn’t innocent either, a
Beatrix must have created some serious distraction, because so far, no one had caught up with us, and it had been about thirty minutes of running. It felt strangely too... easy, they should have gotten to us by now.“You know what?, You’ll have to ride me, Luna; that’s the only way we could go fast enough,” she said, taking her clothes off. I looked away, giving her some privacy, but she didn’t seem to care; why would she? From the little I saw, she had a perfect body, clearing trained into flawlessness. She was perfection itself. She shifted into her wolf form. She was a grey wolf, and I noticed her wolf had a very strong resemblance to her being; the grey wolf, which was smaller than Thane, and Axels’ wolf was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and she seemed to carry this air around her.I didn’t want to think too much about it. I picked up her clothes. Getting myself seated on her back was considerably easier than it had been with Axel.Before I could settle, she zipped i
Thane nodded to Axel, and he walked forward, picking me up and placing me ‘roughly’ over his shoulders, but Thane remained with Ryker.I didn’t care what would happen to Ryker, but I feared this was the last time I would ever see him.The walk back to the pack house seemed shorter, and that was strange considering we hadn’t even run. Axel had said nothing all the way back.I couldn’t bear to look at anyone as Axel took me back into my room. I didn’t care what anyone thought; what I worried about was what was going to happen to me.Axel shut the door and dropped me on the bare floor.“Axel...”“Shut the fuck up,” he warns. Never had he spoken to me in this manner.Exactly fifteen minutes later, Thane walked in. I scurried away from him, but it was no use; no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t be able to escape this.“Riley stand,” he orders, and I do as he said, but my feet are too shaky. “Did you take us for fools?” he asks, and I shake my head vigorously.“No, no, it was a mistake.”
My tears didn’t faze him; he had said it once that it was rather a turn-on, and now more than anything, I believed him.Thane had not intended in making me cum this time; his intentions were clear in his eyes, and I knew this was not over. If I could speak then I would try begging him again, just maybe... but no, I knew nothing could deter him from what he wanted to do, and he was going to follow through with this.I felt those sharp canines on my skin again, and I struggled; the pain had been too much, but my struggle never did affect him. This time he sank those fangs at the side of my neck, just beside where he had marked me; the pain was far more intense than the one he had bitten on my breast. I cried out, but he hadn’t stopped; his fangs sank deeper; this was more brutal than any marking I had ever seen. The pain rolled through my whole body."Thane,” I heard Axel call, and Thane pulled away from me. When I was free from his grip, I crumbled to the floor. I was in so much pain.
“You were never going to leave me all on my own in the woods, were you?”"No,” Axel answered.“You knew that I wanted to leave,” I stated. Of course they weren’t fools. It had been too easy, and I should have suspected it. I could tell them the truth; tell them Beatrix had helped me; after all, she had only sent me off to be captured by Ryker; I didn’t need to protect her.“It had been a test, Riley; one Thane didn’t think you would fall for; those girls are captives. Once in a while, some very foolish packs still decide to go on an all-out war with our pack, and when we conquer them, their members are being taken as captives. The females are given options. They could buy their freedom,” Axel explained, and I did know what he meant by ‘buying their freedom’. “The rest are released after a few years to roam about as rogues or serve the pack if seen fit.”“So Beatrix bringing me down to the Chambers was part of the test?”“No, she hadn’t intended for us to find out, but did you really t
He was mad now, and no matter how bold I felt, I knew not to say anymore on that matter. I didn’t mean what I said; of course I should have expected this, and maybe I did.“Get dressed”“Why?”“There’s a ball taking place in a few minutes, and since you missed the feast, I thought you could make it up.”“Are you serious, Thane? You locked me in for a whole week and expect me to come with you, dressed and ready for this ball.”“Yes”“I won’t. You could go alone, or better yet, go with Beatrix; you seem to have some chemistry with her.”I didn’t think Beatrix suffered any consequences for helping me escape; I, on the other hand, paid dearly for it.“You either dress up, or I do just that for you.”“And how are you intending to dress me up?”“Want to find out?”I didn’t. After all that had happened, I didn’t think being naked before Thane would help, so I walked away, heading to the bathroom. I took an unnecessary long bath, and when I returned, I noticed a deep gold-coloured gown hanged
"Is there anything else I should be aware of?" I questioned my advisors. Once again, they seemed to be holding something back—I could tell."We worry about what will happen when the news reaches the other packs," Austin says, giving me a look that suggests I read between the lines and figure out what he isn't saying. When he realizes I’m not catching on, he speaks up. "There has never been a female Alpha before. There will be a lot of opinions—especially with you being the… Alpha Queen. The others might not accept this change,"“We should be ready for anything. The other packs might see this change as a sign of weakness and think it’s the best time to attack. The Nightshade pack might have been enjoying peace for years, but it would be foolish to think that that would continue.”“When they attack, we will be ready, we will go to war and I will take the front lines and prove to them how wrong they are.”Phil nodded, and with that, I dismissed them.As I stepped out of the meeting room,
Austin helped me back to the pack house. I was filthy, covered in mud—but I didn’t care.“Gather the council of advisors.” I instructed him.“Now?” he asked, surprised. “You should rest, Luna. You are in no condition…”“I gave you an order.” I said and that seemed to surprise him too, he nodded before turning away.I stripped off my filthy clothes, took a quick bath, and stepped into another leather outfit—identical to the one before. My hair, still damp, was twisted into a bun before I headed to the meeting room.I had expected to be bombarded with questions from the advisors; I had expected some of them with frowns on their faces. I was ready to take all the disappointed looks casted at me, but what I wasn’t ready for was to find all the seats unoccupied—all except two.Austin and Phil.“Where are the others?” I questioned.“Erh… Luna, I really don’t think this is the right time…”I cut Austin off for the second time. “Where are the others?” I repeated.“They left.”“What do you mea
The bond was gone, leaving a void in my chest. But what I felt for him didn’t change. Despite the fact that we were no longer mates, I still loved him. I was right—what we had was beyond the mate bond.I had given up far too quickly, I realized. I wasn’t willing to let him go just yet.The crowd was gone by the time I returned to the healing room. I stood by the door of the room where Alexander had been kept, contemplating what to say. I could apologize again, but something told me it wouldn’t be enough. He believed I could ‘move on,’ but he needed to see that I never would—that I could never love another. My heart belonged to him, mate bond or not. Nothing had changed. And maybe, if he saw that, he would change his mind.Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. No response. I lifted my hand to try again when the door creaked open.I pushed it fully open—only to find the bed empty.His scent in the room was still strong, enough to tell me he hadn’t been gone for long. I walked int
The disappointment in his voice was even harder to bear than the betrayal I had suffered from people I once called friends."I should have told you, but I knew you would’ve kept assuring me you were fine—even when we both knew you were dying inside. She said you were going to die, whether you stopped or continued with the doses. I just… couldn’t lose you.""Who is this ‘she’ you are referring to?” he asked, and I immediately realized my slip."I… it doesn’t matter. You’re alive, and that’s what’s important."Slowly, he let go of me, and I instantly missed his warmth. “How does it feel?”“What?”“To be so close to achieving your dreams?” he asked. I wanted to tell him I didn’t care anymore about the goddamn title; all I wanted was to have him by my side. I wanted him, but before I could tell him just that, he spoke on. “I hope it was worth it.”Those final words had felt like some kind of goodbye.“I, Ethan Alexander Darkwood, reject you, Kaida Dawn, as my fated mate.” He said.Seeing
There was something different about the way he looked at me—the way he regarded me. I saw it in the way his body tensed the moment I stepped inside. He saw me as a threat, and it took a moment to understand why. Cynthia had taken my form when she approached him, making him believe it was me. The moment his guard dropped, she struck.But what he remembered was me stabbing him—my face, my hands, delivering the blow.“Alexander,” I whispered, unable to say anything more. He only stared at me, as if trying to read me. I had wanted to see him so badly, but I hadn’t stopped for even a moment to think about what I would say to him when we met.“The Cursed Weapon—how did you find it?” he asked.“I don’t understand.”“The dagger you used on me.”The cursed weapon, I’ve heard about that too. History says the Elders had been the original keepers of the steel; that had been before they were killed. The weapon had the ability to take away one’s wolf. It made more sense now, what Cynthia was saying
It felt surreal—the blood on the sheets, the body—Alexander. I couldn’t process any of it.“No!” I cried.Foolish, foolish girl.I held him. “You can’t die, please, you can’t die. I’m here, look at me, open your eyes, dammit!”I had never felt this afraid, not even when I received news that my father had passed.Soon, I heard footsteps approaching—the door was still open. They were coming to find the source of the noise. I hadn’t even realized how loudly I had been screaming.“I didn’t mean to… She said she wouldn’t kill him.”More people gathered, and soon, our room was crowded, every face frozen in shock.A hand pressed against my back—Phil. He was saying something, but I couldn’t understand him. Austin was there too, along with some of the other advisors.A woman stepped forward.“I have to take him, Luna.”I let out a snarl. “Don’t touch him… No one touches him!”There must have been something in my voice because she stepped back immediately—so did some of the other pack members.
“There must be another way to cure him.” I insisted."There is no other way. It’s either this or he dies. We don’t have much time. If you refuse my offer, I won’t be generous enough to grant it a second time. You will have to watch him die—knowing you had the power to save him, but you refused."I held back the sob, threatening to escape my lips. They would not see me cry, especially not the woman who killed my parents.“You want a puppet; someone you can control.”“I only have one request from you, the very same one I had already mentioned. Other than that, I won’t make your decisions for you. You will rule.”“When you take away his wolf. What would he become?”"He won’t change; he will be the very same man," she said, a small smile curving on her lips. "And since I’m so generous, I’ll leave your Beta Aric, and Sarah with you to do as you wish. Punish them as you see fit."“No!” Sarah cried out, falling to her knees before the Empress. “I did as you asked of me. I did everything you
"Let me help you, Kaida," Cynthia said, her voice only a little above a whisper."I told you, I don’t need your help. Alexander will find me, and none of you will get away with this."“You’ve only been here for a few hours; besides, Amanda would hardly be considered a threat, and all the camera captured was the little girl leading you in here. He wouldn’t think you are in any form of danger.”"So, you aren’t here for the missing girl. You’ve revealed all your secret plans to me… I can’t help but wonder—why are you here? If you wanted to make me pay for what I did to you, you would have done it a long time ago."“We are getting to that. But I believe there is something you need to know. Addiction to wolfsbane may be dangerous, but stopping is even more dangerous.”For some reason, I believed her. I had seen what the withdrawal symptoms did to Alexander; it was slowly killing him, but his response remained the same anytime I asked; ‘A little while and it would pass.’ The question was, w
Empress Cynthia had read the question in my eyes before I could even ask it."I know you're curious about what your Beta wanted in exchange for betraying your trust," she said. I refused to meet her gaze—I wouldn’t let her see that I wanted to know. “He loves you; that much is clear. There were times he was willing to turn his back on his own family just to keep you safe. You were the one person he would never hurt. But when it came to choosing between you and his little sister… the choice wasn’t easy. She was the leverage I held over him. I have her locked away, far from his reach, until he completes his assignment. Everything he did—he did to keep her alive.”That was a lie.“Aric never had a sister.”"You say you cared about him, but I don’t believe that. You were always caught up in your own little world, blind to what was happening in others’—even those you called ‘family.’ You know, I wanted to reward him for his service, I believed he deserved more, but he never cared for mater