Grayson finally walked out of the room after what felt like hours; the girl's sobs still stung my ears. I sat and I did… nothing.An elderly woman rushed into the room, perhaps to nurse the girl—that’s what I thought until I saw her walk out with the white sheet that was now stained with blood. A lot of blood. She threw the sheet into the air, and many reached for it, cheering for their Alpha.“A screamer she is… but I do like screamers.” He said with a smile.Grayson walked up to us. “Join us; the feast is about to begin.”Alexander rose, stretching his hand for mine; I rose without his help. Grayson led the way to the hall where we were meant to eat, drink, and party like a girl hadn’t been violently taken just a while ago. Our soldiers walked a good distance behind us.“Please, take your seats! Enjoy!” Grayson says, and we took the two chairs at the head of the table; he sat on the single one opposite us. The others joined in, taking their seats. Our soldiers took the first five ch
I rolled over on the bed—wait. Bed? My eyes snapped open. “Alexander?” I called, but there was no one in the room. Just then, the door creaked open, and a familiar scent filled the air. His scent. “Alexander!” I called again, and finally, he appeared before me. “I went to get you some food.” He said a smile—not a smirk, a smile on his face. I stared down at his hands; he held a tray of food. He was in a black t-shirt and jeans—I had never seen him in casual clothes before, and… damn, was he hot. “Are you… are you okay?” he asked. “Yes, I am.” I pulled off the covers and rose to my feet. A sudden dizziness overcame me, and I lost my balance. Before I could fall, Alexander caught me. The tray still remained in his other hand. “You should rest some more and eat too.” He said, leading me back to the bed. I accepted the tray of food. “I am glad you are awake; the past two days were not very exciting. I spent the last forty-eight hours worrying myself to near death." I had been asleep
In a few days, the wolfsbane was completely out of my system, I could finally walk without any support. So I decided to pay Aric a visit. I knocked on the door to his apartment, and as if he had been waiting right there, he opened it immediately and pulled me into a hug. “I wanted to visit you and see how you were doing, but Alexander is a bit more possessive of you now.” “It’s alright; I’m fine now.” Finally, he pulled away and shut the door behind him. “You would have died—I should have gone with you.” “But I didn’t. All thanks to Alexander.” “I might not like the Alpha very much, but I will always be grateful to him for this.” "He saved my life, and that’s why I’m here. I want to know what happened to the Gray Moon Pack and how I was able to make it here alive. "I don’t know all the details, but I heard that every pack member at the Wedding Feast was burned alive—none survived. What’s strange is that the fire didn’t spread. It never went past the hall; it just... quenc
Alexander wasn’t in his office; neither was he in the meeting room.I walked into Phil’s—one of the council members and the eldest among them all."Luna," he called, bowing.“Phil. I wonder if you have an idea where the Alpha is now.”“He is in the bar, Luna— I don’t advise you go to him now.“Why?” I asked.“He is a bit… occupied.”“Point me in the direction to the bar and I’ll be on my way.”.If he was having sex with a whore, I would feel it.I stopped before the 'bar.' The only thing blocking my view of the room was a curtain made of beads. I took a deep breath and walked in.The place reeked of alcohol as expected. I spotted Alexander; he had a bottle in his hand, and sitting beside him was Austin, another council member.Three naked women danced on poles; the one in the middle had her eyes trained on Alexander. The strange feeling I had felt earlier in the Gray Moon Pack resurfaced. Jealousy. I didn’t like the fact that Alexander watched them, though he made no move towards her
Alexander was in a fresh pair of pants, though I didn’t think he minded being naked.“You should join me for a drink, Kaida.” he offered.I did need a drink. I walked to him, trying to hide the discomfort I felt between my legs. I had asked for it, and I was given just that. It was fun; it was exciting, but now, all I could feel was pain. I had no regrets, though; I would do it all over again if time was taken back.Alexander helped me to the stool beside him.I accepted the glass filled with a light brown liquid. I didn’t mind asking what it was; I drank it all. He stared at me. “I’m a very bad influence on you.” He said.“You are.” I agreed, adjusting on the seat.“You are sore and in pain.”“I’m not.”“You don’t have to lie; I can see that. Perhaps I went too hard.”“I asked for it.”“You weren’t ready. I shouldn’t have listened to you.”“I was. I was ready.” I said and his eyes fixed on me. “I… I wanted to give you everything ‘they’ would give, so you won’t have a reason to want t
It was a dream. That much I could tell.I watched a younger version of myself lying on the bed, sickly thin. Her skin was pale as snow, and her breaths came in labored gasps. Beside her was my father, Alpha Trent, in his prime. He was handsome as I always knew he was, but he had a pained look on his face as he watched me; I was dying, and I could see that.“Nothing can be done for her—we’ve done all we could, but the sickness… we don’t understand it; we’ve never seen a thing like it.” a female healer said to him.“She can’t die.” My father says, “She’s all I have, and she cannot die. There has to be a way.”The healer walked closer to him. “There might be another option—the healer's lilies. But I would never recommend it; if it doesn’t work… she would die.”“Do it,” my father says without even a single hesitation.“Alpha, are you sure?”“Yes. She would die anyway; do it.”“The flowers are up the Everveil mountains—my grandmother told me about them. I know how to pluck them and keep th
ALIYA’S POVTrian rarely speaks.I wish he did; he stood there, day and night, but never uttered a word. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. The last time we spoke, he said he was from the North, which explained his pale skin; the Aureonnas had darker shades.“What is life in the North like?” I asked him.“Cold.” Was his only response. It was clear he didn’t want to speak to me.I picked up a book and began reading. I hadn’t even heard him move, but he was right before me.“You move very quietly.”“Do I?”“Yes.”“Every soldier should possess that skill, don’t you think?”“You are right.” I said, not comfortable with a man being this close. He sat beside me on the bed, and it took everything in me to sit still.“The North is more than just a cold place. As I told you before, there are humans, a lot of them, but there are also… werewolves. In the North, the werewolves still live in medieval times, doing things the old-fashioned way—just like the Aureonnas, your people, still do. T
About five minutes passed, and there was still no sign of her.“Empress!” I called out. “Empress…”Just then, she broke through the surface. Her face looked different—youthful. She had entered the pool looking to be in her forties, but when she emerged, she appeared to be in her late twenties.“Empress, you look…”“Beautiful, magnificent… I know.”“How?”“The water, many believe the god of light once bathed in these waters; it’s called the Lake of Youth—It was once bigger than this, but, well, this is all that remains of it.”She put on her clothes..“It was like time had reversed, and she was given her youth again.” I said to Trian when we were back in my room.“It seems to me that you would like to take a dip in the Lake of Youth one day.”“Of course, not… the Empress would never let me.”“You fear the Empress like she is a god.”“She is a powerful woman.”“I agree, not many men alive could build a community as big as this one. But have you ever thought about how exciting it would
ALEXANDER’S POVMy blurred vision slowly cleared, and I realized I was in what looked like a small, empty room.The wall facing me was made of thick, transparent glass.I couldn’t tell how they managed to get me in here—there was no window or door, only a narrow slot likely meant for passing food and letting in just enough air to keep the ‘prisoner’ alive.I could only assume there was some kind of hidden entrance.My hands and ankles were bound with thick silver chains.The chains felt excessive—I could barely move a muscle.More wolfsbane than I’d ever consumed in my entire life had been pumped into my system, completely immobilizing me and filling me with this nauseating, sickly feeling. I hadn’t realized I was shivering until I noticed the tremble in my fingers.The room was chillingly cold, and with the wolfsbane suppressing my werewolf abilities, I was no exception to the cold. I tried to summon flames. Nothing.Maybe I was just too weak to summon the flames. The crushing feeli
1KADIA’S POVWhen I discovered the news of my pregnancy, I had been so happy. But I knew a lot would have to change.I had to be more cautious—for the baby. That meant I wouldn’t be able to keep training the pack soldiers for much longer. Of course, I’d have to give up that duty eventually and it had become a part of my life. I would have to watch my diet, too. And then there were other things. Like the fact that I would grow big, and I might not look the same. My toned stomach which I had spent years working on would be no more.This had been the type of life I once abhorred, but everything was different now—I wanted this. I could see a future with Alexander, filled with laughter and little kids running around, and the thought made me smile.Lara was the first person to find out I was pregnant.After I discovered the pregnancy test was unmistakably positive, I was as scared as I was excited.Lara happened to be visiting the pack, and we kind of bumped into each other. She was all s
KAIDA’S POVThe flesh-eaters were all gone. Packs that had been destroyed were slowly rebuilding; the chaos had finally settled. But there were still many things to attend to—like the few humans who now knew that dangerous supernatural beings lived among them.The human president had reached out to us; He was ready to pay whatever sum was needed to keep creatures like the ‘flesh-eaters’ away, as they could cause civil unrest among the people. He was willing to pay even more so things could return to the way they were when humans and supernatural beings lived separately.Alexander sent a letter back, assuring him that the ‘creatures’ were gone and that things would continue as usual. What they didn’t realize was that many werewolves and supernatural beings already lived among humans. They owned major companies and enterprises worldwide. From popular clothing brands to tech products, much of it was secretly controlled by the werewolf community.One constant worry lingered on my mind —
JADE POVEarlierI had chosen to spend my final hours in the little underground lair just beneath the small house I owned.At the other side of the room, trapped behind a magical wall, was a flesh-eater. I had captured it and brought it back here. If Aliyah does go through with her words, then the creature wouldn’t last until the next day.Hours passed, and the beast remained caged—still alive, still stupidly trying to push through the magical barrier I had created to contain it, no matter how many times it got scarred from trying.I wouldn’t blame the girl if she backed out; she had every right to make that decision. She was young and in love—it wasn’t easy to let go of everything for people who were mostly strangers.Beside me was a picture of Ralph. The only one I had, and the only thing that had accompanied me through the years. Many would say I lived a lonely life, but that was the only way I knew how to live—though it hadn’t always been that way.I thought back to when Ralph wa
DAEMONAliya was in the same silk white nightgown she’d slept in. A soft breeze blew through her silver hair. She looked surreal, like an angel. “I have to do this.” She said, and I could see the determination in her eyes.“No, you don’t have to do this. I told you I would find a way…”“There is no other way.” she said, cutting me off. “This is the only way. I can end the war, and this is what I have to do to end it.”I’d remember those words in the dream I had. She’d told me how she could “end the war.”Those eyes stared at me like she could read exactly what I was thinking.“Do you love me enough to let me go?” she whispered—and that’s when it hit me: it was never a dream. “The undead would be gone if Solene died. The war would end if I took my life—with this dagger.”“Tell me one thing, Aliyah. If you were in my place, would you let me go?” I asked. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She didn’t answer, maybe because we both knew what that answer was. “Why in the hell do you think
ALIYAHI stood watching the lake.The memory of what had happened here resurfaced, and I smiled. There were still so many things I had yet to do, so many adventures waiting out there.I looked down at the dazzling diamond on the engagement ring Daemon had given me. It must have cost a fortune, but that wasn’t why I thought it was beautiful. It would always be my most prized possession because of what it signified.Now I could see the truth—Daemon would have given up his title to be with me.I didn’t deserve his love. I didn’t deserve him. And yet, I wanted him.The best days of my life were the ones I spent with Daemon. Truly, he was the greatest gift life had given me, and I would always be grateful for that.But I had to make a decision.**FLASHBACK**“I need to speak to the girl alone,” Jade said, and I watched the others walk away, leaving me alone with the sorceress.“I remember it all,” I confessed. “I remember how many people died because of me… how many others I killed.”“That
“What did I taste like?” Aliyah asked.“Different… better.” If that was even possible.“That’s because I still have her powers. Even if she’s locked away, she’s still in there.”“You feel her?” I asked.“I hear her. She never stops reminding me that my time is ticking.” Aliyah said.“I will make her pay for what she did to you,” I promised.“She will pay.”…In moments like this, we truly see the vanities of life. Wealth, power, titles—none of them hold any true value. What truly matters are the small, fleeting moments shared with the people you love. Those are the things that endure.Time, too, is a precious thing. It belongs to no one, and no one can stop it. Aliyah walked out of the bathroom.“This is the best bath I’ve had in a really, really long time.”“Would have been better with me in there.”“Maybe, but I’m sore, and we both know you can’t keep your hands to yourself.”“You’re right about that. Now take a seat.”“Why?”"Or stand, if you prefer," I said, watching her raise an
DAEMON’S POVThis wasn’t a dream.It was real; Aliyah was back.All I wanted to do was apologize, over and over again, for every wrong I’d done to her. I wanted to beg for forgiveness, but we only had a single day, and I wasn’t going to waste a second of it. I just wanted to make her happy and give her something to hold onto.“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” I asked, and she smiled.“Yes, you have, but hearing it a few more times wouldn’t hurt.”I’d decided to take her away from this pack—to somewhere far from all the chaos and everything that had been happening these past few days.“How did it feel?” I asked, and I didn’t need to say more, she understood exactly what I meant.“Awful. I was there, and yet… not. I couldn’t see what was happening, couldn’t control anything—but I could hear. I heard everything.” She looked up at me. “I did hear when she tried seducing you. And I felt her embarrassment when you turned her down.”Her smile widened.“She might have your body, y
KADIA’S POVTwo packs had been attacked by the flesh-eaters; only a few survivors escaped.The other packs were strengthening their security to avoid being caught off guard. Humans weren’t exempted; many had reportedly gone ‘missing.’ Though their government was doing its best to cover things up, it wouldn’t be long before they could no longer dismiss it as a ‘serial killer attack,’ the work of ‘kidnappers,’ or even ‘wild animal attacks.’We continued to receive a flood of messages from packs allied with us, requesting aid and weapons. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t help them all. The Nightshade Pack was under curfew—only patrollers and soldiers were allowed outside after nightfall. It was a necessary safety measure, even though the flesh-eaters still lingered to the south.I watched as Alexander opened an envelope and pulled out a letter.“What’s that?” I asked.“A letter requesting aid. What’s the pack’s financial situation?” he asked, and I pulled out the file.“It’s the