“Thane is on his way here; I should leave,” Axel said to me. I wasn’t expecting Thane; it was nowhere close to the time of his usual return. But just as Axel had said, Thane walked in.“How is she?” he asked Axel, shrugging off his suit as if I were not in the room.“She just needs more rest,” Axel said, and I felt like there was some hidden message he was trying to pass on to Thane that I wasn’t getting.“I don’t need any more rest; I've been sleeping for hours,” I piped in, and Thane smirked at that.Axel stood, leaving us alone. It was strange that being alone with Thane was just scarier.“You let Axel have sex with me?” It was more of a statement than a question.“Yes, does it bother you?” He asked, watching me. “You seem close to him, and he would never hurt you,” Thane said, joining me on the bed.Does it bother me? The weirdness of it all bothers me, but apart from that, did it really bother me? , No, not really."Is just... some Alpha wolves get possessive, and others...”“Der
The dress Thane had picked out for me wasn’t that bad. Though it revealed my back and threatened to go lower, the front was decent enough, exposing a little of my cleavage. The green dress had two slender straps and a deep slit. It was beautiful.Thane walked in, already fully dressed; of course, he didn’t need much to look as spectacular as he did now."Sit,” he says, pointing at the chair, and I take my seat, knowing if I don't, there will be consequences.He selected a large diamond necklace with matching earrings, and he put them on me. I didn’t miss his hands lingering on my neck longer than supposed. But he hadn’t stopped there; he had proceeded with my hair. It was indeed a surprise; one would never expect a man like Thane to have the patience required to learn hair styling.“How did you learn how to do this?” I asked, staring at the mirror. My hair was in an updo, and I was sure I had never looked this beautiful.“I did this for my mother a few times,” he admitted, but there w
Alpha Slade and his mate’s seats remained empty.“I need to go to the restroom” I said to Thane.“Axel can go with you.”“I can go on my own,” I say, my cheeks reddening. I didn’t think he should worry about any attack, not after the example he had set for the others. I noticed how the other pack members seemed to keep a good distance from me; they were all afraid of coming too close and I couldn’t blame them.Thane wasn’t happy about my choice, and I was very sure he would come looking for me if I took more than a few minutes. But I wasn’t planning on returning; after all that happened today, I just needed to go back to the room and shut everyone else out.It was only going to be six months. I reminded myself.I knew the way back to our room, and I had made sure to study the routes we had followed when coming here, I wasn’t about to get lost again.I exited the hall, very aware of the stares boring into me."Luna,” a female who had been leaning against the wall, called; of course, it
“How dare you disrespect me?” Slade roars, “I put a roof over your head and food in your fucking mouth. I bought you all you need, and this is how you repay me, bitch! You disrespect me!”Slade lifted the whip again, but this time I dove before Freya. He had seen me; he knew I walked in; he could have stopped the whip from hitting me, but there was a curve on his lips as the whip landed against my waist, circling itself up my ribs, very close to my cleavage. The pain was unlike any I had ever seen, and I fell to the ground, letting out a loud cry, my hands wrapping around my abdomen.Just then, he walked in.I could tell it was Thane even before the deep ear-splitting roar escaped his lips.I looked up just in time to see Thane collide against his father. Slade hadn’t been expecting the attack. Thane’s claw slashed into his father’s neck.He was vibrating, almost like he couldn’t stand on his feet, and then he switched into his wolf form. Slade was quick to switch, too. But I could te
“What do you mean?” I cried out.“Slade is not just his father; he is the Alpha King. Thane had just done the forbidden, all for you. He would have to suffer the consequences.”My breath came out fast. I shouldn’t have stepped in. Why did I always make matters worse?"Riley,” Freya called, and I looked at her with teary eyes. “Thank you,” she said, and for a moment her features softened. “But sometimes doing the right thing is not always right. Being naive would only bring you to an end.”“I couldn’t just close my ears to that; what kind of person would that make me?”“A person that survives and stays alive. Do you think a few others hadn’t at some point witnessed my punishment?” She questioned me, and I had no answer to that. If she had people who really loved her, then why did they do nothing? How could they allow this? But again, I had to remind myself that Thane never did step in.“I’m sorry, I...” I sobbed silently. I had made a very big mistake, and I knew it. I didn’t miss the f
It was late at night. I lay on the bed with Thane beside me, but he hadn’t said a single word to me. I had expected to be punished; maybe he was only devising some suitable punishments to administer, that would explain why he had been so silent. I didn’t think he was sleeping.“Thane...”“Go back to sleep, Riley,” he says, but the last thing I could do now was sleep.“Would you punish me for what I did earlier?” That was a stupid question. Of course I would be punished; maybe I would bear some scars like Freya. No, I wouldn’t allow that. But then what will I do to stop it?, fight him?, run?, scream?I could do nothing.“Is this what is keeping you awake?” He asks, and though I wasn’t looking at him, from his tone, I knew there must be a smirk on his face.“There are many other questions.”“Like?” he asked.“Your mother talked about you being punished for doing the forbidden.”“You shouldn’t be worried about that.”“You are the Alpha...”“And he is the Alpha King. There are these ancie
I didn’t think sleeping would be possible, not with the news Thane had shared that the Elders were already in the pack and he would be punished by the early hours of dawn. He had told me not to worry about him; he didn’t seem unsettled in any way. To him, it was just another night, but I, on the other hand, couldn’t sleep. Also, why would Freya warn me about falling in love with Thane? He was her son; isn’t she supposed to protect him?.I knew better than to fall in love with Thane, that was for sure, but I could not deny that he was a very alluring man, and Axel...I felt like my life had become nothing but a mirage that could only exist in a girl’s fantasies. I wouldn’t say I was free with Thane now; knots still formed in my stomach when he was close. Axel was safe, but I had seen a new part of him; he wasn’t as innocent as I thought he was; he had some darkness too, and maybe it was worst in his case, because I never knew what to expect from him.“Riley”, Thane called and that star
I woke up only to discover that I was alone. It was few hours to dawn.Where was Thane?, I sat up from the bed.“You need more sleep." Axel – who I hadn’t realized was in the room, said to me. How did they always go in and out without me noticing?, was I really that deep a sleeper?“Where is Thane?” I asked.“Gone”“Gone, where?”“You don’t need to worry; he’ll be back in a while, and I’ll be here with you,” Axel said.I put on a coat over my nightgown and headed for the door.“Where are you going?” Axel asked“I know he is about to be punished; I need to be there.”“He doesn’t want you there,” Axel answered.“I don’t fucking care what he wants,” I said. The movement was fast. Axel had been over there a while ago, and now he was standing right before the door, startling me. With his intense gaze on me, I swallowed. I always had to remind myself that Axel was just as dangerous and scary as Thane. “I’m sorry. Could you just take me there, please?” I begged, force couldn’t exactly do it.
Despite making it clear that I wanted him gone, he easily pushed past me and walked into my room. I slammed the door a bit too hard.“What! What is it you want to talk about?”“Would you listen?”“Well, you didn’t give me an option now, did you?”“Once you spoke about the both of us, leaving the pack behind and going far away… I couldn’t do that because of Vox, but with him gone…”“No.”“What do you mean, ‘no’?”“It is exactly what you think. I will not go anywhere with you.”“So you had said that only to… fool me?” he asked, the hurt clear in his eyes.“That had been why you didn’t aid Vox, hadn’t it? Because you believed that if he was dead, then there would be nothing in the way.” I asked, and his silence confirmed it.“I should have known. As long as Thane lives, there will be no space for another.” He said, and his eyes… They held a promise. He turned, heading for the door, but I blocked him.“You will not harm Thane.”“Of course.” He said, a smirk on his face. “I won’t.”I slamm
Bruce watched Jade; her eyes trailed to the amulet in his hands.“So what will it be now, Jade?”“I’ll have the Jewel back.”“I can’t give it to you; I have made a bargain with Vox. The life of my daughter, the queen, will be at risk if I do not have this at the time of Vox's return.” “There has to be another way.”“There is no other way.”“Then I’m sorry.” Jade says. It wasn’t wise to make an enemy of the sorceress, but he had made a promise to Riley; she would be disappointed if he failed her.He closed his eyes and muttered a spell. He didn’t want to hurt the sorceress, but he wanted her out of the way. The spell would only make her fall into a deep slumber; the moment this was over, she would awaken.He opened his eyes, only to see Jade unfazed. “I came prepared; I knew you wouldn’t be willing to give it up so easily.”The warlock didn’t expect the kick Jade had sent at him; she was never a physical person. She got him hard in the kneecap, and he had let go of the amulet, she us
“You must have thought me stupid. Do you for one moment think I didn’t have a backup?I might have had high hopes that you didn’t kill Ralph, but I was no fool; I know who you are and what you are good at. You don’t keep to your words, and so I made sure I was protected. There is a reason I have lived for so many years.” Jade says, the smile remained on her face, “I know how to stay alive.”Her eyes glowed.“I will send you to the otherworld, where you belong.”“No! Daemon, kill them all!” he commanded, but Daemon didn’t move an inch.“I did warn you; you are setting yourself up for destruction. You didn’t listen; you brought it upon yourself.”“I will return, I promise you… and when I do, every one of you will pay!” His words held a promise.“And how long will that take?” Daemon asked. “A century? Two? Three?” “The tendrils… They stop him from using any of his powers.” Jade explains, “Even Nexus herself has her favorites, and it turns out… you aren't one of her favorites.”Jade’s ey
RILEY’S POVBruce had pleaded with me to trust him. I wish I could; I wish his words were enough. But Seeing was believing. Still, I had no other choice; there was no way around it. It was either I play along, or I let Vox know that the amulet wasn’t in my keep—that would lead to my death or a punishment ‘much worse than death.’We had only a few hours left.A few hours, and Vox would be here, right outside Bruce's house. This decision was going to determine ‘everything.’. I tried to keep calm; I had to put on my big girl’s panties. Fear was no good in times like this; it didn’t let people think straight. I was a queen; it was time I showed it.Too soon, the time was up. Three days was spent.Vox was right on time, with Daemon by his side.I and Bruce stood by the doorway of his building.“We meet again, young warlock.” Vox says to Bruce.“Has the Demon Overlord decided that I have suffered enough for my crimes?”“No punishment would ever be adequate for the atrocities you committed.
I finally snapped back to my senses and joined him, placing my feet over Logan's chest to keep him from moving. Axel thrust the sword into his heart and twisted. “Now look who won’t be seeing the light of day.” I said to him as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. I turned to Axel, still astonished. “The warlock had opened the portal. I don’t know how I managed to get here, but I don’t have much time. I can feel it—the portal is about to shut.” Axel said. “Thank you.” I said to him, accepting the sword from his hands. “I can’t believe even in death, I’m still saving your ass; you need to give me a raise or something.” He demanded. The smile faded from his face almost instantly. “Riley—what about Riley? Did she survive?” “Yes, she did, and we have a child… His name is Ethan.” “Let me guess, you came up with the name?” “It was a joint contribution, but… yeah, I did.” “Make sense; Ethan is clearly a rewrite of your name, Thane.” “I didn’t have that in mind.” “Yeah, yeah
I picked up the sword and staggered to my feet.“I have dreamt of this day.” He began. “You were the brother who got everything he wanted; even the moon goddess was on your side, but I… I never got those things. Don’t you think I wanted them to? Don’t you think I wanted to stay away from the shadows and rule? Don’t you think I wanted my name spread abroad?”“It is not my fault you chose to be a coward; no one forced you into hiding, but you were afraid of your own shadow. I will always be willing to take the risk—because that’s what living means.”I was right; he knew it, and that maddened him. I watch the frown curve on his lips.His sword came at me, but I blocked it. He didn’t stop with the attack; he came at me again and again. I hated the feeling of weakness; I hated the fact that we were unmatched and I was lacking. I wasn’t as fast as I used to be, nor was I as strong, but I wasn’t giving up either.I managed to give him a nick in the shoulders.He growled, coming at me harder
THANE POVMy system slowly got accustomed to the pain the Lycan’s bane brought, or maybe I was just getting numb.I barely heard the footsteps approaching. It was Flynn; Slade followed next.“This is almost too sad to watch.” Slade began. “Watching a powerful man fall from grace is indeed sad; it reminds me of what I had to suffer.”I gave no response.“The time has come.” Flynn said, “He is weak enough; the ritual can be completed.”He placed down the brown bag he had brought along with him. He took out some bottles from the bag; I could only recognize one, the smaller bottle in the middle filled with a blackish liquid. I recognized it because that was the very same thing which had been continually administered to me from time to time. Lycan's Bane.“For Slade to take over your body, you will have to be killed. I will give you a minute. Do you have any last words?” He asked, eyebrows cocked at me.What was he expecting me to say? Perhaps I could make promises that I will get back at
“So… Do you have the amulet?” Daemon asked me as I got dressed.“Not exactly.”He was right in front of me in the next second, forcing me to take a step back. “You know you have to stop doing that.”“Riley, you don’t play games with Vox. He will have you killed, and for leading him on, he might exact a punishment worse than death on you.”“I know that.” I admitted, running my hands through my hair — something I had seen Thane do when he is agitated. “He says he has it.”“Who?”“Bruce.”“And you believe him?”“I don’t have an option.”“Stop saying that; you do—or at least you ‘did.’. You didn’t have to play hero; if you remained at the pack, Vox wouldn’t have any wish to kill you; you would have been safe.”“You are right; I did have an option.” I agreed. “Just not one I was willing to take.”He took a step back. “Have it your way then. You’ve always been stubborn.”I took a deep inhale. “I need your help.”“You need my help?” he asked, surprised by my statement.“Yes. Vox only gave
“Did you for one moment think about what would happen if things had gone the other way? – I mean, Vox could have killed you even before you had the chance to place a bargain.” Daemon said to me, and his worry for me still caught me by surprise.“Believe me, that did cross my mind more than once.”“And yet you were willing to risk it all for… him.”"Yes, I was," I answered, making myself comfortable in one of the office chairs. “Things are going to change, Daemon, and it will happen really, really fast.”“You seem so confident now; it looks like you’ve forgotten what I can do to you.”“No, I haven’t, but you see, Vox would want me alive now more than ever, so you can’t really kill me.”“I don’t have to kill you to have my fun.” He reminded me, a smile curved on his lips, exposing his fangs. I held back a shiver as the memory of how it felt when he bit me flashed past my mind. I had hated it because my body loved it; I hated it because I had no control, and he... Daemon was in full cont