“Don’t be afraid; you’ve come to confess your sins and plead for mercy from the god of light; you have nothing to fear.” Julia said to me, and I nodded, but my eyes remained on the ground.High Regent Gregold rose to his feet and walked to my side.“Together, we are gathered here with the god of light’s Chosen; she has made a mistake and is here to atone for her mistakes.”“Go on.” Julia encouraged, and I finally looked up.“I had disgraced myself, this house, and everything sacred. I had brought shame and reproach; all the while I thought I was right; I thought I was missing something, but I was wrong. Everything I had ever needed was in here, but I failed to see it. I had been blinded by my own selfishness. Empress Julia helped me see my mistakes and…” I broke down, sobbing. Crying wasn’t a hard task for me; it was easy to let a few tears slide down my cheeks. “I feel so ashamed of myself; I was weak. I do not deserve the god of light’s mercy, but I plead for it. I promise to never
ALEXANDER POV**NINE YEARS AGO**My mother, Riley, stared at me from a distance. I could see the longing in her eyes—the need to be close to her son. I saw her almost every single day—except for the times she locked herself away in her room, and yet, there seemed to be this distance between us; we could never have a normal mother-to-son relationship. I knew that. The bruise on my neck still stung, a wound inflicted by her—but I knew she hadn’t been in her right mind. I could tell the moment the switch flipped and her demon took control. I was strong enough to fight her now, but I’d rather die than hurt my own mother. The pain from each bite was bearable, but the thought of raising a hand against the woman who gave me life—that, I couldn’t endure.I waved awkwardly at her, and she smiled, teary-eyed.I walked towards her; her eyes widened in panic, and she turned around returning to her room, fleeing down the passageways, but I followed after her, and before she could shut the door on
It had never gone this far before. This was the first time she had nearly drained me dry, and I knew it would not be the last.I awoke in the healing room; my vision blurred, but I could faintly make out my father’s figure standing beside me.“Where is she?”“She is in her room.” he answered.I felt a slight fear—not for myself, but for her. Something was about to go terribly wrong. And I was right.She didn’t visit, not even after I was discharged from the healers. The scar on my arms was another addition to the others, but I really didn’t care about the scars; if anyone asked, I usually came up with some crap story about how I had been bitten by a wild animal.After a whole month of not getting even a glimpse of my mother’s face, I went to visit her. I knocked on the door to her apartment, but there was no response. The bad feeling that had been growing stronger since I woke up in the healing room was even worse now. Stepping back, I broke down the door.I walked into her apartment
ALEXANDER POV**PRESENT**“Thanks for coming.” I said to Sebastian who had his arms wrapped around Kate’s waist.They hadn’t been hard to find—maybe because they wanted to be found.“It is my pleasure; I am glad you reconsidered.” Sebastian responded.“I am glad to see you once again, Ethan.” Kate said. She didn’t seem to notice her slip; she had called me by the very name I abhorred. Acting had never been difficult for me; in fact, it had become second nature. But for some reason, around these two, keeping my emotions in check felt like a struggle. Still, I had made a promise to get through this, and I intended to keep it.“Welcome to the Nightshade pack.” I said, forcing on a smile that didn’t feel at all welcoming.I led them into the pack house and straight to the meeting room.“An apartment will be assigned to you—stay as long as you need," I said. Just as long as you keep out of my way and I don’t have to see you.“Son…” Sebastian began, but he must have seen something in my ey
I returned to my private chambers. I wanted to see Kaida so badly; she only could take away the tension I felt.The moment I walked in, I spotted her; she stood completely naked, her back, or rather, her ass, to me. I felt myself harden instantly. All I wanted to do was bend her over and sink my cock deep into her warmth; I yearned for her, and damn, was she my darkest obsession.She turned immediately when she heard my footsteps.“You’re back.” She said with a smile, looking slightly nervous.“You’re naked.” I pointed out.“Yes, I am. Would you prefer me fully clothed?” She asked innocently, but there was nothing innocent about this girl, named Kaida.She walked to me, swaying her hips; I watched her breasts bounce with every stride she took. gods, she was going to be the death of me. All the tension I felt disappeared, and all I could think about was her. She had that power over me. I felt my wolf pushing at my boundaries; he wanted a taste of her too.She stopped right before me, a
I could tell she wasn’t sleeping—something was on her mind."You asked me once if I believed in you," she began, and I turned to her."I remember that," I said. I could never forget her words: 'I will always believe in you—even when others don’t, even when you don’t believe in yourself,' she had said.“Now I want you to do something for me; it might be too much to ask.”“What is it?” I questioned, there was only little I wouldn’t do for her, if only she knew that."I want you to believe in me too. I want you to trust that I’ll make the right decisions." I stared at her, wondering what she wasn’t telling me, before I could question her; she spoke on, perhaps to change the topic. “How did the meeting with your grandparents go?”“I spent half the time contemplating if I made the right decision inviting them in. Sebastian had a lot to say; he believes my ‘ability’ is somehow tied to my stepbrother, Daemon.” I paused, realizing Kaida might not know much about my stepbrother.“I know Daemo
The first thing I noticed when I awoke was the empty bed—Kaida was not by my side.So many times, I had spent my nights with women and left before they even woke; I had never once thought about how painful it was for them until now.Kaida wasn’t in our apartment either.The second thing I noticed was that it was already well past noon.I had been sleeping for hours—that was unlike me. I was never a deep sleeper; even the smallest noises were enough to wake me. The real question was, how had she managed to leave without me noticing? And how the hell did I sleep until noon?I rose from bed, putting on a new pair of pants and an ash grey shirt, and I walked out of my room.She was not in the training grounds either. There was only one person that would know where exactly she was. I stopped by Aric's room and knocked. There was no response.Well, I tried.I forced the door open, breaking the lock. I didn’t care that I was invading his privacy—I didn’t care what I had to invade to find her
KAIDA’S POVMy plan had worked perfectly, even though at every step I expected it to fail.I had taken a dose of the sleeping potion. I had drugged myself just to get to him, but I also had the antidote, a capsule hidden in my palm.I felt guilty even as I kissed him; he had given me so much that night, and I was going to hurt him in return. I had no right to do that, and yet I did. The moment we were on the bed and I felt the drug working its way into my head, making me warm and drowsy, I swallowed the pill, freeing myself from its grasp. Alexander, on the other hand, didn’t seem the least bit affected. I feared the potion had no effect on him.I forced my breathing to steady, forced myself to relax, and somehow drifted into a light sleep. I was still very aware of the time. Alex had finally fallen asleep, I didn’t think I would get a chance like this ever again.I slipped from his firm hold a few hours before dawn. He stirred—damn, the drug wasn’t as effective on him as I had hope
A small frown etched on my face.“It is, that’s his handwriting.” I argued.“Maybe, but that last line… it’s not his words.”That had been my very thought, but maybe no one really knew my father.“He knew I could do it.”“He mated you to me and gave me his pack too—to keep you safe. Why in the world would he send you to kill the person who he was trying to save you from?” he asked and I stared at him, speechless.“Did you kill her?” he asked. “The empress?”I nodded.“How?”“Silver bullets. I shot her thrice in the heart.”“And you believe she is dead?”“I shot…”“I know you shot her thrice, but if bullets could kill them, they would all be dead now, don’t you think?”"What are you saying?" I asked. My hands shook slightly, so I clasped them together to steady them.“I’m saying there is a high possibility she still lives. I don’t believe in their god but I know that physical methods are hardly ever enough to kill any of those empresses. They’ve been blessed with the gift of immortalit
ALEXANDER POVThis was the last place they had been. It was an apartment owned by Aric.My chest tightened. Had she slept with him here?I could pick the locks, but I didn’t bother with that, I broke down the door. I was right, she had been here, there was no mistaking it, her scent filled the place and it was fucking intoxicating.I entered the apartment and searched the rooms. As expected, she was already gone. In the last room, her scent hit me stronger than anywhere else in the house. A few of her clothes were still left in here.That could only mean one thing—she was coming back. I returned to the living room and stopped when I saw the table. Pictures were scattered across it.I sat on the couch and looked through the pictures. They were all of the same woman—Cynthia. I knew her. Empress Cynthia.What the hell did Kaida have to do with this woman?There were many write-ups and notes too. I read through them all, not caring about the fact that this might be seen as intruding. Ther
KADIA’S POVI searched for the light brown eyes that had stared at me from those pictures—and I found them. She looked younger than she had in the photos.Fury filled my chest. Anger burned through me. She was the one who had taken my parents from me.I fired. Three times.It was over too soon, too quick. It felt almost too easy..“You killed her, didn’t you?” Aric asked.“I think.” I responded but I wasn’t unsure. The silver bullets had dug through her heart, thrice, my aim was perfect, I never missed.“You don’t seem very content with your success; I expected more complications.”Me too.“I took her out too quickly; I could have captured her and made her death last longer; I should have put her through pain till she begged for death; my face should have been the last thing she saw before she died, slowly and painfully.”“She is an Empress. These people do not serve beneath the Alpha King or Queen; they are a city of their own. This was the smartest way to end her; delaying her deat
"We are gathered here to witness the great Encounter. The Chosen will see the god of light, face to face; they will become one body, one soul. This is the dawn of a new era..."Julia’s voice trailed off as I noticed a female figure enter. She should have been hard to spot in the crowd, but I easily found her. She was dressed in all black, a hood covering her hair and a mask shielding the lower half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible.Grey eyes.I had seen those grey eyes somewhere; I tried to pick out where I saw them from, and then I remembered.When I visited the Nightshade Pack with the other Empresses and regent, I had seen those same Grey eyes, it belonged to the Luna. I remembered how drawn I was to her; for some reason, I knew she was different. If this was indeed the Werewolf Queen Kaida, what was she doing here in the South, so far from her home?Everything seemed to go in slow-mode, her eyes stopped on me, she didn’t give me more than a glance, those grey eyes were
It took more than a minute for the shock to wear off and then the anger set in. He came, just as he had said he would, but now he couldn’t save me, it was too late. The encounter was only a few hours away; he couldn’t sneak me out of this place, not without being caught. If he had been here even a day earlier, we would have had the chance, but now… it was sealed.“You are back.” I said, keeping the enthusiasm away from my voice.“You don’t sound particularly happy about that.”“That’s because I am not. You shouldn’t have come.” The second sentence was a lie, even if I was doomed to this fate, I still wanted to see his face one more time.His expression remained calm and controlled. “I’m sorry I came late.”“That’s fine. Well now, you don’t have a chance to rescue me.”“Are you mad at me?”“Of course, I am mad at you, Trian.”“Why? I told you I would return for you, and here I am.”He didn’t understand; he might have gotten away with a few things in the past, but he wouldn’t get away
ALIYA’S POVThree weeks had passed.Three weeks of waiting for Trian’s return. I didn’t doubt him; he would be back for me, but he would be too late.For some reason I felt like ‘The Encounter’ with the goddess of light was going to change me, totally and completely; I wouldn’t be the same person I was. In a way, it felt like my end.Julia became more friendly, always wanting to be close. Some nights ago, she had sung me to sleep. That was very unlike her. Just like me, I knew everything she did was an act; she wanted me to remain on my best behavior now more than ever. This was important to not just her but the whole city.She had told me that almost the whole city would be gathered for the ceremony. I didn’t know how I would be able to handle so many eyes on me. I couldn’t hold back the tears that slipped down my cheeks. I had believed he would make it back to me in time before it was too late, I should have known it was wishful thinking, this was my destiny and I would have to live
ALEXANDER’S POVI knew what was happening the moment I felt the pain—Kaida was having sex. The day I took her virginity, I vowed to change—for her. Now, I was reconsidering that very promise. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who she was with: her beta, Aric. I was going to fucking kill him, but then again, Kaida considered him as family. I should be angry at her, but yet here I sat wondering if this was what she was forced to bear when I was with other women.Could this be her own way of getting back at me? I did deserve it, no doubt, but I had believed that Kadia and I had formed something together, a bond or at least an agreement. I was wrong. A thought flashed past my mind; what if she wasn’t willing doing this? What if she was being forced?Fuck.Kaida couldn’t be forced to do anything— she was a force to be reckoned with and she hadn’t gone alone, she had taken him along. Still, I didn’t like the idea of sitting here and doing nothing, I wanted to go find her, for all I kn
“Welcome to my humble home.” Aric said and I stared at the building in awe. There was nothing humble about this place.“This is beyond…” My expectations—I wanted to say, but I quickly chose another word. “…beyond amazing. Nice place,” I complimented.“Thank you. Feel at home; this is your place as much as it is mine.” He said with a warm smile.It was a modern house with glass walls and modern furniture; the floors gleamed; it must have been recently cleaned, but looking around, I saw no cleaners or maids, the house was completely empty.“They come in from time to time to clean the place.” He explained, already reading the question off my eyes. "Aureonna City is only twelve hours away—assuming you run in your wolf form."I wished we could get closer to the city, but this would have to do for now.Aric took my bag, tucking it away. “Do you want anything to eat? Drink?”“No. Not really.”"It was a long run—you must be dehydrated. I’ve kept this place stocked so we’d never go hungry whil
KAIDA’S POVMy plan had worked perfectly, even though at every step I expected it to fail.I had taken a dose of the sleeping potion. I had drugged myself just to get to him, but I also had the antidote, a capsule hidden in my palm.I felt guilty even as I kissed him; he had given me so much that night, and I was going to hurt him in return. I had no right to do that, and yet I did. The moment we were on the bed and I felt the drug working its way into my head, making me warm and drowsy, I swallowed the pill, freeing myself from its grasp. Alexander, on the other hand, didn’t seem the least bit affected. I feared the potion had no effect on him.I forced my breathing to steady, forced myself to relax, and somehow drifted into a light sleep. I was still very aware of the time. Alex had finally fallen asleep, I didn’t think I would get a chance like this ever again.I slipped from his firm hold a few hours before dawn. He stirred—damn, the drug wasn’t as effective on him as I had hope