ALIYA’S POV Three 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
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
"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
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
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
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
ALIYA POVWe pulled up in front of a house that resembled the one Trian owned in Aureonna City.“How many houses do you own?”He smirked, “You don’t want to know.”“I do, actually.”“A lot.” He answered.“Why do you need so many houses?”“I used to be a traveler, obsessed with owning houses.” He admitted, before leading me into the house. We didn’t stop at the living area; he led me to one of the rooms.The design in this room felt more masculine.“This is your room, isn’t it?”“Yes,” he answered.I ventured deeper into the room, looking around the place; my eyes landed on the king-size bed in the middle. Dark thoughts filled my mind, but I managed to force my eyes away from the bed.“Those three weeks that I was away… I thought about you. It felt like an obsession, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”“I thought about you too, every single day.” I admitted, walking back to him, I took his hands in mine. “I believe in you now, fully and completely.”“I haven’t earned it, Aliya.”“
Trian spread my legs wide, until I was completely vulnerable to him, I tried hiding away from him once again but he wouldn’t have that.That was the thing about Trian, he doesn’t asks for things, he demands for them, yet I knew all I had to say was a word and he would stop, but I couldn’t say the word, every right I had to make decisions about my own life had been taken from me by the Empresses, but this time I wanted this, I wanted him to be the one. My first.He kissed my nipples before taking them into his mouth."Trian…" I gasped, but he didn’t stop. His tongue flicked over my hardened nipple while his fingers teased the other. The moment he let go, he took the other into his mouth, repeating the motion. Heat surged through me—I had never craved anything more. Then, he kissed lower.“When I saw you, walking down that path, looking so fucking beautiful, I couldn’t wait to see you naked.” He whispered, his voice thick with lust and then he took my clit in his mouth. I jerked, moanin
“There’s a slight chance we aren’t dealing with a pack,” Daemon said. “Thank you for this information.”“Wait, you’re leaving me here? I just proved how important I could be.”“Yes, indeed. If you get any other information, just reach out,” he said, then turned around. He was really leaving.“Fuck you.” I muttered beneath my breath.“I heard that,” he called out. “I intended for you to hear that!” I said, but of course he was already gone.My gaze fell on Sebastian, still standing on the other side of the wall. He raised both hands in surrender before backing away. Frustrated, I stomped off..Kate arrived at the pack a few hours later. This time, she brought along her luggage.“You won’t really need all those for a few days.”“No, I won’t. But I’m not planning to stay for just a few days,” she said, walking into her room. I followed with two more of her luggage. “I’m moving into this pack,” she said finally, and I couldn’t deny how surprised I was at that.“Really?”“Yes,” she said,
I walked past the patrolling soldier and Phil, who followed after me.“I thought you said you were leaving? I was worried you’d do something rash, so I came after you.”Good thing he and the other patrollers hadn’t witnessed what happened earlier.“Plans changed. Guess I was about to make a rash decision — but I changed my mind.”“Are you okay?” Phil asked, inspecting me.I knew I didn’t exactly look my best — I’d spent god-knows-how-long in the healing room, then ran straight to pack my bags, dressed in nothing but the white gown the healing wardens had supplied. My eyes must have been red from crying. But every other person in the pack looked the same, if not worse.They were all mourning Alexander—I realized.Many cast pitiful glances at me.“Why did he have to go?”, “He was too young to die,” “He ‘was’ the best Alpha the pack had ever had.”Everyone had something to say about Alexander.I could hardly believe I’d run past all these people without noticing a single thing. On the wa
KADIA’S POVI woke up in the healing room.A pair of blue eyes watched me — Daemon. He looked… different, and it wasn’t just the new haircut. There was something about him that made him seem more human."Daemon," I called; my throat felt so dry.He seemed to have already prepared for that. He passed me a glass of water, which I quickly emptied.Everything came flooding back — the news about the plane crash. It became harder to breathe.“Kaida. Calm down.”"He's gone — he was in the plane when it crashed."I yanked out the tubes attached to my arm and rose to my feet. The movement had been too abrupt; the room seemed to spin.I felt hands guiding me back to the bed. I couldn’t hold in the tears.“He shouldn’t have been there. I made him go, and now…”“Stop.” Daemon said, cutting me off. “He is not dead. I visited the site; I didn’t find anything that indicated he was among the ones that died.”“You were at the site?” I asked, my heart speeding up with renewed hope.“Yes. The moment I h
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