“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
“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
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
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 shoulder. He growled, coming at me har
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
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.
“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
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
“It doesn’t have to be this way, you know.” He says. “We don’t have to be this distant.”“I don't get what you're trying to say.”“It could be just the two of us, no fighting, no whores, just us — as mates.”I was silent. He was offering me a life as his mate and his Luna, when we didn’t have to hate each other. Cas would have wanted this; this would have been to her a dream come true, but I didn’t know if this was what I wanted.Maybe I was afraid. Alexander was a charmer, no doubt committing to a man like him could never end well. What if this all turned out to be another game to him? What if breaking my heart was his master plan?Yet, a small part of me lusted after something… different, something new, but then there was the other part—the other part that told me love was never meant for me.“No. It can’t. What happened tonight doesn’t change a thing. I only agreed to this to prove my point, but… You are better off with your whores; things are better off left how they had been.”“Y
He took off his clothes, all the while, his eyes remained on me. He grasped my hair, motioning for me to rise, his grip almost painful.“I can walk.” I said, not liking his grip on my hair.“I know that, but I like this better,” He threw me onto the bed. “Now bend, with your ass in the air.”I turned red.It was a challenge, one he believed I would back out from. This time, I won’t. Slowly I moved to position. His hands trailed down my back, and then round to grasp onto my breast firmly, and I stilled.“Afraid?”“Fuck you.”“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” He held onto my hair, tight. “Go a bit lower, my little slut.”Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. I wouldn’t cry; he wouldn’t break me.I gasped for breath when he thrust into me, hard. His punishment.“Tight.” He whispered. “Just how small is he?” He wondered aloud; his next thrust was even harder, and he pounded on, going deeper, and then he paused.I could smell the blood. “Now you know.” I whispered, “I’ve never b
I shoved Aric away, quickly putting some distance between us.Alexander’s gaze met mine, and I thought I saw a look of betrayal on his face before his emotionless mask returned.“Leave.” I said to Aric.“No,” he replied, his eyes also fixed on the Alpha King, his fists clenched.“Get out!” I growled at him, and He gave me a long look before walking away, glancing once more at Alexander on his way out.“Is not what you think…” I began.“So you weren’t about to fuck your beta in our room?” he asked, his voice calm, a different type of calm. The dangerous type.“No, I wasn’t going to do that.”“Lies.” He says, “All lies. I thought you were better than that, Kaida. I did remember making a deal with you; you cannot fuck another man while you are in this pack; that was my rule, and in exchange your ‘conditions’ would be met.”“Aric and I are just friends.”“Friends don’t fuck each other, Kaida. Now tell me, do you prefer older men?”Things had finally started falling into place; my life her
I had always wanted this; I dreamt about it so many times that it felt surreal now. I dreamt about killing them over and over again.“It must be hard having just one eye left to see with.” He pleaded some more. “You know, you did leave some scars too. I would spend the rest of my life with them, so it’s only fair that I, Kaida Dawn, be the last person you will ever see.”I slashed at his eyes, and his scream grew louder. Soon his cries turned into whimpers.“Just kill me, he pleaded. Please, just kill me.”“Not yet.” I whispered.“I… am—no better than a—” he paused to take in a shaky breath. “I am no better than a dead man… Just kill me and end the torment.”“End the torment? Where is the fun in that?” I asked, and he broke down in tears. “Oh baby, don’t cry, little kitten; no one is going to hurt you. I mean, you didn’t really think you would go scot-free after what you’ve done, did you?”“Please…”“Okay, no more begging; how about we take your tongue next?”“No… no… please!”Begging
Trigger Warning: The following chapters contain themes of trauma. Read with caution!I followed Alexander down the dungeons.The rogue had been chained up in one of the dungeon rooms.“They will come after you—the rogues; they will become your biggest enemy.” He threatens Alexander, but I could see the fear in his eyes; he knew his death was near.“Then let them come.” Alexander responded.“Is the bitch even worth it? The amount of lives that would be lost?”“Careful, she decides your life now and you wouldn’t want to make things any worse.” He paused, “If there can be anything considered as ‘worse’ in your case.”“You can’t do this… Please, I beg you, I can make you a deal.”“I hate rogues—they are barbaric, untrustworthy, and cunning creatures. I think I’ll pass on that one.”Alexander left me alone with the rogue.“Do you remember me now?” I asked him.“I don’t know who the fuck you are.” He lied through his teeth.“Pity. I’ll help you remember.”The room had been furnished with an
The moment we were alone in our room, I placed my dagger at his throat.“I warned you. I told you if you tried playing games with what I told you, I was going to kill you.”I pushed the dagger against his throat, nicking him, and a thin line of blood rolled down his neck and disappeared beneath his clothing.“Then kill me, Kaida.”“Don’t tempt me.” I warned.“You cannot kill me, not even if you want to. You have me in this position because I choose to let it be.”In a flash, he had somehow managed to flip me around so I had my back against his chest, his hand wrapped around mine, and now the dagger was at my own throat. He was stronger than me; I hated times when I got reminded of that.He held me closer; I could feel him against my ass, strong and hard.“If I wanted you in this position—in other, more… interesting positions, I wouldn’t have a problem making it happen. You don’t threaten me; you might be my mate, but I am still your king.” He whispered in my ear before letting me go.
KAIDA’S POVThe days went by in a blur, and I found myself preferring staying indoors.The knock on the door was expected; it should be Aric. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him in days. I walked to the door and pulled it open.I couldn’t hide the disappointment written on my face when I saw a Nightshade soldier standing by the door.“Can I help you?” I asked when he didn’t speak up.He had tried to cover up his little flaw, but I caught him staring. I wasn’t fully clothed, and of course he was unsettled by the scars—at least the portion he could see.“Luna.” He bows. The Alpha requests your presence in the meeting room.”“Wait.” I told him before I returned to my room, got dressed in my usual black pants and long-sleeved shirt, I followed him.“Is he alone?” I asked.“No… he has company.” The soldier replied.The moment I entered the meeting room, I caught a strangely familiar scent. No, this was not from Alexander.I looked around the room; some of the advisors were seated, and also Alph
“I will be willing to answer every one of your questions.” He replied eagerly.“Good. I hear that your pack is also in alliance with the… rogues.”He looked up at me, clearly about to deny but thought better of it.“Yes. Alpha. But you know how much rogues hate packs and their laws. They would not let themselves be involved in any other pack matters.”“I didn’t ask because I need their alliance. Some years back, you told me a story of a boy who was found burnt to death—this boy was from your pack.”“Yes, he was. His father was a Captain. He did well in his service before he retired. That had been around the time his son was killed. The fire might not have been the cause of his death—that’s what the healers said.”“What was his name?”“I can’t remember—I think it was… Eli… Eliott.”“Eliott.” I repeated. It does make sense that the boy hadn’t told them his full name.“What interest does the Alpha have with this lowly deceased boy?”“His death interests me. Do you know this man?” I said,
ALEXANDER’S POVMy stubborn little mate slept on the couch, I watched her. One would think being the daughter of an Alpha meant she was to be protected. She should have been protected.I also thought her story was a bit similar to one I had heard before.As dawn broke, I rose from my bed. Her eyes snapped open; she was very sensitive to sounds and also a light sleeper.“I’ll be back early today.” I informed her.“Whatever.” She muttered before rolling over; I had a fine view of her ass, which was considerably bigger than many girls I had been with or… noticed. I remembered exactly how she had looked naked. Scars marked her body: one across her chest, another extending to her hip, two on her back, and one tracing up her collarbone. I was furious seeing those scars; I didn’t think they were repulsive to look at, but I hated the fact that someone had put her through pain. I looked away, heading to the bathroom.My type—what exactly was my type?Once I had thought she wasn’t that, I thoug