I lay nude on the bed. I wasn't alone; Thane and Axel were both present. I had been cuffed to the bed post. A rush of excitement filled me when I spotted the silver Kengel balls; Axel rolled one slowly around his fingers. He walked to my naked form, and Thane took his position, watching. I stared at him, even as I felt the cold silver ball against my already wet entry. I moaned out Thane's name as Axel touched me. He went in and out with the balls, and just when I thought I couldn't take more, he pulled the balls out, going down on me and devouring me. I moaned again as his finger dove into me next, pumping in and out. I could feel my muscles grow tight as I reached my climate, and I shattered into a million pieces, crying out his name. I awoke with a start. I could feel the moisture between my leg and I wasn't alone now either. Axel paused at the door, his amused gaze on me. I knew he could smell my arousal even from there, I turned red. I've heard similar dreams before, but ne
I wasn't fine. I knew that. It never did stop. The nausea and puking became an everyday routine. I leaned over the sink, spraying more water on my face. I thought I looked pale. I stared down at my stomach. Was it just me, or did it look a little bigger? Maybe it was just me. I walked out of the bathroom; the knock on the door gave me a pause. Before I could give a response, the door was pulled open. "I didn't remember asking you to come in, Bailey," I say to the Elder. I might have to put it in mind to keep those doors locked at all times, but locks can’t restrict werewolves, so it gets a bit useless. "So, the rumors are true; you are back." "Much to your disappointment, I see." "I should feel hurt that you didn't come visit me; I thought we were such good friends and all." "Is that what you thought? I'm so sorry, I have been busy doing nothing. I couldn't make out the time, but you are here now, and I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore," I say to her wi
"You want to practice, then do it with me," Axel insisted."It's fine, Axel"He didn't seem to like the idea of Bailey ‘practicing’ with me one bit, he stood, close enough to end it if things went too far. Bailey picked out two swords, tossing one to me. I caught it mid air."I'll try not to hurt you," she said to me, and with the speed of a bullet, she came at me. I blocked at the last minute.Her sword sliced through the air in a semi arc, and this time I dodged. I switched from defensive to offensive, and I went at her. Our swords clashed, and the force of her strikes caused my arm to ache, but I wasn't giving up anytime soon. We went faster and harder; it didn't feel like practice anymore. I kicked at her abdomen, and she took a few steps back. She retaliated with a kick to my knee, almost causing me to lose balance, but not quite yet. I switched to her position, giving her only time to defend my hits. She growled.Now she was angry.She managed to knock the sword off my hands. I
I suddenly felt very hot."I need to take some air," I say, heading for the door, but Axel was right in front of me before. "No, you need to go to the healers; things would only get worse if you left this unattended to and it's severe as it is." Axel says, trying to make me see reasons, but I couldn't go to the healers; they might discover what I was."I can't... I just need some air; get out of my way." I growled at me, feeling restless inside; he wouldn't move, and my patience was getting thinner."I'm sorry I can't do that.".I lost it.I slammed him against the wall. "You don't choose where I go and when," I snarled at him. No, he didn't look alarmed; his calculative gaze simply watched me, noting down that there was something off with me.My eyes found his neck."I'm sorry," I say to him, but he says nothing; my eyes never did leave his neck. "You scent really nice, Axel... really really nice, and your neck... it's beautiful.""Is she drunk?" Axel asks Thane."No, she's not."T
THANE'S POVRiley had not always been this strong. The duel with Bailey, the incident with Axel, and her impressive defense against my soldiers all hinted to the secret she kept hidden and we both knew it."That was the last thing on my mind right now.I was furious.When the healers had confirmed she was pregnant, I made the decision that that wouldn't change a thing between us; I was going to take full responsibility over the child, but then, if she never did have sex with Nick, how could she be pregnant?I struggled to seize control over my inner beast; he was raging. Riley, my mate, had been taken advantage of by the bastard.I was going to kill him; I wouldn't spare his life this time.My trip to the Raven Clan had all happened in a haze, and finally I was there.Getting into the pack was easy; their security wasn't that ideal, with only a few soldiers left to guide every entry there's only little they could do. Of course the pack house was the biggest of all the other buildings
I stared at her, amused. Not everyone had the bravery to hit the Alpha King. She hated me, and I knew making amends would be so damn hard— almost impossible, but I would have to keep trying... for Riley."I guess I deserved that?""Stay away from him; stay away from me and my family too!" She cried out, the pain in her eyes deep.I wondered if she would protect this Nick if she knew what he did to her daughter."I am trying to help here.""How? By beating up the Alpha?, that is not helping. If you really want to help, then you could let go of my daughter.""No, I can't, Kate. The thing is, I really love her.""You don't; if you loved her, you would never have hurt her; goddamn you, she only started healing; if you had stayed away for a while, she would have been married and happy.""And how do you know that? How do you know she would have been happy?""You've never deserved my daughter.""That I know, Kate. Please let me make it up to you," I say. She lifted her hands to hit me… again
RILEYI woke up with a strange hunger and thirst.I stared at Thane; he had his hands wrapped around mine."You would be fine," he promised, kissing my knuckles."You are back." I whispered, and he nodded."I am; Nick will be here soon, I don't think he did this; he speaks of a sorceress; he says she could help," he informs.I nodded absentmindedly. The sorceress was coming; how was I going to keep this a secret for much longer?My breathing quickened"Riley, are you alright?" He questioned the slight panic in his eyes. I nodded. "Look at me, Riley," and I did as he said. "Breathe in and breathe out very slowly." I did just that, and after a while I felt better."I'm fine, thank you," I said.The hunger panged at my stomach. I stared up at him; his scent was so nice, and then his neck. I couldn't get my eyes off it."I'll get you something to eat," he says, rising to his feet."No, please don't leave me." I pleaded.He sat back beside me. "I am here, always.""Kiss me."It had been a
THANE."Laugh it off, Axel," I said to him, he bursted into another fit of laughter. He did find this funny, and maybe it was. If he hadn't stepped in, I might have let her drink me dry, and I wouldn't even realize the abnormality of that action.The puncture marks her teeth left had healed, but I could still point out exactly where they had been."I'm worried about her," I say to Axel."Since she left this pack months ago, she hadn't been the same. So Nick hadn't been the one, right?""He denied.""And you believe him?" Axel asked."I didn't spot a lie, and he does love Riley; they were about to get married; I can't understand how he could have done that. I don't think it was him.""So had there been some other person involved?" Axel questioned."Not that I know of, but Nick does seem to suspect something; he would be here shortly with a sorceress.""A sorceress? What do we need a witch for?""You were right when you said Riley hadn't been the same since she returned from the Raven C
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