“You were never going to leave me all on my own in the woods, were you?”"No,” Axel answered.“You knew that I wanted to leave,” I stated. Of course they weren’t fools. It had been too easy, and I should have suspected it. I could tell them the truth; tell them Beatrix had helped me; after all, she had only sent me off to be captured by Ryker; I didn’t need to protect her.“It had been a test, Riley; one Thane didn’t think you would fall for; those girls are captives. Once in a while, some very foolish packs still decide to go on an all-out war with our pack, and when we conquer them, their members are being taken as captives. The females are given options. They could buy their freedom,” Axel explained, and I did know what he meant by ‘buying their freedom’. “The rest are released after a few years to roam about as rogues or serve the pack if seen fit.”“So Beatrix bringing me down to the Chambers was part of the test?”“No, she hadn’t intended for us to find out, but did you really t
He was mad now, and no matter how bold I felt, I knew not to say anymore on that matter. I didn’t mean what I said; of course I should have expected this, and maybe I did.“Get dressed”“Why?”“There’s a ball taking place in a few minutes, and since you missed the feast, I thought you could make it up.”“Are you serious, Thane? You locked me in for a whole week and expect me to come with you, dressed and ready for this ball.”“Yes”“I won’t. You could go alone, or better yet, go with Beatrix; you seem to have some chemistry with her.”I didn’t think Beatrix suffered any consequences for helping me escape; I, on the other hand, paid dearly for it.“You either dress up, or I do just that for you.”“And how are you intending to dress me up?”“Want to find out?”I didn’t. After all that had happened, I didn’t think being naked before Thane would help, so I walked away, heading to the bathroom. I took an unnecessary long bath, and when I returned, I noticed a deep gold-coloured gown hanged
Trent had been about to say something when a figure behind me stopped him.“I’ll like to have a dance with my Luna if you may.” Thane’s voice called from behind me, and Trent nodded, giving me a small smile before walking away. Thane took his position.“I don’t know; I’m not very interested in dancing anymore." I say to Thane, and his dark eyes pierced into me.“Are you intentionally trying to annoy me, princess? You might not like how that goes,” he says, his hands circling my waist and going lower. I felt them on my ass.I had no underwear on.Thane swirled me around; he was indeed a good dancer, I dare say, better than my previous partner; his movements were graceful, and in his hands anyone would think I was a good dancer too, but what was alarming was how close his hands trailed to the slit. For the next turn, he dipped me, lifting me up, only to guide my legs around his side; the slit fell apart slightly, revealing skin; his hands trailed up the skin; right in the open, my whole
“She seems to be growing on you,” I heard Thane’s voice say in my semi-conscious state. “Now I’m left to wonder which side are you on, Axel.”“Why would you ask such a question, Alpha? You know exactly which side I am on.”“You’ve disrespected me, Axel, over and again, and it’s all because of her." He spit out the pronoun ‘Her’ with disgust. “I apologize; I just didn’t see it fit...”“She is my mate Axel; I’ll do as I please with my mate, and you will not interfere in that,” Thane says, his voice silent but laced with furry.“Yes, Alpha,” Axel said after a moment.“Don’t think I’ll let this slide,” Thane said to Axel.I heard the sounds of footsteps approaching, and stopping right next to me."Riley, I know you are awake, so quit the pretence." Thane said, and whatever haziness I felt cleared of. I got up from the bed.I was in the Axel room and not our room.“I didn’t hear a thing,” I lied."Oh, don’t worry, princess; I wanted you to hear all of that, so you don’t need to lie or pre
I walked into the cell, Thane remained outside but the cell door was left open.The room was dark, and the only source of light was the one coming from the entrance. My eyes settled to the dim light, and there Ryker was, but I could barely recognize him. He was a bloodied heap; the only sign that he was still alive was the steady rise and fall of his chest.“Riley?”I didn’t know how he could tell it was me; he surely wouldn’t be able to see me with those swollen eyes that were mostly shut.The slight fear threatened to rise when I recalled all he had done to me and the pain he had caused me, I pushed the fear away, reminding myself that here he wouldn’t be able to hurt me, not now, not ever. I walked closer to him, close enough that the cold metal gun came into contact with his head. But to my surprise, he pulls forward, as if accepting his fate, the chains around his arm and legs rattled.“I know what I have done to you Riley; I know I have caused you so much pain, and it is a despe
“It doesn’t make any sense that you found me outside the pack borders and you wanted to hurt me... again, if you really felt sorry, then I would have expected you to begin making amends.”“I know, and you have every reason to doubt, but if you want the truth, then this is it. What we had... it wasn’t a lie, and you too could see it.”“I never thought it was a lie either, till another woman sat beside you, taking my position before my very eyes.”Ryker inhaled, and I remember the man he used to be—the man I fell in love with. I still hate him now.“After you left, everything felt empty,” he says, and I remembered how unorganized he had looked; that was very unlike Ryker. “I had to send her away; the pack members are yet to discover why, but I would only hurt her, or maybe she would poison me and make it easier. She hates me; I hadn’t been treating her right either. Since you left, things got worse... and when I saw you in the woods, I was a fool to think force could do it again; I just
I wanted to hurt him so bad. And I knew I would regret my words, but I said it out anyway."Maybe that's why Bella never wanted you; this was why you were never blessed by the moon goddess to have a mate that actually 'stays alive'; if you were more selfless, then you would have noticed that something was very wrong with her, but you loved the idea of your happiness so bad, you didn't care." I spit at him, immediately regretting it. It was a low jab, but I had been so angry at everything, and I wanted to hurt him so bad.His eyes on me were cold as steel. I stared at the door, wondering how long it would take me to get there, but again, there were those scary-looking guards out there; they were not going to let me through if not permitted by ‘him’. Thane pulls me flush to him—that I didn't expect. He leaned, so his lips were against my ears."You are right, I didn't want to look too deep, afraid I wouldn't like what I saw, but aren't you the same? There must be a reason your mother ha
"I was only fifteen when our pack was attacked by the Night Shade pack. Slade had been the Alpha; I would never forget watching my parents die before my eyes, but that wasn't the worst part. Alpha Slade wanted to do a clean sweep; he didn't want any of the pack members left alive, and so he went along with his soldiers, house by house, making sure everyone was dead. I don't know if any survived, but they might have escaped into the woods, yet it would only be a few who’d managed to escape.When Alpha Slade walked into our house, my mother had hidden me beneath the bed, but when I heard the screams—my mother's screams—I went for her rescue. I couldn't let her die, but maybe that was the biggest mistake I made; she was killed but I wasn't.Alpha Slade had wanted to kill me, but for some reasons he didn't; he brought me back to his pack.That night..." my mother closed her eyes as if the memory was too much to bear and I didn't need to hear more, but she spoke on, "He was the first—my fi
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
DAEMON’S POVDemons didn’t need sleep to function. In fact, we only did it out of mimicry.I usually never had dreams; all that existed until I awoke was black emptiness. But this time, it was different.I was dreaming about her. Aliyah. I knew it was her with just one look.“Daemon!” she called, throwing herself into my arms, her smile so bright. I knew this was a dream, but a part of me wanted to stay in it forever. I hugged her tightly, breathing in the scent of her hair, her skin.“I’m sorry. None of this would’ve happened if I’d made the decision. This is all my fault, and that’s why I’ll fix it,” I said, even knowing it was only a dream.“This isn’t your fault. It’s mine. I should never have let you go, but I was about to correct that… when they took me.”For a moment, I wondered if this was more than just a dream—if it was something else. A vision maybe.“I knew I’d never love anyone the way I love you and so I went after you to let you know that. But I want you to stop blaming
*Anonymous Narrator POV*Marvin had seen a silver-haired girl taken into the warehouse. He knew the place was now considered off-limits—strictly restricted. Heavy chains bound the doors shut, but curiosity tugged at him. Why would they lock a woman away from the pack house? Was she really a threat… or was there something deeper, something they didn’t want anyone to know?Either way, he was going to find out tonight.He scanned the area for anyone approaching—there was no one. It was the middle of the night, and most of the pack members were asleep.He studied the locks. He was good with picking locks, but this one was even more complex.If he got caught in the process, he would be punished. Was his curiosity really worth the risk?He packed up his things and was about to walk away when he heard the sound. A song.The woman inside sang in the voice of an angel; it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. As she kept singing, something inside him shifted. He had to know who sh