THANEI couldn't move. It must be these damned fluids being passed into my veins. I was forced to endure hours of pain and agony, the only comfort I got during that time was the minutes I spent thinking about Riley.My fear was that they got her too; I didn't mind them taking me; I was ready to bargain my life to save hers if it came down to that, she could go back to Axel, I was confident that he would take good care of her and she could live the rest of her life happy. The only problem was that in this position, my life wasn't really good enough to make the bargain. I hated to say this, but I was completely at their mercy, and that could only change if I managed to take these damned pipes out.The pain only worsened with time; maybe this would be my end. I had spent my life killing people—yes, the majority of them were those who challenged me and others who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, so this could be karma catching up with me. My only wish was to have a few more
I remembered Regnux's words; he had suspected Riley; he must have seen something, something I was too blind to see.I also recalled Riley's disappearance and how all of a sudden she wanted to tag along anywhere I went. She was the only one who knew where I had kept the keys to Bailey's cell, yet I believed there had been a spare key. I was ready to believe everything but the truth that had been right before my eyes.A fool. That was what I was.The evidence was clear, and yet... yet, I didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be true. Once I had been heartbroken, Bella's death had left me in so much pain I couldn't heal on my own. Axel had bonded with me to share my pain.But I hadn't loved my mate like I loved Riley, and that's why I refused to believe it; the truth was clear, and yet I wanted it to be a lie; I wanted there to be some kind of explanation to it."Riley, if you think you are doing this to help me in some way, then don't. This won't help me, tell me this is all lies."The
RILEY.I couldn't turn back; if I did, he would see the tears I could no longer suppress; that would destroy everything and my little act would be over, so I didn't turn back when he called, I had my eyes pinned to the door. "When I get out here, I will kill your lover, Nick, and after that, I will kill you, bitch."Those words would forever haunt me. He sounded so cold. I wondered for the first time if I did the right thing; my fear was that my attempt to save would cause him to lose the little humanity he held onto."You did well back there." Nick says, "I almost believed that maybe you never really liked him. He seemed very angry; I would stay as far away from him as I could if I were you.""Stop talking.""Oh, come on, this was the deal; get over..."I punched him right in the face, cutting him off; blood dripped down his nose and his eyes flashed with anger. He slammed me against the wall, and my skull, still fragile from his previous attack, hit the wall hard. For a moment, all
CAUTION: THERE WOULD BE VIOLENT SCENES IN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS; PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION. THANE. I could do it; I knew I could break through the chains. Rage is one powerful thing. I pulled hard, and the chains broke off. I ripped out the pipes that had been used to pass the fluids into my bloodstream, and I staggered to my feet. I heard footsteps approaching, and I positioned myself beside the door. Nyaos walked in; he noticed the empty chair, I could smell his fear; he should be afraid. I shut the door behind him, and only then did he notice me; he turned, his eyes widening in terror as I plunged my hand into his chest, past the crunch of his ribcage, and deep into his heart. His mouth opened, frozen in a silent scream. "The cursed weapon isn't the only way to kill an elder." I whispered before I pulled his heart out. The sight of blood was so intoxicating it ignited a lust for blood in me, I wanted to spill more blood. An elder had been brought to nothing in a matter o
RILEY"It's girls time, Nick; you should leave." Bailey said to him, and he gave me a long look before leaving both of us alone. "I didn't remember telling you to stop with the dagger," she said."It fell." I lied.I didn't know if she bought that, but she spoke no more about it, taking a seat beside me."I'm going to tell you a story, one I had never told anyone before. Well, you would die in the end, so it makes no difference.I was in love once. I don't mean the casual crushes and those little feelings girls have. I was in love with Nyaos; he had always been there for me when I needed him; he helped me so many times; I can't even count the number of times he had saved my life. But Nyaos loved another; I was the ‘other woman’, and I knew that. Katara believed we were good friends; she trusted me; she trusted the both of us, and I knew what we did behind her back was very wrong, but I couldn't help myself. Nyaos said he loved us both, and though I always wanted more, I could settle
Axel unsheathed his sword before striding towards Nick.Nick let out his wing, flying right over us, but Axel leaped into the air, bringing him down by his wing. Axel pinned Nick down, holding both wings. I watched in amazement as Axel sliced them off, and Nick roared in pain, the bones where his wings had been attached prodded out of his back.Axel passed the blood stained sword to me. I limped to where Nick lay groaning in agony."Didn't I tell you, I will kill you?" Now kneel." I said, and he rose, falling on his knees. "Riley I..."I didn't let him say more; in a clean swipe, I incapacitated his head from the rest of his body.Axel took off his leather jacket and helped me put it on."I know a way out." Axel says, leading me out of the room, we walked down the hallways to an open space."Going somewhere?" A voice called from behind us. Bailey.She held a crossbow in her hands. "Nyaos is dead. Thane killed him. I guess this means our deal is… off."She shot the crossbow at me, bu
THANE'S POVThe door opened, and Caleb walked in, his hands up as if in surrender. My beta, Axel followed, a gun pointed to his head."Free him," Axel said.Caleb walked to me, taking out the pipes. "The chains too." Axel said, and I could tell Caleb was not going to do that.Axel shot at his leg, but Caleb was strong—maybe even the strongest of all the elders. In the next second, Axel's gun was in his hands, and the table turned."Let him go, Caleb; it's me you want." I warned."You are right." Caleb says, "But I want him dead too."He shot at Axel. I growled, pulling at the chains; they burned my skin. He aimed for me next, pulling the trigger, but the gun was empty of bullets, and he tossed it to the ground."In every single room, I had planted a bomb; all I need to do is press the button, and everything would go 'boom'; everyone in this building would die, and I alone would be left. After a while, you will be forgotten, but for me, I'll take over from you; I will be known and fea
EARLIERBailey was still in here somewhere. I walked cautiously down the passage ways and I spotted yet another room. I pushed open the door and walked in. The room was similar to the one I had been kept in earlier, but she wasn't in here either.I needed a weapon; the sword alone wouldn't do to kill an elder as powerful as she was so I searched through the room. I pulled open a cabinet, and there I found more syringes filled with black serum, the very same ones used on Thane. I was almost certain of it. I would have to take a gamble with this. From what Bailey told me, this was created by the elders as a bane for Lycans, I could only hope it had some effect on her too, if it didn't work on her, then I was doomed.I strode out of the room, and there she was, standing at the very end of the passageway."So you've come to kill me." Bailey said with a smile on her face. "You know, Nyaos has been killed by your mate" She said to me.I couldn't exactly say I felt bad for that.I chose to r
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