ALIYAH’S POVThe light blue gown I wore clung to my skin, completely soaked. I was cold. I should change into something dry, something comfortable—but I couldn’t bring myself to move. My mind reeled with everything Daemon had said.Would he really have given up his title for me?Who was I kidding? He only said that to manipulate me. The title meant everything to him—at least, that’s what the more cynical voice in my head argued.But what if he hadn’t been lying? What if he really had tried to get into the castle, but the spell kept him out? What if everything he said was actually true?That was always my problem. With him, I could never tell the lie from the truth.A part of me wondered if he was still standing out there in the rain or if he had finally given up. Still in my soaking wet clothes, I stepped into the room where Ash had been kept, surprised by how quickly he was recovering. His once pale skin had started to regain its color, and his breathing was no longer labored. He l
KADIA’S POVThe meeting was tense. Voices rose higher and higher; it was unusual for a gathering of pack leaders to be this chaotic. Phil sat by my side, and Austin sat by Alexander. I would’ve thought it would be wiser for Daemon to be present, but if he wasn’t here, it only meant Alexander didn’t trust him enough to attend.“When everyone is speaking, no one’s listening,” Alexander said, and all arguments ceased, the room falling into silence. “There is indeed an army of the undead; I’ve seen it with my very own eyes, and so has my Luna. Creatures that even bullets made of the finest silver cannot kill.”“How do you expect us to believe in the sudden appearance of these creatures? I’ve never seen any, and with all due respect, this sounds more like something out of a fantasy novel,” Alpha Cain said.“You are a man of your word, and if you say these creatures exist, then they most likely do. But if none of us have laid eyes on them, perhaps they aren’t truly our concern,” Gamma Timo
“Let me go!” the woman screamed. “I demand to speak to the Alpha.”The voice sounded familiar.“Julia?”Daemon immediately tensed.How had she been caught trying to sneak into the pack? That was the first question on my mind. The Empresses had the gift of shifting, among other abilities—it shouldn’t have been hard for her to get in. Cynthia had managed it multiple times.She looked different too—aged, not in the usual way stress might wear someone down, but like thirty years had passed in the space of a few days.“I need to speak to you. It’s important,” Julia said, eyes wide. She kept glancing over her shoulder, like she expected someone—or something—to appear out of nowhere and attack her.“I’m not letting you in. I’m not granting you access to the pack house,” Alexander replied.“You don’t understand. Do you think I’d be here if this wasn’t a matter of life and death?”Alexander looked at me. I gave him a nod. We could let her in.The soldiers escorted Julia into the dungeons—to th
DAEMON POVHer blood tasted every ounce human. I pulled back, suppressing the urge to gag. It’s been a long time since I tasted something so painfully plain—I’d almost prefer the sting of venom-tainted blood to this.“What’s wrong?” Kaida’s worried voice cut through the haze.“Nothing. She’s saying the truth—at least one truth. She’s no more than a human now.”“Now that you know that,” she said, placing her palm on her neck as if to shield it from me. The empresses had this issue with being fed from—they felt tainted, violated. The fact that she offered told me she was desperate. “Can you now listen to what I have to say?” she asked.I wanted to consider the possibility that she was telling the truth, but reconciling her past actions with her words now was difficult.“Speak.” Alexander urged.“The High Regents have taken over from the empresses. They are far more ruthless, and I fear they won’t be as hesitant as I am if they lay their hands on her.”“They won’t find her.” I said.“You
ALIYA’S POVI woke up with a pounding headache.The events from earlier came flooding back, sending a wave of panic through me. A blindfold covered my eyes, plunging me into darkness, and my wrists and ankles were bound in chains, secured to the wall behind me.My slight movement must have captured my captor’s notice. I heard footsteps approaching, and instinctively, I shrank back. Just then, the blindfold was yanked off, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light. We were in what seemed like an ancestral hall, the walls adorned with strange markings, and the windows similar to those in a cathedral. Candles were scattered across the floor, and in the center was a table draped with white cloth. The man who had removed my blindfold was dressed in a black robe. I recognized him almost immediately—he was one of the High Regents, and his name was Varek. The door swung open, and four more regents entered, each one dressed like Varek. They shut it behind them, and one took posi
DAEMON’S POV“I think I know where they’ve taken her,” Julia said.“Then we should get going immediately,” I replied, but she shook her head.“We won’t make it to her in time.”“Well, standing here doing nothing isn’t helping—so fucking lead the way.” I was growing restless, and the delay was only making it worse.She reached into her bag and I caught Alexander stiffen, his eyes locked on her every move. I hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying anything.But all she pulled out was a rope. She handed it to me.“What the fuck is this? A rope?”“Not just any rope. It’s enchanted—meant for supernatural beings, especially those with abilities and gifts. If we’re too late and the goddess has already taken over Aliyah’s body, we’ll need this to bind her. It’s the only way to stop her... at least temporarily.”I took the rope. It looked ordinary, but the moment I touched it, I felt the pulse of its magic...“Daemon and I will go find her,” Alexander said. But of course, I could already se
Prologue(Riley's POV) I woke up to a sharp pain in my abdomen. I knew what was happening; Ryker was doing it again. He was cheating on me with another woman. I rolled off the bed, my hands circling around my stomach. The wave of pain passed through me again, and I screamed out, my hands remaining on my stomach as if to shield my unborn child. I groaned, crawling for the door. "Help!" I screamed, but my voice came out hoarse. The pain came again, worse than ever before, and I cried out. "Please... please stop Ryker; you are hurting me," I begged, even if I knew he wasn't here or listening. A strange kind of fear filled me, one I always felt before things went completely wrong, and I was afraid it would now. My child was only one month old, and he 'knew' I was pregnant for him. I crawled for the door, my breaths coming out in pants, my whole body drenched in sweat. The pain wouldn't stop; it only got worse, and I couldn't go any further. In here, no one heard my cries
Growing up, there are so many stories I hear about rejections, the pain that comes with it, and then the sense of loss, like something was missing. I knew what was coming, and I was prepared, even as I said the words."I, Riley Kaidon, accept your rejection," I respond, and that gave him a pause. Of course, he doesn't expect me to accept his rejection so easily; every female is dying to be the Alpha's mate, and I had been one of them till I discovered that he wasn't as charming as my thoughts had painted him to be.I felt the pain, just as I had anticipated. It's a different kind of pain, one that is deep within, but what I do not feel is the loss.How could you lose what you never had?It was over. All my dreams of finding a mate had all come to nothing. I was given the monster as a mate, and he had used me, taken from me, only to dump me like trash. I couldn't stay in this pack any longer; I had to leave."Banish me from this pack; I no longer see the use of remaining.""Oh no, Rile
DAEMON’S POV“I think I know where they’ve taken her,” Julia said.“Then we should get going immediately,” I replied, but she shook her head.“We won’t make it to her in time.”“Well, standing here doing nothing isn’t helping—so fucking lead the way.” I was growing restless, and the delay was only making it worse.She reached into her bag and I caught Alexander stiffen, his eyes locked on her every move. I hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying anything.But all she pulled out was a rope. She handed it to me.“What the fuck is this? A rope?”“Not just any rope. It’s enchanted—meant for supernatural beings, especially those with abilities and gifts. If we’re too late and the goddess has already taken over Aliyah’s body, we’ll need this to bind her. It’s the only way to stop her... at least temporarily.”I took the rope. It looked ordinary, but the moment I touched it, I felt the pulse of its magic...“Daemon and I will go find her,” Alexander said. But of course, I could already se
ALIYA’S POVI woke up with a pounding headache.The events from earlier came flooding back, sending a wave of panic through me. A blindfold covered my eyes, plunging me into darkness, and my wrists and ankles were bound in chains, secured to the wall behind me.My slight movement must have captured my captor’s notice. I heard footsteps approaching, and instinctively, I shrank back. Just then, the blindfold was yanked off, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light. We were in what seemed like an ancestral hall, the walls adorned with strange markings, and the windows similar to those in a cathedral. Candles were scattered across the floor, and in the center was a table draped with white cloth. The man who had removed my blindfold was dressed in a black robe. I recognized him almost immediately—he was one of the High Regents, and his name was Varek. The door swung open, and four more regents entered, each one dressed like Varek. They shut it behind them, and one took posi
DAEMON POVHer blood tasted every ounce human. I pulled back, suppressing the urge to gag. It’s been a long time since I tasted something so painfully plain—I’d almost prefer the sting of venom-tainted blood to this.“What’s wrong?” Kaida’s worried voice cut through the haze.“Nothing. She’s saying the truth—at least one truth. She’s no more than a human now.”“Now that you know that,” she said, placing her palm on her neck as if to shield it from me. The empresses had this issue with being fed from—they felt tainted, violated. The fact that she offered told me she was desperate. “Can you now listen to what I have to say?” she asked.I wanted to consider the possibility that she was telling the truth, but reconciling her past actions with her words now was difficult.“Speak.” Alexander urged.“The High Regents have taken over from the empresses. They are far more ruthless, and I fear they won’t be as hesitant as I am if they lay their hands on her.”“They won’t find her.” I said.“You
“Let me go!” the woman screamed. “I demand to speak to the Alpha.”The voice sounded familiar.“Julia?”Daemon immediately tensed.How had she been caught trying to sneak into the pack? That was the first question on my mind. The Empresses had the gift of shifting, among other abilities—it shouldn’t have been hard for her to get in. Cynthia had managed it multiple times.She looked different too—aged, not in the usual way stress might wear someone down, but like thirty years had passed in the space of a few days.“I need to speak to you. It’s important,” Julia said, eyes wide. She kept glancing over her shoulder, like she expected someone—or something—to appear out of nowhere and attack her.“I’m not letting you in. I’m not granting you access to the pack house,” Alexander replied.“You don’t understand. Do you think I’d be here if this wasn’t a matter of life and death?”Alexander looked at me. I gave him a nod. We could let her in.The soldiers escorted Julia into the dungeons—to th
KADIA’S POVThe meeting was tense. Voices rose higher and higher; it was unusual for a gathering of pack leaders to be this chaotic. Phil sat by my side, and Austin sat by Alexander. I would’ve thought it would be wiser for Daemon to be present, but if he wasn’t here, it only meant Alexander didn’t trust him enough to attend.“When everyone is speaking, no one’s listening,” Alexander said, and all arguments ceased, the room falling into silence. “There is indeed an army of the undead; I’ve seen it with my very own eyes, and so has my Luna. Creatures that even bullets made of the finest silver cannot kill.”“How do you expect us to believe in the sudden appearance of these creatures? I’ve never seen any, and with all due respect, this sounds more like something out of a fantasy novel,” Alpha Cain said.“You are a man of your word, and if you say these creatures exist, then they most likely do. But if none of us have laid eyes on them, perhaps they aren’t truly our concern,” Gamma Timo
ALIYAH’S POVThe light blue gown I wore clung to my skin, completely soaked. I was cold. I should change into something dry, something comfortable—but I couldn’t bring myself to move. My mind reeled with everything Daemon had said.Would he really have given up his title for me?Who was I kidding? He only said that to manipulate me. The title meant everything to him—at least, that’s what the more cynical voice in my head argued.But what if he hadn’t been lying? What if he really had tried to get into the castle, but the spell kept him out? What if everything he said was actually true?That was always my problem. With him, I could never tell the lie from the truth.A part of me wondered if he was still standing out there in the rain or if he had finally given up. Still in my soaking wet clothes, I stepped into the room where Ash had been kept, surprised by how quickly he was recovering. His once pale skin had started to regain its color, and his breathing was no longer labored. He l
DAEMON“You really want to know who Ash is? He’s my soulmate,” she said.A memory flashed back into my mind. Right before I killed the human girl Tasha, she had mentioned a man. I hadn’t thought much of it, not until now.“How long?” I asked. “How long have you known him?”A moment of silence passed.“My whole life.”My chest tightened with an unfamiliar emotion I hadn’t felt in a long time—betrayal.When I tasted his blood, I felt it; it reminded me of hers. It was strange, but I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there was something more between the two of them, and now I understood why.I deserved this. I deserved to lose her. In fact, I should be thankful to Ash for saving her life when I couldn’t. But I wasn’t a good man, and I wanted her for myself. I wanted her so badly that the thought of letting her go wasn’t even an option.She believed I had abandoned her. If only she knew that she was all I could think about. Right before she walked in, Kaida and I had been picking ou
I couldn’t believe I’d never taken a moment to consider what might happen to Daemon if the venom had side effects—even on demons.“I’ll do anything for you, you know that.”“This is risky… and Sebastian isn’t even sure you won’t get hurt.”“Sebastian.” Daemon repeated the name. It struck me that he might know the man. “What do I have to do?” he asked.“I have a friend who was bitten by a flesh-eater. The venom from the bite is slowly killing him. He’s running out of time—he needs help.”“Do I know this person?”This had been one of my worries, that Daemon won’t help when he discovers who Ash was.“Yes,” I answered. Ash and Daemon did meet—Daemon had spared his life, but that was when Ash had been in his wolf form. “No,” I corrected myself. They hadn’t met in person. “He’s in this because of me. He was trying to protect me. Please, you have to help him.”Daemon only nodded before wrapping his arms around me, and in the next moment, we were right in front of Sebastian’s house.“How di
“Who are you, and state your business,” the soldiers demanded.Sebastian had brought me to the Nightshade Pack, but he’d refused to go any farther. I suspected it had something to do with the Alpha King.“I need to see the Alpha.”“What is your name?”I couldn’t tell them my real name. If I did, word of where I was could spread, and the Empresses would come after me. I had to think of something—fast.“I’m a friend of the Alpha.”“You don’t look very familiar,” said the soldier with chestnut-brown hair, eyeing me from head to toe.“I advise you to go inform the Alpha that a visitor is here to see him,” I said, sounding more confident than I felt. “I don’t think he would take it lightly if I’m kept waiting.”The soldier nodded to the dark-skinned man beside him, and the man turned to go find the Alpha.I didn’t think the Alpha knew what I looked like; the only time I’d visited this pack, I’d been inside a carriage, and I doubted the curtain had revealed much. But the Luna—she must know