KAANAsena's whole body shivered as she stared at her dead ex-mate. She might have even a sliver of guilt, even though cutting his throat was an act of mercy. He would have died anyway. His injuries were too severe, and the second night in the Shadow Forest would have been his last one. I knew that now after I had heard the spirits whispering among the trees.I placed my hand on her shoulder, and she almost flinched. “It's OK,” I murmured. “You're safe now.”She slowly rose to her feet and blew out a shaky breath. “There were four others…”I gently grasped her arms, turning her to face me. “I know. I killed two of them, and the other two... well…”Her brows knitted. “What happened to them?”A faint smirk curved my lips. “The forest decided they didn't deserve to live.”Her eyes widened. “W-what?”I led her to a large rock by the shore where we both could sit. “When I found out that they attacked you and that you must have run into the forest, I turned into my wolf form and ran to find
ASENAMy heart kept thundering against my chest as Kaan carried me in his arms like a fragile princess. Perhaps I should have been more bothered by it. For the last three years, I had been used to harsh treatment where I had been rather “one of the guys” than a woman.With Kaan, everything was different—I was different. By his side, I began to believe in things I had never thought were possible for me. Ellaria surely would have laughed her ass off if she'd found out that my thoughts were currently filled with some romantic crap. I was a warrior, for Goddess's sake! I should have cared about my strength, endurance, and how quickly I would be able to fight after falling from the cliff, but none of that currently mattered. My mind was occupied by the terrifying perspective that I probably stank of sweat, the dirt, and Goddess only knew what else, and that Kaan could probably barely stand my odor.I was highly aware that this should have been the least of my worries, but I couldn't help i
I heard shouts and screams coming from outside the tent. I saw the shades of warriors running back and forth, some in rage, others in panic. What the hell was happening out there?“How bad is it?” Kaan asked.Caspian drew a deep breath. “More than twenty tents were set on fire simultaneously. Then several others caught fire and... ”“Fuck.” Kaan dragged his hand down his face. “Any signs of those who set the fire?”“They could have easily blended in as soon as the panic erupted,” Caspian mused.Kaan nodded, processing his words, before turning to me. “Stay in the tent and don't go anywhere. I'll send Dritan to watch over you.”I frowned. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Besides, I can help. I can—”“No.” His sharp tone almost made me flinch. “I will not risk having you out there. I've just got you back.”“Kaan, seriously, I can help,” I argued.He shook his head. “Those who attacked you had friends—friends more than willing to avenge those who died. They don't care th
I wasn't sure how long I kneeled beside the boy's body in the eerie silence of the Shadow Forest. I kept wondering why the forest killed the boy but not me. I refused to believe that the spirits only killed those with dark souls because that would have meant that this child's soul had been corrupted for a long time…No. He wasn't bad. He was just… lost. He had trusted those whom he shouldn't have. He had been manipulated and used in the most disgusting way. It was those who had poisoned his mind who deserved to die.“Why?” I whispered, asking the spirits, even though I doubted they would answer.Suddenly, a cold breeze licked the nape of my neck. “Dark… soul,” a hoarse and airy voice whispered.I swallowed and rose to my feet, looking around. “He was just a kid. He could have changed,” I argued, my voice cracking.“No,” the airy voice answered. “We've seen… his future…”Chills ran down my spine. I knew that I shouldn't have challenged the spirits who could kill me in less than a secon
KAANWe had buried the boy, saying a quick prayer so that his soul could travel safely in front of the Fates. I hoped that Moon Goddess showed her mercy since I doubted that the kid had been innocent. Fates knew I had witnessed children his age and younger committing sins adults could barely stomach hearing about. Not that any of those young pups had ever understood the true weight of their deeds. This was something only those who taught them understood, but those rarely cared.I led Asena back to our tent, carefully locking the entrance. Then I walked to the so-called bath chamber and washed the smoke and ash off my face, hands, and hair. When I walked out from behind the curtains, Asena had already changed back to her sexy little nightgown. I hummed, appreciating the way the delicate fabric clung to her most delicious parts. I fixed my eyes on her as I walked to the bedroll.She smiled nervously. “I know I shouldn't wear this right now, but... I sort of ran out of fresh clothes and—
ASENAAfter the night of the fire, many things changed. A fence had been built around the camp, and only a few squads were leaving the fields at one time. Whenever the squads were mobilized, I knew that they were about to raid another village in Dolorem Valley, and I could barely stand that thought. Innocents were dying while I was forced to sit within the camp because, yes, Kaan made me stay with my “favorite” companion—Dritan.Since I would have gone insane sitting in the tent, I often went to sit by a stream. I found staring at the water flow soothing. It made my thoughts less hectic. Unfortunately, it couldn't silence my anxieties.The words I had heard from the spirits occupied my mind. They'd said that my death would restore balance as if I would have to die for everything to flow in its natural course. I didn't think that there was another way to interpret those words. A knot rose in my throat every time I thought about it. It sounded like I lived only to die at the right place
By the time we returned to Collisville, I was surprised to see the entire town cleaned up and partially rebuilt. The castle, which once belonged to Alpha Jalal, was about to become Kaan's new home. It was a cruel compensation from Alpha Khaos, as if he wanted Kaan to accept Collisville and forget about the lands of the pack he was rightfully supposed to rule.Naturally, Delmira and Lelah were already at the castle, taking care of Kaan's rooms. They even prepared separate rooms for me with a huge bed and a bath chamber. Entering those rooms felt strange. I knew that this was supposed to be the place where I should live from now on, but I could have never called these conquered lands home…“I heard that matters between you and our Alpha are progressing,” Delmira muttered, smirking as she filled my wardrobe with new clothes.Heat flooded my cheeks, and I was sure that my face turned tomato-red because she snorted as she looked at me.“I'm glad,” she said then. “He deserves to be happy. I
KAANI wrapped Asena in her cloak, lifted her in my arms, and gently carried her back to the castle. This wasn't supposed to happen. I had made my decision. I had even forced Delmira to prepare separate chambers for Asena. I wanted to have a reasonable excuse to stay away from her. But my fabulous plan had fallen apart as soon as I'd found that damn lake. Suddenly, I was writing that idiotic message. I wanted to bring her here. I needed her to see this…That had seriously been a dumb thing to do, and tearing her dress and giving her an orgasm was even more idiotic. Now I was going for the record of stupidity by taking her straight to my bedroom. Of course, my wolf had never been more helpful. He wanted me to do this. He wouldn't even mind if I marked her as mine here and now… but the worst part was that I wouldn't mind that either.I wanted Asena to become mine in every way, and every instinct within me told me that being with her was right. It was my brain that still resisted. Too mu
ASENA Three Weeks Later A soft gasp escaped me as the wicked tension began to coil between my thighs. I bit my lip and drew a deep inhale. Citruses. Another gasp escaped me, one followed by a shudder that coursed through my body. I opened my eyes, chasing away the remains of sleep. I was lying on my back with my legs spread and my King between them. He lifted his head, and a sly grin spread across his face. “Now that you are awake, my little one, shall I stop or continue?” I tilted my head back and groaned. My skin was already feverish, and all my sensitive parts demanded immediate attention. My humidity grew. My chest rose and fell erratically as his fingers splayed on the inner side of my thighs, inches away from where I needed them. “Your choice, my Queen,” he purred. “Don't stop,” I murmured, pushing my hips toward him. He laughed before dipping his head and drawing his wicked tongue along my sensitive center. I cried as he teased every nerve within me, pulling me closer to t
KAAN‘Fucking Fates!’ Caspian shouted through the mind link, his voice laced with laughter. ‘Are you seeing what I'm seeing?’I surely did. I stepped back, lining up with my little one—my Luna and a future Queen. Undoubtedly, she already was the Queen in the eyes of those who bowed down before her.Asena smiled nervously, gesturing at them to rise. They looked as if they had woken up from a long, dreamless sleep, slowly acknowledging where they were and who they were. It was sort of tragic that the oath that was supposed to be the highest privilege had become their nightmare.Nathair chuffed, making a sound resembling a chuckle, as he looked around at the battlefield. What had just happened could only be described as a miracle. Asena managed to stop the bloodshed mere minutes after she entered the grounds. With all the enemy warriors either killed or switching sides, there was only one thing left to do…I motioned my chin, pointing at the hill. ‘Get her,’ I commanded, and several wolv
Aeron and I made it back to Inberville alive. Of course, we both needed a healer to patch us up, but we were going to recover in a matter of hours. Aeron barely talked to me from the moment I opened the hatch and entered the passage. I saw his relief when he made sure I wasn't severely wounded. Still, he was sulking because I didn't let him fight and protect me.When we returned to the city, it already resembled a huge war camp, with armed warriors running back and forth, securing every inch. Nathair was the first person who spotted us as we exited the passage. He ran toward us, and we briefly told him about everything that happened. He instantly passed the news of General Acyn's death to a few of his men so it could spread through the battlefield. Undoubtedly, Acyn's commanders and warriors had yet to be informed about the death of their leader, and the sooner they heard it, the faster their morale and will to fight would break.“I still cannot feel whether the blood spell worked or
I could barely keep my eyes open as Aeron all but dragged me deep into the forest. Arrows kept flying. A few missed us by an inch; two scratched Aeron's arm as he shielded me. I begged him to leave me and save himself, but he only growled in response.The good news was that the arrow hadn't pierced my heart. I knew that because I was still alive. The bad news was that it pierced through me and that it was coated with wolfsbane. The bleeding in my chest increased, and I knew I was about to reach my limit. I clenched my teeth, pushing through the pain, but I couldn't force my feet to move faster.“There's a rocky hill with a few caves ahead of us,” Aeron said as he tightened his grip on my waist. “We'll hide there.”I didn't argue. I had no strength to do so. Instead, I concentrated on running. The arrows stopped flying above our heads, but we didn't dare assume we were no longer being chased. I tried to hear the pounding footsteps somewhere behind us, but the wolfsbane weakened my sens
I convinced Nathair to include Zeno and Aeron in the emergency meeting in the war room. The three of us sat among the commanders of General Nathair's army. Surprisingly, none of them dared question our presence. There were no signs of disrespect or hostility, even though some of them must have already known that we were from the resistance or that I was Alpha Kaan's mate. Instead, their heads bowed before me, acknowledging my Luna status.Nathair shocked me even more when he decided to announce that I was Alpha Vardan's daughter. Again, no one asked me to prove my lineage; they believed their General as if his every word was sacred. I highly doubted that Jalissa could have counted on such loyalty from her warriors had the blood spell been broken.“We straightened every post from each side of our territory, General,” reported Zander, one of Nathair's commanders. “Still, I'm afraid that without a solid backup, the enemy will destroy our defenses in less than three days.”I glanced at Ze
I became more restless the closer we were to the Dark Lakes Pack's territory. I could no longer feel Kaan's emotions or mind link my mate, and this strange emptiness inside me filled me with an urge to turn back Atius and return to Alento. Only now did I fully understand why the mated couples could barely stand staying away from each other for more than a day. I felt as if I couldn't breathe a mere hour after we parted.Surely, I didn't mention anything about my emotional state to Aeron or Zeno. Aeron would have probably laughed his ass off, and Zeno would have most likely ignored everything I said. Letting out a quiet sigh, I shifted my focus to the road ahead, where Inberville's ramparts came into view.Aeron sucked in a sharp breath as we neared the massive gates with at least six guards protecting the city's entrance. “Are you sure that Nathair will let us into the Dark Lakes Pack's capital?”A nervous chuckle escaped me. “I guess we're about to find out.”A few heartbeats passed,
Fear turned out to be a better motivator than any logical argument we could have come up with. The icy terror satiated the air in the meeting hall. It took a few minutes for everyone gathered to realize that only we could give them what they truly wanted, and that was survival.Of course, some would rather hold on to their hatred even though they would risk the lives of their families that way. The insults and curses were still audible in the hall. I could sense that Kaan was at his limit. His urge to end those who spoke ill of us grew. His patience was about to run out, and I had to admit that so was mine. Surprisingly, it was Vidarr who spoke up first.“If you think that you can insult Luna Asena or Alpha Kaan just because they came here in peace, then I suggest you think again!” he growled. “You will show them respect, or we won't blame them for the bloodshed your stupid tongues caused!”Standing by my side, Kaan breathed out a chuckle. “I think I like him,” he whispered in my ear.
ASENAOne side of my lips curled up as I listened to Dritan's speech. I lined up with Kaan and smiled at my mate. He instantly grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. My chest swelled, and I felt hot tears gathering in the back of my eyes. Kaan had blood on his hands. He had killed for Alpha Khaos, but he had also saved many lives. He had chosen to become a villain because it had seemed like the only way to gain leverage in this war. He had allowed others to hate him for years. It was time for those who hated him to know his reasons…Garren scratched his beard, processing Dritan's words. I knew that he was a reasonable man who would never be blinded by general beliefs. Unfortunately, the warriors around him still oozed hostility, and none of Dritan's words softened the anger written on their faces.“For now, I believe that you didn't come here for bloodshed,” Garren said, his eyes shifting from me to Kaan and back to me. “You need more than a few words to gain my trust, and you c
KAANI watched my amazing Luna pack her clothes into a leather bag. Mine was already packed, so I just sat on the bed, enjoying the view, while I talked through the link with Caspian.‘He regained consciousness mere hours ago, and now that idiot insists on coming with us,’ Caspian groaned.I blew out a breath. ‘I didn't tell Asena that you found him a few days ago. No one could tell whether or not he was going to wake up, so…’‘She'll understand, Kaan,’ Caspian assured. ‘She needed to cope with Delmira's betrayal and Lelah's death. It's understandable you didn't want to tell her about Dritan.’I breathed out a curse and dragged my fingers through my hair. ‘So where is that idiot now?’‘Most likely on the way to your chambers. Angus and Damien tried to stop him, but he threatened to punch them when they blocked his way.’I pinched the bridge of my nose. ‘Fuck… I guess I will need to let Asena know before this fucker parades inside our bedroom.’A rough chuckle came through the link. ‘G