LIANA The smell of something rich and savory wafted through the cracks of my bedroom door, pulling me from my restless thoughts. My stomach growled in protest, but I ignored it, sitting cross-legged on the bed and staring at the slip of paper I’d found earlier.Aurora.The name didn’t feel like mine, yet it still stirred something deep inside me, like a melody I’d long forgotten. Who was she? Or, more terrifyingly, what if she was related to… me? But that was impossible right? This was my first time here.A muffled voice broke through my thoughts, followed by another—low and steady, but with an edge of irritation. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but the walls of this mansion weren’t as thick as they appeared. Curious, I crept closer to the door, pressing my ear against the wood.“She’s obviously been through something,” Reed’s voice came first, calm but tinged with concern. “We can’t just ignore that.”“I’m not saying ignore it,” Callum shot back, his tone sharper. “But you can’t save s
LIANAThe air in the room was thick with a musty scent, a mix of aged paper and time-worn leather. I stepped further inside, my fingers trailing along the edges of the maps pinned to the walls. The symbols etched across them tugged at something buried deep in my memory. The jagged crescent moon, the same one scarred into my skin, stared back at me like a challenge.I pressed my palm against it, as if by touching it, I could make sense of the chaos in my head. The map wasn’t just a record; it was a tapestry of the clans. My clan. My family.A journal sat on a nearby desk, its cover worn and corners curling with age. It called to me, and before I could second-guess myself, I flipped it open. The handwriting was precise, each line a testament to the care of the writer had taken.Entry 112: The Outcast’s Mark“The crescent moon scarred with a single line—once a symbol of belonging, now the emblem of disgrace. Reserved for those who have committed the gravest of betrayals and for those wh
LIANAThe sounds outside the door were like nothing I’d ever heard before—low, guttural growls, snarls that raised every hair on my body. My fingers gripped the edge of the desk in the secret room, knuckles white as I tried to steady my breathing.It didn’t work.Each thud, each crash, echoed through the walls, rattling the shelves and the artifacts they held. Glass shattered somewhere, and the floor vibrated with the force of bodies slamming into each other. My chest tightened as panic surged. The Bennett brothers had shifted—I’d seen them change with my own eyes—but what were they fighting? A crash louder than the rest made me jump, and I heard a voice—a human voice, strained with effort.“Get out of my way, you mangy mutts!”Callum.Something primal in his tone sent a chill down my spine. I crept toward the door, heart pounding so hard I could barely hear myself think. Against every instinct screaming at me to stay hidden, I cracked the door open just enough to see.The sight fro
CALLUMI barely registered her body crumpling to the floor before instinct kicked in.“Liana!” I shouted, rushing toward her. My heart pounded, but I shoved the panic aside. Her small frame lay limp on the ground, pale and motionless.“Liana, wake up!” I knelt beside her, gently shaking her shoulders, but there was no response. Her breaths were shallow, her skin cold beneath my hands. A wave of something foreign—fear, maybe—tightened in my chest. “Callum, what—” Asher’s voice trailed off as he and Reed approached. “She fainted,” I snapped, cutting me off. “Help me move her.”I slipped my arms beneath her, lifting her easily into a bridal hold. She felt fragile, too light, like she might break in my grip. Her head lolled against my chest as I stood. Reed hovered nearby, his usual calm shaken. “She’s out cold?”“No thanks to the chaos we just dealt with,” I muttered. “Asher, call Meave. Now. Reed, get the workers here. The place is a mess, and we can’t leave anything behind.”Without
LIANAThe first thing I noticed was the warmth, soft and all-encompassing, spreading over my body like a thick blanket. My eyelids fluttered open, revealing the faint flicker of light peeking through heavy curtains. The room smelled faintly of cedarwood and rain, clean yet foreign.“Liana?”I turned my head toward the sound, my movements sluggish. Callum sat in a chair beside the bed, his sharp features softened by an unusual expression—concern. “You’re awake,” he murmured, his voice low, as if speaking too loudly might shatter me. My head throbbed as I tried to sit up, but his hand shot out, steadying me before I could fall back. “Take it slow,” he added. “What happened?” My voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.“You fainted,” Callum explained. “The fight must have taken more out of you than you realized.Faint images of chaos flared in my mind—blood, snarls, the cold dread that had gripped me just before everything went blank. But even more vivid was the strange pull I’d felt
CALLUMThe moment I saw the SUV roll up the driveway, I knew it wasn’t trouble. The engine hummed in that familiar way, a low, even pure that practically whispered Malcolm. Still, I followed Reed and Asher down the hall with purpose—just in case. Reed was the first to reach the door, as always. The “responsible” brother. He peeked through the side window, his shoulders visibly relaxing when he caught sight of the man climbing out of the vehicle. It wasn’t the first time Reed had gone all “big brother mode,” peeking out the window like some overprotective watchdog, I had found that act of his irritating. But this time, I wasn’t annoyed at him. No, I was irritated because Malcolm’s SUV pulling up to the house meant one thing: a complication in the mission we sent him out for. Malcolm was reliable. I’d give him that. The man had been with us longer than all of us had been alive, helping our father before his death and, somehow, sticking around after. He was loyal to a fault, wise beyon
RAIDENThe warmth of her skin was intoxicating, a distraction I welcomed. Her lips trailed down my neck as I let my head tilt back, savoring the fleeting moments of bliss. Lydia—one of the maids—was eager, pliant, and desperate to please, just how I liked them.“Get down there, Lydia,” I whispered in between gritted teeth, my hands working extra time to get the belt of my pants off. “Let me handle that, Alpha,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper, her hands grabbing the head of the belt and within minutes my pants were off.I closed my eyes as she took my cock in her wet suckling mouth, her tongue wiggling on the tip of my cock. This was amazing—the feeling of being sexually pleased was amazed. As if she read my mind, Lydia went full on my cock taking everything inside her mouth. The sound of her mouth on my cock sent jolts of adrenaline through my brain. “Am I doing it right, Alpha Raiden?” she whispered breathlessly, her hands on my cock as she gave me a handjob. “Stop
RAIDENThe cold evening air clung to my skin as I made my way back to the castle. The trail of footprints leading to tire tracks at the border played over in my mind, along with the shredded guards left in their wake. The scene had been gruesome, a testament to an attack far more calculated than any rogue ambush. Still, I’d ordered the cleanup and reinforced the border, ensuring the guards’ deaths wouldn’t cause a stir. I didn’t need my father seeing this as another failure. The scent of power and judgment lingered in the halls even before I reached the castle gates, a reminder of the man who awaited me. Maddox Gray. The guards opened the heavy oak doors without a word, their eyes fixed on the ground. They must have sensed the storm brewing. I stepped into the grand hall, its polished marble floors gleaming under flickering chandeliers, but the air felt heavy. Too quiet. Too still. And then I saw him. My father stood at the far end of the room, his arms crossed, his piercing gray
LIANA’S POVThe room was quiet except for the soft hum of the television. The dim light from the screen flickered across the living room, casting long shadows on the walls. My head felt heavy, my limbs sluggish, but it wasn’t just the alcohol making me feel this way—it was him. Reed sat beside me, his presence overpowering even in silence. His scent, a mix of pine and something distinctly his, filled my lungs with every breath I took. I could feel his gaze on me, watching, waiting. I had to leave. I pushed myself up from the couch, the air around me suddenly feeling too thick, too charged. “Goodnight, Reed,” I whispered, my voice quieter than I intended. My body wasn’t listening to me, though, because every part of me wanted to stay.He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, eyes dark, unreadable. Then, just as I turned to leave, his hand caught mine.“Eliana,” his voice was low, barely above a murmur, but it sent a shiver down my sp
REED’S POV The fire crackled in the hearth filling the dimly lit living room with a faint warmth. Asher and Callum were seated on one of the couches, their expressions unreadable, while Malcolm leaned against the bar, pouring another round of whiskey into the glasses before him. The scent of burning wood and aged liquor lingered in the air, blending with the silence that stretched between us.I sat back in my chair, fingers wrapped around the cool glass in my hand, but I barely took a sip. My thoughts were too tangled, too weighted by the conversation we were having. “You’re sure about this?” Callum asked, his brow furrowing as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “We didn’t make a mistake letting Seraphine stay here?” Malcolm let out a slow breath. “No, we didn’t.” He set the whiskey bottle down with a dull clink and met Callum’s gaze. “If she’s here, there’s a better chance of unlocking Liana’s wolf. And if that happens, it won’t take as much of a toll on her.” Asher nodded
LIANA’S POVI didn’t let go of her. Not for a second.Even as we walked up the stairs, my hand stayed tightly wrapped around hers, as if I was afraid she would disappear if I loosened my grip. It still felt unreal—having her here, standing beside me, existing in my world. For nineteen years, she had only been a whisper in my mind. A ghost of a dream—a ghost I didn’t know existed. But now, she was real. My mother. My biological mother. Aurora Blackwood. I swallowed against the lump rising in my throat as I led her down the hall. “Reed, Asher, and Callum put this room together for you,” I told her, stopping in front of the door at the end of the corridor. “It’s not much, but… it’s yours.”She turned to me, her violet eyes shining with something unreadable. “It’s perfect, Eliana.”The way she said my name made my chest tighten. Eliana Blackwood, right? Or should I ask her about my father? Hell, no! She just got here.I pushed the door open, stepping aside so she could enter firs
KADE’S POVI ended the call with Maddox and let the phone drop onto the desk.My fingers twitched, curling into a slow, tight fist. My other hand reached for the glass beside me, but I didn’t drink. I only stared, my reflection distorted in the dark amber liquid.Then, I looked up. Across the room, in the corner where the firelight barely reached, my beast watched me.Star.She was my baby. Her massive body was coiled, muscles tense beneath dark, jagged fur, those unnerving eyes locked onto me with their usual quiet intensity. She knew something was different. She could feel it.I exhaled, slow and measured. She had always been like this. Watching. Waiting. As if she knew every dark thought crawling through my skull. And tonight, those thoughts were particularly dark.After nineteen whole years. Nineteen. A bitter chuckle left my lips, low and humourless, but there was no amusement in it. Only disbelief.Aurora Blackwood. All these years, I had searched. I had sent men, I had sp
MADDOX’S POVI knew. From the moment I stepped into the dinning hall, from the way the air felt too still, from the faint, lingering scent of her that was already beginning to fade—I knew.Seraphine was gone.I watched Raiden closely as he sat across from me, barely touching his food, his fingers clenching the fabric of his pants beneath the table. He was trying to hide his fear, but it was bleeding through every crack. Weak.I took my time eating, savouring each bite, watching as his breath hitched every time I so much as looked at him. Letting the silence stretch, letting it suffocate him.Then I asked the question.“Where’s Seraphine?”He flinched. It was quick—barely noticeable—but I caught it. “She’s in her chambers,” he said, too stiffly. “She’s feeling unwell. The flu.”I chuckled. The flu?Lie. A pathetic, obvious lie. Raiden had never been good at lying. It was almost pitiful how easily I could tear him apart. I set my utensils down, wiping my mouth slowly before resti
RAIDEN’S POVThe house was too quiet. Too empty. Too wrong.I sat curled up in the corner of my bed, my hands gripping my phone so tightly my knuckles had gone white. The screen glowed in the dim room, the call screen mocking me with the same words over and over again.Voicemail. My heart pounded against my ribs as I hit redial. The line rang twice before the robotic voice cut in again.“The number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message after the—”I didn’t wait for the beep.“Mom,” my voice cracked, raw and trembling, “please pick up. Please come back. Where are you? I—I don’t know what to do. He’s going to find out, and I—” My breath hitched as I wiped my wet cheeks with the back of my sleeve. “Please, just call me back. Please…”I ended the call and immediately redialed.Voicemail. Again.A strangled sob tore from my throat as I slumped forward, my forehead pressing against my knees.She was gone.And I was alone.The realization settled like a boulder in m
REED’S POVThe wind howled through the trees, a relentless, eerie whisper that did nothing to ease the frustration burning inside me. I held Liana close, her small, trembling body pressed against mine as her ragged breaths hit my chest. She was shaking, whether from fear or exhaustion, I didn’t know. All I knew was that I almost lost her tonight.I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to take a deep breath as I pulled back just enough to look at her face. Her skin was cold, her lips slightly parted, her dark eyes hollow with shock. But she refused to look at me.That only made my frustration grow. “Why?” My voice came out sharp, cutting through the silence. “Why the hell did you run off like that?” She flinched slightly but said nothing. I was trying to be patient—I really was. I knew she had been through too much already. Finding out that the mother she thought had abandoned her was still alive, learning that everything she believed about her past wasn’t the full truth—it was a lot to
LIANA’S POVThe cold air burned my lungs as I ran. Barefoot. Blind. Desperate. I didn’t know where I was going, and I didn’t care. My legs moved on their own, driven by the storm raging inside me. The forest swallowed me whole, its towering trees stretching into the night sky, their gnarled branches clawing at the moonlight. Shadows flickered between the trunks, but I kept running, crashing through the underbrush, my breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps.I needed to get away.Away from the house. Away from Seraphine. Away from everything. My mother. My mother was alive. The words echoed in my head, looping over and over until they lost meaning, became just sounds rattling inside my skull. My mother, the woman I had never known, had just appeared—like a ghost stepping out of the past. A ghost who had left me. A ghost who had abandoned me.Tears blurred my vision, but I didn’t stop. I ran faster, deeper into the night, until the distant glow of the house disappeared behind the trees.
REED’S POVThe air in the room turned to ice. My breath hitched. My muscles locked. Did I hear her right? Callum did. His chair scraped against the wooden floor as he shot to his feet, eyes blown wide. “What?” His voice was a razor’s edge, sharp enough to cut through bone. “You’re Maddox’s wife?” Seraphine’s jaw tensed, but she didn’t look away. Callum let out a sharp, humorless laugh, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe it. “You’re Maddox Gray’s wife. The same Maddox who murdered our father. The same bastard who burned our home down and left us for dead. And we let you in.” His hands curled into fists. His voice cracked. “We opened our doors to Maddox Gray’s wife!” His words rang through the room like a gunshot.Malcolm went pale. Asher shoulders stiffened. I could hear his breathing, slow and controlled—too controlled. I knew he was trying to keep himself from snapping. My own stomach twisted with something between fury and betrayal. I kept my hands clenched at my side