Serena.His mouth is hot against mine, demanding and unapologetic. There’s no hesitation in Tristan, no gentle testing like Thorne. This is wild, possessive hunger.My back hits the mattress and he’s there, his weight, his heat, the unmistakable presence of the mate bond flaring so bright I feel scorched.His hands slide under my shirt, callused fingertips ghosting over my skin. I arch into the touch, my breath seizing, my thoughts scattering. With Thorne, it was soft and sweet and patient. This is something else entirely.My shirt is gone before I realize it, his mouth trailing heat down my collarbone, nipping, tasting, branding. I gasp his name.“Say it again,” he growls, voice rough against my skin.“Tristan…”He shudders. “You have no idea what you do to me.”And I want to say I think I do, but his hands are everywhere and my body is moving before my mind can keep up. His kisses leave trails of fire, and when our hips meet, clothes forgotten somewhere on the floor, I swear I see
Serena.For one perfect, trembling second, the world holds its breath. Gasps, whispers and cries of disbelief rise from every corner as the circle shatters into noise.My breath stops. My chest tightens. I don’t know if it’s fear or fury clawing up my throat.“I carry the Alpha Prince’s heir,” the girl says again, bolder now, chin lifted like a dagger. Her voice rings out, steady, so confident that it is hard not to focus on her .I don’t recognize her, but she’s as young as I am, perhaps the same age, maybe even younger as moonlight catching the defiance in her eyes.As she repeats this, every eye turns to him. Tristan.He doesn’t move or even blink. He just stands there, shrouded in ceremonial black, silver trim glinting like a crown of thorns. His jaw ticks once. That’s it. No outburst. No denial.Nothing.The silence is worse than a yes.“Is this true?” the High Priestess finally asks, her voice heavy with ancient authority.Still, he says nothing. Just a slow exhale through his
Thorne.The thread split. I saw it happen, not imagined, not some fever-dream hope, like the one I've been holding onto too tightly lately. It stretched from Serena’s chest, flickering like a frightened star. One line pulled toward Tristan, desperate, familiar. The other... faltered, wavered, and then turned, toward me.It hit me like a punch to the ribs. I felt it. The bond. Not theory. Not fantasy. A real bond, and mine. But not only mine.Because fate, it seems, is a cruel thing, and Serena Nikolai and I are its favorite fates to ruin.She didn’t look at me right away. Her gaze was fixed on the flickering strands, on the confusion. On him. Always him.Across the circle, Tristan looked like a man standing in the wreckage of his own lies, he still had his stupid confident facade, yes, but cracking. His shoulders tight. His mouth a grim line. The medallion at his feet like a dropped crown, proof of betrayal no one could ignore anymore.But still, even in this chaos, the gods saw fit
Serena.Darkness. But not the kind that scares children. This was weightless, endless silence. A void where even pain didn’t reach.Until it did. My ribs ache first, then my temples. Then a thousand invisible strings tug at the corners of my soul, like they are trying to sew me back together after something had torn me in half.My eyes blink open to soft, flickering candlelight and a face I don’t expect.Alessia.She’s sitting near the edge of the room, her hands folded in her lap. She doesn't speak. Neither do I.Because the question hanging in the air is louder than anything she could say: Who did you choose?I wish I knew.I sit up slowly, realising I'm now alone and seeing Alessia was a figment of my imagination, no Priestess, no Tristan and no Thorne. I touch my chest, but I don't feel any threads, there's no warmth. Just my skin and heartbeat. Was the bond broken completely? Did I choose no one?Or worse… was I never truly meant for either of them?I hear footsteps. “Serena?
Serena's POV“Run Serena!!”, is all I hear my mom scream as a black wolf lunges at her slicing through her chest.I scream and run towards her, even when my wolf yells at me to run away. I shake her repeatedly trying to bring her back, but she just lays there lifeless, heart ripped out of her chest. Another scream leaves my lips but is drowned by the chaos and destruction around me. Houses set on fire, screams of agony in the air as black lethal wolves drag out my pack mercilessly murdering them without giving them a chance to beg for mercy.I never could have seen this coming, and now my whole family is dead, brutally murdered. I collapse on my mother's lifeless body, too weak to keep on crying.“There’s still someone out here”, I hear one of the wolves cry out, and soon, I hear them running towards me. They surround me, but at this point I have no willpower or strength to fight back. So I just lay there lifeless.I think back to how it all started. This morning began like every o
Serena's POV "Just kill me, please." The words slip from my lips before I can stop them. My voice is hoarse, barely louder than a whisper. I hear gasps, but I could not care less. I have lost everything, my family, my home, my dignity. Death would be a mercy. The soldier holding me hesitates, his grip on my arms tightening. His blade hovers at my throat, close enough that I feel it bite against my skin. “Wait”, a voice shouts, it is a young soldier running towards us. “The General says we should not kill anyone till we get to the stronghold”. The cloaked figure waves his hands, and the soldier lowers his blade. I sigh in defeat, wondering why it is so hard to die. “Assemble every slave, we leave at dusk”, I hear him order and as soon as he says this, things become busy. Some soldiers transform into their wolves running to God knows where, while the others round up the slaves. My wrists burn where the silver chain bites into my skin. The Nythera wolves march me and the
Serena.The air in the chamber is heavy with sorrow and fear. The great Alpha of Nythera lay on his bed, his breaths coming in shallow gasps. Warriors, advisors, and nobles stand around him in silence, their faces tight with unease.I stand at the farthest corner of the room, my fists clenched at my sides. I should not be here. I should not be forced to witness the final moments of the Alpha responsible for my family’s slaughter.Then, a murmur passes through the gathered wolves.“Bring him in.”The doors burst open, and my breath stops in my throat.A healer is shoved into the chamber. A powerful one, and not just any healer, the healer of my pack.His wrists are bound, his once elegant robes tattered and stained with blood. His face, though bruised, still holds the dignity of a man who has spent his life saving others.“Fix him,” one of the warriors barked, shoving him forward.The healer didn’t move immediately. His dark eyes scanned the room until they landed on me, and then, to m
Serena. I kneel before Tristan Sinclair, my fists clenched at my sides, fighting every urge to spit at his feet. His silver eyes glow under the moonlight streaming through the high windows. "You will show me your utmost submission at all times," he repeats, his voice as cold as the winter winds that once howled through my pack’s mountains. I bite the inside of my cheek, forcing my head down. I know better than to provoke him, but the silence stretches too long, and I see the flicker of amusement in his gaze, like a challenge. Before I can break and say something reckless, the doors to his chambers burst open. "Tristan!" A feminine voice rings through the room. A young woman, no older than me, storms in with wild dark hair bouncing over her shoulders. Then, she stops dead in her tracks, her eyes shifting between me kneeling on the floor and Tristan towering over me. A smirk tugs at her lips. "So, it's slaves now, huh big brother?" She crosses her arms, tapping a finger again
Serena.Darkness. But not the kind that scares children. This was weightless, endless silence. A void where even pain didn’t reach.Until it did. My ribs ache first, then my temples. Then a thousand invisible strings tug at the corners of my soul, like they are trying to sew me back together after something had torn me in half.My eyes blink open to soft, flickering candlelight and a face I don’t expect.Alessia.She’s sitting near the edge of the room, her hands folded in her lap. She doesn't speak. Neither do I.Because the question hanging in the air is louder than anything she could say: Who did you choose?I wish I knew.I sit up slowly, realising I'm now alone and seeing Alessia was a figment of my imagination, no Priestess, no Tristan and no Thorne. I touch my chest, but I don't feel any threads, there's no warmth. Just my skin and heartbeat. Was the bond broken completely? Did I choose no one?Or worse… was I never truly meant for either of them?I hear footsteps. “Serena?
Thorne.The thread split. I saw it happen, not imagined, not some fever-dream hope, like the one I've been holding onto too tightly lately. It stretched from Serena’s chest, flickering like a frightened star. One line pulled toward Tristan, desperate, familiar. The other... faltered, wavered, and then turned, toward me.It hit me like a punch to the ribs. I felt it. The bond. Not theory. Not fantasy. A real bond, and mine. But not only mine.Because fate, it seems, is a cruel thing, and Serena Nikolai and I are its favorite fates to ruin.She didn’t look at me right away. Her gaze was fixed on the flickering strands, on the confusion. On him. Always him.Across the circle, Tristan looked like a man standing in the wreckage of his own lies, he still had his stupid confident facade, yes, but cracking. His shoulders tight. His mouth a grim line. The medallion at his feet like a dropped crown, proof of betrayal no one could ignore anymore.But still, even in this chaos, the gods saw fit
Serena.For one perfect, trembling second, the world holds its breath. Gasps, whispers and cries of disbelief rise from every corner as the circle shatters into noise.My breath stops. My chest tightens. I don’t know if it’s fear or fury clawing up my throat.“I carry the Alpha Prince’s heir,” the girl says again, bolder now, chin lifted like a dagger. Her voice rings out, steady, so confident that it is hard not to focus on her .I don’t recognize her, but she’s as young as I am, perhaps the same age, maybe even younger as moonlight catching the defiance in her eyes.As she repeats this, every eye turns to him. Tristan.He doesn’t move or even blink. He just stands there, shrouded in ceremonial black, silver trim glinting like a crown of thorns. His jaw ticks once. That’s it. No outburst. No denial.Nothing.The silence is worse than a yes.“Is this true?” the High Priestess finally asks, her voice heavy with ancient authority.Still, he says nothing. Just a slow exhale through his
Serena.His mouth is hot against mine, demanding and unapologetic. There’s no hesitation in Tristan, no gentle testing like Thorne. This is wild, possessive hunger.My back hits the mattress and he’s there, his weight, his heat, the unmistakable presence of the mate bond flaring so bright I feel scorched.His hands slide under my shirt, callused fingertips ghosting over my skin. I arch into the touch, my breath seizing, my thoughts scattering. With Thorne, it was soft and sweet and patient. This is something else entirely.My shirt is gone before I realize it, his mouth trailing heat down my collarbone, nipping, tasting, branding. I gasp his name.“Say it again,” he growls, voice rough against my skin.“Tristan…”He shudders. “You have no idea what you do to me.”And I want to say I think I do, but his hands are everywhere and my body is moving before my mind can keep up. His kisses leave trails of fire, and when our hips meet, clothes forgotten somewhere on the floor, I swear I see
Serena.I ignore Tristan’s childish wave and move closer to Thorne, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Thorne's hand settles lightly on the small of my back, steadying me. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Tristan’s jaw ticks. So quick did it disappear that I doubt if it truly happened.Athea bows slightly. “My Lords,” she says smoothly to Thorne and Vasquez, then spares me a smirk before turning on her heel.I offer a polite nod to the men, then quickly follow after her. My boots echo in the corridor as I catch up.“What the hell was that?” I hiss, grabbing her arm.She turns, lips still curved. “What?”“You kissed Tristan again? Seriously?”She rolls her eyes. “Relax. I’m just having fun. Besides he isn't complaining is he?”I freeze. “Excuse me?”She leans in, her voice low and irritatingly playful. “Come on, Serena. You and Thorne, me and Tristan? I want to smack her. My hand itches to. But I breathe instead. “You’re wrong.”She laughs, “Sure, if that helps
Serena.The torchlight flickers against the stone as I slowly step out from behind the shelf, my heart pounding in my throat. The scroll in my hand feels like it’s burning me. Thorne and Vasquez turn to me, shock carved into their faces.I walk up to them with steady steps, holding out the letter like it’s a weapon. “What’s the meaning of this?”Thorne’s eyes drop to the parchment, and his jaw tightens. He takes it carefully, almost reverently, as if touching it is like waking old ghosts. His silence is long enough to make me want to scream, until finally,“I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “You weren’t supposed to find out like this.”“Find out what exactly?” My voice comes out a little too loudly.Thorne looks at Vasquez, who crosses his arms, but stays quiet.“Our fathers,” Thorne begins, his voice distant now, haunted, “they were friends. Blood brothers in all but name. Before you were born, they fought side by side in the Great Siege against a rogue Alpha from across the seas, a wolf
Serena.I don’t, can't sleep. Not even a little. Midnight feels like a lifetime away, but still not enough time to process what just happened.Lyra. Could she be related to me? No, there has to be some mistake. A spy, a resistance agent, sure. But my blood?I pace the room in restless circles, clutching the pendant that’s been with me since childhood like it might bite back. I’d always thought it was a relic, a trinket my mother left behind. Something precious, yes, but meaningless.Now? It means everything.The moon climbs higher, fat and full, casting a cold glow through my window like it’s watching me, judging me.By the time I slip out of the manor, I’m a storm waiting for the right time to wreak havoc.The chapel is silent and in ruins. Its stained-glass windows shattered, pews half-buried in dust. Moonlight filters through the broken roof, lighting the altar like something sacred still lingers here.Lyra is already waiting by the time I get there. Her cloak is pulled low and she
Serena.I don’t remember backing away from the door. I don’t remember the stone walls pressing cold against my spine, or the way my knees buckled slightly. I only remember the sound of his laugh.Tristan’s laugh. A soft, real belly laugh. He is actually laughing. Not the sharp, hollow thing I’d grown used to. Not the version of him the world sees, untouchable, distant. This laugh had warmth. And it wasn’t meant for me.I shouldn’t care. But gods, I do.And her, Athea. The girl who is justa slave like me. The one who talked my ear off as we trudged along to the stronghold, who disappeared without a trace.What is she doing here? And why is Tristan touching her like she belongs to him?I don’t confront them. I can’t. Not yet. I slip away like a shadow in the hallway, my chest burning with more than just confusion.By morning, my headache feels like it’s carved itself into my skull. I shove my emotions down as best I can and move through my duties like a ghost, but I can feel Sylvaine
Serena.The whole meeting hall is as silent as a graveyard. Everyone is holding their breath as if a single exhale would cause the beast that is Thorne to tear them apart.His wolf is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, twice the size it should be, fur the color of the darkest night, eyes burning like lightning. This isn't just a shift, is this his power? growing to an unimaginable size? I don't know what terrifies me more: that no one dares to move, or that deep in my bones, I can feel that something is wrong.Suddenly, Tristan moves. He steps in front of me and shifts. It happens in a blink. His wolf is sleek, silver with streaks of black, not as large as Thorne’s, but pulsing with a power that makes the walls vibrate.And he stands in front of me. Protects me. Tristan has never protected me. He barely tolerates me. But now, his body is a shield between mine and his brother’s fury.Something has changed. Thorne’s growl vibrates through the chamber like an earthquake. He doesn't lunge,