Serena.“We need to talk Serena”, Thorne says as he barges into the quarters. I hold my breath expecting the worse and formulating lies in my head as to why Luther is with me.However, he’s gone. One second Luther is standing right next to me in the quarters. The next… the space is empty. “It's about what we said earlier”. Thorne murmurs scratching behind his ears, totally oblivious to what just happened.I barely have time to respond when another voice interrupts. “Serena.”It's Tristan. Of course.He storms in behind Thorne like he owns the damn room. His eyes flick to Thorne, and then back to me with that same old disgust curling on his lips.“You were supposed to clean the eastern baths this evening. They reek of wolf sweat,” he says coldly, his arms folding.I stammer, “I—I forgot. I’m sorry, I’ll get to it now—”Thorne’s jaw ticks, but he says nothing. He turns his back and walks out.I cannot just watch him go again, so I run to him this time, my heart beating too fast for
Serena.“Did he come?” Thorne’s voice cracks through the quiet, jagged and heavy like a stone hurled into still water. I freeze, breath catches in my chest, a thousand answers crawling up my throat.“Who?” I ask, though I already know who I think he means.His eyes meet mine, searching. “The traitor. The one who took Sylvaine?.” He pauses. “You keep glancing at the door and you have the same expression you had when she was taken.”Relief comes sharp and fast but guilt rides in its shadow. Because yes, some part of me was waiting. Waiting for the crash of another storm, the familiar sting of Tristan gaze. For someone I had no right still thinking about.“No,” I whisper, my voice barely there. “He didn’t come, he escaped.”Thorne’s expression doesn't shift. He doesn't ask for more. Instead, he leaned forward, cupped my jaw in his calloused hand, and kissed me again. The kind of kiss that tried to forget the world. I let myself get lost in it, just for a moment longer.But even now, part
Serena.I cannot breathe.The smirk on Tristan’s face is gone by the time I blink, replaced with his usual mask of cold detachment. But I had felt it, heard him. The mate bond, raw and undeniable, had reached for me like an unseen tether. “I know what you’re doing.”The words echo again and again inside me, louder than the music or the chatter around the table. I force myself to move, to pour wine into a goblet with my shaky hands.“Don’t look back”. “Don’t falter”. “Just finish your task”. I mumble to myself the rest of the night.I leave the high table with my pulse thundering in my ears. I can feel his eyes still on me, like a blade pressed against my back.By the time I slip into the servant’s passageway, I am trembling. Not just with fear, but confusion. Did he know? About the pendant? About the resistance? About Thorne?Gods. About me?I press my hand to my chest, as if I can stop my heart from revealing more than it should. The bond is supposed to be dormant, suppressed since
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 other survivors
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 golden 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.I straighten quickly, shoving the parchment behind me. “I, I was just dusting.”A smirk tugs at his lips. Not the usual cruel, mocking one. This one seems amused.“Dusting,” he repeats, shaking his head. “With your hands all over confidential war reports?”I open my mouth, searching for an excuse, but nothing comes out. I’m dead. This is it, but then, he laughs.Not a dry, bitter chuckle but a real laugh. I blink, stunned. Tristan never laughs.“You really are something,” he says, stepping closer. “You think I don’t see what you’re trying to do?”My heart races and I step back instinctively, but he just leans against the desk with his arms crossed, watching me like I’m the most amusing thing in the world.Then, he tilts his head. “Tell me, little thief, what do I get in return for my silence?”I stare at him, completely thrown off. Where is the usual coldness? The cruelty? The threats?I hesitate. “Anything?.” I state, totally confused by what is happening.His smirk widens. “
Serena.I cannot breathe.The smirk on Tristan’s face is gone by the time I blink, replaced with his usual mask of cold detachment. But I had felt it, heard him. The mate bond, raw and undeniable, had reached for me like an unseen tether. “I know what you’re doing.”The words echo again and again inside me, louder than the music or the chatter around the table. I force myself to move, to pour wine into a goblet with my shaky hands.“Don’t look back”. “Don’t falter”. “Just finish your task”. I mumble to myself the rest of the night.I leave the high table with my pulse thundering in my ears. I can feel his eyes still on me, like a blade pressed against my back.By the time I slip into the servant’s passageway, I am trembling. Not just with fear, but confusion. Did he know? About the pendant? About the resistance? About Thorne?Gods. About me?I press my hand to my chest, as if I can stop my heart from revealing more than it should. The bond is supposed to be dormant, suppressed since
Serena.“Did he come?” Thorne’s voice cracks through the quiet, jagged and heavy like a stone hurled into still water. I freeze, breath catches in my chest, a thousand answers crawling up my throat.“Who?” I ask, though I already know who I think he means.His eyes meet mine, searching. “The traitor. The one who took Sylvaine?.” He pauses. “You keep glancing at the door and you have the same expression you had when she was taken.”Relief comes sharp and fast but guilt rides in its shadow. Because yes, some part of me was waiting. Waiting for the crash of another storm, the familiar sting of Tristan gaze. For someone I had no right still thinking about.“No,” I whisper, my voice barely there. “He didn’t come, he escaped.”Thorne’s expression doesn't shift. He doesn't ask for more. Instead, he leaned forward, cupped my jaw in his calloused hand, and kissed me again. The kind of kiss that tried to forget the world. I let myself get lost in it, just for a moment longer.But even now, part
Serena.“We need to talk Serena”, Thorne says as he barges into the quarters. I hold my breath expecting the worse and formulating lies in my head as to why Luther is with me.However, he’s gone. One second Luther is standing right next to me in the quarters. The next… the space is empty. “It's about what we said earlier”. Thorne murmurs scratching behind his ears, totally oblivious to what just happened.I barely have time to respond when another voice interrupts. “Serena.”It's Tristan. Of course.He storms in behind Thorne like he owns the damn room. His eyes flick to Thorne, and then back to me with that same old disgust curling on his lips.“You were supposed to clean the eastern baths this evening. They reek of wolf sweat,” he says coldly, his arms folding.I stammer, “I—I forgot. I’m sorry, I’ll get to it now—”Thorne’s jaw ticks, but he says nothing. He turns his back and walks out.I cannot just watch him go again, so I run to him this time, my heart beating too fast for
Serena.It’s been days since I saw them, Isabel and Luther. Days since I stood outside her door with the image of them making love burning into my mind.I haven’t told anyone. Not about what I saw. Not about what I felt. Not even about the kiss that still lingers like a curse on my lips.I bury myself in my secret training, errands, anything that will keep my mind from spiraling. I feel empty inside, I know it might be because of Tristan's continuous cold attitude towards me, despite being mates, or it may be because Thorne no longer looks at me or acknowledges me. It may also be due to the fact that my childhood love, Luther didn't work out and now he is also not in good terms with me. Either way, the emptiness keeps on eating me from inside out, and although I should be worried, it is better to feel numb than to bear the pain in my heart.One afternoon, I run into Isabel behind the manor. She’s tending the moonflowers that only bloom when the night air is still. She straightens w
Serena.“Head Back”, Tristan commands and his army turn around immediately as if controlled by an unseen force.We walk in silence, anticipating the worst as we head back to the manor. Surprisingly, the Nytheran manor stands quiet. Too quiet.No smoke. No fire. No signs of an attack. Just an unsettling calm that settles over the grounds like fog. My heart drops as we rush in, Tristan at my side, the warriors fanning out with blades drawnready for a war that doesn’t exist.Luther escaped, and now I'm sure sending the scout And the scout? No trace of him. He lied.This whole thing was a ploy. A distraction. And we fell for it.Queen Aliyah summons me not long after. The guards escort me through marble corridors that echo with each of my footsteps. When I enter the royal chamber, Sylvaine is already there, arm bandaged, pale but alive.Queen Aliyah descends from her throne slowly, her expression stoic and composed.“You showed courage,” she says. “Protecting Sylvaine. Facing the enemy h
As soon as I sighted the army behind them, I let out a loud growl and shifted immediately. My wolf charged at them, swiftly dodging Serena and Sylvaine and pouncing on one of the soldiers. The air burned. It was the kind of heat that crawled under your skin and seared you from the inside out. My wolf was snarling, itching for blood. Steel rang out behind me as Nytheran warriors surged forward, answering my silent command. But I didn’t care. I only saw him.My target is the bastard who is standing in the middle of his army with a stupid smirk on his face.As soon as I get to him, he shifts into his wolf, turning around and blending in with his army. “If it isn't the all powerful Tristan Sinclair, Alpha Heir to the Nythera Pack”, he says in a mocking sing-song voice.It just made me want to rip out his throat, but as I got closer, he moved faster than I could have predicted and grabbed Serena who stood just ahead, dirt-smudged, bruised, but alive. Her eyes widened when she saw me.
Tristan.I felt it before I could name it. A low, coiling growl stirred in my chest, and my wolf jerked awake, wild, feral, and furious.Someone is touching her.The images weren’t clear, but the bond twisted sharply inside me, a painful, suffocating tug in my chest. I stumbled back, clutching the edge of the table in my room as the world spun.My wolf howled in rage, clawing to the surface.“Ours. Mate. She’s ours!”The first time he’d said it, I hadn’t believed him. Not when she looked so broken, so enslaved. Not when she had knelt in the mud like a thing without a soul. And certainly not when she flinched from my touch.But the first time she looked at me. I knew and my wolf never stopped calling her mate after that.And now... now she was with him.I didn’t remember bursting into the house. Didn’t remember the splintered door or the way Thorne was on top her, his scent all over her. Didn’t remember the way she looked at me, startled, ashamed, like I’d caught her doing something w
Serena.I find him near the supply tent, his arms crossed, and his face as if it is carved from stone. I open my mouth, carefully.“Luther.”His gaze slices through me, emotionless. Then he turns his back.That’s it.My fingers curl into fists. That’s all the answer I need.I feel the sting behind my eyes, but I say nothing. I turn away and walk back to the small storage tent where Sylvaine waits, twiddling with a piece of bread she has no intention of eating.“We leave tonight,” I whisper.She arches her brow. “About time.”That night, I decide to announce our leave, so I head to the war tent. The tent is crowded when I enter with commanders, scouts, Gareth... and Luther, standing in the center like a storm waiting to break. I brace myself for a cold goodbye.But I never get the chance.“Seize her,” he commands.Hands grab me from behind before I can move. Ropes bind my wrists. I don’t fight. I’m too stunned.“What the hell Luther”, I yell, yanking against the men holding me tightly
Serena. The sun dips low, casting a golden hue over the camp, but my world feels anything but warm. I stand in the training ring, a wooden sword clutched in my grip, facing Luther. The ground beneath me is firm, yet I feel like I’m standing on jelly. “Focus,” Luther commands. “You’re slower than I remember, you good?.” I scowl. “I’m fine.” He lunges. I dodge, barely, my counterstrike lacks force. He sidesteps, easily knocking my sword aside, then grabs my wrist, twisting my arm behind my back in a move too quick to counter. He leans in, his breath warm against my ear. “If I was the enemy, you’d be dead.” I wrench free, glaring at him. “You’re distracted,” he says, eyes narrowing. “Should I know why?.” My heart pounds. Does he know? I keep my expression nonchalant. “I told you, I’m fine.” Luther studies me for a long moment, then sighs and steps back. “You don’t have to tell me. But if you’re not at your best when the real fight comes, it won’t just be you who suff