Eleanor's POV The first day in this hellhole, I’d summoned every ounce of strength I had left. My hands had trembled as I pressed them to the wooden door, willing my power to rise. A surge of heat had flared within me, and flames had licked at the door, charring the surface with a satisfying burn. For a fleeting moment, I had tasted freedom—until Father’s guards stormed in. Their boots had marched against the stone, their growls filling the air as they seized me. I’d tried to fight, to call on my power again, but fear choked it down. The fire died out, leaving me helpless in their cold grip. I was no match for them, not when panic clawed at my throat.They dragged me to another room—a true cell this time, not just a mockery of one. Iron bars loomed around me, rusted and cold, the walls filled with dampness that seeped into my bones. A thin cot sat in one corner, its old mattress reeking of mildew, and a single bucket stood in the other, its purpose disgustingly clear. The air was hea
Sebastain's POV The guards at the gate didn’t dare lie to me—not with the fury blazing in my eyes, not with the bloodlust simmering just beneath my skin. I was a storm of rage, teetering on the edge of savagery, and they knew it. One wrong word, one misstep, and I’d tear through them without a second thought. My hands flexed, claws itching to break free.“Where’s Eleanor?!” My voice thundered across the courtyard, drowning out the ceremonial fanfare’s trumpets mid-note. The sound died abruptly, leaving only the echo of my roar. I fixed my glare on the nearest guard, a wiry man whose spear trembled in his grip. His face paled, his eyes darting under the weight of my stare, and he thrust a shaky hand toward the stony palace looming ahead. “F-Father has her,” he stammered.Caddal. That treacherous bastard.“Where is he keeping her?” I snarled, stepping closer, my shadow swallowing him.“I-I’m not in charge of her welfare, my lord,” he squeaked, shrinking back.I didn’t wait for more exc
Eleanor's POV That growl—it ripped through the suffocating silence of my cell, a sound I’d know anywhere. Sebastian. My heart surged, a jolt of recognition sparking life back into my weary bones. He’d come for me. Strength I didn’t know I still had materialized, flooding my limbs as I staggered to my feet. “Sebastian!” I screamed, my voice raw and ragged, clawing its way out of my parched throat. I pounded on the iron bars with trembling fists, the cold metal biting into my skin, willing him to hear me.Then he was there—his towering silhouette filling the dim corridor beyond the metal door. His presence was a storm, wild and untamed, radiating fury I could feel even through the barrier between us. A deafening clang echoed as a dent buckled the door, the iron groaning under his assault. He was smashing it down, each blow a testament to the beast within him. Another dent, then a third, the frame shuddering violently. With a final, earth-shaking crash, the door gave way, crumpling inwa
Sebastain's POV I wouldn’t let her lift a finger—not after what she’d endured. She sat across from me at the worn oak table in our chambers, her frail form hunched over a steaming bowl of soup, the only barrier between us. The rich aroma of broth—herbs and tender meat simmered to perfection—filled the room, curling around us like a promise of warmth. I scooped a spoonful, my hand steady despite the storm brewing in my chest, and brought it to her lips. She ate hungrily, her movements desperate yet delicate, as if she feared the food might vanish. Each swallow seemed to coax a flicker of color back into her pale, gaunt face, the ghostly white giving way to a faint flush. I watched her, my heart twisting with a mix of relief and fury.Caddal. I still couldn’t fathom it. That selfish, scheming wolf—how could he do this to his own daughter? Locking her away, starving her, treating her like some tool to be bent to his will—it was the height of madness. I’d known he was ruthless, but this?
Sebastian’s POVThe fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm, amber glow across our chambers. The shadows danced over the stone walls, softening the harsh edges of the world outside, but my eyes were fixed on her—Eleanor. She sat on the edge of our bed, her bare feet brushing the fur rug, her thin nightshift clinging to her frame. The soup had brought some color back to her cheeks, but she still looked fragile, like a bird that had weathered a storm too long. Yet there was a spark in her green eyes, a quiet fire that hadn’t dimmed despite everything Caddal had done. It drew me in, as it always had.I crossed the room, my boots silent against the floor, and knelt before her. My hands found hers, her fingers cool and delicate in my rough grip. “You’re still here,” I murmured, my voice low, almost breaking. “After everything, you’re still here with me.”She tilted her head, a small smile tugging at her lips—soft, tentative, but real. “Where else would I be?” she whispered, her voice a
Alicia's POV Wonders never end, do they? Time and again, I’m cast aside like yesterday’s scraps. Sebastian—damn him—had come crawling to me when his precious bond with Eleanor soured, his hazel eyes brimming with that wounded-pup look he wears so well. I’d been his confidante, his shoulder, soaking up his whispered fears about her witch blood like some fool who thought it meant something. And now? Today, I’d watched from the shadows of the palace courtyard as he carried her inside, cradling her fragile frame like she was spun glass. I’d lingered long enough to see him set her down in their chambers, spoon-feeding her soup with a tenderness that twisted my stomach into knots. Soup. As if that simple act could erase the chaos she’d brought into our lives.I was forgotten. Again.Now, I lay sprawled across my narrow bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling of my quarters. The flickering oil lamp on the table cast jagged shadows that danced mockingly over the plaster, mirroring the restle
Ryker's POVAfter endless days adrift on the churning sea, the sight of land was a lifeline pulling me from the brink. The salt-crusted deck of my small boat creaked beneath my boots as I gripped the railing, my stomach roiling—not just from the relentless waves, but from the solitude and the haunting thoughts of what had become of the Capris coven. My heart leapt, a wild, desperate thud against my ribs, as the jagged coastline came into view, kissed by the midday sun. I couldn’t wait to see Alpha Eleanor, to kneel before her and share what I’d found—the resting place of the coven she’d longed to uncover. But the good news was tangled with a bitter thread: they were gone, swallowed by the sea, their fate carved into a weathered stone I’d stumbled upon near the shore.I clung to the hope that this would bring her peace, that she’d find someone to guide her, to teach her to wield the extraordinary powers that set her apart. She was special—more than she knew—and my chest ached with the
Eleanor's POVRyker’s words haunted me, circling my mind like restless spirits. The revelation he’d brought back from the sea gnawed at me, refusing to settle. Caddal had painted the Capris coven as monsters—witches who’d unleashed hell on the realm, sowing chaos before vanishing into the shadows. But now Ryker claimed a different tale, one etched into a stone by the shore: they’d been drowned, wiped out by the sea’s wrath, not by wolves or war. One of them was lying—Caddal or that stone—and the dissonance left me restless, a storm brewing beneath my skin.I paced my chambers, the polished wooden floor cool against my bare feet, the fire in the hearth doing little to chase away the chill that had taken root in my bones. I needed the truth—untainted, untwisted. Could I have been hating the witches wrongly all this time, cursing a legacy that might not deserve my scorn? My powers, that wild, untamed force pulsing within me, felt blocked, tangled in the lies I’d been fed. Only the truth
Klaus' POVThe boat rocked beneath my boots as I dragged Eleanor away from that blood-soaked cabin, her beta sprawled on the floor like a broken toy. Ryker’s chest barely rose, his breaths shallow and ragged, his worthless blood staining my pristine Selene. That idiot, he’d dared to fight me, dared to defy me, and now he was a mess of torn flesh and fading growls. I smirked, kicking the door shut behind us. Good riddance.Eleanor didn’t resist as I pulled her across the deck, her steps steady despite the chains rattling around her wrists. She couldn’t fight back, not with the poison I’d been slipping into her meals for days, sapping her strength, dulling that wild power I’d seen her wield. She was mine now, a tool to bend or break. Either she’d lead me to the Capris Coven, or I’d haul her back to the Crescent Moon pack and force her to my will. No more games.I shoved her hard, and she hit the deck on her knees, her auburn hair spilling over her face like a curtain.“Get up,” I snarle
Ryker’s POVI was trained to protect Eleanor, not to blindly obey her every word. That distinction had guided me through years as her beta, my duty was her safety, her life, above all else. So when the door burst open with a splintering crack and Klaus loomed in the threshold, flanked by two hulking guards, my instincts took over. My switchblade was already in my hand, its weight familiar and steady, and I thrust it forward, the steel glinting in the dim lantern light.“Don’t you dare come in,” I warned, my voice a low growl, edged with the promise of violence.Klaus’ dark eyes flicked to the blade, and a harsh, mocking laugh rumbled from his chest. “You plan to stop me… with that?” His tone dripped with contempt, his lips curling into a sneer as he took a step closer, his broad frame filling the doorway like a storm cloud rolling in.I didn’t care what he thought. I’d fight tooth and nail, hell, I’d tear this ship apart plank by plank, to keep Eleanor safe. She stood behind me, her v
Klaus' POVMore than anything, I despise being made a fool. The sting of it burned hotter than any wound, a festering humiliation that drove me from Alicia’s cramped cabin with a snarl still twisting my lips. My boots pounded the deck as I stormed toward the helm, the sea air sharp and briny in my lungs. I needed answers, and I needed them now. Ryker and Eleanor had strung me along for six miserable days, and I was done playing their game.I found the sailor hunched over the ship’s charts, his gnarled fingers tracing lines I couldn’t decipher. “Where are we?” I barked, looming over him. “Tell me exactly where this damned boat is!”Torin flinched, his eyes darting up to meet mine before dropping back to the parchment. He muttered something under his breath, then pointed to a looping pattern on the map. “We’ve… we’ve been circling, sir. Same stretch of sea for days.”The words hit me like a fist to the gut. Circling. My worst fear confirmed, laid bare in ink and cowardice. Rage surged t
Klaus' POVThe sixth day at sea stretched before me like an endless galaxy, the horizon a mocking line of unbroken blue. Not a whisper of the Capris Coven, not a shadow of land, just the ceaseless slap of waves against the boat and the briny tang of salt stinging my nose that I was already getting tired of. I stood at the deck, gripping the weathered railing, my patience wearing thin with every passing hour. And Ryker,damn him, his presence grated on me more with each day. I have been catching strange feelings from him for a while now, a quiet unease that coiled in my gut like a serpent.We had no reason to like each other, that much was clear from the start. But this? This was different. He moved through the ship like a ghost, detached, his eyes darting away whenever I tried to pin him down. He acted as though he hadn’t just crawled out of the Capris Coven’s habitation a few days ago, as though he wasn’t the one who’d sworn he knew the way. And Eleanor, since that strange night when
Sebastain's POVI watched Leila’s face shift as the weight of my revelation settled over her like a storm cloud rolling across a clear sky. Her hazel eyes widened, then narrowed, her lips parting slightly as if the words she wanted to say were caught in her throat. The dim light of the lantern flickered across her features, casting shadows that danced with her confusion.“She’s pregnant?” Leila’s voice cracked, disbelief threading through every syllable. “How could you not know?”The question stung, sharp and accusing, though I knew she didn’t mean it to wound me. I swallowed hard, my throat dry as ash, and forced the truth out. “I only just found out she’d been using wolfsbane tincture.”Leila’s brow furrowed, her frown deepening as she tilted her head, studying me like I’d spoken in a foreign tongue. “Wolfsbane tincture? That bitter mixture—doesn’t it weaken a wolf’s abilities over time?”“What do you mean?” My voice trembled, betraying the dread coiling tighter in my chest.She lea
Leila's POVThe moment Nathan’s urgent message reached me, scrawled in his hasty hand on a scrap of paper, I leapt into action. I lashed the reins of my carriage, urging the horses into a frantic gallop toward Bloodmoon Pack. The wind tore at my hair, the wheels rattling over the uneven road, but my mind was a storm of its own. Eleanor, pregnant with my brother’s child, had vanished on some reckless voyage to uncover her roots, without a word to Sebastian. And he, predictably, had gone berserk. The note was cryptic, lacking on details for security’s sake, but it carried a weight that sank into my bones. I didn’t understand it all yet, not fully, but I knew one thing I had to get to him before he went completely wild.The journey stretched across a full day, the sun climbing and sinking as the landscape blurred past, rolling hills giving way to dense forest, then the rugged outskirts of Bloodmoon territory. The horses frothed at the mouth, their breaths heaving in clouds of steam, and
Eleanor's POVThe nightmares didn’t relent. Night after night, they clawed at me, vivid and merciless, peeling back layers of truth I hadn’t been ready to face. The pain was a constant now, a dull ache that throbbed in my chest and temples, but I’d grown accustomed to it, numbed by the burning need to uncover the full details of the betrayal surrounding me. Each vision was a rough piece of a puzzle, and by the third night, the picture was complete, its edges sharp enough to draw blood. I woke that morning with the taste of anger on my lips, the echo of thunder still rumbling in my skull, and a clarity that felt both liberating and suffocating.After a sparse breakfast, bread and a sip of refreshing water that did little to settle my churning stomach, I summoned Ryker to my cramped quarters. The boat rocked gently beneath us, the sea deceptively calm beyond the porthole, its glassy surface mocking the storm brewing within me. I sat on the edge of my bunk, my hands clasped tightly in m
Sebastain's POVCapris Coven.The name alone sent a shiver racing down my spine, a cold dread that coiled tight around my chest. Eleanor was headed there, chasing some fool’s errand with our pup growing inside her, our pup, a secret she kept from me, a wound that festered deeper than I cared to admit. The last and only time I journeyed to that forsaken place, I had been a boy, barely old enough to understand the world beyond my pack. It was a nightmare etched into my bones, a blur of terror and misery that still haunted me decades later.I had been small then, clinging to my father's side as we sailed across a sea that seemed endless, its expanse swallowing the horizon. I didn’t know the route, only that it took days, each one worse than the last. The waves had tossed our rickety boat like a toy, the air thick with brine and the sour tang of my own vomit as seasickness wrecked my young body. I retched over the side until there was nothing left, my stomach a hollow pit.. I hadn’t under
Eleanor's POVThe secret of our pup, a fragile life growing within me, I had it kept locked away, hidden with lies about this journey. I had told him I needed to master my powers to understand it, when really I was on a journey to a land I didn't know, a people who were thought to be wiped from this realm. My deception didn’t absolve his, but it muddied the waters, blurring the lines between victim and villain. We had both wielded knives, and we had both drawn blood. None of us was innocent of hurting the otherBut Klaus and Alicia, those two were a different breed of poison. Their betrayal wasn’t born of love tbat turned sour for a moment or promises broken, it was calculated, cold, a blade aimed at my heart with no remorse. I didn’t need more visions to fuel my resolve. The ones I had seen were enough, their revelations shattering everything Ibelieved. My mind lingered on the Great War, a memory not from this life but etched into my soul by the visions. It hadn’t been the necessary