EveI unwrapped the gift Shahar gave me with a smile and stared at the box, blinking once, then twice, as if my brain needed extra time to process what I was seeing. It was a wooden cube, like some relic. Across the top, the words Swear Box were written in bold letters.I burst into laughter and looked up at him. Amusement danced in his eyes."You’ve got to be kidding me. Of course, you’d be the one to give me a swear box, you absolute menace."He chuckled. "Every time you swear, you drop a coin. Think of it as a strategic investment. I know my friend. He could make one miserable."I scoffed. "Speaking of, how do you even put up with him? Do you get as irritated as I do?"Shahar leaned forward, wrapping his arms around my waist. I swallowed my irritation."Axel is complicated. He’s got all the warmth of an ice sculpture and the emotional range of a brick wall, but he’s not completely unbearable. He’s just complicated."I raised a brow, turning back to look at him. I stepped aside and
Eve I shot Eve a fevered stare, knowing she had seen me. Then she turned and kissed Shahar.My mouth curled in disgust, and I swore under my breath. Seeing them together twisted something dark inside me, something no one could reach through.I wasn’t even mad at her. I was mad at myself.How stupid could I be? I let a woman get into my head, mess with my thoughts, pull me in with her lips—only to watch her turn around and drape herself all over my beta and best friend.Forcing myself to look away wasn’t working. My eyes kept betraying me, flicking back to the sight of her in his arms.She knew exactly what she was doing.Maybe to her, this was just a game. But I refused to play. I wouldn’t be one of those fools groveling at a woman’s feet. I had more important things to deal with—wars, politics, the healing center, and a damn curse that had been eating at my existence since the day I was born.There was no room in my life for petty distractions.Shahar, on the other hand, looked like
Eve The first question that came to mind when the priestess rose like she had just seen a ghost was—Who the hell is this woman?Fear crawled over my skin, goosebumps rising everywhere, but I forced my face to stay neutral. There was something sharp about the way she looked at me, like she was peeling back layers I had carefully built. Could she sense why I was really here?A chill ran down my spine.The way she stared at me unsettled me. It felt like a warning.I needed to stay calm, act normal. If I overreacted, Axel would notice. He wasn’t stupid. He would start piecing things together, and there was no way in hell he’d let me off easily.Axel was ruthless.And if the priestess warned him that I was a threat… I didn’t doubt he’d get rid of me."The King is right, my priestess," I said smoothly. "I’m a cook who was recommended for the job by someone the King trusts. I’m not mysterious, I assure you."She tilted her head, still watching me too closely."Interesting. And why did you l
EveThe past two days had been quiet without Axel. There wasn’t even a glimpse of him, as if he had vanished. I figured he was probably at the healing center, drowning himself in work like the emotionally constipated man he was.Shahar was another missing person on my list—not that I was about to call him. God forbid. That would just feed his ego, and the last thing I needed was for him to start thinking I actually missed him. I was perfectly fine not having him around, showering me with attention I wasn’t even sure I wanted.Okay, maybe that was too harsh.I had gotten used to Shahar. I saw him as a friend. Without him, I felt bored.Without Axel, I felt restless.Which was stupid.My eyes flicked toward the window, where the sun spilled onto the courtyard.Picking cherries in the garden sounded lik
I lay across my deathbed in the intensive care unit of the pack hospital, waiting for death to come. My body was a prison of pain, each breath dragging me closer to the end.“Fight for us, Eve,” my wolf, Maya’s panicked voice sliced through my consciousness. “You can't give up now.”My cracked lips parted, but no words came out. Maya scratched against me, making me wince. My eyes fluttered closed, and a single tear slid down my temple, disappearing into my matted hair.Beside me was a manila envelope containing all the certificates of my assets: lands, investments, bank details, and everything to be transferred to my husband, Lance, and shared equally with my best friend and doctor, Crystal.Faint voices grew louder outside the door, approaching the room.“Let’s hope she’s dead,” Lance’s voice drifted through the door. “Once this ends, we’ll finally have what we deserve.”My stomach twisted, but I couldn’t make out the rest of the conversation. A sharp giggle pierced the air, too chee
The private jet landed in the Lycan pack's territory, revealing a walled city with a castle at its center, surrounded by forests.I lay on a stretcher, struggling to breathe, and Maya whimpered faintly in my mind. Crystal adjusted my oxygen mask and gestured towards the waiting ambulance outside. Crystal was my lifesaver. She had arranged everything with the medics here.“You’ll be fine,” she whispered to me. “We’re heading to the Metropolitan Healing Center.”I tried to speak, but only a weak wheeze escaped my lips.My mind whispered treacherous thoughts. A king who heals by day and murders by night. What a fucking joke.Would my parents hate me for going to their murderer? The thought suffocated me with guilt. I shut my eyes tightly as if darkness could shield me from the weight of my decisions. The memory of their deaths came rushing back. Six years ago, after returning from warrior training, sweating, and feeling accomplished, I noticed the gloomy energy in the pack house.Someth
Crystal’s mouth gaped as if I'd just spoken a foreign language. She dabbed at my forehead with an almost warm rag, useless against the fever still gripping my body.“Talk to me, Eve,” she paused, leaning closer. “You just smiled. What’s happening?”What’s happening? Where could I even start? Could I begin to tell her that the murderer who just walked past was my mate—someone who didn’t even glance at me?“I... I don’t know,” I said weakly, attempting a response. “I still feel sick but a bit... relieved.”She searched my face, and her worry shifted into confusion. “You’ve been fading for weeks. I don’t understand.”“Keep it down,” I muttered, my eyes darting to the nurses nearby. “I don’t want anybody knowing.”“I’ve seen dying patients who experience a burst of energy as if they’ve been given a new lease on life. But it’s short-lived, and they die. I want to be sure—”“It’s nothing like that,” I assured her.She didn’t believe me, and while she turned back to the waiting section, look
Axel I could feel the hungry, expectant stares from patients, nurses, and staff alike. They all reeked of greed and desperation. Patients who were genuinely sick were here to be healed, while those desperate to seduce me watched with shameless longing. I was their king, their savior, and their fantasy.Rumors of me searching for a mate had sent the pack's females into a frantic frenzy. Every woman, from maids to nurses, even those who were married, threw themselves at me, with some falsely claiming to feel a bond.I sometimes gave in to their advances, letting the attention from the women distract me, but it never truly filled the emptiness within me. The constant attention disgusted me—not that I didn’t enjoy the power it gave me. But it wasn’t enough. With a scoff, I gazed at my drink, aware of the cruel irony—a healer, blessed with the ability to mend broken bodies yet cursed never to heal his own.The Metropolitan Healing Center had become my way of channeling my frustrations.
EveThe past two days had been quiet without Axel. There wasn’t even a glimpse of him, as if he had vanished. I figured he was probably at the healing center, drowning himself in work like the emotionally constipated man he was.Shahar was another missing person on my list—not that I was about to call him. God forbid. That would just feed his ego, and the last thing I needed was for him to start thinking I actually missed him. I was perfectly fine not having him around, showering me with attention I wasn’t even sure I wanted.Okay, maybe that was too harsh.I had gotten used to Shahar. I saw him as a friend. Without him, I felt bored.Without Axel, I felt restless.Which was stupid.My eyes flicked toward the window, where the sun spilled onto the courtyard.Picking cherries in the garden sounded lik
Eve The first question that came to mind when the priestess rose like she had just seen a ghost was—Who the hell is this woman?Fear crawled over my skin, goosebumps rising everywhere, but I forced my face to stay neutral. There was something sharp about the way she looked at me, like she was peeling back layers I had carefully built. Could she sense why I was really here?A chill ran down my spine.The way she stared at me unsettled me. It felt like a warning.I needed to stay calm, act normal. If I overreacted, Axel would notice. He wasn’t stupid. He would start piecing things together, and there was no way in hell he’d let me off easily.Axel was ruthless.And if the priestess warned him that I was a threat… I didn’t doubt he’d get rid of me."The King is right, my priestess," I said smoothly. "I’m a cook who was recommended for the job by someone the King trusts. I’m not mysterious, I assure you."She tilted her head, still watching me too closely."Interesting. And why did you l
Eve I shot Eve a fevered stare, knowing she had seen me. Then she turned and kissed Shahar.My mouth curled in disgust, and I swore under my breath. Seeing them together twisted something dark inside me, something no one could reach through.I wasn’t even mad at her. I was mad at myself.How stupid could I be? I let a woman get into my head, mess with my thoughts, pull me in with her lips—only to watch her turn around and drape herself all over my beta and best friend.Forcing myself to look away wasn’t working. My eyes kept betraying me, flicking back to the sight of her in his arms.She knew exactly what she was doing.Maybe to her, this was just a game. But I refused to play. I wouldn’t be one of those fools groveling at a woman’s feet. I had more important things to deal with—wars, politics, the healing center, and a damn curse that had been eating at my existence since the day I was born.There was no room in my life for petty distractions.Shahar, on the other hand, looked like
EveI unwrapped the gift Shahar gave me with a smile and stared at the box, blinking once, then twice, as if my brain needed extra time to process what I was seeing. It was a wooden cube, like some relic. Across the top, the words Swear Box were written in bold letters.I burst into laughter and looked up at him. Amusement danced in his eyes."You’ve got to be kidding me. Of course, you’d be the one to give me a swear box, you absolute menace."He chuckled. "Every time you swear, you drop a coin. Think of it as a strategic investment. I know my friend. He could make one miserable."I scoffed. "Speaking of, how do you even put up with him? Do you get as irritated as I do?"Shahar leaned forward, wrapping his arms around my waist. I swallowed my irritation."Axel is complicated. He’s got all the warmth of an ice sculpture and the emotional range of a brick wall, but he’s not completely unbearable. He’s just complicated."I raised a brow, turning back to look at him. I stepped aside and
EveMy lips pressed together in a grimace as I tried to stop the panicked feeling creeping into my head. Instinct told me to put out the fire, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to move.Axel’s cough was rough, almost violent, and the industrial stove kept spewing smoke.It would be so easy to just let him choke on it, a wicked part of me whispered. But Maya wouldn’t let me abandon our mate."Put out the fire, you fool!" she cried in my head.I struggled to find my footing as my eyes started to burn. Stumbling forward, I headed for the stove. Flames licked at the metal, and the knobs and burners were different from what I was used to. It was a huge machine, and I had no idea how to work it. My heart pounded, and my vision blurred from the fumes."What the hell are these terms?" I cried out. The controls were written in some twisted scientific language. I twisted one knob desperately, but nothing happened.Axel was on all fours now. Every muscle in his body seemed locked in a
Axel I breathed in Eve’s scent. The moment was heady and fucking intoxicating.Her breath hitched, and a breathy moan escaped her lips—a sound so soft yet so devastating that it sent a pulse of heat straight through me. She was still fully clothed, but it didn’t matter. The silky heat between her thighs drew me in, tempting me beyond reason. Tempting me to fuck her.My fingers tightened on her waist, feeling the warmth of her body through the thin fabric of her dress. She arched and pressed closer, and the friction ignited a dangerous lust in my loins.I lost the last remnants of restraint, diving in to claim her lips. The moment our mouths met, everything else ceased to exist. The kiss was sinful, like a crime I was willing to commit over and over again. Her lips were impossibly soft, molding against mine with a desperate kind of urgency. My hands roamed up her back, gripping her tighter as her fingers curled into my shirt, clutching me as if she was afraid I’d pull away.Our to
EveA deep and intense longing made my skin grow feverish with desire—all thanks to Axel’s scent.His mere presence sent my heartbeat into a frenzied rhythm, my body hyper-aware of his scent. Lust, beyond my control, wrapped around me.Although hesitant, I needed to compose myself and scan the lab for wolfsbane. Axel, dressed in protective gear, hadn't even turned around. He seemed focused on his task. The air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs, chemicals, and sterilized glass. I wondered what invention he was working on.Tonight, I was going to conclude my findings about him. If he genuinely felt nothing, he wouldn’t react—but he should have smelled me the moment I stepped in.I pushed aside my tangled emotions, focusing instead on the clinking of glass bottles as he arranged them, the bubbling of a heated solution
EveI wouldn’t say I was surprised when Nina slapped me. It would have been more surprising if she hadn’t. The moment she slammed her fork down, her eyes flashing with rage, I knew what was coming.The slap wasn’t even the painful part. What hurt most was Axel sipping his wine, completely unbothered that his mate had just been assaulted—the fact that made my blood boil."Taste it!" Nina shrieked, shoving her plate forward as if daring me. "How dare you make this trash and try to pin the blame on me?"I remained composed. There was no need to taste it—I was the one who had prepared and served her meal, and I knew exactly what I had done.Yes, I had deliberately over-salted it.Maya had been relentless, whispering in my mind, urging me to do something to ruin Nina’s perfect evening. And like a fool, I had let my wolf’s
AxelWatching my packmates from a vantage point left me feeling stripped of my power, my authority—everything tied to my identity as King.I kept my hands buried in my pockets, leaning against the wall in a secluded section of the castle, a place where no one could find me. An open window and balcony overlooked the wolf parade below, but I had shielded the view with a curtain to ensure no one could look up and see me.The howls and laughter of my packmates drifted upward, piercing through the silence I had wrapped myself in. It was almost laughable how most of them hadn’t even realized something was wrong. Their king was supposed to be leading them, standing at the forefront of every ceremony—except, of course, when unavoidably absent.Perhaps I should thank the fucked up goddess for whoever was ruining my life. Maybe they had also blinded my people to the obvious.&nbs