Leah's POVFinn didn't say a word, but his actions spoke volumes. This woman was his mate, and now, she was trying to attack me. My head buzzed with confusion and dizziness washed over me. I collapsed into a chair, struggling to comprehend the unfolding chaos. This scenario felt all too familiar - the man I loved clutching yet another deranged woman in his arms, and she wanted me dead. Nausea churned in my stomach."Finn..." I steadied myself, "Is this woman your mate?""Yes, she is," responded a voice from behind the door. I looked up to see Alpha Kyle entering the room."You should have heeded my warning, Miss Lewyn. You should have fled while you still had the chance," he said, his gaze fixated on the woman in Finn's arms.Recognition hit me—this woman looked familiar."Is she your...""Daughter. Yes, she is," Alpha Kyle confirmed, taking his daughter from Finn's arms with a look of utter disgust. He shoved her towards his servants."Lock her in her room," he ordered them. Then, tu
Leah's POV"I... Nina Lilith Thortone of the Moonhowlers Pack... accept your rejection..." Nina whispered, her voice a mere ghost of its former strength.Finn crumpled beside her, his body wracked with pain. Desperation and agony filled his eyes as he clung to her, his frame trembling.Nina drew upon the last vestiges of her life force and gazed at me, her eyes clouded with a mixture of resentment and gratitude."For a long time, I wanted to kill you..." she muttered, extending a frail hand toward me. "But I changed my mind... You were the only one... who tried to help me... I hate you... for being so kind..."The guards pounded on the door, their kicks echoing ominously through the room. The piano trembled with each blow, its structure threatening to give way.I grasped Nina's withered hands tightly. "Swear... Take good care of him... Don't ever hurt him... Don't let anyone hurt him... He has endured too much already...""I swear," I vowed, my voice steady. "I will take good care of
Leah's POVFinn's face contorted with fury, his brows knotted, and his eyes blazing with unrestrained anger. The veins in his neck bulged as he fixed his glare on me. The air around us felt charged, as if the very fabric of reality was on the verge of tearing apart."I've already told you—it's none of your business!" Finn roared, shifting into his wolf form, his fur gleaming with a metallic sheen under the shimmering sunlight."Finn, you're weak now. You're not my rival. I need you to calm down and talk to me; this is important," I pleaded."I'm done talking to you! You manipulative bitch!" His wolf snarled, stomping its paws with an earth-shaking force. It seemed Finn's wolf was even grumpier than the man himself."Answer my question. Is Lucas Farrow your brother?" I repeated, my voice steady.Finn’s wolf could hold back no longer. With a powerful leap, it launched itself at me, its fangs bared. Just as its teeth were about to sink into my flesh, a black shadow flashed by, intercepti
Leah's POVI hadn't seen my father in a very long time. Growing up, we were never close. I spent most of my time with my eldest brother, Lucian, who became more of a father figure to me than our actual father ever was. To me, my father was merely a distant figure, a visiting duke when I was little, and a symbol of power as I grew older and understood his true identity. But the question lingered - did I really know who he was?I had always avoided delving into the details of his life, keeping my distance. As werewolves, we live by strict hierarchies, and a daughter, especially the daughter of the Lycan King, has no place to judge her fath
Leah's POVI slapped the back of Jorah's seat and shouted, "Drive. Drive now, Jorah!"Jorah hesitated for a fraction of a second before starting the engine. The car roared to life and surged forward with a sudden jolt. I flung the door open, willing Lucas to join us."Get in, Lucas! We have to go!" I mentally urged him.To my amazement, Lucas seemed to hear my silent command. He launched himself into the car just as it lurched ahead, crashing through several barricades.
Leah's POV"His Highness, Alpha Lucian, is waiting for you in his study," Mr. Carson, my father's loyal butler, announced as I stepped into the grand entrance of my father's palace."I need to see my father first," I insisted."Your brother is in a state - he needs you immediately," Carson added quietly, taking my coat with gentle hands. "Plus, His Majesty is asleep right now."Lucas moved to accompany me into the living room, but Mr. Carson intervened. "Alpha Lucas, I belie
Leah's POVTaking a deep breath, I walked over to Lucian, my footsteps echoing in the silence. Kneeling beside his chair, I forced myself to stay composed."Lucian, you’ve always been like a father to me. I look up to you, I admire you. That’s why it hurts so deeply to have my loyalty questioned by you. I should be able to show you my unwavering loyalty, but how can I prove it to my own brother?"Lucian looked down and gently placed his hand on my head, stroking my hair.
Leah's POVMy father’s bedroom was located on the top floor of the castle, offering a commanding view of the entire Court. I had never been summoned to his bedroom before, but I once sneaked in when I was little. To my astonishment, it was relatively small. Mr. Carson found me there. He scooped me up in his arms and gently admonished me for wandering into such a restricted area."Why is Father’s bedroom so small?" I asked curiously.Mr. Carson replied, "A Lycan King never sleeps well in giant rooms."At the time, I didn't understand what he meant, but now, I began to grasp his meaning.My father sat upright in his bed, supported by a pile of pillows. The air in the room was thick with the grim scent of decay, a telltale sign of the cancer that had relentlessly gnawed away at his once-powerful body. It pained me deeply to see my father, a man who had once exuded immense strength and unshakable will, now lying frail against the pillows. His hair had turned a ghostly grey, with thin, wis
Leah's POVBig mistake.Darryl's touch ignited a white-hot rage. The beast surged, teeth sharpening beneath my gums - rip, rend, feast - but Liam's voice cut through the haze."Don't." He met my gaze, blood trickling from his split lip. "Just don't."I let my shoulders slump, the perfect picture of helplessness. Darryl released me with a sneer."Smart boy," he said to Liam. "Now strip."What followed was a symphony of humiliation. They made him bare his thighs, his hips, the pale map of old scars. Jeers echoed - "Fitting you ended up a whore" - but Liam's face stayed eerily blank. When the first punch landed, he curled into himself, silent.I memorized each blow.Rib crack. Nose crunch. Knuckle split on tooth.Darryl would die slow. They all would.By the time they left him bleeding in the gutter, my gloves were shredded from clawing my own palms. I hauled him upright, his weight warm and too-human against me.
Leah's POVLiam's bitter laugh could've curdled milk. "Tried that shit. Dockyards wanted truckers with clean sheets - mine's dirtier than a motel porno magazine. Dealership garage? Turned out to be ex-cons crew running protection rackets." He leaned across the red vinyl booth, eyes dark as burned coffee. "I'm no saint, but I don't peddle drugs to kids. I used to keep my pride, trust me, I really did... till Nana's med bills hit." His throat worked like he'd swallowed glass. "Pride's just dead weight when your world's sinking, feel me?""But the girls, man..." I trailed off, the words sticking like a bee."Wake up!" His fist hit the table, silverware jumping. "You think this shit disappears 'cause it skeeves you out? My girls eat regularly. Don't get beat black-and-blue like some dollar-store pimps allow." His finger stabbed the air between us. "Without me? They'd be turning tricks in back alleys on Monday, end up as another Jane Doe in a dumpster by Tuesday. Tha
Leah's POVThe supermarket fluorescents buzzed like angry hornets. I trailed Liam past pyramids of canned beans, his boots squeaking against linoleum. He moved like a feral cat—all coiled tension and sideways glances. The discount rack called to him like a siren."Jackpot," he muttered, scooping armfuls of spaghetti boxes into the cart. The packaging screamed ITALIANA AUTENTICA! in Comic Sans. I snorted. Authentic as his leather jacket's "genuine pleather" tag."Grandma's got expensive taste in hospice care, huh?" I nudged a box with my elbow. The noodles rattled like dried bones. "Why not buy her real food now that you're rolling in mobster cash?"He didn't look up. "Nonna'd skin me alive if I wasted good dollars on truffle oil when Barilla's ninety cents." The cart shuddered as he dumped another box. "Besides, spaghetti's her love language. Ate it every Thursday with Papa Enzo before the cirrhosis got him."I let my claws retract just enoug
Leah's POVLiam stared. "What the hell are you?"I wiped my hands on his jacket. "Hungry."He laughed then, wild and unhinged. "You're crazy.""Crazy enough to fix your problems. If you obey.""Obey?" He raised an eyebrow. "That's kinky."I stared at him. "You want to save your grandmother? Stop playing gangster. You're a joke."His smile died. "Yeah? And what's your deal? Some kinda runaway mob wife?""Like you can't even imagine." I released him.Silence.He rubbed his neck. "Fine. What's the plan, boss?"I glanced at the photo. The old woman's eyes glared back, unyielding. "First, we get some money.""From where?"-Vinny's nightclub reminded me of Sheridan Club. It was a cacophony of neon lights and pounding bass, the kind of place where secrets were buried under the weight of too much noise and too many bodies.I walked in with Liam trailing behind me, his face still bruised
Leah's POVThe first thing I remembered was the cold. Not winter's bite, but the slick, oily chill of concrete against bare skin. My knees were scraped raw. My breath came in ragged bursts, fogging the air like gun smoke. I pressed my palms flat against the alley wall, felt the grime cling to my fingertips.Naked. The word slithered through my skull, venomous. Not just my body - my pride flayed open, left to rot beside dumpsters reeking of stale beer and regret.What the hell has happened to me? I remembered stabbing Lucas in the chest and walking into the flames.Now here I am. Naked in some sort of back alley.Voices slithered from the street."Lookie here... fresh meat. Yummy..." a man slurred. Three shadows lurched into the alley, their laughter wet and jagged. One held a bottle by its neck; the glass caught the neon buzz of the bar sign above. Red Rabbit Tavern. The letters bled crimson down the brick.Is this... human world?
Lycidas' POVLucian shook his head, his eyes closing as if the effort of speaking was too much.Late afternoon light slashed through barred windows, gilding dust motes that swirled like trapped spirits above Lucian's bed. My brother's once-indomitable frame now sank into feather pillows as if the mattress conspired to swallow him whole. His labored breaths syncopated with the grandfather clock's metronome tick-tock, tick-tockfrom the western wall - a sound that had scored every pivotal moment of our cursed lineage. I counted them as one counts heartbeats before execution: thirty-seven ticks since he'd last spoken. Seventy-three since I'd entered this tomb disguised as a king's quarters.When Lucian finally stirred, his eyelids lifted like rusted portcullises. Sunlight caught the silver threads in his black beard - premature aging, or the Moon Goddess' fingerprints? "Lycidas," he exhaled, the name disintegrating into a wet cough. I watched his thro
Lucian's POVJalin seized my chin, wrenching my face back to the mirror. "Are you waiting for me to dress you, Your Majesty?" His hands slid down, slow and possessive, unbuttoning my shirt with deliberate malice. The fabric parted, exposing my sunken chest, and his gloved fingers lingered, tracing the jut of my ribs. I grabbed his wrists, my frail grip trembling. "I'm tired," I whispered, voice a broken thread. "I don't want to see anyone today."Jalin sneered and tore the shirt from my shoulders, seams splitting like skin. He shoved me from the wheelchair, and I crashed to the floor, legs limp, a puppet with slashed strings. "Your brother's coming," he hissed, looming over me. "If you greet him like this - pathetic, lifeless - he'll think I've neglected my duties." His eyes burned with that familiar madness, a sadistic gleam that promised torment.I shrank back, breath shallow, rasping, "Jalin, please don't…" But he didn't pause. His hand fisted my hair,
Lycidas' POVI looked down at him, my jaw tight. "If you want the thing between us to work," I said, my voice low and dangerous, "you need to know some ground rules. The first and most important one is that you stay the fuckout of my family business. Do you understand?"He met my gaze, his eyes calm, unflinching. "Yes, Your Highness, I understand. But the thing is, since you entered the Kingdom, all your actions have been under the control of the Court. They reported your arrival to His Majesty, who summoned me last night..." I grabbed him by the throat, slamming him against the mirror. The glass cracked under the force, shards raining down around us. His face was scratched, blood trickling down his cheek, but he didn't struggle."Did you go and see my brother last night?! Did he fuck you?!" I roared.He whispered, "Your Highness, Lucian is sick now. He didn't...""If you mention my brother's name again," I snarled, "I'
Lycidas' POVI woke to the sting of sunlight slicing through the heavy drapes, the kind of light that felt like a mockery after the night I’d had. My head throbbed, a dull ache that seemed to echo the chaos of my thoughts. I rubbed my eyes, squinting at the room around me. It was obscenely luxurious, every surface polished to a blinding sheen, every piece of furniture carved with ornate, gaudy details. I sat up, the silk sheets slipping off my bare skin, and let out a bitter laugh. Finn's bedroom?The place reeked of excess, of a desperate attempt to mask something hollow. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, my feet sinking into the plush carpet. The air smelled faintly of cedar and something metallic—blood, maybe, or the ghost of it. I stood, stretching the stiffness from my limbs, and made my way to the bathroom. The shower was scalding, the water slamming into my skin like punishment. I leaned against the tiled wall, let