Gabe POVI pressed on, taking advantage of this alone time I had with the Queen. I needed information, a way to help Sebastian, but I had no idea where to start. "I know you've built walls, shutting out everyone you deemed unworthy, keeping only those who you felt deserved your protection," I said, letting the bitterness slip into my voice. Her gaze sharpened, "Those worthy?" she echoed, a hint of challenge in her tone."I was born outside your walls, in the South," I replied, my voice steady despite the rage she was giving me. "During one of your raids, your soldiers took me to an orphanage, claiming it was for my safety. I've seen both worlds, inside and outside your so-called protection, Luna. It's cruel to decide who lives and who suffers, as you do." I completely lied about my origins but it was a believable story and got my point across."Most are grateful for the walls," she retorted, her voice tight. "I don't recall a single soul speaking ill of them.""Who would dare tell a
Ruby POV"You want to attend my school? Do you have a death wish?" The head chancellor's voice sliced through the air like a blade, her gaze piercing me as though she were staring at a creature with three heads."No, ma'am. Quite the opposite," I replied, my voice steady despite the thundering pulse in my ears. "I know I may appear as just a low-status werewolf, but there's more to me. Things I don't fully understand, things I can't even begin to explain." My words were a plea, a desperate grasp to uncover who I truly am.Her lips twisted into a sneer. "This is a school for witches. We don't tolerate your kind here. Were it not for the Queen's decree, you'd be dead the moment you stepped foot on these grounds, just like the witchweres." My breath hitched, and my eyes widened in shock. They kill people for being different? How could such cruelty be so casually accepted? "I... I'm not sure what I am, but I need help," I admitted, my voice trembling with the weight of my uncertainty."T
Sebastian POVI spent hours watching ridiculous romcoms with Sheila, both of us lying on my bed. She cuddled against my side while my mind spun in a million directions. I needed a plan, something real and definite to rid my soul of whatever Dietus had bound me with. The taste of Gabe's blood still lingered on my tongue, though I hadn't even made him bleed. Still, I knew how exhilarating it would be to consume his heart, to feel all his power coursing through my veins.My stomach rumbled, and Sheila giggled into my side, her hand sliding over my bare chest and distracting me with other thoughts. "Are you hungry, Alpha?" she purred.I was definitely hungry, and for more than one thing. But I was too wound up to act on it. "Fucking starving," I growled. My body craved food, sex, and the literal heart of a man I'd just met."Why don't I warm us up some dinner?" She sat up, looking at me sweetly."You want to make me food?" I smirked, liking the idea of her serving me. There were a few thi
Sebastian POVI woke well past sunrise with a headache I never knew could hurt so badly. My muscles ached, and my whole body felt sore. Werewolves rarely got sick, and when we did, it was usually something foreign and deadly.I clenched my jaw, thinking about how my life had become such a disaster. A cold shower did little to suppress the emotions and pain coursing through me. The last few days had been a whirlwind, everything unraveling so quickly I hadn't had a chance to breathe. I wanted nothing more than to run from it all, exactly what I'd been doing with Sheila. I craved a distraction, anything to take away the immense pressure inside me. That turned out to be a major mistake.But I was only eighteen, clueless about how to deal with a fight, let alone some ominous god. I always felt this darkness, this strange bloodlust deep inside, especially after long, horrid nights filled with dreams of killing everyone I loved. I spent years pushing those thoughts away, burying them deep. N
Gabe POVI poured over book after book in the library, my mind a chaotic mess of conflicting emotions. The relentless itch to find my mate clashed with an equally intense desire to protect my Alpha, leaving me torn and unsettled. My entire purpose had been flipped upside down, and I didn't know what to do.I was still pissed at Dietus for lying to me since I was a boy. He was just like my mother and everyone else I grew up with, always manipulating, always pulling strings. But what could I do against a god? I was just so tired of the manipulations, so tired of being everyone's puppet.Now, my strings were being pulled by Ruby and Sebastian. Yet, this time, it didn't feel like an overwhelming burden. There was something different about the loyalty I felt toward them, something almost...right. But the fear that they could turn on me, just like everyone else had, gnawed at the edges of my thoughts. Ruby wouldn't hesitate to kill me, she'd already tried once. I smirked, remembering how he
Ruby POVTwo weeks had crawled by in this wretched place, each day darker and more suffocating than the last. The once smooth canvas of my face now bore a deep, angry scar, a constant reminder of my reckless power. My eyebrows were nothing but a memory, singed off in an explosive burst of magic I could barely control. I looked hideous, a twisted, ruined version of myself, and the sight of it churned my stomach."We should leave," Hailey's voice was soft, yet urgent, as she watched me snarl at my reflection in the cracked mirror, my hands trembling at the edges of the sink."Leave?" I snapped, bitterness lacing every word. "I've barely learned anything, Hailey.""You don't belong here, Ruby. I'm genuinely scared for your life," she replied, her eyes tracing the jagged line across my face with a mixture of fear and pity.I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stare at the disfigured reflection. "Actually, I did learn something." My voice dropped to a low, dangerous whisper. "I'm more pow
Gabe POVDay after day, Sebastian and I met in the library, sifting through countless tales that claimed to hold the truth. The deeper we delved, the more tangled the stories became, each one contradicting the next, leaving us unsure of what to believe. It felt like trying to piece together a puzzle where none of the pieces fit quite right.Sebastian often left to spend time with his sisters, and occasionally, he invited me along. At first, I felt out of place, intruding on their family moments. But as the days dragged on, and the mate bond continued to gnaw at my soul, I realized I needed more than just books to fill the void Ruby's absence left behind. Over a week had passed, and still, there was no word from her.The tension in the palace was palpable. I overheard the Queen and Ruby's mother arguing about her well-being, with Luna Kiera insisting that Ruby wasn't ready to be on her own. She coddled Ruby the same way she did Sebastian, convinced that neither could survive without he
Sebastian POVThe cold northern wind whipped through the trees, sending a chill through the stone house where I paced restlessly. Each creak of the wooden floor echoed louder in my ears, underscoring my parents' disapproval."Sebastian, you're being reckless," my father's voice boomed, sharp with authority. "The North is safe as long as we're together."My mother's tone was softer, but just as firm. "You don't understand what you're asking. It's not just about you. Think of us, we can't lose you."Frustration simmered beneath my skin. Their fears were valid, but their insistence on keeping me safe was suffocating. I needed to find Ruby. I had to confront the darkness haunting me, and I couldn't do that by staying in the North."I have to go," I said, my voice edged with desperation. "I've seen the future, and it's not just some nightmare. It's real. I have to stop it."Kiera's voice broke through, pleading. "Sebastian, please. Just give me some time. Grandpa is working on something. T