Tyler's Point of View "What are you doing?" I growled. None of the women had heard me come into the kitchen. I could see that both Lucia and Diana looked uncomfortable. Good. I had listened to some of the exchange between them before I had made my presence known. According to my sister, both Omegas were nasty little bitches, but catching them in the act had been hard. Adriana explained that she was cleaning up the dishes, so she could get something to eat. That is something she shouldn't have needed to do. It wasn't her job. I also noticed that she hadn't mentioned why she had sworn at them. "Anything else?" I said. I watched Lucia and Diana squirm. They looked scared that Adriana would tell me, and I allowed myself a little smile. Adriana looked at them before saying, "No." Damn it! I knew something had happened and would be happy to see their backs. "Are you sure?" I pointedly asked. "We don't tolerate certain behaviour here, especially from the Omegas. If they have not been
Adriana's Point of View Tyler and I were sitting in the small dining room eating afternoon tea. I was always hungry now that my wolf had come through, even though I hadn't actually shifted yet. "I spoke with Daemon, and he confirmed you were his fated mate," Tyler said. "That makes you our Luna." I couldn't believe what he was telling me. Daemon confirmed it? He had been so adamant that I wasn't to tell anyone. Maybe Tyler was fishing for Daemon to see whether I would actually say anything. Or perhaps he was telling the truth, and Daemon had told him. Should I agree with him or not? Tyler continued when I didn't confirm or deny it, "He ordered you not to say anything, didn't he?" I decided to nod yes to this question, but I was still wary of him. I wanted a friend who would understand what I was going through, but Tyler was the Beta Daemon's Beta. I knew enough about packs to know that Tyler would always be loyal to Daemon. It all came down to whether I could trust Tyler or not.
Daemon's Point of View After listening to Adriana playing the piano and discussing it with Tyler, I sat in my office contemplating my next move. What was I going to do about Adriana? "You're going to fix this?" growled Theo. "That is what I am trying to do, you stupid wolf," I growled back. Theo was anxious that I fix the disaster, as he called it, with his mate. "She's my mate, too," I reminded him. "Then act like it," he said snarkily. Sometimes I wished I didn't have to share my mind and body with a wolf. When Tyler suggested taking her on a date, I initially thought about waiting until closer to the weekend. However, with Theo's grumbling, I figured I'd ask her sooner. Maybe even tonight. I grabbed the laptop to see what other restaurants were available. Taking Adriana to Luna wasn't the best course of action. It might just cause more trouble. There was a small Italian restaurant not far from Luna, so still in the centre of town. It wasn't run by shifters, but I had been
Adriana's Point of View I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Well, I could accept the stupid Omegas thinking Tyler was sweet over me because he was the only one nice to me so far. However, for Daemon to believe that and then remind me that I was his mate, I had to act like it. I had to act like it? Considering I was told not to tell anyone, he was unbelievable. "So, I'm your mate now, am I?" I asked snarkily. "Yes, you are, and you need to act like it!" he roared. "You are my mate, not Tyler's mate." It went from bad to worse. Daemon wouldn't listen to what I was trying to say, and now... he threatened to lock me in my room because Tyler grabbed my hand in a purely friendly platonic way. I guess Alphas are highly jealous creatures, but this one was borderline stupid. What was the Moon Goddess thinking when she matched me with him? "Are you going to listen to what I have to say, or just continue to make threats?" I yelled at him. Daemon stood there menacingly with his arms cross
Daemon's Point of View "You figure it out," Adriana said as she walked out the door to my office. "I just can't take your bullshit anymore. Either decide you want me as your mate and treat me like one or get the hell out of my life and let me go." Damn it! This was not how I wanted the conversation to go with Adriana. She was incensed that I would assume something was going on with her and Tyler. If I was being honest with myself, I trusted Tyler not to move in on my mate. But what about Adriana? The ultimate question was whether I could trust her. "If we mated with her properly, we would know we could trust her," Theo mentioned. "She probably won't want to mate with us now," I replied, sending Theo into the corner of my mind with his tail between his legs. I thought about Adriana and her actions. She didn't seem anything other than genuine, yet here I had accused her of trying to seduce Tyler. As for genuine, her anger at me was for sure. Then there was the fact that not only c
Mitchell's Point of View The questions that Daemon was asking made me think about former Luna Mara. She and her daughter, Ariana, Amelia or something similar, were the only other Alphas in the pack. If Daemon was picking them up, I would have to tell him everything that went on. He was going to be annoyed that I didn't tell him sooner, not to mention that I had allowed the young girl to work outside the pack without telling him. The first thing I needed to do was go and talk to Mara. It was essential to find out if Daemon knew about her and her daughter. My actions would be based on whether he did or not. What happened the day when Mara came here was tragic. Mara thought her pack was attacked because of the rare colour of their eyes. Traditionally shifters had brown eyes like their wolves. Occasionally, they would have blue. Eyes the colour of amethysts were totally unknown, except for her pack. Many generations ago, they had cross mated with another species, meaning they were hybri
Daemon's Point of View "I want you to follow Mitchell and see if he goes straight home." I had never felt I couldn't trust my father before, but the feeling was undeniable. There was something he wasn't telling me, and I was absolutely sure it had something to do with Adriana. "He is going into the Omega's section of the village," Adam reported back. "Keep following him at a distance," I replied. "Make sure he doesn't smell or see you, but if he does, tell him that you are on patrol through the village." An hour and a half later, Adam reported back to me with everything Mitchell had done. He had gone to Adriana's old house, but no one answered the door. That was to be expected, as her mother had passed away and she was with me. What surprised me was that he knew where a spare key was and went inside. Shortly, Mitchell came out and went to the neighbour's house. Adam wasn't close enough to hear what was said, but Mitchell went straight home after that. What was he doing? Why did h
Daemon's Point of View Over the next week and a half, Adriana and I had dinner at various human-owned restaurants three times. I still didn't want to take her back to Luna until we had mated fully and I had marked her. On the other nights, I made sure she and I dined in the small dining room together. I asked Adam and Tyler to eat elsewhere for a while, so I could take the time to get to know her properly. Each and every night, Adriana let me kiss her. Each and every night, it got more and more passionate. With each moan she made, I struggled to keep my wolf under control. I could smell her arousal and see it in her eyes. Her wolf was also at the surface, and she wanted me as much as I wanted her. I just didn't want to rush anything and risk losing her. When I asked Adriana if I had whisked her away from a boyfriend, she shook her head. Although she didn't say anything, I got the impression she hadn't dated before. Adriana did say that she was often asked out by humans when she wa
Cole's Point of ViewI could feel the tension in the air as we got out of the cars. It was a mess. The only positive point was that everyone was here and alive. Everyone except Lucienne. Given that our Lycans were not completely losing control, there was still hope. Hope that she was still out there, still alive.Marc mind-linked our father, urgency lacing his voice as he delivered the grim news—Lucienne had been taken. But what came next was a devastating revelation. Elizabeth and Michaela had escaped, aided by none other than Dwayne. The timing was far too coincidental, a connection that couldn’t be ignored. Whoever was behind this knew exactly what they were doing.Father also sent through half a dozen of our best trackers via a portal that Queen Adriana had created. The trackers spread out, scanning the area with the precision of trained hunters. But they had about as much luck as we had in human form. We knew the general direction they had gone, but that was it. Marc decided that
Cole's Point of ViewI could feel the tension in the air as we got out of the cars. It was a mess. The only positive point was that everyone was here and alive. Everyone except Lucienne. Given that our Lycans were not completely losing control, there was still hope. Hope that she was still out there, still alive.Marc mind-linked our father, urgency lacing his voice as he delivered the grim news—Lucienne had been taken. But what came next was a devastating revelation. Elizabeth and Michaela had escaped, aided by none other than Dwayne. The timing was far too coincidental, a connection that couldn’t be ignored. Whoever was behind this knew exactly what they were doing.Father also sent through half a dozen of our best trackers via a portal that Queen Adriana had created. The trackers spread out, scanning the area with the precision of trained hunters. But they had about as much luck as we had in human form. We knew the general direction they had gone, but that was it. Marc decided that
Lucienne's Point of ViewThe faint echo of footsteps from above stiffened me, and my senses strained for any sign of danger. Every sound in this cell was magnified—every whisper of air, every creak of the floorboards. It had been hours, maybe longer since I had last seen anyone. My body ached, and my wrists were raw from the restraints, but I forced myself to stay alert.When the door creaked open, I expected Beatrice’s manic figure or Rodney’s menacing leer. Instead, Michaela’s familiar form came downstairs, her face carefully blank but her eyes darting nervously. She carried a tray of food, the smell wafting toward me, making my stomach growl despite myself.She hesitated before crouching down to push the tray through the bottom of the bars. She moved to the box on the wall that adjusted the chains. The weight eased slightly, and I could finally lift my arms enough to rub the soreness from them.“You need to eat,” Michaela said softly, pushing the tray toward me. Her tone was quiet,
Lucienne's Point of ViewI sagged against the chains, reeling from the sting of the whip. My wrists were still tightly bound, but the slight loosening of the chains gave me a moment to catch my breath as I gasped, my chest heaving. Beatrice stood in the dimly lit cell, her body tense and poised, the whip in her hand slicing through the air with a sharp crack.Suddenly, the heavy door slammed open, and Rodney stormed in, radiating a palpable fury that seemed to charge the air around him. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached out and seized her wrist, the force of his grip causing her wrist to break, and she staggered slightly. With a swift motion, he wrenched the whip from her hand, sending it flying across the cell to land with a dull thud on the cold stone floor.Beatrice's heart raced as she met his intense gaze, realisation dawning on her that the confrontation was far from over."She's already been whipped today," he snarled. "The plan is not to kill her.""I don't care!" Beat
Lucienne's Point of ViewClio stirred. At first, it was faint—a mere flicker of warmth beneath my skin, like the distant glow of a candle struggling against the darkness. It wasn't the full return of her vibrantly strong presence, but it was enough to send a wave of relief coursing through me. For the first time since I'd been dragged into this grim, lightless cell, I felt a sliver of hope.Her energy was weak and groggy, like waking from a deep, drugged sleep, and I could sense her struggling against the lingering effects of the wolfsbane. She couldn't speak, couldn't send me her thoughts, but I felt her there—a fragile yet unmistakable connection humming faintly within me. It was proof that the activated charcoal Michaela had smuggled to me was starting to work, pushing back against the poison that had muted her.I closed my eyes and concentrated, drawing strength from that tenuous bond. Clio's presence reminded me of who I was, of the power locked away inside me. Even if she couldn
Lucienne's Point of ViewAs the sound of their retreating footsteps faded into silence, the tension holding my body upright gave way. My legs buckled, and I sank to my knees, the chains rattling softly as my arms hung limply above me. Pain radiated across my back, sharp and relentless, each breath pulling at the torn skin where the silver whip had bitten deep.For a moment, I allowed myself to feel it all—the anger, the fear, the helplessness. The weight of the situation bore down on me, pressing the air from my lungs. I clenched my fists, forcing my mind to remain clear. I couldn’t let this break me.“They’ll come for me,” I whispered, my voice cracking against the stillness of the cell. “Marc and Cole will find me.”I repeated the words like a mantra, willing myself to believe them. Marc and Cole were my mates. They wouldn’t rest until they tracked me down. The wolfsbane might dampen the bonds between us, but they were still there, faint and fragile threads that connected us. Once C
Lucienne's Point of ViewThe dim light flickered weakly outside my cell, casting jagged shadows on the walls. I inhaled deeply, searching for clues, but my surroundings offered little more than damp air and the acrid tang of rust. Still, faint and fleeting beneath it all, I caught a scent that made my pulse quicken.It was subtle, just a thread woven through the murk of mildew and stone—a sharp, bitter aroma tinged with something earthy. My senses struggled to place it entirely, dulled as they were by hunger and wolfsbane. But I’d know that scent anywhere: witchcraft.This wasn’t like the warm, herbal scent of Aunt Delilah, the liaison between the Royal Family and the Witch’s Council. She wasn’t really my aunt, but that was what we called Alice’s mum. Delilah’s magic smelled of rosemary and lavender, soft and soothing, a presence that felt like home. This was different—harsh, acrid, and wrong. It clawed at my senses, leaving an unpleasant taste in my mouth.A rogue witch, maybe. Or wo
Lucienne's Point of ViewWhen I opened my eyes, dim light greeted me—weak and distant, barely illuminating the space. My head throbbed, a dull ache pulsing at the base of my skull, and the cold, damp air bit into my skin like icy needles.I shifted slightly, trying to orient myself, only to feel the sharp tug of iron biting into my wrists. My arms were outstretched, pulled taut by heavy chains fastened to the walls on either side of me, leaving me in an awkward, uncomfortable sitting position on the hard stone floor.The light source was far away, casting faint shadows across the cell and doing little to push back the gloom. It was just enough for me to make out my surroundings—bare, unwelcoming, and suffused with the oppressive weight of captivity. The dim glow created more questions than answers, each corner of the cell cloaked in an eerie half-light that left me straining to see.For a moment, I couldn’t make sense of my surroundings. The air reeked of mildew, blood, and something
Duncan's Point of ViewThe sharp, acrid tang of blood hit my nose the moment I stepped into the prison's lower levels. The cold stone walls seemed to amplify the metallic scent, and I clenched my jaw as I surveyed the carnage. Two guards lay lifeless on the floor, their throats torn open with brutal efficiency. Blood pooled beneath their bodies, soaking into the cracks of the stone. Six guards flanked me, their faces pale but their stances resolute. While they knew death was a possibility, it was a risk they had long accepted as part of their duty. Their determination radiated in the unyielding set of their jaws, ready to uphold the pack's safety, no matter the cost. While fear lingered in their eyes, it was drowned out by their loyalty, which made them march forward into the unknown without hesitation."Spread out," I barked, my voice cutting through the tense silence and echoing down the cold, dimly lit corridor. "Check every cell, every corner. I want answers—find out how this hap