ARIAI must have gone insane. I was lusting over the Alpha King, the same one who killed my brother and half of my old pack, and who wanted me dead! And why did he have to look exactly like the stripper whom I had my first time with?!Of course, I did a lot of pondering about whether Alpha King Tyrion and my stripper might be the same person. It might be possible to magically hide a werewolf's scent and aura. I had never heard of anyone doing it, but I had never heard of the way to change a werewolf's scent before Harriet made the talisman for me either. I grabbed the talisman on my neck and tried to recall whether my stripper could have had something similar on him... No. He was as much in his birthday suit as he could be, and still, I couldn't sense a wolf in him."Aria... you are an idiot!" I growled at myself. "Do you seriously think that an Alpha King could appear at your bachelorette party to perform a striptease?!"Saying it aloud helped me acknowledge how ridiculous my assumpt
TYRIONShe smelled like orange flowers and cinnamon, a peculiar combination of wild, spicy, and sweet. Hell, I couldn't even recall the last time I remembered any she-wolf's scent so precisely... Or actually, I do remember when. I could never forget the deliciously tempting strawberry and jasmine scent my mate had… Shit. The pain in my chest increased once more. I needed to clear my head and focus on important matters.I got rid of the rogue problem those pesky Alphas wanted me to, but at this moment, with the King, or rather the Queen of Rogues, locked in my prison, I started to question if I was doing the right thing. The second Felix and Zane attacked their parts of the town, they informed me that there were only weak civilians living there. Some of the wolves living there had disabilities, and others had obvious signs of long-term physical abuse. They all treated us as the worst kind of thugs, definitely not their saviors, and I seriously started to doubt if there were any cases o
ARIA It wasn't supposed to be like this. I told Aziz to run away as soon as we got to the omegas district and saw the whole situation. The majority of our people were safe. There were the Moon Blade Pack members that needed help. The town's fire department didn't hurry enough to save those who were at the bottom of the food chain, so the district residents helped themselves as much as they could. But even if they carried hundreds of buckets of water, they weren't able to put the fire down fast enough. They were people that got stuck on the top floors of those buildings on fire. I said that I would stay and save as many as I could. Aziz could leave without me. I didn't want to make him a part of it, but he was like me; he would never walk away from those who needed help. What good did it give him? He should have received at least a thank you, but he got thrown into a prison cell instead. Of course, he wasn't exactly innocent. He knocked out at least ten guards on the way to my cell, n
ARIA My body started to shiver. The man in front of me was hot as hell and equally dangerous. After living as a rogue, I had no problems with handling men, but he wasn't some ordinary wolf. The fact that he had the exact same looks as the man whom I slept with for the first time wasn't helping either. I could barely handle being with this guy in the same room for fifteen minutes! But the thought of living under the same roof as him made me burst into hysteric laughter. "That is not a good idea," I said, trying to hide the fact that my voice trembled. He gave me a crooked smile. "Would you rather stay in a dirty prison"—he leaned over me and sniffed my skin—"without a shower?" My cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Yes, I was dirty from staying in a dusty prison cell. Not to mention that I had soot on my face and my hair and clothes had a smoky smell. I would give a lot to take a decent shower... but living in a packhouse with the Alpha King seemed to be a price slightly too high to pa
TYRIONMy naturally sharpened senses detected the first arrow two seconds before it broke through my window. I cut it with my claws and noticed another one coming. At a glance, I saw she was watching me in awe. With my ego pumped, I decided to grab the next arrow in my hand, which was probably the most idiotic thing I could ever do. Why the fuck did I do that?! Did I try to impress her or something?! A split second later, I realized that my move couldn't possibly be any dumber. The arrow was made of pure silver. The slightest touch burned my skin deep into raw, bleeding flesh. A small portion of the poison infiltrated my blood, and I needed a moment to fight off the pain. I barely noticed when she stood between me and the window with her arms spread wide, welcoming two arrows fired my way.Something within me snapped. My wolf roared twice as furious as at the beginning of the attack. She risked her life to save me. My warriors constantly put their lives on the line, and I thought of i
ARIAIt was the hardest night of my life. I wanted nothing more than for Tyrion to lose all control and join me in bed, and I feared nothing more than him doing it. I was grateful that I could shower, wash my hair and body, and lay down on a comfortable bed, but why did it have to smell like him?! My heart hammered against my chest the entire night, and I was exhausted from trying to fall asleep despite all the lewd thoughts in my head. So much for a good rest and regeneration...Let's face it, the badass Red Queen had sex only twice in her entire life. The first time was painful but amazing, and the second time was a mistake. The night I spent with a sexy stripper was incomparably more incredible and satiating than the drunken sex I had once with one of the warriors. It happened the night Aziz told me that we would remain friends and nothing more because I hadn't found my true mate. Once I cured my hangover, I decided not to have sex unless it was someone I truly cared about. For thr
ARIAThe moment Aziz left, anxiety rushed to flood my body to the fullest. I had been hiding my identity for five years but never actually had to lie that I was someone I wasn't. The people I faced during those five years had never met Aria Seymour nor had heard about her. When the Silver Blood Pack ceased to exist, the pack members who survived spread around the world. Some of them were lucky enough to become members of other packs, while others had become rogues like me, but all this time I hadn't encountered anyone from my past life in Silverville. Now, I was going to live with someone who knew Aria Seymour and who wanted her dead..."Snap out of it, Aria!" I scolded myself. "You need to get yourself together and play the part of the fabulous Red Queen! Those whom you saved are counting on you!"I wasn't trying to act like a saint. I used to call helping others my redemption. In my mind, I was paying for my family's sins. I felt that I had the responsibility to protect those who tr
ARIAI walked out into the corridor as soon as she walked inside Tyrion's chamber. The person whom I thought was my friend, the cause of my suffering, the one whom I wished died along with my brother, was only a few feet away from me in the room I was supposed to enter. Why was she here?! Was she and Tyrion in some intimate relationship?!My head started to spin. Hot burning lava was running in my veins. I took a silent step closer to Tyrion's room, trying to hear the sounds from inside."Why are you here, Damara?" he asked her. His voice seemed tender and gentle, and for some reason, it made my heart squeeze in my chest."My father sends the Alpha King his regards," she said.The spinning of my head increased. Damara didn't have a father. Both of her parents were farmers and died long ago."Give him my regards as well," Tyrion replied kindly. He sounded so different from the way he talked to me."He organized a meeting with several Alphas; they were all willing to renew their pledge
TYRION Four months later I loved waking up while feeling the warmth of Aria's magnificent naked body. I could never restrain my fingers from tracing her curves while we were lying like this. I always looked forward to the soft gasps that broke through her plush lips each time my touch pleased her. This time was no different. A low growl left my throat as she shifted in her sleep, instinctively pushing her curvy butt toward my erection. I grabbed her hips and rubbed my hard cock against the sensitive skin between her thighs. She moaned. Her heart started to race, and the delicious scent of her arousal filled the air of our bedroom. My hands wandered to her breasts, feeling her nipples harden underneath the feather-like touch of my fingertips. Another moan left her lips when one of my hands slipped between her legs to tease her clit. "You're so bad for waking your Queen like this…" she breathed. "You love me when I'm bad," I purred before biting her neck. She turned around and pushe
ARIA Once the Moon Blade pierced my mate's chest, Gadreel looked at me in shock. Pain and fury twisted his expression. He curled his fingers on the silver blade and used the remains of his strength to pull it out. Too late. I might have been crying my eyes out, but my grip stayed as strong as it was at the moment I thrust the sword, ripping the flesh of my loved one. Suddenly, his body began convulsing as if he had been electrocuted. He roared viciously as his blazing eyes turned into black smoke. The overwhelming stink of sulfur hit my nostrils, making me lean back as more smoke evaporated through Tyrion's skin. I felt as if I was being led by the Moon Blade itself. It told me to withdraw the blade, and I obeyed. Once I did, Tyrion's body fell to the ground, and the sword began to shine brighter than before. Then the blade started sucking in the smoke. I could hear the shrieks of the dying demon as his essence sank in the glow of the Moon Blade until everything turned silent. I coll
ARIAMy eyes widened in terror as I saw the dark smoke surrounding Tyrion surge into his body. The demonic essence filled him in seconds, and I could only scream while watching it happen. Hespera was slowly regaining her strength. She got up to her knees, pulled out the remaining red crystal from the pocket of her robe, and squeezed it in her hand. Then her eyes shifted to Tyrion, and she welcomed the sight of him becoming possessed by the demon with a dark grin spreading her mouth.I yanked the silver rings, trying to loosen their anchorage in the rocks. My wrists were bleeding, but I couldn't care less about the physical pain. The only ache that became unbearable was my heart breaking at the sight of Felix's bloodied corpse and my mate, who was about to become someone else...Tyrion proudly straightened up his naked body, his blood-dirtied chest heaved and fell, emphasizing his defined muscles. When his eyes opened, I knew that he wasn't the one in control of this body. Tears floode
TYRIONEight hours earlierI almost lost it when I heard that Harriet was Hespera's sister and could have located her. We could have used that spell months ago and traced that bitch before she had begun her killing spree! Harriet tried to explain that she only found out recently, but that didn't lessen my fury."Alpha Tyrion, I beg you. Try to understand that for many years I was convinced that my sister died in a fire. Not until I saw her in the coven's castle did I know for certain—""Harriet, you suspected who the dark witch might be, but you haven't told anyone about it, not even Aria. Now Aria is in grave danger, and we could have avoided it if we had caught Hespera sooner. If anything happens to Aria, I will forever blame you for it." My tone was as sharp as the finest sword, but she should still be grateful that I used words instead of my claws.She stepped back cautiously and frowned. "You know that I would never do anything to hurt Aria."I slowly exhaled my anger. "Let's hop
ARIAI felt as if my body had been run over by a truck at least five times. At the same time, someone had installed hammer drills inside my head, and I could feel them piercing through my skull. I think I hated wolfsbane more than silver poisoning. And now the pain caused by the poison, mixed with the heartache caused by the betrayal of someone whom I trusted...A painful groan left my throat as I opened my eyes, and I was strangely grateful for not being blinded by light once I did. The place where I was looked like a cave filled with lit candles. I was lying on the hard, stone ground. I was cuffed in silver, and each of my hands was chained by a separate chain to a wall. The length of those chains allowed me to either lay on the ground or sit against the wall. I kept wondering why I was brought here. Should I be grateful for being still alive?"I can see that you're awake, she-wolf." Hespera's voice echoed in the cave's empty space.I turned my aching head toward the sound and saw h
TYRIONI was waiting in the side room attached to the auditorium, waiting for the ceremony to begin. It was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago. The audience had already filled their seats, and everyone was waiting for my mate to walk in and dazzle them with her beauty. Nova and Nessa stood next to me, and I could see they were more nervous by the second, just like I was.‘Alpha Tyrion, come to your office. This is deadly urgent!’ Aziz's sharp-edged voice sounded through the mind link.‘Aziz, you were supposed to be here. My wedding is about to start,’ I said, irritated.‘Where is Felix? Is he somewhere near you?’ Now I could sense panic in his voice.I leaned outside to check if he or Aria showed up, but there was no sign of either of them. ‘No. Felix is with Aria now,’ I replied.‘We need to find him and arrest him!’ he shouted frantically.‘What the fuck are you talking about?!’ I roared.‘Alpha, I've just received the remastered footage with a clear picture. The one who killed t
ARIA I had an odd and disturbing dream. It was nothing like my terrifying vision of Tyrion and me, but it still left my heart wildly pounding and my body tense. In my dream, I was merely an observer. I saw two little, smiling girls, and somehow I knew that it was Harriet and her sister. Harriet had her brown hair tied in a cute ponytail while her red-haired sister's hair was braided. They both wore similar dark-gray dresses with long sleeves, resembling the long robes the coven witches had. They were running through a flowery meadow. Then, they stopped to spin around among the flowers. At one moment, a butterfly sat on Harriet's finger. Harmony tried to touch it, but the butterfly flew away. Harriet picked up a red poppy flower and handed it to Harmony. "Harmony, look! Isn't it pretty?" she said. Harmony narrowed her deep-green eyes, and the flower dried in her hands. Then she gave Harriet a cold stare. "Don't call me Harmony. There is nothing harmonious about me," she hissed. Harr
ARIA My whole body hurt, but the dumb smile didn't leave my face. Was it what people call happiness? If so, then the hot embodiment of my happiness was lying next to me. His upper arm served as my pillow while his forearm uncontrollably caressed my back. Tyrion's other hand was lazily lying on my waist, giving him easy access to my naked buttocks. From the second I opened my eyes, I could enjoy his amazing features in a deep, peaceful sleep. I could never get enough of him. He had the amazing ability to disarm my fears, build my confidence and strength, fire up my senses, and overfill me with pleasure. Still, I knew that each day I would wake up in his arms, I would only ask for more. He was the cause of my insatiable thirst. "You're doing it again, angel." His deep purr sent a direct signal between my thighs. "I'm not doing anything… yet," I said hoarsely. He chuckled and pulled me close so I could feel every rigid inch of him. "You're aroused," he whispered as his hand stroked th
TYRIONI didn't want to leave Aria. Seeing her cowering, crying, and reluctant to accept my touch was unbearable. She said that she was going to be fine, but it sounded more like she didn't want to talk about it. I respected her choice, yet the image of my shivering mate stayed in my mind for the rest of the day, filling me with anxiety.It was hard to focus on my duties, but I had to. I called the royal council meeting. It was time they stopped demanding and started helping like they were supposed to. After I got rid of the pests, Aldo Lefebre was appointed a natural council's leader. I couldn't be more glad of that choice. The mood in the council seemed to change as well. I could sense no stink of hostility or fear as I entered the audience hall to sit with the council."I came to inform you of the current situation, and I demand your assistance and guidance," I started. "A few days ago, my Luna fought against the dark witch. We now know that her name is Hespera. Hespera attacked he