ARIAFelix and Zane ran toward the palace's courtyard a few minutes later. I was still sitting naked on the ground with an unconscious Tyrion lying on my lap. My hands stroked his cold, pale face while I stared numbly at his closed eyelids."We have to get Tyrion to the hospital," Felix explained, handing me a shirt the size of a short dress so I could cover myself.I frowned and shook my head. "No. It isn't something doctors in the hospital can cure. Bring him to his chamber, and I will call Nova.""Nova?" Felix sounded surprised.I nodded. "I believe that she can help."Felix smiled wryly. "Are you sure about that?""I'm positive."He sighed and ordered two of his men to carry Tyrion into the palace before helping me get on my feet. "We're so sorry, Aria," he said, lowering his head. "They tricked us. The witch somehow copied Kestrel's scent and got us chasing several wolves through the woods, but none of them was Kestrel. Then we were notified, that someone broke through our border
TYRIONSix hours earlier‘Has anyone spotted Kestrel?’ I kept asking through the mind link and kept receiving the same negative answer.This running around the woods had become ridiculous. My warriors had captured several meaningless fuckers who carried Kestrel's smell and were sent here only to distract us. Felix, Zane, and I were getting back to the borders, expecting the main cunt to appear somewhere near. Judging by the amount of effort he took to create this whole diversion, he was after Aria, and nothing could stop him from getting what he wanted. This thought terrified me. That witch had turned invading our territory into an art, and I would have been an idiot for not assuming that she was going to help Kestrel get through our borders. I only wondered what her motive was for helping that sadist. Was she doing it because Aria was my mate? She had already made it clear that she was planning to kill the one I claimed, but why did she suddenly decide to involve Kestrel?‘Alpha King
TYRION I was sitting in the back seat of a black Bentley, with Aziz next to me and Nova in the front passenger's seat. I kept wondering what the fuck I was doing. The frown painted my face throughout our way to Bright Haven. The overwhelming feeling of uneasiness tied my stomach, but the worst part was that I couldn't even call Aria and tell her how I felt because that would imply that I didn't trust her. Hell, I knew that she was an amazing leader; she might have had better leadership skills than I did, but I couldn't stand the thought that I was literally sending my mate to fight MY battles while I was going to some fucking magical SPA. Of course, Nova and Aziz were quite entertained by my grumpiness. "Don't worry, Alpha Tyrion. You will get back to Aria before you know it," Nova said, hardly stifling a giggle. "You should brighten up, Alpha King. One may say that you've never been to the countryside," Aziz teased. I glared at him. "I don't feel fine leaving, knowing that more ma
ARIAFive days earlierIt was my third day of replacing Tyrion, and I felt completely overwhelmed. I was sitting in his chair, inside his office, signing documents that were meant for him to sign, and I thought that I would never complain about the little paperwork I had as the Alpha of Bright Haven Pack. Felix kept telling me that I was doing fine, and Zane mentioned that he was impressed with my decisions on how to protect our borders better, but nothing changed the fact that I felt lost.Nova called me the night before and told me that the ritual went well. Tyrion was in a coma, and he was going to be in a state of deep sleep for a few days. Harriet assured me that it was completely natural and that she and Nova would watch over him the entire time. I knew that it was supposed to calm me down, but I couldn't help but feel anxious. I missed Tyrion, and I wanted him back already—not to mention that sleeping in a room filled with his scent was making me perpetually horny.I groaned, s
ARIAI could see all the terrified people gazing out from their windows as the bloody fight kept going right outside their homes. I was more than aware of how badly this could all end up. I jumped at one of the trashcans and howled at the woman looking at me from her window on the second floor. She nodded, understanding what I meant, and a moment later, she threw me an oversized T-shirt. I shifted back and put the T-shirt on. Then I used my roaring, commanding voice to get all of the warriors' attention."Listen up! We need to start the evacuation. We are besieged, and we need to lead people out through the tunnels. We need to regroup. Part of the warriors will focus on slowing down the enemy, while others should help evacuate civilians. Zane," I pointed at him, "you will be responsible for appointing your warriors to lead people to the southern and eastern tunnels! Inform Felix to help me with the evacuation of the central district!"They all nodded and started communicating through
TYRION I was close to losing my senses. The anger I felt ignited a hellish fire within me, and I could barely stop myself from tearing my Beta to pieces. He left her there. How the fuck could he have left her there?! My inner, cold rationality told me that it wasn't Felix's fault, that it was her choice, but even aware of that fact, I kept my claws extended, ready to kill. I had to clear my mind before I turned everything around me into a bloody pulp. I turned into my wolf and leaped toward the forest. I kept running until my emotions became less lethal and I could think about our next move. I returned to Harriet's house and called everyone to figure out a plan. The fear for my angel pierced every inch of my insides like thousands of burning needles. What if it was already too late? What if Ragnar burned down the entire town? What if he killed… her? "Aria is still alive," Aziz assured. "Our connection is strong, and I would have felt it if her link snapped." I inwardly sighed in r
ARIAI couldn't remember what sleeping felt like since I had been on constant alert for days. I had been kept in this obnoxious prison called "Ragnar's chamber" for several days. His scent was overwhelming, and I couldn't stand it. There was a huge bed, but the hell would freeze sooner than he would find me sleeping in it. That made me spend every night curled up in the corner of the room. Luckily, from the moment I threatened him, he didn't come here or try to touch me.His warriors placed silver bars in all the windows to prevent me from escaping. They obviously had no idea that silver couldn't kill me, yet breaking those bars could have taken a while. I debated breaking through the door, killing the two guards standing outside, and then running away, but it would only make things worse…When, a few days ago, Ragnar's warriors started killing our people for fun, they awakened all the demons within me. I was ready to slaughter them all, and I would have if I hadn't been restrained by
TYRIONOur preparations were far from perfect. We might have had a lot of ammunition, but not too many snipers able to take down enemies without any collateral damage. Harriet might have prepared nearly four hundred cloaking talismans that were currently hanging around each of my warriors' necks, but they could work for a little less than an hour. The last time Nessa called us, she said that Ragnar had most likely lost the witch's support, and that was the only fortunate news. We could be certain that there wouldn't be any magical surprises on our way… assumingly.The good thing about Harriet's talismans was that we were still able to see each other as slightly translucent shades while staying invisible to everyone else who didn't have her talisman. We passed the main checkpoints of our frontiers and walked alongside the clueless Ragnar's warriors. Then we launched a surprise attack. We went for the kill, believing that those who were already bewitched, couldn't be easily reversed. We
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