TYRION I was looking at the clean sheets on my bed—with no blood or heart of a dead she-wolf on them. Then my eyes shifted to my desk, dirtied by a pile of ash; it was all that was left of the message I had gotten from a witch. She was playing with me, enjoying every second I tried to contain my wrath while my desperation to catch her kept growing. She kept humiliating me, pointing out my inability to save those whom I vowed to protect. The heart was yet another example of ineptness, along with the heart-missing body of a young female omega, splayed in the palace garden for everyone to see. Zane and I went through all the surveillance footage only to find that a few cameras had "conveniently" been turned off at the probable time of the crime. Well, that was to be suspected of a witch who hadn't been caught in over a decade... I suspected that she had to be using some portal, or whatever witches call the thing that allows them to travel from place to place in a blink of an eye. Nova h
ARIAFifteen minutes earlierI kept glancing at Tyrion as he talked to other Alphas in the lounge and secretly wished I could be there, standing by his side. He looked more than stunning in his black tuxedo, elegantly capturing his broad frame and turning him into an even more mouthwatering man than usual. Regardless, I couldn't help but notice his tension. His beautiful face seemed troubled as a permanent frown wrinkled his forehead. I wish he could just share his problems with me, talk to me, think of me as his partner... Was I hoping for too much? He said that I wasn't a fling, but then again, I had no idea what I meant to him.Aziz stayed by my side all the time, flanking me wherever I went. I was grateful for having him there since I knew that Tyrion couldn't keep me company, not until he had his ruling secured without serious opposition."Here you are, Ar… I mean Red," Aziz said nervously, handing me a glass of champagne. "It would be easier if we could just get out of this plac
ARIAFelix didn't seem to notice the change in my expression and carried on with the story in between gulping down whiskey. "So we sneaked into this pack's territory, pretending to be humans. A snitch told us that this pack produced and sold drugs based on wolfsbane and silver, and we needed to find proof of it. We decided to look at one of the local clubs, so we went there and got hired as bouncers. Tyrion needed a distraction to search the manager's office, and Zane and I staged a fight to give him a chance to sneak around." He looked at me and chuckled, still oblivious to the panic rising within me. "Well, our staged fight got Zane and me fired and thrown out of the club. Fortunately, Tyrion found what he needed and was about to leave the club, but then a drunken she-wolf pushed him onto the stage, thinking that he was a stripper!" He burst out into laughter.I laughed as well—hysterically. This world might have been filled with miracles, but, Goddess, the whole scenario of Felix's
ARIA Leaving Grand Lunaville felt odd. I was going to miss those people who always greeted me with a kind smile, those clean and bright streets, and the vast woods surrounding the area. I asked Nessa if she wanted to go with me and become a member of Bright Haven, but she refused. She said that she was already a part of the Moon Blade Pack, and she felt that she owed them loyalty since they saved her life. I felt disappointed but understood her decision. Nonetheless, I was going to miss my friend. Nova cried when I told her I was leaving. She made me promise to call her every day and tell her everything. Aziz came to Grand Lunaville accompanied by one of our warriors, who was currently our driver. It was fortunate since I was too exhausted to drive myself, and Aziz didn't get enough sleep to fully regenerate and sit behind the wheel either. I tried not to think about Tyrion on the way home, even though it was difficult, if not impossible. I wasn't exactly a fan of hatred, and I didn
TYRION"You look like a piece of shit." Felix grimaced, looking me up and down.It had been almost a month since Red left, and I felt worse every day. I smiled angrily and lazily got up from my bed. "Why, thank you, Beta. Your compliments have become more refined."He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm only stating the facts. It would be easier if you just admitted that you've made a mistake and that you're an asshole.""It won't change anything. Red is an Alpha now; she is safe, that is all that matters," I said, feeling that my heart crumbled more with every word.Felix sighed and sat on my bed. "You should just tell her why you did it. Tell her about the message from the witch. Tell her that the witch wrote that she is going to kill your Queen, and that was why you chose Damara: you needed bait, and you would rather risk Damara's life than Red's. Just fucking tell her that!" The frustration in his voice was obvious.I knew that I wasn't myself without Red, and Felix suffered bec
ARIAEarly morning, the same dayI couldn't sleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, I could hear my heart pounding; pumping blood kept assaulting my eardrums, and every muscle within me tensed up in anticipation. This was THE day—the bloody full moon and the mating ball—where I was going to test my resilience to the mate bond. This was also the day I stopped hiding and said goodbye to Red.My transformation was over. As I stood in front of the mirror, I no longer saw any traces of red on my silver hair. I was back to being Aria, but I was light years from the girl I was before. The current Aria was eager to get her revenge and had the means to do it. Of course, that didn't change the fact that I was scared as hell. I was more than aware that all my enemies were going to be there. I could bet that Damara would sit next to my mate, acting like a Queen all mighty, but she wasn't the one I was wary of. I was nearly certain that Kestrel was going to show up in the palace during the ball, looking
TYRIONI was overwhelmed by the jasmine-strawberry scent, but I still wanted more. My mate, the one whom I thought was dead, appeared before my eyes as the Alpha of the Bright Haven Pack. Aria and Red were the same person! But how was she alive?! And how could I possibly be such a fucking idiot?! Why couldn't I feel that she was my mate?! I figured out that she had to cover her true scent somehow, but her eyes… Their amazing glow captivated me from the moment I saw her, and I should have somehow recognized her. I had wasted all the time I had her near me when she should have been mine completely...My eyes devoured her slender figure, covered by thin layers of silver silk, with a necklace with a sparkling star-shaped crystal embellishing her neck. Her long, silver hair rested calmly on her shoulders and back, shining like a miraculous aura around her. She was my very own Moon Goddess, and I was ready to worship her for the rest of my life.Once our eyes locked, I lost my breath. The i
ARIA I had to admit that Harriet was correct: the mate bond pull should not be underestimated. As soon as Tyrion's lips touched mine, my emotions erupted, but there was more… I could sense whatever he felt toward me. It was that raw honesty that made me unable to break our bond. Despite the overwhelming power of the mate bond, I wasn't going to simply let him leave his mark on me; I was going to make him earn the right to claim me. Everything this night was happening so quickly. One moment I saw my mate standing next to the woman I hated; less than half an hour later, Damara was on her knees before me. I tasted revenge and found its sweetness addicting. I couldn't wait to taste it once more once Kestrel was arrested. Ulisses was staring at me with his sneaky, hatred-filled eyes. Did he think that I was going to apologize for not letting Damara stay as Tyrion's fiancée? Or perhaps I should apologize for wanting her to be punished for what she did to me? Well, this old man had clearly
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