WILLA’s POV “W-what are you doing here–here…” I stammered, my voice rough and patched and not mine. There, lounging in the corner like he owned the place—which, I suppose, he technically did—was Nox, the mighty Alpha himself. He didn’t answer right away, just tilted his head slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk. “Good morning, sunshine," he drawled. I opened my mouth to retort, but a sudden, sharp pain lanced through my head. "Fuck," I hissed, pressing my palm against my temple. Of course, my head was slammed against a wall. I winced. "How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it, maybe it was my mind because that underlying Alpha arrogance was still there … the kind that told you he was asking because it mattered, but not enough to shift his world. I scoffed. "Like you care.” His smirk widened, an attractive glint in his eyes. He prowled toward me, that slow, deliberate way of his, making the room feel suddenly
WILLA’s POV The door to my room closed behind me with a soft click, and I exhaled deeply, my shoulders sagging with relief. But that fleeting moment of peace vanished as quickly as it had come when my eyes landed on the window. Open. The curtains swayed gently in the night breeze. How long had it been like that? I hadn’t opened it, and the latch was always secure. My hand instinctively went to my waist, fingers curling around the hilt of the knife Nox had given me. The air smelled faintly of pine and earth. I leaned out, scanning the ground below. It was a long drop, the kind that would break bones if not kill outright. I frowned. It wasn’t the height that bothered me—it was how the window had been opened in the first place. A soft rustle behind me snapped my attention away from the window and I spun and threw the knife. It struck the wall with a solid thunk, quivering mere inches from a hooded figure that seemed to materialize from the shadows. “Stay back—” I s
WILLA’s POV The scent of blood clung to the air, thick and metallic, as the man on the table screamed again. The infirmary was in chaos, and I could feel it press against me, threatening to pull me into memories I had no interest in revisiting. The scene was too familiar—too much like the days my pack was attacked, days before the day everything fell apart. My father had tried to keep me shielded from the carnage then, but some things were impossible to forget. I stood frozen, watching as medics swarmed around the injured man. His bones jutted out grotesquely from his leg, the jagged ends shining slick with blood. Hunter was holding him down, his muscular arms straining as the man writhed and fought against the agony. “We need to set it now," a medic shouted over the man's screams, trying to shove the bone back into place, and the man's scream pierced the air again. "Hold him steady!" Hunter barked. He grabbed a cloth, cramming it into the man’s mouth to muffle his cri
WILLA’s POV The world was a haze of smoke and flames as I burst through the doorway, the child clinging to me as if her life depended on it—which it did. Both of our lives. My lungs burned, and I yanked off the wet blanket I had desperately managed to soak in a bath inside. Men rushed towards us, their voices blurred in the chaos, but I tightened my hold on the little girl. Her tiny arms were wrapped around my neck, her face buried into my shoulder, trembling. She was shaking so hard it was as if she might crumble if I let go. "It's okay, Lily," I murmured, my voice hoarse from the smoke. "You're safe now." A burly man reached for the child, to help, but I stepped back. “I've got her," I said firmly. They flinched but backed off, their hands falling away. “She’s fine. We’re both fine.” "Miss, you need medical attention—" "I said I'm fine," I snapped, my jaw clenching. I softened my voice as I turned my attention back to Lily. "Hey, sweetheart. Can you look a
WILLA’s POV I turned to leave, my hand already reaching for the door handle when Hunter's voice stopped me in my tracks, he was talking to Nox. The rustle of paper caught my attention, and I glanced back to see him spreading a large map across the table in the corner. The worn edges suggested it had been used too many times. I wanted to stay. To find out. My fingers twitched against the cool metal of the handle. Just one twist and I'd be out, away from ever knowing what they were planning … but I wanted to stay, needed, anything other than rumors— please let me stay. "Stay." It wasn't an order, not quite, but I still froze, my heart betraying me with an excited thump. I looked back, meeting Nox's midnight gaze. To my surprise, Hunter didn't seem bothered by it all. If anything, he just wanted to be done with everything... like he expected it. It was like my first ever prayer being heard. I licked my suddenly dry lips, scrambling for an excuse. An act. "I sho
NOX’s POV “You've known all this while, and you didn't care to let me in on it?" The room was dim, shadows playing along the walls from the dying fire in the hearth. I groaned, rubbing a hand over my face, as I moved towards the liquor cabinet. We had exhausted every method in our search for the rogues, perhaps not all, and the young she-wolf's theory could hold water, but my primary target wasn’t Eamon—yet. Until I could get my hands on the rogues, he remained at large, a freedom I would rectify as soon as our pack's wall was completed. That had to be our priority—secure our borders, then flush out the rogues. The crystal decanter clinked against the glasses as I poured a generous amount of amber liquid into each. He’d been going on and on about how I left him in the dark and all. About him risking too much to keep her away from the other alphas without even knowing this was the reason I had wanted her kept secret. He was furious, I know. "Everyone deserves a chan
NOX’s POV "Rogues of Amberfall," I called out, my voice echoing in the suddenly silent space as I slowly circled around with the lads. A cruel smile played on my lips as I added, "How shall we begin?" I let my gaze sweep over the gathering crowd. They were more numbered than I'd calculated, but that only made this more interesting. I could hear some of them whimpering, and my grin widened, baring my teeth in a wolfish display. An elderly man stepped forward, his shoulders squared despite the weariness that showed in every wrinkle lining his face. He was their leader, or at least, they thought him so. I could see it in the way he held himself—a pride that had much foundation. He may look weak, but killing him will shatter much. I envy that. "Why have you come to our territory?" His voice was rough, gravelly, but steady. A stick clutched in his grip to support his weight. I turned to the two boys at my side, giving them a gentle smile that didn't reach my eyes. Maybe
WILLA’s POV The sun beat down mercilessly as I approached the training grounds. It had been a day since I last saw him—the brooding, impossible Alpha. He was off, chasing down the rogues that had been causing trouble, no doubt using every method at his disposal to corner them. We hadn’t spoken since that day in his study, when everything shifted. His pack might be on fire with everything going on, but little by little, the pieces were coming together. At least for me. And now, the weight of who I was, the curse lingering over my head… it was time I learned how to stop it. My wolf may have been absent for so long—dormant, hiding—but recently, I could feel her stirring again. Not fully present, but there, hovering just beneath the surface. A flicker of hope I couldn’t yet decipher, but it was enough. Enough to make me think that maybe I wasn’t completely lost. And Nox had mentioned I could see the priestess when he returned … he was busy at the training ground, I was told, bu
Nox’s POV My body coiled tight, steel cables ready to snap, every sinew screaming to tear Eamon apart. Rage crackled deep in my chest like electricity—one heartbeat, two— I didn’t even realize I’d moved until Eamon’s voice stopped me cold. “Not. Another. Step." Eamon's voice was glacial. My claws ached to sink into his flesh, my wolf howling in frustration. Willa’s wide eyes met mine, and I saw the fear there—the fear I never wanted to see on her face again. But beneath it, there was anger too, a fire that hadn’t been extinguished. It made my chest tighten, a sick mixture of fury and helplessness. “Let her go,” I growled, my voice raw and guttural. Eamon smirked, his claws flexing against her skin. “Oh, I don’t think so. You make one wrong move, and I’ll slit her throat right here.” Willa winced as his grip tightened, and my entire body tensed, the mate bond hammering through me like a second heartbeat. My wolf pushed harder against my control, despe
Nox’s POV The night pressed down like a curse, sharp and unforgiving. The air was thick, heavy with ash, and carried the weight of a thousand untold stories. It reminded me of sharp fangs sinking deep into flesh—relentless, excruciating, and unyielding. Rest was a luxury we couldn’t afford, and complaints felt pointless now. Once this ends, Willa will learn the truth about what indeed happened to the second man she had been accused of killing. Draven was on it already, and I'm certain she would get the hang of it quickly. Maybe there was a bright end to this after all. My eyes swept across the maw of the mountain. The Ash Eyes Pack. Once, they were revered. Legends spoke of their lands—a paradise enriched by volcanic soil that made their harvests plentiful and their people untouchable. But that was all gone now, like ash falling from the sky and disappearing into the wind. No one spoke of what had happened. It was as if an unwritten rule had silenced their me
Willa’s POV The Blood Moon would be here soon, I thought, tightening my grip on the hilt of my dagger. If we survived this night, perhaps we'd celebrate it at last, instead of merely surviving under its light. Maybe this time, it would bring renewal, not more bloodshed. I tore my eyes from the heavens to face the land before me: Gerald’s Way. “What is this place?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, though the tension crackling through the air ensured everyone heard me. “This,” Nox replied, his voice smooth, almost indifferent, “is where it all started for Eamon.” Vad’s lips twisted into a smirk that made my wolf bristle. “This is his true home,” he said, gesturing grandly to the crumbling castle perched on the volcanic mountain. “Where he was born.” The small castle loomed, its jagged towers stretching into the ashen sky. Steam hissed from cracks in the earth, the very air heavy with heat and sulfur. “It’s massive,” I murmured, scanning the da
Astridl’s POV How did I end myself in this situation? I could just punch him and get this over before I regret my next action. But I couldn't bring myself to say the word, to act like I used to. His eyes were still on me, waiting. Gods, he was waiting, and the thought that his eyes were this focused on me, the thought of what my answer would do to my body made me nearly curse out. “Say it, Astrid.” Goddess, why can't he just… “Give me more.” I couldn't care about what we were doing—who he was. “I am at your service,” he grunted, and then he reached between us, his finger snagging the latch of my carry-on and he yanked them off. Metal met the floor. And then the one on my thigh. More daggers off. Then he reached for my pants. He pulled on them hard enough to lift my hips. Buttons popped free, tossing onto the floor. “Goodness,” I murmured. He barked out a short, harsh laugh as he shoved my pants down until one leg was completely free, and
Astrid’s POV Once this was over, my family could finally rest, knowing the man who destroyed their lives would breathe no more. A part of me dreamed of escaping with Asher, finding a home beyond the sea—somewhere far from this chaos. This wasn’t home. It never had been. But first, there was work to be done. Willa would get her pack back. That was why I’d joined the fight, after all. And if I wasn’t mistaken, her relationship with the Alpha might not end, not even when the war ended. I knew the dynamics shifting around me. Willa would likely become the Alpha's Luna, and the tension between Starfall and Moonviel might dissolve into an unexpected alliance. Maybe even merge. Packs up north had done it before. Not that it mattered to me. My focus was singular: kill Eamon and complete my revenge. Then I'd be gone. Everything else—the alliances, the titles, the futures of others—was irrelevant. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. I c
Willa’s POV Justin's lifeless body lay crumpled on the floor, a pool of crimson spreading beneath him. Astrid didn’t so much as glance at her handiwork as she secured the bloodied fabric back onto her hip—a lethal weapon I'd only just witnessed—gleamed with a deadly shimmer, the embedded daggers barely visible against the rich fabric. She stepped away from the mess, spitting outside the open window like it had been nothing more than a chore. I’d seen that fabric with her but never known it to be a weapon, or so. Vad, on the other hand, seemed invigorated, the gleam in his golden eyes unsettling. His gaze landed on the man who’d called Nox his cousin and that smirk of his grew. "The people you hoped would help you crawl onto the throne are nothing but weaklings," Vad snickered. He stepped over Justin’s corpse without hesitation, his boots smearing red across the floor. "You should’ve stayed in the shadows where you’ve been hiding all these years…” Vad turned.
Willa's POV The air, already heavy, seemed to grow denser as the council members filed in behind the Deacon whose face had gone several shades paler, his composure crumbling like wet paper. The unfamiliar man—their uncle, I guessed—looked utterly stunned, his disbelief written across every line of his face. My gaze flicked to Vad, who was watching him with that infuriating smirk, as if savoring the man’s discomfort. He looked like one who already regretted his move too late. But how will I know, judging that he was one of their bloodline, who knows what could exactly come off them? Only a few guards remained inside—Marcus and two others. I pulled at my sleeve. So, this had been the brothers’ plan all along? How? When? Was I kept in the dark again? Not that it mattered now. What a family dynamic. “What is the meaning of this?” The Deacon's voice cracked with indignation, like a man who'd just discovered he was nothing more than a puppet.
Willa’s POV It wasn’t that I was used to Vad’s presence—far from it. But recently, my wolf had stopped baring her teeth every time he was near. That shift meant something, though I wasn’t entirely sure what. The room felt charged, and I couldn’t tell if it was the tension or just Vad’s inherent ability to turn a space into a pressure cooker. I had come in looking for Nox, expecting a quiet moment. Instead, I found Sylvia, and to my surprise, Vad. Hunter had acted strange earlier, avoiding my gaze when he told me where to find Nox. But soon it made sense. Astrid’s expression gave it all away the moment I walked in on her. The rumor. Of course, there was always a rumor when it came to me, but this one didn’t sting. This one was different. My wolf purred at the thought, and I cursed myself as a flush crept up my neck. My sweater sleeve became an anchor as I pulled it over my palm, pretending to focus on something—anything—other than the weight of Nox’s gaze.
Nox’s POV "How do you know?" I prompted, my voice low and measured. Her lips curved—not quite a smile, more a razor's edge of knowing. "Because I can still feel that cold, shivering stare on me since I arrived. It's a sensation you don't forget.” “Unbelievable," Vad muttered, swirling the amber liquid in his glass before throwing a few into his mouth. “What?" Sylvia's eyebrow arched, a challenge wrapped in silk. "You find something amusing?" “No?” Vad drawled. “It’s always something with you. Ever so dramatic." I watched the interplay, my wolf prowling beneath my skin. Something was off. Vad's unusual calm wasn't lost on me. My twin had always been the type to unravel spectacularly when things didn't align with his vision—a mirror of my own younger self, only I'd learned to temper that rage into something more surgical. "Forgive my brother," I said dryly, rubbing my temple, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "He was dropped on his head enough tim