NOX’S POV I stared out the window, the fading sunlight casting long shadows across the grounds. The scar on her chin, I'd noticed, wasn't as fresh as I'd first thought. It was an old wound. With the grime and blood washed away, she looked almost fragile. Hard to believe she was the same woman who'd taken a guard's eye and killed another. The sound of rustling fabric broke my reflection. Hunter was dressing behind me, his reflection ghostly in the glass. "You look oddly entertained,” Hunter said as if mocking me. “How long are you planning to keep it up?” I ignored him, humming to myself. I wonder why the bastard didn't die. “Will you let her stay another night in the cell?" He asked. I didn't turn, keeping my gaze planted on the horizon. "She can survive more than a night there," I mused. "Perhaps she'll have a little surprise for me when she's finally out." Hunter continued dressing, buttons clicking softly. "I'd like to see her," he said, an edge to his voice.
NOX’s POV Over and over, she unknowingly looked in the direction we had come from. She did it again. She was afraid of something but not me, not Hunter even though now, she looked terrified of him … no, she feared his word. Yet, I could tell she wasn't about to take his word. Her scent was all over the place, sweat and floral. “No,” Hunter said at last. A single word. One single word was all it took for that horror in her face to pale down. I had expected Marcos to speak of her leaving her cell or something, but it seems none of them knew about that. Now she knows of the tunnel, had left her cell and returned to it without any of the guards catching up to it. This concludes my anticipations. Gerard. I had suspected him to still be in contact with him after the incident. And somehow she was able to get information from him. She must have played her part well— ‘What are you planning to do with her now?’ Hunter spoke in my head, and I looked to see her eyes o
WILLA’S POV I stared at her. She stared back, her eyes filled with rage. Last night’s victory was still fresh, but the lingering hatred from the guards clung to the air like smoke. Especially Marcos, who seemed to think he could get away with murdering me. The blond-haired one was indifferent, but the rest? They wanted blood. My blood. But the goddess had her whims, and it seemed she was on my side—at least for now. All that vanished the moment I opened the door to answer the Alpha’s call, only to find her standing in my way. I’d never seen her before, but she wasn’t a maid—that much was obvious. "You need—" Her hand cracked across my cheek before I could finish. I blinked, the sting sharp and quick. Did she just slap me? “What the hell is your problem?” I hissed, feeling the burn on my skin but refusing to flinch. She was angry, that much was clear, but why? I didn’t have the time or patience to figure it out. Her eyes flashed with hatred as she snarled, “I
WILLA’S POV The red wolf prowled in the packhouse garden below, its fur gleaming like fire in the sunset’s dying light. My throat felt parched. That wolf—it was the same one that had saved me from the female hunter. There was no mistaking it. The dire wolf. A noise behind me shattered my thoughts, and when I looked back, the wolf was gone, nothing but the rustling leaves left in its wake. It must have vaulted over the fence. Maybe. “Is something wrong?" the old librarian asked. "N-no," I stammered, quickly kneeling to gather the fallen books. Could it really be the same wolf? Had it followed me here somehow? Once I had the books back in order, I picked one at random and moved toward a quiet corner, a little nook tucked away from the main aisles. It wasn’t much, but it offered a semblance of privacy—a place where I could focus. The first few books yielded nothing about the curse I sought. By the time I reached the fourth, night had fallen and the old man had lo
NOX’s POV I growled, shoving my wolf's voice to the back of my mind. This had become a nightly ritual—demanding things I wasn’t willing to entertain. But tonight was different—too much. A slow rasp on the door interrupted my struggle. "It's past bedtime already, Hunt," I groaned, running a hand through my sweat-dampened hair. My Beta, ever the picture of calm, strode in any way. His eyes roved over my bare chest, taking in the sheen of sweat. "You weren't in your study," he said simply. I sprawled dramatically across the chair. "Am I not allowed to rest?" Hunt's brow arched. "Resting, huh? And the sweating…?” A smirk tugged at my lips. "Oh, you know, the usual. Nightmares about paperwork, visions of council meetings, the crushing weight of responsibility. Or perhaps I've taken up midnight calisthenics. Who can say, really?" "Uh-huh," Hunt's gaze flicked to the bed, then back to me. "And I suppose that's why your scent is practically choking the bedroom? Strong
WILLA’s POV Two days had passed since the incident, and the Alpha hadn’t summoned me—not that I gave a damn about his whims. But he’d saved my life after all. I hadn’t crossed paths with him either, not even a glimpse of his brooding, cold stare. Good. Maybe the last thing I needed was another reminder that I wasn't a member of this pack. My memory of that night was fragmented, like shards of a broken mirror— The bastard’s fists, the sharp smack against my face, and a voice in the back of my mind urging me to stop, to think for once. But I hadn't. Of course, I hadn’t. I couldn't even remember much after that. Only the blurred image of the crest … somehow, that little trinket was important enough to keep me alive—or at least alive enough for their precious Vad to see. Apparently, it was enough to keep me alive. For now. Now here I was, ribs aching like they'd been cracked by a sledgehammer, and my jaw felt like someone had dug holes into both sides of it. The bruises ha
WILLA’s POV I stared at my reflection in the cracked mirror, grimacing at the sight of my soaked clothes clinging to my body. The room I'd been "allowed" to stay in was as bare as a prisoner's cell, and certainly didn't come with a wardrobe full of options. For days, I'd been washing the same outfit each night, wearing it again the next day like some kind of uniform of shame. But there was no way in hell I was going to meet the Alpha looking like a drowned rat. Even if it meant swallowing my pride and facing the one person in this godforsaken pack who might hate me more than I hated myself. Gaia. I knew it was a bad idea before I even left my room, but desperation makes fools of us all. And whatever Gaia's reasons for hating me, I knew she wasn't like the others. She'd been hurt that day. I wasn’t sure why, but I suspected it had something to do with the poison. Hunt had nearly died because of it—her stepbrother, if the whispers I'd caught around the packhouse were tr
NOX’s POV I strode into the receiving room, my footsteps echoing against the glossy marble floor. This was where I entertained high-ranking guests—other Alphas, mostly. But the Alpha of Moonveil had never been one of those guests, at least, not until now. Eamon rose to his feet, his wife following suit a beat later. Moonveil pack. The name had been cropping up with alarming frequency for my liking ever since mylittle assassin had arrived in my territory... The scent of fear that clung to her at the mere mention of Moonveil wasn’t lost on me, no matter how hard she tried to mask it. I saw the way her face drained of color, the desperate excuse she'd fumbled with when it was mentioned the Alpha had come. Perhaps when Draven returned, I’d have the answers I sought. Until then, I’d keep her exactly where I wanted her— I'd pay good money to know what was going through that pretty little head of hers right now. …And now here was its Alpha, standing before me day
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