ValeriaAs soon as we stepped into Kade’s study, I could feel the tension radiating from him. The door clicked shut behind me, the sound echoing in the silence that stretched between us. I crossed my arms, narrowing my gaze at him, demanding answers with just a look.“Kade,” I said, my voice firm, “you need to tell me what’s going on. No more secrets.”He hesitated, pacing back and forth across the room like a caged animal. For a moment, I thought he might avoid my question altogether, but then he stopped and faced me, his expression grave.“I don’t know how much you’ve guessed already, but you need to understand how dangerous my father is,” Kade began, his voice low and controlled. “You can’t let your guard down around him. He’ll manipulate anyone, destroy anything in his way. And now, I’m afraid he’s set his sights on you.”I stiffened at his words, my heart pounding in my chest. “Why me? Why now?”“Because of our bond,” Kade replied, his eyes darkening with something I couldn’t qui
Valeria The cool night air hit my face as soon as I stepped outside, a sharp contrast to the suffocating tension that had filled Kade’s study. My heart still sank with anger and hurt, each breath I took feeling shallow and strained. I needed space, needed to clear my mind before I let myself get consumed by emotions. I walked further into the pack grounds, away from the building and toward the forest edge, hoping the serenity of nature might calm me.As I passed the tree line, I spotted a familiar figure near the pack’s healing hut. Eira, the healer, was standing outside, her eyes closed as if she were deep in thought or meditation. The moment I saw her, some of the burden I’d been carrying seemed to lift. Eira has always been kind to me, ever since I arrived here. Her quiet wisdom had a way of soothing even the worst anxieties.I approached her quietly, not wanting to disturb her, but she must have sensed me. She opened her eyes and smiled softly in my direction, her gaze warm and k
KadeThe glass in my hand felt heavy, though it was barely half-full. I swirled the amber liquid inside, watching as it clung to the edges before sliding back down. It was almost hypnotic, the way the whiskey moved, almost as if it had a mind of its own. I took another swig, letting the burn settle deep in my chest. The warmth didn’t soothe the turmoil raging inside me, but for a moment, it dulled the edge of it.I didn’t hear Callan enter the room until he was standing right in front of me, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. He always had a way of appearing when I least wanted to talk.“Kade,” he said, his voice firm but with an underlying concern, “is this really how you’re handling everything?”I didn’t answer immediately. I wasn’t in the mood to have this conversation, not after everything that had happened. But Callan wasn’t the type to leave well enough alone.“I mean, come on, man,” he continued, stepping closer and eyeing the glass in my hand. “I’ve been with you sin
MalachaiThe room was suffocatingly dark, just the way I liked it. It was easier to think in the shadows, to plan in silence. I sat in my usual chair, a heavy piece of worn leather that had seen more battles than I cared to remember. The only light came from a single flickering candle in the far corner, casting long, jagged shadows that danced across the walls. My mind was a storm, thoughts twisting and colliding like the thunderheads outside.I didn’t stir when the door creaked open. I knew who it was before she even spoke. Only one person had the audacity to interrupt me unannounced. She glided into the room, her movements soundless, her presence cold and calculated.“Malachai ,” her voice cut through the stillness like a blade, “I’ve returned.”I didn’t need to look at her to know who it was. Dorian. She had always been my most trusted ally, perhaps because she was as ruthless as I was… and mostly because she was rogue, without a pack and without an identity. Her loyalty wasn’t som
RylanThe familiar sight of Blackridge pack’s towering trees and the cool mountain air did little to settle the unease brewing inside me. I had returned, but my heart was still in Shadowfang. Valeria. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. The thought of her being there, alone with Kade, filled me with a deep sense of dread. She could take care of herself—she had proven that time and time again—but something about Shadowfang always felt off, like a shadow looming just beneath the surface.As I approached the main packhouse, the usual warmth of coming home was muted by the tension running through me. My family greeted me at the entrance, their smiles wide but not reaching their eyes.“Rylan, welcome back,” my father said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve missed you.”I nodded, trying to focus on them and not the whirlwind in my mind. “It’s good to be home.”But before I could even settle into the comfort of familiar surroundings, my mother spoke up, her voice laced with anticipation.
Rylan The cool breeze brushed against my skin as I leaned against the railing outside the packhouse, staring into the forest. My mind was still racing, tangled with thoughts of Valeria and the absurdity of what had just been proposed. How could they expect me to agree to marry someone when I couldn’t even focus on anything but her?The sound of soft footsteps caught my attention, and I turned to see Seraphina approaching. She moved with a kind of grace, her posture calm and composed, but I could see there was something calculating behind her eyes.“I figured I’d find you out here,” she said quietly, stopping a few feet away from me.I straightened, preparing for whatever conversation was about to unfold. “Needed some air.”She nodded, folding her arms and staring out into the distance as if she, too, was deep in thought. For a moment, there was silence, and I wondered if maybe she would let this pass without confrontation. But then she spoke, her voice low and measured.“Why don’t yo
RylanThe next morning, I was in my room, staring out the window at the early morning mist that blanketed the forest. My thoughts were still on Valeria, as they always seemed to be these days. I couldn’t shake the image of her face, the way she had looked at me before I left Shadowfang. How was she holding up? Was she safe? My gut twisted with worry.A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I sighed, turning to see my father standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable but stern, as usual. He didn’t bother waiting for an invitation before stepping inside.“Rylan,” he began, his voice cold and authoritative, “we need to talk.”I already knew where this conversation was heading. My jaw clenched, but I forced myself to stay calm. “What is it, Father?”He didn’t waste time getting to the point. “You will marry Seraphina.”My muscles tensed at the command. “Father, we’ve already been through this. I told you—Valeria is my mate.”My father’s lips curled into a frown, the lin
Valeria I wanted to believe Kade when he warned me to stay away from his father, to avoid him at all costs, but Kade himself wasn’t being completely honest with me. His warnings were vague, too protective, as if there was more he wasn’t telling me. And I was starting to wonder if he was keeping something from me on purpose. The more I thought about it, the clearer it became—Kade and his father were both hiding something.The unease in my chest wouldn’t settle, even as I paced back and forth in the dimly lit corridor. The air in Shadowfang felt heavy, oppressive, like there were secrets swirling all around me. I couldn’t just sit and wait for something terrible to happen. I needed answers, and I needed them fast.But I couldn’t ask Kade directly. He would either dismiss my concerns or give me more cryptic warnings about his father. No, I needed to figure this out on my own.I slipped out of the packhouse, careful not to draw attention. The cold night air stung my skin as I made my way
KadeThe weight of everything pressing down on me was almost unbearable as I walked through the corridors of the Shadowfang packhouse. My mind was still on Valeria—on how much she had been through, how her world had been turned upside down, and how, despite all of it, she was still standing strong. She had gone through so much already, and now she was living with the constant threat of Malachai’s twisted ambition looming over her. I couldn’t help but feel helpless.But I had responsibilities here too. I couldn’t let Shadowfang fall apart while Valeria was away. The pack needed me. The pack needed me.As I walked past the pack’s dining hall, the clinking of silverware and low murmurs of conversation caught my attention. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard this particular voice, but it always grated on my nerves just the same. I paused for a moment, glancing into the room. There, seated at the long dining table, was Mikaela.Her eyes met mine immediately, and the smile that spread across
Valeria The soft rustle of pages turning was the only sound in the library, my eyes scanning the text before me, desperate to uncover anything that might give me some insight into the Nightshade family. I had found the book myself, tucked away in the far corner of the packhouse’s library, one that had piqued my curiosity. It had an old, worn leather cover, its pages yellowed with age, and the scent of dust and parchment filled the air as I flipped through it.The book wasn’t like the others I’d come across; it wasn’t just about history or magical theory—it was a lineage book, a collection of stories and records about the Nightshade family. My heart beat faster with each page I turned. The further I went, the more details I uncovered about the Nightshades’ legacy. They were no ordinary family. This was no mere royal bloodline. This was the family that had been at the center of everything—controlling not just packs, but holding unimaginable power and magic. They weren’t just royalty—t
ValeriaSelene took a seat at the dining table, her eyes flicking between Aiden and me with an air of entitlement. The tension in the room was suffocating, a quiet storm building in the spaces between us. I could feel her gaze burning into me as she delicately placed her hands on the table, giving a sweet, mocking smile.“You know, I’ve always found it amusing,” Selene began, her voice light and casual, “how some people think they’re so special just because they’ve been labeled with a title.” Her eyes darted toward me, thinly veiled venom in her tone. “Being called the Luna Queen doesn’t make you royalty, Valeria. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re still… well, let’s just say, inexperienced in a lot of things.”I clenched my hands under the table, willing myself to stay calm. I wasn’t going to let her rattle me, no matter how hard she tried. But her words still stung, especially with Aiden sitting right there. He remained silent, his eyes flicking between us, clearly trying to avo
ValeriaThe moonlight streamed through the large windows of the packhouse, casting a soft glow across the room as I sat on the bed. My mind was still reeling from my encounter with Selene earlier in the day. It was hard to shake off the tension her arrival had caused, but I knew I needed to focus on more important things—like Aiden. He had been quiet, his face tight with worry ever since Selene showed up, and I could sense the turmoil brewing inside him.I heard the door creak open and glanced up to see Aiden stepping into the room. His brows were furrowed, his shoulders tense. He had been on edge since our conversation with Selene, and I knew it was eating away at him. He paced the room for a moment before sitting down heavily beside me, running a hand through his hair.“I can’t believe this is happening,” he muttered, his voice low and strained. “Selene… of all people, she shows up now. After all this time, when I thought she was—” He broke off, his jaw clenching as if the words wer
Valeria The morning air was crisp as I made my way down the hall, lost in my thoughts. Aiden had been doing everything he could to make me comfortable here at Stormclaw, and for the most part, it had been working. But ever since that woman—Selene—had shown up, I felt a tension in the air, one I couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t that I feared her, but I knew she wasn’t here without reason. People didn’t just come back from the dead without some agenda.As I turned the corner, I wasn’t surprised to see her standing there, leaning casually against the wall. Her blonde hair fell in perfect waves down her back, and she had this smug expression on her face like she was waiting for me.“Valeria,” she said, her tone dripping with false sweetness. “I was wondering when we’d have a chance to talk. Alone.”I kept my expression neutral, refusing to rise to whatever bait she was trying to dangle in front of me. “Selene,” I replied, keeping my voice calm, though I could feel the heat simmering just benea
Aiden I stood in the hallway, watching as Selene unpacked her things, her old room slowly coming back to life around her. It felt surreal, like stepping into a memory that had long since faded, but was now being forced back into focus. She moved around the room with a certain ease, as if no time had passed at all, like she hadn’t been gone for months and everything was still the way it had been before. But things had changed—I had changed.She glanced over her shoulder, catching me watching her. “What? You’re just going to stand there?” she asked, raising an eyebrow with a hint of a smirk.I didn’t respond immediately. I was still trying to wrap my head around all of this, the fact that she was here again, alive and unpacking as if she planned on staying. I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, my mind running in circles.Selene turned back to her suitcase, folding a shirt neatly before placing it in the drawer. “Well, I guess it’s my turn to ask questions now,” she said, her v
Aiden The moment Selene’s name left my lips, I knew it was going to be a long night. She was standing in the dining room like a ghost from the past, a figure I never thought I’d see again, let alone here, in Stormclaw. My muscles tensed, the familiar scent of her filling the air, though it was tinged with something darker now—something I didn’t recognize.“Aiden,” she said again, her voice smooth and dripping with mock sweetness, “Didn’t you miss me?” Her words were accompanied by a coy smile, one that used to have a hold over me, but now? It just made me wary.I couldn’t respond right away. I didn’t even know where to start. The last time I’d seen her—no, the last time anyone had seen her—she was dead. Or at least that’s what I’d been told. The rumors of her death spread like wildfire, consuming everything in its path. I hadn’t even known how to feel about it back then, but now… standing here in front of her again, I felt like the ground was shifting beneath my feet.Before I could
Valeria The past few days had been the most peaceful I’d experienced in months. Here in Aiden’s pack, Stormclaw, there was a serenity that wrapped itself around me, quieting the storm that usually raged inside. The constant tension that had followed me seemed to dissipate, allowing me to breathe without the weight of the world pressing down on my chest. I could almost forget about Malachai’s threat and the lingering danger that loomed on the horizon.Aiden had been a constant source of comfort. Every day, he found new ways to make me feel safe, and though I had my moments of doubt, being with him made it easier to believe that things could turn out okay. He even went out of his way to bring me books from the pack’s library—one in particular caught my attention.“This one looked like something you’d enjoy,” Aiden said, handing me the book with a grin. His golden eyes sparkled with mischief, but there was an earnestness to the gesture that made my heart warm.I took the book, examining
Valeria The air in Stormclaw had a different feel to it—less stifling than in Shadowfang, and certainly less tense than I’d felt back in Lycora. Despite the looming threat of Malachai and the chaos in my life, Aiden’s pack had an almost calming effect on me. It was as if, for a brief moment, I could breathe. But still, the weight of what was happening gnawed at me. I couldn’t forget that I had left Kade behind, and that Malachai was out there, searching for me.That night, after settling in for what was supposed to be a quiet evening, Aiden surprised me. He knocked gently on my door, the soft sound breaking through my racing thoughts.“Valeria,” he said, leaning against the doorframe, his usual playful smirk in place. “I was thinking… how about we get out of here for a while?”I arched a brow, curiosity piqued. “What do you mean, ‘get out of here?’”Aiden pushed off the frame and took a few steps closer, his golden eyes shimmering in the dim light of the room. “There’s a place not fa