Valeria I was still trembling as I turned away from Rylan, each step feeling heavier than the last. My heart was breaking, shattering into jagged pieces that cut deeper with every breath. I had to leave. If I stayed any longer, I’d lose my resolve. My chest ached with the finality of what I had just done, but I knew it was the right choice. He had already made his decision by binding himself to Seraphina, and I couldn’t compete with that.But before I could reach the door, Rylan’s hand shot out and grabbed mine. His grip was firm, but not painful, as he pulled me back toward him.“Valeria, wait,” he said, his voice thick with desperation.I froze, refusing to meet his gaze. My body tensed as he moved closer, his presence suffocating, but I didn’t have the strength to push him away. Not again. I felt him step in front of me, his hand still holding mine, as if he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.“There has to be another way,” he whispered, his voice softer now, more tender. “I’m
ValeriaI stormed out of the room, my breath coming in sharp bursts, heart beating like a drum in my chest. I didn’t know where I was going; I just needed to be away from everything. Rylan, Seraphina, all of it. My head was a mess, emotions swirling in a chaotic storm that I couldn’t control. How could he? How could they all?Just as I turned the corner, too focused on my fury to watch where I was going, I crashed straight into someone. Stumbling back, I blinked up and found myself face-to-face with Aiden.“Valeria,” he said softly, his hand reaching out to steady me. His touch was gentle, cautious, like he could feel the anger vibrating off me.“Get out of my way,” I muttered, trying to shove past him, but Aiden didn’t move. He stayed firmly in front of me, his gaze calm but serious.“I know you’re angry,” Aiden said, his voice steady. “You have every right to be.”I narrowed my eyes, my patience already worn thin. “You don’t know anything, Aiden. You have no idea what I’m feeling.”
Valeria The bull’s eyes glinted in the dying sunlight, and its nostrils flared as it pawed at the ground, clearly waiting for me to falter. My heart hammered in my chest as I stood frozen in the arena, my gaze locked on the beast. I could feel the weight of every eye in the crowd on me, but none of it mattered. All that mattered was keeping my focus.But it wasn’t easy.Memories started flooding in, pulling me back, distracting me from the here and now. The first time I had met Kade flashed before me like an old, faded film. He had been arrogant, a smirk always playing at the corners of his mouth, and I would have hated him on sight. Or at least, that’s what I’d told myself. I hadn’t wanted to admit that there had been something more—something magnetic about him that I couldn’t ignore, no matter how hard I tried. His nonchalance had irritated me at first, but then, somehow, it had become comforting. In a world full of chaos, Kade always seemed to be in control.But then came his fath
ValeriaThe moment I stood back up, the world around me felt like a battlefield. My muscles ached, and every nerve in my body screamed in agony, but my mind was sharp. I had to fight. Not just for my survival, but for something bigger. I needed to prove myself—my innocence, my worth. Yet as soon as I locked eyes with the crowd, their faces twisted in disgust.“Murderer!”“Killer!”“Evil werewolf!”The shouts came fast, spewing venomous words from every corner. I could feel their hatred, sharp as a blade, cutting into me. These people had made up their minds. In their eyes, I was already guilty—guilty of crimes I hadn’t committed, of atrocities I had no part in. They saw me as something wicked, something monstrous.But I wasn’t going to let them win. I wasn’t going to be swallowed by their judgment. No, I was going to prove them wrong.The bull paced before me, snorting, the bull’s dark eyes gleaming with aggression. I had already lost the first part of the trial by breaking eye contac
Valeria As I left the arena, my body still trembled from the adrenaline and the aftermath of using my powers. My mind was racing, struggling to grasp everything that had just happened. The crowd’s cheers still echoed in my ears—Luna Queen—but I felt distant from it all, as if I were walking through a dream I couldn’t wake from. The pressure of the title pressed heavily on my shoulders, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to carry it.I hadn’t gone far when I saw Jeric approaching me. His usually stern face was different this time, softer, as if something had shifted inside him. His eyes were filled with remorse, and his steps were hesitant. I stopped in my tracks, wary of what he wanted now.“Luna Valeria,” Jeric called out, his voice low and filled with an unexpected vulnerability. He bowed his head slightly, which caught me off guard.“Jeric?” I asked, confused. Was this the same man who had practically thrown me into this trial, who had doubted me from the start?“I owe you an apology,”
Malachai The moonlight filtered through the dense fog that clung to the edges of the forest, casting silver shadows on the ground. I leaned back in my chair, fingers drumming against the wooden armrest, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. The fire in the hearth crackled and flickered, but its warmth was nothing compared to the anticipation burning in my chest. I had been waiting for this moment for so long, watching, biding my time, waiting for my dearest Valeria to fulfill her destiny.Just as my thoughts were beginning to drift, the door to my study burst open, and Dorian appeared, her eyes wild with urgency.“Malachai,” she breathed, her voice a mixture of excitement and panic. “It’s happened. Valeria… she revealed her powers.”I raised an eyebrow, though inwardly, I felt a thrill rush through me. “Did she now?” I asked, my voice steady and calm. I had always known this day would come, but hearing the confirmation from Dorian only solidified what I had sensed through the tr
Valeria The room was suffocating. Every breath I took felt heavy, like the weight of a hundred eyes pressing down on me. I stood in the center, trying to remain composed as the pack elders and council members whispered amongst themselves, their murmurs thick with distrust. Jeric had just finished his impassioned endorsement of me as the Luna Queen, his words hanging in the air like a fragile thread. But even his loyalty couldn’t quiet the unease that stirred in the room.“She cannot be trusted,” an elder, Lorne, spoke out, his voice low but firm. His eyes locked on mine, and I could feel the judgment radiating from him. “This is the same woman who was banished from the wolf pack. The same woman connected to the death of the Alpha King. How can we, in good conscience, support her rise to power?”I clenched my fists at my sides, willing myself not to react. Not yet. I had to hear them out, even though every fiber of my being was screaming for me to defend myself.“I agree with Lorne,”
ValeriaThe whispers had started as little more than a faint hum, an annoyance I could ignore in the grand scheme of things. But as time passed, they grew louder, turning into a roar that followed me wherever I went. It was as if every step I took was shadowed by the doubt and fear of those who didn’t believe I deserved the title of Luna Queen.It wasn’t just a few anymore. The dissenters were gathering strength, forming secret factions in the dark corners of the pack. They spread rumors like wildfire, fanning the flames of suspicion until even those who had once supported me began to question my intentions. I’d walk through the halls, and I could feel the eyes on me—glaring, watching, waiting for me to slip up, to prove their worst fears true.It hurt. More than I wanted to admit, it hurt that they thought I had manipulated the trial, that I had somehow used my power to control the bull and steal the title. I had never wanted any of this. I didn’t ask for the power, the responsibilit
KadeI woke up early, a strange sense of unease gnawing at me before my eyes even opened. The air in the packhouse felt wrong, like something had shifted during the night. My first thought was to check on Valeria—she hadn’t been herself lately, and the weight of everything going on was pressing down on her hard. Malachai’s presence loomed over all of us, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to get worse.I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Without wasting time, I headed down the hallway toward Valeria’s room. The closer I got, the more the anxiety in my gut twisted like a knife. When I reached her door, I knocked softly, not wanting to wake her too abruptly if she was still asleep.No answer.I knocked again, harder this time. Still nothing.My pulse spiked, and I shoved the door open. The room was empty. Her bed, untouched. My heart plummeted into my stomach. I stood there for a moment, staring at the emptiness before
ValeriaKade and Rylan arrived at Stormclaw just after dusk, their expressions grim and filled with worry. The moment they walked into the packhouse, I could feel the tension building between us. We had all been through so much together, and now the weight of Malachai’s looming presence hung over us like a suffocating cloud. Aiden greeted them with a tight nod, and they wasted no time gathering in the large sitting room to discuss the situation.Kade’s eyes found mine almost immediately, searching for answers, for reassurance, but I had none to give. I knew he was worried—he always had this way of carrying the weight of everyone’s problems on his broad shoulders. Rylan, on the other hand, paced the room like a caged animal, his energy restless, his focus sharp.“I can’t believe this is happening again,” Rylan muttered under his breath as he stopped by the fireplace, running a hand through his tousled dark hair. “We barely got out of the last attack alive, and now we’re dealing with M
Valeria The cold air bit at my skin as I walked back to the packhouse, my body moving on autopilot while my mind spun wildly, trying to process everything that had just happened. The truth about my past. The deception. My family. The weight of it all pressed down on me, suffocating, squeezing the breath from my lungs. I could still see Malachai’s eyes, the way he had looked at me, as if he had all the answers to the questions I didn’t even know how to ask. My parents, the Alpha King, Prince Darius—it was all a twisted, horrifying reality that I was now a part of.And what was worse, a part of me—no matter how small—couldn’t help but wonder if Malachai was right.By the time I reached the packhouse, I felt as though I were in a daze. I barely registered the familiar surroundings, or the soft warmth of the building as I pushed open the front door. My legs were weak, trembling beneath me, but I forced myself to keep moving.I didn’t expect to see Aiden so soon. He appeared at the top o
Valeria The trees loomed around me, their branches swaying in the gentle breeze as I stood in the clearing Malachai had described. The weight of his words from the night before still pressed heavily on my chest. I couldn’t stop my mind from spinning as I waited for him. The morning had passed in a blur, my thoughts entirely consumed by what I might face today.Aiden had asked me where I was going, and I had lied. It made me sick to do so, but I couldn’t involve him in this. Malachai’s warning was clear—come alone, or risk everything. I couldn’t bear the thought of putting Aiden or anyone else at risk because of me. My instincts screamed at me to turn around, to run back to the safety of Stormclaw, but I knew it was too late.I glanced up at the sky, the sun hanging high above, marking the time. Noon. He would be here any minute now.Sure enough, I felt a presence before I saw him. Malachai appeared from the shadows of the trees, his face calm, but his eyes sharp and calculating. He m
Valeria Selene stormed out of my room, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the walls. I let out a long, exhausted sigh, sinking back into the chair by the window. My heart was still racing, a mixture of anger and frustration pulsing through my veins after our heated argument.For days, Selene had been pushing my buttons, sniping at me with snide remarks, and flaunting her connection to Aiden in a way that made my stomach churn. But tonight was the worst. She hadn’t held back—throwing every possible insult at me, from questioning my right to be in Stormclaw to accusing me of using Aiden and the others for my own gain. I had tried to remain calm, tried not to let her get under my skin, but it was impossible. Every word she spoke was like a dagger, aimed directly at my insecurities.I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache creeping in. The moonlight poured in through the window, casting a soft glow over the room, but even the serenity of the night couldn’t calm the storm inside me. S
Malachai I paced back and forth in my chambers, each step more restless than the last. The stone walls, which had always felt cold and unwelcoming, now seemed to press in on me, amplifying the anger simmering just beneath my skin. I couldn’t shake the memory of my encounter with Kade—the defiance in his eyes as he stood his ground, refusing to tell me where Valeria was. That fool thought he could protect her, that he could keep her hidden from me.The thought made me grind my teeth in frustration. It had been days since I’d attacked Shadowfang, and yet, I was no closer to finding Valeria. The idea that she was out there, hiding, slipping through my fingers, enraged me. She was supposed to be by my side, ruling the packs as Luna Queen, wielding her power alongside mine. But instead, she was choosing them—Kade, Aiden, and Rylan—over me. I wouldn’t stand for it.Where the hell was Dorian?I stopped pacing and clenched my fists, feeling the familiar heat of my rage burning through me. Do
KadeWhen I opened my eyes, the harsh light of the infirmary made me wince. The smell of antiseptic filled the room, and the dull ache of my injuries reminded me of the fight with Malachai. My chest throbbed with every breath, the bandages tight against my skin, and my head was still foggy from the blood loss. I tried to sit up, but the weight of exhaustion kept me pinned to the bed.“You’re awake,” came a soft voice beside me.I turned my head, and there was Mikaela, sitting in a chair by the bed. Her eyes were red, probably from worry, but there was also something else there—frustration.“Doctor said you’ll be fine,” she added, standing up to pour water into a glass. “But you were lucky. Another few hits from Malachai, and you might not have made it.”I took the glass from her, sipping slowly. My throat was dry, and the cool water was a relief, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling growing in my chest. Malachai had almost killed me, and he was still out there, plotting his next mo
Kade The night was quiet, too quiet. It had been gnawing at me since the sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the Shadowfang pack cloaked in uneasy silence. My senses were sharper than usual, every shadow in the packhouse casting doubt, every sound making me tense. Something was coming. I could feel it, like a storm brewing just out of sight, ready to tear everything apart.As I moved through the packhouse, making my usual rounds, I found myself thinking about Valeria—again. She was safe with Aiden, but the distance between us felt like an open wound. I hated being away from her, hated not knowing exactly what she was doing, if she was alright. I knew she was strong, capable, but with Malachai lurking around, I couldn’t shake the fear that something could go wrong. And I wasn’t there to protect her.Shaking off the thought, I kept walking. The weight of my father’s earlier warning still hung over me. “Don’t cross any lines,” he had said, but what did he know about the lines I wa
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