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
Valeria The forest stretched out before me, every tree and shadow carrying memories that I both longed for and dreaded. The familiar scent of pine and earth filled my lungs as the car rode towards the heart of the pack’s territory. The sun dipped low in the sky, casting golden light on the path ahead, but I knew the real celebration would begin when the full moon rose. The pull of the wolf pack had been growing stronger with every mile, tugging me back to where I belonged, yet a strange apprehension settled deep in my chest. After my painful rejection by Prince Darius, the Alpha Prince, I had been away from the wolf pack for years—long enough for things to change, long enough for me to change. As the border came into view, the feeling of crossing into the wolf pack’s territory washed over me, a sense of relief mixed with the uncertainty of what lay ahead. I wasn’t the same girl who had left; I had seen the world outside, and now I was returning to face whatever destiny awaited me he
Valeria “Enough!” His voice was a low growl, and even though he was several yards away, the power in his tone sent a chill down my spine. As he closed the distance, I could feel the gravity of his authority settling over me like a heavy cloak. The pack members who had been bustling about preparing for the celebration stopped in their tracks, all eyes turning toward the Alpha King and to me. My heart pounded in my chest as the Alpha King’s gaze swept over me, then shifted to the three Alphas standing beside me. His lips pressed into a thin line, his displeasure evident. I didn’t know what he had heard, but whatever it was, it had drawn his attention, and I could sense that this confrontation was far from over. “Valeria, you are not done with serving your banishment terms. Returning to the wolf pack without my permission is strictly forbidden. And worse still,” the Alpha King’s voice was echoing in the large room. “You’ve disrupted the balance of this pack. Your presence here has c
Valeria The moment the words left my mouth, declaring Kade, Aiden, and Rylan as my mates, the weight of the entire council’s judgement fell on me like a crushing wave. Every eye in the room turned to me, wide with disbelief and silent condemnation. My heart raced, not from fear, but from the certainty that what I had just done was right. I had known, even as I stood before the Alpha King’s throne, that this decision was more than just about love. It was about power. It was about rewriting the future of the wolf pack. The air in the council hall was thick with tension, the silence stretching on for what felt like an eternity. Then, like a thunderclap, the Alpha King’s voice rang out, shattering the silence. “Unacceptable!” His roar reverberated through the stone walls of the hall, and the council members flinched at the fury in his tone. I forced myself to meet his gaze. His eyes were blazing, not with disappointment or disbelief, but with pure, unbridled rage. “You dare to defy m
ValeriaThe burden of the accusing eyes feels like a physical blow. I can hardly breathe as the Beta’s voice echoes through the hall, his finger pointed directly at me.“Valeria,” he snarls, his voice sharp and cold. “You’re the reason the Alpha King and his family are dead.”What the…?I stand frozen, the words crashing into me. My chest tightens as disbelief floods my veins. How could they possibly think I had anything to do with this? My heart pounds, but I keep my head high, refusing to show the fear bubbling inside. I open my mouth to speak, but Aiden is faster.“That’s ridiculous!” Aiden’s voice cuts through the tension like a blade. “Valeria didn’t do this. She couldn’t have. We all saw what happened—their deaths were unnatural.”Rylan steps in next, his tone dangerously low. “There’s no proof tying her to any of this. Accusing her without evidence is reckless.”I glance at them, relief softening my shoulders. At least I’m not alone in this. But as my eyes shift toward Kade, ho
KadeThe chaos in the hall still hums in my ears, a deafening roar of accusation, disbelief, and fear. The Alpha King and his family—dead. I can’t wrap my mind around it. The sight of them collapsing, one after the other, their bodies convulsing in pain before falling still—it plays on a loop in my head, and my chest feels tight, like I can’t get enough air.I’m still frozen, standing in place as if my feet are anchored to the floor. I remembered Valeria’s eyes as they looked at me, the pleads in them. Pleading for something, for belief, for trust, for me to step forward and say something, anything. But my throat was dry, and the words had to stick to the back of my tongue. I just watched dumbly as she was dragged away by the guards. But what was I to do? Defend a murderer?‘She isn’t a murderer… yet,’ my wolf, Kenny, reminded me.Valeria was innocent until proven guilty, but why was I convinced that she was already guilty of the crime?“Are you just going to stand there and do nothi
Rylan The tension in the room was suffocating, like a thick fog I couldn’t escape. I paced back and forth, my boots scuffing against the wooden floor. Every time I tried to sit down and think clearly, my wolf, Rue, stirred restlessly within me, urging me to act.A death sentence.The words rang in my head like a death knell, louder and louder with every passing second. Valeria was facing execution for something I was certain she didn’t do, and I couldn’t sit here and let it happen. I couldn’t just watch her be torn from this world while the real culprit likely walked free.I clenched my fists, trying to contain my rising fury. Rue’s voice growled in my mind, sharp and insistent.“Enough pacing, Rylan. You know what we have to do.”“And what’s that? Start a war?” I muttered under my breath. “You want me to challenge the entire council and get myself killed in the process?”Rue’s growl rumbled low, sending a shiver down my spine. “If it means saving her, yes.”I sighed, rubbing the bac
AidenThe cold night air bit into my skin as we crouched in the dense shadows near the pack’s prison. I kept my breathing even, forcing myself to stay calm despite the storm raging inside me. The moonlight filtered through the treetops, casting long, shifting shadows over the hard-packed ground. The prison loomed ahead, dark and imposing, its walls a reminder of the judgement Valeria didn’t deserve.Rylan crouched beside me, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were pale. “The guards shift positions every fifteen minutes,” he whispered. “If we move now, we have a window.”Kade was on my other side, silent and still. He hadn’t spoken much since we agreed on this plan, and I wasn’t sure if it was anger or guilt that kept him quiet. Maybe both.“Are you sure about this, Aiden?” Kade finally asked, his voice low but sharp.I turned my head slightly, my eyes locking with his. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”“She’s our mate,” Rylan growled softly, his tone laced with frustration. “W
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
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