LOGINRAINA’S POV“Urhhh! Shut up!” Jiya slid down against the wall to the floor, wailing and slapping her thighs. “I didn’t sleep with anyone. You’re all stupid if you let this come between me and Valen.”Pulling my arms away from around my heavily breathing mate, I took the time to observe the Elders' disappointed faces. Their devastation was something that I would never forget. They knew, just as I did, that this was a plain blip into their plot. It was a humiliating rout to their queenship campaign.“Some queen-in-demand you are.” Vaheed laughed coldly, raucous and heartless, getting his belly full as he eyed her condescendingly. “Didn't you understand that your so-called divinity belonged to the throne? To corrupt it is simply heinous.”In this case, she practically dethroned herself, going from a golden spotlight to a morally gray shadow.My eyes wandered to Tallulah. Devin was at her side, grinning with his eyes pinned to her phone screen.“Nice going, Tallulah,” I said to draw her a
RAINA’S POVValen’s white brows drooped with a frown. He leaned down so close that our mouths were impossibly close, and I gulped.“The mark you have is my unwavering loyalty,” he said lightly, gently cupping my face.I exhaled in relief, smiling softly as we stared at each other.It wasn’t him. How fantastic. Suddenly, every doubt skulked away to the back of my mind. Now, there was only him, his gentle touch and otherworldly emeralds.Questions exploded around the chamber, breaking our trance and wrenching us apart. I turned sideways to observe everyone. The truth gutted them. They exchanged dazed glances, completely bewildered as each one backtracked the account of her heat.My heart soared as I became deeply invested in hearing what they had to say about their beloved Lunairess."Who marked her?" Aughi asked with a blank, disbelieving stare."When?" Poel queried, taken aback, digging fingers up the side of his topknot copper-red hair."How long has that mark existed?" Saaki probed,
RAINA’S POVDouble thunder wolves! Where did that allegation come from?Perturbed, my eyes flashed on Jiya. “Mate-marked? Could that be true?”Everyone began whispering in skepticism, leaning in to see if they could spot the mate mark themselves.With my human eyes, it would be impossible to see it with the mirror between us. All I could do was sweep my gaze at everyone else and gauge their expressions to know if it was true or not.“Hahaha,” Elder Mitchel laughed, jamming his hands into his front pockets. “It's such a ridiculous and unfeasible notion.”For the life of me, I couldn’t remember ever seeing a mark on her. And based on their unchanging quizzical expressions, they didn’t see one either.Reverting my gaze to her, I couldn't think past the one question that gnawed at me: Did she sleep with someone?The smile dropped from Jiya’s face, and she shrugged nonchalantly. She stared at the mirror, although she couldn’t see us. “I am sure what he meant to ask was why Raina has a mark
VALEN’S POVSeconds crawled, and the minutes slithered by.Vaheed still hadn’t moved.A nerve-racking knot coiled in my chest as the room froze in the torturous silence.Elders Jacob, George, Grandpa, Mitchell, and Sybil stood shoulder to shoulder while the Alphas remained behind them.Devin folded his arms, his jaw tight. On my other side, Tallulah clasped her hands together, her eyes already glistening with hope.All eyes were locked on Vaheed with abated breath, praying for a sign that he had been cleared of the darkness.In dreaded impatience, Raina’s nail tapped the mirror. “Look up, Vaheed. Give me a sign.”I blinked down at her, and my heart sank at her sadness.I pursed my lips and inched closer to her back, threading my fingers through the bulk of burgundy hair at the side of her face.“Baby, perhaps he’s weak after the ritual. He might sleep for a while before he can talk to us,” I stated softly, gently running my fingers through her silky strands. I knew it was going to be h
RAINA’S POV“Right. This is for Vaheed.” I pursed my lips and lowered my head.I did not like relying on Jiya’s power. I was unsettled about it, but what else could we do? There might not be another option to help Vaheed.Valen sensed my disconcertment and clipped my chin with his fingers, lifting it to gain my gaze. “If Jiya succeeds today, that’s just one accomplishment for her. So stop looking at what she can do because what you mean to me was never up for comparison. It doesn’t decide your worth. It never will. Okay?”I nodded with a smile.He nuzzled his nose with mine, which elicited a soft giggle from me.“I made sure Vaheed will be unconscious throughout the procedure. No one can go in or out of the dungeon without my magic. You’ll be safe until I return.” He pecked a kiss on my cheek and then my lips as his body shimmered and vanished.The room was unnervingly quiet and chilly. It was my first time here, so I glanced around a bit. I was surprised by how futuristic it looked.
VALEN’S POVDespite her soreness, she planted her palms on the mattress and leaned sideways. “Well, it beats the alternative.”I blinked in mild confusion as she raised and reached out both hands to me.“Come here, you idiot,” she beckoned lovingly. Her expression was so heartwarmingly soft, and her eyes filled with quiet devotion.I swear my heart jumped with hope. I released a shaky breath and shot up off my knees.Bending at the waist, I pressed my hands onto the bed to brace my weight as I let my face rest in her soft, cuddling palms.With the gentlest touches, her thumbs wiped my tears. The sparks... my body shivered beneath her fingertips.With a sad smile, she whispered, “I’ll forgive you because I know it’s hard for you, and because love's not about getting everything perfect. I guess as long as we keep finding our way back to each other, without betrayal, we can move forward.”With a sigh of relief, I bolted into the bed and hurriedly pulled her into another passionate kiss.
-VALEN'S POV- Explosions of glittery shards sliced through the space, hurling Raina's fragile body swiftly backwards. In the mighty burst of glass, her hands flailed wildly, and several lacerations began appearing all over her flesh as she sailed further and further from me. Her spine-curdling screa
-RAINA’S POV- Five missed calls from Venus and two from Azara. It's not that I was treating my friends badly, I just didn't want to talk about Valen to them. The girl talk would magnify the drama that I was having a hard time dealing with. I guess I was hiding from all that stuff. Anyway, when Valen
-RAINA'S POV- In the blink of an eye, the brunette charged at me. She punched me across the face, catching me off guard. I saw stars and gasped as my head swiped to the side, expelling air. A jarring pain cropped up in my neck and cheeks as I staggered backwards. Blood went down my throat. “The winn
-VALEN’S POV- Heartbeats picked up. Fear germinated and flight set in their disingenuous features. All eyes averted from mine. Carson's eyeballs rolled up to the ceiling, flitting left to right. Wentz blocked his whistling mouth, aimlessly staring through the window. Theo cleared his throat shifting







