SERENA’S POVMoans, a pleasure driven cry echoing in a secret room. I was with him, Derek, my mate. But these sounds weren’t coming from me.He groaned from satisfaction, but I wasn’t touching him either. No, his pleasure came from Cora, his prostitute wolf. And I was forced to watch them.I was bound to a chair in the corner, watching them mate. Every thrust, every pleasured gasp from Derek, ached me. It was a violation, a reminder of my inability to do nothing, except watch.I watched as Cora sucked him out, deep throating him until she turned red. I watched how roughly Derek handled her. Pulling and grabbing her hair like she was a still object.I was unable to bear the pain of watching my mate mate with Cora, so I squeezed my eyes shut. Suddenly, the sounds ceased, replaced by a satisfied grunt from Derek.My heart raced as I scented Derek slowly approach me. He forcefully took me by the jaw and demanded that I opened my eyes.“Look at me, Omega," he sneered.I forced my eyes open
ARDAN’S POVTraining days with my Beta Thorne, usually excited me. My moves were laser sharp and I’d always won every practice round. But today, my movements were sloppy, sluggish and my focus was scattered.And because of that, it gave way for Thorne to land a blow on my arm, a feat that wouldn't have been possible on any other day.Thorne froze, his eyes widening in surprise. "My King, I—"I held up a hand, silencing him before he could launch into apologies. I was ashamed. "Leave me," I said.Thorne hesitated for a moment, his brow furrowed in concern. "Are you certain, Your Majesty? Perhaps you should—""Alone," I repeated, my voice firmer this time.With a silent bow, Thorne turned to leave, leaving me alone on the training grounds.I headed for the bathroom. When I got there, I stripped off my sweat-drenched training clothes. My reflection in the mirror showed a man sculpted for power - broad shoulders, a chiseled jaw, dark hair. Yet, beneath the facade of strength, anxiety had
SERENA’S POVA throbbing ache in my neck yanked me awake. I blinked open my eyes, the unfamiliar room coming into focus. Where was was I? I looked around the room before looking down at my body.I began to panic as I realized I was lying naked in a bed – a bed that wasn't mine. What the fuck….Glancing beside me, I found a muscular werewolf still asleep. Taking a deeper look I realized it was Joshua, a young member from Derek's pack who I had seen a few times before.My blood ran cold. If anyone came in I would a walking corpse. But I don’t remember how I ended up here. Had Derek… No, that couldn't be right."Joshua?" I croaked, my voice was hoarse.He bolted upright as if stung and his eyes widened with terror. "Serena! What…what happened?"I narrowed my gaze, my brows were furrowed, “I don’t know you tell me!” I yelled.But before he could offer any further explanation, the door to the room slammed open. Leading the surge was Derek, his face was masked with fake fury.Close behind h
ARDAN’S POVDerek did not fail to hide the confusion on his face. Why would the Lycan King, the most powerful shifter alive, intervene on a mere omega’s behalf? I ignored the stunned faces around me, focusing solely on the face sitting upright on the bed.“Put your clothes on," I commanded.My gaze then shifted to the wolf next to Serena on the bed, Joshua, I recalled. "And you," I said with a low snarl, "get out. Now."Joshua didn't need telling twice. He scrambled off the bed, hastily and fearfully. Still, Serena remained covered in the sheet, using it as a flimsy shield to hide her nakedness.Cora couldn't resist a disdainful snort. "Well, aren't you just the picture of grace," she said to Serena. "The Lycan King himself asks you to put some fucking clothes on, and here you are, clutching a sheet to your bare chest like a lost pup."My head snapped towards Cora. "If you don't want to end up as a decoration on the wall like your beta," I warned, "learn to control your fucking tongue
SERENA’S POVThe door slammed shut behind him, leaving me alone in the silence. Tears welled up in my eyes, I felt utterly powerless, trapped in a cage.I couldn’t let Derek break me. I would survive. And when I turned twenty, when I unlocked the secrets of the box, I would find a way to my freedom. A way to avenge my parents and escape the clutches of this monstrous man.It was a long shot, a desperate hope, but it was all I had. Until then, I would play the part of the meek servant, bide my time, and wait for my chance.I straightened the simple dress one last time, forcing myself to take a deep breath. Tears had left their mark on my cheeks, but I quickly wiped them away.Stepping out of the room, I made my way towards the conference room. My heart pounded as I walked only because I wanted to meet King Ardan with utmost composure.As I entered, my gaze met Ardan. He stood by the window with his back to me. He turned upon hearing the door open, wearing an indifferent look on his fac
“Ardan?” I asked, shock showing on my face.” what are you-”“Do Not speak.” he cut me off, enunciating every word. I shut my mouth quickly and drew back, attempting to close my legs, but he would not let me.He grabbed me by the ankles and pulled me forward until my core was nearly parallel with his nose, and he sniffed.He took long, deep breaths of my core and looked like he was fighting not to leap at it.What was he doing? I could only lay there, shaking in fear and arousal, wondering what he would do next.He finally moved, dragging his tongue across my core in one long, wet path. I gasped, immediately baking up and closing my legs.“We are not doing this, and we are not doing this,” I mumbled, scrambling further backward, but Ardan refused to give me any space, closing the gap as soon as I made one.Eventually, he backed me up against the wall. There was nowhere left to run. He grabbed me by the throat, caressing my neck softly.“Don’t run from this, Serena.” He murmured into my
My wolf seemed to have a better understanding of fate than I did.After comforting myself that I should calm down and allow time to prove that there is more to what appears shallow on the surface, I laid myself to rest in a deep slumber.Every new day comes with its hurdles. I was, and I was prepared for whatever might come my way again.I stepped out to begin my day, but the person I saw was a represented day.Someone was already standing outside the door, a tall brunette with a harsh face.Emma.She was the one who raised Ardan from childhood. “Here comes the wench! Aren't you just shameless?” She announced.Her lousy voice broke my thoughts. She was fond of mocking me like I was her sworn enemy in her past life, and she was determined to humiliate me at every given opportunity.“Wash it clean and have it ironed, too.” She tossed a maid dress to me. I picked it up, and I dare not object to her. “Why are you still standing?” She asked rudely.“I. I thought you wanted me to wash this
Ardan's POV.Gama had come briefly to update me on the Pack's financial statements. I listened intently, at least that was what it looked like on the surface.However, my mind was somewhere else, far away from the present happening. I had drifted back to the explosive night I had with Serena yesterday.I couldn't shake off the feeling, I had never felt that way before. It was a wild experience, I couldn't have felt that way with anyone else.“That was too much, you know right? You wanted to devour our mate in one night” My wolf, Alf, mocked me. He was right though, I just lost control of myself, and the mate bond was irresistible.It was an incredibly perfect experience, I would be crazy to deny the truth.But I haven't changed my stand on the fact that Serena was an Omega and I would not settle for someone as weak as her, she was not better than a piece of furniture, what help could she contribute if there was a need for Luna to take a daring stand in the future?Alf disagreed with m
Author PoVThe woods was dark as Marcus and Luca passed through the underbrush in silence. Marcus’s heart thudded against his ribs, with a steady caution. He glanced toward Luca, who had graduated from one stern face of determination to intent.They had been trudging through the woods for hours on nothing more than scraps of intelligence and the stubborn pull of hope. Ryan's rogues had pointed them in the right direction but were ultimately not adventurous enough to try to approach the Red Blood Moon pack directly. After all, Odessa's territory was a death trap of sorts. Even the most adventurous rogues knew better than to cross her borders without sufficient cause.The moonlight was just enough to see the outlines of makeshift tents and some shadows on watch. Marcus motioned for Luca to keep it low and crouched behind some ferns to take in the camp."Do you see her?" Luca whispered in a voice so faint it was almost a sigh."Not yet," Marcus ground out, struggling to make each breath
Serena’s PoVTears stung my eyes, and I woke up in a start with broken breath as the persistence of the dream clung to me. In this muted room, shadows danced upon the wall; for a second, I was hardly certain of where I stood. The dream had borne the reality—Odessa, her eyes bright with evil gleam, standing atop a heap of bones. Her army, a roar of growling rogues and defiled creatures spread out to the last sight. And then there was Evelyn... Evelyn was there, firmly standing by the side of Odessa, the empty look on her face an undercover of madness.I put my trembling hand over my forehead, it was sweating. This dream wasn't just a figment of imagination; it was a warning.I pushed aside the thick furs, stood, and went to the unbarred window. The pack grounds lay quiet, a deceitful calm before a storm. My instincts screeched like a mother's intuition that something far worse than what we had imagined was in the making.If only I could make Ardan see it too.But Ardan... he was no lon
Evelyn’s PoVThe dagger felt heavy and cold in my palm. Odessa’s cold demand rang in my ears. Kill Callum. Bring me his head. This wasn’t a test or ,twisted game to see how far I would go to prove my loyalties. I just had to do it. I knew I had to do it.If I turned it down, she would turn against me. If I carried out her order, I would lose the only ally I had managed to win over. Either way, she would win.Not this time.Finian walked beside me as we traveled through the thick forest. His expression was a mixture of concern and determination. He had not questioned me for warning Callum. He had not hollered when I insisted we needed to fake a death, to give like a disguise for the purpose of tricking Odessa into believing I had done my job. Instead, he nodded, affirming my sense of loyalty."Are you sure it will work?" he asked softly."It must." I responded. "If Odessa realises we lied to her, we would be dead."
Evelyn PoVThe air in Odessa's camp grew thicker with every step I took, like the very ground beneath my feet was crying out in warning for me to turn back. I walked in with a smile that forced itself on my face, burying the reality under layers of lies. I had to put on a show-pretend that the mission had gone as expertly as planned, that Callum's blood was still warm on my blade.Every rogue I passed seemed to look right through me. I couldn't tell whether it was suspicion, or merely the paranoia that clawed at my insides. Odessa's camp had always had a place of hard edges and cold shadows, but now it felt, knowing I was living a lie in a den of wolves, as if I were walking on a frozen lake, with every step about to crack the surface and plunge me into darkness.Odessa was seated at the main fire with her figure surrounded by flames. She didn't move when I approached, but I knew she'd sensed me from long before I closed in. One could call her a predator. Her in
Author PoVLuca ached with every breath he took. The iron shackles had rubbed a nasty patch on his wrist. Every single muscle in his body was screaming at him to stop moving, but push through he would. Not when he could see freedom close enough to touch.The plan hardly had a chance from the word go. For days, he and his fellow inmate, a fierce, rogue girl, Lyra, whispered between the bars of their cells, keeping a close eye on the guards and drawing up a mental picture of their movements. Though men of Odessa had hardly shown much compassion, they had also been very much arrogant-they thought the prisoners were broken and quite incapable of fighting back, which was a mistake they would regret.Tonight was their only chance.The moment the guard opened the door to bring their rations, Lyra lunged, yanking the guard towards her. With her rusty chain, she started to choke him. Luca did not register the pain biting all over his limbs as he withdrew the dagger hanging on the fallen guard'
Evelyn’s PoVThe moon sank in the sky and bathed Odessa's encampment with a relatively eerie light. I felt my hands curl into fists as I stood before her, listening to her outline yet another command: a mission to wipe out a rogue faction that would not swear allegiance to her. Another pointless war; yet another bloodbath to stoke her insatiable thirst for power."This is your chance to show me what you're made of," Odessa said in what might be described as a thick mocking tone, leaning her back against the large wooden table in her tent. "I have been very lenient with you, Evelyn; but this is where I expect your commitment."It was a lie, of course. It was not proving myself. It was about her control. She hoped that I would become a weapon, which she could point at her enemies and let them have it without hesitation.I gritted my teeth. "What if I refuse?"Odessa's eyes became dark. "You won't."A grin from her caused my body to tremble from head to toe.She was right: my survival an
Author PoVThe chains that bound Luca were terribly heavy, and every time he moved, they cut into his skin. Bruised and battered, he was stuck in this dank underground prison which reeked of rot and spoilage. He had lost track of time-and that felt like an eternity-or days, possibly weeks. Each moment in the dimly-lit cell felt endless; every second was a reminder of how he had failed.He had been so sure it was going to work.So sure he would finish off Evelyn and make her pay for what she had done.Yet now, as he sat in the filth of Odessa's prison, he was sure of nothing anymore.A soft chuckle traveled from the adjacent cell soon afterward, pulling him out of his thoughts.“Well, well," drawled the voice. "Looks like you're still kicking."Luca turned his head toward the voice. A girl was sitting with her back against the wall of the cell bide the one he occupied, both knees drawn to her chest. Her eyes were alive and sharp, glistening blue in the torchlight. A ragged smear of dir
Evelyn PoVThe cold steel glinted in my grip, heavy as never before. My heart sounded in my ears almost mythically, nonetheless my hands were steady. The silence stretched itself unbearably long, choking me as all eyes fixed on me.In one swift motion, I brought the knife down.A gasp went up from the crowd. A sharp wave of blood rushed into the air. I could hear Odessa approach slowly, her breath almost audibly eager against the still of the night.Yet Luca was still on his feet.Breaths ragged, around all that pain in his bones; he was alive. I had not touched him.It was my blood that trickled onto the ground and pooled at my feet, which I had crudely sliced. My fingers were stiff with pain as I raised my chin.Murmurs went through the gathered rogues. They were not expecting this. None of them were."Evelyn," Odessa cried out, calm together with a fright. "What are you trying to do?"I swallowed the burn in my throat and met her gaze head-on. "You wanted a sacrifice," I said with
Evelyn PoV“One, two, three, four…. Fifty, sixty-nine, a hundred…. No, no, no…” I breathed.I had stopped counting how many lives I had taken.At first, I would wave it off with justifications such as "they're all enemies, threats to my survival", or "I'm doing what I had to, to stay alive." But the excuses had become stale.Now, in the stark silence of my cell, their faces haunted me.There was the young warrior who had drawn his blade just as I struck him down. His eyes had been filled with terror, pleading, as though he had something to live for. I hadn't hesitated.There was the woman with that desperate look in her eyes, hands bloody and reaching for my clothes in an appeal for mercy. I had felt a flicker of hesitation that night. But Odessa had been watching, satisfaction shining in her golden eyes. I couldn't allow weakness.So, I had done what was expected of me.With each kill, I felt t