Nico's point of view“ I assume there was no one behind you,” Ingrid cut in.“And you would be right,” I said smiling as I recalled the memory.“She took a boy wearing blood-covered clothes home, introduced him to her husband, sat him at her kitchen table, fixed him a quick meal, then drew him a bath and dug out some old clothes for him to wear,” I continued.“ Years later both she and Levin would tell me that they had known I was coming, some kind of unexplainable feeling when they woke up earlier that morning that made them understand they would have a guest in the cause of the day, and when I showed up, they both recounted feeling an unexplainable urge to take me in and do what they could for me, and they did just that.” “ For the first week, I don't think I did anything but eat and sleep, neither of them asked me any questions, not even my name.”“ They sound like amazing people,” Ingrid said.“ They were,” I assured her.“And they loved me, so much that they were willing to giv
Aegon's point of viewFrom the bucket window in my study,I watched Nico and Ingrid walk out of the back door and head to the baobab orchard behind the palace. Nico held a big wicker basket and Ingrid held a folded blanket.They were obviously heading out for a picnic, and sure enough they settled under one of the trees with Ingrid spreading out the blanket, and Nico setting down and unpacking the basket to reveal an array of food.It was the third time this week, they did this every other day, they would come out here with more food than two people could possibly eat, sit there talking and eating until it was dark before packing up and going back in.And somehow I always found myself here watching them, of course I told myself I was only keeping an eye on Nico, he had just people he called family and was vulnerable, someone had to keep an eye on him and protect him from Ingrid, she wasn't to be trusted after all and was only trying to get her claws into him in his vulnerable state.Re
Ingrid's point of view“ What do you mean you're not coming?” Vimon thundered from where she stood in front of my closet, glaring at me as I put finishing touches on Theo's outfit. It was a good thing she couldn't shoot beams out of her eyes, because with the glares she had been sending my way for the past quarter of an hour, I would be as charred as the outside of a medium rare steak by now.“Just like I've told you already, I'm not coming down for the celebration or party, whichever it is,” I repeated for the third time in fifteen hours.“But why???” She cried.Finally finished with getting Theo dressed, I pressed my lips to his head in a soft kiss, picked him up and turned to face his grandmother, saying;“ I already told you Vimon.”“ Humor me, tell me again,” she declared, plucking Theo from my arms and smiling at him as he gurgled and kicked his legs in the air.“ First off,” I said in reply, counting off my fingers.“ Theo's the one who's being honored,he doesn't need me there
Ingrid's point of viewI listened carefully, wondering whether I had mis-heard and the house was just settling down like old houses do or even the wind.When the sound came again, more distinct than it had been, I knew without a doubt that its originator was a werewolf and not old house boards or the winds.I carefully stepped out of my shoes so they wouldn't make a sound and alert whoever it was to my presence and immediately tried to mind link with Aegon.If I had taken a moment to think,I would have tried to mind link with either Kane or Vimon, but I wasn't thinking so I went for the first person that popped into my head.... Aegon.He and I used to spend hours talking about everything and nothing when we were younger, so although I hadn't done so in years, it was quite easy to mind link with him.What? He demanded as soon as I was able to reach him.Aegon, please Aegon you have to come to the south wing, there's an intruder,” I cried.Swiftly and without a word, he shut down the mi
Ingrid's point of viewVimon opened her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it.I was fed up with Aegon's accusations and insults, and I let him know it, before his mother could do it for me.“ENOUGH AEGON, ENOUGH!!!!!” I bellowed, getting to my feet and going toe to toe with him.“ For the past nine months, you've done nothing but insult at every opportunity you get, and not only am I sick and tired of it, I'm also fed up.” He was so shocked at my vehemence that he took a step back and looked like a fly could knock him over.Not wanting to give him any space to retreat, I took a step forward and covered the space he had gained, I was almost standing on his feet.“ You call me a slut and a whore every chance you get, but we both know who deserves that title, you're the one who goes around sticking your penis in every vagina you can find, even under your so-called girlfriend's nose.”“ Yes, I see it all,” I answered the question that came into his eyes as the last sentence left my lips.
He's My FriendAegon's point of viewFrom the bucket window in my study,I watched Nico and Ingrid walk out of the back door and head to the baobab orchard behind the palace. Nico held a big wicker basket and Ingrid held a folded blanket.They were obviously heading out for a picnic, and sure enough they settled under one of the trees with Ingrid spreading out the blanket, and Nico setting down and unpacking the basket to reveal an array of food.It was the third time this week, they did this every other day, they would come out here with more food than two people could possibly eat, sit there talking and eating until it was dark before packing up and going back in.And somehow I always found myself here watching them, of course I told myself I was only keeping an eye on Nico, he had just people he called family and was vulnerable, someone had to keep an eye on him and protect him from Ingrid, she wasn't to be trusted after all and was only trying to get her claws into him in his vulne
The CelebrationIngrid's point of view“ What do you mean you're not coming?” Vimon thundered from where she stood in front of my closet, glaring at me as I put finishing touches on Theo's outfit. It was a good thing she couldn't shoot beams out of her eyes, because with the glares she had been sending my way for the past quarter of an hour, I would be as charred as the outside of a medium rare steak by now.“Just like I've told you already, I'm not coming down for the celebration or party, whichever it is,” I repeated for the third time in fifteen hours.“But why???” She cried.Finally finished with getting Theo dressed, I pressed my lips to his head in a soft kiss, picked him up and turned to face his grandmother, saying;“ I already told you Vimon.”“ Humor me, tell me again,” she declared, plucking Theo from my arms and smiling at him as he gurgled and kicked his legs in the air.“ First off,” I said in reply, counting off my fingers.“ Theo's the one who's being honored,he doesn
The IntruderIngrid's point of viewI listened carefully, wondering whether I had mis-heard and the house was just settling down like old houses do or even the wind.When the sound came again, more distinct than it had been, I knew without a doubt that its originator was a werewolf and not old house boards or the winds.I carefully stepped out of my shoes so they wouldn't make a sound and alert whoever it was to my presence and immediately tried to mind link with Aegon.If I had taken a moment to think,I would have tried to mind link with either Kane or Vimon, but I wasn't thinking so I went for the first person that popped into my head.... Aegon.He and I used to spend hours talking about everything and nothing when we were younger, so although I hadn't done so in years, it was quite easy to mind link with him.What? He demanded as soon as I was able to reach him.Aegon, please Aegon you have to come to the south wing, there's an intruder,” I cried.Swiftly and without a word, he shu
The breaking point Aegon’s Reaction Aegon had been carrying a weight he could no longer ignore, though he tried his hardest to bury it under layers of indifference and pride. The moon was rising, and with it, so was the tension that had coiled tightly in his chest ever since he had betrayed Ingrid.The moment he had slept with Dagna the woman who had once been his lover, the woman who was now out for revenge he had convinced himself it was all a mistake. That it didn’t mean anything. But deep down, somewhere far beneath the surface, he knew the truth. It meant something, at least to her. To Ingrid.He’d convinced himself that he was still in control. He was the Alpha and The leader. The one who made the rules. But every time he saw Ingrid every time he felt the pull of their bond. it became harder to keep up the lie.When he had returned that night, his blood still buzzing with the memory of Dagna’s touch, he had expected Ingrid to be asleep, to avoid him as she usually did. He hadn
She mustn't dieNico’s POVThe pieces didn’t fit. at least, not the way everyone else seemed to force them to. Ingrid’s condition, Aegon’s erratic behavior, Vimon’s sudden distrust of Dagna, and the disappearance of the Jewel of Light… all were signs of a puzzle no one wanted to solve. But I couldn’t ignore it. Not anymore.He had been watching and observing from afar for so long enough.It began the moment he saw the haunted look in Ingrid’s eyes after she collapsed in the storeroom. He had been one of the first to find her, though she never saw him. He stayed hidden, watching as her body trembled from an invisible pain no one could understand. That kind of agony wasn’t physical. It was something darker, deeper.Something supernatural.Nico started his investigations quietly. He didn’t trust anyone not even Aegon, who had become increasingly unstable. He dug through old records of magical rituals involving mate bonds and the Jewel of Light. What he found chilled him to the bone. The
She mustn't dieNico’s POVThe pieces didn’t fit. at least, not the way everyone else seemed to force them to. Ingrid’s condition, Aegon’s erratic behavior, Vimon’s sudden distrust of Dagna, and the disappearance of the Jewel of Light… all were signs of a puzzle no one wanted to solve. But I couldn’t ignore it. Not anymore.He had been watching and observing from afar for so long enough.It began the moment he saw the haunted look in Ingrid’s eyes after she collapsed in the storeroom. He had been one of the first to find her, though she never saw him. He stayed hidden, watching as her body trembled from an invisible pain no one could understand. That kind of agony wasn’t physical. It was something darker, deeper.Something supernatural.Nico started his investigations quietly. He didn’t trust anyone not even Aegon, who had become increasingly unstable. He dug through old records of magical rituals involving mate bonds and the Jewel of Light. What he found chilled him to the bone. Ther
She mustn't dieNico’s POVThe pieces didn’t fit. at least, not the way everyone else seemed to force them to. Ingrid’s condition, Aegon’s erratic behavior, Vimon’s sudden distrust of Dagna, and the disappearance of the Jewel of Light… all were signs of a puzzle no one wanted to solve. But I couldn’t ignore it. Not anymore.He had been watching and observing from afar for so long enough.It began the moment he saw the haunted look in Ingrid’s eyes after she collapsed in the storeroom. He had been one of the first to find her, though she never saw him. He stayed hidden, watching as her body trembled from an invisible pain no one could understand. That kind of agony wasn’t physical. It was something darker, deeper.Something supernatural.Nico started his investigations quietly. He didn’t trust anyone not even Aegon, who had become increasingly unstable. He dug through old records of magical rituals involving mate bonds and the Jewel of Light. What he found chilled him to the bone. Ther
KANE’S POVI stared at Vimon, her words echoing like war drums in my head.They’re trying to kill her… Dagna. Wally. They’ve been planning it for weeks. Using Aegon to do it.I wanted to believe it was a nightmare, some sick fantasy born out of Vimon’s anxiety—but I knew better. I trusted her instincts more than my own. And the way her voice had cracked—raw, trembling with tightly leashed rage—told me this was real.Too real.“How long?” I asked, my voice low. Too low.She swallowed hard. “Three nights. We’re two nights in.”Two nights in. Moon Goddess, we were running out of time.The room around me blurred. I gripped the edge of the desk, trying to keep from smashing everything in sight. That bastard Wally he should’ve stayed dead. And Dagna… Dagna, the girl I once tolerated because she’d been part of our pack. Because I had believed she was simply misguided. But this? This was evil.And Aegon. My son. My heir.He was being used turned into a weapon against the very woman fate had b
The FallAegon’s POVI don’t remember every detail. My mind was a haze and part rage, part numbness, part wanting to forget. She whispered things in my ear, things that sounded like promises and poisons all wrapped in velvet. She touched me like a curse.“She left you once. She’s always going to choose pain. Always going to punish you for the bond.”“She’s my mate.”“Then where was she when you needed someone? When you were drowning in guilt and carrying the weight of the pack alone?” Dagna leaned closer. “You deserve someone who’ll choose you. Fully and Obsessively.”It was manipulation. I knew it., every word was a carefully placed as a dagger.Still, I was tired. Tired of fighting battles I couldn't win, of carrying anger I couldn’t resolve, Of hurting Ingrid and myself.And then, like a trap snapping shut, Dagna pulled me into an empty room, locked the door behind us, and kissed me like she already owned my regrets.I didn’t stop her falling into the trap like a fool.And I gave
SHATTERED the SILENCEIngrid’s Point of ViewThe moon had risen high, its light shining on the tops of the trees outside the window. The night air had a strange heaviness to it, one that settled in my chest like an unmovable rock. I had been restless all evening, pacing round my room, trying to calm the unease that had crept in.Something was wrong. Deeply, unshakably wrong.I tried to mind link Aegon through the bond, but it was silent. As if he had shut me out completely.That wasn’t unusual, not anymore not with the wall he had been steadily building between us. But tonight, it felt like the final straw.I left my room, hoping to get some air, maybe find him, or at least catch Kane or Vimon and distract myself with some unnecessary conversation. The corridors were dim, and the torch casting long, lonely shadows that danced with my anxiety. I made my way to the west side of the manor, where I knew Aegon often retreated after a long day. But he wasn’t there.Nor in the training groun
The First FallAegon’s POVThe hospital corridors were quieter than usual, dimmed with the fading sunlight slipping through long windows. A hush hung over the place not of peace, but of restrained anxiety. Being here always left me unsettled. It reminded me of duty, of wounds I couldn't see or heal, of responsibilities too heavy to bear without cracking. But today, it felt heavier.Maybe because I hadn't spoken to Ingrid since the argument. Maybe because I hadn’t explained myself. Or maybe because I knew I was starting to lose my grip on everything.I came to check on a warrior who'd been injured during a rogue ambush near the southern border. The incident wasn't major, but protocol demanded my presence, so here I was, signing off a report with a mind a thousand miles away.“Alpha,” a nurse greeted, her tone respectful, but I barely nodded. My thoughts spiraled, looping endlessly through memories I couldn't suppress the feeling of Ingrid’s trembling hands, her confused eyes, the crack
The first night Wally was waiting when I returned to the safehouse.He asked " is it done???“Yes,” I answered, wiping Aegon’s taste from my lips with disgust. “He didn’t even ask why I was at the hospital.”“You’re sure it worked?” he growled.“He didn’t resist. Not really,” I replied with a smirk. “You should have seen his eyes. All that guilt, confusion—it makes him weak. And that makes Ingrid weaker.”Wally chuckled, though his grin was jagged. “Then the clock has started. You’ll need to get him again, twice more. On the third night... the mate bond will break her from the inside out. Her body won’t be able to handle the pain.”“Good.” His lips curled with satisfaction. “Two more nights, Dagna. Then she’ll die.”“And what if she survives?” I asked, folding my arms.“She won’t,” he said flatly. “Especially not with the power of the Jewel in my possession. You focus on seducing him. I’ll handle the rest.”I raised an eyebrow. “You’re sure it’ll work?”He slammed a crystal shard on