LOGINADAMThe silence that followed my declaration was thick enough to cut through. No one moved. The fire crackled quietly in the hearth, a single flame popping and dying as though even it feared to disturb the stillness that had settled over the room.But the heaviest silence came from Claire.I didn't have to look at her to feel the rage pouring off her in waves. It was the kind of silence that screamed, the kind that bled in the space between breaths. I could almost picture her—her slender hands tightening around my neck, nails digging in, wanting to strangle me. She wouldn't, of course. Fear wouldn't let her. Not if she loved her life. For a brief, reckless moment, I contemplated mentioning the priest's words, the doctor's confirmation—that Sage was my mate. But I thought better of it. No sense in adding coals to the fire already burning in this room. My declaration alone was enough to stir the hornet's nest. No need to set the whole place ablaze.It was Daniel who broke the silenc
ADAMThe field was still buzzing long after the final blow was withheld. I sat there, elbows resting on my knees, staring at the place where Sage and Darius just stood, not fighting. The dust had barely settled, and yet the world felt different. It wasn't only because the fight had ended unexpectedly—it was because of her. Sage.The priest's words echoed faintly in the back of my mind, mingling with the doctor's grim certainty.She's your mate, Your Highness. My mate. The thought made my jaw tighten. No—there had to be some mistake. The Moon Goddess wouldn't bind me to someone like her—wild, unpredictable, unreadable. I'd seen her eyes, the way they glowed when she fought, the way she moved like something ancient and ageless. She wasn't human. She wasn't even just supernatural. She was… something else.I rubbed the back of my neck, exhaling. "Damn it," I muttered under my breath. The sight of her replayed in my head—she bending down to retrieve something from Darius. Then that sudd
SAGEWas I an ancient? I wondered, watching Darius sit up slowfully, gracefully, with an air of resignation—obviously done with the fight, obviously restless as I was. His eyes raked me from head to toe slowly, as if drinking the sight of me in, the possibility of me in. That gaze wavered, though, when he found no ring on my fingers or necklace with the abstenum mineral."Where is it?" he asked.With the wave of magic energy I perceived then, I knew that he had cloaked us—our words rather—veiled them from being heard by the people around. The crowd, meanwhile, was growing restless, clamoring for more fights, more bloodshed, more action. The referee, too, was just as confused as the royals watching.I could feel it all—their curiosity, their confusion. They wanted to know why I had backed away, for it had been clear that I could have easily won the fight. They had all heard Darius pleading, although they weren't sure for what."Where is what?" I finally voiced, cocking a brow.I knew
SAGEDarius was not happy with my joke, with my nickname for him.He growled like the animal he was—a deep, resonant sound that vibrated through the ground—and lunged.We clashed.Fire burst from my hands; his claws met them with strength and speed that shouldn't belong to any normal shifter. But then, he wasn't a shifter. Sparks rained as if we were forging war itself. He shifted mid-air, turning half-mist, my flames sliding through him harmlessly."Cheap trick!" I shouted, leaping back, and then I, too, dissolved—my body turning translucent, half-light, half-air. It wasn't something I'd mastered; it was instinct, or perhaps El.You're getting sloppy, El teased."Shut up," I hissed aloud, the memory of how it has always been between us wrapping me up again. The sound was drowned by the crash of our next collision.We reappeared almost at once, blades in hand, though neither of us had drawn them. The swords had only manifested from pure will, shimmering white and black—opposites bor
SAGEFor a few heartbeats, everything was smoke and dust. My chest heaved as I stared at the motionless dragon sprawled across the field, its once-majestic form now dimming under the glare of the sun. My arms trembled, my magic thinned to threads. Please, stay down. I mused, struggling to catch my breath.But luck wasn't on my side.With a shimmer of silver and gold, the dragon's body began to fold inward—like fire curling into itself—and Darius emerged from it, human.He landed on his knees first, gasping, before his body glowed again. A shift—faster this time—until where the man had stood was now a cougar, large and sleek, its pelt as dark as wet stone, eyes glowing amber. The air rippled with his fury and exhaustion.For a second, I almost laughed. A dragon to a cat. Quite the downgrade. But my amusement didn't last long.I knew he was conserving strength. Smart. Dangerous. His movements were lithe, a silent shadow slinking toward me, golden eyes fixed and unblinkingI tried to st
SAGEAn ancient.That was my first thought when I saw the dragon.For a heartbeat, my brain refused to process what I was seeing. Then the sight before me swallowed every other sound, every other thought, until there was nothing left but awe.The creature towered before me—no, loomed—scales gleaming like molten bronze under the glare of the sun, streaked with veins of dull gold that pulsed faintly, as though alive. Each breath it took was accompanied by a low rumble that shook the earth beneath my feet. The smoke drifting from its nostrils carried the scent of ash and iron, and each exhale left trails of heat curling through the air.Its eyes—bright, molten gold with a slit of darkness in the center—fixed on me with the eerie intelligence of something far older than the present world. Its massive body stretched out behind it, wings half-folded but still wide enough to cast a long shadow that swallowed half the arena. Its tail, long and ridged, swung lazily from side to side, carving d







