Chapter 8: Wider Eris*The food sat in front of me, untouched. It smelled good, rich and warm, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat it. Every time I looked at it, my stomach twisted. I didn’t trust it. I didn’t trust ‘them’I could sense the alpha lurking behind my door. I could smell his strong presence. It was like a heavy weight pressing down on me, reminding me that I wasn’t safe here. I was trapped.The day dragged on, but the knot in my chest only grew tighter. Every passing hour felt like a countdown. The sun had set, and darkness had fallen over the castle. That’s when I knew—I had to leave. Now or never. ‘This could be our chance,’ she whispered. ‘We can’t stay here. We need to run. Get out.’I agreed with her. Staying here would only bring more trouble, more pain. I couldn’t be caged again—not by him, not by anyone. The window was my only option. It wasn’t too high up, but the fall would sting. Not that it mattered. I’d had worse.I climbed onto the ledge, glancing back at
Chapter 9: You’re So Doomed! Darius hit the ground hard, and everything went quiet.The silver-white wolf stood over him, with a bleeding fur. I wasn’t sure if the blood was his or Darius’s. He was breathing heavily, but Darius didn’t move. He was done.He shifted back into his human form. His clothes were torn, but he stood steady, strong, and in control of his body.He looked at me, and for a moment, I was scared he might come for me next. But he didn’t.He walked over to me, and my heart raced. I didn’t know what he wanted. Darius was defeated, but what would happen now?The alpha reached out and touched my arm. His grip was gentle yet firm, but it didn’t hurt.“Are you okay?” He asked in a quiet voice. I nodded. I couldn’t speak. The fear and panic were fading, leaving me feeling exhausted, tired. But I was safe, for now even though, I didn’t know what to do next.With his help, I stood up, but then I saw Darius’s black wolf rise up.“Watch out!” I yelled and pushed him to t
Chapter 10: I Will Protect You Kaya's POV*My body was struggling now, my moves were sluggish, and my wolf was stumbling with every step. But it wasn't from the wounds he gave me. I could feel it—the burning in my veins, the way my strength was slowly slipping away. His fangs. They were poisoned. That was his plan all along: to weaken me, to make sure I couldn’t fight him at full strength."He poisoned us," I muttered under my breath, gritting my teeth against the wave of dizziness that hit me.‘I can feel it too,’ Kai growled in my mind. ‘He’s trying to take us down with dirty tricks.’I shook my head, trying to clear the haze that clouded my vision. I couldn’t fall now. Not with her so close. I looked at Eris, and that’s when it all clicked. The way she trembled, how she flinched whenever Darius touched her… I saw the scars on her back, faint but clear. They weren’t from a recent fight—they were old, healed but still there. Scars from a whip, crisscrossing over her skin. My br
Chapter 11: Our Wedding?!~ Eris ~ Slowly, I lifted my head. It felt heavy and throbbing. The first thing I noticed was the strange smell—something sharp and bitter. Medicine. I blinked, trying to make sense of where I was. My neck felt stiff, and when I tried to move, I realised it was wrapped in bandages. My head too, “what?”I was covered in medicine, and the scent was strong enough to make me want to gag. My body felt weak, and there was a dull ache everywhere. What happened to me?Before I could think too much, the door opened, and a maid stepped in, carrying a tray. The sight of food made my stomach rumble, reminding me that I was starving."You're awake!" The maid looked relieved. She hurried over, setting the tray down beside me. "I'll get the doctor right away."I didn’t say anything. I just nodded, more focused on the food than anything else. The smell of it was comforting, and I didn’t care what it was—I just wanted to eat. The maid left, and I started to reach for the
Chapter 12: I Want It Or Not I couldn’t breathe for a moment. Tomorrow? A wedding? Seven, in my head, was just as stunned. ‘What did he just say?’ she whispered.I didn’t know what to think. Everything was happening so fast. I felt a panic rise in my chest, and I turned to leave, but before I could take a step, he spoke, “sleep well, my wife.” ‘Wife?’I couldn’t sleep well all night, thinking and wondering what if? I was also too hurt to leave, and when my eyes were ready to close and dreams wanted to claim me, people entered the room.Maid after maid bustled in, carrying clothes, fabrics, and other strange items I didn’t recognise. In a blur, they surrounded me, pulling me to my feet, fussing over my hair, my skin, my clothes. Their hands seemed to move quickly, smoothing over my skin with oils and creams. "Wait, stop—please, I—" I tried to speak, but nobody listened. One woman was already combing through my hair with a brush, another draping silks over my arms, and two more were
Chapter 13: Butterfly SaviorTen Years Ago; It was a sunny day, just like any other. I had just turned eight, and I was out hunting for butterflies in the meadow. I wasn’t very good at it, but it didn’t stop me from chasing them all around like a little wind. Every time I thought I’d catch one, it’d flutter out of reach, taunting me with those colorful wings.“Come back here, you tricky little thing!” I yelled, nearly tripping over a rock.But just when I thought I’d finally have one in my hands, something strange caught my eye. A man—a very tall, very handsome man—was standing in the lake. Only… he wasn’t standing. He was flailing his arms like he was trying to swat a million flies.Was he… drowning?I blinked, unsure for a moment. His long red hair looked like flames against the water, and his red eyes were wide, filled with panic? It took me a second to snap out of my butterfly trance and realize, yes, this ridiculously good-looking man was definitely drowning.“Oh no!” I gasped
Chapter 14: You’re Too Weak For War Darius~ I paced back and forth, my fistsclenched so tightly I could feel the muscles in my arms shaking. My heart was like a drum inside, every beat was hitting me with failure. My knuckles throbbed from the impact of the wall, but I didn't care.It wasn't enough. Nothing was enough. I had lost, and the shame of it was unbearable.Hunter's voice growled in the back of my mind, his anger just as raw as mine.'Hit harder. Break everything! Don't stop until it all shatters!'I turned and slammed my fist into the dresser, watching as the wood splintered beneath the force. The crackle of breaking furniture barely scratched the surface of my rage."She was right there... how could we let him beat us?" I growled, clutching the wedding invitation in my palm until my fingers ached.The paper crumpled like it was mocking me, just like Pretto had done, just like she had when she left with him. The nerve of him to send this-to invite us to their wedding.
Chapter 15: The Weight Of A ChoiceEris~I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, the ceremony, the wedding, Kaya’s face—everything would come rushing back. My heart was thumping against my chest as the room felt smaller and smaller. The bed, though soft, was too hot. My skin tingled with the feeling of everything closing in on me.When I finally drifted off, the dreams came.I was in a dark forest, the moon was shining bright above me. Shadows moved between the trees, whispering my name. “Eris,” they called, their voices seemed to be soft but eerie. The wind howled, pushing me deeper into the forest.Ahead, Kaya stood, waiting for me. His eyes glowed, not with love, but with something darker like obsession.I tried to run, but the trees closed in, the branches tangled around my arms, pulling me back. Kaya reached out, his hand grabbed mine. His touch was burning, too hot, too tight. “You’re mine,” he whispered. “Forever.”“No!” I screamed, trying to pull away, but his grip ti
Chapter 66 : Leina’s DeathKaya ~ Chapter 65:I was standing at the edge of the square when it happened.Leina was just about to finish the ceremony, about to pass the Luna’s power to Tessa. I watched her closely, the way she moved slowly, the tiredness in her eyes. Something about her seemed off today, but I thought it was just the annoyance of the ceremony.Then, she coughed. It sounded sharp, unnatural.At first, no one reacted. We all thought it was nothing. But then she coughed again, and this time, blood spilled from her mouth.My heart stopped.“Leina!” I shouted, pushing through the crowd. I didn’t think. I just ran.She collapsed before I could reach her. Tessa tried to catch her, but she wasn’t fast enough. Leina hit the ground, hard. I was there a second later, kneeling beside her, my hands started shaking as I reached for her.“Leina, no!” I shouted again in a voice that seemed to lose control.Her body was limp, her skin cold. Blood covered her lips, and it kept coming,
Chapter 65 : Luna’s CeremonyLeina ~The village square was already filling with people by the time I stepped outside. Faces I had known all my life turned to greet me, with their bright smiles, voices filled with warmth.“Luna,” someone called, waving from the crowd.“Good morning, Luna!” another greeted me.I smiled softly and waved back, though my body felt heavier than usual, and my legs ached as I made my way through the crowd. I should have felt stronger today, of all days. It was my last day as Luna, the day I would officially pass on the title to Tessa.But something was wrong. I could feel it deep in my bones. May had been silent for days now. She wasn’t responding to my calls, and it worried me more than I wanted to admit. I tried to push the thought away as I reached the center of the square where the ceremony would take place.The elders were there, already preparing for the official proceedings. Tessa stood beside them, in a stiff posture, nervous energy rolling off he
Chapter 64 : He’s Finally MineTessa ~I’ve always loved Kaya.From the first moment I saw him, I knew he was mine. It didn’t matter that he didn’t see it right away. I was patient. I waited. I was loyal. Always loyal.And then he brought her. Eris.Ugly. From some weak pack on the other side of the mountains. She had nothing. No strength, no power. And Kaya, stupid Kaya, paraded her around like she was some kind of treasure.“She’s going to be Luna,” he had said, like that made any sense. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear her apart.‘You should have,’ Mei snarled in my head. ‘You should’ve ripped her throat out the moment she walked into our pack. She didn’t deserve him.’“I know,” I muttered under my breath. “I should have. But Kaya… he wouldn’t have forgiven me.”‘Who cares about forgiveness? She was nothing. And now look—he’s still mourning her, like she was worth something.’I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “She wasn’t worth anything. Not to me. Not to this
Chapter 63 : I Will Always Love YouKaya ~A few minutes after Tessa left, the door opened again, but this time the smell that filled the room was different—warm, comforting, familiar. Leina.“Kaya,” she said softly and in a gentle voice, as if she knew exactly how fragile I was at that moment. “Can I come in?”I nodded, still staring at the floor. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her just yet. Somehow, everything was crushing me, and I wasn’t sure I could handle one more conversation.But Leina was patient. She always was. I heard her light and soft steps, as she walked over. And then, before I could brace myself, she wrapped her arms around me. Her embrace was warm, and for a moment, I let myself melt into it, letting her hold me together when I felt like I was falling apart.“I’m so sorry, Kaya,” she whispered against my shoulder. “I miss her too.”I swallowed hard, feeling the lump in my throat growing. “It’s like she’s everywhere, Leina. I can’t escape it.”Leina pulled bac
Chapter 62 : Kaya ~It’s been three months since Eris died. Three months, and I still couldn’t wrap my mind around it. The pain felt as fresh as the day it happened, like someone had ripped my heart out and replaced it with a cold, hollow pit.I tried to numb myself, tried to forget, but nothing worked. Everywhere I went, I saw her—heard her laughter, remembered the way her smile could light up a room, how she made everything feel right. But she was gone, and now I was supposed to be preparing for a wedding I didn’t even want.The room felt depressing and everything was pressing down on me. My suit hung on the wardrobe... It felt wrong. I felt wrong. Tessa was supposed to be my bride. She was in the next room, probably preening, getting ready for a life that didn’t belong to her.Kai was anxious too, like he had been for months now. ‘This isn’t right, Kaya,’ he growled angrily. . ‘She’s not meant to be Luna. She can’t carry Leina’s powers. She’s empty. She’s…’I clenched my jaw.
Chapter 61: The Poisonous ThroneAugustin~I closed the door to Darius’s chambers, the smile faded from my face the moment I stepped into the dark hallway. That boy had no idea how much he teetered on the edge of failure. He was too blinded by his anger, too easily manipulated by the words of a girl. A mere girl, yet he let her slip through his grasp again and again. Pathetic.But then, weakness ran in the family, didn’t it?I walked down the cold stone corridor, my boots clicked against the floor, echoing in the emptiness. As I rounded the corner, my mind drifted back to where it all started. Eris’s father. The proud, noble alpha who ruled with strength and fairness. A fool, blinded by loyalty and love.“Too trusting,” I whispered, feeling the bile rise in my throat at the thought of him. He never saw it coming, never suspected that his own ally—his friend—was the one poisoning him from the inside.‘He was a fool,’ Hamex growled in my head, his dark tone always brought a bitter t
Chapter 60: The Hunter’s WrathDarius~The air in my chambers was suffocating me from failure. I paced back and forth, my fists clenched so tightly my knuckles ached. She had escaped again. Again. I slammed my hand against the stone wall, the impact went through my arm, but it did nothing to calm the tornado inside me.“How could this happen?” I growled through gritted teeth. “How could no one find her?”‘Weak,’ Hunter snarled in my mind, rumbling. ‘You let her slip through your fingers. Again.’I could feel him prowling, his claws itched to tear something apart, anything that would make this unbearable feeling of failure go away. He had been restless ever since Eris disappeared into the snow. Every attempt to track her had come up empty, and it was driving both of us to the edge.“She can’t have gone far,” I muttered, though to whom, I wasn’t sure. I raked a hand through my hair, the strands sticking with sweat. “We’ll find her. We have to find her.”‘You better,’ Hunter growled.
Chapter 59: The Stranger in the WoodsEris~The cold air nipped at my face as I walked through the woods, my breath came out in small puffs. Snow crunched beneath my boots, and the thick trees around me stood silent, their branches looked heavy with snow. It felt like the world had been swallowed in white, everything so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat.But something was off.I stopped, my senses suddenly sharpened. There was someone out here. I could feel it. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and a low growl rumbled in my throat.‘We’re not alone,’ Seven warned in my head, her voice tensed.I turned, scanning the trees, trying to find the source of the feeling. My eyes locked onto a shadow moving between the trunks. It was quick, but I saw it. My growl grew louder, and I bared my teeth.“Show yourself,” I commanded.A person stepped out from behind the trees. He was tall, wearing a long black cloak that blended into the dark woods. His hood was pulled low over
Chapter 58: The Mark of FateEris ~The fire crackled softly in the room as I sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at my hand. There, on my palm, was a bruise like a faint, star-shaped mark. I rubbed at it, hoping it was just from the cold or from clenching my fists too hard earlier, but it didn’t fade. It was as if the bruise had formed with purpose, as if someone—or something—had placed it there.I flexed my fingers, trying to get rid of the feeling crawling up my spine. I had healed quickly from the torture of Darius faster than I should have, even for someone like me. But this bruise… it wasn’t like the others.‘Eris.’Seven’s voice drifted into my mind, calm but watchful. ‘That’s not just a bruise. There’s magic in it. I can feel it.’“Magic?” I whispered, staring harder at the star. It glowed faintly under the firelight, almost like it was alive. “What does it mean?”‘I don’t know. But someone marked you, Eris. You need to be careful.’Marked. The word left a bitter taste i