KAI I looked down at Jaime, his face bloodied and swollen, barely recognizable beneath the bruises. My fists still ached from the blows, and the adrenaline was making me feel dizzy, but I wasn’t done. I needed to make sure the bastard was still alive. I kicked him in the ribs, hard enough to get a response, but he didn’t move. His body just lay there, limp and unresponsive. The anger that had fueled me moments ago began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of unease. What had I done?I hoped I did not kill him. I sure hated him for everything, but I did not want to kill my cousin. I resented him but that not much that I would be willing to have his blood on my hands. My head spun, the alcohol I’d downed earlier mixing with the guilt, making it hard to think straight. I wanted to go after Alina. I wanted to know how she was, if he had hurt her, but I knew the last person she would want to meet right now was me. I thought of who I could send to meet her. Maybe my sisters, but I neede
ALINA I spent the entire night crying, my body wracked with sobs that didn’t seem to stop, no matter how much I wanted them to. When sleep finally came, it was restless and broken, and by the time I woke up, my head was pounding with a relentless throb. The pain was as much emotional as it was physical, and for a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting the memories of the previous day crash over me.Yesterday was my wedding day. The day I had tied myself to Jaime in what was supposed to be an act of revenge, but instead, it had turned into a nightmare. My chest tightened as I remembered the way Jaime had grabbed me, his rough hands pulling me down, the fear that had surged through me when he wouldn’t let go. I could still feel his hands on me, still see the way his face had twisted with drunken determination. And then, Kai had shown up, like some kind of avenging angel, tearing Jaime away from me and beating him bloody. It had all happened so fast, but the fear, th
ALINA I was going to leave to get some air for myself when I decided that I needed to go and face Kai. I was still doubting what I heard, and I knew I couldn’t just let things end like that. The weight of what Kai had said to Jaime’s family lingered in the air, and I needed to understand. My mind was racing, filled with questions and confusion. Without thinking, I followed him out of the dining room, my heart pounding in my chest as I made my way to his quarters.When I reached his room, the door was slightly ajar. I hesitated for a moment, my hand hovering over the wood. But I couldn’t walk away, not without answers. He had not even looked at me when he came in. I wondered what I was going to see when I entered to see him now. Did he blame me for doing what he did? Or would he hate me because I was the reason he disabled his cousin? I had so many questions, but I realized that I would not be able to get any of the answers if I did not go in to see him. Taking a deep breath, I pushed
KAI The next few days were hell. With Jamie’s family hurling all types of words at me, I could barely stay in the house without feeling their hate for me radiating out through the walls of the palace. Everyone blamed me. They all saw me as the wicked person, the one who could not take a loss because they all thought I beat him because he married Alina. I chose to keep the part of what he did to myself, and I decided to let them think whatever they wanted. I had told the people that mattered. My siblings and Lily knew what happened and they did not judge me for it. It was only their opinion that mattered to me. Today, the elders had called for a meeting and I already knew what they were going to tell me. I stood outside the conference room, wondering how many times I had come to the damn room for the past few weeks. I knew Elder Agnes, along with the other elders and lords, were disappointed in me. I did not really care about it. When I finally stepped inside, the room was cold. I w
ALINAI didn’t want to see him. I didn’t even know if I could handle seeing Jaime after everything that had happened, but something inside me pushed me toward his room. Maybe it was guilt, or maybe it was the need for closure. Either way, I found myself walking down the hallway, my heart heavy with dread as I approached his door.When I stepped inside, my breath caught in my throat. Jaime lay on the bed, beaten and bruised, his face swollen and covered in cuts. The sight of him like that stirred something in me—regret, pity. It was hard to tell. His eyes flicked up to meet mine, and for a moment, I saw something there that looked like remorse. He was quiet for a while. I did not know if it was his reaction to this or if his face had just turned that way because of the disfiguration in his face. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his voice hoarse and strained. “I shouldn’t have tried to force myself on you.”I stood frozen, unsure of how to respond. Part of me wanted to believe him, want
ALINA I found Kai on the roof of the palace, standing at the edge, staring out into the distance like he was trying to escape from everything that had happened. The wind ruffled his dark hair, and his posture was tense, like he was completely lost in this thoughts. I swallowed hard as I approached him, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn’t help but think about the almost-kiss we had shared, the way the mate bond had flared to life between us. The memory sent a jolt of heat through me, but I quickly pushed it aside. I wasn’t here for that.There was something else I needed to know. Something more important. I was surprised that he did not notice my presence here. He was an alpha in the lycan world. He noticed things that most people never notice, like movements and sounds. Maybe his senses were dulled because of his thoughts. I took a deep breath, gathered my courage, and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. His body shook as he turned to look at me, his eyes wide with surprise,
ALINA I stood frozen in the same spot for what felt like an eternity. The world around me was still moving. The fan, the guards and servants, the little pets in the palace, but for me, time had stopped. Everything I had just learned, everything Kai had told me, was still sinking in. He had killed my mother. It wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t some twist of fate—Kai, the man who had saved me, the man I had thought might be my mate, had taken her life, the woman that mattered to me the most. The one that had given me my life. I always thought of how I would react if I found the person that killed her. I wondered how deeply I was going to hate them, and how I was going to take revenge on them. In the sickest twist of fate, the person that killed her was my fucking mate. I did not know how to react to that. I waited for something, anything, to happen that would tell me this was all some kind of sick dream. I wanted to wake up, to find myself in my bed and discover that none of this was rea
KAI It had been a week. Seven long, torturous days, and I hadn’t moved from my bed. I couldn’t. Every muscle in my body ached, but it wasn’t the physical pain that kept me there. It was something far worse. It was the weight of guilt, the crushing realization that I had ruined everything. I wished I could be the normal me and try to fix everything like I usually would before, but I could not even get the zeal to stand up from my bed. To function like a normal human being.I lay there, surrounded by empty bottles of alcohol, the only thing keeping me functioning, though barely. Every time hunger gnawed at my insides, or thirst parched my throat, I reached for another bottle, taking a long drink to stave off the discomfort. But nothing could dull the ache in my chest, the heavy guilt that gripped me tighter with each passing hour. The room reeked of stale alcohol and sweat. The air was thick and stifling, but I didn’t care. I deserved this. Every part of me deserved to rot away in thi
Four years laterALINA Years had passed, and life in the pack had settled in a way I had never imagined. As I stood in my bakery, gazing out the window and watching children run around, a warm smile played on my lips. It was one of those beautiful, crisp autumn mornings when the sunlight filtered through the trees, casting soft golden shadows across the cobblestones. My heart felt light, a rare but cherished feeling I’d come to treasure over time. My life had felt unreal for the past years. My two children, Kian and Liana, were heading off to school for the first time today. The thought made me emotional, but it also made me proud. Watching them grow up reminded me of just how far we’d come. With a sigh, I turned back to the bakery, smoothing my apron. The smell of freshly baked bread, warm spices, and sweet pastries filled the room. I had opened the bakery and bookshop a few years ago, not long after my children were born. It had quickly become one of the most beloved spots in the
ALINA It was my wedding day, and I was bursting with a mix of excitement and nerves. I sat in front of the mirror, my heart racing as my mother fluffed out the skirt of my dress, her hands gentle. I couldn’t believe this was finally happening. After everything Kai and I had been through, we were here, about to say our vows. It almost felt like a dream that I was going to be woken up from. I was so happy that it felt like there was an end to it. That I was just deluding myself by being happy. I glanced at my mother, her face calm and focused as she adjusted the veil atop my head.“You look beautiful, Alina,” she said, her eyes softening as she took a step back to admire me. Her voice was full of pride, and I could see a shimmer of emotion in her gaze. “You’re radiant.”I took a deep breath, feeling my nerves intensify. “Mom, I’m nervous,” I confessed, fidgeting with the lace on my dress. “What if something goes wrong?”She chuckled softly, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Ev
KAI I did not know how I managed to make the witches come on my side, but I did. I knew that they were crucial in my plan of getting the skin walkers away from my pack, but I did not think they would come around in just one meeting. All of this really happened because of Alina’s mother. If she had not been around, I did not know if I was going to be able to get them but now I did and I was the happiest about it. I felt bad that I tried to sabotage her coming here in the first place. Since time had passed and I saw that there was a visible bad account of her being in the pack, I was grateful. Everyone found out that maybe witches were not that bad after all. We have been told the bad news about them all of the time by our parents, but maybe it was just because they hated them and they were trying to push that hate onto us too. Maybe that was the reason. Or maybe we have not yet seen the bad part of having witches around us, and I hoped that it was not going to happen any time soon.
Chapter 80ALINA The merging of the Seven Isles, the Waterstone Pack, and Blackstone Pack had finally come together smoothly, though it hadn’t been an easy process. Months of strategizing, deliberating, and forging alliances had brought Kai to this moment. It was the best three months of my life. Having my mother and Kai beside me through all of this was something I didn’t even know I deserved.I was so happy for the first time in my life. It felt like I did not even deserve everything that has been going on. The packs were now unified, and as a result, they were stronger against their common enemy—the skin walkers. The witches, with me have strategized the way we are going to kill them. My mother had been a good help. She had a lot of experience so she was helping all of us. She was a great teacher. Kai was glad that I had brought her back to life now, and so are the elders and lords. She had been great help. If she didn’t come back, then we would have all been dead by now. The ski
Chapter 79KAII was panicking. The entire night I spent pacing back and forth, replaying everything that had happened between Alina and me. The way her eyes had looked so hurt when I didn’t defend her, the way she stormed out with her mother—angry and disappointed. And now, she hadn’t come back. I gave her the night, thinking maybe she just needed some space, but when she didn’t return the next morning, panic surged through me.What did I even expect sending her out? Of course she wouldn’t be back trying to beg me to come back in the palace. That wasn’t the type of person she was. And it was all my damn fault. I couldn’t focus on anything else. I had a meeting scheduled with the new elders I appointed at the Black Water Pack, but my mind was elsewhere—on her. Even as I sluggishly got ready, everything felt out of sync. When I finally made my way into the meeting room, I could tell everyone was already waiting, but I couldn’t muster the energy to care. My thoughts were consumed by A
ALINA I couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal gnawing at my heart as I walked away from the palace with my mother by my side. The sting of Kai’s rejection, the way he hadn’t backed me in front of Aunt Arya weighed heavy on my chest. I’d expected him to stand by me, to protect me like he always had, but instead, he chose fear over love.After all, I did. I risked my mother’s life and mine to save him from the skinwalkers. I was a newbie witch so I possibly could not do all of that. But my mother helped me siphon magic from some of the artifacts that contained magic. She told me that it could kill me, doing that, but I still went ahead to do it because I could not stand Kai getting hurt when there was something I could do about it. How he had driven me out of his house simply because of something he saw, not knowing that my mother was trying to wield back strength after what I went through while killing the white walkers. As we made our way through the winding streets, the evening ai
KAI A day had passed, but the events of yesterday still weighed heavily on my mind. Alina’s mother—brought back from the dead. The skin walkers. The power Alina wielded was undeniable but dangerous. Even with everything going on around me, I could not help but feel like it was all a dream, yet the growing unease I felt was very real. I knew I had to talk to someone about it, and Lily was the only one who could help me make sense of this chaos.When I found her in the meeting room, I didn’t waste any time. “Lily,” I began, running a hand through my hair, “something happened yesterday… something big.”She looked up from her notes, sensing the tension in my voice. “What happened? Is everything okay?”I shook my head, taking a seat across from her. “Alina brought her mother back from the dead using magic. Can you even believe it?”Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What? How? I mean, I know she’s a witch, but… bringing someone back from the dead? That’s ancient, forbidden magic. If not
KAI Alina was gone for a few hours and I was growing more anxious by the second. She had left without a word of where she was going and the longer I searched, the more desperate I became. I took a team of guards with me, scouring the pack and the outskirts of the pack’s border.I had to find her. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right, that something was terribly wrong. The feeling had been there for a while. I knew people wanted to kill her. A lot of them, and the longer she was out the more chances there are that someone that hated her saw her and hurt her. I couldn’t handle the sinking feeling at my stomach. A while after we had searched all the possible places, I decided to go out of the pack with a few guards. I knew it was a death sentence. I was putting my guards and myself in danger, but I needed to find her. I hated that she was the reason I had to do all of this. I hated that she put me in a spot like this, to fight and put myself in impossible situations
KAI I woke up with a heavy weight on my chest, the reality of Alina’s situation pressing down on me. She was in danger, and the whispers in the pack court were growing louder. I couldn’t shake the fear that her name would be dragged through the mud simply because of her association with me. As I prepared for the day, I felt a determination building within me—I needed to clear her name.The next morning, I entered the pack court, and the atmosphere felt charged. Conversations hushed as I walked in, eyes following my every move. I could feel the weight of their judgment. When I took my seat, the court was soon filled with a mix of members, including farmers and lords. The first to speak was a farmer who looked distraught.“My daughter is dead!” he cried, his voice breaking with emotion. “She was taken from us by the skin walkers. We’ve lost too many of our kin. We can’t keep living like this!”My heart ached for him. “I’m sorry for your loss. We will take measures to protect our pack f