Lana “That ring belongs to Alpha Damon. He made him his heir. I believe he also thinks he may not return.”I stare dumbly, staring at Elder Devon in shock as he continues with a sigh.“He also left me a letter to train Ethan to be the next Alpha, but that's never happened in history. An adopted son…without the Alpha’s gift?”I shake my head in disbelief, his remaining words passing across my ears like a breeze. My mind reels, struggling to absorb the First Elder’s revelation. Damon’s ring…proof to his choice feels unnaturally heavy to be in Ethan’s finger.Without a moment of doubt, I push forward, my anxiety clouding my senses. My hand reaches for Ethan’s, and my closes around the ring. With desperate determination, I pull it out of his hand.“You cannot wear this. I won't accept that Damon won't return!” I exclaim, my voice echoing with a mixture of fear and disbelief.The golden ring with black onyx seems like a heavy emblem of an uncertain fate. It burns in my palm as bitter tear
Lana Days slip away like sand through my fingers—a day, three days, a week. Damon's absence looms over me, an excruciating ache in my heart. I missed him so much…The thought that something bad may have happened to him, and no one knows fuels my desperate attempts to leave the mansion every day. Yet, each endeavor met with frustration. Ethan keeps intercepting me before I reach Shrouded Peaks, making frustration and uncertainty gnaw at my soul.My longing for Matthias or Katarina intensifies each day. I wish one of them were present in this mansion, and to depart with. My frustration mounts every day when I'm discovered by Ethan. Damon's safety consumes my thoughts, robbing me of appetite and inducing sleepless nights. The awareness that he's alone in the vampire kingdom heightens the unrest within me, and I can barely think of anything except him.I keep feeling like he needs me—that he wants me with me—and I can't shake it from my mind.. “How can I escape without Ethan discoveri
“I've been stuck in this wretched kingdom longer than I anticipated,” Alpha Damon mutters under his breath, his hands halting in the midst of composing a letter. He runs his fingers running through his hair in frustration and releases the pen in his hand. He sighs heavily and takes a moment to think of how occupied he has been the last fourteen days. Tobias effectively convinced key authorities within the Moon Church, and they opted to confront King Vincent to move the Church to the Black Pack. Damon understands this will be foul play if he has no strategy in place, so he has been disseminating letters to all seven indigenous Packs, spanning from the farthest to the nearest.In each parchment, he asserts his role as the Alpha King, expressing the necessity to potentially expose their borders to a vampire invasion. Damon touches on Shrouded Peaks, Lana's true identity, and unveils the Prophecy. He discloses that the vampires have coerced the High Priestess into aligning with their ev
LanaDamon's sudden appearance, Hunter's lifeless body on the ground –leaves me breathless, my heart pounding in my chest. It was all too much to process.“D-Damon!” I exclaim, rushing into his embrace.Overwhelming sense of relief flooding over me, I disregard his bloody bloody hand that clutches Hunter's heart, just focusing on the familiar warmth he provides. In Damon's embrace, the fear of losing him dissipates, replaced by his imposing presence that makes me feel both safe and vulnerable, an extraordinary sensation I've never felt more profoundly. Right now, wrapped in his arms, I don’t want to ever let go of him. He hugs me back, his incredible tempting scent filling my nose, and also comforting my heart. As he keeps me at arm's length, his penetrating gaze assesses my worn-out appearance. I know my face bore evidence of sleepless nights, I welcome his unwavering attention. Shyness envelops me as his gaze lingers, a blush spreading across my cheeks beneath his intense scru
Lana This evening marks the manifestation of my long-awaited wish. Yet, here I am, undecided about what to wear. Katarina Hart, my best friend, has been here for over an hour, diligently assisting in organizing and designing the event center for my inaugural ceremony. She excels in a multitude of skills – from healing and artwork to teaching, knitting, dancing, event coordination, and managing the Pack. She's that friend you can't help but be envious of. Our paths crossed for the first time when she arrived in our Pack with Healer Elara of Silver Falls to stop the outbreak of Silver Poisoning that tragically claimed the lives of over twenty Pack members and my parents. We became fast friends because of my interest in healing, and I implored my brother, who took up the role of the Alpha of our Pack to permit me to leave with them back to Silver Falls.Then, I was fifteen, Katarina was seventeen, and Matthias was eighteen. Under the tutelage of Healer Alara Ravenshadow, we dedicated
I blink repeatedly in shock, unable to believe my ears. “Wh-what?” I shake my head, rejecting his shocking and bewildering statement. I've waited for this day for so long—this is the only dream I have ever pursued. He can't deprive me of that. “Why? Why can't the inaugural ceremony take place anymore? The Donor Appreciation event starts in an hour!” I exclaim at my brother, my emotions pouring into my words as I glare at him.“I know, Lana. I hate that I have to be the one who ruins this for you because I know the importance of this event, and the Keep is to you, but we have to halt everything for now.” Matthias replies calmly, his voice sounding a bit tense and unhappy. “I.. can't…launch the Keep too?” The words stumble from my lips when I realize that everything is being snatched away from me. “Why? Why!” I scream, my voice breaking off at the edge as tears swell in my eyes.No, this isn't happening. This cannot be happening. “Calm down, Lana. We are only halting the process for a
The following morning, Katarina is still asleep, when I hastily grab a pen and paper to write down a letter for her. This way, she won't be overwhelmed with worry when she wakes up and can't find me. Dear Katarina,I'm heading to the Black Pack, I'm uncertain about my fate, so keep my departure a secret from Matthias. If my plans go as intended, I'll return, and we'll launch the Keep together. Avoid bothering Matthias too much and also take good care of him for me.See you soon.Love,Lana.After the short letter, I gather my belongings with a determined heart, ready to make my way to the Black Pack. I decide not to tell Matthias because I know that my brother will never let me marry Alpha Damon. I am also not going there to marry him, but to reject him.I mean, he can't possibly demand marriage from me when he doesn't even know what I look like, so I can only assume this is a big prank or his way of tormenting the seven indigenous Packs.If he is indeed my mate, then he has to give m
The realization that the handsome man before me isn't Alpha Damon, the leader of the Black Pack, hits me like a block of ice. I jolt, gulp, and blink, before shaking my head in disbelief. “But how come you–” I quickly bite the inside of my mouth to prevent myself from saying my next word. What if he wants this to be like a secret?What if he is my mate but he can't tell me because the Black Pack Alpha threatens him? “Thank you for helping me out earlier, I owe you a favor,” I say after controlling my thoughts. I should still thank him for rescuing me from those horrible batshit crazy maids first, before bombarding him with questions.“You’re welcome, but you need to be careful. You are not in the Red Pack where you are invincible. In case you don’t know you are in the Black Pack’s Alpha mansion, and you have to be obedient.” Hunter reveals to me before ordering a maid to bring the first aid box. I want to ask him how I got here because the last thing I recall was mounted men in mask