*CHAPTER 87* Lianna: The night stretched endlessly before us, the stars glinting like shards of glass in the dark sky. The steady rhythm of the horse’s hooves against the frozen ground filled the silence between us, a silence that should have felt comforting but instead settled like a weight in my chest. I should have known something was wrong. Ethan had told me this was a test. That if I truly loved him, if I truly believed in him, I would come. He made it sound like a challenge, a chance to prove myself. But the way he spoke—it hadn’t been planned. There was something reckless in his voice, something desperate. Still, I had followed him. Now, as we rode deeper into the unknown, my fingers curled around the edges of my cloak, pulling it tighter against the sharp wind. The scent of damp earth and pine trees filled my lungs, but underneath it, something else lingered. A scent I couldn’t quite place. The night was colder than I expected, colder than it had be
*CHAPTER 88* Lianna: The guards dragged me through the stone corridors, their grip bruising my arms as I stumbled over the uneven ground. The scent of damp earth and blood clung to the air, thick and suffocating. Shadows flickered along the cold walls, the dim torchlight casting eerie shapes that danced like ghosts. The entire kingdom felt unnatural. The walls pulsed with an unsettling energy, as if the very stones had been soaked in centuries of darkness. The deeper we went, the colder it became, the warmth from the world above vanishing entirely. There were no windows, no glimpses of the outside world-only the unending descent into something sinister. A chill crawled up my spine as I heard distant whispers -low, guttural voices murmuring in a language I didn't understand. I couldn't tell if they belonged to the guards escorting me or to something else, something unseen lurking in the shadows. The path twisted and turned, narrowing into an oppressive tunne
*CHAPTER 89* Edward: The battlefield was chaos. The stench of blood and death hung thick in the air, mingling with the acrid scent of burning wood from a village that had been set ablaze in the skirmish. Bodies-both wolves and vampires-littered the ground, some barely clinging to life, others long gone. The metallic tang of blood coated my tongue, my skin slick with sweat and grime as I cut down another enemy with a single, brutal strike. The vampire hissed as my claws tore through his chest, his crimson eyes widening in shock before his body disintegrated into dust. Another one lunged at me from the side, fangs bared, but I was faster. I spun, dodging his strike, and drove my hand straight through his ribcage, gripping his heart and crushing it in my fist. He let out a strangled gasp before turning to ash. "Behind you, Alpha!" My Beta, Harvey mind linked me, his blade slicing through an approaching vampire. His face was smeared with blood, his golden fur stain
*CHAPTER 90* Edward: The stench of blood clung to the air, thick and suffocating. The battlefield was littered with bodies-wolves and vampires alike, their lifeless forms trampled beneath the boots of soldiers who fought with reckless desperation. Metal clashed, swords singing a symphony of war, and the growls of my warriors blended with the guttural snarls of the enemy. The war died down as dawn neared. The vampires had retreated into their dark territory and the highlight of it all had to be me watching the ones that weren't able to get back in before sunrise, burning into ashes and fading out of existence. But none of it felt real. Not without her. Lianna's absence was a wound I couldn't ignore, no matter how many vampires I cut down, no matter how many victories we claimed. She was gone. The guards I had sent to find her had returned with nothing-no scent, no trace, no whisper of her existence and it annoyed the hell out of me. They had scoured ev
*CHAPTER 91* Edward: The battlefield was drenched in blood, the air thick with the metallic scent of death. The distant howls of my warriors blended with the screeches of the dying vampires, but I barely heard them. My focus was unshakable. Each swing of my sword was precise, each kill executed without hesitation. I moved like a force of nature, my blade slashing through flesh and bone with ruthless efficiency. The warm spray of blood against my skin was insignificant. Nothing mattered except the path ahead—the path leading me straight to the vampire king. His death would end this war. A vampire lunged at me from the left, his fangs bared, eyes glowing crimson. Before he could land a strike, I sidestepped and drove my blade through his chest, twisting until his body went limp. Another enemy came at me from behind, claws aimed at my throat, but I grabbed his wrist, snapped it in one swift motion, and slit his throat without breaking stride. My movements were aut
*CHAPTER 92* Lianna: Darkness had a mentally draining side to it, one that could drive you to madness. It pressed down on me, cold and suffocating, curling around my limbs like shackles. I had stopped trying to fight it. What was the point? I was going to die here. The walls of the dungeon were damp, the stone beneath me rough and unforgiving. I had lost track of time—hours, days, maybe even weeks. It didn’t matter. My body was weak, my spirit drained. The first few days, I had tried to cling to hope, had told myself that Edward would come, that someone would find me. But now? Now, I just waited. For death. For anything that would end this torment. Because I knew no one was coming to save me and the earlier I embraced reality, the better for me. A faint sound echoed from the corridor, the slow, deliberate steps of someone approaching. I didn’t bother lifting my head. It was either food or another round of torment, and I didn’t have the strength to care.
*CHAPTER 93* Lianna: The battlefield had settled into an eerie calm. Blood soaked the earth, the metallic scent thick in the air, but the war was over. Wolves and vampires stood together, dazed, some still gripping weapons they no longer had reason to use. I took a slow breath, my chest rising and falling with residual energy. The power that had erupted from me still hummed faintly beneath my skin, but its intensity had faded, leaving behind exhaustion and something else—peace. For the first time in what felt like forever, there was no need to fight. Turning to the gathered warriors, I lifted my voice so that all could hear. "There will be no more war," I declared. "No more bloodshed. We have been deceived, but that ends today. From this moment on, we will choose peace over destruction. No more grudges. No more senseless fighting. We end it now." For a moment, silence stretched across the battlefield, as if my words needed time to settle into their bones. Then, slowly, w
*CHAPTER 94* Lianna: The cheers were deafening as we returned to the palace. From the elders standing tall in their ceremonial robes to the youngest servants peeking from behind pillars, every soul was gathered, their faces painted with relief and gratitude. The air smelled of incense and wildflowers, a tribute to the victory they celebrated. I could hear the distant drums from the pack’s village, the rhythmic beats echoing joy. Edward walked ahead, his posture regal, his aura commanding. They called him the victor, the hero who ended the war. Their chants reverberated through the courtyard, praises flowing freely. But he lifted his hand, silencing them all. His eyes found mine, softening before he spoke. “It wasn’t me,” his voice rang clear, firm. “The one who stopped the war and saved countless lives is Lianna.” A hush fell over the crowd. I heard the whispers that began to grow within the crowd. Disbelief hung in the air like a heavy fog. An elder stepped forwar
Lianna: The morning light was shy, barely bleeding through the velvet curtains when I cracked my eyes open. I didn’t need a clock to know what day it was. My chest already felt like it was caving in. The air hung heavy, saturated with that stale chill that often preceded sorrow. A mourning fog rolled outside our window like some prophetic omen, brushing ghostlike tendrils across the glass. Edward hadn’t moved beside me. His breath rose and fell in shallow waves, his hand still loosely curled around mine like he feared I’d disappear in my sleep. I shifted slowly, brushing a thumb over his knuckles. We were going to banish his brother. I sat up and pulled the duvet around me, the fabric swishing softly against my bare skin. My toes hit the floor with a shiver, the marble tiles beneath me as merciless as the decisions we had to make today. My robe hung at the edge of the armchair, still draped from the night before. I sl
Freya: The night felt too loud for how quiet it was. Crickets whined in the grass like tiny, angry violins, and the wind kept slipping through the cracked wooden shutters, brushing cool air against my bare arms like an unwelcome ghost. I was lying in the dark, staring at the ceiling like it held the answers I’d been chasing in circles. My bed creaked with the slightest shift, the old mattress groaning beneath the weight of my body. I shouldn't have come back here. I shouldn’t have returned to this house. I shouldn’t have ever listened to her. My chest ached. That tight, slow burn of regret that started somewhere beneath my ribs and dragged itself up to my throat like it had claws. I reached up and rubbed the heel of my palm against my eyes, trying to stop the tears that had already found their way to my pillow. My face was warm, wet. I could taste salt. My breath shuddered on the exhale. “I didn’t want this,” I whispered into the room, voice barely audible over
Edward: The eggs Tarantino made were, as he warned me, an absolute disaster. But the bread was warm, and it was good enough to make me forget about the burnt rubber taste of the eggs. We ate in silence, only the scraping of silverware and the occasional sip of coffee filling the air. My mind wasn’t exactly on the food anyway; it was stuck on the conversation we’d had earlier. Tarantino was right, of course. Everything happens for a reason. I could hear the words repeating in my head, like a stubborn echo bouncing off the walls. But as much as I wanted to believe him, that sentiment did nothing to ease the weight in my chest. Nothing could change the fact that I was sending my brother into exile, to a life without the Pack, without me, without any of the privileges that came with being a royal. But I couldn’t just let the sorrow flood over me, not in front of Tarantino. Not in front of the only person who still seemed to see me for more than just my title. So I swallowe
Edward: The drive was long, and Harvey wouldn’t stop humming that off-key tune under his breath like he was trying to win some invisible award for irritation. I didn’t say anything because well, silence stretching between us felt safer than opening my mouth and letting all the tangled thoughts spill out. My jaw ached from clenching it too tight. My nails had dug half-moons into my palm by the time we pulled into the small, quiet Pack territory that felt like the world had forgotten it. “I remember this place being a dusty excuse of a town,” I muttered, eyes flicking over the paved roads and fresh buildings. “Now look at it. They have actual sidewalks. I should’ve sent Ethan here for humility training.” Harvey chuckled but didn’t comment. Smart choice. It’d been years since I last came here. I was just a boy, clinging to my father’s hand while he laughed and pointed at the bakery with the awful scones and the house with the broken weather vane that somehow never got
Lianna: The palace had never been this quiet. Not even during the former Alpha's father’s funeral, when the halls were draped in black silk and everyone spoke in whispers like mourning had a volume limit. No. This silence was different. It hung in the air like a mist, curling around the columns, sliding under doors, seeping into my skin like cold. I sat on the balcony, elbows on the marble balustrade, chin resting against the back of my hand. My eyes drifted somewhere beyond the courtyard, past the rustling hedges and the guards stationed like statues, to a place I couldn’t name. The sky was pale and slow today, the clouds dragging their feet like even they couldn’t be bothered to hurry. A soft breeze combed through my hair, lifting strands across my face, and I didn’t bother to tuck them behind my ear. Ingrid was beside me, her legs propped up on the ornate table, scrolling through her phone like it held the cure to this numbness
Ethan: The moment Edward’s footsteps faded from the dungeon, I felt my chest constrict. I was alone. And not in the usual way where I sought solitude; this time, I felt like I was suffocating. I collapsed to my knees, the cold, damp floor seeping through the thin fabric of my clothes, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My tears came in torrents, hot and bitter, an unforgiving reminder of everything I had lost, everything I had thrown away. There was no one left to blame but myself. I didn’t even care how pathetic I looked at this moment. All I wanted was the sting of reality to fade, even if only for a second so I could catch a sense of monetary relief. The memories of my life before all this pain before Freya, before Lianna, before the twisted path I had walked flashed through my mind like a parade of ghosts. I remembered how everything had been so simple back then. It was supposed to be me and Lianna, always. We had a bond, a bond that nothing could break, or so
Edward: The echo of my boots against the marble hallway was all I could hear as I stepped out of the study, my hand still clenched from how tightly I’d been gripping the edge of the desk moments ago. My jaw ached from how tightly I was clenching it, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Not now. I told myself I wasn’t going to interfere. I promised Lianna I wouldn’t. But promises made in the eye of a storm rarely stand when the wind changes. And gods, it changed. The moment the elders started screaming over each other like a pack of senile hounds, all clamoring for blood, I had to shut them up. I didn’t even remember raising my voice until the silence hit. Until they all turned to me, and I, like a damn fool, spoke the decree. Now my baby brother would be banished to the Drekavac Hollow, and somehow, my voice had sealed it. The air grew colder the deeper I went, but I barely noticed. My fingers brushed the stone walls out of
Edward: My journey from the courtroom to my study was a tumultuous one. I fought back tears I hadn't shed in years. Hell, I fought the urge to turn on my feed and go back to the court to change my mind over what I had said concerning Ethan, but that was futile. The judgement had been made and as bad as it made me feel, I had to be rational. I had to embrace reality and see Ethan for who he really was beyond my brother. I slammed the door behind me harder than I meant to. The sound echoed off the tall bookshelves like a gavel dropped by the gods. I’d always found comfort in this room. In its silence and its order, but today it felt more like a cage than a sanctuary. I could easily just step back out and take a walk or even go horse riding, but I knew it wasn't going to take away that terrible misery that was keeping me company right now. Which meant running away from whatever I was feeling wasn't the cure to my pain. I ran a hand through my hair, pacing a
Lianna: The air in the hall was suffocating, tight, pressing against every corner of my skin like the heat of a blacksmith's forge. The walls of the courtroom seemed to close in the moment I stepped in, hand in hand with Edward. I could feel his grip tighten slightly, almost imperceptibly, as our eyes fell on the man seated at the center of the gathering. Ethan. His gaze landed on us and didn’t waver. But I saw it. That subtle shift in his posture. The way his spine straightened, like the presence of our united front had finally forced him to understand that his days of immunity were over. Good. I wanted him to feel that fear. I wanted him to sit with it. We took our seats as murmurs spread through the chamber. Some voices were hushed, others hissed outright with emotion. The elders looked especially tense. Some wwr already whispering amongst themselves, robes rustling as they fidgeted, eyes darting between one another. An elder rose. He was tall and lean, his