HERATwo days.That’s how long I’ve been rotting in this filthy, dark dungeon with nothing but the stench of mould and decay has my company. My throat was dry, my stomach felt like it was caving in, and my body still ached from the pain of being beaten days ago, as well as the cold, hard floor pressing into my bones. I have never felt this weak in my life. Maybe physically, yes—but my mind? It was still sharp. Sharp and burning with rage.Hunger for food and thirst for water gnawed at me, but it’s nothing compared to the hunger and thirst for revenge that fueled me, that kept me alive, that whispered in my ear every second I’m trapped in this hellhole.Shadow Claw. My pack. My throne.I will get it all back, and when I do, every single person who has ever crossed me, who has ever treated me like I’m nothing, will pay. They will beg for mercy, and I will show them none. Not Lilith, not Wanni, not anyone. Their suffering will be slow, their pain will be exquisite and excruciatingly,
HERAI kept my head down as I moved between the tables, my mind racing. The room was thick with tension, and I could feel their eyes on me. Every step felt like it stretched on for hours, each second heavier than the last.“Hera,” Atticus’s deep voice cut through the silence, commanding attention. “Raise your head.”My stomach twisted. I didn’t want to meet their eyes, not here, not like this. But I knew there was no way out of it. Slowly, reluctantly, I lifted my head, my gaze sweeping across the room. There they were—all the Alphas, watching me with expressions that ranged from mockery to something even darker. Their eyes locked on me like predators circling their prey.I could recognize all of them, and they could recognize me. This was all a set up. “Well, well,” One of the Alphas spoke, his voice laced with mockery. I turned to look at him and recognized him immediately.Logan, Alpha of the Midnight Howlers, a tall, dark-haired man with a cruel smile. He had once tried to chal
ATTICUSAs soon as Hera started dancing, something shifted in me, something primal. I hated the way she moved—No, that’s a lie. I hated how much I wanted her as she moved. Every slow, deliberate sway of her hips, every roll of her body ignited a fire inside me that I couldn’t smother. My eyes were locked on her, even though I could feel the gazes of the other alphas crawling over her. I growled, fighting the urge to tear every single one of their eyes out for looking at her like that, but I couldn’t react. I had to sit there, stone-faced, feigning nonchalance, acting like she didn’t affect me. Like my member wasn’t rock hard for her. It disgusted me, this twisted attraction I had for her. She was supposed to be my enemy, the one responsible for Rachel’s death, and yet here I was, gritting my teeth and fighting back the desire to drag her out of that room and slam my hard cock into her tight pussy.The worst part? She knew exactly what she was doing. She locked eyes with me all t
ATTICUSI marched to my room. As soon as I pushed open the door to my room, I was met with the sharp sting of a slap across my face. For a brief second, I froze, more out of shock than anything else. My jaw clenched, and I slowly turned my head back to face her. Hera stood there, her eyes blazing with fury, her chest rising and falling in anger. “This will be the last time,” she hissed, her voice laced with venom, “the last time you embarrass me like that in front of those animals.”The sting of her slap faded, but the effect it had on me didn’t. If anything, the rush of heat it caused coursed through me, lighting up something primal inside. She had fire, no doubt about it, and damn it, her defiance did things to me I hated admitting. I wiped the corner of my mouth with my thumb, smirking as I stepped closer, closing the space between us. "You will regret doing that, Hera," I said, my voice low and dark. Before she could react, I turned her and roughly pushed her towards the wa
HERAI lay on my bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, my body still trembling from what had just happened. Every inch of me felt alive, like I’d been set on fire and doused in ice all at once.Atticus. His hands, his mouth, the way he took me… fucking me wth maddening fevor like he owned me—like I had no choice but to surrender. It was maddening, infuriating, but… gods, it was the most intense sex I've ever had.I hated him, but I couldn’t deny the way my body responded to his every move, every brutal touch.I clenched the sheets beneath me, my mind replaying every moment—the way his eyes darkened as he spoke dirty to me, driving himself ferociously into me like a mad man.I moaned against my will, clutching onto him like a lifeline. My skin still burned from where his hands had gripped me, my body still aching in a way that stirred something dark inside me. It had been brutal, raw, and yet… undeniably satisfying.No one had ever made me feel like that.Not even Aiden.The first
ATTICUSThe door had barely clicked shut behind me when Lilith burst in, her eyes blazing with fury.“How could you, Atticus?” Her voice was sharp, slicing through the air like a blade. “You’re disrespecting Rachel by sleeping with her murderer!”Anger blinded my common sense at the accusation, and before I could give it a second thought, I had her slammed against the wall. My hand gripped her throat, not enough to choke her, but enough to remind her who the hell she was talking to.“Watch your mouth, Lilith,” I growled, my voice cold and dangerous. Her eyes widened, a flicker of fear passing through them.Good!“You’re betraying her memory,” she hissed with a strained voice, struggling against my hold. “Rachel died because of that bitch, and now you’re crawling into bed with her like none of it ever happened?”I tightened my hold around her neck, my patience wearing thin. She groaned slightly in pain.“You don’t get to question me, Lilith,” I growled. “You don’t get to talk to me ab
HERAThe voice was back, crawling into my mind like a snake. Its tone teasing, mocking. "Enjoying your stay, Hera? How does it feel to be brought so low? A rightful queen reduced to scrubbing floors…"I jolted awake, anger flashing through me. I tried to concentrate, to know where that voice was coming from, but when I closed my eyes, all I could see was the door at the end of the hallway.The one Atticus forbade me from going to again. I wanted to storm to the source, to where this taunting presence was coming from, but on my way down the hall, I nearly collided with the last person I wanted to see.Atticus.Okay, he might not be the last person I want to see, but he was a close second. He was tall, imposing as ever, his sharp eyes locking onto mine with that familiar glint of control. I squared my shoulders, refusing to show even a flicker of vulnerability in his presence. This was the man who humiliated me, who made me dance for him and those Alphas like I was nothing.A man
HERAI stepped inside, half-expecting something grand or ominous to hit me the moment the door opened. But instead, I was met with… nothing. The room was completely empty. Bare walls, bare floor, not a single piece of furniture or decoration. That strange energy I was feeling radiating from it in waves was no longer there, no hidden treasure—just an empty, cold space.I frowned, trying to make sense of it. How can this be the room that had been calling to me for days, only to reveal... nothing? I walked further in, inspecting the walls, running my fingers along the surface, searching for any clue.There had to be something. This couldn’t be it-The door slammed open behind me.I spun around and froze. Atticus stormed in, his presence filling the empty space. For a split second, I thought I saw something on his face—a flicker of relief—but it was quickly replaced by fury.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled, his voice sharp and dangerous. He took two steps toward
HERAWe were truly Fated Mates.My breath hitched as a new kind of sensation swept through me. It was magical, intimate, all-consuming, and far deeper than anything I had ever experienced.Emotion surged in my chest, so overwhelming it blurred the lines between pleasure and something deeper. Atticus pressed his forehead to mine, his voice hoarse as he murmured my name like a prayer.He could feel it too. Feel everything!Oh… Moon Goddess. “Can you feel that?” he whispered, his breath against my lips and his voice rough with awe.“I can,” I breathed, tears welling in my eyes as the energy coursed through me, filling every hollow space within. It was as if a missing part of me had finally snapped into place, and with it came so much strength. All the strength that I have lost in the last couple of days.I felt alive. Atticus’s hips continued to move in slow, deliberate strokes, dragging his length out of me torturously before pushing back in with an intensity that left me breathless.
HERAFuck! I gasped, my eyes rolling to the back of my head.I felt every ridge, every hardened inch of him as he slid deeper, claiming me in a way that was as sensual as it was consuming… all the way till he was buried to the hilt. Knocking the breath right out of me.Atticus stilled for a moment, his chest rising and falling heavily, his forehead pressed to mine. The heat of his breath fanned over my lips, and his eyes, dark and heavy-lidded with emotion, locked onto mine.It was obvious the feeling of being buried in me like this was just as overwhelming for him as it was for me.I never remembered it to feel this intimate, this erotic and still beautiful at the same time. It was almost devastating.Again, this wasn’t our first time, but it felt like the first time in the way every sensation was magnified, sharper and more vivid than anything I remembered. It felt new, like he was rediscovering me, savoring me in a way that made time feel irrelevant.The friction, the rhythm, t
HERAOh FUCK!My hands gripped the sheets beside me, knuckles whitening as I fought to get a hold of myself, but Atticus had no intention of letting me find control.“Fuck, Hera,” he murmured against me, his voice low and rough. “You taste even better than I remember.”The vulgarity of his words should have made me blush, but instead, it sent a new rush of heat straight to my core. He didn’t stop, his tongue moving with slow, deliberate strokes, teasing me, coaxing every gasp and moan from my lips. His hands held my thighs apart, his grip firm but reverent, as though he were savoring every second.“Atticus…” I whimpered, my voice trembling, my body arching into him.“That’s it, baby,” he rasped, the vibrations of his voice sending a shiver through me. “Let me hear you. I want you to feel good. I want you to feel everything. Every. Fucking. Second.”His tongue circled my clit in maddeningly slow, precise movements, each flick dragging me closer to the edge but never letting me fall.
HERAWhen he kissed me, it was slow, unhurried, but devastatingly sensual. His lips moved against mine with a softness that rivaled the tension simmering between us. His tongue slid into my mouth, stroking against mine in a way that was both teasing and commanding, coaxing a low moan from me.Kissing him as always felt so good, but not as good as this. I arched into him, the towel slipping slightly as his hands roamed, skimming over the curve of my ass, my lower back, pulling me flush against the hard length of his body. The press of his cock against my stomach sent a jolt of need through me, and I gasped into his mouth, my fingers digging into his shoulders.His hand slid beneath the towel, his fingers tracing the curve of my thigh, moving higher, his touch making my skin burn. I was soaked, my body already begging for him.And when his fingers grazed the apex of my thighs, I whimpered, my legs trembling.“Atticus,” I whispered, my voice barely audible, trembling with anticipation
HERASoon, the healer was back and she had news. Atticus and I were on the bed, cuddled up as she stepped closer, setting the books on the small table beside the bed. “I’ve spent hours researching mirror curses, trying to find anything that might help your condition, Luna,” she said, addressing me. “And there is one potential cure.” She announced. My heart skipped in anticipation and hope.“What is it?” I asked, my voice strained. The healer hesitated, as though carefully choosing her words. “The mate bond.”Atticus and I exchanged confused glances. “The mate bond?” he echoed, his brow furrowing. “What does that mean? How does it help?”She opened one of the books, flipping to a page filled with intricate diagrams and symbols“Mirror curses are powerful because they latch onto the very essence of a person—draining them slowly and irreversibly unless countered by an equally powerful force,” she explained. “The mate bond has such force, a gift from the Moon Goddess herself,” Okay…
HERAThe room felt heavy, its stillness pressing down on me as the healer worked in the corner, humming as she mixed concoctions.My body burned with fever, each breath a struggle, but I refused to show weakness, forcing myself to stay alert. Elder Fenrir and Elder Elara lingered nearby, their concern evident, though I ignored their hovering presence. I knew exactly what was happening to me. The plague that devastated Shadow Claw wasn’t ordinary—it was a mirror curse, designed to transfer itself to whoever attempted to heal it. My powers had cured the disease in others, but now the curse had settled in me. It was a carefully thought out trap.Whatever concoction the healer was brewing didn’t work like the others. Remedies wouldn’t work against this. When I told her about the curse, the room shifted, panic flickering across the faces of the Elders and healer. They didn’t expect this. “If this is truly a mirror curse, then we need to consult ancient texts immediately,” the healer
ATTICUSI paced the length of my study, my thoughts restless. Five days. Five agonizing days since Hera had gone to Shadow Claw, and the only word I’d received from her was a short message letting me know she’d arrived safely. And then, nothing. The silence was eating me alive. My mind was swirling through endless scenarios, each one worse than the last. Was she safe? Was the plague worse than she’d expected? Were the Elders even treating her with the respect she deserved? My wolf growled low, restless, mirroring the storm raging inside me. I haven’t been able to focus on anything. Meetings had become background noise, papers sat unsigned on my desk, and every knock at the door made my heart leap. The only reason I hadn’t stormed into Shadow Claw myself with every guard at my disposal was because of her. Respect her wishes. I reminded myself over and over, gripping the edge of my desk. She didn’t want me interfering, and I couldn’t risk pushing her further away. But fu
HERAI watched the palace staff load my bags into the car, already having second thoughts. This wasn’t just a trip to Shadow Claw; it felt like I was stepping back into a nightmare I thought I had escaped. But if I could help them, if I could stop the suffering of innocent people, I had to try. Still, there was one loose end I needed to tie up before I left. I turned and headed towards Ben’s room. I hesitated at his door, considering whether I should just leave without saying anything, but I pushed the thought aside and knocked. “Come in,” his voice called, curt and indifferent, as though he already knew it was me. I stepped inside to find him lounging in a chair, a book in his hands. His expression was unreadable, a mask I have become too familiar with. “I’m leaving for Shadow Claw” I said, keeping my tone steady. He glanced at me briefly before setting the book down on the table beside him. “I heard,” he simply responded.There was no warmth in his voice, no sign of co
ATTICUSI stormed after Hera, the heavy wooden doors of the receiving room slamming shut behind me. My mind was reeling, and my chest tightened as I followed after her retreating form. Her pace was brisk, like she didn’t want me to meet up with her, but I wasn’t about to let this go.“You’re not seriously considering what they asked,” I said, my voice tinged with disbelief. It wasn’t a question—it was a statement, one I was hoping she’d deny.She slowed down and turned to me, raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. Then she shrugged. “I told them I’d think about it.” She simply said, but that wasn’t good enough. “Think about it?” I asked incredulously, running a hand through my hair and exhaling sharply. “Hera, they left you to die in the woods. They didn’t care about you then, and they only care about you now because they need something. You’re not seriously thinking about going back there, are you?” I asked her. “I haven’t made a decision yet, Atticus.” Her eyes narrowed,