Hades Wraithborn was supposed to meet me before coming here. But he didn’t. Not that I expected him to. He was a man of ill repute, notorious for his ruthlessness. It was only natural. Yet, as Jonathan’s voice echoed through the grand hallway, I felt numb. The past crept into my mind like an old, dust-covered film reel spinning to life, playing memories I wished to forget. "What did you do to her?" Jonathan’s voice thundered through the hall as he rushed to Carolina’s side. Her frail form crumpled against him, her sobs delicate yet deliberate. "I’m sorry, Jonathan! It’s all my fault! I should have understood that only a strong woman could be Luna. I just… I just wanted her to be a little kinder to me!" Her voice wavered, high and childlike, an affectation that sent an uncomfortable shiver down my spine. I wasn’t sure how others felt, but I could barely suppress my disgust. A grown woman speaking like an innocent child was nothing short of nauseating. "How dare you!" Jonath
The scent of burning tobacco filled the air, thick and suffocating, as Dad and I were standing in the corner of the hall room. It clung to my senses, mixing with the heavy musk of dominance that always surrounded Alpha Hornet. The flickering lanterns cast restless shadows along the walls, making the dimly lit lounge feel smaller than it was. The crowd was all busy with their own discussions. It wasn’t a secret that Alpha Hornet was furious with me—and with his once-obedient son, who had suddenly defied him. Being the Alpha’s son’s assistant had always meant something significant. It was more than just a title; it was a promise of status, a guarantee that I would one day become Luna. I had worked for that recognition, and my father had supported me, knowing how much power it held. But something had changed. Someone was rewriting the past. Jonathan never spoke of Carolina before—not until I was already carrying his child. He had been so focused on having a child with me, keeping
The air in the meeting hall was thick, suffocating, as if the very walls pressed down upon us, demanding submission. But I refused to yield. The weight of my decision settled in the room, a presence of its own, lingering like an inescapable reality. I clenched my fists at my sides, nails digging into my palm, grounding myself. The tension in my muscles coiled tightly, yet I stood unwavering as I lifted my chin, meeting the cold, calculating gaze of Alpha Hornet—the man who had made me toil endlessly for his son, forcing me to bear the brunt of his failures. His reaction was immediate. His face contorted, disbelief flashing first, followed by irritation, the kind that simmered beneath the surface, restrained yet unmistakable. “I choose the secret mission, Alpha,” I declared, my voice steady, unwavering. A sharp silence followed, as if the very air had been sucked out of the room. Jonathan inhaled sharply beside me. When I flicked my gaze toward him, I caught something unexpec
The moment I faced Jonathan, a wave of disgust, anger, and loathing crashed over me. But it wasn’t the kind of conflicted rage that made me question whether I had ever loved him. No—what I once felt for him had been mad, blind devotion. And now? Nothing but contempt. Yet, the irony of my heart lay elsewhere. The moment my eyes landed on Hades Wraithborn, walking into the grand hall with another woman draped on his arm, I was stunned. It felt like a slap across my face, delivered with his sheer arrogance. A silent, unspoken promise between us—broken. A wound I hadn't even acknowledged until now—ripped open. Finding a mate? Hah. If that’s what he was after, I would stay far away. As I should have from the very beginning. But then, why did this betrayal sting? Why did it twist in my chest like a knife—sharp and merciless? I had killed for this scumbag next to me. I had stained my hands with blood—my own hands—only to stand beside a man who had never deserved me. A voice pul
I could feel his heartbeat against my back. Not even an inch separated us. The moment his deep voice echoed in my ears and his broad chest became an unyielding wall behind me, the mate bond roared to life, spreading heat through my veins as if I were falling into a firepit. But unfortunately, Hades couldn’t feel it. No, I should say—fortunately. "Seems like it’s a trap, isn’t it?" His whisper brushed against my ear, his warm breath making me flinch. "Wh-What?" I stammered, turning to face him. Big mistake. I barely had a second to react before my forehead brushed against his lips. My breath hitched. My hands flew up in reflex, pressing against my burning skin, but it did nothing to cool the heat crawling up my neck. Hades blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting me to turn. His grip on the rogue’s neck loosened just enough for the bastard to lunge at me from behind. "GRR!" His claws tore through my uniform. But— "Such a nuisance." The impact was instant
His chest pressed against mine, his arms snaking around my waist. Our bodies almost collided inside the thick foliage as the muffled sound of footsteps grew closer. Two guards roamed the area, their sharp eyes scanning the darkness, desperately searching for the source of the sound I had accidentally made. I held my breath. Through the small gaps between the leaves, I could see their boots treading dangerously close. Just one more step—one wrong move—and they would see Hades’s back. “Maybe just some animals. I can’t see anyone here. No scents, either,” one of the guards muttered in frustration. “That makes sense. Who would come here when everyone is in the ballroom?” They hesitated for a moment before turning around. Only when their footsteps faded did I realize how tightly my lungs had been caged. A heavy sigh escaped my lips, and my muscles finally loosened. Then, it hit me. I was still in Hades’s grasp. I flinched. “Ah—” My voice barely made it past my throat. “Let’
Jonathan, The heavy oak doors shut behind us, enclosing the two of us in the grand yet suffocating meeting room. Before I could even catch my breath, a sharp sting exploded across my face.SLAP!My father’s palm connected with my cheek, sending a shockwave of pain through my jaw. The force of it echoed through the chamber, but the only sound that followed was my own harsh breathing. My vision blurred for a second before I clenched my fists, grounding myself."You useless fool!" His voice cut through the silence like a whip, filled with scorn. My face throbbed with the imprint of his fingers, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing weakness. "Are you trying to ruin your future?" he seethed, stepping closer, his tall frame casting a shadow over me. "What did you see in that woman? I have spent years building our dominance, and you dare to defy me over a petty thing called love?" His voice dripped with disgust. "I love Carolina!" I shot back, my own rage simmering beneath
Elysia, Black hair cascaded down her waist like silk, crimson eyes, and skin that looked like a shimmering pale moon in the distant sky. I was too astonished to say something as the lady in her navy blue gown walked towards us. Her smile resembled Hades', and for certain reasons, I knew who she was. "Hades! You were supposed to dance with me and let me meet my savior! You traitor!" Hades grinned. But before answering her question, his long arm slipped behind me, holding me by my waist. "Sorry, Halia! I think I found the right person who deserves the first dance!" My eyes widened as I turned towards him with a confused, tilted head. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, trying to slip away from his grip around my back. But his grip tightened as he looked straight into my eyes. "Let me introduce her, Halia. This is Commander Elysia Celeriac, the woman who saved you and your little pups!" "Oh my!" Halia gasped. "That was quite rude of me." She approached me with her charmi
My body felt light, like feathers drifting in a slow, timeless dance. I found myself standing barefoot on the soft, cool sand, the wind weaving its invisible fingers through my hair, lifting the strands like whispers. The air carried a faint scent of something sweet — like a meadow far away — and each breath I took was like tasting serenity itself. Everything around me felt still. Frozen in an endless, perfect moment.My heart was... calm. Quiet. Almost unnaturally so. I couldn’t feel pain. I couldn’t feel longing. I couldn’t miss anything or wish for anything. It was just me. Me and this strange, unbroken peace, weaving around my very soul like a lullaby.There were no memories pressing on my chest. No noises tearing through my thoughts. Just pure calmness.And then, through the gentle hum of silence, came a voice — soft, familiar, and warm like a blanket on a cold night."Elysia," it called.I turned without thinking. And there she was.She stood just beside me, her presen
"My father said…" The leader of the Wizards stood tall, his pale face tilted upward with arrogance, as though the world itself were beneath his feet. His voice echoed with a tone that sliced through the tension in the air, sharp and unsettling. "Witches are the hunters of Wolves and Vampires. The most thrilling moment of a wizard’s life is to make a stew from their blood… and drink them." He chuckled, a slow, rotten sound that sent a ripple of discomfort across our group. His sunken eyes scanned us, predatory and gleaming with amusement. "But those who dare to be arrogant," he paused, dragging each word like a blade across flesh, "should be bestowed with cruel, harsh deaths. Including…" He stepped forward, and that’s when we noticed the limp. A wooden cane revealed itself from beneath his flowing black robes, the intricate carvings glowing faintly with runes older than memory. Before I could react, Hades wrapped an arm around my waist and launched us backward with a powerful jump.
I was stunned when he said it.His voice had been quiet, almost hesitant, but the weight of his words struck me like a storm breaking over calm waters.He knew. He knew about my second chance at life.That impossible secret I had buried deep inside me, locked beneath layers of silence and fear—he had just spoken it aloud like it was nothing. Like it was normal. Like it didn’t change everything.I wanted to ask how. I wanted to understand. But I couldn’t focus on him anymore.Because the Dark Stone was pulsing in my hand.A deep, thrumming beat—slow and relentless. It wasn’t just a stone. It felt alive. And with every passing second, it dug deeper, pressing its will into my skin, into my blood, until I could feel it crawling through my veins like smoke made of shadow.It whispered to me."Power. Corruption. Madness."The words slithered through my thoughts like snakes, coiling tightly around the parts of me I didn’t want to acknowledge—the anger, the grief, the desperation. It knew who
Elysia,The moment the figure stepped into the moonless clearing, I knew we weren’t alone. Something ancient stirred in the shadows—its hunger palpable, its gaze unseen but heavy on my skin.I tightened my hold on Hades, but my eyes remained ahead, locked on the figure cloaked in midnight. Around us, the darkness pulsed with unnatural rhythm, and one by one, more emerged—cloaked beings, their hands already crackling with magic.Wizards. No... sorcerers. Old ones.They formed a circle, trapping us in a ring of glowing runes etched into the ground. Their faces were hidden beneath deep hoods, but I could feel their magic thrumming like a war drum—primordial, malicious.The sky was darker than we remembered.. The lightning was displaying like a hired actor in the distance. Hades bared his fangs, his eyes glowing crimson with fury as his wings spread wide behind him. The air turned colder with every breath he took, shadows rippling outward from his feet.“We’re surrounded,” I muttered, st
I thought the night would be spent without incident, peacefully, as it always should. Elysia was in my arms, warm and relaxed, her body pressed against mine. We slept in that timeless, serene way, until the sound came—unnatural, strange, slicing through the quiet like a scream from the past. My eyes snapped open, heart racing. It wasn't the usual sounds of the night. Not the wind rustling through the trees or the distant hoot of an owl. This was different—something far more sinister. It caught my attention immediately, and as I tried to focus on the source, I heard voices outside, growing louder, laced with panic. Elysia stirred beside me, half-awake, her fingers curling around me instinctively. She was still groggy, but the unease in the air seemed to drag her from sleep. I felt her body shift as she clung to me, her breath warm against my chest. “What is it?” she murmured, barely awake, but already sensing the shift in the atmosphere. I opened the window, the cold night air bitin
Hades,The horses’ hooves echoed in the stillness of the night as we made our way toward the village. The forest around us seemed to watch, as if holding its breath. Elysia had been quiet for hours now, her usual confidence replaced with something softer, something I couldn't quite place.I turned my gaze to her, watching as her eyes scanned the path ahead, her back straight and poised. The way the moonlight caught her hair made her look ethereal, as if she didn’t belong to this world at all. After discovering our identity, we decided to shift to our original form except letting our Wolf roam freely. Otherwise the witches would spot us. I hated that she’d been forced into this situation. I hated that she’d taken parts of The Knowledge, to protect me. But I’d never been one to ask for explanations—not when the truth was hidden so far beneath the surface.The road wound toward the small village, nestled in the valley like some forgotten corner of the world. There was something quiet
Unknown's POV,"Haris is burned to death?" My voice was calm, or I thought I was calm. However, every vein in my body was screaming.Haris, one of my trusted people, died? By whom? A young woman? This was unacceptable."We found no more traces of that woman. However—" Kaelan hesitated, pulling out a handkerchief from his robes —" We have found traces of abnormality in these ashes. It wasn’t a witch or wizard's flame."He opened the cloth in his palm and revealed a pile of fine, dark ashes. They were unremarkable at first glance, but the moment I stepped closer, I felt it. That strange hum in the air. The unsettling vibration that laced the magic left behind.My eyes widened. In a world ruled by witches and wizards, what kind of flame could reduce someone like Haris to ash in seconds?I reached out and took a pinch between my fingers. The moment the ashes touched my skin, a violent surge ran up my arm. It wasn't pain—it was a shock, a jolt of power so foreign and dark that my muscles r
My heart sank when the dark shadows shrouded the sky, surrounding us like a layer of thin black polythene. At first it felt like our soul had been deprived by something stronger, heavier and suffocating. But that feeling soon disappeared when Bryan's hand reached my shoulder. " Who are you?" He whispered, " It seems like you are their target. Are you running away from someone? Be honest with me if you want to stay alive!" He warned with a shiver-sending coldness. However I could feel the edge of the concern and genuine worry in his tone. My palms sweated as I grabbed the leather jacket that I was wearing. The night was cold and it was freezing my body. But the tension felt unbearably suffocating. " I...!"" If I am not wrong!" The person in the shadow, wearing a black robe and a book on his hand, cut my words... " You are Master Bryan from the front line Border area!" His voice was condescending. His eyes glistened with a distinct red flickering. A sharp light came out of the bo
He had Two different colors like Hades had. But before I could ask, the color changed. And, The fortress shook violently. I didn’t know what to expect.The roots, those monstrous, writhing tendrils of darkness, seemed to be multiplying with each passing second. The air was thick with dread, suffocating, as if the fortress itself were alive, breathing down on us, caging us in. I could feel the walls closing in, the air getting heavier.Bryan didn’t wait. He moved, swift and deadly, like a shadow. The shimmering blade in his hand cut through the chaos around us, the magic crackling with energy, searing the air. Sparks flew in every direction, the sound of blades slicing through the air mingling with the guttural growls of the creatures encircling us.I watched him for a split second, too transfixed by his movement—his grace, his power—before I forced myself to snap out of it.Focus.I drew my dagger, its cold metal steady in my grip, though my hands trembled slightly. The trembling ha