Elysia,When I woke up, I found myself lying in a king-sized bed, surrounded by the overwhelming scent of an Alpha Wolf. It was thick and intoxicating, curling around me like an unseen force, sinking into my skin with an unusual warmth. My body stiffened as I processed my surroundings. The sheer grandeur of the room, the lingering presence in the air—I was in the Black Shadow Wolf Pack. More precisely, in Hades Wraithborn's residence. A soft flutter broke the silence, and I turned my head to find Ruby hovering over me, its tiny form restless, eyes gleaming with concern. "Hey, little one," I murmured, reaching out to rub its beak. The touch barely soothed its agitation. I sat up, inhaling deeply, but the air only thickened around me, pressing against my chest. The scent of the room was suffocating, seeping into my very bones. A slow, deliberate sensation crept through me, sending a foreign heat unfurling under my skin. Ella, my wolf, purred in contentment. The scent of our ma
A sharp, throbbing pain pounded against my skull, twisting my stomach into a sickening knot. A wave of nausea crashed over me, forcing my body upright with a jolt. Fuck my life. Nothing ever worked the way I wanted it to. My mind was still swimming in a haze when a small, almost frantic voice echoed from my left shoulder. "Danger… run!" I stiffened. My eyes snapped to the tiny creature perched on me, and for the first time, I realized what had just happened. "You can talk?" I muttered, carefully cupping the small, trembling body in my palm. Ruby—the peculiar, feisty little thing—let out a sharp screech, her tiny wings flapping in distress. That was when I finally took in my surroundings. A chill ran down my spine. I was inside a small room enclosed by glass walls, a cage disguised as luxury. The sterile silence pressed against my ears, thick and suffocating. But what sent ice through my veins wasn’t the room itself. It was the sight outside. Two bodies hung from a stone pill
Droplets of water cascaded down my skin, each one a chilling reminder of the new experience that had unraveled before me. My reflection in the mirror stared back, haunted and flushed, as my fingers ghosted over the faint marks on my body. A slow burn crawled up my neck, the weight of realization pressing down on me like an unbearable force. I never knew it would feel like that. He had been rough—his touch firm, his eyes dark, filled with a hunger that both terrified and consumed me. And yet, beneath that overwhelming dominance, there had been something strangely delicate about the way his fingers traced my skin. It was as if he were handling something fragile, something irreplaceable. Was it because of the mate bond? I wanted to push him away. I should have. But my body had betrayed me, responding to him in ways I had never anticipated. My mind had screamed at me to resist, but my limbs, my pulse, my very breath had yielded to him. And now… A new, far more terrifying thoug
I was nearly finished with my meal when a tall, awkward man walked into the dining room. His presence was hard to ignore, not just because of his height but because I had met him before—inside Hades’s private bedroom. Carlos Bakers. I remembered thinking he was a coward. After all, he had entered the Alpha’s quarters despite knowing it wasn’t permitted. That alone told me that either he was reckless or that he had a purpose worth risking punishment for. Whatever it was, I didn’t let my thoughts show. Instead, I smiled quietly and gave him a small nod. "Miss Celeriac, I am Carlos Bakers, Alpha Hades’s Beta. It’s a pleasure to meet you." His voice carried a forced politeness, though his eyes betrayed his unease. I merely acknowledged him with a glance. "Alpha Hades wants you to come with me. He’s waiting for you in Kjern Hall." "Kjern Hall?" I echoed, my fingers lightly tapping against the edge of my plate. Carlos gave a curt nod. "Yes. Please follow me." I didn’t hesi
Gamma Celeriac,I had searched every possible place, exhausted every lead, and still, my daughter was nowhere to be found. A mission? Elysia was not foolish enough to accept a mission without informing me. She wasn’t the kind of person to trust anyone blindly, nor would she act recklessly without reason. Something wasn’t right. I could feel it. The air in the cottage was tense when Aurora entered, her expression grim. "Master," she addressed me formally, her voice tinged with urgency. "One of my people reported seeing her last in the woods. She had something with her." I turned to face her fully, my body rigid. "Something? What was it?" Aurora hesitated for a second before answering, "We’re not entirely sure. The report states that Lady Elysia was seen speaking to a creature with an immense mana presence and a dark aura. It appeared to be in an infantile form. The strangest part—it masked her scent completely, which is why we couldn’t track her." A sharp frown creased
Hades,It didn’t take long to discover who had shot her. The arrow’s design was almost identical to my own—broadhead, sleek shaft—but the craftsmanship? A mockery. A pathetic, laughable attempt at copying my work. Whoever had orchestrated it thought they could frame me. Idiots.What made it worse? The foolish attempt to poison me, to stack various toxins and hope that something would take me down. As if I were some mere mortal who would crumble beneath a few deadly plants. As if I wasn’t born with the resilience of a thousand warriors coursing through my veins. Pathetic.But the worst part? It worked on her. She had barely survived the attack. The mixture of toxins had worked its way through her system, draining her strength, leaving her vulnerable. And that was what irritated me the most.I never intended to touch her. In fact, I loathed her scent, the sharp, enticing fragrance that seemed to wrap itself around me no matter how hard I tried to escape it. But despite my deepest atte
Elysia,The morning light seeped through the curtains, casting a golden glow across the room. I blinked awake, the events of last night replaying in my mind like a relentless storm. After the confrontation, I was certain Hades would send me to the dungeons, locked away like a true prisoner. Instead, I was placed under Halia’s watch—a surprising mercy. Staying with her gave me an opportunity, a window of freedom. If I wanted to, I could slip away unnoticed. Run. Disappear. But I wasn’t going to squander this chance. I needed to have a conversation, a real discussion about the war between our packs. If there was even the smallest possibility of preventing it, I had to try. However, there was another complication—one I had nearly exposed last night. My bond with him. If I had let it slip that we were mates, everything would have changed. I had no intention of confessing. It was better this way. He didn’t know, and I would ensure it stayed that way. "Last night, he was angry
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as Luna Wraithborn set down a delicate porcelain cup onto the table. The sound was soft, almost gentle, but there was nothing delicate about the woman before me. With an unreadable expression, she pushed the book I had been reaching for across the polished wooden surface. Her fingers barely lingered on its worn cover before she leaned back into her chair. "So—" her voice was smooth, almost amused. "My son kidnapped you?" I glanced at the book before meeting her gaze, my face composed, my tone even. "Well, I’d rather say I accidentally trespassed the border, and he found me." Her lips curved ever so slightly—not a smile, but a knowing expression. "Accidentally?" She tilted her head, eyes sharp. "I don’t think it was an accident." "It was," I responded without hesitation. "I was patrolling the woods when I ended up near the ocean. I love the ocean." I rubbed the back of my neck, feigning an air of nonchalance. Luna Wraithborn
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