VALERIA’S POVI slept peacefully, wrapped in the rare comfort of knowing I was with people I trusted. People who wouldn’t hurt me. People who wouldn’t betray me.But I knew Elijah didn’t sleep.I could feel his presence, alert and unmoving, standing watch through the night. He was making sure Magnar didn’t come looking for me, making sure I wasn’t forced to deal with more of his possessive, territorial behavior. A part of me felt guilty that he had to stay awake on my behalf, but I knew he didn’t mind. That’s just who Elijah was—always watching, always protecting.By the time the first light of dawn crept across the horizon, I knew I couldn’t avoid the packhouse any longer. As much as I wanted to stay with Elijah and the others, I had my responsibilities. And I would not give Magnar the satisfaction of thinking I was running away.So, as soon as the sun had fully risen, I forced myself to return.Walking into the packhouse felt like stepping into a den of waiting predators, but I kept
VALERIA’S POVI stepped onto the training grounds, my mind still reeling from Dimitri’s warning about the royals. Something about it didn’t sit right with me. The way he spoke, the way he warned me, as if he truly believed I might lose control. Lose myself.Why would I lose control over them?I shook my head. I didn’t have time for this. I needed to focus. I needed to fight.The training grounds, once a place where I had to prove myself, now felt suffocating. The moment I arrived, I noticed the subtle shift in the atmosphere. Conversations quieted. Eyes darted toward me, then away. I recognized the emotion on their faces—fear.Before, they had laughed at me. Mocked me. Treated me like a weakling who wasn’t worthy of standing among them.Now, they were afraid.Pathetic.I let my gaze sweep over them, my frustration growing. They wanted to hate me, no matter what I did.“Anyone ready to spar?” I asked, my voice steady. A challenge.Silence.No one stepped forward.Of course not.I cross
VALERIA’S POVI had to get out of there.I didn’t wait to hear what the healer said. I didn’t wait to see if Magnar woke up. I didn’t wait for Bernard’s accusations or the murmurs of the pack warriors whispering about what I had done.I just ran.The moment my feet hit the dirt path leading away from the training grounds, I felt the weight of my actions pressing down on me. My pulse thundered in my ears, my breaths coming in sharp, uneven bursts.Had I really hit him that hard?The whole arena had erupted into chaos, but I barely registered anything after Magnar collapsed. I couldn’t.And worse—I didn’t want to.I wasn’t supposed to care.I wasn’t supposed to feel anything.But the memory of him lying there, unmoving, refused to leave my mind.Am I losing control?I forced the thought away as I reached Elijah’s place. The moment I stepped inside, I knew something was wrong.Elijah stood with his arms crossed, his jaw clenched, looking every bit like a man barely holding back his frust
MAGNAR’S POVThe whole damn day had passed, and she still hadn’t come to see me.Not even once.I laid back against the hospital cot, staring at the ceiling, feeling like a complete idiot."This is boring," I muttered, running a hand through my hair in frustration.Bernard, who was sitting on a chair beside my bed with his arms crossed, snorted. "And you are dumb," he said flatly. "You really think playing the wounded warrior is going to get her attention? If anything, it’s having the opposite effect."I clenched my jaw. "What’s that supposed to mean?""It means," Bernard sighed, leaning forward, "that all this ‘woe is me’ nonsense has captured the wrong attention. My ears are already bleeding from Lily’s complaints about how you’re not paying her enough attention and maybe this karma of not giving her enough attention."Bernard was clever enough to find out of everything on his own but Lily, not so much.I groaned, throwing my head back against the pillow. Of course, Lily would be ma
VALERIA’S POVElijah was right.Whatever happened at the arena, Magnar had it coming.It wasn’t my fault—not completely.He had challenged me. Provoked me. And he knew exactly what kind of risk came with sparring against someone like me. It wasn’t like I had set out to actually hurt him beyond repair. I gave him chances to backout from the fight but he didn’t. He should have been more prepared, or at least smart enough to walk away when he had the chance.And yet, even though I told myself all of this over and over again, I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe—just maybe—I had taken it too far.Maybe I should have pulled back a little. Maybe I shouldn’t have let my emotions fuel the fight the way they did.I pushed those thoughts aside. Maybe I was feeling this way because of the bond.Magnar would be off my back for a while now, and that was all that mattered.I needed space from him.And I needed to stop letting him get under my skin.I told Elijah about the upcoming annual pack pa
VALERIA’S POVBy the time my training was over, exhaustion and sweat clung to my muscles like a second skin.Damn I need a long shower.But it felt good.For once, today hadn’t been a complete disaster. It had started with new opportunities—for everyone. And now, I found myself looking forward to our plan.Dimitri would be announcing the annual pack party soon, and if everything went as planned, Elijah and the others would finally have a chance to prove themselves. More importantly, if I could get even the slightest opportunity to interact with one of the royals, I might finally get some answers.Was Dimitri really telling the truth?So far, he hadn’t given me any reason to doubt him. He had been lenient with me—surprisingly so—and I wasn’t the only one who noticed the shift. Even the slaves were being treated better.They were allowed to interact freely now. To speak with one another.That was never the case when I had lived as a slave here.Back then, we were nothing more than prope
VALERIA’S POVThe moment I stiffened, Bernard's lips curled into a victorious smirk.“Looks like I hit a nerve.”I forced myself to remain still, to keep my face void of emotion.But his next words shattered any patience I had left.“He’s your mate, and you’re screwing some other man. You even hurt him this morning. I don’t know what kind of woman you are, but you should be ashamed of yourself.”I clenched my jaw so tight my teeth ached. Ashamed?Of what? Of not groveling at Magnar’s feet? Of not playing the role of the tragic, heartbroken mate who couldn’t live without him?No.No, I wasn’t ashamed.I lifted my chin, staring him down. “Yeah, well, I’m not ashamed of myself. And let me make something clear—” my voice rose with a sharp, biting edge “—I am not his mate anymore. He rejected me, Bernard. Months ago. He threw me away like I was nothing. So don’t come here acting like I owe him something.”For a second—just a second—I saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.Shock.Doubt.D
MAGNAR’S POVI don’t know what was taking so long.Bernard should have been back by now. She should have been back by now.Somewhere deep inside, I had expected a visit. Maybe from one of them. Maybe both. But as the hours dragged on, I realized no one was coming.By the time my discharge papers were ready, I was still waiting.The doctors made it clear—I had no excuse to stay longer. My injuries had healed. My concussion wasn’t severe enough to keep me hospitalized, and no matter how much I bluffed about the pain in my shoulder, the healers weren’t convinced.“All of your reports are normal,” one of them told me bluntly. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”I clenched my jaw.That’s not the damn point.Still, I had no choice but to return to the packhouse.When I stepped inside… nothing was out of the ordinary.No waiting faces. No concerned voices. No one.Wow.So nobody cared, huh?That’s… disappointing.Even if I didn’t expect Valeria to throw herself at me in worry, a part o
VALERIA’S POVRiven left, but I stayed.Her words echoed in my mind, a quiet reminder of the truth I needed to accept.I need to change the way I think.All of this was meant to be.Dimitri’s death. The battle. The bloodshed.I had to take revenge. It was supposed to happen one way or another.I couldn’t blame myself—not anymore.But I couldn’t stay here either.This place, these walls, this land—they would always remind me of what happened.Still, I couldn’t just walk away without a final goodbye.I had to make things right. I had to set everything straight.________________________________________By the time I returned to the pack, the battlefield was nearly cleared.The royal traitors had been dealt with.The Alphas who had dared to cross Riven were handcuffed in silver and being loaded into vans. I had no doubt she would deal with them personally.I walked toward the packhouse, my heart steady but my mind restless.I wasn’t sure what I expected, but when I stepped inside, I was m
VALERIA’S POVDimitri was dead.His lifeless body lay still, surrounded by the very people he had tormented and betrayed.And yet—I didn’t feel victorious.I didn’t feel like a hero.Instead, a sharp, twisting knot of dread and guilt settled deep inside me, like a festering wound that refused to heal.I should have felt relief. Peace.But all I felt was…Empty.A murderer.I had taken a life.Yes, it was justified. Yes, it was necessary. Yes, he deserved it.But that didn’t make it any easier.My gaze flickered toward Magnar. His lips were pressed together in a firm line, his golden eyes locked onto Dimitri’s body. I saw the shine of unshed tears, the war between grief and justice playing out in real time.I turned away.I couldn’t look at him.I couldn’t look at any of them.The weight of their stares, their unspoken expectations, was suffocating me.The world blurred as my breathing grew shallow. My heartbeat pounded against my ribs. I had to get out of here.I took a step back—then
VALERIA’S POVThe battlefield was silent.Not because the war was over—But because they were waiting.Waiting for me to finish what Dimitri started.I stared down at him, breathing heavily, my heart hammering in my chest.Riven’s voice sliced through the silence, low and certain.“Don’t show any mercy this time, Valeria. Your friends are safe—he has nothing against you now.”And just like that—My hesitation disappeared.The weight I had been carrying, the fear, the second-guessing—it all vanished.I turned my head slightly, catching sight of Magnar.He stood there, his arms tense at his sides, his jaw locked.His expression was unreadable, but his eyes…They were conflicted.He may have accepted this fate, may have severed the final tie with the man who raised him, but I knew—watching this wouldn’t be easy for him.I exhaled slowly and met his gaze.“You should look away,” I told him. “This is going to be painful for you to watch.”But he didn’t move.Didn’t blink.Didn’t turn away.
VALERIA’S POVI had never seen a vampire in my life.Not in person.Not until now.And suddenly, we were surrounded by them.Their presence was undeniable—an eerie, otherworldly force that sent shivers down my spine. Their sharp features, their glowing red eyes, the way they moved so effortlessly, like shadows given form.Riven is associated with vampires?Wow.I had heard whispers about her, of course. Rumors that she had ties beyond the werewolf realm. That she had even visited the fae kingdom.I never believed it.But now?Nothing seemed impossible when it came to Riven.And honestly… good for her.If anyone could command respect across different species, it was the woman standing before us with that annoyingly confident smirk.Dimitri, however, didn’t share my thoughts.His face twisted in pure rage, his lips pulling back over his teeth as he snarled at the newcomers.“Vampires are abominations! They are not allowed on my land! This is exactly why you should never have been queen,
VALERIA’S POV“No—”I lunged forward, my heart slamming against my ribs like a war drum.But I was too late.Dimitri’s fingers slammed down on the button, his smirk widening as if he had already won.For a split second, my world froze.I braced myself, every muscle in my body tightening. I knew what was coming—poison.A gas so lethal it would seep into the lungs of everyone around us, burning them from the inside, turning them into lifeless corpses before they could even scream.The end.I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the sting, the suffocating burn, the chaos—But…Nothing happened.I snapped my eyes open, my breath catching in confusion.The arena was still there. The ground hadn’t turned into a graveyard.The warriors, the royals, everyone was still standing.For a moment, even Dimitri looked stunned.His hand trembled over the button, his eyes darting wildly across the battlefield as if expecting bodies to drop at any second.Nothing.No poison.No death.No victory for him.
VALERIA’S POVThe battlefield still burned with chaos, but in this moment, my world narrowed down to only three people—Dimitri, Riven, and myself.Dimitri stood a few feet away, blood dripping from his nose, his fury barely contained. He was no longer the composed, manipulative mastermind. No. I had managed to push him into desperation.And Riven?She was watching me intently, her violet eyes sharp as she slowly began to understand what I was about to do.I turned my gaze back to Dimitri and smirked.“You know, Dimitri,” I called out to him, my voice clear over the noise of the battle, “you missed one crucial detail about Moonbound wolves.”Dimitri clenched his jaw. He wasn’t in the mood for games.But Riven, oh, she was.“I would love to know what it is,” she drawled, amusement flickering across her face.“I don’t care,” Dimitri snapped at the same time.I chuckled darkly. “Oh, but you should, Dimitri. You see, you’ve spent so much time obsessing over your revenge, your plans, and co
VALERIA’S POVI don’t know what came over me.One moment, I was staring at Riven, knowing Dimitri’s command had sealed my fate.The next, I was turning against him.All the energy I had been gathering, all the rage, the frustration, the helplessness—I redirected it.Not at Riven.At him.A blinding surge of power exploded from my hands, aimed straight at Dimitri.It hit him dead center.The force of my attack sent him flying backward, ripping him from the ceremonial platform. He crashed hard onto the stone floor below, a thunderous impact shaking the entire arena.Gasps echoed around me.A thick cloud of dust and debris rose from where Dimitri had landed, swirling in the air like a storm brewing around us. The weight of my attack had thrown him back with such force that the ceremonial platform itself trembled from the impact.For a heartbeat, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears and the shallow gasps of those who had witnessed what I had just done.Then, movement.I wasn’t give
VALERIA’S POVThe moment the signal came, I ran.The battle raged around me, the air thick with the scent of blood, smoke, and something far more sinister—Dimitri’s victory.His forces were overwhelming, tearing through the opposition like a wildfire, precise and merciless. The royals who had sided with him played their part well, cutting down anyone who dared to challenge their authority.This was his battlefield.His game.And I was just a piece he had moved into place.By the time I reached the throne, I expected to see panic, desperation—fear.But Riven sat there calmly, her posture regal, her gaze surveying the chaos below with a detached sort of curiosity.As if she were merely watching a performance rather than witnessing the fall of her kingdom.“So, you’re here to kill me.” She stated with a sigh.She didn’t sound afraid.Not even surprised.I faltered for a moment. She knew?“You knew?” I asked, disbelief coating my voice.She turned her head slightly, her golden eyes meetin
MAGNAR’S POVThe Queen followed my gaze.She saw it too.The fear in Valeria’s eyes.The helplessness clinging to her like a shroud.Riven’s expression remained unreadable, but something flickered in her gaze—understanding.“Hmm… interesting,” she muttered under her breath, her tone thoughtful, calculated. Then, without missing a beat, she turned her attention back to the gathered audience.She took a single step forward, commanding absolute silence.“As the reigning Queen, I declare the trials complete,” her voice rang out, powerful and unshaken. “Magnar has proven himself worthy through strength, strategy, and wisdom. He has shown that he is capable of leading not only his pack but making the hard choices necessary for the greater good.”The crowd erupted in cheers.Pride swelled in my chest, but a weight still pressed against me. Something wasn’t right. I could still feel Valeria’s gaze, though I couldn’t find her in the sea of people.Queen Riven turned to face me once more.“I ho