The scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it."Lucien!" My voice was raw, my body frozen in place as the dark tendrils wrapped around him, dragging him into the abyss. His silver eyes locked onto mine, filled with something I'd never seen before—acceptance. He wasn’t fighting. He had chosen this."No! Stop!" I lunged forward, but an invisible force slammed into me, knocking me onto my knees. The Oracle’s voice echoed around me, cold and final."It is done."Lucien was gone. The darkness swallowed him whole, and the world fell into silence.My heart pounded against my ribs as the last traces of his presence disappeared. The weight of it was suffocating. The man who had tormented me controlled me, hurt me—had just sacrificed himself in my place. My body shook with the force of my emotions, but I refused to cry."Bring him back," I demanded, forcing myself to my feet. The Oracle remained still, her face carved from stone, her ancient eyes filled with something unreadable."The
"You're insane if you think I'm going to take you there." The rogue’s voice was laced with amusement, but I saw the flicker of fear in his eyes.I stepped closer, my breath coming in short, determined bursts. "You know the way to the Shadow Realm, don’t you? I need you to take me there."The rogue, known as Malek, shook his head. "No one comes back from there, Cassia. Not even Alphas is as powerful as Lucien. His fate was sealed the moment The Devourer took him."I clenched my fists. "I don’t care. I have to try.""You don’t get it, do you?" Malek's voice dropped lower, his green eyes narrowing. "The Devourer is not some spirit you can bargain with. It consumes, erases, destroys. Lucien is gone."I refused to believe that. Lucien had sacrificed himself for me. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let that be the end of our story. I straightened my spine. "Then why do you fear it so much if it's just a place of death? If there's truly no way back, what are you afraid of?"Malek's jaw tightened. "You th
The moment I stepped into the Shadow Realm, the world around me changed.Cold seeped into my bones, deeper than anything I had ever felt before. The sky—if it could even be called that—was a swirling mass of black and gray, shifting like ink in water. The air was thick, humming with whispers that I couldn’t quite understand. Shapes moved in the distance, shadows twisting into grotesque figures before melting away again.Malek stepped in beside me, his jaw tight. “Keep moving. Don’t stop for anything.”I swallowed hard and nodded. Every part of my body told me to run, but there was nowhere to run to. Lucien was here, somewhere in this nightmare, and I had to find him before it was too late.We moved quickly through the swirling mist, the ground beneath us uneven, like walking on something that wasn’t quite solid. Every few feet, I felt something brush against me—thin fingers, cold tendrils, invisible things that pulled at my hair, my clothes. I forced myself to keep going.“How do we f
The air was thick with an eerie stillness, the kind that suffocated rather than soothed. Shadows slithered along the edges of my vision, whispering things I couldn’t understand. My heartbeat was a drum against my ribs as I stepped forward, deeper into the realm where Lucien had been lost.I barely recognized him when I saw him.Lucien stood in the center of the void, shirtless, his skin pale under the strange, pulsating glow of the Shadow Realm. His once-commanding presence had diminished, swallowed by the abyss. His dark hair hung in messy strands over his eyes, and his posture was rigid as if he were carved from stone."Lucien?" My voice wavered as I approached.He didn’t react. He stood still, unmoving, like a phantom trapped in time."Lucien, it's me."His head tilted slightly, but his expression remained blank. My stomach tightened. I had feared this, feared that the darkness had consumed him entirely. I had fought through hell to get here, to bring him back, and yet—he looked at
"Lucien, look at me," I pleaded, my fingers tightening around his wrist. His skin was ice-cold, his body rigid like a statue. The darkness around us pulsed violently, shifting like a living entity, whispering things I couldn’t understand.Lucien flinched, a faint tremor running through him. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. His golden eyes—once burning with fire—were now dull, vacant, hollow.I took a step closer, ignoring the way the darkness curled around my ankles, trying to pull me back. "You know me. You know us," I said, my voice softer now. "This place is lying to you. It wants to take everything—your memories, your heart, your soul. But I won’t let it."He let out a sharp breath, his fingers twitching. "Cassia," he murmured like he was tasting my name for the first time.A spark of hope ignited in my chest. "Yes! That’s right. It’s me. Your mate."Lucien winced, his jaw clenching. "No," he growled. "You shouldn’t have come.""I had to," I insisted. "I won’t leav
"Lucien, wake up!" I screamed, shaking him with all my strength.His body convulsed in my arms, his golden eyes flickering between recognition and the abyss. The darkness around us thickened, a suffocating force tightening its grip. Shadows coiled like serpents, whispering in a language I didn’t understand. The Devourer was getting stronger."Stay with me," I begged. "Lucien, fight it!"His breath hitched. "I... I can’t," he rasped. "It’s too strong.""No, it's not," I shot back. "You are stronger. We are stronger!"The Devourer’s voice slithered through the void, cold and mocking."Foolish girl. You think love can undo what has already been claimed?"Lucien let out a strangled cry, his entire body tensing as if invisible chains were tightening around him. He was losing. I could feel it. The shadows were sinking deeper into him, swallowing him whole.Panic surged through me. If I lost him now, I would never get him back. And I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let that happen.I looked around despera
“Where is she?” My voice was hoarse, raw from screaming.No one answered.I was on my knees, gasping for breath. The damp air of the forest stung my lungs as I clawed at the ground. My fingers curled around nothing but dirt and broken leaves. The world around me felt empty—hollow.Cassia was gone.“She—she was just here.” My voice cracked. “I saw her. I felt her.”No one answered because no one could.The pack warriors stood in stunned silence behind me, shifting uncomfortably. They had no answers. Only confusion, only fear.“Alpha,” someone murmured.I turned sharply. The look on my face must have been enough because the warrior immediately averted his gaze, taking a cautious step back.“She’s gone,” he whispered.I surged to my feet. “I know that!”The power inside me pulsed an unbearable force that demanded release. The bond—I couldn’t feel it. It had snapped like a brittle twig, and in its absence, all that remained was a hollow, gnawing void. I had lost her.And I had no idea how
"If you do this, you may not return the same."The rogue's voice slithered through the dimly lit cavern, a warning laced with something Lucien couldn’t quite decipher—was it fear? Amusement? He didn’t care. His fingers tightened around the hilt of the ancient dagger, its surface pulsing with a power he barely understood."I don't care," Lucien said, his voice edged with raw desperation. "I'm bringing her back."The rogue tilted his head, his silver eyes flickering with curiosity. "Even if it costs you everything?"Lucien didn't hesitate. "Even then."A slow smile crept across the rogue’s lips. "Very well, Alpha. But understand this—breaking the natural order isn't just about defying fate. It’s about rewriting it. And fate," he leaned in, voice barely above a whisper, "doesn't like to be rewritten."Lucien ignored him. He had made his choice.Cassia was gone. Stolen from him by forces he could not see, dragged into the Shadow Realm where no living creature could follow. The Oracle had
My breath comes out in shaky gasps, my heart racing in my chest. The Keeper looms before us, towering, its presence suffocating in the air. His form is an enigma—shrouded in shadows, like a living void. His eyes, black as the abyss, penetrate me.Lucien stands beside me, his presence is as solid as ever, yet his usual steely composure is replaced with something I haven’t seen before: fear. His jaw tightens, fists clenching at his sides. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t move, as if the air around him is too thick to break.I feel the weight of his hand on my shoulder, a small comfort, but my mind is consumed by the Keeper. This ancient being before us holds the power to alter everything. To change our fate.The Keeper’s voice echoes through the space, as cold as the grave, “I’ve waited for this moment, little wolf. To test the limits of your strength. You think you can save him?”I open my mouth, but the words catch in my throat. My gaze shifts to Lucien, his face a mask of determination, but
“Do you hear that?” My voice was barely a whisper, and I strained my senses to catch the faint sound that echoed from the depths of the shadowed realm. We had entered this place not by choice but out of desperation. A world between worlds, a limbo where the lost and forsaken souls were bound, trapped in endless torment. This was the prison where Lucien was trapped, where the essence of those who had fallen from grace lingered, unable to move on.“What is it?” Arawyn, my closest ally, and protector, asked, her voice tight with apprehension. I could feel her unease radiating from her, her normally composed demeanor shaken by the weight of this place. She was a seasoned warrior, but even she had her limits.“I don’t know,” I said, my eyes scanning the landscape ahead. The sky above us flickered with unnatural colors, the swirling hues of violet and crimson casting an eerie glow over the endless expanse. The ground beneath our feet was cracked and jagged as if it had been torn apart by so
I stepped forward, feeling the pull of something beyond the veil of reality. The air around me shimmered as if it were made of liquid light. My heart pounded, the rhythm syncing with the pulsing glow that surrounded us. This place, this strange world we had entered, was unlike anything I had ever encountered. It wasn’t just the colors—shifting in shades I couldn’t name—but the very sensation of being here. It felt unreal and yet, at the same time, undeniable. There was weight to it, a heaviness in the atmosphere that weighed down on my soul.I could feel the presence of my companions behind me, their breathing shallow, and uncertain. We had crossed into a realm between realms, a world suspended between life and death, where the laws of nature and time seemed to bend and twist. The ground beneath us was soft, like the deepest sand, yet it didn’t give way beneath our feet. It was as though we were walking on air, hovering just above a surface that shifted with each step.“Is this…real?”
"Do you believe in fate, Cassia?" His voice echoed in the stillness, sharp and disembodied, yet so real I could feel his breath on my neck. My heart skipped a beat, and I felt a sudden cold sweat trickle down my spine."No," I replied, my voice firm despite the tightening in my chest. "Fate is a lie told to keep us in place."The mist swirling around us seemed to thicken, the shadows elongating into strange, shifting shapes. The portal in front of us flickered, its edges glowing faintly, like the last remnants of a dying star. But just as I thought we might be able to cross into the realm beyond, something changed.A figure stepped forward, so suddenly that I couldn’t even react in time. It was cloaked in shadow, its features hidden beneath the hood. Yet, I knew who it was before it even spoke."You are not welcome," the figure growled its voice a low, gravelly whisper that resonated through my bones.I froze, my blood turning to ice. The Guardian of the Gate had appeared.Lucien had
The air was thick with an unnatural chill as we ventured deeper into the forbidden lands. The trees towered over us, their twisted branches like skeletal fingers reaching toward the sky, blocking out what little light remained from the setting sun. The ground beneath our feet was soft, as though the earth itself had grown tired of bearing the weight of time. Every step felt like a warning, a reminder that we were walking on the ground not meant for mortals.I had never been this far from the pack’s territory. The stories of the forbidden lands were whispered in fear, told in hushed voices by the elders to keep us from venturing too far. They spoke of ancient magic, of rifts between worlds, and of dangers beyond our comprehension. But I had no choice. Lucien, my Alpha, my husband—or the man who was once my husband—was lost to me, pulled into a realm beyond the mortal world. And I would stop at nothing to bring him back.The others were close behind me, their eyes scanning the surroundi
The air around me buzzed with an energy I couldn’t quite explain. My body hummed, both with the power that I had finally learned to control and the anticipation of what was to come. Every fiber of my being was ready for the next step, but there was a gnawing ache in my chest—a fear that no amount of magic could erase."Are you sure about this?" Caden’s voice was soft, yet firm, as if he too was carrying the weight of this decision. I turned toward him, meeting his brown eyes with a steady gaze.“Lucien is out there. Somewhere. I can’t just walk away from him,” I replied, my voice filled with an emotion I hadn’t let myself feel in so long—hope.Caden gave a small nod, his lips pulling into a tight line. I could tell that he understood the depth of my words, that he knew just how much I had suffered, yet still—somehow—how much I loved the man who had once tormented me. “I’ll go with you,” he said, his tone resolute. "You don’t have to do this alone."“I know. I’ve never been alone. You’
I hadn’t expected this.A hooded figure stood before the palace gates, the fabric of his cloak flowing like shadows in the dim light of dusk. I had been pacing within the palace, the weight of my responsibilities heavy on my shoulders. I had almost convinced myself that Lucien was lost forever—that his absence, his death, had been the final, inevitable end to our tangled story. But then the guards came rushing in, breathless, their eyes wide with shock."The man at the gates," one of them said, his voice trembling. "He claims he has a message. For you, Your Majesty."A message. My heart skipped a beat, but I buried the tremor beneath the surface. "Let him in," I ordered, my voice steady, though my thoughts were anything but. I had not known peace since Lucien’s disappearance. His memory haunted every waking moment of my life. Could this man bring me answers? Or was it just another cruel twist of fate?The hooded figure was escorted into the throne room. I studied him with careful eyes
I stood at the balcony of the palace, gazing out over the land that Lucien had fought to protect. The sky was a dull gray as if the heavens themselves wept for all we had lost. My fingers traced the edge of the stone railing, cold and firm, much like the reality I had come to accept. He was gone.The war had ended, and the battle was won, but at what cost? I had gained everything, yet the price was unbearable. Lucien, the man I had come to love despite all the darkness that had surrounded him, was lost to me forever.I could still feel his presence in the corners of my mind, in the spaces between my breaths. He had been my tormentor, my savior, and in the end, he had been my love. The contradictions were maddening. But it was those contradictions that had made him who he was. A man who had loved with all the ferocity of his broken past and, in doing so, had given me the strength to rise above my own chains.I didn’t know how to rule without him. We had been a team, his fierce leadersh
"Lucien," I whispered, barely able to make the words escape my lips, my heart heavy with the weight of everything I knew was about to happen.He stood before me, the air around us crackling with energy. His golden eyes locked with mine, and in that moment, everything I had ever feared and wanted collided. There was a fire in his gaze, a fire that burned for me, for us, for the world we were trying to save—yet it was tinged with sorrow, an almost unbearable sadness."Cassia," he replied, his voice low, almost a growl. "This is the only way. You know that, don't you?"I nodded, my throat tight with the grief I could no longer suppress. My body was trembling—not from fear, but from the deep sorrow of knowing that everything we had fought for, every moment we had shared, was leading up to this. Lucien was about to make the ultimate sacrifice, and there was nothing I could do to stop it."I love you," he whispered fiercely as if trying to etch those words into the very fabric of my soul. "