Amara Kings' POVI woke up gasping for air, my body burning from the inside out. The mate bond flared like flames in my chest, pulling me toward Elias even as he slept across the room."Easy," my mother whispered, pressing a cool cloth to my face. "The bond is strengthening. Fight through it."We'd taken shelter in an old cabin after fleeing from Luther. My father was still weak from his wounds. Elias had fallen into exhausted sleep. And I was burning alive with need for my mate."It hurts," I whispered, rolling into a ball. "Why now?""The Blood Moon approaches," Mom explained. "It amplifies everything—especially mate bonds."I forced myself to sit up, sweat dripping down my face. Across the room, Elias stirred in his sleep, reacting to my discomfort."I feel him," I said, putting a hand to my chest. "Not just emotions anymore. His thoughts. His dreams."Mom nodded. "That's rare, even for true mates. Your healing abilities are affectin
Viktor Beaumont's POV The guard's neck snapped under my hands. I dropped his body quietly to the ground, wiping blood from my mouth. Five years in exile had made me fiercer, not weaker. I moved through the shadows of the Artemis Pack area. Once, I had ruled here. Now I was sneaking back like a thief. My nephew Elias had no idea I was coming. No idea that everything—Kamla's death, Amara's abuse, the attack on the cabin—was part of a bigger plan. A plan I had tried to stop years ago. "You shouldn't be here," a voice hissed from behind me. I spun around, claws extending. Marcus Hale, my nephew's Beta, stood with his hands raised. "Going to sound the alarm, Marcus?" I asked, ready to quiet him if needed. "If I wanted to, I would have already." His eyes darted around nervously. "You need to leave. Ingrid has tripled security since Elias left to find Amara." I smiled coldly. "Ingrid is exactly who I came to see." Marcus grabbed m
Amara's POVI'd never looked up at the sky.Not like other folks had; stretching out wide and boundless and full of potential. My world was always broken into fragments, viewed through contradicting bars across my window or the splits in frigid stone walls that held me captive. Outside existed only in fantasy, something I'd dreamed, something I was never supposed to reach.For eighteen years, I had never been anything other than a secret. A pilfered breath in shadowed hallways. A ghost behind closed doors. A Winters by birth, but not by name. No one beyond these doors was aware of my presence.Because I was never supposed to be.I felt all that would change this night. My heart beat rose, as I thought of the possibility and the door opened. Heeling clicks, slow, stiffly, rang through the stillness. And then the voice, honey-sweet and lethal."You're actually doing this?" I heard her say. I turned to see Kamla. She stood in the doorway, with her arms folded, her smile like a knife.
Amara’s POVThe night air scorched my lungs as I gasped for breath, stumbling out of the ballroom. My heels crashed against the marble as I walked, but it barely made a sound over the echo of laughter, of whispers, of my humiliation spreading out in front of them all.How dare he say that to me? How could my father let him insult me like this? Was I only a slave to them? All he ever did was hide me. What did I ever do to him or them? I hated them. And now I hated the fact the moon goddess was cruel enough to give me a mate. One who didn't care about me or my feelings. I ran into my room, closing the door shut. His words continued to ring in my head and wouldn't stop. “I, Alpha Elias Beaumont, reject you, Amara Kings, as my mate.”“Please, stop,” I begged, crouching to the floor. “Just stop, please. It's too much.”I closed my eyes, but the words were etched into my flesh, a pain that wouldn’t go away. The mate bond ripped apart within me, one strand at a time, scorching my blood. M
Elias’ POVThe doors flung open, with two men dragging Amara in. They held her arms as if she were nothing more than a sack of potatoes. She didn't struggle and I wondered what had happened. She looked bloodied and her head bowed. They threw on the floor, and she slowly rose struggling to hold her weight up with her hands. “What is the meaning of this?” Alpha Charles commanded. Amara struggled to raise her head, with her hair falling down her face. She didn't bother to fight like she expected the worst to happen. Something in me tightened as I watched her tremble. I didn't want to see her like this, yet but I had refused her as my mate. “She killed Kamla!” One of the men said. Loud gasps flowed in the room. “No, that can't be,” I heard someone whisper. “It's true. She killed her sister,” the second bodyguard added. “I…I didn't do it,” Amala stuttered. “Please…I swear, I didn't...you have to believe me.”“Shut her up,” Gamma Rawl ordered and Alpha Charles raised his hand. “Wh
Amara's POVI couldn't scream. I was taken from my pack and made a prisoner in his own pack. For the first time I heard my father defend me. It made me feel happy even if it was for a moment. He had never taken me as his daughter all these years. I knew he didn't want to lose his last heir, but it was still better than not having him say a word in my favour. The men threw me into the cell and I crashed to the floor hitting my body hard. I groaned and lifted my face only to feel a sickening fist land on my face. “Murderer,” he spat and I coughed. The blood choked in my throat and I let it out. I wanted to argue, to prove my innocence, but I didn't. What was the point? “What a loser?” The voice continued. “You had to kill your sister because you were dumped. Pathetic bitch!” The next thing I felt was his hand pulling my hair, making me yelp. I struggled and his hand smacked me. I was doomed. There was no one going to save me. When he lifted his fist, I gasped, closing my eyes
Elias’ POVI barely returned to my room when my legs failed me, and I fell against the edge of my bed, sweating profusely, my chest heaving as if I had just raced a long distance. My hands gripped my head, but nothing could stop the searing pain that was bouncing inside my brain.The rejection hadn’t worked.I could still feel her.Amara.My mind called. Her name was a wound I could not mend.Each time I reached for her, something within me shifted, the bond mate tightening, refusing to let go. I could still feel her blood on my lips, hear the fury of her voice, that wheeze whispering spurn around me. I tried.And almost died.I tore off my sweat-soaked shirt, pacing the room. I could feel my skin burning, the unnatural, hot fire refusing to disappear in spite of all the fresh air it got. There was electricity in my veins, something lurking just under my skin.And the worst?Every time I blinked, I saw her.Not the Amara in that dungeon, bruised and battered. But a different, stronge
Amara's POVI was still here, alive and a prisoner. I hate it. If I ever got my hands on Luther, I would….Do nothing.My mind reminded me of my limits. I looked around, at the prison walls. It was cold and wet. My dried blood filled my nose. It was dull and my wolf howled. How much longer?How much more before something inside of me just…broke?I licked my dry lips, wetting them with my saliva a little. I was thirsty and my throat felt dry. I was starving and my body ached from my wounds. They were healing slowly because my wolf was hurt. And worst of all, perhaps? I was suicidal. The thought lingered around me like an anchor below the water, keeping me down lower than anything in my body could.I compelled my fingers to my chest, over my heart, where the mate bond throbbed like an infected wound. Elias. His name was venom in my veins. I hated him. I needed to be free of him. The urge burned me bright, wild with desperation. I ached to reject him. Here. Now. I clenched my
Viktor Beaumont's POV The guard's neck snapped under my hands. I dropped his body quietly to the ground, wiping blood from my mouth. Five years in exile had made me fiercer, not weaker. I moved through the shadows of the Artemis Pack area. Once, I had ruled here. Now I was sneaking back like a thief. My nephew Elias had no idea I was coming. No idea that everything—Kamla's death, Amara's abuse, the attack on the cabin—was part of a bigger plan. A plan I had tried to stop years ago. "You shouldn't be here," a voice hissed from behind me. I spun around, claws extending. Marcus Hale, my nephew's Beta, stood with his hands raised. "Going to sound the alarm, Marcus?" I asked, ready to quiet him if needed. "If I wanted to, I would have already." His eyes darted around nervously. "You need to leave. Ingrid has tripled security since Elias left to find Amara." I smiled coldly. "Ingrid is exactly who I came to see." Marcus grabbed m
Amara Kings' POVI woke up gasping for air, my body burning from the inside out. The mate bond flared like flames in my chest, pulling me toward Elias even as he slept across the room."Easy," my mother whispered, pressing a cool cloth to my face. "The bond is strengthening. Fight through it."We'd taken shelter in an old cabin after fleeing from Luther. My father was still weak from his wounds. Elias had fallen into exhausted sleep. And I was burning alive with need for my mate."It hurts," I whispered, rolling into a ball. "Why now?""The Blood Moon approaches," Mom explained. "It amplifies everything—especially mate bonds."I forced myself to sit up, sweat dripping down my face. Across the room, Elias stirred in his sleep, reacting to my discomfort."I feel him," I said, putting a hand to my chest. "Not just emotions anymore. His thoughts. His dreams."Mom nodded. "That's rare, even for true mates. Your healing abilities are affectin
Elder Thalia Reed's POVThe old books tumbled from the shelf as I yanked the secret lever. Behind me, I heard the heavy footsteps of the Guardians searching the house. They'd already checked this room once, but they'd be back soon.I didn't have much time.The bookcase swung open with a creak, showing a narrow passage. I slipped inside, pulling it closed just as voices approached. My old bones complained as I hurried down the stone steps, my only light a small crystal that glowed blue in my palm.For eighty years, I had served as Elder of the Blood Moon Pack, keeper of our most dangerous secrets. Only three people knew about this secret chamber beneath the pack house. Charles, Seraphina, and me.At the bottom of the stairs, I pressed my hand against the stone door. It recognized my touch and slid open."Finally," Orion Blackwood said, rising from where he sat against the wall. "I've been waiting for hours.""The Guardians are everywhere," I
Luther Cain's POVI smashed the burner phone under my boot, grinding the parts into the dirt. The call had taken only thirty seconds, but it changed everything."Amara is still alive," the voice had said. "She's with Elias. They know what you did."My carefully built plan was coming apart. For eighteen years, I'd worked as Beta to Charles Winters, waiting for the right moment to take control of the Blood Moon Pack. Now that stupid girl had ruined everything.I kicked the pieces of the phone into the bushes and headed back toward the pack house. Members nodded respectfully as I passed. They still trusted me. Still thought I was the loyal Beta who'd stepped up after Charles disappeared.They had no idea what I'd done. What I was capable of.Inside my office, I locked the door and pulled out the list of names. Five people who knew too much. Five lost ends that needed to be cut.Marcus Hale topped the list. Elias's Beta had seen me talking to Celeste the night before Kamla's murder. He'd
Elias Beaumont's POVThe bullet grazed my shoulder as I dove behind the fallen table. Wood splintered above my head as more gunfire tore through the home."Viktor!" I yelled over the chaos. "Where are they?"My uncle reloaded his shotgun with trained hands. "Everywhere. At least twenty Guardians outside."I peered through a broken window. Black-clad figures were moving on the house from all sides. In the distance, I caught a glimpse of Rowan's motorcycle disappearing into the trees with Amara hanging to his back.A strange mixture of relief and fear washed over me. She was safer away from here, but the thought of her with Rowan made my stomach twist. I didn't trust him, promise keeper or not."We need to move," Viktor said, breaking into my thoughts. "They'll burn the place down if they have to."I nodded, trying to focus. My pack needed me. But Amara—my true mate—was going into danger without me.The front door crashed open. I shifted instantly, bones popping as my wolf form emerged.
Rowan Kingsley's POVI ducked as the knife whizzed past my ear and stuck in the wooden beam behind me. Elias Beaumont stood in the doorway, another blade already in his hand."Get out of my house before I put the next one between your eyes," he growled."I'm not here to fight," I said, keeping my hands where he could see them. "I'm here to help Amara.""How did you get past the guards?" Viktor asked from behind Elias."The same way the Guardians will get in if you don't listen to me," I answered. "Your security is good against werewolves, but not against what's coming."I'd been tracking Amara Kings for two years. Watching from a distance, waiting for the right time. I'd seen everything – her imprisonment, her torture at Elias's hands, her escape with Lyra's aid. All part of the prophecy that had ruled my life since I was a kid."Who are you?" Elias asked.Before I could answer, footsteps rushed down the stairs and Amara appeared. Her eyes were red from tears. She must have felt Charl
Luna Seraphina Winters's POV"You cannot enter here," the hooded guardian said, blocking my way. "This temple is forbidden to outsiders."Blood dripped from the cut on my forehead where a branch had struck me during my climb up the mountain. I was tired, hungry, and in no mood for more challenges."I am not an outsider," I said, pushing back my hair to show the mark behind my ear – three silver stars in the shape of a triangle. "I am Seraphina of the Starborn. This temple belongs to my people."The guardian's eyes widened. He dropped to one knee. "Forgive me, My Lady. We thought the Starborn were extinct.""Nearly," I said, my voice bitter. "But not quite."I felt Charles's death like a knife to my heart just hours ago. The link we had shared for twenty years suddenly torn away. I had fallen in the forest, screaming his name. Now I had to hurry. Amara needed me, even if she didn't know I was living.The guardian led me through stone passageways lit by blue flames that needed no fuel.
Orion Blackwood's POV I caught the guard's arm mid-swing and turned it behind his back. His knife clattered to the ground. "I don't want to hurt you, Travis," I whispered. "I just need to get inside." Recognition flashed in the young guard's eyes. "Orion? You can't be here! They'll kill you on sight!" "Let them try," I said, releasing him. "I've survived worse than Beta Luther's welcome committee." Eight years in hiding had changed me. Once, I'd been Blood Moon Pack's Head Warrior, Charles Winters' right hand. Now I was a ghost, returning to a place that had forgotten me. Travis glanced nervously toward the main house. "Everything's fallen apart, Orion. Alpha Charles is dead. Kamla was murdered. Amara disappeared. And Beta Luther..." "Is acting Alpha now," I finished for him. "I know. That's why I'm back." Travis hesitated, then gave me his pack jacket. "Take this. It'll help you blend in. The old tunnels beneath the packhouse haven't been sealed. Enter through the east
Five years earlier"You can't be serious, Uncle." Elias stood before me, barely twenty years old, already showing the attitude that would one day destroy him."I've seen it with my own eyes," I insisted. "Charles Winters is hiding something. A child with powers that could change everything.""The Blood Moon Pack has always been secretive," Elias shrugged. "That doesn't mean they're harboring some magical child."I slammed my fist on the table. "This isn't about pack politics! The prophecy speaks of a three-heart child who will either unite or destroy us all. If Charles is hiding her—""Prophecies," Elias laughed. "You sound like the old witch who lives at the edge of our territory.""Celeste Moreau knows more than you give her credit for," I growled."Mother was right. You're becoming unstable." Elias turned away. "Perhaps it's time for new leadership."I froze. "You would challenge me? Your own blood?""If I must." His eyes flashed gold - the mark of an Alpha. My sister's son, but no