Violet POV I gasp for air, my lungs burning as I fight to stay conscious. The poison-or whatever the hell was in that blade-is working fast, tearing through me like wildfire.Hot tears streak down my face as I watch Mason and Adrian, usually at each other's throats, now fighting together, their movements fast and vicious .The Viper is strong, impossibly fast, but so are they.One minute, they're clashing, the sound of fists and growls ripping through the night. The next, the Viper seizes an opening, a small gap in their coordination-and flees.The bastard is gone.Mason and Adrian don't waste a second."Violet!"Adrian reaches me first, his strong arms scooping me up like I weigh nothing. Mason hesitates, his jaw tight as he watches. But when I shoot him a weak, stern glare, he grits his teeth and steps aside.Adrian carries me swiftly toward the Packhouse, his grip firm but careful. His warmth barely cuts through the cold fire spreading through my veins. The poison is fast. Too fas
Alpha Valenwood glanced at us, his gaze-appreciative? Doubtful? I couldn't tell. But what I did recognize was the disbelief in his eyes.He dragged in a breath, his chest rising, and then exhaled, his gaze narrowing into slits."You need to be prepared. Ebony Hollow isn't just a name for fun. If you go in unprepared, neither of you will make it out alive."My stomach twisted. Blood drained from my system. The only fucking option left still had to have an alternative. Screw this.Violet was still lying on the bed while the Seer muttered who-knows-what to the Moon Goddess.Ares let out a howl-right in my head. The effect was worse than a fucking migraine. I could feel his pain of watching us doing nothing while we watch our mate suffer in pain.I felt it too. Damn it.My phone vibrated from my pocket. A text message from Reynold. He was here, but the Valenwood warriors were stopping him from entering.Frustration burns in my chest, and I could barely hides the irritation in my voice "Yo
ADRIAN POV Mason and I were headed to fetch the Moondrake flower. Ebon Hollow.Ares was on edge, ready for a fight, and honestly? I was hoping for the worst. Whatever happens, the only damn goal is to bring the Moondrake back.The only fucking problem? Mason.I mean, walking alone with this bastard? After years of being at each other's throats? Our packs are sworn enemies, and now I'm supposed to stroll beside him like we're old war buddies? Yeah, right.Alpha Valenwood's last warning still echoed in my head: "Ebon Hollow isn't just dangerous. It's alive. It feeds on fear, plays tricks on the mind, warps reality."Scary shit, but fear isn't exactly my thing. If there's a word for bravery, slap my name right next to it.The sun was barely up when Mason and I crossed the border, both of us dead silent. Not a word. Not even a grunt. Ares was gnawing at him, daring me to make a move. One word from this asshole, and I swear by the Goddess, we'd be rolling in the dirt.Well... so I thought
Emily POV I'm pissed. Fucking pissed.Each and every damn time, the Moon Goddess proves that she has her fucking favorites-and it sure as hell isn't me.How on earth? How, by the Moon Goddess, did it happen?The Viper is known for never missing his target. Fucking known for never failing. And yet, somehow-somehow-she became the first person to break his record.How did it happen? How the fuck did it ever happen?That day, when he made the call, I expected victory. Fucking victory. But instead, he told me she survived. She fucking survived.First, the poison.I sold my dignity for that plan. Slept my way through the Valenwood guards. Had a damn threesome just to get close enough to initiate it. And after all that-after poisoning her drink in her own fucking gala-what did I get in return?She turned stronger.She didn't die. She survives. That night, she didn't just survive the poison-she made every single body in that room bow to her. The power. The fucking aura that had came from her
ADRIAN POV We barely made it back.Our boots slammed against the ground as we crashed through the border, lungs burning, bodies aching. Still, we didn't stop. We kept running. Ares for sure didnt want to give up. "We're close, just few minutes. Our mate is going to be fine. Few minutes," his chants on my head, made my heart eases. Burning lungs, fast beating heart was nothing compared to seeing Violet alive. Seeing the pain she had etched on her face gone and replaced with a soft smile.Her smile, her smile alone was like heaven. The Moondrake.Mason was gripping the damn thing so tightly his knuckles had gone white. Neither of us spoke as we stormed into the pack house, the Valenwood mansion.The warriors gave way, giving an emergency call as they saw us marched inside.Different looks, whispers. Of course whispers. I mean we have fuckimg entered inside the Ebon Hollow and came out fucking alive. Not just alive, with the moon drake.Alpha Valenwood walked inside the Pack house, h
Violet POV My head is pounding heavily. I'm in a daze... but I can feel the effects of this fucking migraine. My eyelids flutter open, and I shut them immediately. The sunlight pierces straight into my eyes, forcing them closed again."Ouch!" I let out a wince as I try to sit up, but the migraine worsens, and my body feels like it's spinning.Movement. I hear movements... and then voices."She's awake?" That voice."She's awake!" The emotion-the happiness-is unmistakable. It's fucking ecstatic.Adrian.I turn my head toward him, but the light is too much, so I shut my eyes again.I hear him move, muttering something under his breath, and then the light dims."Violet, you're awake?" His voice trembles.I open my eyes, peering into his. His gaze locks onto mine, searching, almost as if he's staring straight into my soul. His emotions are swirling, barely contained. I can tell he wants to hug me but is holding himself back."Violet?" Another voice calls from the other end of the room.M
Violet POV "Harry?" I stutter, my throat tightening. I don't know what to say. It's like I'm caught at a crossroad, forced to pick between the lesser devil.The room falls silent. Not a single word is said. All attention is on me. All eyes.Dad, Mason, and Adrian gaze at me inquisitively, silently demanding an answer.I can't lie. There's no point. I had every intention of telling Adrian about Harry-but never like this.My gaze grows misty as I glance at Adrian, trying to pass an apologetic message.He shakes his head, already knowing damn well what I'm trying to do."Fucking tell me. Who is Harry? This isn't the first time you're calling his name," Adrian growls, his voice tight with frustration.His hands curl into fists, and his face twists in fury.My gaze drops to the floor."Tell me! Fucking tell us! Is he your new lover? You were calling his name in your sleep the other night!"Jealousy. I can tell he's jealous. But no, Harry is more than that. Harry isn't just a man. He isn't
Violet POV It's been four days since we started carrying out the search for Harry. Adrian hasn't been himself. As a matter of fact, he isn't even talking to me. I can see the hurt in his eyes-the betrayal. I know I hurt him, but it wasn't my fault. It wasn't intentional. Maybe it's time I owned up and admitted that I'm fucking at fault... that I'm fucking to be blamed for all this.We've searched the entire area, and fuck, there hasn't been a fucking positive response. No clue. No lead. Fucking nothing.I'm going insane. I haven't slept a wink since the day he went missing. I'm angry and irritable.Dad, Mason, and Adrian requested a picture of what he looks like. And no doubt, I brought out my phone and scrolled through my gallery.Several photos of Harry-where he was smiling, where he was eating cotton candy... and several more that made my heart feel like it was wrenching apart.I watch as Adrian's face contorts with rage the moment he sees Harry. I doubt he'll ever talk to me agai
Violet POV I wake up feeling sore but utterly satisfied. My body aches with the remnants of last night, Adrian's touch still lingering on my skin. A soft smile tugs at my lips as I stretch, expecting to feel his warmth beside me. But when I turn, the bed is empty.Frowning, I sit up, wrapping the sheets around me. Where did he go?Before I can call out for him, the door creaks open.Adrian steps in, dressed in only sweatpants, his toned chest bare, his dark hair still damp from a shower. But what catches my attention is the small velvet box in his hands.My breath hitches.He walks toward me with that confident stride, his piercing eyes locking onto mine. My heart starts hammering in my chest."Adrian?" My voice is barely above a whisper.He stops in front of me, and without a second's hesitation, he sinks down to one knee.I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth."Violet," he begins, his voice steady but thick with emotion. "From the moment you came into my life, you've been my greatest
Violet's POVI barely have a moment to catch my breath before Adrian lifts me into his arms, his grip strong and possessive. My body is still trembling, my mind hazy from the pleasure he just wrung out of me, but the hunger in his eyes tells me he's far from done."We're not finished," he growls, his voice thick with desire.I shudder at the dark promise in his tone.Adrian strides out of the pool, his muscles flexing with each determined step. Water drips from his body, soaking me in the process, but I don't care. My fingers tangle in his damp hair, my lips pressing against the curve of his jaw, his neck. I can't get enough of him.His grip tightens around me as he carries me through the pack house, ignoring the startled glances from a few passing pack members. My cheeks burn, but Adrian doesn't slow down. His focus is solely on me-on us.By the time we reach his room, my arousal is pulsing all over again. He kicks the door shut behind him, then pins me against it.His lips crash aga
ADRIAN POV I pulled my finger out from her already wet dripping pussy, and she squirms.My cock aches, hard and pulsing, but I hold back, watching her beneath me. Violet is trembling, her breath coming out in soft, desperate gasps as she squirms against the wall."You enjoy teasing me, don't you?" I murmur, dragging my lips down her throat, my teeth grazing her pulse. Her body shudders, her nails digging into my shoulders."Adrian..." she breathes, her voice laced with frustration.I chuckle darkly. "No, sweetheart. You don't get to say my name like that-not after the hell you put me through."She glares at me, her stubbornness flashing in those beautiful eyes, but the desperation in them is unmistakable. She wants this. She needs this.I press my knee between her thighs, spreading her legs wider, feeling the heat radiating from her core. My fingers glide down her stomach, teasing the waistband of her shorts."I can smell you, Violet," I whisper, my fingers just barely ghosting over
ADRIAN POV The Rogue Alpha had stopped screaming a while ago. Now, he only groaned, barely clinging to consciousness as his severed fingers lay discarded on the cold floor. Blood pooled beneath him, I barely noticed.I crouched in front of him, gripping his chin and forcing his head up. His swollen, bloodshot eyes struggled to focus on me."I told you," I murmured, my voice eerily calm. "You were going to die a slow, painful death."His lips curled into a weak, mocking smirk. "Just kill me already,?" His breath hitched, his body convulsing from the pain.I narrowed my eyes, my grip tightening painfully. "You're already dead. It's just a matter of when."He let out a hoarse chuckle, but I was done listening. My fist connected with his jaw, the crack of bone satisfying as his body slumped forward.Without another glance, I turned and walked out of the dungeon, slamming the door behind me.The cool evening breeze was exactly what I needed to cool the heat Of battle still pulsing through
VIOLET POV The moment I open my eyes, my first thought goes to Adrian-the mate mark on my neck burning like a reminder.His voice reaches me, low and desperate, as he sits beside my bed, repeating over and over again, "Sit up. Don't die on me."It aches... watching him suffer, knowing his mate, the one he stood beside, waiting so patiently to wake up, didn't even recognize him.The Shadow Alpha... I'm glad he's beaten down. But why am I doing this? Honestly, I don't even know. The plan I made was half-baked, driven by instinct more than logic.But Mason? He's sharp enough to see right through me. He knows I'm just pranking him."You enjoy needling him, don't you?" Mason asks the moment Adrian storms out of the room, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway.I turn to look at him, the laughter I'd been holding back finally breaking free. "Did you see his face?" I chuckle, shaking my head. "He looked like he was ready to rip your throat out."Mason grins, lounging back against the
Adrian POV Three days.Three fucking days.But it doesn't feel like just three days of agony. It feels like a lifetime. Like I'm drowning in slow motion, gasping for air while the world watches and does nothing.Harry's been calling me Daddy like he's afraid I'll disappear if he stops. He's been jumping around, tugging at my hand, showing me drawings he made in the hospital's playroom. He even drew one of Violet, him, and me. A perfect little family, all smiles and holding hands.But that's a fucking lie.Because Violet had to pretend.After the doctors explained everything-her memory loss, the gaps in her mind that swallowed me whole-she agreed to go along with the truth for Harry's sake. Not mine. Just Harry's."Daddy, look! I made another one!" Harry beams, holding up a messy drawing of us with stick arms and lopsided smiles. "This is you, Mommy, and me! We're fighting bad guys together!"I force a smile. It feels fake. Stiff."That's awesome, buddy," I say, ruffling his dark hair
ADRIAN POV "Violet, I love you. And I promise to make everything right. Just give me this chance and come back... please." My bears frantically as I say these words. Ares is clawing right at me. It's another day of saying the same words, over and over again.I've battled demons that won't let me sleep. Nightmares. Guilt. Regret. But I refuse to break."I won't give up. No, I can't give up," I mutter, gripping her cold, lifeless hand like it's the only thing keeping me grounded.My body tingles from the contact, the familiar warmth of her skin, even in its fragile state. I miss her, we missed her. Ares and I. Her smiles... How her eyes sparkles... How she looks when she's angry and wants to deliver a warning. The soft looks of her eyes. I fucking miss all of it and more."Sweetheart, please," I whisper, brushing a loose strand of hair from her pale face. "Harry misses you so much. He won't stop talking about everything you taught him-the nasty tricks, too. Like how you'd seize his
Adrian POV It's been two days, and I haven't moved an inch away from where Violet lay. She was all I fucking had.I almost lost her. She almost died. I felt her die."Alpha, you need to rest," Reynold's voice cuts through the silence that was existing I'm the room. I turn my head slowly, blinking at him.Rest? That's an understatement. I don't want to move. I want to sit here, watch her breathe, and make sure her chest rises and falls every goddamn second.The doctor says she's in a coma and will need a few days to recover. I want to be the first person she sees when her eyes flutter open. The first person she calls. The first person to watch her smile again, bright and alive.No. I can't. I won't move from here."What about Alpha Valenwood?" I ask, voice hoarse from hours of silence. He'd checked up on her and had been staying in my pack house ever since."He's still there, bonding with Harry," Reynold reports, his gaze softening. "Speaking of Harry... he hasn't touched a bite of fo
Adrian POV Ares growls inside me, restless and furious. We're holding our mate in our arms, but she's lifeless. Whatever the fucker injected into that syringe had done its job, and now Violet's life is slipping through my fingers. He won't die easily. Not after this."Reynold," I mind-link, voice sharp as steel. "Capture that bastard. I want him rotting in the pack dungeon. No one touches him but me.""Understood, Alpha," Reynold replies, his tone matching my rage.By the time I storm into my pack's hospital, Violet's body cradled against my chest, everyone freezes. Gasps echo through the hallway, but I don't care. My only prayer is that Harry's still indoors, far from witnessing this nightmare."Alpha!" Dr. Lee rushes toward me, eyes wide."Get to fucking work! She's losing breath. She's dying, Lee! Do something!" My voice cracks as I lay her on the bed, the same damn bed I once bled out on.Dr. Lee doesn't waste a second. He mutters commands, nurses scrambling around like clockwork