ALPHA LUCIUS'S POV I find myself seething with anger, the frustration boiling beneath the surface like molten lava. I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me, shouldn't have touched Vesta in anger. And telling her about Luna's death... that was a mistake. There's no way she would believe me if I told her the truth—that Luna poisoned her and they were trying to use her to get to me. The same thing I was trying to avoid. Since I met Vesta, I have been actings in ways that even I can’t explain. I would hate for her to be a weakness and I can’t keep lying to myself that I wasn’t approaching that point already. Locking her in the dungeon as punishment was necessary, but it gnaws at me. She refuses to listen, refuses to yield to me. The way she fights the mate bond, it's exhausting. Not like I ever wanted a mate too, but I couldn’t bear to see her reject me. It was messing with me and I hated it so much. I shouldn’t show emotions, I didn’t get to where I was by having em
I paced the confines of the dungeon, my hunger gnawing at my insides like a ravenous beast. I should have known that Lucius would see this through to the end. He didn’t earn his reputation as a monster for nothing, and I should have reminded myself of that before I reacted. Maybe I shouldn’t have slapped him that hard. It wasn’t my fault that he killed the only person who showed me kindness because she did. He didn’t have to kill her, but he did. To what end? Maybe it was an ego boost for himself, but there’s more to life than killing people for ego boosts and making everyone fear you. I guess the concept of being human was strange to my blind mate. I don’t blame him when all he has known all his life is how to be a fucking monster. Finally, a guard arrived with a food tray, setting it down on the cold stone floor. I scanned the contents hungrily, and my stomach grumbled in response. For a split second, I missed the monotonous life I was living on my secluded floor. I didn’t have
ALPHA LUCIUS’S POV The battle had gone the same way as every other one I have fought in my life. It ended with me clearing them up and reminding them why I was the alpha king and why they couldn’t go against me. It did serve as a temporary distraction from thinking about my unruly mate, but the moment it was over, I found myself going back to thinking about her. It was getting harder to convince myself that I didn’t care about her. Now, I truly believe what they usually say about mate bonds and how they make you feel the worst of things and still crave people no matter what they do to you. I needed more distraction, and I knew exactly how I would get it. Instead of going home, I discharged a few more of my men and left the most trusted ones, and we started our journey to the tiny village up the hills. With a good disguise, most people won’t know it's me. Rose awaited me there, my mistress, a secret I kept well-guarded from prying eyes. She was the only thing that made me sane in
VESTA’S POVThe oppressive heat of my mating cycle intensified, filling every fiber of my being with an unbearable fire. Lila, my wolf, was in a frenzy, her relentless howls echoing through my mind. She hungered for her mate, her desperation driving us both to the brink of madness. I should have known I would enter heat soon with everything between me and Lucius. I had yet to learn how I forgot this stage of the mate bond. Especially when I’ve always heard female wolves rave about it in my pack. Either way, it wasn’t looking good for me.This was the stage when you were utterly useless and all you wanted was to be marked. This was the stage when your body and wolf craved your mate. I retreated deeper into my consciousness, seeking refuge from the madness going on. Lila's instincts surged to the forefront, her primal urges guiding us with an iron grip. She was mainly in charge and I was becoming too weak to be in control. When the guard arrived with my usual meal, I recoiled from hi
I woke up to find myself in a room that smelled unmistakably of Lucius. The darkness enveloped me, pressing in from all sides, and I knew without a doubt that I was in his chambers. But where was he?Groggily, I pushed myself up from the bed, my muscles protesting from the restless night. Lucius was nowhere to be found, and that scared me and relaxed me at the same time. Why the hell did he let me go from the dungeon? I could barely remember the events of the nights before, which alone scared me. Thankfully, my heat period was over, and I wasn’t feeling the urge to jump his bones. Being in a room that smelled like our mate's made Lila feel even more at peace. Feeling a bit better than the previous night, I took a shower. The thought of washing away the lingering traces of captivity and despair filled me with renewed purpose. It was time to approach this from a different perspective, Lucius isn’t a fool. Stepping into the bathroom, I let the warm water cascade over me, washing away t
I took a deep breath as I stepped out onto Lucius' private patio. The cool night air brushed against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. The table was set with a simple elegance that belied the tension simmering just beneath the surface.Lucius, seated at the head of the table, turned his head slightly as I approached. His unseeing eyes followed the sound of my footsteps, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips."Vesta," he greeted, his voice warm. "Thank you for joining me.""Of course," I replied, forcing a smile. "It’s... nice to have a change of scenery."He motioned for me to sit. "I thought it would be pleasant to dine out here tonight. The weather is perfect."I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. "Yes, it is."We settled into our meal, the silence between us filled only by the clinking of cutlery and the distant sounds of the forest. I kept my gaze focused on my plate, struggling to tamp down the irritation bubbling inside me. Lucius broke the silence first.
In the depths of my restless sleep, I wandered through hazy corridors of memory. Ghosts of the past swirled around me like shadows in the night.I walked hand in hand with my mother, the scent of roses heavy in the air as we strolled through a moonlit garden. Each step was filled with unspoken tension, unanswered questions lingering like a thick fog."Mother," I began tentatively, whispering. "Why won't you tell me what happened?"She turned to me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Vesta, my dear," she murmured, her voice sad. "Some things are better left unsaid."I frowned, frustration growing. "But I need to know," I insisted, desperation in my voice.She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "You don't understand, Vesta," she replied with regret. "Some truths are too painful to bear."I shook my head, feeling the weight of her words. "I can't live like this, Mother," I whispered, tears stinging my eyes. "I need to know the truth."She reached out, her hand gentle on my cheek. "I wis
VESTA'S POVI sat in the dark room, the silence heavy around me like a suffocating blanket. Each moment felt like an eternity, the weight of my confinement pressing down on me like a prison of my own making.I loathed Lucius for treating me like a common prisoner, confining me to this wing of the palace as if I were just a pawn in his twisted game. I felt like I was losing a piece of myself every day, and something told me Lucius knew exactly what he was doing to me. He wouldn't stop unless I stopped him myself.The next morning, after having breakfast on the balcony, I returned to my room to stare at the ceiling. I tried convincing myself that I wasn’t going mad and that this was perfectly normal for someone who supposedly cared about me.An omega arrived in the room with a stack of books from the library. She hesitated at the threshold, her eyes darting nervously around as if expecting danger."Good morning, Miss Vesta," she greeted timidly. She seemed so young and fearful. I wondere