I watch Claudia, tension coiled tight in her shoulders. I know her well enough to understand that whatever she is about to ask of me, it’s only because she sees no other way. My chest still burns from where the bond tugs, pleading with me to go after Reid, but I can’t. I can’t even mark him. What’s the point?Asher watches me closely, his gaze sharp, calculating. He doesn’t trust me. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s probably right. If I’m bound to Braden, and he holds my powers, then he can control me just as he controlled Claudia. Karma is a bitch.When Braden first ordered me to manipulate her memories, I did it without hesitation. Call it the bond, call it jealousy—whatever the reason, I did it. And I slept soundly afterward. But then Braden flaunted Claudia in front of me. I never liked seeing them together, but I had Ansel. More importantly, I got to know her. And the more Braden demanded, the more I saw the toll my magic took on her until I hated myself for doing it. Whatever
Gaia does her job beautifully, but I can tell Asher isn’t convinced. I tell Gaia we have secured a room in the guest wing of the castle for her so she doesn’t need to stay at the hospital. A guard will still be on hand if she needs one. We both know the real reason the guard is there. But Gaia doesn’t fight it. She’s trying to make amends, and this is what I hope Asher will see. She's a good person, I know he can trust her. Once she’s settled, I have the maid bring her a few items in her size and leave her to get comfortable. Asher remains distracted as we head toward the stairs. I message Erin to see if she’s free for training, but she has been moved to patrol the borders.“Asher, are you listening?”“Hmmm? What was that, love?” he asks, still completely distracted. His storm-grey eyes flick to his phone before slipping it back into his pocket. Something is wrong, but he won’t say what. Deciding to tease him, I go for the one thing that usually snaps him out of his head.“I said I’m
A shiver trails down my spine as I see him. It’s been months, and he looks so different from what I remember—gaunt, streaks of gray in his hair, and his jaw sagging as if the weight of time has finally caught up with him.“Don’t scream, Claudia!” he begs. His clothes are filthy and torn, no doubt from pushing through the dense trees. When this is over, I’m going to have to speak to Asher about the patrols—too many wolves are slipping through.“I’m surprised to see you here. What are you doing?” Of all the people, I never thought Ansel would dare to come here. His eyes flicker, restless, as he steps closer. I instinctively step back, my boot catching on a broken brick from the old ruins. The ground gives way beneath me, and I tumble, landing hard on my ass. Before I can even think about scrambling away, Ansel is on me in a flash. His hands clamp around my wrists, yanking me up with a frenzied urgency. His breath, hot and ragged, fans against my skin. A sickening weight drops into my st
“Get off me, you prick!” My wolf surges forward, strength and aura buzzing through my muscles as I shove him off. I scramble free, fingers clawing into the dirt, but Ansel recovers too quickly. He’s had this power for years—I’ve barely had it for days. It shows in the way he moves, methodical and precise, like a predator toying with wounded prey.I thought he looked worse for wear, but now I realize—it was a ploy. A trick to make me complacent.“You're strong. I like that.” His voice is a purr, smug and possessive. “You'll give me powerful pups. I should have bred you the moment you stepped into my pack.”The words send a sick churn through my gut.“You’re twisted,” I spit, wiping dirt from my cheek as I force myself upright. “No wonder Gaia left you.”Ansel mirrors my stance, his movements practiced, effortless. Mine are still raw, unrefined. A smirk tugs at his lips.“Gaia was nothing but a whore,” he says, but bitterness laces every word.I scoff. He doesn’t even realize Braden pla
My heart pounds so violently I swear it might burst. Dust clogs my throat as I cough, the particles flying from my mouth, but my throat is too dry to speak—to scream. All I can do is stare, wide-eyed, as the beast’s claws slash downward—Snap.The bindings around my wrists and ankles unravel, and before I can even register it, I’m on my feet. My pulse hammers as the beast multiplies—three, no, five of them. Ten pairs of crimson eyes burn through the rain as the trees tremble. The earth tilts beneath me as I stumble, my limbs sluggish, my body unsteady. Cold rain lashes against my skin, drenching my hair, soaking through my clothes. I blink, my vision sharpening just in time to see—Only one beast remains.Oh God. I’m going to die.I freeze. I can’t outrun him. I can’t fight him off. I just watched him rip Ansel in two as if he were breaking a KitKat. My stomach lurches, bile rising in my throat.The rain clings to my lashes as I blink up at him, the downpour making his hulking frame s
“Claudia, you’re in shock. Let’s go home, and we can talk about this,” I say, keeping my voice calm. Inside, I’m on edge. That was too fucking close. We are right at the border of the western side of the pack, and if I had been another thirty seconds late, he would have taken her.Relief floods me seeing her standing in front of me, safe, but all I can focus on are the injuries littering her skin. My saliva helped heal most of them, but the deep bite on her leg needs medical attention. Her wide eyes flicker with unspoken terror, and the rain has done little to wash away the splatters of blood on her clothes. She hasn’t even registered how cold she is, but I see the way her body trembles, the way the hairs on her arms stand on end. We need to get out of here.But my little mate never makes things easy. This entire situation could have been avoided if I had come clean earlier, but it is what it is.“Asher, I’m not going anywhere until you tell me!” she demands, her voice firm despite th
I watch Claudia’s reaction as I bring the sponge to her back, the soap foaming up as I swirl small circles over her skin. She swallows, her throat bobbing as she absorbs what I just said. A few moments pass before her hand drifts up to her neck, fingers brushing over the mark I left there. Her mate mark.“Oh.” It’s all she says.My lips press together. I was prepared for her to freak out, but I expected more of a reaction than this. I continue washing her back, careful over the bruises that still mar her body. The silence stretches between us, filled only by the sound of water sloshing and our beating hearts.“Does this mean I will be like you?” she asks, finally breaking the quiet, her fingers still ghosting over her throat. “A lycan?” She says it like she’s testing the word, feeling its weight. I relax, a smile tugging at my lips.“Only if you want to be.”She looks over her shoulder, her gaze locking onto mine. I see her red bottom lip caught between her teeth before she fully turn
“Naah, Leo,” she moans, her walls clamping around me. Seeing her like this is one of my favorite things in the world. The sounds she makes, the way her hazy, lust-filled eyes lock onto mine, and how completely she lets go. Every gasp, every tremor, every desperate arch of her body—I commit it all to memory.I curl my fingers with each thrust, and her mouth pops open, spilling sounds that would make anyone blush. “Goddess, Leo… aaah, please,” she whimpers, her grip tightening on my shoulders as her hips buck against me. Water sloshes between us, warm and slick, amplifying every movement. I smile. I love how greedy she becomes, the way her walls clench around my fingers, pulling me deeper while she chases her release.“I think I should punish you. What were you doing so close to the border?” I arch a brow, watching her lips part, her nails biting into my skin at the sudden shift in conversation.“What?” she breathes, her voice half-dazed. I slow my movements, teasing, and she whimpers,
Braden appeared suddenly, and I lunged at him, my fist driving into his gut with a forceful punch. As he staggered, my leg swung out, jamming into his thigh with a satisfying thud. He retaliated with a feral growl, his claws slicing into my ribs, sending a sharp jolt of pain through my side. "I'm not going to let you kill me," he spat, as I shoved him away with all my might.Amid the chaos, her scent reached me, and my eyes snapped to meet her jewel-blue gaze. She was trying to push through the fray to get to me, her face radiant with a smile that cut through the violence like a beacon. "Leo," her voice seemed to rise above the clamor of battle cries and snarls, but perhaps it was just my imagination. I turned my attention back to Braden, slicing his jaw and neck, blood pouring from the wounds like a crimson river. The urge to obliterate him was strong, but I had made a promise to let Claudia deliver the final blow. Knowing she was here, seemingly unharmed, brought me a sense of relie
I squeeze through the bars, my hips scraping against the metal, the sting immediate and sharp. Welts are already forming, the raw skin throbbing with each shallow breath. By the time I make it through, exhaustion claws at me, my body convulsing as another wave of unbearable heat ripples through my veins. My skin burns like an open flame, every inch drenched in sweat, my clothes sticking to me like a second skin.I stagger toward the desk where Braden left my blade and grenade. Sunlight glints off the compact disk beside them, a flash of silver that momentarily blinds me. Pulling myself up, the wood splinters beneath my fingers, sharp pricks piercing my palm. I swipe the sweat from my brow, sucking in air, my breath shallow and ragged. My legs tremble as I force them to hold my weight. The battle outside the tent rages on, steel clashing, wolves snarling. I don’t have time. I need to move.Leo.I have to get to him.Shoving the blade back into my boot and tucking the grenade into my ja
Just as I step out of my office, a deafening siren slices through the air, signaling danger. The pack walls have been infiltrated.I sprint forward, my legs burning as I push myself faster. Over the hills of the pack grounds, swarms of warriors descend from all directions like a flood of shadows under the sun. Shit."Reid, make sure there's a team to get to Claudia!" I command through the mindlink, my voice edged with urgency. I don't need him to respond I need him to find her. Then, I shift, bones snapping and reforming as I surge into my wolf form. The moment my paws hit the ground, I charge toward the trees. The scent of rogue wolves fills my nostrils—wild, unhinged, bloodthirsty. Their snarls vibrate in the air, a chaotic symphony of hunger and rage.Two colossal gray wolves lunge at me, one veering left, the other right. A distraction. A trap. I keep my eyes sharp, scanning for a weakness. But I don’t wait for them to make the first move—I strike.I launch at the one in front of
I wake with a jolt, a sharp twist in my gut telling me something isn’t right. The weight of the room presses down on me as I blink against the dim light filtering through the curtains. A few breaths pass before I realize—I’m still in the lounge. Memories from last night surface, fragmented and raw, but I shove them aside as an unsettling void tugs at my consciousness. Something is missing.Claudia.Panic doesn’t grip me immediately—her clothes are still here. For all I know, she could have just gone back to the room to shower. But then, my gaze snags on a note resting atop one of her shoes, and an icy dread coils around my spine.I knew something was off in the way she looked at me last night, but the moment her lips wrapped around my cock, nothing else mattered. Now, as I stare at the note in her elegant scrawl, I wish I had listened to my instincts.I crush the paper in my palm and hurl it into the dying embers of the fireplace, watching as the flames lick at it hungrily, turning he
The ground vibrates beneath me as the rhythmic stomp of boots closes in. The troops march one by one toward my pack, their movements a relentless drumbeat of impending doom. If I make it out of this, Leo is going to kill me—for real this time—for going off on my own.Lying here in my cell, my body throbs with the pain of my own recklessness. What I thought was an act of bravery now feels like pure stupidity. I should have challenged Braden for the pack the second I was thrown into his tent. That was the plan. But it all went wrong. Horribly wrong.Barking orders ring out from the guards outside, their voices sharp and grating. I try to force through the haze of pain of the heat to reach Leo through the mind link, but it’s useless. I’m too weak. My breath catches as the flap of the tent rustles, signaling someone’s return. My heart pounds harder, slamming against my ribs. I want out of this cage, but I also don’t. The idea of someone finding me like this—vulnerable, helpless—is terrify
"What did you just do?" I ask, my body igniting in seconds, heat flooding every vein. My vision blurs as sweat drips down my back. Braden sways in front of me, something small and glinting in his hand. My body wobbles as he lets me go, and I claw at my hair, fingers fumbling for the vial of liquid silver. My hands shake too much to grip it. I just can't reach it. "Heat serum. If you're going to act like a whore, then I'll treat you like one," he groans, voice thick with amusement.A smolder ignites between my legs, molten and all-consuming. Fuck. I don’t know how much he gave me, but my body betrays me instantly, my movements sluggish, my mind drowning in the haze of unbearable heat pulsing through my core.My fingers slip from my hair, every thought narrowing down to a single need—I have to get out of these leathers and this jacket. Too hot. Too tight. Every beat of my heart pumps more of the serum through my bloodstream, and my panties are already soaked. The thick scent of my arou
I'm thrown onto an old wool rug, the rough fibers scraping against my bare hands. I sneer, because even in the midst of battle, Braden refuses to go without his creature comforts. Though a small part of me is grateful—at least I'm not being smushed into the dirt again.Several pairs of black boots surround me before two gleaming black brogues step into my line of vision. "Baby, is that really you?" His voice carries an almost genuine concern, but I know better. I adjust my position, craning my neck to look up at him.Those dark blue eyes are as cold as ever. But everything else is different. He’s massive, his muscles stretched tight over his frame as if he’s been pumping himself full of steroids. He could crush me like a bug."Braden... thank the goddess," I breathe, forcing bile down as I summon a few well-placed tears to trickle down my cheek. He's the one man that has haunted my dreams for months, I never wanted to see him again. I try to stop my body from shaking from fear grippin
I make it to the top of the cliffside, my heart pounding like a war drum as the sun scorches my back. The air hangs heavy, thick with the kind of stillness that only comes before battle—that electric pause before chaos erupts. Even the birds have fallen silent.I tread carefully along the ridge, peering over the other side where their camp sprawls below. From here, I'm just far enough beyond our borders that no guards should detect me. I suppress my aura, unwilling to risk Braden sensing my presence. Lowering myself into a crouch, I inch forward until I can lie flat behind a boulder, my breath shallow, controlled.The camp is a storm of movement, warriors swarming in organized precision. Hundreds, maybe even thousands. It’s as if the entire New Moon Pack has assembled for this. My stomach tightens as I spot Uncle Leon moving through the front line, barking orders. So this is how the rogues are involved. Disappointment stabs through me. One of my father’s most trusted allies, now worki
I wake up tangled in a mess of limbs on the floor, the fire now reduced to glowing embers, and a pleasant ache thrumming between my thighs. Leo lies beside me, his soft snores blending with the distant chirping of birds, signaling the break of dawn. Carefully, I peel myself away from where our bodies are molded together. I can’t wake him. Every movement is slow, calculated, as I inch my way free.Once I’m loose, I jump up, the dim morning light seeping through the curtains now that the candles have long since melted into pools of wax on the floor. My fingers fumble for a pen, hastily scrawling a note explaining where I’m going and why. He’ll be furious—I know it—but he’s my mate, and I will protect him no matter what. This way, at least, he’ll be mad but not worried. Or at least, I hope not.I sprint down the hallway, my bare feet slapping against the cold wooden floor. The scent of burnt-out wax lingers in the air, mingling with the remnants of last night. Clothes and forgotten items