I watch as my mate runs from me—she runs—and I have to wrestle my beast back, forcing it to stay in check and not charge after her, not claim her right here and now.What was I thinking, pushing her to acknowledge the bond? Did I miscalculate? The thought churns in my mind, a bitter taste I can’t swallow.I hoped shifting into her wolf would awaken her to the bond, force her to feel it as I do. But more than that, I knew she needed the shift to grow stronger, to become the wolf she’s meant to be.I drag a hand down my face, the cool night air brushing my skin. An owl’s hoot cuts through the silence, echoing mockingly in the distance, as if to remind me how thoroughly I’ve fucked this up.She compared me to him—to her husband. The thought claws at me, cold and sharp. My own mate thinks I’m capable of the same cruelty? The idea makes my stomach churn, bile rising. I shift on instinct, my wolf taking over, the need to run too overwhelming to ignore. I bolt into the forest, circling the pe
Several days have passed since the mate bond awakened, and while I’m grateful Asher said he would give me space, I didn’t think it would feel like this. I haven’t seen him for more than five minutes at a time, and when I do, he refuses to look at me. The bond in my chest tightens, pulling at me, making me crave his attention. I refuse to grovel or beg, but I’ve decided I will apologize for comparing him to Braden. It wasn’t fair, even if I was caught off guard.I pull my hair into a high ponytail and make my way to Asher’s office, where I know he’s been holed up with Reid for the last few days. He’s been shutting me out, but I’m not letting that happen today. I knock on the door as usual, hearing the murmur of voices fall silent and the shuffle of footsteps. The door creaks open, and Reid’s grinning face greets me.“Good morning, Claudia. How are we today?” he asks, his smile wide and infuriating. I frown. Asher won’t even answer the door now.Tilting my chin up, I cross my arms over
I stand in his office for barely three minutes before I turn and chase after him and Reid. What could be so urgent that they won’t even tell me? A knot tightens in my stomach, the dread pooling like ice water. Could Braden have come here, finally showing up to drag me back? The thought churns my gut and leaves me feeling queasy.I race down the stairs, taking two at a time, nearly tripping over the uneven stone steps in my haste. The guards bow as I pass, a gesture I’m still adjusting to, though it’s becoming less foreign the longer I stay here. Bursting through the front door, I scan the grounds, but they’re nowhere in sight. Frustration bubbles up, and I clench my fists, sprinting toward the forest. That has to be where they’ve gone. I know Asher loves to run in his wolf form and its the fastest way to get anywhere unless you travel by car. The cold air stings my face as I run, my breath puffing out in sharp bursts. Should I shift? I hesitate, unsure if they even went this way. My w
“No, Claudia, I’m not,” Gaia protests, her voice trembling as she pins me with a desperate gaze. I stare at her, the weight of her lie crashing down on me. I trusted her. How could she do this? My voice shakes with fury as I step back, putting distance between us. “Stop playing me for a fool, Gaia. I thought you were my friend. How could you stand there and watch me with your mate? Married to him? What the fuck?” I spit, my words laced with venom.She takes a deep breath, smoothing her muddy, twig-covered hair, which only highlights how wild she looks. Her matted strands cling to her damp skin as she tries to pull herself together. Then, she fixes me with a defiant look.“Okay, you’re right. We were fated. Past tense, Claudia. He rejected me because I couldn’t mark him. Then he met you.” She says half annoyed like that explains everything. I blink, my mind racing to make sense of her words. Rejected her? The thought of rejecting Asher feels like tearing my soul in half. I can’t fatho
Reid and I manage to push back the mob of savage rogues as they try to breach one of the borders near the old ruins. Just as I start heading back to the castle, a sharp tug pulls at my chest. It’s Claudia. I can feel her distress through the bond, an ache so deep it steals my breath. Without a second thought, I sprint into the forest, letting my wolf guide me.The trees blur past as I push harder, my heart pounding with every step. She’s close, but the sinking feeling in my stomach tightens like a vice. What if someone took her? The thought sends icy fear coursing through me, gripping my chest like a steel trap.Then I hear it—growls and snarls echoing through the trees. She’s still here. Relief washes over me when I catch a glimpse of her: black hair cascading over her shoulders, porcelain skin almost glowing under the faint moonlight, and those red, plush lips that could command armies. My wolf settles, but only slightly. My eyes sweep over her, scanning for any injuries. Nothing. S
I stand outside the hospital, my foot tapping against the cold concrete as I lean against the wall. The chill seeps into my back, but it’s nothing compared to the ice in my chest. I can’t believe Asher. He said he’d help me get revenge, that we’d strike back at everyone who had hurt me. But now, as soon as I’m ready to pull the metaphorical trigger, he demands mercy. The bond tugs painfully, a sharp reminder of his betrayal—not siding with me, his mate.Through the glass, I watch as he whispers to the nurse and doctor. Two other nurses pin Gaia to the bed as she thrashes, screaming my name like her life depends on it. My chest tightens, but I shove the feeling aside. Asher’s eyes find mine through the glass. His gaze is steady, unwavering, but I can’t bear it. I turn away. He even insisted I stay out here, separated from Gaia. It’s as though he doesn’t trust her—or me. Maybe this is just how he treats unknowns in his pack. Guilty until proven innocent. Either way, I’m furious.The scr
We step inside, hand in hand. My anger simmers beneath the surface, but I let Asher keep his hold on me. Something about his presence clears the fog in my mind. I don’t want to be impulsive, to act in a way that will brand me as a cruel alpha—the broken leader who rules without care or mercy. The thought makes my chest tighten.A nurse pulls up two chairs beside Gaia’s bed. Asher and I sit, the sterile scent of antiseptic filling the air, mingling with the faint coppery tang of blood. My fingers fidget in my lap, twisting and untwisting as I study her face. The more injuries I notice—the bruises shadowing her skin, the faint tremor in her shallow breaths—the heavier the guilt weighs on me. I was going to send her to the cells without even having her looked at? My stomach churns at the thought. I don’t want to be a monster. I don’t want to be like Braden.Asher’s presence anchors me, even as my thoughts spiral. I hate admitting it, but I’m glad he stopped me from throwing her into a ce
“Yes, but those are just stories, Asher. Fairytales,” I reply, smiling faintly. Lycans don't exsit. They never have and even if they did how is it possibly that no one has seen one for hundreds if not thousands of years? He smirks, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Even fairytales carry warnings.” I note something in his voice that makes me shift uncomfortably. The wind whips through my hair as he cups my cheek, his thumb brushing back and forth in a soothing rhythm. His storm grey eyes focus on me mapping out my face as we gaze at each other the bond flickering as I fight the urge to press my lips to his. Asher smirks again as if knowing my thoughts better than I do before his face turns serious and distant. “When the Moon Goddess created her first werewolves, it was chaos,” he begins. “Greed for power led to endless battles, lives lost in the thousands. The Goddess tried everything to bring peace, but nothing worked. After years of watching her creation kill each other she had to s
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