“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,
We call a meeting in our office to decide what to do. After filling everyone in on what happened with Ansel and making a quick trip to the hospital to have my leg bandaged, we gather—Reid, Erin, Gaia, Leo, and myself. Reid and Erin have been training the warriors, while Gaia and I prepare because Braden is coming for us. I feel it in my bones, a slow, crawling certainty. He is on his way.Leo spreads a map of the pack’s territory across the hardwood table, his fingers smoothing out the creases. Everyone leans in as he points to potential entry points, strategizing how to minimize damage. The flickering overhead light casts shifting shadows across his face, emphasizing the sharp angles of his jaw. The only problem is, I can’t stop thinking about what Ansel discovered. That Leo isn’t just a Lycan—he’s the lost Lycan king. The knowledge presses into me like the tip of an arrow poised between my shoulder blades. Leo told me he has a target on his back, but now I feel it, a cold weight set
Leo and I make our way back to our room as dawn creeps over the horizon. We are ready, but that does nothing to stop the weight in my stomach from sinking deeper.Hand in hand, we walk through the castle, the high ceilings looming above us. The sconces flicker, casting restless shadows along the stone walls. Despite the vast space, it feels like the walls are closing in, the air growing thick, harder to breathe. I have never fought in a battle before, and my thoughts spiral—wishing I had trained more, mastered a new move, pushed my wolf to practice harder. But none of that matters now. I am as ready as I will ever be, and worrying won't change anything.Leo squeezes my hand, his storm-gray eyes crinkling at the edges, more than usual. “It’s a good plan,” I tell him, because it is. We have the numbers, the advantage—we are bringing the fight to them. But if my plan works, we won’t need to fight at all.“I know it is,” he says, his voice steady, but there’s tension beneath it. “It’s alw
The shot burns, and I feel Reid’s eyes on me the entire time. Even as I watch Asher and Claudia leave, his gaze never wavers. Now, it’s just the three of us.Erin, thank the Goddess, quickly pours another round before the tension between me and Reid solidifies into a living, breathing thing—impossible to ignore. “Cheers!” she slurs, and we clink glasses. The alcohol spreads warmth through my belly, a pleasant fuzziness settling over me. Before I can stop it, a real smile tugs at my lips.Reid is hooked by that point. Even when I catch him staring, he doesn’t look away. It would be cute if it weren’t so infuriating.By the time we finish the bottle, a lazy buzz hums through my veins. I know—I know—from the way Reid keeps looking at me that I need a clear head. But it’s too late for that now.Erin mumbles something, but her words blur into the background. Reid and I are locked in some kind of silent battle—a staring contest that neither of us seems willing to lose. My heart flutters as
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
Her lips curl into a smirk that could make the devil himself drop to his knees, and I growl low in my throat, the sound rumbling through my chest like a predator stalking its prey. She’s mine— mine—and I’ll be damned if I don’t claim every fucking inch of her tonight. My fingers work at the clasp of her finery with a fury, tearing the fabric away like it’s an insult to her divine body. The sound of it ripping echoes in the dimly lit room, and her breath hitches, those jewel-blue eyes of hers flashing with a hunger that matches my own.Her curves are a fucking masterpiece, and as her attire falls to the floor, I take her in like a starving man at a feast. Her tits are perfect—full and heavy, the nipples already pebbled and begging for my mouth. I can’t help but reach out, my rough palms grazing over her soft skin, and she shivers under my touch. “Leo don’t tease me,” she begs but she will be begging far more before she gets what she wants. Her hips sway as she steps closer, her pussy s
I pull back, giving Leo another slow, lingering smile. The fire crackles beside us, its flickering glow casting shadows over his sharp features, but worry still lingers in his eyes. I don’t want that. I refuse to let him carry it tonight.Biting my lip, I feel the undeniable pull between us, the electric charge humming in the space where our bodies almost touch. Leaning in, I brush featherlight kisses along his cheek, trailing down to his jaw. A low groan rumbles from his chest, his breath hitching as I shift, straddling his thighs. His hands find my chin, his grip firm yet reverent as he tilts my face to meet his.Then his lips crash into mine.The kiss is searing—possessive, commanding—like he’s trying to reclaim control, to remind me exactly who he is. I let him. My fingers thread through his thick, tousled hair, loving the way it feels against my skin, soft yet untamed. His tongue tangles with mine, the heat between us rising with every breath, every press of our bodies molding in