DAMON POVThe night air clung to me like a shroud as I stepped out of Lucien’s home. The cool breeze, heavy with the scent of pine and rain-soaked earth, did little to soothe the storm brewing within me. I shoved my hands deep into my coat pockets, my jaw clenched as I fought to keep my composure.I was Damon Fallenstar, the enforcer, the lone wolf who never flinched in the face of danger. I’d built walls around myself so high that even I had forgotten what it felt like to be vulnerable. But tonight, every brick in that wall seemed to crumble under the weight of my own thoughts.The events of the past days looped in my mind like a broken record. Olivia’s scream, the clash of claws against flesh, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness that had taken hold of me as Vladimir overpowered me. He’d taken her—he’d taken her while I was way too busy satisfying my sexual hunger, he’d taken her while I was way too busy fighting my way out of his ambush.I exhaled sharply, my breath visible i
CLAIRE POVThe moon hung low outside, its pale light casting an ethereal glow over the Black Pack estate. I pulled the door to Aaron’s study shut behind me, careful to ensure the latch clicked softly. The servant boy’s whispers about Olivia’s abduction still lingered in the air, and I could feel Aaron’s tension even through the closed door. But my concern was an act, a mask I wore with practiced ease. Inside, I seethed. I descended the staircase with measured grace, ensuring the guards and pack members who lingered about the estate saw nothing but the poised and elegant Luna. My face was a picture of worry, my steps purposeful, as though I was heading off to orchestrate the search for Olivia. Instead, I walked out into the cool night air, the crisp wind biting against my skin. The moment I was alone, my composure shattered. A wicked smile spread across my lips, and I scoffed quietly to myself. Poor little Olivia, I thought, my fingers tracing the edge of my robe. If only they knew.
LUCIEN The door slammed shut behind me with a force that rattled the frame, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the echoes of my own words. The moment I took my first step inside, the walls seemed to close in on me, like a predator circling its prey. My ribs ached with shallow breath, the injury Vladimir inflicted burning like a fire that refused to be extinguished. I pressed my palm against the wound, trying to steady myself, but the pressure only seemed to intensify the pain.Despite that I was glad I finally stood up to him—to Archimedes, my supposed father. Every single thought I’d buried for eighteen years, every ounce of resentment I’d swallowed just to survive in Archimedes’ shadow, it had all come pouring out like a flood I couldn’t stop. And yet, as the silence of the room closed in around me, the weight of my anger didn’t dissipate.I paced back and forth, my ribs protesting with each jarring step. The confrontation replayed in my head, every word laced with venom. I could s
NANA POV:The banging had stopped. I pressed my ear against the heavy oak door, my heart in my throat as I strained to hear even the faintest sound. But all I got was silence—a terrifying, suffocating silence that made my skin crawl.“Lucien!” I shouted again, pounding my fists against the door. “Please, open up! I can help you, I swear!”But I knew better.This wasn’t the first time. I had witnessed his curse consume him like this before. Yet each time, it felt like a blade piercing deeper into my chest. He never let anyone in, even when it meant he’d tear himself apart trying to fight it. I stood there for a moment longer, my forehead pressed against the cold wood, my breaths shaky. “Please…” I whispered, my voice cracking.Nothing.I clenched my fists and stepped back, panic clawing at me. He needed me, and yet he wouldn’t let me near him. I couldn’t stand idly by, knowing what he was going through behind that door. The guttural pain , the darkness clawing at his mind, the violen
BEN’S POVThe air in the room was suffocating, a mix of tension, sweat, and the faint metallic tang of blood. Lucien was stable now—or at least as stable as a man battling the darkness within could be. Nana hovered over him like a sentinel, her trembling hands betraying the calmness she tried to portray. I stood by the door, my back pressed against the cool wood, my mind spinning with too many thoughts.Lucien. Olivia. Everything. I couldn’t help but let my eyes drift back to Lucien, lying unconscious on the bed. His face was pale, almost translucent, and his breaths came in shallow, ragged intervals. The man I had come to admire looked nothing like the unshakable figure I had always seen. The curse was eating him alive, and tonight it had almost won.But my thoughts weren’t on Lucien for long. They never were these days.They were with Olivia.“Ben,” Nana’s voice was soft but firm, pulling me out of my thoughts. She was kneeling beside Lucien, dabbing at his sweat-soaked brow with a
Olivia's Pov: I barely had time to brace for it before his fist nearly snapped my neck in two with a gut-wrenching blow as I fell hard to the ground, tears welling on my face. “You stupid bitch!", he yelled, his face contorted with rage. He was in one of his moods again, the occasional periods where his wolf starts to lose control and he tears up anything in his way, more than often, I'm usually the one in the way of his tantrums. My hands shook violently as the porcelain cup in my hands hit the ground, shattering to pieces in an echoing screech. At the sound, Lucien lunged for me, his foot stamping hard at my ribs knocking the air out of me. I gasped as I struggled to breathe, my small hands tightening around my chest, but he wasn't done. He grabbed me from the marble floor, throwing me on top of the dining table, his fists balled, eyebrows scrunched in seething anger. Each blow punctuated his lupine rage; he wasn't going to stop; he just kept hitting me across the face
Damon's Pov: I hate the rain, I thought as I glared out at the rain-soaked trees, droplets of water sliding down the window pane like tears. I turned away from the downpour seeking something to distract myself with, but the cloud outside seemed to have dampened my mind as memories came rushing down to me. Laughter, music, champagne toasts. The Wolvenstar family preferred to live within nature itself. Thus, we lived in a mansion on the outskirts of a forest. That way, whenever we shifted we could run straight into the forest, our real home. Today was the day my eldest brother, Mark, had bonded; he laughed loudly at the head of the table as his mate, Charlotte, now Wolvenstar, smiled timidly as she sat on his lap. Poor girl, my brother would be the death of her soon enough. The house was two hundred years old, a legacy built on sugar and spices; their family was one of the elite of the Werewolves in New Orleans high society; they were happy , everyone feasting, clinking glas
Olivia's Pov: Two months. I had been divorced and for the first time in ages, I felt young and I took full advantage of it, I spent my time clubbing at night and painting at my gallery by day transferring my feelings onto canvas including my recent one being that of a dark haired Lycan, a gash tearing across one of his eyes. Those were things that I didn't really had the time to do when I was with Lucien, he was an uptight guy who didn't really fancy the idea of his mate running around all over New Orleans. He was quite paranoid for a Lycan. I didn't really get him, sometimes he was a sweet guy, dolling me up with presents, taking me out to see a movie once in a while, you would think he was a nearly perfect husband, but then there were the other times. The times when he would lose control to his wolf, werewolves were supposed to control their wolves to their will, not the other way around, it wasn't exactly an easy thing to do, it had took me five years to take full control o
BEN’S POVThe air in the room was suffocating, a mix of tension, sweat, and the faint metallic tang of blood. Lucien was stable now—or at least as stable as a man battling the darkness within could be. Nana hovered over him like a sentinel, her trembling hands betraying the calmness she tried to portray. I stood by the door, my back pressed against the cool wood, my mind spinning with too many thoughts.Lucien. Olivia. Everything. I couldn’t help but let my eyes drift back to Lucien, lying unconscious on the bed. His face was pale, almost translucent, and his breaths came in shallow, ragged intervals. The man I had come to admire looked nothing like the unshakable figure I had always seen. The curse was eating him alive, and tonight it had almost won.But my thoughts weren’t on Lucien for long. They never were these days.They were with Olivia.“Ben,” Nana’s voice was soft but firm, pulling me out of my thoughts. She was kneeling beside Lucien, dabbing at his sweat-soaked brow with a
NANA POV:The banging had stopped. I pressed my ear against the heavy oak door, my heart in my throat as I strained to hear even the faintest sound. But all I got was silence—a terrifying, suffocating silence that made my skin crawl.“Lucien!” I shouted again, pounding my fists against the door. “Please, open up! I can help you, I swear!”But I knew better.This wasn’t the first time. I had witnessed his curse consume him like this before. Yet each time, it felt like a blade piercing deeper into my chest. He never let anyone in, even when it meant he’d tear himself apart trying to fight it. I stood there for a moment longer, my forehead pressed against the cold wood, my breaths shaky. “Please…” I whispered, my voice cracking.Nothing.I clenched my fists and stepped back, panic clawing at me. He needed me, and yet he wouldn’t let me near him. I couldn’t stand idly by, knowing what he was going through behind that door. The guttural pain , the darkness clawing at his mind, the violen
LUCIEN The door slammed shut behind me with a force that rattled the frame, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the echoes of my own words. The moment I took my first step inside, the walls seemed to close in on me, like a predator circling its prey. My ribs ached with shallow breath, the injury Vladimir inflicted burning like a fire that refused to be extinguished. I pressed my palm against the wound, trying to steady myself, but the pressure only seemed to intensify the pain.Despite that I was glad I finally stood up to him—to Archimedes, my supposed father. Every single thought I’d buried for eighteen years, every ounce of resentment I’d swallowed just to survive in Archimedes’ shadow, it had all come pouring out like a flood I couldn’t stop. And yet, as the silence of the room closed in around me, the weight of my anger didn’t dissipate.I paced back and forth, my ribs protesting with each jarring step. The confrontation replayed in my head, every word laced with venom. I could s
CLAIRE POVThe moon hung low outside, its pale light casting an ethereal glow over the Black Pack estate. I pulled the door to Aaron’s study shut behind me, careful to ensure the latch clicked softly. The servant boy’s whispers about Olivia’s abduction still lingered in the air, and I could feel Aaron’s tension even through the closed door. But my concern was an act, a mask I wore with practiced ease. Inside, I seethed. I descended the staircase with measured grace, ensuring the guards and pack members who lingered about the estate saw nothing but the poised and elegant Luna. My face was a picture of worry, my steps purposeful, as though I was heading off to orchestrate the search for Olivia. Instead, I walked out into the cool night air, the crisp wind biting against my skin. The moment I was alone, my composure shattered. A wicked smile spread across my lips, and I scoffed quietly to myself. Poor little Olivia, I thought, my fingers tracing the edge of my robe. If only they knew.
DAMON POVThe night air clung to me like a shroud as I stepped out of Lucien’s home. The cool breeze, heavy with the scent of pine and rain-soaked earth, did little to soothe the storm brewing within me. I shoved my hands deep into my coat pockets, my jaw clenched as I fought to keep my composure.I was Damon Fallenstar, the enforcer, the lone wolf who never flinched in the face of danger. I’d built walls around myself so high that even I had forgotten what it felt like to be vulnerable. But tonight, every brick in that wall seemed to crumble under the weight of my own thoughts.The events of the past days looped in my mind like a broken record. Olivia’s scream, the clash of claws against flesh, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness that had taken hold of me as Vladimir overpowered me. He’d taken her—he’d taken her while I was way too busy satisfying my sexual hunger, he’d taken her while I was way too busy fighting my way out of his ambush.I exhaled sharply, my breath visible i
AARON The mirror was a liar.Every night it reflected a man I hardly even recognized anymore. Silver strands streaked through my once jet-black hair, etched lines marred the corners of my eyes, and my mouth—once firm and resolute—was now an exhausted frown. But what struck me most was the hollowness in my gaze. That, no mirror could conceal.Tonight was no different. Seated in front of the wide, ornate mirror in my chamber, I stared at the man who had failed at being a father, failed at being a mate—a husband, and perhaps even failed as an Alpha.My fingers drummed against the armrest of the chair as I thought of her—Olivia. My daughter. My once precious child. My flesh and blood. And yet, when I looked at her, all I could see was Natalie. That same soft auburn hair, that determined chin, and those eyes—eyes that haunted me every waking moment.Four years. For four years, I had treated Olivia like she was a ghost, a cruel reminder of the woman who vanished without a trace, leaving no
Lucien’s POVThe tension in the room was suffocating. Damon's eyes were fixed on me, expectant yet probing. I could feel his presence like an iron grip around my chest, demanding answers I wasn’t ready to give. His question hung in the air like a guillotine, and the weight of his gaze bore into me.“When did Olivia get the Mate Tattoo?” he asked again, his voice low, controlled, but edged with an undercurrent of something dangerous.I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, leaning back with an exaggerated exhale to buy myself time. The sharp sting from the wound Vladimir left on my ribs wasn’t helping my focus. My shirt was soaked with blood, and Damon’s attempt to speed up my recovery process by summoning his Alpha trait had been helpful. But none of that mattered right now.How was I supposed to explain this without exposing everything? I glanced at Damon from the corner of my eye. He was standing near the doorway, his posture rigid as he awaited my response. I could tell he already ha
Damon POVThe night air stung my skin, cold and unyielding, as I stood at the cabin’s threshold. Blood painted the forest floor, mingling with the metallic tang of sweat and death. The chaos of the battle still buzzed in my head like an unrelenting storm, but my focus was on Lucien, cradling Olivia’s limp body against his chest.His hands were trembling. Not from weakness—I’d seen Lucien take blows that would have shattered another man. No, this was different. He clutched her as if letting go would mean losing her forever. But the deep slash Vladimir had carved into his ribs was still bleeding, the dark stain spreading across his torn shirt. “Lucien,” I called sharply, stepping closer. His eyes snapped to mine, a feral glint in them, but the pain lurking behind his gaze dulled their intensity.“You can’t carry her,” I said, nodding toward his side. “You’re barely holding yourself together.”“I’ll manage,” he ground out, his voice strained.“Stop being a fool,” I snapped. “You’ll drop
VLADIMIR POVThe night’s chill bit at my skin as I fled through the dense forest, the crunch of dead leaves beneath my boots masking the sound of my labored breaths. The moon, full and luminous, mocked me from above. Her light spilled through the canopy like the sneer of a silent enemy.They had ruined everything.I leapt over a fallen log, my muscles burning from the exertion. My body screamed at me to stop, to rest, but I couldn’t afford the luxury of weakness. Not now. Not when my enemies had already proven they were more relentless than I had anticipated. My hand shot out to grip a low-hanging branch for balance, but I miscalculated. A sharp splinter jabbed into my palm, and I hissed, more out of frustration than pain. Blood welled from the wound, dripping onto the forest floor, but I didn’t stop.Not until I was far enough away.The memory of their interference burned in my mind. Lucien, the Alpha and a Lycan—a beast born of power and wrath. Damon, the Alpha, with sharp instinct