Another long travel day so only able to finish one. Will try to get back to double updates tomorrow. Thank you for reading!
Sage My heart pounds as I watch him enter our bedroom, water still glistening on his skin from the shower. Through our bond, I feel his breath catch at the sight of me waiting for him, vulnerable yet certain in my choice.Wetness pools between my legs from his hungry gaze alone. My shyness is quickly replaced by a sense of power that my king looks ready to drop to his knees for me, the words “fucking beautiful” whispered from his lips. The towel drops from his waist and I can't help staring, taking in every powerful line of him. Every hard plane, every defined ripple under his golden skin. My Lycan King. My mate. Through our bond, his satisfaction at my obvious appreciation mingles with his own hunger.My perusal stalls when my eyes trail to his long, thick member straining toward me, my entire body heats, a pink flush creeping over my skin. While he’s touched me in ways that make my blush deepen to think about, he’s never let me see all of him before now. A gasp escapes me at the si
AlaricDawn paints her skin golden as I watch her sleep in my arms, still joined from our last coupling hours ago. The mate bond pulses with contentment, memories of the night flooding through me - her gasps of pleasure, the way she trembled beneath my touch, how she finally overcame her shyness to take control.I thought Sage lying naked beneath me, looking up at me with so much trust and adoration while I brought us both to orgasm, would be the most gorgeous sight I’d ever see. But watching her find her confidence, riding me with her head thrown back and her silky blond hair grazing my thighs while she took her pleasure from me… that was fucking stunning. The memory of that vision has me growing hard inside her. I should pull out, she’s probably sore, I took her so many times and wasn’t always gentle. But even so, I can’t bring myself to separate from her. Not yet. Through our bond, I feel her peaceful dreams, her absolute trust in being vulnerable with me like this. My beast rumb
SageAncient dust tickles my nose as I lean closer to the faded text, excitement building as I translate the archaic language. Through our bond, I feel Alaric's amusement at my complete absorption in research."You missed lunch again." His voice makes me jump as he sets a tray beside me. "And dinner.""I found something." I pull him down to see the text, not even tempted by the food despite having forgotten meals. "Look at this - 'The Trial of True Mates.' It was used in ancient times to prove mate bonds beyond any doubt."His hand traces patterns on my back as he reads over my shoulder. Through our bond, I feel his interest sharpen at certain passages."A ritual to demonstrate the depth of connection?" He frowns slightly. "What's involved?""That's what I'm trying to figure out." I gesture at the scattered texts. "The descriptions are fragmented, but it seems to involve some kind of shared trial. Something that proves the strength of the mate bond itself.""And these warnings?" His fi
SageDawn mist curls around our feet as Alaric and I kneel facing each other in the sacred grove. The ancient texts were specific about this part - the ritual preparation requires perfectly synchronized power at sunrise."Ready?" he asks softly.I nod, pushing aside a slight wave of dizziness. Probably just the fasting required for cleansing. Through our bond, I feel his momentary concern, but I send back reassurance.Our hands join as power builds between us. The texts described this as "weaving two souls into one tapestry," but nothing prepared me for how it actually feels - like our very essences are intertwining, strengthening with each shared heartbeat.A sudden chill runs through me, breaking my concentration. The power wavers."Sweetling?" Alaric's thumb strokes my palm. "What's wrong?""Nothing." I force a smile. "Just lost focus for a moment."Through our bond, I feel his skepticism, but he doesn't push. Instead, his power wraps around me like a warm blanket, steadying me as w
AlaricHer terror hits me through our bond like a physical blow. I'm moving before conscious thought, abandoning the border patrol reports as her consciousness starts to fade."Sage!" My roar shakes the library windows as I find her crumpled beside ancient texts. Through our bond, I feel her slipping away even as I gather her into my arms.The book fallen beside her catches my eye - a page about poisons used to break mate bonds. My blood runs cold as I read the symptoms listed: fever, chills, weakening powers...Everything she's been trying to hide from me."I need healers!" My voice carries command that brings them running. "Now!"The healing wing erupts in chaos as I burst in with her limp form. Her skin burns against mine even as she shivers uncontrollably."Her powers are fighting something." The head healer's hands glow as she examines Sage. "But I've never seen..."Through our bond, I feel Sage's strength ebbing. Feel how her healing abilities war with whatever poison runs throug
Alaric"She crossed the northern border two hours ago." Garrett marks the location on our map. "Traveling fast, but leaving an obvious trail.""Too obvious." My fingers trace the route. Through our weakening bond, I feel Sage's fever climbing higher, each moment we waste costing precious strength. "She wants us to follow.""Almost certainly a trap." Garrett meets my eyes steadily. "But we're running out of time."He's right. The healers say the poison spreads faster now, targeting not just Sage's body but the very essence of our mate bond. Each hour brings us closer to losing both."The council demands—" An elder starts from the doorway."The council can burn." Power rolls off me in waves. "This is what they wanted, isn't it? Their precious traditions preserved by breaking our bond?""My King—""Get the fuck out." When he hesitates, my roar shakes the walls. "All of you. Out!"Only Garrett remains as I study the map. Letters we intercepted suggest Eris has the antidote, or at least kno
AlaricThe cabin explodes into chaos as we attack. My warriors move with perfect coordination, but something's wrong - the Northern wolves react too quickly, too prepared."Underground!" Garrett's warning comes just as the floor beneath us shifts. Hidden tunnels, escape routes we didn't know about. Through our weakening bond, I feel Sage's heartbeat faltering as precious time slips away."Find her!" My roar shakes the cabin's foundations. "Tear this place apart!"But Eris's guards are everywhere, fighting with desperate determination. Not just protecting their lady - buying her time. Through the battle haze, that detail nags at me. Why delay instead of retreat?A familiar scent catches my attention - fresh, close. Without hesitation, I crash through the hidden panel it leads to, following steep stairs into darkness.Eris waits in a candlelit chamber, her perfect composure intact despite the battle above. "My King." Her smile holds victory. "So predictable.""The antidote." My beast ris
SageThrough the poison's haze, a familiar scent cuts sharp as a blade - Blackthorn territory, power, and something darker. Even half-conscious, my body recognizes the threat."Such a waste." Cassius's voice reaches me through the fever. "All that potential, turned to ash by your own stubbornness."I try to move, to call for help, but the poison has spread too far. My powers flutter weakly as he approaches the bed."You could have been extraordinary, you know." He checks the healing wing doorway - empty, guards mysteriously absent. "If you'd only chosen the right path. The right mate.""Never." The word comes out barely a whisper."No?" His smile holds winter frost. "Did you really think your precious king could protect you? That love would overcome generations of carefully laid plans?"Through our broken bond, I try reaching for Alaric one last time. Feel only empty silence where his presence should be."The ancient healing packs weren't destroyed for being too powerful." Cassius pull
Alexander’s Healing HalfI navigate through the ventilation system, drawn inexorably toward the East Wing and the ritual chamber where my Alpha half struggles against forced binding. As I approach, I can sense the powerful energies being channeled—ancient magics that seek to override natural bonds, to force connections where none should exist.And at the center of it all, my other half—my Alpha essence—fighting with characteristic determination against the violation being committed against him. I feel his recognition as I draw nearer, his desperate relief at the prospect of reunification, his warning about the ritual's advanced state.I emerge from a ventilation opening near the ceiling of the ritual chamber, my semi-translucent form likely invisible to those focused on the ceremony below. What I see confirms our worst fears: my Alpha half kneeling within a silver circle, restrained but defiant; Selene opposite him, her expression conflicted; Vega chanting words of binding as moonlight
Alexander’s Healing HalfMiles away, in a hidden chamber of the Old Tower, I open eyes that feel newly formed. My body seems insubstantial, glowing faintly with healing energy that defines my edges rather than solid flesh. I am Alexander, yet not fully Alexander—only the healing half, separated from my Alpha essence by Selene's ritual.Lyra kneels beside me, her hands passing through my semi-translucent form as she tries to help me sit up. Elara stands nearby, her violet eyes wide with the shock of seeing her brother literally split in two."It was Selene," I explain, my voice softer than my normal tone, gentler without the Alpha undertones that usually ground it. "The potion they gave me triggered the splitting. I—I'm only half of myself now.""Your Alpha half," Lyra says, understanding immediately. "They've kept it for the binding ritual."I nod, feeling strangely calm despite the dire circumstances. Without my Alpha nature, emotions like rage and fierce protectiveness are muted, rep
Alexander’s Alpha Half"And if I refuse to participate in this binding?" I ask, already knowing the answer."Your participation is not required," Krell informs me with cold precision. "Only your essence is necessary. The ritual binds power to power, bloodline to bloodline. Your conscious cooperation is irrelevant."We emerge into another chamber I've never seen before, clearly prepared for ritual purposes. A circle of silver powder marks the floor, surrounded by candles and ceremonial objects arranged in patterns I don't recognize. Moonlight streams through a circular opening in the ceiling, illuminating the center of the circle where two smaller rings intersect.Selene stands by the circle's edge, her expression carefully neutral as she completes preparation of some aromatic substance in a silver bowl. She still avoids meeting my gaze directly."You can't seriously support this," I say to her, straining against my captors. "Destroying half of someone's essence—you know that's wrong. W
Alexander My vision tunnels as I collapse to the floor of the Great Ballroom, the crystal goblet shattering beside me. Cold fire races through my veins, a painful contradiction that feels like being simultaneously frozen and burned from the inside out. Every nerve screams in protest as something fundamental inside me begins to tear apart.Through the haze of agony, I hear my father's roar of rage, see guards surging forward, feel the collective shock rippling through the assembled dignitaries. But most clearly, I see Selene's face above me, her perfect mask finally slipping to reveal complex emotions—determination, regret, and something that might be remorse."Only I can save him," she announces to the horrified crowd, her voice carrying with practiced authority. "The prophecy has been set in motion. The ritual must be completed tonight, or your heir will die."The betrayal cuts deeper than the physical pain. Despite my suspicions, despite all the warnings, some part of me had hoped s
SeleneHours later, freshly bathed and impeccably dressed in a gown designed specifically for the final night of the Choosing Gala, I enter Magistra Vega's chambers for our ritual preparation. She sits at a table covered with ceremonial implements—silver bowls, ancient texts, herbs and crystals arranged in precise patterns."Princess," she acknowledges without warmth. "We have adjusted our approach given the night's failure."Baron Krell stands by the window, his military posture never relaxing even in private. "The ritual will proceed as planned," he informs me. "With one significant modification."Vega indicates a delicate crystal vial containing iridescent blue liquid. "Dream flower essence," she explains. "Extremely potent, especially to one with dual nature like the prince. Combined with certain catalysts, it will trigger the separation we require.""Without a Silverspiral healer?" I question, eyeing the vial warily."We have other resources," Vega says dismissively. "Less ideal,
SeleneIndecision wars within me as I consider what I must do tonight. And I know I must, Magistra Vega’s keen attention to my every move reminds me of that. Still, my mind keeps wandering back to earlier today, to my encounter with the Silverspiral healer, and the way I found my commitment to our plan shaken to its core. As I follow our small party through the forest, the healer enclave's location burns in my memory from hours spent studying maps, reports from scouts, and ancient texts describing where surviving healers might hide after the purges. But knowing its approximate location and actually finding it are different matters—these people have evaded discovery for generations.A scout returns silently, dropping to one knee before me. "Princess, we've located the settlement. Half a mile north, nestled against the cliff face. They appear to be in the process of evacuation.""They know we're coming," Krell growls."Then we move now," Vega decides, gesturing the group forward. "Reme
LyraElara and I sit in silence as we both continue to ponder what the Northern delegation has planned. But soon, the quiet feels stifling and I feel the need to speak aloud the thoughts assaulting me. The amulet I wear seems to warm against my skin as the threat crystallizes."Elder Thalia said they need three elements for the binding ritual—the full moon's power, a healer of the Silverspiral bloodline, and the divided heir." I whisper, the small sound loud in the utter silence. "The divided heir," Elara repeats softly. "That's what I keep seeing in my visions—Alexander literally torn in two, one half glowing with healing light, one consumed by Alpha power.""Is such a thing even possible?" I ask, though I already fear the answer."There are ancient rituals that can separate essence from form," she confirms, echoing what I told Alexander earlier. "My mother found references to them in texts preserved from before the purges. They were forbidden practices, considered too dangerous and
LyraThe hidden chamber feels like both a sanctuary and a prison as hours crawl by with excruciating slowness. My injuries throb despite the rudimentary treatment Alexander and I managed before he left, but the physical pain pales compared to the ache of separation. The mate bond stretches between us, a silver thread that pulses with each passing minute, somehow both comforting and torturous in its reminder of what fate decreed and circumstances deny.I pace the small space, cataloging my surroundings more thoroughly now that I'm alone. The chamber is circular, clearly built within one of the palace's towers. A narrow bed occupies one wall, a small table with two chairs stands in the center, and a fireplace provides both warmth and the means to heat water or cook simple meals. Shelves hold basic supplies—preserved food, medical materials, candles, blankets—suggesting this place was designed for extended hiding if necessary.No windows offer a glimpse of the outside world, only a small
Alexander"They need you specifically for the binding ritual to work." I mutter to myself, but Lyra picks up my train of thought."Which is why Selene led the attack herself." She says grimly. "She spotted me trying to escape. I used everything I know about the forest to lose her, but she pursued me for miles." She indicates her injuries. "I didn't escape unscathed.""How did you find your way here?" Dominic asks, suspicion edging his voice, making me growl under my breath. "The palace is heavily guarded, especially during the Gala."Lyra's gaze returns to me. "I followed the bond. It led me here—like a silver thread pulling me toward safety. I knew it was dangerous to come to the palace, but somehow I also knew it was the only place I'd be safe from her."The simple truth of her words reverberates through our connection. She came to me—to her true mate—instinctively seeking protection even at great risk to herself."We need to get you somewhere safer than this garden," I say, assessin