Davina povI ran. I ran. I ran.Wiping my tears with the sleeve of my shirt, I pushed forward with every ounce of strength I had, the echoes of the fallen ringing in my ears. The clash of swords against flesh, the agonizing, heartbreaking cry of Draven as he collapsed behind me—it all broke within.But no matter what I heard, I didn’t look back. I just kept moving. Even when I stumbled, I forced myself up, my legs burning as I ran toward the hunting grounds.“Get her! Don’t let her escape, you idiots!” The loud voices of the guards echoed behind me as I pushed forward. I didn’t know how I found the strength to outrun a dozen men, but somehow I was able to as I tried to get there before it was too late—before Hades drank the wolfsbane.“I’m sorry. I’m sorry… I promise to save him,” I muttered under my breath, taking a swift turn to the left.“She’s going to the hunting grounds. Quick, force the shift!” Immediately, I could hear the cracking of bones, followed by the loud sounds of paws
Hades pov“What?” I asked, staring at Felix in shock as my heart pounded heavily against my chest. My hands clenched into fists, my eyes narrowing, desperately hoping that whatever Felix had just said was some cruel joke. How dare he joke about something like this?After everything that happened in the hunting ground, the first thing I did was take Davina to my room to be treated by the pack doctor. I had wanted to stay by her side throughout the night and had strictly ordered that I was not be disturbed for any reason, no matter how urgent the situation was. But not long after, Felix had jumped through the window, disobeying my orders for the first time.Before I even had the chance to get angry and punish him for his disobedience, he dropped this bombshell on me.“Repeat what you just said,” I demanded again, my eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare as I stepped closer, towering over him. He remained on his knees, head bowed.“Beta Draven has been stabbed multiple times, and his con
Thorne pov “So what you’re telling me is that you failed? Is that it?” I asked, my fingers roughly teasing the hole of the sluts perched on my lap. Her head was thrown back, mouth parted, soft moans slipping past her plump pink lips. My head rested on my other hand as I looked down coldly at the three men kneeling before me, their heads bowed in submission, bodies slightly trembling under my cold, expressionless gaze. Nobody answered. The corner of my lips curled into a cold smirk as I quickened the pace of my fingers, letting the slut’s moans fill the quiet room. I watched as the two men—Ethan and Liam—shifted uncomfortably on their knees, struggling to keep their expressions blank, though it was hardly working. They were men, after all. They had desires, especially when faced with a naked woman begging to be fucked and ravished. My gaze shifted to Kian, a slow, wry smirk tugging at the corner of my lips as I observed him—the only man who seemed to be built differently. The only
Elara pov.“It’s okay, don’t cry. Everything will be okay. Please just do me a favor—when you see him, tell him that I am sorry for betraying him and that he shouldn’t blame himself. That it isn’t his fault.”I gasped and sat up, my breathing rapid as I clutched my chest in pain, a burning sensation ripping through me, forcing my eyes shut as a groan escaped my lips. The crystal tattoo—it was what was burning. I whimpered, trying to take deep breaths to calm myself and ease the pain. As the seconds passed, the sharp ache in my chest slowly dulled before finally fading away.What just happened? Why was it so hot this morning?Wait— that wasn’t the question I should be asking. There was something far more important than the crystal tattoo… but what was it? Goddess, why couldn’t I seem to remember?I clutched my head, trying to piece together what had happened yesterday, but everything was a blur—like a thick fog clouding my mind, blocking the memories from surfacing.“What was it? What
Elara pov.At first, when I heard Hades' words, I felt a wave of relief—Draven was alive. But that relief quickly turned into disbelief as his accusations sank in.I struggled to wrap my head around what he was saying. It was too much, too fast, and none of it made sense—because I hadn't done any of the things he was accusing me of.Elope with Draven? Try to poison him with wolfsbane? And the letter?!Goddess, at this point, it would have been better if I had just remained unconscious because what the hell was going on?“No! I didn't try to elope with Draven, and the letter—the letter was tampered with! It wasn't what I had written, and I would never try to poison you. Why would I when I was trying to save you instead?”Slam!I gasped as Hades slammed his hand against the wall, just inches from my head. I couldn't see, but I knew there was now a hole in the wall. If he had missed by even an inch, my head would probably be the one with the hole instead.I swallowed nervously, my legs b
Hades pov.“Our mate would never poison you. She’s not like that.”As soon as I left the room, Cyrus’s voice echoed in my head, laced with exasperation, as if he was already fed up with me.The corner of my lips curled into a sneer. Did he think I was stupid? Of course, she wasn’t the one who had tried to poison me with wolfsbane. Despite how furious I was, I wasn’t dumb enough to believe that the little slave could pull off something like that. But at that moment, I was too enraged to care.“My king.” Felix appeared behind me, his head bowed respectfully as he followed.“Have you done what I asked?” I asked, not pausing in my steps or bothering to acknowledge him.“Yes, my king. Everything is ready as you instructed.”"Good, I’ll be there in a bit." With that, I turned the corner, heading toward the very place I had sworn not to go—the place I told myself I didn’t care about. Yet, despite my resolve, my legs carried me there anyway."Greetings to the King," the guards saluted as I st
Davina pov. “You silly girl! How could you run away like that?! Do you have any idea how worried I was? I nearly had a heart attack thinking you were out there, either lost or dead! Oh my goddess, Davina, what on earth were you even thinking?” Eva yelled, her voice trembling with rage as she glared at me. “Haha, you should have seen her face. She looked pale the entire day—I thought she was about to drop dead,” Rylie joked, adjusting the stethoscope as he listened to my heartbeat. I shot him a glare, silently telling him to shut up, before lifting my head toward Eva’s direction. “I—” I tried to speak, but for the fifth time today, she cut me off. "You know, when I entered the room, planning to check if you were okay and didn't see you, I thought something bad happened—maybe you'd been kidnapped by one of those airheads at the palace. But then I read your letter and realized you'd run away instead. I couldn't think straight anymore. I did everything to find you, even went as f
Davina pov.“You have to act fast before butler Emmanuel comes back. If the king finds out, you’ll have to take the blame too,” the guard muttered under his breath but accepted the golden coins without hesitation.“Of course, we’ll be quick. But remember, if anyone knows about this, we won’t be the only ones punished, so keep quiet about it,” Eva said, her voice dripping in warning.“Do you think I’m a fool? I won’t tell anyone. Now, hurry up,” the guard grumbled before his retreating footsteps faded.“Wow, you’re really good at making shady deals. I was too scared to ask, but you didn’t even hesitate for a second,” Rylie praised, though he couldn’t help adding a jab, “Sometimes, I think you’re more scary than you let on.”“Want me to smack you and show you just how scary I can be?” Eva snapped at him, causing him to flinch and hide behind me.“Yep, she’s scary alright.”I chuckled and shook my head, spreading my arms to prevent Eva from hitting Rylie.“Enough, you two. We don’t have
Hades pov.Waston’s eyes widened in horror at my words, and he stumbled back as if I had physically struck him.“What?” he muttered in disbelief.I tilted my head slightly, narrowing my gaze, my expression cold and unreadable. Silence stretched between us like a taut string.Then he broke it.“M-My King, this must be a misunderstanding. Surely, I would never—”I raised a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence, and stepped forward, holding out the wine.“Then explain this to me. Why would your beta try to poison my drink with wolfsbane? How do you explain this, Waston?”I glanced at the bastard I had just killed moments ago, my eyes settling on the severed head of a man who had no idea his end was coming.Waston followed my gaze, and I saw the way his body tensed as he stared at his beheaded beta.Without a word, I walked over to the head on the ground and crouched down to its level, tilting my head as I studied the man's wide, lifeless eyes. I pointed at it, then looked at Waston with an
Hades pov.“Two choices?” I repeated, my voice laced with confusion. The moon goddess nodded, her gaze unwavering as she stared at me.“You have to make a decision between two choices," she said, her tone serious. "And either choice you pick will change everything. It will have an effect in one way or another in your life”I raised a brow and frowned, my gaze shifting away from her. It wasn’t fear or nervousness that made me look away, but even with her aura suppressed, staring at her for too long strained my vision. After breaking down in tears earlier, the goddess had comforted me, and maybe because she was the mother of all werewolves, I felt every ounce of pain and frustration pour out of me at that moment. It was a release I hadn’t known I needed. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had cried. After my parents' deaths, I had locked away every sign of weakness— including my tears.“What do you mean? Could you tell me what choice I would have to make?” I asked.The goddess's
Hades pov. “Moon Goddess.” The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them, and I froze, my eyes locked onto the woman before me. She was exactly as I remembered— unchanged, untouched by time. The same presence that had left everyone speechless that day, the same piercing eyes that seemed to strip away all privacy, as if she could read every thought in my mind. And that same knowing smile, the one she wore when she named me king instead of Thorne. It was all there. “Hades, my child… my favorite child.” Her smile widened as she gazed at me, an unsettling warmth in her eyes. My expression remained unreadable as I bowed my head in respect. There was only one being in this world that a king could bow to— only one deity worthy of such reverence. Not a mere person, but the Moon Goddess herself. The mother of all werewolves. “Greetings to the goddess,” I said, my voice cold. Almost immediately, I heard a light, amused chuckle. She lowered herself gracefully and sat onto the f
Hades pov.“Alpha Watson will be here shortly, my king. He apologizes for the delay, he wasn’t aware you would be arriving,” the man before me bowed his head respectfully. I waved him off nonchalantly, too preoccupied with the words that girl had said earlier in the car."With his hands, my king."I frowned, my fingers instinctively drumming against the chair— an unconscious habit whenever I needed to think.A kid had broken a wall that had remained unbroken for years? I didn’t need to think too deeply to know this was the same child Thorne was using to kill my Alphas. This wasn’t the first time I had heard whispers about him from survivors."He was merciless. He killed without blinking, he tore through people like they were nothing to him. But… he saved me. I don’t know why. He killed everyone but spared me.""He didn’t touch me. He told me to run and never look back. He spared most of the children, like me.""He was cruel, a monster. I can still remember how he tore the Alpha’s head
Hades pov.Despite keeping my eyes shut, I could still sense her gaze on me— stealing glances before quickly looking away in fear.The rhythmic drumming of my fingers against the seat came to an abrupt stop as my frown deepened. I opened my eyes, staring into the distance before shifting my gaze to the slave I had bought at the auction house.Earlier, when I stepped into the car, I was surprised to find the little slave crouched to the side, trembling. That was when I remembered her. I had told her to leave, to return to her pack, making it clear that I had no intention of taking her with me. But instead of leaving, she had fallen to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded— insisting that she had offended me. The desperation in her voice had genuinely taken me by surprise.“Go home to your family, you’ve been released,” I had told her back then, but her response was,“No, my king. I have no family to return to, and if I leave, I’ll only be captured again and forced int
Draven pov.“Your dinner is ready! Look, I made your favorite meal, Draven. Remember how much you used to love it when I cooked for you?”My mate— no, the woman before me spoke with a bright smile, placing the freshly cooked porridge on the table, her eyes filled with eagerness for me to try it.I stared at the porridge for a moment, my gaze cold, a tired frown tugging at my lips. With a slow shake of my head, I pushed the bowl away, my eyes flickering back to her.“You’re not real,” I repeated, for what felt like the hundredth time. “You are not my mate. You are not here. And this… this isn’t real.”Her smile faltered for a split second before she quickly masked it, forcing a cheerful expression back onto her face."Draven, please…" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, almost sounding rehearsed as she pushed the bowl back toward me. "Just try it. I made it just for you."I clenched my jaw, my fists tightening on my lap as I stared at her— at the woman who wore my mate's face,
Davina pov.I gasped, my eyes snapping open as I stared up at the stark white ceiling, my heart pounding wildly against my chest, sweat trickling down my face.The room was eerily silent, except for the steady ticking of the clock. Yet, with each passing second, the sound grew louder, almost deafening, as if it were counting down to something— something unknown, something inevitable."Where am I?" I murmured to myself, blinking as I tried to recall what had happened. But it felt like something was blocking the memory—so close yet just out of reach.Clank!The sound of something shattering on the ground snapped my head in that direction, and I froze when I saw my mother's stunned expression, her eyes widening as she stared at me."Mother…" I murmured under my breath, my voice hoarse.In the blink of an eye, she ran toward me, pulling me into a tight embrace."Oh my goddess, Davina! Davina, you’re awake! You've been unconscious for a week now, and everyone was worried. I’m so glad you’r
Davina pov. My father always used to say that when you are close to death, your life flashes before your eyes in the form of a dream—like watching a movie. But this one shows everything: your past, your present, and the illusion of the future you long for. The future you would do everything to have. Maybe that explained why I was here—why they were all here. “Haha! You should have seen her face when she thought she could land a strike on me, only to end up flat on the ground.” I turned to my right, watching as my father laughed, clapping his hands in amusement, his eyes glistening with mischief. “Really, Dalton? Do you have to make fun of your daughter after knocking her down?” My mother shook her head in disapproval, shooting him a glare. “Hey, ‘knocking her down’ is a strong phrase. I was merely… training her, dear.” My father smirked before turning his gaze back to me. “Davina needs to learn how to fight and control her powers. She’s twenty-four—she needs to step up her game
Hades pov."I—I don't know where Thorne is, Your Majesty. Please believe me," he pleaded, his voice trembling with emotion.“Do you expect me to believe that?” I asked, my tone bored and empty as I released the bastard, letting him collapse to the ground with a soft thud. Without sparing him another glance, I walked to my seat, reached for the glass of wine, and took a slow sip. Resting my head on my hand, I narrowed my gaze at him.“Do you expect me to believe that you have no idea where you supply the women? Don’t take me for a fool, Valen. Or perhaps… you fear Thorne too much to speak the truth, hm?” I drawled, lazily twirling the wine in my glass, a cold smirk curving my lips.“N-no, Your Majesty. That is not true—”“Or let me guess,” I cut him off, my voice turning sharp. “You’re one of those fools who worship Thorne. Who believe he is your true king, your savior, your rightful ruler. Is that it? Do you think the Moon Goddess made a mistake choosing me? That I stole my brother’s