"Wait, Kasia. You don't understand," Lana said, but Kasia didn't hear her. Kasia's heart was racing as a high level of adrenaline was rushing through her veins. Her senses were heightened. She could hear a mouse rustling in the grass right outside the dungeon. 'Focus,' Kasia told herself. This was not her first time taking one of these pills, but each time she felt as if the effects were stronger and stronger. "Kasia," Lana said, grabbing Kasia's arm. Kasia whipped around to face Lana, but Lana jumped back after seeing her eyes. "Your eyes—you're losing yourself." "I can worry about that later. I'm getting you out of here," Kasia growled, turning her attention back to the entrance of the cell. She could hear and smell them coming. As soon as Kasia saw a figure around the corner entering the cell, she lunged forward with inhuman speed. 'My King, we are having trouble in the dungeon,' one of the warriors connected with Ethan. His voice was frantic, which concerned Ethan. How
Due to the previous disorienting movement, Kasia found herself confused and dazed. Her head throbbed from the collision, and she struggled to focus on her surroundings. It was Lana's voice that eventually penetrated her foggy mind, calling out to her in a frantic plea. "Kasia! Kasia, are you okay? Please, answer me!" Kasia's vision cleared slowly as she realized that she and Lana were still trapped inside the overturned car. Kasia fumbled to unbuckle their seatbelts. Her hands shook as she attempted to free them from the mangled wreckage, her heart pounding in her chest. "Don't panic. I'm… I'm going to get you out," Kasia said as she could now smell gasoline, which meant the car was in danger of exploding. With trembling fingers, Kasia finally managed to release the seatbelts, and she groaned as she struggled to crawl out of the car. Her movements were slow and labored, with pain radiating from her side where she had sustained an injury during the accident. Lana, too, was inj
Lana lay on the sterile infirmary bed, her eyes squinting in pain, as the pack doctor, Brian, probed her stomach wounds as he pulled out more pieces of metal from the car crash. Ethan paced the room, his agitation clear as he stared down at her. "Damn it, Lana, what else are you hiding from me?" Ethan snapped. "I am not hiding anything. I told you everything I know," Lana defended herself, but Ethan wasn't hearing it. "How could you be so reckless?" Ethan continued, his voice laced with anger. "My King, can we refrain from having this conversation now? I need to tend to my patient," Brian interjected, earning a glare from Ethan as if daring Brian to say another word. Brian quickly diverted his gaze and continued to work on stitching Lana's wound. "You put yourself in danger and endangered the whole pack," Ethan growled. "I should throw you back into that dungeon for a few months as punishment for your recklessness." Lana winced at his harsh words, gripping the edge of the
Kasia gradually regained consciousness, her head throbbing as though it were split in two. Her eyelids fluttered open, and the dimly lit room came into focus. Her surroundings felt unfamiliar, and her memories seemed disjointed. She attempted to piece together the fragments of her recent experiences. She had been on the hunt for Lana; she found her, and they were driving away. Then comes the lycan. A low growl rumbled behind her, drawing Kasia's attention away from her bewildered thoughts. She rolled onto her back and met the intense gaze of a massive, black wolf. Its eyes bore into her with an eerie intelligence, and as its paw reached for her, it transformed into a clawed human hand. "Mine!" Kasia's heart raced, her disorientation deepening. The word "mine" reverberated in her mind, both eerie and perplexing. As the hand got closer,an invisible force pressed her back onto the cold, unforgiving surface of the bed. Kasia's eyes fluttered open, and her vision blurred as if s
"No, no, I don't believe this," Kasia stammered as her mind tried to process what Lana was saying. "It's true, Kasia. I didn't mean for all of this to happen the way it did, but I am so glad that it was you who came here. We can make things right," Lana said with a smile. Kasia's brown eyes blazed with fury as she slammed her fists onto the wooden table, making it shudder under the impact. "You traitor!" she spat, glaring at Lana. Lana stepped back as if struck and moved out of Kasia's reach. "Kasia, I am not a traitor," Lana replied, her hazel eyes meeting her sister's without fear. "I never believed in the hunters. They're hypocrites; they kill just as indiscriminately as the beasts they claim to hunt." The room seemed to close in on them, suffocating in its tension. Kasia's nostrils flared as she tried to fight the anger boiling inside her. How dare Lana say such things? After all they had been through together, after the blood that stained their hands in the name of their
"I was on a mission on my own for the first time and I hunted down the target. I tracked him to an abandoned building. What I found was not a bloodthirsty beast that had been murdering women, it was a woman and her child," Lana explained. "No, you're lying," Kasia countered. "If I'm lying, I'm flying," Lana said. "The orders were clear. That's when I realized the hunters were lying to us. A mother and her child were no threat to us. They were rogues, malnourished, on the brink of death." Kasia shook her head, the pain in her heart too great to bear. "Nadia wouldn't have lied to us." "And why wouldn't she, Kasia? We were grunts. We didn't need to think. We just needed to do what we were told," Lana said bitterly. "She wouldn't have done that. You must have gotten it wrong, tracked the wrong one," Kasia argued. She refused to believe that Nadia would do something like that. Nadia was the one to find Kasia and Lana struggling to survive. Nadia slowly morphed into.a mentor
Brian watched from the doorway as Lana rushed out of the room. "Are you?" Brian started. "I'm fine," Lana interrupted. "Just leave me alone, okay?" Brian watched as Lana stormed away, wiping the tears from her face. He hesitated for a moment, knowing the tension in the room and the extent of Kasia's anger. Nevertheless, he couldn't delay this. Kasia was awake now. So much for trying to do it while she was unconscious. He stepped into the dimly lit room. Kasia watched him without saying a word. The way her eyes followed him reminded him of an herbivore waiting for the predator's next move. Her expression was blank, but he could smell the fear and anger rolling off her in waves. Brian's heart went out to her, but he had a job to do. "Kasia," Brian began, trying to keep his voice as calm and reassuring as possible. "I'm here to help you. I have no intention of hurting you, but I need to draw some blood for testing." Kasia's eyes narrowed as she looked at him, distrust emanat
The first light of dawn filtered through the curtains as Ethan approached Kasia's room, a tray laden with breakfast in hand. He rapped gently on the door, announcing his presence, before pushing it open. The scent of warm pastries and freshly brewed coffee wafted into the room, filling the air with an inviting aroma. "Breakfast is served," Ethan declared, a wry smile playing on his lips as he entered. His eyes locked onto Kasia, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, her posture tense. She looked as if she had not slept the entire night. Her scent filled the room, reminding him that she was his mate. He gripped the tray tightly in an effort to maintain his composure. Kasia's gaze flickered to the tray, then back to Ethan. Ethan wore a form-fighting short-sleeved orange shirt and blue jeans. He was absolutely massive, far more in shape than Austin. 'Stop it! What are you thinking? He's a monster!' Kasia scolded herself. Her eyes met his, and she noticed the smirk on his face.