JamieAmara let out a slow breath, her eyes downcast. “You’re right,” she admitted softly. “I don’t want to believe it, but… you’re right about Asher.”I didn’t say anything, just exhaled sharply through my nose.She looked up at me, her face tight with guilt. “We need to release Malia,” she said. “Right now. We’ve wasted enough time.”I gave a single nod. No hesitation.We moved quickly, leaving my office and heading straight for the cells.But just as we turned a corner, I heard something.A muffled sound—like a low groan, followed by a stifled giggle.I froze. Amara did too.Then another noise—something shifting, a quiet moan.Coming from Corey’s room.My heart leapt to my throat.I didn’t think.Didn’t hesitate.I shoved the door open, ready to fight—ready to kill whoever dared touch my brother after everything that had happened—And then I saw Corey.On the bed.With the women who were supposed to be cleaning him up.My mind blanked.Amara gasped.Corey barely acknowledged us.He
JamieI watched Corey walk away, my mind racing with everything that felt off about him. The way he spoke to me. The way he looked through me instead of at me. That wasn’t my brother. That wasn’t Corey.I was still standing there, fists clenched, when Amara hurried back, her face pale."Jamie," she said breathlessly. "Malia’s not in her cell."I snapped my head toward her. "What?""I looked everywhere," she insisted, shaking her head. "She’s gone."My first instinct was to follow her back to check for myself, but something stopped me—or rather, someone.Corey.He was still within earshot. He had to have heard everything. Yet he didn’t react. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t ask a single question about the woman he had just defended, the woman we’d nearly executed.Nothing.He kept walking, his pace steady, his posture relaxed—like he didn’t care.I turned sharply toward Corey, my voice cutting through the tense air.“Aren’t you coming with us?” I asked. “Malia is missing.”He didn’t even pause.
JamieThe spy smiled, her lips curling slightly, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.But just as I was about to say something, something hit me—hard.Her scent.It was overwhelming, maddeningly intoxicating in a way I couldn’t even begin to explain.It wasn’t just any scent. It wasn’t the kind that lingered faintly or the kind I could brush off like any other wolf’s. No, this was something else entirely—something that wrapped around my senses and refused to let go.I stiffened. My instincts sharpened, body tensing as my head swam from the sheer intensity of it.Who the hell was she?I parted my lips to ask, but before I could even get a word out, she moved.Smoothly, effortlessly, like she already knew.Like she had expected this.In one swift motion, she turned and slipped through the door, disappearing before I could stop her.I stood frozen for a moment, gripping the edge of my desk as I tried to shake off the fog in my mind. My pulse was racing, something primal clawing at
JamieI narrowed my eyes at Corey, my chest tightening with unease."That's it?" I asked, my voice low. "Just 'life moves on'?"Corey met my gaze without hesitation. "Yeah."I exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling inside me. "He was our father, Corey. How can you sound so unbothered about this?"Corey scoffed, shaking his head. "Come on, Jamie. You, of all people, should know I was always closer to Mom than to Dad. Why are you acting surprised?"I blinked, thrown off by how casually he said it.It wasn’t a lie—Corey had always been more attached to our mother than to our father. But still..."Dad wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t a bad man," I argued.Corey shrugged. "I’m not saying he was. I’m just saying his death doesn’t really affect me the way it affects you."His voice was calm. Too calm.And that was what unsettled me.Corey had emotions. He wasn't like me—he showed them openly, sometimes recklessly. But now? There was nothing.No sadness. No anger. No nostalgia. Just blank indiffe
MaliaI woke up to the cold, hard feeling of a cell floor beneath me. Again.A wave of exhaustion crashed over me as I tried to move, my body aching from being manhandled so many times in the past few days.But none of that compared to the chill that ran down my spine when I saw who was standing in front of me.Jude.I blinked rapidly, trying to shake off the grogginess. Last thing I remember was being locked up in Jamie’s cell, convinced I was never going to be free. Then, out of nowhere, she appeared. Rayna… The same woman who had stolen my face, used my voice, and framed me for Corey’s death. The same woman who had fooled everyone into believing her lies.She had shown up unexpectedly, her presence swallowing the space around me. The guards left. I didn’t know how, only that one moment they were there, standing watch, and the next, they were gone. That alone was enough to send every alarm in my body screaming.Then she turned to me, her hood lowered, revealing the face I had once t
MaliaI forced myself to breathe. I couldn't let him get in my head."I won’t be your tool," I said through gritted teeth. "Not again."Jude let out a low chuckle, shaking his head like he was amused by my defiance. "Oh, Malia. You say that like you have a choice."I did have a choice. I wasn’t going to let him use me to ruin someone else’s life, no matter what he said or did. But then his previous words came rushing back to me—"Asher’s been disposed of."A shiver ran down my spine. I hated myself for asking, but I had to."What do you EVEN mean by that?" I demanded.Jude’s smile widened, his amusement clear as he tapped a finger against his chin. "Do you really need me to be direct?"I clenched my fists. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me panic.I wouldn’t.I couldn’t.But when I said nothing, Jude let out another laugh—slow and deliberate, like he was savoring every second of my uncertainty."Fine," he said at last, tilting his head. "Since you’re so eager to know—
MaliaAt first, I couldn’t help it—I laughed. A short, sharp bark of disbelief.But when Jude didn’t so much as smirk, when he just stood there with that same unreadable expression, my laughter died in my throat."You’re serious?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.Jude tilted his head slightly, as if amused by my disbelief. "Why wouldn’t I be?""Because it’s ridiculous," I snapped. "You’re not a Lycan, Jude. You never will be. How the hell do you expect to rule over them?"Jude let out a slow, condescending sigh, shaking his head. "Malia, Malia, Malia," he tsked, as if I were some naive child. "You’re still thinking too small. Do you really believe I need to be a Lycan to rule them?"I stayed silent, but my stomach twisted at his tone."I already proved that was a myth," he continued smoothly. "I did it through my son."My fists clenched. "You used him, you mean."Jude just smirked. "Semantics. The point is, Asher’s reign made it clear that the Lycans follow power, not blood. And I have mor
MaliaA thick, uneasy silence settled between us.I wanted to refuse, to shut Jude down completely, but the look on my parents' faces made my stomach churn. They weren’t angry. They weren’t defiant.They were guilty.Something in their eyes—the regret, the weight of something unspoken—shook me so badly that I couldn’t find the strength to deny Jude outright."Fine," I muttered, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. "Say whatever the hell you want. But don’t expect me to believe a word of it."Jude grinned, satisfied, and gestured toward my parents."Go on," he said. "Tell her."My mother stepped forward hesitantly, her fingers twisting together. She took a deep breath, but it was shaky—like even she wasn’t sure she could get through this."Malia," she began softly, "before anything else, I need you to know that your father and I love you. We always have."A cold pit formed in my stomach. That was never a good way to start a conversation."Then get to the point," I snapped. "What are
AsherThe sun began to rise.The golden light washed over the field like a mercy none of us deserved. It touched the broken, the bloodied, and the dead. Too many. Faces I’d known. Names I’d grown up with.The Reece mages dropped one by one, barely able to stand. Their magic was gone—sacrificed to stop one man.Rhedd clutched her stomach, pale and shaking, her magic burned out like a candle in wind.The wolves—those still standing—shifted back. Naked, bruised, and dazed. They looked at me like they didn’t know what to feel.And then I turned and saw him.Ronin.He was bloodied, bruised, still limping from what Jude had done to him. But his eyes were sharp. Watchful.He walked toward me, the others parting in his path.He stopped a few feet away, lifting his chin.“So,” he said, voice raw. “Now what?”I didn’t answer right away.“I know what you think of me,” he continued. “And I don’t blame you. But I pledged because it was the only way to win. That doesn’t mean I—” He hesitated, jaw c
AsherJude was just a man. Twisted, obsessed, and broken. A shell of the force that had terrified every wolf and Lycan under the moon. And I wasn’t sure killing him would be victory… or vengeance.Should I kill him? Is that the answer?Behind me, I heard Rhedd cry out, pulling me out of my thoughts.“Keep him still!” one of the Reece mages shouted.They circled Malia where she lay floating in the air and then slowly brought her to the ground. They were unraveling the last of the threads Jude had embedded inside her. Magic that pulsed and bucked like it didn’t want to let go.“He used her like a damn conduit,” Rhedd muttered. “If we don’t cut it clean—”“He’ll pull her soul out with it,” another finished.I didn’t take my eyes off Jude. His breath hitched. His gaze was unfocused, but when it landed on me, I saw something strange flicker behind his eyes.Fear.Not because he was about to die.But because he wasn’t in control anymore.“You think this fixes anything?” he rasped, coughing
AsherWhile everyone else was unable to move. Ronin had it worse. His bones cracked—loud enough that even the stunned silence couldn’t hide the sound. I watched him fall to his knees, coughing up blood. His spine jerked one way, then the other, like it was trying to twist him into something unrecognizable. Something wrong.“Damn you,” Ronin hissed through clenched teeth. “I’ll kill you… I swear, I’ll—”But Jude just smiled and raised two fingers. Another wave of agony surged through Ronin, folding his body like a puppet whose strings had snapped.No one moved.Corey. Jamie. Rhedd. Everyone stood frozen in place, either physically or emotionally. Shock. Despair. Fear.Except me. I didn’t flinch and unlike everyone else, I wasn't unable to move. I just stood still because… well… I was stunned by all that had happened. But for some reason, Jude's magic wasn't working on me.Jude turned to me slowly, his eyes glowing like coals.“You’re quiet,” he said. “But you always were a little slowe
AsherI felt it before I saw it.A deep hum tore through the battlefield like a pulse from the earth’s core. The ground cracked beneath us, vibrating with something ancient and wrong. My body stilled, instincts taking over. Every wolf on our side growled low, confused. Even Ronin, standing opposite me with blood on his hands and a twisted glare in his eyes, paused mid-strike.And then it happened.The earth opened up and Jude rose from it, Malia by his side.He wasn’t walking.He was floating—levitating above the dirt like he belonged to another realm. Malia hovered next to him, limp but breathing, her hair weightless in the still air. Streams of energy—magic—flowed from her into his hands like threads being woven. Her face looked drained, pale, as though the life was being siphoned out of her bit by bit.I froze.This couldn’t be real. I heard he was confined and starving in the same cell that I had been locked in. But he was here.And he wasn’t just alive—he was drawing magic from
AsherThe moon was full and heavy in the sky, throwing pale light over the open field ahead. My boots pressed into the soft earth as I looked over the line of soldiers behind me—my father’s secret elite, all in wolf form, silent and still. Every one of them had trained for this night, and still, we were outnumbered.Four packs stood against us—Sky, Storm, Range, and Lycone. Wolves I had once thought would always be loyal to me. Jamie and Corey - Brothers I had fought with. Now they stood across from me with their teeth bared and claws ready, all of them backing the one who took what was mine.Ronin.He stood on the ridge ahead of us, arms folded, his wolf just beneath the surface because he wouldn't turn. He didn't need to. He was a Lycan. Day or night didn't matter for Lycans to shift. He didn’t look tense. He looked smug, like he already believed this battle was over. I mean, with me being outnumbered, he was probably right.I exhaled through my nose. My heartbeat was steady. I did
MaliaI didn’t breathe.Not for a full minute after Ronin said those words.Asher Mendoza is alive.I stood there, frozen beneath the branches of the old silverwood tree. Just moments ago, I’d been smiling faintly at the way Ronin had grumbled about paperwork. Just hours ago, I’d kissed him without shame in front of his guards.And now, my world has split in half.He was alive.My Asher.The one I had mourned in silence. The one I had cursed the stars for taking too soon. The one whose name I had stopped speaking, not because I forgot—but because remembering hurt too much.I had let him go.And now he was back.Ronin didn’t look at me. His entire body was taut, rage pouring off of him in waves as he crumpled the letter in his fist.“He dares to ask me to step down,” he growled, pacing. “After everything I’ve done—after the unity I’ve forged? The peace I’ve built? He wants to come back from the dead and reclaim what he abandoned?”His eyes flicked toward me at last. And the moment he s
MaliaIt had been almost a year.A full cycle of moons since I stood before the altar in a dress that felt like a cage and pledged myself to a man I did not love. A year of silent dinners, of shared quarters and unshared sheets. A year of waking up beside someone who looked at me like I was a world he couldn’t touch.Ronin had not once tried.He had kissed my cheek in public, taken my hand at royal events, and always ensured I had a personal guard at my side. He gave me space. Respect. But not once had he laid a single finger on me—not without my permission.And that restraint… it had become unbearable.Tonight, the weight of it collapsed on me.I sat on the edge of our bed, staring at the hearth’s dying flames. My nightgown clung to my skin in the low firelight, and my chest ached with something I hadn’t let myself name in months.“Just accept it, Malia,” Rhedd had told me only hours ago, his voice quiet but final. “He’s not coming back. If Asher was alive, he would’ve come by now.”
AsherThe moon was high the night I met with Nina’s parents. I had to meet them since I now knew the truth. They were the only ones I could trust. We gathered in the ruins of the old Northern chapel, a place sacred enough to keep secrets buried but strong enough to host rebellion. I didn’t ask how they got in contact with me—they always had a way to do things discreetly. Nina’s father, Nathan, regarded me with the tired eyes of a man who had carried the truth for too long.“He told us this day would come,” he said. “Ian prepared. We kept his will safe. And we kept his soldiers even safer.”From the shadows, they stepped forward—silent, deadly, focused. Wolves in human skin. Elite. Trained in secret under Ian’s orders for the day I would reclaim the crown.I couldn't believe my eyes. How did Ian think of this? How was he able to predict that I may not get any support unless he provides one for me?I was relieved that I had been given a head start, but it wasn’t enough. Not for a war.
AsherMy thumb hovered over the next page for longer than I cared to admit. The leather binding creaked softly beneath my grip, like it too feared what lay ahead. But I couldn’t stop now. I needed to know it all—no matter how much it hurt and no matter how much I wanted to stop, I turned the page.‘Brooke and Renah began their affair not out of love, not truly—not at first. Brooke wanted affection. She wanted to be wanted. Renah… he was a convenient escape. They were discreet. Not for my sake. For hers. Always for hers. She didn't want to ruin her reputation.’I leaned back, jaw tightening.So it was true.I watched them once. They didn’t see me. Her smile was real. His was reverent. That was the moment I knew—Renah loved her more. Brooke? She simply needed to be adored.It painted such a different picture of my mother than the one I’d held growing up. She had always seemed powerful, poised, in control of every room she walked into. I never imagined her desperate. Or fragile. But with