JamieThe room had already been tense, but after Aieran’s words, it turned downright suffocating. A heavy, thick silence settled, punctuated only by the shallow breaths of the council members. I crossed my arms, the leather of my jacket creaking softly, and took a deliberate step forward, exhaling through my nose. “Then do it,” I said flatly, the words sharp and clipped. “Proceed with finding the woman.”Corey’s head snapped toward me, a predator’s swift, violent movement. His entire body stiffened, a taut wire of contained fury, his golden eyes narrowing in disbelief, the irises flickering with a dangerous light. “We will do no such thing,” he growled, the words low and guttural, a warning rumble.The other council members shifted uncomfortably, exchanging glances that spoke of unease and unspoken fears. The air crackled with unspoken tension, the weight of their unspoken opinions pressing down on us like a physical burden. But it was Aieran who spoke first, his voice cutting through
JamieMy stomach twisted, the knot of dread tightening. “Left?” I echoed, my voice sharper than I intended, the word laced with a growing sense of panic. “What are you talking about?”Aieran’s expression shifted from surprise to confusion, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You came to see me earlier,” he said slowly, his voice laced with a hint of bewilderment. “Dressed in a suit and glasses. You told me you needed the special Storm combat crew to accompany you to Lycone in case the meeting with Ronin was a trap.”The air in my lungs turned to ice, a sudden, chilling realization washing over me.It wasn’t me.It was Corey.He impersonated me and took the special combat crew with him!I clenched my fists, the knuckles turning white, as realization hit me like a freight train. Corey had betrayed me. The implications of his actions were staggering, a devastating blow.And if he was taking warriors to Lycone without me…Then this wasn’t just about proving a point. This wasn’t some childish ac
MaliaAfter two weeks staying at Jude's, I sat across from Jude, my stomach twisting into knots as he laid out his plan. His voice was calm, almost casual, as if he wasn’t talking about completely upending my life—again.“You’ll go to Lycone and live there as my adoptive daughter.”I stared at him, unsure if I’d heard correctly. “Excuse me?”He smiled faintly. “I won’t be Jude when we get there. I’ll be Derrick, a banished Lycan who earned a pardon after saving Ronin’s father from an assassination attempt.”My pulse quickened. “You saved him?”Jude chuckled, shaking his head. “No, but Derrick did.”It took me a second to process what he meant. My mouth went dry. “You’re going to capture him.”He nodded like it was the simplest thing in the world.I swallowed hard, trying to keep my breathing steady. “And what happens to Derrick after you take his place?”Jude’s lips curled into something that might have been a smirk if it wasn’t so devoid of warmth. “That’s not important.”Of course n
MaliaAfter giving it further thought, I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face and said, "Look, I'll do whatever you want Jude, just leave my parents out of this."He smiled, but there was nothing kind about it. "No promises."Of course. I should’ve known better than to ask.Jude stepped closer, his sharp eyes locking onto mine. "Now, listen carefully. If you want to play your part right, you need to know exactly what to do when we get to Lycone."I clenched my fists but stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.He circled me like a predator assessing prey. "Like I said before, you'll go by the name Lia, my adoptive daughter. I will be Derrick—a Lycan who was banished and later granted pardon after saving Ronin’s father from an assassination attempt."I frowned. "You already mentioned this before."Jude let out a short laugh. "Malia, I'm taking things slow because you're not that smart. I don't want to leave out details like me needing you to seduce Ronin so we find Favor with him and
JamieThe silence in the car was thick, but my mind was louder. The wheels in my head turned restlessly, replaying everything I had seen, everything I had just survived. The bodies of the men who had ambushed me, their soulless black eyes, the inscription burned into their flesh—the unmistakable mark of the Storm Pack’s special combat crew. It made no damn sense.I clenched my fists, staring out the window as the unfamiliar woman drove through the darkened roads. She hadn’t said much since saving my ass, and I wasn’t exactly in the mood for small talk, but the moment I saw that mark, my gut twisted with something worse than suspicion.Spelled. That’s what she’d said.And if that was true, then this wasn’t just a case of Corey getting ambitious and deciding to cut me out of the meeting with Ronin. If Corey had turned against me, he wouldn’t have needed magic to control our men. They were trained to follow BOTH of us. To obey BOTH of us. But these men? They were puppets, their strings p
JamieThe rest of the drive home was quiet, but I wasn’t about to complain. My body was screaming at me, exhaustion weighing down my limbs like a damn anchor, but I kept my mouth shut and let her take charge. She hadn’t said a word about ignoring my request to be dropped off at a safe house. She simply made the decision herself and did what she wanted.And, oddly enough, I found that… intriguing.It wasn’t often that someone disregarded my orders and got away with it. People listened to me. Obeyed me. But this woman? She wasn’t interested in following my lead. She moved at her own pace, made her own calls. And maybe it was the exhaustion messing with me, but I didn’t hate it.When we pulled up in front of my residence, the guards stationed outside immediately straightened, their eyes locking onto my state. One of them, Leon, was the first to rush forward, his expression darkening as he took in the torn fabric of my bloodied shirt and the fading bruises on my face.“Alpha—”“I’m fine,”
JamieCorey sat there, as smug as ever, but the second he opened his mouth, I knew he was up to something.“I can’t believe you actually went to have a meeting without me, Jamie,” he said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.For a moment, my mind blanked.Then, before I could even think, I lunged.My vision went red, my hands reaching for his throat, but before I could land a hit, a dozen hands yanked me back. Council members, guards—hell, even Aieran—were on me in seconds, dragging me away from my brother.Corey didn’t even flinch.He just sat there, looking at me like I was some wild animal throwing a tantrum.Like he had no idea why I was pissed.“Relax,” Aieran’s voice cut through the chaos. “Jamie, for the love of the Goddess, relax.”“Relax?” I snarled, struggling against the men holding me back. “Are you seriously telling me to relax? Are you even hearing the bullshit coming out of his mouth?”Aieran exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m saying listen before you j
JamieI stared at Aieran, my patience hanging by a thread. “Explain to me again why you told me that Corey left for the meeting dressed as me?”Aieran shifted uncomfortably, his silver-streaked hair catching the light as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It was… a mistake.”“A mistake?” I repeated coldly.“Yes.” He nodded, looking between Corey and me as if trying to gauge how much trouble he was in. “I mistook Alpha Corey for you because… he wore glasses.”Silence.I blinked, processing the absolute nonsense I’d just heard.Corey, standing across from me with his arms folded, scoffed. “Seriously?” He turned to Aieran, shaking his head. “That’s your excuse?”Aieran hesitated. “You both look similar—”“We don’t,” Corey and I said at the same time. Then I turned to Corey, “Why did you wear glasses? Seems to me like you did that to confuse him on purpose!” Corey exhaled sharply and turned to me, his expression unreadable. “Look, I just wanted to look serious. I couldn't go before Ronin,
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