Novels by Dera's ink

Cade I ran like a storm, faster than my lungs could keep up.The moment I saw the shattered teacup and the crumpled robe on the floor. her locket tangled in the silk. I knew something was horribly wrong.She hadn’t just left.She’d run.And she’d taken nothing.Not even shoes.Not even that damn locket she always clutched like it had breath in it.My wolf surged inside me, frantic. I tore out of the palace, past guards and shocked elders, who saw me. None of it mattered.Only Ayla.I caught her scent the moment I hit the woods — wild jasmine and rain. Faint. Fleeing.She was hurting.Because of me.I followed her trail deeper into the forest, ignoring the thorns biting into my skin, the blood pooling in my boots.Then I heard it — growling. Low. Close.I slowed. Dropped to a crouch.Rogues.I counted five of them in a crooked circle just ahead. Their posture wasn’t aggressive. It was... curious. As if they’d stumbled across prey they didn’t know how to approach.And then I saw what

Ayla POVI didn’t remember walking.Only the sound of my heart breaking in my ears.It was louder than their moans.Louder than Maerina’s whisper.Louder than Cade’s grunt as he gave himself to her — completely, recklessly.I stood there.Foolish.Frozen.And watching the man's fate bound to me make love to someone else.Right there on the bed where I once dreamt he’d hold me someday.Not out of duty.Not out of guilt.I just walked.One step. Then another.Down the corridor. Past the guards. Through the velvet-draped halls of a palace that never felt like mine.No one stopped me.No one asked why I was like that. Why were my hands shaking? Why couldn't my eyes focus?Maybe they didn’t see me. Maybe I’d turned invisible again. Just a shadow of a girl who never really belonged. Not like everyone in this pack care about a lowly Omega like me I walked until I reached my suite.And then I crumbled.The door shut behind me like a coffin lid.The moment the door shut behind me, I dropped t

Cade’s POVJust as I was finally approaching her suite, a voice called out behind me.“Alpha Cade.”I turned, my brows furrowed, frustration simmering. It was one of the elders, his expression tight.Why now?“The rogue has been brought in.”I forced a nod, jaw clenching. “Alright. I’ll meet you there.”But he stepped closer, gaze scanning my face as if trying to peel back my skin. “The interrogation starts in three minutes. We need you there. Now.”I swallowed my annoyance. “Fine. Lead the way.”Reluctantly, I followed him through the stone hallways back to the dungeon. My wolf paced in my chest, already sensing the tension thick in the air. When we entered, the rogue was already chained, lean, wild-eyed, bloodied but laughing like he’d won something we didn’t yet understand.That laugh.I could rip his throat out just for that.“Why are you terrorizing our lands?” one of the elders demanded.The rogue threw his head back. “Ha... ha ha ha... More is coming,” he wheezed. “Much, much

CadeAfter the warm embrace I had with Ayla, I don't know why I feel relieved, safe, like everything happening has come to an end. I wanted to go meet her immediately, but duty calls so I told Nyra to keep her company. The case of rogue attacks is now alarming; people no longer feel safe in their abodes, and there are cries and whispers from my people, begging, shouting, and crying for a better pack.During the Council meeting, we went back and forth about what to do next, and as usual, Elder Galen was on my tail. "Alpha, crown Lady Maerina as the future Luna; maybe that will give the people reassurance that everything is still going to be better," Alpha Galen said, talking as if he had a little bit of sympathy for the people."Why should I crown Maerina as the future Luna when my mate, Ayla, is there?" I countered, waiting for his reply. "In terms of capability, Lady Maerina is more capable than Ayla; it's very obvious. In strength, Lady Maerina is stronger than Ayla because she

AylaAfter the hug I shared with Cade this afternoon, I was led into a suite. The same one I’d stayed in the last time I visited the palace.Only now, it looked more furnished. Like someone had known I was coming.Since that hug, I hadn’t seen Cade anywhere. And somehow... I missed him.I blamed the mate bond. Normal me wouldn't be missing Cade.Nyra had been keeping me company since then, talking non-stop about everything. And I mean everything that had happened in the palace. She was clearly a talker—there was no denying that.“I slapped the maid immediately she talked back to me,” she said proudly.I let out a soft laugh. I didn't actually find it funny, but I laughed anyway so she wouldn’t feel awkward.“Tell me about Maerina,” I asked suddenly. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted to know. Maybe I needed to.“That nasty Lady Maerina?” Nyra’s nose wrinkled. “I hate her. Almost all the maids do.”I sat up straighter. That kind of reaction made me curious.“What do you mean?”“She made m

AYLAAfter days of being holed up inside, I couldn’t take it anymore.The bond was wrecking me. Gnawing at me. Cade had stayed away, and maybe I should’ve been grateful but all I felt was the pull. The ache. It was constant, like something in me was screaming for him. And I knew he was feeling it too. He had to be.I stood at the window, fingers rubbing the locket at my neck. Mae’s locket. Warm, comforting, like a heartbeat I didn’t understand. Something inside me was shifting slowly, painfully and it had everything to do with this bond. With my wolf. With me.“Your meal is ready, Ayla. Come eat something.”Beatrix’s voice broke the silence behind me. I didn’t turn. Just kept running my thumb along the locket’s edge, grounding myself.Beatrix has watched me. Silently. Keeping a very close eye on me. But no doubt, I'm still angry at her. Why the hell would she read my journal? “I’m going to the Palace,” I said quietly, but firmly. I stood, grabbed a shawl, and walked past her without