Novels by Esther M.

Gwen's POVThe tent was still and cold, save for the gentle crackle of the fire warming us. Its warm glow shines against the canvas, creating long and Bling shadows that moved in the low light. I lay on the soft furs, finally free from the excruciating and damn pain that had plagued me for days. The healer had left, her magic still in the air like the scent of fresh rain after a storm.But the tempest within me? It was far from over. I was changed.The power I had taken from Morgana was gone already, torn from me in a painful ritual that left me feeling empty and transformed into a new being.Yet, for the first time in what felt like ages, I could breathe. I was no longer in darkness. I was alive, hale and hearty. And I owed my survival to Liam, he is truly a sweetheart.He had remained by my side through it all.I turned slowly, my look landing on him as he sat near the tent's edge, his body tense and hands held into fists. His golden eyes were fixed on the fire, but I could sense th

Gwen POVAgony. Infinite, unbearable pain. It felt as if something within me was burning, like something was changing in my system, changing from the core. My body was failing me, each breath shallow and slow, and despite my efforts to hold to life, I was slipping away gradually.I wasn't merely weak, I was dying.Liam remained by my side without pause,he kept on caring for me. His hold on my hand was firm and soft like leather touch, as if he believed it could bring me to this world. His golden eyes, usually full of life and sweet, were now filled with hopelessness and sadness. He barked commands to the healers, demanding solutions, but they couldn't provide him with what he desperately needed: a cure. A means to restore me back to life.Alven and Xander stood at the entrance of the tent, watching with solemn expressions. They understood, as did I. If something didn't change soon, I wouldn't survive this.The tent felt suffocating with heat and silence, heavy with the scents of blood,

Gwen POV The potion's bitter aftertaste clung to my tongue like poo, heavy and sickening to the mouth. My body felt ablaze, as if fire raced beneath my skin, jarring and blocking every nerve in my body and soul. Something was unfolding, something I can't really picture.Something dangerous.Liam still held my hand tight, but his tightening grip revealed his fear. He was clinging to me with all his strength,so tight like he was about to lose something dear.The healers were frantic and kind of confused, their hands pressing against my scorched and pale skin as they murmured prayers to gods who had never aided me. The tent's air was thick and stifling with heat and cold, saturated with the scent of blood and herbs.And amidst it all? I felt myself fading.Not into death.But into something else, something unexplainableSomething darker.*********The whispers emerged first.Soft. Somhow Familiar.Did you really think you could kill me, little wolf?My breath caught. No. No, she was gone.I h

Gwen POVPain. Chills. Darkness.I floated in-between awareness and unconsciousness, my body failing me gradually.I could hear voices, faint and echoing like sounds from another reality covering me. I was uncertain whether I was alive or about to fade away like dust.I felt a weight on my chest strong hands shaking me. Liam.His voice was rough and urgent. "Gwen! Open your eyes, damn it!"I wanted to comply. Desperately trying to.But fatigue force was pulling me deeper into darkness.I felt weak, really really weak. Not from battle wounds, but from the life growing within me. The child was taking everything I had.And now? I wasn't sure I had anything more to give.*******Somewhere in the distance, I caught Alven's voice. "She's getting colder."Xander swore. "She's losing too much energy."Liam growled like a tiger, his breathing heavy. "We need to get her back to camp. Now."Strong arms lifted me from the ground, holding me against familiar warmth.Liam.Even amidst the pain and co

Gwens POVI was very aware of the change within me. The gradual, invasive feeling ran into my bones like a toxin tonic. My muscles twisted with pain, my breaths came in quick gasps so fast and unencouraging, and my vision was starting to fade at the edges. Though I stood and continued to fight, I was far from my peak.And that was surprising and shocking as well.Liam stood beside me, his sword dripping with blood, his look surveying the destroyed battlefield. While the fight pressed on, the scene was transforming into something else. The assassins had been neutralized, but the shadow wolves were still around.And now?Now we were up against Varic.Or whatever he had turned into.******Varic's figure twisted in the moonlight. His bones stretched and awkward, his complexion darkened to something unrecognizable, something scary. His eyes shone, no longer the dull, aged look of an elder, but rather something sinister, something dangerous. Something unexplainable.Liam stiffened next to me

Gwens POVThe night was unnaturally quiet.I stood outside my tent, my hand resting lightly on my belly, looking into the shadowy camp in the front of me. The moon cast long shadows over the huts and training areas, but something felt off, something fishy was going on.Ever since the elders' meeting, I had sensed they wouldn't let this slide. They really meant it when they said they wanted to get rid of me.And now? They were making their move already.A faint brushing in the trees heightened my tension. My fingers holding the dagger at my waist, surprises weren't on my agenda right now.Liam was still inside the war tent with Xander and Alven, strategizing for battle. We were aware of the impending coup; we just didn't know when it would unfold.But inside, I sensed it was going to happen tonight,I could feel it in my body and soul.********As I turned to head back to the war tent, a familiar voice stopped me."Out alone at night, Queen?"I froze. It was Varic,that bastard.Slowly, I

ALPHA GREY"ON WHOSE ORDERS DID YOU ARREST HER!" I roared, incensed by their treatment of her. "We brought her to prove to you that she is the nemesis of the kingdom, Alpha.""And what if you cannot prove that she is the one," I yelled again, descending the steps to the throne and moving to the spot where the elder stood. He took a few steps backward as I advanced, aware that he had brought the force of my rage upon himself."Alpha," the old man said, stepping away and getting even closer to her. "Look at her. This woman is your ruin and the ruin of us all.""What if you cannot prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that she is the cause of all that has happened in recent weeks. I will kill you, pull your house down to the ground, and hang your body over the stones."Again, the old man cowered, and I turned to look at Gemma, whose big green eyes still showed underneath the mess of hair. I saw them flick at me, then at the Elder, and then again at me. Her expression was inscrutable, giving n

ALPHA GREYThankfully, Hailey had made me strong enough to hold court the following morning.I sat on the throne and gave permission for the next set of visitors to be let in, and in came the elders, one taken from every corner of Suro. I reserved them for when I needed opinions, and their unpredicted presence this morning made me wonder why they were here.They moved like the dignitaries they were, their feet clapping upon the polished floor. Their leader Elder Jerod walked before them with a crooked staff in his hand, his long beard almost mesmerising to watch even when he and his people bowed before me in obeisance. After the customary greetings, they took their seats and stared at Elder Jerod, waiting for him to speak first.He did as they expected him to and stood right before me, bowing again."I greet you, Alpha Grey. And so do the other seven elders from the other corners of Suro."I raised my hand in acknowledgement."We have come to discuss a matter of utmost importance with

ALPHA GREYHer words struck a light of realization inside of me. As she whispered and her lips brushed my ear at the same time, the words she spoke to my hearing sounded like an assurance to herself, as though she sought to tell herself that I was hers and no one else's to possess. It was not directed towards me in the least, however.It was a reminder of what I already knew.She loved me, and I hated her.Her kisses were passionate, and her body smouldered with flames of passion that rose from her skin. Yet, I could still feel the hatred course through me even as my hands slid up the smooth and tight skin of her back while tugging at the thin fabric of her dress while it only seemed to fire her on the more, as she kissed me with even greater intensity. The clothes fell away, allowing for her skin to glow in the semi-darkness around us, and my face to be buried in the pair of breasts that hung before me and their now familiar scent. She moved to allow her to slip me inside of her, a

ALPHA GREYWhen we started to talk again, Hailey was the first to say something."So you defeated my allies, and now the whole world thinks I am dead.""Yes." I answered matter-of-factly. She laughed, and the sound was evil and cruel to my hearing. "The irony. You cannot even harm me, and you need me all the time. You wouldn't even be who you are without me.""I think of you as my mother sometimes, and was well disappointed when I heard of your plot against me.""What could I do? I wanted you to love me. I wanted us to rule together. Until I saw that you had a heart made of stone and that you would never grow to love me. Ours is a marriage of convenience, is it not?"My gaze lifted, drawn to her form as she sat on the edge of the bed, her silhouette arched forward in a manner that was commanding, proud, and regal at once. There, her eyes met mine, and a slow smile caused her lips to curl. She didn't do so much as speak a word, but there was a hidden pull in her stare, a command that

ALPHA GREYJust when I was starting to think myself free, with the end of the Blood Moon's month coming closer by the day, then the worst happened...I could already feel the effects of the curse as it diminished my strength and made me weaker in a punishment I knew was for my murder of the Swynford boys. It made me want to ask the goddess if she was not already sympathetic with me over my grief after knowing that I had killed my own descendants. She chose to punish me, and to do it by making sure that the month of the Blood Moon would be absolute hell for me. Just like now.My tiring form had crawled into bed earlier in a bid to hide from my men and not subject them to the sight of watching their Alpha's sudden crumpling that had become the order of the day. From there, I stared at the sun as it went down to give way for the moon, and the scarlet colour the latter assumed as my strength slipped away, feeling to me like the faintest light a candle could muster. For once, I was not a g

GEMMAAs I thought about it after that, I also started to wonder if he truly wanted me back, and how far he was willing to go to make me his again. I could even hear the venom dripping in his voice as he yelled it to my retreating form from all the trauma he had been to me. All of the hurt. All the things I hated to remember all rolled into one single man. "I will get you back with me. I swear." I laughed at it again and again, thinking it was funny until I realised that I was laughing because I was afraid. More than anything, I would have liked to spit in his face and tell him the worst things that my mind could conjure to say to him, to swear that he had lost me the moment he chose Seline over me without giving a second thought to how I would feel. Yet , something about the sound of his voice as I remembered it on that day-the low, possessive, hateful tone of his -dragged me back to a place I'd fought so hard to bury. He brought it back with him, and I would find that my head had