Novel-novel oleh E. ANATE

Luca's POV"What do I actually want?"I said it out loud to the empty room, just to hear what it sounded like outside my head.It sounded like a question I had been running from for thirty years.I sat at the desk. The old one, the one my father had given me when I was seven years old and he was teaching me that a person needed a place to think, a surface that belonged only to them and their work. I had carried it from room to room in this pack house for twenty-three years and I had never once looked at it and understood what he had been trying to give me when he handed it over.A surface that belonged only to me…That did not belong to the throne, not the brotherhood, not Scarlett or Zara or the biological history that Priest had engineered without my knowledge.Mine.I got out a piece of paper.I wrote one line.“What do I actually want?”I looked at it for a long time.The answer did not come quickly and I did not force it. I sat with the question the way I had not sat with anythin

Scarlett's POV"Elder Baas," Cain mentioned. "He has been in contact with Morrow's legal team for four months."The study went completely silent.Dominic looked at Cain with the expression he wore when information arrived that he had not prepared for and was determining its full weight before he responded to any part of it."Baas?” He asked…"Yes," Cain said. "I found the connection two hours ago. Communication records between Baas's personal account and an address belonging to one of Morrow's subsidiary companies. Monthly contact for sixteen weeks." He set a printed summary on the desk. "The authorization code used to file the fraudulent challenge was obtained through Baas. He gave it to a contact who passed it to Morrow's lawyers.""Why?" I asked."Because Baas owns a parcel of land adjacent to the eastern boundary," Cain said. "A small holding he has been sitting on for twelve years. Under Morrow's development plan, that parcel triples in value the moment the eastern territory chan

Scarlett's POV"The same number," I whispered.Luca had come to find me at six in the morning, holding Lilith's phone in one hand and his own in the other, both screens open, displaying the same unknown number. He had not knocked on the east wing room door. He had stood in the corridor and said my name once, quietly, and I had heard him through the door because my wolf heard everything now.I stood in the doorway and looked at both screens."Whoever sent Lilith the warning about the Elder," Luca said, "is the same person who sent me to the eastern boundary two nights ago.""And they did not hurt you at the boundary?” I asked."There was no one there," he said. "Just the marker and the dark.""They wanted you out of the building," I said. "Not to harm you, but to create the window for Zara." I looked at the numbers again. "But they also warned Lilith about the Elder, which means they are not working for Morrow.""They are working for something else," Luca suggested."Someone else," I s

Luca's POV I was speechless at some point and it was not because she was wrong. No! Because her position was completely right and so simply stated that it left no room for the kind of argument I had spent thirty years constructing, the kind that made things look more complicated than they were so I could avoid seeing their actual shape.She finished her tea.She stood and picked up both cups and took them to the counter by the door with the easy movement of someone performing a small task to let the larger thing they have just said breathe a little."Come back tomorrow," she said, not turning around. "We have years to get through. One dinner is not enough.""Lilith," I called.She turned."The exile," I said. "What I did..I need to say it properly.""You said it at the table," she cut in."I used your name like a placeholder," I said. "Like I needed to specify which Lilith I was addressing to make sure the apology got to the right person." I looked at her. "I am sorry…for what I did

Luca's POV"Someone inside the pack council filed it," I said, reading the message again.Lilith took the phone back. "Using Morrow's legal team's credentials, which means they had access to Morrow's legal contact and used it to file the procedural challenge before we could submit the certified copy.""We need to take this to Dominic," I said."Yes," she responded. "But not yet."I looked at her."He is with Reed right now building the counter-response," she said. "If we walk in with this message from an unknown number, the first question he asks is who sent it and we cannot answer that. We need something more than a text before we interrupt what they are doing." She set the phone face down on the table. "Five minutes… Talk to me. Then we go."I looked at her across the cleared table.She was watching me with those grey eyes, the ones that were our father's eyes, and saw the same things he did, but processed them differently, with a quality that was warmer and considerably more patien

Lilith’s POV "I studied land law for two years," I admitted. "While I was away. It seemed useful to understand the legal structures that governed territorial claims." I picked up my fork. "It was not the most cheerful course of study but it was thorough."My father looked at me with the expression I had seen once before, when I was twelve and had beaten two of his senior bikers at chess. The expression of a man recalibrating an assessment upward.The conversation moved. The food was good. Dagger ate in the culture of someone who had learned to eat efficiently because meals were not guaranteed and she was not wasting a functional one. Reed talked exactly the right amount.At one point I looked down the table and caught Scarlett watching my father.She didn't do that conspicuously, just a brief sideways glance, which told me she felt nobody was studying her, a look that carried everything in it without intending to. I knew that look…I had watched my mother look at my father that way

Ravenna’s POV I sat in the Lunarstrike tech hub with Damon. My heart pounded. Screens blinked in the dim light. Damon hunched over the box at a cluttered desk. His tools lay scattered. My pulse raced. The box’s runes glowed faintly. I clutched my cloak. My arm ached from old wounds. Damn it. I was impatient to see what the box held.Damon twisted a gadget against the lock. He cursed. His hands stayed steady but tense. The runes pulsed. They remained unmoved. He tried another tool, a sleek device with lights that blinked. Nothing happened. The box stayed sealed. The “confidential” sign on it glinted in the lab’s glow. My stomach twisted.“What’s wrong?” I snapped.He wiped sweat from his brow. “This lock’s high-tech. What I have here is not enough.” His eyes met mine. “I can’t crack it here.”My blood boiled. Damn him. I traveled all the way here. I risked so many things. For nothing? “You said you could open it,” I hissed. "Figure it out.”Damon’s jaw tightened. He grabbed the box. H

Ravenna's POVI stormed out of Kael’s room before slamming the door. My hands steadied on my waist. I headed down the hallway as my mind buzzed with thoughts.Magic didn’t work, but technology might. A spark surged in my mind. Damon’s name hit me. Yes, he was tech-savvy and a member of Lunarstrike's tech corps. He could crack anything with his gadgets.Going to him meant leaving Bloodmoon. I would have to sneak past Thalia’s spies, and risk Selena’s wrath. God! My revenge depended on this box, though.I had to try.I walked out of the hallway. Why did I ever trust Kael? I shook the box desperately as if that would help. Karl's unnecessary visions and his obsession with me had already cost me Selena’s trust. I should have known better than to let him ruin this too. He had been useful a couple of times, but overall he was a net negative.Damon was my only hope in this situation.I remembered his clever hands, and sly grin in Lunarstrike. He fixed a broken comms device in minutes. But he

Ravenna's POV Back in the Omega dormitory, I sat on my bed and stared at the box. It was quite heavy in my hands. I was no longer bothered about the horrible state of the room. All I wanted was to find a way to open the box. I needed this open. I twisted the lock and pocket at it with my dagger. Nothing. A blue light blinked on it. I tried again. I still couldn't open it. I sucked my teeth with frustration boiling. I took big risks to search Ronan's room and find this box. I knew it held answers. I only needed a way to open it. The door creaked open and Franka stepped in. She looked tired and I could tell she had been busy at work all day. She collapsed on the bed and yawned. "Oh, my whole body aches.""Sorry, do you need some balm?""I'll be fine. Wait, what's that?” she asked, nodding at the box. I hesitated and my fingers tightened on the box. Should I tell her? I decided there was no problem. “I found it in Ronan’s room and it’s locked. You can see it's marked Confidential.

Ravenna's POVMy heart raced. The potion bottle was cold in my hand. I didn’t show it, but excitement surged through me. I hated how much I wanted it. My body was a traitor. Heat pooled low in my belly.Kael stepped closer. “What do you say? Let’s have some fun first then I can help.”"Fine."Right after I said that, he flicked his wrist. Chains slithered from the shadows and wrapped my wrists and ankles just like the last time. I took in a deep breath and waited.The chains stretched tight and dragged my arms above my head and spread my legs wide. I gasped. I felt exposed and vulnerable.My pulse pounded, I felt caught between fear and want. The chains held firm and their magic hummed against my skin.He moved behind me. I felt his breath on my neck. His hands tugged at my shirt. He pulled down my pants and undid my shirt buttons. Just like that, I was naked. Cool air hit my bare skin. I shivered and swallowed.Kael’s fingers traced my back. My body shuddered with anticipation. Then

Ravenna's POVElder Marcus burst through the door. His gray eyes were as sharp as knives. Carl and I sprang apart as we saw the Elder. My heart slammed against my ribs. I hoped he wouldn't report us. The last thing I wanted was to get thrown out of the academy days after I had been demoted.I put my blade away and pretended to adjust my hair. The Elder passed us and strode to the lecture table. He snatched his forgotten notebook and turned to leave.Carl whispered, “I’ll deal with you, Vexley.”My skin prickled, but I ignored him. The idea of talking to the Elder dropped in my mind and I acted on it.I bolted after the Elder, ignoring Astrid’s warning glance.“Elder Marcus!” I called as I raced up to him outside.He paused. His gaze was cold. “What do you want, Vexley?”I swallowed hard. “I wanted to. . .""Do you realize I knew you were fighting?"I swallowed my words out of shock. I thought he was too distracted to notice!"That was sad to see.""I’m sorry for the fight. It was bene

Ravenna's POVI sat in the cramped Omega dormitory and slowly ate breakfast. I stared straight ahead of me as I shoved vegetables and beef into my mouth. This room felt like a prison.My stomach churned. Damn it! I missed the lodge’s luxury, the soft beds, the warmth, everything! Now I was nothing more than a junior assistant. After I had tasted power, I was back to the ground.Right now, I am bored in the dorm. Franka was off to serve the Luna. I envied her. At least she was close to the Luna. I was stuck here. My title was gone, and my revenge had suffered a setback.Astrid was asleep on her cot. She had been resting more and more these days after her recovery.I munched on my food and let my thoughts roam. How could I win back Selena's trust? Our relationship had gone sour.Astrid stirred on the bed. She sat up and yawned."Did you rest well?""Maybe I'm way too rested.""What do you mean?"“I’m tired of this,” Astrid got off the bed. “I lie here, and do nothing. I want to go back