Novels by Swiwi

Andre’s POVThe sight of Zara standing there, staff in hand, sweat beading her temple, froze the air in my lungs.I had suspected her restlessness felt it through the bond, sensed it in her defiance at the table, in the steel of her gaze when she thought I wasn’t watching. But this?Training in secret. With one of my guards.My wolf snarled, pressing against the cage of my ribs. She defies us. She risks herself.My jaw tightened. “How long?” My voice came out low, dangerous. “How long have you been playing warrior behind my back?”She flinched but did not look away. That stubborn chin of hers tilted upward, and gods help me, the fire in her eyes nearly undid me.“Long enough,” she answered, her voice rough but steady. “Long enough to know I won’t sit and wait for death while you fight alone.”The words slammed into me. She thought this was about bravery, about some noble sacrifice. She didn’t understand the cost.“You think you can face what’s coming?” I stepped closer, my shadow swal

Zara’s POVThe door slammed behind Andre, leaving the chamber trembling in his wake. His scent lingered cedar smoke, steel, and something wilder that pulled at the thread binding us.I stood rooted where he’d left me, wrist tingling where his hand had gripped mine. My pulse hadn’t slowed, even though his storming presence had vanished.Every time I swore I hated him, that thread tugged harder. Every time I wanted to spit in his face, some traitorous part of me wanted to lean closer instead. The bond was poison.And yet, I could not let it break me.I sank onto the bed, my thoughts a whirlwind. He wanted me silent, hidden, locked away like a secret weapon too fragile to use. But that was not living. That was waiting to be slaughtered.No. If I was to die, it would not be behind gilded bars. It would be with my head high, teeth bared, fighting until my last breath.A soft knock rattled the door. One of the guards peeked inside, hesitating. “Luna? Do you need anything?”I almost laughed.

Andre’s POVThe moment the door closed behind Zara, the silence in my study became unbearable.Her words still clung to the air, sharp and accusing. A shield for your enemies to strike? A weakness you can’t admit you have?My hands curled into fists against the desk, claws threatening to break through my skin. I should not have let her speak to me like that. I should not have allowed my wolf to falter when her eyes burned with fire. She was supposed to be an omega, a trembling girl dragged into my world by necessity. She was supposed to bend.Instead, she stood.And for reasons I could not name, the sight of her defiance had carved through me deeper than any blade.“Alpha.”The voice at the door dragged me back. One of my betas, Marcus, stepped inside, his expression grave. “The patrols confirm the rogues are gathering near the northern ridge. They’re not moving yet, but their numbers grow.”I exhaled slowly, steadying myself. Duty first. Rage later. “Double the watch. Strengthen the

Zara’s POVAt first, I thought it was a coincidence.The guards outside my door doubled overnight, their footsteps constant against the marble floors. Every corridor I walked down, another shadow trailed a few paces behind. When I reached for the door to the garden, a soldier blocked me with a stiff bow and murmured, “Forgive me, Luna, but the Alpha commands you to remain inside.”It was not a coincidence. It was a cage.And Andre had locked me inside it.I pressed my palms against the cold glass of my chamber window, staring out at the moonlit courtyard. The night had never felt so far away. Only a week ago, I had longed for walls to shield me from his wrath, from the council’s whispers. Now I craved escape, air, freedom even if danger waited beyond the gates.Danger.The word settled in my chest like a stone.I didn’t know what had changed, but I felt it in the air: sharp, charged, secretive. Andre moved through the palace like a storm, silent and furious, his orders falling like th

Andre’s POVThe council chamber has long since emptied, but their whispers still echo in my skull.“Why ask her?” “Since when does the Alpha seek his Luna’s voice?” “Has she bewitched him?”I should not care what the vultures think. Their tongues wag like carrion birds, useless unless I command them to tear into flesh. And yet my chest burns with the memory of their stares when I turned to Zara.When I let her speak.I should never have done it.I pace the length of my private chamber, muscles wound tight, wolf prowling beneath my skin. He has been restless for days, clawing at me, snarling every time she leaves the room. Tonight he is worse, his growls vibrating through my bones.She is ours, he hisses. Claim her. Protect her. Listen to her.I bare my teeth. “She is nothing.”But the lie curdles in my throat.Because in truth, she is not nothing.The way she stood in council chin lifted, voice steady despite the weight of my gaze haunts me. I expected her to crumble, to stammer, to e

Zara’s POVThe palace feels different now.Not because its halls have changed, the marble floors still gleam, the guards still stand stiff as statues, the concubines still giggle in corners but because I have. For the first time since arriving here, I don’t slink in the shadows. I walk with purpose, even if my legs tremble beneath my gown.And they notice.The maids bow a little lower. The warriors’ eyes linger a little longer. Even the women who used to sneer at me now whisper behind their hands, uncertain.Whispers are dangerous, but they are also powerful.I cling to that thought as I cross the gardens, the morning sun warming my skin. For days, Andre has barely spoken to me, though his presence haunts every room I enter. His gaze follows me, sharp, silent, unyielding. He hasn’t touched me, hasn’t scolded me, hasn’t humiliated me. And that absence terrifies me more than any cruelty ever did.Because Andre’s silence is never empty. It’s a storm gathering on the horizon.I brush my