Novels by Author Dera

Aria POVThe walk to the open grounds felt heavier than any battle I had ever fought.Raiden’s hand never left mine, firm and steady, yet I could feel the tension coiled beneath his calm. This wasn’t rage—not the wild kind. This was something colder. Final. The kind of decision made long before words were spoken.By the time we stepped into the open area, the pack had already begun to gather.Lucian had done his job well.Wolves filled the grounds in disciplined silence—warriors in armor still stained with dried blood, elders wrapped in heavy cloaks, sentinels lining the perimeter. Even those who usually lingered at the edges stood tall tonight, eyes fixed forward. Torches burned high, flames crackling as if they too sensed what was coming.Axel was already there.Forced to his knees at the center of the grounds, his hands bound tightly behind his back, chains wrapped around his torso and legs like a cage made of iron and magic. He thrashed against them, muscles flexing unnaturally, v

Aria POVHours slipped by quietly, the kind of quiet that wasn’t peaceful but heavy, weighted with things unsaid. Raiden and I sat across from each other at the long dining table, plates between us, food barely touched on mine and only half-finished on his.I could see it in his eyes.His body was here, seated across from me, shoulders relaxed enough to fool anyone else—but his mind was somewhere else entirely. Somewhere dark. Somewhere that had a name.Axel.“Are you enjoying your meal?” I asked softly, mostly to break the silence. Mostly to pull him back to me. I needed him present. I needed him eating. Whatever revenge plans were forming in his head could wait.For now, my mate needed strength.Our mate, Kaida corrected calmly in my head.I rolled my eyes inwardly. I know.“Yeah, little wolf,” Raiden replied after a beat, setting his cutlery down. “I’m full already.”I nodded, though I knew that wasn’t entirely true. He wasn’t full—he was distracted. I hesitated, unsure of what to

Aria POVThe first sound he made was barely more than a breath.A low, rough groan slipped past his lips, faint enough that for a second I thought I imagined it. I had been sitting beside his bed for so long that my body had gone still with vigilance, afraid that if I moved too much, I’d miss the moment he came back to me.But then his fingers twitched.Just slightly.My breath caught in my throat.“Raiden,” I whispered, leaning forward instantly, my hand already reaching for his. His skin was warm beneath my palm, solid, real, no longer that terrifying stillness that had haunted me since we brought him home.His brows furrowed as if waking hurt. His chest rose deeper this time, a strained inhale, followed by another groan—this one sharper.“Easy,” I murmured softly, brushing my thumb across his knuckles. “You’re safe. You’re home.”His eyelids fluttered, lashes trembling as though the weight of waking was fighting him. When his eyes finally opened, they were clouded with exhaustion,

Darius POVPain was the first thing that dragged me back.A dull, pounding ache sat behind my eyes, spreading slowly like rot, pulsing with every breath I took. I groaned and shifted, my palm scraping against cold stone littered with debris. Dust coated my tongue. The air smelled of broken magic, blood, and humiliation.Humiliation burned the worst.My eyes snapped open.The throne room was in ruins.Cracked pillars leaned at dangerous angles. Deep fractures split the marble floor, veins of destruction spreading outward from the center like the aftermath of a storm. Chairs lay overturned. Blood stained the ground in dark, uneven smears. The great doors stood half off their hinges, bent inward as if something powerful had forced its way through without asking permission.My chest tightened.“What… the fuck,” I rasped.I pushed myself upright, every muscle protesting as I staggered to my feet. My head spun briefly, memories slamming back into place in jagged fragments.The fight.The li

Lucian POVThe war room smelled like iron, sweat, and old stone.Not the comforting kind of old stone either. The kind that had witnessed too many losses and learned to stay quiet about them.We gathered around the long obsidian table, armor still on us, blood dried in places none of us had bothered to clean yet. No one suggested rest. No one mentioned food. Our bodies were here, but our minds were upstairs, down the hall, in a dim room where our alpha still hadn’t opened his eyes.Raiden’s unconscious state sat with us like an invisible weight.Liam leaned against the wall, arms crossed, jaw tight. Ava paced, boots echoing sharply against the floor like she was daring someone to tell her to sit down. Emma stood close to Elowen, her hands folded, eyes softer than the rest of us but no less alert. Elowen herself looked… drained. Magic always left a mark on her, even when she pretended otherwise.The elders arrived last, robes whispering as they took their seats. Their eyes moved from f

Lucian POVAria called Ava over to her for reasons I didn’t yet understand. I spared a quick glance, watching Ava sprint toward her, then snapped my attention right back to Axel.This bastard.If desire alone could kill, he’d be dead ten times over. I wanted him six feet under—needed him there—but he moved like he’d been reborn into something faster, sharper, deadlier. His reflexes were insane, every strike twice as brutal, twice as calculated as before.With every punch he threw, dark veins bulged along his arms, spreading like rot beneath his skin.“What have you turned yourself into?” I asked, narrowly dodging a blow aimed straight at my head.He sneered, lunging again. “Do you think I never looked forward to a day like this?” he spat. “I prepared for you. For Raiden. I did everything I had to.”“Raiden was once your Alpha,” I roared, rage boiling over. “A father. A brother to you.”I grabbed a broken seat from the floor and hurled it at him with everything I had.Axel punched it m

Kael’s POV The sanctuary was silent. Not even the crackle of firewood dared interrupt my thoughts as I sat alone, surrounded by shadows and the sharp scent of herbs and old blood. This place—once sacred, once soothing—had become a cage I willingly locked myself in. Days had passed. Weeks maybe. And yet, I couldn’t forget her. The woman of that night. I didn’t know her name. I never even got the chance to ask. She had been light in the dark, warm in a world where I was cold-blooded by necessity. Her voice, her breathless laughter, the way she touched me like she wasn’t afraid of what I was… like she saw me. I had started to feel something I had long forgotten. Something dangerously close to hope. And then… she vanished. Gone before I even returned to the tent. No note. No word. Just empty sheets and the haunting echo of her scent. I clenched my jaw, eyes narrowing at the memory that had haunted me every damn night since. I searched. Goddess, I searched. I had every scout, every

Ronan’s POV Dawn had barely broken when Mira walked into my office, hovering like a shadow by the door. I was seated at the edge of my desk, arms folded, eyes skimming through a weathered scroll that detailed rogue sightings near our borders. She didn’t speak. Not for a full ten minutes. “Mira,” I said without looking up, “you’ve been standing there like a statue. What is it?” She fidgeted, her hands wringing together. “Promise me you won’t get all mad about it.” That made me pause. I slowly lifted my gaze to her and arched a brow. “What have you done this time?” She stepped closer, guilt already etched into her face. “Jax and I were out on the northern patrol. We... we found someone.” I straightened slightly. “Found someone?” “A girl,” she nodded. “In the woods. She was half-conscious, injured, barely breathing. Looked like she hadn’t eaten in days.” My brows furrowed. “And you brought her here?” Mira flinched at the sharpness in my tone but held her ground. “We couldn’t ju

Selene’s POV It had been days. Days of walking with no direction, only the pain in my feet and the cold bite of the wind guiding me forward. The nights were the worst. The world turned black, and every sound became a threat. The howls in the distance. The rustling in the brush. The echo of my own heartbeat in my ears as I curled into myself, trying to stay warm. Trying to stay alive. I didn’t know where I was anymore. Snow had soaked my boots through. My legs were scraped from thorns, rocks, gods-know-what else. My cloak—thin and torn—clung to me like wet paper. I’d passed through forests dense with silence, cliffs jagged and high, and rivers too cold to cross without feeling like death was waiting on the other side. But I kept walking. Because I had no choice. The wildlands… they didn’t welcome you. They tested you. And I was failing. I tried finding shelter—small caves, hollowed trees, anywhere I could rest my eyes. But the creatures here were always watching. I could feel

Selene’s POV My entire body ached—every bone, every muscle, even the skin I was wrapped in. The sky outside had already faded into night, shadows painting the walls of my room. I’d been locked in here for hours. Maybe even the whole day. And I was sure by now… the entire pack knew. Yes. Selene—the disgrace. Selene—the shame of Moonbane. The girl who dared to carry the child of an enemy. I could almost see their faces twisted in judgment, feel their whispers crawling down my spine like insects. And honestly… I couldn’t even blame them. Because I was ashamed of myself too. How did I let this happen? How could I have been so blind? What kind of mistake have I made—so permanent, so life-changing—that there’s no waking up from it? I buried my face deeper into the pillow, hugging it tightly like it could muffle the noise inside my head. I had no clue what Uncle Malric and Aunt Ysara were planning. Maybe exile. Maybe worse. But whatever it was… I would face it. Because I had t

Two Weeks Later – Selene’s POV The nausea hit me before my eyes even opened. I groaned, curling deeper into the sheets, hoping if I stayed still enough, the rolling in my stomach would stop. It didn’t. It hadn’t for days. I’d been waking up with this same awful, queasy feeling—nauseous, tired, weirdly sensitive to smells. Even Liora’s perfume made me gag yesterday, and I usually loved that scent on her. With a hiss, I sat up slowly, pressing my palm to my forehead. My head was throbbing, and the sunlight that leaked through my window was way too bright for this hour. “What is wrong with me?” I muttered under my breath, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. My room was warm and still, but something in my chest felt unsettled. Like I was on the edge of a drop I couldn’t see yet. I hadn’t told anyone—not Aunt Ysara, not Liora, especially not my uncle. Spirits, if Malric even suspected I was sick, he’d probably call for a full council meeting and label me ‘unfit to serve as a Mo

Two Weeks Later – Selene’s POV The nausea hit me before my eyes even opened. I groaned, curling deeper into the sheets, hoping if I stayed still enough, the rolling in my stomach would stop. It didn’t. It hadn’t for days. I’d been waking up with this same awful, queasy feeling—nauseous, tired, weirdly sensitive to smells. Even Liora’s perfume made me gag yesterday, and I usually loved that scent on her. With a hiss, I sat up slowly, pressing my palm to my forehead. My head was throbbing, and the sunlight that leaked through my window was way too bright for this hour. “What is wrong with me?” I muttered under my breath, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. My room was warm and still, but something in my chest felt unsettled. Like I was on the edge of a drop I couldn’t see yet. I hadn’t told anyone—not Aunt Ysara, not Liora, especially not my uncle. Spirits, if Malric even suspected I was sick, he’d probably call for a full council meeting and label me ‘unfit to serve as a Mo