Novels by Bamidele Samuel

My grandmother. The words echoed through every corner of my mind. Not my mother. Not some forgotten queen from an old story. My grandmother. The silver pendant hanging from the Collector's hand suddenly felt heavier than the black throne on the horizon. The connection surged. A single name repeated over and over. Lyssara. Not as a whisper. As a memory trying desperately to return. I closed my eyes. The square disappeared. For one fleeting heartbeat, I heard laughter. Warm. Gentle. A woman humming while brushing my hair. I couldn't see her face. Only silver strands dancing in the sunlight. Then The memory shattered. I gasped and nearly lost my balance. Kael caught me before I could fall. "Easy." His voice remained calm despite the alarm in his eyes. "You're here." I nodded weakly. "I'm here." But I wasn't entirely certain that was true anymore. Every new memory made the line between my life and the connection blur a little more. The Collector still stood

The watchtower fell silent. Not because the scout had finished speaking. Because no one knew what to say next. The words hung over Blackthorn like a curse. The ones without shadows. Every warrior on the walls stiffened. The veterans exchanged uneasy glances. Some of the younger wolves looked confused. The older ones looked terrified. That frightened me more than anything else. Veterans didn't scare easily. Kael was already moving. "Seal every gate." His command thundered across the square. "Archers to the eastern and northern walls." "Nobody opens Blackthorn without my order." The pack scattered instantly. Armor clattered. Boots pounded across stone. Within seconds, the peaceful village had transformed into a fortress preparing for siege. Kael turned toward Cassian. "I want every scout back inside." "They're already on their way." Cassian answered before disappearing into the crowd. Then Kael looked at me. "You stay with me." "I wasn't planning on wandering o

The world disappeared around me. Not because of another vision. Not because of the connection. Because of one sentence. I knew your mother. My heart forgot how to beat. For years, my mother had existed only as scattered memories and unanswered questions. I remembered the warmth of her embrace, the lullabies she sang when storms rattled our little home, and the smell of lavender that always clung to her clothes. But the truth? I had never known the truth. She died before she could tell me who I really was. Or perhaps... She had been killed before she had the chance. The connection pulsed heavily inside my chest. Not with fear. With grief. Old grief. Not mine alone. Kael stood firmly between me and the stranger. His Alpha aura rolled through the square like invisible thunder. Warriors immediately raised their weapons. The scrape of steel echoed against the stone streets. Nobody was taking chances anymore. The stranger looked around calmly. He didn't seem bothered

My wrist burned. The pain wasn't unbearable. It was precise. Like a branding iron pressed against skin with deliberate care. I stared at the glowing mark while everyone around me remained frozen. Eight lines. Not seven. The ancient symbol continued pulsing beneath my skin, each beat perfectly synchronized with the connection inside my chest. The hooded figure remained seated upon the black throne far beyond Blackthorn. Impossible to see clearly. It's impossible to make a mistake. Even across miles of broken land, I could feel them watching me. Waiting. The two words they had spoken still echoed through my mind. Come home. Home. The word unsettled me more than any threat could have. Because something inside the connection had answered. Not with obedience. With longing. I hated that feeling. It wasn't mine. At least... I hoped it wasn't. "Aflira." Kael's voice cut through the haze. His hands gently closed around my shoulders. "Look at me." I forced my eyes aw

No one breathed. The black structure continued to rise from the eastern horizon, forcing its way out of the earth as though the world itself could no longer contain it. The stone cracked. Entire hills split apart. Trees toppled like blades of grass before an unseen force. The sound rolled across the valley not an explosion, but a deep, grinding groan, as if something buried since the beginning of time was finally waking. I couldn't look away. Neither could anyone else. The throne was colossal. It wasn't carved from ordinary stone. It seemed to drink the light around it. Even the silver glow spilling through the fractured sky dimmed as it climbed higher. The connection inside me recoiled violently. Not fear. Revulsion. As if every part of it rejected the throne's existence. My knees weakened. Kael caught my arm before I could stumble. "Aflira." His voice sounded distant. "Talk to me." I swallowed. "I've seen it before." Every face turned toward me. "When?" Luci

The knock came again. Soft. Deliberate. Three slow taps from beneath the glowing water. The crowd around the old well recoiled as one. Several children burst into tears. A woman clutched her son's shoulders and hurried him away, whispering frantic prayers under her breath. The silver light grew brighter. It climbed the stone walls of the well like living vines, illuminating faces frozen between disbelief and terror. No one dared move closer. No one except me. "Aflira." Kael's hand caught my wrist before I reached the edge. His grip was firm, but not painful. "You don't know what that is." I looked at the glowing water. "No." The connection pulsed quietly. "But it does." His jaw tightened. "I don't care what the connection wants." "I do." Our eyes met. For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke. The fear in his expression wasn't for Blackthorn. It wasn't for the gates. It was for me. "I can't keep watching you walk toward things that could kill you." His voice was