Novels by Olawale Olaleye

AURENNA'S POVThe quarry settlement turned out to be much smaller than I expected. It was a cluster of stone buildings tucked into the hillside, the buildings constructed in such a way as to appear almost to be carved from the landscape itself. We reached the edge of the settlement as the sun was beginning to set on the second day, Kaelor slowing his horse as we entered the outskirts. His eyes swept the buildings along the street, taking in the details with the practiced eye of a man who knew he was being watched."You have been here before," I said."Once," he replied. "I didn't stay long." He gestured vaguely toward one of the smaller buildings at the end of the street. "That house belongs to her, if she hasn't moved in the last few years."She hadn't. Ilyra opened the door as soon as we stopped, as if she had been waiting for us to arrive. She was older than I had expected, and a streak of silver marked her jet black hair, framing a face with eyes the same pale color as Kaelor's

AURENNA'S POVThe coalition council chamber smelled the same as it always had: old wood, wax, and the subtle tang of men and women who had spent a decade deciding how much of their own blood they were willing to spill for a peace they might never see.I stood at the long council table, Vethara's letter hidden in the folds of my jacket, and surveyed the six people who had agreed to hear me out. Commander Aldric sat at the head of the table, his silver hair pulled back from his face, hands folded in front of him. He already knew what I was going to say, the set of his mouth suggested that he had made up his mind the moment he'd read my report."You're asking us to delay formal alliances with the Alpha Court," Aldric drawled, "based upon your suspicions about an already resolved conflict. The Alpha King has even ridden to Vethara to personally apologize.""The Alpha King has ridden to Vethara to dictate the narrative," I countered. "There is a difference.""That's a very bold accusati

AURENNA'S POVI did not answer him immediately.The question is a weighty one, hanging between us in the deep dark, growing with every heartbeat since I'd woken up bound to this cot. You are not the only one who returned from the future. I had believed myself to be the only surviving anam cara in this timeline. That someone with eyes like pale winter moonlight and a jaw of old scars cared whether I lived or died, was a thought I'd barely allowed myself to entertain before this moment. But I had learned the lessons well enough that belief was poison."Prove it," I say at last. "Any number of people could have learned of my death, the prophecy. The palace is not as secretive as Zevran believes.""No one was in that room but you, him, and Lyssara," says Kaelor. He does not sound like a man begging for my trust; he sounds like a man giving a weather report. "If you want a detail no one's been able to learn from rumor, you can tell me.""Then tell me," I say.He is silent for a long m

AURENNA’S POVI had been staring at the pendant on my camp table for nearly an hour now, cross-referencing it with every historical document I had access to in my traveling chest, which was not much but enough. The symbol matched perfectly with the ones in the document, no doubt. The mark engraved on the pendant belonged to the Ashryn bloodline, a powerful wolf clan mentioned in old records. Long ago, they had been strong enough to challenge the Drakhar family itself.Then, forty years ago, they vanished.The official record used words like dissolution and departure, but I knew better. During my first life, after becoming Alpha Queen, I had gained access to older documents buried within the palace library. Those records told a different story. The Drakhar family had seized power through bloodshed, ruthlessly, leaving no witnesses behind. At least, that was what everyone believed.I turned the pendant over in my hand. It had been left for me on purpose by the figure who moved like a w

AURENNA’S POVI was helping organize repairs on Vethara's eastern fence when I heard the sound. Every muscle in my body stiffened instantly.I knew those horns and I knew who was coming."Commander." Sergeant Wren appeared at my shoulder. "The Alpha King's convoy is approaching from the South road. It looks official. At least twenty riders.""I see." I set down the wooden post I was holding and brushed the dirt from my hands. If I moved too quickly right now, I might do something I would regret. "Form an honor line at the village entrance," I said. "Keep it simple. We're not his royal court.”"Yes, Commander."I had four minutes. I used them to rebuild my defenses. Nothing that could be read as anger or fear. No signs that I knew what he truly was. I locked every thought behind a wall I had erected in my mind.In my first life, I had done the opposite. I had opened myself completely to him, sharing every hope, every fear, every dream. Now I know how to close those doors.By the time

AURENNA’S POVI rode so hard that my horse was covered in sweat by the time Vethara came into view.The village was located in a small valley in the midst of two low hills. It has always been peaceful and harmless, the kind of place no one would think needed protection.In my previous life, forty-three people had died here; farmers, their children and families. Amongst them, an elderly healer named Maren had been found holding a child she had tried to shield.I remembered every detail because I had studied the survivor reports obsessively, searching for anything that might have prevented the tragedy.I stopped my horse at the village gate and jumped down before it fully came to a halt.The gate warden was a large man with a gray beard and the cautious expression of someone who had survived too much of the war to trust sudden visitors."Commander Voss." He straightened immediately. "We weren't expecting military officers.""Where is your village elder?" I asked. "I need to speak with h