Romane von Angela Owusu Ansah

DianaThe northern arena was a sunken stone pit carved directly into the mountain, surrounded by thousands of snarling wolves.Every high Alpha from the border packs had come to watch. They sat on tiered granite benches draped in wolf pelts, sneering down at the ring, waiting for the frail southern heiress to break into tears and run.“Look at her,” a she-wolf with braided blonde hair sneered from the fighter’s pen, tossing her dual daggers from hand to hand. “Jax dumped her in the dirt, and she scrambled straight into the Alpha King’s bed for protection. She won’t last thirty seconds against northern claws.”A wave of mocking laughter echoed off the stones.I adjusted the leather straps of my combat bracers, ignoring them. In my past life, words like that would have made me shrink.Not today.I knew every warrior in this pit. I had spent years watching these exact champions fight in border skirmishes and exhibition matches. I knew the blonde favored her left side because of an old kn

DianaI didn’t wake up in my soft canopy bed, and I definitely wasn’t in my home pack’s territory anymore.I opened my eyes to high vaulted ceilings carved from solid black granite, drapes blocking out the daylight, and the heat of an ancient fireplace roaring in the corner. The room was massive, decorated in dark leather and silver trim—a king’s private chambers.I threw off the furs and swung my legs over the mattress, rushing toward the towering double doors. I grabbed the cold iron handles and yanked.Locked.“Hey!” I yelled, banging my palms against the wood. “Open this damn door!”The latch clicked from the outside. The doors pushed open, revealing two towering northern sentinels in black combat armor. Behind them stood Zach.He had changed out of his bloodied trench coat into a loose, dark tunic. His hand—the one that had caught Jax’s silver dagger barehanded last night—was wrapped tightly in clean white bandages, a faint trace of golden healing magic humming beneath the linen.

DianaThe annual spring festival in the main town square was packed. Lanterns hung between the wooden pavilions, stalls sold spiced ciders and roasted meats, and nearly five thousand pack members had gathered around the central stone stage.In my past life, this was the night I thought my fairy tale began. I had spent two hours fixing my curls, blushing like an idiot when Jax took my hand and led me up those steps.Tonight, I wore a fitted crimson dress that hugged every curve, flat boots built for standing my ground, and not a single drop of romantic illusion in my veins.I stood near the edge of the stage, watching Jax preen. He wore his finest pressed tunic, smiling at the council elders, soaking in the admiration of the crowd. He honestly thought he was the smartest bastard in the province.He tapped the festival podium’s microphone, and the squeal cut through the chatter. The crowd quieted down.“People of the Silver Crest,” Jax announced, his deep baritone carrying through the s

DianaThe dark was cold, and smelled like iron.I couldn’t feel my arms or legs, but somewhere far above the fog swallowing my brain, a sound tore through the void. It wasn’t a man’s voice. It was a monstrous, feral roar that vibrated straight through my ribs.“Who touched her?” the voice thundered, raw and bleeding with madness. “Who laid a hand on my mate?”Mate?The word echoed in my fading thoughts, strange and impossible, before the black water rushed back over my head and dragged me under.In the wedding hall, the air had turned into poison.Zach didn’t just snap. He completely lost his mind.The Alpha aura rolling off him slammed into the walls, sending jagged cracks spidering up the stone pillars and blowing out every light fixture in the ceiling. Masonry rained down on the carpet. Three hundred guests were pinned flat against the floorboards, weeping and gasping under the weight of an apex predator on the verge of slaughter.Jax was shaking so hard his teeth clattered. He tri

DianaThe bridal suite was too damn hot, my corset was crushing my ribs, and my groom was nowhere to be found.Twenty minutes. That was how long I had been sitting on this sofa with my veil tangled in my lap while the wedding coordinator ran around like a headless chicken. Jax was supposed to be standing at the end of the aisle waiting for me. We were supposed to be sealing our pack union in front of three hundred guests. Instead, his phone was ringing straight to voicemail, and his best man looked like he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.“Just sit tight, Diana,” the coordinator pleaded, dabbing sweat off her forehead. “I’m sure he just stepped out for some fresh air.”“Right. Fresh air.” I rolled my eyes, kicking off my silk heels. “Because taking a stroll twenty minutes before your own ceremony makes total sense.”I wasn’t the kind of girl who sat around waiting for a man to show up. I hitched up the skirts of my lace gown, shoved past the frantic bridesmaids, and marched out