FAZER LOGINAdrian’s POVThe first explosion came throwing all three of my warriors off their feet.I didn’t get enough time to turn toward the sound before a second blast came tearing through the trees that were ahead of us. Horses screamed, men shouted and the ground under us shook. “Hold your positions!” I shouted. “Do not let them split our forces!”But the rebels were already moving so fast. They came from the forest in waves. Thier number totally outnumbered our soldiers. Werewolves charged from the front, while the vampires came in from the side with unnatural speed that even our archers could not keep up. Behind them, the witches raised their hands as they sent waves of magic crashing into our defensive lines. I had fought in so many battles but never against an army like this. They fought as if every member knew just exactly where the others would be. “Left flank!” Ethan shouted. I turned just in time for me to see a group of vampires that were rushing towards us. I shifted my weigh
Adrian’s POVI ran out of the basement leaving Lucien behind. The sight of him looking so broken had now become very familiar to me over the past five years, but that did not make it easier to bear.He had just finished another round of punishing himself, and I had done nothing, trying to convince myself that he was going to survive the afternoon without doing something even worse to himself.Now, we had a war to fight.I has stared at him before leaving, trying so hard not to drag him out of the basement myself. But I knew that was going to change nothing. Lucien had already stopped listening to anyone that reminded him of the life that he had somehow left behind.When I reached the upper corridor, a guard ran toward me in a hurry. “Beta Adrian, the council is waiting in the war room. Ethan has already assembled all the warriors.”“Tell Ethan to hold his position until I arrive,” I ordered. “And send scouts to every border. I want to know exactly how far the rebels have advanced.”“
Lucien’s POVFive years had already passed since the death of my beloved mate Leah. And yet, I was still living on the day that she had fallen. My beard had grown long, my hair was looking so unkempt, and the clothes that I wore barely hid how little that I cared about my appearance. The Alpha King who once commanded respect with a just single look had now become a man that even his own people found it hard to recognize him. I had picked up habits that I once hated. I smoked even when I hated the smell of cigarettes, drank until I could barely remember how I had spent the night and wandered the palace for hours because sleep had now become my enemy. Anytime that I closed my eyes, the only thing I saw was Leah falling from the cliff. Sometimes I even heard her voice calling my name. Other nights, I remembered the way she had looked at me before she stepped toward me, finally believing my promise to tell her the full truth. Then I would wake up and remember that she was dead.The k
The question struck me hard and I didn’t know what to say. I hated to think that he was right… if I had told her before Owen got to her then all of this really would not have been happening. The silence in the chamber made my failure feel even greater than I had already thought it to be. Owen turned back to the council.“Every detail I gave Leah was accurate. I did not invent the curse, and I did not lie about the sacrifice ritual. If the king believes that revealing the truth is a crime, perhaps he should explain why he kept it hidden when Leah’s life was directly involved.”“That is enough,” I growled.“No, Lucien. It isn’t.” Owen’s voice became hard. “You cannot blame me for every consequence of a decision you made yourself.”I saw some of the elders nod, already among themselves. Some believed that Owen should have approached me first to ask for consent, especially given Leah’s fragile position within the pack. Others argued that he had only merely disclosed information that she
Lucien’s POVI stormed through the palace still holding Owen’s letter in my hand. I ignored every servant and guard who stepped aside, bowing as I approached them. I had spent so much hours blaming myself for keeping the truth from her, but that did not erase the fact that Owen made a decision to approach her behind my back and use her desperation for answers against me.He was going to answer for it.I found him in the western hall talking with two palace officials. He turned around when he heard my footsteps and his eyes immediately fell on the letter in my hand.“Lucien.” he said calmly. “I wondered how long it would take you to find me.”I stopped right in front of him. “Why did you approach Leah?”One of the officials looked between the two of us before he stepped out of the way. “Good evening to you too, Your Majesty.”“Don’t play games with me.” I held the letter up. “You knew that she was vulnerable. You knew that she was searching for answers, yet you deliberately invited h
Lucien’s POVOnce we got back to the palace, I returned to my room without saying another word to anyone.The moment I stepped inside, my eyes went straight to the bed where Leah and I had spent our final night together. I could still picture her lying down beside me with her head resting on my chest as she slept peacefully in my arms. Leah had trusted me enough to give all of herself to me, believing that whatever was standing in between us was something that the both of use were able to face together. And I had let her wake up alone. I had allowed her stay in that bed without explaining the truth about the whole thing to her, and while I was away someone else had found her and said all of it to her. They had given her all the information that I was too afraid to have shared with her when I had the chance.Now he had twisted everything, until she believed that I wanted her dead. I held on to the edge of the bed so tightly, but my legs gave way before I could get the chance to stea







