MasukRAYNEThe day of the execution had come. I stood beside my dad, my fingers wrapping around his hand. My grip tightened so hard my knuckles turned white. Mira held onto his other hand just as tight. Everyone was on edge, dreading the death of Luna Selene. The heavy iron gates at the base of the tower opened, and hushed whispers rippled through the courtyard.They brought Luna Selene out onto the raised gallows built in the center of the courtyard. The sight of her made a lump form in my throat. She was wearing a simple white tunic, and her long, dark hair hung low behind her back. Her feet were completely bare. Heavy silver chains bound her wrists together in front of her. Matching silver chains were locked around her ankles. A high priest dressed in ceremonial white robes walked out onto the platform, holding a chalice of blessed water to send her off in peace. "Blessed water?" Mira scoffed. "Just a fancy way of making her drink poison before they kill her."My heart skipped a be
RAYNEI hadn't stopped crying since the moment I left the royal prison. They tracked down my cheeks as I sat in the passenger seat of the car. Beside me, Aaron kept a hand firmly on the steering wheel, his eyes locked onto the road ahead. He didn't ask a single question, and for that, I was extremely grateful. He probably thought my tears were for Luna Selene. For the woman who was going to be publicly hung at noon tomorrow. He didn't know about the Blue Blight. He didn't know that the virus was aggressive, that it was moving too fast, and that my mate, his best friend, was running out of time.When the car finally idled in front of the hotel entrance, I didn't wait for Aaron to kill the engine. I pushed the door open and made my way toward the elevator.The elevator ride upstairs felt like an eternity.Eventually, I slid the keycard into the lock. I stepped into the suite, my eyes searching the space until they settled on Reid.Reid was sitting at the foot of the king-sized bed, h
REIDOnce I got inside our hotel suite, I didn't waste a single second. I reached for the top buttons of my shirt and violently yanked at them. I ripped the dark tie from my neck, tossing it onto a velvet armchair. I froze, my breath suddenly catching in my throat.There, on my left pec, was a web of dark veins. They were solid. Like a permanent brand claiming its territory on my body.The soft sound of the bedroom door clicking open snapped me out of my haze."Reid?" Rayne called out in a concerned tone. Before she could step into the room, I rushed into the bathroom. I shut the door behind me before quickly turning on the shower."Reid, what are you doing?" She asked, raising her voice over the water gushing from the shower. She gently knocked on the door. "Visiting hours at the holding cells are almost over. We have to leave right now if you want to see your mom."I stood paralyzed in front of the vanity, staring down at the black veins covering the left side of my chest."I nev
REID"Why did you lie?"The words tore from my throat. I stood in a small holding room, staring down at the woman who had raised me."To protect you," she blankly stated. "Mom, they will have you publicly executed if you don't tell the truth," I said, stepping forward and taking her shoulders in my hands. "The High Council is looking for an example to prove the Crown still has teeth. If you confess to regicide, they will hang you.""Let them," she whispered, her gaze moving past my shoulder. For a split second, tears pooled in her eyes. "If I die... I might finally have a chance to be with your dad again.""Tell them the truth," I demanded, my grip tightening on her shoulders. "Tell them about the Blue Blight. Tell them what Dad was turning into.""No," she snapped. "If the High Council discovers the Blue Blight is in our lineage, they will wipe out what is left of us. You will be stripped of your title, of your nobility. Everything I did—everything your dad did to protect our hono
RAYNE He handed his own mother in. Not a single emotion showed on his face as he stood there, watching the woman who had given him life.He was forced to be the notorious Alpha everyone painted him out to be. He was forced to be ruthless even to his own mother. The only real family he had left.Inside the grand courtroom of the Capitol, the air was suffocating. Luna Selene sat next to Elder Vance at the defense table. Before Luna Selene got up, she shared a mutual nod with Elder Vance. It was a calculated gesture, like they had agreed to something prior to the hearing. Perhaps a strategy they haven't shared with the rest of us.Aaron and Mira were sitting next to each other. Mira hadn't spoken a single word to any of us since we left the pack grounds. She didn't even talk to Aaron, and Aaron never shut up. He kept asking her if she was mad. She simply shot him a venomous look.As soon as she saw our dad, she pulled him into a fierce hug like it was her last chance to hold him befo
RAYNEThe sheets were cool against my skin as I lay curled in the center of Reid’s massive bed, my arms wrapped around a pillow that still smelled like him. He was gone, having slipped out to handle the logistics of our trip, leaving me alone with the horrible truth.Reid had Blue Blight. Reid was dying, and there was nothing that I could do about it. The words repeated in my mind. It was the same disease that his father, Alpha Marcus, had. That was the real reason why Luna Selene had murdered her own husband. She didn't do it for power or out of malice; she did it to prevent him from turning into a mindless monster. There was no textbook for this. There was no human medicine, no vaccine, no surgical procedure that could remove a curse from a werewolf's DNA.Realization suddenly hit me hard. A wave of dread rushed through me, making my stomach churn. Luna Selene had to kill her own mate. Did that mean the same fate was waiting for me? Would I be forced to murder the man who had
RAYNEReid's words hung in the quiet space between us, heavy and thick with an honesty that he's never given me before. "Use me," he said. "I am entirely at your disposal, little wolf," he said. He wasn't speaking as the ruthless Alpha of the North; he was speaking as a man, kneeling in front of a
RAYNENo matter what happens to me. No matter the fallout, the screaming matches, or the political suicide I was about to commit. This was absolutely necessary.I had to clear his name. I stood in front of the double doors of the dining hall, my heart hammering hard against my ribs. Beside me, my
RAYNE"Bow."The King’s command was cold and heavy with the weight of his royal authority. It was an order meant to put a dog back in its place.I lifted my chin, eyes locking on the King. "I will not," I pointedly stated.The room went dead silent. Even the High Council members seemed to hold thei
RAYNEI woke up slowly. The first thing I registered was a rhythmic throb centered in the crook of my neck. The bond Reid had snapped back into place was a living thing. It was a hum that vibrated through my entire nervous system. I was in Reid’s room. The scent of him, sandalwood and rain, was e







