ログインCassian's POVMy father had lied.The realization wasn’t exactly a grand epiphany. I’d known Alpha Darius long enough to recognize the subtle shift in his posture, the calculated shadow in his eyes whenever he was withholding information. But lately, a darker, more suffocating suspicion had taken root: I was beginning to think he’d been lying to me my entire life.I stared at the heavy parchment spread across my desk. It had arrived that morning, sealed with the crisp, unmistakable wax crest of my home pack. On the surface, the contents were aggressively ordinary. Father wrote of shifting pack borders, tedious political maneuvers, trade agreements, and training quotas — the usual bureaucratic nonsense he loved pretending was the center of the universe.Yet, it was what he didn't write that made the skin on the back of my neck prickle.Once again, there was no mention of my mother.I leaned back in my chair, frustration simmering like a low-grade fever beneath my skin. For years, I ha
Artemis's POVThe dreams were evolving. I couldn't decide if that was a blessing or a curse.Lately, the abstraction had bled into a terrifying reality. They didn't feel like dreams anymore. They felt like memories, which was entirely impossible, because the places I saw hadn't existed for centuries.I woke with a sharp, ragged inhale, my pulse hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. Moonlight streamed through my chamber windows, casting stark, cold shadows across the floor. Sweat dampened my skin despite the chill in the room.I tried to breathe through the panic, to convince myself that it was just a trick of an overactive imagination. But the details refused to fade. They remained crisp, precise, and hauntingly tangible. I could still perfectly picture the stone towers piercing a silver sky, the massive temples carved from moon-white marble, and the women in flowing robes whose eyes glowed with a fierce, crescent luminescence.And then, there was the voice. It was always th
Lucian's POVMy shadows had officially mutinied.There was simply no other explanation. For nearly twelve years, they had been my loyal extensions, listening to my silent commands, cloaking my movements, and keeping the rest of the world at a safe, intimidated distance. They were mine.Now? Now they apparently answered to Selena just as much.I leaned against the trunk of an ancient oak tree in the royal gardens, my gaze fixed entirely on the small ribbon of sentient darkness currently curled around her left wrist.The little traitor shifted, weaving between her fingers like a living silk bracelet, looking disgustingly content. I was starting to take it personally."You know, staring is considered rude," Selena said, her voice laced with amusement. She didn't even look up from the heavy, leather-bound book resting on her lap."Most people don't wear my shadows as accessories," I countered, crossing my arms.That finally earned me a full grin. She lifted her wrist, tilting it toward t
Selena's POVThere were many strange things about living in the Lycan Palace. The fact that I regularly ate breakfast with the most powerful family on the continent was strange. The fact that Artemis had once threatened to launch Cassian off a balcony because he called her "Moonbeam" was strange. The fact that Lucian could step out of shadows as if they were doorways was very strange.Unfortunately, I was beginning to suspect his shadows themselves might be even stranger. Because, once again, they were following me. I stopped walking. The corridor fell silent, and nothing moved, but I knew they were there, keeping their distance but watching me nonetheless. I narrowed my eyes. "Come out."Nothing happened. A passing servant looked at me oddly, so I smiled awkwardly until they hurried away. Talking to empty hallways probably looked concerning to them. I waited another moment, then pointed at a nearby suit of armor. "I can see you."A tiny patch of darkness immediately darted behind
Xavier's POVThe palace was quiet — far quieter than it had any right to be. I stood beside the tall windows of my study, overlooking the sprawling royal training grounds below. The afternoon sun bathed the palace grounds in a deceptively warm, golden hue. Elite warriors drilled in tight formations, servants moved rhythmically about their daily duties, and young heirs from allied packs occupied the courtyards. Everything appeared perfectly normal. Yet, my attention remained fixed entirely on a single figure: Selena. She was crossing the meticulously kept gardens below alongside Artemis. The two girls were locked in what looked like an animated argument.Even from this distance, I could see Selena laughing, completely unaware that she was currently the sole subject of my deepest concerns.Marcus stirred uneasily within me. My ancient Lycan beast had been restless for days, ever since the volatile incident in the training arena where Lucian's shadows had reacted to her presence. I wa
Alara's POVI found Xavier exactly where I expected him to be: in his study, working again. At this point, I was beginning to suspect the man had a secret ability to sense paperwork from several miles away. The moment a report existed, Xavier somehow appeared beside it like magic. The doors to his study stood partially open, letting soft light spill into the corridor. I paused briefly before entering, just watching him. He sat behind the massive desk that had once belonged to kings before him, surrounded by stacks of documents, maps, reports, and letters of kingdom business. Yet, despite everything spread across the desk, I noticed one thing immediately: he wasn't reading. The parchment in his hands remained untouched, his gaze distant and focused somewhere else entirely. He was worrying, doing the exact same thing I had been doing all evening.His Lycan sensed me first. Marcus stirred beneath the surface, warm and familiar, before Xavier finally looked up. The moment he saw me, so
Alara’s POVThe moment Xavier’s Lycan aura exploded across the ballroom, the meticulously controlled atmosphere fractured. The air thickened instantly, growing heavy and charged, like a storm collapsing inward on itself. Conversations died mid-word, the string section of the orchestra tangled into a
Alara’s POVThe entrance of Xavier, in that state of barely contained Lycan fury, was like a physical shockwave. I barely registered the destroyed iron door or the scattered guards outside; all my focus was on him. His Lycan’s growl rolled through the chamber like destructive thunder, promising viol
Alara’s POVThe morning sun beat down on the vast, scorched expanse of the training grounds, warm and utterly relentless. But the external heat was nothing compared to the focused, burning intensity simmering in my veins. After the chaos of the last twenty-four hours — Astrid awakening, Xavier retur
Alara’s POVMarcus didn’t move.Not even when the horizon softened into the faded pinks of dusk, illuminating the ruined steps where we sat. Not when Rylan cleared his throat for the dozenth time, clearly battling professional decorum and the need to tell his King to stop being a stubborn beast. Not







