LOGINAlara’s POV
The moment Xavier tore his mouth from mine, grabbing my wrist — the one with the pulsing crescent mark — I knew the charade was over. My breath hitched as he pulled me hard against his side, turning instantly toward the main doors.
“Rylan,” Xavier’s voice was a low, guttural growl that reverberated through my bones. “The Council, the guests, the entirety of this miserable charade — contain it. I am done.”
The dismissal was absolute. I felt the heat of his rage and the overwhelming urgency of his Lycan as he propelled us through the corridors. His grip on my wrist was tight, almost bruising, and I didn't care. The urgency was a siren song to the part of me that had been starving for him. His scent — storm and pine — was so thick it was intoxicating, clouding all
Alara’s POVI couldn't feel my legs.Not when they jolted backward from the half-open door. Not when the breath violently caved in my chest, leaving behind only suffocating emptiness. Not when the familiar, comforting world violently turned into a jarring, agonizing blur of ringing white noise.All I heard, above the roaring silence of my own shattered heart, was one single, devastating sound — Xavier’s voice, intimate and low, demanding satisfaction from Aria.Astrid let out a strangled, primal roar in my head, a sound of profound pain and desperate refusal.‘NO. NO, ALARA—DON’T RUN. WE NEED TO SEE. WE NEED TO KNOW. WE NEED TO—’But I was already moving. Not thinking. Not breathing. Not processing. Just running.The hallway spun past me in sickening streaks of shadow and moonlight. My feet stumbled, caught, slipped on the smooth flooring, but I didn’t stop. I couldn't. My lungs burned like raw fire, every ragged inhale tearing me apart from the inside.‘Mate. Betrayal. Mate. Betrayal
Alara’s POVA full week had passed since the terrifying incident — seven long days of strained breaths, cautious touches, and an ever-present, unspoken fear lodged like a jagged needle beneath my skin. The diplomatic week had finally ended two days ago, the visiting Alphas and Lunas dispersing back to their respective territories… though not without leaving a toxic trail of whispers in their wake. I caught the glances, the quick, darting movements of eyes, and the low murmurs behind half-closed doors.“The Crescent Luna lost control again.”“The future queen nearly turned feral, threatening the stability of the entire Summit.” “The Lycan King looked shaken, barely holding his mate together…”Their words, sharp and venomous, clung to the ornate halls of the packhouse long after the guests themselves were gone.It had been a grueling stretch of meetings, formal dinners, endless diplomatic ceremonies, and forced formalities — and throughout every moment of it, Xavier had stayed rigidly
Alara’s POVDarkness curled around me, thick and suffocating, as if the very air had turned into molten shadow. I could feel Xavier’s warmth behind me, his presence a tether I wasn’t sure I wanted to hold onto anymore. My wrist throbbed violently, the crescent mark flaring with a force that made my bones ache. Every pulse was like a drumbeat of rage and desire, an untamed, screaming power that seemed to belong to someone else — someone I couldn’t control.And then… the vision came.I was standing in the hall of the palace, but the world was distorted, everything drenched in black and gold. Xavier was there, moving toward me with that fierce, unyielding gaze I had loved and feared all at once. But in this vision, his eyes were not molten gold. They were opaque, empty, as if he had been stripped of his humanity.I raised my hands instinctively. The crescent mark burned through the glove, silver light licking out like liquid fire. I felt its raw, chaotic energy course through my veins, w
Alara’s POVDarkness swallowed the grand council hall whole. It was a complete, suffocating eclipse.Gasps rippled around me of Alphas, dignitaries, and warriors, shuffling, reaching, bristling. My pulse thundered in my ears as the last whisper slithered away like smoke dissolving in the night.‘I wonder how long before you break.’My crescent mark blazed under my glove, burning so sharply I pressed my wrist against my chest to contain it. It pulsed once, twice, then steadied into a feverish thrum that made the air hum around me.“Alara!”Xavier’s voice cut through the chaos, deep and raw, threaded with a very specific sound; fear.I barely had time to turn before golden fire exploded across the hall like a sunrise crashing through stone.His Lycan pushed forward, his aura slamming into the room with enough force to silence every Alpha mid-growl. Light sculpted itself around his silhouette, shadows scrambling away from him like living things.The torches re-ignited on their own, one a
Alara’s POVThe palace woke before the sun. Today was different. Despite the ongoing threats from corrupted rogues, it was decided that no palace events would be postponed to portray the image of stability of the crown.Footsteps echoed through marbled corridors, fabrics swished, voices rose and fell in urgent waves. Servants rushed past my door carrying scrolls, polish, trays heavy with silverware that sparkled like stars fallen from the sky. The diplomatic week had begun under tighter security and with it came expectations I wasn’t ready for.Acting Luna.The words alone pressed against my ribs like a too-tight corset.My magic still burned under my skin, my bond with Xavier was frayed to threads, and my nightmares had become so vicious that I jolted awake more than I slept. Being paraded before visiting Alphas and their councils felt like a cruel joke.Yet that was exactly what I was expected to do.I sat at the vanity as a handmaiden pinned my hair into place, the mirror reflectin
Xavier’s POVThe storm clouds rolled low over the palace as I descended the grand steps toward the council courtyard. A familiar scent — dark pine, steel, and wolf — cut through the wind long before his silhouette appeared.Ronan. Alpha of the Midnight Pack. Former battle brother. Once the closest thing I had to a brother besides my own blood.We hadn’t spoken in months. Not since the border wars, not since everything began shifting, twisting into something darker that neither of us could fully name.But today he was here. And I already knew it wasn’t for pleasantries.Ronan stood tall in the courtyard, his cloak whipping behind him. The moment our eyes locked, something tight in my chest loosened, but just as quickly twisted again because the look in his eyes wasn’t the one I remembered.It wasn’t camaraderie. It wasn’t relief. And it was a grim warning.“Xavier.” He clasped my forearm, his grip firm, but the tension in his jaw robbed the gesture of comfort.“Ronan.” I steadied mysel







