Aurora"I want to see Lukas! I need to see him!" I yelled, struggling against the guards blocking my path. My voice cracked from shouting, but I didn’t care.I didn’t come back to be ignored. I didn’t come back for this.I never meant to hurt Damien. I just wanted him to see me. To want me. To love me.But everything was spiraling and I needed Lukas to fix it.The guards shoved me back again, just as a cold presence swept into the hall. I froze. That dark, suffocating aura, I felt it before I saw him.Lukas.He appeared like a shadow pulling itself together into flesh. His eyes were pits of midnight, soulless yet alive. His black coat fluttered even though there was no breeze.Without a word, he waved the guards off. They scattered instantly, not daring to linger.I pushed up from the floor, glaring at him as he approached."You used me," I spat, my hands clenched into fists. "You used me to hurt Damien. Why go back on your word, Alpha?"He chuckled low, deep, like the sound of someth
JuliaI staggered, my vision spinning, my legs barely holding me up. I caught the wall just in time, trying to breathe through the dizziness.“Julia?”I heard the voice but my head was pounding too much to process it. Then a hand caught my arm, steadying me. I looked up, squinting through the blur.Beta Ambrose.His jaw was tight, his eyes dark and stormy.Of course he’d show up now.“Damn it,” he muttered, his fingers at my wrist, checking my pulse like he was afraid I’d drop dead any second.He stared at me, unblinking, and I knew what he was thinking. I knew that look. He could smell Damien on me. That was the thing about Ambrose — he didn’t need to ask. He could just tell. And he was furious.“Why’d you let it happen?” His voice was low but sharp, like he was trying not to yell. “Why him? After everything he’s done—why would you do this to yourself?”I swallowed hard, my throat burning like I’d swallowed glass. I wanted to snap back, to defend myself, but what was I supposed to sa
AuroraI waved off the maid standing before me, barely containing the storm inside me, as I clutched the hem of my father’s robe.“Dad, you have to help me,” I pleaded, my voice cracking. My grip on his clothes tightened.My father, one of the highest-ranking elders in the pack, was my only hope. By law, Alpha Damien was supposed to respect him, to listen to his counsel. And yet, here I was, humiliated, locked away in my chambers like a criminal while Damien paraded that woman, his Luna—marked and proud.“He came to me first, Dad,” I gasped between shallow breaths, choking on the injustice of it all. “Damien thought he could do whatever he wanted, use me, then discard me like I was nothing?”Tears streamed freely as I fell to my knees, still clinging to my father’s robe, but he shook me off, letting me crumple to the floor.“Look at yourself,” he muttered coldly. “You’ve been in this pack for years and couldn’t even make him love you. What use are you? Useless.”His words sliced deepe
JuliaAlpha Damien wasn’t gentle with me. Every touch of his was firm, almost desperate, like he was trying to claim not just my body, but something deeper. My wolf wouldn’t stop pacing inside me, restless and eager, her howls echoing in my chest. She knew what I tried to deny that we were with our mate.His lips hovered just above mine, his breath heavy. The heat between us was suffocating.Then his hand slid between my thighs. I gasped, but his mouth caught mine instantly, swallowing my moan. His tongue invaded my mouth, slow yet demanding, as though he wanted to consume every sound I made.My body arched into him without permission, and his low groan vibrated against my lips. He pressed two fingers inside me, curling them in a way that made my head spin. My nails scraped down his back, desperate for something to hold onto."You're so wet for me," he muttered against my neck, his voice dark and rough.I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out again, but he was relentless. His fing
JuliaI turned back to face him, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me."Do you want me to repeat myself? I said you’re no different from your tyrant of a father. The same Alpha who stole lands that were never his, who humiliated my father’s pack. Tell me, Damien, how are you any different from him?"He stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then his voice came low and dismissive."Taking over land is common in werewolf territories. It’s nothing new. The strong rule. The weak submit. That’s how it has always been. Don’t act ignorant. I thought you’d be wiser than this."His words struck me like a blade. I blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, but the anger swelled deeper."Common? Is it common to wipe out an entire bloodline?" My voice broke. "To destroy every last memory of a people, to erase them from existence? Is that acceptable to you, Alpha Damien?"I stepped closer, fists clenched tightly."My father fought for his territory. He bled for it. He raised h
Julia's POVShe was walking toward me with that same confident, slick strut. I intended to ignore her, but she blocked me every time I tried to turn away.I raised my gaze and glared at her. Her lips twitched as she folded her arms and stared past me, then brought her eyes back to mine."Did you think I didn’t see that? That you were talking to someone just now?"I met her gaze, unflinching. If Aurora thought she could scare me with her words again, she was about to be humiliated.I smiled. "Aurora, who exactly did you see?""A man," she spat, her lips curling.I laughed, and so did she, but hers carried venom."So you’re meeting a man in secret?" she continued, her voice thick with mockery. "I wonder how Damien would react if he knew the woman he calls his Luna was sneaking around behind his back."She gave another wicked laugh. "You wouldn’t just be kicked out. He would make sure you never come back.""Really?" I asked without blinking."What’s more ironic," I said, stepping closer,