FAZER LOGINLia:“What are you planning to wear?”“I mean, it is not like anyone is going to see us. We are going to be here in the harem. To say the least, it might be a headmistress or another consort, but the Alphas won’t catch sight of us.” Another commented.The gathering spread through the consort hall like wildfire.Alphas were coming, powerful ones, territorial ones, men whose presence alone shifted the balance of a room. The girls buzzed with anticipation, excitement sharp and glittering, dresses already being discussed, smiles practiced in mirrors.I sat apart, listening more than watching.I knew that neither consort was going to be seen, nor were they going to be noticed by the men that they wanted seeing them. Unless the Alpha aimed on giving one of them as a ‘gift’ to another, then I doubted that this was going to be the case.Then I felt it.The pause.The shift.One of the consorts’ gazes snagged on my neck.“Well,” she drawled, tilting her head, eyes gleaming, “the Alpha must be
Marcel:The day dragged on longer than it should have.Meetings blurred together, territory reports, supply routes, lingering unrest from the Council’s collapse. I handled it all on instinct, my mind sharp but restless, pulled elsewhere no matter how much discipline I forced onto it.It wasn’t until Vladimir entered my office that the tension finally shifted. “You are going to be late for today’s gathering.”“I doubt that this is why you came here, Vladimir.” I said, and he chuckled, shaking his head at me, clearly amused.“No, it is not.” He said, stepping inside. “But it is one of the things that I need to remind you about. The other packs have gotten distracted from the mating thing that happened between you and Elara, and you abandoning it midway, or they didn’t seem to care enough about it to put any pressure on the subject. But it does not mean that they are going to completely forget. And it is events and gatherings like this one that would keep the alliances.”“I would leave t
Elara:The door had barely closed behind her before the words tore out of me.“You ignored it.” I said, looking at Luna Isobel, my eyes wide in surprise at the fact that she deliberately chose to ignore the disrespect that the bitch chose to throw in my way. “She should have been punished! This shouldn’t have gone unspoken of!”Luna Isobel didn’t look up right away. She adjusted the folds of her dress with infuriating calm, as if nothing of importance had just happened.“She disrespected me, and you always said that when that happened, it meant that the disrespect was thrown at you too!” I pressed, my voice tight. “She walked in here marked, flaunting it, and you chose to smile. You chose to ignore it. You chose to give her more value than she actually should have had!”Only then did Luna Isobel lift her gaze.“Sit,” she said.I didn’t.My hands clenched at my sides. “I have stood by you through everything. Through Marcel’s rebellion, through the council’s fall, through every decision
Lia:“I will call for you later today.”“I believe that it is going to be a habit then?” I asked, making him smile.He cupped my cheeks and connected his lips with mine, making me smile. I put my hands on his torso, as he deepened the kiss for just one more second before pulling away to look at me.“I would ask you to settle in my room, but I know that we are still too far away for that to happen.” He teased, making my chest swell with an emotion that I didn’t even think could exist. He ran his finger over my jawline before pecking my lips one more time. I took a step back as he opened the door, allowing me to leave.I left quietly, a small smile on my face which I couldn’t deny or hide no matter how hard I tried.My steps were steady, my shoulders relaxed, my breath even. I didn’t feel like I was running from a battlefield or bracing for an attack. And apparently, that difference showed.Theia noticed it immediately as I approached her.She was waiting just outside the corridor, her
Marcel:I woke up to warmth.Not just heat, but weight, soft and trusting, curled into my side like it belonged there.Lia had moved closer in her sleep, her forehead tucked beneath my chin, one hand resting lightly against my chest. She breathed slow and even, lashes dark against her cheeks, her expression unguarded in a way I hadn’t seen once while she was awake.I didn’t dare move.Didn’t breathe too deeply.I just… watched.I just found myself admiring the peace that was stripped away from her, and there was something devastating about how peaceful she looked. About knowing how hard the world had been on her, and yet here she was, sleeping beside me like nothing could touch her, allowing herself to feel that safety.Then her eyes fluttered open.It took her a second to process where she was.Who she was with.And then she bolted backward like she’d been burned, nearly rolling off the bed in her haste.I couldn’t help it, I chuckled. “Good morning.”Her face went crimson. “I… I did
Lia:I woke to unfamiliar quiet.Not the tense kind. Not the kind that warned me to run.Just… stillness.A stillness that I almost forgot even existed.For a moment, I didn’t remember falling asleep at all, let alone being on a bed. I frowned, pushing myself up on the bed, the sheets cool beneath my fingers. My gaze drifted, and stopped.Marcel was asleep on the couch.The couch that I was initially sitting on, reading through the book that he was keeping for me to read.The realization hit slowly. He was stretched out awkwardly, one arm draped over his eyes, the other hanging off the edge, the blanket half-slipped to the floor like he’d lost a fight with it sometime during the night.Confusion tightened my chest.I slipped off the bed and crossed the room quietly, lifting the blanket and draping it over him more properly.The movement triggered him instantly.His hand shot out and closed around my wrist, his grip tight.I gasped, heart leaping into my throat.“It’s me,” I blurted. “







