MasukAlpha Kael's POVThe bloodstained letter remained in my hand, its edges stained crimson from the unfortunate messenger who had nearly been beaten to death simply to deliver Amarok's words.My commander stepped closer."My Alpha...""He wants us afraid" I muttered. The commander nodded."What are your orders?" He asked.Before I could answer, a piercing scream shattered the silence and my entire body reacted before my mind did.The scream belonged to Liora.My head snapped towards the courtyard as every instinct inside me roared to life.The thought of Amarok hit me with frightening speed.Had he actually come? Had his message merely been a distraction while he slipped inside my estate?Without thinking, I dropped the paper into one of my commander's hands."Protect the gates!"I was already moving. My boots struck the stone courtyard with rapid, thunderous steps and guards hurried after me."Liora!"The name left my mouth before I even realised I had spoken it then my pulse hammered
Liora's POVThe moment the heavy doors of Alpha Kael's study closed behind us, I released a slow breath I hadn't realised I had been holding.I refused to look at him, I simply couldn't. Every nerve in my body still remembered what had happened inside that room.The way he'd stood so close, the way his voice had curled around my thoughts until I couldn't tell where my anger ended and something far more dangerous began.I hated it.I hated him.And yet, I could still feel the warmth of his touch lingering against my skin.I clenched my fists.Get yourself together, Liora.My cheeks burned with humiliation. Worse still, I could feel the embarrassing warmth between my thighs, a reminder of how my own body had betrayed me despite how fiercely I despised him.It made me want to scream."You asshole," I muttered under my breath.Kael slowed his steps just enough to glance sideways at me."What was that?""Nothing" I replied immediately. "I don't believe you.""I wasn't asking you to" I sai
Alpha Kael's POVLiora was unbelievably weak.Even now, with her wrists restrained and my force draining what little strength she possessed, she still managed to glare at me as though she were the one holding all the power.It was... entertaining.A slow chuckle escaped my lips as I leaned lazily against the wall opposite her."You know," I murmured, folding my arms across my chest, "I've met warriors twice your size who cried after a few minutes in my dungeon."Her jaw tightened."I don't care."I laughed."You should" I replied. Silence settled between us. Her breathing remained uneven, but those intense eyes never left mine.There was hatred there, defiance and beneath it, something she refused to acknowledge.I brought my lips lower, much closer to her ear, my face brushing against her hair.She instinctively stiffened."Scared?" I asked."No" she answered almost immediately. "Liar" I mocked. "I said no" she repeated. My face returned to hers."So stubborn" I muttered. She li
Rio's POVI had to admit it. Seeing the look on Elena's face had been incredibly satisfying.The woman had spent so much time making Liora's life miserable that watching her expression crumble the moment she realised Liora had returned alive almost made the sleepless night worthwhile.I chuckled to myself as I walked through the corridors of the estate.Anyone who hadn't witnessed the chaos of Amarok's safe house would have assumed today was just another ordinary morning.I, however, felt anything but ordinary. Every muscle in my body ached and my head was filled with too many thoughts, mostly about Alpha Kael, Amarok, Liora and her mysterious secret.I reached my bedroom and pushed the door open."I seriously need some sleep" I said.The words died in my throat. Someone was already inside.Tristan stood near the window with his arms folded tightly across his chest. He wasn't looking outside anymore, he was looking directly at me and judging from the expression on his face, this wasn'
Liora's POVI refused to look away from him.The air inside Alpha Kael's study felt strangely heavy, as though the walls themselves were waiting to see which one of us would give in first.Neither of us looked willing to surrender.His piercing eyes remained fixed on me and mine stayed locked onto his.I knew I should probably be nervous, especially after everything that had happened, I should have known better than to keep challenging him but I couldn't stop.If I started obeying every order he gave me, where would it end?I wasn't going to become someone who nodded obediently every time he spoke.I wasn't a pet, I wasn't a servant and I certainly wasn't his possession. No matter how many times he insisted otherwise.A tiny voice inside me whispered that perhaps this wasn't the smartest battle to pick but I ignored it.Alpha Kael stood a few feet away, his broad shoulders rigid with tension."You've caused enough trouble for one century" he said.I raised my chin, as if I wasn't scar
Alpha Kael's POVI stood in the center of the security command room, a large map of the estate spread across the long oak table before me. Several lanterns illuminated the room, casting warm light over marked patrol routes, guard towers, gates, and the surrounding forest.Across from me stood my chief of guards, Gareth, who studied the map carefully."We've already doubled the patrols around the eastern wall, Alpha."I nodded then pointed toward the northern woods."If I were Amarok, I wouldn't attack the main entrance" I said.Gareth followed my finger."The forest.""Exactly. He'll try to exploit blind spots" I said."Or create new ones" he added.Gareth crossed his arms."We've stationed snipers in the watchtowers" he said.I leaned over the map."Amarok isn't reckless" I said.Gareth wrote several notes before looking back at me."And what about Lady Liora?"The question made me sigh."What about her?" I asked. "If Amarok truly wants her, then she'll become the primary target" he
Fay's First Person POV"No!"The word ripped out of my throat before I could stop it. The moment the guards started moving toward me again, pure panic exploded inside my chest.I took several hurried steps backward as my eyes darted around the room desperately.There had to be a way out to escape b
Alpha Kael's POVThe fire’s warmth did nothing to chase the chill that had settled into my chest. She knelt there, slick with oil, the faint scent of jasmine clinging to her skin. The linen she wore was thin, clinging to her body, leaving nothing to the imagination. Every curve, every swell, ever
Liora's POVMy skin tingled as the maids’ hands glided over me, spreading oil down my shoulders, across the slope of my collarbone, over the curve of my breasts, down my ribs and over my waist. Their touch was careful, almost timid, as if I were a fragile artifact rather than a living woman.The s
I still remember the smell of smoke, thick and chocking, curling into my lungs, and the sound of my mother’s screams echoing through the house as she was slaughtered along with my father for trusting the wrong people.Though it has been a long time since that night, it is burned into me as if it ha







