Georgia’s POVMorning arrived so fast. Today was Leah’s turn to serve the Lycan god.We didn’t speak much, there was no need to so we made our way to the pack house.Leah turned to me, her fingers clutching the satchel of dried herbs we were asked to prepare. “Wish me luck,” she said.“You’ll be fine,” I replied, forcing a smile.She nodded once, then stepped into Kael's chambers. But then, barely five minutes later, the doors creaked open again.Leah stepped out “He… he said he wants you instead.”I blinked. “Me?”She nodded quickly. “He looked at me for a moment… and then said your name.”The blood drained from my face. I steadied myself on the stone steps. I swallowed hard. I nodded. My heart thudded like war drums as I entered his chamber.I stepped into the great room. And there, he was.He stood near the hearth, arms crossed over his broad chest, shadows flickering across his sharp features. His eyes locked onto mine with such intensity that it stopped me mid-step.“You came,”
Georgia’s povThe cold stone of the pack house corridor pressed against my back as I leaned into it, trying to steady my racing heart. The echo of the door slamming still rang in my ears, a sound that felt like it had severed something vital inside me. My chest ached, not just from the tears I refused to let fall, but from the weight of Kael’s silence. How could he treat me like that? As if I use to be his entire world and then pull away as if I were nothing? I pressed my palms to my eyes, willing the sting to subside, but the memory of his touch burned too fiercely.I needed air. I needed to get out of this suffocating place. My feet carried me down the corridor, past the curious glances of pack members who didn’t dare ask why my face was flushed or why my steps were so hurried. The heavy wooden doors of the pack house loomed ahead, promising escape, and I pushed through them into the crisp morning air.I walked without direction. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I couldn’t
Georgia’s POVThe walk back to the pack house with calyx was silent, each step feeling heavier than the last. His presence beside me was both a comfort and a puzzle. I stole a glance at him, his strong jaw set.We reached the pack house, and the bustle of pack members moving through the courtyard snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. Calyx paused at the entrance, turning to me with that same concerned look he’d worn in the clearing. “You sure you’re okay, Georgia? You’ve been quiet.”His question sounded strange.He studied me for a moment, as if weighing whether to press further, then nodded. “Get some rest. I’ll check on you later.”I watched him walk away, his broad shoulders disappearing into the crowd, and the knot in my chest tightened further. Rest sounded impossible. I needed answers, not sleep. But where to start? Confront Kael about Lydia ? Demand the truth from calyx? Or dig into my own memories, the ones from my past life, to see if they held any clues about the red-h
Georgia’s POVThe air in Kael’s chamber was thick with the weight of his words, the promise of truth hanging between us like a fragile thread. I sat on the edge of a carved wooden chair, my hands clasped tightly in my lap, my eyes locked on his. Kael stood by the hearth, the firelight casting shadows across his sharp features, making him look both divine and haunted. His admission that Lydia was no longer his lover had loosened something in me, but the questions still churned, about her, about why Kael’s fear seemed to pulse with a life of its own.“Start talking,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I need to know everything.”Kael exhaled, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of centuries pressed down on him. “Lydia was my mate, long ago,” he began, his voice low, almost a whisper. “Not by choice, but by a ritual forced upon us by the old gods. It was meant to bind our power, to make us stronger against threats to the pack. But it was never love. Not for me.”I swallowed, the
Georgia’s POVThe courtyard was a battlefield, the air thick with ash and the snarls of Lydia’s allies. Their glowing eyes cut through the haze like beacons of malice, and my heart hammered as I scrambled to my feet, pain radiating from my shoulder. Kael was already up, his body coiled like a predator, his gaze darting between the encroaching figures and me. Sylvara stood at his side, her dagger glinting as she muttered words under her breath, her violet eyes blazing with focus. The wards she was weaving shimmered faintly, a fragile barrier against the onslaught.“Georgia, stay behind me,” Kael growled, his voice barely human. His claws extended, and I could feel the power radiating from him, the alpha ready to tear through anything to protect his pack and me.But my eyes were locked on the spot where Lydia had stood, her taunting smile burned into my mind. Her words echoed, sharp and venomous: “Going somewhere, Georgia?” The way she’d looked at me, like I was nothing more than an o
Georgia’s POVThe world seemed to hold its breath, the mist curling around us like a living thing, heavy with Lydia’s dark magic. Kael’s hand was still in mine, his grip so tight it hurt, but I couldn’t pull away. His eyes, stormy and tormented, held mine for a heartbeat longer before he turned to face Lydia. “Lydia,” Kael said, his voice steady despite the chaos, “I won’t marry you. I won’t bind myself to you again. Not for the pack, not for the Tear, not for anything. You need to let this go.”Lydia’s face twisted, her triumph curdling into something feral. “Let it go?” she spat, her voice rising, sharp enough to cut. “You think I can just walk away from you? From us? You were mine, Kael. Mine!” Her hands clenched, and the dark tendrils in the mist surged, snapping like whips toward Sylvara’s wards. The shimmering barrier flickered, and Sylvara grunted, her knees buckling as she fought to hold it.“Kael, we don’t have time!” Sylvara shouted, her voice strained. “The wards are faili
Georgia’s POVThe Grove lay hushed in the wake of battle. Branches shuddered where Kael’s shockwave had torn through the underbrush; moonlight sifted through torn leaves and caught on the scattered shards of Lydia’s dark wards. I pressed my hand to my chest, heart pounding, as though it still fought against every beat. Beside me, Kael knelt over the fallen Tear, its silvery glow now gentle, like a pulse beneath his fingertips.“Georgia,” he said, voice low. The single word felt charged, as if he’d been holding it back through the onslaught. He reached for my hand, brushing away the blade of grass that had cut my palm. His touch was warm, an anchor in the aftermath.I swallowed hard. My lungs ached and I tasted copper in my mouth from exertion and fear. But there, in his gaze, I found something stronger than fear: relief, wonder, something dangerously close to joy. “We did it,” I whispered, and it was both a statement of fact and a question. Did we really?Kael nodded, his dark hair fa
Kael’s POV Later that evening, I was in my chamber, sitting near the hearth with a half-empty glass of wine when Karl walked in. His expression was unreadable as usual, but the faint twitch in his jaw told me he was holding back questions.“I heard what happened,” he said without preamble. “Between you and Lydia.”I let out a breath, rubbing my temple. “It’s been handled.”“Handled?” He stepped further into the room, arms crossed. “That’s all you’re going to say?”I looked up at him. “Yes.”Karl raised a brow. “Should I be worried?”“No.” I leaned back against the chair. “She’s been kept in her place. Loud and clear.”Karl stared at me for a few seconds longer, then gave a curt nod. “Good.” He walked toward the window, staring out at the darkened woods. “There’s been some murmuring about the pack house.”“What kind of murmuring?”“Just… talk. About the damage, the part that burned during the last attack. People are beginning to ask what the plan is.”I nodded slowly. “Calyx should’ve
Reveena’s POVI stood by the kitchen door frame slightly, arms crossed as I peeked at Georgia secretly while she hum softly to herself as she stirred the contents of the pot. She moved around the kitchen with an almost eagerness, occasionally wiping her hands on the apron Kael had given her earlier in the day. It was ridiculous how proud she looked, as if preparing one meal could suddenly make her suitable to stand beside him.She didn’t even notice me lurking. But I wanted to walk in and teach her a lesson but an idea popped into my head.Georgia flipped the lid open and gave the pot one more stir, her face gleaming with a smile that made my skin itch. I watched her lean over and sniff the soup, nodding approvingly to herself. Not a single spoonful to taste the grab she had made, not even a pinch to check if the seasoning was right. Just a sniff. She really was that stupid.“I think they’ll love it,” she whispered to herself, wiping sweat off her forehead before trotting off toward t
Reveena’s POVI shouldn’t have come.The thought repeated over and over in my mind like a chant as Kael’s amber flared with a fire I hadn’t seen before, not for me, but against me.“You don’t get to decide my fate, Reveena,” he growled, each word seething with disdain. “Over my dead body will Georgia ever be my mate? Is that what you came here to force on me?”I opened my mouth to reply, to remind him of the bloodlines, the council’s expectations.“If you think I’ll let anyone, even you, dictate who I bind my soul to… then I’m sorry to tell you this, Reveena,” he spat my name like it burned his tongue. “But I’ll become your enemy if that’s what it takes.”My breath hitched. I felt my heart crack loudly, painfully as though he’d just ripped it from my chest and crushed it between his clawed fingers. He turned away from me as if I no longer mattered. His hand curled into a fist at his side, shoulders tense, jaw tight. Not because of her he is acting this way towards me.“You would thro
Reveena’s POVI made my way to Kael’s chambers with thunder boiling in my veins.That moment I saw her, draped in simple fabric, eyes lowered like a servant, something inside me twisted. Not jealousy. No. This was something deeper. A storm of disbelief and fury at the very idea that someone like her could be in his presence so comfortably.I didn’t knock as I bagged into Kael’s room.The doors flung open beneath my hands, slamming against the inner walls. Kael was by the window, but he didn’t even flinch. He barely turned his head as I entered, and that only enraged me more.“Unbelievable.” I snapped. His eyes rose to meet mine. calm, cold, and far too steady for someone who’d just been caught entertaining a girl like that. “What?”“You know what I mean,” I hissed, stepping closer. “The girl I saw claiming she’s your mate. The one with her hair tied back like a kitchen maid. What is she doing here?”Kael arched a brow, folding his hands across each other with the kind of infuriating
Georgia’s POV“Leave.” He instructed as he pulled away. I took a step forward but he wasn’t giving me the chance to come closer. “You should leave!” He ordered again.I closed Kael’s door quietly behind me. My fingers lingered on the handle, as if wanting to go back in if I held it long enough. But it didn’t. He had sent me away.I didn’t want to leave, that I could stay and just sit in silence if that’s all he wanted. But Kael was persistent. His words had been gentle but firm. “Not now. Please, just go.”So I did.I walked down the long corridor with a dull ache spreading through my chest, the kind that doesn’t explode, just gnaws quietly beneath your ribs. The pack house was quieter than usual. Even the guards I passed seemed subdued. By the time I reached the new room Leah and I had moved into, I headed towards the bed. The room was bigger than our old one, the ceiling higher, the windows wider. It was nicer.Leah was folding some of Nathalie’s tiny clothes when I walked in. The
Georgia’s POV The night was quiet, too quiet. I looked at Kael as we stood under the tree beneath the moonlight.The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable, just heavy. “You’re awfully quiet,” I said softly, breaking the stillness.Kael didn’t look at me right away. He had that faraway gaze, like he was speaking to the stars rather than to me. His jaw clenched, then relaxed. “I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you something,” he said at last, his voice low and unsure.I turned fully toward him. “Tell me now.”A faint smile touched his lips. “There’s… a way,” he said, “to bring my mortal body back.”For a second, I just stared at him, blinking. Then the weight of his words slammed into my chest and I grabbed his arm. “Are you serious?”He nodded once.I let out a breathless laugh, joy blooming in my chest. “That’s incredible, Kael! That’s how? What is it? What do we have to do?”That’s when his smile faded.He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers like he wasn’t su
Ruth’s POVI don’t remember how I got to the hospital.One moment, I was cradling her limp body in my arms, whispering her name over and over again like it could breathe life back into her. The next, I was speeding through the city streets, horns blaring behind me, lights flashing red and green but never registering. Her head rested on me, blood seeping through the fabric of my shirt, warm and sticky. Her lips were slightly parted, eyes closed. I kept telling myself she was asleep. She had to be.“Sis, stay with me,” I whispered, voice cracking. “We’re almost there, okay? Just… just a little longer.”But she didn’t stir.When I finally reached the nearby hospital and burst into the emergency room, I must have looked insane, my shirt drenched in blood, barefooted, my hands shaking so badly I almost dropped her. Nurses rushed toward me, their calm efficiency making my chaos feel even more unbearable.“We need a stretcher here!” someone shouted.“She’s not breathing,” I choked out, foll
Lucy’s POVI didn’t cry. Not in the cab, not when I stepped through the gates of our estate. Crying would have been easier than this slow, simmering ache twisting through my ribs.I got back home. “Madam?” One of the maids stepped forward, her voice hesitant.“Where’s Damien?” I asked softly, not stopping to look at her.“In the study, ma’am.”I walked past her without a word.The door was slightly ajar, warm light filtering through. Damien’s voice carried low across, probably on a call. I pushed it open.He was there, standing by the wide glass windows, one hand tucked in his trouser pocket, the other holding a tumbler of scotch. When he saw me, he straightened, his brow furrowing with concern.“Lucy?” His voice shifted immediately gentle.I crossed the room and collapsed onto the armchair by the fireplace, burying my face in my hands.He moved closer. “What happened?”I forced myself to look at him. “I went to see Georgia.”His lips tightened slightly, but he said nothing, waiting f
Lucy’s POV The morning sun barely warmed the cold feeling in my chest as I stepped out of the cab. A building loomed ahead, a peeling, grey block of flats that looked nothing like the kind of place someone like Georgia would belong to. But the scraps of information I had gathered earlier, the pharmacy receipt, the old grocery bill, and a stray voice note on a burner phone had led me here. I took a deep breath. I stepped inside the building, the slightly cracked tiles groaning beneath my shoes.I am now standing in front of a door, the third floor. Apartment 3B. I raised my hand and knocked.A few seconds passed before I heard soft shuffling behind the door, like someone trying to open it. Then the latch clicked, and the door creaked open an inch. A familiar face appeared. Ruth?She froze when she saw me. Her eyes widened, and for a split second, something like anher flashed across her face. Then it was gone, replaced by a cold wall of steel.Before she could shut the door in my face
Damien’s POV The table stretched long before us, covered in hand-drawn maps, blood-red markings, and pins that signified victory. I leaned back in my chair as a slow, satisfied grin spread across my face. My cabinet members, generals, advisors, and elders, raised their glasses, celebrating the fact that we had secured nearly the entire werewolf kingdom under my rule.“To Damien,” General Havric bellowed, his voice booming across the room. “The Alpha of Alphas. The King of the Lycan Empire.”“To Damien!” they echoed, their voices roaring in unison.I gave a short nod, accepting their praise with the confidence that came from years of bloodshed and relentless strategy. Every kingdom I had taken had strengthened our dominion, brought unity to the scattered werewolf packs. Tonight, we drank not just to power but to legacy.But the moment of triumph didn’t last long.“I hate to be the bearer of ill news,” Elder Roth said suddenly, setting his goblet down with a grave look. His white beard