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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
Kael’s POVThe next day… I was alone in my study when Karl entered.“Will be,” Karl said, his tone unusually steady. “I have a solution to your problem.”I turned to him. “What problem?”“Your problem of regaining your mortal form.”I took a step forward.“You found something?”He nodded once, face unreadable, though I could see the storm brewing behind his eyes. “Yes.”My heart thudded. Hope was a fragile thing. I’d learned not to grab it too fast, lest it splinter in my hand and leave nothing but shards of regret. “Tell me.”Karl hesitated. His jaw tightened. “It’s Georgia.”I narrowed my eyes. “What about her?”“The solution… is her blood.”It was as though time paused.My breath caught. “What did you say?”Karl stepped closer, voice low. “You need a vessel to anchor your essence. Something strong enough to tether your divinity to flesh again, but also pure enough to harmonize with your original mortal soul. Only one thing in this world fits both criteria. The seer said so.” I sho