LOGINKelly Suspicion throbbed quietly at the back of my mind, a pulse I couldn’t ignore no matter how hard I tried. His lie lingered between us like secrets whispered. But I forced myself to breathe, to steady the wild stir in my chest. I decided not to pry. Not yet. If Alaric was hiding something, there had to be a good reason.We had something so good—so precious—that the very thought of harming it made my heart clench painfully. The last thing I wanted was to spoil everything with assumptions or false accusations born from my own insecurities. So I swallowed down the unease and offered him a small, gentle smile instead.“Still,” I murmured, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear, “don’t drink so much that you lose awareness of your surroundings or what’s going on. You’re the Lycan King, Alaric. You’ll always be a target for assassinations… even here in the Red Moon Pack.”He didn’t seem offended. Instead, he reached out and caressed a single finger along my cheek in a teasing, f
Kelly Like the loving mate I had come to know him as, Alaric’s eyes immediately went to my hand the moment he entered. His gaze softened, concern flashing over his features as he strode toward me. “What happened to your hand?” he asked, his voice low but threaded with worry.My heart clenched. Of course he’d notice. He always did. Nothing ever escaped his eyes.From the corner of my vision, I saw Tetra stiffen. Her smugness from earlier evaporated like mist in sunlight. Her fingers twitched, her weight shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. A faint sheen of sweat gathered on her forehead, and she swallowed hard, avoiding Alaric’s gaze.Oh, she was nervous.When she had planned this petty little revenge, I doubted she’d thought that far ahead—that Alaric might walk in and see me like this. The idiot had probably been too caught up in her spite to realize that hurting me would draw his immediate attention. I almost wanted to laugh. Was her vendetta against me so consuming that
Kelly The burn hurt so badly I thought my skin might split apart. I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached, forcing back the sob that threatened to escape. The pain was sharp and savage like fire had licked straight through to my bones. My first instinct was to scream, but I refused to give Tetra that satisfaction.When I looked up at her, my breath caught. She was doing a pitiful job of hiding her amusement, her lips twitching upward despite her best effort to maintain a facade of guilt. Her dark eyes glimmered with barely concealed delight, and that was all the confirmation I needed. This wasn’t an accident.She had done this on purpose.My stomach turned. I should have seen it coming. I should’ve known she would find some way to retaliate, no matter how small or cruel. This was her sick little revenge—a pathetic, childish attempt to hurt me because I had demoted her to what she truly was: a maid.“Oops,” Tetra said sweetly, her voice dripping with mock innocence. “I’m so sorry, Alph
Kelly Dea froze mid-step. Her eyes flickered up to me, disbelief flickering across her face.I tilted my head slightly. “You heard me.”The maid hesitated, mouth parting as if to protest, but one glance at my expression silenced her. “Y—yes, Alpha,” she said quietly.“Make sure she knows the full order,” I continued, my tone leaving no room for argument. “And she is to carry everything herself. No help from the others.”Dea bowed deeply. “Yes, Alpha.”She hurried away, and not long after, a wave of noise echoed faintly from the kitchen.Despite the bit of distance from the kitchen to the dining area, I could still hear the ruckus. Pots clattered against countertops, voices rose and fell in frantic murmurs, and someone let out an exasperated groan that made me smirk to myself. I didn’t need to wonder what it was about. I already knew.Tetra was making a fuss.I could almost picture it: her face twisted in disbelief and rage, her voice raised in protest, that self-entitled tone she alw
KellyNo matter how hard I tried, sleep refused to come. My body ached for rest, my eyes burned from exhaustion, but every time I closed them, his face haunted me—Alaric’s face. Those eyes. The same green eyes that once made me feel safe, warm and loved… last night, they’d been cold and empty. Almost lifeless.I tossed again, dragging the blanket up to my chin as if it could muffle the confusion twisting inside me. What had that been? Why had he looked at me like that… like I was nothing more than a stranger who’d accidentally stepped in his path?I tried to think logically. Maybe he’d had a long day. Maybe he was under some kind of stress I didn’t know about. But the more I tried to reason, the more it didn’t make sense. This was Alaric—my Alaric. The same man who had pulled me close hours before, who had teased my body until my skin burned beneath his touch. The same man who had whispered my name with so much tenderness it made my heart ache.So what changed?Did I do something wron
Kelly I slipped off my shoes to quiet my steps as I made my way upstairs. Every inch of me ached for sleep, even if it meant collapsing on the mattress fully clothed.But halfway down the corridor leading to my room, I froze.Heavy footsteps echoed from around the corner—steady, purposeful, and oddly… tense. My pulse quickened. Instinctively, I pressed myself against the wall and peeked around the corner.The figure that emerged from the shadows made my heart stutter but it wasn’t a threat. It was Alaric.Relief flooded me for a second, until I took a better look at him.He moved differently, his stride was sharper and heavier. His shoulders were rigid, his posture taut with some unseen tension. The usual warmth that surrounded him, that quiet magnetic energy he carried everywhere, was gone. It was almost like his aura had completely changed from majestic to bone chilling.“Alaric?” I called softly.There was no response.He just kept walking, his gaze fixed ahead, like I wasn’t even
AlaricI had seen blood-soaked battlefields, men screaming as teeth and claws tore out their innards. I had stood knee-deep in death and never once faltered. But the moment I rushed to the bed and saw her—my mate—bound like an animal, unconscious, with her wrists raw from the rope, panic unlike any
AlaricThat’s when the crocodile tears began. Big, glistening drops rolling down cheeks smothered in goddess knows how many layers of foundation. Her voice turned dramatic, laced with trembling sobs that didn’t reach her eyes.“Kelly… She’s not who you think she is, Your Highness,” she started, clu
KellyWhen he stormed out of the room with the doctor, I could only stare after him—after my savior—and wonder what would become of Tetra. He had looked furious, the kind of fury that could crumble worlds. Not that I cared what happened to her, not in the slightest. The bitch had done so much to me
AlaricTiny cuts stung my shoulders and arms, but I didn’t care. I stayed there, hunched protectively over her, until the last of the shards hit the floor.Outside, I could hear the thud of paws against earth, fading quickly but unevenly. The wolf was injured. Good. He wouldn’t get far.I straighte







