LOGINHansel’s POVI loved going to the market The market was my favorite place in the entire kingdom, not because it was beautiful.Certainly not because it smelled good.Half the time it smelled like fish, livestock, and sweat.But it felt alive and after years trapped inside Gregory’s house and then Isobel’s palace, feeling alive was something I appreciated.The streets bustled with merchants shouting prices of items and children darted between stalls.For a few precious hours, I could pretend I was normal, just another girl walking through the crowd.Not a hidden witch or a servant.Not someone carrying secrets beneath her skin.Just Hansel.I liked that feeling.So when Mila asked me to pick up a few things from the market that afternoon, I volunteered immediately.I carried a basket against my hip as I wandered through the stalls. Today was supposed to be peaceful.The Goddess clearly had other plans, a familiar voice suddenly echoed behind me.“Well, look what crawled out of the
Hansel’s POVI never intended to become attached to Mila.In fact, I had planned the opposite, keep my distance, do my work and stay invisible.It was the only thing that kept me alive inside Isobel’s palace but Mila made that difficult because she was kind and kindness was dangerous.She would smile at me even when I was being mean, and would always treat me with care unlike the other wolves.The day of Alpha Knox’s coronation arrived with a lot of chaos.Servants raced through the halls carrying flowers, decorations, trays of food, and the palace buzzed with excitement.The pack was also filled with excitement everyone was happy to make Knox the new Alpha and I overhead him forcefully tell Mila when to arrive as his Luna.I didnt kmow much about their love story but I knew they hated each other, Mila screamed that to his face everyday.I was in her room that morning dusting shelves and folding clothes. The room smelled faintly of lavender candles.Unlike the rest of the palace, it
Hansel’s POVThe first time the man hit me, I was nine.The second time, I was fourteen and I had gotten so used to the beatings that I stopped crying.His name was Gregory.He was a large Delta wolf with a permanent scowl and a drinking problem.His wife, Martha, wasn’t much better, she was an abuser and a drunk just like her husband.They had three mean sons that’s made my life hell on a daily basis.Being a witch wolf meant my wolf was very small almost non existent, so they assumed I was wolf less and hurt me everyday.The day Gregory carried me into their home, I thought maybe fate had finally shown me mercy.I was wrong.At first they fed me and gave me a corner to sleep in and some old clothes to wear.For a few days I actually believed they were helping me.Then reality hit me hard “Get up!”A bucket of cold water slammed into my face and I gasped awake.Martha stood over me with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.The sky outside was still dark.“I’m awake,” I whisper
Hansel’s POVThe first thing my mother taught me was how to hide, it wasn’t how to fight or cast spells, it was to survive.Because witches like us didn’t survive by being powerful. We survived by never being found.And even then sometimes that wasn’t enough.I was eight years old when my childhood ended.The memory still haunted me everyday since then and it felt like a punishment.Sometimes when I looked into a mirror and saw pieces of my mother staring back at me.Back then, life was simple.Our village sat hidden deep in the southern forests, we were all witches and we had magic woven quietly into everyday life.Nobody outside our village knew we existed.Or at least that was what we believed.I slept peacefully that night beneath a patchwork blanket my mother had made. The smell of lavender candles filled our little home.A storm rumbled faintly outside theb someone shook my shoulder hard.“Hansel.” I groaned.“Mama”“Hansel.”Her voice sounded panicked and fear shot through my s
Mila’s POVI woke up screaming. The sound tore itself from my throat before I even understood where I was.One moment there had been darkness.The next all I could see was death around me, I sighed and looked around, Knox wasn’t here but he rushed in immediately.His arms wrapped around my shoulders while I shook violently.Moon Goddess, the dream had felt real, too real.The smell of burning flesh still lingered in my nose.The sound of children crying still echoed in my ears.The image of entire kingdoms collapsing refused to leave my mind.“Mila, look at me.” He said I looked up and his eyes were filled with concern.“What happened?”I opened my mouth but nothing came out.Because how was I supposed to explain what I’d just seen?A knock sounded at the door then another. Before anyone could answer, the door burst open and Hansel rushed inside first with Conrad right behind her.Then Caleb and Sasha even Marie then Eric and Elise, Marcus came in lastly.Everyone looked half dressed
Bastian POVThe Void never slept. That was something I learned years ago.It didn’t rest or go quiet. Didn’t leave you alone it was like a bug, it whispered constantly in my head.Sometimes it sounded like distant voices. Sometimes like scratching beneath stone. Sometimes like screams carried through water.But lately it had become louder.I stood alone inside the cavern beneath my fortress watching the black candles burned with unnatural flames around the chamber.Ancient runes covered the walls. Darkness pooled in the corners and in the center of the room stood a massive stone altar.The same altar where I trained every night. The same altar where I bled for power.The same altar where I had sacrificed pieces of myself until almost nothing human remained.I rested both hands against the cold stone and closed my eyes. Immediately the whispers began and it was clawing inside my skull and my jaw tightened.“Speak clearly.” I snapped A single voice emerged and it was not the demon fro
Mila's pov…..The sun dipped low over the lake, casting a golden shimmer across the water that danced like fireflies on the surface. The air was thick with the scent of pine and wildflowers, but all I could smell was my own heat as I whimpered in pain. "Please, Knox. Make it stop." I begged He s
Knox's POV….“This is ridiculous.”Conrad’s voice echoed across the training yard, sharp and irritated.I barely heard him.My mind was still stuck on the conversation from moments ago, replaying every word I had said about Mila.And the worst part?A small, ugly voice inside my head told me I had
Knox's pov…..The palace halls were quiet when I returned.I didn't like arguing with Mila.My boots echoed softly against the polished stone floor as I walked toward my room. Servants stepped aside respectfully when they saw me, lowering their gazes the way they always did now.Alpha King.The tit
Mila's pov…Kreda was draining and annoying, I almost punched her in the face.I reached the palace gates and pushed it open everywhere was dark already except for the torches of fires lining the place. Guards stood at their usual posts, but none of them stopped me as I walked inside.Some nodded







