ANMELDENMila’s POV“NO!”The scream ripped out of me so violently my throat burned as Marcus hit the ground hard.Blood spread beneath him instantly, dark against the shattered stone, for half a second everything stopped.The battlefield, the screaming, the fighting even the storm above us felt distant. All I could see was Marcus reaching toward me weakly while blood poured from his throat.No.No no no.I stumbled toward him desperately, dropping to my knees beside him while my hands shook violently.“Marcus”His breathing sounded wet, he was dying.Panic exploded through my chest instantly.Around us, the battlefield blurred into noise again.Bastian laughed softly somewhere behind me.“You’re too late.”I barely heard him. Marcus’s silver eyes struggled to focus on me while blood slid from the corner of his mouth.“Mila protect Hansel” he choked out “No.” Tears burned down my cheeks instantly. “No no no, stay awake.”His hand twitched weakly toward mine and then a voice whispered inside m
Mila POVThe sky above Marcus’s training grounds had been calm that morning.Marcus had me running drills at the far end of the arena, I was doing silver-mark control exercises layered with combat movement training. My arms ached, my breathing was uneven, and the mark on my arm kept flickering faintly beneath my skin like it was reacting to something I couldn’t see.“Again,” Marcus ordered from the edge of the training circle.I groaned, wiping sweat from my forehead.“You’ve said that like ten times.”“And you’ve improved each time,” he replied calmly.He was so much worse than Knox, I thought of my mate and my heart broke a little, I hope they were safe.“That sounds like manipulation.” I told him “It’s discipline.”“Same thing.”A faint almost-smile tugged at his lips.That was the closest thing Marcus ever got to amusement.I raised my hand again, summoning the silver flame it curled weakly at first then steadied and became stronger, i focused trying to shape it into something
Knox POVThe drive back to the pack felt endless and it didn’t sit well with me.Rain slammed violently against the armored vehicles while thunder cracked across the sky hard enough to shake the mountains around us.Every second dragged against my nerves like claws. The kind that made Nikal restless beneath my skin.Nikal paced violently inside my head the entire journey.Danger.Danger.Danger.I sat in the front passenger seat gripping the dashboard hard enough to crack it slightly while the driver who was one of Alpha Marcus’s warriors struggled to keep control of the speeding vehicle.“Faster,” I growled.The terrified warrior swallowed hard.“Alpha, we’re already—”“Faster.”The car surged harder immediately.Behind us, several black vehicles tore through the forest roads carrying the others.And for once even Sasha had gone completely quiet that alone unsettled me.The mate bond pulsed uneasily inside my chest the entire drive.I closed my eyes briefly, trying to focus on her
Mila POV“Again.”I glared at Marie through my sweat-damp hair.“I hate that word.”Marie smirked without sympathy.“That’s because you’re losing.”“I am not losing.”“You’re on the floor.”I looked down.Right.I was, unfortunately, on the floor.The entire training arena erupted with laughter while I groaned dramatically and rolled onto my back.It’s been three weeks. Three whole weeks inside Alpha Marcus’s kingdom.Three weeks of training until my body barely felt like mine anymore.The elegant warrior twirled her twin daggers lazily while watching me struggle back to my feet.“You hesitate before striking.”“That’s because I don’t enjoy stabbing people!”“That mindset gets you killed.”Around us, warriors continued sparring beneath the massive open training dome while silver banners carrying Marcus’s crest hung from the towering walls.Rain hammered outside again.Apparently this kingdom only knew storms.I wiped sweat from my forehead while trying not to collapse dramatically.T
Knox POVThr last few days was all about planning and preparing for war. That was all my life had become.Marcus’s kingdom no longer felt like a place of luxury to me now I saw it for what it truly was.The Alpha King had been preparing for war long before Bastian openly declared one.Which meant one thing.Marcus knew exactly how dangerous Bastian was.I stood near the massive war table inside Marcus’s strategy chamber while rain hammered against the tall windows outside.Storms had rolled through the kingdom for two days straight. The room smelled like dust and water which I liked.Marcus stood across from me, leaning over the table while several commanders quietly waited nearby.Unlike most Alphas, Marcus didn’t dominate a room through noise. He did it through stillness.The kind of silence that made warriors nervous.His finger moved slowly across the map.“If Bastian attacks directly, he’ll come through the eastern border.”I folded my arms.“No.”Marcus glanced up.“You disagre
Mila’s povI pressed into his back and he let out a groan and I felt his hard erection behind me. I could feel the ache between my legs already, that familiar throb that had nothing to do with the workout earlier and everything to do with him."We need to lock the door," I said, my voice low and breathless.A slow, wicked grin spread across his face. He crossed the room in three strides, twisting the deadbolt with a heavy click that sent a shiver down my spine. We were alone now in this back corner of the center, just us, the mats, and the mirrors lining one wall.Before I could take another breath, he was on me. Knox's big hand fisted in my ponytail, yanking my head back as his mouth crashed down on mine. The kiss was brutal, all teeth and tongue, tasting of raw hunger. I moaned into it, my hands shoving up under his shirt to claw at the sweat-slick muscle of his back. He growled, the sound vibrating through my chest, and lifted me like I weighed nothing. My legs wrapped around
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
Mila's pov….I woke up slowly today.Hansel my annoying service maid didn't come to bang in my ears today.I had to wake up or Isobel would have my head.My eyes snapped open.Sunlight poured through the tall windows, turning the pale curtains gold dust motes floated lazily in the air.I groaned s
Mila’s POV…..BANG BANG BANGThe banging on my door sounded like someone was trying to break it down.I jolted awake my heart racing.“Luna! Wake up!”The voice was sharp, impatient, and far too loud for this early morning.I groaned and buried my face in the pillow.Maybe if I ignored them, they







