LOGINDarius's POVThe night of the operation, I stood by the window of my study and watched the moon climb toward its peak. Three men had been chosen for the task. Able bodied, clear headed, and most importantly, disposable. If the Lycan King caught them, they would die. That was acceptable. What mattered was that they succeeded before they died.I had given them a potion before they left. A dark liquid that smelled of iron and old roots. One of the robed men had brewed it, claiming it would shield their thoughts from the White Witch's mind reading. "Elara can hear fear," the old man had said. "She can sense intentions like bloodhounds scent prey. If your men are nervous, if they doubt, she will know before they take three steps into the forest."So they drank. I watched the potion slide down their throats. Their faces went blank, their eyes dull. The fear was still there, I could see it lurking behind their pupils, but it was buried now. Locked away behind a wall of
Darius's POVThe council chamber of Eclipse Pack had not seen this many alphas gathered under one roof since my wedding to Liora. That night had been filled with champagne and false smiles, alliances forged over handshakes and whispered promises. Tonight there was no champagne. The long table was bare except for maps, half-empty glasses of dark wine, and the tension that sat among us like an uninvited guest.I stood at the head of the table, looking at the faces of the four alphas who had answered my call. Alpha Riven of the Stonewood Pack, old and cunning, his fingers drumming on the polished wood. Alpha Thorne of the Iron Hills, broad shouldered and quick to anger. Alpha Vex of the Shadowfen Pack, whose reputation for cruelty had earned him more enemies than allies. One other whose name I did not bother to remember, lesser alphas from lesser territories who had come because they smelled opportunity.And Sonia. She sat at my right hand, her bandaged arm hidden beneath the sleeve of h
Elara's POVThe hunters came in the afternoon.Three of them. Muddy boots. Worried faces that looked real enough to fool anyone. Their leader spoke first, a broad shouldered man with a scar across his jaw. He said their companions were dying. Torn up by something in the woods. A bear, maybe. Or worse. They couldn't move the injured. Needed a healer. Please, my lady. Please come.I didn't think twice. Didn't even think to read their minds just to be sure. The past few days had been a blur of avoiding Lucian and burying myself in work. Every time I saw his face, I remembered the conversation I had overheard. His great grandmother slaughtering my people. Him knowing I could break his curse before he ever marked me. The lies stacked on top of lies.Healing was the only thing that quieted my mind. When I pressed my hands to the sick and felt their pain fade, I didn't have to think about my own.So when the hunters asked for help, I grabbed my bag and followed them out the gate.No guards.
Lucian's POVThree days.Three days of watching her walk past me like I was made of glass. Something she could see through but wouldn't touch.Elara threw herself into the healing hall every morning before the sun was fully up. She stayed there until the candles burned low, sometimes later. I knew because I stood in the corridor outside, listening to her voice, the soft glow of her power bleeding under the door.I tried to speak to her. The first day, I waited by the entrance to our chambers. She walked past me without looking up."Elara."Nothing."Please. Just give me five minutes."She disappeared into the room and closed the door. I heard the lock turn.The second day, I sent Kylan with a message. He returned shaking his head."She said she's busy," he reported. Then, softer, "Give her time, Lucian. She's hurting."Time. Everyone kept telling me to give her time. But time felt like sand slipping through my fingers. Every hour she wouldn't look at me, the distance between us grew
Darius's POVLiora arrived twenty minutes later.Her golden hair was disheveled, tangled from sleep. She wore a nightgown beneath her robe, and her feet were bare. The guards must have dragged her straight from bed."Darius," she said, her voice trembling. "What is this? Why am I—""Sit down."She saw Sonia standing in the corner. Her face went pale, then red."Whatever she told you, it's a lie.""I said sit down."She sat.I didn't. I stood over her, arms crossed, letting the silence stretch until I could see her pulse hammering in her throat."Sonia tells me you are not the heir of Eclipse Pack," I said. "That Elara is. And that you knew this all along."Liora's lips parted. No sound came out."Tell me the truth," I said. "Or I will hand you over to the warriors and let them extract it from you. You know what they're capable of. You've ordered them to do worse to others."Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Please. Darius. I love you. Everything I did, I did for us.""Tell me."She brok
Darius's POVThe fire in my study had burned out hours ago. I didn't call for more wood. The cold kept my mind sharp, and right now, I needed sharpness more than warmth.Liora had been avoiding me for days.She said she was ill. Said the trip back from the Lycan King's palace had exhausted her. But I saw the way she flinched when I entered a room. The way she found excuses to leave before I could ask her anything.She was hiding something.I didn't care enough to find out what.My thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. To Elara. To the ball. The way she had descended those stairs in a gown that caught the light like water. The way Lucian had looked at her—like she was the only thing in the world worth seeing.That should have been me.I pushed the thought down. She was mated to the beast now. Marked. Bound. There was no going back.A knock at the door pulled me from my brooding."Enter."The guard stepped in, torchlight flickering behind him. "Alpha, there is someone here to see you. She
Lucian’s POVI burst into Elara’s chambers without knocking, the door banging against the wall hard enough to rattle the hinges.The royal physician was already there, bent over the bed, pressing a cool cloth to her forehead. Elara lay under the covers, cheeks flushed, skin glistening with sweat. S
Elara’s POVThe cage bars dug into my back as I pressed myself against them. The metal was cold and rough, smelling of rust and something sour that made my stomach turn. I wrapped my arms around my knees and tried to breathe slow. My heart hammered so loud I could hear it in my ears.This was worse
Elara’s POVI felt hurt and bad that he could get angry like that even after our morning encounter. The teasing, the laughter, the way he had stayed with me through the nightmare — I thought things had changed between us. But the moment I stepped into that room, his anger returned full force, sharp
Lucian’s POVI burst through the palace gates with the unconscious girl cradled against my chest. The full moon still hung high, bathing everything in cold silver light. My bare feet slapped against the stone courtyard. Blood from the rogues still coated my skin and matted my hair.The two guards a







