MIRA'S POV The way he looked at me then—it wasn’t just desire. It was devotion. Like I was the miracle he’d been chasing through every nightmare.He touched me like a man starved of sunlight finally tasting warmth again. Every kiss, every caress felt like a promise. A promise that he was here, that I wasn’t alone, that we’d survived.The firelight danced across his skin, painting gold over every scar, every place that had once known pain. I watched him as he hovered over me, his breath warm against my lips, and for a moment, everything else—Alexa, the escape, the darkness—faded away.It was just him and me. “I love you,” I whispered against his neck.He stilled for half a heartbeat, then buried his face in my shoulder. “God, Mira. I love you too. I think I’ve loved you since the day you told me not to follow you, and I did it anyway.”I laughed, the sound breaking with a soft sob. “You’re a terrible listener.”“I know,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple. “But I’ll never stop
MIRA’S POVThe moment the rogues surrounded us, everything in me screamed to run—but there was nowhere to go. They had us flanked on all sides, eyes glowing faintly in the firelight, teeth bared in half-curious, half-menacing smirks.Luca's hand found mine again, firm this time, no tremble. I squeezed it, trying to keep my own fear hidden. The leader stepped forward—a tall man with streaks of silver in his beard and scars carved across his bare arms. He looked like someone who had lived through a hundred battles and buried every friend he ever had."You two look like you've seen hell," he said, his voice gravelly but not entirely unkind."We have," I replied, forcing myself to look him in the eye.He tilted his head, assessing. "Names?""I'm Mira," I said. "And this is Luca."The name made one of the rogues near him grunt. "From the burnt village?"I tensed.The leader nodded slowly. "We heard rumors and whispers. Whole settlement wiped clean by a she-devil."I swallowed the lump in m
MIRA’S POVWhen I woke, it was to the sound of shallow breaths and the gentle crackle of fire.The night wrapped itself around us like a cold, silent veil. Trees towered overhead like sentinels of shadow, their boughs whispering to each other secrets only the wind could understand. My body ached with exhaustion, but I forced myself to sit up. I had built the fire with shaking hands, using bits of bark and dry leaves I'd scrounged while Luca lay unconscious nearby.Luca stirred beside me, the steady rhythm of his breath shifting as he woke. I had watched over him for hours, praying the fever wouldn’t come. We were lucky—or maybe the Moon Goddess hadn’t turned her face from us entirely."Mira?" he croaked.I turned instantly. His voice was hoarse, the sound of gravel dragged through a dry throat. He blinked at the dim light of our fire, then at me."You're awake," I whispered, a small smile tugging at my lips. Relief washed over me.His body jerked, arms flailing slightly as if caught i
NARRATOR POV“They escaped?"The vase shattered against the stone wall, sending shards flying like deadly glitter. Alexa’s scream tore through the throne room, raw and animalistic.“They escaped?” she shrieked again, spinning on the trembling guard who had brought the news. “You useless, sniveling pile of… how did two half-dead mutts slip past you?”The guard didn’t speak. He couldn’t. His legs had already given out beneath him, and his face was a sickly shade of gray. He was praying—whether to the Moon Goddess or death itself, no one knew.Alexa’s eyes glowed a dangerous violet as she raised her hand, fingers twitching with the pull of dark energy. For a second, the air trembled. Then a faint voice broke through the haze.“They couldn't have gone far. We'll… we'll find them.” The voice broke into a pleading whisper. “Please, spare us Your Majesty." It was the young guard whose key they had stolen.Alexa turned sharply. "Spare you? You want me to spare you? How do I know you didn't le
MIRA’S POVI woke to a scream.It wasn’t loud. It was strangled—guttural, like someone trying to claw their way out of a nightmare. My heart lurched, and I jolted upright on the cold dungeon floor, my back throbbing from the stone beneath it.“Luca,” I whispered hoarsely.He was trembling in his corner, tangled in chains and sweat-soaked. His head thrashed side to side as if fighting invisible monsters. His lips moved—pleading words I couldn’t hear. Then his eyes snapped open.“Luca,” I said again, louder this time. “It’s okay. I’m here.”He gasped, like a man dragged up from deep water, and his whole body jerked. For a moment, his gaze darted wildly, confused. Then they found me.“Mira…”I crawled across the space between us, dragging the heavy cuff on my ankle. When I reached him, he collapsed into my arms though the bars still remained between us. His skin was clammy, chest heaving. He clutched me like I was the only anchor he had left in a world trying to pull him under.“I saw he
NARRATORThe fire crackled in the hearth of Alexa’s room, throwing soft gold over polished obsidian. She stood at the window in a robe of violet and black, sipping wine made from crushed nightshade berries and something far more expensive—hope.Thane stood stiffly behind her, silent, still under the binding curse, mouth sealed by invisible chains. The moment he’d defied her, she’d twisted the spell tighter. Now, he could speak only when she commanded him to—and he hated her all the more for it.Alexa loved it.She turned slowly to face him, tilting her head as if observing a piece of art she had personally defiled. “You miss her, don’t you?”His jaw tensed.“Mira,” she said, tasting the name like spoiled fruit. “Your little puppet. She’s in the dungeons now, looks so broken. I almost feel bad.”She laughed then. A full-bodied, cruel thing that bounced off the marble.Thane’s eyes burned with silent fury.“I know you want to speak,” Alexa teased. “To say something heroic. Maybe beg, ma
MIRA’S POVThe first thing I noticed was the cold.For a minute or so after my eyes snapped open, it felt like the cold lived inside me, like something had crawled in and made a home there—something incredibly cold.When I tried to move, something heavy tugged at my wrists. Metal bit into skin rubbed raw. I bit my lips hard as I realized I was chained tightly, with silver chains.I blinked against the dark. My head was foggy, like I’d been drowning in thick syrup and only now broken the surface.Where was I?I lifted my head, and the pain came rushing in—sharp and brutal. My skull throbbed. My mouth tasted of dirt and blood. My throat burned.I looked around, my eyes taking in the stone walls, mold creeping through the cracks. Water dripped somewhere distant, steady and mocking. A single torch burned just outside the cell, casting long, twitching shadows like the place was alive. A dungeon.I'd never been here before, I'd only heard of the place beneath the throne room. Never did it c
NARRATORThe throne room had never felt colder.It was built to impress—with towering marble pillars, golden latticework around arched windows, and a floor so polished it reflected the sorrow of every soul who dared walk across it. But today, that cold didn’t come from stone. It came from the people who stood within it, from the choices made.And from the woman laughing at the center of it all.Alexa stood tall in her war robes, her hair cascading in crimson curls, her eyes alive with a cruel sort of glee. The laughter bubbling from her lips was shrill, victorious, echoing through the hall like a dagger against glass. She had dismissed the pack members, and the elders too. This moment was for her.In chains, at her feet, knelt Mira and Luca.Blood crusted Luca’s temple. Mira’s face bore scratches, bruises, and streaks of ash that once belonged to homes—homes that now existed only as blackened bones in the soil.Her eyes were wide but not afraid. No, there was no fear left in her. Only
Mira wanted to believe Thane would defend her at the Council if it came to the worst after all it was her he loved. He would protect what they shared.But for now... guilt tightened in her chest.In the Council's court a day later…Sitting in front of them was a council of ten elders, all arranged in a semicircle likened to a half moon.“Alpha Thane,” the Head Chief’s voice thundered through the high stone walls, “Ms. Mira, our librarian, claims you are her mate. That this bond had existed in secret. Tell us—is there truth to this?” he questioned and from his high seat, he dropped his gaze on Thane.Mira stood alone in the center of the room. Her palms clammy at her sides, her throat dry. She could feel every eye on her—especially Thane’s.The council, waited for an answer from Thane but it was taking too long for it to come out. Their eyes darted between Mira and Thane, wondering why both eyes were locked on each other.He hadn’t spoken since they walked in.The room kept waiting fo