Delilah’s Pov The entire room went silent.No one moved. No one breathed. Everyone was just… staring. Staring between me, Malric, and Caleb like they were trying to piece together a puzzle they didn’t understand. My heartbeat was so loud in my ears I thought everyone could hear it.Caleb’s gaze burned into me, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might snap.“Now tell me,” he said finally, his voice sharp, trembling with rage he was trying to control, “how are you alive?”I swallowed hard, unable to speak, but before I could even open my mouth, another voice cut through the silence.“I let her go.”I turned sharply, my eyes widening when I saw him step out from the shadows.Valen.I didn’t even know he was here. Caleb’s Beta. His most trusted. He was standing there, his hands clasped neatly behind his back, his face unreadable as his voice echoed through the chamber.Caleb whipped his head toward him so fast I thought his neck would snap.“What do you mean you let her go?” Caleb ro
Delilah’s Pov It was finally the day.The day we were leaving for Valmora.I’d thought about running away more times than I could count, but deep down, I knew better. Malric would have found me no matter where I hid. He’d drag me back, and it would be worse than anything I could imagine.So I didn’t run.But I knew going to Valmora meant trouble.I could feel it.Like a storm waiting to break.“Are you sure about this?” Reyna’s voice broke through my thoughts.I turned to her, forcing a small smile. “Yes.”She crossed her arms, staring at me like she didn’t believe me. “You know… I can come with you if you want me to.”I shook my head. “It’s okay. Just go back to Nytheria. You can come visit me sometime, but… I won’t be there for long.”Her brows furrowed. “Why?”I lowered my voice. “We just have to figure out how to break the mate bond. After that… I’ll come back to you.”Reyna bit her lip, her shoulders dropping as she whispered, “I’m going to miss you so much.”I smiled weakly. “I
Malric’s Pov I don’t even know why I did it.One moment, she was standing there, defiant and stubborn as always, and the next… my hand had torn her dress clean apart.The sound of the fabric ripping through the silence still echoes in my head.For a brief second, I just stood there, staring at what I’d done, at her. My chest tightened, heat flooding through me so violently that I had to step back, putting some distance between us before I completely lost control.Her upper body was bare, and the air in the room grew heavier instantly. Her breasts… perfectly round, soft, full — they fit her delicate frame like they were sculpted by the gods themselves. And her waist — small, impossibly small — curved into hips that held power she didn’t even seem aware of. Every inch of her body looked like it had been carved to tempt me, torment me.She was wearing a simple pair of undies, the last fragile piece of protection between my sanity and complete madness. My hand twitched — I almost tore th
Delilah’s Pov “You’re going to be the end of me, Delilah,” Malric said, his voice rough, deep, laced with something I couldn’t name.He turned away, running a hand through his hair, muttering something under his breath as he headed for the door. I thought he was leaving. I thought it was over.And then—“Damn it,” he growled.Before I could even blink, he was back in front of me. His hands slammed against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. The heat radiating from his body was unbearable, his scent intoxicating, my breath catching in my throat.“Malric—” I tried to speak, but his mouth crushed against mine before I could finish.The kiss was wild, hungry, desperate. My knees went weak instantly, and he caught me effortlessly, one arm sliding around my waist, pressing me flush against him. My fingers tangled in his hair as he devoured me like he had been starving for centuries.“Say my name,” he groaned against my lips, his voice dark, wrecked.“Malric…” I moaned, and hi
Malric’s Pov Seraphine stood up slowly, her cold silver eyes locking on mine as if she could see right through me. Her voice came low but firm.“Step closer.”I did. My steps were heavy, yet I moved anyway, stopping right beside the bed where Delilah lay. Her small frame trembled violently, her breathing uneven, her pale skin drenched in sweat. For a moment, something twisted in my chest, something I didn’t want to name.“Stretch out your hands,” Seraphine ordered, already reaching into that small leather bag she never went anywhere without.I obeyed without a word, palms steady even though Joraka, my Lycan, growled deep inside me, restless and on edge.Seraphine took Delilah’s hand, her fingers icy against mine as she pressed our palms together. Then she pulled out a strip of dark crimson cloth from her bag and tied it around both our wrists, knotting them together.Under her breath, she began chanting, her voice strange and ancient, carrying the weight of power that made the air ar
Malric’s Pov I stormed out of the house, walking as fast as I could, my footsteps heavy and uneven against the ground, but I couldn’t stop, I couldn’t breathe, my chest felt like it was caving in and my heart was pounding so violently it was as if it was going to tear right through my ribs and escape. My whole body was shaking, boiling from the inside out, vibrating with anger, confusion, and something I didn’t even want to name.A mate bond.The words kept ringing in my head, over and over, mocking me.Why the hell did this happen? How? With who? Delilah?I don’t want a mate. I don’t want her.I just wanted to lay with her, that was all, nothing more. I cannot deny that I enjoy her, that I crave her, but this… this bond, this tether, this thing tying her to me, it’s not possible. It shouldn’t be possible.I clenched my fists so tightly my claws pierced my palms, but I didn’t stop walking until I reached where my feet had been dragging me all along….the grave.Her grave.I fell to my