ANMELDENNoah’s POV The main chamber felt heavy with old secrets, and torchlight flickered on the stone walls. I stood there, my heart still racing from everything Seraphine had told us. My hands were sweaty as Elara stepped forward and pushed a yellowed, old letter into my palm. The paper felt rough and very soft, as if it could fall apart at any moment. “What’s this?” I asked, voice trembling. “It’s from Mum,” Elara said softly. Her eyes looked tired, not angry like usual. “I found it years ago. Read it.” I slowly unfolded the letter, Marcus right beside me, his shoulder touching mine for support. The handwriting was messy but legible. Mum wrote that the Elders weren’t the true villains. They were merely pawns of something bigger—a nameless, formless creature that had hunted hybrids like us for thousands of years. She said she wasn’t killed in some big fight; she was taken. Dragged away. She begged us to run, hide, and just survive. Tears burned my eyes as I read her words. “Stay safe
Noah’s POV The stone wall had cracked open like it was waiting just for us. I stood there staring at the carving inside the alcove, my heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. My name and Marcus’s name were etched together in the rock, wrapped around that crown of fangs. It looked old, like it had been there forever. My hands shook as I reached closer but stopped short. This was real. All of it.Seraphine stood beside me, her silver hair shining in the torchlight. “The prophecy was never about one hybrid king ruling alone,” she said, voice calm but urgent. “It needs two. You and Marcus, bound by blood and by choice. Together. The Elders twisted the story for centuries to prevent this from happening. They sent Marcus to kill you, Noah. They failed because your bond is stronger than their lies.” I swallowed hard, glancing at Marcus. He stood right next to me, his grey eyes fixed on mine. After everything—the warehouse fight, the collar burning my neck, nearly losing him—I
MARCUS POV The fighting stopped all of a sudden, like someone hit pause on the whole damn world. Seraphine raised her hand and said one word in some language I didn't know. It sounded old and powerful. Every executioner and elder soldier froze right where they were, arms halfway up or legs mid-step. Then they just dropped, unconscious, hitting the ground like sacks of potatoes. The head Elder took one look at her, eyes wide with pure terror, and ran off into the dark like his ass was on fire. I almost laughed, but I was too beat up and too worried about Noah to care.Seraphine turned to us with this calm look on her face. "Follow me. It's time you saw the truth." Her voice was steady, like she'd done this a hundred times before. She led us to a hidden door under the warehouse loading dock. It creaked open when she touched it, revealing a spiral staircase going down into the dark. We went slow because we were all messed up. My thumb still hurt like hell. My body felt like one big brui
Noah's POV The chaos exploded all around us like the whole world was ending right there in that dirty lot outside the warehouse. Massive wolves with fur as dark as night and eyes glowing gold slammed into the Elders' executioners. Snarls ripped through the air, claws slashed, and guys screamed as they got thrown around like ragdolls. Gunshots cracked every few seconds, mixed with flashes of weird magic that lit up the red moonlight. But honestly? I barely registered any of it. My head was spinning too much from everything else.My grandma—the woman with that long silver hair and eyes the color of the red moon—still had her hand on my cheek. Her touch was warm, like the kind of hug you didn't know you needed until it happened. It felt ancient somehow, like it carried years and years of stories I didn't even know about. My heart was pounding so hard it hurt, and tears kept trying to sneak out of my eyes. After all the lies from Richard, the running, the fighting... this felt too real.
Noah POV The night air hit me like a slap when we stumbled out of that warehouse. My neck was on fire from the silver collar, blood still dripping down my shirt. Every step felt like knives in my legs, but I kept going. Marcus leaned heavy on my shoulder, barely standing. His face was all pale and sweaty, thumb still messed up badly, but he wouldn't let go of me. Dorian, Elara, and Jaxon stayed close behind us in a tight circle. We were all beat up, bleeding, exhausted as hell, but nobody was backing down. Not now.The Elders and their executioners waited for us outside. A whole line of them in the red moonlight, looking like ghosts ready to end everything. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might crack my ribs. This was it. After all the running, the fights, the lies... they had us cornered. I squeezed Marcus's hand tight, feeling his warm fingers even through the pain. He was my rock. The one person who made all this crap worth it. I loved him so much it hurt worse than the coll
Marcus POV Marcus watched Noah stomp on Richard's hand, and his chest squeezed tight. God, Noah looked so pissed and broken at the same time. That silver collar around his neck glowed like it was cooking him alive, blood running down his skin. I wanted to run over and hold him, tell him it was gonna be okay, but my body was wrecked. Silver poisoning burned through my veins like acid. My head spun from all the blood I lost, and my dislocated thumb hung there crooked and throbbing like fire. Every breath hurts. But I forced my legs to stay straight. No way was I letting Noah fight this alone. He was my mate. My everything. Losing him wasn't an option.I leaned against a busted crate near the candle circle, trying to catch my breath. The blue flames were mostly out now, but the air still felt heavy. Noah stood over Richard, looking down at the man who raised him like he was nothing but trash. I saw the hurt in Noah's eyes mixed with that cold anger. It made my heart ache. All those lies
The handle of the door began to turn. My heart stalled. My brain screamed at me to move, to grab a weapon, to do something, but I was frozen against the cold marble of the kitchen counter. My blood was running hot and fast, a chaotic mix of adrenaline and raw, unresolved arousal, i bit my down lip
My knees hit the hardwood with a thud that vibrated up my spine. I was the CEO of a billion-dollar empire. I fired people before my morning coffee. I ran boardrooms like a small god. But looking up at Marcus Blackwood from the floor, none of that mattered. The power I spent years building felt like
Chapter 7 The gala was a total shitshow. By the time I dragged myself out of the elevator and into my penthouse foyer, my social battery wasn’t just dead—it was buried. Hours of shaking hands with vipers, dodging my family's loaded questions, and trying to shake off that weird, lingering stare fro
The Vale family knew how to throw a party, and it’s very extravagant. A Vale gala was the kind of event people talked about for months after it ended. The kind where politicians, billionaires, celebrities, and investors all gathered under the same apartment, pretending they didn’t secretly hate eac







