تسجيل الدخولLucia’s POV"Being stuck in this hole for eternity is a joke," I muttered, my voice raspy from disuse.I leaned my head against the cold stone wall. Time didn't exist here. I measured the passing days by the cramps in my stomach or the rare moments I managed to drift into a thin, shaky sleep. The vampire was gone for now. That was the only thing keeping me sane. His absence was a gift I didn't deserve, but I took it anyway.The heavy door groaned on its hinges. Malakai walked in, her face set in a hard mask. She didn't look at me as she stepped across the filthy floor. She held a wooden tray, but she didn't set it down gently. She dropped it. The bowl tipped, sending a splash of lukewarm, grey soup across the stones. A few shriveled strawberries rolled into the dirt."Master is busy hunting a new friend for you," Malakai said.Her voice was sharp. It sounded like a child throwing a tantrum. I looked at the ruined food and then back at her. My
Alanza’s POV"A full-scale conflict would lay waste to everything we’ve built," Karlos said, his voice tight with a forced kind of calm. "The vampires aren't stupid. They won't gamble against our numbers. We have them outmatched by every pack in the region."London didn't even blink. He just leaned back, his eyes tracking Karlos with a look that bordered on pity. "Outmatched? They walk through your borders like the wind. They’ve already ended lives while you were busy counting heads. Tell me, do you even know who we’re fighting? Is it a lone rogue, or is it a coordinated cell? Which answer scares you more?""It has to be a single actor," Karlos insisted, though his posture faltered."And what happens when one single vampire can bypass your entire security net without breaking a sweat?" London countered. His voice dropped an octave, turning gravelly and cold. "What do you do when twenty of them decide to hold hands and walk through
Alanza’s POV"I am willing to give up my own life to save Lucia, but I cannot hand over the entire pack to do it," I said, the weight of the confession making my posture crumble. "I have no idea how to balance those two things."The truth felt like lead in my chest. London didn't look at me with pity. He simply gave a slow, knowing nod."That burden is called responsibility," he said. "It will always act as a leash on your heart. It is a vital lesson for a leader."I stared at my lap, my voice thick with regret. "I just wish I hadn't learned it while people were dying.""Sit up," London barked. The sudden sharpness of his voice acted like a physical strike. "Pull your shoulders back. Pitying yourself is a waste of time, and it helps absolutely no one."I flinched and immediately straightened my spine. My body moved to obey the old wolf before my mind could even process the command. Years of training under a man like him clearly left a
Alanza’s POV"What are you planning to do about the blood on your hands?"London stands over me, his shadow stretching across the floor like a dark stain. I stare at him, my throat tight and dry. I have no answer for him. The thought that I might cause more death as I move forward is a weight that paralyzes my lungs. I never wanted this. I never asked to be the reason people stopped breathing."You have a long climb ahead of you before you can actually earn that spot next to the Alpha," London says. He jabs a thick finger through the air, pointing it directly at my chest. "Sit up straight, girl. Why are you wallowing in your own fear instead of sharpening your edge?"My mind goes completely blank. I want to defend myself, to offer some kind of explanation or a clever retort, but nothing comes. I am just a girl in a chair, stunned by how blunt he is being. I didn't expect a confrontation today. I didn't expect him to reach into my chest and pull out
Alanza’s POV"You still haven't learned to keep your guard up, even in a locked room," London said, his voice like gravel grinding together.I sat on the edge of the mattress, my legs dangling. The silence in the room was heavy. Beside me, Sombra was a physical weight against my thigh. She looked like she was sleeping, her eyes pressed shut, but I felt the tension humming through her fur. She was fighting her own battles in the dark corners of our shared mind, wrestling with shadows I couldn't see.The two guards by the door stiffened simultaneously. Sombra’s ears twitching was the only warning before her head snapped up. She fixed her gaze on the wood paneling of the door.Someone is coming, she pulsed into my mind.The guards relaxed a second later, their eyes glazing over as they received a telepathic link from whoever was in the hallway. Sombra didn't settle, though. She sniffed the air, her tail giving a single, hesitant thump.
Luciano's POV"Who the hell steals half-burned corpses in the middle of the night?"The question hung in the air, unanswered. I stood at the edge of the clearing, watching the orange flames lick at the black sky. This was supposed to be a holy night. We were supposed to be sending these souls back to the Moon Goddess in peace. Instead, I was looking at eighteen piles of dirt and ash that had been ripped open. The bodies were gone.I was still coming down from my shift. The cool night air hit my skin, but it didn't do much to kill the heat of my temper. My bare feet sank into the soft, wet mud. I could feel the grit between my toes as I walked toward the nearest empty grave."Alpha."Karlos appeared at my side. He didn't say much, just held out the bundle of spare clothes we always kept in the trucks for situations like this. I grabbed a pair of denim jeans and shoved my legs into them. I pulled them up with a rough yank, nearly popping the button i
Alanza’s POV"So, you aren't actually our Luna?" Libbie asks.She says it softly, like she's walking on eggshells. Based on her tone, someone definitely told her the opposite. I want to laugh, but the idea of Luciano claiming me as his Luna makes my stomach do a nervous flip.
Alanza’s POV"Can you hear me, Alanza? You need to stay with us," a voice says, pulling me out of a thick, dark fog.My eyes feel like they are glued shut. Every time I try to drift back into the blackness, the world shakes. I feel a rhythmic vibration beneath me, a steady hum
Alanza’s POV"Can you tell if she's carrying, Sister Loreen?"My mother leaned in, her voice thin with a desperate kind of hunger. She didn't like waiting for answers, especially not from me. I stood there, feeling like a specimen under a microscope, while the old woman let he
Alanza’s POV“Don't move.”His voice, low and rough, faded as he stepped away to answer his phone. I was still leaning against the rough bark of the tree, my body humming with a dizzy mix of shame and wild energy. Just moments ago, I’d let a man I barely knew, a man who admitted to stalking me, thr







