LOGINZARIA“You’re lucky my mother didn’t actually fling your body to the river.”I lifted my head to look at the man who practically worshipped the ground Azalea Rose walked on. How strange. A son usually wouldn’t go to such lengths for the approval of their mothers—unless he was also born by trauma that he couldn’t shake off, no matter how hard he tries.“I’m way too precious to be thrown away,” I said with a smirk, sitting up on the bed in the room they had provided for me.He shook his head and closed the door, and in an instant, he was right in front of me.I wasn’t fazed.After all, I had seen these things before…Kyle narrowed his eyes at me in confusion. He probably didn’t understand why I was so unfazed. “Are you serious about what you said?” he asked suddenly. “About your sister’s weakness?”“Of course,” I said with a smile. “You would know that siblings have a connection that is unlike anything in the world.”“You are born with a connection by blood. However, they are also your
TESSAI felt restless. Even my wolf, who would usually calm me down at this moment, was pacing back and forth inside my mind. The deadline had passed when I was supposed to meet with the powerful witch from Montrose. However, nothing has happened. I didn’t know whether that was a good sign or not. Should I be happy? Or should I prepare for something greater? I felt someone press their finger on the creases of my brow. “You’re frowning again,” Rowan muttered, leaning closer to place his hands on my shoulders to give them a light massage. I bit my lip and turned to him. “I can’t help it, love,” I said. “What if she has something bigger planned?” He frowned, conviction seen in his eyes. “That would not happen,” he said.“I will not let anything happen to you,” he said, his lips brushing against my temple. “We’ve strengthened everything. Even the faintest trickle of magic will reach me. We’ll be safe.”My arms wound around his neck, clinging to the comfort only he could give. When h
ZARIA “Let me go!” I shrieked. They gripped my wrists like I was some filthy thing that’d been picked off the bottom of someone’s shoe. Way to make me feel more worthless than I already felt! After my reputation was tarnished in the South, I was now being overlooked here. Is this going to be my life now? I won’t let it be this way. “I am important,” I spat at them. However, they only tightened their hold on my arms. Their faces were blank as they led me inside a large palace-like infrastructure. They looked like they had seen every kind of treachery in the world and had grown tired of being surprised.From somewhere within the stone-walled manor, a scream rose. It made the hairs on my forearms stand up. Woah. Whoever that person was seemed to have a lot of pent-up anger. I can’t blame them. I have a lot of it buried inside my body, too. I mean, the world was getting more complex yet somehow stupid, so it was just expected.I was actually intrigued by such anger, making me hasten
TESSA After establishing her beauty and where she came from, I noticed another thing. She looked a lot like Kyle. She had the same geometry in her cheekbones, but there was a sophistication layered over it. When her eyes met mine, I felt a chill run down my spine. This had to be Kyle’s mother. Another person from the Rose clan. “What are you doing here?” I asked, lifting my chin so as to not be intimidated by her. “Speak now before I wake the warriors and have you taken.”She smiled, and it was a small thing that carried no warmth. “Come on, Tessa,” she said. “You know you wouldn’t be able to do that. It’s simply impossible, don’t you think?”I narrowed my eyes. I was guessing she had some type of teleportation magic. Wizards and witches had their signatures, after all. Those with pure blood carried a unique gift, some strong and some weaker than others. Aside from that, they had the ability to understand magic on a deeper level. This woman, despite not knowing her name just yet,
TESSA We were in a car—one of Elias’ cars, to be exact. He told us we could take it as a token of gratitude for helping his pack. With his gesture, I realized that True Alphas were genuinely different. How could he give away a car just like that? Still, even with that thought running inside my mind, I felt drained. I was tired from the detoxification, but most especially from the revelations Ingrid and Ben had thrown at me. My forehead rested lightly against the glass, watching the blur of trees and lamps as the road stretched out into the night. I couldn’t even pretend to keep up with the conversation in front, because there wasn’t any. It was silent, except for the sound of the radio. Some rapper’s voice filtered through, low and suggestive, talking about someone “riding someone.” Normally, I’d roll my eyes, maybe even laugh under my breath at how ridiculous some lyrics could get. Tonight, I didn’t have it in me.I tuned it out. Or at least, I tried to. The words slipped past my
TESSAMy breath hitched, but I wasn’t the only one. Rowan’s chest rose sharply beside me, his grip on my hand almost bruising. Across the table, Elias leaned forward, brows furrowed deep with disbelief.“So, let me get this straight,” he said slowly, looking at Ingrid. “You’re a witch.”Ingrid didn’t flinch at the question. “Partly,” she said. “Ellana was a full one.”“Did she tell you?” I asked gently. “She had no choice,” Ingrid responded. “I could feel her—just like she could feel me. That is how it is with us. I knew she was one from the moment I laid eyes on her. Deducting that she came from Montrose… that was easy, given its proximity to Fenra.”“When we found you,” she went on, “her other organs were already failing. She was dying. But she was a witch, and witches can prolong their lives. She extended her time for a while longer.” “In that short time, she gave her heart to you willingly. She really believed you needed to live. She gave it before dying, while it was still beat







