IRENE“You are quiet,” Kane commented, his eyes boring into me like he was searching my soul.I smiled, picking up a glass of wine that he had poured, “I am nervous, the war is soon, I just…”“You shouldn’t have to worry your head about these. Your position is the Luna, nothing about war should bother you,” he said, pulling my head closer to his, and he kissed my lips.I smiled through the kiss, keeping myself from pulling back. These same lips had been the same ones that kissed a maid.“A Luna who shares her throne with maids,” I wanted to say, but I held myself back.Kane had humiliated me, but he had missed one fact: I was his doom.“How many more Alphas have joined?” I asked, moving away from where he sat, trying to keep as much distance as I could from him.He frowned, “You are awfully inquisitive today,” he said, moving closer to where I stood.I smiled, keeping my voice even as I looked at him, “I just want to know things,” I shrugged, playing it off like it was nothing.“Knowi
MIKHAILBlair and I exchanged weary glances. Irene had asked to meet behind the stables, away from ears and eyes.“What do you think she is up to?” Blair asked, leaning against the wooden frame with an unamused look on her face.I heaved a sigh, “It is Irene, and should we be surprised?” I asked in a low tone.A twig cracked, and I turned gently, my eyes fixed on her frame as she walked closer towards us, her eyes filled with untamed rage.“I didn’t think that you would come,” she said, looking between us with a fake smile plastered on her face.I bit my tongue, holding myself back from snapping at her, “Irene, this has got to be important,” I growled.“It is, I promise,” she said, her voice unsteady like she had just finished crying.I frowned, my gaze fixed on her reddened face, this wasn’t the usual Irene, the sultry and confident woman, who knew what she wanted and how to get it.She looked broken, a shadow of her true cunning self.“What do you want?” I snapped, if this was one o
IRENEBeing the Luna, that has always been my dream. My mother had taught me the delicate power a woman holds.She had risen from her poor background and found herself wedded to one of the most influential elders.“Our allies are ready, Mikhail just has to make a move, and they will be at the valley, waiting to kill him,” Kane said, looking at the map that was laid out in front of him.I didn’t miss the way Stone’s gaze lingered on my body, his mind obviously running back to the wild time we had; a moment I wished I could delete from my mind.“Blair?” I asked, pointing out the one flaw in their plan.“She isn’t a problem, I am sure once Mikhail is dead, she will be gone,” stone scoffed.Men, filled with too much pride to see the danger right in front of their eyes.“I think she should be…”“Quiet, if I needed your mouth, I would have told you to drop to your knees,” Kane spat, his face in a scowl as he stared at me.I flinched. His vile tone cuts deep into my bones.“I thought you wan
HUDSONThe pain had stopped. Malcolm had grown tired of his taunting.“Stone, it is only a matter of time before the Lycan King finds him,” he hissed, his hand clenched into a fist as he paced around the room.I have lost count of the days or months that I have been stuck here. Night and day looked and felt the same.The torture, the pain, the hatred. They had all melted into one. I could no longer feel where the pain from the trapped soul stopped and where my pain started.“Keep him alive. He is the final piece to destroying the Lycan King’s legacy,” Stone’s treacherous voice echoed through the phone speakers.My blood boiled in rage. He had betrayed his brothers. Soiled the name of royal warriors just for a seat at the table of power.“You promised me his blood,” Malcolm growled, his face twisting in anger as he spoke.I bit back the chuckle that threatened to escape through my broken lips. The old trick had been used to entice him; the enemy of my enemy is my friend.But Malcolm wa
MIKHAILMy throne room was deserted. I only trusted the confines of my chambers, with Blair’s magic cloak shielding us, it was impossible for anyone to eavesdrop.Stone had begun the process of hand picking the battalion that would turn against me at his signal. Men whom I had trained and protected, eager to kill me.My wolf howled in pain from the loss that was to come.“Damon will always follow Damian’s command,” Blair commented.Brothers, born from a vile soul who had been my mother’s henchman. I hadn’t exactly trusted them, I had been right all along, placing them in the inner circle, closer to me.They hadn’t proved me wrong.Just like every war strategy, Blair and I had created a detailed map, showing the high ranks of elders that had been swayed. But the top part still remained a misery.Who was their leader?“Where does this leave the rest?” she asked, pointing to the few who looked undecided.“Not against or for. But still dangerous,” I muttered, my hand clenched into a fist
ANITAThe door flew open, the walls flinched from the storm of it. Axel walked into my bedroom, his eyes hard and wild as he stared at the ceiling.Ryan and Megan weren’t far behind; their faces were solemn but confused, almost matching mine.“She is gone.”The blood drained from Ryan’s face, and dread curdled in my gut.The air felt thick, like his admittance had sucked out the life from it. “What are you talking about?” I asked, my voice low, almost too little to be heard.“Axel?” I called out.“They have taken Rosanne,” he growled, his fist punching through the wall.I froze. Taking a deep shaky breath, my hand fumbling with the formula bottle I had been holding.His words made no sense, no matter how hard I tried to process them; it sounded foreign in my ears.Megan moved forward, her eyes filled with pity, “Go on, I will watch over them,” she said, taking the bottle from me.I hesitated, my eyes lingering on the children who had no idea that their mother had just been abducted.“
MIKHAILMy kingdom had become a game of chess; the elders had turned into pawns. Each moving to take the crown off my head. Yet still, the hand that moves the pieces hides in the shadows, its moving lethal, unnerving.They were smart. The darker part of me was enjoying the game. My claws itching to sink into the chest, rip it open and pull out their black heart.“Lycan King,” they bowed.Respect was nothing when I was surrounded by men eager to bring me to my knees.I looked through the room, nodding as I walked towards my throne, “Stone, what information do you have?” I asked.Xavier taking Jade out of the kingdom had twisted their plans, and I enjoyed watching them run around like loose chickens trying to find an enemy.“I have men searching around, they can’t be that far,” Stone muttered, his voice filled with frustration.I bit back a smirk, fighting myself from laughing out loud at them, “Grey,” I called out, my eyes fixed on the warrior covered in the thickest of clothes to hide
ROSANNERyan paced around the room, his brows furrowed as he tried to process the words I had just said.“You should have told me,” he muttered.Megan settled in the corner, her head between her knees, processing my revelation, “So you used me as bait, just to draw him out?” she asked in a low tone, her voice cracking from all the tears she had cried.“Yes,” I said.“But what about him?” she asked, pointing to Ryan, who hadn’t stopped fuming in the corner.I hated what I was about to do.“Ryan wasn’t part of the plan, but he is here solely for your protection. I needed his reaction to be real, raw,” I said.Megan looked confused, “His reaction? What are you talking about?”“Ryan…”“You kept me in the dark,” Ryan cut in.“I know, but I needed you to act mad. If you had an idea of what was happening, you would have faltered. He would have known,” I whispered, trying to get him to see my point.“No, we both know that that isn’t the reason,” he hissed.“What are you talking about?”“You d
ROSANNETime to put on a show.“What is going on?” Ryan asked, walking into the council chambers.“Sit down, Ryan,” I said in a low growl.Axel stood by the corner, completely unaware of what I had planned.The elders looked on, confusion etched on their faces. This was an impromptu meeting. But they weren’t the only ones confused.Megan looked nervous, fidgeting in her seat as she looked around the room. If I were in her position, I would have been scared too.“Why have you called the meeting, Rosanne?” Ryan asked, looking around the room.“I haven’t been upfront with you,” I started, ignoring Ryan.“A few days ago, an attack had breached our walls and made an attempt on my life,” I said.Megan gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at me.“What!” the elders screamed.“And we are hearing of this now?” Elder Luka was the first to speak.“I had it under control,” I said, trying to calm the tension down. “Well, I thought that I did, until I found him dead this morning,” I said.Ryan and Ax