RYANI had fought wars, conquered foes, and ruled the most powerful pack in the world. I had torn through blood-soaked battlefields, stood strong against dangers that would bring lesser men to their knees.And yet, as I made my way to the courtyard of the castle to meet the man who had mentioned my son, my chest was tight with something I did not feel very often.Uncertainty.I remember the night Hailey gave birth as though it were yesterday. The castle was charged with tension, all the residents holding their breaths as she writhed through the pain. I was beside her, holding her hand, whispering words of comfort even as my heart pounded with fear and anticipation.Then, one by one, they entered the world.Jermaine. Jaden. Jackson.Three perfect, wonderful boys.The moment I was holding them in my arms, I knew I was changed for life. Always a warrior, a leader, a king, but nothing, nothing, ever had reached the part of my heart that sang when I looked into their precious little faces.
JACKSONEverything was changing.I'd spent the past two decades constructing a life among humans—business, power, wealth. I'd learned every trick required to reign supreme in a world that didn't even realize what I really was. And now? Now, I was returned to a kingdom I hardly recognized, among a family I'd been denied, observing as destiny spun a tale I wasn't certain I wanted to be a part of.I leaned my elbow on the railing of the castle balcony and looked out toward the horizon where the mountains dissolved into the clouds. It was quite a nice view, but in my head, there was chaos.Jaden had Kael. Jermaine had the witches. And I had no one.And worse, the distance between us and Alexia had grown farther away.My universe had been the human world. A world of blinding lights, massive deals, and an empire built from the ground up. I'd had power, influence, and riches beyond understanding. But none of it had ever meant as much as she did.Alexia had always been there. From the day we
JERMAINE The moment I walked into Isaiah's home, an eerie cold ran through me. Something did not feel right. The room was too silent—too still. The candles that would normally have been lit steadily in a golden warm light had burned themselves out, and there remained only a residue of smoky melted wax behind. I called him. "Isaiah?"No response.My face contorted into a scowl as I moved further in. Books, scrolls, and strange objects filled the room, but something was…off. The air inside was holding its breath. My stomach knotted in unease.And I saw him.Isaiah lay on the ground, unmoving. His skin was paler than usual, his breathing shallow, and his hands were clenched in a death grip. Shadows moved unnaturally across his body, curling and twining like ethereal vines."Shit." I rushed forward, pressing my fingers to his neck. A pulse—weak, but there. Relief barely had time to register before urgency became all that mattered.I couldn't possibly lift him by myself. I needed help.O
ATHENAThe candles threw dancing shadows on the stone walls, their stretched darkness writhing like ghosts. The scent of burnt herbs was thick in the air, an old custom meant to cloak our words from inquisitive magic. Connor, the so-called King of Bears, sat across from me, his huge form tense, his yellow eyes shining with calculation."You expect me to trust you?" His voice was a low growl, as coarse as the forest he ruled. "You, out of everyone?"I grinned, dragging a painted nail across the wooden table that stood between them. "I want you to be smart enough to see the opportunity in front of you, Connor. Flora thinks she can control us, but we both know she's a dead woman walking with borrowed power."His fists clenched. "And David?""David is nothing more than a desperate fool playing with something far greater than himself," I answered, leaning in. "His obsession with Hailey clouds his judgment. He will fail, just like his mother."Connor studied me, his expression unreadable. I
FLORAThe air was heavy with the scent of damp earth, mixed with the acrid smell of burning incense. The flickering candle flames cast menacing shadows on the stonewalls, elongating and twisting like agitated spirits. I was in the centre of the room, watching as the runes I wrote in blood seemed to radiate power. The magic coursed through my veins, reminding me of what I had sacrificed to return.David was by my side, his gold-coloured eyes filled with barely restrained excitement. So ready to charge into the storm without fully comprehending its strength. His interest in Hailey had clouded his mind, but for the moment, I needed that instinctual loyalty."You're positive this will work?" he asked, his taut-with-tension voice.I gazed at him, my expression unyielding. "Of course. Ryan is Hailey's greatest weakness. If we take him, she'll disintegrate."David's lips curled into a slow, ravenous smile. "And Jaden? Will he finally see Hailey for what she truly is?""Jaden will follow wher
TURTELAThe night smelled of blood and rain.I was leaning on my balcony, looking over the gardens of the castle when the wind told me something was coming. I could feel it in the chill of the air, in how the shadows played out of control in the pale light of the moon.Adrian had left several hours before me, summoned to deal with some crisis in his kingdom. He had not wanted to go, but I had assured him that I would be fine, and after an exhausting hour of repeated persuasion, he finally left, but not before leaving the place armed with so many vampires for my protection he'd said so I let it be. They all always assume I'm defenceless, but I'm not, and sooner or later, they'd learn the truth. I was not an insubstantial princess who would require to be kept under constant protection. I was the child of the Alpha King and Queen of All Species. Anyone thinking they could sneak up on me was a moron.Yet the unease did not linger.I moved away from the balcony and inside, letting the heav
JADENThe air in the war room was charged.All of our maps, all of our parchment, all of our plans covered the big oak table, but none of it mattered until we figured out the most important thing—how in the world were we going to save my dad?Ryan, the Alpha King, my father, had been taken.And I was not handling it well.The enormous war table was ringed by our most powerful leaders—vampires, wolves, witches, even a dragon. Adrian, Vampire King, sat with his arms folded, his red eyes scanning the map spread out before us. Jackson stood next to me, his jaw so clenched that I feared his teeth would shatter. Jermaine's palms were flat on the table, fingers buried deep in the wood, his icy eyes trained on Isaiah, who'd been predictably quiet since this whole thing began.My mom occupied the head of the table. At least, where she'd once been.She hadn't spoken much, but I could feel her there. A hurricane waiting to be unleashed."Connor is an idiot if he thinks we won't retaliate," Alexi
FLORAPower was a fickle beast.One minute, it was within your grasp, moulding itself to your will like pliable clay. The next, it slipped through your fingers like sand, lost to the winds of chance.But chance was only a tool—a thing to be exploited, just like people, just like David.My son thought he was strong. Brilliant. Ruthless.He was none of these.David was a boy playing with fire, obsessed with the legacy of a man who was never worthy of it. His blind obsession with Hailey compromised his judgment and left him exposed. He was nothing more than a vessel for something greater—my ambitions, my power.He had no idea that from the moment I returned, his fate had been sealed.I stood atop the black peak of my fortress, the wind rending my cloak around me. Warriors exercised in disciplined ranks below, their cries echoing off the valley. Witches walked among their midst, whispering spells, charming their weapons, so that when the time came, no enemy would stand a chance.But this
ALEXIAI woke up with a metallic taste in my mouth and the smell of blood thick in the air. My lungs hurt with each breath, but I didn't dare move. Something pressed on my chest—not physically, but emotionally. A weight I couldn't get rid of.Hailey.My last memory had been of her scream, of the way her power burst forth like a star. It engulfed everything—the Legion's commander, most of his men, even the battlefield itself. I remembered the fear in his eyes when Draco dived. Then nothing. Just darkness."She hasn't woken up."I recognized Turtela's voice. It was rough with worry, but there was determination in it too."We have to do something," Marissa said. "She's the Queen. She can't stay like this."My eyes fluttered open, and the brightness of the infirmary nearly blinded me. White walls. The scent of herbs and steel. I turned my head slowly, my every muscle protesting, to see them all gathered around another bed.Hailey.I sat up, ignoring the tearing pain down my ribs. Lynn was
AUDACUSThe realm seem disturbed tonight.Even the stars—those arrogant little heaven's candles—were afraid to shine too brightly above me. They knew. Even the universe knew what I was about to do.I stood at the edge of the cliff, my cloak of darkness swirling in the harsh wind. Below, the ravine shuddered, its depths seething with hissing smoke and runes carved by long-forgotten gods. I had set up this summoning circle a hundred years ago—just in case. And now… now the time was here."Come," I whispered, raising my hands as old incantations flamed on my lips. "Come, Legion.The ground creaked. Split. Groaned in agony like a dying beast. From below, out of the darkness, a scream ripped the silence. One. Then a hundred. Then hundreds of thousands—rising as one.The Legion.Three hundred thousand demons, bred for anarchy. Some had been angels once. Some had never been more than formless until my darkness gave them form. And now they surged like bubbling tar rising up from the bowels of
AUDACUSFire spat and spat in the fire before me, shadows curling around the walls of stone like hungry snakes. I reclined in the chair of dark, high-backed obsidian in the center of my war room, robes of smoke and midnight folded around me in loops of fate. My hands tapped a slow, calculated beat on the bent armrest, lethal.Lilith sat motionless in the adjacent room.Her breath—if one could even call it that anymore—was shallow. Barely there. Her fall into the coma had been abrupt, unforetold, un-theatrical. Just. silent. A silence so deep that it vibrated through the realm.And I hated it.She alone had ever spat venom right back at me and still made me crave the taste of her defiance. Her anger. Her fury. But now? Glass. Shattered. Cold. And worse—silent.No more filthy words.No more threats that she'd rip out my heart if I ever sinned against her daughter.Now, all I had was time.But Ryan… oh, Ryan didn't have time at all.Ideal.A knock echoed on the door—sharp, brief. My gene
RAYThe night was mine. The odor of war clung heavy to the atmosphere, and the promise of approaching chaos made my skin crawl, bones moving just below as I stretched through all my shapes. Tonight the game was set, and I, Ray, his most trusted one, had the honor of delivering the king's new scheme.Audacus loomed over us, demonically serene, every inch of him a vision of lethal refinement. That voice, so smooth but colder than winter's cold, was a force no sane man would want to challenge. "Keep them busy," he instructed us, fingers lazily spinning a glass of dark wine as if this plan wasn't going to break the world. "Isolate Hailey and Ryan at all costs. The two of them together are trouble. Alone, they fall apart."A vicious grin crept gradually across my lips. Simple in appearance. Deadly in purpose."What about the others?" I asked, masking my enthusiasm with polite calmness.Audacus's golden eyes flashed to mine, as cutting as a knife. "The triplets are strong, but unripe. Diver
AUDACUS The moment I stepped through the massive glass doors of Kings Enterprises, the atmosphere shifted. Clean, polished, professional—exactly how humans liked to present their tiny empires. It was nearly funny. The whole building reeked of ambition, desperation, and carefully hidden fear. It smelled like opportunity.I adjusted the mortal guise I was wearing: well-pressed suit, comfortable leather loafers, and a pair of glasses perched low on the bridge of my nose. The perfect image of a struggling investor who'd at last been able to scrounge up sufficient capital to swim with the sharks. Beneath, I smiled. They had no idea.The receptionist greeted me with that rehearsed corporate warmth. "Welcome to Kings Enterprises, Mr.?""Addison," I supplied the alias with ease. "Jon Addison. I'm here to see your investment representative. I'm interested in purchasing direct stock."Her fingers flew across the keyboard, and within a second she nodded. "Right this way, Mr. Addison."It all pr
RAY The night was mine. The odor of war clung heavy to the atmosphere, and the promise of approaching chaos made my skin crawl, bones moving just below as I stretched through all my shapes. Tonight the game was set, and I, Ray, his most trusted one, had the honor of delivering the king's new scheme. Audacus loomed over us, demonically serene, every inch of him a vision of lethal refinement. That voice, so smooth but colder than winter's cold, was a force no sane man would want to challenge. "Keep them busy," he instructed us, fingers lazily spinning a glass of dark wine as if this plan wasn't going to break the world. "Isolate Hailey and Ryan at all costs. The two of them together are trouble. Alone, they fall apart." A vicious grin crept gradually across my lips. Simple in appearance. Deadly in purpose. "What about the others?" I asked, masking my enthusiasm with polite calmness. Audacus's golden eyes flashed to mine, as cutting as a knife. "The triplets are strong, but unripe. D
AUDACUS The council chamber stank of old magic and old pride. It clung to the stones, bleeding into the mortar like the blood of all fools who'd ever sat upon high thrones and imagined that they were invulnerable. I was in the center, hands clasped behind my back, the gravity of a century measured in the loose bend of my shoulders. Ten wizard elders stood around me, faces etched with lines made of centuries, eyes filmed over by complacency. The robes flowed over the marble floor as they shifted to stand nearer, as if attitude itself might distort fate in their direction. "Audacus," the oldest, Master Callum, said, his voice husky with a challenge never breached in all his years. "Your arrogance does not belong here. You are not welcome." A smile flared at the edge of my lips. "Arrogance is the right of the already triumphant. You just haven't quite caught up with reality." Whispers circulated around the circle, soft, trembling shivers from tired old gods in mortal flesh. I could
AUDACUS Been out again in the mortal world feels so surreal but good, it's been so long, too long really but the night tasted sweet. Sweeter than a vow. More bitter than deceit. I stood beneath the crooked arm of a dying oak, one hand leather-gloved, the other bare, tracing my finger along the cold curve of my ring. The dark stone pulsed softly beneath my fingers, full of the quiet, slow hunger I always kept just beneath my skin. The world was still tonight. Even the wind had enough sense to whisper not when I heard it. I could sense the earth beneath my feet, the shift of shadow as it crawled towards me, drawn like a moth battering itself around its own funeral place. The shifter was late. It was always so with beasts bound by fear and not by love. Still, I was impressed by its cunning. Its guile. The art of slinking in and out of hides like leaves from a book. Finally, the beast emerged out of the woods. A distorted shape, wrapped in the stolen form of a man — the fifth, I thi
LOGAN The air reeked of blood, pungent enough to slice through bone-deep exhaustion. I arrived too late for the battle, but just in time for the cleanup. Marissa stood with her arm raised over the shape-shifter's deformed body, which collapsed at her feet like a crumpled flower. Its body shook as if even death would not claim it cleanly. Her sword dripped with black, noxious ichor. I'd wanted to feel proud — darn it, I was proud — but my wolf howled inside my chest walls, screaming for vengeance. "Are you alright?" I pressed forward, ready to catch her if her legs gave out under her. Marissa cleaned the knife on her hand, jutting chin as if the fighter I knew her to be was finally free of that cage she'd been holding herself in. "It won't be the last." That solitary stark truth weighed between us like a boulder. "Not if I have any say in it," I growled. And I meant every damn word. ISAIAH The scent of smoke still hung in the air, seeping into the stone walls like an unwelcom