HAILEYThe warmth of the lights from the studio still clung to my body as we got back to the penthouse. The photo session had been energizing, reminding me of who I used to be before royalty, prophecy, and power overtook my world.Today, however, was different.The lingering gaze of my male co-model, when his hands brushed against mine during the posed shots, had been harmless enough, but Ryan hadn't taken it that way. His blackened face and clamped jaw had told their own story yet there was nothing to be done, the shots were being rushed for a firm he'd been trying to work with for an incredibly long timeThe moment we stepped into our suite, tension radiated off him. His silence spoke more than any words ever could have."Either you're going to keep mooning around and get it out of your system, or tell me what you're thinking about," I mocked, removing my heels and lowering myself onto the soft couch.Ryan's yellow eyes snapped to mine, wolf riding just beneath the surface of his ca
HAILEYRyan launched himself upright in bed, his gold eyes blazing with panic as the sound of my scream tore through the room. "Hailey?" he said, his voice sharp with worry, already moving toward me. In an instant, he was at my side, his hands steadying me as I clutched my swollen belly."My water just broke," I gasped, trembling as another contraction ripped through me—sharp, unrelenting, and nothing like I'd imagined.His expression shifted from alarm to resolve in a heartbeat. “It’s time,” he said, his voice calm but commanding, even as the storm of emotions flickered behind his eyes. “We’ve got this.”He pulled me to my feet with surprising gentleness, his arm firm around my waist as I tried to breathe through the pain. "The medical team is on standby. I'll call them now," he said, fumbling for his phone but never loosening his grip on me."Ryan," I whispered, clinging to his arm as another contraction gripped me, stealing the air from my lungs. "It's happening so fast."You're st
MARISSAAnd so I felt it, Hailey has birthed the triplets Alphas, Aside from her power, she gets to have those tiny creatures but I still can't understand what's happening to me, after finding Thomas and Lucy together a part of me suddenly shuts down and for the first time I don't feel any hatred towards Hailey, rather I feel a little admiration for her, her fàted match rejected her, we made her ĺife hell but she somehow survived it all.Several years ago, I was more innocent than she is right now, I was a spoilt princess who had been spoilt her whole life but I had innocence on my side, my parents were billionaires and treated everywhere as royalties but there was a little crack, my father wanted a son, not a female, by the time I graduated high school, I had returned home my dad and mom were in a heated argument "Hola Mama" Ì greeted by placing an open-mouthed kiss on her cheek and as I moved towards my dad, he raised his hand to stop meMy dad points for me to sit and so I do "Mar
FLORA It's been three months since the birth of the triplets. There's been so much peace for the pack, but this morning, I feel restless, weighed down by an invisible cloud of sadness, and I don’t know why. Alexia who is always more comfortable being with Hailey and her kids ìs suddenly super clingy to me today and for a little while I'm confused just as we're about to head out to Hailey, she holds on tightly to my neck "Mommy, don't go" she said, there's so many tears on her chubby cheek "What's wrong, baby? We're just visiting Auntie Hails; don't you want to see your little Alphas?" She looks ùp at me with the level of cuteness only a two-year-old like her could, and my heart melts, and I hug her. " Sweetheart, I said gently, I just want to go shopping with Auntie Hails; we'll be back soon. We'll be back home in the blink of an eye". She holds òn to me tightly as if I might disappear at any moment. "Promise mama?" I smileď and kiss her forehead. Yes baby Soon, we arrive
ISAIAH It was unexpected. I was flung through a swirling stream of blood, darkness, and agony after sitting in the meditation hall for a while, trying to get a better understanding of the pack's destiny. I noticed Flora. As Lucy's blade penetrated her chest, her gleaming smile turned to fear. I saw little Alexia waking up, her tiny voice wailing for a mother who would never respond again, heard her last, gasping breaths, and felt Logan's anguish as he held her lifeless body. My pulse thumping against my ribs, I was left breathless as the vision came to an abrupt stop. Grasping the edge of a nearby table for balance, I staggered to my feet. I said in a whisper, "Alpha King." I need to get to the Alpha King.I ran unsteadily to the main house, my legs moving as though being controlled by a spiritual force, " King Ryan" I gasped, trembling as I exhaled. It's Flora.......something terrible is happening. "Ryan immediately walks closer to me as he comes in and inquires, "What are you talk
TWO YEARS LATERMARISSA The crunch of leaves beneath feet was the only sound in the eerily silent woodland that night. The darkest recesses of my heart appeared to be reflected in the sweeping shadows that the twilight cast over the land. As if I were nothing, Thomas had abandoned me. For Lucy, not just for any other lady. Lucy was a friend, confidante, and alleged ally of mine. I had become the antagonist of Hailey's tale, a daughter compelled to turn on her mate, and a pawn in my father's schemes. But until today, I had never been alone in my entire life. As it was, the calm of the night was broken by muted weeping. At that moment, I stopped moving.With my heart hammering in my ribs, I turned tunnels to the sound and entered the woods. There she was. At the base of a tree, a young girl, perhaps four or five years old, sat curled up. Her clothes were ripped, and her dark hair was matted. Her small body shook as she pressed her knees to her chest. I yelled, "Hey," being cautious not
HAILEY We were traumatized, going through the experience of Jermaine, Jaden, and Jackson's second birthday at the packhouse, where music and laughter filled the air. The triplets took centre stage; their energy filled the air. Jaden clung to my leg and refused to let go, and Jermaine acted like a boss. Jaden, though, was not going to relinquish my leg. Alexia is the party diva herself, taking pictures wherever she goes and never allowing the boys a moment's room. Poor nannies were sweating bullets, of course, because Jackson, my little adventurer, was attempting to conquer the mountain of swathed presents. I sat there observing our boys at play as Logan wrapped his arms around me from behind and said softly, "Unbelievable how they've grown up so fast." I settled into his arms. I growled, "They're perfect," and love filled my heart. Ryan's business associates, members, and some business acquaintances were beginning to show up. Logan stepped outside to greet him and came back a co
MARISSARot, desperation, and sweat clung to the rogue's den. A lantern dangled from the ceiling, the flame dancing, casting grotesque lights that whirled around the walls. Even the sharpest of wolves shouldn't be able to track me down because I cowered in the blackest corner and was concealed under a spell. Lucy was cold and imperious, and her voice sliced through the tense air like a knife. Do you all realize how important this mission is? She strode ahead of the rouges and inquired. The stiletto heels clanged ominously as they struck the stone floor. Grayson replied, "Yes, Queen Lucy," with a display of bravado. Even where I was, I could observe the shaking in his hands as he attempted to hide his fear.Lucy curled her lip into a sneer heavy with sarcasm and hissed. "Your number one priority is the brats. Jackson, Jaden, and Jermaine are the Alpha King's pride and joy. He will be devastated if they're taken." One of the other rogues spoke up hesitantly, "And Alexia?" Lucy's glare f
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
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
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 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 near
AUDACUSBeen 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 think, si
LOGANThe 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 unwelcome memory.
TURTELA The castle had never been this still, not really. Even at midnight, its old bones vibrated with the thrum of wards and remembrances. But tonight, after the fight, after blood and smoke, the stillness was oppressive as ever. It lay on my chest like a heavy hand, smothering the wolf inside me who trotted in ceaseless circles, anxious and watchful.I should have stayed in my own chambers. Should have soothed myself with a hot bath or the echoing sound of dad's voice up and down the halls. Instead, my own feet led me out, past the marble pillars, to the garden where everything was bathed in moonlight.And she was there.Serenia.Sitting on the stone bench like it was her own, as if she had burst forth from the earth itself, dark hair falling like silk down her back. She was so still that I almost mistook her for another statue, some forgotten relic the old kings had left. I did not sneak up on her. I wanted her to hear me coming. I wanted her to know that I was not afraid."You'
ISAIAH The moment Hailey's call brushed my thoughts, I felt it — the shift in the air. There was no desperation in her tone, no panic, but resolve. And that scared me more than any battlefield ever managed.I arrived in the courtyard as the moon carved silver wounds in the stone. My steps faltered as my gaze met hers.Serenia.The last time I'd ever seen her was under other skies — when I'd lost all hope of having a mate. When fate woke me up, I'd never expected that she would be bound to me again, or in this manner.She was now by Hailey's side. Not as an enemy. Not even as a stranger.Her eyes settled on me, hard and unflickering."You came," she said.I cleared my throat, finding my balance. "Your mother summoned me."Her lips curled into a semblance of laughter, but there was no warmth behind it. "Oh, naturally she would. Always the Queen, always the commander."I started to open my mouth in defense of Hailey — habit — but Serenia raised a hand, stopping me. Her voice softened, a
HAILEYThe moon hung low in the heavens, casting a silver glow across the courtyard. The air was thick with anticipation, a silence that reeked of danger waiting to happen. I stood alone, senses heightened, muscles bunched and prepared to move.I was startled by a sudden stir within the shadows. A figure emerged, veiled in the shadows, moving with lethal grace. I recognized her immediately—Serenia, daughter of Lilith. She was a storm, her eyes burning with a mix of rage and grief.She attacked silently, her sword flashing towards me. I parried, the sound of steel on steel ringing out like a thunderclap. Our battle was a dance of fire and ice, each strike a question, each parry an answer."Why?" I shouted, our blades intertwined. "Why attack me?"Her eyes twitched, agony clouding her features. "Because he wants you," she snarled. "The Serpent King wants you, and I need to know why."Comprehension dawned. This wasn't a straight-up attack—it was a test, a desperate search for information