QUEEN HAILEY The grand hall of the Ivory Citadel felt colder than usual. I sat on my throne, my hands lightly gripping the armrests, but there was no comfort in the gesture. No sense of power. No reassurance. The crown upon my head felt heavier than it had in years, as though the weight of my choices had finally found a way to crush me. The summons had been sent. Jaden was coming. Jermaine had answered from the Faes that he'd come back home. Jackson… I closed my eyes, inhaling slowly. Still no word from him and Alexia at all. A mother should not have to summon her own children like they were mere subjects to be called before a throne. A mother should not have to wonder if they will even answer. Yet, that was what I had become. Not just a queen. A mother in title alone. And it was my fault. For Eighteen years, I had been haunted by the echo of a choice I could not take back. I had told myself it was necessary. I had told myself it was the only way. That if I had not let
TURTELAMy whole life I had imagined this moment.The day my brothers would come home.The day my family would finally be whole. I had heard so many stories from everywhere, including the media; our mother is Royalty; some praised her for listening to the moon goddess, others blamed her, and now I'd see the truth for myself. Countless times, I've brought up visiting them, but I was never allowed to.And now, as I hurried down the pristine corridors of the castle, my heart hammering in my chest, I was terrified.I had seen their pictures. I'd read the stories about them, heard the court's whispers, and listened to Mother's voice crack with longing when she spoke of them. But I never knew them.Not really.And now, one of them was here.Jaden.I'd imagined this scene a thousand times. In my head, he'd look up, notice me, and something inside of him would shift the way it had for me. He'd smile, maybe tease me about how eager I must have been. He'd pull me into a hug, and for the first t
RYANThe doors opened and there was silence. Jaden commanded the space he occupied, standing framed in the doorway and accentuated by the arch over the entrance to the throne room. Turtela remains behind him a shadow, watching all; my angel is so wise beyond her years with so much level headèdness like that of her mother's. Hailey had been afraid no one would like her. That was a silly worry; no one could possibly ever dislike Turtela; they met her and loved her. Jaden was no longer the helpless baby we had been mercilessly forced to abandon; now he was a man. His face was so unreadable, and hard and strong. I knew I should speak up. It is time to step in and keep the peace. But I am unable to. The sight of my son made my heart, which had been wounded by war and betrayal, tighten in excruciating, throbbing grips. My son. I was anchored by Hailey's fingers digging into my palm. For the first time in years, she appeared small when I turned to face her—my mate, my queen. It was as if the
JERMAINE The smell of home was one I had forgotten existed.But the moment I stepped through the shimmering veil that separated the Fae realm from the mortal world, it hit me all at once—earthy pine, crisp mountain air, and the distinctive scent of packmates still caught in the grounds.Home.For eighteen years, I had lived among the Fae, learning their ways, their magic, and their customs. Queen Tesa had raised me as one of her own, and the realm had been my sanctuary. But never had I forgotten where I came from, never my true family.And now, I was finally returning to them.A grin tugged at my lips as I strode toward the grand castle entrance, my boots barely making a sound against the stone pathway. My heartbeat thrummed with excitement—Mother, Father, my sister, a sister I never got to witness her birth … and Jaden.Jaden.The last I had ever seen of him, we were but babes, innocent of the cruel fate which was wresting us asunder. I wonder what manner of man my brother had becom
JACKSONBefore me, glittering city lights stretched, a blinding testimony to human ambition. From floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse of my building, I watched the golden hues of the world I had designed for the sun setting well behind the blocks. Billionaire. Business Mogul. The Visionary-that was a title the press had given, but none meant anything. Not really.Because beneath all the pretensions, I remained just a wolf without a pack. A man without a home.And after eighteen years now, that was going to change.I let my gaze wander away from the window as I shrugged my shoulders and took up my jacket. The call had arrived that morning, abrupt, —no-nonsense and fewer words. Come home. An invitation wasn't even implied; the command had been issued.Mother had finally decided the time had come.I ran a hand through my hair, blowing out a sharp breath. Jaden was probably going nuts over this. Jermaine… I didn't know how he'd take it. But me? I had been waiting for this. For the o
JACKSON She was furious.The moment we stepped into the supernatural circle, she struggled in my embrace, her fists pummeling my back, her voice hoarse with anger. "Jackson, let go!" she growled, her breathing laboured. "You can't just haul me in here like some-some possession with laboured breathing I gritted my teeth and held tighter. "I can, and I did," I muttered, continuing pace without wavering toward the border of the pack. "You would have never come willingly, and you know it.""Because I don't belong here!" she hissed, "I'm not some pack wolf to be summoned at your command!"I pushed the sting of her words aside. I did understand her frustration, but facts were facts: Alexia wasn't just any wolf. She was our mate, mine and Jaden's and Jermaine's, whether she liked it or not. Her fate and ours had been joined by something bigger than us.The towering trees thinned as we neared the pack's border. I could already see the figures waiting for us in the distance: Hailey, our mothe
JADENThe room was too quiet.For the first time in my life, I was sharing the same space with my brothers—not just for passing, not just to satisfy an obligatory conversation—but really being in the same place, and this forced them to coexist.The suite in the wing was connected, grand, and almost choking. The very moment I stepped inside, I felt that there was little or no chance of getting out of this. Immediately Jackson took the opportunity as if that space belonged to him: lying around on that huge velvet couch and putting his feet on the table. Jermaine stood before the window, gazing at the sprawling treetops beyond the window, carrying a different tone outside. He was deep in thought.Me? I was standing against the door, crossing my arms, waiting for the awkwardness to finally settle in."You're sulking," Jackson said, not looking at me as a smirk pulled at his lips. "I thought you would have gotten it all out of your system by now.""Shut up."Jackson merely chuckled, undete
LOGANSitting atop the highest cliffs in the region, between gnarled, old trees which groaned on the wind, the Seer's house, my father's house ever was a location which caused one to shiver. Prophecy, magic, and other invisible powers permeated the atmosphere here. The one thing which concerned me more than anything else, though, was the question that resonated in my heart. Isaiah had the answers. And now I acutely needed them. The stairs rang out near a vow as they went up into his bedroom, a struggle in itself to fight me. She was struggling to breathe in order to power these internal tempests, where all her memories returned with a vengeance, and the visage of our genius, passionate daughter Alexia was there. My own fierce, fiery daughter Alexia had endured more than any child should have had to endure, from being a child under a society in which she should have reigned. Her wolf had been lost. She was bonded to three friends. Three. The Queen's three triplet sons, and she'd grown
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
LILITHThe mortal realm was a mess of senses—colors too bright, scents too acrid, voices too jarring. And yet I walked through it as if I was born to rule it. Perhaps I was. Smoke wreathed my robes, curling around my ankles like living vines. I let it. Let them look at me. Let them fear.I had but one objective.Serenia.My daughter.Foolish, sentimental kid that she'd been, she'd followed the Serpent King into this world, bound by some romantic fantasy. And now she was lost. Hidden. Maybe in danger. And that. would not do.The trail led me to a crooked little hut that cowered beneath trees that recoiled from me. Magic lingered at its edges—thin, muddled spells that reeked of deceit. I passed through the wards like silk through a blade.She was inside, pale as ashes, a witch not a hundred years old. Her eyes widened. She knew me."Lilith," she whispered."I'm looking for my daughter," I said to her calmly. "Her name is Serenia. She passed this way."The witch shook her head. "I cannot
HAILEYThe throne room still smoldered with the ashes of war, the walls whispering with the ghosts of screams and fire. Ash streaked across my cheeks like war paint, my breath calm but flavored with fury. I stood at the room's center—queen, mother, warrior—with blood on my blade and power thrumming beneath my skin."To me," I bellowed, voice ripping through the quiet like thunder. I didn't need to say it twice. Every soul in the castle would hear me. And they would come.Because something else had passed beyond the veil. Something worse.The air reeked. Burnt sugar and spoiled wine. The veil had been pulled taut in our last battle, but now it was torn apart—and something was bleeding through.They came in bursts—Ryan first, low and tense, growling, Jaden on his flank. Aaron came in laughing and cautious, half, with Isaiah trailing behind him, haunted. The others came in after me—Turtela shining with moonlight in her eyes, Jackson still fixing his collar like they hadn't just battled a
ISAIAH The battlefield was chaos wrapped in fire.Ash rained from the skies like the skies themselves wept at what was happening within our sacred halls. The moment the shadow tore itself free from the ceiling, all went awry. Screams, growls, magic—fire erupted across the throne room, fighting jagged ice and howling streams of wind. The wards had held, barely.And yet, above it all, I could hear her.Hailey.Unyielding, authoritative, force of nature. Even when three of the dark minions charged her, she wheeled with dignity tempered by steel and blood. Her swords whirled. One, two—down they went.I fought with Ryan and Jaden, our movements choreographed as if fate itself had set us up for this moment. Kael changed in mid-air, scales flashing and wings brushing against the enchanted chandeliers as he dove."Behind you!" Turtela screamed, a beam of moonlight slicing across me.I spun and bisected a snarling shifter, its twisted form coughing up black smoke instead of blood.We were gai
HAILEYThey believed I wouldn't feel it. That shiver in the wards, a breath taken too soon. A brush against the back of my neck that wasn't mine.They were mistaken.I was at the entrance of the grand palace, the sun filtering through the pillars veined with gold. I'd just returned from a hurried meeting with the village council, hoping to fetch some tea and perhaps berate Ryan for failing to inform me of Isaiah's latest doomsday riddles.And then—A crack.A ripple.Magic stuttered.I froze.Every one of my instincts screaming to life. I didn't breathe. Didn't blink.The wards had been breached. At the gates.Show yourself," I whispered.A low snarl answered.And then the wind assaulted me.A blur—too fast to be an ordinary wolf, too quiet to be a vampire, too frenzied to be anything natural. I dodged just in time as a clawed hand tore through the air where my neck had been. Dust exploded around me as I rolled, my palm slapping against the stone, glyphs searing into the floor.Not t
TURTELA The lavender perfume lingered in the halls as I made my way to my room, my bare feet silent on marble floors. Tonight, something felt wrong. The air was too still, the moon too bright, silver light accusingly streaming through each of the high arched windows. My wolf stirred inside me, tense, alert."Turtela."I turned around. Rina, one of the younger maids, stood with a folded bunch of silks clutched in her hands—my favorite nightgown amongst them. Her smile was too wide, her eyes too wide. Something inside me tightened."Thanks," I said, taking the silks from her. Her fingers brushed against mine. Cold. Too cold.I did not let my unease show. "You okay, Rina?"She blinked. Too late."Of course, my lady. I just. I did not sleep well.""Try tea," I breathed. "Chamomile works wonders."I went into my quarters and closed the door softly. But I did not go in any farther. I listened. Waited. I felt her outside. Breathing. Not leaving.I spun, yanked open the door. She was there.