A black blur tore into the room, faster than lightning, heavier than a storm. It struck Lucien with such force the vampire lord’s body was lifted off the ground and hurled across the chamber. He hit the wall with a thunderous crack, stone fracturing under the impact, dust and debris raining down around him.Aria’s breath caught in her chest, her trembling hands flying to her mouth. Her heart knew before her eyes did. Odin.The massive black wolf stood before her, fur bristling, his golden eyes burning with a fury that was not remotely human. He was every nightmare and every salvation in one, a living weapon of rage and devotion. He filled the chamber with his presence, his snarl rattling the very air.From beyond the heavy walls came the sounds of hell unleashed, screams, steel clashing, claws tearing, the thunder of battle crashing through the castle. The war had begun.Lucien rose from the ground, his perfect face smeared with black blood, his eyes glowing with murderous hunger. He
Lucien’s patience was fraying like a thread pulled too tight. Aria could see it in the way his practiced charm cracked at the edges, the smiles that no longer reached his eyes, the velvet words that now carried steel. For days he had circled her, a predator pretending to play tame, but the mask was slipping.“You may as well start playing nice,” he drawled one evening, though his voice was colder than ice. His pale eyes glittered, cruel and hungry, and his lips curled into something between a grin and a snarl. “I’m finished waiting. If you won’t give yourself to me, I’ll take you. Once I turn you, you’ll be mine, truly mine. And when your wolf comes storming in here like the savage animal he is, it will be far too late. The pathetic little bond will be broken, snapped like it never existed.”Aria’s chest burned with that endless pull toward Kieran, her body aching as if every nerve inside her was being dragged out of place. Still, she forced her chin up, her voice trembling but steady
Kieran’s chest burned. A hollow, tearing ache that made each step toward the house heavier than the last. It wasn’t just the call to the mark pulsing at the base of his throat, it was the distance. It was her.Odin paced restlessly in his mind, snarling, snapping, demanding they turn back, demanding they claim what was theirs. But Kieran forced him down with sheer will, though barely. He had already lost control once tonight.He’d gone too far, he thought grimly. He had pushed her too far.The image of her beneath him in the circle of stone wolves haunted him, the way her body had arched, the way his fangs had torn into her soft flesh, the intoxicating rush of her blood. He had marked her. Without her permission. Without her choosing him.And gods, he had almost taken more.He could still feel the unbearable tightness in his cock, the way his body had screamed to drive into her, to claim her fully, right there on the forest floor. Only her tears, hot, broken, shattering tears, had sto
Before Aria could even gather the words tangled in her throat, the heavy doors to the dining room groaned open.That voice, the same voice that had slithered through the trees before she’d been struck down, filled the cavernous space. Smooth, amused, poison wrapped in silk.“Apologies, ladies. I’m late. I was… delayed.”The sound of him made her stomach twist violently.A tall man swept into the room, his presence filling every dark corner. He moved with the grace of a predator, every step deliberate. His features were unnervingly perfect, angular cheekbones, sculpted jaw, eyes the deepest shade of crimson that seemed to glow even in the candlelight. His black hair was tied back, his lips pale but curved into a smile that made her skin crawl.He rounded the table with the elegance of someone who knew every eye was his. His hand dropped to her shoulder, cold even through the thick fabric of Kieran’s hoodie. The icy touch shot a shiver straight down her spine.His gaze slid over her slo
The man said nothing as he led Aria through the mansion’s winding corridors. The hall was windowless and suffocating, lit only by dim sconces that cast flickering shadows against stone walls. Every step echoed, the sound bouncing back at her like whispers.He guided her down a spiral staircase and into a cavernous dining room. It was gothic to its bones, black stone floors, tall carved chairs, a massive table of obsidian wood polished to a mirror shine. Heavy red curtains were drawn tightly against the walls, sealing the room in darkness save for the eerie glow of a chandelier above, its candles burning blood red.Selene sat at the far end of the table.Her smile was wide, wrong, too sharp. She looked like she had been waiting for this moment her entire life.The rest of the seats were empty.The man pulled out a chair across from Selene. Aria hesitated, but her legs threatened to give out beneath her, so she lowered herself into it, gripping the arms as if they might keep her from co
When Aria woke, it was to the feel of silk sheets beneath her skin and the heavy weight of a velvet blanket draped over her. For one disoriented moment, she thought she was back in Kieran’s bed, that she had only dreamed the betrayal, the pain, the capture, the mark.But then her eyes adjusted. The room was all wrong.It was massive, yes, just as opulent as the Alpha’s chambers, but where Kieran’s space carried warmth, rich wood, and hints of comfort, this was something else entirely. Gothic, cold, black carved furniture loomed like sentinels. Deep crimson drapes bled across the windows. The canopy above her head was wrought with iron and shadow. Even the air smelled different, thick, metallic, cloying.She exhaled shakily and pressed her face into the hoodie she was still wearing. Kieran’s hoodie. His scent clung faintly to the fabric, grounding her even as it did little to soothe the searing ache tearing through her chest at their separation. It was worse now, sharper, like her body