로그인HADE’S POVAlpha Darius led us away from the palace without another word. His steps moved quickly through the forest path as we followed close behind. Cassian stayed at my right while the triplets kept silent distance. Debra walked between two guards with fear clear on her face.I could smell Bailey’s scent growing stronger with every step. It mixed with fear and chemicals and it fueled the rage burning inside my chest. The temple appeared ahead of us. Ancient stones covered in vines and decay rose from the ground like forgotten bones.Darius pushed the heavy doors open. The sight inside sent my blood boiling. Bailey hung suspended in the center of a ritual circle with chains holding her wrists high. Her feet barely touched the stone floor. Ancient symbols glowed around her and men in black robes gathered nearby with a cloth pressed to her face. They tried to move her. They tried to take her from me.I exploded forward with a roar that shook the pillars. My body shifted partially as s
BAILEY’S POVMy head throbbed with sharp pain as I slowly woke up. Cold stone pressed against my bare feet and my arms ached terribly. I tried to move but heavy chains rattled around my wrists. My eyes snapped open wider. I was not at school anymore. Memories rushed back in a panic. The student who said Hades waited outside. The cloth over my nose. The darkness that swallowed me.I looked around frantically and realized I hung suspended in the middle of what looked like an abandoned temple. Massive pillars rose around me covered in vines and dust. Moonlight filtered through cracks in the ruined roof and cast eerie shadows everywhere.Both my hands stretched above me locked in thick iron cuffs connected to long chains anchored to two pillars. My feet still touched the ground but I could not step far. I stood at the center of a large circle drawn on the stone floor. Ancient symbols marked the design with a star that pointed to cardinal directions. Strange writings I could not read glowe
HADE’S POVI sat at the head of the massive black stone table inside the Lycan council chamber while generals and ministers delivered their reports on border disputes and rogue movements. Cassian stood at my right with his arms crossed. I listened carefully and issued short commands.“Increase the western patrol. Execute the traitors at dawn. Double the border guards.” My voice stayed cold and efficient. The meeting moved forward with ruthless precision until something struck my chest like a blade.My breath caught sharply. The sensation was not the familiar curse that plagued me. This felt worse. My wolf slammed against the inside of my mind with raw agony. Bailey. Terror flooded the bond. I gripped the edge of the table and stone cracked beneath my fingers. Everyone in the room fell silent at once.Cassian turned toward me with sharp concern. “Your Majesty?”I tried to steady my breathing but my wolf kept howling. Find her. Find her. The urge grew louder and more desperate. This was
BAILEY’S POVI sat in the back seat of the sleek black car and touched my forehead where Hades had kissed me. The spot still tingled with warmth even though minutes had passed since he stepped away. Why did he do that? The hug felt new and the kiss even more so. He had never shown affection like that in public before. I stared out the window as the fortress gates faded behind us and wondered what had changed between us overnight. My body still carried a pleasant ache from our time together and my mind kept replaying the way he looked at me this morning. Something deeper had shifted and it left me amazed and a little unsteady.The driver kept his eyes on the road with quiet focus. He served as my guard today and his presence reminded me of Hades’ protectiveness. I appreciated the silence because it gave me space to sort through my thoughts. Trees blurred past us until the familiar school buildings came into view. The car pulled up smoothly near the main entrance. I thanked the driver s
HADE’S POVSunlight filtered through the heavy curtains and warmed my face. I opened my eyes slowly and realized something impossible. I had slept through the entire night without waking once. No cough tore through my chest in the early hours. No nightmares gripped me with cold hands. No shadows of Jonathan, my late younger brother, haunting the corners of the room or whispering accusations in my ears.I lay completely still and simply breathed. Peace wrapped around me like a blanket I had forgotten existed. My body felt rested in a way I had not known for years. I could not remember the last time rest came so easily or felt so deep and satisfying. It felt as if I had been reborn in those quiet hours with no weight pressing on my shoulders.Bailey slept beside me with her silver hair spread across the pillow like strands of moonlight. The duvet covered her from the waist down but left her back and shoulders bare to my gaze. Her skin glowed softly in the morning light and carried faint
BAILEY’S POVCassian stepped back quietly after he spoke those words and closed the heavy door behind him. The chamber fell into a thick silence broken only by the faint rattle of chains and my own heartbeat drumming in my ears. I kept Hades’ head in my lap while my fingers moved through his dark hair with slow strokes. Sweat and blood streaked his face yet he looked peaceful for the first time since the rut began. I stared down at him and could not look away.His chest rose and fell steadily now. Those powerful shoulders that had carried so much weight relaxed against me. I traced the line of his jaw with my eyes and remembered how it felt when he buried his forehead against mine earlier. My body reacted in ways I struggled to understand. Heat pooled low in my belly and spread through my limbs like liquid fire. We had been intimate before in that old cabin but this felt different. Deeper. Hungrier. My mind wandered even as I sat there with him.I imagined his hands grabbing my neck w







