MasukI step through the doorway and freeze.This isn’t a room. It’s a suit.My quarters in the healers’ wing were practical—one small bedroom, a kitchenette barely large enough to heat tea in, a bathroom where I could touch both walls if I stretched. But this? The living area alone could fit my entire old space twice over. Plush furniture arranged around a stone fireplace, shelves lined with books and military memorabilia, tall windows overlooking the palace grounds, with heavy curtains pulled back to let in the afternoon light.Through an archway, I glimpse a kitchen—an actual kitchen, with proper counters and even a table. Beyond that, a bedroom door stands ajar, revealing what has to be the largest bed I’ve ever seen.“Do you like it?”Seth’s voice pulls my attention back to him. He’s moving through the space with quick, jerky movements—grabbing a shirt draped over a chair, snatching up what looks like training gear from the floor near a window, shoving everything into a basket with bar
I inhale deeply through my nose. “You waded through it?”“I had to. Zane was dying.” Her voice drops. “The mist was so thick I could barely see. But I could smell the blood, hear him breathing. I just… I had to reach him.”“Fuck.” The word comes out harsh. My mind races through the implications. “That mist—it’s not normal magic. My wolf can sense it’s wrong. Dangerous.”“What is it?”“I don’t know yet.” I stand and move to the bathroom, where I fill a glass with water at the sink. “But it’s obvious you’ve entered that forest more times than you know. That mist is doing something to you, Selene. Controlling you somehow.”She shivers despite the warmth of the room.A thought occurs to me, and I stop halfway back to the bed. “Wait. You talked about the mist just now.”“Yes.”“When we questioned you about that night, you never mentioned it.” I move closer, studying her expression. “You said there was nothing unusual. Just Zane, injured and alone.”She’s quiet for a few seconds, thoughtful
I shift immediately after her, and then we run.My larger wolf form leads the way, splashing into the shallows. The red mist is spreading rapidly across the water now, but it seems thinner here, weaker than it was on land. Still dangerous, but not as concentrated.Our paws churn through the lake, sending up great sprays as we barrel toward the shore. The moment we hit land, we’re sprinting full speed through the forest, the red mist billowing around our legs like living smoke. It tries to cling to us, tries to creep up our bodies, but our movement keeps it from getting a solid grip.Selene’s smaller wolf struggles to keep pace with my longer stride, so I stay close, ready to grab her by the scruff if she falters. Her lungs must be burning—mine certainly are—but she doesn’t slow down, doesn’t stop, doesn’t take a breath.The trees blur past us in streaks of shadow and moonlight. Branches fly across our fur, and roots threaten to trip us, but we keep running.Finally—finally—the red mis
My hands shake as I pull off my shirt and place it quickly over her head, working her arms through the sleeves. She doesn’t react to my touch, doesn’t acknowledge my presence at all. Just stands there, swaying slightly, waiting.“Selene, wake up.” I grip her shoulders, trying to get her attention. “Come on, little wolf.”Nothing. Her vacant stare remains fixed somewhere beyond me, seeing something I can’t.I’m about to physically carry her back to bed when I hesitate.I need to understand what’s causing this. Where she’s going. What’s controlling her? What the hell has been happening to my mate while I’ve been blind to all of it.There’s only one way to find out. Instead of waking her, instead of carrying her back to safety, I make a decision.I’m going to follow her.I step aside, letting her continue forward. She moves past me at once, resuming that same steady, unnatural walk.I shadow her through the corridors, my senses on high alert. She moves with unsettling certainty, as if sh
I lie in the darkness, Selene’s warm body draped across mine like she was made to fit there. Her head rests on my chest, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, one leg thrown over mine in complete possession. In sleep, she clings to me.The irony makes me grin despite my exhaustion.For a woman who spent weeks claiming she didn’t want me, she sure as hell holds on tight when she’s unconscious. Her fingers are curled into my side, her breath soft and even against my skin. Her body is molded to mine as if she’s afraid I’ll evaporate if she loosens her grip even slightly.I stroke her hair, the auburn strands silky between my fingers, and let my gaze drift over her bare back. Marks litter her skin—bite marks, scratches, bruises from my grip. Evidence of hours spent claiming her, reminding her that she’s mine.My wolf rumbles with satisfaction, but it’s more than just the bond driving this contentment. It’s her.I’ve had plenty of women over the years; I won’t pretend otherwise. But no
Then, with a quiet growl, he turns me, bending me forward over the desk. Cool wood meets my palms as he presses me down, his body following, heat and muscle closing around me. One hand fists in my hair, tilting my head just enough for his breath to brush my ear; his other hand splays across my hip, securing me in place.“You’ve run from me for weeks,” he murmurs, voice low and lethal. “You’ve avoided me, denied me…” His grip tightens, my cheek flat against the desk now, his chest flush against my back. “Now I’m going to teach you who your body belongs to.”The words coil around me like chains. My wolf thrashes against them, not to escape—but to revel. My human side trembles, caught in the firestorm of fear and need, every nerve stretched tight.Seth quickly rids himself of his clothes and presses against me again, the hard mass of his intent impossible to ignore. My breath stutters, body already reacting, already giving itself over before he has even begun.“You feel that?” His whispe
Kael's POVBut it’s her eyes that destroy me. Those bright green eyes that once sparkled with life and hope are now glassy and unfocused, the light in them fading like dying embers. One eye is blackened and nearly swollen shut. She is staring at nothing, seeing nothing, and I can feel through our p
Elara's POV And beside her, pale and sick-looking, stands Daciana. Her dark eyes meet mine for just a second before she looks away, guilt written across her face.“Sit,” Blackwood commands, gesturing to the empty chair beside Harper.I move toward his desk but remain standing. “What’s going on?”
Kael's POV“Why are we in a human town?” Elara asks as we walk down the cobblestone street, her green eyes taking in the bustling marketplace around us. “The forest would be a more direct way to the capital.”I adjust the bag on my shoulder, eyeing her carefully. She has been like this for days—war
Kael's POVMy hands clench into fists by my side but my voice is carefully neutral. “Is that so? Maybe we should swing by your old pack. I’ll pluck their eyes out. If they wouldn’t let you read, they shouldn’t be able to, either.”“Wh–what?” Elara’s shocked voice has me pausing, and I glance down







