LOGINChapter One Hundred and NineteenAriaFor a long moment after Lena disappeared, nobody moved.The clearing stayed frozen beneath the cold torchlight, smoke curling weakly from the dying fire pit while the forest swallowed every trace of her escape like it had been waiting to hide her.Kieran stood several feet away from us, breathing hard and not only that, but he was shaking as well.I noticed it immediately now that the violence was gone. His hands trembled uncontrollably around the knife still hanging loosely from his grip. His chest rose too fast, too unevenly, like his body had forgotten how to function properly the second whatever hold Lena had over him snapped.He looked at me first, then at Zane, then at the blade in his own hand, and the horror that crossed his face nearly made my stomach turn inside out.“What…” His voice cracked badly. “What did I do?”Nobody answered immediately. The guards nearby remained tense, weapons still drawn even though nobody truly wanted to point
Chapter One Hundred and EighteenAriaThe ride to the north felt wrong from the very beginning. I tried to shake off the unease crawling up my spine, but it only settled quietly beneath my ribs and stayed there no matter how fast I moved.The forest stretched endlessly around us beneath the dark sky, branches twisting overhead while torches flickered against the night like restless ghosts. Hooves pounded against damp earth in sharp rhythm, riders moving in formation through the narrow trail while scouts pushed ahead through the trees.Beside me, Zane sat rigid atop his horse. He wasn't physically tense, at least not in a way most people would notice, but I noticed anyway.His shoulders were too still, his jaw was too tight and his gaze constantly moving. In summary, he looked like a man riding toward something he already knew he wouldn’t like, and honestly? That terrified me more than anger ever could.“We don’t know what’s waiting for us yet,” I said quietly as our horses moved side
Chapter One Hundred and SeventeenAria“They were together.” The words settled over the strategy room like a blade against exposed skin, then everything moved at once.Commanders straightened immediately, voices cutting across the room in sharp succession as maps were dragged closer across the table.“Seal the northwest routes.” someone yelled from the side“Double the forest patrols.” another one added.“Send riders ahead before dawn.”“I want scouts at every crossing point.”Boots thundered through the corridor outside as guards rushed to carry out orders. Someone shoved fresh reports across the table while another commander began marking locations directly onto the map with black ink.The atmosphere shifted violently as three days of suffocating uncertainty had finally turned into direction, and beside me, Zane became something terrifyingly focused.“Where exactly were they seen?” he asked the scout.“Near the outer forest line,” the scout answered quickly. “Just past the old north
Chapter One Hundred and SixteenAriaBy nightfall, the entire place felt poisoned, but not literally. The palace wasn't loud nor chaotic, it was worse because it was controlled instead.The corridors swarmed with armed guards now, their boots echoing sharply against stone as they moved in constant rotations. Doors that normally remained open stood shut and reinforced. Every entrance had double security posted beside it, and servants lowered their voices the second anyone important walked past.Nobody trusted anyone anymore, not after Kieran.The betrayal had spread through the halls faster than fire ever could. No one said it too loudly, but I heard the whispers anyway.If he could turn, who else could?I caught nobles standing too close together in corners, speaking under their breath before immediately separating when guards approached. Servants were being stopped and questioned randomly now. Even the air felt tense, like the walls themselves were waiting for something terrible to h
Chapter One Hundred and FifteenAriaThe room stayed silent after my words landed. This one felt colder than the previous one, and it was heavier somehow, like the entire corridor had finally understood what had happened all at once and didn’t know what to do with it.Kieran had helped her.The realization sat wrong in my chest, sharp and impossible to ignore.How could he? Was he forced into it or maybe deceived? A million and one questions ran through my mind, but I hated not having the answers to any.Across the room, Zane went completely still, and that scared me more than if he’d exploded.His hand slowly loosened from the guard’s uniform before he shoved the man away hard enough to send him stumbling sideways into the wall. The guard nearly collapsed trying to regain his balance, coughing violently as he backed away.Zane didn’t even look at him again. Instead, his attention stayed fixed on the blade in my hand, on the broken chains, on the empty room, and suddenly, the rage he’
Chapter One Hundred and FourteenAriaI woke up slowly, not because I wanted to, but because a peaceful kind of warmth crept in piece by piece until there was no escaping it anymore.Like that wasn't enough, it pressed against my back, like a steady heartbeat beneath my cheek and I didn't miss the strong arms wrapped around my waist like they belonged there.Zane.The memory of last night hit all at once, sharp enough to make my stomach twist. I remembered the argument, the kisses, and the way I’d completely unraveled beneath him.My breath caught slightly.For one dangerous second, I stayed still, letting myself feel it, and that was the worst mistake I could have made, because it had been real. None of it felt distant or blurry now. I remembered every touch too clearly, every word, every moment I’d let my guard down completely.And somehow, that terrified me more than anything else.I shifted slightly, meaning to move away, but the arm around my waist tightened instantly.“Trying to
CHAPTER FOURZANEWhen I stepped into the glass-walled citadel, it was already full. My footsteps resonated in the thick silence. I went past the tables of high-ranking wolves, past the other Alphas. I didn't look at any of them. I didn't need to. I could feel their eyes and the heat from their qui
CHAPTER 3ARIA“You have one week,” he said, sounding more like a challenge than anything. He shot me one last look as if to say, ‘Don't bother wasting your time,’ then stalked out, the crowd dispersing after him.I collapsed fully on the ground, tears threatening to spill from my eyes, but I contr
hapter 2Aria“Please, baby. I did it because of you. I wanted to get close to him, to get to know him better and appreciate him as a person because of you then he seduced me and I got lost in the moment because of how much he resembles you”We both heard gasps from behind him. Roman responded. “He
CHAPTER-1Aria’s POV:You know that unsettling, queasy, gut-fraying feeling that churns your stomach when something horrific is about to happen?Yes, that's exactly how I felt standing in this grand hall, hosting my engagement party.I felt restless, my wolf too. She’d been whining in our shared mi







