I rose to my feet. It didn’t make much of a difference. Vox had a very intimidating height. “Now you listen to me.” I said to Vox, “You are in my pack; I didn’t remember inviting you here. You captured my mate too. In his absence, I am the leader here, so you could go be the Lord over your little demons but not here.” “Shut up, Riley.” Damon warned. “You shut up. This is my pack, and I will sabotage every single plan you make.” Vox had a look of irritation on his face; suddenly I felt a burning sensation right in my chest, spreading through my whole body, and I fell down to my knees. “What... what are...” I couldn’t complete the word. I coughed out blood; the pain only got more unbearable. “I still need her alive. The pack needs their Luna for now; with her by my side, there would be fewer suspicions.” “Then put your woman on a leash.” The pain seized, and Vox was gone; he had just… disappeared. “He would have killed you.” Daemon said to me. “Isn’t that why you brou
I couldn’t bring myself to sleep; Thane clouded my thoughts.“Still thinking about him?” Daemon asked. We both knew who he was referring to.“No.” I lied. “I can tell when you are lying.”“What difference does it make? It's not like you will let me go to him.”“And what if I can?”“Vox wouldn’t let you.” I stated."You know, I have never truly been a 'free' creature. Every time I feel as though I’ve achieved it, I realize I am still in servitude."“It had been from Jade to Bruce and then… Vox.” I said to him, and he nodded in agreement.“I want to ask you a question, and I need a genuine answer from you. When I was gone with Jade, you knew what was going to happen to me. Did you at any moment regret your decision? Did you ever think about me?”I was silent for a long while. “Daemon, I…”“Just answer the question.”“You want an answer, then it’s ‘No:. I never regretted my decision; I never thought about you—at least not in the way you think.”“Do you hate me, Riley?”“I sometimes beli
Tears welled up in my eyes the moment I spotted Thane. For a moment I thought he was dead, but then I noticed the slight rise and fall of his chest. His facial hair was a bit more grown. I spotted the remains of food they must have kept for him, but knowing him, he would never eat anything from them; he would rather die, and that’s what was happening: Thane was dying. I fell to my knees beside him and managed to lift his body. He was cold, very cold. I immediately pulled off my jacket and wrapped it around him. “Thane!” I cried, but he didn’t seem to hear me. “Thane!” I cried louder, and finally he stared at me. “How… how…” “Don’t speak. I brought you food.” . Only when he was done eating did I speak up. “I’m sorry; I wish I could have done something.” “Are you alright?” He asked; I couldn’t believe him; I should be asking him that question. “I am going to get you out of here, Thane. I promise you.” “Riley, it’s better you stay put. You will get hurt if you make any rash dec
Daemon stood before me, furious. I crawled away from him. “Don’t touch me.” I warned, but the Daemon I knew was gone, and the monster—the demon—was all I could see. “I’m going to hurt you, Riley, and this time, you deserve it.”A kick to my abdomen sent me flying through the air, and I crashed into the wall with a cry. He walked to me, taking deliberate steps. I aimed for his ankle, trying to make him lose his balance, but he didn’t even flinch at my strike. He picked me up by the hair, his grip firm, no doubt I would lose a few strands. I head-butted him; dark blood poured down his nose, but he didn’t seem to notice that. He slammed me face-first into the jagged cave wall, and I crumpled to the ground.Blood dripped down my face. I curled into a ball as my vision blurred—maybe from the tears, or maybe from the blood.He picked me up once again, this time by the arm, and in a matter of seconds we were back in our room.“Take a bath, wash up. I have work to attend to.”With that he w
“So the Lycan’s curse, it was never real?” I asked her, and she nodded, wiping the tears off her face. Despite everything, I couldn’t bring myself to feel even a tinge of sympathy for her; Thane had been like a brother to Axel, and yet…Maybe I was just being unreasonable; I mean, if I had been placed in her place and Thane or Ethan’s life was at stake, wouldn’t I do anything to get them back?“No, it wasn’t,” she answered.If this was the truth, then why didn’t Thane tell me any of these? It could be possible that he knew nothing about it yet, or maybe he kept it away from me because he didn’t want me getting involved. He wanted me safe, but he was wrong. I wasn't safe with Daemon; I had lost his trust and gained his hatred.“Why should I believe you?”Everyone seemed to be a traitor; I didn’t know who to believe and who not to, but one thing was clear: I had no choice, and so I was ready to stake it all.“So many times, I have wanted to tell you the truth…”“Like back in the garden?
Daemon’s hands slipped down my hips; I felt like I had been placed under some kind of spell. My mind knew the right thing to do, but my body… my body was under his spell. Tears streamed down my eyes; this reminded me of time I'd spent under Bailey's control, when I knew what I wanted, but I had no control over my own body. His bite had never had this powerful influence on me, and I guess this was all thanks to Vox.I knew for a fact that right now, if he touched me, if he… did more than just ‘touching,’ I wouldn’t be able to fight him. What I felt now, it was natural, and I hated it. His hand slipped into my pants pocket, and before I could understand what he was doing, he pulled away. He held the piece of paper Pricilla had earlier passed to me in his hands.“I’ll always be one step ahead of you, Riley.”“Is not what you think.”“It’s not?” he asked, and I shook my head. “Then what is it?”“It's nothing.”“If it’s nothing, then you wouldn’t mind this.”In a flicker the paper caught
I didn’t like the fact that Vox chose the garden for our meeting. This was Riley’s spot. “Vox. Welcome back.” I said to him, I didn’t need to place a fake smile on my lips. Demons weren’t like humans; they couldn’t be easily deceived with falsities. I didn’t like Vox being in this pack either; I couldn’t control him—actually, it was the other way around; he controlled me, and I hated being under another’s control. Of course it always feels exciting at the beginning, but then all of a sudden… it’s just not.“I can see you have not done as I asked. Perhaps you still need more time?”“I have been a bit occupied.” I answered.“With what, if I may ask? Could it have been your little trip?”“What trip?”“You visited the Lycan, didn’t you?” he asked, and I gave no response. “She made you do it.” He added, it wasn’t a question; he was simply stating facts.“It was a mistake that won’t repeat itself.”“I do not believe you. The queen seems to have you wrapped around her finger. You will have
RILEYI waited until Daemon left before taking the crumpled paper out of the drawer.If he had given even a single glance at the piece of paper he had set on fire, he would have known it wasn’t the right one. It was pure luck that he had searched the wrong pocket. I too had believed it was all over. It wasn't until I had unconsciously dipped my hand into my pocket did I realized it was still there—the portion of the map Pricilla had given me was still there, and that meant there was still a chance. I could find Thane.I was well aware of what Daemon could do if he discovered I had escaped but if I did find Thane, then it would be worth it...Two days. That’s how long it took for me to get to the first location. I had only managed to spot a small scrawny building but other than that, there was nothing else on the wide expanse of land. I had been about to continue on with the journey when I noticed the dim light coming from one of the windows in the building. Someone was in there.I wa
3ALEXANDER POVI watched her sleep. I couldn’t say exactly when the insecurities set in, but lately she kept talking about how she’d gotten “fat.” She wasn’t—she was pregnant, strong and healthy for an expectant mother.I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. I’d spend eternity reminding her of her beauty if that’s what it took.It was time for work, but I didn’t want to leave Kaida alone—not with her due date only weeks away. Before heading out, I went to check on Alexa and found she was already awake.“Daddy, take me to Uncle D, pleeeease,” she begged.She was too adorable to refuse, but it was far too early.“It’s still sleeping time; he’s resting,” I said gently.“But Uncle D don’t sleep. He a vampire,” she whispered, as though sharing a top secret. I could have asked where she’d learned that word, but I already knew the answer.Then Kaida’s cry rang out from the next room: “Alexander! It’s coming—the baby…”My heart jolted. I raced back to our room and found her leaning against t
1.***PHIL POVTwo Years Later…I had never felt so nervous.The day had finally come — Selene had turned twenty-one two days ago, and soon everything between us was about to change."Good luck, friend," Austin said to me."You got this," Ruth, Austin’s mate, added, and I nodded.A year ago, Ruth had finally said goodbye to the Winter Pack and joined her mate, Austin. Their reunion had been beautiful, and the pair had been inseparable ever since.I wanted something like that too — though I hadn’t realized how badly until I met Selene.At many points, I had thought about canceling the plan of waiting, but this time, Selene had been the one against it. I refused to think too deeply about the reason behind that.Now I stood by the door to her house and knocked.I waited a few moments; there was no response, so I knocked again.A woman answered — a complete stranger."I’m looking for Selene. Selene Ashford?" I asked."Oh, the Ashfords don’t live here anymore," she said — and my heart drop
“The others are very angry,” Kyiv said to me. “They think I’m on your side, and that’s why I killed Skale. It’s no secret they don’t like me very much, so they’ve requested something from me—to make clear where my loyalty lies.”“And I’m guessing this thing they requested of you somehow involves me.”“That’s right. Let’s look at the pros of this operation. You’d get to leave the cell for a short while—after days of being locked up, that has to mean something. But then the cons: you’d be paraded naked in front of thousands of rogues, bound, and many would want to… touch.”“I have nothing to be ashamed of, but I’m more worried about your little plan with the plane crash. Aren’t you worried the news that I’m alive will leak out?”“I too believe this is a bad idea. Even if I stand to benefit in many ways — I’d finally prove myself a capable leader to the rogues, and the other rogue leaders would have nothing on me. But I still don’t trust their promises to keep the rogues silent, so the n
I stared at the water in the wooden bowl. I was so thirsty.Could anything be worse than this?At least I would have one less thing to worry about—thirst.I reached for it. It was far enough to cause some strain on my already bruised wrist as I stretched for it, and then I took hold of it.Just before I could lift it up, the bowl slipped from my bloody grasp and fell to the floor, the contents splashing across the ground.Fuck.Well,I guess I really have no option now.Something captured my attention — a blackish smoke swirling in the air, growing thicker with every second.Then, through the smoke, Daemon stepped out.“There you are, about damn time. I was starting to wonder if I was at the wrong place,” he muttered.“How did you find me?”“I made a very wild guess.” “Kaida — how is she?”He tapped on the transparent glass, as if testing its strength.“She’s perfectly fine, and she knows you’re not dead. But she might not be too happy about the fact that I didn’t let her come with m
“There’s a slight chance we aren’t dealing with a pack,” Daemon said. “Thank you for this information.”“Wait, you’re leaving me here? I just proved how important I could be.”“Yes, indeed. If you get any other information, just reach out,” he said, then turned around. He was really leaving.“Fuck you.” I muttered beneath my breath.“I heard that,” he called out. “I intended for you to hear that!” I said, but of course he was already gone.My gaze fell on Sebastian, still standing on the other side of the wall. He raised both hands in surrender before backing away. Frustrated, I stomped off..Kate arrived at the pack a few hours later. This time, she brought along her luggage.“You won’t really need all those for a few days.”“No, I won’t. But I’m not planning to stay for just a few days,” she said, walking into her room. I followed with two more of her luggage. “I’m moving into this pack,” she said finally, and I couldn’t deny how surprised I was at that.“Really?”“Yes,” she said,
I walked past the patrolling soldier and Phil, who followed after me.“I thought you said you were leaving? I was worried you’d do something rash, so I came after you.”Good thing he and the other patrollers hadn’t witnessed what happened earlier.“Plans changed. Guess I was about to make a rash decision — but I changed my mind.”“Are you okay?” Phil asked, inspecting me.I knew I didn’t exactly look my best — I’d spent god-knows-how-long in the healing room, then ran straight to pack my bags, dressed in nothing but the white gown the healing wardens had supplied. My eyes must have been red from crying. But every other person in the pack looked the same, if not worse.They were all mourning Alexander—I realized.Many cast pitiful glances at me.“Why did he have to go?”, “He was too young to die,” “He ‘was’ the best Alpha the pack had ever had.”Everyone had something to say about Alexander.I could hardly believe I’d run past all these people without noticing a single thing. On the wa
KADIA’S POVI woke up in the healing room.A pair of blue eyes watched me — Daemon. He looked… different, and it wasn’t just the new haircut. There was something about him that made him seem more human."Daemon," I called; my throat felt so dry.He seemed to have already prepared for that. He passed me a glass of water, which I quickly emptied.Everything came flooding back — the news about the plane crash. It became harder to breathe.“Kaida. Calm down.”"He's gone — he was in the plane when it crashed."I yanked out the tubes attached to my arm and rose to my feet. The movement had been too abrupt; the room seemed to spin.I felt hands guiding me back to the bed. I couldn’t hold in the tears.“He shouldn’t have been there. I made him go, and now…”“Stop.” Daemon said, cutting me off. “He is not dead. I visited the site; I didn’t find anything that indicated he was among the ones that died.”“You were at the site?” I asked, my heart speeding up with renewed hope.“Yes. The moment I h
ALEXANDER’S POVMy blurred vision slowly cleared, and I realized I was in what looked like a small, empty room.The wall facing me was made of thick, transparent glass.I couldn’t tell how they managed to get me in here—there was no window or door, only a narrow slot likely meant for passing food and letting in just enough air to keep the ‘prisoner’ alive.I could only assume there was some kind of hidden entrance.My hands and ankles were bound with thick silver chains.The chains felt excessive—I could barely move a muscle.More wolfsbane than I’d ever consumed in my entire life had been pumped into my system, completely immobilizing me and filling me with this nauseating, sickly feeling. I hadn’t realized I was shivering until I noticed the tremble in my fingers.The room was chillingly cold, and with the wolfsbane suppressing my werewolf abilities, I was no exception to the cold. I tried to summon flames. Nothing.Maybe I was just too weak to summon the flames. The crushing feeli
1KADIA’S POVWhen I discovered the news of my pregnancy, I had been so happy. But I knew a lot would have to change.I had to be more cautious—for the baby. That meant I wouldn’t be able to keep training the pack soldiers for much longer. Of course, I’d have to give up that duty eventually and it had become a part of my life. I would have to watch my diet, too. And then there were other things. Like the fact that I would grow big, and I might not look the same. My toned stomach which I had spent years working on would be no more.This had been the type of life I once abhorred, but everything was different now—I wanted this. I could see a future with Alexander, filled with laughter and little kids running around, and the thought made me smile.Lara was the first person to find out I was pregnant.After I discovered the pregnancy test was unmistakably positive, I was as scared as I was excited.Lara happened to be visiting the pack, and we kind of bumped into each other. She was all s