LOGINRaine woke to the sound of whispers. Soft. Urgent. Half-breath, half-growl. Not spoken aloud—spoken through the bond. Her eyes opened slowly. The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow of moonlight spilling through the curtains. She felt warm, held, wrapped in a cocoon of steadiness and scent and heartbeat. It took her only a moment to realize where she was: Kael’s arms were around her. Not caging. Not gripping. Holding. Protectively. Possessively. As if the world could try to steal her in her sleep and he’d tear it apart with his bare hands. For a moment, she simply lay still, breathing in the feeling of him—the quiet rumble of his chest against her back, the steady warmth of his breath against the curve of her neck. She felt…safe. Grounded. Connected in a way that wasn’t physical at all. Then the whisper returned. Not Ka
Raine woke to the sound of whispers. Soft. Urgent. Half-breath, half-growl. Not spoken aloud—spoken through the bond. Her eyes opened slowly. The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow of moonlight spilling through the curtains. She felt warm, held, wrapped in a cocoon of steadiness and scent and heartbeat. It took her only a moment to realize where she was: Kael’s arms were around her. Not caging. Not gripping. Holding. Protectively. Possessively. As if the world could try to steal her in her sleep and he’d tear it apart with his bare hands. For a moment, she simply lay still, breathing in the feeling of him—the quiet rumble of his chest against her back, the steady warmth of his breath against the curve of her neck. She felt…safe. Grounded. Connected in a way that wasn’t physical at all.
The world was strangely quiet the next morning.No birds.No rustling leaves.No distant howls threading through the mountains.Only breath.Mine.And theirs.I woke slowly, as if pulled through thick layers of warmth and memory. The air smelled like rain and pine and something deeper—something that wrapped around me like silk and smoke. I felt hands before I opened my eyes. A calloused thumb brushing my jaw. Strong arms around my waist. A steady heartbeat pressed against my back.For a moment, I didn’t know who was holding me.Then I realized—It wasn’t one of them.It was all three.Damon’s arm rested across my ribs, protective even in sleep.Lucian’s hand cupped my hip, thumb stroking lazily as if it had been doing so for hours.And Kael… Kael’s breath warmed the back of my neck, his chest pressed perfectly to my spine, his legs tangled with mine as though he couldn’t imagine an inch of space between us.The bond hummed beneath my skin, warm and bright and terrifying in its intensi
The forest was quiet now, though the air still thrummed with residual energy, the aftershocks of the confrontation lingering like a heartbeat in the earth. Rain had soaked the ground, turning leaves into slippery green mirrors reflecting the silver light of the moon. I sat on a fallen log, legs pulled close to my chest, shivering not from the cold but from everything that had just happened.Kael knelt beside me, damp hair plastered to his forehead, golden eyes softer than I had ever seen. His hands, rough and calloused, cupped my cheeks, tilting my face to meet his gaze. “You’re shaking,” he murmured, voice low, vibrating against my chest. “Not from fear. From what you’ve survived… and what you’ve chosen.”“I… I don’t know if I understand any of it,” I whispered, voice breaking. My hands clutched the wet hem of my jacket, fingers trembling. “Everything… everything is so overwhelming. You, Lucian, Damon… the bond… him.” My voice faltered, tears threatening to s
The forest trembled beneath a sky that had turned black as ink. Lightning streaked across the heavens, illuminating the trees in jagged silver lines, revealing shadows that danced like predators in the wind. The stranger stood at the edge of the clearing, golden eyes ablaze, radiating power that made the air hum and pulse. He was close now—too close—and every instinct screamed in warning.Kael’s hands fisted around mine, holding me close, pressing me against his chest as if my very body was the only thing keeping him tethered. “Do not listen to him,” he growled, voice low and deadly. “He cannot claim you. Not now. Not ever.”“I… I feel him,” I whispered, the words trembling on my lips. My body was taut with tension, every nerve ending alight. The stranger’s presence pulled at me, an irresistible gravity that made my knees weak and my heartbeat jag faster than I thought possible. “He’s… calling me.”Lucian’s lips pressed into a hard line as he stepped forward, aura flaring. His eyes gl
The forest held its breath. My body trembled in Kael’s arms, Lucian and Damon flanking us like twin shadows of wrath and protection. The mark on my arm burned with a heat that made my vision blur, the crescent-shaped symbol glowing brighter with every pulse of my heartbeat. It wasn’t just fire in my veins—it was something alive, something demanding.“He’s here,” Damon repeated, voice low but tense, each word vibrating with warning.I could barely speak. “Who… who is he?”Kael’s jaw clenched, golden eyes now flickering with red sparks, the wolf beneath his skin snarling at a danger he couldn’t yet name. “The one who… claimed you before me,” he admitted, his voice almost strangled by fury and fear. “The one tied to your bloodline.”Lucian’s hands radiated blue power, protective runes flaring against the edges of the clearing. “We need to prepare,” he said, tone cold and sharp. “He’s strong. Older than any threat we’ve faced.”I shivere







