LOGINFor a second, I think Mirella might lunge at me. Part of me hopes she does, just so I have a solid enough reason to kill her. Instead she starts laughing. The sound is broken and ugly, turning into ugly sobs that shake her whole body. “You’re going to lose everything,” she mutters. “When that thing you serve is done with you, there won't even be bones left to bury.” I gesture to the guards at the door. “Drag her out. If she speaks another word again, cut her tongue out.”Mirella doesn’t fight as they drag her away. She stares at me the entire time, eyes full of pure hatred. I don’t deserve that look. If anyone does, it’s her dead husband for dragging me and the entirety of Stone Heart into this nightmare in the first place.Brianna steps beside me, folding her arms. “I was wondering when you would finally lock her up. That one has been causing problems for my sisters and me.”I turn to her. “I’m going to ask you a question, and I want the truth.”Brianna raises her brow. “How much
He’s already powerful enough to flatten a kingdom, so why the hell wouldn't he just fetch her himself? Instead he’s got me dancing with Lycans like it’s not a death sentence for a wolf. Unbelievable!I look down at my wrists again and I swear I can see the strings holding them. I even hear voices laughing somewhere in the back of my head. I know they’re not real, but the feeling stays stuck in my throat like a bone. I can’t stand it anymore. All of this is happening because of him.I storm out of my room, heading for the basement where the witches have set up their sanctum. They know something. I can feel it in all of my bones.Brianna is already waiting outside the door, arms folded, violet eyes locked on me. Her face is calm. She doesn’t bow. She doesn't call me Alpha. It’s just another reminder that while I wear the title, I’m not the one holding the leash on this pack.“It’s done,” she says before I can even open my mouth.I stop, staring her down. “What the fuck do you mean it’s
ErycI shove the bedroom door open so hard it bounces off the wall. Three nights without real sleep will do that to a man. I drop into the chair by the desk, grab the whiskey bottle, and pour myself a generous glass. My head is pounding like someone’s hammering nails into my skull. I rub my temples, willing the ache to fuck off for five minutes.‘Eryc! I’m out. I’m coming back to you. I’m almost at the perimeter—’Naya’s voice explodes in my head. The glass of whiskey freezes halfway to my lips. My heart doesn't skip a beat out of relief, but it sure as hell hammers against my ribs out of pure shock.‘Naya?’ I link back, wondering if this is a side effect of the excessive sleep herbs I’ve been taking to stay sane. ‘How the hell—‘‘They let me go! I don’t know why, but they just opened the cage. Oh, Eryc, it’s been so long since I’ve felt you. I missed you so much.’I set the glass down slowly. My knuckles turn white around it. ‘I missed you too, sunshine, but I’m going to need you t
“You still didn’t die?” Naya spits on the floor. “Too bad. I was hoping the big bad Lycans would finish what we started.”I step forward before I can stop myself, hands already reaching for her throat but Theron’s arm slides around my waist, pulling me back against him. His touch is calm and steady through the bond, but it doesn’t silence the beast inside me that wants me to kill her. “Eryc will have you dead before you know it!” Naya screams. “It won’t be long before your own alpha does the same to you!”Theron’s grip tightens. “Get her out of here.”She doesn’t have the information we need. She doesn’t seem to know a thing about Eryc’s real endgame or who he might be answering to. She truly believes he’s the mastermind, which makes sense because Eryc wouldn't trust someone as stupid as Naya with the truth. She’s just another pawn who thinks she matters.We watch from the balcony as they release her at the palace gates. Naya doesn’t even look back. She shifts into her scruffy tawny
“Stop holding back,” Khaisha hisses. Her eyes glow with her Lycan just under the surface. “You’re so afraid of what you might do that you’re letting yourself lose. That’s why they’ll always see you as weak, Zephyra.”The word weak hits me like a slap.It drags up every memory I’ve tried to bury. The Stoneheart cells, the floggings, and the nights I had to beg for scraps of love that no one ever gave me. Something inside my chest snaps.The anger surges, and every part of my body goes hot. I lunge forward, pushing her off. This time, she’s the one on the floor. My hands fly to her throat, and she grabs my wrists as I squeeze, cutting off her air. “I’m not weak!” A growl rips from my lips.Khaisha’s face turns a deep red, splatters of saliva leaving her lips. “No shit!” she manages to choke out, then drives her knee up into my stomach.I groan and collapse beside her, releasing her neck. She rolls away coughing and laughing at the same time. “That was so close. You almost made Sky an o
Zephyra I’m running through trees that don’t belong to any forest I’ve ever known. The ground feels soft and moist, like water is trying to swallow my feet with every step I take.Ahead, I feel something waiting. I close my eyes for a second, and when I open them, I’m standing in front of my old house at Stoneheart. The bright green door is peeled just like I remember it, and the porch lights are flickering like they’re about to die. It sends shivers down my spine. Even knowing this is a dream, the fear is real.The door creaks open by itself, and I find myself walking into the darkness inside. “No,” I try to shout, but I can’t move or make a sound.Inside, I spot a tall figure wrapped in crimson shadows standing in the corner where my bedroom used to be. It doesn’t have a face. Only a silhouette that seems to swallow the light and the twisted part is that I know it's been waiting for me. Like a puppet on a string, my body moves toward it. Instead of fighting, I stay still, doing
Theron “Show your respect to the moon goddess,” the head priest of Eboncrest, Priest Jeff, says. He has said these words to kings before me, and if the elders have their way, he will say them to kings long after I am gone. I lower myself to my knees before him, while the elders stand in a wide
Zephyra Ever since the unfortunate incident at Camala’s gathering, I’ve been sulking. I barely speak to myself or to Roxy, because somewhere deep inside, I’m convinced it was all my fault. Blaming myself when things go wrong is something I’ve always done. It feels natural, almost necessary, eve
I don’t like the direction this is going. I don’t want to believe her. “If my body had been tampered with,” I shake my head, “I would know.” “You don’t even know how your real mother died,” she continues, her voice edged with worry. “And you struggled to remember your last name when the healer as
My fingers twitch, wanting to clutch at my dress, but I resist. Roxy warned me not to appear fragile, not to show weakness or they would never respect me. But how am I supposed to look strong when my chest feels hollow and my pulse won’t settle? “I greet you all on behalf of my lady,” Roxy says







