Mag-log inZephyra The dream comes again. I’m running through that same impossible forest, the ground sucking at my feet like wet sand.The shadow waits ahead, taller and imposing than it was the last time, wrapped in the crimson moonlight I was born under.My body moves on its own, pulled toward him like a moth to flame. When his cold fingers brush my throat, I don’t scream. I already know it would only make him angry. Tilting my head, I bare my neck. When his mouth presses against my skin, the bite doesn’t hurt. It feels right. Like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this mark.I wake up gasping, my hand flying to my neck. There’s no wound there, only Theron’s mark pulsing warmly under my fingers. My heart is hammering so hard I can feel it in my teeth.‘Tell him,’ Scar snaps at me, pacing restlessly in the back of my mind.‘You’re letting that shadow mark us in our sleep while Theron thinks we’re safe. Tell him the truth before the shadow stops being just a dream.’I sit up in the middle o
“Mostly to make sure you haven’t died of exhaustion.” I push off the frame and walk in, trailing my fingers along the bookshelf. “You look like shit, by the way. Handsome shit, but still shit.”He huffs a tired laugh, setting the book aside. “Flattery won’t get you more access to my library.”“Too bad. I was planning to steal a few more of your dusty old volumes.” I scan the room. “So... do you want to tell me why you look like you haven’t slept since Naya showed up dead?”He rubs his face but stays silent.I tilt my head, studying him. “You know, for someone who let his ex break him apart, you’re doing a poor job as Beta, which is expected.” His hand freezes, and he lets out a long sigh. “Not everything is a joke, Anya.” The teasing dies in my throat. I watch the tight line of his jaw, the way a muscle ticks in his cheek. He really is heartbreakingly handsome, even when he’s falling apart. It’s annoying how much I notice it.“Leave.” he says, his voice flat and dead.“I despise tra
Anya House arrest has officially taken me from being a prisoner to being an investigator. I don’t mind it at all. Anything else is better than sitting around and staring at the same walls until I lose my mind. What I do mind is dead bodies. For a witch who has done her fair share of vile things, I still hate the sight of a dead body. It’s even weirder that the body belongs to Naya, given that I worked with her father. She’s sprawled carelessly and I know someone just dropped her and walked away. Her eyes are wide open, staring at the sky like she’s still shocked she took her own life. Baron probably ordered them to dump her like trash. He seems entirely unconcerned with anything that doesn't involve killing his enemies.“She panicked,” Baron says, folding his arms. “She knew we were after her and chose the coward’s way out just as she was leading us to the hideout.”I almost roll my eyes so hard it hurts. Does he have rocks for brains? I wonder what makes him the General. It certai
For 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
Theron She’s frozen. She’s not running, not listening. Just staring at what’s in front of us like her legs have forgotten how to move. She usually obeys without hesitation, but right now my voice isn’t reaching her. Her focus is locked somewhere else, whatever her instincts caught before mine did
Zephyra “Nysha said you don’t know much about pleasing a male Lycan.”That is not what I expected to hear as the first words out of my Lardin’s mouth.Roxy has been quiet for almost an hour since she returned from her outing. So quiet that I had started to believe we would go the entire day withou
Zephyra I’m not sure whether I’m supposed to celebrate this or mourn it.Being moved out of the servants’ quarters should feel like an improvement, and maybe it is. But staying in the same place as the king’s women is something I never prepared myself for mentally.I’m relieved to be leaving the c
Zephyra “Remember, you must do everything to make sure the king likes you more than he already does.” Roxy says for what feels like the hundredth time.Even back in my bedroom, she continued to lecture me on the things I needed to do to avoid getting on the king’s bad side.We leave the palace gro







