LOGINFrost's POV For what would seem like the umpteenth time, I just chickened out... again! For some reason, I bent to her will, even when I assured myself that I wouldn't anymore. I was moved... moved by the softness of her voice, by the sweetness of her touch. I made myself believe that she made the right call, that she was on the right track, and all I needed to do was to just follow. While Rya had taken a few men with her on the other path that led to the Ashen waste, I led the remaining crew back to the Ironpeak.I was seated at the back of the car silently, my head resting lightly against the window, with my eyes fixed on the world that slipped past me. Every standing tree blurred past me into another. People came and went, and the path ahead stretched endlessly, far beyond what my eyes could capture. I felt the wind brushing against my skin, so soft and comforting. The sun's rays were gentle upon my skin... warm and bright. For a moment, I allowed myself to feel it all, to t
Rya's POVBy the gods, I successfully retrieved two artifacts for the ritual process, added to the moonstone that was safely in my possession. There should have been a relief, a spark of hope and assurance that we were reaching the end, and that the void would only become a forgotten memory. But it wasn't. If anything, the weight only seemed heavier than how we started.Each artifact had cost me something---my peace, my sanity, my resolve to hold on to a promise made when the going wasn't as tough as it had become. And now, the path led us back to where we started... back to the Iron peak.We needed the Crown of Thorns held by Alpha Aldric. The very thought of asking for it from him was... destabilizing. He wasn't a man who yielded to the voice of reasoning, his very daughter was a proof of that theory. This only meant one thing—we were walking into a battle of choice, and not all of us would survive it.But beneath it all, my thoughts ran deeper, especially to Sera. Here lay the mo
Rya's POVThe very moment I stepped out of The Darkwood Forest, I halted abruptly in my steps. Something didn't seem right, and it wasn't just my instinct telling me that.My eyes swept across the large clearing, and for a moment, I felt my chest tighten at what seemed like a terrifying sight. My entire crew stood... gathered together in a strange formation. Not one person moved, or even uttered a word. They just stood there, with their eyes intensely fixed on something... or someone.My gaze followed theirs, and that was the moment I saw him---Frost. He was seated on the bare ground, bound around his hands and his legs, with his face tightly squeezed. He was no different from a petty thief who had been caught in the act.My breath hitched in my throat."What the hell is going on here?" I didn't know when my inner thoughts had spilled from my lips, but I was glad that it did.All heads turned in my direction. The entire crew, they were stunned for a brief moment, their eyes widened
Frost's POVTime had lost its meaning at the edge of the forest.I had been standing there with some of the men, waiting for minutes that slowly turned into hours. There was not a sound... or a sign of life at the other end of that darkened forest. The other men seemed... relaxed, composed, patrolling the space as though it was a usual routine for them, sometimes chitchatting amongst themselves with slowly rippling laughter.But I... I was frantic, my mind spiralling in the zillion haunting thoughts and possibilities of that meeting. I shouldn't have let her go alone. I should have enforced my own will and insisted to follow her. Now, I lived in my regrets, and the sufferable pain of her absence.I moved closer to the forest. A large energy field had erupted out of nowhere the very moment Rya had entered the forest. I tried to listen to her, to feel her through the mate bond we both shared. But her presence wavered like a dying flame, slipping in and out of reach. She was distant, fai
Rya's POV"If you fail, your body, mind, soul, and spirit becomes a property of the veil. You will never return!" Corvina's word echoed in my ears for a brief moment. Her words dropped like a heavy bomb in my chest, causing my heart to skip a beat. I buried my face to the ground for a moment, and in a split second, I weighed my options. I tried to assure myself that I was indeed making the right choice., and without an iota of doubt, I was certain that I did. But if Frost was here, definitely he would ever want me to take that step."Fine. I'll do it," I said to her, with a determined tone and a clenched jaw. I had faced tough things. I sure could handle the Veil.Corvina nodded her head. She led me to stand in one of the drawn ritual circles. I took in a deep breath nervously, trying to summon every piece of courage in me. "Remember something, Rya," Corvina spoke up, forcing my tightly shut eyes open. "The Veil is a dangerous place. You'll need more than just your wits to overcome
Rya's POVI could have refused Corvina's request. I could have gone headstrong just the way Sera had always emphasized. She always insisted I followed that route, that for once, I let go of diplomacy and embraced brutality and coercion. Well, it was just a part of her—shaped by years she couldn’t unlearn. And sometimes, when I thought of it, she was right. Even a violent mind could have reached the same end—securing the Serpent’s Eye. But to what end? Why make more enemies when alliance was all that was needed to save the world?I stepped into the forest alone. The rest of the crew had camped outside the borders of the Darkwood forest where they all felt safer. I, took the bold step into the darkness, with every step accompanied by a fervently whispered prayer to the gods, pleading for nothing other than strength, tenacity, and the softened heart of a witch.My eyes were fixed on something... significant. I religiously followed the path that was marked by some glowing runes. It was
Rya's POVI leapt as I received the flowers Frost sent me, so much so that anyone around would easily think there was something else to it. Oh no, it meant a whole lot to me, especially because it came from himI took it as a sign that something good was beginning to spring up between us. Could it
Frost's POV "...this will be my final warning. Any disrespect towards him will not be tolerated. I will not speak of it again" Rya's words sank down my spine. What level of authority she exuded! I could over hear the fury in her voice as she spoke. There was this spite buried with her words, like
Rya's POVI spent the first few hours of the next morning alone, staring out from the balcony at the pack wall. The men who judiciously listened to my every instruction and description—both perfectly and imperfectly communicated—were able to decipher what I wanted, and swung into action. The wall
Frost's POV A few days had passed, and the Alpha's residence was completed. Rya had asked me to move in out of the goodness of her heart. And I didn't hesitate. It was the most impressive masterpiece of a building I had ever seen. She had done her best to make the house well furnished—with chande







