A knot rose in my throat as I studied Nathair. I glanced around us and saw two guards standing by the castle's main entrance. They couldn't have seen us, especially since we were both wearing black, but undoubtedly, Nathair's call would have drawn them here in a few heartbeats.“Help me,” I strained through my teeth.He cocked his head to the side. “How about ‘please’?”I sucked in a sharp breath. “Please, help me.”A wide grin parted his lips. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me behind the stables. “Follow me,” he said, all but dragging me behind him.“Where are you taking me?” I whisper-hissed.“If you're stealing a horse, make sure it's the fastest one you can get,” he muttered, pulling me to a separate building where Kaan's and Caspian's horses were kept.I frowned. “I know what you're thinking, but I'm not taking Than.”He stopped, causing me to bump into him. Then he turned around, one brow raised. “What?”I drew a deep breath. “I'm not taking Kaan's horse.”He shrugged. “Then
KAANI stood in Asena's chamber, staring at her empty bed. Fury crept into my veins, satiating me whole, mixing with the searing taste of guilt. How the fuck had I let this happen? I came so close to achieving the goal that it blinded me, and I failed to protect what I'd already had in my grasp.“You should have locked her sooner.” Jalissa huffed as she sauntered into the room, slowly stepping toward me. “You should have had her cuffed and chained in the dungeon somewhere. If I were you, I would—”My hand was around her neck before her venomous lips could choke out another word. “I don't believe I asked you for advice,” I hissed, putting more pressure on her windpipe. Her eyes widened as she fought for breath. “Just like I didn't ask your men to guard her chamber. Marvelously done, by the way.” My claws went out, sinking into the skin of her neck. “It is your fucking fault Asena is gone, so if you even mention her name again, you'll be the one chained and cuffed.”Her mouth opened as
ASENAAeron hadn't taken his eyes off me since we left the cave. At first, I thought it was because he missed me, and my sudden showing up in those woods was greatly unexpected. It became disturbing when I found him still staring at me after we'd walked to where I left Atius. But I ran out of patience when we were both on our horses on the way to Lua Mountain, and I still felt his gaze burning one side of my face.“What?” I finally snapped at him.He stepped back and gave me a sheepish smile. “You seem... different.”I glanced at my torn cloak, my soaked-in-blood clothes, and my wounded shoulder. Then I shifted my gaze to him, my brows rising. “Different how?”He cleared his throat and pointed at my shoulder. “You're healing pretty damn fast, and your wolf...” He trailed off, inhaling sharply.I frowned. “What about my wolf?”“Your spirit has awakened… right?” His eyes returned to me, cautiously studying every inch of my face.I snorted. “No, of course not. Don't you think I would hav
That evening, I had planned to visit Vidarr, other warriors, and Riona, but my exhaustion decided otherwise. Fortunately, it turned out that my old rooms were still awaiting me, and Ellaria merely needed to send someone to bring me fresh sheets and towels. There was something amazingly soothing about lying my head on a familiar pillow. Sleep had come almost immediately.In the morning, it was the commotion outside my door that pulled me out of my dreamless sleep. It took me three seconds to realize that Garren had returned. I heard Zeno's slightly grumpy voice and felt a strange tug in my heart, as if I actually missed that annoying prick. A grin cracked my lips, and I rushed out of bed to wash myself and put on some decent clothes. Thankfully, my sister filled my wardrobe with more than a few tunics, leggings, leather jackets, and comfortable boots. I picked my usual dark colors and rushed outside.At first, I was convinced I would have to run to Garren's mansion to meet him and Zeno
I blinked, struggling to comprehend Riona's words, or rather, refusing to acknowledge their meaning. A few hectic heartbeats passed before a peal of humorless laughter tore through my throat. “That's absurd!” I shook my head.She wasn't laughing. “I only tell you what I see and feel, and I take my magic seriously.”I leaped to my feet and dragged my trembling hand through my hair. “You know who my father is. You know him. He might be strong, but Erebus Jordart is not an Alpha.”Her eyes locked on mine. “There were secrets in your family, things you know he kept from you.”“I know!” I threw my hands up as frustration hit me. “But they were all about my mother! He didn't want to talk about my mother! Never even once have I wondered that might not be—”“Have you truly?” Riona's brows rose. “Both, Ellaria and your father have green eyes and auburn hair, and yet somehow, your eyes are striking blue and your hair is nearly white.”“It happens in families,” I reasoned. “Besides, I've always
I wasn't sure how I found myself back in my room, but I was now sitting, curled up on the bed with my back against the wall and my hands tightly hugging my knees, pressing them against my chest. The scorching trails of salt on my cheeks were all that was left of the tears I had shed.I had long to stop treating Erebus Jordart as my father. Throughout my childhood, he had been merely the man who graciously allowed me to stay in his house in exchange for becoming his servant. He had left me with various women at first. Those had taught me house chores before I could properly talk. It was Ellaria who had taught me how to read and write, and I had learned everything else from the books she had often brought for me.I had been treated as a slave in the house I'd lived in, and I had never known why until now. The lost pieces completed the picture I had failed to see before. The realization triggered a bubble of bitter laughter. How many times had I tried to please the man I called my father
I could feel the war drums pounding inside my head. I was, unfortunately, familiar with that feeling, worse than the worst type of hangover—the sign that the wolfsbane was slowly leaving my body, with the word “slowly” being the key in that process.I cursed my stupidity with every dry and painful breath I took. I should have known better than to be trustful. Hadn't I learned not to trust anyone, kids included? But what was done was done, and now I had to face the consequences of my foolish decision…My senses were unhurriedly waking up, revealing my current situation inch by inch. I was lying on a few wooden boards inside a wagon. I was gagged with a piece of rough cloth. My hands were tied with a rope on my back, and another piece of rope was used to restrain my ankles. The wagon was on the move. I could feel the unsteady rocking from every turn of the screeching wheels. The sound of horses stomping hooves suggested the paved stone road. Where was I being taken? Had my abductors tak
No, no, no, no! This couldn't be happening! They worked for the resistance, so why would they ever decide to collaborate with Alpha Khaos?! Eyes widening, I shook my head, cursing them all.Demir laughed in my face, the sound being parroted by others in the room. Only one seemed outraged by Demir's words—the witch.Nerezza snarled as she stepped toward Javaid. “If you're planning to give her to Khaos, you're nothing but rotten fools!”Demir snorted. “And what exactly is so foolish about getting rich by getting rid of a wretched girl? She gave herself to an enemy. She deserves to be ripped off her skin for that.” He turned toward me and spat on the ground, an inch away from where I sat.My hands fisted as I glared at the bastard, but he only smirked and returned to sit on his chair by the table.Javaid scratched his honey-blond beard, his gray eyes flickered between me and the witch. Finally, he turned to Nerezza. “If you suggest we kill her now, I'm all for it. She is bound to die any