LOGINAliyah's POV The first thing I felt was the vibration. A low, rhythm that rattled my aching skull.I tried to move, but my limbs felt like lead. I was draped over a shoulder– one that was hard, armored, and smelling of ozone and expensive cologne. My head hung down, my auburn hair shielding my face as I swayed with the soldier's footsteps.I blinked, my vision slowly clearing. I was outside. The cool night air hit my face, smelling of smoke and gunpowder."Keep moving!" a voice barked. "Get her in the car!"I twisted my neck, the silver collar pinching my skin, sending fresh jolts of pain through me. I looked back at the pack house. It was a nightmare.Flames were licking at the upper windows. In the courtyard, the scene was one of pure, unadulterated chaos. Tyler and Skylar were there, they were still fighting. They were covered in blood from head to toe and their clothes were shredded. They were surrounded by at least a dozen men, silver-tipped spears and electrified batons flashin
Aliyah's POV I looked at Skylar, then at Tyler. Both men looked ready to kill, but for the first time tonight, their fury was directed outward, toward the threat looming at our gates."He followed us," Tyler hissed, his hand white-knuckled on the grip of his weapon."No," I said, a sudden, sickening realization hitting me like a physical blow to the stomach. The image of Leah’s shifty, darting eyes in the car flashed through my mind, the way she had looked toward the tree line, the way she had slipped away the moment Kelly and Becca arrived. "He didn't follow us. He was invited."The room went deathly silent. My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a cold fist. I looked at the spot where she had stood moments ago, leaning on me for support, playing the victim. The "traumatized" girl who had whimpered in the back of the SUV, showing me her raw wrists and begging for forgiveness, was gone. She had been replaced by a ghost–or a snake."She's not in the house," Skylar’s voice was a l
Aliyah's POV "Pack meeting. Now. Hunters sighted near the borders. They’ve breached the first line of defense.""I told you," he growled, pushing the SUV even faster. "While we were playing rescue for a princess who betrayed us, the real monsters were moving in.""I'm sorry," Leah whimpered from the backseat. I looked back at her; she looked small, huddled against the door, her wrists red and raw where the ropes had been. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I just... I was so scared of Chase.""Your fear almost cost Aliyah her life," Tyler snapped, his eyes fixed on the road. "Save the apologies for someone who actually gives a shit."Leah flinched, her eyes darting to me, filled with a guilt so heavy it was almost palpable. We screeched to a halt outside the Blood Bane pack house minutes later. The sprawling estate was filled with frantic activity. Under the pale moonlight, dozens of wolves were shifting, running perimeters, or shouting orders. The air was thick with the scen
Aliyah's POV "Leah! Leah, stay on the line!" I screamed, but the silence following the click was deafening.I stared at the dark screen of my phone, my breath hitching in my throat. Tyler’s large hands were still on my shoulders, but the warmth of his touch was eclipsed by the ice flooding my veins."Who was that?" Tyler’s voice was a low rumble of thunder. His emerald eyes were narrowed, scanning my face for the truth I was too terrified to speak. "Leah?""Chase found her," I gasped, the words tumbling out in a rush. "He’s at the old warehouse district. He’s taking her, Tyler. He’s taking her back to Aveshill to force that marriage!"Leah has always talked about how her family forced the betrothal with Prince Chase on her and she talks about it with so much fear. She never wanted to marry Chase.Tyler’s grip tightened for a fraction of a second before he spun around, snatching his keys off the mahogany side table. "We’re not going.""What?" I recoiled as if he’d slapped me. "Tyler,
Aliyah's POV The wind howled through the ancient oaks at the edge of the campus, a mournful sound that mirrored the hollow ache in my chest. I stared at Professor Whyte, the moonlight catching the predatory glint in her eyes. My heart hammered against my ribs rapidly."Alliance?" I choked out the word, backing away until the rough bark of a tree bit into my spine. "You’ve spent the last semester trying to ruin me. You hate everything I am, why the hell would you help me now?"Whyte stepped forward, the silk of her long coat rustling like a snake in the grass. She didn't look like the composed math professor who taught us equations, she looked like a woman who had finally stopped pretending she wasn't a monster. A slow, cruel smirk pulled at her lips."Don't flatter yourself, Aliyah. I haven't developed a sudden spark of maternal instinct," she hissed, her voice dropping an octave. "I’m helping you because Skylar ended our affair for you. He threw away years of… compatibility… for a l
Aliyah's POV But as we hit the bottom landing, pushing through the side door into the night, a cold, mocking voice echoed from the shadows behind us."Looking for something, thieves?"I spun, my blood turning to ice. My hand instinctively flew to the pocket of my hoodie, fingers curling around the cold metal of the flash drive, the only proof I had that my life was being auctioned off to the highest bidder of the werewolf world.Dahlia stepped out from behind a concrete pillar, her eyes gleaming with a sick, predatory fury. She wasn't alone. Dawn stood a few paces behind her, arms crossed and her face was a mask of boredom. Dahlia, however, looked like she was vibrating with the need to kill."You broke into my room?" Dahlia hissed, her voice vibrating with a low, animalistic growl. She stepped into the pool of light cast by the security lamp, and the sheer malice on her face made my stomach lurch. "I’ll have you expelled for this. No–I’ll have you ruined. You, the little charity cas







