LOGINAdriel POV
"Move faster," I bark, my boots digging into the damp dirt.
The sound of three thousand Lycan warriors marching behind me vibrates through the soles of my feet. We are heading straight for my kingdom's border. On paper, it looks like an invasion. Gage brought his entire army, creating the perfect illusion of a massive, bloody war. But the real objective is much smaller, and much more lethal.
We are here to trap Kori. And I already know exactly
Mitchell POVThe bedroom air is thick with the scent of crushed lilies and raw heat.I wake up with my chest heaving. The mattress is damp beneath my back. My muscles ache with a deep, hollow exhaustion that goes straight to the bone. Next to me, Adriel shifts. His breathing is loud and jagged in the dark.I look down at my own body. My trousers are gone. My skin is covered in a sheen of cold sweat.Every single inch of my flesh feels raw."Wake up," a voice says.The sound cuts through the heavy silence of the room. It does not come from the bed. It comes from the shadow near the wardrobe.I bolt upright. Beside me, Adriel snaps awake at the exact same second. His shoulders tense. His jaw drops open as he stares ahead.Betty steps out of the dark.The light from the corridor hits her skin. She is not wearing her usual soft clothes. She is wearing black lace that cuts high up her hips and plunges down to her navel. It le
Mitchell POVThe burning in my throat was mutual.I sat on the balcony edge, the stone cold against my thighs, staring at the empty glass in my hand. The devil's poison tasted exactly like battery acid. It slid down my gullet, turning my stomach into a knot of black fire, forcing my Lycan's fangs back into my gums with a vicious, unnatural ache.Adriel sat opposite me, his glass already empty on the iron table. His jaw was locked so tight a vein pulsed violently near his ear."I can still smell her," I growled, tossing the glass onto the outdoor table."The poison only stops the teeth, Mitchell," Adriel barked, his voice tight. "It does not stop the hunger."Then, the wind shifted.The scent of roses and honey hit the balcony like a physical blow. My Lycan let out a deafening roar inside my skull, pacing behind my ribs, scratching to get out. From inside the room, a soft, breathless whimper cut through
Betty POVThe bathroom tiles were freezing against my bare feet, but my blood was pure fire."I am not locking April away," I rasped, my throat raw. "Never."Adriel did not argue. He just moved. His massive arms hooked under my knees and scooped me off the floor in one smooth, sweeping motion. I buried my face into the crook of his neck, inhaling the sharp, metallic scent of his skin mixed with the damp heat of the shower.He carried me out of the steam and into the adjoining bedroom. It was a massive, sterile guest suite. The kind with heavy drapes and expensive, uninviting furniture. He laid me down on the centre of the mattress. The moment my head hit the pillow, a wave of exhaustion crashed over me. My eyelids felt like lead.Adriel pulled back, his hand sliding away from my waist.I reached out instantly, my fingers catching the hem of his shirt. "Don't go.""I am just taking off these wet trouser
Betty POV“April?”I do not speak the name aloud. The word stays locked inside my skull, bouncing against the walls of my mind.Yes, Betty. I am your wolf, and my name is April.The voice is smooth, echoing in the quiet spaces of my brain. My fingers twitch against my thighs. My skin feels too tight, like it belongs to someone else.“How long have you been in there?” I think the words this time, forcing the thought hard against the back of my eyes.Since you woke up. I am Tola’ daughter. Tola was your lycan, but when she died, I took over instead.A cold shudder ripples down my spine. A lycan first. Then death. Now a wolf. The information hits like a physical blow, making my knees wobble.“Can we shift?” I think back, my mental voice rising with a sudden, sharp spike of excitement. “Can we actually do it?”A soft laugh echoes in my head, followed by
Betty POV"Stop," Adriel snarled, his fingers digging into my hips before he threw me off his lap.My skin burned exactly where his hands had been. The rejection tasted like hot copper in the back of my throat. I staggered back against the cold stone wall of the corridor, my chest heaving as I pulled my torn shirt together."Why did you let it go that far?" I demanded, my voice cracking in the empty hallway. "You wanted it. Don't lie to me.""It is neither the time nor the place," he said. His voice was too flat. Too calm. He didn't even look at me as he tucked his shirt back into his trousers. "Move. The library is this way.""You are infuriating," I spat, but I forced my feet to move, trailing two steps behind his massive frame.The heavy oak doors of the royal library loomed ahead. I stopped dead on the Persian rug. My eyes fixed on the intricate carvings on the left panel."She moved," I whispered, the skin on my arms turning to g
Adriel POV“Either?” I ask, keeping my voice dead level.I don’t move from the edge of the bed. My eyes lock onto hers, watching the tiny flicker of panic in her pupils.“I don’t know why I said that.” Betty shifts back an inch. Her knuckles whiten against the sheets.“That is okay.” I force a smooth, slow smile.I lean forward, closing the distance between us before she can pull away. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her chest against mine in a tight grip. My heart thumps hard against her ribs. I need her to feel the weight of my body. I need her to stay still.“I know it’s your fault that I don’t have any memories.”The whisper hits my ear like cold water.I snap my spine straight and push her backward. Her shoulders hit the headboard with a dull thud.“How?” The word cuts through my teeth.“Elia.” Betty does not blink. She stares right through me. “I met her yesterday. It was like looki
Adriel POV"Get your hands up or I will take them off," I snapped, keeping my eyes fixed on the muddy patch of turf in the centre of the pack training grounds.The morning air smelled of crushed grass and heavy male sweat. The Lycan tournament was supposed to be a d
Luka POV"Get your hands off me if you are going to growl like a cornered beast, Luka."Novalee did not flinch, but her blue-tinted magic sputtered out, leaving Prince Adriel half-healed on the cold stone floor of the corridor."I am not growling at you," I m
Mitchell POV"Get up, Prince Mitchell, before I dump a bucket of well water over your royal head."Novalee’s voice rasps right above me.I blink hard. My vision blurs, then snaps into focus. The stone floor beneath my cheek is freezing. My head throbs w
Betty POVThe darkness was not empty. It was heavy, wet, and smelled of nothing at all.I floated backward, my arms out to the sides, sinking deeper into the black void of my own mind. April was gone. My Lycan spirit had retreated into some distant, locked corner of







