~ ~ ASTRID ~ ~“ Come. Choose. Witness what it truly means to possess,” Kieran’s voice rolled out like a low growl, raw and unyielding, cutting through the thick silence that gripped the hall.I stood alone at the center, every eye in the room burning into my skin like molten metal. The weight of their gazes was suffocating. My glance flickered between Kieran, towering, fierce, a storm barely held in check, and Rhys, quiet and poised, a dangerous calm shadow wrapped in mystery and unspoken power. Their bare chests glistened under the flicker of torchlight, primal warriors in this brutal contest.My wolf, Eliza, stirred beside me—restless, raw, trembling with conflicting anticipation. The air was saturated with scents that wove together in a wild, intoxicating dance-the sharp tang of fury, the heavy sweetness of desire. It made my skin prickle, my breath hitch.Alpha Xavier Thorne sat poised on his throne, face carved from icy stone, as Elara, eyes sharp and unreadable, stood like a ha
“Isn’t that right, Astrid?” Rhys’s voice, a soft, hypnotic whisper, brushed against my mind. “Let the games begin. Let’s see who truly claims you in the dark.” My body was a live wire stretched taut between two poles. Kieran’s blazing fury radiated from one side, a raw and potent heat. Rhys’s cool, unsettling intensity pulsed from the other, laced with a dangerous understanding. The air in the Main Hall crackled, thick with the scent of anticipation, fear, and the clashing dominance of the Thorne alphas. “Astrid. You have made an… unprecedented demand,” Alpha Xavier Thorne’s voice boomed, cutting through the suffocating tension. “This pack now waits for the demonstration of your loyalty. And the Moon Goddess… she demands her due.” He gestured to the vast, ornate rug in the center of the hall. “ Prove your worth, Luna. Prove your strength. Prove who truly holds your claim.” I swept my gaze over the sea of faces, illuminated by flickering torchlight. Every wolf watched, their eyes wi
~ ~ ASTRID ~ ~" If you want me, Kieran. If you want this pack to survive the Blood Moon. If you want Rhys to live…” I held his furious gaze, my voice unwavering, even as my heart hammered against my ribs. “Then you will share your Luna. With your brother. And the pack. Will witness.”The words hung in the air, audacious, shocking. Kieran froze in the doorway, his massive wolf form framed by the splintered wood. His golden eyes, blazing with an earlier rage, now widened in disbelief, then narrowed into slits of pure, terrifying fury. He let out a guttural snarl, a sound of pure betrayal and disbelief.Behind him, the pack wolves surged forward, their growls a low, menacing chorus. The scent of their aggression, thick and primal, filled the small cabin. They were ready to tear me, to tear Rhys, to tear everything apart.Elara Thorne, her wolf form still bristling, pushed through the pack, her gaze fixed on me, a flicker of something unreadable – shock? grudging admiration? – in her col
~ ~ ASTRID ~ ~“Don’t you dare die on me, Rhys Thorne,” I muttered, my voice tight, as I wrapped my arms around his massive wolf form. Every muscle screamed in protest as I forced myself to lift him, to begin the agonizingly slow journey through the dense, unforgiving forest. His weight was a crushing burden, his whimpers of pain tearing at my heart with every desperate, strained step.The moon began its slow descent, painting the forest in shifting shades of gray and black. The air grew colder, thick with the damp scent of earth and decaying leaves. Each step was a battle against the rough terrain, against the rapidly draining strength in my limbs, against the insidious fear gnawing at my resolve. Rhys’s warmth, his life, was a fragile anchor in my arms.My mind raced. Kieran’s fury, Xavier’s cold decree, Elara’s surprising intervention, and the terrifying phantom scream – it all swirled into a chaotic tempest. But right now, none of it mattered as much as the injured wolf in my arms
Chapter 16~ ~ ASTRID ~ ~“This is your final warning, Astrid,” Kieran growled, his voice low and dangerous, his wolf radiating pure, unadulterated rage. “Move. Now. Or you will face the consequences.”His golden eyes, usually so commanding, were now chillingly blank with fury. He was no longer seeing me, Astrid, the girl he claimed. He was seeing defiance. A challenge to his absolute authority.My own wolf, Eliza, was a frantic, terrified animal trapped in my chest. Every instinct screamed at me to obey, to cower, to submit to the Alpha’s will. But seeing Rhys, injured and vulnerable on the ground, his dark eyes still holding that quiet defiance, something snapped within me. A stubborn, furious resolve.“No,” I snarled, the word ripping from my throat, raw and defiant. My black fur bristled, and a low, guttural sound, more animal than human, vibrated deep in my chest. It wasn’t a whimpering growl of fear, but a guttural, protective warning. I was small against his formidable bulk, bu
My eyes snapped open, my heart hammering. Kieran lay beside me, heavy and sated, his breathing deep and even in sleep. But Rhys’s scent, clean and earthy, was a phantom presence in the room, cutting through the musky aftermath of Kieran’s claim. It was impossible. He was supposed to be confined. Yet his whisper, the undeniable proof of his proximity, still resonated in my very bones.I shifted slightly, the furs rustling, a subtle movement that wouldn't disturb Kieran. My gaze darted towards the window, the faint moonlight painting shadows. Nothing. Yet the chilling certainty remained. He had been here. While Kieran slept. While I lay in the tangled aftermath of my Alpha’s brutal possession.A cold dread seeped into my veins, mingling with a strange, dark curiosity. What kind of game was this? What did he want? He wasn't like Kieran, demanding and forceful in the light. Rhys moved in the shadows, his presence a subtle, insidious poison that worked its way into my mind, into my very se