EightAt exactly 8:00 PM, the banquet began. Nobles, warriors, council members, and some packmates had arrived.I moved through the room, placing dishes onto the buffet table and standing behind it. The guests began serving themselves. Some of the noblewomen stared at the food as if expecting disappointment—some even had the audacity to ask for the former head cook.A noblewoman wrinkled her nose as she ladled a small portion of stew onto her plate, eyeing it before moving down the table. Her friend took a slice of meat as if testing its worth. I didn’t let it bother me. They were the least of my worries, and I knew they would be back.Minutes passed as I watched from my station. Then it happened—the first noblewoman leaned toward her companion, muttering something. They both rose from their chairs, and one by one, guests started returning to the buffet table, eager to eat more.The same woman who had initially acted unimpressed filled her plate with more than she could carry. I looke
AxelThe hall pulsed with excited energy. At the far end, seated on the throne-like chair, I remained composed, scanning the room and observing every interaction.We all knew what was coming. The sound of the gong was enough to shift the energy in the room.The execution.Two warriors in black leather and iron armor stepped into the hall. Between them, a traitor was dragged forward, his wrists shackled, and face bruised and covered in dried blood.The warriors forced him onto his knees in the center of the hall. He spat blood onto the floor and, despite the agony in his battered body, I saw the rebellious streak in his eyes.I rested my forearm on the carved wolf's head of my chair, watching him."What is his offense?" Shahar asked, standing beside me.
EveThe moment Axel stepped into the garden, I caught his scent long before he reached the lake. It was distinct, and even if my nose was doused with a thousand other scents, I would still recognize it.I didn’t need to turn around to know he was there, watching.And tonight, I would let him.My toes curled over the water before slipping in, sending a shock through my limbs, but I didn’t flinch. Instead, I took off my robe and let my body sink into its embrace with an unhurried, deliberate movement.I let myself float for a moment, my limbs slicing through the water, sending ripples that danced across the pool. My hair fanned out behind me as I swam slowly, taking my time, feeling the weight of Axel’s stare pressing against my skin.He hadn’t moved.
Eve My lust grew potent, and the flame of desire kindled between my thighs. Axel was asking for a massage, and the thought of seeing him naked drove me wild with distraction. He sat on the bench, watching my next move with a dangerous smile. My hand twitched in my lap. I needed to touch him. To feel his warm body pressed up against me.“Come on,” he chuckled. “I don't bite. Well…not unless you want.”That made me laugh out loud.A wicked spark lit in his eyes as he raised one brow at me in an invitation. It was tempting. Very, very tempting.Sighing, I reached for him. His expression was priceless as it twisted into a mischievous grin, and he stretched out, completely at my mercy. My hands were already starting to work their magic. I started at my ankles, kneading the tight muscles with the right amount of pressure. He let out a low groan as I moved up to his calves. "You're tense," I murmured, voice low and sultry.Without thinking, my fingers brushed against the bulge in his p
The moment I got to my bedroom, it felt like the walls of my room were closing in on me.I sat on the bed, staring at the door, listening to the fading sound of his footsteps as silence swallowed the space.Then, shame crashed down on me.My knees buckled, and I sank onto the edge of the bed, my hands covering my face. A choked sob escaped before I could swallow it down.What have I done?Shame squeezed the air from my lungs. This wasn’t supposed to happen. My body had betrayed me. His scent still clung to my skin, the sheets, the air— everything, and I hated how much I wanted to drown in it.My parents would roll in their graves.I pressed a fist against my lips, trying to silence the sobs racking my body, but the tears came anyway.My mother, who had once held me in the safety of her arms.My father had given his life to protect his family.What would they say if they could see me now—broken and undone by the very man who had destroyed everything they built?A fresh wave of disgust
AxelWith my arms crossed over my chest, I watched Shahar and a few of the warriors demonstrating different techniques to the younger recruits under the shade of the archway, while the others trained in the field.The young Lycans loved this challenge—an exhilarating test of their strength against seasoned warriors.Shahar laughed, easily dodging a boy's reckless swing and knocking him off balance with a mere flick of his foot."Come on, you’ll have to be faster than that if you want to win a real fight," he teased, offering his opponent a hand.The recruit took it, shaking his head in good-natured embarrassment, while the others waited, eager for their turn.I exhaled, adjusting my stance.Watching my warriors train had always brought me a sense of peace.Discipline. Order. Strength.But something about watching Shahar today made my chest feel tight.Guilt.That was it.I could feel it—dragging me down, refusing to be ignored.Every time I saw him, it reminded me of last night with E
EveI knew Axel was listening.He flipped through his puzzle book like he wasn’t paying attention, but I knew better.He was too calculating not to be listening, too intelligent not to be connecting the dots.That’s why I deliberately mentioned it.I wanted to see if he would react—to catch even the slightest shift in his gaze, anything that would confirm he was paying attention.My heart drummed in my chest as I waited for his eyes to betray something.Nothing.Not a twitch, not a glance, not even the faintest acknowledgment.I swallowed hard, hating the growing ache of disappointment.His fingers glided across the page as he solved whatever problem was in front of him.Maybe I was shooting myself in the foot, revealing too much too soon. Every word I spoke felt like a reckless gamble. I was playing with fire by mentioning my estate so openly, dangling a thread that, if pulled, could expose everything I had so carefully hidden.If Shahar dug deeper, my cover could be blown. The thoug
EveStanding in the shadows of the corridor, I watched Axel seated at the head of the table, speaking to his advisors. The plate of snacks I had placed before him earlier sat untouched.He hadn’t spared me a glance.Was he avoiding me?Of course, he was. Since that unholy night.Maybe he was regretting it, realizing it was a mistake. Maybe I should care less.I stacked the dishes for cleaning. He wasn’t silent with others. He still spoke to them, brief conversations, acknowledgments with his guards, even some of the maids.He was busy, but not too busy to speak to others.Just me.I hated myself for feeling frustrated. I should be relieved—his attention was dangerous. I had seen what happened to women who got tangled in his world, and I was not here for that.I was here for revenge.I wasn’t supposed to care if he ignored me.I thought I had at least a few days of peace, but then Nina walked back into the castle like she was reclaiming a throne.The moment I spotted her entering the h
VanessaIn the middle of the night, when every being who had peace in them was asleep, I tossed and turned in bed. The sheets beneath me felt rough against my skin. Groaning in annoyance, I slid to my knees on the floor, staring at the corner of the room, blank-eyed.“Just say something,” I whispered.I needed to pray, but I didn’t even know who I was talking to. I shut my eyes tightly and tried again. My lips moved without sound; my throat was too dry. I swallowed and forced the words out.“Dear Goddess...”Ugh.It wasn’t working. She was not dear to me. She felt far, like a stranger. My hands twisted together. I had forgotten how to pray, and somehow that sent a wave of shame through me. My mother used to say the Goddess listened even when we didn’t speak, but I didn’t believe that anymore.I used to pray beside her before bed, before everything fell apart. I used to believe the Goddess cared. A broken laugh escaped my lips. My belief died when they took everything that made me happ
VanessaIn the middle of the night, when every being who had peace in them was asleep, I tossed and turned in bed. The sheets beneath me felt rough against my skin. Groaning in annoyance, I slid to my knees on the floor, staring at the corner of the room, blank-eyed.“Just say something,” I whispered.I needed to pray, but I didn’t even know who I was talking to. I shut my eyes tightly and tried again. My lips moved without sound; my throat was too dry. I swallowed and forced the words out.“Dear Goddess...”Ugh.It wasn’t working. She was not dear to me. She felt far, like a stranger. My hands twisted together. I had forgotten how to pray, and somehow that sent a wave of shame through me. My mother used to say the Goddess listened even when we didn’t speak, but I didn’t believe that anymore.I used to pray beside her before bed, before everything fell apart. I used to believe the Goddess cared. A broken laugh escaped my lips. My belief died when they took everything that made me happ
AlecIt felt like my feet were glued to the floor as I watched Vanessa vanish down the stairs. My body still reacted like she was right in front of me. I hated that. I hated how she walked off like she had a choice. Like she could somehow outrun this cursed bond.She wasn’t immune. I knew that. Her blood carried the same Alpha rage mine did. This was her problem too. But she carried it like she had already won something.I pushed my wolf down, but he kept snapping at the inside of my ribs, restless. He didn’t shut up. I started pacing, dragging my fingers through my hair. Her scent still clung to the air. It pissed me off.I moved to the nightstand and picked up my mother's perfume bottle. Jasmine and vanilla. I hated how soft it smelled, but I sprayed it anyway.I needed a different memory.The scent hit me, and the flashback of screams cutting through the courtyard hit fast. I’d hidden behind a pillar, too scared to move. I’d seen my mother fall. Her knees hit the stone, hands clutc
Vanessa In the middle of the night, I sat cross-legged with papers spread across the floor of my room. My fingers glided over the inked words from the parchment Olga had given me earlier.The Alpha bloodline is chosen by the moon. Enforced by myths. Preserved through fear.I scoffed under my breath. Of course they'd say that. That was their poetry for tyranny.I picked up another paper. A diagram. The Blackmoor pack structure. Alphas. Betas. Gammas. Deltas. Omegas. And then, at the very bottom—us.The rejects.Even their omegas lived better. We were the hands that cleaned their fields, the mouths that fed their hunger. Disposable.My eyes landed on another title: The Rebellion of Valen Hunter: A Warning to Future Traitors.My chest clenched. I leaned forward and read line by line, every word slow.Valen Hunter was executed for crimes against the bloodline. May the goddess silence his lineage.I squeezed my eyes shut.They were jokers. What crime did he commit? They didn’t even say. J
Amma didn’t look back. Her steps kicked up the dust behind her, and her fists clenched at her sides like she was dragging her anger with her. I stood still. My chest felt hollow. The rage rolling off her had knocked the wind out of me, and now all I could do was stare.I didn’t move at first. My legs didn’t listen. It took everything to shift one foot forward, like walking through thick mud. Amma was supposed to understand. She was supposed to comfort me, not make me feel like I’d burned the entire village.I turned away and started walking slowly. The trees swallowed me, and each step felt heavier than the last. I didn’t rush. I didn’t want to get home.Why did she react like I reached out to the goddess and begged for the bond? I didn’t. I never wanted it. I never wanted him.But Amma didn’t wait to hear that. She didn’t ask questions. She looked at me like I betrayed her. Like I betrayed all of them.The house buzzed when I arrived. The higher-ranked females were preparing for a p
Vanessa The air in the Omega base felt stale. Too many bodies and too little hope.The omega's were too weak to fight during the coup so they lived. But if living was like this, perhaps death was better. They were suffering in abject poverty.I stepped over a broken plank and passed a sleeping child curled beside an empty basket. Some of them looked up. Most didn’t bother. Their eyes were flat. Tired. Hungry.The housing was worse than I imagined—if you could even call it housing. Wooden shacks leaned into each other like they were too weak to stand. Some of the younger wolves squatted beside black water, brushing their teeth with twigs.A boy with matted hair sniffed the air when I passed. His stomach was swollen from hunger. I shifted my basket and kept moving. I had brought what I could—some rice, herbs, and clean rags—but it felt like pouring water into a cracked jar.Olga had told me to come. Told me to see what Alec’s “peace” looked like. Told me to remember what he took.And I
Alec I caught her scent before I saw her.Sweet, primal and alive.It hit me as I rounded the corner of the second-floor stairs.My heart slammed hard enough that I felt it in my throat. The bond snapped awake between us, yanking tight across my ribs.And there she was.Vanessa stood a few steps above me, gripping the railing, breathing like she had just run a mile. Her skin glowed under the lights, damp from a heat that hadn't touched anyone else. Her wolf was awake, I could feel it reaching for mine.Every muscle in my body locked.I wanted to take the last few steps and grab her.Bury my face against her neck.Mark her until she couldn’t belong to anyone but me.She took another shaky step down. Her knees wobbled like a newborn pup’s.I stayed rooted where I was.Her eyes found mine, like she'd been caught in the middle of a nightmare.Something primal shoved against my control.My wolf surged, howling for her.Take her. Now.Vanessa’s lips parted. She staggered. Her scent punched
Vanessa’s POVI couldn't let Nina's words slide without knowing what she was up to. I pushed through the servants, ignoring the stupid whispers.Nina was halfway up the stairs leading to the third floor, acting like she had no idea she’d just thrown a torch into dry wood. I ran up the stairs and caught up with her. She turned, calm as still water with a smile on her lips. “What are you up to?” I cried out, exasperated.Nina looked around and whispered, “Walls have ears. You don't want Isabella and Maya to hear this.”She smoothed her skirt and turned back to the stairs. Without glancing back, she said, “Follow me.”Rage crawled up my neck. I stood there with clenched fists, before forcing my legs to move.We didn’t speak as we climbed. When I stepped inside her quarters, my eyes widened.It was nothing short of beautiful and eccentric. The walls were painted deep blue, like the sky right before it surrendered to the stars. A colorful rug sprawled across the floor, alive with shapes
Vanessa The stench of blood hit me before I even reached the laundry hall. The metallic smell clung to my nose and throat, making every breath taste like iron.We were waiting, heads down, buckets lined along the wall. When the hunters dumped the bloodied clothes in front of us, the pile steamed in the cold air."Move," barked one of the guards.We dropped to our knees and started sorting. Thick leather cloaks soaked through, ripped and dark with blood. Some had claw marks. Others, deep slashes. My hands found a warm shirt. My stomach clenched. I bit the inside of my cheek and shoved it into the basin.The head servant, Marga, stormed past. "You're slower than a pack of drunk pups. Hurry up!"My fingers worked fast, scrubbing, rinsing and wringing. The water turned red instantly. A film of blood coated the surface. Every time I dipped the cloth back in, it felt like bathing in ghosts.The memory slipped in before I could fight it.I was thirteen years old, and my dad had just given