AxelA heaviness settled in my limbs, making it nearly impossible to open my eyes. Though I was aware of my surroundings, my body refused to cooperate. It felt like sleep paralysis, where my mind was awake, yet my muscles remained frozen. Even so, I could sense when someone entered the room. The soft pad of footsteps was light, and the scent was undeniably feminine.I struggled to lift my eyelids, fully expecting to see Nina standing over me, as she often did, uninvited and overstepping her boundaries. But when I finally forced my eyes open, I was met with Shahar’s latest fascination, Eve.She stood stiffly beside the bed, rigid as if she had just been caught doing something she shouldn’t have. Her eyes widened in shock, and I could tell she was trying and failing to mask her reaction.Her fingers had been on me.I could feel the sensation—a light touch tracing the scar along my ribcage. She had yanked her hand away as if I had burned her. My gaze scanned the surroundings, noting th
EveFire surged from Axel’s body to mine, igniting a lustful, sinful sensation so overwhelming that I was blind to everything but the pleasure coursing through me.He was all I wanted, all I could think about. A forbidden longing had taken root, sending a delicious shiver down my spine.The need to possess him, to be claimed by him, burned hotter than anything I had ever felt.I ran a hand around his abdomen, massaging with oils until he arched into my touch. His breathing grew heavier, and his muscles relaxed beneath my touch.His closed eyes and slightly parted lips were a sign that he was enjoying the sensation of my hands working his muscles.The dirty part of my mind imagined him buried inside me with a savage thrust.I inhaled the scent of the bond, and my chest rose and fell with an unspoken desire.My hands slipped beneath his shirt and stroked over the warm skin. When I rubbed his left nipple between two fingers, he sucked in a breath, and his eyes widened Reality struck.He
EveI hid behind a stone-carved pillar, watching Axel preside over the throne room.He sat in full regalia, a dark military jacket adorned with golden insignias, a cape trimmed with fur flowing behind him like a mark of absolute authority.His presence alone was enough to command the room, and when he spoke, his voice held an effortless power that silenced all other voices—the unmistakable voice of a king.The council members, mostly older males, surrounded him, discussing political matters. Despite Axel being a major asshole, there was something undeniably majestic about him. He exuded control, and whether I liked it or not, I couldn’t deny that it was captivating.I tore my gaze away from him and turned my attention to the two brothers standing before him. A land dispute had brought them here, and I could already tell, even without hearing much, that the older one was greedy and manipulative.“That land was our father’s legacy, not your personal kingdom!” the younger brother argued
AxelWatching my packmates from a vantage point left me feeling stripped of my power, my authority—everything tied to my identity as King.I kept my hands buried in my pockets, leaning against the wall in a secluded section of the castle, a place where no one could find me. An open window and balcony overlooked the wolf parade below, but I had shielded the view with a curtain to ensure no one could look up and see me.The howls and laughter of my packmates drifted upward, piercing through the silence I had wrapped myself in. It was almost laughable how most of them hadn’t even realized something was wrong. Their king was supposed to be leading them, standing at the forefront of every ceremony—except, of course, when unavoidably absent.Perhaps I should thank the fucked up goddess for whoever was ruining my life. Maybe they had also blinded my people to the obvious.&nbs
EveI wouldn’t say I was surprised when Nina slapped me. It would have been more surprising if she hadn’t. The moment she slammed her fork down, her eyes flashing with rage, I knew what was coming.The slap wasn’t even the painful part. What hurt most was Axel sipping his wine, completely unbothered that his mate had just been assaulted—the fact that made my blood boil."Taste it!" Nina shrieked, shoving her plate forward as if daring me. "How dare you make this trash and try to pin the blame on me?"I remained composed. There was no need to taste it—I was the one who had prepared and served her meal, and I knew exactly what I had done.Yes, I had deliberately over-salted it.Maya had been relentless, whispering in my mind, urging me to do something to ruin Nina’s perfect evening. And like a fool, I had let my wolf’s
EveA deep and intense longing made my skin grow feverish with desire—all thanks to Axel’s scent.His mere presence sent my heartbeat into a frenzied rhythm, my body hyper-aware of his scent. Lust, beyond my control, wrapped around me.Although hesitant, I needed to compose myself and scan the lab for wolfsbane. Axel, dressed in protective gear, hadn't even turned around. He seemed focused on his task. The air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs, chemicals, and sterilized glass. I wondered what invention he was working on.Tonight, I was going to conclude my findings about him. If he genuinely felt nothing, he wouldn’t react—but he should have smelled me the moment I stepped in.I pushed aside my tangled emotions, focusing instead on the clinking of glass bottles as he arranged them, the bubbling of a heated solution
Axel I breathed in Eve’s scent. The moment was heady and fucking intoxicating.Her breath hitched, and a breathy moan escaped her lips—a sound so soft yet so devastating that it sent a pulse of heat straight through me. She was still fully clothed, but it didn’t matter. The silky heat between her thighs drew me in, tempting me beyond reason. Tempting me to fuck her.My fingers tightened on her waist, feeling the warmth of her body through the thin fabric of her dress. She arched and pressed closer, and the friction ignited a dangerous lust in my loins.I lost the last remnants of restraint, diving in to claim her lips. The moment our mouths met, everything else ceased to exist. The kiss was sinful, like a crime I was willing to commit over and over again. Her lips were impossibly soft, molding against mine with a desperate kind of urgency. My hands roamed up her back, gripping her tighter as her fingers curled into my shirt, clutching me as if she was afraid I’d pull away.Our to
EveMy lips pressed together in a grimace as I tried to stop the panicked feeling creeping into my head. Instinct told me to put out the fire, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to move.Axel’s cough was rough, almost violent, and the industrial stove kept spewing smoke.It would be so easy to just let him choke on it, a wicked part of me whispered. But Maya wouldn’t let me abandon our mate."Put out the fire, you fool!" she cried in my head.I struggled to find my footing as my eyes started to burn. Stumbling forward, I headed for the stove. Flames licked at the metal, and the knobs and burners were different from what I was used to. It was a huge machine, and I had no idea how to work it. My heart pounded, and my vision blurred from the fumes."What the hell are these terms?" I cried out. The controls were written in some twisted scientific language. I twisted one knob desperately, but nothing happened.Axel was on all fours now. Every muscle in his body seemed locked in a
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
AlecThe morning after Olga's prophecy was awful.I woke up with a pounding headache, like my skull was about to split open. But as memories of last night came flooding back, the headache was nothing compared to the deep ache in my chest.My mate.The one person destined to be my perfect match was Valen Hunter's daughter. Entirely unsuitable for me.The thought of being bonded to an enemy felt like punishment. I rubbed my forehead, trying to shake off the fog, but my mind kept circling back to the impossibility of it all.How could the goddess be so cruel?I’d always thought I was blessed and destined for power. Life had spoiled me with luxury, and now I was crowned alpha of one of the most powerful packs on the south coast. People envied me. But now, luck had turned its back on me.It felt like the moon goddess herself had said, "You’ve had enough blessings. Time for a change."And she had changed everything.A bond with Vanessa was unthinkable. Packmates would revolt and use it agai
Vanessa The bruises had faded, but the ache remained. It was so deep nothing could touch it. My wolf was still weak from Olga’s wolfsbane. She wasn’t silent, but her voice and cries were faint.I felt sorry for poisoning her in the first place. But if I had to do this over and over to suppress this bond, I wouldn't hesitate.The memory from last night rushed in. Lucas had tried to kill me, and Alec had stopped him, saved me, carried me... then stood over me and said I was a threat.He kept sending mixed signals, confusing me. He needed to pick a side already.Picking a side wouldn’t change the fact that he killed my father. I got dressed and headed out. The morning gong had rung earlier to wake the servants, but no one had woken me. They had all witnessed the horrifying event last night.No high-ranking wolf ever came down to the servants’ quarters.That changed yesterday because of me. Because of me, the Alpha punched his trusted Beta.As I stepped out, everyone stared at me like
AlecLucas slammed the door without knocking."If you’ve lost your damn mind, just say it out loud so I can send for the psychiatrist."I didn’t look up from the blade I was sharpening."Get out.""No. Not until we explain what the hell that was last night."He paced around the room like a rabid dog, chest out, pride bruised."You punched me in front of that servant girl!"My jaw tightened. "Stop whining, Luc. I warned you not to kill her.""And why should I listen to you? She's a traitor's spawn. We should’ve gotten her the moment the bond snapped into place. You think you can hide her? This isn’t about your feelings—it’s about what the Kingdom sees.""Stop it," I said flatly. "You’re beginning to sound like a broken record. I have a mind of my own.""Then use it," he snapped. "You’re showing weakness: This is not like you. I’ll keep reminding you every fucking minute if it keeps you from wrecking your life."I shot him a sharp look. "I hope you haven’t told your loudmouth wife anyth