I was in the shadow room again. It looked much the same as it had looked the last time I was here, only this time, I could feel Zaram's presence in the back of my mind. I looked around the room, searching for the woman who had brought me here. If "woman" was the right word to describe her with. Was she even human? "Yes," a voice suddenly hissed loudly, it was sharp and cold, and I flinched before I could stop myself. I recognized the eerie quality of Ravenna's voice, and like before, it made my skin crawl a little and my chest tightened. Startled, I looked around again, trying and failing to find the source. "You won't find me that way," Ravenna said, laughing. The sound high and distorted, almost childlike yet cruel."Where are you?" I demanded loudly, my voice sharper than I intended. Ravenna laughed again, and I felt a slight tug in my chest, like something cold and heavy was being ripped out of me. I gasped and looked down, my eyes widening as I saw a dark energy coalescing a
From the moment I made the stupidest mistake of my life, I'd never thought I'd ever have the chance to have my mate in my arms. But having her in my arms, *and* kissing her was another thing entirely — something I didn’t dare dream about, yet here I was, living it.It was so different from the last and only time I'd taken a kiss from her. Back then, it had been one-sided, forced by my desperation. But this time… this time, I wasn’t the only one taking. She was kissing me back. Her lips were soft, hesitant at first, but then eager. She wanted me."Idiot," Ragnar seethed in the back of my head, his voice laced with disgust. "Even now, you can't think with your brain and not your cock." I clenched my jaw. "What now?" I snapped. "What more do you want? Kira wants us. She's receptive.""She's receptive because she's entering her heat cycle, dumbass," Ragnar sneered. "You think if the Lycan Prince was here she'd give you a second glance?" I stiffened but forced myself to stay calm. "News
A knock sounded on my door, and I finally uncurled myself from my position on the bed, and wiped off the tears left on my face. I straightened my clothes, ran my hands through my hair, and glanced into the mirror. My reflection stared back — tired, pale, but composed enough. I couldn’t afford to look weak. Expecting King Jon on the other side, I drew a steadying breath and opened the door.It wasn't the Lycan King that stood there. It was Luna Odessa, looking as arrogantly regal as she usually did. She didn't even wait for my invitation to come in, just breezed in like she didn't need an invite. I supposed she didn't though, since this was her home anyways. Hiding a tired sigh, I shut the door behind me, and turned to face her. She was already waiting for me, trying to keep her expression neutral, but I knew her well enough to recognize the slightly expectant look in her eyes. What exactly she was expecting, I didn't know. I decided to follow her cue and remain silent, leaning aga
I was being ripped in two. My skull felt like it was cracking open, ringing so loudly that I thought my brain would split apart from the pressure. Every second I fought to stay sane was agony. Kai was constantly fighting me, constantly trying to snatch control from me. A warm trickle slid down from my nose. I wiped it with the back of my hand, and when I saw the smear of red, my chest tightened with dread. Blood. I was losing this fight."Stop fighting me," Kai growled, his voice rough and echoing inside me like thunder. "Let me out." "No," I hissed back at him through clenched teeth. I was no longer able to talk to him solely in my head. I had lost control so much that I was now speaking out loud to him, talking to myself like a broken mad man. "You'll kill yourself if you go on like this!" Kai roared. "Let me out!""You're the one who's trying to kill me," I grunted, wiping away the fresh stream of blood that kept flowing from my nosebleed. "My brain can only handle so much!" "T
Kira was having another nightmare. Her brow was furrowed so deeply it looked painful, and her hand was clenched so tightly into a fist that I was scared she'd draw blood if she pressed any harder. My chest ached at the sight of her trembling, caught in a world I couldn’t reach. I sat beside her on the bed, and shook her lightly, my voice soft. "Kira." She mumbled something incoherent, still trapped in whatever dream she was having.I called her name again. "Kira." Seeing her like this broke me. She had been slowly unravelling these past few days. I wanted to take away her pain, but I didn't know how to help her. Ragnar snorted in my head, his voice sharp and mocking. "More like you know how to help her, but you don't want to because you know it won't turn out well for you." "Shut up," I hissed at him. "I'm not lying," he shot back. "What the hell is your problem? You're going to let our mate suffer with not knowing who she is when you can just tell her?" "Oh, yeah" I replied sa
I sat up patiently as the priestess changed my bandages, trying not to wince when her fingers brushed too close to the tender wound. My jaw tightened, but I forced myself to remain still, watching her hands with narrowed eyes. Even though I was now fully conscious and my wound was healing, it was still a bit slower than it should have been, and that irritated me."It might be Ravenna's influence," Zaram said in my head, her voice calm but edged with suspicion. My brows furrowed. "But she said she'd help me," I whispered back. "Shouldn't this have been gone by now?" Zaram remained silent, and as the priestess finished her work on me, I waved her away dismissively, not bothering to thank her. My lips curled into a thin smile the moment the door shut. A short while after I'd regained consciousness, I'd found out exactly where my dear mother had dumped me. The temple of the moon. A cage dressed up as a sanctuary. Where eyes would watch me twenty-four-seven. But at least to her credit,