Lucian's POV
Surrounded by mournful faces, I felt completely isolated and helpless. My father had spent his life punishing, manipulating, or killing these very people. Yet, they were the only ones who showed up for his funeral."Where is your Beta? Jalin, is it? Such an admirable young man. I haven't seen him lately," Alpha Siluria of the Ocean Howler Pack leaned towards me and inquired.He was almost as old as time itself, having served three kings in a row. Now, he was about to serve me. I wondered if he would live to see my funeral."Alpha Siluria, it's always a pleasure to talk with a loyal subject like you," I responded curtly.Just then, chaos erupted in the crowd. People stepped back, revealing Alpha Mick striding into the graveyard, carrying a severely mutilated woman’s body in his arms. For a heart-stopping moment, I thought he was holding Leah, and I nearly leaped from my chair. But as Mick laid the body on the ground, the woman's head lolledLucas' POV"Alpha, we’ve found a woman lurking around. She demands to see you. She claims she has something you really need to know," a soldier reported to me, his voice tight with urgency."Bring her in." I set the phone down and exhaled deeply. I had exhausted all my resources. Leah was nowhere to be found, and she wouldn’t respond to my mindlink. Time was slipping away with only ten hours left.I hadn’t slept in three days, and without Leah by my side, my focus was shattered."Alpha Lucas," a woman entered my office, cloaked in a voluminous medieval hood."Who are you, and why are you here?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes as I tried to pierce the shadows concealing her face. Despite the obscurity, she felt oddly familiar."Every werewolf knows my name. I have come to answer your call," she intoned, bowing slightly before throwing back her hood, revealing silver-white hair that glittered like stardust. Her skin shimmered l
Lucas' POVAs I trudged into the Court, the first thing I heard was the sorrowful voice of Lucian."With a heart burdened by profound sorrow and overwhelming conflict, I write the obituary of my father, the Lycan King. As his son, I, Lycan Prince Lucian, have been torn apart by his passing. Yet, in the name of truth and honor, I must recount his life in all its reverence and complexity..."What is he doing? Is he about to reveal the truth of the Lycan King's deeds at his own father's funeral?! Has he lost his mind?!Upon entering the ceremonial chamber, I saw Jalin Cleary standing beside Lucian.Why is that bastard still alive and why is he next to Lucian?!The moment he spotted me, Jalin's eyes narrowed.I recognized the smug grin on his face. It was the look he wore when he was up to something deceitful.My mind raced.Leah. He must have Leah. He must be using her to threaten Lucian.The instant Leah crossed my
Darren's POV"What the hell are you doing? Get the cart over here!" a soldier barked at me.I complied, but one of them still kicked me in the back."Stupid rogue," he hissed.I could tell they were Moon Growlers.One came forward, lifted the sheet, and frowned. "What the heck is this? I need a second opinion."Another stepped up and exclaimed, "What the fuck happened to her face? And where are the rest of her legs?""I found her like this. Must’ve been some predators," I said."Shit! We’re screwed!" The one who kicked me looked genuinely terrified. "I told Jalin we had the girl. Now we have this… this mangled corpse. That psycho is going to tear me apart!""Stop panicking," another soldier tried to reassure him. "Look at her belly. She’s pregnant. About the same size as Her Highness Leah. This must be her.""Alright then, you tell him that and see how he reacts!""Well, sorry to in
Jalin's POVBlood trickled down his cheeks, but he didn't even bother wiping it away.He seemed more conscious now, yet he remained silent, sitting there quietly on the bed, his face devoid of emotion.His silence only fueled my rage.I yanked his hair and dragged him off the bed, slamming him against the floor.Shards of glass embedded into his flesh.He didn't seem to notice the pain at all.I despised the way he absorbed the pain as if it were nothing.He looked exactly like his father.That old bastard would torture me, then sit in a chair with the same expression, looking at me as if I were nothing.All those memories flooded back, and I unleashed my fury on him.He endured it without a sound, just as I had when the old king beat the life out of me.Whatever horrors that old fuck put me through, I would exact tenfold on his precious son.I poured myself a drink, then settled into a chair,
Finn's POVI hadn't seen Swanson in some time. "Swanson," I called out. "If I were you, I wouldn't reach for that gun."Darren's eyes locked onto mine, a statue in the dim light as my people crept from the shadows, encircling his car."What is this?" he demanded."It’s exactly what it looks like," I replied. "These are the slaves and rogues I freed from the market. They work for me now.""You?" Darren's face twisted with disdain. I could hear the hostility in his voice. "I'm not here for this nonsense. Leah isn't safe. Jalin’s people are hunting her. I need to take her to the North.""She’s safer with me," I said firmly. "You don’t have to worry. Step out of the car and walk away. Your job here is over.""You’ll have to fight me for her," Darren hissed."I'm not in the mood to fight a mortal werewolf," I scoffed."Mortal? You’ve got a lot to catch up on, stripper," he spat, before morp
Lucas' POVMy heart lurched at his words. "What? How do you know?""Because my cousin Cole saw her," Rory explained. "She was unconscious, but she was still alive.""Who was with her?!" I asked. "She was escorted by a man from the Swanson family."Darren. Darren was with her!"Where is she now?!" I asked."Cole asked the man to go look for Finn," Rory continued. "Finn, who's now the Alpha of the Rogues in Mediland. He's the only one who can take Leah out of this kingdom."Shock rippled through me. Finn? The same Finn I had misgivings about? My voice trembled as I spoke. "Finn? Are you sure?"Rory nodded grimly.Fear knotted in my stomach. I didn't trust Finn, not with Leah's life. If there was one thing I was sure about my half-brother, it's that he hated Lycans more than anything.Panic surged through me, but so did determination. "You need to find out where she is, Rory. Please."Rory nodded
Leah's POVAfter that day, a doctor came three times daily to run all kinds of tests and scans on me. Every time he left, he would inject sedatives into my veins, forcing me into a deep sleep. I dreaded these forced slumbers. They were filled with terrifying nightmares, yet as soon as I woke up, the memories of those dreams slipped away like sand through my fingers.One day, while I was in a light doze, a sudden bang on the door jolted me awake. The door was flung open, and several soldiers marched into the cell. I stared at them, paralyzed with fear.“What… What are you going to do?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.None of them answered. One soldier stepped forward and unchained me. I collapsed to the ground, my legs and arms numb. Two men grabbed me, hoisting me up by the shoulders and dragging me out of the cell.“What are you doing?! Where are you taking me?!” I mustered all my strength to scream.
Leah's POVI couldn't answer. I didn’t know how to respond. My body betrayed me, growing wet under his touch.Suddenly, he grew angry. He grasped my neck, squeezing hard. "I'm talking to you, you fucking slut.""Sir... Please don’t do this to me..."A sadistic glint ignited in his eyes. He rubbed my loins harder, lifting my waist and arching my back. Blood surged through my legs, and I realized, Did I just... feel my legs?Just before I could climax, he abruptly stopped. He stood up straight, leaving me on the bed. For a brief moment, he did nothing but stare into my eyes.I felt ashamed of my body's reaction and didn't dare move. Then, he walked away and returned with a sizzling hot iron bar.Panic surged through me, and I screamed as he mounted on top of me. His weight pressed down, nearly breaking my ribs."What? Did you think I was going to fuck you?" His eyes gleamed with cruelty and disgust, matching the glowi
Leah's POVA pang ripped through my chest, sharp and unwelcome. I didn't want to know what Lycidas had done - didn't want to picture the claws, the needles, the hunger in that bastard's gaze. Darren wasn't the man I'd known anymore; he was a husk, cracked open and spilling fear. My fingers found the lock, bending the steel like it was clay, the cage door groaning as it gave way. He lunged at me, wild and blind, and I struck fast - knocked him cold with a blow that felt like betrayal. His body slumped, limp and heavy, and I hauled him into the cart, draping a cloth over him like a shroud.I shoved the cart toward the door, every nerve screaming, when a shadow blocked my path. The hotel manager, all puffed-up indignation, glared down at me. "What the fuck? Who are you?! Why are you here? Don't you know this whole floor is reserved...?"His words choked off as my fist met his jaw. He crumpled, a sack of meat, and I dragged him back inside, stuffing him into the cag
Lycidas' POVA pause, heavy with his worry. "Lycidas, don't let anyone hurt her. Protect her. The ritual has to be done."Finn's pace quickened, his throat tightening around me, and I gripped his hair harder, forcing him to take more. "Don't worry, brother. I miss you. I'll be back soon. Put Jalin on, will you?"The line shifted, and Jalin's cold "What?" slithered through.My voice turned razor-sharp. "If you dare touch my brother again, I'll pump you full of suppressant, make you a fuck toy, and toss you to the slave market. Every hole in your body will be stuffed with cocks for the every minute in the rest of your fucking life. Do you understand?"Silence. Finn gagged, his throat spasming, and the pleasure spiked through me. "I'm talking to you," I snarled into the phone."I understand, Your Highness," Jalin muttered, subdued at last. I hung up, tossing the phone aside, and turned my full attention to Finn. He sucked harder, desperate to p
Lycidas' POVThe lazy afternoon sunlight in Miami pressed against me like a lover's claw, the moon long gone but its bloody echo still staining the sky. I stepped out of the limousine, and the red carpet unfurled before me like a tongue, wet with the flash of cameras and the screams of the crowd. The hotel loomed, a glittering beast of glass and steel, its jaws wide with fans clawing at the barriers, their voices a feral hymn to my name. I was Lycidas, the Lycan Prince, a Hollywood god carved from hunger and shadow, and they worshipped me with every ragged breath.I strode forward, my boots sinking into the plush scarlet, and the air thickened with their adoration. The paparazzi swarmed, lenses glinting like predatory eyes, but I owned them all. My lips curled into a smile, sharp and deliberate, as I waved - a king acknowledging his court. The noise swelled, a tidal wave of sound, and then a voice cut through it, high and desperate."Lycidas! Lycidas!" A female
Leah's POVThe clock on my wrist ticked like a smug little bastard, each second a jab at my nerves as I stood there, plotting culinary carnage. Six hours until the Miami Mayor's Annual Seafood Charity Dinner, and I was about to turn a fancy gala into a symphony of gurgles and groans. The TV blared in the background, some chipper anchor rattling on about celebrity cars rolling up to the hotel—shiny Bentleys and Teslas, all ferrying the rich and famous to their doom. I smirked, imagining them clutching their pearls and their stomachs by night's end.I glanced over at Seth, who was practically hypnotized by Sharbo's lazy laps in the shark tank. The kid's mop of hair flopped over his eyes, and he looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here, plotting with me. I gave his shoulder a solid pat, jolting him back to reality. "It's time, Seth."He blinked at me, all wide-eyed and twitchy, then fumbled for his laptop like it was his security blanket. His fingers danc
Leah's POVThe moonlight was pouring down from the sky like cascade.I stood there, rooted, facing Darren, his eyes blazing with a storm of rage and grief that pinned me where I stood. The air hung heavy, thick with unspoken venom, prickling my scarred skin—the brands of the slave market I'd never outrun."Why are you asking this question?" Darren's voice cut through the stillness, sharp as a blade, edged with accusation.I didn't answer. Couldn't. My throat clenched tight, strangling the words beneath the weight of all we'd left unsaid.He stepped closer, his emotions bursting free like blood from a fresh wound. "Are you asking this to hurt me, Leah? Haven't I done enough for you all these years to earn your trust?"Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and relentless, carving trails through the grime on my face. I felt nothing - no sting, no release - just the hollow rush of them falling, a betrayal of the numbness gnawing my bones.
Leah's POVI remained silent. Father killed his son. Justice was almost done.Al Cosa continued, "And my son Tommy... He was burned alive in an elevator. Forensic team said his charred, deformed body burned so badly that... they needed tweezers to collect him."Two fat tears carved paths through his ashen stubble. I mirrored his grief - shoulders curling inward, breath catching - as the incinerator roared to life behind him. Its hunger vibrated in my molars."They found nail marks," he whispered. "Inside the elevator door. My boy...my Tommy clawed iron hot metal until his fingers..." A wet choke. "You know what fire does to lungs before death comes?"I let my own eyes glisten. "Mr. Cosa, I...""You're about to find out."I pretended to be horrified. "Mr. Cosa, I'm...""Sorry?" The wheelchair lurched forward. "You shoved my Tony off a balcony! Trapped Tommy in that metal coffin!" Spittle hit my cheek. "And now you're standing he
Leah's POVThe neon sign above the night club buzzed like a dying wasp, its crimson glow pooling on the asphalt as I shoved through the club's sticky doors. Smoke clung to the air—cheap cigars and cheaper desperation - and there he was, slumped at the bar like a discarded marionette. Liam's fingers curled around a whiskey glass, his knuckles whitening with each swallow as if he could drown the words we'd never said.I slid onto the stool beside him, the leather sighing under my weight. "You look like someone pissed in your bourbon," I said, nodding at the bartender for my usual gin.Liam didn't turn. "Would've improved the taste." His voice was sandpaper rough, but the corner of his mouth twitched. Classic Liam - even half-drunk and brooding, he couldn't resist the bait.We drank in silence for three songs, the bass thumping like a defective heartbeat. When he finally spoke, it was to the smudged mirror behind the bar. "You shouldn't be here. You do
Leah's POVI turned my head, meeting Darren's gaze, those eyes still hungry, still pleading. "I know," I said, quiet, a sad twist to my lips.But knowing wasn't enough. Love wasn't enough - not when the howls kept calling, not when my scars ran deeper than my skin. I rolled onto my side, facing the window, the moon's bloody glow spilling over us both.The full moon hung there, swollen and silver, its light bleeding through the broken window and washing over the bed. I stared at it, unblinking, the pale glow clawing at something inside me - something feral, something I couldn't bury no matter how hard I tried. The air thickened, heavy with the salt of the sea and the weight of the night, and then I heard it - a low, guttural sound drifting through the dark. A howl. Distant, but unmistakable. Then another, and another, until the night was alive with their calls, a chorus of primal hunger that sent a shiver down my spine.My heart kicked against my ribs, the
Leah's POVThe sun bled out over the coastal city as Darren gunned the motorcycle through the weaving crowds, the traffic shuttling around us like a frantic pulse. I clung to him, my helmet pressing into his back, my arms locked tight around his waist, feeling the heat of his body sear through me. The sky was a mess of red and orange, spilling over the buildings like a wound, and the sea's salty stink mixed with the exhaust choking the air. Last night clawed at my mind—his hands, his mouth, his desperation sinking into me after years of waiting. We'd fucked all night, a brutal, beautiful collision that tore past every fantasy I'd nursed in the dark. It played over and over in my head, a sad, desperate reel I couldn't stop watching—every thrust, every whispered curse, every moment I'd surrendered to him. Thinking of it, I tightened my grip, my fingers digging into his leather jacket like I could claw the memory into permanence.He pulled the bike to a stop by the sea, t