VALENTINA
The cold, damp stone floor pressed against my skin, carrying the scent of mold, rust, and a subtle sweetness that I found unsettling. It was a fragrance reminiscent of the walls within slaughterhouses.
My lashes felt heavy as I pried my eyes open.
Bars… Chains… A single torch sputtering against the wall, its flame coughing as if it were struggling to breathe. Shadows pooled in the corners, thick and watching.
The memory flashed across my mind in broken pieces—Atlas’s voice behind me, the hard grip around my waist, the sudden tilt of the world, the sting in my neck like a viper’s kiss… A soft groan escaped my lips; that sting, it's like a sharp needle poking there…
However, one thought made my heart flip as I glanced within my mind…
‘Kira?’ I searched for my wolf, but silence was all that embraced me.
Cold dread rushed down my spine, reminding of the time when I
VALENTINAThe cold, damp stone floor pressed against my skin, carrying the scent of mold, rust, and a subtle sweetness that I found unsettling. It was a fragrance reminiscent of the walls within slaughterhouses.My lashes felt heavy as I pried my eyes open.Bars… Chains… A single torch sputtering against the wall, its flame coughing as if it were struggling to breathe. Shadows pooled in the corners, thick and watching.The memory flashed across my mind in broken pieces—Atlas’s voice behind me, the hard grip around my waist, the sudden tilt of the world, the sting in my neck like a viper’s kiss… A soft groan escaped my lips; that sting, it's like a sharp needle poking there…However, one thought made my heart flip as I glanced within my mind…‘Kira?’ I searched for my wolf, but silence was all that embraced me.Cold dread rushed down my spine, reminding of the time when I
ANDRESAlthough the voting had concluded, a sense of tension lingered within the council hall.No alliance, no unified front, and a room full of wolves who thought themselves cunning enough to mask their hostility.Valentina stood beside me, her chin high, defiance radiating from her in sharp, beautiful edges. She didn’t flinch under the stares, didn’t bow her head in defeat. She stood like a queen—my queen.It seemed likely that she was engaged in a serious conversation with her wolf. Although I had not heard the words exchanged, I had observed how her posture stiffened in response.Even now, as the banners overhead swayed with the draft, she looked carved from something unbreakable. But then her head tilted—ever so slightly. Her gaze slid toward the shadowed rafters above the council chamber, and a faint crease formed between her brows.I stepped closer. “What is it?” I murmured, observing the silent spa
VALENTINAThe walk to the council chamber felt longer than it should have.Andres had been very insistent on walking beside me, his presence a source of comfort, his hand occasionally brushing mine as if to silently reassure me that I was not facing this alone. And these small moments evoke a sense of excitement within me, rather than feelings of nervousness.‘Butterflies? That’s not what you were feeling last night,’ Kira teased in my mind, her voice dripping with smug amusement.I nearly tripped over my own boots.‘Not now!’ I snapped at her.She giggled, rolling around. ‘I’m just saying… I’ve never seen him that gentle and that wild in the same breath. No wonder your heart’s racing.’I raised a brow, ‘as if yours not? You were being nauseating!’She giggled again, purring happily. Nothing could offend her now; she was in a different zone.B
ANDRESHer words hung in the air like the edge of a sharp blade against my throat. So, Atlas Darwin was her ex-mate…For a moment, I could hear nothing but the throbbing in my heart.The rumbles of Czer were darkening my senses. ‘You should have killed him the moment you saw him.’‘And risk terrifying her further?’ I shot back. My hands curled into fists, nails biting into my palms. ‘You felt her… she’s still bleeding from him.’‘Bleeding? She’s been torn open. That bastard touched what’s ours, claimed what’s ours, and he’s still breathing.’ Czer’s voice was hitting like a sharp edge of a thorn. ‘This isn’t just history. Wolves like him… they don’t let go unless forced.’I clenched my jaw, forcing my breathing steady, but the bond pulsed between Valentina and me like a drum of battle. Her scent still clung to me&md
VALENTINAI awoke with a jolt, not to sound or movement, but something else. It's a burn throughout my veins, not uncomfortable, yet not pleasant either.It's violent and untamed, roaring beneath my skin like a river swollen from a tsunami, aching to break free. My fingers trembled as I pressed them to my chest. My heart still beats the same—but faster, sharper, and very different, as though there was a third presence within me. But this time, not a glimpse; I could feel the pulse.‘Kira…’ I gasped out.She stirred within my mind and came out of her dark corner. I gasped again, just by looking at her—she felt different. No, she looked different.Her eyes were glowing like pearls, as if moonlight were sitting in those orbs. The hues of gold and silver mingled into something more beautiful. Even her furs had more volume, and she—she looked bigger!‘Did you… feel that?’ I whispered, for so
THIRD POV…The cave was filled with the unpleasant odors of burnt herbs, blood, and a palpable sense of dread. The final enchanted map vanished in a puff of black smoke before his eyes.“Another failure…” His hushed silence was more terrifying than a scream.Carmella whimpered as she knelt before him, her once-sultry face bruised and pale. Olivia stood to the side, trembling, her lips bitten raw from silence, from holding back screams."Tell me again… how did you both fail me?"Ghost's voice came slowly, deliberately, as if calm before a deadly storm.No one answered. Even the shadows feared him.“Carmella,” his low voice echoed, smooth as poison. “Did I not give you beauty? Charm? A curse powerful enough to rot a king’s soul if he ever tasted your lips?”Carmella’s body shook. “Y-yu did, my Lord.” Her voice shook with knowing fear, which is perhap