ANDRES“Valentina!” My voice tore from my throat into the world surrounded by smoke and fire.Amidst the mist, I beheld her—bare feet upon the cracked stone, silver chains subtly marking her wrists. Her gaze was expansive, glistening with unshed tears, her lips quivering as though she longed to speak my name, yet didn't dare. Looming behind her, shadows gathered—wolves with eyes that faintly resembled dying embers.I ran. The ground beneath me crumbled, but I didn’t care. My lungs burned, my muscles screamed, yet the distance between us never closed.“Don’t leave me,” I choked out.She smiled—it was faint, almost sad—and whispered words I couldn’t hear.Then suddenly she stepped back, thrusting into the darkness. Her eyes fluttered with tears. Her hands stretched toward me, but before I could reach, black smoke emerged from the shadow and pulled her back, swallowing her whole.
ATLASThe moment I realised the chains rattling behind me weren’t mine, a sharp pulse of dread stabbed through my chest. My hands were shaking as I shoved open the pack hall doors, the cold stone floor failing miserably to calm me down.I had thought I was smart. That I could “help” Carmella and Sienna, that following their plan would bring me closer to Valentina, once more, and it would fix everything. And now… now I felt my stomach twist in nausea.And so—I had kidnapped Valentina.And not for justice, not for protection, but for nothing except a twisted promise of approval.Her absence hit me like a hammer the instant the dungeon door closed. No defiant smirk, no piercing eyes. Nothing... Just a silent echo in my mind where her heartbeat should have been. I staggered against the wall, hand pressed to my forehead, my heart hammering in my chest like it would tear free.“She’s alive,” I mutte
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