MasukOutside the great council chamber, moonlight spilled across stone steps like silver paint. The banners of two packs—Greywolf and Blackmoon—flapped sharply in the night wind, though no celebration followed the verdict inside.Not a single representative from either pack looked pleased.Silvermoon wolves stood stiff-jawed, eyes tight with resentment. Heartburn wolves whispered among themselves, fear flickering across every face. When royalty—true hybrid royalty—was involved, obedience was not optional. Free will evaporated the moment Lord Halden had spoken.The only person smiling was Luna Meredith.Pride poured off her like perfume—heavy, sweet, impossible to ignore. Her niece—Bella—was now bound to a hybrid prince. To royalty. And in their culture, that meant legacy. Power. History rewritten.“An honor,” she boasted to anyone willing—or unwilling—to listen. “Our family now holds ties to the Shadow Throne itself.”Bella watched from beneath a tall tree on the courtyard lawn, her arms w
It was the kind that didn’t fall. It descended—like a predator.Every wolf went still, ears lowering instinctively.Bootsteps echoed.One-two-three.From the rear of the chamber—five figures entered.Hybrids.Not wolves.Not vampires.Something forged from both bloodlines—stronger, rarer, feared.The audience parted without instruction.Dave Stark walked at the center.Tall. Severe. His tailored black suit hugged shoulders built to carry kingdoms. His hair—dark as obsidian—fell in loose strands over eyes carved in storm-gray stone. He was the kind of beautiful that hurt to look at. Sunlight through stained glass. Death wrapped in silk.And Bella couldn’t breathe.Morgan and Ben walked at his right, both striking in charcoal suits, while Sandra glided to his left—her black dress sleek, hair tied high like the blade of a dagger. The fifth—an elder hybrid—Lord Halden, emissary to King Stark—moved with the authority of a man used to people kneeling.Every wolf bowed.Only Alpha Marcus sto
The horn blared—sharp and impatient—shattering the heated moment in the parking lot.Bella jerked, breath catching, while Dave’s jaw clenched as he reluctantly pulled back from her lips.Across the asphalt, leaning against his obsidian-gray Zephyr Mirage sports car, Morgan lifted two fingers in a lazy salute, his expression the picture of smug annoyance.“Damn it, Morgan,” Dave muttered. His thumb brushed Bella’s lips, still swollen from their kiss. He bent down once more—slow, claiming—his mouth grazing hers with a whisper of a promise. “I’ll finish this later.”Another honk. Louder.Dave sighed. He inhaled the scent of her hair like he needed it to breathe, then finally—he let go.He didn’t look back.Bella’s arms wrapped around her own shoulders, suddenly cold despite the afternoon sun.*********Her legs felt unsteady, like her body still belonged in Dave’s hands. She stumbled toward the nearest restroom, needing walls, solitude—anything—to breathe.Inside, the tiled room echoed w
In the quietness of the lounge, Bella's heart was pounding furiously in her chest. Before her stood her dark and very muscular mate, Dave, who seemed calm enough to command armies, and she sat still on the arm of the sofa.Linda, her mother, stared at them in amazement. She had dropped into the sofa with a thud the moment Dave announced the words that changed everything:“Your daughter is my mate.”The statement still hung in the air like smoke, impossible to wave away.Linda ran a trembling hand through her hair, then exhaled slowly. “I… don’t know what to say.” She gestured weakly toward the wooden chairs. “Sit. Both of you—sit.”Dave didn’t sit alone.He tugged Bella gently to him, his palm sliding around her wrist—possessive, claiming. He placed her beside him on the biggest chair, intertwining their fingers as though he feared someone might rip her away if he let go.He sat with a grace and command no human man could imitate. Every line of him radiated danger—from the sharp angle
It wasn’t until a few moments later, after Bella had a few moments to soothe his anger, that he slowed his respiration that his breathing evened out. Pressing his forehead against hers, he growled, his voice rough, "I think it is high time that you introduced me to your mother and sister. Someone who matters to you."Bella's mouth dropped open. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest. That was too fast, too soon. The pressure, the constant end always looming over them, but to hear him say those words like that, it was real.“Are you sure?” she whispered."Yes," Dave did not hesitate; he nodded once.Slowly, their tension eased, melting away into something more pleasant. They finished their meal, chuckling through it. In this moment, danger, Alpha Theo, or deadlines were nonexistent.When the bill came, Bella convinced Dave to handle the tip, and he did so grudgingly. They were shortly outside, as the young waiter had hastened away in appreciation.“Thank you,” he said."You're
Bella’s stomach rumbled loudly as she and Sandra descended the grand staircase. Hunger gnawed at her—she hadn’t eaten since school before ending up in Dave’s house.“Speaking of food,” Bella whispered, nudging Sandra, “what’s with the cook? She looked like she wanted to slit my throat the second Dave called me his girl.”Sandra snorted. “Oh, her? She’s been praying for Dave’s attention since she got hired. Extra servings, special plates, all his favorites… she serves him like he’s a god.”“So why hasn’t he fired her?” Bella asked.“He didn’t hire her. Morgan did. Probably just to annoy Dave. Mischief runs through that guy’s veins.”“I heard that,” a smooth voice drawled.Both girls turned toward the sitting room. Morgan lounged across one of the sofas like royalty, legs crossed, a smirk carved across his lips. His presence was sharp—dangerous, charming. Bella smiled instinctively; there was something oddly magnetic about him.“Make sure you heard it clearly,” Sandra teased, already mo







