LOGINJames’s PovI stormed out of the room at full speed. In fact, I couldn't stand the suffocating scent of her blood flooding the place for another second. Dammit, the heat burning in my chest was enough to set the entire castle on fire.I strode through the hallways, my boots hitting the floor with a rhythmic violence that roared beneath my skin. I could still taste the trace of her blood on my tongue; it was sweet, addictive like a goddamn pure drug that was dismantling a thousand years of self-control.Even now, my fangs throbbed with a painful need behind my gums. It wasn't a hunger for flesh; it was a hunger for her.Every time I closed my eyes, I visualized the trail of my own saliva over her broken skin. The simple thought of her body trembling beneath mine caused an unbearable pressure to settle in my crotch—a painful erection that reminded me just how close I was to losing my mind over a mere human."What the hell is wrong with you? Go back to that room and mark her now!" my wol
The silence of the room was shattered by the crash of glass breaking against my feet.Everything was a damn mess; wine splattered everywhere, and a bitter sigh escaped my lips.Why did everything have to go wrong for me? With trembling fingers digging into the carpet, I tried to pick up the remains of the vase that the intruder had knocked over."Damn it..." I whispered, feeling the sharp sting in my palm.In seconds, blood began to gush from the deep wound in my hand, staining the carpet crimson.I stared at the thick, glistening blood while tears streamed down my cheeks. I wasn't crying from the pain, but from all the humiliation I was enduring in that moment.I felt so damn human in a den of wolves who were only waiting for a mistake to devour me. However, in the midst of my pain, a loud shout made me shudder."MADELINE!" James’s roar echoed from the hallway, making the walls vibrate.His voice wasn't human; it was a growl of pure agony and blind fury. I heard his heavy footsteps g
JAMES’S POVThe air in the council chamber was so thick it could be cut with a knife. The stench of stale testosterone and the palpable fear of five lower-ranking Alphas and three elders was giving me a migraine that Fenris was only making worse with his internal snarling. "You have to do something, James!" Raymond, the oldest member of the council, bellowed. "The leader of the Dark World has moved his troops to within ten kilometers of the southern border!" the man roared.I stared at him without offering a single word in response. My silence was heavier than any threat.On the other side of the room, another Alpha stood up, slamming his fist against the table. "Alpha, if I may, I believe you should give this matter more importance. Stop playing around with that thieving human who dishonored your seal! You’re keeping her in your quarters like she’s the crown jewel!" Alpha Liam spat.I leaned back in my oak chair, watching Alpha Liam with a calmness that I knew terrified him. "If
"Do you want to take a picture, or are you going to finish your job?" James asked, his voice cutting through the air with a coldness that snapped me back to reality."I’m sorry... I... I slipped," I managed to stammer, feeling my eyes prickle with the sting of humiliation.He remained silent for a few agonizing seconds. In the quiet, I could feel my own body betraying me, reacting to his overwhelming proximity."I don’t have time to request another maid," he finally said, his voice now devoid of any warmth. "So get up and dress me."With a jolt, I scrambled to my feet. My legs were trembling as I began to help him into his clothes. My fingers accidentally brushed against his skin, it felt like cold steel, sending jolts of electricity straight to my core. My hands shook so violently I could barely manage the buttons of his trousers.I was about to grab his shirt from the sofa when, suddenly, James seized my wrists, pinning me against his rock-hard chest. The impact knocked the wind out
Madeline’s POVOnce again, I was jolted awake by Martha’s shrill scream, followed immediately by a bucket of ice-cold water drenched over my face. The freezing shock stole the breath right out of my lungs."Get up, you little slut. The Head Housekeeper is waiting for you in the kitchen."A low growl escaped my lips; the sun hadn’t even begun to rise. I scrambled to dress and rushed out of my room to meet Anmary, the Head Maid. She eyed me from head to toe with a gaze dripping with a hatred I couldn't comprehend."Listen to me, you piece of trash. You’re lucky the Alpha didn’t toss you into the dungeons, but now you have to serve him," Anmary barked with pure disdain.She rattled off a list of instructions. My first task was to deliver a file to the Alpha along with his breakfast."Do not ask the Alpha anything. Do not look him in the eye. Do not enter his room at night, do not step foot in his office, and for the love of everything holy, do not try to seduce him. The last three idiots
“Look at me!” he commanded, one hand tightening around my throat. “Look at me and understand that this means nothing.” I held his gaze. There was blood on my lips, and my smile was a challenge. “You will never be my Luna,” he hissed into my ear. “You will never have a place by my side on the throne. You will die as a shadow in these cells.” “We’ll see who ends up on their knees, Alpha,” I whispered back. James let out a guttural roar—a mix of desire and hatred. For a second, I thought he would either kiss me or kill me. But he recoiled as if my skin were poison and stormed out of the cell, leaving me shaking with a rage that would soon become my greatest weapon. The grayish morning light filtered through the slit in my cell, a reminder that I was still alive, though every muscle in my body screamed in protest. There was no time to process the midnight encounter with James; before the sun had even fully risen, guards were already rattling the bars. They took me to the wa







