LOGINLysera“Whether I like it or not? You must be joking if you think I’d allow you to climb my bed, sleep with me and then put your mark on me. In your dreams.”“It would be happening whether you like it or not.” Henry spat through clenched teeth.“We won’t be completing the mating ceremony. Well, I less you rape me because that’s the only way it will happen.” Henry rated back as if he’d been slapped. “I’m not a monster.”“Are you not?” I asked.“I’ve never forced myself on any woman. I’ve never raped your sister.”“Oh, so that behavior is reserved for me?” I took a step back, then gave him a shallow, mocking bow. “Thank you, Alpha, for your graciousness,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.When I lifted my head and met Henry’s gaze, his eyes were ice-cold. If looks could kill, I would already be six feet under. He stood there like he was holding himself back from wrapping his hand around my throat and squeezing the life out of me.Well… that made two of us. What wouldn’t I give to
LyseraEmbarrassment flooded me so fast it almost made me dizzy. For a brief, desperate second, I wished the ground would split open and swallow me whole.What was that? What had I just done?Did I really just press myself against Henry like some… some wolf in heat, inhaling him like I had no control over my own body?“Feel what?” I sneered, forcing the words out, sharp and defensive. I refused to look at him. I knew what I would see if I did.Disgust. Maybe even hatred. And I already hated myself enough for what I’d just done. I didn’t need to see it reflected on his face.“The mate bond,” Henry said. His voice was calm.It pulled my gaze up despite myself and looked at him. He didn’t look calm.His jaw was tight, his hands clenched into fists at his sides like he was holding himself back from something. From touching me? From pulling me closer? His eyes— they weren’t green anymore. They were gold. The color of his wolf’s.“It’s just the mate bond,” I said quickly, the words tumblin
Author’s POVLeander moved through the forest with ease, his steps silent against the earth. He had a bow slung across his back, a freshly caught animal hanging from one hand.He was almost close to his hut when he heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground.His body stilled, and he turned around to wait for the riders. The border patrol never ventured toward his side of the forest regularly.Something must have brought them there.The moment that thought crossed his mind, a bad premonition rose in his chest, and he quickly knew why they had come. It had something to do with the pregnant woman currently occupying his hut while he was out here hunting for meat for their lunch.A moment later, the horses and their riders came into view.They were not wearing the border patrol uniform. They wore regular uniforms bearing the pack crest.Leander’s grip tightened slightly on the animal in his hand as his eyes moved across them. Their posture was rigid and alert.“Good day, gentlemen,” Lea
Author’s POVLeander moved through the forest with ease, his steps silent against the earth. He had a bow slung across his back, a freshly caught animal hanging from one hand.He was almost close to his hut when he heard the sound of hooves hitting the ground.His body stilled, and he turned around to wait for the riders. The border patrol never ventured toward his side of the forest regularly.Something must have brought them there.The moment that thought crossed his mind, a bad premonition rose in his chest, and he quickly knew why they had come. It had something to do with the pregnant woman currently occupying his hut while he was out here hunting for meat for their lunch.A moment later, the horses and their riders came into view.They were not wearing the border patrol uniform. They wore regular uniforms bearing the pack crest.Leander’s grip tightened slightly on the animal in his hand as his eyes moved across them. Their posture was rigid and alert.“Good day, gentlemen,” Lea
Author’s POVHenry did not look back as he stepped out of the room. He could still hear Isyra’s loud sobs and it tore at his heart. But even if he wished it, there was nothing that could be done The door to his chambers had barely finished closing behind him before his stride lengthened, sharp and unyielding as he moved down the corridor. Every step echoed against the stone walls, cold and deliberate, carrying with it the storm brewing beneath his skin.The air around him felt charged and heavy.Servants stepped out of his path without needing to be told. Guards straightened instinctively, lowering their heads as he passed.There was something about him in that moment—something coiled and dangerous—that warned everyone to stay away.Henry’s jaw was tight, his thoughts louder than the sound of his own footsteps.Anger simmered beneath the surface. Anger at the Moon Goddess. At fate. At everything.He had never asked for an easy life. He had never expected one. From the moment he was b
Author’s PovIsyra’s voice broke at the edges, but it did not weaken. If anything, it sharpened, cutting through the room with a desperation Henry had never heard from her before.“She will ruin us,” she said, shaking her head as if refusing the reality being forced on her. “She will ruin everything. Don’t you see that? She has always wanted what is mine. Always. Since we were children.” Her hands curled into fists in her lap. “And now you want to give her you?”Henry opened his mouth, but she didn’t let him speak.“How can you even say it so calmly?” she demanded, her voice rising. “How can you sit here and tell me that you will take her into your life after everything she’s done? After she killed our child?” Her chest heaved, breath coming faster, uneven. “How will you even look at her? How will you touch her? How will you stand it?”The words struck him harder than he expected. He felt them in his chest, in the same place the pain had flared earlier. His jaw tightened.“I don’t wan
LyseraArmed with the knowledge that my baby would be my shield, I pushed myself to my feet.My legs still felt weak, but my resolve didn’t waver.I reached for the dress folded on the chair—the one I had worn to the mating ceremony. It was the only proper clothing I had left. No one had bothered t
Author’s POVHenry melted into the kiss.For a brief, dangerous moment, it felt exactly as it always had.The world narrowed to warmth and familiarity, to the soft press of Isyra’s mouth against his, to the scent he had learned to associate with comfort and certainty. His hands moved almost of thei
Author’s POV Several of the elders flinched, shoulders jerking as Henry’s wolf pressed close to the surface. One or two ducked their heads on instinct, the sudden surge of his anger rippling through the room like a physical force. The air grew heavy and charged. Henry immediately realized what had
Lysera Panic hit me all at once the second Isyra disappeared back into the hall, a sick certainty curled in my gut. I didn’t trust that she hadn’t already slipped back inside, tears ready, lies sharpened to cry to whoever cared to listen that I attacked her.I couldn’t stay out here.I gathered my







