MasukREENA'S POV“Okay… you’ve been saying a lot of things, but I still can’t make sense of any of them.”My voice sounded small in the quiet forest surrounding us. I folded my arms, staring at the huge white wolf standing a few feet away from me.Aric didn’t move. He simply watched me with those unsettlingly intelligent eyes.The strange thing was that I should have been terrified.A massive white wolf standing in front of me in the middle of a forest should have sent me running in the opposite direction. But somehow… it didn’t. I had met him before, when I first arrived here and despite the oddness of it all, he had never once shown me any hostility.If anything, he had been… kind.Which bothered me the most, because whenever I asked anyone about him, no one seemed to know who he was.No one had even heard of him.Yet here he was again.In this place, which I had slowly come to realize was a dream—Aric looked different from the way I remembered him. More… otherworldly. He seemed huge,
“I know he has ambitions,” I admitted finally. “He has always had his eyes for the throne. He doesn’t even bother hiding that. But he cares about the pack too. If the pack falls, everything collapses. He wouldn’t risk that, not even for power.” Cauldron studied me carefully, as if weighing whether I believed my own words. “You know him that well?” He asked sarcastically. “Not really, but…” “I just hope you know what you’re doing,” he said without giving me a chance. “I do,” I replied, though a faint unease twisted in my chest. Lowering his voice he asked, “So… what’s your plan with Reena?” The mention of her name made my jaw tighten. I looked away, pretending to study the scenery. The truth was painfully simple because I hadn’t decided. “Keep an eye on her for now,” I said, my tone firmer than I felt. “Sooner or later, she’ll break. And when she does, she’ll give me the answer I seek.” Cauldron didn’t respond immediately. When he finally spoke, his voice carried a note of hesi
ASHTON'S POVMy whole world was a fucking mess.That was the only way to describe it. Not chaotic exactly, chaos implied movement, the possibility that things might eventually settle into order again.This was worse.This was everything I thought I understood collapsing in on itself, piece by brutal piece.How the hell was I supposed to know she was my true mate?She is goddamn human!Fate certainly did have a twisted sense of humor, but this… this felt like cruelty.I had replayed it a hundred times since the revelation. Maybe more. Pacing my room like a caged predator, retracing every moment with her. Every glance. Every accidental touch. Every instinctive pull I had forced myself to ignore.There had been attraction when I first met her. Of course there had been. I wasn’t blind, and I sure as hell wasn’t dead. Any sane man would have noticed her.But attraction meant nothing.Desire was cheap.Wanting someone didn’t make them destiny.Yet she is my destined one.My doom.My chest
“Are you all right?” Granny asked, her voice soft but searching, the kind that slipped past defenses and pressed gently against bruises no one could see.I inhaled slowly, schooling my expression into something calm, something believable. “Yes. Yes, I’m fine,” I said, even managing a small smile as I straightened my shoulders. Granny studied me for a moment longer, eyes sharp despite her age. Then she nodded, satisfied or perhaps choosing to be. “All right. Ashton says it’s time you take your rest, and I think he’s quite right. You do need it.”“Oh… yeah,” I replied faintly. Agreeing felt easier than resisting. Everything felt easier than resisting lately.“All this talking will only give you a headache,” she continued, already waving a dismissive hand as though the matter was settled. “Go upstairs and rest. But don’t worry,” she added, her face softening into a smile meant to comfort, “I’ll come up sometimes to keep you company.”“Oh. Thank you, Granny,” I said, meaning it more tha
Ashton sat across from us on the opposite sofa, his posture relaxed but his presence anything but. He leaned back, one ankle resting over his knee, arms loosely folded, eyes sharp and observant. He looked like a man in control… too much in control. The kind that never revealed what was truly going on beneath the surface.Granny was still speaking quietly with a servant beside her. I watched as the elderly woman nodded, gave a few final instructions, then waved her hand gently, dismissing the servant. The door closed softly behind her, leaving the room heavy with silence. Granny turned fully toward me. Her sharp eyes softened instantly, as though she had been holding her concern back until we were alone.“Oh dear,” she said, clasping her hands together. “I must apologize for making you come out here.”Her voice was warm, sincere. The concern on her face was real, pure in a way that made my chest ache. It wrapped around me like a blanket I hadn’t realized I needed.“Ashton told me you
The final pin slid into place, and the maid stepped back, letting out a quiet breath of relief as though she had been holding it in all along. “All done, Your Majesty,” she said softly, curtsying low. Before I could respond, the door opened. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. My heart betrayed me instantly skipping, then racing, pounding so hard against my ribs it felt almost painful. Ashton. This is ridiculous, I scolded myself. I’m human, caught in a world of supernatural politics and emotions. Not a werewolf. There should be no bond, no pull, no reaction like this. And yet, it lingered. Why was it still here after he had rejected me so cruelly? After he had shattered whatever fragile illusion I had once held onto? The maids curtsied again, even lower this time. “Your Majesty,” they greeted him with reverence before slipping out of the room, quietly closing the door behind them. The silence that followed was thick, heavy enough to choke on. I met his gaze thr
My breath caught, sharp and painful, as if something invisible had wrapped a cold hand around my lungs. Shock washed over me in a freezing wave, and for a heartbeat I just stood there in silence, unmoving and staring down at the dress resting in Granny’s fragile hands.The fabric looked ordinary a
REENA'S POV The night of the wedding… my wedding… had finally come. Or perhaps I should say the night of my binding, because that’s what this ceremony truly was. Granny had explained it earlier that Lycan weddings were always held at night, under the full moon, beneath the ancient vowstones that
I needed a plan—quickly. The necklace had to be retrieved or even destroyed, and I had to make sure the blame shifted far away from me before anyone pieced things together. Ashton was sharp, far sharper than people gave him credit for, and I knew he had to be suspicious by now. The real question w
I turned swiftly, my breath catching in my throat, ’cause there he was, standing a few feet away from me. Damion. His usual confident smile playing at the corner of his lips. The early morning sunlight poured through the tall windows behind him, wrapping his figure in a golden haze. I remembere







