LOGINCALLISTER'S POVThe silence in the western tower made it the only place accommodative enough to think. I drowned in the peace as I paced from one pillar to another, thinking of my next line of action. Odessa was somewhere in the mansion, receiving treatment. When she wakes up, she'll obviously spill everything she knows. My father will come to know that I was the driving force to this disaster. The reason why the earth cried blood, why there were skeletons lying around, and why the once glorious estate has fallen to shambles. I cared less about the corpses I was walking past and the blood I was walking through. I barely noticed any of them unless I stopped to look at the floor. Someone had taped the western tower to keep people away, which is why I became curious when the door clicked. I found the shadows close to a wall and hid, waiting for the intruder. Shoes clicked slowly against the floor, each step sending a warning to me. My claws extended while I fed on the last drop of pa
PENELOPE'S POV The stairs felt endless as Hayley guided me down. My hands stayed locked together in front of me, a shield against the nerves clawing inside my chest. The gown they gave me felt too heavy, too strange on my body. I tried to keep my breathing steady, but each step sent my heart racing harder.The sound of voices reached me before I saw the room. A low hum of chittering and laughter floated from below, rich and casual, the kind of noise made by people who felt too powerful to fear anything. My wolf curled in unease at the sound.When we reached the final step, the hall revealed itself.It was vast, pillars carved from dark stone stretched high toward a ceiling decorated with golden lamps. A long table filled the center, and around it sat men and women in fine clothes. Their faces were proud, sharp, eyes glinting with something dangerous. Wine cups clinked, silver plates gleamed, and laughter spilled across the hall.They looked nothing like rogues. No, they looked like r
MALIA'S POVThe ride back to Ironclad felt endless, but for once, I didn’t mind the silence. My body ached from every cut, every bruise, but leaning against Lucas’s side numbed it all. His warmth wrapped around me, his arm never once letting go as if I might vanish again if he loosened his grip. The night air bit cold against my skin as we moved through the woods. Lucas and I chose to use the cars, while the wolves raced ahead of us. A few of them were behind, keeping to the pace of the car and those ahead. The moon was slowly losing its light, getting swallowed by the clouds of day. The warmth it brought was supposed to feel refreshing, or at least give me a sense of relief. But it only doubled my curiosity and fear for what lay ahead, waiting for us in the pack. I closed my eyes for a moment, surrendering to the small heaven Lucas's presence created. The world outside was chaos, smoke, and blood but here, pressed into him, I felt safe. His fingers brushed against mine occasional
MALIA'S POVLight returned to the room as the door slid open. The noise stirred me from slumber, pushing my heart to the edge. Every hour I spent tied to this chair made me wonder how much time the Ironclad pack had left, and how things were going on the outside. I blinked the tears blurring my vision away, finally getting a glimpse of the woman approaching. Bianca. Her hand was stained with blood, a little of it smeared on her dress and shoes. She wore an expression I've never seen on her face before, reeking of strength. “I believe you're here to save me,” I stated right before she began working her way with the ropes around my wrist. She got them off quickly and moved to my legs. “Where's Rhaegal?” I asked. “In Ironclad, I believe,” she responded as she cut the ropes off my legs. Freedom….at last. I've never been stringed up to a chair as long as this. Even the air began to smell different as I stood up. “Which means it has started?” “Yes,” she answered. “But we brought on
PENELOPE'S POVThe silence surrounding the western tower was enough make me one assume that it was safe–untouched by the madness spreading in the other parts of the pack. For one second, I felt happiness course through me. If Daemon is safe, then the rest of the pack would be safe as well. All we needed to do was let him know the pack is under siege. But like someone always says in one of my father's meetings when I was young, ”there's no telling an alpha his duties,” We went up to the door and I was about to push it open when Ezra grabbed my hand. “Listen,” he whispered, same time, leading me away from the door. We crouched behind a pillar. “What?” “There's more than one heart beat in there. They're here already,” “You can't be so sure,” I pulled away and tried to return to the door, but he grasped my arm.“You're staying behind me all through. Don't forget,” “Daemon needs to know what's going on,” I persisted. Ezra pulled me back to the darkness with a force that threw me
CALLISTER’S POV“Alpha Duncan,” A lie that stuck at the back of my head the moment I remembered that they were not on good terms. Their heads snapped to my direction, my father's bearing the most questionable stern. “Duncan? Duncan was at the party?” “I saw when he arrived with a few council members,” I kept the lie going. “I doubt he wanted to create a scene. But….A rumor was spread in this hall, and I watched him lash out on a guard who tried stopping him from attacking Penelope,” “What role did she have to play in this?” He interrupted. I swallowed, narrating the exact statement she made. Which means…he hadn't heard it, and I am the one bringing it to his hearing first. His eyes twitched as he turned away. I noticed the way his hands trembled, like he was putting so much effort to hold back his anger. “So…Duncan lashed out on a wolf. And he decided to spread that anger to the rest of the guest,” “I wasn't here to see it all to the end. But….that's what I believe,” “That's
Penelope’s POVHe settled into the chair like a king settling into her own seat on stage and spreading out, legs apart, knuckles hooked under the arms of the chair as if the chair might splinter under his fingers. Only his eyes never left mine. I strode toward him slowly, my hips moving in a delib
Ardan’s POVThe road stretched ahead like a vein, winding through the woods as our vintage car hummed quietly. The scent of aged leather and smoke lingered in the air. Duncan sat beside me, one hand on his jaw, the other tapping impatiently on his knee, staring out at the road like it had personall
Daemon’s POVSilence.Then that voice, smooth and dark like silk soaked in venom.“Gentle?” he purred. “She wants the storm, Daemon. She wants to be broken open. Filled. Claimed.”I couldn’t help it. I let out a groan, thick with need. Pictures currently clouded my mind, so real I felt. I could see
Daemon’s POVI held her tight. Tighter than I should’ve, like if I let go she might disappear again. Callister buried her face into my chest, her shoulders trembling with the kind of fear she didn’t want me to see.“I’m here now,” I murmured. “I’ve got you, baby girl.”She pulled back, just enough







