Tyris’ PovGetting Lyra to forgive me was a piece of cake. Flowers. They always did the trick. It wasn't difficult getting a love-starved female to crave me again. Lyra was mine, no matter how much she told herself otherwise or how much Rockan tried to prevent it. Watching her eyes light up after receiving my flowers warmed my heart. I did not miss the blush that crept up her cheeks, spreading from the spot where my lips met her fair skin. The features of being a queen began to reflect on her being. She seemed to glow each day. But it only drove a stake through my heart repeatedly to see her happily content with my brother instead of me.So, when I saw her walking to her chamber with a disturbed look, I knew that was the chance I needed to get back into her good books. I could feel the turmoil of her emotions in my soul-perks of being destined mates. Something shifted in the air after Kael’s report. I knew Rockan could feel it too, because the minute Lyra left, he downed a full glass
LYRA’S POVIf anyone had told me that the quest for the truth would be this harrowing and demanding, I would not have believed them. Waves of disappointment crashed over me as I lay on the soft queen-sized bed, gazing at the high ceilings. I recalled the blurry memories of my parents, and even though they were beginning to become non-existent, I remembered clearly how my parents loved the Alphas. They were willing to die and give up everything for their friends. My gut feelings knew they were innocent of the crimes piled up against them.Was I being manipulated, too? I wondered. Or were the damning pieces of evidence planted? A picture of a Beta talking to a human general is hard evidence to forge, though. Perhaps my enemies were just too meticulous, trying all they could to cover their tracks. Sighing, I turned to my side, watching how the sun dipped below the horizon. My heart grew heavier with each passing second, and I wondered if Rockan was beginning to regret helping me with the
Rockan’s PovAs Lyra walked into my room after collapsing from the terror of seeing my scar with a look of unsettling sobriety, I braced for the inevitable rejection. What destroyed me wasn't her fear—I had grown accustomed to it. What destroyed me was that Tyris reached her first while I stood frozen, watching her eyes widen with revulsion as she backed away like I was some monstrous thing from nightmares.The scar had always been my weakness, though not for the reasons others assumed. I cared nothing for whispered conversations or averted gazes—those reactions served me well, adding to the reputation that made supernatural creatures tremble. The scar's true power over me lay in moments like these, when someone I cared about looked upon it and saw only horror. Yet something extraordinary happened. Against all logic, Lyra began to see past the twisted flesh marking my face. Our relationship, born from conflict and mistrust, transformed into something I had never dared hope for. Each s
Bruno’s PovMy mother was furious when she learnt that I told Freya to put a hold on the mating preparations. She just couldn't comprehend why I was still attached to—in her words—the 'servant girl'. The way she spat those words, as if Lyra's very existence was a stain on our family's reputation, made my wolf bristle beneath my skin. But I was determined to stand my ground, even if it meant facing the full force of the Luna's wrath. Freya and her parents wouldn't get a free pass from me just because the Alphas favoured them. Their political manoeuvring and influence meant nothing when my heart still belonged to someone else.After the council meeting, Jack called me. It was well past sunrise, and his tone was too dark for the bright golden rays bathing our pack. The contrast between the warmth kissing my skin and the ice in Jack's voice made my stomach clench with dread."Bruno," he said, his voice grave, "You need to see this.""Where are you?" My heart began racing, each beat echoin
Freya’s Pov. "Bruno," I breathed, managing a small smile as my heart raced for entirely different reasons. If he had heard the conversation between my mother and me, we would be dead by morning. "What brings you here so late?" I fluttered my lashes in a disarming manner, but Bruno was already over it. "Freya, I need to speak with you, and I demand that you do not interrupt me." Bruno looked me dead in the eye. All traces of the fake smile he had put on earlier at lunch vanished into thin air. He had an aura of authority hanging above his head, and it took all the fibre of my being to fight the urge to show my neck in submission. Mother quickly set down her wine glass and smoothed her skirts. "I'll give you two some privacy," she murmured, gathering her book and gliding toward the back door with practiced grace. I knew she would listen to our conversation, but I did not mind that. “Come on in,” I went to clutch his burly arm, pulling him deeper into the room. He snatched his arm fr
FREYA’S POVMy claws extended involuntarily as I paced my parent’s spacious sitting room, The Persian rug beneath my feet suffered from my aggressive stomping. Lunch with the Luna did not quite go as I had expected, and Bruno’s resolve was weakening by the day. I could not loose everything after coming this far. I just couldn’t.“Can you stop all this frantic pacing. The scent of your anxiety is thick in the air, a suffering to my enhanced sense of smell.” My mother said from the couch where she was perched, reading a book on witches."He's getting too close, Mother." My voice came out as a growl, my wolf stirring restlessly beneath my skin, banging on the window that controlled my human form. "Bruno has been pining for that wretched girl even after everything.” “You know, if you continue pacing about in that manner, Wrinkles will appear on your face and by the time your mating ceremony comes around, you’d look like an old hag” My mother joked, still immersed in the volume she held