FAZER LOGINVALEN’S POV"Training,” Jiya stated, staring distractedly at the white building.“I'm busy,” I hissed through my teeth.“Not you.” Her eyes flashed at me, peeved. “I need proper sessions."“I won't let Raina train you. If you want to learn Luna duties, I suggest you go read a book,” I denied her."Ugh! Not that. With Raj." She emphasized. “Training with Raj.”That threw me off.For a second, I thought I had misheard. "Raj?""Mmm-hmm. Yes."Narrowing my eyes, my confusion deepened. "You want me to arrange for you to have private training with Raina's father? Wasn’t it clear, just now, how much he hates you?"Jiya's expression softened into a plea, and it made something twist uncomfortably inside of me.She shifted on her feet and folded her right arm across her stomach to grip her left bicep."This is something important." She blinked and averted her gaze at the memorial wall to our right. “He'll be difficult if the Elders approach him. I think he'll be receptive if it came from you.”
VALEN’S POVZeus roared. My desire to protect and nurture was well in overdrive.I curled my hands into fists against the strong compulsion to run to Jiya’s defense.To keep the impulse down, I quickly bit my fist, drawing blood. I didn’t want to bring their talk to a premature end. Neither would I ever let this damn connection control me."Raj, you will understand one day, I promise," Jiya stated, her tone mellowing.“You don't get to approach me and interrogate me about my family,” Raj snarled. “Not when you're after my daughter. Leave my family alone.”“You shouldn't discriminate,” Jiya responded flatly. “Everyone is treating me like I'm stealing something. I'm not against Raina, but I should be happy too.”Raj snorted. “Then be happy but not at the expense of others. You know what's funny to me? How you were here before and never once did you chase Valen, or declare this cock-and-bull bond.”“I explained that before,” she defended harshly.Raj laughed mockingly. “It didn't exist. I
VALEN’S POV Dense, foggy wolfsbane gas thinned into a pale, translucent mist as I stood in the corridor of the dingy dungeon.Next, the glass-clad polycarbonate chamber unlocked. Then the transparent door hissed and automatically slid open.“Get him up,” I commanded, stepping through the threshold.Theo and Thaines moved ahead of me towards a disoriented Benji lying on the cold, grayish-blue floor.“Wake up, sunshine,” Theo said, gripping his arm and yanking him to sit up. “It's time to talk to your Alpha.”Thaines grasped Benji's nape to angle his head in my direction.“Alpha Val-Valen,” Benji wheezed out with a cough, taking long and arduous breaths.I put my hands into my jeans pockets, staring down at him in displeasure.“Tell me your full name,” I ordered sturdily, checking his coherence.He breathed noisily. “Benjamin Morgan-Anders. Alpha, are you going to kill me with this gas? I want to go home.”He tried to get up, but his weak attempt was nothing against the Gamma twins' str
RAINA’S POV“Good grief, Raina!” Elder Jacob exclaimed, his face twisted in anger. “You just can’t bear to lose, can you? You are definitely no match to be queen.”My mouth instantly parched, and I struggled to address the furious man. "W-what…"“May the moon weep on you!” Elder Mitchell cursed me like I was something to spit on while rushing forward to the bleeding woman.They kneeled on the ground on either side of Jiya, gently holding up her trembling upper body as blood seeped through her fingers. Both looked stricken by her pain, like they were losing their most precious person.Elder Mitchell looked at me with a dicing glare, and snapped, “Silver? You resort to such vile means! You had no right!”Commotion broke out with the crowd’s fury swelling into a deafening roar, and my eyes swiftly darted around. A flare of panic rose in me as the upset mass drew nearer.My heart thundered in my chest as the mob’s outrageous accusation hit me from every direction: “Murdering woman!” “Unfi
VALEN’S POVPandia’s angry eyes landed first on Valiant, then on me, and back to him. “Concubinage Mating? It’s not enough that women have to bear the demands of a patriarchal world, but now we’re being forced to share the man that the moon goddess fated to us?”“Now is not the time.” Valiant gritted inaudibly, trying to grab her hands. “The Alpha is in a bad mood.”I folded my arms and darted a cut-throat glare at them, feeling my anger rekindling fast.Pandia jerked her hands out of his reach, escaping his grasp despite his continuous attempt to clutch them. “You support this, don’t you? Hmm? So you can have Sisinae, or is it Niosune?”“You’re not supposed to be here. Do not aggravate him,” Valiant warned, blocking her with his large body and his hands stretched wide out. “Let’s go somewhere and talk about this.”With every second, my patience dwindled into vexation, and I pressed my lips into a thin line.Pandia deftly twisted to the side and stepped past him, turning her focus on m
VALEN’S POV“Denied!” I growled at the thumbnails of Alphas on the plasma screen in the office. “It’s one mate, one bond.”The online Alpha meeting ended in vain hope.Devin pressed the remote, and the screen blackened, just like my mood for the day.My rage amplified.“I will not sanction that harem system!” I jolted up from the chair that toppled over behind me and furiously swept my desk clean of its contents.Crash! The laptop, folders, and everything scattered across the office.Raina's face filled my thoughts, her voice, and her faith in me. Endorsing a concubinage law might satisfy the Alphas, but it would shatter her. The disappointment in her eyes alone would be enough to haunt me.With a roar of frustration, I swirled, kicked the chair out of my way to the left, and punched the wall, sending my fist into it with a hard thud. The impact rattled the structure, leaving a jagged hole in the drywall. Dust drifted to the floor.I stood there with my palms bracing on either side of
RAINA’S POVOuch! I woke up alone and groggy in the sunlit bedroom. I was lying on my back with the cover drawn up to my waist. I raised a heavy hand to my forehead. Pressure pumped steadily at the back of my eyes.My eyes hurt. So did my head.Great, another headache. I groaned as I got out of bed
RAINA’S POV“Where's Valen?” It was the first thing that spurted from my mouth upon entering Alpha King Vance's home.Venus and I rushed into the somber foyer after Devin opened the front door. My heart thudded with panic in my chest. Valen’s vague message was burning in my mind. It was very unsett
VALEN’S POVA sudden, thunderous bang exploded against the thick wooden doors of the temple.Everyone flinched.Writhing shadows moved under the door, alarming the gang as they bolted from the chairs and rushed over to the edge of the ritual circle.“I can still hear them,” Raina whispered, her voic
RAINA’S POVBefore the sun rose, I decided to run a few miles before hitting the gym later.When I got to the Training Center, I dropped my gym bag on a bench on the shaded patio and peeled my blouse off before heading into the yard to stretch.Knowing that the Elders didn’t work on the weekends so







