Mira’s POVI rolled my eyes at them, shaking my head in disbelief. “It still doesn’t explain how you all read my thoughts.”Rowan smirked. “We already told you, Mira. You’re an open book.”Lucian chuckled. “You might as well just say your thoughts out loud. It would save us all the trouble.”I huffed, crossing my arms as we walked toward my chambers. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to learn to hide my emotions better.”Kai raised an eyebrow. “Good luck with that.”Ignoring them, I stepped into my chambers and sighed, relieved to finally sit down. My feet ached from the long day, and my sandals felt unbearably tight. I reached down to pull them off, but then I stopped.No. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of thinking I needed help.“You’re really going to sleep with those on?” Lucian teased, leaning against the wall.I glared at him. “Yes.”“Stubborn little mate.” He knelt before me without another word, his hands gently sliding over my ankles. “Then I guess I’ll have to do
Mira’s POV Rowan leaned against the carriage door, his golden eyes fixed on the procession ahead. “We’ll order the walk to begin, then ride in the carriages to the clan shrine to wait for Serene.” I frowned. “Why do we have to wait? Why not just follow them?” Rowan shot me a look of irritation. “Because we are royalty. We don’t walk with criminals.” Lucian’s voice was gentler. “It’s just how things are done, Mira. The walk is meant to be a public display of her shame. The people need to see her parade without us overshadowing the punishment.” Kai, clearly impatient, let out a frustrated sigh. “Can we stop explaining? Let’s just start the damn thing already.” Before I could argue further, the captain of the guards approached and bowed slightly. “My Lords, Luna, everything is set. Serene is ready to move, and the people are waiting.” My stomach twisted with unease. A strange feeling, like a warning, crept through me. “I want to walk with them,” I said. Rowan’s head s
Mira’s POVEverywhere was a haze. Thick smoke curled through the air, blinding me, suffocating me. People were screaming, running in every direction. Some tripped over debris, others trampled the fallen in their desperation to escape. The acrid stench of burning wood and flesh filled my nostrils, making my stomach churn.I could still hear the explosion ringing in my ears, the deafening blast that had torn through the streets like a violent storm. But nothing compared to the sight that made my heart drop.The captain’s body lay sprawled across the ground, twisted unnaturally. Blood pooled beneath him, soaking into the dirt road, his once-proud armor blackened by the flames. His eyes, once sharp and alert, were dull now—lifeless.I slapped a hand over my mouth, swallowing the sob that threatened to escape.Lucian’s grip on my arm tightened as he pulled me forward. “We have to move, Mira. Now.”I shook my head frantically, my vision blurring. “Where are they?” My voice was hoarse, desp
Lucian’s POVThe air was thick with smoke and the scent of burning flesh. The city that had once been filled with life was now a battlefield of destruction. Screams echoed in the distance, blending with the crackling of flames. My boots crunched over shattered debris as I pushed forward, my body screaming in protest.I made my way to the wreckage of my brothers’ carriage. The remains were barely recognizable, reduced to splinters and ash. My heart pounded violently in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm.They had to be alive.A simple explosion couldn’t kill them.I searched desperately, shoving aside broken wood and burnt fabric, hoping—praying—that I’d find something. But there was nothing. No bodies. No sign of them.The longer I searched, the worse the pain in my chest grew. But it wasn’t from fear.It was from the curse.The damn curse was taking its toll again, weakening me second by second. I gritted my teeth, determined to fight it off. I had no time for this. My broth
Mira povThe warm water surrounded me as I leaned back in the bathtub, letting my body sink into the soothing heat. The steam curled around me, softening the air, but no matter how comforting it was, my mind refused to relax.I closed my eyes, but the images came flooding back. The crowd was screaming at me. The protesters—Serena’s supporters—called me a thief, an outsider. The way their hatred burned in their eyes as they threw dirt at me.Then there were the lycans. The ones who wanted me dead.My fingers tightened against the smooth edge of the tub. If the guards hadn’t stepped in… what would have happened? Would I have been ripped apart in the middle of the streets?I shuddered, pushing the thought away.Even now, as I sat in the safety of the castle, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Serena wasn’t done. Her influence ran deeper than I had realized. Even after everything, people were still loyal to her—loyal enough to fight for her. To kill for her.And that terrified me
Mira Pov Kai was waiting for me at the entrance of the meeting hall. His arms were crossed over his chest, and there was a slight smirk on his face, like he had been enjoying himself. “How long have you been standing there?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Long enough,” he said, pushing off the wall. “I heard everything.” I blinked. “You were listening?” “Of course,” he replied. “You handled the meeting well, Mira. Better than I expected.” I frowned slightly. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” He chuckled. “It is. You were firm but fair. I was waiting to see if you’d let them push you around, but you held your ground.” I sighed, shaking my head. “I don’t know. It feels like everything is moving so fast. One moment, I’m fighting to survive, and now I’m making decisions that could change lives.” Kai placed a hand on my shoulder. “You did what was right. And because of that, I know I can trust you with the castle.” I stiffened. “What do you mean?” “I’m goi
Kai PovThe air was thick with the acrid stench of burnt wood and flesh as I climbed down from my horse. The ground beneath me was blackened, the once-solid cobblestones cracked and uneven from the force of the explosion. A layer of ash covered everything like a thick fog, swirling slightly with every movement. The entire street was eerily silent. No voices, no movement—just the lingering echoes of the destruction that had taken place.The people had retreated into their huts, doors locked, windows shut. They were afraid. Rightfully so. Whoever had orchestrated this attack had made their presence known, and the clan was still reeling from the shock of it.I crouched down, running my fingers through the ash before bringing it close to my nose. The scent was strange. It wasn’t gunpowder or any form of explosive I recognized. If this had been a normal attack, I would have been able to pinpoint the weapon used immediately.But this?This was different.I let the ash slip throug
Mira POV The cold air hit my skin as I stepped out of the dungeons, my breath coming in short, shaky exhales. My heart was still pounding from what I had just heard. The maid’s voice echoed in my head, each word seared into my mind like a curse.“Serena’s escape was just the beginning. You have no idea what’s coming. Great doom will befall all those who stood against her.”Those were the same words Serena had spoken before her walk of shame.I swallowed hard, forcing myself to focus. Whatever they were planning, it wasn’t just an empty threat. I needed to figure out what was coming before it was too late.The castle hallways were quiet, but the heavy feeling in the air remained. I passed by a few guards, their gazes shifting toward me momentarily before looking away. Did they know something? Were Serena’s supporters still lurking in the castle?I exhaled sharply. I was letting paranoia get the best of me.But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something important.
Mira POV When I arrived at the shrine, I immediately knew something was different.The courtyard was crowded, more than I’d ever seen it. People were pouring in through the arched gates, their footsteps fast yet quiet, their heads bowed as though afraid to lift their eyes. Some clutched prayer beads, others held burning candles. A few sobbed quietly as they moved toward the inner sanctum.I stepped aside as a woman passed me, dragging two small children behind her. One of them looked up at me, his eyes swollen from crying. My heart twisted painfully.I made my way inside and found the head priestess, her wrinkled face lined even deeper than usual.“What’s going on?” I asked softly, trying not to let the heavy tension around us suffocate my voice.She turned to me with a tired expression. “The people are afraid,” she said, clasping her hands together. “Since the massacre… the castle guards, the bloodshed… word has spread.”I frowned. “Word?”The priestess nodded. “About the wit
Mira POV Two days later…I woke up before the sun had risen, the castle still blanketed in silence. For once, I didn’t wait for Adela or any of the handmaids to come in. I slipped out of bed, walked barefoot to the bath chamber, and poured myself a cold shower. The icy water hit my skin like a slap, but I welcomed it. I needed the numbness. My mind had been anything but still for the past two days.I couldn’t stop thinking about the massacre—the way the blood had soaked into the stone floors, the way the guards’ lifeless bodies had been carried away one by one. And the families… Gods, the families. They had gathered outside the castle gates yesterday, their wails cutting through the air like blades. Some had thrown stones, others had just fallen to their knees, begging for answers. Begging for justice.I stayed in the shower longer than necessary, hoping the water would wash away the unease churning inside me. It didn’t. When I stepped out, I dried myself quickly and dressed
Mira POVI sat quietly in the carriage beside Damien, the steady rhythm of the wheels rolling over the rugged trail doing little to ease the storm brewing inside me. The sun was still rising in the sky, casting golden beams through the trees, but my heart felt too heavy to appreciate any of it. We were heading to the place where Benard Sawyer was meant to be executed years ago. Damien sat across from me, flipping through an old parchment from the archives, but I knew we were both thinking about more than just the past.The silence stretched between us until I finally broke it.“How’s Lucian doing?” I asked, not looking at him. I didn’t know why I needed to know so badly. Maybe because the thought of losing him clawed painfully at the inside of my chest.Damien looked up at me, his expression shifting to something solemn. “He’s hanging on,” he said softly.“But not for long. The disciple told me the only thing that could really save him is complete faith—from the three of us.”I
Kai POVThe air was tense as we stormed toward Councilman Baylor’s chambers. I walked beside Rowan with six guards behind us, all alert and on edge. Damien and Mira had taken off earlier to the execution site where Benard Sawyer was once meant to die. I hoped they’d find something useful. But right now, our focus was Councilman Baylor.Rowan kept glancing at me as we moved through the corridor. “What if he’s already done it?” he asked, low but urgent. “What if he’s already summoned them?”I didn’t need to ask who he meant. “Then we’ll be too late,” I said. “But we can’t think like that. We have to act before they arrive.”Rowan didn’t speak again, but his jaw tightened. He knew as well as I did that there was no defense against witches—not unless we were prepared. And we weren’t. Not yet.When we arrived at Baylor’s chambers, they were eerily quiet. The guards took position at the doors while Rowan and I pushed inside. The room was dim, the curtains drawn, the fire out. It felt li
Mira POV I shifted another stack of scrolls and sighed. Damien’s secret archive was packed from floor to ceiling with books, dusty records, and ancient parchments. I could barely breathe from all the dust in the air, but I wasn’t going to stop. Kai and I had been digging through everything for nearly an hour now, trying to find anything about Councilman Benard Sawyer’s execution—the date, the place, even a small mention of it would be something. The deeper we dug, the more suspicious everything became.I glanced at Kai as he skimmed through a thick record book. “You really don’t know the date?” I teased, a half-smirk curling my lips. “Didn’t you grow up as your father’s little pet? Always at his feet, watching him rule?”Kai looked up sharply. “I wasn’t his pet,” he said, a bit defensive. “I did more than attend his meetings and parties. I trained with Rowan, built things with Damien… I even tried my hand at hunting once.”“Except Lucian,” I said quietly, flipping through a b
Damien POV I stood in my workshop, watching Adela as she sat nervously on the chair placed directly in front of the table. She looked lost, confused, and so much younger than her years. Rowan leaned against the wall by the door, arms crossed, watching with scepticism written all over his face.“I still think this is a waste of time,” Rowan muttered for the tenth time.“And I think you’re not helping,” I shot back without looking at him. I couldn’t afford distractions. Adela needed to remember, and fast.We had no idea what Councilman Baylor had done to her — only that her memories of the amulet, of everything she had learned, were gone. But I had a theory. If magic could block her mind, then science could trigger it back.“Alright, Adela,” I said softly, pulling a few paintings from the nearby cabinet. “Let’s start simple. Do you recognize these?”I spread portraits of the councilmen across the table. Some old, some new. Among them was Baylor’s.Adela leaned forward, squinting at
Mira POV I wiped my face quickly, my fingers trembling. I had cried enough. I knew now—there was no running from what the moon goddess had given me. My destiny wasn’t about revenge. It wasn’t about the hatred I carried or the love I feared. It was bigger than me. And no amount of heartbreak could be allowed to break me.I took a deep breath and stood up. My legs felt weak, but I forced them to move. No more hiding. No more letting my pain trap me. If I was truly meant to bridge the worlds—to heal what had been broken—I had to be stronger than this.When I stepped out of my chamber, the sunlight almost blinded me. It felt foreign against my skin, like I had been locked away in the darkness for too long. I shielded my eyes and headed straight to the courtyard, the place where everyone seemed to gather when something important happened.As I approached, I noticed Kai. He was standing there, as if waiting for me, his arms folded stiffly across his chest. His eyes softened when he
Mira’s POVI couldn’t believe what I’d just seen.Lucian. My mate. Lying unconscious on a bed hidden in the shrine. All this time, they’d kept it from me—every single one of them. Even Damien, who I’d come to trust more than I thought I would. The sight of Lucian’s motionless body sent something cold and aching straight through my chest. And then to hear them… Damien and the disciple, talking like I was never supposed to know. Like I wasn’t even part of this.The betrayal tasted like ash in my mouth.I stormed out of the room, my vision blurring with tears. I could hear Damien calling after me, his boots slapping the stone floors of the shrine, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. If I turned back, if I let him catch up to me, I might break completely.“Mira! Please, just listen!”“Don’t!” I snapped, spinning on my heel just as I reached the carriage. “Don’t you dare speak to me!”He stopped short, his chest rising and falling with effort. The look in his eyes was soft—regretful. But
Mira POV I stood in the courtyard, surrounded by the soft murmurs of the guards and the quiet tension that buzzed in the air like a taut string waiting to snap. Everyone was waiting for Adela to return. The amulet swap needed to happen perfectly, silently. One wrong move and Councilman Baylor would vanish into the shadows like smoke. We had one chance to use his connection to the witches to find them, and I couldn’t shake the anxiety tightening around my chest.Adela was brave, no doubt, but this was different. Dangerous. I tried to keep a calm expression as I stood beside Kai, Damien, and Rowan, but my thoughts were far from steady. My mind kept drifting back to the voice I heard last night. The moon goddess. Her words still echoed in my head like a steady drumbeat.You were born for this.The weight of her voice still lingered in my chest. Heavier than armor. More binding than any promise.If I was truly the bridge between the three factions, then I had to start walking that