LOGINKaelis's povHow do I get out of this? The question hit me over and over, loud in my head. My throat tightened and my thoughts spun so fast they tripped over each other.What the hell do I even say?A scream pushed at my chest, sharp and hot, but I swallowed it down. If I let it out, if I panicked now, it would be over for me. Completely.If this leaked... if anyone else found out... I'd be dead or maybe sentenced to something worse.My mind kept firing off thoughts. They were messy, frantic, and crashing into each other with no order. I could feel the walls closing in as my palms were cold, my legs felt weak, and I couldn't even breathe right.All I knew was one thing: I was out of time.I lifted my head slowly, my throat tight as Draven's stare pinned me in place. He wasn't blinking. He wasn't moving. He was just waiting... waiting for an answer I didn't have, waiting for the truth I had sworn to take to my grave.My chest rose and fell too fast as the room began closing in even wi
Kaelis's povI never thought I'd be Luna again, but here I was, getting ready for it. The weight of it was pressing down on me, and my hands shook a little as I straightened my gown, trying to hide how nervous I felt. This wasn't just about the title, it was about protecting everything I cared about.I looked at myself in the mirror. I saw the woman I had become: shaken, battered, and scarred. Still, a small part of me was happy. Could I really do this again? Lead, protect, and love without losing myself?Thinking of Draven made my chest tighten. He meant so much to me, but the ceremony was coming, and there was no turning back.I would finally be able to reclaim everything Valrik had taken from me.I could hear voices outside the door and they made me pause. Curious, I stepped out and saw two maids laughing together, talking like they had no care in the world. Elaris had gone out, and the house felt quiet without her. I needed some company, someone to remind me I wasn't completely
Draven's pov“What truth?” I asked, my voice low but trembling. My chest tightened, and a cold knot of fear formed in my stomach. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms.Elaris didn’t answer right away. She tilted her head, eyes sharp as daggers, as if weighing whether I was strong enough to handle what she was about to say. My heart thudded painfully in my chest, each beat echoing like a warning.“You think you know her,” she said slowly, her words deliberate, “but there are parts of her even I don’t fully understand. You needed to see them for yourself.”“Explain,” I demanded, my voice harsher than I intended, my fear sharpening into anger. “Now.”Her lips curved into the smallest, sharpest smile, and I felt a shiver crawl up my spine.I turned to Jax, who had quietly risen and moved toward Elaris, head bowed like a soldier awaiting orders. My chest tightened with anger, a hot surge of betrayal coiling in my stomach.“You told her first? Before me?” I b
Draven's povI slumped back in my chair, the weight of the day pressing down on me like a physical force. I let out a long and loud sigh, not the kind that brings relief, but the kind that comes from being completely drained.I had fought battles I couldn’t even count, brokered deals with mafia lords and dangerous men who thrived on chaos, and stared down death more times than I cared to remember. But nothing... nothing felt as exhausting, as nerve-wracking, as this. Planning a mating ceremony, of all things, had turned into a battlefield of its own.Every detail, every gesture, every expectation felt like a war I couldn’t lose. And the thought that one wrong move could ruin everything, or worse, hurt Kaelis, made my chest tighten and my hands clenched into fists without me realizing it.I rubbed my eyes, leaning forward, feeling the exhaustion seeping into my bones. I had survived blood, betrayal, and fire, but now I was facing something far more complicated, the delicate balance be
Torin's pov“You think you’re a grown man and can decide what you want to do?” I asked, my voice echoing through the office, sharper than I intended.My son squared his shoulders, his jaw was tightened so much like mine it irritated me more.“I am a grown man, Father. And I can do whatever I want, however I damn well see fit,” he spat back.A humorless laugh escaped me. “Is that so? You barely have control over your temper, yet you believe you’re ready to make decisions that affect an entire pack?”“I’m not a boy anymore. Stop treating me like one.”I stepped forward, closing the space between us. “Then stop behaving like one.” I sighed. "You forget yourself," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Every victory you have ever claimed was built on the foundation I carved for you.”His jaw clenched. “And every bruise I carry? Those were carved by you too.” He flinched, not out of fear, but out of anger. “You can’t keep controlling everything I do.”“I’m not controlling you,”
Kaelis's pov“Here!” Elaris shouted as she tossed a book straight at me.I caught it, barely as my fingers slipped before I steadied it against my chest. “Careful,” I said, laughing under my breath. “One of these days, you’ll break my nose.”She rolled her eyes dramatically. “If a book can break your nose, then you deserve it.”I stuck my tongue out at her and opened the book, flipping through the dusty pages. The paper made noises under my fingers as it was filled with messy handwriting, childish drawings, and promises from a naive girl who thought everything in life was either good or bad, but never the messy grey in between.“Do you remember the day we penned those pictures down?” Elaris asked as she flopped onto the long-armed chair beside me. She curled her legs under her, just as she used to when we were younger.A soft smile pulled at my lips. “Of course, I remember. You made me draw your ‘future palace’ even though it looked like a lopsided bakery.”She gasped dramatically. “E







