เข้าสู่ระบบTheir laughter blurred in my ears as they moved through the dark woods, away from the castle’s glow. Every step took me farther from safety, farther from anyone who might notice I was gone. I tried to move, but my body felt heavy, unresponsive. When I shifted my weight, the man carrying me only tightened his grip. “Stop squirming, pretty thing,” he muttered. “You’ll make it worse for yourself. Maybe I could even have a taste of you before we hand you over.” His laughter making me almost puke out my whole dinner. I clenched my jaw, forcing my mind to focus. I couldn’t scream no one would hear me. I couldn’t fight, my strength was fading fast. All I had left was prayer. I closed my eyes, forcing my ragged breath to steady. Moon Mother… please. The words came silent, desperate. I don’t care what I’ve done, or what they say I am. Please, don’t let me die here. Not like this. The forest whispered around me, wind sighing through the trees. For a long, breathless moment, there was not
The air was thick with tension, the kind that clung to skin like smoke. Daemon stood silent beside Selene, his face unreadable, his lips pressed into a hard line as the council waited—waited for him to speak, to accept her offer, to break me in front of everyone. I didn’t realize how tightly I was gripping the edge of the table until my nails cracked against the wood. So that was it, then. They would stand here, in front of half the damn realm, and discuss alliances and Luna titles like I wasn’t even in the room. “Enough,” I said, voice trembling with a rage I could no longer swallow. All heads turned. I stood slowly, every muscle in my body taut, my pulse hammering in my throat. “You want a Luna?” I asked, my voice rising. “Then take one. Take all of them. Maybe one of them will last long enough to survive your throne.” The words fell like thunder in the room. Draven’s head snapped toward me, eyes darkening with something wild. Darius froze mid-breath. Even Daemon’s stoic mask
I froze, my fingers stilling beneath the water as his words sank in. My father. Here. The room suddenly felt smaller, the air heavier. The bathwater that had been warm moments ago now seemed to grip my skin like ice. “What do you mean he’s coming here?” My voice came out low, almost strangled. Caius hesitated by the door, his hand still on the handle. “The Birdsclaw patrols found survivors at the border. Your pack’s territory was attacked two nights ago—rogues, maybe more than rogues. The elders thought it best he join the summit for his safety. He’ll be arriving by evening.” For a heartbeat, all I could do was stare at him. My father—Alpha Corvin—never left the mountains unless something was truly dire. If he was coming here, that meant the damage was worse than Caius was letting on. “Are they alive?” I whispered. He looked away. “Some.” My stomach twisted. The names, the faces—I didn’t even want to think of who some excluded. I gripped the edge of the tub, the w
The moment he was gone, the silence pressed in, thick and suffocating. I could still feel him, his heat, his breath, the phantom echo of his body caging mine. Every nerve in me screamed to chase after him, to drag him back and finish the argument in a way that would leave us both ruined. Instead, I just stood there, trembling, until the ache in my chest turned into something sharp. Hatred. Not for them, but for this. For the goddess. For the bond. For the way it kept tying me to men who couldn’t decide whether to claim me or cage me. Finally gathering my strength I walked, out into the gardens, tracing my way back to the lake where I almost had Darius right where I wanted him. Almost. Such and annoying word Lightning flashed across the horizon, throwing silver light over the lake below. My reflection rippled in the water wet hair, red eyes, a hollow look I barely recognized. Maybe I was the curse they all feared. I stayed there until the torches burned low and the halls w
“Apparently I shouldn’t be anywhere,” I shot back, stepping into the doorway. “Especially if it makes any of you look bad.” Draven’s face remained unreadable. “You don’t understand what’s at stake….” “Then make me understand,” I snapped. My voice echoed in the chamber, shaky but louder than I expected. “Why haven’t you told anyone? If you say I am yours Why are you all pretending like I’m nothing when the bond is—” I broke off, swallowing hard. “When it’s driving me insane.” Daemon moved first, frustration flashing in his eyes. “Because they’ll see you as a threat. A wolfless girl tied to three alphas? They’ll think it’s an omen, ” I froze. Wolfless . He called me wolf-less. “How did you know?” I whispered, avoiding eye contact. “What?” They asked, genuinely confused at what I was implying. Lifting my head to meet their gaze “Wolf-less…..you called me wolf-less. How did you find out?” “Oh….we figured it out. Not everybody is as dumb as you think.” Daemon smirked,
The murmurs hadn’t yet died down when a voice, soft but sharp as a blade, sliced through the air. “If it’s alliances we’re talking about…” Charlotte. She rose gracefully from her seat, all silver gown and venomous poise. The kind of beauty that had teeth. Her father, Lord Varyn, ruled one of the richest border territories, and the kind of man whose loyalty could turn wars. As much as Draven and his brothers were true born Lycan and the strongest in all the lands, they still very much needed Lord Varyn’s armies. And she was a fair exchange. She smiled sweetly, and deliberate. Her gaze landing on Draven. And I knew that second what she had in mind to offer l. “…then perhaps the solution is simple. If Alpha Draven were to mate with me, the Varyn forces would stand with the summit’s cause. My father would send his troops to reinforce the unprotected packs in the North — immediately.” The hall went dead silent. The words hit me like a slap, not for what they meant, but for







