MasukADAMDaniel's temper snapped before anyone could stop him.The sharp clatter of porcelain against marble shattered the quiet like a gunshot. The teacup hit the floor and rolled, spilling amber liquid across the tiles."What does she mean by she's busy?" Daniel barked, half-rising from his chair. The veins on his neck strained with fury, his fists trembling where they rested against the table.We were in the royal dining room. Lunch had just ended, and the maids had barely cleared the plates. Sunlight filtered weakly through the stained-glass windows, scattering colors over the long table, but the air was thick with tension instead of warmth.Daniel's outburst didn't surprise me. His admiration for Sage had turned to bitterness since the day she had insulted us all after we hosted her. His pride was bleeding, and he was the kind of man who'd rather burn than let it heal."She said she's busy?" Noah repeated, voice colder than Daniel's. His scowl deepened as he leaned back in his chair,
SAGEThe curfew made the pack feel like a caged beast.Every night, as the bell tolled at five, the streets emptied like blood draining from a vein. Doors locked. Windows shuttered. The air itself seemed to hold its breath. And though no one said it aloud, fear had become the kingdom's heartbeat.It reminded me too much of my last days in the witches' community—when I had been Dora. When the queen had released the beasts to patrol the borders, their glowing eyes slicing through fog and darkness, promising safety through terror. Back then, the people had believed those creatures could keep the monsters away.Here, there were no magic beasts. No guardian spells etched into the walls. Just mortal werewolves, pretending their patrols would be enough against things that fed on souls.And, as the whispers in the pack kept proving, they weren't. Not their fault really. The vampires were terribly cunning. There had been stories of attacks—not open ones, but quiet, clever infiltrations. "Brea
SAGEI knew the fight wouldn't happen the moment I heard the bell toll.The sound was deep, ancient—a slow, heavy clang that rolled through the air and seeped into my bones. It pulled me out of the kind of sleep that had no dreams, just exhaustion. For a moment, I didn't know where I was. The ceiling above me blurred, shifting between the witches' white stones and the darker ceilings of the pack's quarters. Then Isla's voice came hammering against the door."Sage! Wake up! Something's happening!"I groaned, rolling over and burying my face in the pillow. "Go away."But Isla wasn't the kind to take hints. Her knocking only grew louder, more desperate. "Didn't you hear the bell? The whole pack is on fire. You need to come out—""Then go," I muttered, eyes still closed. "Go and don't come back."Truthfully, my body felt like it had been torn apart and glued back together. The teleportation from the witches' territory had drained more energy than I'd expected. I'd barely managed to throw
SAGEThe warmth of the fire filled the center hut, wrapping around me like an old memory. I leaned back against the soft sofa, a slow smile pulling at my lips as I let my gaze wander around the space that had once been my haven. The walls were still etched with faint symbols Diana and I had drawn when we were being magically adventurous. The air smelled faintly of herbs and smoke, with the soft murmur of evening insects seeping through the cracks in the window slats.Diana sat beside me, her eyes bright and questioning. "So?" she pressed, nudging my arm. "How's the mission going? You've been gone for weeks. Did the queen make progress? Or—" she lowered her voice, eyes twinkling, "—do you need me to come help you deal with those Lycans?"I laughed. "The last thing I need is you marching into the pack grounds and getting yourself caught," I said, leaning forward to flick her forehead. "Besides, you wouldn't survive five minutes with their egos."She pouted. "You're underestimating me a
ADAMEdward Brekan, ex Alpha King of our kind in this regions, and self-proclaimed historian of everything worth knowing, looked at me like I had just grown a second head. His eyes flicked from me to my brothers, disbelief thick enough to cut through."Don't you three do any research at all? Didn't you hear what I said earlier?" His voice thundered through the meeting room. "Or do you think the old books in the library are there for decoration?"I bit back a groan, exchanging a glance with Noah and Daniel. We'd spent the years training armies, managing colonies, and pulling the pack out of debt—but apparently, not reading enough dusty books made us ignorant fools.None of us replied.The silence stretched long enough that even the candle flames seemed to lean away from it. Finally, Edward exhaled and rubbed his temples, muttering something under his breath that sounded a lot like 'spirits save me from my own offspring.'"The Ancients," he began again, his tone softer but no less grav
ADAMThe air in the meeting room was thick enough to choke on. The kind of silence that felt alive—pressing, listening, waiting.Maps lay spread across the table, dotted with ink marks where the attacks had been reported. Names of colonies, forests, villages—places that had once been peaceful now painted red with blood. The scent of wax from the burning candles mixed with the faint metallic tang of unease.We'd gone over the facts again and again. The conclusion was the same: the vampires were out for us.And yet, I couldn't understand why.My mind circled the question until it bled into another—one I didn't want to entertain. Sage.Her name slipped through the cracks of my concentration like smoke. I clenched my jaw, forcing my thoughts back to the table, to the vampires, to anything that wasn't her. But my wolf wasn't cooperating. It growled softly in my head, restless, whispering her scent which still lingered in my nostrils from the last time I'd seen her.Shut up, I snarled inwa







