Veyra POVI crawl to the pile of items and grab the meat, shoving it into my mouth without caring how it tastes. It won't save me. Even I know that. I thought I was ready to die, but now that it's closer, I'm not.It's not the pain, not the burning heat under my skin, not the way my body refuses to move. It's the thought of dying that scares me. I was ready. Now, I want to live. But living means asking one of the Alphas to knot me.My pride won't let me. But maybe... if one of them offers again, if they suggest it, if they give me even a fraction of an excuse... maybe then I can say yes. I can take what I need and go back to surviving this trial on my own terms.I can't move. My body's done. My wolf is slipping further away, curling back into herself, and the last of my strength is gone. I know I'm exposed. I'm lying out in the open. Anyone can see me. The scent of the other Omega's body is going to draw the rogues soon, maybe even a boar or another predator. Still, I can't do anythin
Veyra POVHe doesn’t move like I expect him to.There’s no wild snarl, no rip of fabric, no hands dragging me down into the dirt. Just a pause. A slow exhale. One of his hands brushes against my waist, then stills as if he’s giving me a chance to change my mind. When I don’t, his fingers drift toward the hem of my shirt, curling beneath it with deliberate care.The fabric is stiff with dried sweat and blood. It clings to me in places, but he’s patient, peeling it upward, inch by inch, until my stomach is bare. My skin prickles under the touch of air, but it’s his silence that unsettles me more.He’s not grinning or gloating. He’s looking at me like I’m something fragile. Something breakable.My voice is rough, wary. “You’re not doing this like a rogue.”He doesn’t answer. Just eases the shirt higher, over my ribs, past my bruised arms. I wince when he lifts it off my head, and his touch softens instantly, like he noticed. Like he cared. He folds the ruined shirt and sets it aside, as
Veyra POVSomething shifts in him.The careful movements give way to something deeper, firmer. Each thrust grows more deliberate, more insistent, like instinct is pulling him out of the restraint he's clung to. I feel it in the tension of his muscles, in the way his fingers press harder against my hips, holding me in place like he’s afraid I’ll vanish.I know I should be afraid. I know what rogues are... what they become when instinct takes over, but I don’t pull away.Instead, I arch into him.My breath comes faster, not from panic but from need, sharp and staggering. The pain that once consumed me has been replaced with something I didn’t expect. Pleasure. Rich and overwhelming, like it’s blooming through every nerve ending. My wolf leans into his without hesitation, drawn to the strength he’s offering, to the rare and careful way he’s giving it.He groans low in his chest as he sinks deeper, filling me completely with each thrust. The rhythm isn’t brutal, he never becomes careless,
Dagen POVShe’s barely holding on, but she still nods. Still gives me that final, broken little whisper of permission “Make it stop.”That’s all I need. I strip fast, my jaw tight, breath short, barely hanging on as my wolf surges beneath my skin. The scent of her is everywhere, sweet and wild and burning through me like a drug I can’t fight. It hits me the moment I pull my shirt over my head, the moment I shove my pants to the floor and crawl back onto the bed where she lies stretched out, weak and trembling, her legs already parted for me like she’s waiting for salvation.I grab her thighs, drag her down to the edge of the bed, and settle between them. My cock is painfully hard, slick already, throbbing with the pressure building in me. When I press the head against her entrance and feel her heat, slic
Veyra POVI was born to rule. In the werewolf kingdom, the first child is always a male so there’s an alpha to run the pack in the future. Only for my family, they got a girl first.I’ve spent my entire life proving that I can be the alpha to our pack. Everyone doubted me, everyone believed I would fail, and tonight, I’ve proved them wrong.Tonight, I’m handed the title and become the alpha. I watch as the maids rush around me, each one doing something different. They are making sure I fit the part, look ready, and come across as powerful.Tonight isn’t just the night I get the title handed to me and take on my family’s pack. I marry my mate, and we claim each other.One of the maids pulls my dress, tightening it more.“Are you nervous, Miss Veyra?” the maid smiles as she straightens my dress.“No, I’m actually excited.”The maids smile at me softly.“And so you should be. The first female Alpha! The firstborn female, you were destined for greatness.”Their words are nice to hear, but
Veyra POVMy father isn’t happy, even I know that.“What have you done?” His words are growled, his nails digging into my skin.“He wanted our pack!” I argue.“Then you give him it.” His words are sharp and I stare.“What? Why would I give him the pack?” I didn’t train to be Alpha just to hand it over to a man.“A man is meant to be alpha, not a woman. You should have agreed to give him the pack.”I don’t understand. “I’ve proven I can take care of the pack, I’ve proven I can be alpha, why now are you not agreeing?”“You’re a disgrace. What sort of person rejects becoming Luna just to hold onto a pack? To hold onto a title that is meant for a man?”I stare at my father, my breath coming in sharp, controlled bursts. My entire life has been spent proving to him that I can lead, that I am strong enough, ruthless enough, and capable enough to take this pack into the future. And now, when I am finally about to take what is mine, he tells me I should have just handed it over?“You would rat
Veyra POVKieran steps closer, lowering his voice so only I can hear. “You should have given me the pack when you had the chance.”I meet his gaze, my own unwavering. “You should have never betrayed me.”Turning, I face my father, I have to try and save the pack. My heart slams against my ribs as the weight of his decision presses against me. Of all the people he could give the title to it’s Kieran after he married Lyra. Has he forgotten what her pack did to us?I straighten my shoulders, my voice cutting through the silence. “You can’t just cast me aside. I am your daughter. I am this pack’s rightful Alpha!”My father steps forward and towers over me; his presence is suffocating. “You were my daughter. You were meant to be Luna, you were meant to be a wife. Your role was to support your mate. Instead, you chose power over duty, and now, you’re nothing.”His words send a sharp pain through my chest. I lift my chin, refusing to show it. “You can strip me of the alpha title, but you can
Dagen POVShe’s barely holding on, but she still nods. Still gives me that final, broken little whisper of permission “Make it stop.”That’s all I need. I strip fast, my jaw tight, breath short, barely hanging on as my wolf surges beneath my skin. The scent of her is everywhere, sweet and wild and burning through me like a drug I can’t fight. It hits me the moment I pull my shirt over my head, the moment I shove my pants to the floor and crawl back onto the bed where she lies stretched out, weak and trembling, her legs already parted for me like she’s waiting for salvation.I grab her thighs, drag her down to the edge of the bed, and settle between them. My cock is painfully hard, slick already, throbbing with the pressure building in me. When I press the head against her entrance and feel her heat, slic
Veyra POVSomething shifts in him.The careful movements give way to something deeper, firmer. Each thrust grows more deliberate, more insistent, like instinct is pulling him out of the restraint he's clung to. I feel it in the tension of his muscles, in the way his fingers press harder against my hips, holding me in place like he’s afraid I’ll vanish.I know I should be afraid. I know what rogues are... what they become when instinct takes over, but I don’t pull away.Instead, I arch into him.My breath comes faster, not from panic but from need, sharp and staggering. The pain that once consumed me has been replaced with something I didn’t expect. Pleasure. Rich and overwhelming, like it’s blooming through every nerve ending. My wolf leans into his without hesitation, drawn to the strength he’s offering, to the rare and careful way he’s giving it.He groans low in his chest as he sinks deeper, filling me completely with each thrust. The rhythm isn’t brutal, he never becomes careless,
Veyra POVHe doesn’t move like I expect him to.There’s no wild snarl, no rip of fabric, no hands dragging me down into the dirt. Just a pause. A slow exhale. One of his hands brushes against my waist, then stills as if he’s giving me a chance to change my mind. When I don’t, his fingers drift toward the hem of my shirt, curling beneath it with deliberate care.The fabric is stiff with dried sweat and blood. It clings to me in places, but he’s patient, peeling it upward, inch by inch, until my stomach is bare. My skin prickles under the touch of air, but it’s his silence that unsettles me more.He’s not grinning or gloating. He’s looking at me like I’m something fragile. Something breakable.My voice is rough, wary. “You’re not doing this like a rogue.”He doesn’t answer. Just eases the shirt higher, over my ribs, past my bruised arms. I wince when he lifts it off my head, and his touch softens instantly, like he noticed. Like he cared. He folds the ruined shirt and sets it aside, as
Veyra POVI crawl to the pile of items and grab the meat, shoving it into my mouth without caring how it tastes. It won't save me. Even I know that. I thought I was ready to die, but now that it's closer, I'm not.It's not the pain, not the burning heat under my skin, not the way my body refuses to move. It's the thought of dying that scares me. I was ready. Now, I want to live. But living means asking one of the Alphas to knot me.My pride won't let me. But maybe... if one of them offers again, if they suggest it, if they give me even a fraction of an excuse... maybe then I can say yes. I can take what I need and go back to surviving this trial on my own terms.I can't move. My body's done. My wolf is slipping further away, curling back into herself, and the last of my strength is gone. I know I'm exposed. I'm lying out in the open. Anyone can see me. The scent of the other Omega's body is going to draw the rogues soon, maybe even a boar or another predator. Still, I can't do anythin
Veyra POVMy whole body aches. The connection to my wolf is thinning, and I know it’s because I keep refusing to mate. That, and the rejection is ripping us apart. I’ve accepted I’m dying. I’d rather go because of that than be killed by the Omegas or the trials.Call it stubbornness, I know it is, but I want to die my way. I’m not giving them the satisfaction of winning.Only that’s not looking likely now. The other women were laughing, mocking me as they walked off. I didn’t see it coming. One second I was alone, the next I was tackled and thrown into the pit. I can’t stay here, but every part of me hurts.If I bring my wolf forward, shifting will kill me. The strain will finish what the bond started. I have to get out on my own. I need to figure it out. Standing, my body sways and pain rips through me. The mark on my neck burns like fire. My wolf probably won’t help even if I asked.My choices are killing us, I know that.I push against the wall. It’s just mud. That’s going to make
Dagen POVWe stay silent as the cameras follow her. Veyra moves carefully, not with the desperation the others show, but with a slow, calculated pace. She stops suddenly near a patch of dense undergrowth, crouching low.The camera zooms in automatically, and we see it. A boar, rooting around a fallen log, oblivious to the danger creeping closer.“She’s hunting?” Rael mutters, disbelief threading his voice.“She doesn’t have a choice," Vane says quietly. "If she wants to survive, she has to eat."We watch as Veyra moves closer, almost invisible against the thick shadows of the trees. Her wolf is close to the surface, not fully shifting, but enough that her movements are sharper, faster. When she strikes, it is fast and brutal. One sharp thrust with the sharpened branch she carries, straight into the boar’s neck.It thrashes once, twice, then goes still.She wastes no time. Dragging the body back toward a cave, she cuts it open with quick, brutal efficiency, taking thin slices of meat.
Dagen POVNothing much happened throughout the night. It was relatively quiet for Veyra anyway; three other Omegas are dead, two of them to the rogues and one of them to a trap. The others have gone to sleep but I've been watching all night. I don't want to care about her, I don't want to care if she lives or not, but I do. So the moment I laid down and tried to rest, my wolf didn't settle, so instead, I sat here all night and watched her fall apart piece by piece because of the bonds, rejection, everything. The sound of the door has me look up, and I see the maid carrying in the tray. She places it down before walking out. I'm not sure if I'm even hungry, what I do know is my wolf is unsettled. Maddox claiming she has made my wolf eager to be next, despite the fact it's not right. I pick at the food for what feels like forever before the others walk in and sit down. "Anything fun?" Rael looks to me and waits. "No, it was an uneventful night." My shoulders shrug slightly. "I won
Vane POVThe hours pass slow and heavy. None of us speak much after that. The screens glow in front of us, the only light in the darkened observation room. I try to keep my gaze moving between the different Omegas, watching them stumble through the forest, some trying to build shelters, others just curling up under trees and hoping the night spares them.But no matter how much I try to spread my focus, my eyes keep dragging back to her.Veyra.She’s still tucked into the little shelter she built, her body hidden behind the thick wall of branches and thorns she dragged into place. She’s smarter than the others. She chose a place off the main paths, dug in tight against the trees, hidden and protected by the thorns she wove around her.She’s been still for hours now, only moving when she adjusts the branches or shifts slightly to ease the stiffness in her body. I know she’s awake though. There’s a tension in her even when she lies still. A readiness.Dagen tenses suddenly beside me. His