FAZER LOGINElara stood alone by the wide stone window of the mountain house after they had returned home, her hands braced against the cold ledge as she stared out across the endless mountains.Her mind was still in the Blood Court.Still in that chamber of carved stone and lowered eyes.Still hearing the sharp crack beneath her feet as the marble floor splintered under the force of her rage.Still feeling the heat of power rushing through her veins.Still hearing Riven’s voice at her ear.The events at the Blood Court still clung to her skin like heat, the gasps, the fear in their eyes, the way the room had trembled because of her anger.And Riven... Riven was...well...confusing.The images from what she had just experienced under him... under the mountain...Yes... her mind and body were confused.The way he had stepped behind her without hesitation. The way his power had wrapped around hers, it was so new, and strange and it was very embarrassing and she would never admit it in front of Rive
Power crackled from Elara like wildfire, her hair was blazing bright, her eyes were glowing silver-blue. The marble beneath her feet began to crack and splinter in the shape of a web around her feet. The light coming from her coiled tighter around Liliana, lifting her slightly off the floor like a rag doll, choking on her own gasp.Riven stood now, and though his face remained unreadable, Elara felt his energy shift, ready, controlled, watching her closely.Elara wanted to stop, to reel in her power, but she could still hear Liliana’s words. She could still hear that dismissive tone...she could still see that smirk. The idea that she would always be a toy in someone else’s hands.No. Not anymore.Elara took another step forward, her breath ragged, her chest rising with every surge of magic coursing through her. The air in the throne room was alive now—sparking, humming, furious. The werewolves closest to her dropped their eyes or flinched.“I am not something to be broken,” she said,
The whole pack remained frozen, their breath held in reverence, or was it fear, as Elara’s glowing hair crackled in the gloom, throwing strange silver light across the obsidian floor. No one spoke. No one dared. Not after the display they had just witnessed.Riven’s thumb swept once across her thigh again. A subtle touch, grounding almost like he was reminding her he was still present, and with her. But then a voice cut through the silence like a jagged blade.“Well,” came a high, cold drawl. “She certainly knows how to make an entrance and pull a crowd”The entire room shifted. Heads turned slowly toward the voice, like vampires scenting blood.Just as Elara was trying to figure out the direction the voice was coming from, she heard it again. A soft drawl, smooth as venom. “It’s good to see the strange new Luna is not just a glowing decoration, but also a glowing whore.”The words didn’t echo as usual. They landed like dead weight in the throne room, pulling everyone’s attention to
Elara was pressed so closely against him that she could feel the deep rumble of his voice as he at last said to his court, “Rise.”As the last bowed head lifted, silence hovered everyone like they were all holding her breath.No one dared to speak...not yet. Not while Riven sat sprawled on his throne, dangerous and relaxed, his newly announced Luna perched like a jewel in his lap.Then came the creak of stiff robes and the soft click of boots on stone as Sebastian, the Steward stood erect from his deep bow and walked forward again, closer to the throne, but stopped at the stairs that led to it. Not daring to climb it. He loooked lean, his face carved into lines of patience and bitter disdain. His eyes were a pale, icy grey, like a storm that never truly passed. He stepped forward slowly, each stride controlled, as though reminding himself that he stood before a beast that could bite with little warning.“My King,” he began with a strained smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “It seems…
Elara looked from above, on the throne, down to the bowing heads of the people and focused on looking around the large space, trying not to gape at how devastatingly beautiful the Blood court was. The second pack Alpha Riven ruled was beautiful!!! She had thought it was just a small community of old, naughty wolves, but no...this was truly a city. The walkway that Riven had led them through where he had touched her cheek like he... Well... That walkway was a full on avenue, and around them, rising high into the dark mountains and gloom, were buildings and spires, homes and bridges. A metropolis carved from the dark stone of the mountain itself, no inch of it left unmarked or without some lovely, hideous artwork etched into it. Figures danced and fornicated; begged and reveled. Pillars were carved to look like curving vines of night-blooming flowers. Water ran throughout in little streams and rivers tapped from the heart of the mountain itself. Elara turned her attention to herself
The entrance to the Blood Court loomed ahead...a massive stone arch carved into the mountain itself, guarded by two armored wolves who stood straighter the moment they caught sight of Riven.They didn’t speak, but the deep bow that they gave was enough words for Elara.Then, they just stepped aside like the mountain itself was bowing to its king.Elara caught sight of their expressions... they were so pretentious! Their faces were carefully blank, but their eyes said it all: fear, barely concealed beneath layers of obedience.This wasn’t respect. It wasn't like This was control.As they stepped through the arch fully introducing them to the court, the temperature immediately dropped. The air became dense, thick with old magic and older hatred. The tunnel was long, carved deep into stone with veins of glowing red ore running through the walls like blood. Fitting, Elara thought.Riven didn’t slow down. His steps were steady, calm, but she noticed the way his fingers flexed at his sides,







