MasukBRADLEYThe fluorescent lights inside the press room buzzed softly, casting a stark, white glare over the wooden podium. Dozens of news reporters sat in rows before me, their camera lenses gleaming like cold eyes and their microphones pointed straight at my face. The room smelled of hot electronics, wet coats, and cheap coffee.I leaned forward on the podium, adjusting the black microphone stem with a slow, calculated touch. A subtle, dangerous smile played at the corners of my lips. My phone was sitting heavy in my track-jacket pocket, still carrying the lingering heat of the secret call I had taken from Tristan hours ago."Captain Bradley!" a reporter from the regional sports network called out, raising her pen high. "With the championship finals just days away, how is your team feeling about facing the Winterridge Ice Wolves? Especially given the massive public controversy currently surrounding their captain, Trenton Lockwood?"I took a slow, deliberate breath, letting the silence
TRISTANThe air inside the lower holding cells beneath the mansion was heavy, cold, and smelled faintly of damp stone and iron rust. A single dim bulb hung from the high concrete ceiling, casting long, sharp shadows across the dirt floor. I sat on the narrow wooden bench attached to the back wall, my back resting against the cold stone blocks.My arms were folded across my chest, and my legs were stretched out in front of me. I was wearing simple gray prison clothes, but in my mind, I was still sitting on a throne.A heavy set of footsteps echoed down the stone corridor outside my iron-barred cell door. The sound was slow and rhythmic, the heavy boots of the guard clicking sharply against the floorboards. A small metal slot near the bottom of my heavy iron door slid open with a loud, metallic screech.A small tray containing a bowl of cold vegetable soup and a dry piece of bread was pushed through the slot, followed by a tightly folded piece of paper."Your dinner, prisoner," the guar
TRENTON The heavy double doors of the executive conference room clicked shut behind me, sealing me inside a cold, silent room that smelled faintly of expensive leather, chemical carpet cleaner, and stale coffee. A long, polished mahogany table stretched down the center of the room, reflecting the harsh fluorescent lights humming overhead. Sitting along both sides of the table were seven men and women in dark, immaculate business suits—the board of directors, the league safety officials, and my team's top management. Not a single person smiled when I walked in. I kept my back straight, my shoulders squared, and my head held high as I pulled out the heavy leather chair at the foot of the table. I sat down, resting my hands flat on the smooth wood to hide the slight tremor running through my fingers. My wolf rumbled restlessly under my skin, sensing the hostile energy directed at me from every corner of the room. "Thank you for joining us on such short notice, Captain Lockwood," D
THIRD PERSON The cold morning mist hung low over the Winterridge campus, casting a grey, gloomy blanket across the stone pathways. The air was freezing, but the atmosphere inside the student center was burning hot with arguments.Groups of students stood around the high wooden tables, shouting over one another, while large television screens mounted on the walls broadcasted constant news updates about the scandal."The Moon Goddess made them fated mates!" a tall girl shouted, slamming her books down on the table to get everyone's attention. "Who are we to question divine magic? If the Goddess says they belong together, then Trenton and Aria have every right to be together, stepsiblings or not!""It doesn't matter what magic says!" a guy across the room yelled back, his face turning red with anger. "They grew up in the exact same household! It looks terrible to the outside world. How can our pack expect neighboring kingdoms to respect us when our future Alpha is sleeping with his own
ARIA The heavy oak desk in my dorm room felt ice cold against my trembling hands. Outside my locked door, the quiet hallway of Winterridge University was filled with a strange, heavy tension. I sat in the dim light, my chest heaving with short, desperate gasps as my mind tried to process the nightmare. Thousands of strangers had watched a private, sacred moment between Trenton and me. Something meant only for us had been taken, twisted, and thrown out for the entire kingdom to stare at.I felt exposed and humiliated, like someone had torn off my skin and left me standing in a freezing storm. People were talking about my body, my feelings, and my life as if I were not a human being with a right to dignity. Every time I closed my eyes, I could picture the endless comment sections, the cruel jokes, and the cold smiles of students who looked down on me."Aria, please talk to me," Trenton’s voice broke through the suffocating silence. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, his broad should
THIRD PERSON "Stop looking at it, Aria," Trenton said, his voice deep, soft, and completely steady. He reached over, cupping her cold hand in his warm, calloused palm, his thumb stroking the back of her knuckles. "Look at me. Not at the screen." Aria looked up, her amber eyes shining with unshed tears. "They're saying horrible things, Trenton. They are saying I used dark magic on you, that I forced myself into your life to get power." "Let them talk," Trenton declared fiercely, his amber eyes burning with absolute devotion. "I don't care if the entire kingdom screams at us from the rooftops. I am never, ever going to be ashamed of loving you. The Moon Goddess gave you to me, and I would choose you a thousand times over, no matter what anyone else thinks." "It's not just about us anymore, Trenton," Aria whispered, her voice cracking with heavy emotion. "You are the future Alpha. You are the captain of the Ice Wolves. Every single part of your life is being judged right now. They
Aria“Not today, Tristan,” I muttered once I stepped out of the locker room. “Your brother will not die in my hands again.”Looking around to make sure that the coast was clear, I reached for the poison inside my bra, twisted the lid open, and stared at the dark liquid. The sharp smell of herbs—bur
AriaThe first thing I noticed once I stepped inside the locker room wasn't his fake smile or his scheming eyes that hinted that he thought he had me wrapped around his tiny fingers.No.The first thing I noticed… was the mate bond between us. It was no longer as strong as it used to be.In my prev
Aria.“You… poisoned me…” I whispered, feeling a coil wrapping around me tightly, suffocating me.I slumped on the floor, blood already dripping down my mouth and nose.“Of course.” He laughed coldly, staring down at me like I was something unworthy. “You really believed that I was going to have so
Aria.“Trenton Lockwood!!!”The cheers of the students and the cheerleading squad echoed through Winterridge University’s hockey arena, pom-poms waving in the air.Trenton Lockwood, the golden son of Alpha Liam Lockwood, the future pack leader, my stepbrother, skated through the ice, every stride p







