LOGINBy the next morning, the entire situation takes a completely unexpected turn.Sitting across from me at the private breakfast table is a man who looks almost identical to Julian—same sharp facial features, same tall build, same fair hair. But his eyes are a striking golden-brown instead of sky blue, and his swagger is entirely different. Arrogant, cocky, and overly flirtatious, like Julian's personality got run through a filter labeled "insufferable."His name is Damian, and he is Julian's cousin.He smirks at me from across the table, leaning back in his chair. "You're a striking woman," he says, his tone dripping with unearned confidence.I narrow my eyes at him, completely unimpressed. "And you're a striking amount of trouble I did not order with breakfast, but here we are."Caspian, to his credit, does not even try to hide his grin at that one.Caspian shifts beside me, his thigh pressing against mine as his hand covers mine on the table, silently marking his territory. "Damian,"
I try to force the image in front of me to change, but it stays fixed in my mind. A part of me wants to march over and confront the couple wrapped up in each other. Another part just wants to bolt and pretend I never saw it. Slowly, I back away, slipping quietly into the shadows of the corridor.Selene waits near the opening of the secret panel, looking anxious enough to snap at me the moment I reach her."What happened? Did you see anyone?" she asks in an urgent whisper as we slide the heavy stone slab back into place.I figure if I don't speak it out loud, maybe it won't be real. "I didn't see anything," I lie softly."Nothing?" she mutters, eyeing me with deep skepticism. "Are we heading back already? I thought we were going to keep exploring."I don't answer. I just start walking down the dark passageway. Selene practically has to jog to keep up, holding up her phone light so I don't trip over my own feet in the pitch-black tunnel.My chest feels like it's on fire, and a stinging
True to his nature, Prince Caspian does exactly what Prince Caspian wants. He never lets go of my hand. Ignoring Queen Sophia's attempt to exile me to the far end of the table and place Lady Celeste beside him, he pulls me straight into Lady Celeste's reserved seat right to his right. He then claims the seat next to me where the royal cousin was supposed to sit. The unnamed royal cousin shuffles on his feet, looking frantically around the table for another available chair before hesitantly slumping down near the King. Poor guy hunkers down like he's trying to merge with the wallpaper, looking so green I half-expect him to lose his dinner right into his lap. Honestly, I'm just glad he's not sitting next to me. Caspian gives my hand a firm squeeze, and I sit up straight, tipping my chin high. Queen Sophia is clearly trying to put me in my place, but I won't bend for anybody. My mother didn't raise a coward. I look everyone at the table dead in the eye; proud, defiant, and unbothered.
The poison running through my veins took a brutal, unforgiving toll on me. The second the adrenaline burned off from the fighting, so did every last drop of my strength. My body just... shut down completely. I crashed into a dead, dreamless sleep in the back of the car, forehead firmly tucked under Caspian's chin, his arms locked around me like he was afraid I'd float away into thin air. I was vaguely, hazily aware when we finally reached wherever we were going in the pre-dawn dark. But no matter how hard my brain screamed at my eyelids to cooperate, they refused to budge. I vaguely remember being carried. I remember being tenderly undressed, washed clean in warm water, and tucked into soft sheets. Everything else was a total blur. When I finally crack my eyes open, I feel like a brand-new person, no more dried blood, no more gross sticky grime, no more toxic heat simmering under my skin. My mate cleaned me up himself. Of course he did. My personal, gorgeous alpha butler. Flying cow
ROAR. A deafening, primal growl rips through the clearing. A set of razor claws clamps around Viktor's jaw from behind, snapping his head backward until his spine groans under the angle. In one fluid, brutal sweep, another set of claws slices his throat wide open. Skin tears like wet paper, and a sickening gurgling sound escapes his lips as blood sprays across the grass. Caspian. He looks like a terrifying, vengeful god. Blood coats his bare chest, dark veins bulging and pulsing across his muscles. His eyes are pitch black, wild and lethal. His lips pull back in an animalistic snarl, exposing gleaming fangs. Viktor twitches on the ground, clutching at his open windpipe, trying desperately to heal. But Caspian doesn't give him the chance. He tears into him with merciless precision, shredding him until he stops moving. I avert my eyes from the gore. My arms are still screaming in agony, but my eyes search for Vivian. She’s dragging herself through the mud on her stomach with her re
The second Kael stops the vehicle, we scramble out like it’s ablaze.Every single one of them moves with lethal, silent grace. Any sound they make blends seamlessly into the whisper of the wind and the rustle of the canopy. I do my best to match them, scaling the nearest trunk and moving swiftly from branch to branch. I have no idea why I feel so ridiculously comfortable up here. I must have some sort of ninja monkey DNA in my bloodline.From this vantage point, I have a clear sight line of the compound. I can spot the two-storey building where Vivian and five other Lycans are supposedly hunkered down. We’re coming up on it from the rear. The upper level is completely dark, while dim light trickles out of a few ground-floor windows. The silence hanging over the clearing feels far too thick, far too deliberate. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they're waiting for us.Caspian is moving right beneath me. I make sure not to stray too far from his side, and his eyes never leave my ou
I was trying. That was the embarrassing part. I was actually trying to feel normal again. The movie playing in the background wasn’t even interesting anymore, but Aurelia kept reacting dramatically to every scene like she deserved an award for emotional support. “That man is definitely the killer,”
The days following the rejection passed in a blur of silence. It wasn’t that I couldn’t speak; it was simply that nothing felt worth the effort of moving my lips. Home had become quiet in a way that didn’t feel peaceful, just heavy and still. I stayed in my room most of the time, staring at walls t
I regretted agreeing to Aurelia’s stupid plan almost immediately. The moment she walked into my room carrying three shopping bags, makeup, and the confidence of someone about to ruin lives, I already knew peace was no longer an option for me. “You still dress like you’re preparing for emotional win
The next morning, Aurelia arrived at my house with the energy of someone preparing for war. Not emotional support. Not comfort. War. She marched into the kitchen holding two coffees and a notebook an actual notebook. I stared at her from across the table, asking if I should be scared. "Yes," she an







