ANMELDENLila POV WHY time in Japan feels like a quickly fading dream once I return to Hell.A small part of me wished I could’ve stayed in that onsen with Adrian forever, but life doesn’t work like that, and I have an alpha to teach a lesson.Alright—kill.I step out of the portal and descend the stairs with Adrian at my side. He escorts me to the courtyard where the prince waits for our delightful little training session. I glance at the leaderboard, amazed to find my name so close to Adrian’s. Caleb is going to be livid.“You’re late,” he grumbles, pushing off his throne.“I humbly beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty,” I say with an innocent smile, bowing at him. I know he hates when people use his title. “I was a little preoccupied capturing a level four demon.”“Where is it?”I set the bell on the blood-stained stone.“All snug in his new home.”Levi tilts his head, his lips hinting at a smile.“Not bad. That puts you, what, three points behind Adrian? You’re in the running now for top sp
Lila POV The literal Prince of Hell, sole heir to the Stormfire Pack, is not someone I want to get on the bad side of. I haven’t forgotten our first meeting, or how he told Caleb to watch out for me. The look the prince gave before he left Adrian’s room sends another shiver through me. I knock on the future alpha’s door.“Come in,” he calls out curtly.I turn the metal doorknob and push the heavy wooden door open. I shut it behind me before turning around to glance at Levi’s private study. It’s a cosy room with thick red curtains lining the three windows and a massive desk that takes up most of the space. The desk is empty other than a spinning red crystal that doesn’t stop moving and a pile of books in a straight line.In fact, I don’t see any dust anywhere or a single stain on the dark-wood floors.“Sit down,” he commands from his throne-like seat behind the desk.The only other seat is opposite him and just a simple plastic chair that seems like it’s seen better days.It squeaks w
Lila POV I open my eyes to a dark figure slouched over me. Droplets of water splash against my collarbone and slide down my chest, soaking into my T-shirt that’s already glued to my body. The coppery tang of blood hangs thick in the air, and there’s a light throbbing sensation in my side. It fades with each breath I drag in through dry, cracked lips.“Where… am I?”My voice leaves me, riding on a fractured whisper.“In the land of the living, you’ll be glad to know.” The last of the pain vanishes just as Adrian’s deep, husky voice registers in my mind. “But more specifically, you’re in my room, in my bed, bleeding on my fucking blankets.”Now that wakes me up.I straighten so quickly that a rush of dizziness slams into me and my head hits the pillow again. Adrian chuckles and wipes a damp cloth over my temple. In the dim lighting, the harsh lines etched between his brows are as deep as the ones on his forehead. He’s either lost in thought or really, really pissed off.“What happened
Lila POV The stranger looks straight down at me, locking his eyes on mine. I take in his very unique clothing from the corner of my eye. Something resembling a cloak drapes over his shoulders, but instead it’s cut into a coat with no hood. It’s red underneath with black leather on the outside. He’s also wearing a tight black shirt, a big belt to hold up black trousers that are tucked into boots. When he rests back on his seat, I spot his cloak is littered with weapons.“That seat is taken, Viking,” I state before popping a chicken ball into my mouth.He chuckles low, the sound sending chills through me.“You’re the woman the alpha is looking for, aren’t you?”I cough in shock and instantly choke on the chicken ball, seeing his eyes go wide. I try to thump my chest to save myself. This is not how I want to die.“Fuck,” the stranger mutters and lifts his hand, whacking me hard on my back. I cough the ball out with a gasp for air. It bounces across the floor, but I keep coughing, strugg
Lila POV “That’s better. You look perfect now,” Dove says, clapping her hands in a way that reminds me of Aurelia.Even though it’s painful to think about her, I briefly wonder what my best friend has been told about me back in Caeli. I doubt she knows I’m alive, let alone on the run. The Caeli pack hates scandal and drama, which telling the pack the truth about me would cause.No, I can just imagine them telling her and everyone at the academy that my family and I were traitors. I think she is the only wolf who will miss me from my pack. I never had an actual home there, I know that, but it’s hardly like I have a home anywhere right now.I clear my throat and glance in the mirror, away from the book on demons I was reading in my lap. Dove has curled all my dark-red hair which bounces around my shoulders, and she has woven in black glittering flowers into a sort of crown around the top of my head. I’m not one for seeming pretty but I smile at her anyway for her effort. I didn’t have
Lila POV I sit quietly, sipping on the tasty wine, but then Caleb drops down at the table opposite me, his features pulled into a scowl. I feign ignorance to his anger and continue scanning the menu.“Can’t sense him anywhere,” Caleb snaps after a moment. When I don’t acknowledge him, he mutters, “I hope you choke on that wine.”“It’s very tasty,” I reply with a grin, my gaze still on the menu as I take another sip. Teasing Caleb is becoming a favourite pastime of mine. “You should try some. After all, it’s been charged to your card.”In my peripheral vision, Caleb huffs and pulls out a strange triangle that looks like a metal hair clip. I remember seeing it in the box of DHT things that were dropped off on the first day—the box Caleb took into his room and never let me see again.“It’s a demon radar, for your information, and it glows when full demons are nearby,” Caleb says.I frown up at him.“Then why did you take it off me? It’s not dangerous!”“You could have broken it, and the
Lila POVI smile at Dove, and she seems to look curious about something, but we are distracted as Caleb comes back out of his bedroom. He sits on the sofa next to her, and she rests her head on his shoulder.“So who is your lucky partner?”“The other girl in the trials. She hasn’t said much. She se
Lila POV“This is my room,” Caleb states, stepping in front of me and into the bedroom before I stake any claim to it. “Finders keepers, songbird.”“Stop calling me that!” I shout back as I walk away. In response, a door slams. Dammit, I need to come up with a good nickname for him that isn’t just
Lila POV The courtyards of the Demon Hunting Trials are beautiful in a way I never expected Hell to be. Instead of being dead and covered in flames, it is full of green and life. Different plants fill every corner and line the sides of rocky stone pathways.The buildings are made of old yellow sto
Lila POV A warm breeze drifts over me and drags my hair across my face. I brush the strands back and tuck the now-dyed lock behind my ear. I’m so used to seeing the white streak in the corner of my eye; it’s strange to lose that part of my identity. But if I want to survive in this world, sacrific







