Serafina Pov. The Violet mist rose from the stone bowl, curling into the air like a serpent tasting the magic. I stirred slowly, the pestle moving in careful circles. Moonstone dust shimmered within the potion, glowing softly under the flickering candlelight. “Patience,” I whispered. The corrupted bond was progressing nicely, faster than I had anticipated. The bond was fraying. I saw it unravel in my projection mirror. Lucas twitching in his sheets, Bennett’s heartbeat spiking mid-dream. The corruption spell was soaking deep now, twisting their connection into something volatile. Something feral.I added two drops of nightshade oil, then a final pinch of black salt.The vision sharpened.I moved to the altar, lifted a thin strand of Lucas Storm’s hair from its silk wrapping. Acquired at great risk, of course—someone had died for it. I didn’t even remember their name. Only the value of what they’d given me.I dropped the hair into the potion and watched it dissolve. It hissed
RYDERMy phone buzzed with a text message.Unknown number: Need to meet. Urgent. Bennett in danger-K I stared at the message wondering what might have possessed Kael to text me that way. He never reached out directly on the phone. He prefers to catch a person unawares, making it his life goal to frustrate me. And he also never uses dramatic words like “urgent” or “danger.”Bennett was in the kitchen pacing around restlessly like a caged Alpha wolf. He has been like this since last night, refusing to settle down or relax. He hadn't slept and hadn't eaten. And he sure as hell hadn't talked about it. “You need to eat something,” I said, sliding my phone into my back pocket. He was a few feet away from me so he thankfully hadn't noticed the message.“I'm not hungry.” “When was the last time you had a full meal?” He shot me a glare sharp enough to melt ice. “When was the last time you did
LUCAS I stood in the ceremonial circle but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The crowd was frozen, their faces blank, their lips moving without a sound. Bennett stood alone at the center, blood soaking through the front of his ceremonial robes. His crown sat crooked on his head. He looked at me and there was no light in his eyes, he looked like life was slipping out of him.I opened my mouth to call his name— The sound of my bedroom door slamming open jerked me wide awake. Kael stood in the doorway looking tense.“Do you ever knock” I groaned, yanking the blanket over my head. “I swear Kael, if this is about training—““We need to talk,” he said, his voice clipped and sharp. “Now.” Nothing good ever came after that sentence. No one ever said we need to talk and followed it with you won the lottery or turns out,we’re not cursed after all. I squinted at him. His brows were furrowed,
Seraphina POVThe candles flickered to life before I even entered the room, their flames bending toward me like flowers stretching to the sun. I always liked that—being recognized by fire. Obedience born from ancient pacts and older bloodlines. My heels tapped softly on the stone as I made my way to the desk, the scent of burnt sage still thick in the air from my last ritual.An impatient knock sounded on my door. There was a pause and it came again, this time more insistent.Right on time. I had been expecting his visit since I received word that my rogues had failed to execute as I had instructed. The Cross heir should be dead, the bond severed and Lucas Storm probably beside himself with grief but instead I had to deal with an angry alpha.Dominic Storm. So predictable. So violently impatient. He had called me an hour ago, vibrating in anger wanting to know if I had been playing a sick joke. I told him that whatever he had to say needed to be said in person.I plastered a fake
BennettThe coronation had come to an end.I was officially the heir to the Wolf Crest Park.The weight of the crown pressed into my scalp and I couldn't wait to get to my room and yank it, along with the robes that hugged me so tightly.Shouts of ‘Congratulations’ echoed around me, and I should have felt proud. The youngest Alpha heir officially named under the full moon.But all I could feel was the way my skin itched as if something was about to go horribly wrong. I’d casually scanned the crowd a few times during the course of the ceremony. The first time I saw him he stood with Brittney and a sharp pain had gone straight to my chest.I’d seen Kael, Ryder. The visiting Alphas from Southern Ridge and Hollowvale and some other guests. I had just made it to the bottom of the stairs when a high-pitched scream filled with terror rent the air. “Rogues! . They are coming.”Chaos erupted in the open fields as everything went crazy. Kael moved fast, tackling me from the side just as a
Lucas POVI stood at the edge of the ceremonial circle, barely breathing through the stiffness in my shoulder.Brittney's fingers were digging painfully into my arm as though she was scared that I might disappear the moment she let’s go.The sickening smell of her perfume wafted into my nostrils as she leaned into me and whispered commentary with breathless excitement.“This is all so majestic,” she gushed. “Do you think we’ll have something this beautiful for our mating ceremony one day?”I didn't answer, my throat was too dry to get anything out. I forced out a hollow smile and nodded absently to whatever she was saying.Her voice blurred into background noise as my eyes found Bennett on stage. My eyes raked over him, taking in how regal he looked but just as quickly I looked away.I couldn't afford to let anything slip through.I could feel my father’s gaze burning into me from across the field. One wrong move from me and I was going to get it.The bruises on my ribs had mostly