The silence returned after Emereah disappeared—but Alexandria's heart didn't.It was the bolting, bellowing, snapping against her ribs as if that was a battle drum. Her hands were shaking now while they were clenched into fists, cuffs digging into her wrists. Just for a moment that awful desperation of the dungeon did not seem so real; the chains became gossamer.She came.She listened.There was still time.But not enough.Tomorrow, the Moon Eclipse would bind Emereah to Vladimir in a ceremony as ancient as the earth—one that gnawed not merely on flesh, but on soul. If it worked, Emereah's doubt would die. Her memories would fade. Her defiance would be ash in her teeth. Alexandria paced what little space she had. Every step was a storm of tension. Her thoughts sharpened, cold and lightning-fast.I have to escape. Tonight. Before the ritual.She rested her head on the wall.More steps of the guards these days—she'd riled up a hornet's nest with speaking to Emereah. She could feel it.
The palace hall torches swayed in the windless air, their dark shadows moving upon the walls of stone. Alexandria's bare feet skimmed the cold floor with every wary step. Her breathing sparse, her racing heart thundering like a war drum within her breast. The pilfered guard's hood hid over her lean figure, cloaking the rent pieces of the dungeon uniform.Every sound vibrated too loudly—the groan of her joints, the quiet rustle of fabric, the biting zip of the stolen dagger on her leg."This building has not changed," she muttered to herself, running her hands over the ornate wall carvings. "Still wearing finery to conceal the stench of decay below."She crept down a tight corridor, her senses tingling for any sign of motion. Then, suddenly—Footsteps.Two guards.Too near.She poked herself into the corner as they took the turn, their voices low.".Did you hear about the Luna?" one of them breathed."She fell again this morning," another said. "He says it's the memories. They're starti
Moonlight sliced shards in the palace corridor as Alexandria tore through the blackness. Breath came in cruel gasps, heart pounding like a war drum. Each step threatened to be caught precariously close, but she had no other option. She has to locate Emereah. Before Vladimir finished the final knot around her neck.Steel clanged behind her."Halt! There she is!"Alexandria spun, eyes afire. Two guards charged towards her, swords raised."Not tonight," she spat low in her throat.The first charged, but she fell, kicking his legs with a precise kick. He fell to the stone floor, wind knocked from his chest. The second cut at her ribs, cutting into her skin. She screamed in pain, but locked onto his wrist, twirled him, and smashed his arm into the stone wall."Do not try me!" she spat, blood trickling down her side.Additional boots boomed down the hallway. She spun and ran to the grand chamber, to Emereah. Her eyes welled from pain, but determination burned hotter. Emereah stood on the ba
Vladimir stood, his face chiseled from ice, but something flashed behind his eyes—brief, barely perceptible. Fear. Not of Emereah's power. But of her clarity."You were fragmented," he said cautiously, each word swathed in silk but cut like glass. "When I discovered you, you were suffocating under darkness. I merely. took away the burden."Her head moved reluctantly, threads of moon-glow hair dancing against her cheek. "That's not what it seems like."Vladimir moved towards her, outstretched hand, as if he could soothe the tempest brewing in her breast."Emereah—""No," she told him firmly, moving back, her voice no longer breakable. "You're afraid. I see it now. Every time Alexandria talks, your mask slips." He stumbled in his step. "She poisoned your mind—"“She ignited it,” Emereah interrupted, voice rising. “She called me a warrior. A queen. Those words—they meant something to me. Why did they feel truer than anything you’ve ever said?”Vladimir’s lips curled slightly into a sad
In the great hall, tension was palpable. Emereah's rebellion had not been anticipated, and Vladimir's mind stumbled to reassert command. His golden eyes, which had previously been cold and calculating, now blazed with frantic fervor."Emereah," he started, his voice a careful calm that masked the tempest within, "I realize your confusion. Recent occurrences have been. overwhelming. But this is not the moment for conflict."Emereah's eyes did not waver. "So then when is the time, Vladimir? When will the truth be revealed?"A hum ran through the crowd of people gathered there. The elders glanced at each other, feeling the undertows of power struggle ahead.Vladimir stepped forward, bridging the gap between them. "You are my mate," he stated, his voice ringing off the stone walls. "Together, we will reign. To join and make our people stronger."Emereah's heart thudded in her chest. The weight of his words bore down on her, but the shards of memory—fragile and shattered—whispered of anoth
But far, far deep inside her, beneath magic and altered memory, there was a spark of fire.A vision—blonde hair swirling in the wind, the cry of her name, gentle fingers clasped hard around her own in chill."Alex…?"The name hung on her lips, but did not escape.Vladimir felt the shiver and his eyes clenching. "No. Not now." He spun on his heel and dismissed the sorceress."Cast the spell more powerful," he commanded. "I want her will bound tighter than ever."The sorceress hesitated. "Alpha, the spell is already aching. Too much, and she can—""Do it!" he snarled, voice thunderous. "I will not let her go!"The sorceress curtsied, gliding back into the shadows.The torches in the cave tunnel cast eerie shadows as the sorceress glided towards the chamber, robes billowing behind her like a cloud of night. The air thickened with every step, charged with the chill bite of ancient blood and intricate magic. Behind the closed doors, Emereah stood still, her silver armlets pulsating with a
The moonlight had lost its warmth.It poured pale and cold over the marble floors of the throne room, where Emereah stood—still and silent—wrapped in a silver gown that shivered like starlight caught in a web. Her eyes, which had once brimmed with fire and spirit, now displayed the flat hollowness of glass.The sorceress's spell had taken root.She stood beside Vladimir, her body subservient, her spirit struggling in silence. The silver bangles on her wrists, once mere ornaments, now softly glowed with magic—a sign of slavery.Vladimir held out his hand.My people!" he shouted from the platform, face aglow with triumph. "Tonight, I announce what fate has long decreed. Emereah, child of the late Alpha of Silver Moon, will be my Luna. A union of two powers, two houses… and one throne!"The nobles of the Silver Moon pack—former proud warriors, now servile slaves in ragged robes—cried out in anguish. Their suffering echoed in the vaulted hall, raw and agonizing.No!\" one of the elders sh
The next day, things moved into high gear. Golden armor was put on Vladimir, while the inner courtyard of the palace erupted in magical roses that flowed red sap upon contact.Among the slave barracks, Silver Moon's nobles were chained and forced to construct the ceremonial arch. One old man bled from his palms as he placed the stone on the ground."She won't remember us," he said.Another lord, younger, growled through clenched teeth. "Then we remind her. Even if it kills us all." As sunset was dissolved into darkness, the palace halls blazed with the golden flutter of torchlight. But in Emereah's room, the air was cold. Still. Practically vacant.Alexandria stood nearly a foot away, her hand resting on Emereah's stiff one. Her breathing shook as she tried again."It's me," she breathed, voice shuddering beneath the burden of all their memories now behind her. "Alexandria. the one who reminded you of your past. Of Silver Moon. Of you."Emereah's lips parted, eyes wavering—but the fir
The door was not even closed yet.Alexandria's heels still shook the floor like the phantom rumblings of thunder, but Emereah stayed rigid in her posture. Not due to the stinging on her cheek, or Vladimir's hot, blazing breath down her back, but because something inside her had burst.The slap had struck more than flesh.It tore something asunder.And now—it bled.Her hand trembled where it gripped his tunic. She could sense Vladimir's pulse beneath her fingers—strong, safe, possessive. But that pulse no longer held her in thrall.It taunted her.For it no longer matched the pulse within her breast."I. I must sit," she grated out, her voice husky."You're shaken," Vladimir stated, escorting her over to the bench situated at the base of the bleeding-heart trees. "She had no right.""No." she whispered, unfocused eyes. "But she had truth."He wincing."What do you mean?"A flash and Emereah's lips opened, but no words emerged. A river. A scream. Her name—not Emereah. Another name. But
The fire now had a name.Emereah.It was not only in her eyes, or in the touch of her hands, or in the whisper of Vladimir's name like a prayer gone sour—it was present in the very air she surrounded herself with. A slow-consuming, unstoppable blaze that consumed everyone too close to her into dust.And Vladimir?He was already ablaze.He sat in the window of the eastern wing at dawn, the sky still bruised from night, gazing over her sleeping form on the divan. She had insisted on remaining near him, refused to let him sleep in his own rooms, had cried when he'd even spoken of it.And there she was now.Serene. Beautiful. Deadly.Her lips curled once in sleep, and she murmured something—his name, maybe. Or a threat. With her nowadays, there was no difference.Helena slipped in behind him, holding a creased report."She broke Mireille's arm," she breathed."I know.""She threatened another noble's mate in the corridor. We had to postpone the afternoon audience.""I know."Helena stood
The great hall of the Red Crescent Moon Pack hummed with tension. Guards stood against the stone walls, nobles spoke in hushed tones behind velvet sleeves, and advisors kept looking toward the high throne where Vladimir sat by himself.By himself, for Emereah was late again."She's developing unpredictability," one of the elders whispered."She's developing danger," another growled.The doors groaned open before anyone could comment.Emereah strode in, barefoot, her long dark red robe flowing behind her like spilled blood. Her eyes raked the room—not with innocence or poise, but with the ravenous, unbalanced desire of a wolf unfed for days.She spied Vladimir.And smiled. "There you are," she chimed in saccharine sweetness, as if she hadn't just left an hour before. "Missed you?"Vladimir rose to his feet. "Emereah, this is a council session—""Council?" she repeated. Her eyes drifted to the nobles in the ring below. "They are still trying to keep you apart from me, are not they?""Em
"Touch what is mine, not." Emereah's voice was cracked like lightning. Bare slaps resounded as she barefooted it across the marble, but she appeared to be volcanic, she was so immovable. "You do not lay hands on what is mine."Gossips spread like fire consuming dry ground."Your Lady Emereah—" the Beta began."I am Luna," she mocked him, her eyes iced with fire-like frost. "Say my title correctly, or farewell to tongue."The Beta bowed forthwith, droplets of perspiration at temples. "Yes, Luna."Vladimir had had his fill at last.He stood, deep, commanding voice. "Emereah. With me. At once."Her eyes stabbed him. The fire faded—but lingered. "Why? To protect her?""Now."Her jaw was clenched. And then, like a sulky mollified child who scorned anything but a precious toy, she walked to his side and curled her fingers around his. She clung like ivy—slow, elegant, stifling.They moved silently through the castle corridors until the doors to their own room softly creaked shut behind them.
"Did she attempt to persuade you to leave?""Yes."She spun around."And what did you reply?""I said I won't.""Did you enjoy your little conversation?" she asked gently."Emereah—"She spun about, anger dancing in her eyes. "Don't say my name like that. Like a child having a tantrum. Like I had no idea what was happening."He hesitated. "Nothing is happening."She laughed with acid venom. "Liar.""Emereah—""Liar!" she yelled, and the mirror she stood before vibrated, the glass groaning across its image like a wound.Vladimir's wolf stiffened.Her magic had never been so strong before. Not even in combat.She moved towards him warily, shaking with rage. "And what is Helena to you, Vladimir?" Her voice was husky, deadly. "Once, you had Alexandria. Your beautiful Alexandria. The one you locked up in your dungeon but cherished in your heart.""That's not true—""And now it's Helena. Helena with her whispers. Her history. Her devotion. You let her speak to you as if I didn't exist!""He
The air was heavy with heat and quiet peril, encased in gold firelight and silk blankets that curled around them like snakes. Emereah slept peacefully, a gentle breathing on Vladimir's skin, her arm taken possessively thrown over his chest.He hadn't stirred. Not for hours.His hand stayed lightly on her spine, but his mind seethed like a storm beneath the surface.Each breath she took pressed her bare skin against his ribs, and each second felt heavier than the last. His wolf—so often wild and sure—paced inside him now, anxious. Conflicted.Because he hadn’t imagined it.She’d meant every word.“I’ll kill them all…”And not with the detachment of a queen defending her claim—but with a child’s desperate fury. Like someone who'd lost too many things, too many people, and finally snapped.He breathed slowly and moved his eyes to the window.There, beyond the ice-encrusted glass, the moon hung low. Pale. Watching.A sharp knock shattered the quiet.Then another. Louder."Your Majesty!" G
The sunlight of morning filtered through the heavy velvet curtains like a warning and not a blessing.Vladimir woke to a stirring, the warm heat of Emereah too much, too much, enveloping him. She was around him like ivy on stone, her nails grasping barely on his chest. Her red hair was around his neck, her hot, harsh breath on his skin.She hadn't slept. Not really.His eyes gradually opened. She was looking at him."Emereah," he croaked."You disappeared in my dream," she breathed, eyes growing wide and feral. "I was crying for you, but you didn't respond."Vladimir eased himself up, unentwining her arms from around his arms. "It was only a dream."Her face contorted. "But it occurred. It felt like they were taking you away from me. I woke up and thought—maybe you'd left.""I didn't," he growled."I'm here.""But for how long?" she ordered, near accusatorily. Her hand tightened around his arm. "You'll leave. Everyone leaves. Except that you shouldn't."He gritted his teeth. "You're t
The sunbeam stroked the velvet drapes with a gentle touch, and gold stripes fell away on the bed where Vladimir lay. The morning calm was sacred—but Emereah had already awakened, much sooner than the sun would cross the hills.She was regarding him.Nestled next to him in slumber, her palm lay upon his bare chest, fingers tracing patterns in the air above the runes inked over his skin. Her eyes did not blink. They burned with feverish intensity, a passion bordering on madness. "Mine." The words were a breathless whisper of awe. "You're mine."Vladimir stirred. His brows furrowed as her voice pulled him from sleep.What time is it?" he whispered drowsily.Emereah's lips grazed his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. I won't waste a single second without you."He shifted to the side, keeping her gaze. Something was amiss—something too raw, too frantic. It annoyed him for a moment. But then she kissed him, and the uncertainty disolved into nothing."Last night," she breathed. "You gave me lif
He buried his face in her pussy and fully dedicated himself to taking her to orgasm. The Alpha licked the blade of his tongue up and down her vulva slowly. He left a string of whispy kisses on her clit, then rimmed it with his tongue. Emereah threw her head back and groaned. With his lips still on her, He inserted a finger into her cunt. She was tight and wet. Vladimir's dick pounded to slam her against the desk, but he was determined to get Emereah off first. He inched one finger in and out slowly, and then added another. When he hit the rough sweet spot, he curled his fingers, tickled it with his fingertips, and in the process, licked her clit. Emereah gasped and the whole of her body hardened it was the first time she experienced such. She looked at the smile of Vladimir."Do not play games with me and be gentle my Alpha," she admonished."My love, I dare not and I will be soft my luna."Emereah slapped Vladimir's face back down once more, and he was more than willing to comply. He