LOGINShare
SECRETS UNDER THE SKIN
Last Updated:
2025-05-14 07:11:29
Latest chapter
THE CURSE OF THE FIFTH MATE THE ORDER’s DEMAND (contd)
Later, in the privacy of her mother's chamber, the firelight danced across the pale stillness of Maelin's face. She hadn't stirred in days.Veyra sat beside her, brushing strands of silver hair back from her forehead. Her mother's skin was cold. Too cold."Please," Veyra whispered, curling her fingers around Maelin's limp hand. "Please wake up. I need you. I don't know what to do."The only answer was the slow drip of water from the stone ceiling.Power curled inside her—wild, raw, aching. Her breath shuddered as magic rippled across her skin like a tide. The fire in the hearth flickered blue. The water bowl by the bedside began to boil. The stones beneath her feet groaned, cracks spidering beneath them.Then—arms around her. Strong. Unmoving.Zarek's scent hit her like the memory of safety."Let me go," she gasped, struggling."No," he said, holding her tighter. "Not until you come back to yourself.""I am myself!""You're not. Not like this."She sagged into him, chest heaving, magi
THE CURSE OF THE FIFTH MATE THE ORDER’s DEMAND
The letter arrived at dawn.Rolled in black ribbon and sealed with a jagged red fang pressed into wax, it carried the stench of old blood and darker promises. Jon found it impaled on a spike of bone driven into the pack's outer gate—an unmistakable signature of the Order. He pulled it free with a grunt, his lips curling in a silent snarl, and brought it straight to Elias without a word.Elias unrolled the parchment with a calm that belied the storm brewing behind his eyes. His jaw clenched tighter with each line. By the time he reached the end, the veins in his neck stood out like cords."They're no longer hunting in shadows," he said at last, voice heavy with steel and sorrow. "They've issued a demand."The council room was silent save for the faint rustle of the parchment as Elias set it down on the long oak table. Veyra sat near the head, flanked by Zarek and Jon, while her other mates stood along the walls—watchful, tense."What does it say?" Rune asked.Elias looked to Veyra befo
THE CURSE OF THE FIFTH MATE THE DARKENING
The wind howled around the high ridges of Moonfang Valley as a crow let out a lonely cry above the treetops. Veyra stood at the edge of Nightveil's stone courtyard, watching storm clouds thicken in the sky, a heaviness pressing down on her chest that she couldn't shake. She'd just returned from the forest with Zevi the night before—still caught in a blur of tangled emotions and uncertain comfort—when Jon came crashing through the courtyard gates, breathless, wild-eyed."Veyra," he gasped, clutching her arm. "It's Mother."The name hit like a dagger. Her mother."She's been poisoned," he said. "She collapsed in the ritual chamber this morning and hasn't woken up."Everything inside Veyra stopped.She didn't remember shifting. One moment she was in the courtyard, and the next, the world had turned to wind and claws, her white wolf tearing through trees, past the borders of Nightveil, north toward her true home. Her paws slammed into the dirt with a fury, her breath ragged, vision red. J
THE CURSE OF THE FIFTH MATE KAEL’s RETURN (contd)
By midday, word of Kael's return had spread through Nightveil. Jon and Elias returned from the edge of the eastern ridge, exhausted and furious they hadn't found him sooner. Zarek remained tense, watching Kael from a distance like a wolf sizing up a wounded rival. The rest of the mates kept to themselves. The bond between them all felt... frayed.Later that evening, Veyra sat with her brother, Jon, in one of the castle's inner gardens. The twilight air was cool, carrying the scent of pine and moss, the sound of distant owls."You're worried," Jon said gently.Veyra nodded. "Something's different. He's different. I don't know if it's the time he spent alone, or... something else."Jon placed a hand over hers. "Sometimes, trauma doesn't announce itself with screams or tears. Sometimes it burrows deep. Quiet. Patient. Until it takes root."Veyra swallowed hard. "Do you think the Order found him?"Jon's gaze grew sharp. "I think you must trust your instincts. The bond has always told you
THE CURSE OF THE FIFTH MATE KAEL’s RETURN
The morning sun filtered through the high windows of Nightveil, casting long golden rays across Veyra's chamber. Her eyes fluttered open, the warmth of Zevi's body still lingering on her skin, though the space beside her in the bed was now empty. Zevi had left quietly sometime before dawn, careful not to wake her, yet his scent clung to the linens like a fading memory.But it wasn't the scent of Zevi or the soft hush of wind beyond the stone that consumed her thoughts. It was Kael.The ache of his absence had grown heavier each day. The bond still pulsed faintly in the back of her mind, proof he was alive, but it felt... muted. Like something had shifted, curled into itself and gone dormant. She tried to tell herself it was only distance—physical, emotional—but her wolf stirred restlessly in her chest, uneasy.She rose from the bed slowly, wrapping a thick shawl around her shoulders. The corridors of Zarek's fortress were quiet, save for the muffled shuffle of servants beginning their
THE CURSE OF THE FIFTH MATE WHEN THE WOLF IS SILENT (contd)
Veyra didn't speak for a long time after that. She rested against Zevi's chest, her fingers absently tracing circles over the scar beneath his collarbone—the one he'd gotten protecting her weeks ago. The wind had stilled, the night settling into a kind of hush that only came after tears had dried and fears had momentarily faded.Zevi's arm remained wrapped around her, grounding her. His breathing was deep, rhythmic. She thought he might have fallen asleep, but then he whispered, "When you look at me like that, it makes me think I might be enough."She lifted her eyes to his. "You are."But the words felt half-true. She wanted them to be whole, wanted her wolf to rise in agreement, to stir with need, with knowing. But there was only silence.Zevi didn't seem to notice her hesitation. "You know, my mother used to tell me that nightshade blooms wherever love dies. I thought it was just a story until I saw that field again, blooming in winter. That's why I took you there. I needed to know
You may also like
Seducing My Ex's Father In Law
Caroline Above Story856.2K viewsLOVING THE GAMMA
Cassandra M450.3K viewsDangerous Desires
Karima Sa'ad Usman586.1K viewsThe 5-time Rejected Gamma & the Lycan King
Stina’s Pen1.5M viewsCarrying the cursed Alphas Heir
Praises writes 148 viewsHer big, bad Alpha wolf
Madam Exotic165 viewsLycan Little Prey
Midnight Flames724 viewsAuctioned To The Wolf King
Anastasia Nox 856 views
