I woke up to warmth—too much warmth. A strong arm was locked around my waist, and the steady rise and fall of someone’s chest pressed firmly against my back. My entire body felt caged, a solid wall of heat surrounding me, and for a moment, confusion clouded my mind. Then the scent of fire, pine, and something darkly intoxicating filled my senses. Hades. My heart lurched painfully before I even opened my eyes. The memories of last night rushed in. Yeah, we marked each other and crossed all the limits we were supposed not to. I felt our mate bond throbbing. I felt the connection between us.I tried shifting, attempting to put some space between us, but the arm around me tightened, pulling me impossibly closer. "Where do you think you're going?" His voice was thick with sleep, low and rough, sending a shiver down my spine. I swallowed hard. "I—I wasn’t going anywhere." He hummed in response, the sound vibrating against my back as his breath ghosted over my neck. Before I
Certainly, The changes between us felt overwhelming, a shift neither of us had fully prepared for. Both of us carried dominant wolves within us, and the strength of our mate bond made our possessiveness clash like two opposing magnetic forces. It was an invisible tug-of-war, unspoken yet felt in every interaction. What surprised me the most, however, was Hades' unwavering stance on the matter. He hadn’t once expressed regret or hesitation about what had transpired. There was no guilt, no reluctance—only certainty. Yet, a lingering worry remained in my heart. I wanted to be a mother. And he didn’t. The golden morning sunlight streamed through the wide windows, casting warm streaks of light across the dining room. The atmosphere was serene, almost deceptively so, considering the turmoil still lingering in my heart. Hades and I were preparing breakfast together, something that hadn’t happened in days. Since that night, we hadn’t left the bed much, consumed by the hunger of our
Hades’ POV, "Which part of my body said that I didn't like you?" The words left my mouth sharper than I intended, but damn it—I meant them. Elysia froze, her eyes wide, lips parting in shock. She hadn’t expected me to snap, and frankly, neither had I. But how could she even think I didn’t want her? I took a step closer, and she leaned back instinctively, almost as if she thought I’d lose control again. That flicker of fear gutted me. Slowly, deliberately, I crouched down in front of her chair so I wasn’t looming over her anymore. I wanted her to see me—really see me. "Is it my face?" I asked quietly, voice softer now. "My mouth? My eyes? Because every time I look at you, they only do one thing—follow you like a lovesick idiot." She blinked rapidly, clearly thrown off by my sudden change in tone. "Or maybe it’s my hands." I reached up and gently wrapped my fingers around hers resting on her lap. "You think these hands would spend hours cooking for you, holding you, fighting for
Elysia, "I will be back for dinner!" His voice was warm yet firm as he pressed a feathery kiss against my mark. The familiar sensation sent shivers down my spine, but before I could fully savor it, he had already grabbed his suitcase. "Another town visit?" I asked while fixing his tie, my fingers smoothing over the fabric with practiced ease. "Yes. We must find those parts of the book!" His eyes gleamed with determination as he allowed me to adjust the knot properly. "I will let you know if I find the wizard or witch nearby!" I gave a quiet nod, his scent wrapping around me like a comforting embrace. Just standing this close to him made me crave his presence even more. "Be home early. I will wait for you," I murmured, my voice softer than I intended. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he stole a quick kiss. "Okay, I am off!" I followed him to the main entrance, my steps slow as I watched him leave. Alex was already waiting by the doorway with the car, standing
Hades, The scent of baked coffee mixed with something unfamiliar hit my nose the moment I stepped into the old boutique. The dim lighting cast shadows over the wooden furniture, and porcelain dolls lined the shelves, their empty eyes watching in silence. To the untrained eye, this place might seem like nothing more than an antique shop, but I knew better. Something in the air felt ancient. Powerful. As I scanned the room, footsteps approached. An old man… sixty years old, left leg injured. I didn’t turn immediately, letting the presence behind me settle. The scent of age and faint traces of medicine clung to the air around him, blending with the wood and dust of the shop. "Welcome," a frail voice greeted. Slowly, I turned to see him leaning on a cane, his posture slightly bent with age. Despite his weak frame, there was a sharpness in his gaze, a knowing glint that told me he wasn’t just an ordinary shopkeeper. He studied me, taking in my presence with a look of mil
The old man’s directions had led me here, to the outskirts of the city, to a place where time seemed to have withered into the past. The road twisted, narrow and cracked, winding through an oppressive silence that felt thick enough to touch. The air itself grew colder as I approached, charged with an energy that had long been dormant in the world of the living.And then I saw it—the chapel.It was a shadow of its former self, standing on the edge of the world, as if forgotten by both man and God. The doors, once grand, now hung ajar, groaning as they protested against the intrusion of time. A sense of foreboding filled the air, thickening with each step I took toward it.I pushed the door open, the rusted hinges screeching in protest, and entered.The chapel was empty, save for the remnants of a faith that had long since abandoned this place. The candles, barely flickering, cast long shadows on the walls. The altar stood broken, cracked stone and stained glass that had lost its color.
The moment I stepped through the door, the air shifted. It wasn’t just colder—it was heavier, charged with something ancient and unseen. The dim candlelight behind me flickered once before vanishing, swallowed by the thick, unnatural darkness stretching before me. The scent of old parchment and damp stone filled my lungs as I moved forward, my steps echoing against the unseen walls. My eyes adjusted to the shadows, though there was little to see. A narrow corridor stretched ahead, leading deeper into whatever cursed place Zvor-Arok had hidden The Knowledge. I didn’t hesitate. The door behind me sealed shut with a quiet thud, but I didn’t turn back. I had no intention of retreating. Then, a voice. Soft. Feminine. But it wasn’t Zvor-Arok’s. "You shouldn’t be here."I stopped. My fingers twitched at my sides, ready for an attack. "Who’s there?" I demanded, my voice steady. Silence. A trick, then. I wasn’t foolish enough to be rattled by whispers in the dark. I continu
I walked in behind her, my steps measured, but steady. The woman in front of me seemed to hold herself together with sheer force of will. Yet, despite her composed appearance, I could sense the faint tremor of her nerves. She hadn’t expected this. That much was obvious. She had been guarding something she didn’t understand, and now, as she led me deeper into the unknown, her fear was becoming palpable. It lingered in the air between us, thickening with every step. The corridor grew narrower as we moved forward, the walls lined with stone that seemed to absorb the light, making the passage darker with each moment. The woman began to cough, the sound harsh in the stillness. Her breath quickened, and she clutched her chest, as if the air itself was becoming too heavy for her to breathe.I didn’t pause. I didn’t care about her discomfort. Elysia would be waiting for me back home. I had no intention of wasting time here, nor did I care for whatever mystery this place held. I had come
Carolina, I moved through the halls of the compound, my heart heavy with bitterness and a quiet fury that had been building for months. Jonathan. His name was enough to make my blood boil. He had used me, discarded me, and now he barely even spared me a glance. I wasn’t even worth the title of Luna, not that I had wanted it anymore. But that didn’t stop the anger that still simmered beneath the surface. He had rejected me, abandoned me, for power. For the same ambition that had consumed him all these years. Tonight had been different, though. Jonathan had been drunk, lost in his own arrogance, and I had used that to my advantage. My body had been my weapon, and I had used it to hurt him. It had been satisfying in a way, but it wasn’t enough. It never was. I had only ever wanted one thing: revenge. But even that felt hollow now. As I walked, my mind wasn’t focused on Jonathan anymore. I was thinking about what I’d heard earlier—a conversation that had caught my attention. It had
Carolina, The lights of the grand manor flickered like a dying flame as I stepped through the threshold, uninvited, unseen for years, but never forgotten. My heels echoed against the marble floors, the sharp rhythm slicing through the silence like a blade. I knew where he would be—where he always ended up when the world became too much for him. Drowning himself in whiskey, in bodies, in power. And tonight, I would be the ocean that pulled him under. Jonathan Hornet. Who tossed me aside once he met Elysia. He promised me that he would make me his Luna. He used me , my family and friends to get favor from them. But once I was no more useful, he forgot my existence. He used to say my name like it was a prayer. Now, it would taste like poison on his lips. I stood at the door of his private chambe, the guards already dismissed or unconscious with liquor and bribes. They had grown careless, just like him. Inside, I could hear muffled laughter, moans, the sound of ice clinking in a gl
Jonathan, The memory of her voice echoed in my skull like a mocking bell. " I am already marked, can't Alpha Jonathan sense it? Or you don't have that ability!" Those words—those sharp, venom-laced words—had silenced the entire ballroom. Every eye turned toward me, not with admiration, not with fear, but with barely concealed pity. As if I were a dethroned monarch, stripped and paraded before the wolves I once commanded. She made a fool of me. She knew that I wasn't blessed. She knew that I was only an Alpha in name and she mocked me in front of everyone. That bitch... She was supposed to kneel down, spread her legs and carry my heir. She was supposed to be my perfect slave. But instead, she threw herself onto that bastard. How dare she!!! I clenched my jaw as I stared at the broken glass on the floor. I had crushed it in my hand without realizing, shards still embedded in my palm. Blood trickled between my fingers, but the pain was nothing compared to the searing rage in m
The sky had turned a soft gray, painted with streaks of peach as the sun began its descent behind the lake. The gentle rustling of wind through the trees whispered against the glass walls of the penthouse, and the koi pond shimmered with scattered reflections of the dying light. Hades lay beside me, his arm slung protectively across my waist, the remnants of our shared warmth still lingering on our skin. My fingers trailed along his collarbone, tracing the faint lines of old battles that lived quietly on his body. He looked peaceful—more peaceful than I had seen him in a long time. His dark lashes rested against his cheeks, his expression soft in sleep, like a child who had found momentary safety. But I knew what lay ahead. I had to return to my pack, to my father, and to the mess Jonathan had created in my absence. And I had to do it without Hades.I couldn't tell him that I was ordered to be executed... If he knew that this had been happening behind his back, he would kill Jonat
" I want to have a baby after everything settles down!" I whispered in his arms. The soft rustle of leaves outside the open window carried the scent of night-blooming jasmine, folding into the air between us like an unspoken promise. The moonlight filtered through sheer curtains, casting gentle shadows over Hades’s features. He looked so peaceful, so human, so mine in that moment that my heart clenched in a way I hadn’t expected. His hand caressed my waist, firm and warm, anchoring me to the present. “Do you mean it?” he asked after a long moment, voice quiet, hesitant, almost boyish in its vulnerability. “About the baby?” I nodded without hesitation, brushing a stray strand of hair from his forehead. “I do. With every piece of me. I have forgotten about those nonexistent past. But now I am here with you, with Ruby and my father, I want to be happy and have my own family. A proper family!” He exhaled slowly and pulled me closer, pressing my hand to his chest where I could feel
I hadn't told Hades about the verdict that Jonathan announced. I knew the man lacked spine, but behind him, it was Luna Astoria who was clearly pulling the strings. Her influence had grown insidiously, and now it was starting to threaten everything I had built—everything I had bled for. But as much as I wanted to face that battle, today wasn’t about the pack or the politics.Today was about the strain in my relationship with Hades. That silent tension that hummed in the air whenever our eyes met but neither of us spoke the words buried beneath the surface. He didn’t want to talk about the past. And I didn’t want to force it out of him. But I also couldn’t let this chasm grow wider. We had already lost too much in our previous life. I wouldn’t let silence steal what we still had left.After lunch with his parents—an unexpectedly warm and light-hearted affair—I excused myself and made my way toward the penthouse he had built near the lakeside. Hades had once called it his place of solit
The Wraithborn Pack had not changed much over, though I saw it now with different eyes. Its stone walls still stood tall, carved with ancient symbols of power and legacy, but the air was different. It wasn’t suffocating as it once had been—not bitter, nor judging. It had been still cheerful and peaceful. Despite having some uneasy feeling, related to that night, I started feeling close to the Pack. Maybe I was marked by the Alpha of the Pack. The sense of longing wasn't frail. I walked along the marble path, hands clasped behind my back. The garden was awake with life. Roses bloomed red like secrets kept too long, and silver ivy curled against the wrought iron arches. I hadn't talked to Hades about the conflict between us. He left soon after we spent some time together. He was really busy with handling everything that he left unfinished when we went to the human world. My Man is really hardworking. "Elysia."The voice was familiar, but it lacked the pride I once associated with h
Elysia,In my previous life perceptive, Hades and I were sworn enemies who were ready to kill. However, after learning the truth about his nature, it was clear that my Blood sword wasn't enough to kill him. And even if he killed me out of spite, it was completely understandable and acceptable. He wasn't nothing to me in my previous life. It was me who killed him, and I had no rights to hold such a grudge.But I felt so heartbroken after remembering the child I raised inside me. I knew that he had his reasons, but I started grieving for the baby that would never exist in this life. The ache was quiet, nestled somewhere deep, but it was persistent—like the residue of a love song that never finished."Elysia!"Dad's voice brought me back to the house. Hades left soon after I fell asleep... Or I pretended to fall asleep last night. He apologized precisely, thinking I was sleeping. But I couldn't, because my emotions were rollercoasters—too steep, too fast. I was torn between anger, confus
The silence weighed heavy in the room. My chest rose and fell with shallow breaths as I knelt beside the bed, head lowered, fists clenched. The storm inside my head refused to calm. I had betrayed her. No matter the reasoning, the truth could never be buried. The blade had come from me. From Carlos. From the ones who had sworn to protect her.And she didn’t even know. She didn't even get the chance to see who stabbed her from behind.Our target was to destroy her heart. Serene said once her heart would be corrupted, we wouldn't be able to stop her. So we did what we were supposed to do.Or so I thought.The guilt hollowed me from the inside. It wrapped around my ribs like a serpent, squeezing, choking, taunting me with her soft breaths that lingered behind me.She was alive. She was breathing. But she wouldn’t be when the truth surfaced. And yet I couldn’t tear myself away.I stayed there, frozen, as each second dragged like an eternity. My vision blurred. The pain of it—what we did,