LOGINKira’s POV‘No, Kira. We stick to the plan,’ I muttered under my breath, like saying it out loud would weld my resolve into something unbreakable.Leah scoffed…loud, dramatic, and completely unbothered. ‘You’re being delusional, Kira. The plan is to get pregnant. As soon as possible.’As soon as possible?The audacity.‘Pregnant?’ I scoffed right back. ‘In your dreams, Leah. You think I need a man? I’m an independent, hardworking—’She cut me off with a yawn. An actual yawn.Then, like this wasn’t a life-altering debate… ‘I’m going to sleep.’And just like that…silence.I blinked. ‘Leah?’Nothing.Wow. Incredible. She really just logged out mid-argument like a tired customer service agent.I huffed, crossing my arms. Unbelievable.Honestly, if it ever came down to it, Leah would pick Adrian over me. No hesitation. No shame.I’ll be like… “We have goals, ambition, and dignity.”Leah will be like… “Yes…but have you considered Adrian’s face?”Traitor.I swear, I’m sharing my body with a
Kira's POV The silence in the private cabin pressed in like a living thing, thick and heavy. Adrian stayed on his knees in front of me, my healed hand still cradled in his like it was the most precious thing in his entire kingdom. His thumbs stroked slow circles over my knuckles, and every pass sent little sparks racing up my arm. I hated how good it felt. I hated even more that I didn’t pull away.“I’m staying right by your side,” he said, voice low and rough, like gravel under boots. “I’m not going anywhere, Kira. Not even if you don’t want me to.”I scoffed, yanking my hand back even though part of me screamed at the loss of his warmth. “Oh, please. You’re a king. You can take as many wives as you want. Don’t you already have a mistress and a child somewhere? Caroline, right?” The name tasted bitter on my tongue. “All I want is simple. Since we’re legally married, you’ll give me half of everything you own. Then you leave me alone in some beautiful mansion far away from your pa
Kira’s POVI stared at Adrian, chest heaving, tears still hot on my cheeks. His hands were gentle around my wrists, but I yanked free anyway. The rage was still there…burning low now, but not gone.“I won’t forgive you,” I said quietly. “Not yet. Maybe not ever.”His face crumpled again…real pain this time, the kind that made my own chest ache even though I didn’t want it to. I turned away before I could soften.And that’s when my eyes landed on her.“Please, let me go,” she cried.The girl…bound, gagged again, eyes wide and terrified…strapped to the seat like she was about to be executed.My finger shot out before I could stop myself.“It’s you!”Everyone froze.Adrian’s head snapped toward me. James stiffened. Victoria sucked in a breath like we were in a movie. Even the girl flinched hard against the restraints, shaking her head frantically, muffled whimpers leaking around the fresh tape.“It’s not me,” she whimpered, shaking her head.I stepped forward, pointing. “Wasn’t she the
Kira’s POVA frantic whisper yanked me out of sleep like someone had grabbed my soul and shaken it.“Come find me… come find me…”The voice was right in my ear, low, urgent, endless. I jolted upright, gasping, heart slamming against my ribs. The cabin was dark except for the faint blue glow from the overhead lights. Adrian’s scent still clung to the sheets? smoke, cedar, him, but he wasn’t there.I pressed my palms to my ears like that would stop the echo.In the dream he’d been running through fog, tall, shadowed, always just out of reach. No face. Just that whisper. Come find me. Over and over. I chased him until my lungs burned, until the ground turned to black water and swallowed my ankles, and still he kept running, calling, pulling me deeper.I’d woken up once, briefly, long enough to feel Adrian’s arms around me, his lips brushing my temple, his voice murmuring “You’re safe.” I’d believed it and drifted back under.And then the second dream hit.The man from the forest.From
Adrian’s POVThe Oden…Emma, or whatever shell she was wearing now…leaned forward again, the silver cuffs biting into her wrists without her seeming to notice. That eerie smile stayed plastered on her face like it had been carved there. Her eyes weren’t blinking anymore. Not once. Just wide, unblinking pools of black that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.But I didn't let go. My hand stayed on her neck. I needed a way out of this that would not involve my mate bleeding for it.“Are you willing to take that path?” she repeated, voice dripping with mock sweetness. “Or are you going to keep pretending you have the luxury of morals?”I felt the growl rumble low in my chest before I could stop it. “Just say it. Stop beating around the bush like a coward.”She tilted her head, studying me like I was a particularly interesting insect pinned to a board. Then she laughed again…soft this time, almost intimate, the sound crawling under my skin.“This is even better,” she murmured,
Adrian’s POVThe cabin was dim, lit only by the soft blue glow of the overhead reading lights and the faint pulse of cabin lights through the window shades. Kira stirred in my arms with a sharp, sudden gasp…like she’d been yanked out of deep water. Her body jerked once, hard, and she mumbled something incoherent, words tumbling over each other in a half-dream slur.“…no… don’t… have to find… she’s waiting…”I tightened my hold instantly, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other splayed protectively across her bare back. “Hey. Hey, princess. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”Her eyes fluttered open…wide, unfocused, pupils still blown from sleep and whatever nightmare had clawed its way in.She blinked at me like she was trying to remember where the dream ended and reality began, then sagged against my chest with a shaky exhale.I kissed her temple, tasting salt and the faint sweetness of her skin. “Bad dream?”She didn’t answer. Just pressed her face into the crook of my neck and
Lady Margaret’s POVMy eyes snapped open to an empty bed, the sheets beside me already cold.Gone.That little worm Philip was gone.I bolted upright, the thin blanket slipping from my naked skin as fury ignited in my chest like wildfire. The room still smelled of sex and sweat, a cruel reminder of
Adrian’s POVThe courtyard was alive with restless energy when I stormed out…over twenty warriors already shifted or mid-shift, massive wolves pacing in tight circles, ears pricked, hackles half-raised. No armor, no swords, no horses. We didn’t need them. Claws, teeth, speed, and raw pack fury were
Lady Margaret’s POVI swept into my private chambers, the heavy door clicking shut behind me like the closing of a trap. The fire in the hearth crackled low, casting long shadows across the velvet drapes and gilded mirrors. I paused before the largest one, studying my reflection with cold satisfac
Adrain’s POVDerek snarled angrily when we saw it.Blood on the snow.Dark red, dried into rusty streaks against the white. Not much…just drops, smeared like she’d scratched herself on a branch or fallen. My heart slammed against my ribs.A wild animal? One of the cursed beasts? Had something sunk







