INICIAR SESIÓNRiley’s POVThe heavy carriage finally stopped.The door was ripped open. Ezra grabbed my arm and dragged me out into the freezing courtyard.We were in the capital. The massive stone walls of the Full Moon Pack palace towered over me, casting long, dark shadows across the snowy grounds.I stumbled over the cobblestones, my boots slipping on the ice. I fully expected him to drag me toward the back of the castle. I thought he was going to throw me straight into the royal dungeon. Down into the dark, damp, rat-infested cells where I was locked up three years ago.But he didn't.Ezra dragged me up the grand marble staircase. We walked right through the towering front doors.Dozens of maids and royal servants stopped in their tracks. They gasped, dropping their trays and laundry baskets. Their eyes went wide with absolute shock as they watched their ruthless King dragging a dirty, bruised woman in rogue clothes through the pristine hallways.I kept my head down, my face burning with pure
Riley’s POVThe heavy carriage rolled on for three days.For three days, I didn't see the sun. I was trapped in the dim, velvet cage.Ezra didn't talk to me. He didn't ask where I had been for the last three years, or how I managed to survive in the wild. He didn't say a single word about his upcoming wedding, or the blonde girl, or the fiancé.He only used his body to punish me.Every time I tried to speak, he silenced me with a bruising kiss. He pinned my wrists to the cushions and took me with a fierce, angry hunger that left me completely exhausted. He claimed me over and over again, leaving dark marks all over my skin, making sure his heavy pine scent completely drowned out everything else."What are you going to do with me?" I gasped out one night, pushing against his sweaty chest. "When we get to the Full Moon Pack... are you going to throw me in the dungeon? Are you going to execute me?"Ezra didn't answer. He just grabbed both of my wrists in one hand, pinned them above my he
Riley’s POVEzra threw me into the carriage.I hit the heavy velvet seats hard, scrambling backward until my back slammed against the wooden wall.The heavy carriage door slammed shut behind him. The lock clicked. A second later, the driver cracked the whip. The carriage jolted forward, the wheels rolling fast over the snowy road, taking me away from the village.We were completely alone.The space inside the carriage was large, but with Ezra inside, it felt suffocating. He didn't sit down. He just stood over me in the dim light of the carriage lanterns, with a hand braced on the wall behind me. He was still covered in blood. His chest heaved. His green eyes were locked onto me like a predator cornering its prey.I pulled my knees up to my chest. My hands shook. I tried to press myself deeper into the cushions to get away from him.Ezra moved closer, his face almost touching mine. He leaned down and grabbed my wrists, yanking my arms away from my chest. He pressed his face close to my
Riley’s POVThe dark wool tore from my face. The freezing mountain wind instantly hit my bare skin.Ezra froze.His hand was still raised in the empty air, tightly clutching the torn fabric of my scarf. His broad chest stopped moving entirely. The chaotic world around us—the screaming villagers, the clashing steel of the guards, the roaring fires, and the snarling wolves—completely vanished.His green eyes locked onto my face. They went wide. His pupils dilated rapidly until they almost swallowed the green completely.He stared at my eyes. Then my nose. Then my trembling lips."…Riley," he breathed out.His voice cracked. It sounded rough, broken, like he hadn't used his vocal cords in years. It almost sounded like he was sobbing for a second.I couldn't speak. I just shook my head. Hot tears spilled over my lower lashes and froze instantly on my cold cheeks.Three years.We had not seen each other in three long years.I was supposed to be dead, or vanished. A ghost. I had spent every
Riley’s POVI ran down the icy path as fast as I could. The smell of burning wood and fresh blood hit my nose before I even reached the bottom of the hill.The beautiful Moon Festival was completely gone. It was a slaughterhouse.Flames swallowed the wooden food stalls. Black smoke choked the cold mountain air. Huge, dirty wolves were tearing through the crowd, snapping their jaws and attacking innocent pilgrims. Swords clashed. People were screaming, slipping on the bloody snow as they tried to run.Suddenly, a large hand grabbed my arm and yanked me hard behind a stone wall."Here you are," Axel panted. He had a nasty cut on his cheek, and his dark eyes were wild with urgency. "We have to leave right now!""Axel! What is happening?" I yelled over the screams. "They are rogues! You are the Rogue King! Why are they attacking the village?""They don't answer to me!" Axel growled, his grip on my arm tightening. "These are feral scavengers from the deep borderlands. They don't follow rul
Riley’s POVMy heart slammed against my ribs. If the priest was calling for Ezra, that meant the High Priestess had the answer. She had the answer for me, too.Ezra wiped the blood from his jaw. He glared at Axel, then at me. His green eyes were icy.He didn't say another word and just turned his back and followed the priest up the mountain path.Before the priest turned around, he caught my eye. He gave me a single, silent nod.I pulled my dark scarf higher over my nose and looked down at Axel, who was still coughing on the snow."Stay here," I said quickly, helping him sit up. "Get cleaned up. I have to go hear this."Axel nodded, spitting a mouthful of blood into the snow. "Yeah, I know. Be careful."I turned and ran up the snowy stairs, keeping my distance from Ezra's guards.When I reached the top of the temple steps, a young female attendant was waiting in the shadows. As though she knew I’d be here, she just grabbed my arm and pulled me through a side door.She led me down a da
Riley’s POVMy eyes widened a little, stunned.I never thought that warrior would pick me as his opponent.Not because I was scared of him. But warriors and healers aren’t even on the same playing field when it comes to strength or combat skills.Like Danica once said, healers are usually protected
Riley’s POVWhat?I could barely believe what I just heard.Ms. Bright just said I was in Ezra’s team?But that couldn’t be right. Something’s wrong!For a second, the entire field was completely silent. Then chaos erupted. Everyone started whispering to each other, some girls even screamed. Everyo
Riley’s POVOlivia’s face went white.“N-No! Wait—” she shrieked as two of Ezra’s men strode toward her.They didn’t hesitate for even a second. One grabbed her by the arm. The other reached for her shoulder like they really meant to drag her all the way back to the blasted camp and toss her into t
Riley’s POVCamila’s alliance took a brutal hit.Even from the ridge, I could tell they were finished for the day. The ones who managed to escape were half-dragging, half-carrying each other through the trees. Some were limping. Some were bleeding so badly their clothes were soaked dark.And right







