LOGINILYANA’S POVFor a minute, it felt like the world had stopped, leaving just Kael and I in it.“What?” I asked, wide-eyed and shocked.He didn’t falter, “Marry me. Be my wife.” he repeated.My mind was at a loss for words, spinning with nothing. How? Why? I frowned, not understanding, unable to comprehend.“I know it might come as a shock to you, and I don’t know when all of it started happening. But I can’t afford to lose you, not now or ever. I want to marry you and call you my wife, and invite every alpha to see that you now belong to me and I belong to you. Something has shifted, Ilyana. And I want it with you.”“Stay with me. Not just as my mate or as a breeder.” he said, and tears formed in my eyes from the warmth in his voice, “Not just as my Luna for the pack, but as my wife. Mine alone.”A happy sob tore out of me and I threw myself into his arms immediately. His words were beautiful, always too dreamlike, making it feel like they were not meant for me.“Yes,” I said, “Yes, I’
KAEL’S POVIlyana shook with terror as I carried her from the chair and set her on a sofa, patting her and making sure she was not alone. My wolf growled inside of me, angry and fuming at having put her in this situation.“What are you—” Maeve asked, but I snapped at her, “Do not even do anything right now.”I turned back to Ilyana who looked like she was now getting her senses back.“Ilyana, are you alright?”She didn’t answer, just staring directly at the priestess, her eyes wide and not blinking. She didn’t move, not a damn inch, as she just kept staring past me at the priestess.“Ilyana, talk to me.” I said, my voice getting sterner. I leaned forward and placed a kiss on her temple, but her eyes didn’t even budge towards me. Anger rose inside me as I blocked her line of vision, but her eyes were still not focusing on me.“Ilyana!” I snapped, using my alpha voice, and she immediately blinked in fear, jumping a little away from me as my heart recoiled. I hated this. I don’t ever wan
ILYANA’S POVI had no plans on leaving Atasha if I saw her in the dream, but I knew Kael was worried and I understood him. We were both important to him, and he was already planning on the outcome. But there was no outcome for me, Atasha cannot die.She’s my friend. My last living friend. And I’ll do whatever it takes to save her.For a while, I didn’t feel anything happening. The priestess’ grip on my hand was tight, and I held Atasha’s strongly but nothing was happening. Maeve was chanting something, her white orbs on mine. Something was off about her, about all of this, about the excitement I could feel coming from her but I put that all aside.Atasha was the priority. And if this would save her, then I’ll do it a hundred times if I have to.Suddenly Maeve’s chanting took a heavy turn, louder and faster, yet nothing happened.I didn’t want to ask but I opened my mouth only for someone to beat me to it.“Are you sure this is right? Nothing is happening,” Ryder said.Maeve did not an
KAEL’S POV“And is there any danger in this ritual?” I asked the priestess and she turned to me, “Not too much, Alpha. And even if there is, I’m sure your mate can handle it.”I growled inwardly, my body and self not fine with the idea of putting Ilyana through anything dangerous and most especially in the hands of the woman who knows that I have to lose her to prevent an upcoming war.“Is there no other solution besides this?”“No other that can wake the girl up as quick as this can. If we decide to try any other thing, I’m not sure she’ll still be alive by the time we’re done.”I clenched my jaw, my head and mind spinning.“I’m not putting her through this. We can find another way. Think, do anything, but not Ilyana,” I snapped at her.Ilyana faced me, “It’s fine, Kael. I’ll be fine, but we have to do this. For Atasha’s sake.”“No, you don’t have to,” I said gently, “We have the doctors, the priestess. I’m sure once they put their heads together, they can arrive at something other t
ILYANA’S POV“No,” the word left Kael’s mouth before it could even leave mine.I didn’t like the priestess, and the last thing I wanted was for her to get her hands on Atasha in any way at all. “Go in, do your jobs, wake my sister, by any means possible,” Kael said, his tone final, leaving no space for argument as the doctors rushed back inside.Carius sighed heavily, like he wanted to say something, but Ryder beat him to it, “What if we just call her to be sure? There’s no harm in trying.”“I agree with him,” Carius added.“I don’t want that woman touching Atasha.”“She’s not going to do anything to her, Kael. We’re all here. What would be the harm in trying?” Carius argued, “If you don’t know, there’s nothing Louise and the rest can do. It’s evident on their face. They’ve not seen this before.”“And what if there’s no priestess, would Atasha die?”“But there is one,” Carius shot back, eyeing Kael, “The point is to save Atasha, not let her die. Or don’t you agree, Ilyana?”They all t
ILYANA’S POVWe rushed from the packhouse to Atasha’s home, and the scene before us was scarier than Ryder had described. She was on her bed, shaking violently, but she wouldn’t wake up no matter how much anyone called her.“Get the pack doctor now,” Kael ordered, and Ryder bowed, leaving the room.I tried to shake her awake, “Atasha! Wake up! Wake up! It’s just a bad dream. Wake up!” But no matter what I said, it just got more violent, her body pulsing on and off on the bed. One minute she was shaking, the next she was lying so still, like she was just sleeping.The pack doctor arrived, all three of them, and ushered everyone out of the room. Kael was pacing back and forth. Carius just stood there, his expression unreadable, and Ryder was biting his nails.“Walk me through the incident before this happened,” Kael turned to Ryder, his expression cold and icy.He was back to his normal self, “We were together all evening, just joking and playing around…”My eyebrow lifted at playing ar
ILYANA’S POV.Thick, dark red blood gushed out of the wound, the knife in her hand slipping and hitting the floor with a dull thud. The scent of blood filled the air, wafting straight to my nose and disrupting every single thought in my head. My heart pounded heavily in my chest, my gaze flickering
ILYANA’S POV “What are you doing here?” I asked as I closed the door. Lucienne scoffed, disbelief painted all over her face. “What am I doing here, you pathetic omega? Ask me that one more time. Oh, pray tell, ask what the lady of the house is doing in her own house?” I clenched my jaw together, re
ILYANA’S POV Nothing could have prepared me for the sight in front of me. The box in my hand dropped to the floor with a dull thud as I stood there, frozen in time. Lucienne’s head snapped toward us, her face twisted with visible irritation. The alpha king looked shocked, like he had not expected u
KAEL’S POV She’s not back. A growl slipped past my mouth for the umpteenth time as I threw my head back against the chair, waiting for the door to open at any second and for Carrius to walk in with her. I stood up and started pacing, an uncomfortable, restless feeling pooling deep inside me. Someth







