LOGINBecause the moment Kei's final word leaves his mouth, something inside my chest erupts. It's not just a spark.My entire body jerks as a violent, scorching pulse tears through me, beginning somewhere deep beneath my ribs and spreading outward like lightning beneath my skin."What..." My voice comes out barely above a whisper.Another surge hits, so powerful it feels like it might tear me apart. I stagger. Kei's father says something, his voice a distant, meaningless buzz. The entire clearing disappears beneath a deafening roar that's coming from inside my own head. My ears ring. My vision blurs. My knees buckle. I grab my chest, clawing at the fabric of Kei's shirt. It feels as though someone has reached inside me and grabbed hold of my very soul and is trying to rip it free."Ahhh!"My surroundings begin to dissolve. The clearing. The people around me. Everything becomes distant, muffled, like I'm listening to the world from underwater. I look down. Kei's hands are disappearing. His
His wolf begins pushing toward the surface. I can see it in the subtle transformation of his face—the way his pupils narrow into slits, the way his jaw clenches until I think his teeth will crack."You arrogant little—""You lost to a child," I interrupt.His roar shakes the clearing. "Enough!"He angrily lets go of the chains he had used to bind Kei's mother, and he lunges at me. I barely have time to react before his fist catches my jaw. Pain explodes across my face, a starburst of light behind my eyes. I stagger sideways, but before I can recover, two rogues grab my arms, their grips like iron."Get your hands off me!" I struggle, but my strength isn't enough. Not without my wolf. Not without my power.His eyes are pure fury. "You think this is twenty years ago?" He grabs the front of my shirt. "You think I'm still the man that little boy embarrassed?"His fist crashes into my stomach. Air leaves my lungs in a whoosh. I double over, folding in on myself. He catches my hair and forc
The walk to Ashen Vale's eastern border feels longer than it should. With no wolf, no power, no wind whispering warnings into my ears, no earth answering my call, each step feels like a walk closer to my grave.Even though I am in Kei’s large frame, I feel no different from when I was in my own weak body. I feel painfully human. Vulnerable. Weak. I hate it.Still, I keep walking, my jaw set, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. The trees grow thicker, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers, blocking out the last of the fading light, and the sounds of the pack disappear behind me, the familiar noises of life and laughter replaced by an unnerving silence. Soon, only silence remains.The meeting place is exactly as expected: a wide clearing surrounded by towering pines with moonlight spilling across the empty ground. I arrive first. Of course I do. Punctuality is a curse, a symptom of a mind that can't stand to be late, even for its own execution.My fingers flex at my
Something inside my chest cracks, a sharp, painful break. A dam I didn't even know was there, holding back a tide of emotion, bursts. For one brief moment... I forget I'm standing in Kei's body. I forget the gathering. Forget the incoming battle with Kei father. Forget everything. All I can see is this boy, this brave, stupid, wonderful boy, who sees the world not as it is, but as it should be.A smile spreads across my face before I even realize it, a real, genuine smile that feels foreign on my face. Then... I laugh. A genuine laugh, loud and clear, the first one in what feels like forever. It's a raw, slightly unhinged sound, but it's mine.Before anyone can react— I step forward and pull Elias into a hug. The poor boy freezes, his entire body going rigid, a statue carved from shock and confusion. "...Alpha?" his voice squeaks, a high, strained sound.I squeeze him once, a quick, hard hug, before stepping back, my hands on his shoulders. "You." I smile, a real, genuine smile that f
The moment the words leave my mouth, a ripple of movement goes through the crowd. Not one, not two, but ten warriors step forward, their chests puffed out, their chins raised. Some are much older warriors with scars carved across their faces like ugly maps of past battles. Some are commanders who have served under Kei for years, their eyes holding a glint of arrogant certainty. One by one, they stand shoulder to shoulder beside Elias, forming a wall of hardened muscle and experience.The young warrior suddenly looks impossibly small among them, a sapling surrounded by ancient, gnarled oaks.Several older warriors glance at him with smug, condescending smiles, clearly convinced this will be over quickly, that this boy will be humiliated and sent back to the ranks where he belongs.I fold my arms behind my back and let my eyes travel across every single one of them. "Listen carefully." The murmuring dies immediately. "I'm only going to ask this once."I pause, letting the silence settl
The gathering ground is overflowing by the time I arrive. Far more people than I expected. Hundreds, maybe more.Warriors line both sides of the courtyard in full armor, their faces grim. Elders wrapped in ceremonial robes stand together, whispering anxiously. Women clutch frightened children, their eyes wide with fear. The entire atmosphere feels suffocating, thick with the stench of terror.No one smiles anymore. Everyone is talking, everyone whispering urgently among themselves, a frantic, buzzing hive of anxiety that sets my teeth on edge."...Did you hear?""The Beta really betrayed us...""That's why the Alpha burned his body...""...the Ex-Alpha had also beheaded his own son...""...the Moon Goddess is punishing Ashen Vale...""...the former Luna has been taken by the former Alpha...""Do you think she's still alive?""...what if he attacks tonight..."Fear has become contagious. It spreads faster than any disease, faster than fire, a poison seeping into the very soul of this
Revulsion claws up my throat the moment I see him.Of all the men in this cursed kingdom, he is the one who walks like the world should kneel simply because he was born male. Always lingering too close, always wearing that smirk I’ve been tempted far too many times to wipe clean off his face. He ac
The throne room smells like power and old lies.Stone walls rise high and cold, carved with victories that were never won by women. The air hums with deep male voices—officials, elders, and war strategists—gathered for the morning assembly. My father sits on the obsidian throne at the far end, crow
The first scream splits the clearing before the whip ever lands, and I don’t flinch. I learned long ago not to.The woman is on her knees in the dirt, wrists bound behind her back, hair torn loose and matted with sweat and dust. Her mate stands behind her, chest puffed out, jaw locked in righteous
I pull out the omega uniform from under my bed—plain brown cloth, shapeless, loose, ugly, and absolutely perfect for hiding the red dress beneath it. No one looks twice at omegas. Not in a palace that employs hundreds.I braid my hair up, tuck it beneath a dull omega scarf, then close my eyes to co







