LOGIN"What happened?"he asks moving closer to me, though his steps is hesitant on the wooden floor."Nothing.""You were arguing with someone.""My wolf."He blinks. "Oh."I sit on the edge of the bed while Kei remains standing there, a looming presence I can feel without looking."Is the baby okay?"The question breaks the remaining walls I had up despite my best efforts to keep them up and traitorous warmth spreads through my chest. "Yes.""Are you sure?""Yes, Kei."He nods but doesn't leave. I look at him, my patience worn thin. "You can go."His shoulders lower slightly, the rejection landing exactly as I intended. "You don't want me here.""I didn't say that.""You didn't have to."I look away, focusing on a loose thread in the quilt. Anything but him.He takes a breath, and I can feel the effort it takes. "I know you don't believe me yet.""You're right.""But I do care about you."I laugh bitterly. "That's convenient.""I'm serious.""So am I."He comes closer but stops before reac
My hand is a cold, rigid claw on the doorknob. Through the sliver of space I’ve allowed, I watch him. Kei. A statue on the porch, bathed in the unforgiving light of a moon that knows all his sins. He looks smaller out here. Defeated. It's a lie. It has to be.My mate. The word is a venomous whisper in my own mind.The man who chained me, took my wolf from me, stripped me of my power, and treated my refusal like something he could simply crush beneath his authority.And now he has come here willingly.Not demanding, Not ordering.Not even asking me to forgive him.Just saying he wants to come with me.I still can't believe it."Let him in."My wolf's voice is a low hum in my head, a purr of contentment that makes my skin crawl."No," I snarl silently, the word a sharp, bitter taste in my mouth."He's our mate.""That doesn't erase what he did."My fingers tighten on the door knob until my knuckles ache. The memory of cold necklace around my neck is unforgettable. I can still feel th
My office is quiet when I reach it, the heavy door swinging shut with a soft click. I collapse into my chair. "Finally."My wolf’s voice rumbles in my head before I can even open the first document."You know she's right."I close my eyes. "Don't start.""We should go after our mate.""She'll probably throw me out on my ass.""Then we'll stand outside until she lets us in."I sigh, rubbing my temples. "Why couldn't the Moon Goddess give us an ordinary woman?"My wolf is silent for a moment, then he answers, his tone thoughtful. "If she had, how would we have defeated Father?"I don't have a response for that."You saw what she did.""I know.""She protected Mother.""I know.""She saved us.""I know""Then stop complaining."I glare at the wall, the knot in my chest tightening. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?""Very much."I rub my face, the stubble rough against my palms. "So you really have no problem being Queen?"We were born to be Queen."The words make me wince. "All I want
Kei PovI watch Ravelle’s back disappear into the celebrating crowd. The space she leaves behind feels colder than the mountain air, but my feet remain rooted to the ground. What am I supposed to do now?Seriously. Run after her? Beg her to stay? After everything I have done, what right do I have?She has her wolf now. Her power. Her freedom. She’s whole again. And I know the only reason she stayed in this festering pack as long as she did was because of me. Because I put a collar around her neck and called it a necklace, just like her father did. Maybe even worse, because she gave me her trust, and I broke it. I deceived her.The thought makes me lower my head, a bitter taste filling my mouth. I lied to myself, calling it protection. I told myself I was keeping her safe, but it was a cage. I was afraid of her, afraid of her taking my throne—which wasn't mine in the first place."Are you really going to sit there and watch her leave?"My mother’s voice comes from behind me. I don’t
Kei walks toward the raised platform at the center of the pack. His father is dragged before him by two warriors. The former Alpha tries to resist, but Kei doesn't even flinch. He looks out at the crowd."Watch," his voice carries, cold and clear. The pack becomes utterly still. "This man has ruled through fear for long enough." He points down at the pathetic figure at his feet. "He made us afraid to sleep. Afraid to speak. Afraid to question him. He turned strength into cruelty and leadership into terror."He lets the words hang in the air, heavy and true. "He killed. He betrayed. He tortured. He destroyed families." He looks down at his father, his gaze like ice. "And today, his reign ends."His father glares up at him, but Kei doesn't look away. "We will never live like this again." He draws his claws out, long and sharp. "This is what happens when someone betrays the pack they swore to protect."What happens next is not a clean death. It is a brutal, messy, and violent execution.
I face the forest. "Come out."Nothing happens. I wait, impatiently like a predator. "All of you," I call out, my voice carrying through the trees, laced with an authority that feels older than the mountains. "Every last one of you hiding in the shadows like cowards. Face me."Branches rustle. One figure steps out, then another, then another. Soon the darkness itself seems to move, coalescing into twisted, misshapen forms. Hundreds. Then more. Rogues emerge from behind trees, from between rocks, from the deeper forest, their glowing eyes a sea of feral hunger.Kei's face loses what little color it had left. His mother grips his arm, her knuckles bone-white. I stare at the army before me, utterly unimpressed."You served him," I state, my voice quiet, yet it carries to every one of them. Several lower their heads in shame. "We had no choice," one man dares to call out, his voice trembling. "Please," another begs, falling to his knees. "We only followed orders."I shake my head, a col
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
The Lunar Virtue Conclave is unbearable even before the gossip begins—or the class itself.The hall hums the way it always does: too many voices layered on top of one another, laughter sharpened with envy, silk skirts whispering across polished stone floors.I sit near the back, posture perfect, ex
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







