LOGINAlyse PovThe iron bars of the dungeon didn't just hold me in; they reminded me that I was a ghost.After Alaeric walked away, the silence in the cell felt like a lead weight. His words looped in my head like a curse. A mistake I cannot afford. I do not accept you as my Luna. First Kayden. Now him. I leaned my head against the cold stone and closed my eyes, refusing to let a single tear fall. I was done crying for men who didn't want me.The cell door creaked open an hour later. It wasn't the Prince. It was a woman with sharp, beautiful features and hair as black as a raven’s wing. She was wearing a dress of deep crimson silk that looked like spilled blood."So, this is the little stray," she said, her voice dripping with fake pity.I looked up. She didn't look like a monster; she looked like a Queen. But her eyes were as hard and cold as diamonds."Get up," she commanded. "The Prince has decided you aren't worth the dungeon space. If you’re going to eat our food, you’re going to wor
Alaeric PovThe air in the dungeon turned to ice.I couldn't breathe. My heart was slamming against my ribs like a battering ram, and my wolf was howling one single word over and over again.Mate. Mate. Mate.I stared through the iron bars at the girl on the floor. She was a mess. Her dress was shredded, her skin was covered in dirt and dried blood, and she looked like a light breeze could snap her in two.This was her? This was the woman the Moon Goddess had chosen for me?An Omega, a weak, trembling prisoner who had crawled onto my land like a dying animal."Alaeric?" Kael’s voice sounded like it was coming from miles away. "What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."I didn't answer. I couldn't. The bond was pulling at me, a thick, invisible cord trying to drag me toward her. It was telling me to rip the door off its hinges, to wrap her in my arm, and to kill anyone who had ever touched her.But I wasn't just a man. I was a Lycan Prince. And my pack was on the edge of war.I l
Alaeric PovThe sun was barely up, but the weight on my shoulders already felt like a mountain.I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of my office, staring out at the peaks of the Blackthorn mountains. My hands were clenched behind my back. My skin was itching, a restless, burning crawl that reminded me the curse was never far away.Four years.I had been Alpha for four years, and for four years, I had searched every corner of the werewolf world for my fated mate. Nothing. No scent, no spark, no pull. My wolf was growing bitter, and the Bloodmoon Decay was starting to eat at my edges. If I didn't find my mate soon, I wouldn't be a Prince anymore. I’d be a monster in a cage.A soft knock came at the door, but I didn't turn around. I knew that scent."You’re thinking again, Alaeric," Selene said, her voice smooth and confident.I sighed, turning to look at her. Selene was beautiful, everyone said so. She was a powerful she-wolf, a warrior’s daughter, and she had been trained since bir
Alyse's PovMy lungs felt like they were filled with broken glass. Every time I dragged my body forward, the broken rocks tore at my skin. In front of me stood the two massive stone pillars that marked the end of my world. This was the Blackthorn Boarder.Back at Red Hollow, they told us terrifying stories about this place just to keep us from running away. They said the leader here, Prince Alaeric, was a monster. They called him the "Shadow Prince" a Lycan with blood so dark and powerful that he could crush a normal wolf just by looking at them."If you cross that line," my stepmother used to sneer, "Alaeric will rip your throat out before you can even beg for mercy. He doesn't take prisoners. He only takes lives."I looked at the pillars, then heard the rogues snap a branch just a few yards behind me. I could smell their rot. I didn't have a choice."I'd rather be killed by a Prince than eaten by a rogue," I whispered.With the last bit of my strength, I lunged forward. My hands hi
The darkness of the forest was absolute. I stumbled over roots and rocks, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I stopped by a stream to wash the gravel from my palms, my reflection in the water looking like a ghost. I was a broken Omega with no wolf and no home."Why?" I whispered to the moon. "Why give me a mate just to let him destroy me?"The moon didn't answer. But the shadows did.Crunch.I spun around, my heart leaping into my throat. Three men stepped out from behind the pines. They weren't wearing palace uniforms. They wore ragged leather and smelled of stale blood and sweat. Their eyes glowed with a muddy, predatory red.Rogues."Well, well," the leader sneered. He had a scar across his throat. "Look what we have here”.Terror seized me. I took a step back, my knees shaking so hard I could barely stand. "Stay away from me! I have nothing!"The two men on his sides laughed, "You have a pulse, don't you? The Rogue King loves fresh meat. He’ll pay a fortune for a high-bred Ome
Alyse PovThe Great Hall of the Red Hollow Pack was suffocating.The air smelled of expensive pine incense and roasted meat, a scent that usually made me feel at home. But tonight, standing under the massive crystal chandeliers, I felt like a ghost. I smoothed the fabric of my simple dress, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.Tonight was the Mating Ceremony. The night every shifter dreams of.In the center of the hall, Alpha Kayden Draven stood like a god. His dark hair was swept back, and his formal black tunic made his shoulders look impossibly broad. He was the future of our pack, powerful, handsome, and terrifyingly cold.As he began to walk through the crowd, searching for his fated mate, the air suddenly changed. It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck the floor between us. My skin started to hum. A warmth I had never felt before bloomed in my chest, spreading through my veins like liquid gold.Mate. The word echoed in my mind. My wolf, usually so quiet







