MasukAt first, Iris ignored the news about the lycan king looking for a bride. There were other faes in other packs and she wasn't interested in marrying an old man who had just lost his wife. She didn't know him. She didn't care about his position or his power or his need for an heir.Besides, she had plans that were far bigger than marriage to any king.Her father had been training her since childhood to take his position as leader of their people. He believed she was the chosen one. The one who would lead the faes to their own kingdom and make them independent from wolves and lycans. The one who would free them from hiding in caves and living in shadows and depending on werewolf protection.It was a destiny that consumed her thoughts and her heart.Since her lover had never shown up anymore, since years had passed without word from him, Iris had decided to focus completely on that assignment. She threw herself into her training with a determination that impressed even her father.
Gianna felt scared as she watched the scene play out in front of her. It felt like she was watching a movie, something that wasn't real but was real at the same time. The young man was tearing at Iris's dress, his hands rough and desperate, his eyes wild with need.Iris stood beside Gianna with a livid expression on her face. Her hands were clenched into fists and her green eyes burned with an anger that seemed to shake the very air around them. She was watching her younger self struggle and fight against the man she had just saved.Then a sound cut through the chaos.An arrow flew through the air with perfect precision and struck the ground right beside the rapist. The impact was so close and so sudden that he froze, his attention snapping away from Iris.A young man emerged from between the trees, moving with the grace of a hunter. He was tall and strong with dark eyes that gleamed with purpose. He moved like he'd been trained his whole life to fight and protect. Another arrow
Gianna wanted to push Iris for more details about what she meant by destruction but Iris just shook her head gently and took her hand instead."Come," Iris said. "There is more you need to see before you understand."She led Gianna deeper into the market square and they walked slowly through the stalls and shops. The place was beautiful and buzzing with life in a way that made Gianna's heart ache. Music drifted from somewhere. The smell of food and flowers filled the air. People laughed and haggled and shopped and lived their lives like the world wasn't fragile at all.They stopped in front of a shop that looked like it belonged to someone important and wealthy. The storefront was elegant and refined with displays of beautiful designs. The fabrics were luxurious and the cuts were perfect. Though the styles were outdated compared to Gianna's time, they were clearly luxury then.Inside the shop, Gianna could see Iris's family.Little Iris was running around the shop, touching things wit
Iris looked at Gianna with those green eyes that seemed to hold entire worlds inside them."You will find out soon," she said simply, then took Gianna's hand and led her away from the beautiful mansion hidden inside the cave.As they walked back through the strange streets of this old world, Iris spoke."Have you ever heard of Faes?" she asked.Gianna thought about it. She had read books about magical creatures and fantasy worlds when she was younger, books that talked about beings with magical powers and beautiful faces."Only in fantasy books," she said. "I thought they were made up stories.""We were real," Iris said, and there was something sad in her voice. "We are still real, or at least we were. We had half werewolf blood in us but we were different from regular werewolves. We had powers that they didn't have. Powers that made us special and valuable and rare."Gianna listened, trying to understand. Iris was speaking about her people like they were a part of history. Like they
Iris led Gianna out of the clouds and toward what looked like a shimmering doorway in the air. It wasn't made of anything solid but it was there, real and waiting.As they walked, Gianna looked at the woman beside her. She was so calm, so peaceful, like walking between worlds was something she did every day."Are you dead too?" Gianna asked, the question slipping out before she could stop it.Iris smiled, and it was the kind of smile that held centuries of stories."I died many years before you were even born," she said softly.Gianna stopped walking. She stared at Iris, trying to understand how that was possible. The woman looked like she was maybe twenty or twenty-five years old at most. Her skin was smooth and glowing. Her white hair fell down her back like silk. Everything about her screamed youth and beauty."How?" Gianna asked. "How do you still look so young?""I never aged," Iris said simply. "When I died, I was young, so my soul kept this form. This is what I looked like in l
Nolan's hand came up to grab her wrist gently but firmly. "No," he said, his voice strained. "I can't. Please don't tempt me like this. If I do it, you'll pass out again and your body is too weak already." "I'll wake up," Gianna said, her voice steady and sure. "I'll regain consciousness. But you, if you don't get blood soon, you'll die. I can see it happening. I won't let that happen." Nolan closed his eyes and turned his head away from her neck, fighting with himself. Every part of his being was screaming at him to take what she was offering, to drink from her, to let her blood restore his strength. But he knew the cost and he couldn't bear to pay it. She got closer anyway and forced her neck toward his face, pressing her pulse against his lips. He had no choice. His control broke like glass. His fangs extended and he sank them into her neck, piercing the soft skin where the mark already lived. He tried to be gentle at first, tried to take only what he needed. But it was
Gianna found Evelyn in the hallway."I need you to send this," she said, holding out the sealed letter. "Find a courier. Make sure it gets to my father in Highmoon."Evelyn took the letter carefully. "Of course, Luna. Right away."Gianna nodded and headed to her bathroom.She filled the tub and san
Nolan's hand closed around her wrist and their eyes met. Gianna went completely still. She could see the blazing anger in her eyes but under it, something else flickered there. Recognition? Confusion? She couldn't name. The moment of silence stretched between them, taut as a wire. Then footste
Gianna moved through the corridor on silent feet. The temple's restricted section was darker and narrower than the main hall. Nolan was twenty paces ahead. His hood was still up. He walked quickly despite the unsteadiness she'd noticed earlier. She kept to the shadows, pressing herself agains
Chapter SixThe table was silent.Every Alpha, every Beta, every carefully dressed wolf in that banquet hall was looking at their plate, their glass, the middle distance – anywhere except at Cyrus, or at Gianna, or at the head of the table where Nolan sat with his hand resting flat on the cloth an







