MasukNovel’s POVI woke up to an empty room. The golden afternoon light filtered through the curtains, but the space beside me was cold.“What happened to me?” I asked the quiet air.“You fainted from exhaustion,” a voice chirped, making me nearly jump out of my skin.I whipped my head around until my eyes landed on Kitty. She was sitting majestically on the floor by the bedside, her white fur glowing in the sunlight.“Kitty! You scared me,” I huffed, clutching my chest. I took a breath to steady my racing heart. “Where is Alexei?”“He went to deal with some business. I heard him mention a woman named Elora.”“I see.”I didn't rush us back home just to sleep; I came back to solve the puzzle. I needed to confront the visions and the voices that had been haunting me. I stood up, my muscles feeling heavy but functional, and headed for the bathroom.I peeled off my clothes and sank into the warm depths of the bathtub. “How I missed this,” I sighed, leaning my head back against the porcelain.
Alexei’s POVIt had been two days since we returned home, and Novel was still unconscious. I knew her new powers would have a side effect, but the sight of her so still made my chest ache. I looked at the white wolf who had been sitting by Novel’s side since the moment we arrived.“Kitty,” I called out. The wolf looked up, her piercing blue eyes meeting mine.“You were the wolf I saw on the mountain, the one with the blue eyes, right?” I asked. She didn't bark, but there was an intelligence in her gaze that was unsettlingly human. “I don’t know why Novel decided to keep you, but I want you to know one thing: you have to protect her. She is weak right now.”I looked back at Novel, her pale face framed by the dark silk of her hair. “She’s everything I’ve got. I promise to reward you handsomely if you keep her safe.”“Ahhh,” I sighed, the sound heavy in the quiet room.I had unfinished business with the people who had dared to harm my Luna. I couldn't wait for her to wake up to handle t
Novel’s POVI didn’t know why I had flirted so boldly with Alexei. Maybe it was because it had been so long since we were truly intimate, or maybe it was the crushing fear that my time was running out.I was too weak to even keep my eyes open. I felt his hand linger on my cheek, a tender caress before he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. I let myself drift into sleep, but my dreams weren't nearly as lovely as the reality I had just left behind.In the dream, I stood in the center of a vast, faceless crowd. I was searching for someone, my eyes darting frantically, but the faces were all blurred. Suddenly, the scene shifted. I was back in my old apartment building…. the place where I used to live.Maxillo stood there, staring straight into my soul. I froze. I thought he was dead. As if reading my mind, he let out a jagged, mocking laugh.“Thought I was dead, didn’t you?”A terror I hadn't realized I was harboring seized my chest. My hands trembled, and my legs gave out, sending me hi
Alexei’s POVWhen she looked at me, her voice didn't come from her lips; it echoed directly inside my mind. She was forcing a mindlink.“The enemy you seek is within your midst,” she warned, her mental voice rasping like dry leaves. “Find him, or your greatest fear will come to pass... and one more thing. You must not let her die. If she dies, you will have to kill her twice.”“What do you mean, kill her twice?” I demanded aloud.But there was no answer. The Old Lady simply vanished into the shadows of the room, leaving nothing but the scent of lavender behind. In the same breath, Novel’s strength gave out, and she fainted into my arms.I carried her back to the guest room and laid her gently on the bed. I sat by her side for hours, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest.“I don’t understand what that woman meant, Novel,” I whispered, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “But I will protect you with everything I am. I would rather die a thousand deaths than
Novel’s POVWe walked for several minutes through the shimmering void before stopping at an open field that seemed to materialize out of the mist.“Why do you keep walking?” I asked, frustrated by the slow pace. “Can’t you just flip the space to the next vision?”“I am not magical, Master,” Kitty replied, her voice echoing. “I can only do a little. You are the one who can do everything.”“What exactly can you do, Kitty?” I asked as we hiked further. I had thought we were there, but the horizon just kept stretching.“I can heal. I can show you the past and the future, like this. And I can pull you out of a vision if I see you are stuck. I can do more... but you will see that when we face the real danger awaiting us.”“Okay... that’s actually pretty cool.”We finally came to a stop in front of a building. “Here?” I asked. Kitty didn’t answer; instead, the phantom chair appeared again, and I was forced to sit.The scene shifted. The boy from before was now a man. My heart stopped. My fa
Novel’s POVWhat’s going on? I wondered, my mind groggy. How did I fall asleep?Wait. A cold realization washed over me. If I was asleep, how was I awake?I opened my eyes to find myself drifting in a vast, endless void. My breath hitched. I recognized this place…. this was the vision where I had seen Alexei transform into a monster, where he had killed Viktor and stood ready to end Emilia.I tried to walk, but my feet found no purchase. I wasn't standing; I was suspended in the air.“What the hell?” I cursed, my voice echoing into the nothingness. “Hello? Is anyone here?”I knew I was being watched. It had to be Alice. She was the only one who could pull me into a place like this. “Hey! I know you're watching me. I need to get back. I need to... process all of this.”I stopped mid-sentence. A figure was emerging from the gloom, walking toward me with a steady, graceful pace. I squinted, trying to make out a face. It looked like a wolf, but as it got closer, the silhouette shifted, b
Novel’s POVAfter Alexei left, I retreated to my room. His question echoed in my mind, Could I stay with him? I wanted to say yes with every fiber of my being, but terror held me back. I knew those people. I knew how they operated, they would surely come back.Since Maxillo failed to kill me, she w
Novel's POV The world returned to me in slow, hazy waves of heat. I woke not to the sound of an alarm, but to the sensation of wet, lingering kisses being traced across the sensitive skin of my inner thighs. I had no idea what time it was; the room was bathed in the soft, dewy glow of early mornin
Alexei's POV I saw her face turn pale as she excused herself. Every instinct I had screamed at me to follow her, to demand the truth she was hiding, but I forced myself to stay back. I had decided to trust her.Two days passed. I was in my office, the silence broken only by the scratching of my pe
Alexei's POV I walked up to Novel. She was still sitting, and while she offered a smile, it didn’t reach her eyes. My gaze dropped to her neck, landing on the Mark. My Mark. A wave of primal satisfaction washed over me, pulling a genuine smile to my lips.“Let’s go eat,” I said, reaching down to h







