Since the day Leo was thrown into the cell, Dominic had made it a ritual. Morning and evening, without fail.Pain. Humiliation. Torture.It wasn’t just punishment. It was control. A brutal reminder that hope was a weakness, and resistance would be crushed.The cell smelled of blood and metal. Leo hung from silver chains attached to the ceiling, his arms stretched above him, feet just touching the floor. His chest was covered in deep cuts, and painful silver burns marked his skin.In the corner, Lily slumped against the wall. A faintly glowing collar choked her strength, muffled her wolf, and dulled the light in her eyes. She was fading.Leo didn’t know what day it was. Only that every second hurt. That time blurred into pain.And yet, Aliyah. Her name alone kept him from falling.But sometimes, even that hope cracked. What if she didn’t come? What if he had broken her too deeply?Still, he held on.The iron door groaned open.Bootsteps echoed.Dominic entered, dark and composed, his e
Rosetta remained silent, the sting of those words digging deep. Her pride ached, but before she could respond, Rylan stepped forward, his voice grave.“There is something you need to know, Your Majesty.”He glanced at Rosetta, then back at Aliyah. “Alpha Leo and Lily have been captured by Alpha Dominic. He is demanding you in exchange for their lives.”Aliyah’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”Her body tensed, fury rising in her voice. “Why am I just hearing about this now? How did this even happen?”Rylan explained everything. He told her how she had misunderstood Leo, believing he cheated on her. How he had been on his way to see her and clear the air before he was ambushed by the rogues Dominic sent.Aliyah’s body shook in fear. Now she understood why Leo never came. She had blamed him. Hated him. And all this time, he had been trying to come back. To explain.“I thought he abandoned me,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I pushed away the one person who made me feel seen. And now
When they were brought to Aliyah’s chamber, silence fell again. Rosetta’s group froze, not in fear, but in quiet astonishment. Aliyah looked different. Not in body, but in presence. She stood tall, regal, with strength woven into every line of her posture. Rylan and Rosetta exchanged a glance, shocked not just by the authority she now carried, but by the reality of it. She had truly taken the crown. She had chosen to stay. Chosen not to return to Leo or the life she once had. She was Queen now. At the threshold, two groups faced one another, the air thick with unspoken history. Before anyone could speak, Elder Thalos stepped forward, his gaze locked on Rosetta. His voice, deep and steady, carried the weight of old wounds. “Before anything else, the Queen deserves to know something I doubt she’s been told.” Aliyah gave a slight nod. “Speak.” Thalos turned to her, his expression unreadable. "You may have known Rosetta for years during your time among their pack, but I fear you
The skies over the southern border were darkening, clouds gathering as if the land itself sensed the unrest. From the balcony outside the council chamber, Aliyah watched the storm roll in. Distant thunder rumbled, low and steady, like a warning echoing through the valley.She didn’t fear storms. She had survived worse, some that made no sound at all.Behind her, Kaelen stepped out, two steaming cups in hand. He passed her one with a slight nod.“You’re quiet,” he said.Aliyah accepted the cup, its warmth grounding her. “Just thinking.”“About the current trials?” Kaelen asked.She shook her head. “About the silence.”But her thoughts weren’t on the council or the Lycan community. They were with Leo. She hadn’t been able to forget him, no matter how hard she tried. A quiet fear had crept in and taken root.Did his pack resent her for leaving? For walking away from all of them, from him? They probably didn’t even know why she left. Maybe they never would.Did they think she’d abandoned
Sweat slid down Aliyah’s temple as her claws tore through the thick trunk of a tree. The wood split with a sharp crack. She barely registered the scent of sap or the burn in her muscles. Her mind locked into rhythm. Strike. Breathe. Focus.“Harder,” Elder Thalos called from the ledge above. “Strength means nothing without control.”Aliyah exhaled and stepped toward the next target. “This is control.”“You’re holding back. A queen does not hesitate.”She didn’t argue. Since claiming the crown, her life had become a blur of council sessions and endless training. No time for heartbreak. No room for Leo.But these sessions with Thalos, buried deep in the forest, anchored her.With a growl, she lunged and split another trunk clean through. Splinters flew. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.Thalos gave a slight nod. “Better. But not enough.”“I’m giving everything I have,” Aliyah said, breath ragged.Thalos descended slowly, robes whispering over earth and stone. His voice softened but he
Two days later, under the cover of dawn, the lieutenant Alpha Dominic had dispatched finally reached the borders of the Blood Crescent Pack. Without a word, he slipped from the shadows and tossed a scroll wrapped in dark parchment into the hands of a patrolling scout, then vanished back into the mist like a phantom.Moments later, the scout burst into the training grounds, panting and wide-eyed. Rylan stood at the far edge of the field, overseeing a group of young warriors as they sparred under the morning sun."Beta Rylan!" the scout called out, rushing toward him. "A message, from the Moon Crest Pack."Rylan turned, brows drawing together at the scout’s breathless tone. “What kind of message?”The scout held out the scroll. “It was delivered by a rogue. He didn’t speak, just dropped this and disappeared.”Rylan’s eyes narrowed as he took the scroll, noticing the black wax seal marked with the Moon Crest insignia. He broke it without hesitation, unrolling the parchment slowly. His ga