LOGINElara's POVThe cold stone pressed against my back as I stood in the abandoned corridor, listening to the celebration outside. Cheers echoed through the archways, carrying Lucien and Stella’s names across the snow-covered grounds. Everyone was celebrating their union, and with every cheer, I was reminded that life had gone on without me.My neck still hurt, but I barely paid it any attention. Instead of returning to my room, I found myself walking toward the courtyard. I made my way down the stone steps and passed the empty guard posts before reaching the upper gallery. From there, I could see the gathering below. I gripped the railing and stepped into the shadows, hoping no one would notice me.The courtyard was filled with wolves, all gathered around the marble altar. Their excited chatter grew louder as I searched the crowd for one familiar face.Then I saw him.Lucien stood at the center of the altar.I forgot how to breathe.He wore the Alpha's fur-trimmed mantle, his dark hair s
Elara's POV"Lift her!" Greta snapped, her voice cracking with sheer, unadulterated panic. "Get her out of the kitchen before someone comes down here! Move!"The two male wolves didn't hesitate. They hauled my limp, half-conscious body off the flagstones, my head sagging back as cold sweat slicked my forehead. Every step they took up the narrow servants' stairwell jarred my broken ribs, sending white flashes of agony through the suffocating haze of my mind. I couldn't keep my eyes open; the world spun in dizzying wheels of black and gray.They practically dragged me down the hallway and slammed open the door to my room, throwing me unceremoniously onto the narrow mattress. My head hit the thin pillow, a groaning rasp escaping my lips."Go get Bran," Greta ordered the younger wolf, pacing the small space like a caged animal, her hands twitching as she scrubbed at the drying blood on her palms. "Now! Tell him it's an emergency, but don't you dare say a word to anyone else on the way!"M
The impact sent pain shooting up my back. I couldn't catch my breath, and my body folded forward. My chin struck the edge of a heavy oak bench before I lost my balance and hit the floor again. I coughed hard, gasping for air. A metallic taste spread across my tongue, and when I touched my lip, my fingers came away with blood."Pick her back up," Greta ordered, her voice laced with venomous delight as the crowd of servants drew closer, their taunts growing louder, feeding off the violence. "Let's see how much of that bread stays in her stomach once we're through with her."Strong, unyielding hands hauled me up again by my arms, pinning my shoulders back so tightly I felt my joints strain. I tried to pull away, tried to twist out of their grip, but my starved human body was no match for their sheer brute force. Every gasp of air hurt my bruised ribs; every tremor in my legs threatened to pull me back into the dark tide of unconsciousness.Greta stepped closer and wrapped her hand around
Elara's POVThe laughter of the kitchen servants continued behind me, low and cruel, sending a chill down my spine. I stared at the piece of bread lying in the dirt beside my hand. Three days ago, I would have rather walked away hungry than give them the satisfaction of seeing me pick it up. I would have swallowed my pride, thrown a sharp remark at Greta, and walked away with my head held high, no matter how much my stomach hurt.But that pride meant very little when I could barely stand.My stomach cramped again, hard enough to make me flinch. Hunger had hollowed me out over the past few days, leaving me weak and shaky. My knees trembled beneath me, threatening to give way completely. The servants could laugh. Greta could sneer. They could all watch me crawl through the dirt if they wanted.I didn't care anymore.I needed that bread.I needed the strength to survive long enough to get out of this place. Drawing in a shaky breath, I slowly lowered myself onto one knee."Look at her,"
One more day. Then I leave.By afternoon, my hands had started trembling whenever I reached for the water pitcher. My head felt heavy, and even sitting upright made the room sway. Without my wolf, my body was already struggling to heal. Three days without food were making the weakness even worse. The ceremony was tomorrow. I couldn't stay here. Not another night.By the third morning, I woke with a sharp, violent cramp twisting through my abdomen. Three days. I hadn't eaten a single bite in three days. I pushed myself upright, but the room immediately tilted on its axis. I gripped the edge of the mattress, my knuckles white, and stayed still until the severe dizziness passed. My body felt strangely heavy, as though even lifting my arms required a tremendous effort. My mouth was dry, a dull headache throbbed behind my eyes, and my fingers trembled against the bedsheets.I looked down at my legs. The bruising around my knees had faded to a sickly greenish-yellow, and the scabs had forme
Elara's POVAfter a long, exhausting back and forth, I finally agreed to stay and rest until my knee had healed.I watched the tension leave Ryker’s face as he took a slow, heavy step back, satisfied that he had won the argument. A quiet, bitter scoff almost escaped me. How foolish of him to think I had actually given up on leaving. I wasn't going to that guest house, and I sure as hell wasn't staying in this pack just because Ryker had ordered me to. But I wasn't reckless enough to try escaping into the wilderness when my leg could still buckle from the slightest misstep.For now, staying put was simply a tactical delay. Safer, at least until I could walk without revealing a limp.The marking ceremony was three days away. Three days. That was all the time I had to get away before Lucien bound Stella to his soul in front of the entire pack.Ryker moved my bag out of reach before finally leaving, and the door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone in the heavy silence.I decided to
LARAI opened my eyes to a white ceiling.The room was spacious and spotless, and the sharp scent of medicine lingering in the air told me immediately that I was in a clinic. I pushed myself upright, but the nauseating smell twisted my stomach violently.A soft hand rested against my back before I
My heart rate rose sharply, despite being in a near-unconscious state. I've always been afraid of the dark. A natural phenomenon that werewolves loved and eagerly anticipated. The endless shadows between the trees, the suffocating silence, the feeling that something unseen was always watching... it
Selene didn’t speak at first.She simply stood there, her expensive heels planted firmly in my line of vision, the faint scent of her rose perfume cutting through the damp, soapy air of the laundry room. I kept my head down, my raw fingers still moving mechanically over the last sheet, scrubbing ev
Overnight, everything had changed.I was no longer allowed to sleep in the bedroom I once shared with Matteo. Instead, I was ordered to move to the maids’ quarters. I had less than three days to gather my belongings and disappear from this pack forever.When I reached the small, dimly lit room, I p







