**Sasha**The halls of the mansion were quieter than usual when we returned. Maybe it was the hour because everyone must have been asleep. I held Kael’s hand all the way up to his room, his jacket still hanging off my shoulders, heavy with his scent. Every step echoed softly under our feet.We didn’t say much throughout our last journey nor did we speak while entering the mansion. Maybe because of how tired we were.We gently entered the room and I broke the silence between us.“I’m just gonna shower real quick,” I said softly, brushing my fingers through his hair before heading toward the bathroom.He kissed my forehead and murmured, “Alright. I’ll wait.”But by the time I stepped out, towel wrapped around me and hair damp from the steam, Kael was fast asleep.He was lying on his side, one arm tucked under the pillow, his expression peaceful in a way I rarely saw. His brows weren’t tense. His jaw wasn’t tight. He looked…young and free. I stood there watching him for a while with my
**Lucien**The hall of a secret path of the mansion was dark and rather quiet. I knew this place better than anyone else. It was old, built before the rest of the mansion. Most people didn’t even know it existed.But I wasn’t alone.I could feel it I could hear someone behind me. The guy was trying to be sneaky, but his breathing was off and too fast. And he was stepping too hard on the floorboards. Stupid mistake.I walked slower, letting him think I didn’t notice. Just a little deeper. One more turn.Then I stopped.He hesitated, then took another step.I moved fast.Before he could react, I had him against the wall, my hand over his mouth and my knife at his ribs. He looked terrified, and I couldn’t even blame him."You shouldn't have followed me Ray, and now the team has lost a member.” I said.He tried to say something, but I pushed the blade in. Quick and clean. Right under the ribs and straight to the heart.He went limp in seconds.I let him drop, then picked him up over my
**Sasha**Where exactly are we going?" I asked as Kael’s arm wrapped around me in the backseat of his black SUV, his scent still warm with spice, strawberry and a hint of cinnamon from breakfast.He smirked. "You’ll see."I raised a brow. “That’s not ominous at all.”He chuckled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Relax. You’ll love it. It’s somewhere I go when the world starts to make too much noise.”I wanted to believe him. I *almost* did. But after the dream, I couldn’t shake the chill that had settled beneath my skin.The vehicle came to a stop on a quiet dirt road. Towering pines flanked both sides, and birds singing loudly.Kael stepped out first, walking around to open my door like some overconfident prince from a fairytale. I rolled my eyes but let him help me out.As my boots hit the forest floor, I took a breath. The air here was different, maybe wilder.“Why here?” I asked.Kael tilted his head, smiling faintly. “Because this is where I first changed.”“Into y
*** Still that night ****** Sasha ***One moment I was wrapped against Kael’s warmth, and the next, I stood barefoot on cold floor, my breath taking in the air in front of me. The sky above was dark but was lit with scattered stars. There was silence for a moment, Then I heard her.A voice like bells, haunting, and familiar.**”Time is slipping away."**I turned. I didn’t remember moving, but suddenly I was standing in front of a destroyed temple, cracked pillars of moonstone located in a place that seemed deserted for an eternity. And then I saw them.A woman, glowing, not with light, but something… divine. Her hair trailed behind her in silken ribbons of silver, her eyes glowing brighter than the moon above. She was stunning, terrifying. And even though I had never seen her before, I *knew* her.I looked closely only to discover it was the face of the woman I feared the most, and now she is hunting me in reality again. “Selena!!!” I mumbled trembling.The Moon Goddess.“Where t
**Training Grounds **Late Evening****kael**Lucien stood at the edge of the ring, eyes scanning the environment as he stood silently. I didn’t like this, the way Lucien had been moving lately, like he had another motive more than training. Like he was waiting for something or someone. The silence broke.“You always did brood before a confrontation,” came Lucien like he knew I was watching him all along, then he suddenly faced me, revealing himself completely. His dark shirt stuck to his sweat damp body, with his sleeves rolled up.I didn’t move. “You were seen again. By her.”Lucien’s brow arched slightly. “Who?”Kael’s jaw ticked. “She saw someone. Same build. Watching from the lower decks. He spoke. He *vanished*. I don’t care if it was you or some ally of yours, it terrified her. And I don’t take that lightly.”Lucien tilted his head. “You think I’m toying with your mate? That I’m lurking in corners to spook her like some rogue pup?”“I think you’re crossing lines,” I snapped.
**Sasha**The arena was filled with noise.Wolves and even humans packed the stands, their screams echoing through the stone-and-metal walls. Flags waved. The smell of sweat and anticipation was all I could feel. I found a spot near the observation deck, high enough to see everything. I wasn’t here for the match. I was here to watch *him*.Kael.My mate.Down on the field, he stood in formation with the others, Marcus and Tony were looking my direction with a sure look of future victory and Kael’s expression was calm, dangerous, unreadable at the moment. Cain’s team mirrored them on the opposite side. This wasn’t just another match. This was the match.“First time watching?” a voice said from my left.I turned. A woman, probably mid-twenties, dark hair braided tight, eyes sharp but smiling at me like she’d been expecting to see me. She wore a neutral spectator’s cloak, no insignias or team colors.“Something like that,” I replied.She extended a hand. “Vera.”I hesitated but shook i