ELORA “My lady, we have to go now.” Tamika’s voice pulled me out of my trance. Was I even in a trance? I somehow got my neck to turn so I could look at her. “Did you…did you see that? Did you hear that? He spoke.” Acknowledging it opened something up in my chest. If I called his name one more time, would he answer me? “My lady, we really have to leave now. If the guards come in, we would be in trouble. Please.”Tamika continued to hold on to my arm until we were out of the dungeon. I returned to my room alright, but that night, I couldn’t sleep.That low, bitter rasp…“fuck you” still echoed in my bones. The words were hollow and rough like gravel being scraped on the ground of an empty chamber. It had been the first sound from him in seven days. Just two broken words that carried more pain than I could ever hope to describe.That night, Tamika had begged me not to go back. She said it was too dangerous. Said the guards were already suspicious. She said Kael had been asking que
ELORA “Ryker,” I said again, my voice a little louder now, cutting through the silence and sending an echo throughout the corridor. But he still didn’t move. I swallowed a shaky breath and took another step forward. There was not even a flicker of recognition, not even a tilt of the head. He took in small labored breaths, so I knew he was alive. Seeing him like that, so defeated, tore me from the inside out. I swallowed the lump in my throat and took another step forward. It was my poor attempt at eliminating the distance between us. But I stopped halfway, waiting to see if he would at least recognize my scent. Still nothing. Why wasn’t he looking at me?Why wasn’t he fighting?My pulse quickened as I moved again, stepping closer to the bars. I gripped the cold metal with trembling fingers. The dim light from the candle flickered against his bruised and bloodied skin. It was easy to tell he hadn’t been able to shower in days. His hair hung over his face, clinging to his dam
ELORA “Please, I need to save him. Please, you have to let me go. I need to…I need to…” slowly and steadily, the words disappeared into a distant echo, until all I was left with was the silence in my mind, and the darkness that surrounded me. I didn’t know how, but I could hear again. These voices weren’t mine, and they weren’t in my head. My heart suddenly began pounding against the walls of my chest again. “This isn’t good for our baby,” Sierra’s voice was a slur in my head. She spoke very slowly, and with a very soft tone that often left me frowning at her. For a strong silver wolf like her, the pregnancy was really taking a toll on the both of us. “We have to try our best to stay calm.” She concluded. Possible best? I found myself frowning even with my eyes closed. I had no idea where I was or how long I had been there. How was I supposed to keep calm in a situation like that? I didn’t open my eyes. Not right away. The weight on my body felt too foreign, and too heavy. I l
AUTHORThe skies were stained with storm clouds, heavy with the weight of blood yet to be shed. Thunder rumbled low, as if the heavens themselves mourned what was about to take place. Stormrider’s gates had cracked open with a roar, and warriors poured through like a flood.In front of them, Varek and Kael mocked the little number they currently watched. Their army outnumbered the South’s with at least nine thousand. Varek’s eyes on them. The southern army, smaller, leaner, stood their ground outside the scorched edges of the field. VAREK could not, for the life of him, figure out if this was all they had, or it was a trap. Their presence here meant they had been told about what was to happen today, long before it even happened. Had they gotten reinforcements? Was this an ambush? The Stormrider prince had laughed and was more than ready to attack, but the former grand commander had seen more than enough of war to know when something was wrong. He studied the silver wolf in front
ELORA Is it much of a rejection if your heart still craves for another? “Do you miss him?” I had asked Sierra as I sat on my bed, flipping through the pages of one of the many books on my shelf. “I cannot say for sure.” She replied to me. We had started talking again after she regained her strength. She was a strong wolf, but she always used up most of her energy quickly when it came to saving me. “We were mates, and he was the first one I felt, but I do not think we were ever close to him. It doesn’t feel like we were ever one with him. Unlike…”“Ryker.” I said the name before her. She purred softly within me. She missed him too. I wasn’t even sure how long it had been since we last saw him. I wasn’t certain we would ever see him again. It was only a matter of time until Stormrider fought them. My father had refused to let me stay around the soldiers. He had claimed I didn’t want to be part of the bloodshed, so he would keep me as far away from it as possible. It was all ove
KAEL War would never be my first turning point, but if the wolves of the south wanted to be rebels, then I would treat them like rebels. The first time Varek Valewind had brought up the topic of fighting them, I reasoned with Elora and asked him to send them a notice. We could talk like men, the Veylard bastard and I. VAREK told me he had sent it. He also spoke before the council on how he sent the message three times, and the three times he did, he was ignored. It told me everything I needed to know. They wanted a fight. What sort of a man would I be if I didn’t give them exactly what they wanted? I looked over my armor one last time, smoothing my hands over the fine gold. It was heavier than usual. I hadn’t worn one in a long time, and it had been my dream as alpha king to never have to wear one, but Ryker Veylard pushed me to the wall successfully, and I would be a coward not to respond. I stood before the mirror, tightening the last strap across my chest. My reflection st