AYLAIt has been a few days since the palace came under a siege by Alpha Asher. Nothing had felt the same since. Security had doubled, especially around Mercia.And I hadn’t seen Slade once.He’s been busy questioning the prisoners Damon caught. The things those men said keep me up at night. I need to know what Slade plans to do about Asher’s message.This isn’t just about the prophecy anymore. Asher wants me. My life is in danger.“I can’t wait anymore,” I whispered. “Invisique.”With the invisibility spell around me, I quietly left my room and headed to the prison’s west wing.As I walked, I got chills remembering the time I was locked down there. At first, I thought Damon didn’t have Slade’s permission. But after seeing Slade before the attack, I’m not so sure.Telling them Maria is the one behind the potion swapping would have been a huge mistake. I’m willing to take her secret to the grave as long as she continues to give me access to the secret library. If Slade won’t tell me a
SLADE“Ayla?” I called out as soon as the voice stopped speaking. Damon looks at me with a confused expression. “No, someone more powerful!” The voice roared again, but this time, one of the guards was lifted and thrown against the wall.“It’s an attack!” Galen yelled as he drew his fangs out. “Go!” Damon screamed, looking at me. “Save yourself and Ayla. We can't have her falling into the wrong hands. ” We all rushed out of my chambers as the second guard was lifted up and tumbled against the floor. Damon and I exchanged one more look, and we raced out of the palace on opposite sides. I ran through the palace halls, boots pounding against the stone floor. Behind me, I could hear guards shouting, walls shaking, and something… unnatural moving through the dark.“Ayla,” I said under my breath, pushing myself faster. I had to get to her before it did.Whoever, or whatever, was attacking us they had power. More than I’d ever felt before. Torches flickered, some blowing out as I passed.
SLADE“Let her out within the next hour,” I said firmly to the guard standing by the heavy iron door. Behind it, Ayla was locked away like a criminal. Damon had put her there without asking me. He didn’t need my permission, he had the authority.But that didn’t mean I agreed with him.Damon wasn’t careless. He didn’t make decisions like this unless he felt there was no other choice. Especially not after what happened with my first Luna, the woman I once believed was my future. The one I trusted with my heart, my kingdom, my life.The one who betrayed me and left me to die on the battlefield.Now, when I look at Ayla, I feel something eerily familiar. A slow, dangerous pull. The same storm of emotions I felt back then. The same temptation to trust… to feel… to want.I can’t fall for someone again. Not now. Not ever. If I let my guard down, if I allow weakness to take root, my kingdom will crumble. Mercia will fall.That’s why she can’t know the truth about her powers. Not yet. Not unti
AYLAI couldn’t speak. Damon’s words felt like stones thrown at my chest.The potions… they weren’t just to keep Slade numb. They were to keep me or anyone out. To keep his heart locked. To make sure no one ever reaches it.He had been protecting himself from people all along. People from Moonlit Pack. People with secrets.“You expect me to believe I’m some kind of threat to him?” I asked softly, still sitting on the cold wooden bench. “I’ve done nothing but help him.”Damon scoffed. “You think that matters? Your blood is Moonlit. Your Alpha is Asher. You’ve been lying since the moment you stepped foot in Mercia.”“I never lied!” I snapped, standing. “I didn’t even know I had powers until recently. I didn’t know I was from Moonlit. Everything was hidden from me, too.”That wasn’t true. I know I’m not from Moonlit only by marriage, which had been annulled ever since Asher sold me at the auction.He took a slow step forward, his eyes cold. “And yet, here you are. Healing him. Getting cl
AYLA“Before the part that made you forget remembers you first,” Slivia’s words kept ringing in my head as I walked back to the palace with Riven beside me. I honestly don’t know what to think. But I do know that she is right. Something made me forget I attacked her. Whatever that is will always have a hold on me until I figure it out. I have to figure out a way to get to the secret library Maria showed me. I still haven’t figured out how she took the keys from me without me noticing, but I have to try. Knowing who I am is the key to finding what all of this means. But this has to be kept on a pretty low profile because of Slade. Even Riven will have no idea. “I’m really sorry,” I heard Riven’s voice, and turned to him as we walked. “I just wanted you to loosen up, but I ended up creating a problem,” he said. “You didn’t create a problem, commander,” I said. “The problem was already there the moment I healed Slade in the forest many months ago.”“I understand. But my job is to tra
AYLAThe look on her face not only hinted at recognition.It showed fear.Why would anyone be afraid of me, especially a woman like her? A warrior. A captain. A woman who just crushed her opponent without breaking a sweat.My steps were slow, and cautious. She didn’t break eye contact, and then, suddenly, she turned away and walked out of the ring, cutting through the crowd with ease. She didn’t stop to take a drink. Didn’t speak to anyone. Just kept going.Riven moved beside me. “What was that?” he asked.I nodded, my voice barely a whisper. “I don’t know,” I tilted my head. “But I’m betting she does,” I started walking towards Captain Slivia. I could hear Riven groaning beside me as he followed.“She knows me, Riven, and looked scared of me,” I told him. “But why?” I asked him“She’s not afraid of anyone,” Riven said. “That’s what makes her so dangerous. But when she looked at you... It was like she saw a ghost.”A strange feeling settled in my chest.“I want to talk to her,” I said
AYLAI placed my hands on my chest as I tried to calm my breathing. My heart was racing, and my muscles felt sore. My sweat clung to my skin like a second layer. It felt like the sky was spinning and falling towards the earth.“Breath, Ayla, breath,” I looked up to see Riven standing in front of me. How did he get so close? I had been far from him just moments ago.Even more, how did I hear Slade speaking with someone when they were not standing beside me? Does this mean my wolf form is beginning to show? What does this all mean?As I got my breathing under control, the words came rushing back. “She doesn’t need your trust. She only needs to play her part before it’s too late.” Slade’s voice echoed in my head like a warning I couldn’t ignore. What did he mean? What part? What's too late? The other voice had to be Damon, the so-called Beta. He is the only one I saw with Slade. Why does he not trust me? He doesn’t even know me.I stood there for a moment, looking toward the path where
AYLAThe sky was pale purple and gold as the sun started to rise. The air was cold and fresh, biting against my skin, but I welcomed it. The cold helped me focus. Helped me forget everything else for a while.I punched the tree in front of me again and again, feeling the pain in my knuckles through the wraps. But I didn’t stop. I needed the pain. It kept me grounded.I wasn’t swinging to train.I was swinging to forget.To forget Slade’s words.“I arranged for Riven to cross paths with you.”To forget the way Riven stood silently and watched my world shift on its axis.To forget the way it felt when my power responded to my anger, too easily, too fiercely.Slade had kept secrets from me. And Riven? He had followed me, watched me, fought me—all without telling me who he really was. My heart ached with anger and confusion.I kicked the post hard, and a piece of wood snapped off.“You’re going to break it,” someone said behind me.I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.Riven.“Then ma
SLADEI watched as Ayla’s eyes drifted from nine and landed on Riven. She had a calm and relieved expression on her face. Not like the way she reacted when she saw me.“Riven, wh….what are you doing here?” she stammered, walking towards him. “I had him released,” I said and she turned around to look at me. “Released?” she asked. “I thought he was going back to the war. That’s what you told me,” her voice was filled with confusion and distrust.“Like you have been told before. I don’t answer to you and you don’t have the right to question my decisions,” I said to her.“Then why is he here?” she pointed at Riven who stood like the soldier he is. The one who is used to obeying instructions and doing exactly what he is told.“He is here to train you,” I said and she scoffed. Ayla stood tall, fire in her eyes. “I don’t need him to train me. I’ve done just fine on my own.”She turned to leave, heading for the door.“Don’t you dare walk out that door, Ayla!” I shouted, my voice booming th