INICIAR SESIÓNHAYESThe freezing wind howled through the high stone window of the eastern tower, biting deep into my skin.I stood completely still in the dark, my hand resting on the icy rock of the window frame. Down below, near the edge of the dark forest, the small yellow light flickered again in the deep ditch. Two fast flashes, then total pitch darkness.My wolf growled low in my chest, a dark, dangerous sound that made my throat burn.She was still upstairs in our bed, lying under the thick warm blankets, pretending to sleep while she waited for her signal. She had no idea that her two rogue partners down in the basement were already dead, their cold bodies hidden in the shadows of the cell floor. She had no idea that I had read her secret note. And she certainly had no idea that I was standing above her right now, watching every breath she took in my home.I stepped away from the tower window, my heavy coat sweeping around my legs as I moved down the narrow spiral stairs.I did not use the
HAYESThe cold wind blew hard through the tall trees, I stood in the pitch-black woods, my heavy coat pulled tight around my shoulders. My hand held the rolled piece of paper I had just pulled from the hollow oak tree. My heart pounded fast in my chest as I unrolled it with my thumb, leaning down into the dim moonlight to read the messy writing.The handwriting was jagged and hurried, nothing like the neat script my wife used in her letters.‘The Alpha knows something is wrong,’ the note read. ‘The maid story failed. He brought up a pregnancy to test me. The two rogues in his cell must be killed tonight before they break under questioning. Meet me at the eastern ditch at midnight.’A low growl rose up from my throat, vibrating against my ribs.I stared down at the paper, my jaw clenching so hard my teeth ached. She was smart. She was fast. But she was starting to panic, and panic made people sloppy.She did not even know that the two rogues down in the dungeon were already dead.I had
HAYESThe silence inside our bedchamber was thick and suffocating.I stood by the tall glass window, staring out into the pitch-black courtyard below. Snow flurries danced in the freezing air, blowing past the stone torches mounted on the outer stone walls. Down on the flagstones, the white ground was completely smooth and untouched.Behind me, the soft rustle of velvet fabric brushed against the floorboards."Hayes?"Her voice was soft and sweet, pitched with the exact light rasp that Ciara always had when she was tired at night. She stepped into the warm glow of the oil lamp, her dark hair draped over one bare shoulder. The dark green dress clung to her waist, the ribbons unlaced just enough to reveal the reddish scratches on her neck.She looked small. She looked fragile.If I did not know the truth, I would have pulled her into my arms and kissed away every bit of worry in her dark eyes. But my wolf snarled deep behind my ribs, a cold, violent beast locked behind my teeth."You ar
HAYESThe splintered wood of the office table groaned under the weight of my hands. Black ink leaked into the cracked grain, dripping off the edge onto the dark rug below. My heart pounded against my ribsMarcus stood by the locked office door, his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon. His knuckles were pale, his breath coming in fast, shallow hits as he stared at the ruined desk."Hayes, you need to calm down," Marcus said, his voice dropping low as he stepped carefully across the ink-stained floorboards. "You are talking about dark magic or complex illusions. A trick like that takes high witches from the western waste. No low-level border rogue has access to blood charms strong enough to mold skin and bone into an exact replica of the Luna.""It is not an illusion, Marcus," I growled, turning my gaze onto him. The raw Alpha power rolled off my shoulders in heavy waves inside the quiet room. "I stood two inches from her face. I held her throat. I smelled her skin. There is no magi
HAYESI walked down the stone steps, Below me, two Gamma guards had Sarah pinned against the wooden whipping post in the middle of the yard. Marcus stood to the side, his broadsword resting on his hip, holding a thick leather whip in his right hand.Sarah was crying loudly, her small shoulders shaking badly under her thin white apron as the guards pulled her arms above her head."Hold!" I called out, my deep voice cutting straight through the howling wind like an iron blade.The guards froze right away. Marcus lowered the heavy leather whip, turning his head to look at me as I walked across the snowy courtyard with long, heavy steps."Alpha?" Marcus asked, his brow furrowing as I stopped two feet from the post. "We were just about to carry out the sentence. Twenty lashes, like you said.""Stop," I said flatly, looking down at the terrified handmaid cowering on her knees against the wood. "Unbind her."Marcus stared at me for a second, then let out a slow breath. A look of quiet unders
VESPER"Marcus!" Hayes called out into the hallway, his deep voice bouncing off the stone walls."Yes, Alpha?" Marcus answered right away, footstrps thudding fast against the floorboards as he came around the corner.I stood frozen by the entrance, my hand holding the dark velvet of my dress tight against my bruised collarbone. My heart slammed against my ribs like a trapped bird. Every single muscle in my body was tight, my mind racing through a hundred different outcomes. Was he about to call my bluff? Did he bring the guards here to drag me down to the dungeon cells instead?"Bring the handmaid Sarah up to the bedchamber right now," Hayes ordered, his face turned to hard stone."Right away, Alpha," Marcus said, bowing his head before sprinting back down toward the servants' staircase.I swallowed hard, doing everything I could to keep my chest steady. Cold sweat trickled straight down my spine. The lie was completely absurd. I knew Sarah had been down in the kitchens all afternoon,
~CIARA~No. No. No.My fingers trembled around the contract as my eyes scanned it again.Graham Hayes.The same Alpha from earlier.The same man whose touch still burned against my skin.I’d heard rumors about his ruthlessness. Cruelty. Unhinged personality. He didn’t seem like the polite man that
~CIARA~Tomorrow was the day my life would end. And the text on my screen did a great job reminding of it. “Miss, your coffee’s getting cold.”My head snapped up to meet a brunette’s warm gaze. She pushed the cup forward until it touched my palm. “You’ve been standing here for several minutes. Ar
~CIARA~The maid’s face drained of color so fast, it almost made me regret asking. Her lips parted slowly, but no words came out. She looked like my request had triggered a trauma she was yet to recover from. She pulled her hand away from mine. “I..I can’t.”I should have dropped it. She looked un
My breath caught in my throat.Husband?The word shouldn’t have affected me, but it did anyway. I forced myself to look away from Alpha Graham, but it felt impossible. There was something about his eyes—the way they effortlessly held me in place, like I needed his permission to move my own body.“C







