Mag-log inVINCENT’S POVI stood on the stage with Paris beside me. The whole hall went quiet as everyone waited. This was the moment. The marking ceremony.I turned to her and held her hands gently. She looked beautiful under the bright lights. My heart beat faster. I leaned close and kissed her neck softly. Then I let my wolf come forward just enough. My teeth grew sharp. I bit down on the soft spot between her neck and shoulder. Not too hard. Just enough to leave my mark.Paris gasped and held me tighter. A warm bond formed between us right then. The pack cheered loud. They clapped and shouted our names. The mark on her skin glowed for a second before it settled. She was now fully mine. And I was hers.The cheers died down slowly. Paris was still glowing beside me, her hand warm and steady in mine, but her eyes held that familiar spark, the one that said the night was far from over. The pack watched us with a mix of awe and curiosity, their whispers buzzing like insects around a lantern. Let
VINCENT’S POVMen and women walked across the four corners of the room, each taking on one task or the other to make sure the final result of my attire came out as planned. They were making a cloth from scratch on me, sewing all parts and attaching all required designs to the fabric. All I had to do was stand. In a few hours time, after interchanging between sitting and standing, they were done. The only thing left was my coat, made beforehand. The cloth they sewed on me had a v neck line, one that dragged all the way down to the center of my torso. The plan was to cover up the rest of my skin with a gold neck piece, long enough to cover the v line. Both sides of my chest were partially revealing. And on the left side, a small, dark crescent moon mark added some color to my skin. It appeared after the ritual at the ocean. Lephone called it the shadow mark, grafted by my shadow in order to recognize its body when roaming the world. I rested a hand on it and rubbed gently. One
PARIS POVSomeone woke me from sleep, whispering my name like the wind. I stirred a little before opening my eyes. “Steffon?”“Where’s Vincent?” He asked. I turned sideways. Both ways. Vincent, who was lying by my side last night, wasn’t there any more. My heart tripped. “He was here.” “Are you sure?” Steffon asked. I slipped out of bed, checked the bathroom, the closet, and the balcony. Only his scent lingered in those places. “Where could he have gone?” I asked, panic setting in already. “I have no idea. But we have another issue on ground,” Steffon said. “The members of the high assembly who are still alive are downstairs. They want to know what happened and who is behind it. Margaret and her parents are already down with them,”I swallowed, trying to ground myself to what he was saying and ignore the fact that Vincent was missing. “So…so what do we do?” He shrugged. “Liam would have known. He was more of the political beta. I am more of a warrior.”I inhaled deeply, lett
PARIS POVEverything went still the moment Vincent’s body began to float on the water. That was the last time he was dipped, and it was the last time he came up for air. Everyone standing at the shore froze. Not a single motion was made…until Liam dropped in the water too. “Seize her!” An elder of the high assembly ordered. The men seized my arms and forced me to my knees. “Let me go!” I tried to fight them off as the urge to run into the water swirled within me. They tightened their grip around me, pressing me down. “Hold her still. And retrieve his body from the water,” the same elder barked. I struggled with those holding my arms, screaming at nothing exactly. Margaret closed in on me and squatted to my eye level. “Look what you’ve done. You’ve killed him. You’ve killed Vincent. You have killed…my fiance,” she said, voice breaking after every pause. Then she rose slowly and faced the rest of the men who were standing behind us. “She has killed our Alpha!”Tears trickled dow
SELENE’S POV“Where do we go from here?” Morgana asked. I waited for a better response, one I was certain about, but nothing came. She went on. “Jules hasn’t been found. And he was your last hope, wasn’t he? I’m sure by now he knows you’re no longer the war matron and that the power has been stripped away from you. We’re in trouble, aren’t we? Fuck! You should have let me stay back. Maybe at least Vincent would have saved me,”“Shut up!” I snapped. She shuddered, folding herself to the door. “You sound like a pathetic adult. You can’t be my daughter and be this stupid,”“I’m not stupid,” she whimpered. “You are just the one who thinks she’s smarter than everyone she comes across…” she paused, as if finding her voice again. Then she looked up at me. “Meanwhile you’re just an opportunist. Jumping from one gamble to another, playing with the lives of people you should love and who loves you,”My hand flew with pressure, striking her face. She was mute, until her sobs broke her silence
LIAM’S POV We stopped somewhere along the road to rest after hours of walking. The car Steffon and I came with broke down in the muddy area, leaving us stranded for long minutes.While Paris and Vincent walked ahead, keeping up with each other, Steffon and I remained behind, looking out for them. “You’ve been staring at them since we got out of the car.” Steffon called my attention. I sighed, stopped walking and crossed my hands over my chest. “Tell me I’m not the only one who thinks this is wrong,” He looked at them for a while, shrugged. “I mean…What can we do? Vincent has made up his mind. Even the girl has no say here.” “Paris is his niece. He’s supposed to protect her, guide her, keep her away from the dark ways of their bloodline. Rather, he’s doing the exact opposite.” “Have you ever thought for a minute that he’s doing this for her? To protect her,” he cut in. I rolled my eyes away. “That’s bullshit,”Steffon walked a little further and stopped. “So what do you want to







