LOGINDamien’s POVAriana’s eyes fluttered open slowly, and the then consciousness returned gradually as Kael continued to cradle her carefully within his arms. Her gaze remained hazy for several long moments, and disoriented confusion clouded her expression, even before memory apparently crashed back all at once.“My father,” she whispered and tears immediately renewed along her pale cheeks. “He died protecting me from your family, Damien. He died because your father feared what I represented.”I remained kneeling before her, I was unable to properly meet her devastated gaze.And then guilt crushed against my chest with unbearable, suffocating weight that made even breathing feel difficult.“I’m sorry,” I whispered again and the words felt hopelessly and inadequate against the magnitude of destruction my own bloodline had caused throughout her entire life.“Sorry,” she repeated bitterly and her voice trembled with barely controlled fury now, rising steadily despite her obvious physical e
Ariana’s POV“That is not possible,” I whispered and then I shook my head slowly. “My father was accused of stealing from the treasury and everyone believed it and the evidence was documented.”“Documented lies,” the Rogue King said grimly, “constructed specifically to hide a far more dangerous truth.”I stared at him, desperately. I wanted to dismiss his words as more manipulation and more calculated deception that was meant to serve whatever agenda he carried but something in his weathered expression carried undeniable sincerity.“Twenty years ago,” he began slowly, “the elders throughout Blackwood Pack discovered rumors regarding your family’s true bloodline. Whispers had circulated for generations about descendants of the ancient royal family hiding among ordinary pack members, though nobody had confirmed anything definitively until they investigated your father’s lineage properly.”“What did they find?” Kael asked quietly and his hand rested protectively against my back as he
Damien’s POVI stood protectively beside Ariana, and my body still radiated tension from the sudden appearance of the Rogue King and his kneeling warriors. Kael remained equally rigid on her other side, and both of us prepared to defend her against whatever threat this dangerous man represented.The Rogue King studied Ariana with an intensity that made my wolf growl warningly beneath my controlled exterior. Though he made no aggressive movement, he just simply continuing to stare with something between fascination and calculated satisfaction.Then he laughed.The sound echoed harshly through the ancient chamber, and it was sharp and humorless, and then I watched Ariana flinch slightly beside me at the unexpected noise.“Twenty years,” he said and then shook his head slowly, and his laughter finally faded into something that was more serious. “I have waited twenty years for this exact moment.”“What are you talking about?” Kael demanded sharply, and his protective stance never waver
Ariana’s POVSilver light continued to spread across the ancient fortress, and it climbed steadily along crumbling walls and it illuminated symbols carved centuries ago that had remained hidden and dormant until this exact moment. The stone beneath my feet trembled slightly, ancient power awakened after generations of forgotten silence.The symbols began moving.I watched in stunned disbelief as intricate patterns were carved into the surrounding walls shifted slowly.It rearranged themselves into new formations, and silver light traced pathways that told stories I couldn’t fully comprehend.Though something deep inside my blood seemed to understand completely.Selene then stumbled backward further, and her eyes were wide with genuine terror now and all previous calculation and cruelty were replaced entirely by primal fear as she witnessed forces that were far beyond her comprehension awakening around us.“This cannot be happening,” she whispered repeatedly, and she retreated steadil
Ariana’s POVThe blade pressed harder against my throat, and then I felt another thin line of blood trickle down toward my collarbone. Below us, Kael and Damien stood frozen, and their faces were so pale with horror, and their hands moved into helpless fists at their sides.“Choose,” Selene repeated and then her voice was filled with cruel amusement through the quiet night air. “Save Ariana, or save the baby. One of them dies tonight.”“That is not a real choice,” Kael shouted and his voice broke with desperation. “You cannot separate them. Harming one harms both.”“Can’t I?” Selene’s smile widened cruelly. “A skilled hand knows exactly how deep to cut, exactly where to press. I could end her life slowly enough to save the child, or quickly enough that neither survives. The choice belongs entirely to whichever man speaks first.”“Take me instead,” Damien called out and his voice trembled with raw so much emotion. “Please, Selene. Whatever anger you carry toward me, direct it a
Ariana’s POVI woke slowly and my head rang painfully.My wrists bound tightly with rough rope against a cold stone wall and dim torchlight flickered across the crumbling wall.And the musty smell of abandonment filled my lungs as I struggled to fully regain my senses.“Finally awake.”Selene’s voice cut through my confusion instantly, and I turned my head sharply to find her standing several feet away.Her expression carried calculated satisfaction as she studied me carefully.“Selene,” I whispered.And fear and confusion tangled together as memories of my chamber, of sudden hands covering my mouth and of darkness that swallowed my consciousness completely.I then flooded back with disorienting speed.“Surprised?” she asked and I walked closer.Her footsteps echoed through the abandoned fortress surrounding us. “You should not be. I have been planning this for quite some time now.”“What do you want?” I demanded and tested the ropes that binded my wrists uselessly.“What I want,” Se







