AsherThe hallway stretched out before me, a silent, dimly lit path leading toward my mother's office. It felt oddly quiet, almost too quiet, like something was hanging in the air, waiting for me to take the first step. I tried to focus, but the heaviness in my chest kept pulling me down, weighing me like I was walking underwater. Then I saw them.Bodies.Littered across the floor. Blood pooling. The unmistakable stench of death curling in my nose. I froze, every muscle locking in place. The bodies were familiar—the same twisted figures I had seen earlier this year when I was with Malia. But this time, there was something different. Aaliyah.She stood beside one of the bodies, her hands covered in blood, her face twisted into that same indifferent expression. My heart slammed against my ribs, my breath shallow, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.How? Why?A sharp pain cut through my temple, a wave of nausea rolling in, but before I could react, memories came crashing through
AsherThe air outside Miss Banks’ house smelled damp, with a faint trace of decay as if the rot of secrets lingered in every corner. Her porch light flickered weakly, casting long shadows across the warped wood steps. My stomach churned, not just from the memories clawing their way to the surface, but from the thought of what I might learn inside.I knocked twice, my knuckles grazing the peeling paint of the door. For a moment, there was no sound, and then I heard the shuffle of feet. The door cracked open, and Miss Banks’ face appeared, pale and gaunt, her eyes bloodshot. Her hair hung in limp, disheveled strands, and the scent of alcohol wafted through the gap.When she saw me, her eyes widened in panic. “I didn’t tell anyone!” she blurted out, her words tumbling over each other in desperation. She clutched the edge of the doorframe like it was the only thing keeping her upright. “I swear, I didn’t say anything. Please, I—”“Relax,” I said, raising my hands to show I wasn’t a threat
MaliaA week after I woke up at the school hospital, I was discharged but I had one last appointment with the doctor, Dr. Lukeman. The stark white walls of his office felt suffocating, sterile. I sat stiffly on the exam table, my neck brace chafing slightly against my skin and the bandages around my head itching like hell. I hated every second of this. Not just the discomfort, but the silence hanging between us. He was methodical, too slow, as he moved his scanner over my head one final time, humming to himself like he didn’t have anything better to do. Finally, he turned to face me, his expression unreadable. “You’ll heal fully,” he said, setting the scanner down. “You haven't lost any memory because your head injury isn’t as severe as it looked, and the brace is just a precaution. You’ll be fine soon.” I nodded, waiting for him to finish so I could leave. But then he stepped closer, his voice dropping into something colder. “But, Malia,” he said, fixing me with a sharp gaze, “
MaliaI stood frozen, my heart pounding as Asher’s monstrous form stalked toward us. His golden eyes burned with an unfocused, animalistic rage, their intensity making my throat tighten. His body was hunched, muscles taut, claws digging into the dirt like he was ready to pounce. The sound of his growl rumbled through the clearing, low and dangerous, raising the hair on the back of my neck.Corey and Jamie immediately moved to shield me, their bodies braced in a futile attempt to protect me from something far beyond their power. Jamie’s hand flexed at his side, his jaw tight, while Corey clenched his fists so hard I could hear his knuckles crack.“Get back, Malia,” Jamie warned, his voice low but trembling. But I couldn’t move. My legs felt like lead, my mind screaming at me to run even as my heart refused to obey. This wasn’t just some wild beast—it was Asher.The guttural snarl that escaped his throat reverberated through the air like a storm. Then, with a terrifying burst of speed
MaliaThe clearing went dead silent again after what Jude just revealed.Asher... his son... How? I mean, he did have the same dark hair and hazel eyes as Asher, but that was it; they didn't exactly look alike. If anything, Asher looked oddly very similar to both his mother and Alpha Ian. There was no way this man was his father. “You’re lying,” Corey said, his voice sharp and accusatory. “I wish I were,” Jude said, his tone grim as he sank to the floor and remained there. “But it’s the truth. Brooke took me as her lover after Ian threatened to replace her with a new mate because she couldn't give him a child. When she became pregnant, we did all we could to keep Asher’s hybrid traits hidden so that Ian would not suspect a thing.”“You're being serious right now?” Nina asked in disbelief while Jude nodded.“Still, why has there been no trace of you EVER?” Corey asked this time, facing Jude.Jude’s hazel eyes darkened as he took a steadying breath, the weight of his next words hang
Malia“What?” Jamie’s voice cracked as he stared at Jude like he’d lost his mind. Jude held his hands up, his expression steady but serious. “She’s alive. Brooke’s holding her somewhere, locked up because she discovered something Brooke didn’t want getting out.” “That’s impossible,” Corey said, though his voice lacked its usual edge. “We saw her body. We—” “You saw what Brooke wanted you to see,” Jude interrupted. “Amara escaped being bitten by Aaliyah, but she saw Aaliyah's hybrid fangs. Aaliyah couldn't allow that to happen, so she brutally wounded Amara so she'd be treated and held hostage from there.” Corey still wasn’t convinced. He crossed his arms, his suspicious nature coming out in full force. “How do you know all of this? You seem to have answers for everything. Doesn’t that strike anyone else as... convenient?” Jude sighed. “Even now, you still don't believe me? All I've said makes perfect sense. Besides, when you've learned how to hide your hybrid side, you also
MaliaThe path to Jude’s lair wound deep through the woods, the air growing cooler and stiller with every step. It wasn’t the suffocating kind of silence, though—it was peaceful, the kind of quiet that felt deliberate, as though this place had been carefully hidden from the chaos of the world. When we finally arrived, I was struck by how different it was from what I expected. The lair wasn’t some foreboding underground fortress or a sinister, shadowy encampment. Instead, it was a small, makeshift village tucked into a sun-dappled clearing. The houses were simple, crafted from salvaged wood and stone, with patches of moss creeping up their sides. The men and women moved about, some working on repairing a roof, others tending to small, scraggly vegetable patches. Children ran barefoot across the clearing, their laughter ringing out like bells as they played tag and tumbled in the grass. No one had that cold, calculating look I’d always associated with hybrids. There were no malici
Malia That night, the four of us sat around the fire, its warm glow illuminating our faces against the darkened backdrop of Jude’s village. The soft hum of activity from the hybrids winding down their day surrounded us, blending seamlessly with the crackle of flames. Jamie broke the silence first, his voice laced with something like admiration. “You’ve got to admit,” he said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, “Jude pulled off something incredible here. I mean, look at this place. It’s hidden so well, and the people… they seem happy, safe.” He paused, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I don’t think anyone could harm them here, even if they tried.” Corey, who had been the most vocal in his doubts about Jude, was seated across from Jamie, and he was unusually quiet. He stared into the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes, his usual smirk nowhere to be found. When he finally spoke, his tone was softer than I’d ever heard it. “I never thought…” He h
AsherThe sun began to rise.The golden light washed over the field like a mercy none of us deserved. It touched the broken, the bloodied, and the dead. Too many. Faces I’d known. Names I’d grown up with.The Reece mages dropped one by one, barely able to stand. Their magic was gone—sacrificed to stop one man.Rhedd clutched her stomach, pale and shaking, her magic burned out like a candle in wind.The wolves—those still standing—shifted back. Naked, bruised, and dazed. They looked at me like they didn’t know what to feel.And then I turned and saw him.Ronin.He was bloodied, bruised, still limping from what Jude had done to him. But his eyes were sharp. Watchful.He walked toward me, the others parting in his path.He stopped a few feet away, lifting his chin.“So,” he said, voice raw. “Now what?”I didn’t answer right away.“I know what you think of me,” he continued. “And I don’t blame you. But I pledged because it was the only way to win. That doesn’t mean I—” He hesitated, jaw c
AsherJude was just a man. Twisted, obsessed, and broken. A shell of the force that had terrified every wolf and Lycan under the moon. And I wasn’t sure killing him would be victory… or vengeance.Should I kill him? Is that the answer?Behind me, I heard Rhedd cry out, pulling me out of my thoughts.“Keep him still!” one of the Reece mages shouted.They circled Malia where she lay floating in the air and then slowly brought her to the ground. They were unraveling the last of the threads Jude had embedded inside her. Magic that pulsed and bucked like it didn’t want to let go.“He used her like a damn conduit,” Rhedd muttered. “If we don’t cut it clean—”“He’ll pull her soul out with it,” another finished.I didn’t take my eyes off Jude. His breath hitched. His gaze was unfocused, but when it landed on me, I saw something strange flicker behind his eyes.Fear.Not because he was about to die.But because he wasn’t in control anymore.“You think this fixes anything?” he rasped, coughing
AsherWhile everyone else was unable to move. Ronin had it worse. His bones cracked—loud enough that even the stunned silence couldn’t hide the sound. I watched him fall to his knees, coughing up blood. His spine jerked one way, then the other, like it was trying to twist him into something unrecognizable. Something wrong.“Damn you,” Ronin hissed through clenched teeth. “I’ll kill you… I swear, I’ll—”But Jude just smiled and raised two fingers. Another wave of agony surged through Ronin, folding his body like a puppet whose strings had snapped.No one moved.Corey. Jamie. Rhedd. Everyone stood frozen in place, either physically or emotionally. Shock. Despair. Fear.Except me. I didn’t flinch and unlike everyone else, I wasn't unable to move. I just stood still because… well… I was stunned by all that had happened. But for some reason, Jude's magic wasn't working on me.Jude turned to me slowly, his eyes glowing like coals.“You’re quiet,” he said. “But you always were a little slowe
AsherI felt it before I saw it.A deep hum tore through the battlefield like a pulse from the earth’s core. The ground cracked beneath us, vibrating with something ancient and wrong. My body stilled, instincts taking over. Every wolf on our side growled low, confused. Even Ronin, standing opposite me with blood on his hands and a twisted glare in his eyes, paused mid-strike.And then it happened.The earth opened up and Jude rose from it, Malia by his side.He wasn’t walking.He was floating—levitating above the dirt like he belonged to another realm. Malia hovered next to him, limp but breathing, her hair weightless in the still air. Streams of energy—magic—flowed from her into his hands like threads being woven. Her face looked drained, pale, as though the life was being siphoned out of her bit by bit.I froze.This couldn’t be real. I heard he was confined and starving in the same cell that I had been locked in. But he was here.And he wasn’t just alive—he was drawing magic from
AsherThe moon was full and heavy in the sky, throwing pale light over the open field ahead. My boots pressed into the soft earth as I looked over the line of soldiers behind me—my father’s secret elite, all in wolf form, silent and still. Every one of them had trained for this night, and still, we were outnumbered.Four packs stood against us—Sky, Storm, Range, and Lycone. Wolves I had once thought would always be loyal to me. Jamie and Corey - Brothers I had fought with. Now they stood across from me with their teeth bared and claws ready, all of them backing the one who took what was mine.Ronin.He stood on the ridge ahead of us, arms folded, his wolf just beneath the surface because he wouldn't turn. He didn't need to. He was a Lycan. Day or night didn't matter for Lycans to shift. He didn’t look tense. He looked smug, like he already believed this battle was over. I mean, with me being outnumbered, he was probably right.I exhaled through my nose. My heartbeat was steady. I did
MaliaI didn’t breathe.Not for a full minute after Ronin said those words.Asher Mendoza is alive.I stood there, frozen beneath the branches of the old silverwood tree. Just moments ago, I’d been smiling faintly at the way Ronin had grumbled about paperwork. Just hours ago, I’d kissed him without shame in front of his guards.And now, my world has split in half.He was alive.My Asher.The one I had mourned in silence. The one I had cursed the stars for taking too soon. The one whose name I had stopped speaking, not because I forgot—but because remembering hurt too much.I had let him go.And now he was back.Ronin didn’t look at me. His entire body was taut, rage pouring off of him in waves as he crumpled the letter in his fist.“He dares to ask me to step down,” he growled, pacing. “After everything I’ve done—after the unity I’ve forged? The peace I’ve built? He wants to come back from the dead and reclaim what he abandoned?”His eyes flicked toward me at last. And the moment he s
MaliaIt had been almost a year.A full cycle of moons since I stood before the altar in a dress that felt like a cage and pledged myself to a man I did not love. A year of silent dinners, of shared quarters and unshared sheets. A year of waking up beside someone who looked at me like I was a world he couldn’t touch.Ronin had not once tried.He had kissed my cheek in public, taken my hand at royal events, and always ensured I had a personal guard at my side. He gave me space. Respect. But not once had he laid a single finger on me—not without my permission.And that restraint… it had become unbearable.Tonight, the weight of it collapsed on me.I sat on the edge of our bed, staring at the hearth’s dying flames. My nightgown clung to my skin in the low firelight, and my chest ached with something I hadn’t let myself name in months.“Just accept it, Malia,” Rhedd had told me only hours ago, his voice quiet but final. “He’s not coming back. If Asher was alive, he would’ve come by now.”
AsherThe moon was high the night I met with Nina’s parents. I had to meet them since I now knew the truth. They were the only ones I could trust. We gathered in the ruins of the old Northern chapel, a place sacred enough to keep secrets buried but strong enough to host rebellion. I didn’t ask how they got in contact with me—they always had a way to do things discreetly. Nina’s father, Nathan, regarded me with the tired eyes of a man who had carried the truth for too long.“He told us this day would come,” he said. “Ian prepared. We kept his will safe. And we kept his soldiers even safer.”From the shadows, they stepped forward—silent, deadly, focused. Wolves in human skin. Elite. Trained in secret under Ian’s orders for the day I would reclaim the crown.I couldn't believe my eyes. How did Ian think of this? How was he able to predict that I may not get any support unless he provides one for me?I was relieved that I had been given a head start, but it wasn’t enough. Not for a war.
AsherMy thumb hovered over the next page for longer than I cared to admit. The leather binding creaked softly beneath my grip, like it too feared what lay ahead. But I couldn’t stop now. I needed to know it all—no matter how much it hurt and no matter how much I wanted to stop, I turned the page.‘Brooke and Renah began their affair not out of love, not truly—not at first. Brooke wanted affection. She wanted to be wanted. Renah… he was a convenient escape. They were discreet. Not for my sake. For hers. Always for hers. She didn't want to ruin her reputation.’I leaned back, jaw tightening.So it was true.I watched them once. They didn’t see me. Her smile was real. His was reverent. That was the moment I knew—Renah loved her more. Brooke? She simply needed to be adored.It painted such a different picture of my mother than the one I’d held growing up. She had always seemed powerful, poised, in control of every room she walked into. I never imagined her desperate. Or fragile. But with