Andor –The air was thick with the stench of death as I fought against the relentless tide of enemies, my magic draining my strength with every blast. I cursed under my breath as I accidentally incinerated a few witches amidst the chaos. But it was either them or me in this bloody battle, and I had no time to dwell on the casualties.The Queen had enclosed me in a protective bubble, while the witches tried to pop the bubble to kill me, the witches were not here to keep me safe, but to toy with me, to break me before the queen. I could feel her seething anger pulsing through the air as she eyed me like a predator sizing up its prey. I rolled my eyes at her, my own temper flaring in the face of her arrogance.The queen began an outburst about an ancient vase that I had blew up, some treasured artifact from her family's history. I should have been more respectful, but trapped in that confining bubble, I couldn't suppress my irritation. In a moment of impulsiveness, I let my frustration sp

-Ashina - I leaned out the window and listened to the evil blonde witch behind me rant about how Margaret was young and weak in comparison to her. MS. Evil Witch was adamant that she was a much deadlier witch than Margaret. It’s blah blah blah. I was working up the courage to jump out the window, talking to myself. I decided I would count to three, then I would jump out the window. 1 (1000), 2(1000), 3(1000) Okay, I needed to count again. I just messed that up. Naturally, my sweet wolf, who always encourages me at the wrong time, chimes in. Kiera - "Chicken!!! Bawk, bawk, bawk. Well, you will lose your ride if you don't hurry! Or the wicked witch of the west to barbecue us ala flambe." Ashina -- " Well, if you're all hyped up about jumping out of that window, I'll shift so that you can jump in my place." Kiera - " If I jump or you jump we will both suffer and die either way. Also, if I was supposed to fly, I would have been born a dragon, and seeing as I am not one, I would not jum

Dropping to my knees beside my brother, my heart raced at the sight of the gash on his forehead. The blood, so much blood, it looked worse than it probably was. My breath caught in my throat as I saw his dragon working to heal the wound. A mixture of relief and anger surged through me. Gandor had disobeyed my orders, and now he was here, hurt. I stood up, my hands trembling with a burning rage as I grabbed Gandor by the collar and shook him. “What were you thinking? You were supposed to stay home! Do you realize you could have been killed, Gandor!” He just shrugged with an infuriating nonchalance, his eyes flicking away, refusing to meet my gaze. My patience snapped. “What's so important that you couldn't listen to me for once?!” Gandor's eyes widened, and he nodded over my shoulder. “Ashina, who is that woman behind you?” I turned, seeing that it was our mother he had never really met. He was just a baby when we escaped so many years ago. Sadly,

Andor –The fireball had knocked Ashina out, and I rushed to carry her to the medical tents, navigating through the tunnels to avoid encountering too many non-mated male warriors. Her mating scent hadn't become strong yet, so I was relatively safe from wolf shifters attempting to claim her as theirs (My Mate).When I entered the medical tent, I noticed several male shifters sniffing the air. Amidst the chaos, a healing witch hurried over to me and directed me to a tent designated for women only. She explained that the tent was enchanted to conceal mating hormones from non-mated males. To manage the females' heat until the war was over, they administered medicinal herbs that would allow them to complete the mating once the conflict had ended.I nodded and followed the nurse to where Ashina would receive care. As the nurse started IVs for Ashina, I observed her receiving the herb intravenously. Though Ashina's heat made me yearn to mate with her, it wasn't the appropriate time or place t

Ashina -- When Andor and I arrived back to what is now our kingdom, the Dark Moon royal pack, my parents granted us many rights, including overseeing new member rituals and other duties of a king and queen. The only thing left was to transfer the titles to us. My mother insisted on waiting until her return and wanted both Andor and me to undergo six months of training. I had several meetings with the packs in the royal kingdom, and it became clear that there were too many packs in one kingdom, leaving their needs unmet. They also voiced concerns about my mother’s temper and magic, which led to Malcolm stirring up unrest among upset Alphas. I proposed a solution to divide the kingdom into smaller regions, each with its own King and Queen elected by the packs. Additionally, there would be a counselor to work with the royal couple, ensuring checks and balances. Each pack would have its own council reporting to the main council, which in turn would report to the