I could barely breathe as I sat on the bed, my eyes flickering between Kaan and Caspian. I watched my mate hurriedly put on his leather pants and shirt while my hands fisted on the sheets. I didn't want to let him go. Everything within me screamed that I should beg Kaan to stay. “It had to be either Jalissa or Nathair,” Caspian said, nervously pacing around the room. “Nathair could have done it to please Alpha Khaos, but—” “It was Jalissa,” I insisted. “Nathair told me that he would gladly join Kaan in the fight against Alpha Khaos. It had to be Jalissa.” “It doesn't matter who it was,” Kaan gritted out. “The problem is how much they told Alpha Khaos. If someone sold the location behind the mountain, then it's all over. If it's just about something I allowed to happen, then I'll deal with it.” “No!” I jerked to my feet, my voice cracking. “You can't just go there and get yourself killed!” Kaan's features softened. He stepped toward me and gently stroked my cheek. “I'm not going th

KAANI had a sense of déjà vu as I walked the corridors of Aurumville castle, surrounded by Alpha Khaos's guards, and this feeling had a rather bitter taste. Back then, I had just been defeated by Alpha Khaos. He had wounded me and put me in shackles. This time should have felt different, but it didn't. I had merely created a better mask to cover my true disdain and hatred toward the so-called Alpha King. Every inch of this place was rightfully mine, and the sole fact I could smell my father's killer as I walked through those corridors filled my blood with raw fury.The Aurumville castle used to be my home. A magnificent and powerful edifice had been raised on the Shadow Cliffs. One side of the castle overlooked the Shadow Mountain Pack's capital, while the other was a stone wall that went three dozen feet down, falling into the wild currents of the Tenebris River. This place had been thought to be an unpenetrable fortress. A place worthy of an Alpha King—just not the usurper who curr

KAANThe venom corrupting my blood nearly took away my senses, but I would have conquered it. I had to. I would have done it for her. Yet she decided differently. She decided to sacrifice herself… for me.The golden thread glimmered in front of my eyes. It traveled from my heart to hers. It was beautiful and strong, just like my mate… until it snapped and disappeared.I stared into Asena's blue eyes in agonizing disbelief. I had never heard words more painful than her rejection. Panic erupted, violently traveling through every piece of me. I shook my head, or at least I thought I did. I refused to accept her decision. My mouth opened, releasing a nearly soundless gnarl, “Why?!”Her bottom lip trembled as she whispered, “You are stronger, and I… was bound to die—” Her voice cut off with a painful croak. A powerful shudder coursed through her body, causing her to fall to the floor again. Dread locked me in its clutches as the pain I had taken was now returning to Asena.“No! You can't!

I needed to focus. I had to remain calm. None of those warriors could have recognized me in my wolf form. Hell, I wouldn't have recognized myself in this form. They knew me as a shadow wolf, an Omega—a currently dead Omega. They had no reason to find me suspicious… Unfortunately, the tips of their swords pointed at me claimed otherwise.“Show your mortal form,” the one closest to me commanded.Well, shit. So much for remaining unrecognizable. Resisting the urge to bare my teeth, I stepped back.A smug grin curved the man's lips. “What's the matter? Are you too shy to show us your body?”Icy laughter pierced the air as all the warriors advanced at me. Bastards. They didn't care who I was or why I was by the Tenebris River. It was my naked body they wanted.“Don't make us force you to shift,” another one warned. “No one without the Alpha King's permission is allowed to enter this area. You're trespassing, and as Alpha Khaos's warriors, we have the right to serve the punishment of our ch

ASENA“I love you, my little one.”Perhaps I had only imagined hearing those words, but my heart lurched in my chest at the mere thought that it might have been real. The warmth of his body, his strong arms around me, his kiss on my lips—it all felt real to me.Then I heard other voices, but they quickly became a blur of distorted sounds. I was safe; my wolf told me so. I shifted slightly, nuzzling the strong body that held me. As soon as I found comfort in the familiar, citrusy scent, I drifted into a sweet unawareness…When I opened my eyes, I realized I was lying on a soft mattress, and my body was covered with delicate fur. Gentle streams of daylight fell through the large window on the right side of my bed. An armchair was placed beside the bed. Someone sat in it…I blinked, adjusting my sight. Then my heart tripped. “Kaan,” I breathed out hoarsely.He was there. This wasn't a dream. He was alive. A powerful surge of emotions rushed through me, sending a shiver. A knot rose in my