ELLIOT"Are you happy now?" I asked my wolf while burying my nose in Kath’s hair.Now that my animal side was fully awake, I felt an almost obsessive attraction to her.The scent of lavender grew more intense—I wanted it to belong only to me, for her body to always carry my essence, for other males to know that this beautiful woman was mine alone.A rather foolish thought, considering that elementals couldn’t even smell scent markings."Not happy enough. I want to come out and be with her, hold her. It's getting cold, my fur is warm—let’s switch.""No," I answered without hesitation, already feeling the push in my mind—firm and dominant, forcing me to give up control."Do you think I can’t see through your tricks? You just want to be the main character. Let me remind you that in this realm, no one can discover us, or we could die.""Let them try. Now that I’m awake, no being will separate me from my mate," he growled through gritted teeth, and that warning was meant for me too.Damn i
ELLIOTI left a note drawn on the stone tile with charcoal in case she woke up suddenly.After kissing her head, I refilled the fireplace with more wood and covered her well with her slightly disheveled clothes.She stayed warm by the fire while I stepped out into the backyard.The old wooden fence bordering the forest was falling apart, vines spreading across it like they owned the place.I glanced back at the imposing mansion, its shadows stretching over the damp walls covered in lush wisteria.I summoned the shift, looking up at the sky. The massive moon, clear of dark clouds, illuminated my transformation into the powerful beast.Sharp teeth, my jaw and bones reshaping into a snout. As always, the pain burned through every tendon, every vertebra snapping into place, my pores covering with dark fur."Awooooo!"The wolf’s howl echoed in the night, and in the distance, my lycan’s sharp ears caught the reply of a pack of wild wolves.I could feel Vorath’s exhilaration at his long-awai
KATHERINE«Her mouth was smiling, but I was afraid. She looked like a replica of myself. I took a step back in fear.Her gaze suddenly turned sorrowful. She opened her lips, speaking to me, but I couldn’t hear anything.Time was running out—I knew it.In the blink of an eye, I saw her leap through the second-floor glass window. I reached out in panic, shards of light scattering like thousands of butterflies, clouding my vision.She’s going to die if she jumps from here!»"No!" I woke up with a jolt, my hand stretched out as in the dream, trying to grab that… woman so much like me.Something wet streaked down my face, and I touched the tears on my cheeks with my fingertips.Was that a dream? It felt too strange, too vivid, and eerily unsettling. I glanced around, trying to calm myself, but when I didn’t see Elliot beside me, my anxiety returned."Elliot?" I called out as I sat up, shifting toward the edge of the rug.I expected to feel like I was falling apart after the physical exhaus
KATHERINESo I did it.Taking a deep breath, I grasped the tassel in my hand and pulled the rope downward.Track, track, track!"Ah!" I let out a yelp and jumped back, startled, as an old wooden ladder dropped from the ceiling with a loud clatter.A cloud of dust immediately engulfed the hallway, making me cough almost to the point of choking. I waved my hand in front of my face, trying to clear the air.When I finally refocused, I saw the dark hole that had opened above.It was unsettling, as if unseen eyes might be watching me from the shadows. I lowered my gaze to the ladder now hanging before me. The steps looked worn, termites crawling over the decaying wood.Yet, something inside me urged me forward, the same instinct that had led me to follow Francis—a powerful magic tugging at my soul.I decided to take the risk and climb.With slight disgust, I placed my hands on the wooden supports, lifted my boot, and made sure I wouldn’t fall at the first step.Slowly, I ascended, uneasy w
KATHERINEI hesitated before slipping my hand into an unknown space again. I glanced at my fingertip—it was already healing.The insane thought crossed my mind that maybe this hidden compartment would only open with my blood or my sister’s."If you’re already on the donkey, might as well keep riding it," I thought, twisting my lips into a sarcastic smirk as I took the final risk, praying I wouldn’t lose a limb.I reached inside the hole and felt something hard and metallic. Gripping it in my hand, I lifted it—it felt heavy.Through the dim light, my pupils narrowed to focus, revealing that I had found a small jewelry box.The bronze details shimmered beautifully, and the opal-like surface reminded me of the necklace I had given Elliot.I was so absorbed in examining it that I didn’t notice the shift in the atmosphere—the moonlight fading behind storm clouds, the air thickening, the darkness creeping in around me.Everything happened in a flashback.My entire body trembled. My eyes rol
VALERIA"Are... are you sure, Esther?" I ask with a broken voice.My heart races, filled with happiness."Very sure, Luna. You're pregnant.""Why haven't I been able to smell it, or his father?" I ask, worried."It's very recent, perhaps that's why. Give it a few more days and you should be able to sense the pheromones."She replies, and I nod, my eyes blurred with tears.I am the Luna of the "Autumn Forest" pack.Three years ago, I married the man I love madly, despite not being destined mates, my Alpha Dorian.I've given everything to be the perfect Luna, the pillar he can lean on. However, a shadow looms over my marriage—the topic of an heir.I've never been able to get pregnant, and I admit I don't share the bed with Dorian as often. But I know his duties as Alpha keep him extremely busy and stressed."Please, don't tell anyone in the pack. I want to surprise my husband.""Don't worry, Luna, I won't say anything. Congratulations!" She smiles at me, and I return the smile, overflow
VALERIAHe bites my thigh viciously and drags me beneath his body, controlling me mercilessly.I try to resist, to call for help, my hands clutching my stomach, trying to protect my pup, but his claws, like deadly weapons, pierce my skin, tearing apart my small, vulnerable body.I have to raise my arms instinctively when his sharp claws aim for my face, and I scream in agony as a deep wound slices across my cheek from my forehead.Leaving my belly exposed, he struck our child."Nooo, not the pup, please, Dorian, not my son!"Tears poured endlessly from my eyes as I begged him, but his canines tore through my flesh, and his claws dug into the depths of my insides with chilling cruelty, seeking to rip out the life growing inside me.I don’t know how long this agony lasted—I sobbed, pleading as long as I could speak.The pain in my entire body was unbearable, but worse was the pain in my soul, bleeding and shattered.I was discarded on the ground like trash, on the edge of a precipice, m
VALERIAI hear piercing screams, the sound of shattering glass, a savage roar, an Alpha's growls, struggling, and fighting.Something hot splashes against my face and arms.My claws shred, and my canines tear.I can't stop. I can't. Rage consumes me from the inside, demanding release.I don't know what I'm doing. I'm not conscious of myself.All I know is that when I regain control of my body, the first thing I see is my blood-soaked hands.I'm kneeling on the floor, everything around me drenched in red, wreckage, and pieces of what once was a powerful Alpha—Dorian.What have I done? What in the name of the Goddess have I done?!I stare at his severed head, lying just a meter away from me.Those honey-colored eyes still stare back at me in frozen terror, and I feel bile rising in my throat.I vomit to the side, unable to hold it back, disgusted by this scene of death and violence.Did I do all this? There's no one else here.I scan the area, not knowing where Sophia went. The only th