RhiannonWaking up feels like emerging from a deep ocean, the pressure in my head so intense it’s a wonder I can think at all. My head throbs with a pain that makes me wince, and for a moment, I can’t remember why. I try to sit up, but the room spins, a carousel I never bought a ticket for. Blinking, trying to force my vision to clear, I notice a figure in the room with me, still and silent. My vision blurs at the edges, a disorienting fog that takes a few heartbeats to clear.When it does, the figure beside me comes into sharp focus. Gavriel. As the world finally snaps back into focus, and memories flood back—his injury, the healing, my collapse. My head spins, not just from the pain but from the whirlwind of emotions that accompany the recollection.“How long have I been out?” My voice sounds weak, even to my own ears.“A few hours,” Gavriel answers, his voice a low rumble, filled with an undercurrent of something I can’t quite decipher.I pause, considering his presence here, by
SorenAs we sit in the dimly lit room, the tension among us is palpable. Gavriel, still recovering but ever stoic, and Ivar, who’s been oddly contemplative of late, both watch as I cue up the video sent by Rhiannon’s parents. The screen flickers to life, revealing their faces—Malachi, Cassian, and Rune. Their expressions are ones of worry, a mirror of the emotions churning within me.“We did not send any hunters after you,” Malachi states firmly, his gaze piercing through the screen as if he could see us on the other side. “We don’t even know where you are.”“We wouldn’t risk anything where Rhiannon is involved. All we ask is for our daughter to be returned safe,” Cassian says. “Then we can talk about peace, about helping you regrow your kingdoms.”Rune, the soft-spoken one, nods in agreement. “We want a resolution, not continued conflict.”As the video ends, the room falls into a heavy silence. I glance at Gavriel and Ivar, gauging their reactions. Scepticism is etched deep in their
RhiannonPacing back and forth in my bedroom, a sense of restlessness envelops me, as if my skin doesn’t quite fit right. It’s hot, too hot, and beads of sweat gather at my brow, an uncomfortable sheen that I can’t seem to shake off. This isn’t just the heat of the room; it’s something else, something deeper, stirring within me.I stop, trying to catch my breath, trying to understand what’s happening. I don’t feel sick, not in the way one does with a cold or fever. No, this is different. It’s like there’s a fire inside me, burning, seeking an outlet, but I have no idea how to quench it. I’ve never felt this way before—so alien, so not like myself.I press a hand to my forehead, half expecting to find a fever, but there’s nothing. Just the same, relentless heat, the same unexplained turmoil.“What’s happening to me?” I mutter to the empty room, half expecting an answer from the shadows that stretch across the floor. But, of course, there’s none. The room remains silent, save for the so
IvarStanding by the window, the early morning light painting the horizon in shades of gold and crimson, I find myself lost in thought. Last night we discovered something that turned our world upside down—Rhiannon is mated to all three of us. It’s a revelation that seems to defy logic, yet here we are, bound by fate, or perhaps the gods themselves, to be the bridge to peace between our worlds.For the first time in what feels like forever, there’s another person in my life I find myself genuinely caring about, willing to lay down my life for. Glancing back at the bed, seeing her there, tangled in the sheets, nestled securely between Soren and Gavriel, a smile unwittingly finds its way onto my face. It’s a sight I never imagined I’d see, yet it feels right, as if all the pieces have finally fallen into place.Soren stirs, the shift in the room drawing him to wakefulness. He joins me by the window, his presence solid and reassuring. We both stand there for a moment, taking in the sere
ReynaThree months would be ample time to get over someone who rejected you. Yet as I lay in my bed, staring up at the dusty ceiling, I can hear him in my step-sister’s bedroom above and it doesn’t hurt any less. “Oh, my love, this ring is so beautiful!” Abby’s shrill voice grates my ears and I roll my eyes. “Our wedding will be a grand affair. Aren’t you happy you chose me and rejected my half-breed sister?”I know this is all theatrical and showy just to hurt me, and to be honest, it has become quite pathetic.“I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else as my beautiful bride,” Aiden says, and I wipe the tears that start to well up in my eyes. “You are the perfect Luna.”I should have expected this when I discovered our bond. No one wants a wolf-less shifter as their mate, and perhaps even more than that, no one wants the illegitimate daughter of an Alpha as their mate. Especially not the son of a Highborn, who would much rather mate with the true daughter of an Alpha.“Fuck them, they dese
ReynaI walk into the kitchen of the maid’s quarters and as soon as my best friend Lily-Ann sees me; her smile drops. She saunters over to me, her blonde hair flying behind her as she rushes to get to me.“Oh, Goddess!” she cries out when she sees my bruised face. “What have they done now?”I shake my head. “Don’t worry, I can still work and will be healed by the time we open the doors to the Bloodmoon Hall. Do you need me to braid your hair so we can start?”Lily-Ann looks at me with a mixture of pity and sadness, and I could just die right there and then. She’s an Omega orphan and a maid just like me, but we’ve been friends since we were ten years old.She knows about my plans to leave and wants to go along with me, but to be honest I would much rather do this alone. Her life isn’t filled with pain like mine is and she has her wolf and mate already.I can’t let her throw all that away for me.She wraps her arms around me and I suck in a breath since my ribs are bruised from Abby’s k
Reyna It’s a beautiful evening on the night of the ball and we’re dressed in crimson gowns to indicate we’re servers and helpers for the evening. Headmistress Neave had my father make these specifically for us for this special occasion, and to be honest, they’re absolutely gorgeous. Our hair has been curled and pinned up; nothing like this has been done before when it comes to the different functions my father has at the manor. He must really be trying to impress these Alphas, and understandably so. The scent of roses floats on the breeze, coupled with the delicious foods being prepared in the kitchens. For the first time in a long time, I wished I were on the other side of the festivities. I look around the familiar hall and breathe out a sigh. The hall is vast, with soaring ceilings adorned with intricate, handcrafted chandeliers that bathe the room in a soft, golden glow. Draped from the ceilings are the banners depicting the pack emblems of the Four Kingdoms of Aether. A grand
Reyna I stumble backward as three pairs of blue eyes look at me as if I’m their last meal. The crowd moves out of the way, but then Alpha Malachi turns to face the other two with a frown etched on his face. “Pardon my fucking language, but did I just hear you both recognize my mate as yours?” he growls, and I see his claws start to extend. “Correct me if I am wrong, please, gentlemen.” Alpha Rune drops his hood and glares at him. “There’s no need for violence, Malachi,” he says, and the latter scoffs. “Violence!” Alpha Malachi chuckles. “I am prepared to go back to war to have her as mine alone—” “Such a brute. No wonder your father died at my hand,” Alpha Cassian says and crosses his arms. “It is obvious what has happened, and if you don’t put those kitten claws away, I will break them.” Alpha Malachi growls and I take a step back…then another… until I’m running out of the hall as fast as my legs can take me. There is no way I’m going to stay in the middle of this! The Moon Godd