Three hours later, our forces crossed the Moonshine River Pack's borders. No one stopped us. Those who survived were either severely wounded or too terrified to leave their shelters. Another massacre. I had seen the villages or even bigger towns burned to the ground within those three years, but this seemed different. It looked like the gods of death laid their fury upon this land…Many of the wolves living in this pack were scumbags and Kylar-type bastards, but there had to be innocents living here as well. Now those jerks and innocents shared the same fate...“Are you OK?” Aeron asked when I let out a slow, ragged breath.I shook my head. “I'm not. Actually, I'm terrified. If the same happens to Eastern Valley Pack, I—”“Your sister will live,” he said, and my eyes widened.“How can you say that? You don't know—”“She and you have this all-badassness running in your veins.” He looked at me and winked. “She'll find a way to survive this.”I wanted to believe him, even if it was highl
I had been trying to convince Aeron of my plan for over an hour. I almost pulled the authority card and told him that was an order. Luckily, he finally agreed that I had a better chance not to be seen and to do this quietly if I went alone. Let's face it, compared to me, he was a red-haired giant. That pretty much disqualified him from sneaking in anywhere. I found him a different, equally important task. I needed him to lead those terrified people out through the tunnels. They would have better chances of surviving outside the Eastern Valley Pack's territory than here, where the General's soldiers could kill them at will. “I'm not OK with us separating, Asena,” Aeron grunted, shaking his head as I put more daggers into the sheaths of my leather jacket. “I'm a badass, remember?” I winked at him. “I can take care of a few guards.” “These aren't some regular shifters,” he argued. “Most of them have been training their entire lives.” I drew a deep breath and locked my eyes on him. “I
I was going to die. Without an ounce of doubt, the General was going to kill me. I should have shuddered with fear, cried, and begged for mercy, instead… I felt aroused. There definitely was something seriously wrong with me because I couldn't force myself to stop looking at him, at his gloriously naked body. Normal people shouldn't feel excitement when they're about to be ripped apart by a deadly predator!The curve of General's lips stretched, forming a sultry smile. “I usually am not against women on top of me, but I prefer them naked by the time it happens.” Then his head dipped, and those fiery eyes locked on mine. “I also prefer when they are not trying to put a blade to my throat.”I gasped. “I wasn't trying to—"“Liar,” he purred, and a wave of shivers rushed through me.A part of me was still oddly aroused, but the other was in absolute panic. “Please,” I breathed out, but then realized he didn't even restrain my hands. Instinctively, I reached for the dagger in the sheath of
Chills ran down my spine, and everything inside me froze. “That's... that's your offer?” I choked out.Alpha Kaan nodded. “You must know that they can either join my army or die. I doubt that they'll choose to join so…”My whole body began to rattle. All my life, I wanted to be free. I thought that I had regained that freedom three years ago, and now I was going to lose it again? I looked at my cuffed hand and suddenly felt as if I were underwater, drowning. Was I bound to live my life in chains? As this man's PET? I fisted my hands and shook my head. “That's not enough,” I said, locking my eyes on his.He held my stare for several heartbeats, then chuckled. “Not enough?”I sucked in a sharp breath. “You have to release at least a dozen people for me to stay.”He laughed hard and loud, and I flinched. I knew that I was playing with fire. I had no value for him. He wanted me because of a whim. But if I was about to lose my freedom, I had to try.There was a beat of silence before his m
I stared at the long line of chained prisoners standing several steps away from me. How many were there? Forty? Fifty? How could I possibly choose a mere twelve and sentence the rest to die?!A knot formed in my throat as my eyes caught Ellaria's. Even from a distance, I saw her trembling and shaking her head. She must have been confused and terrified to see me stand next to Alpha Kaan himself. I tore my gaze away from her and stepped closer to the General. “Can I”—I swallowed, staring into his dark eyes—“talk to them?”One side of his lips curled up. “Go ahead, little one.” He gestured, allowing me to walk toward them.Goddess… I wished I could use the mind link. Even though I was allowed to approach them, I was fully aware that everything I said might be overheard. Alpha Kaan raised his hand, and the whole field turned silent.Cursing under my breath, I stepped forward. The General's army watched me like hawks, ready to strike and kill their prey. Ellaria's eyes widened as I walked
I was forced to watch that sick bastard walk to his new squad with a faint smirk curving his lips. He joined the other four who had already proudly joined Alpha's Kaan army. Those who unquestionably deserved to die lived while those who remained loyal were brutally ended by a few of the General's bloodthirsty soldiers. I struggled to follow Beta Caspian's advice. Fury stormed within me, and perhaps only Caspian's firm grip kept me from darting to the other side of the field and clawing Kylar's eyes out. Again, I wished I had my daggers with me.“You did good,” I heard Caspian whisper as the last corpse hit the ground.A humorless chuckle escaped me. “Because I didn't vomit yet?” I asked, doing my best to ignore the coppery odor filling the air.He snorted. “That too. I'm kind of impressed.”I looked at him with a crooked smile. “Thank you?”“Any of them friends of yours?” he asked dryly, pointing at the bloody pile of corpses.I shook my head. “I didn't know any of them,” I said and f
Restlessness paralyzed my body, forcing me to sit on the damn bed and stare at the door. My stomach growled a few times already, reminding me that I hadn't eaten for... Actually, I wasn't sure when the last time I had eaten was, and the apple the old woman had given me during the whole beautifying process didn't do much to silence my overly loud stomach.The voice at the back of my head kept repeating that I would be safe in Alpha Kaan's presence, but the rational part of me didn't seem convinced. Of course, Caspian words rang in my head as well, and that didn't help me lessen my worries either.I had already checked the windows and any other route of escape twice, and I knew that my chances were nearly nonexistent, especially without any weapon. Shit. This entire place had been built like a fortress, and with those freaking magical wards and soldiers guarding almost every wall, I'd have better chances of running away from the center of the crowded battlefield than from this chamber o
KAANThe Fates had always found the cruelest ways to ridicule me, and perhaps I shouldn't have expected this situation to be any different. The Goddess must have cursed me when I was born. All my life, I felt as if I had been tainted by a demon's mark, bringing nothing but death to those closest to me.A few years ago, I had learned that the cure for my curse existed. I had been trying to find it ever since, and I had almost lost hope… until the one who might be the key to righting all the wrongs in my life literally broke into my chamber.I would know for certain in about two and a half months, and I had time until then to convince her that I was more than the monster the world believed me to be. Unfortunately, I might not have had enough time to gain her trust, especially when she still believed she was my prisoner, and I didn't know how to explain why I needed her to stay by my side.I wanted to make sure she felt comfortable around me… and I had to pay a painful price for her comf