Ruan felt every inch of his body screaming in pain. Blood stained his skin which he didn’t know whether it belonged to him, his enemy or even his comrades. For several months, he had tried defending the land his father had entrusted him. Yet, this time, the overwhelming size of the Dorumns were too hard to drive away. Thirsty, he gulped but even in his mouth, he could tatse the iron-taste of dried blood and dust. The wind blew cold against his face, and he looked up in the skies. “Father. I’ve already done my best. Can I give up now?” he whispered along the whistke of the wind. Looking at the cloudy skies, perhaps he was delirious. Because all he could see now was Kaliyah’s beautiful face. Her sweet smile. Her beautiful black curls. Her white glowing skin. And most especially, her lilac eyes that was both innocent and alluring. She was enchanting. Looking at her face bring comfort and peace to him. Perhaps dying like this was the best, right? He
Werewolves with whom she had once exchanged smiles lay strewn across the battlefield drenched in blood in a macabre scene far worse than she could have imagined. The nauseating scent of it made her feel sick to her stomach. Yet, she kept running. Her legs trembled, not out of fear, but from the dread of losing the man who possessed her heart and soul. Their lives were already intertwined, and she couldn’t imagine existence without him.She halted abruptly at the sight of his back a short distance ahead. Despite his ragged appearance, he still captivated her in every way. Slowly, he turned to her, and his dried, bloodied lips broke into a smile, bringing a glimmer of hope to her heart. “Kaliyah, my love,” he said into her mind.At lightning speed, an arrow entered her vision. She watched in horror as it pierced his chest.Kaliyah sprang out of bed, panting, with sweat covering her forehead, her mind grappling with a dream she could no longer recall. Yet, the lingering emotions of fear
The king’s beta, Derian, told Kaliyah that she was part of the meeting, then led her down a dim hallway to a single door at the end. With the door ajar, the sound of lively chatter filled her ears. Initially, she struggled to figure out their conversation. But as she drew nearer, their words grew increasingly distinct.“She isn’t fit to be our Luna Queen. She doesn’t deserve His Majesty.”The resounding words echoed so intensely that Kaliyah halted. Even Derian paused, glancing at her. “But she is His Majesty’s mate, Raymond! His mate should be our Luna!”“But she’s turning eighteen without having ever shifted!” “Ruiz,” another voice interrupted. “I understand your point, and I know your strong connection with the Snow family. But Raymond is correct. A wolf that still hasn’t shifted before its eighteenth birthday may never shift. And we can’t have a Luna who cannot shift. It would be too great a disadvantage to our kingdom.”Kaliyah's heart ached as she listened intently to thei
As Kaliyah and Allison locked eyes, their gazes narrowed, and tension grew as silence enveloped the arena. “I, Allison of Kerv Clan, challenge you, Kaliyah Acalia of the Snow Clan.”“As you please,” Kaliyah said with less confidence than she felt, considering she was already weakened from her previous fights. When she flung her fists toward Allison, Allison dodged easily, jumping back with a smirk painted on her lips.“I was right,” Allison said. “Your strategy is to fight quickly to prevent your opponent from transforming, isn’t it? Your vulnerability lies in your inability to fight our wolf's form since you lack the power of transformation yourself.”Kaliyah clenched her teeth, hating that she was correct—mostly. Not all of what she said was true.Allison shifted into an enormous brown wolf before Kaliyah could attack with the deadly fist blow she had used to defeat the others. And with the moonlight bathing Allison’s fur, she looked even more formidable. The crowd cheered for her
The maid’s scream drew the king’s attention. A second later, he flung the room’s door open, exuding the commanding presence of a mighty alpha. Yet, he appeared undisturbed by Kaliyah’s proximity to the edge, showing no concern that she might fall or jump. Instead, those gray eyes looked at her with the coldest stare, making her feel like she was doing something stupid again.You’re nothing but a pretty face. His words echoed inside her head.Haunted by the thought of him making love to another woman while she was in the room next door, she reached a firm decision. She closed her eyes and took the leap, jumping from the balcony. From the third floor of the palace, she fell with nothing embracing her but the freezing wind.But upon landing, she found herself unharmed, resting on the soft fur of a brown werewolf. This creature was one of the secret guards who had protected her for decades. She knew they’d save her. Fenris, too, had been aware of this certainty. She rose to her feet,
Shirtless, Ruan made his way back to the palace just before daybreak. As he approached the entrance, he noticed his pack waiting for him with disapproving expressions on their faces. However, their frowns weren’t directed at his recent actions. Instead, their sharp and cautious eyes were fixed on the woman in his arms.“How dare you stare at my woman?!” Ruan growled, causing the others to avert their gaze. On the other hand, Terry continued to stare, unfazed by Ruan’s outburst, while Gray appeared indifferent. “Your woman?” Terry asked incredulously, unable to believe what he had just heard. “Don’t deny it, Ruan.”Terry walked toward him, ensuring that their conversation remained confidential and out of earshot from anyone else. Looking down at the woman, Terry stared at the mark scar on the woman’s neck—an obvious sign of a mating imprint.“She’s already someone’s mate. You know you can’t have her no matter what.”At his words, Ruan’s eyes suddenly squinted as sharp as a blade, a
Kaliyah was succumbing to the intensity of those passionate and hot kisses. It felt as if a scorching flame had been ignited within her by this man, and now she found herself unable to resist its power. With each possessive kiss, she could feel herself surrendering to the overwhelming sensations, losing herself in the fiery embrace. She didn’t even realize she had wrapped her arms around his nape, pulling him closer.However, she somehow felt bitter, thinking he was already stopping when he suddenly pulled back from her lips. But then, her eyes widened, and a soft moan escaped her lips when he instead traveled down, planting adulterous kisses at the curve of her neck.As Ruan kissed the woman’s neck, he couldn’t help but notice her body tensing up. Sensuous whimpers escaped her lips, though she might have regretted them as soon as they left her mouth. The overwhelming sexiness of the moment only fueled Ruan’s growing excitement. “I never expected that stinky asshole could resist t
Kaliyahalmost instantly found the exit from that palace, and when she was out, the sunwas slowly rising above the trees ahead of her. Again, she was running awayfrom a palace, away from an Alpha. The only difference this time was that the Alphawanted to keep her, something she found odd. Why would an alpha want hisenemy’s mate, except if he had some hidden intentions? Was he planning to useher against Fenris? To blackmail him by using her?However,thinking she had no value to her mate made her bite her lower lip inbitterness. “It will be futile,” she muttered, continuing her walk. To hersurprise, she stumbled on the ground, bruising her knees with the small andsharp stones she landed on. But why was she feeling weak suddenly, as if allher strength was being drained? Also, it was getting harder to breathe as herchest tightened. Sheclutched her collar, looking back at Darkenshire’s Palace, which was stillvisible. Did that man do something to her? Kaliyahfirmly closed he