I wasn't sure how long I kneeled beside the boy's body in the eerie silence of the Shadow Forest. I kept wondering why the forest killed the boy but not me. I refused to believe that the spirits only killed those with dark souls because that would have meant that this child's soul had been corrupted for a long time…No. He wasn't bad. He was just… lost. He had trusted those whom he shouldn't have. He had been manipulated and used in the most disgusting way. It was those who had poisoned his mind who deserved to die.“Why?” I whispered, asking the spirits, even though I doubted they would answer.Suddenly, a cold breeze licked the nape of my neck. “Dark… soul,” a hoarse and airy voice whispered.I swallowed and rose to my feet, looking around. “He was just a kid. He could have changed,” I argued, my voice cracking.“No,” the airy voice answered. “We've seen… his future…”Chills ran down my spine. I knew that I shouldn't have challenged the spirits who could kill me in less than a secon

ASENAAfter the night of the fire, many things changed. A fence had been built around the camp, and only a few squads were leaving the fields at one time. Whenever the squads were mobilized, I knew that they were about to raid another village in Dolorem Valley, and I could barely stand that thought. Innocents were dying while I was forced to sit within the camp because, yes, Kaan made me stay with my “favorite” companion—Dritan.Since I would have gone insane sitting in the tent, I often went to sit by a stream. I found staring at the water flow soothing. It made my thoughts less hectic. Unfortunately, it couldn't silence my anxieties.The words I had heard from the spirits occupied my mind. They'd said that my death would restore balance as if I would have to die for everything to flow in its natural course. I didn't think that there was another way to interpret those words. A knot rose in my throat every time I thought about it. It sounded like I lived only to die at the right place

KAANI wrapped Asena in her cloak, lifted her in my arms, and gently carried her back to the castle. This wasn't supposed to happen. I had made my decision. I had even forced Delmira to prepare separate chambers for Asena. I wanted to have a reasonable excuse to stay away from her. But my fabulous plan had fallen apart as soon as I'd found that damn lake. Suddenly, I was writing that idiotic message. I wanted to bring her here. I needed her to see this…That had seriously been a dumb thing to do, and tearing her dress and giving her an orgasm was even more idiotic. Now I was going for the record of stupidity by taking her straight to my bedroom. Of course, my wolf had never been more helpful. He wanted me to do this. He wouldn't even mind if I marked her as mine here and now… but the worst part was that I wouldn't mind that either.I wanted Asena to become mine in every way, and every instinct within me told me that being with her was right. It was my brain that still resisted. Too mu

My eyes widened as I stared at Lelah in disbelief. “Could you…say that again?” She cleared her throat. “They're coming tomorrow.” Delmira threw her hands up in frustration. “But the banquet isn't ready!” “The date of the banquet remains as it was,” Lelah said, and both, Delmira and I, gave her a confused stare. Lelah sighed. “General Nathair and his sister are coming tomorrow, and they're going to stay here for the entire week.” I muttered a curse before shifting my attention to Delmira. “Seriously? Can they just arrive whenever they want?” She shrugged. “They can. They're Alpha King's nephew and niece… which kind of makes them royalty, and we are their subjects.” “That's bullshit!” I growled. “That it is,” Lelah agreed, smirking. “Doesn't change the fact that we can't do anything about it.” I thrust my fingers through my hair. “So what now?” Delmira shrugged. “I guess our lesson's over. I need to prepare the rooms for our special guests.” A moment later, she and Lelah were

My heart hammered against my chest. I could feel my insides rattle as I walked. Every breath became a struggle. And yet, I kept my chin high and back straightened as I passed the long hall where Kaan and our two guests awaited me at the opposite end.My eyes fixed on Kaan, and my stupid heart began to flutter. He wore his usual black pants and half-unbuttoned shirt, teasingly exposing a decent part of his muscled chest, but tonight he was also wearing a black fitted jacket, emphasizing his broad shoulders. I resisted an urge to run into his arms. I knew we were being watched, and one false move could have ruined everything Kaan hoped to achieve.Slowly, I shifted my attention to the guests. Standing next to Kaan was Jalissa, a brunette with alabaster skin and eyes as blue as mine. Her beauty surely was mesmerizing. I bet that she could have had any man she desired… which only made me dislike her more. She was wearing a dress resembling the one I had, but hers was color of red wine. Li