ASENAI could barely breathe as I staggered inside the throne room. With nothing but a thin nightgown on, my body was frozen to the bone, but it was the stare of the so-called king that caused me to rattle. His fiery eyes, the wickedness darkening his features, and the venomous aura around him—it all made me struggle to resist a flinch.I wanted to stay strong. I wanted to show them how fierce I was. I was going to face whatever this dreadful man had planned for me with my chin held high, but as a powerful surge of emotions traveled through the bond, my head snapped toward my mate.I looked into his beautiful, dark eyes and saw fear. My insides twisted. Goddess… They were going to torture me and force him to watch. They would use me against him. Panic exploded faster than I could draw another breath.Kaan lurched toward me. “Let her go!” he thundered, his voice soaked in rage. He pushed through the guards surrounding him, slitting the throats of the two nearest before storming forward
KAANThe venom corrupting my blood nearly took away my senses, but I would have conquered it. I had to. I would have done it for her. Yet she decided differently. She decided to sacrifice herself… for me.The golden thread glimmered in front of my eyes. It traveled from my heart to hers. It was beautiful and strong, just like my mate… until it snapped and disappeared.I stared into Asena's blue eyes in agonizing disbelief. I had never heard words more painful than her rejection. Panic erupted, violently traveling through every piece of me. I shook my head, or at least I thought I did. I refused to accept her decision. My mouth opened, releasing a nearly soundless gnarl, “Why?!”Her bottom lip trembled as she whispered, “You are stronger, and I… was bound to die—” Her voice cut off with a painful croak. A powerful shudder coursed through her body, causing her to fall to the floor again. Dread locked me in its clutches as the pain I had taken was now returning to Asena.“No! You can't!
ASENA‘Wake up!’An unknown female voice came like a storm, rattling my body. I didn't want to submit to the harsh command. I wanted to sleep. I needed to keep my eyes closed. I knew what would happen as soon as I opened them.‘Wake up, Asena!’The voice was relentless, tormenting me even now after all that suffering. I didn't want to feel the pain. I begged the voice to leave me alone, but its power only grew.‘Open your eyes! Now!’‘It will hurt if I do. Please, don't make me suffer again…’‘Would you rather die?’Would I? A deeper, other than physical, kind of pain resurfaced—heartache, an excruciating kind of longing. Love. My mate. Kaan. I was ready to die for him, but given a chance to live, how could I refuse?‘I want to… live.’‘Good.’ Pleased with my answer, the voice softened. ‘She thinks you're worthy.’‘She?’‘Your wolf spirit,’ the voice said, the sound laced with a breathy chuckle. ‘She can heal you, but you need to shift. Do it as soon as you open your eyes.’‘I don't k
I needed to focus. I had to remain calm. None of those warriors could have recognized me in my wolf form. Hell, I wouldn't have recognized myself in this form. They knew me as a shadow wolf, an Omega—a currently dead Omega. They had no reason to find me suspicious… Unfortunately, the tips of their swords pointed at me claimed otherwise.“Show your mortal form,” the one closest to me commanded.Well, shit. So much for remaining unrecognizable. Resisting the urge to bare my teeth, I stepped back.A smug grin curved the man's lips. “What's the matter? Are you too shy to show us your body?”Icy laughter pierced the air as all the warriors advanced at me. Bastards. They didn't care who I was or why I was by the Tenebris River. It was my naked body they wanted.“Don't make us force you to shift,” another one warned. “No one without the Alpha King's permission is allowed to enter this area. You're trespassing, and as Alpha Khaos's warriors, we have the right to serve the punishment of our ch
KAANA Few Hours EarlierThe savage currents tossed my body for thousands of frantically drawn breaths before I was thrown closer to the shore. No doubt that my mortal flesh wouldn't have survived the wild ride courtesy of the Tenebris River. Fortunately, my wolf's strong body withstood the vicious flow… most of the time.My claws stabbed the half-decayed wood of the fallen trunk as I worked my way out of the water. Exhaustion hit me as soon as I dragged myself onto the rocks. I would have gladly spent the next few hours lying on that shore, waiting for my body to heal, but I had no such luck. I knew that Khaos's warriors were probably already looking for me, and I wouldn't be surprised if Acyn sent his men as well.Groaning in pain, I rose to my paws and started moving along the rocky shore. The wound on my side was still open, but thankfully, the bleeding lessened. It would have been better if I could wrap my wound with a piece of fabric, but unfortunately, I had torn my clothing to
ASENA“I love you, my little one.”Perhaps I had only imagined hearing those words, but my heart lurched in my chest at the mere thought that it might have been real. The warmth of his body, his strong arms around me, his kiss on my lips—it all felt real to me.Then I heard other voices, but they quickly became a blur of distorted sounds. I was safe; my wolf told me so. I shifted slightly, nuzzling the strong body that held me. As soon as I found comfort in the familiar, citrusy scent, I drifted into a sweet unawareness…When I opened my eyes, I realized I was lying on a soft mattress, and my body was covered with delicate fur. Gentle streams of daylight fell through the large window on the right side of my bed. An armchair was placed beside the bed. Someone sat in it…I blinked, adjusting my sight. Then my heart tripped. “Kaan,” I breathed out hoarsely.He was there. This wasn't a dream. He was alive. A powerful surge of emotions rushed through me, sending a shiver. A knot rose in my
We were still in bed when the bond between us began to rebuild. I could feel it as if someone weaved the broken golden thread, joining our hearts again. Hours later, other aspects of our connection appeared. I could hear his thoughts, and he could hear mine… It was quite embarrassing for the first few minutes until I learned how to control the mind link between us. It might have been nothing new to Kaan, but I had never experienced hearing someone in my head before.Kaan explained that usually only the Alpha of the pack had the ability to block the link, but since I had been of Alpha lineage as well, I could shove him out of my thoughts whenever I wanted. I couldn't help but find this a useful piece of knowledge.“As my Luna, you can also mind-link everyone who was originally from the Shadow Mountain Pack,” he said as a smug grin parted his lips.My eyes widened. “Does it mean I can mind-link Caspian?”“Yes, you can.” He carefully traced his mark on my neck with his fingers. “You can
KAANI watched my amazing Luna pack her clothes into a leather bag. Mine was already packed, so I just sat on the bed, enjoying the view, while I talked through the link with Caspian.‘He regained consciousness mere hours ago, and now that idiot insists on coming with us,’ Caspian groaned.I blew out a breath. ‘I didn't tell Asena that you found him a few days ago. No one could tell whether or not he was going to wake up, so…’‘She'll understand, Kaan,’ Caspian assured. ‘She needed to cope with Delmira's betrayal and Lelah's death. It's understandable you didn't want to tell her about Dritan.’I breathed out a curse and dragged my fingers through my hair. ‘So where is that idiot now?’‘Most likely on the way to your chambers. Angus and Damien tried to stop him, but he threatened to punch them when they blocked his way.’I pinched the bridge of my nose. ‘Fuck… I guess I will need to let Asena know before this fucker parades inside our bedroom.’A rough chuckle came through the link. ‘G