ASENAMy heart kept thundering against my chest as Kaan carried me in his arms like a fragile princess. Perhaps I should have been more bothered by it. For the last three years, I had been used to harsh treatment where I had been rather “one of the guys” than a woman.With Kaan, everything was different—I was different. By his side, I began to believe in things I had never thought were possible for me. Ellaria surely would have laughed her ass off if she'd found out that my thoughts were currently filled with some romantic crap. I was a warrior, for Goddess's sake! I should have cared about my strength, endurance, and how quickly I would be able to fight after falling from the cliff, but none of that currently mattered. My mind was occupied by the terrifying perspective that I probably stank of sweat, the dirt, and Goddess only knew what else, and that Kaan could probably barely stand my odor.I was highly aware that this should have been the least of my worries, but I couldn't help i
I heard shouts and screams coming from outside the tent. I saw the shades of warriors running back and forth, some in rage, others in panic. What the hell was happening out there?“How bad is it?” Kaan asked.Caspian drew a deep breath. “More than twenty tents were set on fire simultaneously. Then several others caught fire and... ”“Fuck.” Kaan dragged his hand down his face. “Any signs of those who set the fire?”“They could have easily blended in as soon as the panic erupted,” Caspian mused.Kaan nodded, processing his words, before turning to me. “Stay in the tent and don't go anywhere. I'll send Dritan to watch over you.”I frowned. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Besides, I can help. I can—”“No.” His sharp tone almost made me flinch. “I will not risk having you out there. I've just got you back.”“Kaan, seriously, I can help,” I argued.He shook his head. “Those who attacked you had friends—friends more than willing to avenge those who died. They don't care th
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
KAANWe had buried the boy, saying a quick prayer so that his soul could travel safely in front of the Fates. I hoped that Moon Goddess showed her mercy since I doubted that the kid had been innocent. Fates knew I had witnessed children his age and younger committing sins adults could barely stomach hearing about. Not that any of those young pups had ever understood the true weight of their deeds. This was something only those who taught them understood, but those rarely cared.I led Asena back to our tent, carefully locking the entrance. Then I walked to the so-called bath chamber and washed the smoke and ash off my face, hands, and hair. When I walked out from behind the curtains, Asena had already changed back to her sexy little nightgown. I hummed, appreciating the way the delicate fabric clung to her most delicious parts. I fixed my eyes on her as I walked to the bedroll.She smiled nervously. “I know I shouldn't wear this right now, but... I sort of ran out of fresh clothes and—
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
By the time we returned to Collisville, I was surprised to see the entire town cleaned up and partially rebuilt. The castle, which once belonged to Alpha Jalal, was about to become Kaan's new home. It was a cruel compensation from Alpha Khaos, as if he wanted Kaan to accept Collisville and forget about the lands of the pack he was rightfully supposed to rule.Naturally, Delmira and Lelah were already at the castle, taking care of Kaan's rooms. They even prepared separate rooms for me with a huge bed and a bath chamber. Entering those rooms felt strange. I knew that this was supposed to be the place where I should live from now on, but I could have never called these conquered lands home…“I heard that matters between you and our Alpha are progressing,” Delmira muttered, smirking as she filled my wardrobe with new clothes.Heat flooded my cheeks, and I was sure that my face turned tomato-red because she snorted as she looked at me.“I'm glad,” she said then. “He deserves to be happy. I
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
ASENAI stood in the middle of a throne room—a place with dark marble flooring and gold ornamenting every corner. Warriors dressed in black mantels formed a circle around me. Sneers twisted their faces as they all muttered something too unclear for me to hear. I looked to the other side of the room and saw Kaan walking toward me.“Don't come any closer!” I exclaimed although I wasn't sure why.Pain surfaced in Kaan's expression. “Asena, don't do this. We'll find another way.”Heat flooded my body, the sensation far from pleasant. Something within me was changing, something was spreading fast. I stumbled back, struggling to draw a breath.“Asena, I can take this from you.” Kaan extended his hand, and I stepped back, rejecting his touch. “I won't let you do this!” he shouted, but I only gave him a faint smile.I had already made my choice. Drawing a deep breath, I locked my eyes on his. “Kaan Ardens, I, Asena Jordart, reject you as my mate!”“No!” he roared, two warriors restraining him