The crowd turned silent, their eyes on me. Kylar slowly dropped his hands to his sides, blinking as if he tried to establish whether I was truly there, accepting his challenge. Others surely either wondered if I got here by accident or questioned my sanity. Caspian's hand landed on my shoulder, and he turned me toward him.“Are you sure about this?” There was no mockery in his tone, just a genuine concern.My lips formed a nervous smile. “This is why you brought me here, isn't it?”He mirrored my smile and nodded. “Yes… kind of… But I thought you'd let him beat someone else first. You know, let some other dickhead make him sweat before you jump in. Or better, let him fight five other warriors before you step into the ring.”My brows rose. “But wouldn't it feel like cheating then?”He rolled his eyes. “And do you seriously believe this will be a fair fight?”I shrugged. “He can't kill me here, right? The worst-case scenario is that I will have my ass handed to me. In the best-case scen
KAAN“You let her fight in the ring?!” The raging storm inside me devoured my senses. My claws came out at once, and I lunged at Caspian, ramming him down and sinking my claws an inch deep into his chest.“It was her choice!” he yelled hoarsely, grabbing my wrist as he tried to withdraw the blades piercing his flesh.“You were supposed to protect her!” I bellowed, curling my other hand around his neck.“She can… protect herself!” he rasped. “She's a… hell of a warrior!”My murderous urges pushed me to sink my claws into his throat, but one thought restored all my control. I thought about her. She wouldn't want me to do it.A grim chuckle rose in my throat. I had known Caspian since forever. He was the only one I could truly trust in this army, the army of savage fuckers. Never even once had I thought of punching Caspian, no matter how badly he pissed me off, but I would have ripped him apart now, and I was willing to do it because of her.Forcing a deep breath, I released his neck and
ASENAI slowly lifted myself to sit and shook my head. “But that's impossible... My wolf spirit is still asleep!”Kaan raised his brows. “Are you sure about that?”Frustration coiled within me. “Of course I'm sure! Don't you think I would have used my spirit to fight that asshole if there was even a sliver of chance that it was awake?”He shrugged. “Maybe it's waking up right now because I surely saw the wolf in your eyes.”My heart began to thunder. I sucked in a shaky breath and ran my trembling fingers through my hair. “You said that my eyes were red... I don't think it is possible.”He let out a slow exhale and narrowed his eyes at me. “You told me about your father, who used to be an unranked warrior, but you never told me about your mother.”I bit the inner side of my cheek for a moment, wondering what words I should use. “I… I've never met my mother,” I muttered as my lips twitched into a nervous half-smile. “I know her name was Sheya and that my father met her after one of the
My heart almost burst out of my chest. If only anyone from the resistance knew about his plans... Garren and others could even help him plan the attack or help him with whatever he was planning. Suddenly, I felt hopeful and relieved. If what Kaan said was true, perhaps I shouldn't feel guilty about wanting to stay with him…Curiosity flared up inside me, and I wanted to ask Kaan more about this curse, but he insisted we get some sleep. At first, I wanted to push him to talk, but eventually, I felt too tired to keep my eyes open.He woke me up right before dawn. We needed to pack and get on the road, and the noises outside our tent told me that the entire army was almost ready to depart. Kaan gave me a moment of privacy so I could refresh and dress in one of my ridiculously unfit-for-battles gowns. Less than half an hour later, I was leaning against Kaan's firm chest while sitting in the saddle with Kaan's one hand on my waist and the other holding Than's reins.We both stayed silent u
The boy stared at me with his wide green eyes filled with fear. His small chest heaved and fell with fast, shallow pants. I raised my hands and moved back. “I'm not going to hurt you,” I said.Rising to his hands and feet, he crawled back against the nearest tree, dropping his bow in the process. I snatched it and took a closer look. It was fine craftsmanship. The bow was light and was definitely created to fit small hands. I put the bow away and looked at the boy. “Are you from the Crescent Hills Pack?”He swallowed and nodded.I looked around and heard the sound of heavy footsteps. Shit. The warriors were getting closer. I drew a deep breath and locked my eyes on the scared child. “Did someone send you here?” I doubted that anyone would send a kid to a battle, but I needed to be sure.He shook his head again. “I… wanted to help.”I cursed under my breath. “You can't help anyone like this. Those few arrows you shot didn't even cause serious damage. You can only get yourself killed.”
The alarm bells went off inside my head, and I took a cautious step back, frowning. “How do I know you're not lying?”A sly smirk tugged at Dritan's lips. “I've just committed treason in front of your eyes. I've killed two of Alpha Khaos's warriors, and you still doubt that we're on the same side?”I had to admit that he sounded convincing, but a part of me needed stronger proof before I could trust him. “Well, this might also be a trap.”He snorted. “And what would I gain from it?”“I don't know.” My lips formed a thin line. “Maybe you want me to confess that I'm a member of the resistance?”He sighed. “Look, Asena. You're in deep trouble if we don't cover this up. I want to help you, so please, let me help you get out of here. I'll also mind-link someone who'll hide the bodies before other warriors find them.”I worked my jaw. He wasn't wrong, and I was definitely in no condition to take care of the bodies myself. I drew a deep breath and nodded. “Fine. Let's get out of here.”He gr
I knew I'd promised Kaan I wouldn't leave the room, but this odd feeling inside me told me I should go with Dritan. A few minutes later, I changed into the darkest clothes I could find—black leggings, a dark gray tunic, and a black, hooded cloak—and followed Dritan outside the inn. He led me through the back door and then through a narrow passage between the buildings.“Where are you taking me?” I asked in a hushed voice as we passed the empty streets wrapped in the darkness of the night.“We're going to the training grounds,” he said.I frowned. “Why? What do you want to show me there?”Dritan halted and turned my way. “What do you know about the Crescent Hills Pack?”I shook my head. “Nothing aside from the fact that they didn't want to pledge loyalty to Alpha Khaos.”He huffed out a dry laugh. “And even that small part of your knowledge is incorrect.”“What do you mean?”“When Alpha Korad, Alpha Kaan's father, was alive, he and the Alpha of the Crescent Hills Pack used to be friend
I stayed silent the entire way back to the inn. I could still hear the screams, the sounds of breaking bones and tearing flesh. I could still smell the coppery odor of blood blended with the muddy ground.I had heard it all before countless times on the battlefield, but never had I seen the deaths so brutal and pointless. Alpha Kaan had taken no part in the butchery. He had done something even worse… He'd observed and orchestrated the kills.“The emissaries seemed pleased by what they saw,” Dritan said dryly as we were approaching the inn. “Now they can report that Alpha Kaan is everything Alpha Khaos wanted him to be—a perfectly merciless killer.”Nausea rose up to my throat. There was something that terrified me more than Kaan's brutality or mercilessness. He seemed to savor every scream and every last breath. He enjoyed it. Out there, on those grounds, he truly was the monster everyone feared.Dritan grabbed my hand, pulling me to a halt as I was about to open the inn's back door.