Bastien’s POV Arabella is the one who set the fire that was supposed to have killed me. A few years ago I would have thought Selene was out of her mind for suggesting such a thing. Before the fire, Arabella seemed like the same vapid teenager I’d always known: Vain, self-centered and far too used to getting her own way. Dad and I spoiled her after Flynn died, letting her get away with murder out of misplaced guilt and convincing ourselves her antics were harmless. In some ways it served us right to be manipulated by her – if we were foolish enough to buy the act when she batted her lashes and played the delicate flower, well, that’s on us, not her. And though I was always aware the innocent act was just that – an act – I never imagined Arabella was concealing anything truly malicious. I underestimated her desire for power, as well as her ego and c

Arabella’s POV “We have a problem.” A deep voice thunders over the phone line. My senses sharpen, locking onto the familiar sound, “I thought everything was set for the next phase?” “It’s not that.” My longtime ally answers. “Bastien found Selene.” “Excuse me?” It takes a moment for the air to return to my lungs, “Selene is dead. How can he have found her?” “It’s possible she’s not as dead as I led you to believe.” He hedges. “What the fuck does that mean?” I hiss, “Either someone’s dead or they aren’t. Besides, you didn’t lead me to believe anything – I did it, not you!” “Yes well I got cold feet!” He blurts out, “I pulled her out, alright? She&rsqu

Selene’s POV Luna is flat in her back, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she exposes her belly to Bastien, but I notch my chin up defiantly. “I don’t belong to anyone.” Bastien cuts his eyes to me with a cocky grin, as if he knows exactly how severely Luna and I are currently disagreeing. “We’re mates.” I snarl at the word and he chuckles indulgently, heat traveling from the tips of his fingers straight to my core, “I belong to you, and you belong to me.” “You had the chance to claim me as your mate Bastien, you had a thousand chances and you never took one.” I’m not even going to bother arguing his logic. “It’s too late to change your mind now.” “I’m not changing anything, little wolf.” Hunger sparks in his silver eyes as he watches me pace. “I couldn’t claim you in good

Selene’s POV From the first moment I learned about the mating mark, I’ve always felt defective. Nevermind that the information came from a flock of bitter she-wolves, their words always rang true in my heart. If Bastien truly wanted me, he would have marked me from the beginning. When I found out that we were truly mates, the wound deepened, like a knife driving in to the hilt with the realization that the loss of Luna had also cost me my fate. If I wasn’t so broken, Bastien would have marked me whether he loved me or not; there is no other way with Alpha’s, they mark what they see as theirs on principle. There are no words to describe how worthless something would have to be for such possessive creatures to give up their stake. So that’s what I was – exactly what Garrick always said: worthless. It never mattered to me that Luna was gone. I still wanted hi

Arabella’s POV I used to hear stories about the Calypso Pack when I was young, about their beautiful territories in the far east and the unrivaled power with which they dominate the continent. From the time I was a little girl, strength has always been synonymous with their pack, and even as Gabriel grew the Nova pack to new heights,  the Durands’ have never come close to challenging Blaise Denizen’s empire. Everyone thought I loved Bastien much, but actually I never loved him. How would I love the man that caused my brother’s death? I just always pretended to love him, in order to achieve my revenge. After Bastien married the halfling, I traveled for a long time, always planning on getting to the Calypso territory and its capital, Tartarus, eventually. At the time I thought succeeding on my own would be its own revenge, like I could somehow make Bastien pay for Flynn’s death by living my best life