14 YEARS AGO – Hunji 18 years old HUNJI I woke up in bed alone. Disappointed that Divya’s side of the bed was cold yet again. Huffing out in annoyance at her absence, I threw back the covers getting out of bed. I had initially woken with a smile on my face. But that insanely happy feeling diminished once I discovered, and not for the first time my mate’s spot was empty. I met Divya six months ago, a few weeks after I had turned 18, and was visiting Ishmel, a city outside of the capital of the kingdom Eririat. She was the daughter of lord Bijan, the Alpha of that city, and my father had been invited to talk politics, among other things. He had insisted my older brother Rostam and I accompany him. ‘It is good rapport and when you become king you will need these connections and the backing of the noble packs’ is what he had said to us. An outsider would think he was a good father bringing his sons to important meetings and teaching them how to be good leaders so early on. If only they

14 YEARS AGO HUNJI A week ago, Divya told me she wanted to go home. That she needed a break. She hadn’t given me a date when she was leaving, nor had she specified how long she had planned on being away. The taste of ash sat heavily on my tongue and my wolf’s mood of disappointment mirrored my own, causing a deep and dark ache in my chest. The last three nights she was here, she had slept in a different room. I had woken in the middle of the night to a feeling of burning that spread across my skin from head to toe. It was short-lived and I put it down to anxiety and the impending departure of my mate. Still, the situation left me feeling… less. “Did she leave?” I looked up at Rostam and nodded then bowed my head back down. It had only been a few days since Divya had gone back to her parent’s home. My wolf and I missed her like crazy already. We were already feeling empty without her. The sense of loss; weighed heavily on our hearts and minds She kissed my cheek before climbing int

HUNJI “Tell me more about this quest your Queen sent you on. You said her brother lives. Will, Finnigan come to claim his father’s title?” It was early morning and as I remembered Tristan ScarClaw was ever the talker. I had never been much for idle conversation and gossip. At least when he knew me. “Here,” I said grabbing the diary from the bag I was gathering and tossing it to him. “You can read it in your carriage.” He looked it over, turning the leather-bound book and inspecting it. “It belonged to Orion’s woman, Shayna. The eldest daughter of the late Vargr. This is how we knew where Finn’s sister was last known to be.” I had already filled Tristan in on why I had come back to this continent and what happened in the kingdom of Bhakhil. He was completely intrigued by King Kellen and his mate’s story. I had told him of how Orion had fallen and talked in detail about Queen Lamia and her mate, King Mathias. My old friend had greedily absorbed all the details with interest and expres

MORGAN I came to know the impeccably dressed slender man with blond hair and pale eyes – the one whose carriage we rode in and was in fact a werecat! As Tristan ScarClaw. I had never met a werecat before and was intrigued. I had only read about them. And really what a name! – Like, just wow. His name reminded me of a strong male character from a romance series I was reading. Rich, powerful, handsome, and saving the damsel in distress. I could tell he was wealthy by the way his home was lavishly decorated. Margarita always brought me magazines that showcased the latest trends in the city and on the market. From clothing to furniture and jewelry. I wasn’t allowed to read the local paper. My father didn’t want me to know what was going on in the outside world, but Margarita and Gregorio would always tell me the latest gossip or what was being said about King Orion. “So, what’s it like being a werecat?” I ask Tristan stupidly. He chuckles at my idiocy “What it’s like being a witch?”

HUNJI “Because I have no use for your gift of sight nor any other great gift the gods have bestowed upon you.” I leaned back in my chair, waiting to see if she would tell us or not. I wouldn’t blame the witch if she didn’t trust us enough. In her position, I don’t think I would trust us either. I took her in, thoroughly, as she sat and pondered whether she could trust the two strange shifters males. She is beautiful, even if her face was swollen and bruised. I could still see her delicate features underneath the harsh blue marks on her face. Her skin, so pale, reminded me of the moon’s light and the ivory tusks of the elephants in the Bashenstan jungle. Her white-blond hair was long and braided - the color of snow under the blazing sun of the Mint mountains. Rosy cheeks were rounded and childlike. Her turned-up dainty nose over her pouty thick lips – thicker now because of her carelessness, still couldn’t hide her beauty. My eyes wandered lower, to the swell of her breasts that squa