The sound of falling anchor chains doesn’t send a shiver of fear through my body anymore, neither does the sting of the cattle prod or the sliding of that barrel bolt lock on my cage.“One slip-up and Marie will take your place.”“Fail tonight; Eva looks strong enough to take over from you.”They figured out that using my sisters' lives works better than violence, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop the whippings or physical torture. What makes it even worse is that these are the people who should be taking care of us, the ones who should love us unconditionally. They chose us to fill the void of not having their own children.I mean, it used to be like that until I accidentally shifted the night I got my wolf. They saw the damage I did to their cattle and decided I owed them… I was only eight years old and forced to fight in illegal dog fights.Yeah, you read that right. And while my wolf is stronger than any pit bull, it didn’t mean I would come away unscathed. My body is littered wi

My knuckles are bloody, but I continue to hit the punching bag in front of me. The sting of the wolfsbane-laced fabric always serves to make me hit harder; I need to be stronger than the pain. I need to get used to it so it can no longer hurt me. “Creed,” I hear my cousin, Luka, calling behind me. He’s my closest friend right now as well as my Beta and Brigadier, but lately, I’ve been pulling away from him and everyone else around me. What I like about Luka is the fact that he doesn’t pry, but when you eventually open up then he’s a good shoulder. “I haven’t seen you here in ages,” I say as he walks up to fist-bump me. He shakes his head. “I hardly ever see you lately and I’m supposed to be your second in command,” he says while trying to sound nonchalant. “So I thought I should rather come to you and see what’s up.” I shrug. “It’s been three weeks, and the pack is still in mourning at the loss of their Luna,” I say when I see him wrapping his fists as well. “Did Viktor send yo

My father has let us know he’s not coming back anytime soon, if at all. The worst part? He told Viktor to tell me, he didn’t even bother to tell me this himself. Just like that, he won’t even come home and he won’t tell us why. I’m starting to think it’s because of me, but then again, he never rejected the pack./“He will soon,”/ Haze chuckles. /“Alpha Kai is a coward without his Luna.”//“Shut the fuck up!”/ I growl, not understanding why I’m defending my father right now when he’s clearly running away. /“My father is no coward.”/I know what Haze is doing and I am powerless to do anything about it. He takes advantage when I am angry and I am helpless to stop him…just like now.The second I walk the path to the octagon, my self-control slips and Haze takes over. I don’t even know who I’m fighting, all I know is that I need to feel this person’s blood on my fists, his bones crushing beneath my grip, and listen as his last breath is taken.I never let Haze lead in my fights anymore, bu

“Why am I here, Pappa?” I ask for the thousandth time as we walk through the forests of the Taiga. When I saw my father in the mansion after my fight with Cherie, he didn’t have much to say. Only that I need to follow him because it’s a matter of life and death and it includes my Lycan. He’s been cryptic about it ever since, and from the way he looks now, you would have sworn my father has gone off the rails.His hair is completely silver now, as well as his beard and his blue eyes which used to sparkle with purpose, are now dimmed with what I can only assume is madness. It seems like my father has completely lost it after my mother’s passing.Responding to my question with a grunt, he continues further and I can do nothing but sigh and follow him. “We’re almost there, then I will explain everything,” he says again.Gritting my teeth, I push forward because even if my father has lost his mind, I trust him with my heart. He felt comfortable enough to come to me and seek me out this ti

“So, I wouldn’t have thought a fairy- whoops, a Seelie Princess would become an MMA fighter. What led you here?” I ask Rebecca while she spots me on the bench press. She shrugs. “It seemed like the logical choice since this is where Sage works from, but now it’s become more of an addiction,” she says with a grin. “You know what I mean.”I do. As much as I hate doing this for my mother, I love being in here training my body. Getting stronger physically seems to hide the fact that I am not strong emotionally. Wolf shifters are naturally strong, but I don’t want to rely on Zhen and what she can do for me. Doing it on my own feels better.Except for the other night…A shiver runs up my spine and Rebecca’s eyes widen when I nearly drop the bar on my chest, but she’s not the one who catches it.Bergamot and vanilla send my head in a tailspin and I don’t realize just who exactly is holding the bar until I look up…straight into a pair of amused blue eyes. My breath hitches in my throat when