That evening, I had planned to visit Vidarr, other warriors, and Riona, but my exhaustion decided otherwise. Fortunately, it turned out that my old rooms were still awaiting me, and Ellaria merely needed to send someone to bring me fresh sheets and towels. There was something amazingly soothing about lying my head on a familiar pillow. Sleep had come almost immediately.In the morning, it was the commotion outside my door that pulled me out of my dreamless sleep. It took me three seconds to realize that Garren had returned. I heard Zeno's slightly grumpy voice and felt a strange tug in my heart, as if I actually missed that annoying prick. A grin cracked my lips, and I rushed out of bed to wash myself and put on some decent clothes. Thankfully, my sister filled my wardrobe with more than a few tunics, leggings, leather jackets, and comfortable boots. I picked my usual dark colors and rushed outside.At first, I was convinced I would have to run to Garren's mansion to meet him and Zeno

I wasn't sure how I found myself back in my room, but I was now sitting, curled up on the bed with my back against the wall and my hands tightly hugging my knees, pressing them against my chest. The scorching trails of salt on my cheeks were all that was left of the tears I had shed.I had long to stop treating Erebus Jordart as my father. Throughout my childhood, he had been merely the man who graciously allowed me to stay in his house in exchange for becoming his servant. He had left me with various women at first. Those had taught me house chores before I could properly talk. It was Ellaria who had taught me how to read and write, and I had learned everything else from the books she had often brought for me.I had been treated as a slave in the house I'd lived in, and I had never known why until now. The lost pieces completed the picture I had failed to see before. The realization triggered a bubble of bitter laughter. How many times had I tried to please the man I called my father

No, no, no, no! This couldn't be happening! They worked for the resistance, so why would they ever decide to collaborate with Alpha Khaos?! Eyes widening, I shook my head, cursing them all.Demir laughed in my face, the sound being parroted by others in the room. Only one seemed outraged by Demir's words—the witch.Nerezza snarled as she stepped toward Javaid. “If you're planning to give her to Khaos, you're nothing but rotten fools!”Demir snorted. “And what exactly is so foolish about getting rich by getting rid of a wretched girl? She gave herself to an enemy. She deserves to be ripped off her skin for that.” He turned toward me and spat on the ground, an inch away from where I sat.My hands fisted as I glared at the bastard, but he only smirked and returned to sit on his chair by the table.Javaid scratched his honey-blond beard, his gray eyes flickered between me and the witch. Finally, he turned to Nerezza. “If you suggest we kill her now, I'm all for it. She is bound to die any

KAANI had spent the last three days in the constant run. My wolf's fur had been covered with several layers of dried blood, not my blood. It didn't matter. I could have killed hundreds to get to her. From the fucker I had caught two nights ago, I knew that she had been taken somewhere around those woods. They had kidnapped her and wanted to sell her to Alpha Khaos. Never had I felt rage greater than when I learned about this. But the fury wasn't all I felt. The guilt and anguish stormed my veins as I ran. Had she died or suffered, I would have been to blame.I found no traces of Alpha Khaos's men in the area, which gave me hope I wasn't too late, but the restlessness had sunk heavily in my heart, fueling my muscles to run faster. I passed the woods, and a small valley emerged. I vaguely remembered raiding the nearby village years ago. Shifters and witches lived there then. Now the village was gone, and perhaps a few creatures still lived by the Sangue Hill the witches used to call sa

I stared at Kaan, stunned and unable to utter a word for a handful of heartbeats. “A… blood spell?” I finally choked out.He chuckled and nodded. “Jalissa told me about it, seeking an ally in me. She still fears Nathair could take the armies away from her. Clearly, she cannot be certain whether she and Nathair share the same blood or not. She didn't want to risk it, so I doubt that Nathair even knows about the spell. Perhaps he is convinced that the warriors simply chose to serve her instead of pledging loyalty to him.”My brows knitted. “So their loyalty is... forced?”Kaan gave me a crooked smile. “I guess it wasn't at first. From what I heard, when Jalissa's mother—and yours, I guess—decided to cast a spell, warriors swore a blood oath willingly. The only problem was that they swore it to your mother and Alpha Vardan, not Jalissa. She merely inherited the army since she was the only one who could claim the leadership... until now.”An uneven breath filled my lungs. “You truly think