Novels by Liliana Pen

ADRIAN'S POVThe world collapsed into noise and smoke.A brutal ringing exploded inside my ears, so loud it drowned out everything else. Smoke swallowed the warehouse. Concrete groaned overhead. Somewhere in the darkness, men shouted names I couldn't recognize.For one horrifying second, I thought I was dead.I lay face down against the cold cement, dust coating my skin, my cheek pressed against the floor. My lungs burned. Every breath scraped my lungs raw with smoke. Tears stung my eyes.The bomb had hit zero. I had seen it. I had waited for the explosion.One second.Two.Three.But instead, the beeping returned—faltering, uneven—before dying into emptiness.No fire. No shock wave. No death.Around me, the world slowly returned."Sir!""Is anyone hurt?!""Move! Move!"Someone coughed violently nearby.The emergency lights flickered above us, painting the smoke-red warehouse in flashes of crimson. Shadows moved through the haze like ghosts.My hearing returned.But my wolf senses did

LUCIAN'S POV“Where is she?”My voice tore through the warehouse before the engine of my car had even died.Rain hammered the rusted roof overhead, loud enough to shake the metal beams. Water leaked through broken panels and splashed onto the cracked concrete floor. The entire place smelled of oil, mold, wet dust, and something that reminded me of blood.Adrian stood near the center of the warehouse.He looked like hell.His white shirt was streaked with dirt, his tie hung loose around his throat, and the shadows beneath his eyes made him look ten years older. His men searched the building with flashlights while Markus and Raphael checked the offices above us.I crossed the room and grabbed Adrian's jacket.“You said Darius had her.” My fingers twisted the expensive fabric. “So where is she?”His eyes met mine.For once, there was no arrogance. Only exhaustion.“I don't know.”I shoved him backward.“You let him take her. You lost her.”His jaw tightened.“I know.”The calmness in his

ARIEL'S POV“Ariel.”Someone was shaking my shoulder.For one terrifying second, I thought I was still inside the car.Gunfire.Shattered glass.Adrian’s voice.Blood.My eyes flew open.The ceiling above me was white. The soft curtains moved gently in the evening breeze. The familiar scent of lavender drifted through the room.Adrian's room.Safety.At least, that was what I was supposed to feel.I released a shaky breath.My body felt unbearably heavy. Four hours of sleep had done nothing. My head still throbbed, my legs ached, and every muscle in my body felt as if it had been dragged across stone.Even breathing felt exhausting.Voices floated up from downstairs.Laughter.Actual laughter.Confused, I pushed aside the blanket and walked toward the open doorway.My mother sat beside Lady Nyra in the living room. The two women were smiling.For a moment, the sight felt unreal.Mother was telling a story while Lady Nyra covered her lips elegantly, her shoulders shaking with quiet amu

LORD DRAKE’S POVI should have crushed the glass in my hand.I didn’t.But Orion’s words hit like it already had.“Call a council meeting,” he repeated, slower this time. Controlled. Careful. Like I was the one refusing to understand what was already collapsing. “Before they decide without you.”I didn’t look at him. I looked at the dark liquid in my glass instead, as if it could steady something inside me.Outside the chamber windows, the city flickered with restless lights. Too alive. Too unaware. Somewhere beneath all that glass and noise, my empire was already starting to split at the seams.And I could feel it.“Lucian won’t survive this if the council hears it from outsiders first,” Orion added. A pause. Then quieter, sharper. “And Adrian… they already have him on their screens.”That word tightened something in my chest.Screens.Human screens. Fast. Ruthless. Hungry.I didn’t need to see them to know what they were doing.A bartender. A pregnancy. A billionaire heir. A hidden

LUCIAN'S POVThe wineglass shattered against the wall.Red wine exploded across white marble, dripping downward like fresh blood. The sharp sound echoed through the bedroom, then disappeared into suffocating silence.I stood in the center of the room, chest heaving, my hand still trembling from the force of the throw.Outside the door, footsteps stopped.“Alpha?”Raphal, my Beta.“Leave.”“Alpha please—” “I said leave.”Silence.A few seconds later, another voice spoke.“Lucian, open the door.”It was Markus.I walked toward the entrance and turned the lock myself.Click.No Beta.No Gamma.No pack.No responsibilities.For the first time in years, Alpha Lucian Drake vanished.Only Lucian remained.The room suddenly felt too quiet.My gaze drifted toward the corner beside the couch. Several gift boxes sat there, untouched.The tiny blankets.The silver bracelet.The books about pregnancy that I had secretly bought because I knew nothing about children.Things no one would ever imagin

ADRIAN’S POV“Get away from the window.”My voice came out sharper than intended—cold, commanding, edged with something dangerously close to panic.No one listened.The explosion had shaken the entire building, rattling walls and shattering whatever calm remained. Smoke rose from below in thick black waves, curling upward like something alive.The moment I reached the window, ice flooded my veins.My car was burning.Flames devoured the armored vehicle whole, swallowing steel like paper. Metal groaned under the heat. Glass burst outward in violent sparks. The fire reflected in the glass before me, turning the window into a mirror of hell.My mother covered her mouth.Evana stumbled back, trembling. “Oh my God…”Ariel’s mother gripped the wall so hard her knuckles turned white.I didn’t look at any of them.I looked only at Ariel.She stood frozen, pale but upright, one hand pressed protectively over her stomach. Her breathing was uneven. Her hair had fallen around her face.She was al

Kael’s POVThe chandeliers shimmered above us like a thousand quiet stars, their light spilling over the marble hall in molten gold and silver. Music drifted through the air, slow, romantic, laced with that aching sweetness that tugs at forgotten memories and makes even the fiercest warriors feel young again.My estate had never looked so alive. Every corridor, every balcony, every garden overflowed with laughter and the heady scent of blooming roses.Diana said I’d gone overboard.She wasn’t wrong.But when she’d looked at me this morning, eyes bright with disbelief as she stepped into her gown, her veil catching the morning sunlight like threads of molten glass, I would have burned the world itself just to see her smile like that again.Now, as I led her through the dance floor, her hand resting in mine, the other brushing over her growing belly, I couldn’t stop laughing at myself.If anyone had told me years ago that Kael Draven—the half-breed Alpha, grandson of the most feared bein

Diana’s POVThe scent of fried chicken and buttery spaghetti filled the air, warm, sweet, comforting when I came down the stairs. Veronica was already setting the table, humming off-key. Before I reached the last step, she dropped the napkin she was folding and rushed toward me, her apron fluttering like a white flag behind her.“Careful, ma’am!” she gasped, steadying my arm as if I might collapse. “You shouldn’t be walking down the stairs alone!”I sighed, a small laugh escaping me. “Veronica, I’m pregnant, not dying. I don’t even feel heavy yet. You’ve got to stop treating me like porcelain.”Her eyes widened in mock offense. “Ah, but you are porcelain! Sir Kael’s porcelain doll! If anything happens to you, that man will skin me alive and roast me over the fire!”I chuckled. “You’re too dramatic.”“Dramatic? You think this is a drama?” she teased. “I’ve never seen Sir Kael act like this before. The way he watches you… it’s like a mother guarding her child.”I rolled my eyes, though

Kael’s POVMorning sunlight bled through the curtains, slow and searing, like light leaking from an open wound.I stood before the mirror, staring at the stranger in my reflection: red-rimmed eyes, a clenched jaw, my usual black shirt hanging off me like armor that no longer fit. The color felt foreign today, almost mocking; a funeral shroud for something still breathing.I told myself today would be different.Today, I would take Diana to the airport.Even if she wouldn’t meet my eyes, even if her words came sharp with hate, I would still drive her there. I would still watch her walk away, because loving her meant accepting the ache that came with it.I slipped on my watch. My phone buzzed: three new messages.All from her mother. None from her.SHE’S LEAVING TODAY.HER FLIGHT’S AT NOON.KAEL, PLEASE… TAKE CARE OF HER, EVEN IF SHE WON’T LET YOU.She didn’t have to ask. I already had.For weeks, I’d slipped money through her mother’s hands, making sure Diana and our unborn child had e

Sovereign’s POVThe ache in my bladder was relentless, a petty humiliation when death itself was stalking me.By the goddess, what a ridiculous thing to worry about when one’s life hangs by a thread.I’d already relieved myself six times this morning, each time praying it would wash away the dread coiled in my gut.Thirty minutes before the flight, I couldn’t hold it any longer. I slipped into one of the airport restrooms, my face hidden beneath a dark cap, shoulders hunched like a beggar’s. No one could recognize me, not when my name still burned on the new Justice’s wanted list.Humans. Always too curious. Too self-righteous.They poke their noses into everything they don’t understand. That’s why I wanted supernaturals in power, to keep order where chaos breeds. But Kael ruined it all. He handed the reins back to the humans, and now the country rots under their trembling hands.The tiled air reeked faintly of detergent and jet fuel. Somewhere beyond the door, a child laughed; high,

Diana’s POVThe morning light filtered through my window, trembling like a breath held too long. It painted the letter in my hands; SAMUEL MERRITT UNIVERSITY, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, in quiet gold.I’d read the words so many times they’d lost meaning, yet seeing my name beneath “WE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU…” still sent a shiver through me.A month ago, I wouldn’t have believed in joy again. Fire was all I remembered; Eva’s soft smile swallowed by collapsing walls of Ashmoor, Kael’s blood hot against my palms, and the air thick with smoke and endings.But now there was this letter.A letter I had chosen for myself.Sovereign had wanted Harvard for me. He’d arranged everything, of course, but I had torn that letter in half. I didn’t want a future written by his manipulative hands. I wanted a success I could claim as mine.So when Samuel Merritt’s envelope came, I told myself it was a sign — a fragile promise that maybe the goddess hadn’t turned her face from me completely.“Have you told

Diana’s POVGeorge voice when I and Eva was coming in replayed in my head amid the Chaos and fire:“Diana, stop!” George’s arm had barred my way, his face streaked with ash. “Kael’s saving lives, you can't go to him.”But my Wolf kept whimpering in my head; Kael would not die alone. If the Sovereign wanted his life, he’d have to carve mine out beside it.I shoved past George and ran inside. And immediately I came inside and saw Lucien standing over Kael, gun gleaming in his hand.Something inside me broke. And I had only one question in my mind; is this trap the life George claimed Kael was saving?Even now that I and Kael layed here weakly not offering any help to Eva who was fighting Lucien on behalf of us, I felt like I'm the cause of all this. Eva and Kael are Suffering because of my wicked father, If I hadn't been in their lives maybe they wouldn't have to face this fate.Lucien spun Eva pushing her through the door, “Run you moron!” Lucien screamed at her.Eva ran back hitting L

QUEEN HELENA’S POVThe vase exploded against the stone wall. Shards of glass scattered across the floor like ice.I stood in the center of my chamber, chest rising and falling with fury. My fingers trembled around the stem of a silver goblet."The fool."The goblet flew.It struck the fireplace and shattered with a deafening crack.My rage wasn't because Marrek had survived. It wasn't even because the assassination had failed.No.It was because Saraphina had betrayed me.Just yesterday, Saraphina came crawling back to me, bitter, broken, and consumed by jealousy. She blamed Violet for everything—her failures, her pain, and the life she believed had been stolen from her.I welcomed that hatred. I nurtured it, fed it, and used it to my advantage. So why now? Why had Saraphina suddenly found a conscience? Why choose this moment to ruin everything when we were so close to getting what we wanted?My jaw tightened as a far more dangerous thought crept into my mind.Saraphina knew too much.

VIOLET'S POV"STOP!"The scream ripped through the grand dining hall like a blade.Everything froze.The music died mid-note.Servants stopped moving.Even the air seemed to lock inside my lungs.I stared at the woman racing toward us, my heart suddenly pounding so hard it hurt. For a moment, my mind refused to believe what my eyes were seeing.Mother.Five years.Five years since I had last seen her.Five years since I had walked away from everything connected to her.And now she was here inside Wolves-Heaven.Nausea rolled through me.Before I could move, the guards surged forward."Stop her!"I shot to my feet. "Let her through!"Every guard immediately halted.Seraphina stumbled past them. But instead of running to me… Instead of embracing me after all these years...She lunged straight toward Marrek.Smack!The cookie flew from his tiny hand.Gasps erupted across the hall.Marrek startled, his wide eyes filling with confusion.Then Seraphina slammed both palms into the servant's

LADY SARAPHINA'S POVNo.No!The word slammed through my mind like a curse.I jerked upright in bed, a sharp breath tearing from my lungs.The room felt unnaturally still, the cold pressing against my skin like a warning.I hadn't truly slept.Every time I closed my eyes, the same images returned to torment me.Zoey's face.The shattered poison vial.Helena's smile.I pressed trembling fingers against my temples.I was trapped.If I refused Helena, everything would come out.The gold.The bribes.The years I had looked away while Violet suffered.The entire kingdom would finally see the truth I'd spent years burying.A sick knot tightened in my stomach.But if I obeyed Helena… I squeezed my eyes shut. Then I would become something even worse.A murderer.A child killer.The thought made bile rise in my throat.I threw back the blankets and crossed the room, stopping at the window. Golden morning light spilled across the palace grounds below. Servants rushed across the courtyards carryi

MERRIN'S POV"Impossible."The word left my mouth again and again.By now, I'd lost count.Across my chamber, Nolan stood in silence, his expression unreadable. Hours had passed since he'd delivered the news.“Silvan might not be dead.”The thought refused to leave.It burrowed deeper into my mind with every passing hour.I slammed both hands against my desk. The impact echoed through the room."He died. I watched you carry his body. I saw him take his last breath.”Nolan didn't move.For a long moment, only the crackling fireplace answered.Then Nolan finally spoke."You saw what you believed was his last breath."A cold sensation slid down my spine.For the first time, I allowed myself to consider it.What if Silvan was alive?What if he returned?What if one day those palace gates opened…and he walked inside?The image came too easily.Violet running toward him.Marrek throwing himself into his arms.The boy's face lighting up with the happiness I'd spent weeks trying—and failing—t

MERRIN'S POV"Mama..."The broken sound of Marrek's voice stopped me cold.His small chest rose and fell unevenly as tears streamed down his face. Every breath seemed to hurt him."You held Father's bracelet and cried," he whispered. "You said you missed him."Silence swallowed the room.I couldn't move. Neither could Violet.Marrek looked directly at her, and the question in his eyes was far more devastating than the tears."Why are you standing with the man who killed him?"Violet crossed the room so quickly the chair beside the bed nearly toppled."No." Her voice cracked. "No, sweetheart. That's not—""Did you stop loving Father already?"The question shattered whatever composure she had left."Never." She dropped to her knees beside the bed and took his trembling hands in hers. "Never, Marrek.""You said he loved us.""He did.""You said we'd never forget him.""We won't."His face turned toward me."Then why were you smiling at him?"Violet flinched. "I wasn't smiling."His voice

VIOLET'S POV"Will you hurt Mama too?"The small voice drifted across the garden."Or... will you make me disappear like Father?"The words hit me like a blade to the chest. For a heartbeat, the world stopped, the breeze, the fountain, my breath. Everything.Then I saw them.Marrek stood beside the fountain, clutching his stuffed wolf so tightly that his knuckles had gone white.Merrin stood a few feet away, utterly still.Neither of them had noticed me.Marrek's eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Waiting for an answer no child should ever have to ask.A violent protective instinct tore through me."MARREK!"Both of them turned.I crossed the distance in seconds and pulled my son into my arms.His little body trembled against mine."Mama!"I held him tighter. Then I looked up, straight at Merrin."What did you say to him?" My voice shook with fury. "What stories have you been filling his head with?"A shadow crossed Merrin's face—concern, pain, and something unreadable—as he reached