LOGINYou'd think that stepping out of the gloomy prison palace I'd been stuck in for the last day or so would feel liberating. That I'd feel a twinge of joy at finally seeing the birds soaring overhead, gliding across the sky far freer than my miserable self could ever hope to be.But those feelings never stood a chance.Why? Because the moment I stepped outside the palace, I saw him.No, scratch that. I felt him.Sparks ignited across my traitorous chest as my wolf caught sight of the arrogant asshat known as Lucas Visconti. He was leaning casually against a Porsche, dressed in dark navy jeans, a black leather jacket, a black V-neck, and matching black shoes. The smug look plastered across his face made me want to march over there and wipe it clean off."What are you doing here?" I asked, stopping a few feet away from him as irritation crawled up my chest.Zahori had stayed by the door, keeping watch from a distance. William and Chanelle stepped beside me, subtly positioning themselves be
After silently following Zahori through what I'd already started calling the grand palace, and making several twists and turns, we finally came to a stop in a large room. Paintings of wolves lined the walls, and a massive flat-screen TV hung opposite a row of towering windows looking out onto the world beyond."Wait here," Zahori said, heading toward a large door. "I'm getting our rides ready."She paused, her gaze sweeping over the three of us."And don't do anything stupid. The guards are right around the corner."With that, she pushed open the door and disappeared.We watched the door click shut behind her, then slowly turned to face one another."So," William began, a devious smirk spreading across his face, "what should we do now?"Chanelle's forest-green eyes twinkled with mischief as she looked at him."Oh, I don't know. Maybe we should speak to our Alpha."I glanced between them, my heart skipping a beat."How?"William's eyes slid to mine, and he shoved his hands into his jea
The next day, a familiar pair of brown eyes were the first thing I saw when I woke up. I hadn’t even realized I’d fallen asleep or how long I had been out for, though Zahori’s irritated expression made it clear I had probably overdone it.Slowly, I pushed myself upright and rubbed at my eyes as sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the room.“Good. You’re finally awake,” she said impatiently.She approached the bed and tossed a dress onto the mattress near my legs. I raised an eyebrow at it before shifting my gaze back to her.“You’ll be wearing this for the tournament today.”I blinked slowly. “Sorry, you must have mistaken me for a Barbie doll.”Zahori crossed her arms. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. I don’t particularly enjoy this situation either.”She turned and pointed toward the bathroom door.“Take a shower and get dressed. I’ll do your makeup and hair afterward.”I opened my mouth, then closed it again. I had a feeling the only thing
Once the chaos of the welcoming feast settled, I was escorted back to the room on the far side of the building by two Lycans.Zahori still hadn’t returned from whatever little mission Lucas had sent her on, so now I was stuck with these two filthy mutts instead.We walked for what felt like an eternity until we finally stopped in front of the familiar door. One of them shoved it open before roughly pushing me inside. The moment I stumbled into the ridiculously large bedroom, they slammed the door shut behind me without another word.I didn't hesitate.The first thing I did was search the room for anything I could use to contact my friends.After tearing through the place for several minutes, I found absolutely nothing. Not even a single sharp object careless enough to be left behind.My gaze slowly drifted toward the massive window across the room.It was my only possible way out.But one glance at the enormous drop below made me immediately close the curtains again.Yeah… absolutely
Michelle’s POVPresent TimeThe door slammed open and Nicholas stood before us all, a grin stretched across his face like this was nothing more than an entertaining spectacle for him to crash. And for a brief moment, overwhelming relief flooded through me at the sight of him alive and well.But then I noticed something different.He still looked disheveled, his clothes stained with blood and dirt, yet somehow… stronger.My gaze drifted to the bloody bandages wrapped tightly around his shoulder.Had he removed the silver bullets?It would explain the terrifying strength radiating from him now. Stronger than I had ever seen him before.Around me, the Lycans slowly rose to their feet, their attention locking onto Nicholas and the group behind him.Nicholas simply watched them all as though none of them posed any real threat.From the corner of my eye, I saw Lucas take a slow step forward.Then another.Tension rolled through the room as the two powerful men faced each other head-on, thei
Nicholas POV3 Hours Ago...After waking up chained and bound inside a dark cell, two guards approached me.They were tall and heavily built with thick muscles that could have made any bodybuilder envious. Both of them observed me for a moment, pure disdain in their glowing red eyes as they took me in."Filthy parasite," one of them spat. "The King has asked for you.""Parasite?" I let out a breathless laugh that I instantly regretted the moment pain tore through my aching body. "That's quite the insult coming from a pair of cockroaches."The silver bullets were still lodged deep inside my shoulder, burning with vicious ferocity as they slowly poisoned me from within.Still, I couldn't show weakness.Not here.So I swallowed the pain down and forced myself to stand straighter.One of the guards, dressed in a dark suit, slowly opened the cell before approaching me cautiously.Good.That meant they still thought I had enough strength left in me to be dangerous.And if I was being honest
Nicholas was gone, and all I could do was sit in my room, staring blankly at the wall day and night. Alec had taken over the pack, making steady improvements, but none of it seemed to matter to me. Even when he talked to Tanna, uncovering that she’d been investigating Sofia on Nicholas’s behalf, I
Nicholas was dying, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.I held him tightly as he writhed in agony, the Lycan extract tearing through his veins like fire.William and Chanelle knelt beside me, their faces etched with desperation. William placed a firm hand on Nicholas’s shoulder.“Don’t you
The town square was alive with a thick tension among the crowd. I pushed my way through the group of wolves, all of them gathered in a circle around two groups.On one side stood Felix, surrounded by six wolves. On the other side stood Nicholas, William, and Chanelle, the three of them radiating an
“Michelle!”The sound of my name jolted me awake. My eyes shot open for the second time that day, and I was greeted by the familiar scent of cedarwood and dark spice. Nicholas.Beside him, Alec knelt with one hand firmly on my shoulder. His piercing gaze burned with worry. “Michelle, what happened







