LOGINFENRIC'S POVWe stayed like that for a long moment. The oak's rough bark pressed into my back, but I barely felt it—not with Anwen's warmth resting against my chest.The knot hadn't softened. Not even a little. We're still locked together, joined in a way that made my possessive instincts sing. I let my eyes drift shut, exhaustion pulling at me, lulled by the steady thrum of her heartbeat against my own.Then the ground trembled.A low vibration rumbled through the earth and into my spine. The air shifted next, growing thick with heat, carrying the scent of smoke and fury.I smiled against her hair.They were coming.The tremors intensified. Branches shuddered overhead, and the forest's smaller creatures fled into the undergrowth.I knew that particular brand of rage. That heat.Brammon and Rhydan were tearing through the forest, tracking us by scent and fury.Judging by the force of their approach, they were absolutely livid—likely terrified out of their wits after discovering I'd br
FENRIC'S POVSomething suddenly broke the spell of my frenzy.One moment, I had Anwen pinned against the oak, her head scraping bark as I drove into her without thought or restraint. The next, clarity crashed through me like ice water.I didn't know what had caused it or where it had come from. Yet it felt warm. Gentle. Ancient, as if some forgotten magic had stirred—or perhaps the moon's curse was finally loosening its grip as dawn crept ever closer.Whatever it was, it cracked through the red fog in my skull. I could think again.I blinked sweat from my eyes, my rhythm faltering.Every female we'd claimed had been healthier than Anwen—stronger, bigger, their bodies far more resilient than her fragile frame. Yet even with care, they had screamed. They had broken. Some had not survived the night.The memory curdled in my gut.Was I doing the same to her?She could be begging me to stop right now, and I wouldn't hear it through the moon-madness. She could be bleeding, torn, limp, dying
ANWEN'S POVFenric's words barely registered before his hands gripped my hips and lifted. My feet left the ground, dangling in the empty air, and I had no choice but to wrap my arms around the trunk, hugging the tree for stability as he hoisted me higher. My legs kicked uselessly, grasping for leverage and finding none.He adjusted me, lifting until I felt the hard, heavy length of him pressing against my thighs, aligned now with my entrance. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for what was coming, my fingers digging into the bark until I felt splinters bite into my palms."Remember," I heard him say behind me, his hand tightening its grip on me. "You asked for this."Then he pushed forward, just the tip, but it was still too much. A choked cry escaped my lips.He was too large, too thick, stretching me in ways that felt impossible. The pain was immediate and blinding, stealing my breath, making my vision spark white at the edges. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, my body stru
ANWEN'S POVFenric's heated gaze locked onto mine.For a long moment, he simply stared at me, saying nothing. I held his gaze and waited.At last, he spoke."I can't," he said, his voice low with restraint. "Not yet."I didn’t expect his response. It left me cold, completely stunned.Only then did I realize my hands were still holding his rigid length. They slipped away."Why not?" I asked, unable to hide the disappointment in my voice. "A few moments ago, that's exactly what you were trying to do."A shadow crossed his face.He reached for me, sliding an arm around my shoulders to help me sit up."I wasn't myself," he said quietly. "I barely knew what I was doing."I looked away, but he gently cupped my face and turned it back toward him. "I could seriously hurt you," he whispered. "Or worse...""I know," I said. "I knew what could happen to me the moment I was brought here. I've been dreading that day ever since. But now... I'm just tired of being afraid. Tired of wondering whether
ANWEN'S POVThe grass was cool beneath my knees, damp with the evening dew, but I barely noticed.All my attention was on Fenric—on the way he sat before me, so still, so impossibly tall that even seated, I had to reach up to cup his face in my hands and draw him down to where I waited.He didn't resist.Those silver-gray eyes of his—intense, predatory, endlessly watchful—never left mine as I pulled him closer.I could see the careful restraint. The lingering trace of wildness in his gaze. But it no longer came from the full moon's madness.It came from want. From desire. I pressed my lips to his.I started gentle, coaxing, silently urging. I moved my trembling mouth against his, soft and seeking. For a moment he remained still, letting me claim the moment.Then his lips twitched into a small smile, and finally parted them for me.When he finally kissed me back, I deepened it immediately, mirroring the hunger I'd learned from them—nipping at his lower lip, letting my tongue explore t
ANWEN'S POVI stirred when my back met something damp and cold.The sound came next—the violent, unmistakable rip of fabric. My eyes flew open, my heart hammering against my ribs.Above me, the full moon hung bloated and pale in a velvet sky, bathing everything in silver light. I groaned as pain lanced through my skull, a dull throb blooming across my head where I'd struck the floor in the tower.Wincing, I turned my head and took in my surroundings.A clearing.I was lying on dew-slick grass.This wasn't the part of the forest I knew. It was deeper, wilder—a forgotten corner of the Whispering Woods. I could feel the forest's disorienting magic pressing in around me.Finally, I lifted my head.Fenric—or rather, his lycan form—loomed over me. He just tore the last shred of my gown, the fabric surrendering with a whisper. I was completely bare, exposed to the night air that kissed my skin with freezing lips."Fenric," I whispered, curling into myself. "No."He was on me before I could
FENRIC'S POVI genuinely thought that after the full moon incident—and after I abandoned her in that cursed maze—Anwen wouldn’t want anything to do with me.So when she asked me to take her outside today, I almost thought I’d misheard her.But she meant it.And I agreed before she could change her
ANWEN'S POVI stirred as a bead of sweat slid from my temple down my cheek, the familiar sign that my fever had finally broken. Relief washed through me, and I instinctively burrowed closer, pressing my face against it with a soft sigh.I was just beginning to drift back toward sleep when my hand b
ANWEN'S POVI woke shivering violently—not just from the fever clawing its way back through my body, but from the cold itself.The chamber was freezing.Even beneath the thick blankets, harsh autumn wind slipped through the room, biting at my skin and stealing what little warmth remained. The fire
ANWEN'S POVA small, broken whimper slipped from me before I even understood why.Everything felt heavy.Not the crushing weight of the shelf pinning me down, but a thick, dragging heaviness, as though I were drifting somewhere deep underwater. My head throbbed dully, thoughts slow and slippery, re







