LOGINDORIAN'S POVThe messenger's final words settled over the courtyard like a heavy storm cloud."His grave is empty."For a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop.The breeze that had been rustling through the training yard suddenly felt colder. Every sound faded into the background until all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.Logan was the first to recover."Repeat that."His voice was calm, but there was enough steel in it to make the messenger flinch.The young guard swallowed nervously."The guards assigned to watch over Dr. Kade's burial site reported signs of disturbance just before sunrise. When they inspected the grave..." He hesitated, his face paling. "The coffin was open, my Alpha.""And?" I demanded."They found it empty."Silence.No one moved.No one breathed.My mind rejected the possibility almost immediately.Dr. Kade had been buried with full honors. I had stood beside his grave. I had watched every shovelful of earth cover his coffin. Soldiers had guarded the
Dorian's POVThe heavy doors of the council chamber shut behind me with a dull thud, but instead of relief, the sound only reminded me that the battle inside that room was over—and I had walked out on the losing side.I kept moving.If I stopped now, someone would notice.Someone would see the exhaustion I had spent the last several hours burying beneath a calm face and measured words.The palace corridors were unusually quiet. A few servants stepped aside as I approached, bowing respectfully before continuing with their duties. I acknowledged none of them. My body continued walking on instinct while my mind remained trapped inside that council chamber, reliving every humiliating second.Caden had only been back at the palace for two days.Two days.That was all it had taken for him to remind everyone why he had once ruled with absolute authority.I hated admitting it, even to myself, but his strategy had been flawless.He hadn't walked into that meeting hoping to win.He had walked i
Dorian's POVTwo days had passed since Valthera abducted Enzo and Damien.Although the twins were safely back inside the palace walls, my mind refused to move on from what had happened. Every conversation, every expression on Valthera's face, every word she had spoken replayed endlessly in my head, as though my mind was trying to uncover something I had overlooked.I sat alone in my office, my elbows resting on the polished wooden desk while my eyes wandered toward the wide window overlooking the palace courtyard.The palace looked peaceful again.Servants moved about carrying out their duties.The royal guards had resumed their patrols.Children could be heard laughing somewhere in the gardens.To anyone looking from the outside, everything appeared normal.But I had lived long enough to know that appearances were often deceptive.Peace on the surface did not always mean peace beneath it.A slow breath escaped my lips.Enzo and Damien had recovered surprisingly well from the ordeal.
Mila's POVThe room was quiet.Too quiet.I sat by the window with my legs tucked beneath me, absentmindedly turning my phone over in my hands while my thoughts wandered in circles. Outside, the palace gardens were alive with color. Birds fluttered between the trees, servants moved about their duties, and the breeze carried the sweet scent of blooming flowers through the open window.It should have been calming.Instead, I barely noticed any of it.No matter how hard I tried to distract myself, my mind always drifted back to the same person.My father.Alpha Caden.Ever since Logan revealed that he had escaped from the palace prison, I hadn't been able to think straight. When I first heard the news, I had been overwhelmed with relief. I remembered smiling so widely that my cheeks hurt. I remembered thanking the Moon Goddess because I believed he had finally been given another chance.But that happiness hadn't lasted.Not even a full day.Reality had slowly settled in.He hadn't been r
Dorian's POV"Sera! Open your eyes!"The words tore from my throat as I caught her before she could hit the floor. Her body had gone completely limp, all strength draining from her in an instant. My heart pounded wildly while I lowered her carefully onto the bed, my hands trembling despite every effort to stay calm."Sera... please."I gently tapped her cheeks, hoping for any sign that she could still hear me. Nothing.The room had become unnaturally quiet, as though the strange light that had filled it moments earlier had stolen every sound along with it. Even the air felt different, thick and oppressive, pressing heavily against my lungs.Panic tightened around my chest.Only moments ago we had both been staring at those mysterious markings that had suddenly appeared across the bedroom wall. Neither of us had understood what they meant, but before either of us could react, Sera had simply collapsed.My thoughts raced through countless terrible possibilities.Had someone cursed her?
Dorian's POVThe evening after my unsettling meeting with Valthera should have been peaceful, but the weight of her words refused to leave my mind. Every sentence she had spoken echoed inside my head, twisting into darker possibilities with every passing hour. I had tried convincing myself that she was only manipulating me, that everything she claimed about Caden was another attempt to force my hand. Yet sleep came reluctantly, and when it finally did, it dragged me into a nightmare unlike anything I had ever experienced."Sera!" I shouted, my voice cracking as I sprinted toward the palace entrance. "Please stop!"Ahead of me, Sera was no longer herself.Her massive wolf form thundered across the courtyard, every stride shaking the stone beneath her paws. Guards rushed to intercept her, raising their weapons despite the terror written across their faces. They believed they could restrain her.They were wrong."Get out of her way!" I yelled desperately. "She'll kill you if you stay the
Dorian’s POV “Apologies for barging in my lords”, he bowed slightly before he continued. “A section of the palace has exploded”. The moment the guard said that, I stopped thinking about whatever conversation I was having with Sera. “Where?”, I asked sharply, already stepping past him as I dashed
Sera’s POVThe moment he said my name, it looked like everything stopped. “Sera.”That single word cut through the rage inside me like light through smoke. The noise around me dulled.The screams.The shouting.The fear.All of it faded for one sharp second.And I came back.Not fully.Not safely.
“Please don’t hang up.”That was all I managed before my throat closed completely.The bus station was half-empty — a janitor pushing a mop across the far end, fluorescent lights humming that specific frequency that made everything feel slightly unreal. My bags were piled at my feet. The dress was
“Goddess help me, so I don’t burn these lamb chops.” I murmured to myself as I yanked the pan off the heat just in time, while the smoke curled toward the ceiling.Three hours. I had been in this kitchen for three full hours — marinating, plating, second-guessing the table arrangement twice — and I







