noticed when I wok
my chest the previous night. Instead, it lingered like a deep wound
my eyes
iling stared
mber where I was. Then the events of
yal ga
lpha
reje
flew to
nd was
feel Drav
me that somewhere in the world, my fated mate existed. There wa
face towar
inn outside the royal city. The room smelled of damp wood and old blankets. A single woode
the magnificent castle where I ha
up car
ad th
ted by the most powerful Alpha
all laugh, but i
a knock at
fr
's t
ast del
legs were still weak, and I had to
young innkeeper stood ou
awake,"
aren
ray, but her eyes l
feeling
sita
at bad la
s expressi
lking about what hap
ach tig
rse th
probably knew that the Alpha K
ted mate was a
" I whi
per lowere
hem. What happened
ked a
h a simple
those words to me
nk y
and start
she p
e early this morning. He asked whether a wo
ightened aro
d you te
t know anyone
red a
hy
shru
ike the way
time that morn
nk y
closed the door an
oyal family l
ejected me before the entire kingdom. Surely he had no
to make certain
t made my
self to eat. The bread was stale, and the te
ed str
tory, collect what little belonged to
emain in the
and every conversation
I had lef
couldn't afford one. I had spent most of my savings on the room, and the
wal
through the branches, creating golden patterns on the ground. Birds sang above
d have found the
ry sound i
uld hear the rustle of tiny creatures beneath fallen leaves. Once, I
ped wa
was s
In fact, I had often struggled to hear conv
sounded as though
ok my
was simply
inued
, an unfamiliar sce
oo
h bl
pped
se wr
s clearly as ordinary werewolves, but this sm
heard a
un a
wolf emerged
eath
gu
s or been banished from their territories. Some were harmless wanderers, but others
ked anything
ng its shoulder. Yellow eyes fixed on me as
a step
" I wh
olf g
ned t
lun
threw my arms
ected impac
nge force erupt
light exploded t
ible hand had struck it. It crashed against a t
d at my
ere gl
ordinar
skin, forming delicate patter
at.
w inten
ough my chest, and the grou
bled b
but the moment it looked into
attackin
as b
mmered agai
ogue wolf b
able to understand
sensation f
vo
ine, and im
are
asp
s spe
bers what your m
hands again
Who a
was a
voice a
ey buried benea
es wea
other question, the s
lifted
moment, ou
and disappeared
e on the roa
looked no
lver
ange m
prove what
I hadn't
inside me
ing po
idea how to
oodmoon territory, the s
pillars carved with the image of a howling wolf. Beyond t
g the paths, chasing one another while olde
have felt
felt like
entrance recogni
ouldered warrior named
ook who'
red my
vening,
lau
l castle send
nd guard
discovered what the re
d not
stepped
eraphina. I
row
hat t
jected you in front of
oat ti
es
t into
oman without a wolf could become
d guard j
he king has
ked a
. That I hadn't begged the Moon Goddess to choose me.
was
lked pa
ink you're going
om
ughed
teful Alpha Marcus still
t turn
heard
, I thou
s unusually busy
Several servants carried baskets toward the kitchens, whi
slip inside
aphi
top
voice cal
pha Marcus descend
trimmed beard, and sharp green eyes. He wore the black uniform of th
was anything
you been?"
allo
yal gather
ere. I asked why yo
d somewhere t
king reje
ed through the
versation
red my
, Al
ughed wit
mbarra
around the strap
sor
"Do you have any idea what
oked
do you
the royal gathering has made
red a
hoose to be
ish enough to acknowle
o tell him whe
dn't keep you
thing twist
e Moon Goddes
the Moon Goddes
lin
he watching pack members
st time. The king has made his decision. Y
d at th
erst
s have been moved out
ad li
ed w
You'll sleep there until I
led to u
my
to stay here because of your mother.
ame struck me
't bring he
es nar
your
ely lowere
sor
your ne
rned
case, I heard two wome
ught she could be
ted by the Alpha Kin
t wal
g was differ
fe, their words didn't make
eath my skin, as though a smal
t under
e servants' building, the old wood
fr
himmer passed ac
t disa
over my
y had
room and clo
rdrobe, and a small window overlooking the
g on the floor
tes, I simply st
oticed s
ant was
from benea
e markings covered its edges, formi
ne with my
it, a sharp flash of
, I was no l
ding in a
r pillars stretched toward a ceiling filled with stars
of the hall
wn. Her long silver hair fell around her shoulders, and h
her without
oon G
ed to m
whispered.
n approa
chi
, but it carried the
where
ory your blood
red a
t under
ended o
d above her palm, form
owing blue eyes. It stood taller than any ordinary wolf, a
dn't b
hat..
ddess
has slept f
ok my
lers said I
nly what they were
something like
's expressi
ared what you
tion crept d
hy
ient power. A power that existed long
the silver
n't you
emain hidden until
ction part o
ess fell
to my
s i
ze sof
ackwood to reject you. T
ened at the so
id you allo
a truth that even the Alpha
t tr
ss steppe
unworthy may be the only one c
ok my
want to s
out before I
our bond in front of every
y is greater than yo
oked
r word people use when
time, the go
wer does not exist to control you. It ex
ised h
wolf step
lowly and lowered
ion spread th
ice enter
ed a long t
eath
are
s blue ey
me is
ache
lver fur, and an explosio
voice echoed t
ina Vale. Remem
ion sha
with
in the serv
the floor, and the air around
the power did
body like a river br
nes a
les tig
hest, followed by a sensation
g was in
hing
aph
fr
was no lon
as c
ing directly
yr
e
embling hand a
ld he
tually hea
silence, I was no longer
illed m
're
lways be
't I hear y
one sealed o
ile f
meo
feared what w
ther question, a loud
ed to
d through th
a Mar
or was
e have a
toward t
gate. Several carried weapons, and Marcus was
pened?" h
pointed towa
eastern border. They've c
expressio
w m
they're not behaving
scaped one of
drive t
us n
teams. Nobody enter
ed them
ard somet
gr
m the w
om the
here deep
sti
ng
way from t
ha
e comin
t began
ho
wer, the first scream tor
se erupted
urried to gather the children, and the so
ozen in th
g moved betwe
yellow eyes appear
stepped into
d direct
ed back, expo
attacking, it l
lf emerged
ano
rogues stepped i
ingle one o
d in di
re they
ice fille
gnize the
od ran
ue
t she meant, a deafening howl
l that every wolf in the
ned toward
drained
oked direc
e I had known him, Alph
an
disg
ra
lized that he knew
spent years tryin
/1/134081/coverbig.jpg?v=20261109110106&imageMogr2/format/webp)