Araya Varrow spent years thinking that marrying the pack’s Alpha, Jasper Drevyn, would finally earn her a shred of dignity. Instead, it all blew up in her face. Jasper, proud as ever, shamed her in front of the whole pack, tossing her aside as if she meant nothing, wolf-less, unworthy, and pregnant with his child. Alone and exiled into the bitter cold, survival seemed like a lost cause.

But destiny had other ideas.

Just as her strength was giving out, Araya was found by Ronan Tharos, a Direwolf whose past is written in scars and whose gaze could melt stone. His methods are harsh, his temper sharp, but he pushes Araya harder than anyone ever has. Under Ronan’s relentless training, the wolf inside her finally roars awake—enormous, silver as the moon, and bound to an ancient prophecy. The child she carries isn’t merely a symbol of her old life; he’s the linchpin in a legend that could either heal the rift between wolves and Direwolves or plunge Drevalon into chaos.

When word reaches Jasper that Araya is not only alive but thriving, he returns a shell of the man he once was—pleading at her feet for a second chance, willing to risk everything. But Araya is no longer the vulnerable woman he cast aside. She’s carved herself into a force to be reckoned with, standing at the head of her own pack, a Direwolf at her side, and a son whose power could shake the world.

Now she stands at a crossroads: forgive the man who betrayed her, or embrace the wild Direwolf who taught her to fight for her future.

In a realm where betrayal hits harder than any blow and the fires of prophecy burn hotter than revenge, Araya is ready to take her place at the top and make sure every last wolf who turned their back on her remembers her name.

Kaelen came to my cell at moonrise with a proposition that reeked of trap.


"I convinced Father to give you one chance." He stood outside the bars, red eyes gleaming in torchlight. "One opportunity to prove the corruption hasn't claimed you completely."


I didn't move from where I sat against the cold stone wall. "What chance?"


"Kill the wolf." Simple. Direct. "Infiltrate Direhaven tonight. End Lucian Varrow-Tharos. Bring back proof of his death—his heart, preferably, though his head will do—and Father might reconsider your execution."


"You want me to assassinate my mate." The words tasted like ash. "To prove I'm not corrupted by a bond you all say controls me."


"Exactly." Kaelen's smile was sharp. "If you can kill him—if you can override the bond's pull long enough to drive a blade through his heart—then perhaps you're still salvageable. Still vampire enough to reclaim."


Chapter 117 - THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT