Zara

I pushed these conflicting thoughts aside and calmed myself. I closed my eyes, mentally penetrating the most hidden corners of the room. Summoning the shadows was easy now; they responded to my calls with barely restrained joy.

When I opened my eyes, the room darkened, thick shadows pulsating on the wall. An icy chill descended upon me, though this time on my body. They seemed to be doing a better job. I was getting used to summoning shadows, and the thought simultaneously excited and alarmed me.

Shadows pulsed and slithered from the darkest corners of the room, skimming the floor and gathering at my feet. The larger shadows remained behind, watching me with silent interest. I was completely absorbed in their attention, a fact that both delighted and frightened me.

"They’re almost happy to see you," Marcus chuckled, shaking his head. "Don’t mistake their joy for affection. They like your blood, your strength."

"I know," I replied firmly. "I know what they are. They’re not pets."

"No, they’re not pets," he agreed, casting a wary glance at the shadows. "They seem much more obedient to you."

I rose from the bed and approached Marcus. His gaze was wary, the shadows following him, forming a sea of ​​black around us. He placed his hand in mine, his crystal eyes glowing as I pressed the blade to his palm.

Ignoring the intense look in his eyes and thinking only of Kane, I called out to the shadows.

"Be strict with them," Marcus muttered.

"I need a favor," I told them. "I need you to hide the cobalt mark on my skin and Kane’s scent from my body. Don’t remove the mark, just hide it. I expect its return as soon as I leave this place."

"What will you pay, Princess?" they hissed in their silken voices. "The blood of a purebred?"

"Yes," I nodded. "You can have some of his blood."

"We like your blood, Princess," they whispered, spreading around my legs like cats. "Ancient blood, powerful blood."

"She’s mine, I can give her away as I choose," I told them. "I told you I’m offering, do you accept?"

"Yes, Princess," they whispered, their voices caressing my skin like shards of ice. "For you, yes."

Marcus nodded firmly, and I pressed the blade hard against his hand. Perhaps I pressed it harder than necessary, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel guilty. Blood spread across his cupped palms, a blazing scarlet.

The scent enveloped me, rich and powerful. Melted chocolate and blood oranges, liquid nectar. My wolf side almost drooled, but I easily pushed it aside.

"Drink," I told them, and watched as Marcus spattered blood across the floor.

His blood scattered across the floor, tiny crimson droplets flying in all directions. The shadows feverishly devoured the blood, leaving the floor spotless.

I pulled back the hem of my T-shirt, looking at Kane’s cobalt mark. I ran my fingers over it, remembering how he sank his teeth into my skin. I remembered the ecstasy that ran through me.

It rippled across my body as his lips touched the mark, the sound of my name leaving his lips. I watched with hidden sadness as the cobalt mark faded from my skin, as Kane’s scent dissolved. Not disappearing, just disappearing.

Three days, maybe four—I wasn’t sure—but the monotony of being confined to that room slowly wore me down. The silver cuff on my wrist prevented me from establishing a mental connection with my mate and kept Nova at bay. The skin beneath the cuff ached, reddened, and irritated, as if I had a rash.

My days and nights began to alternate, disrupting my already precarious sleep schedule—though I didn’t expect much sleep with Marcus’s around. Marcus came to the door every couple of hours with a tray of food and a small cup of coffee.

He needn’t have worried about me escaping, as I was already too weak from constant contact with silver. I was practically human, which made him and the other brown wolves much stronger than me. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

It was quite obvious that the brown wolves weren’t used to human or half-human guests, as food was terribly scarce. Gelatinous oatmeal and often small packets of crackers or cookies.

Every day, I asked him when the Alpha King would finally see me, when Sophia and Govinda would be freed—each time, he answered, "soon," infuriatingly cryptic. This gave me more than enough time to consider his sudden shift in allegiance.

He’d once told me he had his own plans, that he’d never wanted the werewolf race to be exterminated. Did that mean I suddenly trusted him? Not at all, but I needed any allies I could find.

I jumped out of bed, hearing footsteps echoing in the hallway, then the thick wooden door of my bedroom, holding the cell open.

Marcus stood in the doorway, this time without a tray in his hands. He entered the room and closed the door behind him. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and muffled.

My heart sank as I followed him down the hallway to the back of the warehouse. Marcus remained silent the entire time, his shoulders tense with anticipation. We stopped in front of massive double doors, the wood smooth and flawless to the touch.

Two wolves stood on either side of the door, their dark eyes never wavering from where they were looking.

My eyes darted around the room as the doors swung open, revealing the room I had once been in. A large burgundy sofa stood in front of a large fireplace, and a thick Persian rug lay beneath our feet.

A small bar held decanters of a suspicious-looking scarlet liquid. The Alpha King sat on the corner sofa, one arm resting on the back.

I’d seen him before, but this time it was different. I didn’t see him in person, I assure you. The aura surrounding him was dark and suffocating, as if I’d entered a sauna. My lungs struggled to breathe from the thick air, and my pulse raced.

His shock of styled black hair was identical to mine, right down to his bright eyes, which stared into the flames raging in the fireplace.

I was acutely aware of the shadows in the room, slithering and hiding in the darkness, surrounding us. I sensed their excitement, their curiosity about what was about to happen.

"Sit down, Zara," he practically ordered, never once turning to face me.

Marcus stood to the side, leaning against the mantelpiece, while I walked to the sofa. I sat as far away from him as I could, not retreating until he turned and looked me in the eyes.