Shadows Of Flames: Tales Of The Forbidden

The candles were burning low, their wax pooling on the mahogany table like silent tears. I stared at the flame, my fingers tracing the rim of the wine glass I hadn't touched. Five years. It had been five years since Nicholas took the Alpha oath, five years since I severed the tether to my own wolf to pour my strength into his veins. The clock on the wall ticked past midnight. The roast I had spent all afternoon preparing was stone cold. Suddenly, the heavy oak door creaked open. The draft that followed chilled me to the bone, but not as much as the scent that wafted in before him. It wasn't the forest pine and rain that used to cling to Nicholas. It was roses.

The jet lag hit me the moment I crossed into Moonstone territory, but I pushed through it. Five years as Luna had taught me to function on fumes when necessary. The London negotiations with the Ironclaw Pack had gone better than expected—three new trade routes secured, two defense contracts signed. I'd wrapped everything up a day early, eager to surprise Cooper with the good news. My wolf, Sera, stirred restlessly as we approached the Pack House. Something's wrong. I knew it the second I stepped through the front doors. The scent hit me like a physical blow—cloying vanilla mixed with cheap musk, artificial and suffocating. It was everywhere, coating the walls, the furniture, drowning out the cedarwood aroma that had been my father's signature scent for decades. The staff scattered when they saw me.

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows through the human town's market square as I wandered between the stalls, breathing in the mingled scents of fresh bread and blooming flowers. Here, among humans who knew nothing of pack hierarchies or mate bonds, I could pretend to be just another woman selecting roses for her dining table. My fingers traced the velvet petals of a deep crimson rose, and for a moment, I allowed myself to imagine Ethan's face when he saw them on our table tonight. Three years together, and I still hoped for those rare moments when his cold facade would crack, revealing glimpses of the mate bond I believed lay dormant beneath. "Beautiful choice," the elderly vendor said, her weathered hands wrapping the stems in brown paper. "Someone special?" "My mate," I replied softly, the word still sending a flutter through my chest despite everything. The woman's knowing smile faltered as a chill swept through the warm evening air. The market sounds—haggling voices, children's laughter, the clink of coins—seemed to dim as four figures materialized from the crowd. Victoria Taylor stood at their center, her blonde hair catching the dying light like spun gold. Three Delta wolves flanked her, their presence turning the peaceful market into a hunting ground.

On the way back to the pack, I complained to Raiden about Giovanna pushing me to the ground. He accused me of faking it for sympathy and sent me to the rogue lands for "training." Two years of hardship left me emaciated, barely clinging to life. I thought he would come to take me back, but instead, he dragged me out to donate blood for Giovanna. "Two years of training haven’t humbled you yet? Still playing the victim!" "Giovanna is severely anemic, and you’re the only one with a matching scent in the entire pack. If you delay and make her condition worse, you’ll regret it!" He didn’t listen to my explanations and forced me into the car. He didn’t know that two years in the rogue lands had left me with a rare illness. I had only a month left, and forcibly donating blood would cut that down to five days. --- Raiden dragged me into the hospital, his aura cold and unyielding. Not a single word of concern passed his lips.

The light of the waning moon cast silver ribbons through the forest as my fingers worked the delicate stems of chamomile into a tight braid. Each twist and turn was a prayer, each knot a promise sealed with ten years of devotion. The herbs released their sweet, apple-like scent as I wove them around the silver moon pendant—a gift worthy of our tenth mate bond anniversary. "He'll love it," Lyra, my wolf, whispered in my mind, her excitement bubbling through our shared consciousness. "Ten years bound to our Alpha... the Moon Goddess has blessed us." I smiled, though a familiar ache pressed against my ribs. "Yes, she has," I murmured, ignoring the way my hands trembled slightly. Ryan had been distant lately, but tonight would be different. Tonight would remind us both of what we once were—what we could be again. The moon-well glimmered before me, its ancient stones worn smooth by generations of wolves seeking the Goddess's blessing.

She was meant to die. He was meant to rule. Fate decided otherwise. Ivy lost everything the night her parents were murdered by her Alpha. Left packless and hunted, she learned quickly that mercy does not exist for rogues. By the time she turns eighteen, the sentence is inevitable. Death. But on the day she’s meant to be executed, the last Lycan King arrives. When King Kyson looks at Ivy, he doesn’t see a worthless rogue marked for death. Instead, he feels a pull he doesn’t understand and cannot ignore. He doesn’t know why he intervenes. He just knows he can’t let her die. So he spares her life and takes her. Bound to the Lycan King, Ivy becomes his consort, his possession, his obsession, his secret. What begins as captivity twists into something far more dangerous as a bond forms between them, deep and unbreakable, dragging both of them toward a destiny neither can escape. Because Kyson’s past is steeped in blood and vengeance. And loving Ivy may cost him the throne… or the war he’s been preparing for his entire life. When the truth finally comes to light, Kyson must choose what kind of king he will be. And Ivy must decide if she was born to be destroyed— Or crowned. Begin the epic high-fantasy romance series that redefines fated mates—where kingdoms rise and fall, secrets are deadly, and destiny demands more than love. If you crave forbidden royal romance, ruthless alphas, and mates who protect, dominate, and never let go, this series is for you. “I can not believe what I just read! Talk about emotional!! Can’t wait to read and find out what happens next!!” — Verified Purchaser. “I loved this book! I couldn't put it down, I kept finding myself wanting to read more and more, and before I knew it, I was finished. I can't wait to read the rest of them!” — Verified Purchaser. For mature readers: This series explores dark paranormal romance themes and includes violence, possessive dynamics, explicit sexual content, and references to sexual violence. Reader discretion is advised.