Eighteen Mates.

The Grave, The Blood, And The Brother.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the freshly dug grave—Alpha Kai Wolfhound’s resting place. They carved his name into stone. But how do you bury a love that refuses to die?

Dressed in black, I held our sleeping eight-year-old son tightly in my arms. The chilly breeze bit through my skin, and my feet rooted to the ground. Above us, a black umbrella shielded us from the heavy, vaporous clouds that still hovered like a dark omen.

Trapped in a daze. My head spun with disbelief and pain.

I couldn’t imagine life without my stubborn alpha by my side. Overcome with grief, I sank to my knees and cried bitter tears, my daughter disguised as a boy, still sleeping safely in my arms. Where was I supposed to go now? If the others—my mates—caught me, I'm finished. They would never forgive what I had done.

Zaraphiel Noctariel.

He would find me... Kai. Where could I run with this child? An Omega. I can’t do this without you. I’m scared out of my wits.

I stayed rooted for hours, frozen before Kai’s grave, until the weight of reality forced me to move. It took everything. Grief, rage, love, to tear myself away and save our child from the Alphas… and from the Moon Mother’s wrath.

She was the savage of them all.

When we got home, I laid my child gently on the bed, pulled the blanket over him, and switched off the lights before quietly closing the door behind me. Tears streamed down my face as I walked along the stairs, unable to stop them.

I'm scared.

Memories of Kai filled every corner of the house, and the weight of them broke me.

My trembling hands covered my mouth to keep from waking my child. My body shook uncontrollably. I slammed my back against the wall in anger and slid down slowly to the floor. Everything around me seemed to freeze.

It was just me. And my son left in this cruel world.

Why did you have to go fight, Kai? I thought bitterly. I should have gone with you. Why did I stay behind?

How could I have been so stupid?

I pounded my fists against the floor, screaming in rage. Then the crushing weight of sorrow hit me like a wave. I buried my face between my knees and cried silent but shaking sobs, wishing I could stay in this misery forever.

Kai was gone. I was all alone.

I swear to the Moon, I will drag justice out of the shadows with blood-stained hands. Whoever killed Kai will die choking on their last breath. My claws buried deep in their throat, ripping flesh from bone. I’ll make them beg for death before I tear their soul apart.

I stared at my black claws, still wet with blood I didn’t remember spilling. My breath was shallow, heart colder than the grave I left behind. Should I run? Disappear into the wind with my child, or hunt down the one who stole Kai from me? No. I’ll do both. I’ll vanish... and when they least expect it, I’ll return as death itself.

Suddenly, the door blasted open with a deafening crash.

I ducked instinctively as the hinges flew past me, slamming the door against the wall behind. My heart leapt into my throat. Scrambling to my feet, I stared at the entrance, my senses assaulted by a thick, familiar scent.

No. No, no, no.

My legs trembled as I staggered backward, my whole body shivering.

A broken, cruel laughter echoed outside the door.

“You built something this fancy for yourself, Tabitha?” the voice mocked, still laughing. My heart sank. This couldn’t be happening. Not now, just after Kai died yesterday. And yet, here they were. Already. How did they find me so fast? How did they know where I lived?

Another burst of wild laughter filled the room. Slow footsteps followed, deliberate and menacing as the intruder stepped inside.

“Your heart’s pounding, Mirajane,” he sang mockingly. “Zaraphiel’s going to be thrilled to see you.”

Mirajane.

I hadn’t heard that name in years.

He smirked wickedly. “How did your freedom taste like, Mirajane? Escaping the realm?”

This was bad.

“Dante...” I whispered, dread tightening my throat.

Black veins crawled beneath his blood-red eyes. He stuck out his tattooed tongue in a taunting gesture before raising his palm toward me.

“Should I kill you,” he mused darkly, “or crack your neck? Pick one, Tabitha... or Mirajane.”

“Don’t do this,” I begged, voice breaking.

His bloody claws extended.

“Are you talking to me, Tabitha?” he growled. “Have you forgotten who I am, w***e?”

I struggled to breathe.

In a flash, he was in front of me. His claws slashed across my face. He grabbed my neck, squeezing tight, then punched me hard in the cheek. Hurled me across the stairs, my back and neck, cracking against the cold stairs. I cried out, coughing and gasping for breath.

Dante Noctariel, my first mate from the realms, was sin made flesh.

He stood at 6 2”— all lean muscle, sharp lines, and ruthless grace. A tiny waist, perfect abs, and long legs that moved like a panther’s prowl.

He wore low-slung casual jeans held by a gleaming silver belt, a gray crop singlet that clung to his sculpted chest, and knee-high black boots that clicked like warning shots. Draped over it all was a massive black fur overcoat, the kind worn by killers or kings.

His hair, shoulder-length, spiky, and jet black, fell in chaotic layers around his face, wild and untamed like the beast he truly was.

And his eyes...

Pitch-black and bottomless. Eyes that stripped you bare. Seductive, smug, and cruel. The gaze of a beautiful bastard who knew he owned you the second he looked your way.

We were once lovers.

I rolled down the stairs with a bone-jarring thud. My body hit the floor hard, blood dripping from my nose. I touched my face, my fingers came back red. My bones cracked, groaned, then slowly knit themselves back together.

“Too bad,” he muttered, lowering his tone like a cruel lullaby.

“You always heal.”

I forced myself upright, every breath like glass. My limbs trembled from the cold still clinging to my skin, the cold I earned standing too long at Kai’s grave.

“You’ve stayed in the human world long enough,” he said, stepping into view. “Isn’t it time you came back to the realm? Mother’s waiting for you. The great Moon Goddess misses her daughter. She’ll be so pleased to see you again.”

He grinned, wide, manic, obscene. “Come home so I can wreck you myself.”

“I’m not going with you.” My voice cracked, but I stood my ground.

“Come home, sister.”

His boot slammed into my stomach before I could blink. His boot knocked the breath from me, and I screamed as my body flew backward like a rag doll.

I crashed into the wall, spine first, the pain sharp and white-hot. I slid to the floor, gagging, clutching my abdomen.

I forgot how dangerous he really was. How much he enjoyed breaking things.