GABRIELLE“No, no, sweetheart, you must have absolute control over your magic, not let it come out by instinct,” I explain to Valeria while we practice in the living room.“You can't wait until you're in a desperate situation to react. Try bringing out your raven wings now... no, no... but without the full transformation, just the wings…”We spent quite some time practicing. I was determined to teach her everything I knew, everything I inherited from my mother and her mother before her.“Let’s take a break, don’t wear yourself out too much, and take care of the baby.” We stopped, and soon I felt her pour water into a glass.I thought she was going to drink it, but instead, her warm presence approached me, and the cold glass was pressed against my lips.“Drink, you've been talking too much; your lips look pale.” My soul melts at her care.My greatest fear had always been that she would reject me and reproach me for believing she was abandoned, but my Valeria is too good-hearted.“Mothe

CELINEI grit my teeth as sharp pain shoots through my senses, but I endure it. This isn’t the first serious wound I’ve had.By the time she finishes fifteen minutes later, I’m drenched in sweat, my clothes sticking to my body, and I’ve torn up my lower lip from biting it, but it’s true—the sharp pain from the beginning has faded.“You need to leave this on for a few days, and you’ll heal, don’t worry,” she explains, wiping her forehead tiredly.“Thank you so much, Laila. I don’t know how to repay you…”“I’m just returning your kindness,” she smiles, and I return the gesture out of courtesy.“By the way, get plenty of rest, Celine. Tonight, we’ll pass near the place you want to go. You need to be ready to run into the forest.”I nod, thanking her again. I finish the broth and lie down to wait for my chance while the caravan continues on its way, the wheels rattling over the dirt road.Laila stays with me for a while, and when we stop again, now at night, she gets off and signals for m

CELINEWhere am I? Didn’t I fall asleep in the cemetery?“Mía.”“I’m here, but I don’t know where we are either. It looks like the inside of a dungeon. I smell something... interesting ahead of us.”Interesting? What kind of scent was that?I looked around, alert, and began walking through a dark corridor.This place felt so unreal. I ran my hands along the cold stone walls, the only sounds were my breathing and the click of my boots against the ancient floor.I didn’t know where I was going, blindly wandering through this dark labyrinth—or so I thought. In reality, something was pulling at my soul.Was I dreaming?The end of the corridor led to a heavy, ancient wooden door reinforced with blackened steel rivets and crossed by two thick iron bars, firmly locking it shut.If that weren’t enough, rusted but sturdy chains wrapped around the mess of locks, holding it all together.What the hell was behind that door? Whatever it was screamed danger, and I wasn’t about to find out.Dream or

CELINEI turned around, almost trembling, watching him stop a few feet away. The heavy chains dragged across the floor, still attached to the shackles on his hands, yet they didn’t seem to slow him down at all.Goddess, now that I could see him under the light, he looked even wilder, more dangerous—and absolutely irresistible. Almost naked, with that fierce erection pointing straight at me, barely covered by a few damp scraps of fabric clinging where the tip of his cock pressed against them.His eyes held me in their relentless grip, filled with an unwavering control over my will, like a predator who knew this prey was his, no matter what.“Because you bewitched me, that’s the answer. This is just some kind of cheap sexual dream. I don’t know who you are, but let me out of here! I don’t like having my mind played with!”“Then come to me, come to the castle, and I’ll be waiting for you right here. You know the way—follow it, and I’ll prove to you this isn’t just a dream.”“The castle?

CELINEI swallowed hard at his words and his hypnotic gaze, but I didn’t feel as euphoric as I had imagined I would.Maybe because he was a vampire, and I didn’t like that arrogant, snobbish race at all."Mía, are you sure this man is our mate?""It seems like he is.""What do you mean ‘seems,’ Mía? Wake up!""Yes, yes, I can feel the bond’s chemistry, but… I don’t know. I don’t want him to touch me. It’s only connected to your vampire side."“You’re distracted. It’s rude to talk to your inner wolf while I’m asking you something.”“Can you hear her?” I asked, feeling a flicker of hope. He let go of my chin and straightened up.“How could I hear your animal side? We haven’t even performed any ceremony,” he replied in a slightly mocking tone, walking toward a nearby table.He did hear her, I thought, and once again, my mind drifted to that man in the castle. Was he real?“We have a lot to talk about, you and I. It’s unexpected that my mate is a hybrid. Honestly, it’s not very pleasant f