Introduction
Share the book to
About Author

Aliena Anderson
Chapter 1
The gates of Ashgrave Academy rose before Kaela like the jaws of some ancient beast, all black iron and twisted spires that seemed to claw at the gray morning sky. She stood at the bottom of the marble steps, her single canvas bag clutched in both hands, and tried to remember how to breathe.
Six months, she told herself. Six months until the Reckoning. Six months to find the truth.
The other new arrivals swept past her in silk and velvet, their voices carrying the easy confidence of those who had never doubted their place in the world. Their servants followed behind, arms laden with trunks and cases that probably cost more than Kaela's family had ever owned.
She didn't belong here. The threadbare coat that had been her father's, the boots with their carefully mended soles, the nervous energy that made her hands shake, everything about her screamed outsider. But that was exactly why she had to be here.
For Kieran.
The memory of her brother's funeral pyre still burned behind her eyes. The way the flames had consumed his broken body, the silence of the crowd who had gathered not to mourn but to gawk at another casualty of the empire's bloodsport. The way their mother had stood empty-eyed beside the fire, something vital inside her dying along with her firstborn son.
Kaela climbed the steps.
The entrance hall was a cathedral of marble and gold, its vaulted ceiling painted with scenes of past Reckonings. Heroes and monsters locked in eternal combat, their faces frozen in expressions of glory or agony. At the center of it all, the golden eagle of Armathis spread its wings, talons dripping painted blood.
"Name?" The clerk behind the registration desk didn't look up from his ledger. He was thin and pale, with the soft look of someone who had never known real hunger.
"Kaela Varn."
His pen paused. When he raised his eyes, she saw the exact moment recognition dawned. His gaze flicked over her worn clothes, her calloused hands, the defiant set of her jaw.
"Varn," he repeated slowly. "You're the sister."
The words hit like a physical blow, but Kaela kept her face steady. "Yes."
He made a note in his ledger with deliberate precision. "Room assignments are posted on the board. Classes begin at dawn. Try not to die in the first week,the paperwork is tedious."
The cruelty was so casual it took her breath away. But she'd expected nothing less from this place, this academy that trained children to kill each other for the entertainment of the masses.
Her room was on the fourth floor, at the end of a narrow corridor that smelled of stone dust and old fear. The door bore no nameplate, just a number scratched into the wood: 47. Inside, she found a narrow bed, a desk, and a window that looked out over the training yards.
She unpacked slowly, laying out her few possessions like talismans against the loneliness that threatened to crush her. Her brother's journal, its pages filled with observations about the academy's cruelties. The silver pendant their grandmother had given her, its surface worn smooth by generations of nervous fingers. A knife, small enough to hide but sharp enough to matter.
Through the window, she could see other students making their way across the courtyard. They moved in clusters, sorted by some invisible hierarchy she didn't understand. The ones in fine clothes walked with their heads high, while others,fewer in number,kept to the shadows along the walls.
The Bloodline Divide, Kieran had written. They sort us before we even arrive. Noble and common. Worthy and worthless. But they're wrong about who has value.
A bell tolled somewhere in the academy's depths, its bronze voice echoing off stone walls. First meal. Time to see exactly what she'd walked into.
The dining hall was a cavern of long tables and flickering torches, filled with the sounds of conversation and clinking cutlery. Kaela took a tray and joined the line for food, acutely aware of the stares that followed her. Whispers rose in her wake like smoke.
"That's her, the sister."
"Can you believe she volunteered?"
"She'll be dead by midwinter."
She found an empty spot at the end of a table near the back, next to a boy who looked as uncomfortable as she felt. He had sandy hair and clever eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses, and when he smiled at her, the expression was genuine.
"Brin Ashworth," he said, extending a hand. "And you're the infamous Kaela Varn."
"Infamous?" She accepted the handshake, noting the ink stains on his fingers.
"Oh, you're the talk of the academy. A girl from the Rust District who volunteered for the Reckoning? That's either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid." His grin took the sting out of the words. "I'm leaning toward bravery."
"What about you? Let me guess,trade family?"
"Guilty. My parents run the largest printing house in the capital. They think I'm here to bring honor to our name." He picked at his food with obvious distaste. "Really, I just wanted to see if I could make it through six months without dying of fear."
Despite everything, Kaela found herself smiling. "How's that working out so far?"
"Ask me again tomorrow."
Their conversation was interrupted by a commotion at the high table, where the noble students held court. A girl with silver-blonde hair was holding forth to her admirers, her voice carrying clearly across the hall.
"The audacity is breathtaking," she was saying. "To think that trash from the slums could stand with her betters. Some people simply don't know their place."
Every word was designed to cut, and judging by the satisfied smile on the girl's face, she knew her target was listening. Kaela felt heat rise in her cheeks, but she forced herself to stay seated.
"That's Selene Aeris," Brin murmured. "Her family controls half the shipping in the empire. She's also..."
"A bitch?" Kaela suggested.
"I was going to say 'dangerous,' but that works too."
Selene's gaze found Kaela across the room, and for a moment, their eyes locked. The noble girl's smile was sharp as a blade, full of promise and threat.
"She knew my brother," Kaela said quietly.
"Ah." Brin's expression grew serious. "That explains the personal touch. Selene doesn't usually bother with commoners unless they've somehow offended her family's honor."
Before Kaela could ask what he meant, another voice cut through the noise of the dining hall. This one was deeper, commanding in a way that made conversations falter and heads turn.
"Enough."
The speaker rose from his seat at the noble table, and even in a room full of the empire's finest young warriors, he commanded attention. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with the kind of presence that seemed to bend the air around him. Dark hair fell across his forehead, and intricate tattoos covered both arms in patterns that seemed to shift and flow in the torchlight.
Dagon Vale. Even Kaela, who had spent her life in the slums, knew that name. Son of General Marcus Vale, hero of the Border Wars. Heir to one of the most powerful military families in the empire. And, according to every betting house in the capital, the favorite to win this year's Reckoning.
He was looking directly at Selene, and something in his expression made the noble girl's smile falter.
"We're all here for the same reason," he said, his voice carrying easily in the sudden quiet. "Six months from now, most of us will be dead. Save your energy for the arena."
The rebuke was mild, but coming from him, it might as well have been a shout. Selene's cheeks flushed, and she sank back into her seat without another word.
Dagon's gaze swept across the room, touching briefly on Kaela before moving on. Even that momentary contact sent an unexpected jolt through her,recognition, assessment, dismissal. In the span of a heartbeat, she saw herself reflected in those storm-gray eyes: small, weak, unworthy of notice.
The moment passed, and conversations resumed their normal volume, but the atmosphere had changed. Kaela found herself staring at the place where Dagon had been standing, trying to understand what had just happened.
"Well," Brin said softly. "That was interesting."
"He defended me." The words tasted strange in her mouth.
"Did he? Or did he just remind everyone that picking fights with the other contestants is a waste of time?" Brin studied her face with those clever eyes. "Careful, Kaela. Dagon Vale isn't the kind of enemy you want to make. But he's not the kind of friend you can afford, either."
That night, alone in her narrow room, Kaela opened her brother's journal and read his words by candlelight:
Day 3 at Ashgrave. The place is a powder keg waiting to explode. They pit us against each other from the moment we arrive,noble against common, fire against ice, pride against desperation. But I'm beginning to see that the real enemy isn't the other students. It's the system itself. The Reckoning isn't just entertainment for the masses,it's control. Keep the classes fighting each other, and they'll never unite against the empire.
There's a boy here, Dagon Vale. General's son. The others treat him like a prince, but I've seen him when he thinks no one is watching. He hates this place as much as any of us. Maybe more, because he understands what it really is.
If I don't make it out of here, I hope someone finds this journal. Someone who can see past the lies to the truth underneath. The Reckoning has to end. The question is: who will be brave enough to end it?
Kaela closed the journal and pressed it against her chest, feeling the weight of her brother's hopes like a stone in her ribs. Tomorrow, the real training will begin. Tomorrow, she will start learning how to survive long enough to expose the truth.
But tonight, in the darkness of her small room, she allowed herself to grieve for the girl she had been yesterday,the one who had never killed, never fought for her life, never looked into storm-gray eyes and felt the ground shift beneath her feet.
Latest Chapters
#31 Chapter 31 The Darkness Fixes Fire
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 11:08#30 Chapter 30 The Poisoned Blade
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 10:58#29 Chapter 29 The Healer's Command
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 10:58#28 Chapter 28 The Weight of Ash
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 10:58#27 Chapter 27 Ashes and Blood part 2
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 10:58#26 Chapter 26 Ashes and Blood part 1
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 10:58#25 Chapter 25 Dancing in Shadows
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 10:58#24 Chapter 24 The Performance Begins part 2
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 10:58#23 Chapter 23 The Performance Begins part 1
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 10:58#22 Chapter 22 The Claiming part 2
Last Updated: 11/04/2025 10:58
Comments
You Might Like 😍
The Prison Project
Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?
Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.
Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.
Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...
At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…
Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?
Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?
What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…
A temperamental romance novel.
From Substitute To Queen
Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.
Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.
In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?
From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
The Lycan Prince’s Puppy
“Soon enough, you’ll be begging for me. And when you do—I’ll use you as I see fit, and then I’ll reject you.”
—
When Violet Hastings begins her freshman year at Starlight Shifters Academy, she only wants two things—honor her mother’s legacy by becoming a skilled healer for her pack and get through the academy without anyone calling her a freak for her strange eye condition.
Things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that Kylan, the arrogant heir to the Lycan throne who has made her life miserable from the moment they met, is her mate.
Kylan, known for his cold personality and cruel ways, is far from thrilled. He refuses to accept Violet as his mate, yet he doesn’t want to reject her either. Instead, he sees her as his puppy, and is determined to make her life even more of a living hell.
As if dealing with Kylan’s torment isn’t enough, Violet begins to uncover secrets about her past that change everything she thought she knew. Where does she truly come from? What is the secret behind her eyes? And has her whole life been a lie?
Crowned by Fate
“She’d just be a Breeder, you would be the Luna. Once she’s pregnant, I wouldn’t touch her again.” my mate Leon’s jaw tightened.
I laughed, a bitter, broken sound.
“You’re unbelievable. I’d rather accept your rejection than live like that.”
As a girl without a wolf, I left my mate and my pack behind.
Among humans, I survived by becoming a master of the temporary: drifting job to job… until I became the best bartender in a dusty Texas town.
That’s where Alpha Adrian found me.
No one could resist the charming Adrian, and I joined his mysterious pack hidden deep in the desert.
The Alpha King Tournament, held once every four years, had begun. Over fifty packs from across North America were competing.
The werewolf world was on the verge of a revolution. That’s when I saw Leon again...
Torn between two Alphas, I had no idea that what awaited us wasn’t just a competition—but a series of brutal, unforgiving trials.
Author Note:New book out now! The River Knows Her Name
Mystery, secrets, suspense—your next page-turner is here.
Goddess Of The Underworld.
When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armor, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of a border pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to stay; of cake, iron, and daylight negotiations. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
Mated by Contract to the Alpha
William—my devastatingly handsome, wealthy werewolf fiancé destined to become Delta—was supposed to be mine forever. After five years together, I was ready to walk down the aisle and claim my happily ever after.
Instead, I found him with her. And their son.
Betrayed, jobless, and drowning in my father's medical bills, I hit rock bottom harder than I ever imagined possible. Just when I thought I'd lost everything, salvation came in the form of the most dangerous man I'd ever encountered.
Damien Sterling—future Alpha of the Silver Moon Shadow Pack and ruthless CEO of Sterling Group—slid a contract across his desk with predatory grace.
“Sign this, little doe, and I'll give you everything your heart desires. Wealth. Power. Revenge. But understand this—the moment you put pen to paper, you become mine. Body, soul, and everything in between.”
I should have run. Instead, I signed my name and sealed my fate.
Now I belong to the Alpha. And he's about to show me just how wild love can be.
The Biker's Fate
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Dani," he pressed. "Do you get me?"
"No, Austin, I don't," I admitted as I pulled my robe closed again and sat up. "You confuse me."
He dragged his hands down his face. "Tell me what's on your mind."
I sighed. "You're everything my parents warned me against. You're secretive, but you're also honest. I feel wholly protected by you, but then you scare me more than anyone I've ever known. You're a bad boy, but when I dated a so-called good one, he turned out to be the devil, so, yeah, I don't get you because you're not what I expected. You drive me crazier than anyone I've ever met, but then you make me feel complete. I'm feeling things I don't quite know how to process and that makes me want to run. I don't want to give up something that might be really, really good, but I also don't want to be stupid and fall for a boy just because he's super pretty and makes me come."
Danielle Harris is the daughter of an overprotective police chief and has led a sheltered life. As a kindergarten teacher, she's as far removed from the world of Harleys and bikers as you could get, but when she's rescued by the sexy and dangerous Austin Carver, her life is changed forever.
Although Austin 'Booker' Carver is enamored by the innocent Dani, he tries to keep the police chief's daughter at arm's length. But when a threat is made from an unexpected source, he finds himself falling hard and fast for the only woman who can tame his wild heart.
Will Booker be able to find the source of the threat before it's too late?
Will Dani finally give her heart to a man who's everything she's been warned about?
My Marked Luna
"Yes,"
He exhales, raises his hand, and brings it down to slap my naked as again... harder than before. I gasp at the impact. It hurts, but it is so hot, and sexy.
"Will you do it again?"
"No,"
"No, what?"
"No, Sir,"
"Best girl," he brings his lips to kiss my behind while he caresses it softly.
"Now, I'm going to fck you," He sits me on his lap in a straddling position. We lock gazes. His long fingers find their way to my entrance and insert them.
"You're soaking for me, baby," he is pleased. He moves his fingers in and out, making me moan in pleasure.
"Hmm," But suddenly, they are gone. I cry as he leaves my body aching for him. He switches our position within a second, so I'm under him. My breath is shallow, and my senses are incoherent as I anticipate his hardness in me. The feeling is fantastic.
"Please," I beg. I want him. I need it so badly.
"So, how would you like to come, baby?" he whispers.
Oh, goddess!
Apphia's life is harsh, from being mistreated by her pack members to her mate rejecting her brutally. She is on her own. Battered on a harsh night, she meets her second chance mate, the powerful, dangerous Lycan Alpha, and boy, is she in for the ride of her life. However, everything gets complicated as she discovers she is no ordinary wolf. Tormented by the threat to her life, Apphia has no choice but to face her fears. Will Apphia be able to defeat the iniquity after her life and finally be happy with her mate? Follow for more.
Warning: Mature Content
The mafia princess return
Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
Fangs, Fate & Other Bad Decisions
After finding out her boyfriend cheated, the last thing she expected was to stumble across a wounded man in an alley. And definitely not one with fangs. But thanks to a mix of cocktails, shame, and her questionable life choices, she takes him home. Turns out, he’s not just any vampire—he’s a king. And according to him, she’s his fated mate.
Now, she’s stuck with an overprotective, brooding bloodsucker who keeps rescuing her, a growing list of enemies who want her dead, and an undeniable attraction that’s making it very hard to remember why falling for a vampire is a terrible idea.
Because if she’s not careful, she won’t just lose her heart—she’ll lose her humanity.
The CEO's Contractual Wife
About Author

Aliena Anderson
Download AnyStories App to discover more Fantasy Stories.













