CALLUMNext Day. 9:00am. At the office. "Kael sent me this," I said, dropping the spiral-bound document in front of Kian. He picked it up carefully, his eyes skimming over the contents. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he slowly shook his head. "I told him no when he brought this up. Why doesn’t he ever listen?" he muttered, more to himself than to me. Despite Kael being a few hours older, I had always considered Kian the eldest of the three of us. He carried an air of wisdom and balance that Kael lacked. He stayed out of my way most times, but Whenever I needed sound advice, Kian was the one I turned to. And as always, he was ready to help. "This doesn’t make any sense at all," Kian said, closing the booklet with finality and setting it back on the table. "But when I refuse now, it’ll look like I’m being rude and arrogant," I pointed out, my frustration quite evident."You need to stop saying that," Kian said firmly. "If you weren’t so firm, this pack wouldn’t be where it i
SCARLETTI sighed deeply and stepped out of my room as I headed towards the pool by the side of the Mansion. I’ve somewhat come to enjoy sitting here and staring at the water with my thoughts.I drew my phone out of my pocket, immediately after Doctor Salem gave his report, I created new socials to monitor my family. I’m still quite curious, I know for a fact that my mother and Alyssa were in on this, but what about my father. Was he really oblivious to the point of my death or did he know also, did he keep quiet and push me to my death by claiming to send me away to shadow flake to start afresh?Sometimes, I’d feel a burning sensation in my chest to storm back to my father’s house and confront them, but I know I wasn’t prepared to face any of them yet, I’d just break and fall back into pieces, I don’t even have anything to prove myself with, I don’t even have my wolf yet, they’d most probably kill me the moment I arrive.I turned to look at the entrance and I saw Kian walk in, my eye
CALLUM10:30pm “What’s the plan, Callum. The first full moon is in the next twenty- one days, we should get started on preparing the warriors,” Nolan said over the phone, his voice firm and I could tell his hands were balled into a tight fist as he spoke. I gently sat up in my chair, exhaled deeply and straightened my shoulders. It’s high time I put him in his place finally, Alpha Kade used to be the leader of the Moonbound Alliance until I got back from my training. It’s true we were the weakest pack and Alpha Kade usually didn’t hestitate to exploit us, but that ended the moment my parent died and I took over. I always knew he wanted the leadership of the Moonbound Alliance to be in his household and nobody dared go against it with him, until I did and I won. What makes him think, I won’t win again. “If Kade wants a fight, he’ll get one. This isn’t just about a throne of the Moonbound Alliance anymore. I’ll make sure he never questions our strength again.” I said and Nolan mutte
SCARLETNext day. 10:00am “This has been happening for the past two days,” one of the Elders said, gesturing to a younger wolf standing beside him, probably an omega wolf. The young wolf stepped forward and handed me a tablet. I glanced down to see a picture of a little girl, no older than ten, staring back at me. My brow furrowed in confusion as I slowly looked up at the three elders seated across from me, was I supposed to know her or something?“Who is this? And what exactly has been going on?” I asked, my confusion worsening at their silence and awkward stare at me.The elders exchanged looks, as if my question was the most absurd thing they’d ever heard. Their expressions made it clear that I should already know the answer or what they were trying to tell me. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard that three children have gone missing in the last two days,” another Elder said, his tone sharp with disbelief and disappointment as he stared at me.“So what have you been doing since you
Scarlet.I glanced down at my wristwatch for what felt like the hundredth time. 6:00 PM. That was when Alex promised to pick me up. Now, it was past eight, and I was still sitting outside. He’s coming. He had to be.Alex had never disappointed me like this before. Not once.But then why hasn’t he called?I reached into my pocket and checked my phone—again. No messages. No missed calls. Nothing.The evening had slipped into night, and my excitement— The excitement of finally getting recognized as the Crown’s alpha Mate, which once bubbled inside me, flickered weakly, sinking lower and lower inside my chest.I rubbed my arms, trying to shake off the cold—and the ache spreading through me, while still convincing myself that he was probably just running late.Finally, I exhaled slowly, He’s not coming.My shoes clicked softly against the pavement as I made my way back into the house.The ceramic mug I had chosen for Alex’s parents sat on the center table, waiting patiently like I had. It
SCARLET10:30pm. Home."You know… staying here is going to be hard. People aren’t going to forget what happened." My father said to me. His voice cracked slightly,“I have spoken to a few people in the Shadow Flake Pack. Maybe... It's time to think about leaving. I want you to start over.” My chest tightened, I wiped my face with the sleeve of my hoodie, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. Great, even my family doesn’t want me around them."You want me to leave," I said quietly, not really a question but more like a confirmation of what I just heard."I don’t want you to suffer, Scar. Not more than you already have. It’s the only way for you to find peace."For once, he wasn’t hiding behind Mom and Alyssa or avoiding hard decisions. It was just him, sitting here with me, offering me the one thing I hadn’t expected from him—an out.And I hated that part of me was considering it.NEXT MORNING, 5:30am.My father pulled me into a tight embrace, his arms wrapping almost too tightly ar
SCARLETBranches scratched my skin as I darted deeper into the woods, lungs burning, heart pounding. I knew nothing about the land I was racing through—only that it was a place no one sane dared to venture.The wolves had stopped at the border, pacing but unwilling to cross. That should’ve been a relief, but it wasn’t.Still, I kept running. I ran until my legs screamed in protest and air almost dried up in my lungs. I stumbled to a halt, leaning against a tree, my heart hammering in my chest.Had I lost them? Hopefully I have.I looked around, my body trembling from exhaustion and fear. The forest was quiet, scaringly too quiet.Something moved in the distance, it sounded like the soft ripple of water stirring in the silence. I darted behind a tree, pressing my back against the rough bark. My heart thudded violently in my chest as I peeked out, scanning the river ahead.And then he appeared.A man stepped out of the water, slow and deliberate, like a predator confident in its territo
SCARLET "Callum, just this morning you told us not to bother you about finding a mate," one of the pack elders said, his voice obviously echoing with disbelief. I realized then, that I didn’t even know his name, I just referred to him as their Alpha, My captor.We were seated side by side on grand, throne-like chairs. Callum’s posture was relaxed, like he was so used to this, like this was nothing to him. But I on the other hand could barely breathe, with the number of gazes on me, I felt suffocated. “How did it happen?” another elder asked. “It just did,” Callum replied curtly, his tone was dismissive. The elders exchanged glances, nodded as though they understood, and left us alone. “L-Luna? W-what’s going on?” I whispered, my voice barely audible as I turned to him, I hadn’t gotten the chance to ask and I might never, so the moment I got a chance, I asked. He didn’t even spare me as much as a glance.“Would you rather die?” he asked coldly, his gaze still on the dance perfo
SCARLETNext day. 10:00am “This has been happening for the past two days,” one of the Elders said, gesturing to a younger wolf standing beside him, probably an omega wolf. The young wolf stepped forward and handed me a tablet. I glanced down to see a picture of a little girl, no older than ten, staring back at me. My brow furrowed in confusion as I slowly looked up at the three elders seated across from me, was I supposed to know her or something?“Who is this? And what exactly has been going on?” I asked, my confusion worsening at their silence and awkward stare at me.The elders exchanged looks, as if my question was the most absurd thing they’d ever heard. Their expressions made it clear that I should already know the answer or what they were trying to tell me. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard that three children have gone missing in the last two days,” another Elder said, his tone sharp with disbelief and disappointment as he stared at me.“So what have you been doing since you
CALLUM10:30pm “What’s the plan, Callum. The first full moon is in the next twenty- one days, we should get started on preparing the warriors,” Nolan said over the phone, his voice firm and I could tell his hands were balled into a tight fist as he spoke. I gently sat up in my chair, exhaled deeply and straightened my shoulders. It’s high time I put him in his place finally, Alpha Kade used to be the leader of the Moonbound Alliance until I got back from my training. It’s true we were the weakest pack and Alpha Kade usually didn’t hestitate to exploit us, but that ended the moment my parent died and I took over. I always knew he wanted the leadership of the Moonbound Alliance to be in his household and nobody dared go against it with him, until I did and I won. What makes him think, I won’t win again. “If Kade wants a fight, he’ll get one. This isn’t just about a throne of the Moonbound Alliance anymore. I’ll make sure he never questions our strength again.” I said and Nolan mutte
SCARLETTI sighed deeply and stepped out of my room as I headed towards the pool by the side of the Mansion. I’ve somewhat come to enjoy sitting here and staring at the water with my thoughts.I drew my phone out of my pocket, immediately after Doctor Salem gave his report, I created new socials to monitor my family. I’m still quite curious, I know for a fact that my mother and Alyssa were in on this, but what about my father. Was he really oblivious to the point of my death or did he know also, did he keep quiet and push me to my death by claiming to send me away to shadow flake to start afresh?Sometimes, I’d feel a burning sensation in my chest to storm back to my father’s house and confront them, but I know I wasn’t prepared to face any of them yet, I’d just break and fall back into pieces, I don’t even have anything to prove myself with, I don’t even have my wolf yet, they’d most probably kill me the moment I arrive.I turned to look at the entrance and I saw Kian walk in, my eye
CALLUMNext Day. 9:00am. At the office. "Kael sent me this," I said, dropping the spiral-bound document in front of Kian. He picked it up carefully, his eyes skimming over the contents. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he slowly shook his head. "I told him no when he brought this up. Why doesn’t he ever listen?" he muttered, more to himself than to me. Despite Kael being a few hours older, I had always considered Kian the eldest of the three of us. He carried an air of wisdom and balance that Kael lacked. He stayed out of my way most times, but Whenever I needed sound advice, Kian was the one I turned to. And as always, he was ready to help. "This doesn’t make any sense at all," Kian said, closing the booklet with finality and setting it back on the table. "But when I refuse now, it’ll look like I’m being rude and arrogant," I pointed out, my frustration quite evident."You need to stop saying that," Kian said firmly. "If you weren’t so firm, this pack wouldn’t be where it i
SCARLETT.Minutes later.I shifted uncomfortably under Callum’s firm grip around my waist, he noticed and then, his hold tightened. He pulled me closer, his jaw set ,intentionally avoiding my gaze. I sighed in frustration. Wasn’t he against me coming? What had he even come here for? Why the drama, this could have being easily avoided.“We should head back home now, right babe?” he finally said as he turned to me. I forced an awkward laugh and nodded. My gaze going back and forth between him and the headmistress, I hadn’t realized that being his Luna on contract, would involve certain moments like this and it was extremely awkward for me.“Of course, of course,” I muttered, trying to ease the discomfort in my voice. I turned to the headmistress one last time, offering a polite goodbye. But just as we were about to leave, a small, sweet voice called out behind me. “Luna Scarlett?”I stopped and turned, my gaze falling on a little girl with wide eyes and a daisy flower clutched tightly
SCARLETTNext day.Monday Morning.A soft knock came at my door, pulling me from my thoughts. I frowned slightly, glancing at the clock on the wall. I’m pretty sure it’s one of the maids, because they wouldn’t let themselves in unless I did. I slipped on my flip-flops and walked over to the door. When I opened it, a young maid stood there, her smile radiant despite the early hour. “Good morning, ma’am!” she chirped, holding a neatly wrapped box in her hands, I could see her hands twitch slightly, probably due to its heaviness.“Good morning,” I replied, my voice soft as I returned her smile. My eyes dropped to the package she held. “Alpha Callum asked me to deliver this to you.” Her words made me pause. My brows knitted together in confusion as I carefully took the box from her hands. “Thank you,” I murmured, stepping back to close the door. Once inside, I placed the box on the bed and sat down beside it. My fingers brushed over the crisp wrapping paper before I spotted a
CALLUM 5:00pm.As soon as we stepped through the door, I barely had enough time to gather my thoughts before Nolan strode toward us. After hearing what happened, I decided to end the training immediately and give her time to come to terms with the news. I always knew Cora was greedy, but I didn’t see this type of greedy coming."Oh Thank goodness you’re here!" he muttered. I stiffened, locking eyes with him and my gaze narrowing on him. "What’s wrong? This couldn’t wait?" I muttered. I honestly didn’t want Scarlett bothering with our plans or getting involved. She lowered her head beside me and slowly stepped away. “I’ll get going now,” she muttered and began to walk away."Actually," "what I wanted to say concerns her more." Nolan said. She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned back to us. I took my eyes off her and they landed on Nolan. My jaw tightened and I slipped my hands into my pockets, “What are you talking about? Let’s go to my study," I said. But Nolan didn’t res
SCARLETTNext day 12:00pm.I stole a glance at Callum, seated beside me. He had insisted on accompanying me to the clinic for this medical checkup and decided to stay through the process. I wondered why he decided to, but I guess he just wanted to be as thorough with me as possible, plus he was hiding the whole thing from almost everybody. The office was pindrop silent, the only sound in the room being the faint hum of the air conditioning. Dr. Salem had just finished examining me and had left us here in his office while he reviewed the results. All the pains from yesterday’s training had stopped, My body was recovering, but my mind wasn’t as fortunate. The conversation I’d had with Callum yesterday kept running through my mind, each lap leaving me more confused than before. I was dying to know what it is between him and my mother.The soft click of the door broke the silence, drawing my attention. Dr. Salem walked in, holding a folder. “Sorry for the delay. I had to double-chec
SCARLETT 7:30 PM “Ow! Ow!” “Ouch!” “Ahh—ow!” Callum’s hands paused mid-motion, his sharp gaze sliding sideways to me. His brows arched, daring me to utter another sound. My protests died in my throat as I swallowed hard, lowering my gaze to the floor. “This is worse than I thought,” he muttered to himself, under his breath. I could feel his anger just beneath his words, though he kept his movements meticulous and steady. I winced again as he dabbed at the open wounds on my arms and shoulders. My body felt like one massive bruise, every muscle screaming in pain. Today's training session had pushed me beyond my limits—no, broken them. Tobias hadn’t held back, and Callum had let it happen, watching silently until the last moment, when I was certain I wouldn’t survive. And now, I had no idea why he didn’t let the maids clean my wounds and insisted on doing it himself. He already told me before, that my words could chain me to something far worse than death, maybe this was