LOGAN DE VAUNT :"In three.""Two." I gripped my sword tighter."One."I hammered at my brother with all my strength, making him stumble hard. The men surrounding us cheered for me, and it felt great. My body rippled with validation that I had never received from anyone in my life.My grandfather and father were yet to applaud. I had to do better.Jax stood up with more grit than before and swung his sword at me. I barely managed to dodge. My twin gave me no breather as he swung his sword back and forth without giving me a break.It went on for minutes, and I wondered if Jax had been training behind my back. No, it was impossible. We were always together. How was he so strong?I glanced to the side and watched my grandfather's eyes glimmer with amusement. He loved that he put us against one another. He was entertained by our fighting."Logan, don't be distracted," Jax called me back before shoving the tip of his wooden sword at my stomach."Ah," I wanted to scream, but I held it back
JAX:Over the past week, my mother and I haven't said a word to each other. We passed by each other as if we were strangers. It was fair enough given our tense argument the last time we got together.I'd be lying if I said I had no regrets about what I said. It was true; she had to hear it. A part of me resented her for the way she'd been all through the years; nonetheless, I had no right to judge her for the years of her life I knew nothing about.I sat with the council of the pack. Both the elders and prominent councils were there, the year was fast rounding up. We had matters to deliberate upon. Council members placed around each region of our pack came to give reports concerning the areas they were placed in.I also had the annual alliance conference coming up. My yearly meeting with all the council members pretty much took the whole day."There have been no casualties throughout the year, and with Sir Harrison's help, we were able to handle the matter of the petty thieves who kep
SCARLETT :Cage skipped work and training with the boys to meet Sophie and me. I did not have it in me to go to the pack house or see the Alpha. In fact, I did not want to see him until I left.He sat opposite us in a cafe where I ordered a chai latte, Sophie got an espresso, and Cage got water. He was too depressed about us moving. His words, not mine."Isn't there anything I can do?" He made continuous offers that afternoon, all of which ranged from selling his house to gifting us the house and moving down to the farm with us. His ideas were so preposterous that it made my chai latte cold because I didn't drink it."I think you've gone far beyond the planets in this universe already. It won't change a thing," Sophie made it clear."The fact that your parents got to the farm before the Grand Luna spoke to them..." He trailed off."Papa really wants to start fresh. It means a lot to him and our mom too. Now that the Grand Luna spilled our misdeeds out in the open, they've been speedin
HARRISON CAGE :THIRTEEN YEARS AGO…"Is that him?" A woman thought as she discreetly pointed from behind her fan."Yes, I think so," her friend whispered. "I heard Maria isn't his mother. There's another one who died."The other woman gasped. "Poor thing.""I believe 'unfortunate' is the word. His mother was an Omega," she whispered."I see, a concubine?""Must be.""Then he's a bastard. Shame on his mother for bringing such a child to suffer brutally in a world like this," her voice held disdain. "Maria would never accept a boy like him."I stood near one of the pillars in the grand hall where my stepmother hosted her events."Sir Cage," a maid came up to me. "Your father calls for you.""Alright." I glanced one more time at the women who scorned my mother; a woman they barely knew and who knew nothing of their existence. How dare they cast pitiful glances at me?I followed the maid to my father's study. The Harrisons ranked high in first-class society, one of the brightest household
HARRISON CAGE:It was unplanned. At first, the only thing on my mind was to save her from the same fate my mother suffered, or that was what I told myself intentionally.I had no place in her life to interfere, perhaps I was selfish, granted that my father was too. I had someone to blame my inadequacies on. I looked for her every day, and learned more about her through her coworker Reyes. I owe him thousands of favors. I was no better than a creepy stalker who used curiosity as a cover-up.I tried my hardest not to show it, but the moment she gave me a place in her life was the happiest I had ever been. I was okay with no one checking on me, I was fine third-wheeling to clubs with Jax and Zharn just to go home alone while they did their thing with women of the night.That was the past, not anymore. Not only was I cursed yet blessed with falling for a woman whose mate is my old friend, but I got a badass, foul-mouthed, definitely not shy friend Sophie. Scarlett was bold when she wanted
ZHARN MEYERS:FIVE MONTHS AGO…"Guys, are you ready?!" My mother yelled from downstairs. "Zharn, you're the Beta. What are you still doing up there?"I appeared from behind her. "I've been outside for a while now, thanks for thinking the best of me," I said, my tone caustic.My mother flinched, holding her heart. "Zharn Jake Meyers, don't do that again.""Yes, mother," I replied blandly."Now, where are your sisters?" My mother turned to a passing servant. "Get the girls, speedily!""No need, Mama." My four little sisters ran down the stairs, all looking chaotic.My parents had six children: my older sister, me, and four other annoying girls."What took you all so long?" My mother sighed."It was Anna and Amy," Joy, the one after me, was quick to point out the culprit."Was not!" Anna and Amy said simultaneously."Was too!" Joy shot back."Mama," the youngest, Tina, ran to embrace our mother.Our mother's blond hair was styled up elegantly, with her blue eyes matching the color of the
ZHARN MEYERS:I endured the first two hours of the event, engaging in political discussions and business talk with older men. This was my father's domain, not mine, but that night I was not just Beta Zharn. I was also the young Master of the Meyer household, there to uphold the family's honor."Hey, Zharn!" Anna exclaimed. "Amy snuck a pastry.""They're from home," Amy defended."Excuse me." I gave a curt smile to the grey-haired man with a pot belly before storming over to my sisters."What did our mother say about tonight?" I seethed, hoping I wouldn't have to lock my sisters in a cage that night."To not steal pastries?" Anna shrugged."No, you dimwit," Amy rolled her eyes. "She said to behave." Amy said proudly, but I was about to knock that pride off her face with a good smack to her forehead."Why aren't you behaving?" I whispered angrily. "Do you realize you're not even supposed to be here? You have to be of age.""Liar," that was the second time I had been called a liar that n
ZHARN MEYERS:I kept my distance from Jax. He'd give me sad eyes all evening, reminding me of how shitty my life really was.I stood by the pillar, observing the evening when a woman whooshed past me.I caught a whiff of strawberries and bubblegum, and my nose followed the scent. A woman in a green dress hugged her body so tight that I noticed other men gawking at her. Her wavy dirty blonde hair did not do much to cover her exposed back.A good distraction for the night. All I have to do is smile and use my boyish charms. I watched her until she went to the side where the lowborns stood and turned."Holy shit, she's gorgeous," my wolf Lan read my mind.Her golden amber eyes shone as bright as stars even without trying. Her rosy-colored cheeks and lips stood out against her fair skin.It was settled. I was getting her contact info.I was about to cross the bridge between the nobles and lowborns when a gentle tug pulled me back. I should have looked around; the only thing standing betwe
SCARLETT :My eyes fluttered open to the night sky, the moon's light radiating softly through the ambiance where I lay.Was it a dream?I looked around, and there were no bodies around me, and I could move. I plucked a strand of my hair.It was red.A wave of disappointment washed over me. I had hoped it was a dream.A sharp pain flashed through my abdomen even though there was no blade. I had been clad in a white seamless gown.No one could have changed my clothes.Except...Except the rogues took me back and found a way for me to stay alive.I meant it when I said I refused to be their object of amusement. I was going to escape or stab myself as many times as it took. They'll never have me.I noticed that the light mostly shone in my direction, and a twinkle of stardust shone through it.I got on my feet, almost staggering, following the light. The space seemed empty like I was the only one there, not that there were signs of other people.Had I finally died?Was I going to see ever
SCARLETT :It all happened in a flash. One minute, I subconsciously smiled at the Alpha, forgetting I was supposed to keep a poker face. He messes with my head a lot.The man I fought alongside dropped to the ground, blood spilling from their mouths. Other men as well. I looked to my left where Sophie, Zharn, and Cage were, to find poisonous pins being shot at them.I had read about those pins; no one who'd ever gotten struck survived.These people had the power to kill us long ago, yet they never did.Everyone will die.My body froze.Cage tried to protect Sophie and Zharn as they screamed my name.Their voices slowly began to sound faint.I hadn't been struck yet.It was as though time had slowed down, and I was withdrawing from my surroundings.I had to move.My limbs had to be lifted somehow.My lungs froze as well.I can't breathe.I can't move an inch.My body stood like a statue until my sister and friend got stabbed by multiple pins.My breathing got shallower by the second.F
JAX:I instructed my men to ensure that every area was secure in some way, including my mother's safety. She had other high-ranking nobles who had objections to staying with lower classes.That was not my concern.I had someone to find.Fearing that there might be more high-ranking nobles or that we might encounter someone with strong magic, I armed myself and my men with more weapons and set out to the location.My heart raced as we got closer, and my muscles tensed.My wolf sensed a strong aura of danger and dark magic. It had never been wrong, and that was confirmed when I found my mate.She was disheveled and wounded.My blood boiled, and all I could see was red, blurring my vision. But I had to stay calm. I read their ki. They were not just anyone. Besides wielding destructive and deceptive magic, they had a presence that exuded wrath.I had to get Scarlett out of their hands and save the others too.My fists clenched as I saw Zharn passed out. My friend rarely gets defeated so e
JAX:As his blood-stained hand met the moon, a red glow emerged, and the desk in the office moved to the side, revealing a doorway.The heavy sound of the passageway machinery opening scared and excited me. I had no idea such things were real.It's one thing to hear about it, but experiencing it yourself is entirely different."See?" My grandfather's voice jerked me away from my dazed state. I fidgeted like a dying rabbit for no reason."I'm sorry, grandfather," I lowered my head."All is forgiven as long as you stop showing signs of weakness," he told me."I won't show any more weakness," I said, determined to please him."I hope not. Now follow me," he instructed, and I did, trailing behind him as we went down the stairs. "Walk beside me. You'll own all of this someday. You just need to get used to the feeling."I quickened my pace to keep up with him. Reaching the lengthy staircase, torches lit up in the hallway like fire, almost as if the place recognized my grandfather's presence
JAX:The despicable shit I killed didn't inform me that he had his filthy minions waiting outside. Workers and trainees at the pack house started to emerge, perhaps thinking the threat had passed. Among them were trainees and three seasoned fighters I recognized, who joined me in attacking the rogues outside the pack house.It was a brutal and loathsome battle that we fought through, resulting in the loss of ten lives. My people. Bodies dropped dead as if they were flies, making me feel like a failure. As the Alpha, I needed to find a way to keep my people alive, or at least most of them.I had heard of packs that didn't survive rogue attacks, but my pack was not just any pack. This was the Moonstone pack. We couldn't easily accept defeat.Looking at the remaining workers, a memory flashed back to me, a moment shared between my grandfather and me. He hadn't given me many things, but he shared his secrets with me, even though it would be difficult to surpass him as the greatest Alpha o
SCARLETT :"Alpha Jax," Athena faced him, pointing a gun at Cage's head. "What an honor? Those pictures I got of you did no justice to your real fea-"Silver arrows were fired in the direction of the rogues. Aki let go of me, and I fell to the hard ground, gasping for air. I was free. I wasn't going to die yet. I was certain the rest of the men wouldn't miss, but a figure I thought was leaving or was close to leaving our world returned like he was never dead.With unbelievable speed, Arakis defended his siblings from the arrows with only a sword."Stupid witch bitch lied, the healing magic takes time," Arakis informed his siblings as he caught the last arrow about to puncture him in the eye. "Too much time.""Well, next time try not to get carried away when we're all fighting for our lives!" Ayler chided him unapologetically."Boohoo," Arakis mocked.Healing magic was rare and hard to find. Witches could wield them, and the Moonstone pack had never needed the power of witches or sough
SCARLETT :"What are you doing?" Sophie asked with uneasiness in her voice."I'm taking my chance before the battle is over, not that you'd win anyway." Arakis slithered like the snake he is, racing his gloved hand over my sister's arms.A gunshot fired in Arakis's direction, hitting him in the head before he managed to dodge it. He fell to the ground with a deafening scream. No one saw that coming, and I didn't either."Stay the fuck away from my woman, purple head," Zharn stuttered."Arakis!" Aki lost his guard.Sophie hurriedly sauntered away and gave me a head tilt as a sign. She had Arakis's weapon, and I grabbed Aki's sword."You!" Ayler foamed, charging furiously towards the one who harmed his brother.He moved with overwhelming speed, faster than Athena, and stabbed Zharn with a knife, knocking Zharn free of his weapons."Zharn!" Sophie screamed her lungs out with nothing short of anguish.Sophie shot aimlessly at Athena and Ayler, who dodged the bullets. Their agility was mor
SCARLETT :"You might want to reconsider. I'm far more good-looking than she is," Athena moved with speed, appearing behind him like a coward. Only cowards take the back."Who's lying to you?" Cage said from the side."I take it, it's those dudes over there," Zharn referred to Aki, Ayler, and Arakis. "What makes you think you're any different from my woman?" He flung his sword in her direction."You'd hurt a woman?" Athena faked a gasp, evading the attack with speed faster than a usual werewolf can conjure."My sword doesn't differentiate between genders as long as the person is in need of a nice death," Zharn added. "I like a fair fight, so quit the dark magic. I'm sure you walk like a dirty slug without it.""What did you say about my sister?!" Aki blazed with fury."All of you stay out of this," Athena told her brother. "This man is mine. You can have one over there." She pointed to Cage."One person is allowed to have me, and it's not any of your men," Cage retorted."No one asked
SCARLETT :There was nothing uncool about what they wore, not that it wasn't supposed to be a criterion for leading us to impending doom.They were dressed differently from other rogues, both the ones that attacked and the ones we found dead on the way.The four villains stood in the space we were in, their presence heavy. The woman with long purple hair that fell past her waist, looking wild and untamed, had clothes that were dark, fitting her body like a second skin. She wore shiny metallic gloves, and her boots were tall, making no noise. Her golden eyes glowed with power. It felt as if she could snap my head in two without a worry.The tallest man that had purple hair that reached his shoulders had clothes that were tight and dark as well with no sleeves that allowed seeing his huge arm scar that said more than words. The man was no newbie when he came to fight; he had armor on his chest and shoulders. His pants were flexible, built for action. His golden eyes watched us, unamused