CHAPTER THIRTY FIVERYKERI scrutinised her for a while as I mulled over her request, contemplating if I was going to give in or not. I wasn't the man who asked for time to make decisions.Before I leave a room, my mind is made up.“So what do you say?” She asked as she fiddled with the hem of her dress.I shrugged. “You don't have the strength. You look as though your hand can be snapped in two , with a tight grip.”She licked her bottom lip and I stared against my will. “You don't want to know what these hands can do, Alpha. They handle knives, pens, guns, every weapon. Just name it.”“One can't have a proper conversation without you bringing in your murder instincts?” I asked.She pulled out a bag of chips from her drawer.“That's because I can't do half of what I say, trust me.”“Says the woman that stabbed someone to death with a fork.”“You say it as though it's the first new thing to happen.” She muttered.I stared at her dumbfounded. Why did she make it sound casual? “Roxanne
CHAPTER THIRTY SIXRYKERShe took in ragged breaths and pushed back her hair from her face. She had just showered and the scent of vanilla filled my nostrils. Perhaps it was her shampoo but it smelled like what could be eaten.She pulled her legs up to her chest. “My parents were really good. I don't know about how they treated the people. I was quite young then.”“But I know they loved my brother and I a lot and they taught us to look out for each other.”I nodded as I listened, scared to interrupt for she might stop talking. “Zane loved me a lot. I would show him all my dumb paintings and drawings and he would tell me that's the most creative thing he had ever seen,” she chuckled and stared into space as though the memories had come flooding back.“I was neve scared. I had my big brother around and no one dared bully me but yes I was weak. I've always been weak. I couldn't do what kids younger than me were doing. It was that bad. But Zane told me it was because I was young that whe
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN KARAI smiled to myself as I collected my parcel from the mailman. It was a long wait but it was worth it. Everything inside this box contained things that would help me in the future.I turned around and was about to slip into the house the exact way I had come out when Fabiola blocked my way again. I sighed in exasperation.Why did it feel like deja vu?“Listen, since you've made it your specialty to block my path, would you at least help with the parcel. It's quite heavy, you know.”She scoffed and eyed me. “Picking up the Alpha’s letter again, I presume?”I beamed at her, “that's right. And if you'll excuse me I have to take this up to him.”“By up to him you mean up to our room and under your bed yeah?” She asked, crossing her arms defensively on her chest.My arms were growing heavy and I needed to get away because the guards appeared, I'll be dead. “Fabiola, you'll have to excuse me,” I said. “I need to get this to the Alpha.”“You are such a godforsaken l
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT ROXANNE The events of the past days weighed upon me like a ton of bricks. I was grateful for the past few days though. Maids woke me up and served me. It was so unreal. Months back that used to be me. Running helter-skelter trying to get work done but it was better here. They spoke to themselves but not to me and although they did stare at me, I never really heard anyone talk about me.I still found it hard to adjust. I was probably never going to get used to this place but one thing I was getting used to was not being accepted. The Alpha refused to see me for days now and I stopped going to see him too. He was a busy man. And for Beta Miles, he was hardly ever present. He and the Alpha were the only people I spoke to.I stared at the pancakes on my plate. I couldn't eat them all. I was hungry but not for something sweet. Dragging myself out of bed, I forced myself to the bathroom. The one place I detested a lot. Yes I wasn't one of those morning people but I
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE ROXANNE My gut twisted and my heart raced as I reluctantly turned around to be met head on with Ryker. His demeanor was as frigid as the winter wind and his voice sliced through the air like a blade. His red eyes burned— like they did when he was furious. “What do you think you're doing?” He demanded, his tone laced with fury.Tears streamed down my cheeks as I tried to comprehend his question. What did he mean? Was it about the blood staining my clothes, or the tree that was ablaze behind me? “I'm soaked in blood,” I whimpered, my voice trembling. “Can't you see? Look— the tree—it's burning, but the birds…”“Stop it!” Ryker snapped, his voice cutting through mine like a whip as the murmurs swirled around us.The whispers once distant, now roared in my ears. My eyes swept over the growing crowd and dread crept over me. My worst nightmare unfolded— ridiculed, humiliated. “Stop,” I yelled, trying to drown out their jeers. “The tree’s burning and I'm drenched in b
CHAPTER FORTY ROXANNE I stared down at the fishes in the fish tank a little too long to realize my fingers were growing numb from gripping the edges tightly and my breaths were ragged. I watch the fishes swim with no care in the world, breathing in and out— surviving, thriving!I was jealous of them. Yeah it was dumb as fuck to be jealous of fishes but as much as I was jealous of them— something about them triggered my inner trauma.The longer I stared, the more I seemed to notice things that I didn't notice. One of the fishes was trying to swim to the surface, then it stopped. Not because it wanted to, but because it was trapped in a tiny fish mouth.I could hear my breath loud and clear as I watched it happen. The fish was rather tiny and it looked starved but it managed to stomach a larger fish. The water was now covered in blood and the fishes were slowly dying.“Lady Roxanne,” Beta Miles' voice cut through my mind, snapping me out of my other world.I forcefully tore my eyes f
CHAPTER FORTY ONERYKER I was exhausted from having to deal with Pack issues and I stayed up late, resolving it, totally forgetting I had a meeting to prepare for the next day.My only intention was to go straight to bed but I guess that changed when I opened the door of my office to find Roxanne standing there looking nervous as ever.I fixed my eyes on her and watched her cheeks heat up. She looked cute in her little outfit but her hair as always was a mess. But I didn't care.“Huh, hi. I need company,” she said and gave me a small smile.I shrugged and shut the door of my office behind me. “It's late. You should be in bed by now.”She crossed her arms on her chest defensively.“Well, I don't have a bedtime, so I can stay up as long as I want.”“Read a book,” I said and began walking away but she was faster. She blocked my path with her tint frame, as if I couldn't shove her aside.“First of all Alpha Ryker, I'm an adult. Secondly your people are having their combat training, direct
CHAPTER FORTY TWOROXANNE “I was eleven when I first killed someone,” Ryker said and gulped. I watched his expression. It shifted from time to time. Firstly his eyes reflected pain, then anger and then his gaze was cold. I swallowed. “You don't have to talk about it.”He shrugged his shoulders, “I've told you almost everything I need to tell you. There's no need to stop now.”I chose my next question carefully. “How did you feel when you had your first kill?”He laughed heartily and smiled at me.“Scared and excited.”“You're so sick,” I teased.He sighed. “My father gave me his dagger and told me ‘pick out any of the people you want dead’ and trust me there were quite a number of them that I wanted dead.”I stared at him in silence. “You've had enemies since you were eleven?”“Yeah,” he said truthfully. “They said they didn't want a weakling and a crybaby for an Alpha. When I couldn't decide, my father brought out Beta Miles’ father and asked me to kill him.”My mouth gaped open and
EPILOGUE (THE END)ROXANNE A YEAR LATER.It’s shocking how a year has passed, yet the souls of the dead remain with us, their memories fresh and haunting. The pain, the struggles, the healing—none of it has come easy. Losing someone you knew is like losing a part of yourself. It leaves a hole in your life, a constant ache that never truly fades. Each day feels like a battle to keep your sanity, to remember who you are without them.I walked slowly, each step heavy with sorrow, to the graves of Lilith and Kara. The ground was soft beneath my feet, the scent of damp earth mingling with the fresh aroma of the carnations and lilies I carried. After much contemplation, we decided to bury Lilith in Red Moon, beside her dead mate. Tears slipped down my cheeks, but I brushed them away quickly. Ryker mustn't see me cry.As I laid the flowers on the graves, memories of Lilith’s fierce spirit and Kara’s gentle smile flooded my mind. The pain of their loss was still raw, a wound that had not yet
CHAPTER SEVENTY FOURROXANNE Anger boiled inside me, hot and relentless. I didn’t like Lilith, but she was still my sister. War had been declared, and now swords clashed against swords, claws ripped into flesh. The three packs—White Moon and Red Moon—united against Blue Moon, turning the battlefield into a bloody nightmare.I watched as Colin joined Beta Miles, their ruthlessness clear. We clashed, our bodies moving in deadly grace. The anger and betrayal fueled my every move and for the first time I felt the extent of my powers. I fought with a strength I never knew I had.Miles plunged a knife into Ryker’s stomach, igniting a fury within me that I couldn’t contain. I wolfed out, throwing myself at Miles, my claws tearing at his flesh, my teeth sinking deep.Gasps echoed around me as everyone saw the size of my wolf form. But Miles was fast. He grabbed a knife and stabbed me, forcing me to morph back. Blood poured from my wound, but it wasn’t mine. It was his. Smiling through the pa
CHAPTER SEVENTY THREEROXANNEI'll let Beta Miles continue his side of the story but first let me tell you how we connected,” Lilith said and beamed at me. “Kara was a chatterbox and she couldn't keep secrets to herself. So she got so happy one day and told Beta Miles that she knew the prophecy, not caring that it could put me at risk. She told him it was Roxanne and me and they were faraway.”She sounded disappointed. “Beta Miles got interested and wanted to work for me so I could get what I wanted and he could get what he wanted. All of us wanted something and we burned for it. For me, it was revenge, for Kara it was peace.” Lilith touched my shoulder but I shrugged her hands off. “I knew kara was going to fail me someday. She stopped writing to me after receiving my letter, then one day, she said she couldn't kill you because she liked you and you were nice.”Tears slipped down my eyes. Kara… she had always told me she would never hurt me. It wasn't a promise, it was the truth. Sh
CHAPTER SEVENTY TWO LILITHWe all gasped back to reality and took indrawn gasps while the necromancer removed the needles from our foreheads. Roxanne and Zane stared at me like they were seeing a ghost and I motioned for the necromancer to stay with me and not leave yet.“Mom– oh my God,” Roxanne whispered in disbelief as she placed a hand over her head.Zane stared at me with pity. An expression I loathed with my being.“I know it's hard to decipher,” the necromancer said. “It's also overwhelming. Your mother sacrificed Lilith’s life to save you because you were a powerful child, Roxanne. You were the prophecy blue moon had years ago and I knew I had to seal your powers. Your mother was in so much pain that day but she had to do what she needed to do.”Roxanne shook her head as tears slipped down her face. “She had a choice.”“But she still had to make a choice from both,” the necromancer said. “You were chosen, Roxanne. Sealing your powers away was what made you weak. You were neve
CHAPTER SEVENTY ONEROXANNE What do you do when you're face to face with the demons that have been lurking in the dark, hurting you, whispering fear and terror in your dreams? What do you do when the secrets of the past, the secrets you've longed to know, are finally before you? Do you turn away because you know it won't end well, or do you stay because you've been kept in the dark for too long?My eyes darted to a corner, and there he was—Ryker, bound with chains. Just like my vision had revealed. He looked exhausted and in pain, his clothes stained with blood, and wounds covering his skin. A raw gasp escaped my lips, and my heart clenched.The girl smiled and approached me. My heart thumped loudly in my chest, as I watched her movement. There was something hauntingly familiar about her.It scared me that we looked exactly alike. It was as if I was staring at a reflection of myself, except this reflection had blue eyes while mine were hazel."What's going on?" Zane demanded, his voi
CHAPTER SEVENTY ROXANNE Selina briefed me on the plan as we moved quickly towards the area where Ryker was.She told me that she could trace the way they went since Beta Miles was her mate, but I couldn't scent Ryker since he had rejected me. If my wolf had surfaced earlier, I would have been able to sense that he was in danger, but now I couldn't. My heart pounded loudly as I thought about the battle. I was unsure about myself. I had no idea if I could defeat Beta Miles.We headed towards Blue Moon. Confusion sprawled on my face as I wondered what had brought the Beta and Alpha here. It must be his way of reuniting the three packs so they could turn against me. After all, I was a threat.As we neared the location, the air grew tense. The sound of battle echoed through the trees.“Stay close,” Selina whispered, her eyes scanning the area. “We need to find Ryker and get him out of here.”I nodded, my senses heightened. The scent of blood and fear filled the air , and I could feel th
CHAPTER SIXTY NINEROXANNE As I traipsed through the unfamiliar terrain, everything began to make sense. The reason for everything that had happened. The clues were there from the beginning but they had been ignored.Of course, no one paid attention to things that didn't involve them, just like I hadn't.The paths where wolves once danced, the willow tree, the freedom in your hands. It was all in the book. Ryker's mom had known it would happen someday, and that's why she wrote, hoping it would reach the person who truly needed to see it.The key to freedom in your hands wasn't what I had thought it was. Back then in the dungeon, I had thought the key to freedom was an actual key that could take me out of the dark place and out of Red Moon. But it wasn't. It was about realising who I was and accessing my powers. The willow tree at the cliff was what I needed to find first, for everything to make sense.And I guess it found me. And the prophecy… I still didn't know how I was the chosen
CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT ROXANNE I plunged deep into the sea, the icy water turning crimson around me. The stab of betrayal cut deep, the cold blade intent on ending my life. I couldn't fight the water, couldn't fight death. I struggled, but every gasp drew more water into my lungs. My heart slowed, each beat fainter than the last, ticking away my final moments.As the cold seeped into my bones, I thought about when I was thirteen. Yet again I was living my nightmare and facing my worst fear. Zane, Ryker, and Beta Miles. The people I loved. The people I trusted. How did it all come to this?Desperate for survival, I kicked towards the surface. My vision blurred, but I could see a faint shimmer of light above. I had to reach it, had to see the sky one last time before darkness consumed me. With a burst of strength, I pulled the knife from my throat, the blade slick with my blood, and clutched it in trembling hands.But the sea seemed intent on claiming me. The more I fought to stay afloa
CHAPTER SIXTY SEVEN ROXANNE I was stupefied, staring at Ryker in utter confusion. Anger, sadness, and pain engulfed me as I tried to understand what was going on, but I couldn't make sense of it. Ryker was my mate? How? Memories flooded back—how he lashed out at me when we first met, telling me I had no wolf. Subconsciously, I touched my neck. Was that why he kept touching it, searching for my wolf mark? Was that why he brought me to the Red Moon pack? It dawned on me then—I had just been rejected.Since I had no wolf, I couldn't feel the mate bond or the pain of rejection. But Ryker could. He groaned in agony, placing a hand on his chest. Selina squealed in delight, clapping her hands together."Finally, I won't have a mentally deranged woman for a sister-in-law," she jeered.Anguish washed over me. This was Selina's endgame. She had set me up so I would be rejected and chased away. But I didn't utter a word. Instead, I turned to Ryker."If that's the situation, why didn't you tel