Chapter Fifty Four : In the Heart of the BushZarina's POVThe night was dense and heavy around me.The trees towered like dark giants, their leaves whispering secrets I could not hear.Mosquitoes buzzed in fury, biting at my arms, my neck, any flesh they could find.I squatted in the cold bush, back against a tree.I held my babies tight, one on each arm, and the third resting softly on my chest.Their small faces twisted every time a mosquito got too close.I waved my hands weakly, trying to swat the bugs away, but they were relentless.My belly moaned in misery.It had been so long since I'd eaten anything.I could feel my strength slipping away bit by bit.Yet still, I stayed.I would not leave my babies.Tears burned my eyes, yet I would not cry.I could not afford to be weak now."I'm here, my angels," I whispered, kissing each small forehead. "Mommy's here. Mommy won't leave you."But how was I going to protect them like this?I needed food.Something — anything — to keep up my
Chapter Fifty Five : The Bond That Guides MeAsher's POVI couldn't think.I was sitting at my desk, staring at the papers in front of me, but the words weren't registering.All I could see in my head was Zarina's face.All I could hear were my babies' gentle whimpering in my ears, even though the room was silent.Where are they?Are they safe?Are they cold?Are they crying for me?I pushed the chair back so hard it creaked across the floor.I couldn't remain there another minute.I strode out of the office, past the guards and the uneasy glances.I didn't care who saw me.My bond with my children, it was pulling at me — tight and sore, like a rope around my heart.Something in me was believing they were close.Somewhere out there.Waiting.Suffering.I went to the edge of the woods.My feet moved faster than my mind could keep up.I took a deep breath, filling my nostrils with the scent of trees and earth.I closed my eyes."Zarina," I whispered, as if saying her name would magicall
Chapter Fifty Six : Asher's ProtectioZarina's POVThe cold of the night air pierced me as if a thousand needles were pricking my skin, cutting through my thinly dressed clothes. My body trembled with uncontrollable convulsions, not just because of the cold but because of sheer exhaustion. I had not slept for what felt like forever. Pain in my body was becoming a torture, but I could not sleep. I could not sleep when my babies needed me.I had wrapped my arms around them close, their tiny bodies pressed against me for warmth, but it wasn't enough. The wind was too strong, too merciless. The night was too chilly. It was colder than I had ever dreamed that it would be. The bushes that circled around us, which we had taken shelter behind, didn't shield us much. The leaves were stripped from the trees, whispering in the wind like they were taunting me, reminding me that I was so alone. The moonlight fought to get through the branches, casting an unearthly light on the ground. My babies, i
Chapter Fifty Seven : Zarina Asher's POVThe next morning, the world felt different. The cold that had wrapped around me was gone, replaced by heat I didn't know I'd been missing. I woke up to the gentle light of dawn filtering through the leaves, my body still heavy with the fatigue of the night before, but my heart lighter. The babies lay next to me, and Zarina's face was peaceful with a contented sleep I had not seen in a long time. What had occurred yesterday—their disappearance, the terror, and then afterwards, that overwhelming relief—still weighed upon me. But here, nothing could come between me and what I required.I leaned cautiously over to ensure that the children were fine. They were all tucked in the blankets, their tiny breaths flat and steady. I couldn't help but grin, my heart swelling up with love and protection.Zarina was not as fortunate, though. She was fast asleep, and she seemed fragile, the shadow about her eyes depicting the load that she had been carrying so
Chapter Forty Two: The Moment We Find Ourselves AgainZarina's POVThe morning sun broke through the window, casting warm shadows on the room. I awoke to the soft sound of breathing, the comforting warmth of Asher lying beside me. It had been a long night, but the exhaustion that clutched at me was not just physical—it was the burden of all that had happened. The long walk through the woods, the cold, the not knowing… and the argument with Asher's mother and Cara that had left me feeling so small, so helpless. But Asher had been there for me, his arms embracing me, his voice strong, his words a protector.I looked at him now, his face soft in sleep, his breathing even. He was always so tough, so capable, but in the still moments like these, I could see the vulnerability in him. The way his brow furrowed ever so slightly as he slept, the way his lips parted just ever so slightly. I couldn't help but wonder what was running through his mind when he wasn't struggling to hold it all toget
Chapter Fifty Nine : The Moment of ProtectionIt was early in the morning when the sun just began to peek up, showering the land surrounding the pack's territory in soft, golden colors. There was no movement of air and, in stark contrast, the home Asher constructed for the kids and Zarina seemed calm—to serene—for the events about to unfold.Zarina stood frozen in the corner of the room, cradling one of the babies in her arms. She looked out the window, trying to calm her racing heart. She had hardly gotten used to living with Asher, her mate, and his two kids in the same house. It had not been smooth sailing, and the threat from his pack, particularly Cara, clung to her mind like a dark cloud. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.But she was trying to adjust to this new way of life, trying to give her children the stability they needed. Asher had been wonderful with them—loving, protective, and kind. But today, things were different. Zarina couldn't put her finger o
Chapter:m Sixty : of DeceitAsher's POVThe day began as usual, but there was a restless heaviness in the air. I felt it, sneaking in the peripheries of my mind, though I could not put my finger on why. The children were out playing in the backyard, and Zarina was making breakfast in the kitchen, her gentle hum harmonizing with the morning light.But something about today did not sit well. It was like the peace in our home was to be broken, and I did not know whose hand would be responsible to break it.I entered the kitchen to find Zarina. She looked up, smiling tiredly. but warmly at me, though I could sense discomfort creeping into the corner of her eyes that I couldn't help but notice. At the start of speech, however, Cara appeared in the doorway. Her presence hung over me, her assessing stare never far from behind me."May I have a word with you?" Cara's voice was almost too sugary, the kind of sugary that seemed to hide something else, something nefarious. She was another Alpha'
Chapter Sixty One : What It TakesZarina's POVThe atmosphere was electric as the members of the pack gathered under the age-old oak tree at the heart of their domain. The branches above us twisted out like warped arms, and the moon was behind dense, heavy clouds, casting a strange shadow over every face.I was standing beside Asher, and the cold was penetrating to the bone. The whispers around us were hushed, fearful, and bewildered.We were all aware as to why we had been invited here tonight.Something terrible was happening to the pack. Crops were dying. Animals were abandoning the forests. Disease was taking our finest warriors without anyone even noticing. And the ancient tales spoke only of one solution when a curse fell upon the land in this way.A sacrifice.A blood offering.The elders sat in a circle, their shoulders wrapped in tattered cloaks. Their faces were stern and fatigued. I clung to my babies tightly, trying to soothe their soft whimpering. They felt the terror in
:Chapter Seventy : Zarina's Journey – The Quest for a SolutionI had my hand on the door handle, weighing the decision heavily in my mind. Asher stood but a step or two behind me, watching, waiting, but I couldn't turn around. I couldn't dawdle."Zarina…" Asher's voice was thick with concern, but I could feel the unspoken words hanging there. He didn't want me to leave, I could tell. But he had no idea of the burden of the pack and duty that lay on me at that time. I loved him, and I loved our children, but I had to do this for all of us.I couldn't allow them to take one of my children. I couldn't allow them to offer my flesh and blood for some ancient ritual."I'm doing this for us, Asher," I whispered, barely above a whisper so he could hear me. "I promise, I'll come back."I could not gaze at his face, but I felt the hurt in the silence that followed. I knew he was torn. He knew what the pack needed, but this? This was different. I opened the handle and stepped out, leaving behin
Chapter: Zarina's DecisionThere was a sound of rain in sheets accompanied by sound of drumbeats thundering overhead as rain kept pounding ruthlessly at the roof. Asher had pulled back into the darkness of his own mind, his furrowed brows and concerned expression evident as the elders' expectations remained suspended in the air around us. I could feel the burden of the world weighing on him, as though he carried the future of our entire pack on his own shoulders. The elders were unforgiving, pushing him to make a choice—one that would destroy us. They wanted to take one of our children, one of my babies.I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't let them take one of my children.But I recognized that Asher felt trapped, stuck by his position as alpha, the need to protect everyone, even if it meant sacrificing the very people he cared about most. I saw it in his eyes—the torn look of a man who wanted to protect us but didn't know how.I walked around our quarters, pacing back and forth, ide
Chapter Sixty Eight : The Feelings Asher's POVThe load of the day was a boulder on my chest. The pack, the elders, everybody was depending on me, and the pressure was suffocating. But this evening, I did not care to think about any of it. I simply wanted to spend time with my kids.I crept down the hall to the nursery, gentle sounds of my babies drifting from the doorway. Their coos, their tiny laughter, were like music.When I entered, to behold them nearly shattered my heart. They were so tiny, so innocent.Luca was lying on his belly, his small hands reaching for a teddy bear. His little legs kicked against the air as he struggled to grasp it, his face concentrated. He wasn't there yet with the words, but the way he looked at the toy, how hard he reached for it—my heart swelled to full.Freya rested in her crib, waving her small hands in the air as she looked up towards the mobile revolving over her head. Her large eyes followed each movement, and a soft little giggle formed on h
.Chapter Sixty Seven : The IdeaZarina's POVThe pressure of the situation weighed heavily upon me like a boulder weighing a hundred tons. I sat silently in our bedroom, attempting to make sense of things, but it seemed the tempest within me was way too raucous to be silenced. The elders had come, demanding a sacrifice. A child. One of Asher's own. And my heart had shattered when I saw Asher stand firm, his voice unshakeable, his face set in determination as he denied their request.But that hadn't changed the fact that the elders wouldn't let go so easily. Their ultimatum hung over us like a cloud, dense with threat and conclusion. I knew Asher would never let harm befall his children. He couldn't—he loved them with every fiber of his being. He was their protector, their father, their Alpha. But the longer things dragged on, the more I began to fear what this stubbornness would ultimately cost us all.I could hear Asher's footsteps from the other side of our room. I did not look at
Chapter: The Elders' DemandThe weight of being Alpha had never rested more heavily on me than it did today. Every step, every decision I took, came under such close inspection that the weight was suffocating. But what the elders were demanding—no, insisting upon—was something I could never possibly consent to.I stood in the center of the black hall, the air thick with the heaviness of unwritten words. The elders were seated, faces grim, eyes blazing with accusation. They had waited for me to decide, but this. this was something more than I had expected.We've waited long enough, Asher," Elder Rurik's voice was deep, but his words cut through the silence. "The pack demands a sacrifice. It's the only choice. You understand this."I clenched my fists at my sides, my heart pounding in my chest. This was the moment I'd feared. The moment when I would break or remain unbroken."I told you," I said, my tone steady even as my gut churned with queasiness, "there must be another way. The pack
Chapter Sicty FiveThe Burden of LeadershipZarina’s PovI leaned against the window, the night air stinging cold against my skin, my fingers touching the stone sill lightly. The moonlight this evening was colder than usual, casting long shadows across the woods, making the familiar landscape into one that was almost alien. The air was tense, charged, and for all I could do, I couldn't shake it away.Asher was fighting. I could see it, feel it in every line of his posture, every heavy step he took. The pack was closing in on them, their needs growing more and more desperate, their eyes full of fear, of anger. They hungered for blood. They hungered for sacrifice. And as their Alpha, Asher's responsibility was to make the decision, to lead them through this dark and dangerous time. But I could see it in his eyes—the fear, the uncertainty. It was there, lurking under his stoic facade, and it was destroying my heart.I wasn't sure how long he could hold out.The soft creak of the door warn
Chapter: Whispers in the NightZarina's POVThe evening was quiet, too quiet.The wind barely whispered through the leaves outside, and the only sounds inside were the soft sounds of the sleeping children breathing lightly in their beds.I remained sitting on the edge of our bed, fingers crossed in my lap, gazing at the door. Asher still had not come to bed. Once more.I knew he was carrying the weight.I saw it in his eyes, how they fogged each time there was mention of the word sacrifice.It was not fair. It was not just.But Asher was the Alpha.And when the rest of the others were afraid to do so, it was him that all of them looked up to.I got up quietly, not to wake the children, and moved down the hallway barefoot. The house was dark, with only the gentle warm glow of a lantern left burning in the living room.And there he was.Asher was reclined on the floor, the top of his head resting against the couch, his old book on his lap. His knees were under the book, his elbows hooke
Chapter: A Leader's Burden(Asher's POV)The hall was quiet.Not the calm kind.The heavy, suffocating kind that made the air too thick to breathe.I stood at the front, looking out over my pack.Their faces were pale.Their eyes were wide with fear.Their shoulders stiff with concern.No one spoke.Not at first.The fire crackled weakly in the fireplace.It did nothing to remove the chill that had settled into the room —the kind of chill that came not from the weather, but from fear.Finally, one of the elders stood up.His voice was hoarse, as if he had been shouting or crying before he got here."No one lived through last night," he said, looking around at all of them."We waited. We watched. But not one soul crossed the grounds at midnight."There were murmurs all around the room.People whispering, heads shaking.Mothers clinging to their children more tightly.Fathers glancing suspiciously around.I said nothing.I needed to hear them.I needed to let them pour out their fears
Chapter: My HeartAsher’s POVThe night was too quiet.I stood by the window, looking out into the infinite night. The village that had once pulsed with life was now lifeless. Terror clung to the air like thick smoke, permeating every inch of our lives.They wanted blood.They wanted a sacrifice.And in spite of all I fought, in spite of all I stood up before them and said there would be a choice, I could still feel their eyes… still feel their fear.They had looked at my children.My blood seethed just thinking about it.I wheeled about to find Zarina holding one of the triplets in her arms. Her eyes were tired, but she tried to smile down at the baby, to lie that everything was all right.The other two were already snuggled into the bed, small bodies rising and falling with soft breaths as they slept.God, how tiny.How innocent.They didn't deserve it.None of them did.I walked over and swept Zarina's arm with my own. She looked up at me, her eyes full of unspoken fear. She did no