Lucas POVI leaned back in my chair in the spacious Alpha office, which I was gradually claiming as my own.Thankfully, Alpha Gregory preferred to womanize, wine and dine these days and was barely paying attention to any pack activities going on. I drummed my fingers against the polished oak desk staring at the intelligent reports spread out in front of me.Some weeks back, I had decided that I would take charge over the security room. I had done it mainly to look out for Lily since I discovered that someone was supplying information about her to Alpha Gregory.Now, the reports were scattered before me – evidence of how close disaster had come. My heart still raced when I thought about it. Lily. My Lily. Had come so close to losing her life all on Alpha Gregory’s orders.I had acted on instinct. I had posed as Alpha Gregory, using the same means he uses to communicate with his contact from Royal Hunters pack. I immediately sent out a counter order.Capture, don’t killThankfully, the
Lily POVI used to think I could withstand anything fate threw at me…I mean – I was hated by my father and my sister, practically a maid in my own house and the invisible daughter of Alpha Stone … but nothing prepared me for the sight that greeted me.My hands trembled on the doorknob of my sister’s bedroom as a strangled gasp escaped my lips. The door was slightly ajar, and through the narrow gap, I could see Lucas – my boyfriend and mate-to-be of three years cuddled together with my sister, Vanessa on the bed.Their voices drifted out, hushed but clear in the quiet hallway.“Just reject her, and it will be over,” Vanessa murmured, running her fingers through Lucas’s hair. “You promised me, Lucas. Don’t chicken out now,”.Lucas sighed, pulling Vanessa closer. “I know that, but… it’s her birthday today, Nessa. Can’t it wait?”Vanessa's eyes narrowed as the corner of her lips lifted into a sneer. “And also, mine, in case you’ve forgotten. So, consider it my birthday gift… it has to b
Lily POVI trudged back to my room, my father’s cold words and Vanessa’s smirk still echoing in my mind. I was used to their ill-treatment. I should be used to it, but every time they spoke to me like this, the sting of their words would pierce through my heart, leaving me miserable.Collapsing onto my bed, I closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift into fantasies of having the best birthday ever tomorrow – one where Lucas would make me feel special and loved.I had barely settled into the dream when the annoying buzz of my alarm clock rang, jolting me awake. Stretching like a lazy cat, I stared at the wall opposite me for a few minutes, I couldn’t believe I was 18 today. Instead of excitement, a familiar weight settled in my chest.No one cared that I was 18 today…Also, I had to make breakfast for my father and Vanessa and do other chores… it didn’t matter that today was my birthday.Dragging myself out of bed, I made my way to the kitchen. Since no one was up, I had the pack house
Lucas POVI sat on the edge of Lily’s bed feeling like a fraud, my eyes fixed on her unconscious form.My heart felt heavy with the weight of what I’d done. I reached out, gently, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.“I’m so sorry, Lily,” I whispered, trying to rein my emotions in. “You deserve so much better than this – than me,”.How had it come to this?As I watched her, memories of us flooded my mind. The first day I met, Lily, she was hiding from a group of girls who had obviously been bullying her. She had looked so fragile that day when she ran up to me and asked me to hide her.She was so different from the others in the pack. While others mocked me for my status as an adopted child, Lily had seen past that and befriended me.That was the first time anyone ever needed me or asked for my help. In that singular moment, I felt as powerful as the moon goddess. Our first date had been at a local diner after weeks of saving… I wanted to take her somewhere special but s
Lily POVMy eyes fluttered open, my head pounding with the worst headache I’d ever experienced.For a moment, I lay still, trying to piece together what had happened. Then like a wave, everything came back to me. Lucas’s rejection, Vanessa’s words that night, the pain I had felt when Lucas rejected me. Everything I had feared would happen had truly happened… the moon goddess knew how to give the best birthday gifts.I sat up abruptly, ignoring the wave of dizziness that washed over me. This wasn’t a nightmare after all. The ache in my chest was enough proof that everything had happened. This was my new reality and it was a bleak one.“Happy birthday to me,” I muttered bitterly, my voice hoarse.As I buried my face in both hands, trying to remember when I had kept the pain meds in my room, the door of my bedroom was thrown open and Lucas ran in. When he saw me, relief flooded his face.My heart clenched painfully as our eyes met. Part of me wanted to scream at him to go away, to never
Kai POVRoyal Hunters Pack.I go by many identities…Some say I am ruthless and do not have blood flowing through me, other’s say I am a reincarnation of the king of death sent to live about werewolves as punishment. Some say I am a human who was punished by the universe but none of these identities stood out more than the last one…That I was a monster – a monster who had killed his father, to claim the Alpha title.There was a time when I used to get bothered by the rumours but the more, I lived, the more I slowly got used to these rumours. These days, I don’t bother myself trying to explain how to become a better person. I just wanted to live my life, protect my pack… that’s all,”.I gazed out from the window of my bedroom to the expanse of my pack lands, loving the way the moon hung low and full over the dense forest, casting long shadows across the land. My pack was like an impenetrable fortress – I made sure of that.The scent of my Beta Liam arriving wafted up to my nose. His f
Lily POVTears blurred my vision as Golden Moon Pack slowly disappeared behind me.I was trying so much to be strong… to not feel, but goddess! I’ve been bottling everything up for far too long and I am tired. My knuckles whitened as I gripped the steering wheel, my mind a whirlwind of emotions.The events of the past 24 hours played on repeat in my head like a cruel, never-ending movie.I had sincerely hoped that my 18th birthday would be my big break. I would finally feel get my wolf – I thought I could finally belong. Instead, I’d found my boyfriend – no, ex-boyfriend now – tangled in the sheet with my sister. The betrayal cut deep… it was a wound that would never heal.Then came the shocking truth surrounding my birth and my eminent exile from the pack – as a Rogue. The word tasted bitter on my tongue. How quickly my dad had turned on me, all because I hadn’t shifted. Because I was weak.I knew I could have insisted on leaving tomorrow… but I was didn’t want to spend another night
Lily POVBut no one came… not even the moon goddess.It felt as if blood had stopped flowing to my wrist from the death grip I had on the steering wheel, my eyes darting between the road ahead and the rearview mirror. The rogues were still chasing me like their lives depended on it.I swerved sharply, narrowly avoiding a tree that loomed suddenly in my path. I weaved through another row of trees – who plants a tree in the middle of a path? I wondered quietly too angry to voice them out. I narrowly missed the trees and continued bursting out to a clearing.The noise from my car was becoming louder but I couldn’t afford to slow down, especially not now. Suddenly, Lucas’s warning echoed in my mind again, cutting through the fog of fear that had settled in my brain.“They’ll come for you, Lily. You can’t outrun them forever,”.I peered out of the window, studying the Rogues chasing after me. A chill ran down my spine as it dawned on me the real identity of these rogue wolves. They weren’t
Lucas POVI leaned back in my chair in the spacious Alpha office, which I was gradually claiming as my own.Thankfully, Alpha Gregory preferred to womanize, wine and dine these days and was barely paying attention to any pack activities going on. I drummed my fingers against the polished oak desk staring at the intelligent reports spread out in front of me.Some weeks back, I had decided that I would take charge over the security room. I had done it mainly to look out for Lily since I discovered that someone was supplying information about her to Alpha Gregory.Now, the reports were scattered before me – evidence of how close disaster had come. My heart still raced when I thought about it. Lily. My Lily. Had come so close to losing her life all on Alpha Gregory’s orders.I had acted on instinct. I had posed as Alpha Gregory, using the same means he uses to communicate with his contact from Royal Hunters pack. I immediately sent out a counter order.Capture, don’t killThankfully, the
Kevin POVThe abandoned cabin at the edge of the pack territory served as the perfect meeting spot. I inspected the three mercenaries who I had sneaked into the pack the previous days. They were hardened and trained assassins.Spread out on the makeshift table of stones we had placed in the middle of the room were maps of the pack territory and pictures of Lily taken without her knowledge, plus a detailed schedule of her movement over the past few days.“This is your target,” I gestured towards the pictures. “Her name is Lily. She follows the same route from the college every night to her dorm room. It’s usually at ten to fifteen minutes’ walk and she goes through the oak grove.”The leader of the mercenaries, a scarred man who introduced himself to me as Drake, studied the picture for a few seconds and then sighed shaking his head. “Pretty thing. Shame to waste her.”My lips curled. “She’s more trouble than she’s worth it, believe me. I’ve made sure everything is in place for you to
Kevin POVI leaned against the large oak tree at the entrance of the college gate, a sly smile tugging at my lips as I watched Lily walk across the relaxation park. She looked distracted, her shoulders were hunched and she had a troubled expression on her face. It was obvious that the tension between her and Kai was affecting her.I’ve been observing them closely for a few days now. Though I and Kai didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things and I generally keep out of his way, I’ve been able to gather information from a few Omegas working at the pack house.They’d filled me in on how rocky the relationship between both mates have been in the recent times and that was what I was banking on. Now that the pieces were falling into place, everything was aligning well for me, making my job easier.The mysterious she-wolf Kai had rescued at the borders of the pack hospital was hot topic these days. Everyone couldn’t stop talking about how much Kai seemed to care for the woman and how much she
Lily POVI arrived at the café a few minutes earlier than the time I told Beta Liam.The café bustled with afternoon activity, but I barely noticed, as my heart was pounding with a mixture of nervousness and determination. I chose a corner table near the window, hoping the soft natural light filtering through the glass would calm my nerves.I went to the counter to place an order for tea before settling in my chair. The warm aroma of freshly brewed coffee and pastries wafted through the air, but I wasn’t paying attention to it. Soon, the waitress dropped my tea.My fingers traced the rim of the cup as I tried to focus on the steaming cup of chamomile tea before me, rehearsing the words I wasn’t sure how to speak. I sipped the tea slowly, letting its soothing warmth settle my jittery thoughts. The question I was about to ask had kept me awake all night. I had to know the truth about the mysterious she-wolf in the hospital and the role she played in Kai’s life.The bell above the café d
Lucas POVI sat in my study, nursing a glass of whisky as a storm brewed in my mind.The revelation that Lily wasn’t Alpha Gregory’s biological daughter had changed everything. It explained so much—the coldness she had endured, the scorn from certain members of the pack, the maltreatment from both her father and her sister. It all made sense now.I clenched my jaw, the glass trembling slightly in my grip.No wonder he had been determined to drive her out of the pack in the middle of the night with nothing but an old rickety car. Alpha Gregory, the man who had raised her, who had pretended to be her father, had been behind it all.My wolf snarled beneath my skin. How many times had Lily cried herself to sleep, believing she wasn’t good enough? How many times she had endured the pack’s whispers, the subtle jabs that she killed her mother and the not-so-subtle exclusion?I set my glass down, leaning back in my chair as a grim determination settled over me. I had failed to protect Lily in
Lily POVI flinched at the words but I held my tongue.“You’re not the mate I would have chosen for my son,” she continued coldly. “But Kai made his choice, and as much as I disagree, I have to respect it.”I swallowed hard, my heart sinking further with every word. I thought the learning sessions with her occasionally meant we were bonding. Guess I was wrong.“Luna Helen, I-”“Don’t,” she raised her hand, stopping me mid-sentence. “I’m not here to scold you. I’m here to warn you.”The air in the car seemed to grow thicker.“But before I do that,” she continued lowering her voice as if she wanted to tell me a secret, “this situation with the she-wolf is different. It’s dangerous. Well, the woman is not dangerous in the way you might think, but dangerous.”My brows knitted in confusion. “Dangerous? How?”Luna Helen’s expression darkened. “You don’t understand the influence someone like her can have over an Alpha. A connection—whether from the past or something more recent – can disrupt
Lily POV“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. “But I need to talk to Kai.”Luna Helen pursed her lips, but she gave a stiff nod. “We’re not finished here,” she said to Kai before turning and walking away, her heels clicking against the polished floor. As soon as we were alone, Kai sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. He looked exhausted, shadows under his eyes, and tension etched into every line of his face.“What are you doing here, Lily?” he asked. His tone was not unkind but distant.I stepped closer, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. “I could ask you the same thing. You’ve been avoiding me for days, Kai. If it’s not this hospital, it’s somewhere else. What’s going on, Kai? What about us? Who is she, truly?”His expression hardened and his gaze drifted to the almost lifeless form of the woman lying on the bed, then back at me. Suddenly, he stirred me towards the door, taking one last glance as we closed
LilyI took Celeste’s advice.My heart pounded as I made my way to the pack hospital. The air was crisp, and the faint scent of pine mingled with the distant sound of chirping birds returning home to their nests for the evening, but none of it eased my nerves.I could hardly sleep last night, going over Kai’s distant behaviour, replaying every word, every moment where he had ignored me, and it was driving me mad.It was not just about the mysterious she-wolf anymore, but about Kai shutting me out completely. I feared the growing distance between us would become insurmountable if I didn’t confront him now.But today, I could confront him.When I reached the hospital, I continued to the VIP floor. The VIP floor was a world of its own. It was quiet, exclusive, and reserved for only members of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma families. I had been here before, but today felt different.As the elevator stopped and I stepped onto the floor, squaring my shoulders, preparing myself for whatever lay
Lucas POVSince our mating ceremony, I didn’t only gain Vanessa’s trust but also the pack’s respect.The grand hall of the Golden Moon Pack shimmered with opulence, with crystal chandeliers casting soft, golden light across the gathering. Tonight, it was a celebration of the annual Moonlight Gala, the most prestigious event in our social calendar every year.I stood beside Vanessa, my arm loosely draped around her waist. She looked stunning in a deep emerald gown that clung to her curves, her radiant smile drawing attention from everyone in the hall. This would be our first appearance as mates since our ceremony.The gala celebrated the pack’s achievements for the year. Speeches were made, and awards were distributed. Aside from that, this would be a perfect opportunity to begin my plan. I wanted the pack for myself.I was tired of waiting for Alpha Gregory Stone—Vanessa’s father- to die or willingly retire before he handed over the reins of the pack to me entirely. I wanted to be in