1 Their greedy faces

Azura

As the rain falls relentlessly from the somber clouds above, my feet carry me through the quiet rows of headstones in the cemetery. Each droplet seems to echo the rhythm of my heart, heavy with sorrow and longing as my own teardrops stream down my cheeks.  

I stand before my father's grave, the damp earth beneath my shoes reminding me of the fragility of the situation I was in. With a trembling hand, I trace the letters of his name engraved on the weathered stone, feeling the weight of loss settle upon my shoulders once more. 

Amidst the downpour and chaos that my life has become, I find solace in the quiet solitude of the cemetery, a sacred space where memories linger like shadows in the rain. Still, that solace doesn’t last long as his pale face covered in blood flashes in front of my eyes and I ball my fists, restraining the boiling fury that empowers my emotions and threatens to consume me whole. 

My wolf is also in despair, but she tries to comfort me. It isn’t the right time to lose my temper and let them find me, I remind myself, wiping tears off my face with the back of my hands.

“I will catch the culprit who killed you soon, Dad,” I mutter through clenched teeth. “I promise you, Dad, I will make the convict beg for death. I’m your daughter, Dad. I will not cry like a weakling.” 

My voice comes out stiff as I utter with determination. I was the Dark Shadown Pack’s Beta’s daughter and the future Alpha’s wife. No one should see the pack’s future Luna crying, it would make their faith in me falter and I don’t want that. Nicholas hasn’t taken over the pack officially yet but everyone in the pack calls him Alpha and me Luna as Alpha Lucius has declared Nicholas as his only heir.

I have worked so hard to become the perfect Luna for Nicholas. Alpha Lucius and Luna Pamela have always treated me like their own daughter. Dad had trained me hard to become the strongest warrior out there and he took pride in his daughters’ being one of the strongest warriors not only in the pack but also amongst the whole community of werewolves.

Aria, my step-sister, and I graduated with gold belts in the Lunar Academy which is the top rank in the academy where all the werewolves get trained and educated till they turn twenty. 

‘Where are you, Azura?’ Comes Nicholas’s strained voice through the link. He sounds worried and it makes my heart fill with guilt. I should have at least informed him that I was coming here. 

Nicholas loves me so much and his consistent efforts to cater to my every need, no matter how small, only intensify my love for him. I had a crush on him while growing up and prayed to the Moon Goddess every night before sleeping to make him my fated mate and a month ago, on the night of the Blue Moon, the Goddess blessed me with Nicholas. 

It was the happiest day of my life and I still remember how Nicholas accepted me wholeheartedly though he didn’t love me at first. We had an on-and-off history while we were young and the silly things I did to get his attention and love sometimes made me feel embarrassed but eventually, he fell in love with me so everything was worth it. 

As per the saying goes, she fell first but he fell harder… 

‘Azura?’ He tries to reach out again, bringing me back from the nostalgia when I don’t respond to him. 

‘Yes, Nicholas. I’ll be home in an hour,’ I reply and cut the link before he can ask more questions. 

I don’t want him to come here to pick me up. He has done more than enough since we found out about my father’s death. 

“I should head back and take a shower so he wouldn’t know that I was here. The rogues’ attacks on the east borders have frequented so I don’t want him to be occupied with me when he should be attending to his Alpha duties,” I say, smiling weakly at the tomb as if he is listening to me. 

“I will show you my face only after catching the culprit and punishing him for his sin,” I state with unwavering resolve before turning my heels on.

My heart is brimming with pain and rage while my mind is in turmoil as I take steady steps toward the Alpha mansion which is my home now. All my life, I put up the brave front and stayed strong so my father wouldn’t have to worry about me as his new family with his second chance mate, Linda, and his daughter, Aria needed his attention more than me. 

Linda and Aria have always been so sweet and caring toward me but my wolf didn’t trust them. She is always wary of them and even scolded me in the past for being selfless and letting them have most of the time and affection of my father. 

Linda has been devastated since the news of my father’s death broke out and she is barely coping with the loss of her fated mate. Many mates pass away soon after their mate’s demise as the pain is unbearable. The thought alone of Aria being an orphan like me makes my heart shudder with fear so I decide to visit them. 

Maybe I should try to cheer her up as not only her stepdaughter but also as a Luna. I take a left from the sideway and soon, reach my old home. The lights in Aria’s room are on, she must be having a hard time falling asleep. I am having trouble sleeping, every time I close my eyes, Dad’s pale face covered in blood comes into my mind and I feel like the air is not reaching my lungs as I wake up, gasping for the air. 

I’m about to knock on the door when the sound of Aria’s laughter falls into my ears.

“Finally, all the things that Dad kept in his safe, away from our reach for his precious first daughter are mine now,” her voice is dripping with hatred as she mentions me. I tiptoe toward her room and peek inside from the window.

Aria and Linda are sitting on the bed with some files, jewelry boxes, and a lot of cash surrounding them. Their greedy faces show no sign of pain or remorse for Dad’s death. They seemed to be glad that he was gone so they could snatch everything from me that was rightfully mine. All of the fortune belongs to my mother, she had received it from her parents. It was a generational treasure that was passed down to my mother and her sister, Dad has told me everything about it.  

My stomach twists at their true color revelation and I silently descend the stairs to head back home, not wanting to create any scene. 

The guards greet me, bowing their heads in respect as I make my way inside the mansion hurriedly, hoping no one else will see me. I’m shaking with rage, struggling to keep my emotions under control. 

My wolf wants to confront them and fight for what’s ours but I want to do nothing sort of that. Dad would never want us to fight after his passing so for him, I give up on my fortune and all the properties that belong to me. 

“Finally, you’re back, Azura,” Nicholas calls out and I halt in my steps, clutching the fabric of my dress in my hands as my heart is pounding in my chest. 

I don’t want my mate to see me like this and be worried about me. 

“Uh, yes. I’m sorry for not telling you where I went and then-” I said in a low voice, looking into his gorgeous amber-brown eyes that held concern for me. 

Nicholas cut me in, “You don’t need to say sorry for that, baby.” He clears his throat and his expression turns stoic as he says, “However, the autopsy and forensic examination departments have informed me that the reports have come, and as your father was the Beta of the Dark Shadown pack, we need to disclose the reports in the presence of all the pack members. I have already called everyone and they will be here around in one hour.”