Anderson's POVThe second I pulled into the driveway and saw my adoptive father’s car parked right outside the mansion, my blood boiled. So that’s why Lucas had insisted I come home. That sneaky bastard.I shoved the car door open, my jaw clenched so tightly it ached. He had promised—promised—he would not tell them. And yet, here they were, almost midnight—making it clear they weren't just here for a casual visit.The moment I stepped inside, my eyes locked onto him, sitting across from my adoptive parents.Anger flared inside me as I strode toward him, completely disregarding my adoptive parents' presence.“You are a goddamn snake,” I spat, my voice dripping with venom."A sly, two-faced bastard who doesn’t even have the guts to own up to his hypocrisy.”I let out a slow, mocking clap, my lips curling into a sneer. “If there were an award for backstabbing and hypocrisy, you'd be clutching it right now, standing on a podium, giving a speech on loyalty while stabbing someone in the bac
Anderson's POVMy jaw tightened as I turned to face my adoptive father, eyes narrowing."Why does it even matter?" I demanded, my voice laced with anger."Why are you acting like you care when your decision has already been made?""You’ve got it wrong," my adoptive mother said."We are not here to take you back home."I stared at her, confusion flashing across my face."What?" The word escaped before I could stop it.If they were not here to drag me back, then why the hell were they here?"Then why are you here?" I demanded, my patience thinning by the second.She gestured toward the sofa. "Sit."Reluctantly, I obeyed, sinking back into the sofa, my body tense.She then shifted her gaze to Lucas. "Stand up and return to your seat."He obeyed, shifting beside me.Then, my adoptive father spoke. "There's a reason you are here in the first place—the dream—and what Evelyn said about it."Back home, she was a witch our pack turned to whenever there was a need to.When I kept having the sam
Anderson's POVHad my entire life been built on lies and deceit?The weight of my adoptive father's revelations pressed against my chest, suffocating me like a noose tightening around my throat.The people I called my parents were nothing but liars, feeding me fabricated stories and twisting truths to keep me in the dark for a reason I was yet to find out.First, they lied about being my biological parents. Then, they concocted some absurd story about why I was a lycan, making me believe I was the only one left in existence—history also backed the claim.And now… now, I was being told that Alpha Derek was not just a werewolf but a lycan himself, who had somehow created an army of lycans of his own—more like his assassins and puppets—before the great curse that sent lycans into extinction was placed.It did not make sense. None of it did."What do you mean?" I asked, my voice strained as I stared at my adoptive father.My legs felt weak, and before I realised it, I had collapsed onto t
Anderson's POVMy adoptive father's voice snapped me out of my thoughts."I need to know everything—what he saw and why he let you go just like that."At first, I did not want to tell them. But after thinking about it, I realised Alpha Derek’s reaction last night meant my identity could actually be at risk. If I were in his position, I would not have let it go so easily either.I took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "Fine.""When he looked into my memory, he didn’t see anything important—just random, irrelevant memories. Nothing that could expose who I really am."Instead of the shock I was expecting, the expressions on my adoptive parents were unreadable.That did not sit right with me."You’re not surprised or shocked," I said slowly."Why?""Because it’s possible," he admitted.My brows arched. "How?"Then, he explained that powerful Alphas and Lycans could block certain memories from being seen when someone tries to dig into their minds—their subconscious automatically shields
Anderson's POVI did not expect to see my adoptive mother return with Lucas."Didn’t you leave already?" I asked flatly, raising a brow at her as she strolled in with Lucas."Weren’t you supposed to leave with Dad? What's wrong?” My voice was laced with suspicion.Something felt off.She smiled—too easily, too calmly. “Oh, nothing’s wrong. We just decided I should stay here overnight while he handles things.”I did not believe her for a second—it was as if she had another agenda other than just to spend time with me a bit before leaving the next morning like she had claimed.But before I could press further, she seamlessly changed the subject."We should have dinner together," she suggested, her tone light but leaving no room for refusal.I did not argue. I never really did with her or my adoptive father."Fine," I muttered, already rising to head to my room."I'll join you later. Need to freshen up first."She said nothing, but I felt her eyes on me as I walked off.Under the water,
Sarah's povIf love came with a refund policy, I would be the first to cash in. No, scratch that—I would kick down the door and demand every penny back, no questions asked. Here I was, sitting in the darkest corner of the club, tucked away from the sweaty mess of bodies moving to the beat like it was their last night on earth.But I wasn’t here to dance. I sat with my third bottle of… honestly, I didn’t even know what it was. The label didn’t matter. The burn in my throat was nothing compared to the wildfire in my chest.My mind kept dragging me back to that moment—Joshua, my fiancé, the man I swore my world revolved around, sleeping with another woman in the very bed that was supposed to be ours very soon.Their moans still echoed in my head like a broken record I could not turn off.They say, "Everything happens for a reason." Whoever came up with that lie deserves to have this bottle hurled straight at their head. If that saying is true, then I must be the exception. No way am I g
Sarah's POVI could not believe my ears as my mind transformed into a storm of conflicting thoughts. I had long given up on the idea of meeting my mate, even though it was believed that it was inevitable—that one way or another, fated mates would cross paths. I was told that my mate would be the key to curing the chronic illness I had been living with since I was eighteen, according to a healer. However, the news came with a devastating prophecy: I would die within seven years if my mate didn’t mark me. Now, I had only two years left. Two short years before the countdown to my death would hit zero—a fate I had already accepted. Until tonight.Joshua didn’t know any of this. This made me wonder sometimes if that made me selfish, knowing I would have left him a widower in the end. But I guess life spared him from that mess. I should have been thrilled, since meeting my mate would change everything, right? But instead, all I felt was the sting of disappointment because the person who w
Anderson's POVFor the first time in six years, I actually slept peacefully. Usually, every full moon brought back the same horrific nightmare—reliving my first shift when I lost control and slaughtered everyone at the orphanage except Lucas. He nearly died by my hands too, but somehow survived, which was how I turned him into a lycan and became my closest friend.Unlike any other lycan in history, who lived their normal lives on every full moon, I had to fight these memories every full moon. They would leave me drenched in sweat, sometimes waking up screaming. But last night was different, and I could not help wondering if it had something to do with meeting my mate at the club as I woke up. I had kept this struggle hidden from everyone, even my adoptive family in the Shadowpine pack in another city. Whenever my screams woke them up, I would brush it off as nothing. Even Lucas didn't know about it. After realising these nightmares followed a pattern—happened every full moon—I tri
Anderson's POVI did not expect to see my adoptive mother return with Lucas."Didn’t you leave already?" I asked flatly, raising a brow at her as she strolled in with Lucas."Weren’t you supposed to leave with Dad? What's wrong?” My voice was laced with suspicion.Something felt off.She smiled—too easily, too calmly. “Oh, nothing’s wrong. We just decided I should stay here overnight while he handles things.”I did not believe her for a second—it was as if she had another agenda other than just to spend time with me a bit before leaving the next morning like she had claimed.But before I could press further, she seamlessly changed the subject."We should have dinner together," she suggested, her tone light but leaving no room for refusal.I did not argue. I never really did with her or my adoptive father."Fine," I muttered, already rising to head to my room."I'll join you later. Need to freshen up first."She said nothing, but I felt her eyes on me as I walked off.Under the water,
Anderson's POVMy adoptive father's voice snapped me out of my thoughts."I need to know everything—what he saw and why he let you go just like that."At first, I did not want to tell them. But after thinking about it, I realised Alpha Derek’s reaction last night meant my identity could actually be at risk. If I were in his position, I would not have let it go so easily either.I took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "Fine.""When he looked into my memory, he didn’t see anything important—just random, irrelevant memories. Nothing that could expose who I really am."Instead of the shock I was expecting, the expressions on my adoptive parents were unreadable.That did not sit right with me."You’re not surprised or shocked," I said slowly."Why?""Because it’s possible," he admitted.My brows arched. "How?"Then, he explained that powerful Alphas and Lycans could block certain memories from being seen when someone tries to dig into their minds—their subconscious automatically shields
Anderson's POVHad my entire life been built on lies and deceit?The weight of my adoptive father's revelations pressed against my chest, suffocating me like a noose tightening around my throat.The people I called my parents were nothing but liars, feeding me fabricated stories and twisting truths to keep me in the dark for a reason I was yet to find out.First, they lied about being my biological parents. Then, they concocted some absurd story about why I was a lycan, making me believe I was the only one left in existence—history also backed the claim.And now… now, I was being told that Alpha Derek was not just a werewolf but a lycan himself, who had somehow created an army of lycans of his own—more like his assassins and puppets—before the great curse that sent lycans into extinction was placed.It did not make sense. None of it did."What do you mean?" I asked, my voice strained as I stared at my adoptive father.My legs felt weak, and before I realised it, I had collapsed onto t
Anderson's POVMy jaw tightened as I turned to face my adoptive father, eyes narrowing."Why does it even matter?" I demanded, my voice laced with anger."Why are you acting like you care when your decision has already been made?""You’ve got it wrong," my adoptive mother said."We are not here to take you back home."I stared at her, confusion flashing across my face."What?" The word escaped before I could stop it.If they were not here to drag me back, then why the hell were they here?"Then why are you here?" I demanded, my patience thinning by the second.She gestured toward the sofa. "Sit."Reluctantly, I obeyed, sinking back into the sofa, my body tense.She then shifted her gaze to Lucas. "Stand up and return to your seat."He obeyed, shifting beside me.Then, my adoptive father spoke. "There's a reason you are here in the first place—the dream—and what Evelyn said about it."Back home, she was a witch our pack turned to whenever there was a need to.When I kept having the sam
Anderson's POVThe second I pulled into the driveway and saw my adoptive father’s car parked right outside the mansion, my blood boiled. So that’s why Lucas had insisted I come home. That sneaky bastard.I shoved the car door open, my jaw clenched so tightly it ached. He had promised—promised—he would not tell them. And yet, here they were, almost midnight—making it clear they weren't just here for a casual visit.The moment I stepped inside, my eyes locked onto him, sitting across from my adoptive parents.Anger flared inside me as I strode toward him, completely disregarding my adoptive parents' presence.“You are a goddamn snake,” I spat, my voice dripping with venom."A sly, two-faced bastard who doesn’t even have the guts to own up to his hypocrisy.”I let out a slow, mocking clap, my lips curling into a sneer. “If there were an award for backstabbing and hypocrisy, you'd be clutching it right now, standing on a podium, giving a speech on loyalty while stabbing someone in the bac
Author's POV"Choose your next words very carefully," Alpha Derek said quietly, his voice laced with venom.Katya sneered. "Or what?""I've lost so many of my people. We are the ones suffering the most from these murders, so yeah, I have every right to speak."Alaric leaned forward, confusion evident on his face. "What the hell are you talking about? Every person in that organisation was slaughtered except the werewolves who weren't there because of our moon feast. That's why we've been protecting them all this time while also using them as bait, knowing the killer would come for them soon."Her laugh was sharp and cold. "Exactly! How convenient that the werewolves just happened to be absent on the night of the massacre. How convenient that the killer chose that night, knowing they wouldn't be there. How convenient that none of you have been affected by these killings. How convenient that, despite all your father’s supposed power and resources, he still hasn't found a single trace of
Author's POVAlaric could not shake off the nagging feeling that something was off back at the river because Sarah’s sudden change in mood had caught him off guard. One moment, she seemed fine, and the next, she was insisting on going home—so desperately that she even tried to leave without him. That was what made him suspicious.So after dropping her off, he didn’t just drive away. He waited outside her apartment building, watching as she bolted inside, hoping to find out what had her so rattled.But he could not because of his father's call, reminding him of the emergency council meeting among the four supernatural factions.Now, as the heavy wooden doors of the castle’s grand chamber creaked open, Alaric stepped inside.The vast room stretched before him, its vaulted ceilings towering overhead, ancient tapestries lining the walls. This was where the top-tier supernatural leaders gathered—where decisions that shaped their world in the city were made.A long, obsidian table stretched
Sarah's POVThe moment the door clicked shut, I rushed forward, locking it as if that could somehow keep out the mess of emotions and desire he left behind.Then, I collapsed onto my bed, pressing the heels of my palms to my eyes.My chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as Anderson's words echoed in my head and as my body throbbed from the tension he had built up and left unfulfilled. My mind was at war with itself."Sarah, you are playing with fire," I muttered under my breath, torn between reason and the gnawing desire clawing at my self-control.My skin still buzzed from his touch, as if his fingertips had left invisible embers behind.I pressed my fingers against my lips, as if that could somehow erase the way he had owned them—teased, tasted, and claimed them with nothing but his lips."Can you handle the aftermath if you do?" I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart.I knew what giving in could mean—hell, he could use it against me, tell people just t
Sarah's POVWhy? Why was it always different with Anderson? Why did I melt at his every word, surrendering without resistance? Ever since I met him, he had trapped me—held me captive in a way that felt both intoxicating and inescapable. In his presence, I felt like a child being cornered by an adult, stripped of the control I had always prided myself on.Yet that was not my biggest concern.Was it mutual?No—not feelings. I was not ready to admit to that yet. But the want, the reckless need to have his cock inside me? That was undeniable.He denied being jealous when I mentioned it, but his voice—tight with something raw and unspoken—betrayed him.And when I realised what that meant, my heart fluttered at the possibility.Maybe he did not want to admit it, just like I did not. Maybe we were both too stubborn to call this what it was.His voice pulled me from my thoughts as he let out a low groan, rubbing his temple."Okay, I’ll be there,” he muttered.His expression had shifted—tense,