WINTER POVToday was the Alpha's fight. And according to tradition, it was always after the Alpha of all Alphas visited the pack.The Alpha fight occurs once every year, and it was always between two Alpha sons close in age. It was merely to see who'd take over the throne and be crowned king of all werewolves.The title was even more significant than the Alpha of Alphas.I didn't know who was going against who. And I was curious to see all that was happening since it was my first time experiencing a such event.I hadn't seen Daniel for a while. It was as if he had disappeared. I only saw him during the Alpha of Alphas ceremony, which was brief.Also, Damien was acting all jerky for whatever reason known to him. But I realized it had been a while since he was that way. And it was whenever Slade's name was mentioned."Hey, Winter"My eyes lit up as Linda stepped towards me. She sat beside me and sighed."What's the matter?" I asked, seeing her brows furrowed."Well, something happened."
SLADE."You know you don't have to fight Daniel tomorrow, right?" Britney's voice boomed from behind, and I was left with no other choice but to face her. Again, my once peaceful night under the stars has been interrupted. I didn't know how many times I'd have to tell her that I did not want to be disturbed. She always finds a way to defy my orders, and if she weren't pregnant with my child, I would've told her off my now. "I don't have to because I need to." I brushed her off entirely and proceeded to make my way into my bedroom. My anger gently spiked up to a maximum. "And for what?" She asked suddenly, stopping me in my tracks.I have asked myself that question several times, but I never got a befitting response. Why on earth do I want to duel Daniel again? I know that he had done me dirty in the past, but why do I need to prove myself to him? What was the need to do all of this?Although deep down, I know that I was only doing this because of Winter. I needed to mate with her
SLADE.I watched Daniel leave. My hands clenched and unclenched beside me.I was glad that the fight was over, but the fact that he almost overpowered me bruised and shattered my ego completely. I was angry. Being upset was an understatement.I wanted nothing more than to beat up the bastard to a pulp. He was all barks and no bite. The only thing he had to himself was his enormous ego.But I had restrained myself or maybe Larry, my wolf hard. I needed to show myself that I was superior and could win without foul play, and killing Daniel wasn't one of the things I had in mind.My hands accidentally grazed the open wound on my arm, and I winced in pain. I had almost forgotten that Daniel had given me a bruise on my arm.Larry growled and prowled inside me. My wolf was upset, and so was I.The smell of blood and sweat coated the air around me, which caused me to feel dizzy. This was not the first time that I would have been involved in a duel, but this was the first time that I had to f
WINTER."Now, what do you want?" He repeated with his eyes pinned on mine. I gulped fearfully and tried to avert my eyes from his piercing gaze, but I found it almost impossible to do.It was almost like his beautiful blue orbs were calling out to me as though they were compelling me to keep staring at him."Winter?" He beckoned with that cold voice of his that always sent shivers down my spine.Words. I had to form words. I opened my mouth to answer, but no words were forthcoming. My brain had gone blank and completely numb as all my thoughts flew out the window. Being in this room alone with him must've been the dumbest shit I had ever attempted in my entire life.What did I think when I asked to speak to him privately?I should've just said what I had to say and left, but I didn't because somehow, my subconscious had tricked me into believing that I would survive standing in front of this man for no longer than five minutes without going weak in the knees."Why did you agree to du
WINTER."Let me go, Slade. I don't belong to you. I'm not a property that can be tossed however and whenever." I said weakly.My voice conveyed the opposite of what I wanted him to do. I wanted him to hold on tighter. I wanted him to kiss me, and does it sounds crazy that I wanted him to touch me as well?Breathe Winter!I kept chanting to myself as I steadied my hands on his chest to keep myself from touching him intimately."Please stop, Slade. You can't keep on doing this..." I whispered and tried to pull myself away from him while trying to catch my breath."I don't want you to pretend it's not happening, Winter. You feel it." He stated, staring at me.Except for the occasional frown on his face, he looked calm and coordinated while I was practically heating up like an active volcano. My whole body was on fire. It was almost like I just came down with a fever, but that wasn't the case. I knew better than anyone to understand that this hotness was from another type of sickness th
WINTER POV.Unwanted son? What exactly did she mean by the unwanted son? Who was she referring to? And why was no one explaining anything to me? Who was this woman that had just walked into the room unannounced?I darted my eyes to Summer to see if I could get a hint of what was happening, but her face wasn't giving out any information either. The only look etched on her face was the usually irritated scowl she had on whenever she saw me, so I knew then that it would be pointless to try and get something out of her."It is only because of my irresponsibility that my son is who he is today," The strange woman challenged. "At least he is better than your sons combined, and I know that the thought of it alone is eating at you, my dearest Ashley. Tell me, how do you even sleep at night knowing that my son isn't a product of your household and would forever rule over you."She gave a devilish smile that seemed to annoy mother.I could tell what she said got to her because my mother clampe
SLADE.Gloria's words got to me. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't. She might be my foster mother's friend, but she knew nothing about me. I wanted to retort and tell her off, but I didn't. Again, I didn't want to be the reason why they would have any issues in the future. Plus, I didn't want to have problems with my foster mother too.I knew that Gloria was only saying this to get me upset, and I wouldn't give her that satisfaction. It seemed like that was her plan all along. She wanted disputes between us. Ever since she knew that I was her mate's son and she was practically my stepmother, she despised me.The more I tried to reach out to her, the more she pushed me away. I knew she hated me because she felt I was competing with her sons, but that was the least of my worries. I loathed her as much as she did me, but I would never try to disrespect her, especially in the presence of my foster mother-Luna Ashley and my mother."I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me name
SLADE POV."You should taste this chicken broth, mother. I had it made especially for you." Britney dished out for mother after the meal's maid had tasted it. It was a rule I had set in my pack, and I abide by it wherever I went to avoid getting poisoned because many people plotted evil against me, and I didn't want to fall victim to any of their plans. We were all seated at the dinner table as they brought in the dishes and placed them around the table. The dining room was one of the most oversized rooms in the mansion. The high walls and spacious room accentuated the place perfectly. Not the mention the attractive decor that was draped around the four corners of the room. The warm colors always made me feel at ease, but I couldn't say the same for today. I was very pissed that it almost made me lose my appetite.After successfully dragging mother out of that place, I compelled her to have dinner and retire to her bedroom for the night. I could tell she was still pissed by my deci
WINTER'S POVJoy erupted inside me as I glanced at Slade and Damien-who were now lifeless. For a brief moment, I had thought Slade would be the one in Damien's shoes. I had felt Damien would overpower Slade, considering his immense power, but I was glad it had turned out differently.Gloria screeched, "I'll never forgive you for taking my son from me!""You brought this upon yourself," I said. "You should surrender now that it seems you can't win!""No!" Gloria screamed, almost bursting my eardrums. "I'll never surrender. His death needs to be avenged!" Dark energy enveloped her, emanating an aura of animosity.Gloria's voice thundered through the forest, carrying a raw fury fueled by the essence of darkness. An ominous aura consumed her body; the air crackled with nervous energy.I watched in both awe and apprehension as Gloria underwent a grotesque transformation. Her eyes turned pitch black, and her once-elegant features contorted into a twisted visage of rage. Shadows danced aroun
Slade's POVI shifted uneasily, knowing I shouldn't be in this form. I couldn't help it, though. I didn't want to be the defenceless alpha who always relied on his Luna for help. Even though I had always fought my battles, I felt like most people saw me as weak, barely capable of doing anything.I locked eyes with Damien, and we exchanged growls. But deep down, I almost regretted it. My heart pounded, wildly beating against my rib cage. Being in wolf form made everything even more challenging for me.I turned my gaze towards Winter. Despite being held by Gloria, it seemed like she could free herself from the situation. She looked furious, and I knew most of that anger was directed at me, while the rest was aimed at her ex and his mother."You need to shift back," Winter snarled, her frustration evident. "She said you'll die!"Gloria only laughed in response. I wished I could wipe the grin off her face and make her pay for everything. Pay for killing Britney, especially, and taking my
WINTER POVI had always known that many things could go wrong in one night, but I never imagined it would be this same night. First, the forest became infested with reptiles, making the hunt scarier than I had anticipated. Despite thinking we could manage the situation, the hunters appeared, Slade, got bitten, and now Gloria and Damien had arrived.I never thought I would find myself in a situation like this, struggling in the death grip of the woman who was once my mother-in-law. The last time I saw her, after Slade's victory, she even tried to console my mother. I believed she had our best interests at heart. But learning that she had impersonated people to reach and kill me turned my stomach.I used to admire her and thought she was the perfect Luna, but the crazed look in her eyes just moments ago shattered that illusion. Gasping for breath, I felt her yank harder on my hair. I desperately tried to grip her hand and release her hold, but it only tightened."Fucking shift and kill
SLADE'S POV"What the hell?!" I yelled, glaring at the slime as he kissed Winter.Struggling to stand on my feet; the poison from the snake was making it increasingly difficult. I blinked back the haziness in my eyes, gritted my teeth, and summoned all the strength to confront him."Get your fucking hands and mouth off, my mate!" I bellowed.Winter gasped, her eyes shifting to mine as I hunched over. She approached me and reached out a hand to touch my back, but I shrugged her off."I'm fine," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Why the hell did you let him kiss you like that?!""I let him?" She asked, brows furrowing. As I nodded, she exclaimed, "You saw he forcefully kissed me! I never asked to be kissed, but he did it against my will. So, don't blame me for not reacting quickly—I was taken by surprise!"Of course, I wasn't blaming her, and I wasn't angry with her. I assumed she should have pushed him away at the first opportunity, but maybe I wasn't thinking straight.Winter hissed and att
WINTER'S POVDespite all that I said, Slade didn't budge. He stumbled away from me, running his hands through his hair. "I'm fine, Winter. Just watch where you're standing. We need to deal with this before we leave."I rolled my eyes and clenched my teeth, my gaze drifting up to the full moon. "The poison will spread faster when you shift, and you'll shift sooner than you think."Slade glanced at me and shook his head. "I'm not like the other werewolves, remember? I'm partly a lycan, so I can control my shifting to some extent until the hunt is over."I let out a frustrated breath. No matter what I said or would say, he remained stubborn. I supposed I needed to stay close to him to prevent impulsive actions. Just then, Jude burst into the clearing, growling, and lunged at the hunter's leader next to me before I could stop him.He landed several punches on the leader's face, only stopping to catch his breath."Jude!" I shouted, scanning the other hunters who seemed poised to attack him
WINTER POVI turned to Slade with wide eyes, and he mirrored my expression, staring back at me."What are you all, then?" I blurted out. "Are you not the ones after the pack's MoonStone? I mean, the group of Lycans who fought with the previous Alpha and led him to sacrifice himself?"He nodded grimly. "And we had our reasons for coming after the MoonStone gem." He added, "But we are not the same as those. We belong to a different faction, known as the Bwegbonyu speakers and night hunters. Lastly, we weren't the ones who originally attacked the previous alpha.""This isn't making any sense," Slade voiced my confusion, and I nodded to indicate my agreement."I think we need to explain further. But first, you must understand that we are not the Vordrak Lycans. They pose a threat to everyone in the werewolf world, as well as humans. They are incredibly powerful, second only to gods and goddesses," he explained."Vordrak Lycans?" I murmured, wracking my brain to recall where I might have h
WINTER'S POVI couldn't determine how long I had been peering over Slade's shoulder, but time seemed to crawl, and everything moved slowly. The hunters approached us with eerie smiles plastered across their faces as if they had cornered us exactly where they wanted us. I bit down on my lip, suppressing a groan, while Slade shielded me and prevented me from moving forward."Stay back," he murmured. "They appear formidable."Of course, I was aware of that! I wished I could scream it at him. I wanted to shout that these hunters before us were not the same ones we had encountered on previous occasions. They were doubly stronger, emitting a completely distinct scent, not to mention the crazed expression etched onto their faces."What should we do?" I asked, my fingers twitching and my palms growing clammy. I tightly gripped the hilt of my dagger, clenching my teeth as I contemplated the potential attacks I could launch, all of which could still go awry."We fight," Slade said slowly.Noddi
Winter's POV:We ran tirelessly through the seemingly endless forest, leaping over fallen logs and avoiding reptiles lurking beneath our feet. Although I couldn't see them clearly in the darkness, I could feel their presence as my combat boots brushed against their scaly skin, and their hisses filled the night air. The moonlight cast flickering shadows, making it difficult to discern between reality and imagination. Holding Slade's hand tightly, I relied on his guidance to navigate the treacherous terrain.My heart thumped in my chest, a constant reminder of the imminent danger surrounding us. Adrenaline surged through my veins, urging me to keep pushing forward. Each step I took was a battle against fear and instinct, tempting me to succumb to panic. But I couldn't afford to falter. Not now.As we reached the heart of the woods, Slade abruptly halted, pulling me back as I raced past him. I gasped for breath, my chest heaving, and approached a birch tree, but Slade's firm grip prevent
WINTER'S POVTWO DAYS LATERThe moon hung high in the night sky, casting an eerie glow over the surrounding forest. The anticipation among the Moonstone pack members present was palpable; their breaths came out in shallow huffs as they crouched low to the ground.It was hunting season, and today marked the Moonfest, as it was often called in the Moonstone pack. It was the Hunters Moon festival, and it was a time which happened every October after the harvest moon disappearance. The hunter's moon was the first full moon to have appeared this month, and the festival was a thrilling and transformative nighttime event that showcased the werewolves' connection to the moon and their hunting prowess. I didn't know how it was done in other packs, but Traditionally, only the Deltas and Etas, the warriors of our pack, were allowed to participate. However, Slade's arrival changed everything.Today, we were embarking on something different. Instead of limiting participation to the Deltas and Eta