SLADE POV"How about we purify this room now that she's gone? We can ask the seer and elders to do it," Mother suggested, scanning the room before glaring at me."Why did you let her seduce you into sleeping with her here? This place reeks of sex! Britney was never this bad, and she never talked back to me. Now, I feel sorry for coming between the two of you.""Mother..." I muttered, but scowled at me and cut in."You always jump to her defence. Has she bewitched you into defending her? Did she threaten to leave you if you didn't support her?""Winter is the best daughter-in-law you could ever hope for. You should be grateful for the kind of woman she is. She's a healer and a wonderful Luna.""Why should I be grateful? It's not as if you met her when she was pure. She's been ruined, and I can't understand why you won't let her go..."I slammed my hands on the table, tired of my mother's nagging and, especially, her distaste for Winter."If you only want to say horrible things about my
SLADE POV I shuffled towards the infirmary, my thoughts racing with the upcoming battle. Slowly, I pushed open the door, revealing Lisa sitting by Jude's bed and administering medication."Alpha!" Lisa exclaimed as she noticed me. Then she furrowed her brows. "Lady Winter said you shouldn't be allowed to enter the infirmary. She'll throw a fit if she knows.""Would I be sent out even away from my pack? The fact that my mate doesn't want me around, and as the king, should I listen to what she says?" I retorted with raised brows."N...No....!" Lisa stuttered and added. "But Alpha, she cares about you, and it's for your good."Ignoring her, I moved closer to Jude. "How is he?""He's recovering faster," Lisa replied. "Perhaps in a week, he should be out of the clinic.""Good," I murmured. I couldn't afford to wait longer than a week to get what I needed from Jude. His recovery was important not only to me but to the pack as well.I had been planning to attack the Hunters, but everything
A WEEK LATER"How much longer do I have to stay here? Feels like an eternity," Jude complained."Just a little while longer. You're the first patient to recover fully," I flashed him a smile, but he winced in response."Considering the number of shots I got, I'd say it was bound to happen sooner or later," he said.I shook my head, knowing that my initiative made the difference, not his supposed ability.Despite repeatedly trying to call forth my healing powers from my aura, I had come up empty. It was as if nothing was left in me. After my attack on Summer, all the powers I believed I had vanished.For healing, I had to rely on herbs instead. I ground them up and concocted a mixture that I used on Jude. He was my first test subject, and I was relieved it had worked."This infirmary is giving me the creeps," he shuddered. "I never want to come back here again.""I hope you won't have to," I said, rubbing his arm before administering his final shot."Fúck, that stung!" he groaned, grit
JUDE POV (SAME DAY, AFTER LEAVING THE INFIRMARY)I dodged the blade that Jed thrust towards me, feeling the wind as it whizzed past my ear. Swiftly, I landed a sharp kick on his jaw, and he grunted in pain, spitting out blood."Fuck!" he exclaimed. "Good to see that you're still in shape, and the sickness took nothing from you.""It feels like I had the flu," I replied, grimacing at the bitter taste in my mouth.Although I could move around freely, I wasn't entirely healthy. Still, staying in the infirmary wasn't an option for me. Winter had assured me that I would be back in action soon, and I trusted her expertise."That's an awful experience I don't want to relive," I said, catching the bottled water Jed tossed towards me mid-air."I don't want to live it again either," he replied. "The last few days made me fear for my existence. I kept seeing people falling in and losing their lives. It wasn't a pretty sight to behold.""I'm glad you're back," Jed said."I'm glad, too," I wiped
SLADE POVI paced the office for what felt like the hundredth time, groaning as a fresh wave of pain shot through my head. The ache had been present intermittently for the past week, but today it had become unbearable. I kneaded my brows, trying to ease the discomfort.I had been dismissive of the pain before, believing it would disappear. But as I swallowed the pills I had taken from my desk, I knew I couldn't ignore them any longer. Werewolves had strong healing abilities, but sometimes medications were necessary for complete recovery.Despite my abilities, the past few days and the thought of losing Winter had made it difficult for my healing reflexes to kick in.Jude entered the room, snapping me out of my thoughts."Everyone's gathered," he informed me.I nodded, snatching my phone before leaving the office and heading towards the meeting hall.Winter was already there, and she walked over to me as soon as she saw me. I enveloped her in a warm embrace before pulling out a chair f
WINTER POVI turned around to face Slade as he slipped into the room."Why didn't you tell me? Why did you hide it from me and let me hear it from others?" I asked, my voice trembling with rage.After leaving the meeting hall, I returned to the room since there was nothing left for me to do in the infirmary. Ever since the herbs I had given to Jude had worked, I had administered them to the rest of the members, and they were recovering faster. But now, I couldn't shake off the thought of those who had lost their lives. If only I had known about the herbs from the beginning, maybe I could have prevented some of the casualties."I didn't mean to keep it from you. I was trying to protect you," Slade replied, his voice calm.I scoffed and scowled. "You call that protection?""I know you would have reacted irrationally if you had known about it. That's why I kept it from you," he explained."That's absurd!" I shoved my hands into my hair before glaring up at him. "How do you think I feel n
SLADE POVI sighed, tugging at my hair and pacing around the room. I had been doing this for hours since Winter had angrily left. I couldn't bring myself to face her, not after how she had spoken to me. I wondered if she would curse at me even more if I tried to make her understand.Part of me knew that it was my fault. I had been too selfish, assuming she would be okay with everything I said. I should have found a better way for both of us.My attention snapped to the door as the doorknob twisted, and Winter walked into the room. I jumped from the bed and rushed towards her. "Darling!" I extended my hands to her, but she walked past me, making me frown.Winter wandered around the room for a while before walking towards the door."Are you still mad at me?!" I shouted at her retreating form before exhaling in frustration.Using my super speed, I swooshed towards her, slammed the door shut, and nudged her gently.Winter gasped and glared up at me, clenching her teeth. "I told you to leav
WINTER'S POVI paced back and forth, my eyes fixed on the wall. Each time my thoughts turned to what had been happening, I clenched and unclenched my hands, feeling a mix of frustration and anxiety.Apart from the issues with the pack members, a week had passed since I rejected Slade, and he hadn't said anything about it. He stopped talking to me altogether, even when I tried to make small talk with him.It was as if I didn't exist, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was doing it to spite me for rejecting him. But then again, it was partly his fault for being so selfish.My mind returned to our last argument, and I couldn't help but feel angry. Slade never considered my feelings before making decisions. He was only concerned about what he wanted, even if it went against what we had discussed.I stumbled slightly on the carpeted floor and groaned before making my way to the bed. Collapsing onto the bed, I sighed deeply, pouted my lips and glared at the door. "Why isn't he here? What
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