WINTER POVI stayed in the dark corner for another minute before I decided to go back to the hall.I was glad no one had noticed when Slade dragged me there, and no one noticed we came out together. So I thought."So, you did it?"I flinched and swirled as Linda interrupted my thought."Fúck you, Linds!" I glared at her."That will be hot if it ever happens." Linda grinned. "But it'll be hotter if you do it with Slade. Don't you think so?"Shít!Did she see us?I glanced around frantically to see if anyone was staring at me weirdly, but I realized they were engrossed in what they were doing; dancing and discussing."Relax, Winter." Linda giggled. "To the answer in your head, I saw you. I saw when he pulled you in."I flushed and attempted to move away because I knew what would happen next. Linda would want to know what we did, and she'd prod me until I told her."I see you are flushed. So, I am right that something happened? Maybe not the séx part, but something happened."I glared. "
WINTER POVThe coronation ended with me still confused. Yet, I saw no one to help me with my confounding thought."Luna Winter." Lisa gushed, and I rolled my eyes.I didn't get crowned alongside Slade; my ceremony got moved to the next week due to the seer collapsing.But then, everyone already knew it was possible. I'd be Slade's Queen, and then the mating ceremony comes after it.I flushed, shaking my head at what would happen during the night of the mating ceremony.I knew it was the usual but different at the same time.I tried not to think about my body and Slade's naked and tangled underneath the duvet.I conjured a weird image of me bent awkwardly with my àss in the air while Slade lodged himself behind me... "Please, no," I mumbled, clearing my thoughts again. It would be difficult not to think about such, and Slade made it even worse by kissing me.The silent promises in the kiss made me tingle over, but I knew it was forbidden.He still belonged to another.I gathered the s
SLADE POVI was unnerved by the prophecy of the seer. And now, I met Britney being her bratty self.I heard everything that was said. Others might not have, but my hearings were sharper than most Werewolves because I was partly a lycan and partly a werewolf.I never believed Britney would show her face after telling her not to.I hadn't purposely dismissed her. I, in fact, wanted her to be part of the coronation ceremony, but she had cursed at me and threatened to disrupt everything.She had threatened to lie to everyone in the pack about me.And the lie was I had forced her to do things she didn't want to. She mentioned me promising her father by taking a blood oath to never replace her with another.A blood oath was known to bind almost anything with the help of a seer.I never took a blood oath with her.I wouldn't say I didn't have the strength to tell her off; I hated that she made me seem cruel.She made it look like I punished her whenever I didn't let her have her way.I was g
SLADE POV Ignoring the glare Winter shot my way, I stood to my feet."Where are you going?!" Britney yelled. "Don't you dare leave me in this room with her!"I walked back toward her and gripped her hand, helping her out of bed.Britney breathed out as soon as her legs touched the ground.Still ignoring Winter, ad she kept staring at me, I halted Britney as she was about to move out of the room."I'm sorry, Britney," I mumbled, pulling her into a hug."You've been apologising since. Is there Something I should know? You've never apologized for this long before." Britney hugged me tighter.I felt her tremble.It was as if she knew what would happen, just like how Winter knew.I shook away the thoughts of not going through away from my head.I was having second thoughts again. Just like the first time she had come to me, it was that instant I should have rejected her.I groaned and murmured, "I'm rejecting you.""W-why?" Britney stuttered. She abruptly disengaged from the embrace and s
WINTER POV How long would I blame my mother?I blamed her until I got tired of blaming her. She had messed me up, but she didn't care. She wanted me to do away with Slade like always.No one cared about my feelings. I had even tried to do away with how I felt and put others first, but it had been taken for granted.Slade had rejected Britney not only in front of the unconscious patient in the infirmary and me but also in front of the whole pack.I heard them the minute they stepped into the meeting hall. I wanted to make Slade stop, but it seemed he was in on everything. He had planned to reject her in front of everyone.I thought they'd part ways amicably. I was waiting for that, but I never imagined this would happen.Britney had threatened me. I wonder if I should be afraid or not. I had received a lot of threats from Summer, but this seemed different.I had seen the determined look in Britney's eyes as if she'd go on with it. She had made me look like a mate stealer, which was th
WINTER POV"Did you hear the rumours going around between the Alpha King and Beta's wife?!"I heard someone say as I rounded the corner.I saw a blonde with a red-haired standing by the entrance to the mansion.They broke apart as soon as they saw me and gasped."My lady!" The red-haired whispered. She and the blonde bowed.I nodded my head to acknowledge their greeting before walking in.I knew it would come to this. Since the Alpha fight, the rumours had never died down. And it always revolved around me, Slade, Damien, Daniel, and Britney.Ever since Damien and Daniel disappeared, the rumours about them had died even though there was some silent search for them.I doubted anything had happened to them. I presumed they left the pack, just like Slade had left.Daniel and Damien were automatically a rogue now. It was a rule never to leave a pack without the consent of the ruling Alpha, but they had left.No one knew.They would only escape being rogues when they find a pack to join as
SLADE POVFuck!I should have taken her.Why the fuck did I hesitate?!Perhaps, I wanted her to come to me herself. I saw she wanted the same thing. I saw the desire in her eyes. She might deny it with her mouth, but her eyes were saying something else.Winter desires me.I glanced down at my pant and groaned at the bulge in it.Britney had never made me feel this way. She had never made me go out of my mind just seeing her naked.Goodness!Winter was perfect; her mouthwatering lithe soft curves, her pert breasts, which I believed would fill my hands when I cupped them, shit, her shapely round backside.Her nipples had pointed instantly as soon as my eyes stayed on them. I recalled seeing her legs tremble and how she had desperately tried to cover herself."I need a fucking cold bath." I groaned, stripping down to nothing.It wasn't my first time having such nasty thoughts about her, even when I hadn't seen her body.I guess I know the reason Damien was unwilling to let her go. Perhap
WINTER POVI flushed again as his eyes narrowed on mine. I wouldn't say I liked the way he was staring at me.I thought back at how he had looked at me lustfully, and now he was in nothing but a towel.Why do I keep meeting him in this manner? All that I had rehearsed and wished to say to him had evaporated from my mind. I could only think about his solid naked torso.I swallowed hard and murmured, "Can you put something on?""Does my body bothers you?" He asked, and I nodded.Without any more questions, Slade walked to the wardrobe, flung it open, and snatched a flannel.I was able to breathe again as I saw him put it on. For the first time, I glanced around his room.I hadn't noticed how dark and empty it was because I was hurrying to get what I wanted to say off my chest. I wanted to be fast with it and return to my room.It was my first time being here, and maybe it would be my last time, depending on what his answer to my question would be.I twisted my fingers as he walked towar
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