WINTER POVMy eyes stayed glued on Britney as Slade's mother got closer.Right now, I noticed some of the things happening had gotten the attention of some pack members, although none of them lingered for long since they knew the consequences of eavesdropping-cleaning the stables. (And the stables were one place no one liked to go. Although the horses were used seldomly, it was challenging to clean their dung and take care of them.)Regardless, what was happening concerned everyone, and I didn't think Slade would punish anyone for it."Gather everyone now for a brief meeting," Slade instructed Jude, walking to his mother."What are you doing, mom?!" He whispered, trying to drag her away, but Denise yanked her hand from him."I should be asking you that, son!" She snapped. "How dare you agree to what the seer says? Did your new Luna force you into doing it? You know, it's why I was not too fond of the first bítch because you don't have a mind of your own. I thought I succeeded in break
SLADE POVBritney was back again with her whiny attitude. Even though I had seen her, I pretended not to notice her. I hoped that by ignoring her, she would disappear from my sight after the threat she had made the last time. However, seeing her again made me furious.Despite my frustration, I didn't want to take it out on her or anyone around me. The seer's prophecy and the affair of the pack occupied my mind. The fact that we didn't know when the next attack would happen was unsettling, but it wasn't the only thing on my mind. The plague was also a concern.I wondered how long we could hold out without a cure. Looking at Winter, I didn't know when she would gain her powers.I realised that Winter needed my help, especially since she had mentioned seeing the goddess Selene, who had referred her to her mother. Winter seemed reluctant to involve her mother in any way, and I didn't blame her for that. But I knew it was essential to put aside personal differences and work together to hel
WINTER POVI stepped through the large gate, inhaling the gentle wind that glided around me. It whipped my hair around my face as I smiled at the butterflies dancing around the small garden close to the entrance of the Royal Moon place.The smile vanished almost immediately, as the butterflies did. Had I imagined seeing them? I didn't know, but the garden was void of butterflies, and worse was, no flowers that could attract any there.I rubbed my clammy palms against the dress I had donned before walking further. It was strange to be back in the Royal Moon pack after two years, even stranger as the usual chattering was absent.Yet, what mattered was I was home. I had the whole time to do what I wanted before I returned. I couldn't let Slade and the Moonstone pack members who had looked up to me down. I needed to get what I was here to do over with and return as soon as possible.It was only a matter of time before the plague took over the whole pack. Another of my patients had worsene
WINTER POVMy mother stared at me blankly for a while, I wondered if she heard me, and I decided she didn't as I received no response.I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off."A-are you certain?" She asked, blinking several times in rapid succession as if trying to clear her vision.Breathing out, I nodded. "I am."After another minute, she walked over to me and pulled me into her warm embrace. "Oh, Winter!"Her voice quivered, and her body shook with a sob.I felt a sudden burst of energy at the contact. It was the first time in a while we'd be embracing, and I had never felt this much energy before until now."Does that me you're helping me?" I asked, unsure of what was happening.My mother stepped back, breaking the connection between us.She ignored my questions and stared at my father. No words were said between them, but I sensed a secret kind of conversation was done; I guess they mind-linked each other because my father nodded.Mother tossed Kendall one last glance bef
WINTER POV"Do it! Do it! You can!" The voice in my head urged."Winter, it's your responsibility....!""No!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "No, no, no, no!" Gripping my head between my palms, I shook it several times as tears blinded my vision.I stumbled and gasped, blinking back the haziness from my eyes to see where I had slammed my foot into. A large rock was before me, unlike anything I had seen before. It was golden and blue, and I noticed some inscriptions on it.Squinting, I crouched to assess what was on it. "The task has been given to you by me. Are you trying to run away from it?" I read out loud. My eyes widened, and I looked around as I felt a strange presence, almost like the goddess Selene was nearby. I shuddered as the calm wind caressed my skin, and I bit my lower lip."I'm not trying to run, but I do not know what I am supposed to do. My mother isn't much help either!" I said, hoping the stone would reply to me. I knew it was insane to communicate with a rock, but I c
SLADE POVON THE SAME DAY,I was interrupted by a persistent knocking on my door."What?!" I snapped back, irritated. It continued for another minute until I stood up from my swivel seat to answer it.Opening it, I scowled. "You better have a damn good reason for disturbing me right now!""I-It...!" Declan wheezed, clutching his chest."Where's Alex? I asked, peering behind him. "I asked both of you to report to me," I demanded. "And why are you breathing as if you've just been chased?""Alex... He's been captured!" Declan choked out. "I tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them!""Who are they? What the hell are you talking about?!" I asked, frustration bubbling up inside me."Before we got to the Moon Howler pack, we were attacked. Alex and I did our best to protect Lady Britney, but they were too strong." Declan explained, his words becoming clearer.It was clear that they had been attacked. The angry mark on his cheek and the blood oozing from a cut on his head was
SUMMER'S POV(The Same Day, at night, in the forest Daniel and Damien had sought refuge in. It was still in Copperborrow, but not many Werewolves who belonged to a pack visited there because it was a popular spot for rogues Werewolves.)Strange scents invaded my nostrils as I hobbled towards the hut. Though it didn't seem far, my wounded leg made the journey feel impossible.I pushed myself forward, trying to ignore the pain, but it was too much. Groaning, I stumbled towards an oak tree and collapsed against it, gripping my injured leg and gritting my teeth.Surviving the earlier attack by the hunter had been a close call. I could have easily lost my life, but the goddess had shown me mercy. Even the ring had failed to work, or perhaps I had not performed the spell correctly.Sighing heavily, I tried to recall why I was heading to the hut, despite Damien and Daniel's warning to stay away. They had made it clear that they didn't want to see me again after the mission in the Moonstone p
SUMMER POVI stared in horror as Damien stepped towards him too. Daniel and Damien rounded the hunter, preparing to fight. They were not joking, despite what I wanted to believe. It was real—the scowl on their faces and the determination said it all.Daniel gripped the T-shirt he donned, ripping it off his body. He snarled, tilting his head high in the sky, and let out a howl. Damien did the same, but he didn't rip his cloth off.The hunter let out a burst of laughter which turned hysterical. He spoke gibberish, and I could barely make out any words he said. The only thing I heard was "kill." I never knew the hunters spoke a different language. I had thought they were all English speakers.Now, it would be hard to negotiate with someone who didn't even know basic English and whose instincts were feral.After watching for a few seconds, which made me feel pretty useless, I stumbled towards them and murmured, "I'll fight too.""No one asked you to butt in," Damien tried to shove me, but
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