Anita’s PovAs Beta Damian and I walked down the hallway, I couldn't shake the lingering thoughts of Alpha Hades.There was something about him that I couldn’t quite put into words. It was more than admiration. it was as if he embodied the very essence of strength and leadership that one might read about in ancient myths. The thought struck me suddenly: he resembled the gods described in books, powerful, untouchable, and revered by all who knew them.His wolf, too, was legendary, powerful enough to make his pack the strongest of all. I had heard whispers from the other pack members, tales of how his wolf could intimidate enemies with a single growl, how it moved with an unmatched grace and strength that left no doubt about who was in command. Even now, the memory of the power that radiated from him during our first encounter made my skin tingle with a mix of fear and awe.“A penny for your thoughts?” Beta Damian’s voice broke through my thoughts, bringing me back to the present. He ha
Anita’s PovAs Alpha Hades, Beta Damian, and I walked down the corridor towards the meeting room, a strange sense of comfort settled over me. Despite the tense moments earlier, something about being in their presence made me feel more secure. Perhaps it was the realization that I was slowly becoming part of this pack, or maybe, was it was another? Maybe not.But as I stole another glance at Alpha Hades, I noticed something that made my heart skip a beat. A small, angry red wound scar on the otherwise flawless skin of his neck, just below his jawline. The sight of it sent a pang of concern through me, and I instinctively reached for the small tube of ointment I always carried in my pocket.“Alpha Hades,” I called out softly, causing him to pause and turn to look at me with a raised eyebrow.“Yes, Anita?” He responded.I hesitated for a brief moment, but the sight of the wound encouraged me to continue speaking, “I noticed you have a wound on your neck,” I said, holding out the tube of
Hade’s PovFrustration simmered just beneath the surface, threatening to spill over any moment. The pressure was enough to make my blood boil. It was utterly infuriating— this mate contract.I couldn’t annul it right away, and that fact gnawed at me like a thorn embedded deep in my skin. Being confined to someone I hadn’t chosen, bound by a contract that felt more like a cage with each passing day, it wasn’t something I could tolerate.I sat at the edge of the conference table, staring at the phone in my hand. My knuckles whitened as I gripped it tighter, the screen illuminating with the contact information of the office responsible for the contract. Useless. They had nothing but excuses."Dammit," I growled under my breath.Beta Damian shot me a concerned look from across the room but wisely chose not to comment. He knew better than to interrupt when I was like this.I should be able to control this situation, but the system was tangled in so much bureaucratic red tape that even I, a
Anita’s PovThe door clicked shut behind me, and I finally let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. My heart was still pounding in my chest as the echoes of Alpha Hades’ stern command were ringing in my ears.I had caught Beta Damian’s gaze as I exited the conference room. He gave me a subtle nod of understanding, and I could feel some of the tension in my shoulders ease. At least someone in that room wasn’t looking at me like I’d committed a grave sin.Damian’s silent support was a small comfort, and I clung to it as I made my way down the corridor. My mind was racing, replaying the events of the past few minutes over and over again.I couldn’t believe I’d messed up so badly—bringing the wrong phone, accidentally reading a message that wasn’t meant for me, and then blurting out something so… stupid.I shook my head, trying to push the embarrassment aside. There was nothing I could do about it now. The only thing that mattered was moving forward and making sure I didn’t m
Anita’s PovThe warmth and lightheartedness of the dinner conversation faded as quickly as it had come. The moment I read the text from my mate, my smile vanished, and I felt an icy chill run through me. My mind started to race, connecting dots I had tried to ignore for so long.Martha noticed immediately. “Anita? What’s wrong?” Her voice was tinged with concern, her earlier playfulness completely gone.Zach looked up from where he was setting out snacks with his brow furrowing. “Yeah, you went pale. What happened?”I hesitated, trying to gather my thoughts, but the words tumbled out before I could stop them. “It’s… it’s him. My ‘cheap husband.’ After disappearing all this time, the first thing he texts me about is… a divorce.”Martha’s eyes widened, and she put her hand on mine. “That bastard! What nerve does he have showing up now, after all this time?”Zach, on the other hand, went eerily quiet, his fists clenching as he stood frozen in place. The look on his face was one I recogni
Anita’s PovEver since my mate rejected me, I had given up on the fantasy that a mate was meant to be my protector or savior. It was a harsh lesson to learn, but I had no choice. The bond that was supposed to be my safety net had unraveled, leaving me in freefall. The emptiness it in me left was so deep, but it wasn’t something I wanted to dwell on any longer. Instead, I had one goal after that fateful day: to secure a place in a pack. That’s why, when a stranger came to me, claiming to be my mate and offering marriage as a way into his pack, I agreed. It wasn’t about love or fate, it was for just survival.For the longest time, I had convinced myself it was a smart move. And it was, to a degree. Joining the pack had given me protection and a sense of belonging, though temporary. I played my role, kept my head down, and survived. But now, as I stood on the verge of annulling that bond, something felt different. I wasn’t scared. I wasn’t broken. I was ready to close that chapter of my
Anita’s PovThe clinking of glasses echoed in the small living room as the three of us—me, my best friend Martha and her brother Zach, sat sprawled out on the worn-out couch, our cheeks flushed red from the wine we’d been sipping.Martha was the first to break the silence, her voice cracking as she spoke, “Anita… I just—” She paused, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she looked at me. “Your life has been so hard… harder than anyone should ever have to endure.”I reached out, placing my hand on hers. “Martha, don’t—”“No,” she interrupted, shaking her head, tears now freely flowing down her cheeks. “Since your mom died… and then your dad’s remarriage… it’s been worse than anything I could have imagined. Worse than Cinderella, even.” She let out a soft laugh through her tears, but her voice trembled with the weight of the memories. “You didn’t deserve any of it.”My heart clenched. I had never liked talking about my father’s remarriage—it brought up too many painful memories. Mem
Hades’s PovI had dressed for a meeting that promised to be less than civil. The annulment with Anita was overdue, and as much as I wanted to be done with the pretense of our marriage, I knew I owed her this final closure. She didn’t deserve the tangled mess that had come with my title, nor the distance I had created between us.But just as I was preparing to leave my quarters, Beta Damian burst into the room, his expression a mix of urgency and hesitation."Alpha," Damian panted, holding up a phone. "The Moonshadow Pack has invited you to a ball tonight. The elders are going to be there as well."I frowned as irritation bubbling beneath my skin. "A ball? They really think I have time for that right now?"Damian shifted his weight, showing clearly that he was uncomfortable with delivering the news. "It’s the coming-of-age ball for their new Alpha heir. You know how crucial it is for you to attend. The Moonshadow Pack’s leadership has been unstable since their Alpha died, and the Luna..
Alpha Hades’s POVI couldn't believe what was happening. The man, Zoe, who had been stirring the pot, spewing lies about Anita, was now standing in front of me. His arrogance was thick enough to slice with a knife, but as I took a step toward him, it seemed to dissolve into something else—fear, uncertainty, maybe even guilt. The man was not one of us. I could feel it in my bones even as he had lied earlier. Immediately, I lunged at him, grabbing the collar of his shirt and yanking him up, his legs shaking defensively in the air. Looking him straight in the eye, I asked, "Who are you?" My voice sharp and low. "How come I've never seen you around the pack before? Are you even one of our people?"The man’s eyes darted around the room as if he were looking for an escape route. His gaze briefly met mine, but then quickly dropped to the floor. He stuttered, “I... I’m one of the people here... from the clan.”I didn’t believe a word he was saying. Something didn’t add up. If he had truly be
Hades's POVI could feel the pressure building inside me, my thoughts scattered, and my blood simmering with frustration. The walls of the office seemed to close in on me. At this moment, I feel like my head is about to explode. First, it was that damn woman causing trouble at the banquet, trying to disgrace Anita with her lies. Then, I had to face the elders—each one of them demanding that I divorce my mate. And now, the clansmen were at the door, shouting, furious, and demanding that I cast Anita out of the pack. How is this possible? How did everything turn into a whirlwind of chaos just because of one woman’s slander? My mate, my beloved, the one who was chosen for me by Moon Muse herself, was being torn apart by false accusations. She did nothing wrong. She didn’t kill her father; she didn’t start the fire that took the life of the old Alpha. But here they were—clansmen who didn’t know the truth, elders who were too quick to judge, and a pack that was ready to turn its back on
Anita's POVThe moment Alpha Hades' words fell, an urgent knocking echoed against the office door. It was rapid, insistent, and the annoyance it carried was unmistakable. Alpha Hades' expression shifted, a flicker of irritation crossing his features as he waved his hand dismissively, signaling Beta Damian to open the door. Beta hesitated for only a second before pulling the door open. To my surprise, several elders stood in the doorway, their eyes sharp with authority. When they saw me, their brows furrowed immediately, the tension in the air was thick. They exchanged a few brief looks before one of them—an elder with silver hair and a scowl to match—spoke, his voice deep with disdain. "Let’s talk about the conditions," he began, his eyes never leaving me. "What do you want to divorce Alpha and leave our pack?" The words stung, slicing through the silence. The question seemed so out of place, and yet, I knew exactly where it was coming from. The elders were clearly unsettled by the
Anita's POVThe air around me was thick with tension, with whispers, accusations, and the overwhelming weight of eyes that drilled into me like daggers. My throat was tight, and my chest ached as though a great weight was pressing down on me. I barely noticed when Amara stepped forward, her expression cold and calculating, her eyes fixed on me like a predator hunting its prey. I only had a split second to brace myself before the words spilled from her lips. "You were kicked out of the pack, then turned around and deceived Alpha Hades," Amara spat, pointing a finger directly at my nose. "Relying on your means to make him marry you. Do you want to ruin this pack again?"Her voice cut through the already tense air like a knife, sending a shockwave through the guests. The room, already rife with doubt and suspicion, erupted once again. The murmurs, gasps, and shocked exclamations crescendoed into a chorus of disgust. My heart pounded violently in my chest, and my breath came in shallow g
Anita’s POV The impact of my stepmother’s words was immediate and catastrophic. Like a bomb dropped into the heart of the banquet hall, the shockwaves reverberated through the guests, shaking the very foundation of what I had fought so hard to build here. The murmurs began like a ripple on the surface of a pond, but within moments, the room was filled with whispers, gasps, and unrestrained exchanges of questions. “What is Alpha Hades talking about? Has our Luna killed anyone?” “Wait, she’s the princess of that pack? Then why is she working as a rogue in ours? Did they kick her out?” The shock was obvious. Eyes turned toward me in disbelief, eyes that once looked at me with a certain degree of respect now clouded with doubt, confusion, and a hint of suspicion. The words my stepmother had thrown at us felt like daggers, and I could feel each one of them sinking deep into my skin. My body went numb, my heart racing as I tried to keep my composure. It was like the world was spinning o
Anita's POVThe moment my stepmother, Evelyn, and stepsister, Amara, stepped through the doors of the banquet hall, the atmosphere shifted. It wasn’t just the weight of their presence. It was the way the room seemed to contract, like air being sucked out of a space too small to hold it all. My eyes met theirs across the room, and a wave of cold dread washed over me. Evelyn, with her perfect but destructive smile, and Amara, who had a calculating gleam in her eyes that made my stomach twist in knots. They didn’t have to say a word for me to feel the venom they carried. Their gazes met mine, then swept dismissively over the other guests, as if we were beneath them. I swallowed hard, feeling my throat tighten, a cold shiver creeping down my spine. The murmurs around us began almost immediately, like an undercurrent that started low but quickly grew into something more dangerous.“This is our pack’s banquet. Why would Alpha Hades invite them?”“I heard the elder is pushing for Amara to
Anita's POVThe clink of glasses, the hum of conversation, and the low murmur of the crowd faded to a complete hush as Alpha Hades led me onto the stage. His hand, warm and steady in mine, was the only thing comforting me as I stepped into the glaring spotlight. The eyes of the pack were upon us, and though the room was filled with familiar faces, the weight of their gaze made me feel like a stranger in my own skin. I tried to swallow my nerves, but my throat felt dry, and my pulse raced faster with every second that passed.I could hear the shuffle of feet as guests shifted in their seats, their curiosity intense. The eyes of the pack, elders, warriors, and betas, all locked onto us as we took center stage. I glanced up at Alpha Hades, his broad frame standing tall beside me, exuding a confidence I could only dream of having. His expression was stoic, his features set in their usual hardened mask. But his hand, wrapped tightly around mine, told me everything I needed to know: he was
Anita's POVThe atmosphere in the makeup room had shifted from electric tension to something lighter. I couldn’t shake the memory of Alpha Hades’s kiss, and every time my gaze flickered toward him, I felt the heat of it all rushing back to me. He had this way of looking at me intensely—that made my heart race every time. But then, as if to ground me, he calmly turned to the makeup artist who had been standing silently by, waiting for him to give the go-ahead."Could you touch up Anita’s makeup?" Hades’s voice was low and controlled, but there was an edge to it, as if he was trying to maintain a sense of normalcy after the intimate moment we’d just shared.The makeup artist, a young woman with short auburn hair and gentle eyes, immediately noticed the smudge of lipstick on my lips. Her gaze flicked between Hades and me, and I could feel the blush creeping up my neck, coloring my face even more. It was ridiculous, but I couldn’t help it. The intensity of the moment was still so fresh, a
Anita's POVAlpha Hades walked toward me, his presence so commanding that the room seemed to shift with his every step. People around him, sensing the intimacy that was about to unfold, tactfully retreated, leaving us alone in the quiet of the dressing room. The air felt different now, charged with something unspoken, an electric tension that hummed beneath my skin. I stood frozen for a moment, unable to move, my breath shallow as I stared up at him. His eyes, dark as the night, met mine with an intensity that made my heart race faster than I could comprehend. There was a calm confidence in his every move, but something in the way he looked at me, something in the predatory gleam in his crimson eyes, made the space between us seem impossibly small. My pulse quickened. I wasn’t sure if I was more afraid or excited, but the emotions mixed together in a cocktail that left me breathless. As he drew closer, his hand brushed lightly against my back. The sudden coldness of his touch made m