CHAPTER 16: Potion Making Pyra’s POV My mind drifted into the far distance, further than I ever thought. It was consumed by so many thoughts, but few stood apparent, threatening to destroy whatever sanity I had left: the mysterious figure in the restricted west wing. What was it? Why did it show me those visions? What was the blood war? And why were there so many deaths? And why did it call me by that same name that has been called by that red-headed man in my dream, always? Why does everything feel so mysterious? Rhaella! That name. Who does it belong to? Maybe, just maybe, the red-headed man in my dream is the same as that cloaked figure in red in that west wing. That could only be the explanation, right? Questions racked in my mind, threatening to explode the little sanity I had left as I was lost in thought, unaware of my surroundings. I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder, but I didn’t react to it. I was too engrossed in my mind-questioning to reply. “Pyra…”
CHAPTER 17: The Flicker Luna Verona’s POVI walked towards them as they stood dressed in white overalls. Their heads were slightly bowed to show respect and their hands which were covered in white latex gloves, clasped in front of them. One thing I hate about hospitals is the smell of medicines, antiseptics and the cries of infants; they reminded me of my dilemma. But, I had to be present today to be certain that Pyra was in the hospital, working and being useful. I was informed by Thane on how she saved the life of a warrior poisoned. I was surprised but it still didn't quench the suspicions I have of her. “As you may,” I told them.They both turned to their respective posts, mixing herbs and recording figures on their clipboards. I saw how Pyra effortlessly followed up with the instructions given by Veronica. The way she handled the tubes and how she twirled a bottle around to examine a potion intrigued me, like she had worked here for a very long time.“I see you have taken a
CHAPTER 18: The Council Meeting Luna Verona’s POVAs I walked the halls leading to the conference room, I stopped, causing Beta Thane to halt abruptly behind me. “Thane?” “Yes, my Luna,” he answered, his voice laced with concern and confusion. With my back to him, “If you ever interrupt me like that again, I will have your head.” I turned my face to look him in the eyes in which he averted his gaze immediately, “Am I clear?” I asked.“Yes, my Luna.” “Good.”The large doors to the meeting conference room opened as I got a few feets to them. I swept into the council meeting, my head held high as my presence commanded respect and silence reigned the room immediately.My eyes swept through the nine men each seated around the large table, scrutinizing and daring any of them to demean my power. The men all rose to greet me, their faces a mix of respect, and inches into their wrinkled faces was wariness. They should be worried, for I will never heed their demand and let someone take wh
CHAPTER 19: A Crimson Throne And Crimson EyesPyra’s POV"That was intense," Veronica said, cutting my train of thought. “Uh-huh, Yeah...” I trailed off, my gaze still locked on the door where Luna Verona had just left.“Why was she staring at you that way?” Veronica continued, this time I turned my attention from the door and focused on her. “Yeah…” Was the only word that escaped my lips as I had a tough time processing what had just happened.Veronica gave me a look which I interpreted to be a ‘Huh’. “I know, right?” I muttered, my voice barely audible. “Ever since I came to the pack, Luna has been watching me so closely. I don’t understand.” I groaned, my shoulder slouch as I face-palmed. “Like, why put me in Beta Thane’s custody if she’s just going to trail me herself?” I was getting uncomfortable. Veronica agreed, her expression wary and concerned. "Yeah, that’s what I've noticed too, Pyra. It's weird, actually really weird. Anyone who ever comes to the pack, even the royal
CHAPTER 20: I Command The WindLuna Verona’s POV:I slowly stood up from my seat, walking closer to the large window that oversees the whole Pack’s fields that stretched for miles. Momentarily, I caught a glimpse of red hair before it was gone. I shook my head slightly, clearing my eyes before I caught it again. The mop of red hair that sat on her beautiful delicate face. I was silent as I watched Pyra walk hand-in-hand with Veronica, the potion-maker, to where I could only assume was the infirmary. "To believe what, Minister Elias?” He was about to speak but I stopped him again, losing interest in whatever he wanted to say and instead, focusing on one thing in mind. "Any news about my mate, Minister?" I asked my voice firm but laced with a hint of desperation. I had ordered them to keep searching. They said he was dead but I haven’t felt our connection break. It was still there, small and barely above a spark but it was there. I believe he might be alive, somewhere, despite ev
CHAPTER 21: Bad BoyAlpha Maverick’s POV:I stood at the edge of the grand balcony, overlooking the moonlit courtyard of my pack’s stronghold. I could feel the cool night air carrying the scent of damp wet earth, the sound of crickets and other night creatures present. It was truly a remarkable sight to behold. But my mind wasn’t focused on its beauty and serenity. I gazed into the darkness, my mind plagued with the thought of one redhead—Pyra. It has been four weeks that leisurely passed since she vanished, only leaving sweet whispers in her wake after her departure. There have been rumors, but I seized it immediately when it started. No one in the pack knew that I had rejected Pyra, or even that Pyra was my mate, and I intend to keep it that way. No one has to know I was mated to a slave. I wanted to hate her, really. But the mere thought of seeing her again made my heart grow fonder. I had secretly tasked my beta, Derick, with finding her, but so far, there was no sign.He ha
CHAPTER 22: Stunts?Natalie’s POVI smiled seductively, enticing him with all of my charms. “Hello, bad boy,” I cooed, hoping to spark some passion in his eyes. A passion I had so missed but disappeared ever since that bitch came into his life. I pushed my chest out, showing more cleavage through the small bra I was currently on. I opened my legs slightly, just as he liked it, and batted my lashes at him. I had specially dressed up for him. Or rather, undressed for him. I want him, and I must get him. No matter what it took. I seductively opened my legs wider, breathing heavily while pushing my cleavage higher, my legs stretching wider for his eyes to see. But as I locked eyes with him, intending to see that passion and desire within his orbs, I saw annoyance. And disgust. “What are you doing here, Natalie?” Maverick growled, his voice firm and tired, while stepping deeper into his chambers. He closed the door behind him in a loud bang before silence reigned in his chambers. “I
CHAPTER 23: In Fours She CamePyra’s PovI stood in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by an endless expanse of dark, misty mountains that seemed to have no end nor beginning, stretching out as far as my eyesight could go. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying yellow leaves, and the faint moonlit cast an eerie shadow on the ground. But what was most shocking was the color cast by the moon; instead of a silvery white color, it was a pale red, the color of Crimson that shone, casting everything its light laid in a bath of red. I glanced around nervously, my eyes darting around in fear. “What is this place,” I whispered, but the sound of my voice was swallowed in by a familiar silence. I couldn’t hear my own voice again; its echoes were completely gone. “How did I get to this place ?” I stood there, frozen in uncertainty. The mist surrounding the place began to spread, swirling around me, forming tendrils of vapor that curled around my ankle like ethereal finger
CHAPTER 99: Friends Pyra’s POV:It had been two weeks since I’d confessed to Luna Verona that Alpha Maverick was the father of my unborn children. To my surprise—and of course, relief—she had promised to keep the revelation between the two of us, honouring my plea for secrecy. She had probed for more details about how the event went, wanting to know everyone to the point where I was found by the shore, but I had refused to say much, unwilling to relieve the pain of my past. But after some persuasion, I told her most of it. Now, nestled in the luxurious penthouse, while lying on an impossibly soft bed I’d never dreamed of, I found myself struggling with a different kind of burden. The doctors, along with Madraya, had insisted on strict bed rest. “It’s for the health of the babies,” they said. While I appreciated the care, I couldn’t help but feel restless.I glanced at my protruding abdomen, now noticeably larger than it was before. I couldn’t believe just how much I’d grown in just
CHAPTER 98: End The Bad BloodMaverick's POV:“This is something we should have done a long time ago, Maverick.” Mother’s voice followed after the initial silence. “Collaborating with the FireHeart pack and joining our forces as one should have been our first and top priority; maybe none of this would have happened.”I sighed, instinctively rubbing my palm over my face in frustration. As much as I would hate to deny it, my mother was telling the truth. It was all my fault. If I had not been too stubborn, too headstrong to believe I could handle everything in and out of my pack, then those wolves, or if I could even call them that, would have been stopped. I fear we are too late now. “But there’s bad blood between our opposing pack, Luna.” Derick’s worried voice pierced through as the ministers who sat around the meeting room all nodded in agreement, most whispering amongst themselves. “It’s been far too long. Our pack would speak to them now, since after the Great War, spark their in
CHAPTER 97: No Death ScareThird person’s POV:The laboratory was still filled with tension and the smell of chemicals and antiseptic. Alpha Duncan laid rigid on the edge of the examination table, his teeth gritted against the waves of pain that surged through his body. His normally imposing and staring frame was slumped, weakened, his healing slower than expected. The Crimson’s power still eluded him.Alpha Duncan turned to Caspien who watched his father with curious eyes. “There is someone I have kept locked up in the car’s trunk. Get him out.”“Father,” Caspien began, his voice hesitant and brows furrowed from the strange command, “What kind of—“ Duncan cut him off with a guttural growl, his voice commanding and unyielding. “Do as I say, Caspien. Now.”Caspien’s jaw tightened, but he nodded, his defiance swallowed by duty. He turned and left the lab, his boots crunching against the steel ground before exiting to the gravel path outside. The forest surrounded the facility, dense a
CHAPTER 97: No Death ScareThird person’s POV:The laboratory was still filled with tension and the smell of chemicals and antiseptic. Alpha Duncan laid rigid on the edge of the examination table, his teeth gritted against the waves of pain that surged through his body. His normally imposing and staring frame was slumped, weakened, his healing slower than expected. The Crimson’s power still eluded him.Alpha Duncan turned to Caspien who watched his father with curious eyes. “There is someone I have kept locked up in the car’s trunk. Get him out.”“Father,” Caspien began, his voice hesitant and brows furrowed from the strange command, “What kind of—“ Duncan cut him off with a guttural growl, his voice commanding and unyielding. “Do as I say, Caspien. Now.”Caspien’s jaw tightened, but he nodded, his defiance swallowed by duty. He turned and left the lab, his boots crunching against the steel ground before exiting to the gravel path outside. The forest surrounded the facility, dense a
CHAPTER 97: No Death ScareThird person’s POV:The laboratory was still filled with tension and the smell of chemicals and antiseptic. Alpha Duncan laid rigid on the edge of the examination table, his teeth gritted against the waves of pain that surged through his body. His normally imposing and staring frame was slumped, weakened, his healing slower than expected. The Crimson’s power still eluded him.Alpha Duncan turned to Caspien who watched his father with curious eyes. “There is someone I have kept locked up in the car’s trunk. Get him out.”“Father,” Caspien began, his voice hesitant and brows furrowed from the strange command, “What kind of—“ Duncan cut him off with a guttural growl, his voice commanding and unyielding. “Do as I say, Caspien. Now.”Caspien’s jaw tightened, but he nodded, his defiance swallowed by duty. He turned and left the lab, his boots crunching against the steel ground before exiting to the gravel path outside. The forest surrounded the facility, dense a
CHAPTER 96: A New SourceThird person’s POV:Caspian paced the pack’s common room, his restlessness was evident in every taut movement he made. The common area was filled with silence and tension as everyone waited. Warriors sat or stood in small groups, their gazes flickering toward the door every second with anticipation. Four hours. A whole four hours had passed since their Alpha had left without a word to Caspien or anyone, and every minute stretched endlessly.“Where is he?” Caspian muttered, his voice low and simmering with frustration. “It’s been hours, and he hasn’t returned.” His patience was wearing thin, his worry masked by irritation. After he came back from his successful mission, he expected to see his father waiting for him. Beta Alaric, leaning against the wall with arms crossed, turned to him. “Patience, boy,” he said with a calm authority that only deepened Caspien’s scowl. “Our Alpha wouldn’t delay unless it was necessary.”Boy? That single word was like a spark
CHAPTER 95: Kicks Of JoyPyra’s POVI was still shaken a bit from the events of the day as I stood in the throne room, the air thick with the lingering echoes of the Wanderer. Madraya stood beside me, her voice a soothing balm against the storm inside.“Do not stress, Pyra,” she murmured, her hand rubbing gentle circles on my back. “You need rest. Such stress isn’t good for your unborn children. Remember, the gestation period of crimson wolves is far shorter.”Her words caught me off guard, my brow furrowing in confusion. She must have seen my confusion and furrowed brows as she smiled, explaining further. “It takes five to seven months for crimson wolves,” she continued, her tone soft. “And you’re already five months along.”I blinked, processing her revelation. “But I don’t feel like I’m close to giving birth. I’m not even that big.”Madraya smiled faintly, “Things are strange now, child. The awakening of a crimson wolf is something I can never understand, for it shifts everything.
CHAPTER 94: A Different AlphaMaverick’s POV:“Hey, hey, wake up.” I rushed over to Natalie, shaking her shoulder. She must have fallen unconscious after I faced off that mysterious man. Natalie twitched, groaning slightly. Her head shifted to the side as her eyes fluttered open, unfocused. “Huh-uh?” She murmured incoherent words, her words a slurry of confusion. She squinted at me, before her eyes darted around the destroyed penthouse, to the window and back to meet my gaze. “W-where’s the bastard?” She asked, her temple stained with blood, a thin crimson trail tracing the curve of her cheek. “Gone,” I said firmly, gripping each side of her face. “Are you okay?” I asked, feeling her skin cold against my palm. Her eyes squinted, becoming even smaller, as if trying to make sense of me, of everything. “Maverick?” she gasped. A faint, bitter laugh escaped her. “So I’m alive. But you... look different.”“He must’ve hit your head pretty hard to say such a thing. I look the same,” I mut
CHAPTER 93: The Black Hood Attack Maverick’s POV My hands tightened on the steering wheel as the car sped through the emptying streets, the engine growling under the speed as if mirroring the chaos brewing from inside me. I could see the penthouse from this distance, and its destruction was evident even from the afar, but my focus was razor-sharp. Natalie sat stiffly beside me, her voice cutting through the tension. “Minister Blackthorn and Daemon are still inside.” I gritted my teeth, my knuckles white as I gripped the steering wheel tighter. I stopped the car as the penthouse loomed ahead, its once-pristine exterior marred by cracks and shattered glass. I didn’t need to ask what happened. The carnage spoke for itself. My heart slammed inside my chest, but not out of fear but out of anger. How dare anyone attack my private holding?! When we entered the building, it was unrecognizable. Furniture lay shattered, walls were gouged with deep claw marks, and the acrid scent of