CHAPTER 49: Mistress Madraya Pyra’s povI woke up to a dense and heavy smoke engulfing my vision. I groaned, my head throbbing like they were about to explode, and as I reached up to touch it, my hands felt heavy, almost like lead.I shook my head, blinking while trying to clear the haze in my vision, but everything was still blurred. I tried to make out my surroundings despite the haze. I took a deep breath, and the familiar incense filled the air.I could make out the dim light from the candles as they flickered, casting eerie shadows that danced along the curtains. I shifted, letting out a small groan as I tried to push myself upright. “Oh, my goodness. Pyra? Are you okay?” Veronica’s soothing voice cut through the haze, filled with so much relief that it pulled me back into the moment. “Are you awake?” I blinked, trying to rub off the haze until my vision finally cleared enough to see her face hovering over me, scrunched up in concern. Her eyes scanned my entire body until they
Chapter 50: Confrontation Maverick’s POV:It’s been three days since I sent Minister Blackthorn to search. And for three days, there was silence, no words from him. I sat in my office, trying to focus on the letter I was writing to Luna Verona Fireheart of the Fireheart pack. The rumors of what had happened during their peace treaty spread like wildfire, and it was only fitting to send my condolences and wish the injured a fast recovery. Finishing the letter, I reached out where it was usually kept for my seal to stamp it shut, but my hands met an empty space I grunted, frustrated, as I bent towards the corner and opened one of the lower drawers to search for the seal. “There!” I muttered, but my fingers brushed on something as I reached for it. I bent lower, and my gaze locked on the stack of pictures beside it, the one minister Blackthorn had handed me some time ago. Curious, I pulled them out along with the seal. “Lyla,” I called out to my secretary as I stamped the letter, n
CHAPTER 51: Trust And An Affair Pyra’s PovIt was already late evening, and the night dazzled from the bright streetlight, the moon hung so dim in the dark sky. I rested against the window, watching the moving vehicles as they sped by. The unsettling silence between Veronica and me was palpable, feeling increasingly louder than the engine's hum. Since we began driving, I could feel her eyes biting into me, burning a hole in my side as she occasionally turned to stare at me. I didn’t bother to ascertain her attention, keeping my face turned away, pretending to be lost in the darkness beyond the window. “Pyra,” Veronica called, her soft voice tearing the unsettling silence. “Hmmm?” I hummed a noncommittal response, not in the mood to discuss and hoping the conversation she wanted to strike would end before it even began. “Is there anything you want to tell me?” She said her voice barely above a whisper. “No,” I replied, keeping my gaze steady on the moving ground outside. “You k
CHAPTER 52: Whisperer Billy Scott Maverick’s pov“What?”“Why would you even consider telling Beta Derick?” Mother’s voice was sharper than usual, her gaze unblinking as she watched me.I shrugged, not seeing anything wrong with that, feigning indifference. “Why shouldn’t it be? I trust him. He’s my Beta and my right-hand man. Isn’t that reason enough?”She didn’t respond immediately, her expression thoughtful as she continued to sit there. She looked kind of wary of something. I remembered how Derick had reassured me that rejecting Pyra was the best decision to make, that it would give me time to find a stronger and more capable Luna. To find my “true mate.” As he said. Mother turned to the door as though someone might overhear what she was about to say. She leaned into the desk, her voice low. “Listen to me, Son,” she said quietly, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. “This conversation stays between us, okay? No one—not even your Beta—should know of it. I’ve been noticing thin
CHAPTER 53: The WandererLuna Verona’s povMy hands shuffled through the endless paperwork on my desk, trying to get a grasp of what I was reading, but I couldn’t focus. My mind was tangled deep with thoughts of what Sir Wilson had revealed after he came back to the pack. Just who are these people—these red-haired beings? I thought to myself. “It couldn’t be possible. They couldn’t be… crimson wolves, could they?”No! This must all be a misunderstanding. Sir Wilson must simply be too scared to register what he saw, but I knew Wilson. He was a man of his word. He would never be mistaken, that’s why I trusted him. It must be true. The crimson werewolves. It couldn’t be. I closed my eyes, trying to think clearly. The crimsons have been extinct for as long as I can remember, except for my mate, the last of his kind. They had always been rare, the rarest of wolf-kind, born only in small numbers every century, each of them possessing immense power and mystery. Yet here I was, confronte
CHAPTER 54: Spilled TeaPyra’s povMy body stayed stilled as the car camped to a screeching halt, frozen in the middle of the road. Horns blared from behind as Veronica’s car blocked a line of cars, each one of their horns louder and angrier, but it was like Veronica couldn’t hear them as she didn’t even bulge, sitting there like she was in a trance.She stared at me with a widened eye, as if processing the bombshell I had just dropped. I shifted uncomfortably, trying not to meet her gaze as I glanced in the rearview mirror at the annoyed drivers pulling up. “Ummm, Veronica? Can you… umm… move?” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper, a part of me hoping she wouldn’t even hear me. “What did you just say?”I swallowed hard, barely able to breathe, feeling my pulse in my throat. Now I regret saying it out loud, but it was already too late. I couldn't take my words back. “I said I had an affair.” Her eyes widened as she searched my face as if searching for a hint of a lie, her
CHAPTER 55: Find The SeerLuna Verona’s povI watched as my office emptied, minister Elais walking out, his long coat sweeping across the polished marble floor. I let the silence linger in for a moment, feeling comfortable in the peace it provided before calling out to him."Minister Elais, wait.”In my words, he paused his hands on the doorknob. He didn’t turn; I needed him not to. I clicked my teeth, thinking deeply. “Summon the Ministers,” I commanded, my voice steady. “And…”“Find me the Seer, Madraya.”His body was stationary as he turned back slowly; one of his eyebrows raised in questioning. “The seer, Luna? Are you sure?”I didn’t answer him, so he continued. “For decades, her reputation has been in ruins. People are no longer certain of her so-called …gifts.”I gritted my teeth in annoyance with his questions, but I understood where he came from and his hesitation. “I know that. Her reputation is in ruins because I made it so. But this time, I need her. She must find someth
CHAPTER 56: Panic Mode Natalie’s povI watched in anger and embarrassment as Maverick left the chamber, ignoring me completely. Every deliberate step he took away from me felt like a slap to my pride, a heavy blow to my confidence. I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists as my claws dug painfully into the skin of my palm. After every effort, I had applied. After everything I’d done—every subtle and most obvious signal, every carefully chosen word—he dismissed me as if I were nothing. He knew what I was offering. I wasn’t playing games. My actions were clear, leaving no room for doubt, but he still walked away. The nerve.The utter disrespect. I punched the bed in anger, scattering a few papers across the silk sheets. They fluttered down slowly as if mocking me. My gaze landed on the photograph lying on top. What was he even focused on? A pile of stupid pictures? I picked one of the papers, studying it carefully. “Nah,” I threw it distractedly, but before I could turn my gaze awa
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