Fern's Perspective Giovan's eyes hardened. "You're not doing that little tree," he said to me. Giovanni is my brother. I could feel our bond as fated mates, but I didn't want to accept it. Nuu-Chaah might have made a mistake pairing us. "Eight years ago, I didn't blame nor resented you when you couldn't do anything to help me when Alpha Dylan exiled me...." "Giovan, please. If we accept the bond as fated mates. Daddy will hate you even more! If he only threw you to the wall before, this time he might kill you—" "Don't turn your back on me the way our parents did, Fern," Giovan begged. He looked in pain. "We grew up together, Giovan. Half your life you were treating me like a sister." "Do you want to know why Alpha Dylan and Luna Cherry agreed to kick me out of Starsmoon Pack?" I shook my head and covered my ears. "Your father saw the way I look at you. He said that's not how a brother looks at his
Fern's PerspectiveGiovan slowly pulled away from my neck. Our eyes locked in."Who do you belong to, Fern?" He asked."You," I said. My inner wolf growled in desire. Something about Giovan attracts me deeply, I found his scent addicting, and my wolf now can't stand being away from him, not even an inch."Who?" Giovan asked again."Who owns you, little tree?""You do," I said again.Giovan pushed the hair off my neck, staring darkly at the mark on my neck. He draws a smirk."Do you know what else happens on the night a she-wolf was claimed by her fated mate?"I looked at his wound."H-How can we mate when you're hurt and weak?" I asked. Giovan lifted my chin, gently crashing his lips with mine."Part your lips wider, Fern," he whispered. I pulled away from him remembering something."You remember it now. Our first kiss," he whispered to me."
Giovanni's PerspectiveI came out of the tent after I felt Tobias' presence outside."Did you use the drug on her?" He asked. I shook my head and threw the small bottle at him."I told you I won't need this," I said. He looked over my shoulder."Is she in the tent? What if Fern wakes up on the way to Dark Howl?" He asked.I walked to the tent and he followed me."Get her. We need to leave the ground before someone from the Starsmoon pack comes to pick her up," I said to Tobias. He saluted to me.Tobias carried Fern in bridal style. His eyes popped when he saw the mark on her neck."Alpha what the.... did you do this? Were you the one who marked her?" He asked, further inspecting the wound on Fern's neck."Aurora will be furious when she finds out that you claimed Fern as your mate."I grabbed my shirt from the ground, "Aurora will understand. She knew that she was the one that I loved, and ma
Fern's PerspectiveI woke up to a searing pain around my wrist. I think I knew what was going on before I could open my eyes."Our mate betrayed us, Fern! They betrayed us!" My wolf chanted over my head, her whines torturing me."How can our mate do this to us after claiming us last night?""Stop calling Giovanni and his wolf our mate! He doesn't deserve to be called our mate, he's nothing but a mere traitor who had to use our bond to get to us!"I breathed deeply and opened my eyes.I pulled my hands only for the pain around my wrist to worsen. The silver chain hurts as if it was melting my skin and flesh."I can't believe that the shifter I once looked up to became a spineless coward," I whispered tugging the silver chains even when I knew that breaking the chains was impossible.I chuckled bitterly."He knew that he couldn't easily defeat me that's why he took the chance that I was weak f
Fern's Perspective"Arthur, take her down!" After I finished speaking, Giovanni gave me a cold look before turning to Arthur and commanded with a dismissive tone."Yes, Alpha, but where should I take her? The Luna Suite?" Arthur asked humbly, his head bowed, glancing at me briefly."The Luna Suite? Have you forgotten what I said?" Giovanni's voice was filled with anger as he glared at Arthur. "I said she was just the newest lowly omega of my pack."Feeling Giovanni's wrath, Arthur bent lower. "Yes, sorry, I understand, Alpha.""Take her to the basement, where she belongs, doesn't she?" Giovanni's tone became icy as he instructed Arthur. He then turned to me, his gaze obscure. "So, let's see how far you can go as the Alpha's daughter."With those words, Giovanni quickly departed. I stood there in silence, watching his retreating figure."How dare he make us live in a place like that, the damn devil!" my wolf howled angrily.I forced a bitter sm
Fern's PerspectiveI felt a surge of fear at Giovanni's words, but I didn't dare resist.Beta Tobias silently escorted a weakened Arthur out of the office.There was a click as the door closed again.I took a deep breath and glanced up at Giovanni; his eyes were inscrutable, holding emotions I couldn't decipher.Closing my eyes, I leaned up on my tiptoes and clumsily kissed his cold lips. When I opened my eyes, I noticed Giovanni's gaze had turned amber. Slowly, my kisses trailed from his lips to his neck.A startled scream escaped my lips as Giovanni pressed me against the wall, causing the pictures to clatter.His rough hands pulled my arms down, never breaking eye contact. With his body close to mine, I could feel his warmth, even the hardness of him against my thigh. Something felt amiss; instead of fear, I felt a strange longing.It must be the bond, I thought to myself.Suddenly, Giovanni's voice
Fern's PerspectiveMy heart shattered completely; the anger I had suppressed for so long finally erupted. "I'm a human being too. I have my own emotions and dignity! And you... you've likely never regarded me as anything more than a tool to get back at my parents! But let me tell you, this won't achieve what you desire. You're mistaken if you think that regaining the dignity you once lost in front of my parents can be accomplished by humiliating me! On the contrary, Giovanni, your actions only confirm why my parents were so furious the moment they discovered the fateful bond between us, because you're unworthy of their approval, not even mine. Even if you managed to deceive me into accepting you, perhaps your status as the alpha of the most powerful pack makes you believe you're above everyone else. But in my heart, you're still the same rogue my parents adopted."Giovanni clearly didn't anticipate such a strong reaction from me; his expression turned grim as anger flashed
Giovanni's PerspectiveThe night enveloped the room in darkness akin to ink, with moonlight seeping through the chilly chamber via the weathered stone windows. It cast a pallid glow upon Fern's face, her expression wrought with pain and helplessness. My punishment of her had just concluded, leaving her still bearing the marks I had inflicted. Fern lay still, her eyes closed, her frail figure almost blending into the shadows that enveloped the room.I reclined nearby, observing Fern with a mixture of emotions swirling within me. Memories from her childhood flooded my mind, memories of a time when she had looked up to me as her older brother. She had been entirely reliant on me then, trusting me implicitly. As I surveyed the scene, a pang of pity and guilt washed over me. Despite my best efforts to bury them, these emotions gnawed at the edges of my conscience, refusing to be silenced.However, any remorse I felt dissipated when I reflected on how all the benevolence ce
Giovanni's PerspectiveI sat in my office, a pile of papers stacked on my desk. But I couldn't bring myself to deal with them—my mind kept drifting back to her, Diana.She was like a riddle I couldn't solve. If she wasn't Fern, why did she look exactly like him? But if she was Fern, why couldn't I feel any trace of the unique bond that had once existed between Fern and me?I rubbed my forehead and then called Tobias. "Tobias, tell her to come in."Moments later, I sensed Diana standing in the doorway. My heightened hearing caught the sound of her taking a deep breath, trying to steady herself before knocking."Come in," I called, my voice low and firm.She slowly pushed the door open and stepped into my office. Her eyes flicked to the picture on the wall—the one of Fern and me, which I'd deliberately had Tobias hang there.I kept my gaze fixed on her, watching closely for any sign of a reaction, any hint o
Fern's PerspectiveThe morning sunlight streamed through the cracks in the curtains, spilling onto the tabletop and adding a touch of warmth to the humble cottage. Sleep still lingered on Daniel's face as he lazily rose from his bed, his eyes—so deep and dark, like Giovanni's—slowly opening as he gazed out the window at the distant view."Mommy, are we going to the market today?" His voice held a note of anticipation, and despite his young age, he always seemed older than other children.I smiled and nodded, a warmth filling my heart.Since I started working, I'd rented a small house near my company and began living independently with Daniel, despite my parents' strong objections. But I wasn't a little girl relying on my parents anymore; I was a mother now.Besides, after the day of my interview when I learned I'd be working for Giovanni's company, I'd worried that he might uncover Daniel's existence through his investigation of my background. That's why I had to leave my parents behi
Giovanni's PerspectiveI sat in my office, brow furrowed, with papers piled as high as a mountain in front of me. My fingers absently scratched across the desk, and my eyes occasionally flicked to the stacks of pending paperwork, but my mind was far from them.Ever since Diana joined the company, my heart has never been at ease. Every day, her familiar figure, always within my line of sight, seemed to remind me of a long-forgotten past. An unspeakable feeling, one that had quietly begun to grow, spread deep within my chest.I don't want to
Fern's Perspective"Diana, good morning." A clear greeting interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see the manager who had called my name and tried to offer a natural smile. She was my immediate supervisor, Marianne, and while she had a kind face, it was clear that she was not someone to be easily overlooked."Good morning, Marianne," I replied with a smile, doing my best to keep my voice steady.I then turned and walked into the office. Before me was a modern work environment: spacious desks, rows of computer screens, and neat shelves filled
Fern's PerspectiveWhen I got home, I sat at the dining room table, staring down at the newspaper in front of me while my mind wandered far away. Giovanni's face, those deep eyes, and the aura that surrounded him seemed to pull me back to a past I couldn't escape. I had been so happy to see Giovanni, to feel the way he looked at me, and yet now, it felt like a distant memory."Mom, how was the interview today?" Daniel suddenly jumped up from the couch beside me, looking at me mischievously.I froze for a moment, then forced a smile. "It wa
Giovanni's PerspectiveI sat in my spacious office, a mountain of papers piled in front of me. My fingers absentmindedly skimmed over the pages without truly registering their contents. Distracted, my gaze would often drift toward the window, where I imagined the bustle of the world outside. It had been a long time since I'd taken over the pack, and moments of inattention like this were rare for me.Today's meeting had left me drained. The pack elders had engaged in a heated debate over my decision to choose a Luna, knowing full well that some of them didn't want me to make a rational choice. As a werewolf alpha, I under
Fern's Perspective I sat on a couch in the office lobby, my hands instinctively tightening around the strap of my bag. My interview hadn't even started yet, and all around me, the soft murmur of whispered conversations filled the air as candidates discussed various questions. I stared at my phone screen, but my heartbeat refused to slow. Suddenly, I heard a familiar name. "I heard this company was founded by Alpha Giovanni of the Dark Howl Pack. In just a few short years, it's become one of the most influential companies out there," a girl whispered. "Yeah, I heard his business tactics are as ruthless as he was when he was Alpha of the pack," another added. "..." My heart sank, and in an instant, the murmur of voices around me faded. The name echoed in my mind. Giovanni—the man who had touched my heart so deeply, the man who had given me everything, and yet, had left me scarred. How did he end up here? This company was founded by him. My mind immediately flooded with memo
Tobias' PerspectiveMy gaze involuntarily returned to his stoic face, and a flicker of unease stirred in my chest.There I stood, half in shadow, my eyes fixed on Giovanni sitting behind the desk. His posture was as rigid as a stone, silent and solitary, blending seamlessly with the somber atmosphere of the room. The air felt cold, and his presence made the silence almost suffocating.This man—once my friend, once the leader of our pack—was now nothing more than an empty shell, devoid of emotion.
Tobias' PerspectiveI stood in the doorway of Giovanni's office, took a deep breath, and then knocked gently on the door."Come in."His voice was cold, with an undeniable air of authority.I grasped the doorknob and gently pushed the door open, stepping into the lavishly furnished office, its atmosphere chilled. The scent of paper and leather hung in the air, and sunlight poured in through the heavy curtains, but it couldn't dispel the cold silence that env