THIRD PERSON'S POV The members of the Crescent Moon pack were done. They were done with being used by a bigger pack in exchange for security. Not that they were enjoying the benefit of this security.Alpha Harold was even more fed up. On top of his tiredness at the situation, he also felt incredible guilt. He was the reason his people were being debased this way. If only he had given it a second thought, then he wouldn't be in this position. At fifty-seven years of age, he had been ruling the pack for over three decades. His pack was a small one, and he had never felt the need to expand. His people were not complaining. They thrived, and they trusted his leadership. His family had been the ruling family for as long as he could remember. His daughter's mate and husband, Oliver, would take over as soon as he was ready to retire. He was content with his idyllic life, which was why he didn't think to question his oldest friend, Aaron, when he brought him a contract that stated that the
THIRD PERSON'S POVAlpha Kane returned to his pack angry. They had treated him like nothing. They had mocked him as he was forced to sign an ironclad contract. Someone, no, another pack had helped them. He was very curious to know which pack had the audacity to help them out. He also wanted to know the quorum that signed off on the contract.They've clearly seen me as a weak man. That's the only reason they had for backing a small pack against him. He would show them all.He was not done with Crescent Moon pack. By the time he was done with them, their moon would become dimmed.They had dropped him at the edge of the border, leaving him to find his own way home. They didn't drop him near enough for his border guards to find him but far enough from their own pack.As he lay there, soaked in the blood of his men, he vowed that he would deal with them. He would avenge his men. He knew it wasn't because of the love he had for his men, it was an ego issue. No one messed with him and lived
ARIA'S POVLucas had increased my personal security details. I was used to having only Victor following me around. This morning, Brielle and I finally decided to hit the shops. There was a new boutique chain in town. We attracted many curious stares as Brielle and I came in with four huge bodyguards.“I don't like the staring.“ I admitted to Brielle. One of the bodyguards overheard me and suggested that he could do something about it.“Please, leave them be.“ I said hurriedly. Their instructions were clear. Lucas had told them to make sure I was never uncomfortable and that any harm didn't come to me. They weren't allowed past the waiting room before the dressing and changing room. I had to physically stand against them so they wouldn't follow us around while we were looking at the racks.“Why are you so unbothered about this anyway?“ I asked Brielle. She was not even looking behind her as she shopped happily. “About the bodyguards?““Yes.““At some point, I just forget about it and
LUCAS' POVDays ago, about three days after I helped Oliver and Dee out with their situation, he called me back to tell me that they had gotten rid of him.“It's as you said, Alpha. We made sure he wouldn't come back with his full army.““You know enough that this is the most vulnerable time for your pack, don't you? He might sneak back in other forms. Be careful.“ I had advised.“Yes, Alpha. We're going to be careful.“ “Good luck.““I do have a question, Alpha. Why didn't you want us to go to war with him?“I had to think about that before I gave him a response. “Given the way you described him, I thought he might want to completely destroy your pack. I do not want that for you...““I thought about it too, Alpha, but something's not adding up. You asked us to be careful. Pardon me, but this is me being careful. I don't have any assurance that you won't turn against us or use this to get us in the same trap that we just left.“I had been mildly annoyed at his insinuation that I wante
ARIA'S POVI had just begun to fall asleep on his chest when he asked me that question. Irritation welled up in my chest, and I automatically felt the link between us shut down. Why wouldn't he stop bringing it up?It was even more ridiculous that he thought I still had feelings for Kane of all people. Yes, Kane had been the object of my affections for most of my life, but I was long past that. I had found out that what I thought was love wasn't it at all. It was only because I had never seen someone else to put my feelings on. For the most part, my feelings had been rewarded because the moon goddess had made us mates, but he had ruined it. His rejection had been my own gain because I found my true mate and a whole family that showed me true love and acceptance.“Aria, why did you shut me off?““Because I don't think I want you to see my feelings right now. I feel like you're going to misconstrue it.““What are you feeling?“ His eyes narrowed, and I realized that was the wrong thing
LUCAS' POVNow that I understood why Aria was so against the destruction of Red Moon pack, I was now in a dilemma. How would I ever explain that I had been involved with a partial destruction?When she hugged me in the middle of our fight, it had come as a shock to me. She was right when she said it was our first fight. I was glad I still didn't raise my voice. I had actually been too mad to raise my voice. She even had the audacity to shut off our connection.The hug had melted all the negative thoughts that had infiltrated my mind ever since she told me she had some sort of feelings towards her former love and Alpha.As I watched her sleep on my chest after she told me how kind the Red Moon's former Luna had been to her. I was glad she was practicing the trust we said we would practice with each other.Now it was my turn to do the same. I fell asleep with the resolve that I would tell her the next morning. She was awake before I was, and I could hear the sound she was making in the
THIRD PERSON'S POV “You are as useless as your b*tch of a mother. You can't even do one little thing right.“ Kane's father was a man who demanded perfection from everyone in his pack, down to the lowliest omega.The task he had expected his twelve-year-old son was to sneak into one of the smaller packs and plant in some materials that the council of Alphas had prohibited.His source of information had given him the wrong information, and he in turn had given his son the wrong information. The boy had been told to get to the pack at precisely eight. That was the time the guards would be doing a change in shift. He had approximately three minutes to slip into the pack and plant the content of the small bag he was carrying.The boy had dedicatedly trained for this small mission, all in a bid to win his father's love or, at the very least, his approval. A well-done would have done a lot for the little boy's ego. However, on the day, everything had gone according to plan until he had gott
THIRD PERSON'S POVMaria Greenwood rarely gambled wrong. She was always on the winning side. She also knew she would work hard to reach her goal. She was determined and hardworking, which was why she was such a great asset to the warriors in Moonlight pack.When she had first expressed her desire to become Luna to her squadmates, no one had refuted her. They knew there was no stronger woman in the pack.She was the topic of discussion this morning at one of the borders of the pack. The guards there were bored. Nothing ever happened out there, but they still took no chances.“Does anyone here think Maria will actually come back to the pack?“ One of them said, and another sneered.“Come back? She took the easiest way out. She's a coward, and if she knows what's good for her, she won't show her face around here anymore.““I don't think she ran away, though. She was likely captured and can't find her way home anymore.““Shut up, Ted. Everyone knows you like her. I would have been more su
ARIA'S POVThe dinner has to be perfect. Nothing must go wrong. "You keep stressing about it, baby." Lucas rasped from the bed. I guess my pacing must have woken him up. I don't know why I've been so snappy and irritable all day. I'm not one to snap at maids, but how hard is it to set the chairs at the right side? How hard is it to note down the number of chairs needed? It's very frustrating. "I'm not stressed. I just want everything to be perfect.""And it's going to be, baby. Come here to get some sleep so I can sleep. I have several important things to do.""What you're saying is this dinner isn't important?" The anger in me was rising by the minute. "You know, I've seen the way you've been nonchalant about this, and I get it, you're not the one bringing two sides of your lives together.""Whoa, whoa, I didn't mean it that way, baby." His gentle words made me burst into tears. "Come here, sweetheart." He pulled me under the covers, and I snuggled up to his warmth, which made me w
THIRD PERSON'S POV "Through her necklace?" Alpha Lucas wasn't sure if he was hearing correctly. He tightened his hold on his wife. He had first known that some people who could possibly be her parents were looking for her through Oliver. That was all he had heard before he told his people to go check them out. He just wanted to make sure they were not some weirdos or anything that could pose a threat to her at all. They had turned out to be real. This was the first time he was seeing them too, and he thought they were solid so far, but this necklace talk was bothering him. "How I found her was through a silent auction that was being held." Augustine spoke up. "It was a necklace I had when I was younger. It's a stone yin and yang necklace, see?" He showed them the one on his neck and produced a similar one in black while his was white. "Of course, it could be a similar one, but there was an old picture of us wearing it, so I took it to Mum for confirmation.""I knew it was hers the
ARIA'S POV The first thing that came to my mind was to hug the man in front of me. I don't know if I was in an alternative universe or something. I managed to recover my composure to raise an inquiring gaze."Luna Aria?" He said. His voice was deep and calm. Like hot cocoa in freezing winter. He spoke my name again and snapped me out of my reverie. The sound of my name coming from him felt wrong for some reason I couldn't fathom. There was a pull from him to me. I shook my head to get rid of the thought, and I realized that I had been staring at him, which was very rude of me. "You're talking to her." I said calmly enough to hide the tremors in my voice. I could certainly be an actress. He bowed lightly and introduced himself. "My name is Augustine, and these are my parents." Huh. Why can't I stop staring at him? There was something about him, and it wasn't even because of our resemblance. I hope I wasn't the only one that saw it."Can I come in?" He stared back at me with a quiet
THIRD PERSON'S POV What happened next was a blur. Zach could barely breathe with the bullet firmly lodged in his side. His life was flashing before his eyes, and he knew he had only a few minutes left to live. The blood had already seeped to reach his head. He could hear someone screaming, but it was distant.He knew he had to say something. Thankfully, Todd had come nearer to examine his beta. He didn't even know how to feel about the last two minutes. "Zoe was a spy. He was trying to help him take over the pack. He wanted to...""Stop talking, Zach. I'm going to get you help." Todd said and he meant it. There was no way he was letting him die. Todd bent over him and pressed firmly over his wound, but it was useless. He had bled out too much. "I'm not greedy, Alpha." Those were the last words he whispered before he gave up the ghost. Alpha Todd didn't have time to mourn too much because the cry of his youngest and favorite child rang out clearly.He looked up to find Augustina in
THIRD PERSON'S POV "I'm still a little bit skeptical about this Alpha's mental health." Alpha, Todd said to Zach. They both stood in front of the new glamorous pack house, waiting for the guest to arrive."It sounds insane in theory. You have seen the numbers, they're insane too, but we're both going to make a lot of money off it in the long run.""Yeah. I wouldn't have believed it if everything hadn't checked out. I guess we have a little bit of competition now.""What do you mean, Alpha?" "I sent out a messenger to slyly check on that pack yesterday to see if there's really a well and everything. He came back yesterday, and everything checks out. They do have a well, so yes, we have competition.""Huh. I didn't know you were sending anyone." Zach tried to keep his voice level so he didn't sound suspicious. "Yes, I didn't want to burden you any more than I should. I hope you find a way to resolve your wife's situation."He blanked for a moment before he remembered he was supposed
THIRD PERSON'S POV The next time Zach woke up, he was tied to a chair, and not one muscle in his body was working."Welcome. I was beginning to think you wouldn't join the party on time.""We had a deal." Zach managed to whisper. "You said I could trust you.""I didn't say anything like that, boy. It's not my fault you're so naive.""What do you want with me?""Oh. You're going to find out in a minute." Bart stood up from his chair and rounded his desk. "There's no silver, is there?""Isn't that obvious?" Alpha Bart laughed as if there was anything remotely funny about the whole situation. He cursed his own st*pidity. How could he believe something that st*pid? He would kick himself if he could move. "Of course, there's no silver.""I still don't know what you plan to achieve by holding me hostage here.""Plenty, boy. You know, when I first sent out that proposal, I told Gary here that there was no way we would get any response. You know what John told me?"A man snorted behind him,
THIRD PERSON'S POV Zach knew the plan was too good to be true, but he still couldn't help but pursue it. He knew he should trash the document and forget he ever saw it, but he had already made all the mental calculations in his head. They would make millions of dollars if it were true."Snap out of it, Zach. You know it can't be real." He kept telling himself but he couldn't help but open the document over and over again. He read the document over and over again until he could recite most of it by heart."This is crazy," he said to himself as he sat down to make a rough estimate and calculations. He took into account the manpower that they would need and how long it would take to have it running. By his rough calculations, the factory would be up and running in eighteen months, at most twenty-four months, and they wouldn't even have to spend one penny. That would also mean employment for the pack members. A second factory would mean more money for the pack. Maybe they could finally
THIRD PERSON'S POV Zach was aware of how much influence he held in the pack. There was nothing that went on in the pack that he didn't know. More importantly than all this, he was the Alpha's most trusted man and his right hand. He was in a delicate situation because he knew how deeply paranoid his Alpha was. If he ever got a whiff that he was plotting something behind him that might pose a threat to him or his children, he wouldn't even think twice before killing him.Not that he would ever betray the Alpha, he would chop off his own hand before he hurt the Alpha and his family. Zach was always careful of the deals he brought to the Alpha's attention. He would vet it about a million times before he brought it to the Alpha's attention.As usual, when another pack wanted to make a deal with the pack, they would have to go through him. Just last week, they had spoken about how they could move the pack forward. He had even been surprised that the Alpha was talking about new developments
THIRD PERSON'S POV Sixteen years ago, the lives of Alpha and Luna of the North pack changed. The North pack was the largest pack in the North, and there was only one reason for it. The North pack was the only pack in the North. They didn't start out that way. In fact, they used to be one of the smallest packs out of the ten packs that were in the North back then. Their name used to be The Bright Moon Pack. The Bright pack kept to themselves and managed their resources well. The Bright Moon pack was the only pack with high-level technology, and most importantly, their pack had a high concentration of silver. Silver trading was a major source of income in the werewolf world. Alpha Todd was wise, and he knew that this resource could become a source of misery for his pack. He knew how power-drunk people could be. Alpha Todd had to kill his own friend, his Beta, when he found out he was plotting against him. His friend's reason was that he was not monetizing their resources well. Alpha