Evelyn’s POVI planted myself in place, my eyes trained on Hazel, and felt my blood begin to simmer. How dare she defy me! Why was she standing there laughing at me like I was some sort of joke? My wolf growled its agreement but I bit back a sigh and forced myself to calm down. I wasn’t going to let her see how much she was getting on my last nerve.I felt my hands clench into fists at my sides in realization that I was about to lose it. That I was about to scream and rage and yell at her.And then I heard footsteps behind me. Steady, sure strides.Orion returned from wherever he’d excused himself to, his tall form making it over to us in only a few lunges of his long legs.Both Hazel and I stared at him. Both of us smiled, happy to see him. “Orion,” I crooned sweetly, still smiling as my gaze met his intense black eyes. “I was just on my way out.”He no doubt felt the sudden tension in the garden, but other than raising a brow to know what was going on, he didn’t say anything to mak
Evelyn’s POVLeif’s face was hidden in the shadows as he turned to me."Punctual," he said. His was the voice of a smoker—low and rough."It's not like I have time to waste," I countered, fighting the urge to shrink beneath his looming shadow.Leif crossed his arms, his gaze cutting. “What kind of job?”I sucked in a breath and forced the words out. “There’s a girl—Hazel is her name. She’s new to the pack, and I’m looking to have her removed.”His brow rose fractionally before he laughed softly. “Hazel, huh? What’s she done to earn your wrath?”I didn’t want to say it—I was too proud to admit the truth. “She’s a threat.”“A threat?” he echoed, tilting his head. “What kind of threat?”“You wouldn’t understand,” I snapped, my frustration leaking out.Leif chuckled, obviously entertained. “Okay, but if you want me to box her… it will cost ya.”“I’ll pay. I don’t care,” I replied instantly.He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t even know how much I’m asking for.”“I don’t care,” I replied, rea
Author’s povLeif’s head snapped up, his interest piqued. He lowered his phone slightly, his lips curling into a small smile. “You know her?”The man snorted, grabbing a nearby chair and plopping down across from Leif. “Know her? Everyone around here knows her—or used to. She’s trouble, that one.”Leif leaned back in his chair, swirling his whiskey in its glass. “Go on,” he said, his tone casual but his eyes sharp.The man squinted at the photo on Leif’s phone again, as if making sure it was the same person. “Yeah, that’s Hazel. She was from the Shadowclaw pack, but she ain’t there anymore.”“Why not?” Leif asked, feigning mild curiosity.The man leaned closer, lowering his voice as if sharing some great secret. “Because she got thrown out. The alpha rejected her as his mate. Didn’t want her. Said she wasn’t good enough. Guess she couldn’t take the humiliation, so she made some trouble from what I heard and she got kicked out. Ain’t been seen around here since.”Leif raised an eyebrow
Evelyn’s povI paced back and forth in my room, the information Leif had found about Hazel circling my thoughts. A Shadowclaw reject—how perfect. How could she think she deserved Orion? She didn’t belong with him and his power. Not like I did, I was the daughter of the pack, she was a rogue, without a pack or a history. She was beneath me—and soon enough, Orion would realize that too.It was time for phase two of my plan. I had done phase one which was gathering information. Phase two was to execute.Evening had arrived, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before Orion would be in his study or somewhere around the pack.I looked at myself in the mirror, adjusting my hair so that every strand was in its place. A smile curved up my lips as I saw my reflection- confident, elegant and poised. I was Orion’s fated mate; the girl they had picked out for him through strategy and bonds. No she-wolf could take my place no matter who they thought she was.When I arrived at the pack house, I found Ori
Evelyn’s povHe looked around in shock as the words I had said to him started to sink into his head and I smiled. This was how it was supposed to be. He should listen to me and he should not listen to anyone else.I was so glad the part of hazel being from shadowclaw wasn’t a lie as I knew he would come after me for that one. As for the one of her being a spy, it wouldn’t matter now he knew she was from the warring pack.“Ryder rejected her once,” I continued, “but now he wants her back. And he promised that if she gave him what he needed to destroy us… he’d take her back into his pack and make her his mate.”Orion just stared at me, his eyes searching mine as though he was looking for some kind of flaw in my story. But I knew that there wasn’t one to find. Everything I had just told him was the truth, and now it seemed like the weight of that was finally starting to settle in for him.“You really expect me to believe that?” he asked, but there was no real strength in his voice.I str
Orion’s povI sat in my study, the quiet of the room not stilling my troubled thoughts. Evelyn’s words recurred again and again in my head, and every time they did they sounded less absurd and hit home with greater doubt. Hazel? Of the Shadowclaw pack? A spy? I felt sick at heart at the thought. I wanted to dismiss it all as a fit of petty envy—what else could it be?—but her words stuck too solidly for comfort.With sudden restlessness, I rose from my chair, too weary to stay where I was. The house seemed oppressively congested; already I needed air.My feet crunched against the gravel path as I walked, going nowhere in particular. The garden should have been a haven, but it felt more like a theater with each shadow a voice containing doubts and questions. Scent of flowers drifted into my nostrils with wind rustling through trees that shed their tears over the earth and moon.I just wanted to have peace and quiet in this place and make sure I was on my own. I didn’t want anyone distu
Orion’s povAfter staying in the garden for a while, I decided it was time to head in. I stomped my way in my room, shutting the door behind me and leaning against it as a heavy sigh escaped my lips. The dim light coming from the bedside lamp was hardly enough to push away the darkness enveloping my mind. The weight of the day’s events kept pressing me down and I couldn’t dismiss any longer the uneasy stirring of my wolf.“You know, instead of stirring within me like a shark below the waters, you can show up and tell me what you need. Maybe we can work on it.”A smoke appeared before me as my wolf appeared in its full size before me.If it wasn’t my wolf I would feel threatened as its size was massive and it didn’t look friendly at all.This was what people saw when they looked at me in my wolf form.“We need to talk,“ I heard his voice breaking through the silence of my thoughts.“Now I’m wondering what you want to talk about,” I rolled my eyes as I walked to the window to look out
Orion’s povI couldn’t argue with my wolf. Not really. As much as I wanted to tell Hazel where she could stick it after what Evelyn had accused her of, it was wrong for me to make a judgment about her blindly based on words alone.But the truth of the matter was that I didn’t want to confront Hazel and ask her about her past because if Evelyn had been right—if Hazel had been sent here intentionally—I didn’t think I’d be able to handle that kind of reality.I could feel my wolf’s presence retreating slightly, giving me space to think. “You’re stronger than this, Orion,” it said softly. “You’ve faced worse. You can handle this, too.”I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. Maybe my wolf was right. Maybe I needed to stop running from the truth and face it.But for now, all I could do was sit in the silence of my room with a mind full of crippling doubt, paralysing fear and overwhelming uncertainty.***I barely slept that night as I rolled out of bed long before sunrise, agitated in
Evelyn’s povA soft knock on the door made me jump, and my maid stuck her head in with a worried look on her face. “My lady,” she hissed, slipping into the room and closing the door behind her.I pushed myself up, wincing as I did so. “What is it?”She hesitated before speaking. “Everything is going according to plan… but the Alpha seems suspicious.”I sighed and rubbed my temples. “I know. He’s not a fool.”She nodded and stepped closer. “What’s the next step?”I took a moment to think, then a slow smile spread across my face. “Now we play the long game. I’ll make it look like I’m walking away… giving Hazel time to heal. But I’ll be close enough to strike when the time is right.”My maid bowed. “Understood.”I tossed myself back against the pillows, squeezed my eyes so hard that a few tears spilled out. I would be an angel in Orion’s eyes—for now. Hazel had made it through another day, but I wasn’t finished with Hazel yet.Orion might have thought that he could keep me away, but he w
Evelyn’s povThat morning, I felt ready for what was to come that day. I got up and put on something nice but not over the top, it had to be responsible looking and it was what I hoped Orion would think if he saw my outfit. In the dining hall, Hazel was already there eating and already dressed up.“Good morning” I said with a smile before sitting across from her.She looked up, a little surprised. “Good morning, Evelyn.” Her voice was soft, hesitant.I poured myself some tea and picked up a slice of toast. “So, are you excited for our shopping trip today?”Hazel gave a small smile and nodded. “Yeah, I guess. I haven’t really gone shopping like this in a while.”I chuckled lightly. “You should not be bothered about a lot of things. I’ll handle the cost. You should just give on what you need. Clothing, cute shoes and maybe even accessories.”She laughed a little, and I noticed she was starting to slowly let her guard down with me. “I just really need some casual clothes… or a few dresse
Evelyn’s povIt was late, the moonlight barely shining on the path as I headed to find Leif in the dark shadows near the edge of the pack lands. He was leaned against a tree, his arms crossed and his eyes sharp when he looked up at me. He must have sensed my seriousness because he pushed off from the tree to stand tall.“I need you to do something for me,” I told him.He smirked. “What now, Evelyn? Another one of your schemes?”I rolled my eyes. “Don’t act so self-righteous. You’re here, aren’t you? You know what I always call you for so don’t act so scared now. Listen, tomorrow Hazel and I are going shopping, and I want you to set up an attack.”“An attack?” He arched an eyebrow.“Yes, an attack!” I bit out. “Get some of your men—masked, obviously—and do it. Make it look real. I want her scared as hell, but don’t hurt anyone on our side. I’ll take care of the rest.”Leif tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes as he studied me. “And what’s your endgame this time?”I took a st
Hazel’s povI sat across Evelyn, gazing at my half eaten breakfast, trying to make sense of everything that happened. She was making an effort alright, but I couldn’t help thinking that there’s something more to this.“Hazel?” her voice brought me back from my thoughts.“Yes?” I said with a confused look on my face.“The food park. Would you want to go with me?”I blinked, not knowing how to reply. “A food park?”She beamed at me. “Yeah! It’s a lot of fun and the food there is amazing too. We can try different types of cuisines, maybe do a little bit of exploring while we are at it too. It’ll be good to…bond.”Bond? Right. That word, I wondered if she knew what it meant.To be honest everything within me wanted to tell her to get lost but I knew it would be rude of me to say that to someone who was trying to be close to me. She was trying to be nice and here I was thinking of how to be mean. I wanted to say no, that I couldn’t go, but I knew that I couldn’t do it.There was no excuse
Evelyn’s povThe moment I entered my room, I summoned my maid. She came quickly and made a little bow. “My lady?” she said, as she always addressed me.“Well, I want you to get something nice for Hazel this morning, chicken and peas, or whatever else she likes best.”I could feel the tension rise between us as the maid had not expected that from me.Her eyebrows rose, but she didn't say anything. "Yes, my lady," she said eventually. "And do you want me to prepare it with... the poisons or with anything else?"I narrowed my eyes at her. "No," I told her, just as firmly as before. "Not yet. Eventually, yes, but for now I need her to think I'm someone who cares about what happens to her... someone she can trust. I’m trying to lure her in so she can be on my side and not be against me. That way maybe we can be friends and I can show her that I’m not so bad.”The maid hesitated in a bow for a moment before she nodded. “I’ll see to it at once.”“See that you do.” I waved her away and watche
Hazel’s povI woke up that morning feeling intense pain in my stomach. If that was the only problem I was having then I wouldn’t complain, but to top it off, my head felt like it would explode from the thumping going on in it. I suddenly got nausea and felt like throwing up but held it back as I laid in bed.I winced in pain and put a hand over my stomach, willing whatever it was causing this havoc to subside.There I was, just closing my eyes to try and get the pain away as my head throbbed mercilessly when a knock came at the door. I groaned louder. I was not in the mood for visitors. Grunting, I pulled myself up from the bed and trudged over to open it, every step causing my headache to increase tenfold.A frown instantly formed on my face at what stood before me – Evelyn, all perfect smiles and sugary sweet expressions.The rage that filled me up that morning was nothing to write home about. I just wanted her off my sight and I would do anything to have her gone. “What do you wan
Evelyn’s povI couldn’t move after hearing that. I was frozen in my stead. My heart pounded in my chest in a furious manner as I held onto my stead and prayed for the best.She was pregnant? With Orion’s child? My head spun and each gasp became harder than the last as I sucked for air that wasn’t there.Before I knew what happened, I turned around and was tearing down the hall as I ran back to my room. “This can’t be happening,” I whispered to myself, feeling like my heart was about to beat right out of my chest. “No one is taking Orion from me—not her, not her child.” I paced across the room, my mind working at a mile a minute. This wasn’t a threat; this was an invasion. If Hazel thought she could come waltzing into my pack and take Orion was her man, she had another thing coming.My wolf started to bring up ideas.“Maybe we should shove her down a bridge or something. I don’t like to share.”But I growled. “You don’t need to tell me twice. I want her gone and gone for good. I hate
Evelyn’s povOrion was standing near the entrance, deep in conversation with one of the guards when I arrived back at the packhouse. His powerful aura dominated the space, but as soon as he noticed me, his eyes locked onto mine. I didn’t look away. Instead, I held his gaze until he started walking toward me with that same commanding stride that made everyone step aside.I sighed softly, bracing myself. This was going to be tricky.“Thanks for finally showing up,” he said with a frown. “What were you really thinking?”“My alpha, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said with an innocence as he growled and got close to me.“What do you mean by that?” He growled. “You took her to a club. You took hazel to a club without even consulting me. Why would you do such a thing?”I bowed my head, letting a subtle tremble creep into my voice. “Alpha, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I really am. Please forgive me. I don’t know it would be bad. I only wanted to bond with her in some way. Th
Evelyn’s povI swirled the drink in my glass, the golden liquid catching the muted light of the room. The music vibrated through my feet, but my thoughts roamed elsewhere. Where had Hazel wandered off to? Not that I cared—I pushed her from my mind and took another sip. She can handle herself.“Where’s your friend?” The bartender asked me as I shrugged.“How the hell should I know?” I asked as I took a sip of my drink. “She can get lost for all I care. This is a party. Maybe she’s somewhere else failing someone.”I was about to bring the glass back up when a figure slipped onto the stool beside me. My gaze flickered up, and for a split second, I winced before painting on a smile. It was Kael.His muscular shape had me turned on temporarily and if he wasn’t the beta I would have gone for him. But I wanted to have a partner who would be second to none and would be strong enough to make me higher than everyone in the pack.Being with the beta wouldn’t give me the same confidence as being