Denera“It’s just that there is something oddly familiar about her that I know. I could’ve sworn to have seen her somewhere.” I subconsciously said out loud.“Is that so?” Rachel questioned as we both stared earnestly at the portrait of the woman. “Yeah,” I muttered, picking on my nails as I tried harder and harder to pinpoint where I had seen this person or portrait from. The more I thought about it, the further away the realization was from me. Leaning in slightly, Rachel studied the portrait more intently. "Hmm, that is serious. As far as I know, this is the only existing portrait of the previous Luna. Perhaps you've come across some historical records or accounts that featured her likeness?" I shrugged, picking at my nails as I racked my brain trying to uncover the source of this nagging sense of familiarity. "I'm not sure. The more I try to think about it, the more confusing it seems to become."Placing a reassuring hand on my arm, Rachel offered a small, sympathetic smile. "W
DeneraI stared at my reflection in the mirror and I couldn't help the smile on my face."You look absolutely stunning," Rachel mused from behind me as two other maids helped in adjust my dress and hair into its proper position."Thanks to all of you," I breathed out heavily, finding it slightly difficult to hold back tears.The maid on my left paused for a moment, then leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper. "You know, we had to use an extra bolt of fabric to get this dress to fit your...generous figure." She punctuated the comment with a playful wink.Rachel burst out laughing, quickly covering her mouth to stifle the sound. "Hush, you!" she chided the maid, though her eyes were twinkling with mirth.I couldn't help but join in the laughter, the tension of the moment melting away. "Well, I suppose I should be grateful you didn't have to resort to sewing me into it!" I quipped, earning a round of giggles from the maids.The light-hearted exchange helped ease my nerves, and I felt th
DeneraAs Rockan and I entered the grand hall, I felt a surge of anxiety wash over me. The room was filled with dozens of unfamiliar faces - all of them seeming very important and powerful, which left me feeling deeply out of place. And the way they kept staring at us as we made our way to our seats only added to my unease.I couldn't help but start fidgeting nervously, my fingers twisting the delicate fabric of my dress as Rockan guided me through the crowded room toward our seats. I glanced around, my eyes darting from one influential person to the next, each one appearing more imposing than the last.Sensing my unease, Rockan gently reached over and took my hands in his, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Denera," he murmured, leaning in close so only I could hear. "Relax, little mate. You've got this."I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "I...I don't know any of these people, Rockan," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "They all look so important and
RockanI gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles almost turning white as the memories of Adriana came flooding back. "Adriana is my ex," I finally admitted, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.Denera shifted in the passenger seat, turning to face me with a puzzled expression. "Your ex?" she echoed, her brow furrowing.I took a deep breath, knowing I owed her the truth. "Yes, Denera. Adriana and I... we have a history," I explained, my gaze fixed on the road ahead.Denera remained silent, waiting patiently for me to continue. I knew she deserved to know the whole story."You see, Adriana was supposed to be the next Luna many years ago," I began, my voice low and heavy with regret. "But before she could take on that role, I discovered that she had been lying to me – about her intentions, her feelings, everything."I paused, swallowing hard as the emotions threatened to overwhelm me. "She didn't want me, Denera," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "She just
Denera As soon as we pulled into the pack, I hurriedly jumped out of the car, barely waiting for Rockan to put it in the park. My mind was racing, laser-focused on one objective - getting that piece of clothing I had gotten from my attacker. I practically ran through the grand entryway, ignoring the curious stares of the pack members milling about. “Denera!” Rockan called out behind me, but I couldn't be bothered to slow down or respond. I had to get to my room, to that evidence.Finally, I burst through the doors of the room, going straight to the small chest at the foot of the bed. Trembling, I threw open the lid and reached inside, pulling out the tattered scrap of fabric I had hidden there. Holding it up to my nose, I breathed in deeply, reveling in the familiar scent."I knew it!" I exclaimed, a triumphant grin spreading across my face. Rockan came rushing in, his brow furrowed with concern. "Denera, what's going on? Tell me what's happening."I turned to face him, gripping t
Denera I sat in stunned silence as my revelation about the attacker caused an uproar in the council meeting. The air was thick with tension as the elders all began to voice their opinions, each one more impassioned than the last. It was easy to learn their names because of how their tables had engraved tabs of who they were. All these people were old enough to be my parents and grandparents. I could not possibly even speak up even if my life depended on it. Rockan stood at the head of the table, his eyes burning with a ferocity I had rarely seen. "The Blue Moon pack has crossed a line," he growled, slamming his fist down on the table. "They attacked one of our own, and we cannot let that stand. We must retaliate with the full might of our pack."Elder Tharivol, an old wolf who looked like a lifetime of experience, shook his head gravely. "Violence will only beget more violence, alpha Rockan. We must consider a diplomatic solution, one that does not involve bloodshed. There may be a
Denera I emerged from the shower, the steam curling around me like a protective blanket. The day was long and gruelling. We had spent hours addressing the attack issues and pack concerns, and the subsequent party was a blur of faces and voices. The council concluded that the decision to send a messenger to inform Blue Moon about the attack was a step towards transparency, but it left a lingering tension in the air.I wrapped a towel around myself and stepped into the room, expecting to find it empty. Instead, I was stunned to see Rockan standing by the window, his silhouette bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight. Rachel must have already left, leaving us alone."Rockan," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.He turned, his eyes softening as they met mine. "Denera," he said, his tone warm. "You did well today. Standing up for yourself and the pack."I felt a flush of pride at his words. "Thank you," I replied. "I didn’t have much of a choice."He nodded, a faint smile playing o
Denera “Good morning,” I muttered as we both started to have a hot cup of coffee. Almost a perfect fairytale. It was all calm and peaceful for a while until my eyes snapped open from the sudden commotion. The castle was in a state of frenzied activity, maids and workers scurrying about, the air thick with an anxious energy. Rockan and I exchanged a puzzled glance, unsure of what was really happening until a sudden realization dawned on him as his eyes grew wider. "Shit, shit, shit!" he exclaimed, abruptly rising from his seat in the kitchen and grasping my hand, pulling me along. “I totally forgot!”I stumbled after him, confusion and worry etching across my features. "What is going on? Are we under attack?" I asked, my voice laced with nervous curiosity.Rockan seemed laser-focused, his pace quickening as he led me back to our room. Rachel, the ever-faithful maid, trailed behind us, her expression, one of understanding. She too knew what was happening. "Get her dressed. It must b
ROCKAN’S POV I rushed outside to see my people being injured and hurt, probably killed by some hoodlums from the goddess knows where.The attack was so secretly arranged that my guards and sentinels were caught unaware and some of them also suffered from the attack.As soon as I got to the scene, my first instinct was to morph and remove all the attackers' heads from their bodies but there were younger kids and women here, some who might be pregnant and seeing a gory sight might be harmful to them.And most of all, I could feel and smell her… Denara, my mate, was here too. She didn’t wait inside like I instructed her to and I wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t like I expected her to stay inside in a situation like this. She was a Luna, a strong one at that.The only way to salvage the situation without making it overly dramatic was letting out my alpha aura to overpower them and that was exactly what I did.I closed my eyes and let my alpha aura flow through me and out in anger. The ground
ROCKAN’S POV “You killed my son.” The crying woman pointed at me accusingly.The guards rushed over with the intention of dragging her out but I signaled them to let her be.“But alpha, they are disrespecting you.” Someone from the crowd shouted.“They’re grieving.” I simply replied. The people didn’t bother to hide their shock at what I said and they started murmuring among themselves.They were probably surprised at my sudden change and how I was now caring and being understanding, which wasn’t very typical of me.Somehow I understood what it felt like to lose a child after Denara miscarried our baby. It wasn’t even a child yet, we hadn’t seen or felt the child or even knew it’s gender yet we felt this much devastated how much more a parent that lost a full grown adult.I felt bad for them but that was it, the mother would have prevented it from happening but she didn’t, rather she left the house in the middle of crisis and chaos for the goddess knows what and I did my best to not
ROCKAN’S POV The elders and the people stood up and bowed as soon as I entered with my mate and remained that way until we had our seats. I made sure Denara sat down first before joining her.“You may now sit.” I said and the people obeyed. Though the seats were not enough for the crowd.“Why are they so many? It feels like all the pack members are here.” I mindlinked Denara and she smiled at me.“They’re worried about their alpha.” She simply replied.After waiting for the goddess knows how long for someone to say something and no one did, I cleared my throat and started, “thank you all for coming and for your support when I was having a hard time.”The people started whispering and murmuring among themselves. That was when I realized they were still in shock of seeing me without my mask.I was already tired of the stares and the expressions I got. I didn’t know the people were so eager to see my face. What for? I wouldn’t be bothered if I were in their shoes though.“Yeah right.” M
DENARA’S POV After staying to monitor our healing process for one week, Luna Danielle and Adrianna were finally going back home today. It was really beautiful having them care for me, making me see the bright side of things and now they were leaving. I felt like begging them to stay a little longer but they had tried.“Come here my girl.” Luna Danielle said and grabbed me into her warm embrace once more. “I’ll miss you so much Denara.” She patted my head as she talked.“I’ll miss you too, great aunt.” I replied and she smiled, wiping a stray tear off my face.“Please masked alpha…” Luna Danielle started and paused momentarily to laugh when she saw there was no mask on his face. “Make sure you take care of my baby girl.” She warned.“You don’t have to say that. It’s all I live for.” Rockan replied.“If you ever stop or make her sad I’ll come back here and take her from you.” Luna Danielle sounded both playful and rigid.“You won’t have a reason to.” He affirmed.“Denara…” Adrianna cri
TYRIS’ POV Days had passed, yet it felt like months since I embarked on this relentless search. Each hour dragged on, a heavy chain of dread around my neck, as I combed through towns and packs in search of Serena. Who would have thought finding someone could be so impossibly difficult? With every mile traveled, my sense of urgency grew; my thoughts spiraled into a dark abyss of worry and regret.“Sir, are you sure we shouldn't stop somewhere? You seem really exhausted,” the driver said, glancing up at me through the rearview mirror. Concern etched across his face, a reflection of my own inner turmoil. “Your eyes on the road,” I curtly responded, irritation creeping into my voice. I didn’t want to entertain his concern, though a part of me appreciated it. He was the only soul I had with me, a simple man enlisted to help with my search. We had spent the last several days moving from one neighboring town to another, each stopping at a dead end. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wa
TYRIS’ POV I tossed and turned in bed, the sheets tangled around my legs like the mess my life had become. For what felt like the hundredth time to night, I shifted positions, trying to find a semblance of comfort. Sleep eluded me, and my mind raced with thoughts that twisted like a storm in my head. I hated my life, I hated who I had become. Chasing after Denera for so long had led me here, to this moment of turmoil. I had watched my brother, Rockan, fall in love with her, and a bitter taste lingered in my mouth. It still hurts to remember. At first, I had so much hate for him. How could he have won her heart when I had pursued her with such fervor? But now, as I lay in this bed, I realized there was no point in that anger anymore. Rockan and Denera obviously loved each other, and their bond was something I couldn't break. Still, the ache in my chest felt raw. I had wanted her to be with me, to see me as her mate, yet here I was, alone and grappling with my own failure. Each t
DENARA’S POV My eyes felt heavy, too heavy to open. Every nerve in my brain pulsed with pain as my head throbbed, a dull ache that seemed to echo in the quiet room. It took a while for me to gather the strength to finally crack my eyelids open, the morning light spilling in like a gentle reminder of the world outside.As I blinked into focus, memories of the night flooded back: the tears, the heartache, the overwhelming sadness that had consumed me. I had spent the entire night curled up, sobbing into the sheets, feeling utterly lost. Rockan was the only one who could bear witness to my pain, holding me close, and whispering comforting words that felt like a lifeline amidst my despair. Turning my head slowly, I looked at him. Rockan was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He had been through so much, yet here he was, the man I loved, resting peacefully beside me. My heart swelled with gratitude as I gazed at his mask-less face, a sight I had longed to se
DENARA’S POV The world around me felt like a haze, a blur of voices and shadows. I blinked slowly, trying to piece together the chaos that had erupted. I had thought I passed out but I didn’t. I couldn’t, it was like the pain wanted me to feel every bit of it.My body was heavy, weighed down by the remnants of pain, but there was a soothing numbness spreading through me, courtesy of the anesthetic shot I had received.As the wave of anesthesia began to lift, I blinked against the bright light that filled the room. My heart raced, and the world around me slowly came into focus. The sterile smell of antiseptic mingled with something else—something warm and familiar. And then I saw him. It wasn’t a dream all along and I was definitely not dead. “Rockan,” I breathed, my voice a mere whisper, but it felt like a shout in the silence of the room. The sight of him propped up against the pillows, his hair tousled and eyes bright, filled me with a wave of relief. It felt like I had been los
TYRIS’ POV “Sir, your attention is needed quickly.” The urgency in the maid's voice snapped me from my thoughts. I turned, my heart racing as I searched her eyes for any hint of good news. My brother had been in critical condition, and every minute felt like an eternity. “What is going on?” I asked, forcing myself to remain calm, though my insides churned with anxiety.“I was asked to call you down to the emergency ward,” she replied, her voice steady but lacking the reassurance I desperately sought. “The emergency ward?” The words felt heavy on my tongue, and a sinking sensation settled in my stomach. I forced my legs into action, propelling myself through the hallway of the hospital, each step a frantic prayer that the news would be good.As I approached the entrance to the emergency ward, I paused, staring at the glaring sign that loomed above me. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. Whatever had happened to Rockan, it couldn’t be good. I braced myself for wh