«THIRD POV»Ophelia sits on the edge of her bed, her body curled in on itself like a bird with broken wings. Her arms are wrapped tightly around her knees, and she stares blankly at the floor. Her eyes are swollen and red from hours of weeping, yet fresh tears threaten to spill over, clinging stubbornly to her lashes.The door creaks open, but she doesn’t lift her head. She already knows who it is.“Ophelia,” Tiara softly calls, her presence filling the room. She enters gracefully, carrying a tray with a steaming cup of tea. She moves with elegance, as always, but her eyes darken as they sweep over her daughter with disapproval before she sets the tray down on the nightstand.“You’ve been crying for hours, child,” Tiara observes, her voice edged with impatience. “Enough of that. Take this.” Ophelia sniffles and lifts her head slightly, “Yes Mother,” her trembling hands then reaching for the cup. The warmth seeps into her fingers as she takes a slow sip, the hot liquid sliding down
Tiara doesn’t answer immediately. She lowers her head, clearly deep in thought."Mother, please tell me," Ophelia urges, trying to grab her Tiara’s hand hysterically. "What do you have in mind to do? Do you have a plan? Is there a way to solve this? I don't want to lose Adrian.” Tiara became exasperate and she looked up at Ophelia sharply, her expression hardening. "Will you let me think for a moment?" Her voice rises with irritation, no longer gentle, no longer patient. "I'm not the reason for your fall out with Adrian, it's your fault you're just so weak." Ophelia flinches as though struck, shifting to the farther side of the bed. "I'm weak? So it's now my fault? Do you think I wanted this to happen?""If you didn't want it to happen, then you should have tried harder to get pregnant! This is no longer whether the moon goddess's decision to let you give birth to pups or not!" Tiara snaps.Ophelia’s eyes darken at her mother with resentment. "You think I didn't try harder? Do you h
The atmosphere in the Rogue's pack dining hall was lively, the sound of laughter and chatter lightened up the mood of everyone. I take another bite of my food, chewing slowly before speaking up. "In two days, I will be leading the attack myself."The people around my table fall silent.Lusaka, Savanna, Brandon, Zack, and Ravenanna all freeze, their gazes snapping toward me. Even the faint sound of their cutlery scraping against plates comes to a halt.Lusaka is the first to react. He leans forward, resting his arms on the table as he studies me with a mix of concern and curiosity. “Why would you do that, my love? Don’t you trust our rogue warriors to handle it?”A small chuckle escapes me. I nudge him playfully in the ribs before answering, “Of course, I trust them to do a perfect job. But if I'm there and with my assistance, victory would be guaranteed. I want to see the look on Adrian's face when meets his defeat." "Ah, I was worried for nothing," Lusaka exhales, shaking his head
«CLARA» Lusaka moves toward me, his steps hurried, no one can see tell the look on his face. "Do you know what Lusaka hates most?" I feel Shantel’s presence behind me, hovering like a venomous snake, her words slithering into my ears. "He hates liars. Deceivers. And you just did that to him, you betrayed him and you won't get away with it." Goddess. What is this idiot saying? I didn’t turn to face Shantel. I didn’t react as I remained unfazed. If there was one thing I’d learned about people like her, it was that they thrived on getting under your skin. They fed on attention, on seeing you are scared to your wits. So I stood still.Behaving as though I wasn't the one she was speaking to, I didn't even spare her a single glance. "Haven't you have always been cocky, Clara?" she continued, "Seeing you've outraged the Rogue King and he hates you now and wants to punish you, you must be frightened right?" She whispers, her voice low and mocking, meant only for me to hear.Then, Lusaka
«CLARA» As Lusaka and I hopped out of the car, stepping on the grounds of the council building, a mix of emotions swirled inside me. The building is large, its walls painted in dark red and black. It was smaller than the Dark Howl pack’s headquarters, but its presence was no less imposing. That hardly matters. This is the domain of the high-ranked rogues, toughened, merciless old wolves who answer to no one but themselves. And now, I am walking straight into their den.“Let's go, my love,” Lusaka, by my side, takes my hand and offers me a reassuring smile, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease that had been building up inside me since I received the summons from the rogue high council.I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. It had been a while since I felt this way, nervous and uncertain about what lay ahead of me. Although Lusaka and the others might have been kind to me, even though they were still people who had yet to accept me, I knew that the high-ra
«CLARA» After my response, low murmurs start to brew in the atmosphere in the council hall."This was a mistake.""She doesn't belong here.""I heard she's an omega rogue, doesn't even have her wolf.""This is an insult to the council.""A cursed rogue sitting in that chair... ridiculous."Ah. There it is.I cross my legs slowly, placing my hands on my lap, my expression impassive even as my blood simmers beneath my skin.They aren’t just questioning me as Queen.They still believe I am the cursed wolf.I tilt my head, pretending to be bored as I let them talk. Let them get it out of their systems.Then, Lusaka’s voice cuts through the noise with loud authority. "Enough!"His blue eyes sweep across the room, daring anyone to challenge him.Silence falls instantly."I assume there was a reason for summoning me and my queen here," the rogue King continues, his voice calm but hard. "Elder Oswin, you may speak…" "Forgive my bluntness, my King," Elder Oswin, who happened to be Shantel’s
«ADRIAN»Tension fills the atmosphere like a thick, suffocating fog, so heavy it’s hard to breathe.The courthouse is crowded, including, pack members, the council of elders, and high-ranked wolves. Their hushed, panicked voices fill the space, their faces pale with worry.The Dark Howl Pack, my pack, has been suffering for weeks now. Pups fall sick. Crops and livestock die, and even the strongest wolves begin to weaken.It’s not just our pack. Other packs deal with similar disasters, and rumors spread like wildfire.One could feel the tension in the atmosphere. Some of the women held their children tightly, whispering prayers to the Moon Goddess. Others cast wary glances at the council of elders, as if expecting them to magically fix everything.Uncle Marcus sits among the elders on the long table, his face grim.Sitting at the head of the large table, my arms crossed, and my face unreadable. But Inside, though, frustration builds. Why is this happening? And more importantly, why no
«ADRIAN» “She is so weak, Adrian,” Tiara sighs heavily, her voice cracking with emotion, tears flowing down her cheeks. She looks every bit the image of a mother worried for her daughter. “She locked herself away in her room, alone. You haven’t gone to see her. Ophelia thinks… she thinks you have abandoned her.” A wave of unease twists in my chest. “She’s the Luna, she gave everything for this pack,” she continued, her voice rising. “And now, when she is in pain when she needs you her Alpha the most, you ignore her?” Her lower lip quivers. “Does she mean so little to you?” A few elders shoot me disapproving looks, and I feel the weight of their silent judgment pressing down on me. The people around us now look at me with cold eyes, their disappointment clear, for abandoning Ophelia as Tiara put it. My lips twitched, I was battling inside, trying to control myself, and after a moment of silence. I force out, "I will check on her,” my voice flat. Tiara’s face immediately
«CLARA’S POV»It was a fresh morning, I sit in the garden for breakfast with Savanna, Ravenanna, and Brandon. Sweet roses smell in the air, but I still feel trapped in my chest. The last few days have been too much and worse, I keep remembering the image of Adrian and Jasmine kissing, and it hurts me.I hated it. I hated he always affected me this much. Why? Why can't I seem to forget this man? For a moment, the atmosphere suddenly turns quiet. Savanna and Brandon stop speaking, and I threw a look at them, raising my brow, silently asking them what’s wrong.But none could answer. They could only lower their eyes in unease and apprehension. Then Ravenanna leans forward, anger swimming on her face. “What is he doing here?! Don't tell you guys settled the scores last time?” She hisses.What? I frowned. What the hell is she saying? I was confused. So, I followed the directions behind my back where she was pointing. It was then I saw him. Adrian was walking toward us. He was in all
«THIRD POV»She stood still, her face slowly her smile slowly fading.The warm feeling in her chest turned cold and heavy. That was it?That’s why he grabbed her?Her hands shook a little as she stared down at Lusaka. Her heart beat fast, not with love, but with bitterness. She wanted to shout. She wanted to ask why it was always about Clara! But instead, she gave a fake smile, a cold and tight one that it almost hurt her cheek. “Of course,” she said, pretending to be calm. “It’ll be our little secret.”Even though deep inside, it made her blood boil.Lusaka looked at her, his eyes sharp and cold like ice. “Jasmine…” he said slowly, as if warning her.That made her snap.“What?! Huh?!” She yelled, her voice shaking with anger.She picked up the bowl beside the bed and threw it hard. It hit the floor and water splashed everywhere. But she didn’t care. She didn’t even look at it. Her eyes were only on him now, burning with pain and rage.“Lusaka told me to seduce Adrian!” she shouted
«THIRD POV»“Bastard!” Adrian roared, his voice dark and guttural, not entirely human anymore.Without hesitation, his form exploded into his massive black wolf, Magnus, fur shimmering like obsidian, eyes burning like molten gold. Lusaka, in his brown wolf form, lunged toward him in response, snarling ferociously.The clash was violent. Two powerful wolves with too much hatred, too much fury, and too much to lose. They collided with a sickening crash that sent vibrations through the ground, sharp claws slicing the air, fangs gnashing and tearing. The sounds of snarls, snapping jaws, and bone-jarring impacts filled the air, drowning out even Jasmine’s terrified cries. “S-stop!” She shrieked, scrambling backward, tripping over herself as blood sprayed across the floor. Both men pounced violently, wrestled, and slammed each other into the walls, the stones cracking beneath the weight of their savage bodies. Deep fissures split the walls as dust and debris fell like rain.Magnus w
«THIRD POV» After Clara stormed away, Savanna and Ravenanna hurried after her, worried about her. Ravenanna was calling her name frantically as she disappeared around the corner. “Clara, wait!” The tension left behind in the packhouse was suffocating, thick enough to choke the air from anyone who remained.Adrian stood rooted in place, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned bone-white, his chest rising and falling with ragged, furious breaths. His jaw clenched it hurt, his amber eyes burning with a dark rage as they settled on Jasmine.She was trembling now, her face pale and terrified under his lethal glare. Staggering, she took a cautious step back, her lips quivering as if she wanted to speak, to beg, but no words came. Her whole body shook visibly.“You just signed your death warrant!” Adrian snarled lowly, his voice like gravel, rough and sharp. Then he seized Jasmine’s arm roughly, yanking her forward with such force that she gasped aloud and eyes wide with fea
«CLARA’S POV»When I woke up in the hospital ward, the first thing I felt was pain. A dull, throbbing ache that seemed to pulse with every beat of my heart. My belly hurt the most, a sharp, stinging reminder of what Ophelia had done to me. I winced, my hand moving instinctively to the spot where she stabbed me. The bandages were tight, and the skin beneath it felt tender, raw.But thanks to whatever pain relief Brandon had given me, it was bearable. I could breathe without wanting to scream.The last thing I remembered was Adrian catching me just before everything went black. His arms around me, the sound of his voice–panicking, desperate, calling my name. It should’ve been Lusaka in my mind, but it wasn’t. It was Adrian. And when I opened my eyes, hoping—maybe even expecting—to see him sitting beside me, all I found was Lusaka.I don't know why but a wave of disappointment which I hadn't expected hit me. Meanwhile, Lusaka was smiling so wide, his eyes glistening with disbelief as
«ADRIAN’S POV»I was stunned when my eyes landed on Jasmine. She was standing at the doorway of the packhouse entrance, half-hidden in the shadows behind the elder woman like she wanted to disappear. But it was too late, our eyes met. And I saw it. That look. Fear. Guilt. Panic. She was terrified of me. What the hell is she doing here?! My gut twisted. It was then I realized she must be living here, in the rogue packhouse. Only the high ranking wolves gets to live in the packhouse. Does that mean she knows Clara? That was very much possible and I had this foreboding feeling building inside of me. Jasmine wasn’t just some ordinary she-wolf like I once assumed. Fuck! I should’ve known. I should’ve followed my instincts when I first sensed something off about her at the bar last night. But before I could even move toward her, a voice pulled my attention.“Alpha Adrian,” The older woman in front of me spoke, her voice familiar, it was soft and gentle. I took a step closer to her
«ADRIAN’S POV»“We have to stop them!” I growled low, my voice rough and frantic as I spoke into the phone. “Do anything, Ryan. I don’t care how, you have to stop Marcus! Delay him. Sabotage the damn trucks, blow their weapons stash, fake a threat, I don’t care!” “Adrian…” Ryan was hesitant. I knew he was scared of being caught. But I fucking don't care. I can't sit and watch Marcus and the rest of the alpha attack the rogues and take Clara. I would be damned if that should happen! “Ryan,” I sighed and spoke intensely into the phone. “The rogues aren’t prepared. Clara… Clara’s hospitalized.”There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. “What?!” Ryan’s voice cracked in shock and he blurted out. “Hospitalized? What happened to Clara?!”I sighed heavily again, dragging a hand down my face, the weight of everything crushing against my chest. “She’s currently injured, Ophelia attacked her.”There was a long, thick silence. I could hear Ryan’s breathing shift,
«ADRIAN’S POV»The first thing that hit me was the headache. A splitting pain that made me groan deeply, my hand instinctively going to my head. The bright ray of morning streamed through the car windows, making the space feel like it was spinning. I slowly opened my eyes, blinking against the harsh light, only to be greeted by a bare naked image that froze me in place. What the fuck?I was half-naked, sprawled across the front seat of my car, my hairy chest exposed and covered in sweat. Turning my neck beside me, a woman lay there, her hand resting boldly on my chest. A soft, content smile played on her lips as if we were some kind of lovers. I could barely breathe as my mind raced to understand what had happened… Fuck! The reality of the situation slammed into me like a freight train. What the hell was going on?“Hey!” I growled in disbelief, pushing her away with more force than I meant. Her body jerked as she fell to the other side of the car, a surprised cry escaping her
«ADRIAN’S POV»I glared at her. “Not interested, Jasmine.”She threw her head back and laughed, eyes twinkling as she rested her elbow on the bar, eyes never leaving mine.“Why Alpha Adrian?” She drawled, trying to act sexy enough to tempt me. I gave her a sharp glance, my voice flat. “How do you know me?”She shrugged, taking a sip. “Everyone knows who you are. The big bad Alpha. Killer of kings. Breaker of rules. Heard a lot about you.”I huffed, downing the rest of my drink. “Well… ‘they’ clearly don’t know shit.”Jasmine leaned in again flirtingly, her perfume too strong it gave me a headache. “I dunno… you look exactly like the stories say. All brooding, dark, and tragic.” She grinned playfully. “But… I see it in your eyes. You’re not as heartless as they think.”I scoffed, motioning at the bartender for another drink. “Don’t pretend you know me.”She raised a brow. “I don’t have to. It’s obvious. Men don’t drink like that for no reason.” She tipped her head at me with curious