CLARA’S POV I’d never considered myself a fool until that moment. Standing behind the pillar, I watched as this Serena lady smiled flirtatiously at Edward, her hand brushing his arm. The way he stilled at the mention of her name, the conversation I overheard, it didn’t take much to know they’ve been together. And she was back. A quiet scoff escaped my lips, too soft for them to hear. What had I been thinking? I should have known better when he kept dismissing the idea of finding his mate. He obviously wanted to keep this woman a secret from me. And I was beginning to think that what we shared meant something. Who was she to him? The question gnawed at me as I slipped out into the garden, careful not to be noticed. I knew he had no sister, and she bore no resemblance to him. That left only two possibilities—she was either a friend or someone far more intimate. I exhaled sharply, my frustration simmering as I sank onto a steel bench. He promised not to bring in an
CLARA’S POV I paused mid-bite, glancing up at Edward and watching him push his food around. He looked… different. Distant. Normally, he would try to engage me in conversations but as I searched his face, he didn’t love like he was interested in that. The Edward who had been eager to spend time with me was gone, replaced by someone colder, more closed off. He barely looked at me as we ate. Barely spoke. All because of her. I didn’t even want to have breakfast with him but at the same time, questions and anger burned in me. I also told myself that coming here would show him I wasn’t bothered by his unwelcomed guest. But the more I sat here, the more it ate at me. Sighing, I let my fork clatter onto the plate. His eyes flicked up, and his brows raised like he was too exhausted to ask a question. “Why is she here?” I asked, leaning back. His exhale was all the confirmation I needed—he knew exactly who I meant. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he sat back, meeting
EDWARD’S POV I shouldn’t have allowed her to stay here. The thought kept ringing in my head continuously, almost driving me insane. I sighed, leaning back in my chair, and hearing my own heartbeat in the silence of my study. Of course, when I saw Serena, I was displeased to see her here. Her voice, her mannerism, everything reminded me of the time I’d been so desperate to get over everything. Or maybe someone. In college, life had been so unbearable. And my parents' solution had been a relationship since I hadn’t introduced a mate to them. Forced to be the perfect son, I found someone desperate. Someone head over heels for me. And that led me to Serena. Our relationship was short, I hated it but she didn’t seem to notice. Neither did she accept that I never liked her or tried to. Perhaps one of the reasons I allowed her to stay here. I just never considered her a challenge between me and Clara. But I was wrong. Clara was disappointed in me. Not angry. She ju
CLARA’S POV I tried to move back but my spine was pressed against the desk, my chest rising and falling. Why was he suddenly so close? Trapped in the corner, his body caging me in, I had nowhere to run. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and I was sure he could hear it too. Distractingly so. This had started as an argument, but now it was morphing into something else entirely. A declaration. A confession. “…why I’ve always monitored you all these years.” His voice echoed in my mind as I stared at him, my throat suddenly dry. What was he trying to say? Or do? He should be apologizing to me for bringing that woman in. For letting me walk in on that irritating sight in his study. “There’s no space left for anyone else…” I’d heard him say that when I reached his study, thinking it was some sort of rejection toward Serena. When I walked in and saw that sight, my heart shattered initially. But the tears staining Serena’s face and her clenched fist told me she had ac
EDWARD’S POV FLASHBACK—MANY YEARS AGO I glanced at the gift bag in my hand, hiding a grin. It was her eighteenth year birthday and I had picked the perfect gift. I knew she would love it and couldn’t wait to give it to her. I stood behind the large cedar tree a little away from school, watching her as she approached, my heart pounding in my eardrums like it always did whenever I saw her. “Clara,” I called out as she got closer to where I stood, and she turned, a little surprised. “Edward!” She exclaimed, her face lighting up instantly. And then for a moment, the world paused before us, her smile all I could see. “What are you doing behind the tree?” My wolf suddenly started thrashing inside me, making me almost stutter before her. And that’s when I knew. “Ughh… “ He groaned satisfactorily. “She’s such a beauty. Perfect for us. A perfect mate.” My eyes widened slightly and I just stood, watching her. Could it really be possible? “Let me out to claim her!” My wol
CLARA’S POV Many years ago. I moved through Elite Mall in scrubs and an apron, mopping floors, wiping glass windows, hauling trash—anything that needed cleaning. The work was exhausting, my lower back aching with every movement, but I whistled a tune to distract myself from the pain. This was just one of the many side hustles I juggled to make ends meet and help my family. It drained me, stole my time, and pulled me away from my academics, but I did it anyway. Because I had to. My father couldn’t afford a lot of things. An extra job like this went a long way to help my parents. I was already grateful that they had the little money to put a roof over my head. This was the least I could do. As I dragged the mop across the floor, my gaze landed on a mannequin in the far corner. A beautiful dress clung to its frame, shimmering under the store lights. I stopped, staring at it for far too long, picturing how it would look on me. I’d seen that dress before, on my classmates, e
Clara’s POV I stood at the lobby with a glass of wine held loosely between my fingers, staring at Serena as she exited the building with her baggage. A mixed feeling of triumph and something else settling warm and cozy in my chest. For some reason, her arrival had sort of caused and sparked up things between Edward and I. Things that had only existed in my wild imagination, in the last. I burn for you… his words from that passionate night replayed in my head, causing a familiar stir in my chest. My gaze followed the car as it drove out of the gates, observing Serena who sat with a sullen expression at the back seat, and after a while, I shifted my gaze to Edward and a few of his men that stood to the side, watching the car leave too with peeved expressions, his fingers jammed into his pockets. To my surprise, he hadn’t let the dawn crack properly before going to the guest wing of the house and asking Serena to leave, as he was not interested in her father’s business pr
Nate’s POV I sat behind my desk, smirking as I perused the report from my latest visit to the orphanage. The smirk expanded further, my insides jumping around in a dance of victory as I saw from the report that my plans had actually worked out just perfect. The photos of me visiting those children had sold off like valued stocks, scattered across the news in praise of my good heart. I scoffed, shaking my head at just how good I’d been at acting. The way I even looked in the pictures…like I gave a damn about these children. Whereas I gaze zero. I hummed a happy tone, flipping through the pages of the report. The major thing was that I wasn’t losing investors anymore, and hopefully, I could launch my new mobile design soon. A knock sounded on the door, then, and a second later, Michael stepped into the office. “Sir, there’s a visitor out there insisting to see you without a prior appointment,” he announced, his hands crossed behind his back. An unscheduled visitor? Who
Clara’s POV I watched the maids scurrying about in the hall, each attending to the duty that was assigned to them in preparation of the Bluemoon ball that was just around the corner, and as one of the maids approached with a pile of silk clothes in her arms, getting closer, I directed her to dump them on the tiled floor in the corner. “Make sure that these materials are complete,” I instructed the other maid that stood to the side. “Sort them by their colors,” I added. “Yes, Luna,” she replied, curtsying briefly, and quickly going to work, sorting through the pile of silk on the floor. I let out a tired sigh, lightly touching my forehead. I felt weak, but I couldn’t allow myself even a little bit of rest, because if I gave in to this tiredness, who would take care of the preparations for the Bluemoon ball coming up soon? It was part of my responsibility as Luna, and I would see to it to the very end. I was still giving out orders to the maids, making sure everything was in
EDWARD’S POV I sat at the head of the table, my gaze sweeping across the faces of the Alphas gathered around the U-shaped table. Their expressions were tight with anger, distrust clearly visible in their faces as none of them tried to hide it. And I didn’t blame them. Not after what happened at the Fruitful Banquet. I hadn’t offered any explanation since that day. They were nearly killed on my territory. If the substance had been deadlier, we wouldn’t be sitting here. “What’s this meeting about?” one of them asked sharply, without waiting for permission. “Are we finally going to talk about the chaos you dragged us into?” I scoffed quietly, shaking my head. Why dance around the truth when they could just say it outright? I let my eyes slide toward Nathaniel, who sat in silence, arms crossed, unreadable as ever. His calm demeanor rubbed me the wrong way. And the fact that he even showed up surprised me. And irritated me. I tore my gaze away from him before the rage b
EDWARD’S POV I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of the meeting room, gazing outside to ease my mind. My fingers absently moved over my jaw as my mind churned despite my attempts to forget everything. In the faint reflection on the glass, I caught a glimpse of myself and paused. I looked like hell. I looked unkept, my eyes hollow. A sigh escaped my lips. I’d been neglecting my appearance, my health, everything. But how could I not? I felt restless day and night. Every damn minute, I was either pacing or spiraling. Nothing sat right anymore. This entire mess? whatever game was being played, I couldn’t get ahead of it. No matter how hard I tried, I always felt like I was several steps behind. At first, I thought it was just Nathaniel Bennett pulling strings. But now I was sure… someone else was involved. Someone smarter. Someone staying hidden, and easily manipulating things. Whether they were working with Nathaniel or acting alone, I still couldn’t tell. That uncerta
CLARA’S POV I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window early in the morning, rubbing my stomach as I looked out over the estate. Most of the guests were already leaving especially those who’d recovered and I felt a faint feeling of relief watching them go. Very faint. These people likely carried resentment toward us now as they left. For something we hadn’t done and we didn’t even understand ourselves. They probably blamed us for everything that happened during the banquet, forgetting that we were also victims. Their outburst yesterday had really hurt me, considering how I wanted the banquet to be successful, how I looked forward to it as it was my first time. I was celebrating the baby in my womb but they forgot that part, they forgot that I was hurting too. A slow burn of anger rose in my chest. I clenched my fist, trying to push it down. It was pointless, getting worked up over what I couldn’t yet control. I turned slowly, my gaze settling on Edward at the far end of
EDWARD’S POV By the time we left the kitchen, I was completely drainedmentally and physically. My thoughts kept circling back to the brown-haired suspect. Who was he? Why would he do this? Was it personal? Against me? Clara? No matter how I tried to piece it together, nothing made sense. I couldn’t think of his motive, his reason. I just had questions without answers. Jaxon had gone off immediately to search the Estate, determined to find the boy. That left me with a handful of guards escorting me to the hospital wing. We hadn’t gotten far when a strange sound reached my ears. It was faint and distant, sounding like chants. I slowed, listening carefully. At first, I thought it might just be in my head, some lingering stress playing tricks on me. But with every step I took, the chanting grew louder. It sounded like a group of angry people were yelling close to the Estate. I stopped completely, frowning. What the hell was that? I gestured for one of the guards to
EDWARD’S POV Just as more emergency vehicles were pulling into the hospital wing of the Estate, I rushed in through the main entrance, feeling even more frustrated. I hurried into the wing, my eyes quickly catching the panic in the air. I looked around the hallways, filled with people groaning on both my left and right. Most of them were throwing up badly, dropping to their knees. It was complete chaos in here. I saw some doctors and nurses helping the poisoned victims who were too weak to move, guiding them into the wards. As I moved quickly through the hallways, I noticed almost every ward was packed full of sick people. This was horrible. What made it even more disturbing and upsetting was that most of the people vomiting so terribly were important figures in the territory—Alphas and Lunas of high ranks. I shook my head at the sight, my fingers curling into fists at my sides, wanting nothing more than to catch whoever was behind this. Even while I was worried ab
CLARA’S POV I sat beside Edward at the very front of the hall, shifting my weight uncomfortably in the chair. The dress I wore was stunning but heavy. The layers of fabric clung to my body, weighed down further by the glittering jewelry adorning my neck and wrists. From the corners of my eyes, I could feel the stares. Nearly every woman in the room had their gaze fixed on me. Some looked on in awe, others in admiration but a few with jealousy. Despite the nausea churning in my stomach, I held my head high. I refused to appear weak in front of them. Today was a significant day, the Fruitful Banquet. It was a celebration of new life, of prosperity, and so many had gathered in our honor, the hall packed to the brim. I adjusted the folds of my gown around my ankles, then reached up to smoothen my hair. I needed to look flawless, to silence the rumors before they had a chance to spread. Edward leaned in, his hand brushing my hair gently away from my ear. “Alpha Reynold and his
CLARA’S POV “Congratulations, Luna Clara,” Luna Patricia said, towering over me with a wide smile on her face. “Thank you,” I replied, smiling back as I reached up to take the gift she offered. I was still very sick, my head pounding. I shouldn’t have been out of bed yet, but this was something I had to do before the upcoming banquet, which was only a few days away. Edward had wanted to cancel everything, but I refused. I didn’t want anyone to question his place as Alpha or damage his reputation just because of a little gift rite that every Luna has successfully done. As Luna Patricia stepped away, another woman walked up, her face tight with a dry smile. “Congratulations, Luna,” she said, handing me a wrapped box. “Thank you,” I said again, rising slowly to take the gift. But the moment her eyes dropped to my stomach, her forced smile vanished. I accepted the gift without saying anything, pretending not to notice her reaction. Even during a celebration, there were
NATE’S POV I watched as my lawyer poured me a glass of wine, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips. “I told you my plan would work,” I said as he settled back into his chair, smoothing down his tie with the same smug expression I wore. He nodded, lifting his own glass. “Worked like a charm, just as you envisioned.” “You’re brilliant, my love,” Isla chimed in from the corner of the office. “Everyone’s talking about it across the territory. No one else could’ve pulled that off.” I rose to my feet, exhaling deeply as I ran a hand over my already slicked-back hair. “What can I say?” I said with a scoff. “Everything I’ve been working toward was achieved in a single move. It was so easy to get it done too.” I turned. “You’ve heard what they’re saying about Edward, right?” I asked, glancing down at my lawyer. He nodded. “People are talking about how he’s abusing his power, how his jealousy is driving him crazy. And your ex-wife? They finally see how bitter she really is.