DamienThe dungeon was a cold, damp chamber beneath the packhouse, lit by a single flickering lantern. I stood outside the cell, my arms crossed, glaring at the rogue who had shifted back into his human form. The man was wiry, with scars running across his face and arms. He sat slumped against the wall, his breathing ragged but his eyes defiant.I signaled for the guard to open the cell and I went in with Rowan standing just outside. I glared at the man who was looking at me without any fear in his eyes.“Who sent you?” I demanded, my tone like the crack of a whip.The rogue just looked at me and chuckled, a low, grating sound that only stoked my anger. He didn’t answer my question. This infuriated me and I can’t use my alpha aura on him because he is not a member of my pack.“I said who sent you to attack my people?” “You think I’ll talk?” the rogue sneered. “You have no idea what’s coming.”“You’re going to tell me everything,” I said coldly, stepping closer. “Or I’ll make you wish
MarcusI couldn’t keep still. My legs carried me around my study in restless circles, the ornate carpet muffling my hurried steps. The large grandfather clock in the corner ticked away mercilessly, a constant reminder that time was running out. Three days, three whole fu*king days has passed.Yet I have not heard anything from the person I sent to Crewwood. I had sent that useless, son of a wh*re to do a simple job. A simple job. And not a single word from him since.The Sol Group meeting loomed over me like a dark cloud, set for tomorrow. I could feel the weight of it pressing down on my chest. Facing them without the little child in my possession wasn’t something I’d planned. But now I have to go along with them and pretend that all is well.Oh, that blasted son of mine! Any fool could have done this job effectively. What’s so difficult in picking up a baby, a little human being?“Damn!” I said as I hit a flower vase my wife had kept in a corner. It shattered to pieces. I looked at
LyraI arrived at the Luna's house just as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a soft golden hue across the hills. The evening air was cool, carrying the scent of pine and earth, Calista's favorite, I thought, as I walked up the gravel driveway. This is because I perceive this scent more than others here.Luna Calista greeted me at the door, her arms open wide, and that familiar warmth of her presence made the tension in my chest ease for the first time all day. Her hair was still a wild cascade of dark curls, and her eyes, they always seemed to be full of mischief. But I have known Calista to be anything but calm and gentle."Lyra!" she said, pulling me into a tight hug. "Good to see you. How are you doing?”I smiled and hugged her back. "I am good. And you?" "I am doing great,Lyra." She stepped back, eyeing my son, Leo, who was in my arms looking around the room, his wide eyes full of curiosity.”And how is my little man?" I passed Leo to her and he didn’t even make a sound
I nodded, glad that she understood where I am coming from.“Well, you are still at the early phase, from what Sable said. And I believe with time, you can decide to block out what you don’t want to hear. Or even concentrate on only your loved ones. You have Sable to guide you. She is a good woman and she will help you."I hope you are right." I took a deep breath. "I don’t know how I feel about all this. But I guess I can take it one day at a time.”“That’s the right attitude to take,” Calista said, studying me carefully, her expression hard to read. "Lyra, you’ve always had the strength to face whatever comes your way. I’m sure you will overcome this too." I nodded slowly. "I know. Sable says I’ll be ready soon, but I don’t know. It feels like too much sometimes." Calista leaned forward, her gentle hand brushing mine. "You don’t have to do this by yourself, Lyra. Whatever happens, you have me. And if you need to, we’ll figure it out together." “Thank you so much, Calista. I fee
I shook my head. “No, it’s not harmful. At least, it never was for me. It’s just some traditional herbs and roots. Nothing dangerous. I’ve watched my mother prepare many times before, for others who needed it. The only side effect is that it sometimes makes you… a little more ummm like you are in heat. I hope you understand.”She chuckled at this. Her lips curled into a thoughtful smile. “Of course I understand, Lyra. And that is not a problem.”I laughed softly, the sound light and freeing. “Glad to hear that.”Calista remained silent for a few moments, then finally nodded. “Alright, I’ll give it a try. But I’ll need to know everything that we need so we can get it.”I nodded enthusiastically, already reaching into my bag to pull out a small notebook. Inside, I had written down the ingredients my mother had used, the steps to make the potion exactly right. “There are a few key herbs,” I began, flipping through the pages. “First, you’ll need Myringwort. It’s a root that grows near th
Then he stood up.“I heard you can read minds. Are you reading my mind right now?” he asks me while coming closer.“No, I am not,” I replied, wondering where this is going.“I wish you were. So that you can know how you have consumed my mind, how much I think about you. How I want to hold you and care for you. This is what has been going through my mind from the first day I saw you at our border with a protruding belly.”Shock!Silence!!What did I just hear? No, I have to be sure that I heard right.“What?” I said with my mouth and eyes wide open."I care about you," he said, almost too quietly, as if the confession was a weight he had been carrying for a while. "More than I should." The words hit me like a cold rush of wind. My heart stuttered in my chest. I blinked at him, momentarily speechless, the weight of what he had said settling heavily between us."You ...you care about me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, as if I had misheard him. I still don’t believe this. “Bu
The morning sun filtered through the windows of Calista's home, casting a golden glow across the room. The herbs and roots the maids had gathered the day before were now carefully simmering in a large pot on the stove, the scent of the healing potion filling the air with an earthy, soothing aroma. I was deep in concentration, making sure the brew was prepared just as my mother had taught me. It had to be perfect. Calista and I were counting on it.I glanced over at her as she sat at the table, her fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on the cloth. She seemed nervous, yet hopeful. I could see the anxiety in her eyes, but there was something else there too. There was also a flicker of hope and excitement at the thought that maybe, just maybe, this could work. She wanted a child so badly, and I wanted to help her get what she deserved.Once I had finished the potion, we let it cool. When it was ready, I poured it into a small vial, the liquid glimmering in the morning light. I turned
I sat at the head of the conference table, watching as the representatives of the Sol Group and some of my executives filed out of the room. The meeting had gone smoothly, far smoother than I had expected, to be honest. They didn’t come with a large contingent like I expected.The two packs are not friends with each other but then we were not at war either. It's more like we were wary of one another and were waiting for who would make the first move. Usually if they are coming to this kind of meeting, they will come with a lot of their warriors in case things turn awry but that doesn’t seem to be the case today. A few years after I became the alpha, I decided that I needed more allies than enemies and I decided to find them. And for Jaxon to come with such a few representatives, mostly business officials, maybe he is having the same thoughts as me. This will make our meeting go smoother. Crewwood has a lot of material resources that makes them one of the richest packs in our country
Now, this is new. And sweet. He just called me his wife, his Luna. Oh, goddess, am I dreaming? I don’t want to wake up from it if it is a dream.Damien has only ever admitted that I’m his Luna when we had guests. Apart from that, he had never regarded me as a Luna. Even though I am an alpha like him, he has never forgiven the fact that he wasn’t allowed to choose his own mate. He also said that it was a man he hated, elder Marcus, whose daughter he was told to marry.It took a lot for him to mark me, and that was only because the elders wanted to confirm that he had agreed to the marriage and committed to it. Left to him, he will never mark me. Though to his credit, he tried to be a good husband immediately after the wedding. He tolerated me and didn’t treat me badly until my father started interfering. My father was always visiting using the guise of coming from the elders and bringing a message from the council.And every time he would ask why we haven’t gotten a pup yet. When Dami
I sat on the plush couch in our living room office, my fingers lightly tracing the embroidered patterns on the armrest. Damien was sitting on one of the couches next to me, answering a call that had just come in. His brows furrowed slightly as he spoke, his tone measured but firm.“It’s your father,” he mouthed to me before turning his attention back to the phone.“Damien,” Elder Marcus’s voice crackled through the speaker, sharp with irritation. “I just received word from my assistant that there are visitors from Crewwood in our territory. Care to explain why I wasn’t informed?”Damien leaned back in his chair, exhaling softly. “Yes, Elder Marcus, they’re here. It’s more of a social call than a business one.”“Social call?” Marcus’s voice grew tighter. “You should have informed me regardless. This is not something to be decided unilaterally.”“I understand your concern,” Damien replied, his voice calm. “But there’s nothing concrete yet. We’re still in discussions on ways to work toge
LyraWarriors from Crewwood prepared for the journey, their movements quiet and calculated to avoid drawing attention. In Axelland, everything was going well and they made sure that Elder Marcus would be occupied that day, ensuring that every detail was perfect.On the day of departure, Jaxon stood by the gates, watching as the small group assembled. I was wearing a cloack on top of my long gown. But right now the hoodie was down, I will lift it up when I get close to our pack. This way no one will recognise me even if they see me there.I have said my farewell to Calista and we promised to keep in touch. I came outside holding my son close watching as our load was put in one of the two cars we will be using. My eyes were bright, a mixture of determination and hope inherent in them. Jaxon walked over to me, his expression softening.“Are you ready for this?” he asked.I nodded with a smile, my grip tightening on my son. “I’ve been ready for a long time, Jaxon. Thank you… for everythi
“Perfect,” I said, satisfaction curling in my chest. “And Garret, I want you to dig up every bit of information on Denise, her interests, her strengths, her weaknesses. I need to know how to keep her on my side.”He looked up from his notes, meeting my gaze. “Understood, sir. Anything else?”“Yes,” I said, standing and pacing the room. “We need to make sure the investors hear about this. Quietly, of course. Start planting the idea that Denise is taking a more active role in the company and that she’s consulting me for guidance. Let them see her as a potential savior and that I’m the one guiding her in the moves she’s making. By the time we’re ready to make our move, they’ll already be questioning Damien’s position.”Garret’s pen moved swiftly across the page. When he finished, he closed the notebook and stood. “I’ll get started right away.”“Good,” I said, clasping his shoulder. “This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for, Garret. Let’s not waste it.”“I’ll make sure everything is
"You’re a clever one, Denise. Very well. I’ll mentor you, and together, we’ll ensure Damien sees your true potential. When shall we begin?""How about tomorrow?" Denise suggested. “Isn’t that too early?” I asked her with a frown. “You just came back.”“Sir, I have been home for two days already. I am bored at home,” she said, rolling her eyes. "I’ll come to your office tomorrow, and we can go over everything."Maria clapped her hands. "What a wonderful idea! Marcus, you’ll enjoy this, I’m sure.""Indeed," I agreed, my chest puffing with pride. "I’ll prepare everything. Denise, you’ve made a wise decision."Denise’s smile widened, and she clasped her hands together. She stood up and bowed to me in excitement.I remained cool while she thanked me. "Thank you, Elder Marcus. Thank you so much. I’m looking forward to learning from you."She sat back down and we talked more about her studies. She had lots of stories about her university education in the human world. She said she wanted to
The morning was crisp and bright as I stood on the porch, staring out at the snow-capped mountains. My thoughts were filled with anticipation, Lyra and our son were on their way home. The idea of finally meeting my boy made my heart race, and my wolf’s excitement was a constant hum in the back of my mind.Adol was constantly prancing in my head, he couldn't wait to see his mate. At one point I had gone out for a run. I just let him take control and we ran into the forest. We ran and ran until he was tired. That was the only thing that calmed Adol down for us to sleep. I needed the run too to clear my head.I leaned back in the plush armchair in the sitting room looking at Denise as she smiled at me. She was ready to go meet Marcus to put our plan in motion. Yesterday she had given us a good suggestion that solved our problem of a distraction for Marcus. “Are sure you about this, Denise?” I asked her. I wouldn’t want her to do this because she feels it is the only way. I still don’t t
The door opened to reveal a younger version of me, a female version of me.“Denise!” I shouted standing up.She looked up at me, her face lighting up with a smile. “Damien!”She came inside, looking every bit the part of a confident, accomplished woman. Her auburn hair was tied back in a neat bun, and her tailored coat gave her an air of sophistication.I walked close to her and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her off the ground for a moment. She laughed, the sound warm and familiar.“It’s so good to see you,” I said, stepping back to look at her. “You look amazing. The human world has been good to you.”She grinned. “And you look… the same. Still brooding and intense, I see.”I chuckled, shaking my head. “You haven’t changed a bit. Come seat. There’s so much to catch up on.”“Welcome Denise,” Rowan greeted her, also standing.“Hey Rowan,” she answered.I rang the bell and one of the Omega came. I told them to prepare some delicious food for my sister and to help her settle in he
DamienHere in Axelland, my excitement was palpable. I stood in my office, pacing for some time, then stopping to think about something. Rowan, leaned against the desk, watching me with an amused expression.“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” he said, smirking. “Calm down, Damien. Everything is under control.”I shot him a look. “I can’t calm down, Rowan. Do you realize how long it’s been since I’ve seen Lyra? And I’ve never even met my son. My son, Rowan. I’m about to meet him for the first time. How am I supposed to stay calm?”Rowan chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re hopeless. But I get it. It’s a big moment. Just remember, this is about Lyra too. She’s been through hell. You need to… I don’t know, treat her better than you have in the past.”Adol growled softly in agreement, and I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “I know. I’ve made mistakes. But I’ll make it up to her. She deserves better. And so does our son.”“Good,” Rowan said, his tone serious now. “Because if
I smiled to myself, closing my eyes and letting Uru’s words wash over me. For the first time in months, I felt at peace. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, and the room was warm and inviting. My thoughts drifted to the future, to the life I was about to reclaim. I pictured Damien holding our son for the first time, his eyes softening in a way I’d only seen a handful of times before. I imagined him smiling at me, not with duty, but with genuine affection and pride.“We’ll get there,” I whispered, more to myself than to Uru. “One step at a time.”Sleep pulled at me, and I didn’t resist. Later in the night, I have a chaotic dream about meeting Damien. First, he was happy to see us. He was smiling broadly as he came close to me. Then his face turned gloomy, and he frowned while looking at me as if he was not happy to see me. What could this dream mean?****JaxonThe room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the crackling fireplace. I leaned over the large oak table