Varda POV I heard the news about Alpha Cormac's deathly injury, while I was cleaning up my new room, it had been one of the best news I had in a very long while.I knew it was time.When I had sent the assassins to finish off Lunette, it had never occured to me that I would catch bigger fish in my endeavor.The alpha Cormac, the biggest alpha om our coast and the most respected, it was a coup. A storm of satisfaction had spread through me, filling me, this was good. I needed this chance now, cold determination settled over me as I leaned back in the ornate chair in Slade's–my study now. The Grey Moon pack was vulnerable. Their leadership in shambles this was the time for me to get more than I had wanted with the chaos that was no doubt already starting to spread. I had my opening.And while Lunette wasn't dead yet, that wasn't something I couldn't solve later.Lunette. The name was a bitter taste on my tongue, that little brat was a thorn in my side. She was a loose thread, the la
Axel’s POVThe council chambers were suffocating me, and Lorraine standing beside me was not doing me any favors to be honest, her face composed but I saw the glint in her eyes. She had me wrapped around her fingers and the council was helping her squeeze. They had all but declared, Lunette, Curtis and Zarek traitors to the pack. “We cannot allow them to run free,” Lorraine said, her voice dripping with false concern."If Zarek and Lunette are left unchecked, they’ll bring ruin to Grey Moon. We have to act before it’s too late.” I clenched my fists at my sides, barely containing my anger because I knew she didn’t care about the pack, only her own ambitions but her performance was flawless and the council bought it, murmuring their agreement,“Alpha Axel,” elder Fred addressed me. "You must send your soldiers to apprehend them. For the good of the pack.” I had gotten used to those words over the last few days, even more than I had gotten used to my own father's death. Maybe it wa
"Do you ever stop being stupid?" My stepmother's Varda voice rang out from across the room as she delivered a sharp kick to my side while I was scrubbing the floor. I let out a small wince, the pain searing through me as I collapsed to my knees again. Ignoring her, I resumed cleaning, not wanting to provoke any further trouble. If I claimed to understand why she was hitting me this time, it would be a lie. She often did this for her own twisted amusement. "You are just a petty thief, just like that damn whore mother of yours," she spat, punctuating her words with another painful kick to my side. A small scream escaped me, and tears blurred my vision from the impact."Mother, stop!" Lorraine, her daughter, begged as she rushed to her mother's side, desperately trying to stop the abuse. Her mother wanted to hit me more. But Lorraine quickly ran to me, helping me to my feet, and we fled the scene together, not wanting to endure more of Varda’s cruelty. She was my mother's best friend and
I woke abruptly, gasping for breath, sweat running down my forehead as I struggled to control my heart. I had just had a nightmare, a terrifying one. I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, but then I realized—it wasn’t just a nightmare. Everything I had experienced was real. My heart pounded as questions flooded my mind, but the most pressing one was: where the heck am I? I looked around the room, but I didn’t recognize it.The room was big, grand, and fancy—nothing like what I had back home. That only raised more questions. What had happened to me that day? Why was I here? Just then, the door flew open, catching my attention. Two men walked in, and they froze as soon as they saw me awake. I did the same. Our eyes locked for a moment, and just like before, my wolf began to stir, but this time she was more agitated. Their scent was oddly familiar, and when my wolf whispered “Mates…” again, the truth hit me.My eyes widened in shock. They were the wolves from that night—the on
I gasped and quickly clamped my arms over my bare chest, trying to cover myself. Why the hell did he just barge in without knocking? I couldn't wrap my mind around it. His eyes darkened as they roamed over my body, lingering in a way that made my skin tingle. I had always been complimented on my beauty, but the way he was looking at me now was different—intense. Yet, in a strange way, it made me feel desired.He took a step toward me, and I gulped, instinctively stepping back. The expression on his face made my heart race. “I wonder why Father is treating you so kindly? You trespassed into our territory, and yet he shows you so much hospitality,” Axel said bitterly. I couldn’t help but wonder, what did he have against me? We hadn’t even met before, so what was his problem? Zarek didn’t seem to like me much either, but Axel was a complete asshole.“What is your problem with me anyway?” I asked, my voice trembling as I summoned all the courage I had. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”Before
ZAREK'S POVDinner had been a quiet affair for years in our family; I was used to it, and so was Axel.But as I walked into the dining room, Lunnette scent me like a sledgehammer to the back of my head. I stood at the doorway, gripping the frame stiffly, trying to free my fingers so it didn't crush through the wood. "Aren't you going in?" my brother asked. I took in a deep breath that almost made it seem worse and stalked into the dining room. Once we were all seated, I looked to her and stilled. She looked beautiful, her pale blonde hair looking almost white; she seemed a little too pale with a slight flush to her cheeks. She looked up at me, and I looked away immediately. "I've decided to take Lunnette as my mate." My father mumbled. For the second time, I think, I sat there, stunned and frozen in disbelief as his voice echoed in the room, in my ears, but though I could hear him,it seemed to take me time to grasp what he was saying.My eyes locked on my father asI gripped the edg
AXEL'S POVI gripped Zarek’s arm tighter than I probably should have, practically dragging him out of the packhouse before he could do something truly reckless. His muscles were tense, his breath coming in shallow bursts.He was barely keeping his wolf from snapping. I knew that feeling too well.An omega? He was taking that omega as his mate of all women?The door slammed shut behind us, cutting off the murmur of voices and gasps from inside.The tension followed us through the doors.I crossed my arms, my gaze following him as he paced back and forth."He’s right, Zarek," I finally said."We rejected her. She’s free to choose, and so is he."A snarl tore from his throat as he hissed."Don’t you dare say that to me." He roared, and I sighed; he wasn't making this easy on me. Hell, I was stunned too, and trying to wrap my head around our father&rs
Lunnette POVThe moment the door slammed behind Axel and Zarek, as they stormed out of the dining room, a thick, oppressive silence settled over everyone left, making the air thick with tension. Someone slammed against the door hard, and it echoed down the hallway. I stayed frozen in my seat, unable to move, unable to breathe, my heart pounding in my chest, like a bass drum.My hands trembled in my lap as I stole glances at Alpha Cormac, who was sitting across from me, watching me. I hadn't expected a proposal; if the twins were surprised, then I had no idea what I should be right now. So I just sat there in silence, trying to process what had just happened. Zarek’s fury, Axel’s quiet seething anger—but it was Alpha Cormac’s words that kept replaying in my mind. He had claimed me. Not a beta or another high-ranking wolf. No, me an omega to be mated to Alpha Cormac. The father of the two men who were supposed to protect me now wanted me for himself. He would be my Alpha. “Lunette,
Axel’s POVThe council chambers were suffocating me, and Lorraine standing beside me was not doing me any favors to be honest, her face composed but I saw the glint in her eyes. She had me wrapped around her fingers and the council was helping her squeeze. They had all but declared, Lunette, Curtis and Zarek traitors to the pack. “We cannot allow them to run free,” Lorraine said, her voice dripping with false concern."If Zarek and Lunette are left unchecked, they’ll bring ruin to Grey Moon. We have to act before it’s too late.” I clenched my fists at my sides, barely containing my anger because I knew she didn’t care about the pack, only her own ambitions but her performance was flawless and the council bought it, murmuring their agreement,“Alpha Axel,” elder Fred addressed me. "You must send your soldiers to apprehend them. For the good of the pack.” I had gotten used to those words over the last few days, even more than I had gotten used to my own father's death. Maybe it wa
Varda POV I heard the news about Alpha Cormac's deathly injury, while I was cleaning up my new room, it had been one of the best news I had in a very long while.I knew it was time.When I had sent the assassins to finish off Lunette, it had never occured to me that I would catch bigger fish in my endeavor.The alpha Cormac, the biggest alpha om our coast and the most respected, it was a coup. A storm of satisfaction had spread through me, filling me, this was good. I needed this chance now, cold determination settled over me as I leaned back in the ornate chair in Slade's–my study now. The Grey Moon pack was vulnerable. Their leadership in shambles this was the time for me to get more than I had wanted with the chaos that was no doubt already starting to spread. I had my opening.And while Lunette wasn't dead yet, that wasn't something I couldn't solve later.Lunette. The name was a bitter taste on my tongue, that little brat was a thorn in my side. She was a loose thread, the la
Zarek POV "Have you lost your mind?” I snarled, at my brother my voice low and dangerous.“You think locking Lunette up is going to solve anything? She didn’t kill Father, Axel.” The tension in the room was suffocating and I really didn't need to be pissed, Axel stood at the head of his table, his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw set tight, I stood across from him bracing my hands on the surface of the table, it was barely enough to keep myself from reaching across and shaking some sense into him. “I didn’t say she did. But until we know for sure who’s behind this, I can’t take any chances.” “Chances?” I barked, slamming my fist on the table.“You’re not just taking a chance, you’re condemning her. The council will see this as an admission of guilt. Do you understand what you’re doing?” Axel’s lips pressed into a thin line. “What I understand is that the council is already breathing down my neck. If I don’t handle this carefully, we risk losing everything.” “Losing wha
Lunette POV My whole body ached from hours of training with Zarek, each and every muscle group screamed in protest as I settled into the chair beside Alpha Cormac’s bed. With the room dimly lit, the only light coming from the faint glow of the monitors tracking his vitals.The steady beeping was oddly comforting, I could at least hold on to the fact he was still with us. I watched him breath in and out guilt gnawing at my insides. He looked a bit better today, not so pale, maybe soon he would wake up. He had nearly died protecting me. He shouldn’t have risked himself for someone like me. I slumped into the chair by Alpha Cormac’s bed and I told myself I’d only rest my eyes for a moment, just long enough to catch my breath. “I’ll make it right,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I’ll find a way to fix this, to protect your pack... your family.” But the steady rhythm of the machines and the quiet hum of the room lulled me into sleep.I didn’t even realize when my eyes closed,
Lorraine’s POVIt was dark outside and quiet wrapped around the pack house like a shroud, it had never been this quiet in a long time the stillness was broken only by the occasional creak of the old walls or the distant howl of a wolf. This was a perfect time for what I had to do, it was the perfect cover.I slipped through the hallways, keeping my footsteps as silent against the wooden floors as possible, my heart pounded in my chest, but it was not from fear. No, this wasn’t fear. This was anticipation. Alpha Cormac’s injury had given me the perfect opening because now with him bedridden and Zarek too preoccupied with training that brat girl Lunette, Axel was the only one fit to step up as acting Alpha. And if Axel became Alpha, well... I would ensure that I was by his side as Luna. It was time to act. Time to turn the chaos to my advantage, meaning there was no room for error tonight. I tightened my grip on the small syringe hidden in my sleeve. The attack had been... unex
Zarek POVI had made a mistake. A colossal mistake.I knew it from the moment I agreed to train Lunette that it was a mistake but I had done it anyway. I told myself it was to keep her from running herself into the ground.She had been practically clawing for the chance to learn how to fight. I thought I could get her to see reason by exhausting her, prove to her that her determination wasn’t enough to carry her through rigorous training.But she had that look in her eyes, the kind that said she wasn't going to give this up.Every day, we met in the training grounds, at dawn when the pack was still asleep and everyday Lunette had thrown herself into the sessions with reckless abandon that made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t want to acknowledge.But it wasn’t just her determination that worried me anymore—it was what I was seeing during those sessions.&n
Axel POV The weight of responsibility was pressing down on me like a mountain, but I welcomed it. With our father still in a coma, I had stepped into the role of acting Alpha for our pack, they needed guidance and Zarek showed no interest in taking up the mantle—his focus was elsewhere not that I could totally blame him—and that left me to shoulder the burden. It was easier this way. The work kept me distracted, and gave me purpose, if I was focused on managing the pack, there was no room to dwell on the chaos threatening my personal life. And no room to think about her. Lunette spent every day by our father’s bedside, from early in the morning until late into the night, she remained in that room, her gaze fixed on his unconscious form as if her presence alone could will him back to health. I hated seeing her like that—fragile, lost, a shadow of the woman I had come to know. But I couldn’t bring myself to approach her. Not after what she’d said. She was going to accept my
Lunette POVAlpha Cormac lay so still in bed, his breathing was still shallow and his -powerful frame looked smaller under the weight of blankets. The room still smelled heavily of the scent of antiseptic and blood.Two days later and it still felt like I was back there with those assassins, the blood on their skin dripping to the floor.I sat in the chair beside him, my hands clasped tightly together as guilt twisted through my gut like a dagger.He had risked his life to save me, throwing himself into danger without a second thought.And for what? I didn’t deserve that kind of sacrifice.“Why did you do it?” I whispered, my voice barely audible."You should have just let me face them on my own.”Of course, he didn’t answer.His eyes were still closed, his face pale almost white, and though the healers had assured me he would
Zarek POV I barely registered the blood pooling beneath my father’s body as I held him in my arms, with his weight sagging against me, I knelt there panic coursing through me. My father, the strongest man I’d ever known, was limp, his blood soaking into my clothes and pooling on the forest floor. “Father!” My voice cracked, "We need to get him inside" Lunette muttered and I agreed with her, I lifted him off the ground and we started walking he coughed weakly, blood staining his lips as his head lolled against my shoulder like he had fainted“Stay with me,” I begged, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart. "Come on, old man," I muttered through gritted teeth, forcing my legs to steady under his weight. "You’re not dying here. Not like this." My hands trembled slightly as I pressed against the wound at his side, against the blood that just kept coming. My muscles screamed in protest, but I just kept moving. I wouldn’t let him slip away. Not like this. Footstep