Lunette POVI wiped my hands on the apron, looking around the kitchen to make sure everything was in place before I left.The kitchen was finally still, the last breakfast tray had been sent off, and the counters were spotless. I took a deep breath, letting the lingering scents of warm bread, roasted vegetables, crisp bacon, and spices from this morning meal fill my nose. It had been a long morning, and my back hurt from standing for so long, but it did not feel too bad, not when my heart felt full. A few beta's who worked in the kitchen with Ms. Harlow lingered by the counters, gathering up the last trays to bring to the dining hall; she had joined me and helped me make breakfast for the warriors and some of the young men with no mates that were horrible at making meals. I looked around the storage, but she was nowhere to be found; she'd likely gone to sit down. As I wiped down the final countertop, I thought back to my breakfast with Alpha Cormac this morning. He had been so diffe
Lunette POVI was forming a bad habit.It was one I hadn’t meant to form but couldn’t quite break. Every time I finished my morning duties, my feet seemed to take on a will of their own, drawing me toward Alpha Cormac.It didn’t matter where it was; I found myself looking for him around every corner—the hallways, the training grounds, or his study—just knowing he might be nearby pulled me like a magnet.So I stole glances whenever he passed. Alpha Cormac had a quiet strength about him, and the more I watched him, the better it was. He was kind not just to me but to all the members of his pack. His words and warmth, and the fierce protection he’d shown for me at the council meeting, were not just for show, and it made shaking of the feelings I seemed to be developing for him extra difficult.Today was the pack runs, and the pack house was buzzing with excitement. It had been planned for weeks now and pushed back because Alpha Cormac was gone, but now he was back, and it seemed to be a
Axel POV I’d been waiting all week for the pack run, the restless energy building in my muscles, ready to burst free, and I really needed the exercise.There was something about running under the full moon, feeling the earth beneath my paws, that brought a freedom I couldn’t find anywhere else. It was freeing, and after so much delay I was finally getting what I wanted. Zarek was nowhere to be found, which wasn’t exactly surprising; lately he had been in a foul mood lately.He'd been disappearing more and more lately, always brooding and withdrawn, grumbling and snapping at everyone, including me. I was getting damn sick of his sulking; his brooding was getting under my skin, and I almost welcomed the chance to run it off without him dragging the energy down.My father was up ahead, so I walked up to him, offering a small grin."Hello, father," I mumbled, and he turned to look at me. "You really should be leading these things; we can't have everything come to a half when I'm not he
Lunette POVThe air was crackling with energy, enough of it that, but I wasn't really surprised at it, but it was fun to see; the young ones had some fun with it, yipping at the adult tails; it made me smile; this was better than what had happened when I was with my family; it had always been a somber affair.It seemed I had done pack runs wrong this whole time. The energy was electric as the others barreled off into the trees, different colors of fire flashing through the moonlit forest as they ran. It was beautiful, and it filled me with longing. I found the alpha leading ahead; he was the largest of them, his fur dark black almost midnight. He moved with sleek speed as if he weren't almost as huge as a mountain lion; it was almost too good to watch and made me long for the old times, though limited, when I could actually shift and roam by myself without the burden of my pack watching me.Longing filled my gut. Tonight, I’d follow Alpha Cormac’s advice and go to the spot near the w
Lunette POVThe scent of blood in the air was almost too sharp and metallic, making my stomach churn. I didn't really like blood all that much. I stepped closer to Axel, my eyes narrowing as I took in the dark stains smeared across his arms and torso.His unusually calm demeanor only made it more unsettling. "Is that blood?" I muttered. It sounded stupid now I had said it out loud.Of course it was blood. “What happened to you?” I asked, but he said nothing, walking towards her. “Axel,” I muttered hesitantly, my voice cutting through the quiet of the clearing."You're hurt. There’s blood on you.” I gestured toward the bright red stains over his chest and arms, my concern outweighing my discomfort.Axel didn’t flinch, his gaze steady as he wiped at the blood absentmindedly with his hand."It's nothing,” he replied, his tone dismissive. I frowned, unconvinced and definitely not buying his casual explanation. “That’s not nothing, Axel. Whose blood is it?" He exhaled heavily, runni
Axel POVThe forest was oddly too quiet; the blood spilling down my chest from the man I had just killed was warm and sticky; it would be a hassle to clean.Mostly a hassle to explain to Lunette, but that was a problem to deal with then. I looked at the body; that would be another problem; maybe I should have left him alive.I found out exactly what he wanted from her in the first place and why he had been stalking her, but the time for that had passed. I moved to the body and dragged him across the ground, the body making the leaves rustle. The faint calls of wolves from the pack run echoed back here, making me smile a bit.It was funny in a way I didn't want to think about right now.I was supposed to be enjoying a peaceful, quiet run, not dragging a body half way across the forest. Once I was done hiding the body, I moved to where Lunette stood by the water, looking scared.She must have heard me coming; she glanced at me and then immediately looked worried when she saw the blood o
Lunette POVThe dim light filtering through the cracks of the storage shed made me feel uneasy. I shouldn't be here at all, but I felt suffocated inside, so I decided to help clear the mess in the storage. The shelves were stacked with tools, old supplies, that were dusty and in need of arranging, so here I was looking for solitude—trying not to let my thoughts circle back to Axel and that night in the forest. The pack runs were over, but thinking about that night still made me feel hot and brought a flush to my skin. Even now my core was wet just at the thought of it.The forest was supposed to be the last time; that’s what I told myself every day after that; that’s what I promised myself. But promises had a way of crumbling when Axel was involved. No matter where I went, he seemed to find me. No matter how much I tried to resist, I kept finding myself giving in. It wasn’t just the forest. There was the time by the stream when he caught me washing the dirt off my hands after gard
Lunette POVI ran away from the shed like the hounds of hell were all rushing behind me. I needed to do that to at least tell myself that I wasn't a totally bad person. I slipped in through the door, trying to be as quiet as possible.The hallway leading to my bedroom was a little too quiet, and I wasn't sure if I was grateful for it since it made the echo of my hurried footsteps as I made my way back to my room all the more loud.It was frightening, especially with my heart racing like I was being chased and pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird.I felt out of control, and I hated feeling like this—like I was caught in a web of my own making, which was a hundred percent right.I shouldn’t have done it. Again.Again, being the most important word in the whole thought process, I shouldn't do it again too, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to say no. Axel’s touch still lingered on my skin, the heat of his fingers on my skin, and the memory of his smirk seared into my brain.I
Alpha Cormac POV Early morning dew clung to the grass as I stepped into the training grounds, my muscles already tense with anticipation. The sun was still rising, casting soft shadows over the field, and the soft thud of fists against sandbags and the rhythmic grunts of warriors in training already filled the space.It had been far too long since I had sparred with someone, far longer since I had sparred with Axel, and I wanted to see how he was holding up, both as a warrior and as my son. I didn't like the fact that he was going out with that Lorraine girl, but I had no say in it, so I was planning to keep my mouth shut. Life as Alpha often left little room for personal matters, even with my own sons, but today I had carved out time. Axel was a strong fighter, and I hadn't been in the game for very long, so I knew that I had strong competition from him, but I was looking forward to it. Axel was already waiting when I arrived, his stance steady and his eyes sharp. He looked ever
Lunette POVThe cold air nipped at my face as I walked away from Axel, my vision blurring with tears that I couldn’t seem to stop. Not when my chest felt like it was about to cave in, each breath harder to draw in than the last. His words echoed in my mind, the pain it caused as sharp and deadly as it was when he had said the words.“I’m dating her now.” I had watched him come in with her at the feast, and it felt like my heart just stopped for no good reason. I had tried to ignore them both; after all, there was no reason I should be affected—not when I was there with my own mate—but that hadn't helped.So K had followed him outside and confronted him, and that had been his response. How could he say that to me? How could he choose Lorraine of all people? I was no longer the type to crumble just because someone didn’t choose me. But Axel wasn’t just someone. He was different; he was my mate. I stumbled as my legs carried me away from the forest line and back toward the glow of
Axel POV I needed a break , and I needed one now before I went crazy and rampaged on everyone in the room, I made to cross the room when Zarek approached me cornering me by the kitchen" Is it going that well" he asked and I sighed " Don't start with me brother" I hissed and he grunted "I don't mean anything by it, except maybe if you want me to kill her first " he huffed and I smiled wryly sipping at my drink " That would be nice but I'd like to avoid bloodshed " " How long do you expect this to last " he asked and I sighed running a hand through my hair " I don't want to think about that " " But you have to" he hissed and I tossed back my drink reaching for another glass " No I don't. Now drop it" I muttered walking to the door and this time I was cornered by my father " Axel what's wrong with you " he asked and I huffed " What is this, intervention night" " If that makes you feel better to think about it like that then fine"" I don't need my father interfering with my b
Lunette POV The words hung in the air like poison, each one of them slicing through me with cruelty I couldn't believe existed, I tried not to let it bother me but that didn't seem to be working. "Whore." They repeated and I struggled not to flinch "She’s not even trying to hide it." I stood there my hands trembling as I clutched the pruning shears I had been using in my garden,a place that was my solitude but yet seemed to have had all the peace drawn out of it through a thin straw, my breath stayed caught in my throat, thick and cloying .I looked down at my hands, the dirt beneath my nails and the shears in my grip blurring as tears welled in my eyes, the first instinct that screamed at me was to run, but my legs felt rooted to the ground. I wanted to confront them, to scream that they didn’t know me, that they didn’t understand. But the words caught in my throat, choked by the shame that I felt deep into my bones.But what would I say to them, that even though I was betrothe
Lunette POV The castle was buzzing with energy that. I didn’t quite describe, it wasn’t the good kind though. Lorraine’s tantrums were constantly in the background, but I did my best to ignore them. She thrived on the attention, and I refused to give her that satisfaction. Between Lorraine’s constant tantrums, the twins complete absence and my growing fear that Alpha Cormac would uncover the truth, I felt like a rabbit trapped in a den of wolves. So I did what I had been the best at doing, I poured my energy into spending time with Cormac, convincing myself that this was where my focus should be. After all, this engagement wasn’t just about us—it was about securing my future. I spent most of my days either dodging Lorraine’s pointed remarks and orders or trying to keep my composure as Cormac’s watchful eyes bore into me on our date. It was exhausting. I was on another date with him because somehow, in the midst of all this chaos, we found ourself spending more time together.
Lunette POV “What do you want?” I asked again, my voice quieter now. Her eyes gleamed with triumph as she pulled back a bit. “Ah, now we’re getting to the good part,” she said. She circled me slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. “What I want,” she said, drawing out the words, “is to see you squirm. To see you suffer, it's a past time of mine you see" she mumbled and I flinched “I’ll keep your secret,” she started walking around me like a vulture circling prey, she sounded too gleeful about this that it made it almost to difficult to let it go.“If,” she added, her smile returning, “you do exactly as I say.”My stomach dropped, and I stared at her in disbelief. “What do you mean?”“You heard me,” she said, her voice as smooth as silk lie she was an innocent girl asking for an innocent favour when we both knew that couldn't be further from the truth “If you want me to keep my mouth shut, you’re going to do what I want, when I want.”I swallowed hard, dread pooling in m
Lunnette's POV Ever since my meeting with Lorraine, in fact ever since Axel had slammed a door in my face after sending me on my merry way I had been an emotional wreck. The weight of Lorraine’s presence was floating over me like a storm cloud,a very dark and very suffocating storm cloud.My little chat with her earlier had left my nerves frayed and had my thoughts spiraling in a thousand directions. What would she do with Axel, what would she tell him? Would she expose me to the pack?I was still struggling to fit in here, and they would no doubt be people who would want me gone because I lied.Worse yet, what if she went to the twins or—goddess forbid—Alpha Cormac? My heart clenched at the thought of his piercing eyes darkening with betrayal. I had fought so hard to build this life, to protect myself and those I cared about. It couldn’t all come crashing down now, not because of her. What would I tell them!My stomach churned at the thought. I paced my room, the wood floor
Lorraine POV I stalked out of Axel's bedroom my heart pounding with satisfaction. I had gotten what I wanted and I was feeling on top of the world He had agreed to my terms. Of course, he had no choice but to. My heels clicked sharply across the hard wood floors as I made my way down the corridor, the sound echoed in the otherwise quiet space. I was familiar with these halls, just like I was familiar with the Grey Moon pack house. It was getting to dawn and the halls were still dimly lit,it would be a while before they would fully lit.It had been a while since I was back here but, I would be here a lot more often and that was amusing. A sly smile crept onto my lips as I thought about the power I now held. Axel was desperate and properly trapped, and it was all thanks to what I had stumbled upon the moment I arrived.I had not been sure how to pin him down when I left home for this pack, all I knew was I needed to get him back to me immediately. And by some sort of providence,
Zarek POVI woke up gasping for air, bolting upright as my heart hammered in my chest as the lingering effects of the nightmare clung to me like a second skin.The images were still as vivid and had seared themselves into my mind—my father’s lifeless body, blood all over the floor, Axel nowhere to be found, and Lunette’s screams as darkness swallowed her whole.I clenched my fists, trying to steady my breathing.“It’s just a dream,” I muttered, but the words felt hollow.It was just a dream.But it didn’t feel like one.I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, my hands shaking as I ran them through my damp hair.My room was suffocating; the walls seemed too close, the air too still. I swung my legs off the bed and stood, needing space, needing air.Sleep wasn’t coming back for me, not