Lunnette's POVCurtis, the alpha beta, led me to my bedroom. I followed behind him, a little dumbstruck but mostly grateful at the thought of not having to worry about where I would sleep for the night.At least for now, that was a worry I didn't need to have."Thank you," I mumbled softly, and he looked to me, bowing slowly. I bowed back, insure of what to do with the way he had insisted on greeting me since I arrived."Your welcome; if you need anything, let me know," he muttered, and I nodded, going to bed.I made my way to the room; it was nice and quiet. It was better than where I actually slept in my old pack, which meant I had a bed and covers over me.I moved to the bathroom; it would be nice to take a shower and fall asleep, maybe hoping for some peace and quiet before morning.Once I turned on the shower, letting hit water run over me,.I didn't spend too long there; I was too tired anyway.I
Lunette’s POVHe banged the door behind him, and I flinched slightly. I didn't move until it sounded like he was suitably far away and he wasn't coming back before I tugged on my nightdress and then moved to the bed. I fell into bed almost immediately, marveling at the way I sank into the covers like it was a cotton cloud. My eyes flickered close just as quickly.I didn't dream much that night, not as much as I usually did, until maybe close to dawn when the flickering dawn lights filtered in through the curtains over my face, seeming like a haze.I was walking in a garden; it was a little cold outside, but the flowers were blooming—all of them, the roses and the lilies, the marigolds too.I walked along the field leaning in to smell the flowers; it was almost intoxicating. I blinked rapidly, reaching to touch the roses. I flinched when something pricked at my fingers, drawing them away. Blood splashed onto the flower petals. Dark red on pale white flowers. Then I heard the growling
Axel POVThe moment I walked out of the kitchen, storming across the corridor, my face was likely like a storm cloud. After that disastrous conversation, I knew things were about to get worse.I was being irrational; I knew that because I was the king of rash decisions, but Zarek and I had made this choice, and it couldn't be that bad if Zarek was in on it too.Our father may have made his choice, but Zarek and I weren’t going to just stand by and let it happen. Any other woman, any other omega, and we would not have cared; our mother had been dead for a long time now, and we didn't want him to be alone, but there was no way in hell we were going to let Lunette come in and take over, no matter how soft her voice was or how wide her eyes got when she looked at me.She had to go.We started small.Zarek and I were popular with the maids in the housekeeping section; it was easy enough to bribe them to
Lunnette POVThe kitchen was my sanctuary.It wasn’t glamorous work, but I was fine with that, especially after everything that had happened. It felt good to have something to focus on, something I could channel my frustrations into.I liked the routine, the warmth of the stoves, the smell of freshly baked bread, the familiar scents of herbs, and the chatter of the kitchen staff—it was all so normal, peaceful even.With the morning sun filtered through the kitchen windows, casting a golden glow over the counters.It had taken some time, but I was finally starting to feel at home in the packhouse oras much as one could under the circumstances.The Alpha’s proposal was a choice that still hung over me, and the constant tension with the twins made life difficult, so the quiet moments like this—where I could breathe and just be was much appreciated.The sounds of pots clattering were
Verda POVI paced the length of my chambers, fury rushing through my veins like wildfire. My plan had been foolproof, or so I thought.Have the girl in prison long enough to get her killed in a way that would not be suspected.How could it have failed? Lunette was supposed to be gone by now, a distant memory swept away by the rumors I had carefully planted.But she was still alive. Still breathing."How could this happen?" I hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at the guard who stood trembling."I paid them a fortune. How could they let her slip through their fingers?"He paled, his eyes darting between me and the door, clearly hoping for an escape.“My lady, the guards..."“I don’t care about excuses!” I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut glass.“I want results!" I screamed"Get out, now," I hissed, throwing the delicate vase that rested on my dres
Zarek POVI slammed the book shut, my fingers trembling slightly as I set it down on the side table. The familiar weight of the worn leather cover should’ve brought me comfort, but today it did nothing. I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t breathe.Lunette’s scent was everywhere.It clung to the walls of the house, to the furniture, to the air I breathed. Sweet, like wildflowers blooming after a rainstorm, but laced with something more dangerous—something that made my wolf stir restlessly beneath my skin.The pull was inescapable, and no matter how hard I tried to shut it out, it was there, tugging at the edges of my self-control.I ran a hand through my hair, the strands damp with sweat. The library, which had once been my sanctuary, now felt suffocating.Even here, her scent had managed to seep in, like a taunt, reminding me of her presence in the house. 
Axel POV The rhythmic thud of my fists against the padded training dummy echoed in the open air.I focused on my movements, each thought sending a ripple of tension down my spine. I had been at it for hours; the rhythmic sounds of my fists were the only thing keeping me grounded these days. Martial arts was a human art, but I loved it. It had always been my escape, the one place where I could channel my frustrations, and lately those frustrations were all about Lunnette.The scent of pine and earth grounded me, but it did little to ease the storm brewing inside. Lunnette.Just the thought of her made my chest tighten, sweat dripped down my forehead, and the burning ache in my muscles was the only relief I had. She was mine—and Zarek's—but things weren’t that simple anymore, not with my father now involved.I threw another punch, harder this time, trying to shove away the confusion and the jealousy, because that did me no good at this point. I threw a kick, the bag swaying violentl
Axel POV I blinked slightly, the lights blurring behind my eyes, blood flowing into my mouth. Zarek’s growls echoed through the walls, guttural and harsh.He was fighting; his brother was trying his best even as the beast inside him was fighting tooth and nail to break free. I clenched my fists. I was going to help him. Rising to my feet, my body leaning against the wall, I winced my contorted in pain. His eyes had already started glowing that unmistakable red—the sign of a shift we all feared.“Dammit,” I muttered under my breath, heart racing; this was spiraling out of control."Brother, you really need to snap out of this." I hissed. The room was thick with tension, the scent of aggression filling up the place all at once. The door burst open, and Lunnette rushed back in, Curtis right behind her. Her face was pale, but her eyes roamed over their faces. “Help me, Curtis!” I called out, already sidestepping Zarek; his body started the shift, and his wolf growls filled the room,
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