Chapter 4
Quinn's pov I stretched my hands feeling pains all over. My headaches, and so did my eyes. Suddenly, I opened my eyes widened, wanting to see if all I had been. Through was a dream, but it wasn't so. "No!" I growled, hitting my hands against the bed. It seemed like I had woken up on the aggressive side of the bed this morning. My head suddenly turned towards the door, my eyes shaking due to fear. My hands grabbed the shit because I thought Perrin was the one behind the door. But then again, I knew Perrin wasn't going to knock. "Who is it?" I asked, and the lady behind the door spoke. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you, but I was asked to prepare you for today, and also bring you to the breakfast table." I sighed. "Come in." In a short while, she came in and lowered her head. "I'll be preparing a bath for you now..." I nodded and continued to ponder on what the other lady said last night. "Was I going to be killed just like that?" I pondered and was worried about the way things were. Soon, the bath was prepared, and she directed me to the bathroom where I took a nice bath. On getting out of the bathroom, she chose a dress for me. "Would you like to wear this dress?" She asked but it didn't seem like I had any choice. "Yes, I would. It seems good enough," I explained. Once I had put on the dress, I stared at myself in the mirror and realized I was looking so good. I was given a pair of shoes as well. After that, she made my hair, directing me afterward to the breakfast table. The breakfast table seemed really lonely. I was the only one there, and constant thinking didn't let me enjoy what I eating. The food didn't seem to pass through my throat, and I was more than worried about my life. "You're done?" She asked, and I nodded. "I don't think I want to eat anymore. I would like to go for a walk. Something to clear my head." The maid nodded and proceeded to actually clear the table. However, I decided to go for a walk. I wanted to do anything to get the thoughts off my mind. Pushing myself up from the dining chair, I dragged my legs outside the pack house. Maybe strolling around would make me feel better, maybe I could escape. I harnessed that thought as I moved around the pack, and finally, I found a way to escape. It was at the back of the pack house, and the gate was right for me to pass through. As I walked, I looked around, taking note of my surroundings, and that was when I walked into something. At first, I paused, swallowing, but when I saw it was in pain, I felt a sharp pain in my heart as well. "Oh, poor thing..." I said, and swallowed as I inched closer. The little fox I saw. It was a baby fox, and from the looks of it, it was obvious that there was something wrong. Not wanting to waste time, I moved towards her, crunching down to her level as I gently stretched my hands towards the place. The fox was sacred so she tried to move away, but I tried my best, to show her that I wasn't harmful to her. With time, she trusted me and rushed to my hands. There was no doubt that there were a lot of things involved. I felt really excited and decided to rub her gently until she got used to me. "So innocent. I wonder what happened to you..." I explained and immediately felt sorry for the creature. Without thinking twice. I looked around to make sure there was no one there before finally waving my hands over the creature because I wanted to set her free. As soon as I did that, her legs which seemed to be broken started to shake, and before I knew it, she jumped off my hands, causing a huge smirk to plaster on my face. I was so proud, and couldn't help, but feel good. My eyes suddenly turned to the direction where I saw him, and my eyes widened, as my feet remained planted in place. "Well, well well..." "A-al--" I didn't know what else to say. Seeing the alpha made me go crazy. "So we have a healer in our midst, huh?" He asked, circling around me as a predator to his prey. "How did I not notice this in the first place? How was I blind to such kind of power? Healers in the land have actually been long gone." I shivered in fear. I actually didn't want anyone to know about my power, but he managed to find out, and I didn't even know why he followed me in the first place. I made sure I wasn't being followed. Yet, he caught me. He managed to grab me, making the creature run into the woods. "You are going to heal me do you understand? You are going to use your powers to cure me!" "Cure you? There's nothing to be cured. You're alright. I know you are. You look as healthy as ever. Let me go!" I struggled under his grip, but he pinned me to the tree. "I'm not asking I'm telling you. Besides, I just want to inform you that the legend is true. I am crippled, but then I have been using my wolf as a leverage, making me able to stand. However, it's draining my core." I eyed him from head to toe, feeling sparks all over me. It was as though he felt the same because, for a moment, we stared into each other's eyes, he couldn't take his eyes off me. "I've told you what I want from you! You are going to do it. Do you understand?!" He yelled, and pulled away from me, leaving me with my chest heaving. I took a moment to ponder on it, but I saw an opportunity. "Well, unfortunately. I will help you, but I have my conditions.”Chapter 5Quinn's pov"What condition?" He asked, his eyes glaring at me. However, I didn't feel like discussing it with him at this time, so I decided to do something else about it."When we get back home, I'll tell you," I said, crossed my hands, and left his side without looking back.By the time we got into the pack house, there were a lot of things already going on. I really couldn't explain all I was feeling. I knew there was a way to finally get my freedom back. This was my time to finally experience life."Enough!"He yelled, causing me to stop in my tracks. Perrin was just something else."You can't keep running. What are your conditions?" He asked, eyes fixed on me, and I felt like he was going to seem alive any minute from now."I wanted us to discuss this behind closed doors, but it seems like you aren't patient enough.""Just say it already..." He expressed. Waving his hands for his servant to bring his wheelchairAs soon as they did, he sat in the wheelchair and his eyes
CHAPTER SIX:Quinn POV I grumbled all the way to Alpha Perrin's room, knowing full well how much I didn’t want to be near him—not even a little. But deep down, I knew it was something I had to do. If I wanted to get out of the enemies’ grip as soon as possible, this was a small sacrifice I needed to make. “Can I come in?” I called out after knocking on the door. Silence. Typical Perrin. He wasn’t much of a talker. After a moment, I added, “If you are not decent, Alpha Perrin, I suggest you fix that. I’m coming in.” I waited for a beat, then pushed the door open. The cold air hit my face as I stepped inside. The room felt emptier than I expected, almost lifeless. “Maybe he’s not here…” I muttered, scanning every corner of the space, hoping he would appear. “Then why call for me if he’s not even going to show up?” I sighed, turning to leave.Suddenly, I nearly walked right into him—a wall of a man standing silently in my path.My mouth fell open slightly as I took him in. He stood t
CHAPTER SEVENQuinn POV What does he mean he wants me in his bed? That can only mean he wants to sleep with me, right? And even if it doesn’t, it should. Either way, that’s not something I want—especially not with someone as vile as Perrin.“I am not interested in you that way!” I blurted out. The words tumbled out before I could stop them.I watched his face shift. His whole body went rigid, his expression twisting into confusion. His brow lifted, like he was waiting for me to repeat myself.“What?” he finally asked, his voice sharp.I pushed him back, putting some space between us as I sat up and stared down at the bed. “I have zero interest in you,” I said firmly, though my voice softened into a whisper. “Our marriage isn’t real, and you know it. Sleeping in your bed, being... intimate with you? That was never part of the plan. I don’t want you touching me” Alpha Perrin’s expression twisted into something unreadable—anger? Amusement? I couldn’t tell.“You are really full of you
CHAPTER EIGHT Perrin POV "What does she want again?" my wolf growled inside me, and I couldn’t help but wonder the same. Did this woman actually do anything useful around here? Anything at all besides being a constant pest? All she ever did was try to stake her claim on Perrin. And now, here she was this morning, like an unemployed friend with nothing better to do on a Monday.“You really have no shame, do you?” she sneered, her face set in false confidence. But I could tell—beneath it all, she was burning with anger and jealousy. “Parading around like you belong here. Sleeping in his bed, acting all cozy. Guess I overestimated you. Turns out, you are nothing but a desperate little slut.”“Oh, and you are what? Perrin’s self-appointed guard dog?”” The words slipped out before I could stop myself. I might get into trouble with Perrin for this, but she was getting on my last nerve, and someone had to put her in her place.“What did you just say?” she snapped, her arms uncrossing as s
CHAPTER NINE Quinn POV "You’re taking too long to make one decision. What’s it going to be?" I didn’t know why, but cold sweat ran down my forehead as I gulped in fear. "I’m not sure I do well with blood," I confessed, looking at him again. "I don’t know if I have the strength to do this. I mean, if I do it, then what happens to us? When I want to heal you, my power will be drained, and—" "Do it," he said, cutting me off. His tone was more serious now, and the intensity in his gaze made me gulp again. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and crouched beside the man, whose face was twisted in pain. "We don’t have all day. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a patient man," he said, breathing heavily. I stretched my hands toward the open wound. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus all my energy on it. I could feel my power traveling through every part of my body. My eyes shut tighter in concentration, and my breathing started to quicken. Warmth surrounded my hands. It
CHAPTER 10Quinn's POV "Ouch!I yelped, wincing as Alpha Perrin dumped me on the bed like I was a bag of laundry. "Geez, ever heard of being nice? Or, I don’t know, a gentleman?" I rubbed my side dramatically, shooting him a glare. "Pretty sure there are better ways to handle a woman than tossing her around like a sack of potatoes. Just saying." Alpha Perrin didn’t even bother to respond. Apparently, I wasn’t worth it. Instead, his eyes dragged over me, like he was deciding whether to squash me like a bug or just ignore me completely. Then he let out this long, tired sigh—like my existence alone gave him a headache. "You can sleep on the bed today," he muttered, voice all grumbly like I had just asked him to donate a kidney. He avoided eye contact like looking at me might physically burn him. "Don't expect me to be this generous next time." And with that, he stalked off to a corner like some brooding vampire. "Oh wow, such chivalry," I mumbled under my breath. I wasn’t sure
CHAPTER 11Alpha Perrin “No scar at all? It’s completely gone?” I asked, staring at the guard who now looked perfectly fine. “It’s nothing short of a miracle,” the doctor replied. “The leg was beyond saving, marked for amputation due to its inability to heal and the lack of a cure.” He inspected the guard closely. “But now, he’s completely fine.” “It seems the healer’s magic worked,” the guard added respectfully, glancing at me. “Otherwise, how else can one explain how I healed so suddenly, Alpha?” I stroked my chin, studying the guard’s fully healed leg. The scar was completely gone, and he looked as if he hadn’t been on the brink of death from wolfsbane poisoning. “And you are absolutely sure none of the medicine you gave him caused this?” I asked the doctor again, needing confirmation. He shook his head. “For a wolfsbane poisoning that severe, none of the medicine I have would have worked,” he admitted. I let out a deep breath, processing his words. So, she wasn’t us
Quinn's POV (Few minutes earlier )A spy? A freaking spy? I stared at the note in my hands, reading it over and over again as if the words would magically change into something less ridiculous. Why in the world would my father want me to spy on Alpha Perrin? What the hell was he up to? And more importantly—why did he think I would be remotely good at this? One wrong move and Perrin would wipe out our entire pack without breaking a sweat. Was this really a risk anyone was willing to take? Because I, for one, was not. I was still trying to wrap my head around it when a voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “What took you so long?” The head maid stood at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed, her expression as stiff as the apron wrapped around her waist. I barely had time to react before she continued, “I said thirty minutes. You are two minutes late. I will let it slide since it’s your first day, but next time, I expect you to be on time.” Two minutes? I swallowed a sigh
Two years later…The sky was a soft blue, clear and calm, with only a few white clouds drifting above. The sun was warm, not too hot, just perfect for a day outside. The wind carried the scent of flowers and fresh grass. Everything felt peaceful. Safe. Alive.I sat on the front steps of our cottage, watching our son play in the garden. His laughter was like music. Every time he giggled, it filled my chest with warmth I never knew I could feel.He had my eyes but Quinn’s smile. That wide, bright smile that could light up an entire room. His hair was the same soft brown as mine, but his spirit? That was all Quinn. Brave. Curious. Kind.“Mama! Look!” he shouted, holding up a small yellow flower in his tiny hand. “I found a sun!”Quinn walked out of the house just in time to hear him. She smiled, her face glowing, and bent down to kiss the top of his head.“That’s a dandelion, baby,” she said gently.He looked up at her, puzzled. “It looks like the sun.”Quinn laughed, her eyes meeting mi
PERRIN.The sun had barely risen when Quinn and I arrived at the clearing. The air felt heavy, thick with the weight of what was coming. It was impossible to ignore the tension that hung between us, but there was no turning back now. The battle had been set in motion long before we even stepped foot in the Hollow.Theodore was waiting for us. I could feel it in the way the trees seemed to hold their breath, in the way the wind had gone still. The world around us felt like it was frozen in time, as if holding onto the last moments before everything changed.“We’re here,” Quinn said, her voice steady but low. She was ready, even though I could see the fear in her eyes. We both were. Ready, yet afraid. Afraid of what we might lose. Afraid of the unknown.I nodded, tightening my grip on her hand. “Let’s end this.”We moved forward, our footsteps soft on the ground. It felt like every step took us deeper into a world that no longer made sense—one where shadows crept around us, and danger w
PERRINThe Hollow had changed her. I saw it in the way she moved, in the way she looked at the world. The old Quinn was still there, but she had become something else. Something stronger. Something that made my heart both swell with pride and tighten with fear. The Hollow had given her power, but at a cost. A price only she truly understood.We walked side by side, the silence between us comfortable, yet heavy. I could tell Quinn was still processing everything. She didn’t talk much, and neither did I. But I knew her well enough to read the subtle signs. Her hands were clenched, the muscles in her jaw tight. She was holding something back—maybe it was the weight of the trials she’d just endured. Maybe it was the burden of the promise she had made to the First Luna.But I wasn’t going to ask her about it. Not yet. Not unless she was ready.As we stepped farther from the Hollow, the air felt different. Less oppressive, more open. The trees around us were taller now, more like the famili
PERRINThe night felt colder than usual. The stars were hidden behind thick clouds, and the wind was biting as it swept through the trees. I stood at the edge of the Hollow, waiting for Quinn. The quiet was unsettling. There were no sounds of animals, no rustle of leaves in the wind, just silence. I felt it, the weight of the moment pressing down on me. What had she seen in there? What had she done?I ran my fingers through my hair, pacing back and forth. The last few days had been a blur—days of planning, of wondering if we were ready. But now, everything felt different. The air had changed. And Quinn... she had changed. I could feel it in the way she moved, in the way she looked at me. She was carrying something now. Something heavier than the world itself.The veil rippled, and then I saw her. She stepped through slowly, like the world had shifted beneath her feet. Her eyes were different—clearer, more focused—but there was something else in them too. Something deeper.“Quinn,” I s
QUINNThe forest felt different now. After what the Keeper told me, I could feel it. The air was tighter. The silence heavier. Every step I took through the Hollow felt watched, even though I saw no eyes. I kept my hand on my belly, grounding myself with every breath. He was still. Quiet. Listening, maybe. Or sleeping. I couldn’t tell anymore. But I could feel him there, wrapped inside me like the last light in a dark world.I kept walking.There was a place the Keeper told me to go next. She didn’t explain much, only that it was deep in the Hollow. She called it the Pool of Remembering. Said it would show me what I needed, not what I wanted. That didn’t comfort me. But I didn’t come here for comfort. I came to understand what was coming and how to stop it.The trees grew closer together as I walked, their roots twisting like claws over the ground. I had to step carefully. A wrong move could trap my foot or break my balance. Still, I moved forward. The shadows grew thicker, but the de
QUINNThe days in the Hollow passed like a dream. I couldn’t tell how much time had gone by. The sun and moon moved above me, but the way they shifted in the sky didn’t feel normal. Time here was strange. It stretched and folded in on itself. Sometimes I would wake and think it was the same day, only to realize the trees had moved, or the air had changed.I stayed inside the stone circle most of the time. It was the safest place. The Keeper said the stones still held the oldest magic, and while they couldn’t stop everything, they could slow things down. Especially the thing that was looking for me.The baby had grown stronger. I could feel him more now. Not just his kicks or movements, but his presence. Sometimes when I sat still, I felt his energy wrapping around mine, like he was holding me back. Like he was trying to comfort me.And sometimes, he would send me feelings. Flashes of fear, curiosity, or warmth. I didn’t know how, but we were connected in ways I didn’t understand. Mayb
QuinnThe moment we returned to the camp near the Hollow, everything felt different.Perrin didn’t speak at first. His eyes kept scanning the trees like he expected something to jump out. I sat on a flat rock near the fire, watching the smoke rise into the dark sky. The stars looked sharper tonight. Like they were watching.“Do you feel it too?” I asked.He didn’t answer. Instead, he took a slow step toward me, his eyes full of questions he didn’t know how to ask. Finally, he knelt in front of me and reached for my hands.“You crossed the veil,” he said.“I know.”“You shouldn’t have been able to.”“I know that too.”He looked away, his jaw tightening. “Something happened to you in the Hollow. Something more than a vision.”“I saw myself. A darker version of me. And I saw him… our son. Older. Strong. Dangerous.”Perrin’s head jerked back slightly. “Dangerous?”“He had power I can’t explain. He didn’t use it to hurt—not yet—but it was there, waiting.”He sat beside me, elbows on his kn
QUINNThe Hollow was quiet again.But it wasn’t the kind of quiet that calms you. It was the type that made your skin crawl. Like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something to break.I walked deeper into the woods, away from the circle, away from Perrin’s distant eyes. My feet moved on their own. The air was cooler, heavier. The trees whispered. I couldn’t understand the words, but I knew they were speaking to me.They were warning me.I stopped in front of a stream, its waters still and dark like a mirror. I crouched and dipped my fingers into it. It was ice-cold, but it sent warmth up my arm—a strange, pulsing energy that made my stomach twist.He kicked again. Harder this time.“I feel you,” I whispered. “I know you’re watching too.”A shape moved behind me. I stood quickly, heart pounding, but there was nothing there. Just the trees. Just the wind.No.Something was there. I felt it before I saw it. A pull, strong and steady, dragging my attention east.I followed it.
QUINNThe night air was cold as I stood outside the castle walls. The wind was sharper than usual, brushing against my skin like a warning. My bag was light, but my heart felt heavy. I didn’t look back. If I did, I wasn’t sure I could walk away.Perrin stood just a few feet behind me. His arms were crossed, but his face gave him away. He looked like he was trying to be strong, but inside he was falling apart.“I have to go,” I whispered.He didn’t speak at first. The silence between us stretched so far it felt like another world. Then finally, he stepped forward and took my hands in his.“I should be with you,” he said. “You’re carrying our child.”“I know.” I squeezed his fingers. “But this place… The Hollow… only I can get through. The old blood recognizes Luna. You’re strong, but you’re not Luna-born.”His jaw tensed. “Then let me wait at the edge. Let me be close.”I nodded. “You can come that far. But after that, I go alone.”His arms wrapped around me so tightly I almost broke.