Serena's POVI listened to Alpha Zone attentively as I am fed up with all Arden put me through and as for what he did tonight, I am getting fed up with and there is so much I can take even for a resilient person. So if he knows a way for me to leave this place for good, I will be more than willing to take my chances."You have the opportunity to get out. All you need to do is complete your three year tenure." He said.I sighed in frustration. "Three years. That's a lot of time.""But at least you're not a servant anymore."He made a fair point, but I was thinking I would be able to get out as soon as possible.I don't understand Arden. He prevented me from leaving when his mother granted me permission to leave. Now this? This is getting too frustrating."Crap! I am always this close," I walk up to him and hold my forefinger and thumb close with very little space in-between them. "This is close. But he ruins everything for me. It's getting so unbearable." I ranted."But there's a brigh
Serena's POVAfter what felt like hours, I finally heard the door click. I stood up from where I was sitting and stood upright. I waited for a while but no one came out of the room.This is the most impossible job ever.My feet hurt from standing for so long. I've endured training exercises that can be really exhausting but it's better than standing here and enduring the sounds of them while having to be uncomfortable all the while it happened.I heard footsteps in the room and low mumbles but I didn't know what exactly they were talking about and if I'm honest with myself, I'd rather if I didn't.I wish I had my phone with me. I would love to do something to keep me busy and also to know what time it is. But from the moonlight, I can tell it's somewhat around 3am.It's almost morning and I haven't gotten any shut eye. I guess this is one of the things I need to let go as long as I am going to be Arden's guard.I wondered if I should go to the training ground to meet with Alpha Zone b
Serena's POVAfter having just four hours of sleep, I was up again and ready for the day's work. I looked in the mirror as I got ready and I realized I had dark eye circles and my hair was a little unruly. I styled it in a messy bun because I didn't have enough time to properly style my hair.I went downstairs and I quickly had breakfast. I wanted to avoid some of the maids as much as possible but I couldn't because Emma was there."Good morning," I said to her."Good morning" she replied back.I went back to my food but I noticed she was looking at me. Her eyes ran along my body trying to take in me in my guard uniform and I could tell what she was thinking.I drank a glass of water like my life depended on it."Thank you so much for the food. It was delicious." I said to her and turned to leave."Thank you," she said. After a bout of silence she spoke again"Congratulations." She said faintly but her voice sounded sincere.I gave her a small smile and thanked her.I went outside and
Serena's POVStill filled with excitement from standing up to Sylvia, I ran into the palace to find Rachel. I could feel my insides bubbling with excitement. I haven't been this excited in a long while and I can't keep this excitement to myself. I need to tell her what happened.I entered her room and she already wore her pants but not her shirt."Um, a little privacy here." She said flatly."Oh please, we shared the same locker room." I said."Because we had no choice." She whined."If you really wanted privacy, you would lock your door." I said factually.She rolled her eyes. "What do you want? I thought you were guarding His Royal Majesty, King Arden." She said mockingly.I don't blame her. I have been pretty annoying with how much I do my job. If I were her, I'd mock myself too."Shush. I have something to tell you." I said in excitement.She stared at me for a while before snapping, "Well, what is it?""I talked back to Sylvia and put her in her place."She furrowed her brows. "I
Serena's POVI felt my breathing hitch and my palms becoming clammy. I didn't think he would be here. He didn't answer when I knocked. Oh, why didn't he answer?"Serena." He said sweetly.I took a deep breath then turned to him. He had a towel hanging from his waist with water droplets running down his chest and his hair still damp. He looked absolutely irresistible."I'm sorry, I thought the room was empty." I said."As you can see, it's not." He joked.I chuckled dryly. "Right. Well, I have to go." I turned to leave but he stopped me."Hey, hey, what's the rush?" He asked with his voice laced with amusement."I have something to take care of." I turned and replied."No you don't. I assign your tasks to you and unless you're helping Rachel or Zone, which they can very much handle on their own, you are free at the moment." He said.I swallowed the lump in my throat and smiled. "Of course. What do you need?" I asked.He walked closer to me and I kept walking back until I got to the wal
Serena's POVI have felt pain before. In fact, I had learnt to deal and live with pain, but the greatest pain of all was watching my mate look at another woman like she was the one destined for him to be with.He seemed to have forgotten me and him wanting me because there was something that was better than me in front of him, and it was Princess Sylvia.He walked up to her and gave her a kiss, and I felt my chest burn even more. I wish I could get out of here. I wish I could disappear into thin air, but I can't. I have to stay and watch the entire thing from the sidelines.I watched as they mingled with the crowd. They were walking hand in hand, and I could hear Sylvia laughing at what someone said and Arden looking impressed. If I didn't know them, I'd think they were a perfect couple, but no one is perfect.After a while, Arden and Sylvia took to the stand for his speech. "Today marks the beginning of a new era, where two packs unite to become one. As I take Princess Sylvia as my b
Serena's POVWhile Alpha Zone checked the security cameras for how this person came in and got out, Rachel was tending to my wounds. I have taken plenty of hits over the years so this isn't a big deal.Arden angrily paced in front of us while Sylvia looked scared to death. "Zone had one job." He started."To secure a perimeter with hundreds of people? Come on Arden, it would be impossible for him to have noticed that person go in." Rachel said."And if not for Serena, I would have been dead." He added.Rachel sighed loudly. "Don't be so dramatic. I would heal you and the hospital would have finished the job and you'd be as good as new." She said,"Rachel, this isn't a joke. Someone tried to kill Arden. They most likely are rogues or paid assassins." Sylvia said.Before Rachel would say anything, Alpha Zone walked in. "We couldn't get clear footage of the person unfortunately.""Crap! I cannot believe you Zone." Arden yelled."Why are you yelling at me? How could I have known all the p
Serena's POVI woke up feeling more beat than how I was yesterday. My arm hurts more from the wound I got from being stabbed, and I intend to see a doctor today. Rachel helped with the healing, but there's so much she can do.I realised I slept in my uniform, and I needed to change out of them and freshen up. I got up from bed, and it felt like gravity acting on my arm worsened the pain.I sat on my bed and picked up my phone to call Rachel."Good morning. How are you?" Rachel asked. She sounded tired, which was out of character for her. No matter how busy, she tries to get a good amount of sleep."I'm okay," I said, but my voice said otherwise."Are you sure? You sound like you're in pain.""I'm good. I need new clothes, and I don't have any here…""I'll be in your room in five minutes with clean clothes." She said softly, then hung up.I took off my uniform, and I realised the wound I had looked dark and unhealthy, almost like it was infected.I heard the door open, and I turned to
Evelyn PoVAt first, I had not thought that Gilly's story would turn out to be so tragic. I thought I was merely doing my mother a favour: I was releasing a spirit and giving peace to the pack. But every single step I took in the direction of solving was heavy with shadows that just threw more secrets in my direction. I could feel the darkness circling in, twisting me into a hangman's noose.The old records of the pack were dusty and brittle, worn yellow with age. Weeks I spent in the archives bent over a desk deciphering the scribbled handwriting and cryptic notes. Draven helped where he could, his fingers dancing over ancient texts while I pieced together, bit by bit, the fragmented history of Gilly's downfall.It started innocent enough. Gilly was loved; with those attributes of kindness and strength, she was never really a natural leader. Somehow respect turned to jealousy, and jealousy turned to betrayal. The swirling in the ancient documents held very hostile stories of a family
Authors PoVThey started like whispers in the night.In the stillness of sleep, they forced their way into her brain to take her through dark and twisted visions. Some shadows curled around her, cold and snake-like; their touch glided over the rippling skin and left frosted impressions behind. The dreams picked their way through her nightmares the same way—her pack in chains, expressionless and with eyes like black pits; there was someone ahead, a person cloaked in shadows.The figure's face shifted and distorted; at one time it would be reminiscent of Gilly with her soft features, at another of Gloria, with that awful smirk. She would desperately attempt to run, to scream, but either the land would crumble beneath her feet, swallowing her whole in the world, until she woke up gasping for air.The dreams haunted her daily, tormenting her with the reality of the world outside the realm of sleep. Gilly's spirit seemed to linger in the edges of reality sewn into the very fabric that woul
Evelyn PoVThe truth sat heavy on my chest, a stone sinking into dark waters. Gilly's voice lingered in my mind, a soft, desperate whisper threading through my thoughts even as I went through the motions of daily life. The blood of the betrayed will break the chains.Those words had been haunting me ever since the ritual with Draven, every syllable a jigsaw puzzle piece that refused to fit. What betrayal? Whose blood? The answers I sorely craved could only be unearthed by digging deeper into Gilly's past, the life which she had led before Gloria's darkness swallowed her whole.I started my search among the old documents located in the pack's ancient archive building where old books and fragile scrolls blended their aged scent with forgotten tales. For hours I studied the pack's historical records that included birth and death records as well as political alliances and loyalty breakdowns. Being careful with my page turns made me sharply conscious that the sound of crinkling pages carri
Evelyn PoVWas this a mere figment of my imagination?… Gilly’s voice had become an echo that trickled into the stillness, catching me unawares. The torment did not even allow me peace in sleep. I would close my eyes, and her voice would take me into shadowed dreams-corridors layered in darkness, chains clanking in the distance."Evelyn."It now sounded weak and soft, no more than an echo but soon merely a whisper grazing my skin. Jerking upright in bed, I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders."Wh-What do you want from me?" I whispered back, my voice lost in the dark.Silence.I woke up abruptly from my bed before drawing the blanket closer to protect my shoulders."What do you want from me?" I demanded quietly. I managed to answer him but my words vanished into the darkness.Silence.I clenched my fists. “If you’re real I need to see you to be sure.”The air moved through the room as the window remained closed. The candle flame moved in an unexpected sideways wave as though
Evelyn’s PoVAs I came to stand amidst the rubble of Odessa’s fortress, there rioted smells of smoke and blood. The bodies of both friends and foes lay scattered on the ground from a battle that, to me, seemed less a victory than a doomsday. My body screamed for peace, and the tightness of every muscle felt unbearable; yet it could hardly compare with the turmoil within me.Finian stood a few paces away, his eyes piercing into mine. His expression was inscrutable-somewhere between hope and acceptance. His knuckles were bruised, his hair caked with dirt, and yet still he seemed the bedrock I have leaned upon during my stay with the pack at Odessa. He had saved me countless times, and now, standing before freedom, I no longer knew where we stood.And then there was Marcus.He emerged from the smoke like an apparition. Relief, pain, and something else—something much deeper, something older, much older—were stamped on his face, making my chest tighten. The last rays of sunlight broke thro
Author PoVBefore sentries had time to alert their camp the arrows struck their targets. The wolves crashed into each other while they shifted as their howls unified their counterparts.Inside the fortress, Evelyn felt it. The vibrations of battle were within her, through the stone walls, deep and low; she felt a low hum settle deep into her bones. She was clasped in silver chains burning against the skin, watching Finian about to die.One of the guards entered the room quickly, his face extremely pale. "We are under attack!"Odessa's face hardened, "By whom?""Callum and his people… he’s alive my alpha. And the Red Blood Moon pack."Odessa's lips twisted into a snarl. "Then they have come to die." She turned toward Evelyn, handing her a dagger she had drawn from her belt. "I ought to kill you. But I will save you for last.”Evelyn then looked into Odessa's eyes, her fear burning away and replaced by determination. "No, I will save you for last.”Then the ambush began. Callum and Ryan
Author PoVThe woods was dark as Marcus and Luca passed through the underbrush in silence. Marcus’s heart thudded against his ribs, with a steady caution. He glanced toward Luca, who had graduated from one stern face of determination to intent.They had been trudging through the woods for hours on nothing more than scraps of intelligence and the stubborn pull of hope. Ryan's rogues had pointed them in the right direction but were ultimately not adventurous enough to try to approach the Red Blood Moon pack directly. After all, Odessa's territory was a death trap of sorts. Even the most adventurous rogues knew better than to cross her borders without sufficient cause.The moonlight was just enough to see the outlines of makeshift tents and some shadows on watch. Marcus motioned for Luca to keep it low and crouched behind some ferns to take in the camp."Do you see her?" Luca whispered in a voice so faint it was almost a sigh."Not yet," Marcus ground out, struggling to make each breath
Serena’s PoVTears stung my eyes, and I woke up in a start with broken breath as the persistence of the dream clung to me. In this muted room, shadows danced upon the wall; for a second, I was hardly certain of where I stood. The dream had borne the reality—Odessa, her eyes bright with evil gleam, standing atop a heap of bones. Her army, a roar of growling rogues and defiled creatures spread out to the last sight. And then there was Evelyn... Evelyn was there, firmly standing by the side of Odessa, the empty look on her face an undercover of madness.I put my trembling hand over my forehead, it was sweating. This dream wasn't just a figment of imagination; it was a warning.I pushed aside the thick furs, stood, and went to the unbarred window. The pack grounds lay quiet, a deceitful calm before a storm. My instincts screeched like a mother's intuition that something far worse than what we had imagined was in the making.If only I could make Ardan see it too.But Ardan... he was no lon
Evelyn’s PoVThe dagger felt heavy and cold in my palm. Odessa’s cold demand rang in my ears. Kill Callum. Bring me his head. This wasn’t a test or ,twisted game to see how far I would go to prove my loyalties. I just had to do it. I knew I had to do it.If I turned it down, she would turn against me. If I carried out her order, I would lose the only ally I had managed to win over. Either way, she would win.Not this time.Finian walked beside me as we traveled through the thick forest. His expression was a mixture of concern and determination. He had not questioned me for warning Callum. He had not hollered when I insisted we needed to fake a death, to give like a disguise for the purpose of tricking Odessa into believing I had done my job. Instead, he nodded, affirming my sense of loyalty."Are you sure it will work?" he asked softly."It must." I responded. "If Odessa realises we lied to her, we would be dead."