I pace around the hallway, anger twisting me on the insides. I stayed at the front of her room all through the night and I heard everything that was going on. I wanted to mock her, tease her, make her see reasons why I am the queen of this pack but Lucian lost control. Ever since I was here, this has never happened. I couldn’t explain exactly why it happened. My mind links it to the mysterious curse I’ve always been hearing was inflicted on him but he has never tried to leave the palace. I tried to ask Damien, Rowan and Kai. They all turned me down telling me that Lucian was going to be fine and needed rest. I stood in front of the door to assess him myself. Whenever they decide to open this door and come out, I will scan him with my eyes. Only then would I be able to put my heart at peace. And as for that stupid omega wolf that cannot even transform, today is the day I end her. I have had more than enough of her interceding in my plans. They were all supposed to go smoothl
Mira’s POV“Did you think for any reason that at any day in time, I will stoop so low to your level that I, Queen Serene with the capacity to balance the four Alphas would condescend down to the level of a human like me. Today is the day you die, even your useless mates would not be able to save you from me and my plans today.” She bolts the door and she turns back. “I, I; I didn’t do anything to you Serene. Let me go.” I move backward fully aware there is no escape at all in this room. “Oh,you didn’t? Who has me fighting for attention with the same men that you used to love and dote on me? You! Who has all of my plans changing and crashing every fucking time? You! Who took away the men that warmed my bed and hugged me in their arms? You, this bloody weak pathetic omega! You! You took everything,every fucking thing, I will not keep allowing you to ruin my agenda. You have to die, I’m sorry, ha! I’m not.” She throws her hands and her claws extend. “I know you have never had the beau
Mira’s POV“Serene!” Lucian’s voice bounce in the room. He sounds weak, so weak, I don’t think just him alone would be able to defeat Serene. To think that one of the people I was supposed to kill was going to watch me die, it shows just how much of hatred the moon goddess has for me. It has probably been the reason why father has always hated me to the core.He may have realized in the long run that I was going to lose my life without avenging my mother, without giving him a grand pup to look up to, maybe I am lucky. A mere human would not be able to survive for a day in this territory and the moon goddess has kept me alive for so long. Perhaps, I should be grateful. At least, the hands gripping my neck and sending me to death was none of the people I was supposed to kill.“Serene!” He shouts again.I crease my brows wondering where the rest of the brothers are. There is no way they would have left him all alone in this place, is there? Or did he insist on staying back?“Let her go
Rowan, Damien, Lucian and Kai’s POV“I’ll kill them!” Rowan exclaims,his fists clenched. “No need. We will get rid of them today. From the upper council to the lower council. We get rid of them today. We should have done this a long time ago. We knew when she was trying to infiltrate the council and we ignored it.” Damien says, still standing on the spot. “Shouldn’t we be concerned about Mira’s health and emotions? The maidens should also dress her as well. She is going to be meeting the council today. And she cannot meet them dressed in any of her outfits. One of us has to take her on her dressings and the rules as fast as we can. The meeting has already been scheduled.” Kai suddenly speaks up. “Mira.” Rowan turns to stare at her, a blunt look on his face. “This was not how we intended to introduce you to the pack but it has to happen this way. You have to keep up with the meeting,it’ll be best if Rowan helps you with the rules and the regulations and all while we prep for everyt
Mira’s POV“The Luna?” One of them with a ginger mustache immediately exclaims. I almost stop myself from moving forward when I remember Rowan’s words. Some of them would want to intimidate me. But in the end, I am the fated Luna. Plus, from their conversations, I could tell some of the members of the council had already pledged allegiance to Serena so of course getting a few opposition here and there was definitely not a bad thing. It would help me narrow out her supporters from mine. I put on a bright slight smile on my face and I continue walking slowly and steadily. I ignore the hushed whispers and the piercing gaze I feel on my back and I continue moving forward. “Alpha Lucian.” The man that ushered us in echoes his name. Lucian stands tall, he sweeps through the council with his eyes and sits down, his seat already drawn. I wonder the purpose for calling out all of their names when the Alphas are already familiar with the members of the council. I go over it in my head
Mira’s POV“Luna Mira.” They all stand and wait for me. I stand up from the seat as well. “He? He’s coming?” I quickly shut my mouth as I see the looks coming from Damian, Lucian, Rowan and Kai’s eye. “No, my Luna. I would be here waiting for the rest of the members of the council as I was just recently promoted.” He bows down. Now, I see the reason why they promoted him. His loyalty has been proven. “It’s fine.” I place my hands into Lucian’s hand and we walk back inside. “Ugh.” Lucian stumbles, nearly falling over. “Are you okay?” I ask him. I palm my head as I realize the nature of my question. “Does he look okay to you?” Damien scowls at me. “He’s not okay. We told him to rest here but he wouldn’t.” Rowan explains to me. “I wouldn’t or I can’t.” He places his hands on his knees. Beads of sweats drop furiously from his body. “We will explain the reason of your absence to the council.” Damien says again. “None of us can afford to be absent in the meeting with the council
Mira’s POV“Secondly, I’m sure you must have noticed. We have a new man in our midst. He was just recently promoted to the upper council. Any oppositions?” “None. It seems you were about to say something vital to the council, Alpha Rowan.” “Yes, very vital. Your queen Serene, a deserving punishment should be meted out to her. Being the Queen gives her no authority over the Luna. It does not make her supreme as well. Trying to take a person’s life due to jealousy, it is not an act we should merely overlook.” Lucian says. “What if we lock her up in the dungeon for three days?”“That is not suitable enough for someone that tried to take down a life here in the palace!” One of them says. Confused shouts echo all around the hall. “Silence.” Rowan says calmly. Despite how calm his call for silence is, they all respect his voice and command and keep shut. “She would appear before th council to commit to her crimes. To prevent such an uproar without further arguments, this is the punis
Mira’s POVSeveral gasps resonate around the hall. I ignore all of them and keep standing straight despite the pang of pain in my heart. “You can proceed.” He says all of this with a straight face and walks back. “Guards!” The man that welcomed us from earlier calls on them. They come out with a rope that has three tiny silver pieces. The other ones drag her and they tie her to a stand. Just as I was told, she keeps a straight face as royalty would. “Wim!” The rope lands her on her back successfully ripping a part of her dress. My heart drops to my stomach. I cannot imagine being in her shoes, I would be screaming for my life rather maintaining silence. She closes her eyes for a brief second and opens them again. Calmness back in her gaze. “Wim.” The second lash on her back. It splits her dress wider. Her pale milk skin is available for all of the members of the clan present here to see. Her eyes sparkle. I swallow hard still trying to keep a neutral face and act unbothered.
Mira’s POVThe council hall remained silent as everyone absorbed the weight of Lucian’s question.“If witches are behind this, how do we find them?”No one had an answer.Then, finally, a councilman spoke.“We should send an emissary to Darkfire Clan,” he suggested. “Their kingdom had the last known witch executions in history. If there is any place that might still have traces of witches, it’s there.”A murmur of agreement passed through the room.It was a reasonable plan.But now, the real question was—who would go?“We need someone skilled in negotiation,” another councilman added. “Someone who can get information without drawing too much suspicion.”“I nominate Alpha Lucian,” Councilman Baylor declared.I turned to look at Lucian, expecting him to either accept or decline the nomination.But before he could say anything, his brothers immediately refused.“No,” Kai said firmly.“Absolutely not,” Rowan added.Damien didn’t even hesitate. “He’s not going.”The council members looked
Mira’s POVFor the first few moments, Councilman Baylor was speechless.The weight of my question hung in the air, suffocating, as every eye in the room turned to him.Even the other councilmen stared at him expectantly.I knew it.They were thinking the same thing I was—that Baylor had been subtly pushing them to ignore the prisoners’ deaths. That he was trying too hard to make them focus on something else.Finally, he cleared his throat, adjusting his robes as if shaking off the tension. “I am simply suggesting what is best for all of us,” he said smoothly. “If we pursue this investigation and it somehow leads to other Lycan Kings, it could result in war. And I think we can all agree—Blackwood does not need a war right now.”A few murmurs rippled through the hall.He was trying to appeal to their fears—to make them believe that continuing this investigation would only bring disaster.But he wasn’t fooling me.I leaned forward. “If what you’re saying is true, then we should be even m
Mira’s POVI embraced them for what seemed like ages.For the first time in days, I let go of all the weight in my chest and just held them. Rowan’s scent, Damien’s warmth—it was real. They were back. Safe. Alive.I didn’t realize my eyes were stinging until I felt the first hint of a tear threatening to fall.I quickly pulled back, wiping my face before anyone could see.I had lost myself in the moment, forgetting that we were standing in front of too many people. The warriors, the councilmen, even some castle servants were all watching. I straightened my back, regaining my composure.Rowan smirked at me. “Did you miss us that much, Mira?”Damien chuckled, folding his arms. “She couldn’t have. She still hasn’t succumbed to the mate bond yet.”I frowned at him, ready to argue, but before I could open my mouth, Kai scoffed.“You two have been kidnapped for days, and the first thing you care about is whether the Luna missed you or not?” he mocked, shaking his head. “Pathetic.”Rowan smi
Mira POV I woke up late.The sunlight filtering through the window was brighter than usual, meaning the morning had long passed. I groaned, rubbing my temples as I sat up. My sleep had been deep, but not exactly restful.My thoughts from last night still lingered—the conversation with Lucian, my decision to investigate the council, and my growing suspicions about the prisoners’ mysterious deaths.The sound of soft footsteps pulled me from my thoughts.“My Lady,” one of my handmaids greeted me with a bow. “We have prepared your bath.”I nodded, pushing my thoughts aside for now.Two of my handmaids assisted me into the large bathtub, the warm water soothing my tense muscles. As they washed my hair, I found my mind drifting again—to the dead prisoners, to Serena’s disappearance, to Kai’s search for Rowan and Damien.So many unanswered questions.By the time I was dressed and prepared for the day, I realized that the castle was too quiet.I frowned as I made my way to the royal dining
Mira povThe night was silent, yet I couldn’t find peace.I rolled onto my side, then onto my back, then onto my stomach, but sleep refused to come.My mind was a battlefield of thoughts, conflicting and troubling, clashing against one another. The dead prisoners haunted me. Their lifeless eyes, their untouched bodies, their inexplicable deaths.“How were they even killed?”Nothing made sense. The prisoners had no wounds, no signs of struggle, no poison detected in their bodies. It was as if something had just… taken their lives without a trace.A shiver ran down my spine.Then my thoughts drifted.To them.Lucian. Kai. Rowan. Damien.I hated how much I thought about them. How much I worried about them.It had been easier when I only had one purpose—to avenge my mother.I came to Blackwood to destroy the Lycan Kings. To tear them down. To make them suffer.And now?I was restless because they were in danger.I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, sitting up in bed. I was lo
Kai’s PovThe wind carried a heavy stillness as we approached the hut. The land around it was barren, untouched, and eerily silent. No movement. No signs of life. Just an isolated structure standing alone in the middle of nowhere.Jorah rode up beside me, his gaze sharp as he scanned the area. “There’s no movement inside, Alpha Kai.”I didn’t like this. Something wasn’t right.I raised a hand, signaling the warriors to spread out. “Surround the hut,” I ordered, keeping my voice low. “No one moves until I give the signal.”The warriors immediately followed my command, positioning themselves strategically, their weapons drawn, their eyes scanning for any hidden threats.Jorah and I dismounted, stepping toward the hut with cautious precision. I could feel the weight of every warrior’s gaze on me, waiting for my next move.The closer we got, the stranger it became.There was no entrance.No doors. No windows. No visible way inside.Jorah frowned, running his fingers along the stone-like
Kai’s PovThe journey had been long and merciless. Every warrior with me was weary, their exhaustion evident in their sluggish movements and the way they struggled to stay upright on their horses. We had left in haste, with no time to pack food or water, relying only on the occasional generosity of the few scattered clan members we passed. But I refused to stop.I rode at the front, my gaze never wavering from the path ahead. My brothers were out there—Rowan and Damien—possibly injured, captured, or worse. The thought gnawed at me, fueling my determination.The man leading us stumbled slightly, struggling to keep pace. I tightened my grip on the reins, my patience hanging by a thread.“If we arrive at the location and my brothers aren’t there,” I said, my voice cutting through the wind like a blade, “you and your entire family will be executed and fed to the crows.”The man flinched but nodded frantically. “I swear, Alpha Kai. I would never deceive you.”I didn’t care for his reas
Mira’s POVThe air inside the dungeon was heavy with the scent of death and something far worse—mystery. The lifeless bodies of the captured lycans lay sprawled against the cold stone walls, their eyes still wide open in frozen terror. The sight sent a shiver down my spine.No one spoke for a long time.The guards stood stiffly, their expressions shifting between confusion and fear. The councilmen exchanged wary glances, their minds no doubt racing with the same questions that were swirling inside my head.How did this happen?How could high-grade prisoners be slaughtered under tight security without anyone noticing?Councilman Ryker was the first to break the silence. His voice was sharp and filled with barely restrained anger. “What in the Moon Goddess’ name happened here?”The guards snapped to attention, but none of them answered immediately. They looked just as clueless as the rest of us.Councilman Baylor frowned, stepping closer to one of the bodies. “Were they poisoned?”O
Mira’s POVI traced my fingers over the words on the old parchment, my mind racing as I pieced everything together. Every name, every clan, every kingdom—there was a pattern, a connection.The Blackwood Clan was ruled by Kai, Damien, Lucian, and Rowan. That much, I already knew. But now, I understood something deeper—each lycan family was named after the clan or kingdom they had established.Blackwood. Korvus. Stormbringer. Drakon. Vandros. Bloodstone. Darkfire.The realization hit me like a crashing wave.The lycans that attacked me weren’t random rogues. They weren’t mercenaries acting alone. They were rulers.That meant they had to be from one of the six other clans—Korvus, Stormbringer, Drakon, Vandros, Bloodstone, or Darkfire.I gripped the parchment tighter, my breath unsteady. This wasn’t just a small dispute. This was an act of war.In the world of lycan politics, interfering in another ruler’s business without consent was already a serious offense. But to attack the que