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.
The guards give me a grateful look. Serena’s eyes are still closed. I force myself to keep my eyes on only her face and not trail them down to her back.“Alphas?” The rope is shaking in his hands. I understand he doesn’t want to be punished by any of the Alpha brothers.“The Luna has the same authority as us. If she says stop,it means we already consented it.” Lucian says.They loose the ropes and untie her. The first thing she does after her hands are free is to wipe her tears. She goes back to her passive face burying all of her emotions at once.“Her other punishments will still be executed and is not to be evacuated by anyone. Take her back to where she’s coming from, straight to the dungeon.” Rowan tells the guards assisting her.My jaw hardens. I know fully well that the last statement was made particularly for me. Even a completely stupid person would see it. I click my tongue and I decide to address it later.“The Luna I’m correspondence with the Alphas have called off the cer
Lucian’s POV I had just finished my meditation, my mind momentarily at peace, though the storm within me never truly settled. Afterward, I decided to take a shower before returning to my painting. The rhythmic sound of water cascading over me did little to wash away the weight I carried—memories, responsibilities, and the undeniable pull toward the one person I shouldn’t crave so desperately.When I stepped out of the bath, steam clung to my skin as I reached for a towel, running it over my damp hair before wrapping it loosely around my waist. My chambers were silent, just as I preferred them. Or so I thought.As I turned toward my bed, movement caught my eye.Mira.She was standing near the paintings, her back partially turned, but I could see the moment she froze—her entire body going rigid as her gaze locked onto mine. Or rather, onto the bare expanse of my chest, trailing lower until she abruptly looked away.I didn’t move. Neither did she.A tense silence filled the room,
Mira POVI couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from. It was a woman’s voice, which meant it couldn’t be the shadow guards. That should have reassured me, but it didn’t. A shiver crawled down my spine as I stood still, scanning my surroundings. The torches flickered against the stone walls, casting restless shadows that seemed to move on their own.I swallowed hard, tilting my head slightly. “Who’s there?” I whispered.Silence.I let out a slow breath, trying to convince myself that I had imagined it. Maybe I was exhausted. Maybe my thoughts were so tangled that I was starting to hear things that weren’t real.But then—“Mira.”The voice came again, clearer this time. A soft, almost melodic sound, as if the speaker was both close and far away at the same time. My heart pounded, and I took an involuntary step back.This wasn’t normal.I turned sharply, but before I could investigate further, another voice—louder, real—broke through the eerie stillness.“My lady!”I gasped,
Mira POV I wiped the sweat from my forehead, smudging soot onto my skin as I handed Damien another tool. The air in the workshop was thick with heat, the scent of burning metal mixing with oil and dust. My muscles ached from bending and lifting, but I didn’t mind. Strangely enough, I enjoyed this—watching Damien work, seeing how his hands moved with precise intent, as if he were shaping something far greater than just a tool. He was brilliant, there was no denying that.“You don’t usually have someone helping you with all this, do you?” I asked, glancing around at the organized chaos of blueprints, gears, and half-finished contraptions scattered across the workbenches.Damien barely glanced up as he adjusted a clamp on the metal piece he was working on. “No. I work alone.”I arched an eyebrow. “Why?”He shrugged, tightening the clamp before reaching for a hammer. “People can be distracting.”I placed a hand over my chest in mock offense. “Are you saying I’m distracting?”Damie
Mira POV Kai didn’t answer me. His expression remained calm, unreadable, as he said, “That’s not my story to tell.”His words made my frustration bubble even more. I hated when people kept secrets from me, especially when I knew they were about something important. But I also knew pushing Kai wouldn’t get me anywhere. He wasn’t the type to give in easily. So, instead, I let out a sharp exhale and crossed my arms.“Fine,” I muttered. “But I didn’t learn anything today.”Kai arched an eyebrow, his lips curving into an amused smirk. “That’s not true. You ran a few successful laps and stretched properly. That’s progress.”I scowled, kicking a loose pebble near my foot. “That’s not real training. Rowan just wanted to punish me.”Kai chuckled. “Rowan believes strength starts with endurance.” He paused before adding, “And patience.”I shot him a glare, already knowing what he meant. He was hinting that I needed to be more patient, that I had to trust the process. But patience wasn’t
Mira’s POVA shrill note from a flute shattered the silence of my sleep, jolting me awake. My eyes flew open, and for a moment, I was too disoriented to react. Then the realization hit me—I was being woken up. And not in a gentle manner. My body tensed as anger flooded through me. Who dared disturb my rest?I shot up from my bed, my heart pounding in irritation, and my gaze landed on a guard standing stiffly near the doorway, the wooden flute still in his hands. My glare could have burned a hole through him.“What in the gods’ names do you think you’re doing?” I snapped, throwing my blanket off me.The guard bowed slightly, clearly sensing my fury but not deterred by it. “I was ordered to wake you, Lady Mira,” he said firmly. “Lord Rowan instructed me to ensure you were awake and ready for training.”Rowan. Of course, it was him. Only someone as insufferable and overbearing as Rowan would have the audacity to drag me from sleep in such a ridiculous way. My hands clenched into fists
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