The sun was setting by the time he woke up. He stepped out of the cabin, wearing fresh shorts and a tank top, his grumpy expression making it clear he had just woken from a deep sleep. For once, the sharp edge he usually carried was dulled, softened by the haze of sleep. In that moment, he looked less like the cold, ruthless warrior I had come to know and more like a big, muscular baby. My wolf reacted instinctively, a low purr rumbling in my chest. I forced it down. This was ridiculous.He moved to the small wooden porch outside the cabin and sat down, his sharp eyes locking onto me. "What have you done today?" His voice was low but carried the same authoritative weight it always did. Just like that, the softness from before was gone, replaced by his usual cold demeanor.Come to think of it, he had never once called me by my name. I didn't even know how it would sound on his lips. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear it—but I was curious nonetheless."Can I get my food, please?"I froze
I woke up to the sweet smell of porridge. The night had moved so fast. You know when the days feel longer and the nights feel shorter? That’s exactly how it felt. But even with how short the night seemed, I woke up more confused than ever.I couldn’t remember if last night was a dream or reality. He had said some things—things I couldn’t quite recall—but I remembered one thing clearly: he had called me by my name. Sirella.It sounded so good in my ears.For some reason, I woke up in a good mood, like I had finally been acknowledged. Accepted. Like the heavy tension between us had broken, even if just a little. I felt lighter, free to be myself to a degree.It was a feeling of comfort I hadn’t felt since I arrived at the cabin. I found myself humming my favorite tune as I got out of bed and went to freshen up.I frowned every time I wore his clothes because of how big they were on me. But today, I picked the dress I had worn on my first night here. I even made an effort to style my hair
He got back home when it was getting dark, returning with a deer slung over his shoulders. I’ve always wondered how he hunts—he never comes home empty-handed. He doesn’t use a gun like normal hunters. Instead, he relies on ancient weapons like bows and arrows, spears, and daggers. He must be a master at it, I thought to myself, watching him with the little strength I had left.I hadn’t eaten all day. I was still sitting at the table where he had left me, contemplating my life, trying to analyze the food and detect the poison. After hours of staring at the plates, my head aching from the effort, I gave up. There was no way for me to figure it out. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of slowly dying in this forest, proving his point that I was weak.I weighed my options. On one hand, if I ate, at least I’d have food in my stomach. But at what cost? There was no doctor around. If I chose wrong, I’d be dead. I couldn’t risk it. I’d rather starve than take that chance.He dropped t
This went on for two more days. Something in me started feeling confident, like I was becoming a guru at detecting poisons. I had chosen correctly—the meal without poison—for four days now. Maybe his training was actually working, even though I figured it out all on my own. He always smiled when he came back home and saw that I had eaten, which meant I had picked the correct plate.Today was the fifth day. Same drill. I was sure, confident, already planning my revenge so I could finally leave.He placed two meals on my side of the table and one for himself. This time, I didn’t wait for him to leave before eating. I ate while he was eating. He’d pause midway, look at me, smirk and then continue his meal. I wondered why he did this. Eventually, I picked the plate on my left side.We ate in silence until, after a few minutes, I felt a painful sensation in my stomach. It started slowly, the pain level increasing as time went by until it became unbearable. I couldn’t help it—I immediately
I couldn’t sleep because of the thought of getting my phone back. The idea of finally having access to the outside world made my heart race. I could call my mother—but would she even recognize me? Has she truly forgotten me? The uncertainty gnawed at me, but the excitement of getting my phone back overpowered the doubt.I went to bed barely able to sleep, tossing and turning as the test loomed over me. What if I failed? How long would this go on? Would I ever be free?Morning came too quickly. We went through the usual routine, but my mind was elsewhere. Then, it was time for the test.This time, the challenge was more intense. Six plates of food were placed in front of me. I had to identify which ones were poisoned. The rules were simple: if I picked a plate I believed was safe, I had to eat from it. We would then wait five minutes to see if I had chosen correctly. If I passed, I could advance to the next stage and demand a luxury item—anything I wanted, except my phone.I took a dee
Chapter 16Sierra’s povI decided that I had had enough and I was going to teach that monster a lesson. He was not going to take me a prisoner and treat me however he see fit. No. Never.I woke up the next morning and decided to attack.When he was out of the house, I walked to the entrance and tried to escape but found out that t was locked.I scoffed. “What an amateur.”I turned to his weapons room and went there but as I opened it, I found it devoid of weapons.“Oh shit,” I muttered. “Did he know?”I turned around and started looking for any latch on the ground for me to open and get out of this place but even the windows were latched on pretty tightly.I nodded and took in deep breaths as I decided that I was going to do what I wanted to do and no one would stop me.With a smile on my face, I grabbed a chair and slammed it into the glass as it shattered while I tried getting out of it. That was when i saw the coyote I had seen that night in his weapons room.“Oh, great, you,” I si
Chapter 17Sierra’s povI nodded to him. I guess I could work with that. He was brutal but he was also telling the truth. All I needed to do was make sure I would not piss him off.He held my phone and dropped it in his pocket as he nodded to me.“All we need to do is go out there and make sure we do what we are supposed to do. Train.”I nodded.We walked there and we passed a clearing.I looked around to see multiple broken trees and so many blood, possibly from the deer he had smashed here.He then took a stance and readied himself for the fight.“Are you ready?” He asked as I shook my head, but that didn’t stop him. Before I could even counter him, he zipped into me with a speed of a falling star and smashed into me as I flew into a tree and hit my back against it.I felt something crack within me as I groaned on the floor.“I thought you said you were ready,” He said in an angry tone.“I’ve not fought anyone before, okay?” I sighed. “I’m still really trying to get my bearings ar
Kieran’s povThe sound of my ax rang in the still forest. I kept on hitting it on the wood I was chopping down as I felt my sweat falling like drops of rain. I got down to pick another one as I added it to what I was doing and smashed it down.The sound of chopping block was like peace when compared to what I had faced off with sierra earlier. She could be so annoying. The afternoon sun kept on beating on me as I cleared my sweat to look ahead while chopping down the wood.I lifted my weapon again, preparing to bring it down over my head when I caught a new scent moving to my nose.WolfsBane? Poison? It was too faint to be sure. But something was out here.A sharp whistle moved the air as my body reacted before my mind. I had my hand clenching the handle of the ax in a hard way that anyone would think it would break. Soon, Something came moving at me from the dark of the trees. I didn’t have to see it to know what it was. With my Ax still hanging at my side, I swept up it up and blo
Sirella’s pov Alpha Damien said I was to continue my work as a servant—in service to my future Alpha. His words made me sick, but I had no power to refuse. Not when my mother was the price.Now, I lived in the palace. I worked there. I breathed the same air as him, walked the same halls. And worst of all, I stayed in the quarters closest to his, so I could attend to him whenever he called.The first few days were the hardest.I was alone.Even though I still had my secret meetings with Keiran outside the pack, they were brief, tense, and dangerous. We both knew if we were caught, we’d be dead.But when I was inside the palace, I belonged to Damien.And he made sure I never forgot that.I stood in the grand dining hall, holding a tray of wine. My hands ached from scrubbing the floors all morning, but I didn’t show it. I couldn’t show weakness.The doors opened. He walked in.Alpha Damien.He was dressed in dark robes, his presence filling the room instantly. His eyes found mine, like
Sirella’s Pov I was running out of time.I knew it. I felt it.The only thing keeping me alive was the fact that my mission wasn’t over yet. The moment it was, Keiran would kill me. I was sure of it. He wouldn’t let me walk away, considering the fact that the moon band had marked him my foe.And I wouldn’t get the chance to kill him first.That thought never left me. It followed me everywhere, creeping into every moment we shared. Moments that could have been something else—something soft, something real—if things had been different.But I knew better.Keiran was not that kind. He was not gentle.Everything he did, every touch, every word, every look—it was all part of a game. A slow, cruel game meant to break me apart before the final blow.And yet, no matter how much I feared him, no matter how much I didn’t like him, he wasn’t my biggest problem right now.My mother was.She was trapped. Held by Alpha Damien like a pawn in a game I didn’t want to play. I didn’t know if she was saf
Kieran’s POVAlpha Salvatore’s voice kept playing in my head. Smooth. Cold. The kind of voice that never said a single word without a reason. That call wasn’t just a conversation. It was a move. A deliberate one.But why?I leaned back in my chair, tapping my fingers against the wooden armrest. I replayed the conversation in my mind, trying to pick it apart. Salvatore had given me information. A valuable piece of it. He told me about the Moon Bane—and about Sirella.His bastard daughter.The Moon Bane wasn’t just something that tricked your foe to be your mate .It is a blood curse, passed down through generations, waiting in silence until something woke it up. It didn’t appear in just anyone. It had to be triggered.And now, for some reason, it had awakened in Sirella now.I exhaled slowly, staring at the fire crackling in the hearth. While Shadows flickered along the walls, stretching, shifting. The room felt colder despite the warmth of the flames.The Moon Bane rarely appeared. Th
Kieran’s POVThe cabin was silent except for the steady scrape of my knife against the whetstone. Back and forth, slow and precise. I checked the edge it was sharp enough to cut through flesh without resistance.Good.I wasn’t expecting a fight, but I never let my guard down. Especially not now.Sirella was in Damien’s pack. She had gone back as a maid, just like we planned. She would move when the time was right, and when she did, I would be there—waiting for the moment to strike.Everything was in place.So why did I feel like something was off?I exhaled, resting my knife on the wooden table. Maybe it was just the wait. It made the mind restless, searching for problems where there were none.Or maybe it was the way she looked before she left.She wasn’t just tense. She was troubled.I told myself it didn’t matter.This wasn’t about feelings. It never was.Then my phone rang.I picked it up, already knowing who it was before I even checked the screen.Alpha Salvatore.I answered. “A
Sirella’s POVI stood there, my father’s words sinking in.Damien had my mother.I had to kill him.The room felt smaller, the air thick. My hands curled into fists at my sides. My father’s gaze was steady, waiting for me to react. Kieran stood next to me, silent as always.This wasn’t a choice. It never had been.I gave a small nod. “When do I leave?”“Tomorrow,” my father said. “You’ll return as a maid. Just as before.”The words sent a chill through me. Back to that place? Back to where it all started? My chest felt tight, but I forced myself to breathe.“Your presence there will not raise suspicion,” my father continued. “Kieran will escort you to the pack’s borders. He’ll stay close, watching, waiting for the right time to strike. You will act as planned. Get close to Damien. Finish this.”I nodded again. My voice wouldn’t come out, so I just stood there, swallowing back everything I wanted to say.I had no choice.I nodded.“Good,” my father said. “Rest tonight. You leave at daw
Sirella’s POVI folded my last piece of clothing and placed it in the small bag beside me. My hands were steady, but inside, I felt the weight of everything pressing down on me. This was no longer training. It was no longer about proving myself. My father wanted Damien dead.And I had to do it.But could I?Could I take someone’s life, even after everything he did to me?I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall. The cabin had become familiar, almost like home. But I knew it wasn’t. Nothing in my life had ever really been mine. My mother was gone. My past was gone. And now, I had to erase the only person who once made me feel like I belonged somewhere.The door opened, and Kieran stepped in. I didn’t look at him. I knew he’d have something to say.“You’re acting weird,” he said, leaning against the doorway.I ignored him, standing up to grab my bag.“What?” he asked, a smirk on his face. “Still embarrassed about the little show you put on for me?”I didn’t answer. I didn’t hav
Sirella’s POVI sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wooden walls of my room. My fingers traced the fabric of my dress, but my mind was somewhere else.The Gamma hadn't fallen for it.I had leaned in, whispered the right words, touched him just enough—but nothing. He hadn't even wavered. It wasn’t just rejection; it was like he had seen right through me, like my tricks were nothing to him.I clenched my jaw.Was I not attractive enough? That couldn’t be it. I had seen the way other men looked at me, the way they leaned in when I spoke, the way their eyes lingered. But him? He had looked at me like I was some child playing a game.I hated it.Maybe I had been too soft, too hesitant. I needed to try again. And this time, I wouldn’t just try to seduce him—I’d make him talk.I stood up, pulling the pins from my hair and letting it fall loosely over my shoulders. Then, I reached for the ties of my dress and loosened them until the fabric slid down my arms, stopping just above my ches
Sirella’s POVI walked through the gates of the school, my bag slung over one shoulder. My body was still sore from the last two weeks, but my mind was sharper than ever. Every lesson, every correction, every test—it had all led to this moment.The Matron stood at the top of the steps, watching me with that same knowing smile.“You did well,” she said. “You have passed.”I didn’t feel victorious. I felt restless.“You may go on your main mission now,” she continued. “Kieran is waiting for you outside.”My hands clenched around the strap of my bag. Of course, he was.I turned without another word and made my way to the gate. The heavy iron creaked as it swung open, and there he was—leaning against a tree like he hadn’t a care in the world.His eyes flicked over me, assessing.I didn’t say a word. I just walked past him.The dirt path stretched ahead, uneven and winding, but I kept my pace steady. Kieran fell into step beside me, the silence thick between us.“You passed.” His voice hel
Sirella’s POVThe classroom was dim, and the air thick with perfume and candle smoke. The woman in front of me—Madame Celeste—tilted her head, watching me the way a cat watches a bird. She was beautiful, the kind of beauty that made people stop and stare. Dark hair, smooth skin, red lips that never seemed to lose their color. When she spoke, her voice wrapped around you, soft but sharp, like a silk ribbon hiding a blade.“Tell me, Sirella,” she said, “when was your first time?”I blinked, heat rushing to my face. “What?”She smiled, amused. “The first time you had sex.”The blush spread down my neck. My hands clenched into fists on my lap. “It’s been a while.”Her smile widened, like she had expected that answer. “Good. Then you have no bad habits to break.” She circled me slowly, her heels clicking on the polished floor. “Remember, never look down unless you are creating an illusion—sirens lower their eyes, but only to make someone want to lift their chin.”I forced myself to keep m