His mind raced with everything he had just uncovered about Anna’s family. He could never have thought that they were related, especially not in such a manner. Owen filled his mind, and he could not help doing so at every given second. That boy was close to him from the beginning and he only realized now why that was so. There was something that went beyond friendship, beyond anything that he could have ever expected. Navian’s lips twisted into a grimace, “I have to tell Rita. ” He took out his phone and called her number, he prayed she answer the call.Rita was Anna’s best friend, and she had the right to know it. Moreover, he wanted and had to share this burden with someone. He had to come out with it… He could not keep it within him any longer. The phone buzzed for two rings before Rita answered the lines."Navian? Have you heard anything?" she asked, her voice filled with worry. She had been just as anxious as he was since Anna and Owen had disappeared."Rita, I need to talk to
Elena walked back and forth in her room while clutching the phone too tightly in one of her hands. It is unbelievable that Anna she believed posed a danger to her relationship with Navian, happens to be related to him.And now, unknown to her earlier assumptions, Elena finds herself stuck in a much darker plot than she ever anticipated. She only thought Hannah would kidnap them and keep them in Moonlight pack so they never have to come back to Seahowl pack to ruin her relationship, but it seems deeper and it's her fault.Anna and Owen had been kidnapped, and Elena had helped.She had to fix this. She had to stop it before it was too late. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her phone and dialed Hannah’s number, her hands trembling. The phone rang twice before Hannah picked up.“Elena,” Hannah’s voice purred on the other end, “what do you want?”“I want you to stop this,” Elena blurted out, her voice shaking.“You have to let Anna and Owen go. I found out the truth—Anna’s not a threat
The days that followed were grim as hell, to say the least for Elena. Every morning when she woke up the feeling of emptiness in her upper abdomen was growing like a boulder on the chest. She had not had any good night’s sleep since the phone call with Hannah and it was getting very visible. Her eyes were bags, her face was pale, and have noticeably become thin within the past few days that she could easily fit in with the clothes she was wearing. And even though Elena was fully aware of the fact that there was no concrete reason to be afraid, she could not free herself from this feeling. Each time she shut her eyes, she was made to witness Anna’s car wrapped up in the blazes of flames in the bushes, the fire devouring the facts of the crime she had assisted in concealing. There was no way that the video Hannah had sent her was not permanently engraved in her mind as constant evidence of how deep she was in the case. Navian, of course, had no idea of it all. Or at least he had onc
With his fingers tapping nervously on the wooden surface of his desk, Navian sat down to work. The ideas of what might have happened to Owen and Anna raced through his mind.He was getting nowhere with every lead he pursued. He was growing more and more frustrated, and the stillness was getting intolerable.He was ready to go lost in his thoughts once more when he was startled by his phone buzzing on the desk. Grasping it, he noticed Mikel's name flickering on the screen. Without hesitation, he answered.“Mikel?” Navian’s voice was strained, a mixture of hope and desperation. “Do you have anything?”There was a brief pause on the other end before Mikel spoke, his voice low and serious.“Navian, I think I finally have something. I’ve been going over everything we talked about, and the more I think about it, the more I suspect Hannah.”Navian’s heart skipped a beat. “Hannah? Anna’s best friend?” He tried to wrap his head around it. Hannah was married to Landen, Anna’s ex-husband. Could
Landen's POVI had just finished a long day managing the affairs of Moonlight Pack. The duties of an Alpha never seemed to end, and today had been especially exhausting.I was looking forward to a few hours of quiet, maybe even some time with Jasper, our son. But as I walked toward the house, something felt off.I was unable to identify it. Just a persistent sensation that is eating away at the back of my mind.Hannah's voice was coming from the living room as soon as I walked into the house. Though she was talking quickly and in a low volume while on the phone, her words weren't very quiet.At first, I almost dismissed it, thinking it was some sort of business arrangement. Hannah has always been involved in the financial and economic decisions of the pack. But then she spoke in a different tone. It stopped me. it felt so piercing, so urgent.“There’s no time. Why are you keeping them? ” Her voice rose more as she replied,"I don't want any leaky holes. This will become more problema
3RD PARTY POVMikel leaned back in his chair, feeling the weight of the words on the other end of the phone."We found something more interesting, sir," Mikel’s man said, his tone serious.Mikel had asked them to dig deep into Hannah’s past while Navian was swamped with surgeries for over a week, unable to continue with the investigation. Now, Mikel was taking the lead."Spit it out," Mikel ordered, relaxing into the back of his office chair."There’s a record that links the woman you asked us to look into and the Beta of Moonlight Pack, the Alpha’s closest friend.""Gerald?" Mikel echoed, shocked. "What did you find out? What’s the connection?""They were secretly in a romantic relationship before she became the Alpha’s wife," the man said carefully.Mikel’s jaw dropped. Gerald and Hannah? The same Gerald who despised Hannah for being obsessed with Landen? Back in school, they never got along, and Gerald hated how Hannah would follow Landen everywhere, practically worshipping him. No
Mikel had suspected Hannah for a while, but to learn that Gerald, the Beta of Moonlight Pack, had betrayed his Alpha? That was a heavy blow. His thoughts were racing, and he could feel the strain of the circumstance rising.He got up and started to pace his office. Why? There was tension in the question.How could Gerald, a man sworn to his Alpha by blood, betray Landen? Was love at the center of this? Was Gerald really in love with Hannah, or was there another motive? Mikel knew there was so much missing out on the puzzle.Was Hannah manipulating Gerald? She had always been obsessed with Landen, everyone knew that. But why keep Gerald in the picture if she had already secured her position as Luna? The more Mikel thought about it, the more twisted the entire situation seemed.What kind of game are they playing? he wondered.The bigger concern, however, was Anna and Owen. Were they still safe? With everything Mikel had uncovered, he couldn’t help but fear for them even more.If Hannah
"I got what is needed, Navian," Mikel said as he placed the envelope containing the DNA samples on the desk."Good job, man," Navian said while removing the stethoscope that was hanging on his neck.He just stepped out of a tough surgery and his face was showing how tired he was as he sat limply in the chair. But, this was not something he could afford to overlook; it was about Anna and Owen’s life and there was no place for relaxation."I'll send this to the lab techs right away," Navian said, eyeing the envelope. He couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of unease wash over him."My current fear is Anna and Owen’s safety. There's more to all of this, and I can feel it."Mikel leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, face dark with worry."Gerald’s involvement with Hannah is still shocking to me. I never saw it coming." His voice was low, almost as if saying it aloud would make the situation more real.Navian looked up, meeting his gaze. "The web is too entangled, Mikel. Your Beta may
The living room was filled with the soft hum of conversation and occasional laughter, the warmth of companionship wrapping around me like a familiar blanket.Navian sat beside me, his eyes reflecting both relief and concern. I glanced around at the others—Rita, Mikel, and someone I hadn’t expected to see—Elena, Navian’s fiancée.Having Elena in the room made me feel off and it only got worse when she took a step forward, the atmosphere thickening. Her eyelids were puffy and her cheeks were crimson.It looked like she had been sobbing non-stop for many hours. I studied her with caution because I didn’t know what to anticipate.Elena said with a trembling voice, "Anna." “I—I need to apologize. For everything.”I frowned, glancing at Navian for an explanation, but he nodded, silently urging me to hear her out.“I—worked with Hannah to get you and Owen kidnapped,” she continued, her words tumbling out in a rush.“I was jealous and insecure. I thought—thought Navian still had feelings for
I watched as Landen cradled Owen in his arms and rocked him back and forth like a baby. I could see the tenderness in his gaze as a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Seeing him this protective and caring kind of guy reminded me of their planned connection. "He's so peaceful when he sleeps." I walked over to them and whispered, “Like all the pain and chaos we’ve been through never touched him.”Landen glanced up at me, his eyes shining with a warmth I hadn’t seen in years. “It’s because of you, Anna. You’ve always protected him, kept him safe when I couldn’t.”I smiled softly, reaching out to brush my fingers through Owen’s hair. “We both protected him, Landen. We’re both his parents.”A flicker of something—guilt, regret—crossed his face. He looked down at Owen, his jaw tightening.“I failed him. I failed both of you. I let you go… let you suffer alone because I didn’t see what was right in front of me.”“Landen,” I whispered, my voice gentle but firm. “We’ve been throug
Anna's POVI found myself in the middle of the pack house, surveying the crowd spread before me. Some faces were known to me, while a few were unknown but friendly faces, filled with respect and warmth.It was heartwarming to hear Landen’s voice echo around the room, announcing my presence after such a long time.“Today, we acknowledge what should have never been questioned,” Landen declared, his gaze steady on me.“Anna is the rightful Luna of the Moonlight Pack. Her strength, courage, and unwavering loyalty have proven that time and again. And,” he paused, his voice softening as he looked at Owen, “our son, Owen, is the true heir of this pack.”Around us, cheers broke out. I felt a wave of emotions rush through me as a result of the music. I blinked back the tears that pricked at the corners of my eyes while maintaining a straight face. I had believed I had lost this moment and this realization forever.I glanced over at Owen, who was standing beside Landen, a proud smile on his sma
I wasn’t separated from Anna for hours it seemed like I had been watching over her the whole day. Each day washed the other away, sleepless nights and hours of waiting where the days became a blur. I sat by her bedside and only got up occasionally to attend to Owen or get something I needed.It mattered not whether the roof above was made of iron or gold; it mattered not whether the earth below was stone or sand; it didn’t matter whether the food on the table was plain or grand; the only thing that was important was to be here with her, waiting for her to wake up and give me her smile once again, to hear her laughter, to hear her say “I’m fine.”It was very silent in that room, the only audible noises were the …beeping of the heart monitor, and the sound of the equipment. I saw how Anna’s chest was moving up and down, but she was so weak, so slim, so unlike the woman I had married.I reached out and touched her gently on her hand, afraid to grip it too firmly lest she break.“Anna,” I
Gerald was finally behind bars, I was standing just outside of the cell, looking at him across the heavy barred iron, I looked at him that way.He looked right back at me and his eyes were filled with anger and hate that had been brewed deep within him.“You think this is over, Landen?” Gerald sneered, his lips curling back. “You may have won this round, but you’ll never truly defeat me. The bond I have with Anna—”“Shut your mouth,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous. “You lost, Gerald. There’s no bond, no claim. You’ll rot in this cell for the rest of your miserable life.”I turned on my heel, walking away before I could do something I’d regret. I couldn’t afford to let Gerald’s words affect me now. Not when Anna’s life still hung in the balance. I glanced at the pack warriors standing guard.“No one goes in or out without my express permission,” I ordered. “He doesn’t get to speak to anyone. Understood?”“Yes, Alpha,” they replied in unison, their stances firm and unyielding.Sa
I glanced up as the two warriors dragged a struggling, screaming Hannah towards me. Her screams broke through the mayhem and blood that had marred the evening, resonating throughout the warehouse.My so-called wife, the one who had destroyed all I had ever held dear, was the object of my unwavering gaze.“What is the meaning of this?” I growled, narrowing my eyes at the warriors.My voice came out low and dangerous, but I couldn’t help it. Anger coursed through my veins like fire. “You dare to handle my wife like that?”The words slipped out before I could stop them, but even as I said them, they felt foreign on my tongue. I didn’t recognize them as mine.Was she really my wife? Could I even call her that when Anna—my true mate—was lying on the cold ground, bleeding out in front of me?“We apologize, Alpha, but…” One of the warriors hesitated, glancing at his partner before meeting my gaze again.“We saw the Luna pull the trigger that just shot Lady Anna.”All I could feel was cold, a
Gerald shrieked in agony as my claws tore into his side. I saw him stumble back, breathing in short breaths as blood spattered on the concrete floor. His fur was matted and saturated in blood—some of it mine, most of it his. We circled each other, breathing fiercely, but I felt like I was winning this time. The look in Gerald’s eyes wasn’t one of a confident victor anymore. It was the gaze of a desperate man who realized he was losing everything.“Come on, Gerald,” I growled, lowering my stance. “Is this the best you can do? After all the planning, the scheming—you thought you’d just waltz in and take my family?”He growled, baring his teeth, but there was hesitation in his movements now. His attacks came slower, less precise. I could feel his strength fading as we clashed again and again. With each bite and claw stroke, I pushed him farther away and neared victory.His voice quivering with a mix of tiredness and wrath, he growled, "Shut up!" He came at me, but I effortlessly sideste
The moment my bones cracked and shifted, fur bursting through my skin, I knew there was no turning back. My wolf form, dark and massive, towered over Gerald as he shifted in response.The air hummed with energy and anticipation, our growls vibrating through the large warehouse like thunder.Everything around us blurred—my warriors, Gerald’s men, Navian desperately trying to untie Anna from those cursed red bindings—but none of it mattered.It was just Gerald and me. Alpha against Beta. We lunged at each other simultaneously, teeth bared, claws ready to rip through flesh.Our bodies collided with a sickening thud, and we rolled across the concrete floor in a tangle of fur and fury. Gerald’s fangs snapped at my throat, but I twisted, using my larger frame to pin him down. He snarled, kicking me off with a powerful shove that sent me skidding back.I regained my footing quickly, leaping at him again. This time, my teeth found purchase, sinking into his shoulder.He groaned in pain and hi
As we approached the warehouse, it appeared as a dilapidated prison instead, its decayed skeleton cutting sharp tongues of shade on the ground that was bathed in the light of the moon.My team and I went a little faster, heading toward Gerald's hideout. We had managed to follow him to this godforsaken location with only one intent in mind: to shoot and bring both Anna and Owen home.That feeling lingered in the atmosphere, the second skin feeling when your body was alert and screaming for you to run. Each and every step we made resounded faintly in the silence.My heart was a drumbeat of fury and fear. When we reached the doors, I signaled my men to halt. The scent of wolves—more than I had expected—hung heavy in the air. Gerald hadn’t just hidden away; he’d prepared for war.I glanced at my warriors. Each one looked back at me with grim determination, their muscles taut, ready for action. I nodded, and they braced themselves. Pushing open the creaky metal doors, we stepped inside, we