Amaya’s POV“I didn’t come to this pack just to work as a maid, Luna. I came here to find my little brother.”I stiffened. She mentioned her brother just yesterday, but nothing about him being missing.“When I was twelve, rogues attacked my old pack,” she continued. “They burned everything down. Killed most of our people. I don’t even remember much about that night—just fire, screaming… and my little brother crying.”A lump formed in my throat, but I didn’t say anything.“He was only six years old,” she whispered. “Too young to fight, too young to understand what was happening. I tried to protect him, but then we got separated in the chaos. I never saw him again.”She pulled the bandage tighter around my hand, but I barely noticed the sting.“I searched for him for years, but I never found a trace,” she said. “Until a few months ago, when I heard rumors that some of the surviving rogues had been taken in by this pack.”My breath caught in my throat.Dante had indeed been taking in str
Amaya POV“So much for wanting to step out,” I sighed as I plopped onto my bed. Suri followed soon after, holding a tray with my breakfast and placing it by my nightstand. Then she rushed to the drawer and pulled out the first aid kit before hurrying to my side and kneeling in front of me.“Your hand, Luna,” she said, and I winced as she gently unwrapped the bandage. The wound was still tender, looking even worse than before. I was no doctor, but it looked like it was getting infected.Suri clicked her tongue and bit down on her lip. “I am going to have to clean this again,” she said, and without warning, she applied an antiseptic solution to the wound. I hissed in pain and tried to pull my hand away, but she held it firm.“I’m sorry, I know it hurts, but I have to clean it properly to prevent it from spreading,” she said, but that didn’t stop me from gritting my teeth.“You don’t have to be so rough,” I muttered, clenching my jaw as the antiseptic burned my skin.“You say that like I
Amaya POVFor the next few days that passed by, I could feel my body getting weaker and my muscles aching all over. The healer came every evening as Dante had instructed, giving me the same liquid that was supposed to help me. But none of that was working. If anything, I felt worse. Getting out of bed began to feel like a chore, and the sight of food made me throw up. At first, I thought it was stress, but now I wasn't so sure. Even Suri started looking at me differently, but I would easily brush it off. After all, that was the least of my worries. Her words from days before had been the only thing on my mind. I didn't give her an answer because I didn't know what to say, but now I couldn't stop thinking about it. Could I really leave? "I am escaping," I blurted out to Suri, who was helping me brush my hair. "What? Really?" she said, surprised. "I thought about what you said. You are right, I don't want to stay." "Oh, Luna... you don't know how happy I am to hear you
Dante’s POV For over a week, I had been occupied with so much work in the pack that I barely had time to rest an arm. All of this, I did on purpose as a way to distract myself from thinking about Amaya—her face and the way she glared as she yanked her hand away from me. I didn’t mean to hurt her. “But you did,” Mako taunted. “Shut up,” I snapped back. “It was a mistake, okay?” “Whatever you say,” he grunted. I sighed in frustration, running a hand through my hair before returning my attention to the files in front of me. We had been taking in more rogue pups than usual, and it had been challenging to integrate them into our packs—worse, finding them a stable home since the orphanage was getting overcrowded. It was already difficult scanning through each individual file, trying to stop myself from thinking about Amaya—yet here I was, also dealing with my beta sitting across from me, scrolling through his phone in complete silence. Cyrus had been here for nearly an hour now, b
Dante’s POV ~ Flashback When Cyrus and I first met, we weren’t exactly on good terms. He was the Beta’s son, a spoiled brat who thought the world revolved around him. I, on the other hand, was just a low-ranked trainee of a secret special force trying to survive. At thirteen, I had already learned that survival wasn’t a right—it was something you had to fight for. The training camp was brutal. We weren’t just taught to fight. We were taught to kill. I had my first kill at seven. I was just a child, barely strong enough to hold a weapon, but that didn’t matter. Kill or be killed. That was the only rule. By thirteen, I had already lost count of how many lives I had taken. One of our final tests was a hunt. We were sent into the forest with no weapons, forced to track and eliminate each other. Fifty of us went in. Only thirteen made it out, and I had a body count of seven. Some were strangers. Others had been my friends. But that didn’t matter. By then, I had learned
Dante POV ~ Back to present “I ran into your wife last night.” Cyrus’s words made my body stiffen. “She was in the garden,” he continued, watching me carefully. “Alone. In the middle of the damn night. Looking like she could barely stand.” A growl rumbled deep in my chest, and Cyrus raised a brow. “Did you know about that?” My jaw clenched, and my hands rolled into fists. Of course, I didn’t know. Why the hell would she be out there alone? “She said she just wanted fresh air,” he added, crossing his arms. “But honestly? She looked sick. Really sick.” Sick? “How could she still be sick? Hadn’t she been taking her medicine?” I muttered, more to myself than to Cyrus. And where the heck were the guards when she left her room? “She’s not okay. We need to go to her,” Mako growled. But I ignored him… “I can’t answer that. All I can tell you is she’s not looking good. And keeping her here is only making things worse,” Cyrus said, and I scoffed. “Why do you all keep sa
Suri POV My eyes widened as I saw Luna Amaya cough out blood, but I had to try my best to keep calm for her own sake. With her hands around me, I was able to guide her back to her room. I noticed she held her breath as we passed the guards, but as soon as we stepped in, she resumed coughing even more violently. I didn’t know what to do, but I quickly sat her down on her bed. She gripped my hand tightly as she coughed, leaving me with no choice but to watch her while thinking of my next move. After a minute or two, she calmed down just a little and finally let go of my hand. “Water,” she said in a weak voice. I nodded and rushed over to the table, pouring a glass of water from the pitcher that was sitting there. As I did, I noticed a red bruise around my wrist from how tightly she had gripped me. My heart ached. How much pain was she in to be holding on that tight? I shook the thought away, grabbed the glass, and rushed back to her side. “Here, Luna,” I said and g
Suri POV “What’s your name again… Suri, right?” Kara said. It was just the two of us now, alone in the kitchen. I kept my head low and nodded. “You’ve been here for almost a month now. It seems you’ve gotten attached to the Luna. She must mean so much to you for you to defend her with so much passion,” she continued. I could feel her gaze studying me intently, and I didn’t dare to look up. “I’m simply doing my job. Then again, she’s been nothing but kind to me. I couldn’t just stand by and watch the other maids talk badly about her,” I muttered. “You know what? You are absolutely right. Even though Amaya’s father was… well, let’s just say, not the most honorable man, she shouldn’t have to suffer for his mistakes.” I smiled, but that quickly disappeared when she added— “But… you do realize how difficult you’re making things for yourself, don’t you?” she said, and I noticed the shift in her tone. I finally glanced up, looking at her, confused. “Difficult?” She smiled
Dante’s POV I couldn’t breathe. Fuck! What the hell did I do? My chest kept rising and falling fast as I paced back and forth in my room. My hands were still shaking — I could still feel the sensation of my hand wrapped around her throat. I stumbled back, pressing my hand to my face as if it could erase the memory. But it wouldn’t leave me. I dug my claws into my scalp, pulling on my hair. I almost killed her. “I almost killed our mate, Mako.” With my bare hands. “What do you expect me to say?” came Mako’s dry response. He’d been speaking to me less these past few days because I kept messing up — and I still kept messing up. I stumbled back, knocking into the nightstand, and the lamp crashed to the floor, shattering at my feet. My head was spinning. She had pushed me too far. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I just… I just snapped. What’s wrong with me? Am I becoming him? No… it can’t be. I wasn’t him. I wasn’t a monster. I couldn’t be. In frustration, I slamm
Amaya’s POV Dante’s expression didn’t change, even when the door closed behind him. His eyes were still fixed on me, like he was expecting me to explain myself—but I didn’t feel like it. So, I shifted my gaze and began walking back to my bed, but he couldn’t hold back. “What happened?” he asked. “You saw it yourself,” I responded flatly, sitting down on the edge of the mattress, my hands curling around the edge of the blanket. His gaze darkened. “Amaya.” “I hit her.” He blinked, clearly taken aback. “What?” “I hit her,” I repeated, my voice devoid of emotion. “Twice.” His brow furrowed, like he was trying to decide whether he had misheard me. Then he walked over to the nightstand and set down the tray of food before shifting his attention back to me. “And why would you do that?” he asked. I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes without flinching. “Because she deserved it.” Dante’s jaw clenched as he stared at me. It was clear there were a lot of things he wanted to say, but he s
Amaya’s POV That day, Suri died. No… she was murdered. Delta Roland had plunged his claws into her back without hesitation, claiming he noticed the Alpha hesitating and that he just wanted to protect the pack and seek justice. Protect the pack. The words made me feel sick. That was the excuse they gave. That was how they justified taking her life. After Roland struck her down, Dante didn’t even react at first. He just stood there, frozen, as if he didn’t understand what had happened. The crowd gasped at first—but then they cheered. And me? I screamed. I screamed so loud my throat burned, but they just kept cheering until their voices drowned out my cries. I was losing my mind. I fought against the guards holding me back, but they didn’t let go. “Quiet!” Dante’s cold voice cut through my screams as I watched Roland step back from Suri’s body. His claws were dripping with her blood, yet he had the nerve to respectfully bow toward Dante as if he had done him a favor. “She was
Amaya POV I had tried so hard to fall back to sleep with the hope of seeing Nyx in my dream—even if it was just once. I had so many questions to ask her, but she never came, and that bothered me to the point that I became quiet. Even when Dante came to my room to hand me my meals, I wouldn’t say a word. One morning, as I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, trying to recall the dream I had, I heard a loud commotion from outside my bedroom door. At first, I wanted to ignore it, but it grew louder, making it impossible to focus. With a frustrated groan, I got out of bed and started walking toward the door. As soon as I opened it, a woman lunged at me, grabbing my shirt forcefully. “Please!” she sobbed, tears streaking down her pale face. Her grip on my shirt was so tight that I stumbled back slightly, caught off guard. “Let go of her!” one of the guards shouted, but the woman didn’t release me. In fact, her grip tightened, and her knuckles turned white. “Please—please, you ha
The next morning, Suri was on her way to the supply room when she was stopped by an older woman.“You there. Are you busy?”Suri turned toward the voice. The woman, who looked to be in her early 30s, stood at the very end of the hallway. Her black hair was tied into a neat bun, and her uniform was crisp—much neater than the other maids.“No,” Suri responded quickly, lowering her gaze out of habit.“Good,” the maid said. “The Alpha asked for tea. You’re the closest, so you’ll prepare it.”“Me?” Suri’s eyes widened, and the maid’s gaze hardened.“Do you have a problem with that?”“No, of course not,” Suri said quickly, already feeling her palms grow clammy.She had never served Dante directly before. It was usually more of the senior maids who handled that kind of thing. But arguing was pointless.“What kind of tea does he like?”The older maid lifted her brow. “Chamomile. No honey. Don’t keep him waiting,” she replied.Suri nodded and hurried off toward the kitchen. As she entered, the
“Someone has already been in here.” Dante’s gaze shifted around the dusty shelves. He couldn’t identify the scent, but there was a subtle change in the air that told him someone else had been there. This place had been sealed off from the entire pack. No one should have been able to get in. They had already searched the healer’s quarters countless times and found nothing, but Dante had insisted they try again. And tonight, it seemed like the moon goddess was on their side. By chance, Cyrus’s hand brushed the edge of a cabinet, and a soft creaking sound echoed through the room. He paused, crouched down, and pried open a loose floorboard. His eyes widened when he saw what was underneath. “There’s a compartment,” he said. “I thought you said this place had already been thoroughly searched,” Dante muttered, crouching down beside him. “I did.” “Then how the hell did you miss this?” Cyrus shot him an annoyed glare. “Well, you missed it too,” he said. “Don’t just blame me—
Amaya’s POV“Let me kiss you,” he whispered in a husky voice, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.Before I could form a response, his lips brushed against mine.Soft at first, and when I didn’t pull away, his hand slid from my chin to my neck. His fingers tangled into my hair as he tilted my head and deepened the kiss.From there, the kiss became more urgent. His other hand found my waist, and his fingers pressed into the curve of my hips, pulling me closer. I gasped, and my hand gripped his shirt.Oh god.When I tried to push him away, he only pulled me closer. I was practically struggling to breathe.“Alpha.”Thankfully, a maid appeared at the doorway just in time, which seemed to have snapped him out of whatever trance he was in. He pulled away, cursing under his breath.His chest rose and fell as he turned to the maid. His expression turned deadly instantly.“What is it? Can’t you see I’m busy!” he yelled, causing the maid to visibly flinch. Her hands trembled, and she lowered
Amaya’s POV The atmosphere surrounding us became even more tense. Kara opened her mouth but couldn’t form words while Dante’s brow knitted together. “Oooooh, nice.” Cyrus, who had been quiet the entire time, finally spoke with a lazy smirk, and all the attention shifted to him. His brow knitted together, and he shook his head, confused. “What? It’s not every day we get to witness this side of the Luna,” Cyrus said, then his gaze landed on me. “By all means—don’t mind me. Continue.” I opened my mouth to speak, but Dante spoke first. “There’s no need for that.” All eyes snapped towards him. Even Kara’s smirk faltered as Dante’s gaze darkened. “What?” she said. “But Dante…” He didn’t even look at her. His eyes remained fixed on me like he was trying to read my soul. “I won’t be punishing anyone.” Kara’s eyes widened. “But…” “I said enough!” His voice thundered, but then he exhaled in frustration. Kara’s gaze shifted to me. She tightened her fist, and for the first time,
Amaya’s POV “How are you feeling?” Suri asked as we quietly strolled through the garden. “Ten times better,” I said, and we both chuckled. We walked toward a bench and sat together, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. “You know…” Suri began. “I finally turned eighteen,” she said, and my eyes widened. “Oh my god!” I gasped, sitting up straighter. “I completely forgot! Why didn’t you tell me?” “You were… kind of unconscious,” she said with a playful smile, and I groaned, running a hand down my face. “Still! That’s huge! You are officially an adult now. Which means…” I paused. “Wait… does that mean you got your wolf?” “Yes,” she nodded, and I grabbed her hand in excitement. “And? What’s her name?” “Her name’s Lira.” “Lira,” I repeated, testing the name on my tongue. “That’s… perfect.” “She’s really gentle but also strong when she needs to be,” she said in a soft tone. I smiled. “Sounds familiar,” I said and sighed sadly. Suri’s gaze dropped to her lap, her fingers curling sligh