Dante’s POV“Several missing rogues in one night cannot just be a random coincidence,” said Gamma Gregor.“We have been at peace with most of the neighboring packs,” Delta Roland added. “Who would do this?”“Maybe it’s one of Gerrick’s followers,” Cyrus suggested, with his arms crossed.But Kara shook her head. “That’s not possible. We killed most—if not all. There is no way they could plan something like this.”“She has a point,” Head Warrior Riker muttered, tapping his fingers against the table. “This is too big for a scattered group of survivors.”“We must have a new threat,” Kara said. “For now, it would be best to tighten the security measures at the border.”They all hummed in agreement, then the room went silent.I could feel their eyes on me.I had been quiet the entire meeting, paying little attention to what they discussed. After all, they were the ones impatiently demanding my presence.“Alpha?” Kara broke the silence. “Do you have any thoughts on the matter?”I shifted in
My heart slammed against my ribs. Was she—? A sudden wave of dizziness hit me. I shook my head hard, trying to clear my vision. And just like that, the image shifted. Instead of holding the oxygen mask, her hands were wrapped gently around Amaya’s hand with an unreadable expression. What the fuck did I just see? Kara turned towards me, looking surprised. “Dante,” she muttered. “I didn’t expect you to be here.” I couldn’t move, my brow knitted together as my gaze shifted from her to Amaya. Had I imagined it? “Is something the matter?” She tilted her head slightly. I blinked, shaking my head as I took a step forward. “Wh–what are you doing here?” She let out a small sigh and turned her gaze back to Amaya. “Checking on her. You know this is the first time I am seeing her since the incident. Poor girl can’t catch a break,” she said, followed by a sad sigh. I must have imagined it, I thought to myself. Kara wouldn’t hurt Amaya. She had no reason to. In fact, she had been the on
Dante POVI hated bullies.They reminded me of my time in training camp when I was younger, smaller—but stronger. Strong enough to make them hate me for it. They hit me so badly I had broken a rib or two in the process and was left with a permanent scar at the back of my head.“Who are your parents?” I asked in a cold voice that made their tiny limbs tremble.The two older kids who had been so eager to push someone smaller now looked like they wanted to disappear.“Uh…” The scrawny blond one gulped. “M-My dad’s one of the warriors—”“We didn’t mean anything by it, Alpha,” the other, taller one cut in quickly.I arched a brow. “Oh? You didn’t mean anything by dragging a kid half your size through the dirt?”The blond boy opened his mouth, then shut it again.“I don’t tolerate bullying in my pack.” My eyes darkened, and I shifted my gaze to the little boy being bullied.“What’s your name?” I asked.“Leo,” he answered softly.“Leo.” I repeated, rolling the name on my tongue. “How would y
Amaya’s POV “Luna!” Suri gasped, throwing herself at me in a tight hug that made me wince. Unlike with Dante, I couldn’t bring myself to push her away, even though my body trembled slightly. “Oh, Luna, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you. Thank the Moon Goddess you’re finally awake.” She cupped my face like she was making sure I was real. Before I could respond, Dante’s voice cut through the room like a blade. “Leave.” Suri stiffened, taking a step back, but I caught her hand and shook my head. “No,” I said, frowning at him. “She just got here. She can stay.” His jaw tensed. “I am ordering her to leave.” I narrowed my eyes. “Are you seriously coming here just to start controlling things the moment I wake up?” Although my voice was barely above a whisper, the edge was sharp. His hands curled into fists. Suri shifted uncomfortably. “It’s okay, Luna. I will come back later.” Her voice was soft as she pulled her hand from mine and turned to leave. Now, we were alone. I tur
Amaya’s POV According to the doctor, I had a panic attack. My body had gone into shock from the stress, making it even harder to breathe. He managed to stabilize me, but I was still weak, drained from everything that had just happened. It was never life-threatening, but Dante didn’t take it that way. Lying in bed, I could hear Dante repeatedly scolding Suri for overwhelming me with too much information while she pleaded desperately. I felt bad for her, but in my state, I could do nothing. From that day on, Suri was forbidden to see me, which made me quite sad—especially since Dante was always around me like a guard dog. He spoke less and became even more protective. A week later, I was discharged, and he took me back to the packhouse himself, barely letting me walk on my own. I protested, but it all fell on deaf ears, so I stopped and just did whatever he said. And when we arrived, I was practically imprisoned in my room all over again. As the days passed, I started
Amaya’s POVI blinked, caught off guard.“How did you…?”“So it’s true.” He cut me off, his voice lower this time. His grip around my chin loosened, and he scoffed, taking a step back. “How long?” he asked.“What does it matter? It wouldn’t change a thing,” I said, shifting my gaze to the side, and that only pissed him off.“How. Long?” he asked again, clenching his jaw.I sighed. “Two years ago. She just… disappeared.”The words felt weird leaving my lips, like I had never said them out loud. Maybe because I hadn’t.I let out a shaky breath as I recalled the painful night—the night I felt truly alone in this world.It had been cold that night. I stared up at the moon, waiting—no, begging—for Nyx’s voice to return.But the silence was so loud.I called out to her over and over again, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. At first, I thought she was ignoring me, so I purposely shattered a glass in my hands to get her attention.Blood dripped down my fingers, tears rolled down my cheeks. I
Amaya’s POV The sound echoed down the hallway. My eyes widened as Suri’s head snapped to the side, and she covered her cheek with her hand. She staggered back from the force of the blow, her eyes filling with tears. My entire body stiffened — and worse, Kara’s smile deepened. “Pathetic,” she spat. And when Suri opened her mouth, she yelled again. “Did I tell you to speak?” She stepped closer, landing another slap on Suri’s face. Suri shook her head weakly, her eyes fixed on the floor — but that also seemed to upset Kara. “Look at me when I’m talking to you!” When Suri hesitated, Kara grabbed a fistful of her hair. Suri gasped as Kara yanked her head back, forcing her to meet her gaze. “You can’t even follow basic instructions?” she hissed, digging her nails into Suri’s scalp. “No wonder you’re nothing but a useless little maid.” “Stop…” Suri’s voice broke. “Oh, so you can talk.” Kara yanked harder, making Suri wince. When she released her hair, she shoved her backward with so
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
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