Gaius. The moment I took off in a race in my wolf form, I found myself panting at my brother’s grave. I hadn’t brought myself there consciously, but I didn’t find it strange, given the fact that my mind had been on him from the moment I walked away from Evelyn. I turned back into my human form and sat by the side of the grave. I sighed as I noticed the small bush that was growing on the graveyard. It had been a while since I had visited. Given that I had to step into the role of an Alpha and chase after Cyrus for revenge, I had gotten so busy that I couldn’t make out enough time to visit and clean the grave as frequently as needed. I stretched my hand and plucked the first weed I could grab. “You know, I feel so guilty that I am now leading the pack that was supposed to be yours by right,” I said as I plucked out the second one. A sigh left my lips before I could stop it. “And now, the moon goddess mated me to your mate,” I informed him. Again, I pulled out another blade of gra
Gaius. I felt like hitting something. Hard. How had that man gone as far as being close to signing a merger with a pack and we were only just finding out?“What do we do?” I asked Lisa and Evelyn. I didn’t even know what to think and how to stop the merger from happening. I just knew that it had to stop. “Adam is in the meeting room, waiting for us. So I suggest that we go there and we can all deliberate on the next step to take,” Lisa answered. “You know we can't fully trust anyone.” She added in a whisper, indicating toward the door to show that anyone might be eavesdropping on our conversation. At that, we agreed to continue the meeting at the usual place. Lisa left first to wait for us. About ten minutes after she was gone, I held Evelyn’s hand and helped her out of the mansion. To anyone else, it would look like we were on a date, just strolling under the half moonlight, but we were on our way to the meeting room. “Welcome, Alpha Gaius. Lady Evelyn, how do you feel now?” Ada
Cyrus. I glanced up from the files I was going through. It was the files containing the details of the merger that was supposed to happen between me and the next door Alpha, Alpha Trey. It had taken a while for me to go through the terms and conditions of the merger, but I was finally done with it and I was pleased with the outcome. I picked up my phone and placed a call through to the man. Before the second ring could sound, the man had already picked up. “Hello, Alpha Trey,” I said into the phone the moment I heard his voice from the other end. “How is it going from your end?” I asked. There was a moment's pause from my end as the man continued to narrate how he went through everything and he was just about to call me to let me know that he was content with the agreement we were supposed to sign. “Have you gone through the terms and conditions?” I asked him. Once he replied in the affirmative and didn’t say anything further, I smiled to myself. Such was the authority I had on
Evelyn. “Gai-“ I tried to call Alpha Gaius, but I couldn’t even finish as he already turned around the corner and walked away. I didn’t know if it was my eyes that were deceiving me or if I was just imagining it or if I had truly seen it, but I felt the man had hurried his footstep when he heard me try to call his name. I didn’t want to think the worst of the man but he left me with little to no choice. After that outing that we had, it appeared that he was trying his possible best to avoid me. No matter how early I woke up to look for him, he was never there in the mansion. Each time I managed to come across him, his Beta or Gamma were there to take him away. Or he would have walked away from me before I would be able to call his name to get his attention. After about two days attempt that proved to be futile, I knew that I had to get myself busy before I would start imagining the million and one things that I shouldn’t. And that was why I decided to start helping the pack’s doc
Gaius. “If you’ll excuse me then.”Those words and the walking away of footsteps brought me back to the present. That was when I realized how much o had messed up the date I managed to summon up the courage to get her to have with me. But it wasn’t that I wanted to mess up. It was just that when I walked in and saw how beautiful she looked, I had gotten lost in my head, with a lot of thoughts. Even though I tried my best to make sure that I didn’t lose myself in my wild thoughts, I couldn’t help it. I was mesmerized by her. Even when I knew that she was speaking to me, I was so lost in how melodious her voice sounded that I didn’t know what to say in response to her words. I just wanted to continue to listen to her speak while I drowned in her voice. I wasn’t ashamed to admit to myself, if not to anyone else, that I had been mesmerized by the woman ever since I found out that she was my mate. I had wanted to hold her in my arms since then and whisper words to her. Words that wou
Gaius. I jolted back to life like someone who was being chased. By the time I would open my eyes and look around, I was a little bit confused about where I was. A movement beside me woke me up fully and I gasped as I realized that I was with Evelyn. The activity of the day ran through my mind and I heaved a sigh. The way she laid there like a sleeping beauty made me hard. I sighed and got out of bed, knowing that staying there would do no good since it would only make me keep wanting her. I noticed as I put on my dress that everywhere was silent. I peeped out through the window and saw that everywhere was already dark and the midnight patrol guards were already on duty, meaning that it was late into the night. How had I managed to sleep off for that long?I wondered briefly if anybody from the pack had wondered where I went since evening or if there had been anything that needed my urgent attention. I didn’t let the thoughts of any of that weigh into my mind. Instead, I finished d
Gaius POV. The Lunar Gala. Even the thought of it was enough to leave a bitter taste in my mind. And what was worse? It was only happening in two days. Two fucking days. Which meant only one thing, we had to do whatever it was that we were going to do very fast. Unless, of course, it meant that we were not ready to stop that man that we were after. But everyone was more than interested in stopping the man. Which was why we were at the meeting room in broad daylight, trying to see if our progress was going any further or if there was no chance of winning this particular war against the man. “How is it going?” I asked the other theee members in the room with me, looking from one person to the other. I didn’t want to give them to look away from my gaze but then that means that they had no chance. What was I saying?None of us had a chance unless we were able to progress forward. “Everything is going according to plan,” Adam answered, looking at me directly. He looked like he want
Evelyn. Clara. The woman who I had thought was my soul sister until I caught her red handed and knew that she had done nothing but lie to me all these while. It was because of her I had found myself in the situation I was in with Cyrus. As I looked at her, all the sisterly love I felt for her was no longer there. All I felt was resentment toward her. I held Gaius's hand and squeezed it hard to keep myself from launching at her and attacking her. “Long time now see, dearest sister.” She finally opened her mouth to speak. To anyone wise, they would have easily assumed that she was truly happy to finally meet her sister, except that I realized the taunting in her voice. Even her expression spoke of nothing but the mischief and cunningness of her heart. “I could say the same for you, Clara, except that I wished that I never had to see you again,” I answered with all the anger in my heart. I stole a quick glance at Gaius and noticed that he was already tense and at alert once he saw t
GaiusThe morning air nipped at my face as I stood on the balcony outside my study, gazing at the horizon. The pack grounds stretched out before me, it should have felt peaceful, but there was no peace to be found here. Not now.Cyrus loomed like a storm , his influence spreading like wildfire. Every move I made seemed one step behind his, and the pack was restless. They needed action, and I couldn’t afford to waste time.Inside the study, Zack and Dan waited, their eyes scanning the maps and notes spread across the table. Each mark represented a sighting of Cyrus’s rogues, whispers of his growing power.I stepped back into the room and pointed at a spot on the map—a warehouse on the outskirts of a neighboring territory.“This is our target,” I said. “Recent reports suggest Cyrus has been using this location as a base for his operations. We need to confirm and strike.”Zack crossed his arms, his expression skeptical. “With all due respect, Alpha, how do we know this isn’t another div
EvelynEvery day felt heavier lately, with Gaius and I juggling the growing threats against the pack and the silence from my father. He was still unconscious, lying in that same cold room, his face pale and motionless.I sat by the window, looking out over the pack grounds. Children played near the garden, their laughter faint but steady, a fragile reminder of what we were fighting to protect. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me, restless and hard to control ever since the attack that nearly broke us.A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. It wasn’t the usual firm knock from Grace or one of Gaius’s men. This one was soft, hesitant.I opened the door cautiously, my wolf on edge. Standing in the hallway was a hooded figure. My instincts screamed danger, but there was something familiar in the way they held themselves—calm, yet alert.“Who are you?” I asked, keeping my tone firm.The figure pushed the hood back slightly, revealing a woman with sharp, striking features. Her
CyrusThe room was silent, except for the faint crackle of the fire in the corner. It did little to warm the chill that seemed to settle in me.I stood at the head of the long table, staring down at the map spread before me. Red pins marked my territories—what remained of them. Black pins marked the ones I’d lost.There were too many black pins.I clenched my fists, feeling the rage bubbling under the surface. My council sat around the table, their heads down, avoiding my gaze. Useless, the lot of them. When everything was going well, they were quick to boast about our victories, eager to share the spoils. Now, they cowered, leaving me to clean up the mess.Finally, I broke the silence. “Speak,” I growled, my voice low but laced with menace. “Tell me why my empire is crumbling.”One of the advisors, a wiry man with a nervous tic that made his eye twitch, cleared his throat. “M-my Lord,” he stammered, “the factory explosion... it has caused unrest among the packs.”“Unrest?” I repeated
EvelynThe walk to the cabin felt longer than I remembered. My mind raced with questions I couldn’t quiet, no matter how hard I tried. The cool breeze brushing my skin did little to settle the unease that twisted in my stomach.Raven.Even her name made my chest tighten. She wasn’t just a reminder of Gaius’s past; she was a thread tied directly to Cyrus, to everything that had gone wrong in my life. She’d shown up bruised and battered, collapsing at our door, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel sorry for her. Not yet. Not after everything.When I reached the cabin, Zack stood by the door, his arms crossed over his chest. He gave me a sharp nod. “She’s awake. Still looks like hell, though.”“Good,” I said, my tone clipped.Zack smirked faintly, stepping aside to let me pass. “Call me if you need anything.”I nodded and pushed the door open, bracing myself for whatever mood Raven might be in.Inside, Raven sat on the edge of the bed, her cloak discarded on the floor. Bandages wrapped
GaiusThe morning after the explosions, I stood in my study, pacing. My phone lay on the desk, taunting me. The council of elders needed to be informed about the attacks on Cyrus’s factories, but I knew they wouldn’t make it easy. The council liked to sit in their plush chairs and argue while the rest of us did the real work of keeping order.Still, this was too big to ignore. I needed answers, and the council had resources I couldn’t access alone.I grabbed the phone and dialed the private number that connected me to their offices. The line rang longer than I liked before a stern, familiar voice answered.“Alpha Gaius,” Elder Rowan greeted, his tone as neutral as ever. “To what do we owe this early call?”“Cyrus’s factories,” I said bluntly. “They were destroyed last night. All of them.”A pause. I could practically hear the gears turning in Rowan’s head. “We heard reports of explosions,” he admitted. “But we assumed it was a local issue. You’re saying this was coordinated?”“Yes,”
EvelynRaven lay on the couch, looking pale and broken.Her chest rising and falling in uneven, shallow breaths. Blood stained her clothe and streaked her face, and I couldn’t look at her without feeling a strange mix of emotions. Hatred and anger , all deep inside me, reminders of the damage she’d caused in the past, but they were overshadowed by something else now. Worry. Unease.The medics rushed in with their kits, their faces set in grim determination. I stepped back, giving them room to work. Gaius stayed nearby, his sharp eyes watching every movement as if willing Raven to survive by force.“She’s critical,” one of the medics muttered to the other as they worked quickly. “Her wounds are deep, and she’s lost a lot of blood. We’ll do what we can, but it’s not looking good.”Gaius’s jaw clenched at their words. “Do everything,” he said firmly. “Whatever it takes.”“We’ll try, Alpha,” the medic replied, though her tone was far from reassuring.I stood frozen a few steps away
EvelynThe house was too quiet. It wasn’t the kind of peaceful silence that brought comfort, but the heavy one that makes it hard to breathe. I sat on the edge of the bed, clutching my phone in one hand and staring at the number saved on the screen.It wasn’t mine.It was hers. The number I had blocked.I had written out the number, instinctually. Before Gaius had deleted it from my block history.A simple scrap of paper with a hastily scrawled number, one I clearly hadn’t intended for him to see.It felt like a secret, like another piece of his life he’d chosen to keep from me.I hated how much it bothered me. After everything we’d been through together, I shouldn’t have been second-guessing his intentions. But the thought of him leaving me out, of him choosing to meet with her, his ex-mate, was more painful than I wanted to admit.My fingers hovered over the phone, indecisive. The logical part of me said to let it go, to trust Gaius. But my heart wasn’t so easily silenced. If
GaiusThe pack house was quiet when I entered, except for the soft glow of the lamps. The scent of lavender—Evelyn’s favorite—lingered in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of freshly baked bread. It was the smell of home, of safety, but tonight it felt stifling.I dropped my coat on the back of a chair, running a hand through my hair as I tried to push aside the weight of the day. The tension with Raven, the danger of Cyrus’s growing power—it all churned in my mind like a storm I couldn’t outrun.Evelyn’s soft footsteps reached my ears before I saw her. She appeared from the hallway, her face lighting up immediately she saw me. But the happiness was short-lived. Her eyes scanned my face, her expression shifting to concern.“You’re late,” she said softly, stepping closer. Her hands brushed against my arms, her touch grounding me for a moment. “How did it go? Did you meet them?”I hesitated, the words feeling stuck in my throat. I hated lying to her, but I couldn’t figure
GaiusRaven walked beside me looking tensed. She moved with caution.She had remained quiet for a while, and I found it difficult to read her expression. I finally broke the silence, my voice sharp. “What were you thinking back there, Raven? Going after her at like that? That could’ve gone very wrong.”Raven stopped abruptly, turning to face me. “What was I thinking?” she snapped, her eyes glaring at me.“What were you thinking, Gaius? Dragging us into some stranger’s trap without any solid plan? And I’m the reckless one?”“You didn’t have to make it worse,” I shot back, stepping closer. “ Attacking her like that—what did you think that was going to accomplish?”Raven clenched her hands into fists, and she scoffed, her voice filled with sarcasm. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we were supposed to politely play along with her little game while she fed us with riddles. We don’t have time for this, Gaius. Every second we waste, Cyrus gets stronger.”“And every second you act witho