Evelyn’s POVMy father had something that could bring down Alpha Cyrus?I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what that could be. Apart from them meeting at the meetings for Alphas, I was not sure I had ever seen them together again. Still, I knew that I couldn’t rule out the possibility especially when I knew quite well that both my ex husband and my father were cunning men. They were both so bad that I couldn’t and wouldn’t be able to tell which one of them was worse than the other. My heart thumped in excitement as I wondered what exactly my father had against Cyrus. And if he did have something against the man, why?Why had he deemed it fit enough to keep a record against the man?“Evelyn?” A hand shook me slightly, bringing me back to the present. “Are you here?” I looked up to see that it was Alpha Gaius and he had a worried look on his face. “Sorry about that,” I apologized to him. “What were you saying?” I asked with a small smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Adam was as
Gaius’s POVWith my heart so heavy, I walked away from my mate. Even though it broke my heart to leave her standing in the dark, I knew that there was little to nothing else I could do. Even if I wasn’t feeling guilty that she should have belonged to my brother, I knew that I needed to give her space and enough time for her to forget her ex husband. At the thought of that man who had us all pent up, my anger returned and I hissed loudly. “What is it?” I heard Lisa ask. I paused from my walking and looked up, only to see that I was already halfway through the room. I couldn’t believe that I had been so angry and lost in thought that I hadn’t even figured out that I was walking and would have hit the wall if Lisa had not spoken up. “She is still refusing to get the vital evidence for us from her dad?” She asked again when I didn’t answer the first question. I knew that the ‘she’ in this context was only referring to Evelyn. Evelyn.The name that made me both happy and furious. H
Evelyn’s POVI watched as the man who was supposed to be my mate walked away from me like I was a fly that would perch on him if he accidentally stayed. Unwilling to let myself think more about everything that was going on with me and Alpha Gaius, I turned my back to the wall and forced myself to get back to sleep. By the time I would open my eyes again, the sun was already seeping through the window. I sighed and got out of the bed even though I had no idea what I was going to do with my day. At first, I thought about making myself breakfast, but I kicked against it. I was in a strange house and place. Rushing to the kitchen on my first day at the place might be frowned upon. I thought about staying indoors all day next, but again I kicked against that, knowing that was not the way to appreciate the people who had done nothing but made me feel welcome when they didn’t know me from anywhere. Determined to make the most of the day, I cleaned up and made my way to the living room of
Evelyn’s POVNo. Not that I almost dropped the phone. It actually slipped from my hand. “Evelyn!” The voice yelled at me from the other end. Unable to control myself, I quickly grabbed the phone and placed it back to my ear. Not in a million days had I expected to hear that voice so soon again. It made me dumb enough that I didn’t even know what exactly it was that I was supposed to do. “He-hello?” I managed to stammer out again. I wanted to be sure it was truly who I thought it was and not just that I was hallucinating. “Yes. How are you?” The voice asked me. The tone was not one that suggested that the person in the other end truly wanted to know how I was doing. Cyrus!Why the hell was he calling me now?“I’m not even going to wonder why you are not talking.” He said, laughing hysterically in the background. It was an evil laughter - one that suggested that he was deliberately taunting me. I wanted to retaliate. I wanted to curse him. I wanted to yell at him and ask him to
Gaius’s POVOnce again, the meeting had ended abruptly, with the women out of the pictures again, leaving just Adam and I in the meeting room. One of the women had asked for permission to think about whether she wanted to be mated to me or not. The other one had stumped her foot off in anger over why the first one had to think about something that would help all of us.I sighed deeply, not knowing what to think again. As much as I wanted to be considerate and think of Evelyn and how she was feeling with everything in her life happening at once, I couldn’t help but feel bad that she had even thought that she needed time to decide if we should announce our mating bond or not. Was I that bad to be with it?Could it be that she was irrevocably in love with that monster called Cyrus and she was not willing to let go of that love for him. Or could it be that she was ashamed of me and didn’t want to be associated with me?My mind went back to when I had introduced her to a couple of peop
Evelyn. My jaw dropped and my mouth was wide open as I stared at the man who had not just walked away from me after it seemed like we were getting close to each other, but the fact that he had actually transformed into his wolf form and dashed away from me like I was some sort of plague he should not be associated with. My heart shattered into what could only be described as a million little pieces from the heart break. What the heck was the man’s problem?Why was he always drawing close to me and then pushing me off whenever I lost my guide and wanted to be closer to him as well?Was all of this a joke to him and he just wanted to flirt with me? Or was he trying to see if I was a cheap catch?*His fur is amazing!* My wolf screeched into my thoughts. My annoyance doubled at her words. *How about having some care that the man is always rude to us?* I hissed at her. Even though I knew that she might have been right about his fur being amazingly cute, I didn’t want to dwell on that
Evelyn. Raven. The name felt very bitter in my mouth even as I spat it out. What the hell was she doing at this place? “I am very sure it is not nice to meet me, right?” She said in a cool, collected voice that made me raise a brow in suspicion. Why was she this collected? Especially when we were alone in the woods where no one would know anything if she attempted to get revenge on me. “What do you want?” I hissed at her. She shrugged like she didn’t hear what I was saying. I watched as she began to look at me from my hair to my toes. Subconsciously, I looked at myself again. My mind relaxed a bit when I realized that I was still dressing in a neat way, courtesy of Alpha Gaius and the outing we went to. “Why are you here, Raven?!” I asked her, this time, more forcefully than before. If she was the one Alpha Cyrus had thought to send after me, then I was going to make sure I didn’t go down without a fight. “I came to see how you are enjoying your new life at Hartwood Pack.” Sh
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
EvelynThe news of Cyrus’s latest attack had spread like wildfire, leaving fear and uncertainty in the minds of everyone.I stood near the large window in our study, staring out at the pack grounds. People were gathered in small groups, their hushed voices and wary glances betraying their fear. I could feel their doubts, their growing mistrust, and it stung more than I wanted to admit.Gaius sat at the desk behind me, his head resting in his hands. His normally strong, and commanding presence seemed dimmed, burden by the pack’s safety.“They’re scared,” I said quietly, not turning to face him. “I can feel it. Their fear is everywhere.”Gaius lifted his head, his green eyes meeting mine. “And they’re turning that fear into blame,” he said, his voice heavy. “They don’t think we can protect them anymore.”I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. “We’ve faced worse before, Gaius. They know what Cyrus is capable of, but we’ve always fought back.”“This time feels different,” he mu
CyrusThe photograph of my father lay on the desk before me. It's edge was worn and the image slightly faded, but his eyes still seemed to pierce through me as they always had.“You doubted me, didn’t you?” I muttered, leaning back in my chair.“You thought I’d never amount to anything more than a disappointment.”I picked up the photo, running my gloved fingers along the frayed edges. His expression was as cold and unforgiving even in death as it had been in life. My lips twisted into a sharp smile.“But look at me now,” I said softly, my tone almost mocking. “I’ve surpassed even your wildest dreams. A world where the strong rule unchallenged, where no council, no laws, no Alphas can stand in the way—that’s what you always wanted. And I’ve made it a reality.”The smile faded as my wolfs growl rumbled low in my chest, the sound filling the silence of the room. “All that’s left are the two thorns in my side. Gaius and Evelyn.”Their names rolled off my tongue like a curse. They h
EvelynGauis sat across from me in silence, his eyes distant, fixed on something far beyond the room we were in.“You’ve barely said a word since you got back,” I said softly, my voice low. “What’s wrong?”He turned to meet my gaze, his jaw tightening before he spoke. “At the amphitheater,” he began, his voice low, as though speaking too loudly might shatter the moment, “I saw someone.”I tilted my head, frowning. “who?”“A woman,” he said, shifting slightly. “She was backstage, standing near the edge of the crowd.” He paused, asif searching for the right words. “She looked like you, Evelyn.”The room seemed to spin, his words throwing me off balance. “Like me?” I whispered.Gaius nodded, his gaze intense. “Not just in appearance. The way she moved, the way she stood—it was so familiar. And her face... It wasn’t completely clear, but...” He hesitated, the lines on his face deepening. “I think it was your mother.”I felt air leave my lungs in a rush, and I gripped the edge of
GaiusThe forest grew quieter the farther we ran, the shadows swallowing the sounds of pursuit until it felt like we were alone with the whispers of the trees. The boy clung tightly to me, his small hands gripping my shirt as though letting go would mean the end of his fragile safety. Raven loped beside me in her wolf form, her breathing ragged but steady, her injured shoulder leaving a faint trail of blood on the forest floor.The hideout was less than a mile away, an old hunting cabin reinforced to serve as a temporary safe house for situations exactly like this. The closer we got, the more I allowed myself to hope we might make it without further incident.Raven reached the clearing first, shifting back into her human form with a sharp grunt of pain as she clutched her injured shoulder. She didn’t look at me as she opened the cabin door, but I could feel her frustration radiating like heat.Inside, Adam and Lisa were waiting, their tense postures relaxing only slightly when the
GaiusCyrus stood tall on the stage, his voice booming with twisted conviction as he flaunted his power. The sight of the boy, trembling and locked in that cage, burned in my mind, and I knew there was no time to hesitate.Raven, beside me, moved with practiced stealth as we crept along the perimeter of the massive gathering. Her hood had concealed most of her face, but the tension radiating from her was unmistakable. “Gaius,” she murmured under her breath, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd, “this is madness. Even if we get the boy, we’ll have every rogue in this forest on our heels.”“I know the risks,” I replied, my voice low. “But leaving him here isn’t an option.”Her jaw tightened, and for a moment, she said nothing. Then she exhaled sharply. “Fine. But if we’re doing this, we’ll need to create a distraction. Something big enough to scatter them.”“Leave that to me,” I said, my mind racing with possibilities.We moved quietly through the group of rogues, careful not to draw
GaiusEvery step Raven and I took was deliberate. We moved in silence as we approached the secluded location of the Shadow’s grand gathering.The intel we got was just enough to confirm Cyrus’s presence and the purpose of the meeting. The rogues were gathering to swear loyalty to their new “Supreme Alpha” and witness the unveiling of his latest weapon.Raven walked ahead of me, her features covered by the hood of her cloak. “This isn’t just a meeting,” Raven whispered as we neared the clearing. “It’s a show of power. Cyrus wants to remind them why they follow him.”I nodded, adjusting the mask covering my face. “Then we’ll make sure we see everything,” I said, my voice low.The clearing came into view suddenly. The rogues had gathered in a makeshift amphitheater carved into the earth, a steep circle of jagged rocks surrounding a central stage. We slipped into the crowd unnoticed, our disguises blending with the rogues around us. The sounds of murmured conversations and the occ
EvelynThe house was quiet.It was the kind of calm that should have been soothing but instead made me uneasy.I sat at the dining table, stirring my tea until the liquid had cooled to the point I felt it was undrinkable no more.My mind churned with the thoughts of Gaius’s mission preparations, Raven’s lead, and the decisions we had to make. Just knowing that Cyrus was still out there, regrouping, left a constant ache in my chest. My wolf stirred uneasily.A knock came at the front door, the sound startled me enough as the spoon from my hand jolted. Grace appeared moments later, holding a pale envelope. She had an unreadable expression written on her face.“This just arrived for you, My Lady,” she said, handing it to me.I frowned, taking the envelope cautiously. There was no name or address on it, just the words Luna Evelyn written in elegant, handwriting. The paper felt rough beneath my fingers. It smelt like herbs.“Who delivered this?” I asked.Grace shook her head. “A cou
GaiusI sat in my office, staring at the map laid out before me, my thoughts a storm of frustration and helplessness. The fractured bond between Evelyn and me lingered in my chest like a physical ache, but there was no time to dwell on it. Not when Cyrus remained a threat, regrouping in the shadows like the viper he was.A soft knock on the door broke my reverie.“Come in,” I called, my voice heavier than I intended.The door opened to reveal Raven, her expression unreadable as she stepped inside. She no longer carried the air of detached confidence that once defined her. Living among the pack, isolated and distrusted, had stripped away some of her bravado.“What is it?” I asked, my tone guarded.“I have a lead,” she said, her voice steady despite the tension in the room.I raised an eyebrow, leaning back in my chair. “A lead on Cyrus?”She nodded. “He’s moving to regroup with the Shadow’s leadership. There’s an old abandoned stronghold in the eastern mountains. It’s isolated, for
EvelynCyrus’s laughter echoed through the cave, each note grating against my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. His smirk widened as he turned his attention to me, his predatory eyes gleaming with amusement.“And you, dear Evelyn,” he drawled, his tone dripping with condescension, “how the mighty have fallen. Tell me, does it ever get tiring, hiding behind stronger men?”My chest tightened, his words hitting a tender spot I hated to acknowledge. My wolf growled beneath my skin, restless and furious, but I held her back. This was not the time to lose control.“I hate you,” I spat, my voice trembling with fury.Cyrus’s smirk deepened. “Oh, I’m counting on that.”His taunts cut deep, stoking a fire that had been burning since the moment he destroyed everything I held dear. He turned to Roman, his shadow, who stood still and silent, his gaze locked on me. Something flickered in Roman’s expression—something cold and unreadable—but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.“You’re a coward,