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
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
EvelynThe pain came in waves, sharp and relentless. My breathing was shallow as I clung to Gaius’s hand, his steady presence the only thing keeping me grounded. I had prepared for this moment—or at least I thought I had. But nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming pressure, the way my body felt like it was tearing apart.“Breathe, Evelyn,” Gaius said softly, his voice calm but firm. “You’ve got this.”I nodded, though the words felt distant. Another contraction hit, and I cried out, my wolf stirring restlessly inside me.Grace entered the room, followed by the midwife, a kind but no-nonsense woman named Marion. She took one look at me and started giving instructions, her voice steady and reassuring.“You’re doing great, Evelyn,” Marion said, kneeling by the bed. “But the baby isn’t in the right position yet. It might take some time.”I groaned, my grip on Gaius’s hand tightening. “I don’t know if I can do this,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face.“Yes, you can,” G
EvelynThe ride back to the pack was quiet. Gaius sat beside me, his hand resting on my knee, a comforting weight in the stillness. I leaned my head against the window, watching the trees blur past. My mind wandered, replaying the confrontation with Roman.His words didn’t haunt me the way I thought they might. Instead, I felt a strange calm, like I’d closed the door on a part of my life that had long held me captive. I wasn’t afraid of him anymore. He couldn’t hurt me now.Gaius’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “You’ve been quiet,” he said softly, glancing at me.I turned to him, offering a small smile. “Just thinking.”“About Roman?” he asked, his tone careful.I nodded. “He’s bitter. Angry. But he’s nothing now. Just a shadow of what he used to be.”Gaius squeezed my knee gently. “You’re stronger than him, Evelyn. You always were.”His words warmed me, and I placed my hand over his. “Thank you,” I said softly.The pack house came into view, its familiar structure a welcome si
EvelynI stood barefoot on the sand, the turquoise waves lapping at the shore. Gaius walked up behind me, his arms circling my waist as he pulled me against his chest. “What are you thinking about?” he asked, his voice low and comforting.I smiled, leaning into him. “I was just trying to remember the last time I felt this peaceful.”He kissed the top of my head. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”“It feels like a lifetime ago,” I admitted.Our honeymoon had been nothing short of magical. After everything we had been through—the battles, the loss, the constant chase of Cyrus’s shadow—this felt like a dream. We had traveled to a secluded island, a place untouched by war or worry, where the only sounds were the waves and the laughter of the locals.For the past few days, we had let ourselves forget about the rest of the world. We’d explored hidden waterfalls, hiked through lush jungles, and shared quiet meals by candlelight. It felt like we were rediscovering each other, peeling back th
EvelynThe days after the healer’s news were filled with quiet worry. At first, I thought I was just exhausted from everything we’d been through—the battles, the losses, the rebuilding. But my body felt heavier with each passing day, and the symptoms only grew worse.Gaius barely left my side, his eyes constantly flicking to me with a worry he tried to hide. But I could feel it in his touch, in the way his hand would linger on mine, or how he’d wrap an arm around me as if afraid I might disappear.“You need to rest,” he told me for the hundredth time as I sat on the couch one afternoon, my head resting against his shoulder.“I am resting,” I said, though the ache in my body made it clear that rest alone wasn’t enough.“We’re seeing the healer again,” he said firmly. “Something isn’t right.”I didn’t argue. I didn’t have the energy to.The healer, an older man with kind eyes and steady hands, greeted us warmly when we arrived. But as he examined me, his expression grew serious. He did
EvelynThe land was quiet, the chaos of the fight replaced by an eerie stillness. It was over. Cyrus was gone, and his reign of terror had ended.But as I walked through the remains of the battlefield, the weight of everything we’d lost pressed heavily on my chest. Those that died were being gathered, their bodies lined carefully, as survivors worked tirelessly to restore some semblance of order. I spotted Gaius in the distance, directing soldiers and healers with the same calm authority that had always been his strength. Even from here, I could see the exhaustion etched into his features, but he didn’t falter. He turned as I approached, his eyes softening when they met mine. “Evelyn,” he said, stepping closer. His hand rested gently on my arm, his touch grounding me. “You shouldn’t be out here. You need to rest.”“I’m fine,” I said, though the truth was far from it. My body ached in ways I didn’t fully understand, and every step felt heavier than the last. But I couldn’t sit idl
GaiusThe battlefield was eerily quiet. Smoke curled in thin tendrils from scattered fires, and the once deafening sounds of battle had faded into an uneasy silence. Around us, Cyrus’s forces lay defeated, either dead or having fled into the shadows. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, it seemed like we might actually win.But Cyrus wasn’t done.He stood alone in the clearing, his once-pristine black coat torn and bloodstained, but his stance was still defiant. His smirk, cruel and venomous, clung stubbornly to his face as though he knew something we didn’t.I tightened my grip on my blade, my wolf pacing restlessly inside me. “It’s over, Cyrus,” I said, stepping forward. “Your army is gone. Surrender now, and maybe we’ll let you live.”His laugh echoed across the field, cold and sharp. “You think I’m afraid of dying, Gaius?” he spat. “You think this is the end for me?”“It is,” I said firmly, my voice calm but unyielding. “You’ve lost everything.”Cyrus took a step forw
GaiusAs I carried Evelyn’s unconscious form through the dense forest. My arms tightened around her as I pushed forward, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and urgency. She felt so fragile in my hold, and the thought of her being hurt clawed at me.Behind me, Raven led the way, limping but determined. Despite her battered appearance, her eyes burned with a fierceness I hadn’t seen in years. She had gathered guards and allies in a makeshift camp deep in the woods—a safe zone where we could regroup and plan our next move against Cyrus.The soft murmurs of voices and the faint glow of campfires appeared ahead. Relief flooded through me. At least we’d reached some measure of safety for the moment.The guards at the perimeter stiffened as we approached, their weapons raised until they recognized us. “Alpha Gaius!” one of them called out, rushing forward.“Clear a path,” I ordered, my voice tight. “She needs care.”They stepped aside without question, their faces etched with concern a
CyrusThe chamber reeked of sweat and blood. My throne, carved from blackened stone, felt harder beneath me as I stared at the rogue kneeling before me. His head was bowed, his body trembling.“How many this time?” I asked, my voice low and steady.The rogue flinched, his fear bleeding into the silence. “Three squads, my Lord,” he stammered. “They... they deserted last night.”I sat back, my fingers curling around the armrests of the throne.“Three squads,” I repeated slowly, “And what did they take with them?”“S-supplies, my Lord,” he whispered, barely able to meet my eyes. “Weapons, food... they stole what they could carry.”My wolf stirred, snarling at the edges of my mind. Traitors. After everything I had done—everything I had sacrificed—this was how they repaid me?“You’re telling me,” I said, rising from my seat, “that a third of my army has turned tail and fled? That they think they can run from me?”The rogue didn’t answer. He didn’t dare.“Look at me,” I commanded, my voic
Evelyn My chest burned with each breath, my muscles aching from the effort of keeping Gaius moving. He leaned heavily on me, his strength waning, but his stubbornness kept him upright.“He’s getting closer,” I said breathlessly, glancing over my shoulder.The warrior loomed in the distance, his enormous frame tearing through trees and underbrush with ease. His glowing green eyes locked on us.Gaius gritted his teeth. “We just need to make it a little farther.”“No, we don’t,” I said, coming to a sudden stop.Gaius staggered as I pulled him to a halt. He turned to me, his face pale and bloodied. “What are you doing?”I straightened, letting go of his arm. “We can’t keep running. You can’t keep running.”“Evelyn, don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “We have to keep moving.”“No,” I said firmly. “We won’t make it. He’ll catch us, and when he does...” My voice trailed off, the words catching in my throat.Gaius’s eyes softened, but only for a moment. Then his jaw set, and he stepped in fr