Evelyn's POVEmpty. I had woken up to another empty bed. I reached the spot where my 'husband' should have slept and it was cold as ice. His scent wasn't there. It was everywhere else, but not on the bed. He hadn't slept here last night. I lay still on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to fight the tears that burned the corner of my eyes. This wasn't new. This wasn't the first time. You would think that after being married for eight months, I would be used to this by now. Used to being ignored, to being tortured and tormented emotionally by a man I had foolishly given my heart to. I rolled out of bed and trudged out of my room. I could hear the maids moving around the building, cleaning and chattering. "Luna." They bowed when I walked past them, downstairs. I was following a scent. The one scent that made my heart beat faster and blood rushing through my ears. I found him in the kitchen, naked down to the waist, holding up a frying pan. His dark hair was to
Evelyn's POV "C-Clara," I stuttered when the couple did not stop their obscene act. "What... What's the meaning of this?" She ignored me for a while and I grew angry. "Clara, stop this right now!" She sighed, tossed me a scathing look before disentangling from her lover. Naked, she climbed off the bed and strutted toward me. The last time I had seen her, her skin had been so pale and white. Now she looked so vibrant, it was confusing. "I thought you were sick. I thought you had the disease," I whispered, backing away with each step she took toward me. "Oh, please." She scoffed. "May the goddess forbid. I am hale and hearty as you can see." Roman approached the room then. He shoved me aside, causing me to fall to the ground while he laughed cruelly. "The gig is up, Clara?" "I got tired." She shrugged while I looked on in disbelief. "For how long was I supposed to pretend to be sick? She already married the Alpha in my place, so what's the point?" I gaspe
Evelyn's POV My heart beat faster as I reread the text. Run? What did that mean? Was it Raven? Was she trying to threaten me into leaving Cyrus? "No," I shook my head, sniffing. "He's mine! Cyrus is mine!" I sent him a series of texts, demanding where he was and reminding him that he was supposed to have dinner with me. I got nothing in response, so I waited. By ten that night, my husband walked in, reeking of Raven's scent. "You're late," I sniffed, not moving an inch from where I was. He ignored me, ready to walk upstairs. "I made dinner." "It's late," he replied gruffly. "I had dinner already.” "With Raven," I spat, and heard him growl. I could hear the maids creeping out of their rooms, probably ready to witness another one of the many scenes of us arguing. "It's late, wife. If you're not eating, then go to bed.”"My name is Evelyn!" I yelled, rising from my chair and storming over to him. "And I am your Luna. Your wife. Not that crazy woman!" He stopped in h
Evelyn's POV When I woke up, it was in a ward room. I was surrounded by the relieved faces of doctors and nurses. For a minute, I wondered why I was back in the hospital. Then, it dawned on me. I hastily tried to sit up, clutching my belly. "My baby," I croaked. "Please tell me nothing happened..." The doctor's relieved expression slowly shifted into a grim look. "I apologize, Luna Evelyn." He spoke, and my stomach dropped. "By the time you were rushed here, you had lost the baby." My body trembled. I closed my eyes, leaning back into the bed, trying not to break down. "Did my husband bring me here?"There was silence. I didn't have to open my eyes to know that they were staring awkwardly at each other. Their silence meant one thing. Cyrus hadn't known I had bled all over his elevator. At least not yet. "I would like to be alone," I murmured, turning my back to the doctor and nurses. I didn't make a sound but hot tears slipped down my face as I cried. I had lost m
Evelyn's POV "Let go of me!" I screamed as the soldiers lifted me in both arms and carted me out of my home. "Let go this instant! Cyrus! Cyrus, you can't be serious!" I looked over my shoulders as I was being dragged away from my home. A maid had a sad look on her face as she closed the front door. The soldiers shoved me into a car and drove while I screamed. They arrived at the pack prison and left me down to the dungeon. A place kept for hardened criminals and dangerous people. It reeked of dirt and blood and sweat. I could hear the hollering of the prisoners as I got led through a small hallway down to a prison at the end. I had stopped screaming. What was the point? No one could save me. I had been rejected by my family, treated as dirt, and used as a pawn over and over. And then I yearned for the love of a cruel man who treated me like a prisoner. Because of his lover. "I'm sorry, Luna." One of the guards mumbled in apology as he opened the jail gate. I wal
Gaius’s POVShock! Disbelieve!I could see the two emotions clearly reflecting in her eyes. While I could understand what was going on with her - simply because I was feeling the same way - I didn’t want to prolong the matter in any way. “You…” The disbelief in her voice stretched for over ten seconds before she was able to find her voice again. “You…” And again, she lost her voice. I sighed, knowing that it was only a matter of seconds before the words would plopped out of her mouth. “Yes, we are mates,” I affirmed to her, hoping that she would let go of the matter since I already gave her the confirmation she wanted. However, she quickly proved me to be wrong. “How?!” She bellowed. At that, I got a little irritated. If she thought that I wanted to stand in front of a prison bar and go through a question and answer series, then she was wrong. Also, if she thought that the mate thing was only shocking to her, again she was wrong. I was just trying to hold off whatever roller co
Gaius’s POV. “I refuse!”The effect of the words made me feel like crossing over to the other side of the room and strangling the good for nothing man to his death. However, I knew I couldn’t. That was what brought me here in the first place when I could have easily gotten my mate out of the prison hold the man had her in. “All for the greater good!” That feminine voice came over me again, making me release the tightened fists by my sides. *Just a little bit more, and we can kill off the man.* My wolf, Leon, growled within me, also fighting for control just as I was. “Alpha Gaius!” A voice beckoned in urgency behind me. I turned around and saw my guards storming in into the room where I was with Alpha Cyrus. “We came as fast as we could.” This was from my Gama, Dan, who rushed to my side, all his body tensed to indicate that he was ever ready for whatever command I was going to issue next.“You dared to bring your soldiers into my territory?!” Alpha Cyrus stormed at me. I hiss
Evelyn’s POVTHAT MAN!Not in a million years could I ever have thought that that man would end up being my mate. A second mate at that. And how weird could it be that the man ended up looking exactly like him - my dead mate. Archer Hartwood. Just as the name came to my mind, so did the memory of us together. Even though it was only for a short while, it was one I would not forget in a hurry. And I had thought that we would have a lots of time on our hand to create many more beautiful memories. And even as I tried my best to stop the memory that threatened to burst forth, it still came. That night when he had died. It had all looked like a dream to me when one minute we were laughing and chasing each other around, and the next minute, a scream had rented the air and all I saw when I went to the place the sound came from was the dead body of my mate, Archer. Somebody had thought it fun to take a knife through the heart of the man and had left him there in his agony to fend for
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,