Vienna's POV:I could feel the tension in the air; and the awkwardness was thick enough to choke on, as Orion stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "What... what are you saying... about Vienna?" Before I could respond, Tessa’s voice cut through the silence, dripping with frustration. “Gemini isn’t your daughter, you thick-headed fool!” “So stop thinking of ways to get her killed and beg Vienna to save her life. Or I won’t let you take a single breath in peace! I’ve done all this, planned all of this… just for my daughter’s sake! And I’m definitely not going to leave her fate in your hands, so that you can risk her life in a Blood Auction.” Tessa was definitely scared out of her wits, since she had gone from pleading with Orion to threatening him within minutes. And Orion didn’t seem to know what to make of it. He stared blankly at Tessa for a moment, still scrambling for some form of clarity, his voice shaky. “Vi… Vienna is my daughter… and not Gemini…” That was thw
Vienna's POV: Orion’s face had gone pale, as sweat started to trickle along the sides of his temple. His lips were shaking with the effort of keeping his tears under control, but no words came out of his mouth. Probably, he still needed time to believe that the girl he had left at the mercy of Tessa and a few pennies in his house was his actual daughter, the one carrying his bloodline.The one who actually deserved his love, care and attention. While he had done the exact opposite of it, since he had given all his affection, care, attention, money and privilege to the one who wasn't even his daughter. He had really messed up big; all this time, he had been cherishing the stone while neglecting the diamond, and now when he had finally come to know the reality of his daughter… I have already decided to leave him. And that's not even my fault, I reminded myself. Old bonds were hard to break, but it was him who hadn't given me the place and attention I always deserved… and he didn't
Author's POV: Over the past week, all petty rivalries and long-standing clashes had been stashed away for later. The packs and pack members had set aside their grievances with each other, as all their focus had been narrowed to a single event: the Championship for the Supreme Alpha. Preparations had been in full swing for a while now, as volunteers from every pack had been sent to coordinate the efforts. A massive Arena had been constructed within a neutral territory outside of Camden Falls; for this, the vast central area of the woods had been carved out, forming a battleground designed to test the mettle of those who dared to claim the throne. But what was special about the Challenge for the Supreme Alpha was that, unlike other competitions where there was always a winner and a loser… in this Arena, there was no guaranteed winner. If the finalists Alphas ended up killing each other, then there shall be no Supreme Alpha for that tenure. And coincidentally enough, all the champ
Author's POV: The Northern Pack of Hefternort had always been a mystery to outsiders. Famous for being extremely reclusive and bound by traditions, they preferred to keep to themselves, rarely mingling with other packs, let alone humans. They were probably the only packs which clung to the old ways of living like tribals, worshipping their forest gods alongside the Moon Goddess, and taking on the burden of preserving the ancient rituals long abandoned by modern packs. Known to be one of the powerful packs, they never cared about any competitions, and rarely even revealed themselves to anyone. They were invited to the Championship every year, but they never cared to show up. And that's why, people slowly started to believe that they were not interested in the Championship at all… but the assumption that they might show up one day was there in everyone's heart. Still, no one had actually expected them to enter the championship. The murmurs of the crowd grew as did the level of exci
Author's POV: The drumbeats echoed through the Arena, but their rhythmic thumping wasn't just supposed to mimic the heartbeat that was resonating deeply within the bones of every onlooker. Rather, they were also supposed to summon the spirits as witnesses of the Championship. And the chants of the crowd were rising to a crescendo as the first match of the championship was about to begin. Each face-off was a complete battle of strength, will, and heritage within itself. The fighters stepped into the circular ring, moving into their designated positions. The other purpose of the drums was to ensure that through the aura maintained inside the Arena, no one could completely shift into either pure human or pure wolf form during these fights. The sacred rules of the Arena were made to ensure fairness during the duels as the chants were being chanted by the shamans. The first pair of fighters stepped forward, their muscles rippling beneath their partially shifted forms. The fighters’ n
Author's POV: Every breath that Asher took, depleted his body of its remaining energy, costing him a lot more than it should; but he barely noticed. Still, the pain in his body was nothing compared to the fire burning in his mind. His fingers twitched, as his heart pumped out the last reserves of his energy through his veins. But even in this state, every fibre of his being was screaming at him to get up. This wasn’t over. Not yet. Not until he decided so!Supporting himself with his left arm, he gritted his teeth, trying to fight through the pain. At the same time, he slipped his right hand into the folds of his pants, where he had hidden a silver dagger… his last ditch effort to seal the result of his competition. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of the blade as he exhaled. All his life, he had been preparing for this moment. Every practice session, every duel till now, every drop of sweat he had shed in this Arena, it had led him here. And wasn’t about to let this chan
Author's POV:Kai's pulse was hammering in his ears, drowning out the chaotic shouts and shrieks from the crowd. Every instinct in him was telling him to move, but his gaze was locked onto Asher. Asher, who was more like a blur of rage and shadows at this point, his silver blade gleaming under the torches. It wasn't just a dagger– rather, it was a definite death sentence for any werewolf. And right now, the target was Fynn. Kai knew that Fynn was looking away from them at the moment, and shouting to alert him would be completely useless. The noise from the crowd was absolutely deafening, like they were standing at the foot of a waterfall as the voices crashed together in an uncontrollable wave. And even if Fynn heard him, he might not be able to dodge in time. His mind raced for a solution, scanning the arena… until he found it!Just outside the boundary, his eyes caught on a thick log of wood lying on the ground. It was probably a fragment of a wooden pole, which had broken o
Author's POV:Screams tore through the crowd as Asher morphed into something far beyond human or wolf… far beyond the limits of ethics or morality. “What the HELL!! This is forbidden!” “How dare he bring something forbidden into the Arena! Doesn't he fear the Moon Goddess?!” “Has anyone even seen something like this before!?”“This is madness!” But despite the protests, nobody actually called a stop to the duel, shocked and intimidated by the form they had seen him take… and Asher was the last one to care. His body was shaking, too weak to control the raw power running through his veins as his blood magic strengthened his muscles. And then, with a guttural snarl as his only warning, he lunged. Kai stood his ground, keeping his grip loose around the iron blade to avoid tiring himself out. He tuned out the uproar around him, the frantic cries of the spectators, and focused only on Asher. He adjusted his stance. He had to stay focused, especially since Asher's limbs were mov
Vienna's POV: My heart was about to stop.Why? Why was it always like this?Every time I thought the pain was over… every time I dared to believe that the worst was behind me, the ground slipped from beneath my feet, dragging me into a deeper darkness. I had just gotten Fynn back. Just wrapped my fingers around something whole again, was I cursed to always live a life that was only half-finished? Was this my fate… to watch everything I loved get ripped away from me piece by piece?I tried to swallow my sobs, force the tears rolling down my cheeks to turn back inside, to stop betraying me. But they wouldn’t. My body shook too hard. My chest felt like it was splitting open. My heart… my entire soul was being torn apart as I stared at Kai’s motionless form.“No, no, no, look at me…” I begged, brushing his hair back from his pale forehead. My voice cracked, seeing Kai's eyes rolling back. “You’re not leaving me like this. Not now.”I pressed both palms against his wound, trying to st
Fynn’s POV:He thought I was going to spare him.Axel’s breaths came fast, ragged, as he stared into my eyes… still crouched beneath me, bloody and broken. That sick glimmer of hope danced in his gaze, but it was too late. Too much had been said. Too much had been done.You don’t threaten my family and walk away breathing. And if he hoped to manipulate me by dangling a secret like poison over my head, Axel was only proving what an idiot he was. Nothing he said would ever be enough to stop me. My jaws hovered over his neck, lips curled back, my breath ragged with fury. Every muscle in my body trembled, screaming for release. But before I could deliver the killing blow, a sharp pain tore through my left shoulder, hot and, brutal.I snarled and stumbled as fangs sunk into my flesh.Axel's Beta, Johnson.The bastard bit hard, grinding his jaw as if he could rip a chunk out of me. Pain exploded down my side, and blood oozed out between his teeth. But the pain only intensified my rage.I
Fynn's POV:I turned just in time to see the knife hit Kai.Everything in my brain went silent for a moment and I wasn't able to understand what I was feeling right now, was the pain Kai had to endure because of that knife or the fact that somehow knowingly or unknowingly, I was guilty behind everything that was happening right now.It lodged deep into his shoulder, with a force that was making his body jerk. His knees buckled slightly, but he managed to stay upright. My eyes followed the trail of blood that dripped down his back, and then I saw it—just a faint smear on the blade, but it was unmistakable. Vienna’s blood.She was also hurt.The same blade had nicked her arm moments ago, and now it was embedded in Kai. The realization hit me so hard I felt like I’d taken the knife to my own chest.My breath caught in my throat.For a second, all I could do was stare.Vienna stood a few feet away, her eyes wide, her mouth trembling, and her arm bleeding. She had risked everything to warn
Vienna's POV:“And now, I’ve returned for it!”Fynn’s voice cold, and resolute, spread through the chaos, triggering shouts in support of the Supreme Alpha. But for me, it felt like everything around me went completely still for a second… right before the storm hit. One of Axel’s guards surged forward with his blade raised, aiming straight for Fynn’s unprotected back. My heart lurched violently in my chest.No!The name tore from my throat with desperation as I bolted forward, Zeke clutched tightly in my arms.Fynn moved just in time, spinning around and catching the soldier’s arm mid-swing. Giving it a sharp twist– there was a loud crack and the guard screamed as he collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. But another soldier was already creeping up behind Fynn, and I knew that with all his focus on Axel now. he wasn't going to see this one in time.My legs pumped faster, bare feet skimming over dirt and bloodied ground, heart thudding like thunder. Zeke held onto me with all h
Author's POV:The battlefield roared with chaos as steel clashed against claw, and the scent of blood thickened the air. The wolves of Azuremist fought with unyielding ferocity, their formation tested again and again by the relentless onslaught of Oasis soldiers. Growls and howls echoed through the valley, accompanied by the sickening crunch of bone and screams of pain.Kai moved like a shadow of death across the field, his massive black wolf form slicing through enemy ranks with merciless precision. His muscles flexed under his dark fur, his fangs flashing as he brought down a soldier, then twisted to throw another into the dirt. His paws were soaked with blood, but he didn’t stop—not even to breathe. Every fallen enemy was another step closer to protecting his mate and son.Fynn, meanwhile, fought in human form, standing tall amidst the violence, the commanding calm in the eye of the storm. His voice was sharp and steady as it rang through the mind link."Group B to the north side—r
Author's POV: Fynn saw Kai rushing out, having sensed that something was definitely not right.Because knowing Kai’s power and the strength of the Oasis pack, Kai shouldn't be worrying this much, as they could never match their strength in any way, so every situation should be under control.But this sudden departure of Kai, without him was making him extremely uneasy and it was becoming a little difficult for him to control his uneven breaths.Even though he could point what exactly was not feeling right in his head, still his heart was sure that it was the same feeling he had years back, when he was separated from everyone in the past.Because even if in his past he has been blaming both Kai and Enna for the mistakes they never did, he now has understood how big of an idiot he actually was and how he was the one at fault, while Kai has done his best to save him, search him and bring him back to the home, he has been snatched away from.And now when he has finally realised his mista
Gemini’s POV:The cold never left the dungeon walls. It seeped into my bones, even when the air outside burned with sunlight. Down here, it didn’t matter if it was summer or winter—misery had no seasons.I sat curled on the stone floor, my knees tucked to my chest, the iron cuffs weighing heavily on my wrists. The chains didn’t rattle anymore—I didn’t have the strength to pace, not like I used to. Not like I did when I first got thrown in here and thought this would all blow over soon.That was months ago.Now, I just waited. Waited for the sentence to be over. Or for someone to remember I existed.Funny, isn’t it? How fast things change.I used to think my life was difficult before—when Vienna was still in our house, hiding her pretty little smile and walking on eggshells around us. I had always felt like I was in her shadow despite being better than her. Always chasing after something I thought I deserved but could never reach. But when she left, when she finally disappeared from o
Kai's POV: “We… are… under… attack…” The moment the soldier gasped out those dreaded words, my instincts kicked in, before his body even hit the ground. My blood turned to fire. Not again… I was not losing my family again– not now,when I just got them back. I surged forward and caught him as he collapsed, but it was too late. The arrow in his back was already soaked in blood, the shaft slick and glistening. I gently laid him down, my hands clenched into fists. There was no need to ask questions about who had done this– of course, there was only one person who could be behind this dirty game… Axel. My wolf snarled inside me, furiously demanding to be unleashed. “Fynn!” I shouted, already turning toward the stairs. “We are under siege, initiate the lockdown protocol!" My fingers closed around the arrow in his back, yanking it free with a sickening crunch. "Send Beta Nobu for a perimeter check. Now.” Vienna stood in the hallway, clutching Zeke to her chest as she
Vienna's POV:I slowly became aware of my surroundings as I woke up, wrapped in a bundle of warmth and love. Kai’s arm was wrapped over my waist, while I could feel Fynn’s steady breathing against my back. At some point during my slumber, Zeke must have wandered into our room and climbed on top of me. His little body was curled into mine, his soft snores puffing against my collarbone. For the first time in three years, my heart didn’t ache as soon as I opened my eyes. Carefully, I turned on my side so Zeke slid gently onto the mattress, still fast asleep. I kissed his soft cheek, then turned to place a light kiss on Fynn’s jaw, then Kai’s. None of them even stirred a little, completely exhausted from the past few days. I smiled as I slid off the bed, padding barefoot across the floor and down the stairs, wrapping my face into a low bun so that it would stay out of my face. The kitchen was glowing in the golden afternoon light, since it had been early morning when we returned h