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
Kai's POV:Darius’s roar shook the Arena, his fury so unbearably feral that even the audience members flinched in their stands. His eyes, bloodshot and wild, locked onto me with nothing but pure hatred.I didn't make a move to stop or provoke him, I could see the sorrow reflected in them. Despite everything, he was a father who had just lost his child. My eyes followed the older Alpha as he circled me, as if he was sizing me up before the attack. “I will tear you from limb to bloody limb! And then you'll see why you shouldn't have challenged a Blackwood!!”His voice was hoarse with rage, but I remained still. My muscles tensed up in anticipation of an attack, but I kept myself locked in my stance. He was acting on emotion more than reason, and that made him unpredictable… this could go either way, and I needed to conserve all the energy I had left. My shoulder burned where Asher’s fangs had torn into me, but I didn’t let it show.Darius finally took a step forward, his entire fram
Vienna's POV: I saw Fynn's fingers scraping against the jagged rock for a fraction of a second… just enough for hope to flare up in my chest, before it was ripped away.Because in the very next second, he fell… before I could move from my place, he had fallen. Without a sound, without even a struggle, my world had shattered. My life was teetering on the edge, and then it slipped away.It wasn't just Finn that had fallen from the cliff, I felt like someone had ripped my heart into two parts and thrown one of them, by tossing it away from the cliff.For a moment everything paused in my mind, the time, the heartbeat, the tears, the scream and then everything just went boom.The scream that was building up inside me, shaking my whole body, didn't even leave my mouth. My soul was being ripped apart, and I couldn't even open my mouth to tell anyone to make it stop, to make it hurt less or to bring him back anyhow. Not a single sound.My legs gave out beneath me, and I crashed onto my kn
Kai’s POV: A roar, unlike anything I had ever heard, tore from my throat, shaking the ground under my paws. I felt bloodlust seeping into my body, soaking every fibre of my being, taking over all the anger and grief, and pain. My brother.They had pushed my brother.The other half of my soul… the one part of my heart. They pushed my Fynn… my Fynn off the cliff.Curzon barely had time to react before I was on him. My wolf lunged with the full force of my fury. He tried to dodge, but he was too slow to escape from the Grim Reaper.I sank my teeth into his neck, tasting blood as his panicked growl turned into a gurgled gasp. His paws thrashed against me, claws scraping uselessly at my fur, but I didn’t let go.I didn't let go, even as his claws sank into my shoulder, right where Fynn had been injured. I twisted my jaw, and ripped his throat out.Curzon’s lifeless body crumpled to the ground, his eyes still wide with shock.His beta howled in rage and came at me next, but I was alread
Kai’s POV: Curzon.That bloody motherfucker! Fynn had been right… he shouldn't have been trusted, because he must have been planning this for a long time. And I was right too; only for one moment, when the thought crossed my mind that it wasn't possible for any Alpha to ignore the Supreme Alpha crossing the borders of their pack.It was all his plan! I didn't know how long this bloody snake had been disguised in the form of my friend, and how long I had been feeding him with the crucial information about my life… making all of us extremely vulnerable.Because of my one mistake of trusting a traitor.The realization made my blood boil, rage snapping through me like a whip.And as I burst into the woods whether they had cornered Vienna and Fynn, the sight before me had the power to shatter me completely.Fynn… my brother was fighting alone against twelve wolves, his body already bloodied but still keeping up with their attacks. Each time they lunged, he threw them back, his strength
Vienna's POV:We were badly cornered, and Kai was not here.And on top of that it was because of my stupidity… not only that I had asked him to leave alone for the pack, and assured him that I would take Fynn with me to cheer his mood up. But I had also asked the guards to keep their distance! And now, I didn't know where they actually were. And most importantly, if this man is standing here in front of us with his men, then what is the guarantee of Kai being safe and sound?My heart missed a beat out of fear.Curzon’s laughter rang out, smooth and mocking, as he shook his head, pulling me out of my thoughts.His sharp, pale features twisted into something that might have been amusement, but the malice in his eyes said otherwise. But before he could say anything, I heard Fynn’s growl. “Stay where you already are! If you dare to take a single step towards us or even dare to take my Luna’s name from this filthy mouth of yours, I won't let you be able to do anything else.”Curzon too
Kai's POV:The moment I stepped into the Alpha’s mansion, I felt a strange sensation crawl up my spine, like something was wrong. The thought of whether or not I had made the right decision by leaving Fynn and Enna alone quickly passed through my mind before I shrugged off.It's better not to think too much about what had already happened, or else I wouldn't be able to focus on anything.Shaking my head, I looked around. The Autumn Pack had changed a lot since the last time I had seen it. Not that I had been here in person since I was fourteen, but through the letters Curzon and I had exchanged while I was in Cape Town, I had been able to build a picture of this place in my mind. And yet, I was surprised. In the ten years that had passed, the old Alpha had died, and Curzon’s father had taken over, only to rule for a few short years before an accident claimed his life. Now, Curzon sat on the throne, and the Autumn Pack had stepped away from the Supreme Alpha challenge this year, ch
Vienna's POV:Today was the day we were leaving the Hefternort pack, and I was gathering a lot of good memories in my heart from here.This is the part of my life which can be categorised as a golden period… or maybe the start of a golden period?And I can never forget anything, the happiness– neither the comfort, the love and nor that one fear that this place has given me.From the Alpha to the omegas, everyone had treated me with so much respect and affection that my heart felt full. But the shaman’s words still lingered at the back of my mind, surfacing now and then like an unwelcome shadow in the dark. Maybe, she didn’t know what she was talking about? Maybe she was just a senile old lady speaking gibberish… or an extremely sharp one, who enjoyed troubling people for no reason.Or probably, she was just telling all those things so that she could teach me how to be grateful for what I have in my life. There could be many reasons because of which she might have said all those th
Vienna's POV:A soft moan escaped me before I could stop it, and I felt his body tense against mine. Heat flared between us curling low in my stomach and spreading through my limbs.Fynn groaned, his hands gripping my waist as he pressed me back against the thick fur blanket he had laid down for our picnic. His lips moved against mine with more urgency now, like he had been holding back for too long.I gasped when he nipped my lower lip, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth, tasting me, teasing me. The heat between us became unbearable, like fire under my skin.“Fynn…” I breathed against his lips, my fingers threading through his dark hair.The cold air barely registered against my heated skin as Fynn’s hands slipped under my coat, spreading warmth wherever they touched. His lips were demanding now, his tongue stroking against mine, tasting me, claiming me.I whimpered as his hands moved to my waist, gripping me tighter, pulling me flush against him. The thick
Kai's POV:We were only supposed to be at the Hefternort pack for two more days, and there was still a lot of administrative work to handle. I expected Fynn to be at full efficiency, going through reports, handling negotiations, and ensuring everything was in order before we left.Instead, I found my brother and the Supreme Alpha walking towards me, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips.I raised an eyebrow, already knowing he was planning something. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing,” Fynn said quickly. “Just… today’s meetings will mostly go over things we’ve already discussed, and any final decisions we need to make can be authorized by you as the Supreme Alpha’s second-in-command.”I folded my arms. “And?”“And…” He hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. “We won’t get much time when we go back to Camden Falls, and—”I exhaled loudly, cutting him off. “Sometimes, I really wish my brother was straightforward and to the point.”Fynn blinked. “What?”I narrowed my eyes. “Why are you ramblin
Vienna's POV I stood there, frozen in place, staring at the empty space where she had been. My heart pounded, and for a long moment, I didn’t move.Her words echoed in my head.Difficulties…? Trials? Separation! Separation… she was right. Thscariest, horrifying and heart wrenching part of this prophecy she just made in front of me was separation.I had barely started my life with Kai and Fynn… why was the universe already planning to take it away?And how exactly was it going to play in my life? Was I going to get separated from them once again… but how? I thought that everyone who wanted to snatch me away from them, or didn't want me to live a happy and peaceful life was already dead or rotting in the dungeon, so how was I going to get separated from them…?And why did I have to be separated from the part of my own souls, whom I had just found. They were slowly teaching me what I had been lacking in my past, how I was supposed to breathe and live in the open air like a free human