Author's POV:The village was carved into the rugged slopes of the mountain, blending completely into the landscape. A crisp wind rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine, but inside one of the cottages, the morning was yet to register its presence.The girl stepped carefully through the wooden door, balancing a plate of food in her hands. She was moving absent-mindedly through the house, as if she had done this countless times before. The air inside was tinged with the scent of old wood and herbs. The cottage was simple, almost barebones. A bed occupied one side of the room, the blankets slightly disheveled, and a few pieces of basic furniture filled the remaining space: a small table, a single chair, a shelf lined with a few necessities. There was no excess, nor any personal touches inside that space. Her gaze drifted toward the bed, and the man was lying still under the covers. His breathing was slow and steady, his features softened by the presence
Fynn's POV:I pushed the blanket off and swung my legs over the side of the bed, feeling the cool wooden floor beneath my feet. My body no longer felt weak… and thankfully, my joints didn't betray me with every movement. I had healed. After a long struggle, I could walk without my knees buckling under me. The moment I woke up, I could feel Zella watching me. I knew when she must have come here, and also why she had been waiting expectantly in that corner.I lifted my hand to signal for her to stay seated. She sat back with a frown, but didn’t say anything. While walking towards the door, my steps steady, I gave a single glance to the cane that used to be my crutch, then moved past it without reaching for it. I think I have regained my strength by now. The chilly water that I splashed all over myself washed away the last lingering touches of sleep. It was almost fifteen minutes later that I stepped out, freshly dressed in clothes that fit me better.I felt like myself again… part
Author's POV:The afternoon light had faded away, and dusk was slowly creeping in. And yet, Zella hadn’t moved from her spot at all. She was sitting in the small living room of her apartment, like a statue carved out of stone. Her head was against the wall, and her eyes blankly fixed some point in the distance. Her hands lay limp in her lap, her body drained of all its energy like she had lost her purpose in life. And in a way, she really had. Because Fynn was gone… just in the span of minutes after he was sure about being able to travel on his own, he had left without any proper goodbye or show of gratitude. But she couldn't even feel anger towards that selfish man who had simply informed her about his life, back in his own world… and walked away without caring for her response. For two and a half years, she had dedicated herself to his recovery: watching over him, feeding him, tending to his wounds, making sure he was comfortable. This has become the rhythm of her life ever s
Author's POV:The throbbing pain in Zella’s temples wasn't easing up, even when she was massaging her forehead. She knew it was useless to take any medicine for it, because the reason behind it was her own emotions. This headache had been building up since Fynn left, but now it was getting unbearable. Just then, the shrill ringing of the doorbell sent a sharp bolt of pain through her head. It only rang once, then the whole apartment became silent again. She exhaled heavily, rubbing her forehead before shoving the small bottle of green pills into the drawer beside her. The last thing she needed was company, but something about that single ring was nagging at her heart. She felt her hope rising from its own ashes and finally, she pushed herself up and walked to the door, her body tense with exhaustion. As soon as she pulled it open, her breath caught in her throat.Fynn…He stood in the dark corridor of her apartment, leaning against the wall. His hood was still up, shadowing the up
Author's POV:Every pore of Fynn's body was overflowing with his fury. His voice was razor-sharp; and even though that double sided blade was slicing through his own heart, he forced the next words out of his mouth. “I just want to kill my brother and his mate.” Silence stretched across the room. Axel’s gaze was on Fynn, taking in every emotion, every reaction. But his mind had already transported him back to the park at the Azuremist pack… the place where his entire world had shattered all over again, within a single moment. He could see Zella and Axel standing in front of him, he could notice the judging glances in their eyes and the disappointment in their expression, but he didn't care about anything or anyone. Because the people he had cared about, more than his own life, were busy in their own world.Kai and Vienna…They had a perfect little family with their child now, completely lost in their own happy bubble. A bubble that he was never meant to be a part of. The bet
Author's POV: “You will get everything that Fynn has promised you to–” “And what is the guarantee that he won't deny it later?” Alpha Axel growled, looking Zella directly in her eyes. There was no way that he was going to risk everything just because some healer of his pack was infatuated by the Supreme Alpha, and she had somehow managed to create some misunderstanding between him and his brother to make him distant from his mate and brother. But once he became sure that Zella wasn't going to say anything further, he heard Zella’s voice. Her voice was strangely confident, despite the pallor spreading on her face. “He won't and I will make sure about this–” “How? How will you make sure about it, and why in this whole world should I trust you?” He inquired, raising his eyes and looking directly in her eyes. “I will manage everything even after you support Fynn, just like I am managing everything now… I will make sure that he won't deny what he has already promised,
Vienna’s POV:I have been feeling a little uneasy these days, while Zeke is also reacting a little strangely… especially towards Kai.But he has never reacted like this before. We all know the reality that Kai isn't his biological father, and he might have had a closer bond with Fynn… but that bond should have been disconnected after Fynn’s death. And apart from that, there is no way that he could know who his biological father was… he was too young to know about the reality just yet.I noticed that he was not responding to Kai’s call, but looking towards the window and calling;“Papa! Papa!”At first, I had tried to ignore it… but then, my own mate bond had also started reacting, and I was no longer able to ignore it.“But what am I supposed to do?”I thought to myself, lifting the hairbrush from the table. But the brush dropped from my hand the very next second, as the door slammed open. Kai suddenly barged in, and for a moment, I felt like saying everything to him. ‘But it's on
Kai’s POV:The guilt is killing me brutally from inside. Even though I am already half dead since the day we lost Fynn… it is just Zeke and Enna, who have been keeping me alive. The pain of not being able to save my own brother has been killing me slowly every single day… but I can't leave this world, knowing that he had abandoned me to shoulder the responsibilities that were supposed to be borne by both of us.And now, there is no way that I could run away from any of it. In fact, I don't want to increase the list of my sins by failing to fulfill my share of responsibilities– the sin of not saving Fynn is already enough to haunt me. And yet! I have to lie to Enna. I don't want to give her any false hopes, especially when I myself am losing hope day by day… but the flicker of hope that has still managed to linger in my heart, is one of three reasons that are keeping me straight on this path.That's why, I have decide to lie to her and go for a final search, before it all comes to
Vienna's POV:The morning sun spilled like warm honey across the kitchen floor, soft and golden. I stood at the window, my fingers wrapped around a mug of coffee, watching the world come back to life outside. Fifteen days. It still amazed me how much could change in just fifteen days.We were healing. Slowly, imperfectly, but healing nonetheless.Behind me, the sound of tiny feet slapping against the wooden floor made me smile. Zeke bounded toward me, arms stretched out, his little voice chiming, "Mama, ready! I ready!"I crouched down to scoop him into my arms, inhaling the sweet scent of his shampoo. He smelled like sunshine and safety—like the future we almost lost but somehow managed to keep.Fynn walked into the room next, yawning as he scrubbed a hand through his messy hair. Kai wasn’t far behind him, slipping an arm lazily around my waist as he pressed a kiss to the side of my head."You look too good for someone who barely slept," Kai murmured, his voice still rough with sleep
Kai's POV:Vienna was boneless between us, her breathing shallow and uneven, tiny shivers running down her body even though the room was warm.I cupped her cheeks gently, tipping her face toward mine."You okay, little flame?" I asked softly, my voice barely more than a whisper.She gave the faintest nod, her lips parted, eyes glassy with exhaustion and leftover tears. "Mhm... just... floating," she mumbled.Fynn chuckled low against her ear. "You were perfect, baby."He cradled her against his chest like she was something breakable, pressing soft kisses into her hair while I slid off the bed to grab a clean cloth and a bottle of water from the nightstand.When I came back, Vienna was watching me with heavy-lidded eyes, a small, sleepy smile tugging at her mouth. She looked wrecked and beautiful."Let me take care of you," I murmured, kneeling beside the bed.I cleaned her carefully, gently wiping away the mess on her stomach, moving slow enough that she could tell she was safe. She f
Kai's POV:I stared down at her, sprawled out on the bed like some fever-dream vision. Her hair mussed, lips swollen, body trembling, tears still clinging to her lashes. Our little flame, flickering between ruin and bloom.Fynn stood frozen at the foot of the bed, his fists clenched like he was fighting himself not to just take.She arched her back slightly, needy, desperate. “Please,” she whispered, voice breaking apart into shards. “Touch me... need you both.”I let my hand trail slowly up her thigh, savoring the feel of her heated skin under my palm.Fynn moved first, stripping his shirt over his head in one rough motion. My hands shook as I followed, yanking mine off too, until we were bare-chested, the marks of battle still faint on our skin, but all I could think about was her. Only her.I leaned down, brushing my mouth against her ear. “Then let us make you forget everything else but us. Let us ruin you properly.”A shudder rolled through her, and she whimpered, nodding.I
Kai's POV: The silence settled between us once again. It wasn't just exhaustion or shock anymore. It was something deeper… something raw and untamed. Beneath the numbness, I could feel it stirring like a beast roused from a long sleep.We were alive. Broken, bloodied, battered, but alive. And we were still standing together.But Vienna’s composure cracked first.A sob tore from her throat, raw and aching. She hugged herself, tears slipping down her face faster than she could wipe them away. "I don't want to lose either of you," she choked out, her voice splintering in the stillness. "Not now, not ever. You both... you're not allowed to go anywhere I can't reach. Not across barriers of time, space, or even knowledge. Do you hear me?"Her desperation hit me like a physical blow.I moved before I could think, stepping toward her slowly, giving her the chance to pull away if she needed to. But she didn’t. She leaned into Fynn’s touch first, and then into mine when I reached out, her bo
Fynn's POV: The celebrations around us grew louder and louder, drowning out even the pounding of my heart.The Oasis pack soldiers, bloodied and broken, scattered and retreated into the forests. Their defeat was clear, and in the absence of Axel they wouldn’t dare to return. Or even turn towards the Azuremist pack again. Victory belonged to us tonight, and the air was being pierced with the sound of cheers, howls, and the chanting of Long live the Alpha! Long live the Luna! Long live the Azuremist pack!Around me, Vienna, Kai, and I kept stealing glances at each other; confused and stunned. None of us could find the right words. We tried to smile, to look strong for our people, but there was a hollow kind of disbelief in our eyes. How had we survived this? How had Zeke done what no one else had even though possible?To survive after being touched by wolfsbane… there was nothing like this in the history of our kingdom. Vienna clutched Zeke close to her chest, burying her face in
Vienna's POV:I stared at my arm in disbelief.The skin was flawless, as if there had never been a cut there at all. The deep gash, the festering wound, the unbearable burning sensation—all gone. I flexed my fingers slowly, half-expecting pain to shoot up my arm, but there was nothing. Just smooth skin and a faint lingering warmth that faded with every passing second.How…?I hadn’t even noticed the burning while I was tending to Kai. I had been so focused on him, on his blood pouring out, on the sheer terror of losing him, that I hadn’t cared about anything else. But now—now it was like the wound had never existed.Before I could even form a thought, Zeke, who was still nestled against my chest, suddenly wriggled out of my hold. He slid off my lap and crawled toward Kai, who lay frighteningly still.“Dada!” Zeke sobbed, scrambling onto Kai’s blood-soaked chest. His tiny arms wrapped around Kai’s torso as he pressed his tear-streaked face into Kai’s neck. “Dada! Dada!”Fynn and I both
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