Author's POV: The Werewolf Council was called at the old palace, from where the supreme alphas used to live and rule, many centuries ago… before the packs had been broken up into smaller divisions, which had adopted different names, insignia and loyalties over time. The post of the Supreme Alpha still existed today, the one who governed all the packs of that region. However, the Alphas didn't live in that palace anymore; and the Council had been set up to represent and resolve the issues of the various packs.However, the topic of discussion for this meeting was not the problems faced by the packs, or the conflicts they were facing. Rather, the usual talks of diplomacy had been replaced by gossip, and all pretense of business had been abandoned long ago. Instead, the whole hall was trading whispers and gossip about the Obsidian Pack, specifically about Vienna Belmont, the Beta’s daughter, who had been rushed to the hospital in critical condition. And shockingly, Asher Blackwood, s
Author's POV:“I didn’t expect you to be so emasculated by your wife! Have you become completely blind, or say, completely turned your eyes away from your first born!!! Tell me, Orion, have you handed over your brain to keep it in her pocket, along with your balls!?”Orion felt the color of shame painting his cheeks again, but the person continued to rail against him, severely offended on behalf of Vienna. “But while you might not like your daughter, she is going to be my future daughter in- law, and I will defend her no matter what." All heads turned to the source of the voice, and to Orion’s utter shock and embarrassment, it was none other than Alpha Darius Blackwood. The Alpha of the Obsidian back was standing, tall and commanding, his gaze challenging the members of the council to speak up and find out the gruesome and potentially deadly consequences of that! It was enough to silence even the boldest and most talkative wolves with the implication of his words. Future daughte
Fynn's POV:The room was filled with the faint beeps of machines and the rustle of uniforms. I stayed at the back of the room, my back pressed to the wall and my teeth gnashing against my nails, a bad habit from my childhood that had just returned somehow. The nurses hovered around Vienna, poking and prodding her pale skin with needles and tested her responses… all while I stood there, barely holding myself together. Each jab felt like it was aimed straight at my heart, and I hated every second of it. When they finally left and the doctor gave his orders before Vienna slipped back into deep sleep, I let out an exhale. Only then, did I approach her bedside once again. But before I could say a word, the door burst open, and an all-too-familiar scent filled the room, followed by a growl of outrage. “What the hell are you doing here, you bastard!” Vienna's father thundered, his voice echoing in the confined space. I turned slowly, meeting his furious gaze. His hackles were raised,
Author's POV:“Be careful dear! You, come here! Help Miss Vienna to her room, can't you see she's become so frail! Handle my daughter gently…”Vienna was dimly aware of being grabbed by two hesitant servants, who gently pulled her from her father’s embrace. They started guiding her up the staircase, one step at a time, their movements careful after the stern warning they had just received from the master. Her head swam and she tried to keep herself upright, although her senses were still dull and foggy from the medications that had been administered, before she was discharged from the hospital. The doctors had sent her home with a stack of supplements and instructions to maintain a proper diet, and so on… after which her father had lovingly guided her into the house once again, without ever speaking a harsh word, or even raising his voice above a soothing murmur.“Go on, dear…” Orion called softly from behind. His tone was uncharacteristically tender, even though Vienna had alread
Author's POV:“All I care about is that she is getting food inside her stomach and I'm allowing you to do whatever you feel is necessary! Just make sure her stomach isn’t empty, and that there is no possibility for anyone to say that a girl raised in the household of a Beta lacks anything in life just because her mother is not alive, and because I'm so blind that I can't serve justice between both my daughters." Tessa's jaw was basically hanging open in astonishment and shock, seeing her husband in such rare form. But the mockery and humiliation of the council meeting had left such deep scars in Orion's mind that he didn't stop, not when he was finally getting the chance to veny out his frustration. “For so many years, I have handed you the management of my household with complete blind faith, Tessa! So it's about time you fulfill the duties of that role and stop giving me reasons to be upset!” He paused for a moment, as if giving her the chance to process his words, before picki
Vienna's POV:Slowly, I peeled my eyes open, struggling against the drowsiness which had injected itself into every cell of my body. There was a dull ache in my head, but a warm, heavy hand rested on my forehead, helping with the pain. Groggy and disoriented, I turned my head slightly to the side, only to find my father’s face hovering near my bedside. The shocking sight made me jolt up in shock, despite the soreness in my body, I pushed myself to sit up, my voice cracking as I stammered, “What happened… I'm– where am I? What happened?” “Nothing, my dear… go easy on yourself.” My father said softly, adjusting the pillows behind me before sitting back in his place. “I’m here to take care of you, okay? Just eat.” He picked up a bowl of lukewarm soup from the bedside table, and brought a spoonful to my lips. I stared at him, unsure whether to obey, or recoil from this demon who had clearly stolen the face and likeness of my father to trick me into some kind of trap. Because at
Vienna's POV:Apparently, my father had been guessing all my emotions correctly so far, but he couldn't see the look of horror in my eyes. Rather, there was a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes as he confirmed. “Yes, but why do you look so surprised dear? Don't you remember? He is the one who took you to the hospital yesterday.” My mouth fell open, and before I could even form a coherent response, he had moved ahead. “Alpha Blackwood also sent flowers and jewelry as a gift for you, I'll ask one of the maids to show you everything he has sent, later. Before that! The doctor told me how careless you’ve been about your diet, young lady!So, from now on, I will be overseeing your meals, in fact, I’ll take care of everything regarding you. I have been far too lenient for too long, but from now on, everything will be under my strict observation. Do you even know how much you worried me?” Worried him? In spite of myself, I raised my gaze to meet his, as if I would find the answer wri
Vienna's POV:Asher’s panicked voice reached my ears before I could say anything more than a simple hello. This was something I hadn't heard from him, even after I caught him red handed with Gemini… when there was actually some chance of us being together. Then what was this sudden change all about?And while my thoughts were making me question all his actions, his voice knocked my ear drums once again. “Vi? Are you there?" “Yeah, I'm okay…" This was all he waited for me to speak, before the next words came tumbling out of his mouth. “Oh, I’m so happy, Vi! You know, I thought my soul had been ripped out of me, seeing you knocked out on the floor! I swear on Moon Goddess, I won't be able to survive that scene ever again. Please, Vi, I know things have been rough between us, but don’t punish yourself like this or take your anger out on food ever again, okay? ! I promise, I’ll be here to take care of you. Always.” I listened silently, trying to find the speck of sensibility whic
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
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
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: 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: 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: 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: 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
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
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