Selene is crying, and Connor is hurting as he watches her. All the fury he felt earlier about what happened has faded into the background. Now, he feels the need to comfort and protect her."Peace? Really?" She doesn’t know whether to laugh or keep crying. How does he expect her to have peace with his mother and that young woman constantly harassing her?"Yes, believe it or not, that’s what I want most, Selene. To live in peace with you." He manages to reach her and take her into his arms, but she is so angry that she doesn't hesitate to vent by slapping him.Connor watches her closely. His face stings where their skin made contact; he has to admit she’s not as weak as she appears—no wonder Inés’s face is so messed up."This isn’t the way," he says, trying to gently brush his fingers against her cheek, but Selene lands another blow, this time with a closed fist directly to his nose. How dare he touch her after what he just said? After blaming her like always? Does he think she’s his p
The strange noises coming from the bathroom make Connor quite nervous. His temples are throbbing, and his breathing is so heavy that he struggles to stay calm. Does she really prefer to pleasure herself rather than be with him?"Open the door, right now," the alpha demands, pressing his forehead against the thick wood, but Selene doesn’t even bother to respond. "Seleneeee! You can’t do this!"Selene holds back a laugh at his comment. Connor has said the same thing about ten times since she locked herself in the bathroom."Why?" she asks with a stifled gasp. "Is it forbidden to pleasure oneself?""You know what I’m talking about," Connor growls. "You have no idea what you’re provoking. If Sorem comes out, he’ll break down that door, and you probably won’t like what’s going to happen.""Oh, I think I might," Selene finally opens the door, her body completely wet and wrapped in a towel as she walks to the closet. "I think I might like what he does to me, but since I’m punished, he and yo
"No!" Inés grabs Carla's hand, and she turns to look at her with eyes filled with malice. "We need to come up with something; I can't lose Connor. We need the heir."Carla manages to stabilize her temper, but her blood courses through her veins, threatening to burn her flesh. She’s fed up with that young intruder. She can’t keep failing like this, or she’ll end up pregnant with Connor's child, and that would be a disaster. She needs a plan, a perfect and meticulous one, so that this time, she’ll be gone for good."Her family is there," Inés says again when Carla chooses not to speak. "We can't act impulsively again, or it will be too suspicious. You told me once, and you were right; we need to handle this calmly. Connor already saw her attack me, which was what we wanted. We’ll plan everything well so that next time, there will be no doubt that she's guilty, and he'll kill her.""She won't succeed; she won't stay with the pack," Carla says, leaving the room. But once in the hallway, s
"Have you lost your mind?!" Carla raises her voice in protest at what the alpha has just announced. Connor growls as she stands up and confronts him. "How long does she plan to question your authority?" "No counselor will accept such a thing. Inés can't leave the pack; her birthday is in two weeks. This is unacceptable!""I'm not asking for your opinion, Mother, I'm decreeing her punishment. What is unacceptable is that she tried to poison my mate, her Luna, the night before, and today, she entered our room to attack her, which ended in that brawl between them. I won't allow that to happen again.""Inés came out more hurt than Selene, and there's no evidence of any of the accusations you're making," the elder responds. All the elder women begin to murmur among themselves, something the alpha dislikes greatly. He knows about his mother's influence over those women and that they prefer to do as she says, making it not easy to convince them. However, he promised his mate something he int
"Luna..." Clarisse sits beside Selene on the bench. "My brother told me I could find you here. I came to see if you needed anything.""You don't have to call me Luna, Selene is fine," Selene replies, her gaze fixed on the field where a group of three children are playing. There's a fourth child watching the game from a few meters behind, sitting on the grass. He looks pale and downcast, his expression quite lifeless."My brother is the alpha, and you're his mate, my Luna. I can't call you anything else.""Formalities aren't necessary between us, Clarisse. I consider you like a sister. Besides, you're one of the few people who’ve treated me well since I arrived here," Selene responds.Selene's eyes don’t leave that little boy. He looks about eight years old. She saw him in one of the photographs in the mansion and recognized him quickly when she took this seat half an hour ago, although, to be honest, all those children look quite similar.A middle-aged woman walks up to the boy and gr
The days pass with excruciating slowness in Redwood Wolves. Connor has spent most of the week working with Jackson and Beltrán, while Selene has been helping with administrative tasks at the clinic and the daycare.She hasn't heard anything from Inés since the last time she left that note in the bush, and Selene still hasn't told the alpha about it. She’s not sure if she should go to that place or not. It could be a trap, but it could also be the truth, and it’s gnawing at her mind."We should tell your grandfather," Saya says in her mind, but Selene disagrees. The last time they spoke, two days ago, he was very agitated, even worried about something she didn't know. Burdening him with this seems unnecessary.Selene walks through the training field, heading toward the border. Some of the guardians glance at her, but they don't say anything or stop her. Taking care of the children at the clinic has been her main task these days, and fighting with the doctor and nurses, who think they'r
"I don’t know what happened. I just got here and went into the water for a few seconds, and then you arrived," Selene explains, her brow furrowed. She’s confused too. Falling asleep underwater isn’t an option, especially not for so long, or she would have drowned. So what happened during all those hours she’s been here?"I’m sorry..." she whispers softly, seeing the distressed look on Connor’s face. He can’t resist her scent and kisses her. He kisses her so passionately that Selene moans at the urgency of her mate. Within seconds, the space between them disappears, giving way to an erotic and romantic dance under the beautiful and brilliant moonlight. Since their wedding night, there hasn’t been a single day they haven’t given themselves to each other. But today… now, it feels different. It’s as if every part of this nature is joining them both.Back at the mansion, they both head to the shower, much calmer. It’s almost dawn. After a shower full of kisses, they go to bed together to s
A chilling cold washes over Selene as she keeps a steady pace on this path she’s never explored before. In fact, the alpha had once told her that it wasn’t allowed to go this way. Yet here she is, heading toward an uncertain, unknown destination as night falls, her heart racing, but her mind set on discovering the truth.She’s already covered several kilometers, too many, in her opinion. She’s tired and sweaty, but she can see a glimmer in the distance. Could that be the place marked on the map?Moving cautiously for a few meters, she spots several guardians spread out across the area. She decides to climb one of the tallest trees to get a better view. If there are guardians here, they must be protecting something or someone.Once at the top, she carefully surveys the entire area. There’s a structure a few kilometers away, with lights and movement. That’s where she needs to go—it’s the point marked in the note; she has no doubt.With great concentration and using a technique her grand
Another scream echoes through the delivery room at the clinic. Alpha Connor clings to his mate’s hand, unable to bear the pain of seeing her suffer like this. He is desperate, feeling powerless, not knowing what to do to ease her torment."For the goddess’s sake, do something!" he growls threateningly at Dr. Moreira.Fortunately, the doctor is human and accustomed to the explosive temperaments of werewolves, having lived among them since he was a child. He is not intimidated, knowing this is a normal reaction when they see their mates in pain and vulnerability. He has assisted in so many births of this kind that he has lost count—among them, the birth of Selene and her twin, Ethan.With great patience, he checks the patient’s condition while the alpha growls hysterically inside the room."The baby is crowning," the doctor informs Selene, who is utterly exhausted. "When you feel the next contraction, push continuously for as long as I tell you, Luna. This pup will be with us in just a
"Seleneee, please!!" Rouse rushes into her room, huffing as always. "You were supposed to be in the hall half an hour ago! Are you ever going to get ready on time?"Selene shrugs and tries unsuccessfully to reach her bridal bouquet, which is placed on the couch."Can you stop harassing your sister?" Katrina reprimands her daughter, helping Selene grab what she wants. "With that belly, she can barely move, and you keep rushing her all the time."Rouse rolls her eyes. She is tired of hearing the same thing. Everyone pampers and spoils Selene too much just because she is carrying the first grandchild of the family. She’s just pregnant, not an invalid."For the goddess’ sake, Mom. This is the second time she’s getting married. Her only job was to be ready on time for the ceremony. Nothing else."Selene chuckles at her sister’s frustration."I’m ready now, relax. The groom should always wait for the bride—it’s tradition," Selene replies, looking at her reflection in the mirror once more. S
Rouse rushes up the stairs, taking them two at a time until she reaches her sister’s room. She pushes the door open abruptly and huffs at the sight before her."You're still not ready?" she asks, despite the obvious evidence in front of her. Selene is sitting on the bed in her robe. "Alpha Connor is already in the living room waiting. Ethan is with him."Selene gets up from the bed, suppressing her excitement upon hearing that he is already there, though her sister notices it anyway. With the patience only she possesses, she grabs the beautiful dress Rouse chose for her and puts it on. Rouse steps forward to help her."I hope Ethan doesn’t do something stupid," Selene mutters, rubbing her pronounced belly as she looks at herself in the mirror. "These past two months have been torture dealing with him. I can’t stand it anymore.""He’s jealous and doesn’t know how to fight against his instincts as both an alpha and a brother. Besides, he still hasn’t forgiven him.""He’ll have to learn.
Selene watches her husband lying unconscious in the hospital bed, unaware of everything happening around him. He is in bad shape, and his wounds aren’t healing as quickly as they should for an alpha. She understands the reason perfectly—being apart is affecting his wolf’s strength. Saya is going through the same thing.The doctor was very patient with her, explaining Connor’s real condition more than once. Just as her mother said, he is out of danger now.Carefully, she climbs onto the bed beside him and rests her head on his chest. The soft rhythm of his heartbeat soothes her. She wanted to stay away to heal, but she never intended for this to happen. He is her mate, the father of her pup, and—no matter how much it pains her to admit it—he is the man she loves. Yes, she loves him so much that she would die if anything happened to him.She understands what happened. She isn’t naive; she knows none of them acted with full awareness. But it still hurts. Seeing him with that woman hurt h
It is almost noon when Katrina, Ragnar, and Ethan arrive at the mansion. None of them say anything upon entering the living room, but their faces make it clear that there is no good news.Ethan climbs the stairs with heavy steps, while Katrina heads straight to the office, and her husband follows. They have barely exchanged a few words in all these hours.Selene, after hearing her brother enter his room, descends the stairs to speak with her parents, but when she hears them arguing, she stops in her tracks, unable to move forward. She has never heard them speak like this before—her mother is the sweetest woman in the world, and her father respects and loves her more than anything. What could have made them this angry?"Let's talk," Ragnar says as he steps into the office after Katrina. He tries to calm the situation, but she is furious."Talk? What could we possibly talk about, Ragnar? About what you did at dawn?""Are you defending him?" Ragnar counters with another question. "After
Deep in the forest, as dawn begins to break on the horizon, Connor climbs down from the tree, ready to return to the hotel. But the moment he sets foot on the ground, he is surrounded by several wolves—at least twenty of them.The deadly growl of a massive gray wolf fills his ears. A few seconds later, another one, also gray but with white ears and tail, lunges forward, growling menacingly at him. Sorem tries to take control and shift, but Connor doesn’t allow it.He takes two steps back, realizing he is at a clear disadvantage, yet with no intention of running away. He will face this like a man—the man he should have been from the very beginning.“How dare you set foot on my land?!” Ethan shifts in front of him, his voice filled with hatred. “How dare you come here after what you did to my sister?! Are you that eager to die?!”The growls of the other wolves grow louder, preventing Connor from responding. They inch closer, ready to attack, but the first to strike is Remus, Ragnar’s gr
The days fly by, except for Alpha Connor, who feels every second of the day like a dead weight on his back.Fortunately, the pups are evolving quite well. Doctor Moreira is doing an excellent job alongside Ayanell. The reports they deliver to the alpha every day are encouraging. The treatment is truly effective, and although they will all be latent wolves, they will be able to live normal lives, according to the doctor himself.The pack’s renovations are progressing on time and as planned. Jackson personally oversees all the work, and the results are good. One piece of good news amid so much chaos is that the beta’s mate is expecting their first pup. She’s only a short way into the pregnancy, but everyone is happy for them since they had been trying to conceive for a long time.King Kaelan and Clarisse are leaving for the Highlands this afternoon, and Connor has mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he is pleased to see his sister happier than she has ever been before, but on the othe
That same night, Inés is taken to the place where she will serve her sentence—a remote and sinister location that has remained untouched for far too long. The dungeon's whereabouts are known only to the alphas, passed down from generation to generation. It is guarded by Terrakais, making it far easier to enter than to leave. No prisoner has ever escaped, and those who have dared to try met their end within mere meters, buried beneath mountains of sand and tangled vines. Her face and reaction upon seeing the place are unforgettable. Her screams of desperation and horror are swallowed by the forest. The following morning, the entire pack feels different, as if a new energy has settled over them. They begin moving early. After training, Jackson and the others start organizing the repairs. Clarisse continues helping at the clinic, while Connor immerses himself in the administrative matters he has neglected for far too long. His goal is to have everything cleaned up and in order by t
"Bring the prisoner!" The alpha’s voice startles Doctor Mirna, who shifts uneasily in her seat. A few minutes later, Inés’s screams echo throughout the place. Her appearance is deplorable—she is dirty, emaciated, and covered in half-healed wounds. "Connor, please!" she cries between sobs. "You don’t have to do this. Please, please, please..." The guards escorting her shove her toward the center. She falls to the ground. "Inés Emberclaw, omega of the Redwood Wolves pack, you are here tonight to be judged for the crimes of criminal association, betrayal of your pack, accessory to murder, and many other offenses." One of the elders stands and addresses her after the alpha gives the order. "How do you plead?" "I’m inno...cent, I swear," she responds between choked sobs. Connor watches her with no trace of emotion on his face. The trial continues for several hours. Nearly all those involved come forward to give their statements. At one point, Maya turns to her side and realiz