Mirabelle"Percival, huh?" I mused aloud, feeling the tension growing between the young wolves. They were posturing, their bodies tense, eager to rise through the ranks. It was not just the younger wolves either—older males were starting to circle, all looking for an opportunity.Maybe Percival would not become Alpha, but that hardly mattered now. He still held the Alpha title because of his bloodline, and that title was up for grabs to whoever could prove themselves worthy. Bringing down an Alpha-blooded male would give anyone an edge.As I stood there, watching them, I realized I already knew what I had to do.I walked away from the group of wolves, both young and old, and continued down the dirt road. The wind tugged at my blonde hair, making it whip around as I quickened my pace. There was a growing urgency, like the moon itself was sending me its instructions—whispering what needed to be done. I could feel it deep inside me: today was going to be a big day.Another day that would
PercivalMirabelle seemed to notice. She reached out, her hand warm as it clasped mine. Her green eyes locked on mine, filled with quiet concern. "Don't feel embarrassed," she said softly. "The past six months have been really hard for you. I’m so sorry."I sighed heavily, dropping my gaze to the floor. "I really miss her," I whispered, my voice cracking as I spoke. It felt like admitting that made it more real somehow."I know you do," Mirabelle replied, her voice kind and reassuring. "And I think she’s going to miss you too. I told her everything. About Darius. About... everything."My head snapped up at her words. "Why?" I blurted, confusion and frustration mixing in my chest.Mirabelle shrugged, her tone casual, "She needed to know. And she doesn't blame you anymore. She understands now—you were trying to protect her. But she's upset... Darius wasn’t who she thought he was. He lied. William lied." Her gaze flickered around the room before she added quietly, "And... she's not pregn
PercivalI let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing my forehead as the door clicked shut. Mirabelle really can’t help herself sometimes. I tried to relax, my mind drifting back to Edeline. She was all anyone could talk about, but to me, she was everything. If only I had been stronger... If I could have held back my wolf’s instincts, she wouldn’t have left. My pup, our future... everything had unraveled because I couldn’t control myself. The bond between us—it felt like a lifeline I couldn’t reach anymore. Her walls were up, blocking me out, and the emptiness gnawed at me. I just want to feel her skin against mine again. I want that comfort back.I thought about last night. About how powerless I had felt. Even now, that sense of helplessness lingered. But beneath it, there was this new drive to fight for something. To make myself better. Edeline...A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts, pulling me back into the moment. My irritation flared, and I exhaled sharply, trying to rein in my
PercivalI could vividly picture it now, how everything might have unfolded.He was right. Completely right.I had been overwhelmed by the responsibilities of being a parent. I had convinced myself that Edeline would show up after the pup was born, that Tatiana would fade from the picture. I thought she would be okay with it. Even though her wolf had been showing me disturbing images of harming my pup, I naively hoped that, once born, things might change.I could not believe how foolish I had been.How naive of me.My wolf had clouded my judgment. Yes, Nixx was right—most women would not care about a pup that was not theirs. Nixx might have taken care of the pup, but his wolf could not tolerate the idea.“Yeah, you are right.” I lowered my head, tears streaming down my face. It felt like my weakness was on full display.The atmosphere seemed to shift, lightening slightly as I quietly mourned the loss of my son. When I considered the possible outcomes, it became clear that his life mig
NixxMy wolf was intensely protective when it came to her. But the thought of Percival dying filled me with guilt. In the short time we have, it seemed important to reconcile with those we might consider adversaries. None of us can predict when our time will run out.Thinking about Darius made me feel queasy. His obsession with my sister and the messed-up things he did—it was clear Percival made the right choice in dealing with him. If he hadn’t, I would have had to.Lost in my thoughts, I paced around the waiting room, letting out a sigh that I had been holding in all day. I had spent the entire day waiting, and after a chat with Z, I felt ready for what I came here to do.Alright, it’s time to talk to Tatiana.I took a deep breath, feeling a surge of anticipation as my wolf nudged my thoughts towards our mate. He was eager to see her, excited about marking her and sealing the mate bond. He was curious about meeting her wolf and having some alone time together. But I reminded him tha
NixxI felt a wild surge within me as our eyes locked. There was a possessiveness building up in me, and I could feel the shift in my wolf’s demeanor. She looked startled when her gaze met mine and noticed the sudden change in my eyes to silver.“Tatiana,” I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me, “I just wanted to let you know that there’s a chance we might come for you. You bear my mark, and my wolf might just pay you a visit. No promises though!”As I walked out of the clinic, it felt like my soul was on the verge of collapsing. Her words hit me hard. My heart ached with a deep, gnawing pain.I won’t give you a grade. I can’t undo what happened with Mirabelle. I had gone to her with a question, and things just spiraled out of control. We were both feeling isolated, and it happened unexpectedly.I was determined to try to win her over. After all, I have a sister too—I understand the complexities. I just want to give it a shot.The sun was dipping below the horizon. The
Nixx“Alright, Mirabelle, that is enough!” William burst out, pushing himself up from his seat. His frustration was palpable. He could hardly tolerate Mirabelle’s blatant disrespect and the way she was exposing his secrets.The room was charged with tension, almost tangible. It felt like a classic battle of wills—an Alpha versus an Oracle. And here I was, just a messenger from the moon, caught in the middle. Mirabelle’s gaze was fixed on William, her eyes sharp and unwavering, while Annabel looked on with mounting anxiety.“So, you are not going to reveal the truth, huh, William?” Mirabelle said, her tone tinged with a mix of challenge and inevitability. “The moon is really pushing for the truth to come out. And believe me, she is not going to back down.” She glanced briefly at my parents and me before continuing. “Darius was truly despicable. None of us knew about his shady activities—how he crossed into other pack territories and harassed females. He would violate their honor, assau
NixxHer tone was urgent as she spoke, “We need to discuss Percival’s situation. The pack is abuzz with aggressive males talking about challenging him before his trial for Darius’s death. I know this is abrupt, but Alpha and Luna, we must address this immediately. I understand you are still grieving, but this matter is serious. We cannot predict when the challenges will arise, so I have stationed guards outside the clinic for now.” Her gaze flickered to William, who seemed to be grappling with her determined stance.“How did she manage that without an Alpha’s order?” I wondered, amazed at her authority.William and Annabel exchanged worried glances, their concern evident. William faced Mirabelle’s unwavering gaze, his frustration apparent. “Mirabelle, with all due respect, I’ve got this,” he said, his voice taut with strain. “I will handle it in my own time. We are going through an incredibly difficult period—mourning our son and dealing with our other child’s close call. We are griev
Percival Edeline’s eyes were locked on me as she marched over, grabbing my forearm and pulling me along with her. The contact felt like fire igniting on my skin. She was fired up—angry, for sure.She dragged me into the equipment shed, out of sight, and then—wham!—she whacked me right in the eye.I let out a low growl and slowly turned my face back to hers. Anger radiated off her as she raised her other hand, ready to swing at me again. I managed to grab her wrist before she could land another hit, squeezing gently around her slim wrist. “What the heck, Edeline?!” I exclaimed, my lip curling to reveal my fang. Low warning growls rumbled from my chest. The wolf inside me was not thrilled, but at least she appreciated that this wasn’t happening in front of the pack. Don’t mess with my authority.“Hey! Did you give that girl false hope or what? I know you have not hooked up with her because I would have sensed it!” Her nose wrinkled, eyes blazing with fury. Then, I caught a scent from
Percival Promoting her to lead female warrior might not have been the best decision after all. She was my top fighter, having trained hard before I stepped in, but now I was left questioning my judgment. We didn’t have an expert on board yet, and Jazz’s ambition made me wary.She tucked a loose, curly strand behind her ear, looking up at me with her big green eyes, her skin a lovely shade of creamed coffee. She was undeniably pretty, but just not my type. “Hey, Percival... what if we tried something different with the ladies?” She edged closer, taking a deep breath as if to check out my scent.It might sound wild, but the night before last, after showering and snuggling up in bed with Edeline, I had rubbed against her, soaking in her scent. Waking up without her made me skip a shower yesterday—or maybe even today. I just wanted to hold onto that connection a little longer. Jazz caught a whiff of Edeline’s scent, and her eyebrows shot up.“Hey, is Edeline back?” she asked, her voice
Edeline“I totally get it, Nixx. It is something else. Really special. I see what you mean.” My gaze drifted to his cuffs, curiosity piquing as I furrowed my brow. “Have you been a bit risky? What does your world do to people?” I tilted my head, observing the way he passed the bracelet back to me, unable to take his eyes off it.“My wolf is stronger, you know? Sometimes I just cannot control him and end up lashing out at people who get on my nerves. Percival dealt with the same stuff. He wants to help me train like Gaspar did for him, but all I can think about is Tatiana and the pup I lost. It is tough.” A wave of sadness washed over him, dimming the light in his eyes.“Nixx,” I sighed, “why are you still hung up on losing the pup? Mirabelle was only a few months along, right? You never even met him, and you can have pups with your real mate. You could not have had both. Tatiana would have been jealous of you and him. Trust me, I get it. Tatiana is a beta, and her wolf would have want
EdelineHe really needed his not-so-little sister. I would hit him up first, and then maybe I would finally have the guts to talk to Percival about everything. After some tough training, of course. It had been a few days since I had a solid training session. Muscle disappears faster than it builds up, and I really hoped that did not happen. If I wanted to keep being the warrior I had turned into, I had to stay on top of my stamina. But I was not sure my buddy would let me train, especially since my heat was just around the corner, and my scent was driving everyone wild. I had to remember to grab my tea after I hopped out of the shower. As I walked in the front door of my parents’ place, the cozy scent of clove hit me, pulling me back into sweet memories. I could not help but think about what might happen during this heat. The last one just did not do it for me. Did I even want him to help me out this time? Or would I just prefer to be out of it for that? I figured the latter was
EdelineI stared down at our hands, chewing on his words. He might have a point. When I left and went to Conrad’s place, I told myself I was moving on. I threw myself into letting it all go—this life, these people, everything. But once I got some space, the wolves around me nudged me toward the truth. They made me confront my feelings about Percival, especially after I caught myself feeling jealous over him. He was just my friend, nothing more, but still... I had to deal with that. But Darius? I buried that pain deep and left it to rot. Never talked about him, never thought about him for too long. I got stronger, yeah. But I didn’t heal. Not really. And that’s why I’m still stuck. I turned my head toward William, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “How am I supposed to feel about him?” My voice cracked, and I felt my throat tighten again. “Look at what he did.” I swallowed hard, trying to keep it together, but the words dragged me down, making my chest feel heavy. “How am I s
EdelineI never really hated Percival before that. He had done some stuff, sure—but it never made me hate him. Not until that night. That night, I hated him more than anything. My wolf hated him too. My skin side—yeah, she wanted revenge just as bad. But then the truth hit me. Darius was the monster. Not Percival. I spent all of yesterday lying around, trying to make sense of everything. Today, I thought maybe a walk would help me clear my head, so I came here. To the waterfall—the spot I loved the most. And now, here I am. Staring at his grave. Why here? Why did they bury him here of all places? Not in the pack’s graveyard, where the rest of them are. No—right here, beneath the tree that used to be ours. Our spot. My throat tightened, and the tears started before I could stop them. My heart felt like someone had tied a rope around it and was pulling it tighter and tighter. I reached out, tracing his name on the headstone with shaky fingers, as if touching the letters wo
PercivalI hoped I didn’t annoy her. I understood she was strong, but my Alpha side just wanted to look out for my mate. I was trying to communicate my feelings through the mate bond, to reassure her I was here for her.The corner of her mouth lifted in a quick smile. "It's all good."Shaking my head, I did what I felt compelled to do. I walked over, scooping her up in my arms. She gasped in surprise as I carried her across the room to the salvaged bed. Her eyes widened, taking in the effort I had made to clean up for her."I’ll grab you something to wear. Your clothes are wrecked." I stifled a laugh as I laid her down on the bed. I missed the feel of her skin against mine, even from that brief moment before I had to let her go to find her a t-shirt and some clean boxers.I had both boxers and boxer briefs, but lately, I definitely preferred the briefs. Guess it was just part of growing up!As I returned to her, Edeline’s gaze was fixed on my bare torso. She looked up at me with that
EdelineI would not run anymore.“Hey, let me wash your back, my little warrior.” His breath brushed against my warm skin, and a rush of desire coursed through me as his deep voice stirred something inside. My breath caught in my throat as I locked eyes with him.“I got this.” I really could not let him get close. It would only make the cramps worse, and the desire was already doing a number on me.He nodded, totally understanding what I was thinking through our connection.As he stood up, I could not help but let my eyes wander over him, pausing at his chiseled abs and then down to his pelvis. Right there in the middle was a thick, four-inch tattoo of an infinity symbol.Mated wolves have this thing where they let anyone who catches a glimpse of their skin below the waist know they have a mate. This tattoo meant a lot. A lump formed in my throat as my eyes began to water. How long had he been dealing with this?It was like he could read my mind—probably because he could. He looked
EdelineHis eyes were no longer filled with wonder; they carried pain and knowledge. Yet, despite it all, those piercing blue eyes had remained the same, shining even brighter against his sun-kissed skin. His hair was longer on top and shorter on the sides, giving him a more polished look.He looked even more handsome now, completely in charge of himself. The way he moved, the way he held himself—it all made me wonder about the changes in him and what had shaped him during our time apart.“You hungry?” His deep voice pulled me back to reality, his eyes locking onto mine.I was still feeling shy, and I wondered why that was.“I’m fine,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady.He nodded and made his way to the door. “I’ll give you some space. I can tell you’re not really feeling it with me around. Just hit me up when you’re ready, and I’ll help you get to bed since you’re not feeling great.” He flashed a sad smile and reached for the doorknob.My heart raced a bit. I really did not