Killian’s POV A week has passed and I still have no news about Astrid. The men I have tasked to look for her, still haven’t come back until now. The only lead we have of Astrid is the CCTV footage. However, no one could identify the stranger who had rescued her. It made things difficult for us to track her. Every day, I’m growing more impatient as time passes by. It’s been a week, but we don’t even know if Astrid is safe or not. The longer that she’s out there, the higher the chance that she is in danger. I wanted to look for her myself, but my responsibilities were keeping me from doing anything else. A lot of meetings, reports, and proposals are waiting for me to handle every day. Heck! I’ve sacrificed my sleep and even skipped dinners just to finish everything, only to receive another pile of workload the next day.My life has been an unending cycle of work recently. “Are you serious?!” I blurted out in annoyance when our Pack’s Beta suddenly entered my office with another st
Giselle’s POV Killian is physically with me, but he isn’t mentally there. He has been absent-minded the whole time that he is with me and I had to force out smiles on my face and act like I don’t notice anything strange from him. Talking to him felt like I wasn’t talking to a man, he was too distant to me. Although he gives me replies, I know he is just doing it out of respect. I’m actually pissed off that he is treating me like how he was treating his ex-wife. I hope that after this dinner, things will change between us and go back to the way it was. I know he already clarified that he has no feelings for me and has no plans of having feelings for me in the future. For him, the past is past and I’m planning to change his mind.The first step in doing that is by inviting him to dinner. It doesn’t matter whether he does have feelings or not. I’m just glad that he agreed to have dinner with me which means I might still have a chance with him. “Hmmm,” a moan escaped my lips as I too
Astrid’s POV The news of my death has finally spread all over the other Packs with the help of Drystan and his connection. Right now, I’m sure Killian had already received the news. However, I’m not sure if he would believe that I’m dead. With Drystan’s help and the careful preparation that we had, there’s nothing I should be worried about. I groaned weakly as I sat on the couch that is inside my room just in front of my bed. I’ve been feeling weak and lightheaded recently. No matter how much I rested and took care of myself, I wasn’t getting any better. Ever since I was attacked two days ago, my wolf has been getting weaker and weaker. I don’t know what the cause was which makes it more alarming. I could just feel the changes happening in my body and I’m doing everything that could help to make my health better. My body is turning weaker and weaker. It is also the reason why I’m not able to use my strength during the attack, apart from the fact that I was pregnant. “Ingri
Drystan’s POV “ASTRID! I know you are hiding here, Astrid! Come out this instant!”Killian’s voice rang inside the packhouse as I walked down the stairs to meet him. As soon as I saw his face, my blood boiled in an instant. How dare he cause a scene here in my Pack and pretend that he really cares about Astrid after he sent his men to kill her?Isn’t this what he wanted? To see her dead? His audacity baffles me.I locked gazes with Killian as I approached him. Our pack guards held him back, stopping him from entering the Pack. He stopped fighting against the guards and forcing himself to enter when he saw me coming. “You!” Killian’s face was red in anger as he pointed his hand out at me. “I know you are hiding Astrid. Show her to me now!” Killian demanded. I scoffed in disbelief as I approached him. What game is he playing now?“Don’t worry Killian, your wish had already come true. Astrid is dead and she’s never coming back,” I told him, knowing that he only came all the way here
Killian’s POV “Astrid is already right in front of you, Killian,” Drystan answered me with a straight face. “What else should I show you to prove that Astrid is already dead?” Drystan asked me with disdain. I laughed at Drystan’s words knowing that this was all a lie. “Have you forgotten, Drystan? Astrid is my mate, I will know it if she is really dead.” Even though Astrid had rejected me as her mate, I still had a little connection left with her because I did not accept her rejection. My wolf could still feel traces of connection with Astrid’s wolf. If Astrid was really dead, we would have known. We wouldn’t even have the smallest connection that we have with her right now. “It’s normal for your wolf to be confused, Killian. I also lost my mate and it took me months for my wolf to accept that our mate is dead,” Drystan answered. I shook my head as tears pricked the back of my eyes. My whole body felt numb as I stared at Astrid’s picture and on her urn once again. I couldn’t
Giselle’s POV My eyes blinked when I heard Killian’s words, but I didn’t let him know that I was confused. “What do you mean?” I asked him. I don’t know if Killian is still in denial or if he just couldn’t accept the truth right now. I thought he had already accepted that Astrid was dead. We just saw her memorial service going on and even her ashes were there. What evidence does he need for him to believe that Astrid is dead? “I think Drystan is hiding something from us. There is definitely something going on that we had to find out,” Killian answered making my brows furrow. Drystan doesn’t seem to be acting strange earlier. Although, it’s normal for Killian to think that Drystan is acting strange because he doesn’t know one thing. Killian doesn’t know that I sent werewolves to kill Astrid. I also imprinted the Silvermoon Pack’s mark on their paws to frame Killian so they would think that Killian was the person behind Astrid’s attack. The reason why I insisted on coming
Astrid’s POVMy body is tense as I wonder what’s happening outside. I hope Drystan will be able to convince Killian, and that Killian won’t give him such a hard time. I wish I could go out and see what’s happening so I wouldn’t have to be left in the dark, anxiously waiting for Drystan’s news. Being left alone in my room, my mind couldn’t stop thinking about worst-case scenarios. What if Killian doesn’t believe us? What if he sees through our plans? I just don’t want anything to do with Killian anymore. I want to cut him off my life completely and that could only happen if he thinks that I’m dead. I jumped in my seat when someone twisted the door open. My heart pounded in my chest thinking that Killian was here. He has found me and he is taking me back to his Pack. I was so horrified until Nova peeked inside. I shut my eyes tight and clutched my dear heart as I slumped back on my couch. Nova slowly entered and locked the door behind her. “Astrid, are you okay?” Nova rushed to my
Astrid’s POV As a person who had lost her mate to another woman, I think that’s enough for me to understand what it feels like to lose your mate to death. Although both things are entirely different, I still know how much Drystan suffered when his mate died. Drystan lost half of him when his mate died and he never recovered from her death. After many years had passed, I know he still loves his mate now and he would choose to have her over and over again if he could. If there was a way to bring someone back to life, he would have traveled around the world to find the procedure that would bring her to life instead of searching for his second chance mate to replace the first one that he had and loved. As an Alpha, Drystan needs to have a Luna that could lead his Pack by his side. He did not look for his second chance mate because he had already moved on, he searched for her for the sake of his Pack. It must have hurt more for him to be forced to find your second chance mate whe
Killian’s POVThe night smelled like blood and fire.I couldn’t stop moving.Every rogue in my path fell before they even had a chance to react. I didn’t feel them fall. Didn’t care.Because she was here.Astrid.And I would burn this entire place to the ground to get her and Elara back."Killian! We need to push back toward the main entrance!" Ryder shouted over the chaos."Then do it," I snarled, my claws slashing through another rogue’s throat. "I'm getting Astrid."The camp was collapsing around us, rogues scattering in terror. But I didn’t care about them.I cared about one thing.I slammed through the wooden doors, my wolf roaring inside of me, scenting her immediately.Astrid’s POVThe walls shook.The sounds of battle grew louder, closer.I knew what that meant.Killian was here.I forced myself to remain still, though my wrists ached from where they had been tied.The rogues had been restless since nightfall. They hadn’t expected an attack so soon. Hadn’t expected Killian to
Killian’s POVThe night air was thick with tension as we stood outside the war tent, the flickering lanterns casting long shadows over the gathered warriors. We had our plan.It wasn’t enough.Not for me.Not for the rage clawing at my chest, the desperation gripping my every thought.Astrid was out there. Alone. Surrounded. And every second we waited was another second she was at that bastard’s mercy.I paced the length of the clearing, my hands clenched into fists, my wolf snarling just beneath the surface. Patience was never my strength. And right now, I had none."Killian."Ryder’s voice was firm, grounding.I stopped, exhaling sharply, forcing my breathing to even out."We’re ready," Ryder continued, stepping beside me. "The scouts confirmed Astrid’s trail—it leads straight into the rogue king’s stronghold. But we still don’t know exactly where they’re keeping her and Elara."I turned to him, my golden eyes burning. "Then we force them to tell us."Ryder nodded, but his gaze flic
Killian’s POVThe room was suffocating.The walls pressed in around me, and my wolf howled inside my chest, clawing to be free, to run, to fight, to kill.I couldn’t breathe.Astrid was gone.Elara was still missing.They were both in his hands.The war room blurred as I stormed through the Packhouse, my mind a whirlwind of fury and desperation. My steps were too fast, too sharp, but I couldn’t slow down. Not now.Not when I had already lost so much.The moment I stepped into the war room, all eyes snapped to me.Ryder was there, arms crossed, watching me carefully. Warriors stood around the table, tense, waiting for orders. Waiting for me to do something.But I wasn’t thinking.I couldn’t think.I could barely see past the red haze of rage.“She left a trail,” Ryder said before I could even open my mouth.I froze.The room around me seemed to still, my mind catching onto his words like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline.“What?” My voice came out sharp, dangerous.Ryder motioned t
Astrid’s POVElara’s blue eyes locked onto mine, wide and glistening with tears, her small frame trembling in the grip of the rogue holding her.“Mommy!”Her voice cracked, breaking something inside me.I lunged, the burning pain of the wolfsbane shackles forgotten, my body driven by nothing but instinct.I barely made it a step before rough hands grabbed my arms, yanking me back.A snarl ripped from my throat. “Let her go!”Ardan’s smirk deepened. He raised a hand, and the rogue restraining Elara tightened his grip.She whimpered.A sound so small—so fragile—that it shattered every ounce of restraint I had left.“I swear with my own life, Ardan,” I growled, my voice raw with fury, “if you so much as touch her—”He laughed.Actually laughed.Like this was amusing. Like he wasn’t holding my world in his filthy hands.“My, my,” he mused, pacing toward me with slow, deliberate steps. “You really do have a soft spot, don’t you?” His gaze flickered to Elara. “I wonder… does she share your
Astrid’s POVThe journey to Ardan’s stronghold felt longer than it should have.They forced me to walk.Through the forest, over uneven terrain, my wrists bound in iron shackles laced with wolfsbane, burning against my skin with every step.I didn’t fight them.Not because I couldn’t.But because every second I stalled, every moment I made them think I was truly broken, brought me closer to Elara.That was all that mattered.The rogues surrounded me in a loose formation, their laughter and whispered taunts filling the night air.They didn’t see me as a threat.Not anymore.They saw a woman who had given up, a mother who had walked willingly into the lion’s den.That was their first mistake.Their second?Letting me breathe.As we moved deeper into rogue territory, my thoughts remained sharp, focused. I counted our path, memorized the turns, the landmarks, the scent markers.If I survived this, if I found a way to get Elara out, I needed to know exactly how to escape.If I didn't… then
Astrid’s POVThe rogues had been waiting for me.They lingered in the shadows, motionless, like predators poised for the perfect moment to strike. Their eyes glowed eerily in the dim light of the moon, flickering with something sinister—anticipation.They knew I was coming.My stomach twisted, but I forced my expression into something unreadable, my shoulders squared as I stepped forward. I came alone. No weapons. No resistance. Complete surrender.It was the only way.If I fought back, if I hesitated for even a second, Ardan might change his mind. He might keep Elara. He might hurt her.And that was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.I took slow, deliberate steps into the clearing, my heartbeat steady despite the way my wolf clawed at the inside of my skin, urging me to turn back, to fight.Not yet.I exhaled, tilting my chin upward as I finally stopped before them.The group of rogues—at least a dozen—remained silent for a moment, assessing me. Then one of them, a tall, lean man with
Killian’s POVThe omega’s words rang in my ears like a warning bell."Alpha! Alpha! It’s Ryker! He’s awake and looking for you. He won’t calm down!"My entire body locked up.Ryker had always been tormented with nightmares ever since Elara was kidnapped. He often woke up in the middle of the night, demanding to see us and he would always look so terrified. I stood at the Packhouse entrance, my wolf raging to break free, my warriors prepared to track Astrid before she got too far. Every instinct inside me screamed at me to run, to chase her down, to drag her back before she made the biggest mistake of her life.But my son needed me.For a single, agonizing moment, I hesitated.Then I turned on my heel and strode toward the infirmary, my boots pounding against the floor, my fists clenched so tightly my nails cut into my palms. My lungs burned with restrained fury, my thoughts a storm of frustration and helplessness.First Astrid. Now Ryker. I was losing control of everything.When I
Astrid’s POVThe night stretched on, endless and suffocating. The dim glow of the bedside lamp cast long shadows against the walls, but the light felt hollow—cold. The Packhouse was eerily quiet, the usual hum of distant conversations and footsteps replaced by an unbearable stillness.I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers twisting the fabric of my shirt, my thoughts a hurricane raging inside me.Elara.Her name was carved into every thought, every breath, every aching second that passed. She was out there, in the dark, in the hands of the man who wanted nothing more than to see me broken.And I was still here. Waiting.I had tried. I had tried to listen to Killian, to hold on to the logic that we could save her together, that there was a plan, a chance. But how could I gamble my daughter’s life on a chance?What if they were wrong? What if we weren’t fast enough? What if she needed me now?My throat tightened, the guilt curling around me like a noose. I had waited too long alrea
Astrid’s POVThe words on the paper blurred before my eyes, my grip tightening until the edges crumpled in my shaking hands. My breath came in sharp, uneven gasps, my pulse hammering so loudly it drowned out everything else.Killian was speaking — his voice low and urgent — but I couldn’t hear him.All I could see was Elara.Trapped. Alone. Scared.The paper shook violently in my grasp as a sob tore from my throat.My daughter was out there, in his hands. And he wanted me.The weight of it settled over me like an iron cage.This was never about the Pack. Never about a war.It had always been about me.A hand touched my wrist, firm and grounding. “Astrid.”Killian’s voice finally cut through the haze of panic suffocating me. I looked up, meeting his golden eyes—burning with unspoken fear.For me.For Elara.For all of us.I swallowed hard, my throat raw. “I have to go.”“No.” Killian’s grip tightened immediately, his entire body going rigid. “Absolutely not.”I stepped back, wrenching