Astrid’s POV“W-What? Pardon me?” I blurted out, my tongue stumbling for words at the surprise that he gave me with his words. I was just resting in my room when suddenly, Alpha Theron summoned me to come to his office. I thought he just wanted to speak to me, but I was surprised when he suddenly assigned a task to me. “The Emberwood Pack was just attacked by rogues, Astrid. They had suffered a great disaster, and all their leaders were massacred. The remaining survivors needed all the support they could get, and that’s why I’m sending you to manage the relief efforts we will provide them,” Alpha Theron explained, proving to me that I heard him right the first time. He was genuinely assigning me the task of supervising Pack Affair. I don’t understand why he is doing this. I am not in any way affiliated with the Shadowfang Pack. I’m not even an official member. Why would he ask me to go and represent their Pack? My eyes blinked, taken aback by the weight of responsibility and bec
Astrid’s POVI stood in front of the bustling camp, my keen eyes sweeping over the sea of weary and haggard faces of the remaining survivors of the Emberwood Pack. My heart clenched tightly for them as I saw their pitiful situation. What happened to the Emberwood Pack was worse than what Alpha Theron had told me. Their Pack, which was once bustling with joy and life, was completely destroyed. All that was left were ruins and rubble.You wouldn’t think that a community filled with life used to stand there just a few days ago. Everything changed just within a single night. I could still feel the terror that all the remaining survivors had felt from the tragedy that overtook them. As I helped with distributing the food and the supplies that they needed, it did nothing to their faces, which had turned dim, and to their eyes, which had already lost the light in them. These were the remnants of the Emberwood Pack, the survivors of a tragedy that no one should ever have to endure. As I m
Astrid’s POVMy palms grew clammy as I drew nearer to the Silvermoon Pack’s relief brigade. My heart thundered in my ears as memories of the past that I had tried so desperately to outrun threatened to overwhelm me. Even though I knew that Killian would not be among them, the very sight of the Silvermoon Pack’s sigil filled me with dread that I thought I had long since buried. Steeling my nerves, I forced one foot in front of the other, willing my trembling limbs to obey. I was nervous because I was afraid that one of them would recognize me, and right now, I’m not in the right capacity to be reminded of the past.Alpha Theron sent me here to keep my mind busy and to stop me from living in the past, a thing that I could never change. I’m not recovering because I’m still stuck in the past. However, instead of finding my new sense of purpose, I ran into my past instead. How I longed to simply turn and flee, to hide my face away from them, but I know I cannot do that. As the leader o
Killian’s POVMy eyes were drawn to Astrid as she stood before me, explaining the procedure around the Emberwood Pack while also showing me the different stations they had set up around the Pack. As I listened to how she orchestrated their relief efforts, I was amazed by the plans she came up with and how fast she was able to set all these things up. Temporary camps had sprung up like blooming flowers, each one tailored to a specific purpose — shelters for the displaced, supply depots, and medical stations, all woven together in a seamless network under Astrid’s watchful gaze. She also assigned different roles to each of her men to have their own individual contributions. In that way, all the needs of the people were met. I’m not surprised that she came up with an organized plan to take the chaos that was left by the rogue attack and transform it into something orderly, something functional. It was that skill that I had always admired in her, this innate talent of organization an
Astrid’s POVI stared at Killian, my expression carefully neutral, revealing nothing of the turmoil raging within me. I could see the desperation in his eyes as he searched my face, seeking some crack in my icy demeanor for some glimmer of warmth that he had once known, but my features were set in an impenetrable mask. I watched as Killian’s hand, which was half-raised aiming to reach for me, suddenly fell back to his side as if scorched by the frost in my gaze. His eyes blinked with a look of longing written so plainly on his face, but I remained motionless, unwavering, unwilling to give in to the temptation. I crossed my arms as I waited for him to say a word. He is the one who pulled me out here. Is he just going to stare at me all day?“H-How have you been?” Killian finally spoke in a soft, unsure voice when he saw the impatience that crossed my features. Now that we are alone, he no longer looks like a powerful Alpha. In front of me, he looked like a man walking on eggshell
Killian’s POVIt has been a long day for everybody. We have just arrived at the Emberwood Pack after our long travel, and we are still trying to adjust to the work around this place.We weren’t able to help the Shadowfang Pack much because we had to settle everything. We had to settle our provisions and also build our camps. The night has long fallen, but not all camps have been built yet. As the Alpha, they had prioritized my camp first so I could have my temporary settlement and also so that I could have a good night’s sleep. However, I couldn’t sleep. My conversation with Astrid continued to trouble me. So, I sat on my makeshift desk and started to write so I could do something productive while Astrid kept me awake. In the middle of the night, only the sound of my pen scratching on paper could be heard while an omega shuffled around me, fixing my things and organizing them around the camp since we had only just arrived. I sighed as I turned to another page of the paper. “Alpha
Giselle’s POVThings have been well inside the Pack ever since Astrid had stopped making trouble for us. Until now, she’s still busy at the Shadowfang Pack, and I had no idea when she’s planning to leave and what she is currently thinking. Until now, I have been waiting for the news of her leaving the Shadowfang Pack so I can be ready. I know that as soon as Astrid leaves that place, Killian will rush to see her. That’s why I had to know so I could stop them from meeting or so that I could be there when they meet. Even though I made sure to hide my traces properly, I knew that Astrid would blame me for the accident that happened to her. I’m sure right now she already knows that I was involved in her accident. Drystan must have informed her by the time she woke up about how I lied and that I never met her. I’m sure that would bring suspicions to them. Still, I wasn’t afraid of being blamed for what I did. They can hate me if they want. The feeling is mutual. Even if they have the
Astrid’s POVIn order to cater to the remaining survivors of the Emberwood Pack that needed our help, I woke up at dawn and helped in the kitchen to cook for everyone’s breakfast. I don’t know enough of things around the kitchen; I only know enough not to let myself die of hunger. Although I am good at combat, handling Pack military and Pack affairs, and even knowledgeable in medicine, there are still a lot of things that I don’t know of. Even though I am a woman, I don’t know what women would usually be good at doing. I could break a bone when I dance, I could injure myself with a needle if I sew, and I could make people turn deaf when I sing. I’m certainly not a wife and a Luna material because of these things. The moon goddess really made a mistake in choosing me as Killian’s mate and Luna. It was no wonder why our relationship only ended in a disaster. As volunteers, we prepared today’s breakfast, but we still had to serve the food and also eat last. As I ladled the w
Asha’s POVThe soft crunch of leaves beneath my boots was the only sound as I walked through the forest path.My mother’s grave is far from the Packhouse. She is buried in a secluded area, giving her peace. The cool air carried a solemn stillness that matched my mood. Visiting her grave was my sanctuary, a place where I could let my guard down and remember the woman who raised me.That’s when I saw him — Andros, my older brother, standing at the edge of the woods. The shadows from the trees seemed to engulf him, and his posture was rigid, alert. Was he here to visit Mother too? I wondered. My heart swelled at the thought. It wasn’t often that Andros and I shared these quiet moments. As the crowned Alpha he has too many responsibilities placed on his shoulder. He was always busy. I opened my mouth to call out to him but stopped short when another figure emerged from the shadows. My brows furrowed. The man wore a black hoodie that concealed most of his face, and his movements wer
Asha’s POVI staggered back, shaking my head in disbelief. “That’s not true. That can’t be true,” I mumbled as if I was just trying to convince myself.“I was left with no choice, Asha. Your mother—Luna Jamaica—was my brother’s mate. He was the rightful Alpha. But when he died, the Pack needed a leader. And I… I was the only option. I was forced to marry her to maintain stability. To keep this Pack from falling apart.”My father’s eyes turned red as he tried his best to hold back his tears. My heart wrenched as I feel for his pain. This is the first time I ever saw my father look so vulnerable. “I gave up everything. My mate. My happiness. My future. I gave it all away for this Pack, for a life I never wanted. And every day since, I have lived with that choice. With the weight of betraying my mate, of turning my back on the only woman I ever loved.”I stared at him, my body trembling as the truth settled over me like a suffocating blanket. Everything I had believed, everything I
Asha’s POVI squared my shoulders as I faced my father, my eyes narrowing at him in anger. I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, the weight of years of frustration and jealousy boiling to the surface. My father simply stood before me, his usual composed demeanor tinged with a rare expression of exasperation, but I didn’t care. Not anymore“She doesn’t even call you Father!” I spat, my voice trembling with anger. “Not once in her life has Astrid ever acknowledged you as her father. And yet, you treat her like she’s some prized treasure. Why, Father? Because you feel guilty for neglecting her? She’s just your illegitimate child! It’s best that she realize she’s not special!” I blurted out angrily.Alpha Theron’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t speak. That silence — his silence — was what always drove me mad. He would never defend himself, never justify his actions, as if I were the one being unreasonable. But I wasn’t.“She’s ungrateful!” I continued, pacing back and forth as my em
Astrid’s POVThe silence after the call ended was heavier than the words I hadn’t spoken.I remained frozen, clutching the phone as though its weight could tether me to the choices I had made. Each unspoken truth tightened like a vice around my chest, each lie stealing the air I so desperately needed.I wanted nothing more than to turn back, to run to Ryker and finally tell him who I really was. But how could I? How could I be so selfish, so reckless? I knew the truth about my condition — how dangerous and uncertain everything is. How could I let him get close to me, knowing how it will all end?The thought of Ryker loving me, only to lose me, was unbearable. I couldn’t let him go through that pain, the kind of pain that had already hollowed me out. I knew it too well — the ache of losing someone you’d give anything to keep. The searing, unrelenting agony of losing my husband, the devastation of outliving my child. I wouldn’t wish that torment on anyone, least of all Ryker.A shiv
Killian’s POVIt had been days since Ryker had last seen Giselle, and Ryker still hadn’t asked a single question about her mother. At first, I was afraid of what he’d say, dreading the moment he’d look me in the eye and ask, Where’s my mother? I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the truth, knowing how much it would break him. How could I possibly explain to him that Giselle is not her mother, and that she’s dead. In his whole life, Ryker believed that Giselle was his mother — she’d raised him, after all, and he’d known her as nothing else.I know it would be difficult for him to accept and process the whole truth, and I was trying my best to avoid the confrontation from him. But now… I’m no longer just worried about Ryker’s difficult questions now I wasn’t just avoiding the question. I am now worried wondering why he still haven’t asked me any question. In the days that had passed, he hadn’t asked even once. Not a word about Giselle. No concern, no curiosity. Just silence. And
Alpha Theron’s POVAndros scoffed, his disbelief clear as he tilted his head back. “You are choosing Astrid over me?” he spat out. “You’re going to make her the crowned Luna of this Pack? It’s only been three years since you met her, and you think she’s worthy of this title? What do you think Asha would say? Astrid isn’t even your legitimate child!”I met his gaze, my own expression resolute. “Astrid has proven herself capable. She’s been our acting Beta for three years and led as the Luna of the Silvermoon Pack for five years before that. She has the qualities, the skills, and the strength needed to lead. In terms of ability, Andros, she does her job far better than you.”Andros’s fists clenched, his expression darkening with insult and rage. “This is madness! The Pack won’t accept it! My mother is your true mate and the Luna of this Pack. Giving your position to someone who isn’t her child is an insult to her legacy and to this Pack!”I took a step forward, my voice unwavering.
Alpha Theron’s POVA long silence settled over the room after I asked the question, heavy and tense. I kept my gaze fixed on Andros, waiting, hoping for a sign of remorse or an explanation. But what I saw instead shook me to my core. Andros looked back at me, and in that gaze, I saw a stranger. The gentle son I thought I knew was gone, and in his place stood a man cold and unyielding.Then he spoke, his voice sharper and louder than I had ever heard it, filled with a defiance that sent a chill through me. “You want to know why I did it?” he snapped, his tone a mix of anger and something darker. “I did it for us, for this pack. I was doing you a favor by doing what you could never bring yourself to do.”His words stunned me. Andros had never raised his voice to me, not once in all the years I’d known him. Even when I was harsh or demanding — as I always was, he had always accepted it in silence, never challenging me. But now, he stood before me, speaking without restraint, and I
Alpha Theron’s POVAndros entered, his eyes darting between me and the book lying on the desk. He tried to mask his apprehension, but I caught the flicker of recognition in his gaze. I wasted no time.“Did Beta Alek give you this book?” I asked, my voice steady but taut.He blinked, feigning innocence. “I’ve seen the book before, yes. Beta Alek showed it to me and explained what it was.” His eyes held mine, the picture of calm. “Is there something wrong?”Besidehim, Beta Alek looked stricken but hopeful. He took a step forward, his voice shaking with urgency. “Andros, explain everything to your father and tell him that I’m being wronged. I gave you the book didn’t I? I even told you to burn the book for me,” Beta Alek spoke up, trusting that my son would prove his innocence. Andros raised his brows, feigning confusion. “What do you mean?” he asked, his tone soft and innocent.“That didn’t happen. You never gave me the book — I’ve never even touched it.”Beta Alek’s face went pale
Alpha Theron’s POVThe moment Astrid left my office, I reached through the Pack Link, calling for Beta Alek.My voice came out raw and unfiltered, the unmistaken anger pulsed through the link sending their wolves into submission. I could sense Beta Alek’s panic, could feel his wolf bristle at the force of my command. He knew I wasn’t pleased.Moments later, the door opened, and Alek entered, his face pale, but his steps were urgent.I didn’t give him a chance to speak before hurling the book at him. It hit him squarely in the face, making him stagger. As he caught the book, his face drained of color even further when recognition flared in his eyes.“Didn’t I tell you to burn that book?” My voice was low, lethal, and I didn’t miss the way he trembled at each word.Alek fell to his knees, the weight of his guilt bearing down on him. “Alpha,” he choked out, “I admit my irresponsibility. I failed you. I’m willing to accept any punishment for my insubordination,” he answered readily, pr