I mean as a woman, it’s not wrong to raise our standards especially if we could reach for that standard. However, we should also make sure that we are not stepping down on others just to reach our goals.
PRESENT TIMEAt the Silvermoon Pack’s Drawing RoomGiselle’s POV“Mistakes happen,” Damien responded nonchalantly after I lied about forgetting to send the invitation.“It’s okay if you forgot to send me an invitation. It doesn’t mean I’m not invited to your wedding, Am I right?” Damien asked shamelessly, knowing too well that I didn’t want him to be there at my wedding or anywhere near me at all. Killian smiled and nodded at Damien’s words. “Of course! You wouldn’t need an invitation to come to our wedding at all. You can also bring anyone you want to our wedding. This offer is going to be available only for you,” Killian replied amicably. Damien sighed. “I don’t think I could bring anyone with me on that day.”“Oh really!” I spoke up as I took my seat beside Killian. “What about Luna Vanessa? She had always liked parties. I’m sure she’s going to agree to come with you if you ask her.”Vanessa is Damien’s true mate and his current wife. She is the woman that Damien chose to replace
A FEW YEARS AGO…. At the Crimsonbane PackGiselle’s POVIt was by accident when I found out that Damien was secretly the Alpha of the Crimsonbane Pack. At that time, I was working as an omega at the Crimsonbane Pack’s Packhouse. As a newly adopted member, I needed to start low in the ranks. I was demoted to the lowest position. I had to clean around the Packhouse and do menial work as the Packhouse’s Omega. When I was living at the Silvermoon Pack, I was never treated as a servant. We are way higher than omegas and even above the average werewolves. You could say we are the Pack’s nobles without official titles. Since I was born into the Silvermoon Pack, I had my own privileges. However, I lost all of that when I was exiled and turned into a rogue. I could only say that I’m still lucky that I didn’t stay as a rogue for a long time. It would be much better to become a Packhouse’s omega than to be a lone rogue without any friends and without a pack that can provide for me. A
PRESENT TIME At the Silvermoon’s Pack….Giselle’s POVI sped off, keeping my distance from Damien as soon as we were out of anyone’s sight. With Killian’s request, I took Damien out to help him familiarize himself with the packhouse. I picked the Packhouse’s gardens first to escape the watchful eyes and prying ears of the people. I crossed my arms tightly against my chest, my fingers digging under the sleeves of my sweater. A huff of frustration escaped my lips as my eyes narrowed into an irritated glare. I turned on my heel and faced Damien without bothering to mask my real annoyance anymore. “What are you doing here?” I questioned him with an annoyed tone of voice. “You left us without saying anything. What do you expect I would feel when I found out you are pregnant and engaged with another Alpha?” Damien shot back. I scoffed at his words. “Why do you care? My life is not your business anymore ever since you broke your promises and chose someone over me!” I clenched m
Giselle’s POVDamien looked at me in disbelief as if I had just done a heinous crime he never thought I was capable of doing. There are a lot of things he doesn’t know about me, and a lot of things have changed ever since left me. He has no right to look at me with judgment in his eyes when he is the reason why I’m in a desperate situation right now. Damien shook his head like he wasn’t able to stomach my lies anymore. “I’m going to tell Killian about this, whether you like it or not. Killian deserves to know the truth. It’s up to him if he still wants to marry you after that or not.” Damien walked forward with a determined look in his eyes, but I rushed forward and grabbed his arm to hold him. “Please, Damien don’t tell him. Don’t do this to me, please,” my voice croaked as I begged him in a whisper. I tightened my hold around his arm, my fingers digging under his sleeves. Everything would be over once Killian and his mother found out the truth. The only reason why Killian i
Damien’s POVWhat the hell?! “Giselle! Giselle!” Victoria and Killian shouted her name with worry etched on their faces as they rushed to her side. Giselle cried out uncontrollably because of the pain that she had caused to herself. I sat beside her with my eyes wide, staring at her in disbelief. I was frozen in fear when I saw how she punched herself in the belly, causing all this pain unto herself. Giselle has been sitting beside me all this time, so Killian and Victoria didn’t notice how she punched her belly underneath the table with full force. I was pushed to the side as Killian pulled Giselle out of her seat to see what was happening to her. I couldn’t speak. I don’t even know if I should tell Killian that Giselle just tried to abort her own child. “K-Killian! T-the baby, m-my grandson!” Victoria shouted in fear when she saw the puddle of blood beneath Giselle’s chair. Giselle had lost a huge amount of blood already, but her leg was still bleeding. Killian curse
Giselle’s POVI lay weakly on the hospital bed after the Pack Doctor managed to save my baby and keep it from dying. All the pain has finally left my body. My baby and I are back to our normal health again. I just needed to rest until my body recovered on its own to avoid another incident like this in the future. After giving everyone a scare, the Pack Doctor worked fast and diligently to save my baby, the future Alpha of this Pack. The Pack Doctor was in full concentration as he worked, knowing that he would lose his head if he failed to save my child. A profound sense of relief washed over him after he managed to keep my baby safe and alive with his successful emergency procedure. After my body and the baby’s health had stabilized, the Pack Doctor finally allowed me to have me moved to a hospital room for a complete bed rest. I blinked my eyes as I stared directly at the blank ceiling above me. The whole room is in silence since the Pack Doctor prohibits anyone from e
Giselle’s POVThe Pack Doctor’s brows furrowed as he fixed his gaze upon me. His lips parted slightly as if the words he wished to convey had become momentarily lodged in their throat. I knew what he was thinking. That look of judgment in his eyes is all too familiar to me. Yet, he didn’t say anything. He knew that one word out of his mouth, then I might just well kill him now to hide my dark secret. So, with hesitation in his eyes and a heavy weight in his heart, he slowly lowered his head before me in surrender. “Y-Yes, Luna,” he stammered as he forced out his words. Hearing the tremble in his voice, I was not fully convinced that he would be trusted with my secret. However, I had no choice; he is a Doctor, and even if I kill him, someone is going to replace him and find out about the real gender of my child. I need a Doctor that I could trust and work for me to hide the identity of my child. I need to gain his trust and make sure he won’t betray me. “Good,” I
Giselle’s POVEverybody had just left after the Pack Doctor pushed everyone away so I could have my full rest. Once everyone was gone, silence filled the room once again, and my deafening thoughts started to get the best of me again. A bitter laugh escaped my lips as I stared at my pregnant belly. “You are punishing me for harming you,” I muttered bitterly as I drew my hand in circles on top of my belly. I tried to harm her, and right afterward, she gave me this surprise. I flinched when someone just barged into my room and flew my door open. I pushed myself up to a sitting position as I waited to see who that was. My body tensed up when I saw Damien appear in the corner of my room. “Damien?” My brows furrowed when I saw him appear at the corner of my room. “What are you doing here?” I questioned him as I scooted far from him. “We need to talk,” Damien answered tersely as he locked the door behind him and made his way towards me. “This is dangerous!” I hissed at him. “Do
Astrid’s POVThe private chamber was dimly lit, the flicker of candlelight casting shifting shadows on the stone walls. The air was thick with anticipation as Killian and I stepped into the room. Alpha Damien and Luna Valerie stood by the hearth, their faces somber. Damien’s normally relaxed posture was stiff, and Valerie’s fingers were laced tightly together, betraying her tension.“Damien, Valerie,” Killian began, his voice firm. “We were told you’ve uncovered something about the rogue king. What is it?”Damien exchanged a glance with Valerie before stepping forward, his gaze steady. “Valerie and I had been conducting an investigation—secretly,” he admitted. “Ever since the first rogue attacks began to increase, we’ve been suspicious.”Valerie nodded, her tone soft but urgent. “The rogue king’s moves weren’t random. They were calculated, methodical. He wasn’t just targeting packs for power or resources; he was targeting the foundation of our system—the hierarchy, the unity that bi
Astrid’s POVKillian halted mid-step, his shoulders stiffening as he turned to face me. His brow knitted together, the golden hue of his eyes darkening with unease. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice low, guarded.I hesitated for just a heartbeat before the words poured out, tumbling over each other in a rush. “Alpha Cedric,” I said, my voice tight with urgency. “At the council meeting—he stood up, questioning us, doubting our leadership, our decisions.”Killian’s brows pinched together as he processed my words. “What if… what if it wasn’t just him being confrontational? What if it was intentional? Designed to sow distrust, to divide us?” I asked him Killian’s gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowing as he digested my words. A flicker of understanding crossed his face, followed by something colder, harder. Slowly, he nodded. “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” he admitted, his tone heavy with thought. “When Andros suggested there could be a traitor, Cedric was the first person w
Astrid’s POVThe words hung in the air, heavy and ominous. I felt my chest tighten, the implications settling like a stone in my stomach. “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.Andros’s gaze dropped again, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of his confession was too much to bear. “If you suspect that someone’s feeding the rogue king information, it wasn’t me. It must be someone close to you,” he answered. “Since they know so much about the Pack, it could be someone in your ranks. Tell me, is there anyone acting weird recently? Anyone you think that is hiding something.”“That’s impossible,” I instantly blurted out. “All of us wanted the rogue king gone. All of us were helping each other to overcome this crisis. Why would someone betray us and work with the rogue king?”“I’m not the one leaking information to the rogue king,” Andros spoke sternly. “Who do you think it is?” The question that escaped Killian’s mouth made me look at him. “Killian, what are y
Astrid's POVThe air in the dungeon was damp and heavy, clinging to my skin like a second layer. The faint flicker of the bright light painted uneasy shadows on the stone walls, casting long, distorted shapes that felt as restless as the questions swirling in my mind. Killian and I stopped outside Andros’s cell, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.Andros sat against the wall, his posture slouched, his gaze fixed somewhere distant, as though we weren’t there. His face was pale, worn, and etched with the weight of regret he had carried silently since Rowena’s death.“Andros,” I said, my voice softer than I intended. It was impossible to ignore how different he looked now, like a man who had already resigned himself to whatever fate we would decide.His dark eyes flicked toward me briefly before dropping back to the ground. “What now?” he asked, his voice hollow, lacking the defiance I used to know.Killian stepped forward, his tone firmer than mine. “We need answers,” he said. “T
Astrid's POVThe warrior’s words hung in the air like a heavy shroud, suffocating and cold. I stared at him, trying to make sense of what I’d just heard.“The fragments… are missing?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. My heart pounded, each beat echoing louder in my ears as confusion and disbelief clawed at my thoughts.The Forsaken Amulet was destroyed. Rowena sacrificed her life to ensure it could never be used again. Why would the rogues come back for it? What could they possibly want with shattered remnants?Killian stood beside me, rigid as stone, his golden eyes locked on the warrior. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice low, taut with restrained fury.“Yes, Alpha,” the warrior said, bowing his head. “We inspected the area as you instructed, to see if the rogues left anything behind—clues, weapons, anything. But instead, we found the fragments… gone.”Gone. The word echoed in my mind, a drumbeat of confusion. I tried to piece together the rogue king’s motives, but not
Astrid’s POVThe tension in the room was suffocating. The large council chamber, usually filled with calm deliberation, was now a battlefield of words. Alphas and Lunas from across the packs are all gathered around in one room, their gazes heavy with doubt and mistrust. Killian and I decided to call this meeting to inform everyone about the recent events and to formulate another plan for the future. “We heard that Andros is back, that he came back to the Pack with you, was that true?” One of the Alphas asked. I nodded my head. “That’s true. Although he is banned to enter any Packs, I made my decision out of careful consideration. While we are unsure of where his alliances lies, it would be safe if he is here with us where we could monitor him.”“Andros cannot be trusted,” Alpha Raiden of the Thunderclaw Pack said, his voice cold and unyielding. “He betrayed us once—no, twice. Do you expect us to believe he won’t do it again?”Several heads nodded in agreement, murmurs spreading li
Astrid’s POVI studied Andros’s face as he spoke, searching for even the faintest trace of deceit, but there was none. His expression was raw, stripped bare of his usual indifference, and in its place was something achingly human. Beneath the steady timbre of his voice, I caught a faint sadness—not just for Rowena, but for Killian, too. It made my chest tighten.I turned to Killian and felt my heart break at the sight of him. His golden eyes, usually so fierce and commanding, burned with a storm of emotions that threatened to drown him—anger, sorrow, regret. He stood frozen, like a man facing the wreckage of his entire world.“Then why didn’t she?” Killian’s voice, sharp and brittle, sliced through the heavy air. His fists trembled, clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles were white. “If she regretted everything so much, why didn’t she just say something? Why didn’t she stop?”Andros let out a quiet sigh, leaning his head back against the damp stone wall. “Because she c
Astrid’s POVThe words hung in the air, heavy and sharp, cutting deeper than any blade. I felt Killian’s tension beside me, the barely contained storm beneath his surface threatening to erupt.“She introduced you… to the Rogue King?” Killian’s voice was low, trembling with suppressed rage. His golden eyes bore into Andros, demanding answers, demanding a reason to justify what was unfathomable.Andros’s gaze flickered, the indifference cracking ever so slightly. He leaned his head back against the cold stone wall, exhaling slowly. “She didn’t tell me why at first,” he said, his tone eerily calm. “She just… showed up. Out of nowhere.”The faint light from the torch above us cast long shadows across his face, and for a moment, I saw something raw in his eyes—something I couldn’t ignore.“She said she wanted to help me,” Andros continued, his voice softening, almost as if he were speaking to himself. “Said she didn’t want me to rot away in exile. That she could… save me.”Killian’s eyes
Astrid’s POVThe dungeon was cold, the air damp and heavy with the scent of mildew and rusted iron. Shadows danced on the rough stone walls as the faint light flickered, casting a dim, suffocating glow. Killian stood beside me, his jaw tight and his arms crossed, every line of his body radiating tension.Across from us, Andros sat slumped against the wall of his cell, his hands loosely bound in front of him. His face was a mask of indifference, his eyes distant and unfocused as if he were a world away. He didn’t look at us, didn’t even flinch as we approached.“Andros,” I said, keeping my voice steady. He didn’t move. His breathing was even, his gaze fixed somewhere over my shoulder.Killian took a step forward, his boots echoing on the stone floor. “Are you working with the rogues?” he demanded, his voice hard, cutting through the silence like a blade.Nothing. Not even a flicker of recognition.Killian’s fists clenched at his sides. “Answer me, Andros. Are you one of them?”I st