Alison’s POV“Get up, Alison,” came the clipped, frosty voice from across the room. My eyes snapped open, and there stood Katherine, already dressed in full training gear, her arms crossed and her gaze drilling into me with impatient distaste. “Daylight is burning, and half the pack is already out and about. Five minutes to join us outside or there will be consequences.”She spun on her heel and left, her footsteps echoing down the hall, leaving me scrambling. Heart pounding, I jumped out of bed, feeling a swell of frustration and determination collide within me. I knew Katherine had no real intention of making this easy. She’d do everything in her power to make me feel inadequate, to test my patience, and above all, to make me question my worthiness as Luna. But if this was a battle she wanted, I’d give her one.Quickly freshening up, I threw on my training clothes and bolted out the door, the cool morning air biting at my face. As I reached the training grounds, I slowed, taking in
Alison's POV "Here's your glass of...?"The world shattered around me in an instant, one second, I was just doing my job, and the next, I was standing frozen, watching the man I once adored with someone else.The glass slipped from my fingers and shattered against the floor, echoing in the empty hall. I didn't even realize I had dropped it until the shards of crystal scattered around my feet. Alpha Kendrick looked up from the couch, his hands still tangled in Priya’s hair, while Priya’s narrowed eyes found me in an instant. Silence fell over the room, thick and dangerous.“What the hell do you think you’re doing walking in like you own the place?” Priya’s voice cut through the silence like a whip.“I.. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know…” My words stumbled out, tripping over each other as I stared down at my hands, trembling.“You didn’t know?” Priya sneered, untangling herself from Kendrick’s grasp. “You didn’t think to knock, either, did you, slave?”I wanted to speak, to r
Kendrick’s POV The light was dim, filtering through the high kitchen windows, casting shadows that seemed to dance as I walked into the quiet room. But then, there was a sound, soft, unexpected. Singing. Her voice, untrained and raw, yet filled with a haunting melody.I stepped forward, my boots scuffing against the tile floor. Her singing stopped, and she whipped her head up, startled. Alison's wide eyes met mine as she knelt on the kitchen floor, scrubbing, looking every bit the slave she was a mere servant in the Silver Moon Pack, where I'd held dominance and strength for years. But there was something different in her gaze that unnerved me, though I’d never admit it aloud."How long have you been here, Alison?" I asked, the words slipping out of my mouth before I could think them through.She swallowed, then answered in a voice so quiet I almost didn't hear it. "17 years, Alpha."Seventeen years. Seventeen years of watching her serve in silence, her presence nothing more than bac
Alison's Point of view "What a day?" I exhaled as I stared at myself in the mirror, adjusting the rough bandage on my hand and brushing the dirt out from beneath my nails. It didn’t really matter, but I wanted it to. I wanted to look less worn down, less like a servant at least for tomorrow. Tomorrow, I would be turning eighteen, and the thought sent my heart spinning with a strange, stubborn hope. Would this birthday mean something more? Would I finally find my mate? The man who would help me out of this enslavementThe very idea of a mate… it was everything I’d clung to during my years here. When I closed my eyes at night, I pictured a strong man, someone who would see me, value me, maybe even love me. A laugh bubbled out of me, bitter and absurd. What if, just by some miracle, that mate turned out to be Alpha Kendrick? The thought was ridiculous. I had a crush on him no doubt, he was powerful, commanding, and he now belonged to someone else. I shook my head, reminding myself of P
Alison's Point of view A splash of icy water struck me like a whip, jolting me from my slumber. My heart hammered in my chest as I gasped for breath, blinking away the cold droplets that clung to my eyelashes. Panic quickly morphed into fury as I realized what had happened. Priya, standing over me with a satisfied smirk, holding an empty bucket in her hands.“Rise and shine, servant,” she said, a cruel edge to her voice. “Today’s my special day, and I won’t tolerate anyone slacking off. Breakfast. Now.”Every instinct screamed at me to lash out, to say something. But as much as the words clawed at my throat, I kept them down. Tomorrow, Priya would officially become Luna, and I knew what that meant for someone like me. So instead, I wiped the water off my face, forcing myself to look up at her with the calmest expression I could muster.“Yes, Priya,” I muttered, barely meeting her gaze. Her sly smile widened, pleased with my compliance.“Oh, and make it perfect, will you?” She gave a
Alison's POV The sound of my boots echoed sharply down the hall as I marched toward Alpha Kendrick’s office. Each step felt like a storm building inside me, rising and intensifying with every stride. My heart thundered, not from fear, but from the burning fury I’d kept buried for far too long. Today, everything would change. I’d make sure of it. I threw open the door to Kendrick’s office. There he sat, calm as ever, his dark eyes narrowing as I stormed in. Standing by his side was his ever-loyal beta, Silas, who shot me a curious glance before Kendrick dismissed him with a cold wave of his hand. “Leave us, Silas,” Kendrick ordered, his gaze locked on me. Silas bowed and slipped out, the door clicking shut with a finality that seemed to trap us in this confrontation. My wolf, Maya, stirred inside me, her presence brimming with strength and fire. She and I had both waited long enough for this. Kendrick rose from his desk, his expression unreadable. But before I could say a word
Xander's POV The ticking clock on the wall was relentless, each second winding down the last few hours before I’d have to step foot in the Silver Moon Pack territory, home to Alpha Kendrick and his soon-to-be Luna. I leaned back in my leather chair, loosening my tie slightly as my Beta, Luke, filled me in on our arrangements. He was pacing as he spoke, his voice steady and informative. "Silas has everything arranged for our stay," Luke reported. "We’re set for Alpha Kendrick’s engagement dinner and wedding. The Silver Moon Pack is, as always, pulling out all the stops.” I grunted in acknowledgment, more focused on an uneasy feeling that had been gnawing at me since morning. This whole engagement felt off to me. Kendrick and Priya... the union was more like a strategic front, a display of power and alliances, but there was something missing. And it served as another reminder that, at 25, I was still without a mate. Unlike Kendrick, I had no desire to force a bond that didn’t exist
Xander's POVI leaned back against the dark oak frame of the bed, my eyes fixed on the window as the late afternoon sun began to sink behind the Silver Moon Pack's towering gates. This pack house felt as cold and unwelcoming as any foreign territory, yet I hadn't come here for comfort. I was here to honor the alliance between all packs. But something else was making my pulse race, an unease that shook my usual calm.It was her. The girl I'd seen within the castle compound , her scent still lingering in my senses.From the moment I saw her... I'd felt a pull like nothing I'd known before. My wolf had been clawing at me, instincts screaming for me to find her, to mark her, to claim her as mine. But impulse had no place here, not when my wolf's howls nearly drowned out every sense of reasoning within me. She could already be with someone else, I reminded myself, trying to calm my wolf, Cain."She's ours," Cain growled, voice thick with longing. "You felt the bond, Xander. She's ours, an