“It’s an invitation to Alpha Rygan’s engagement,” Vienna explained, watching quietly to see how her friend would react, but Elise didn’t so much as bat an eye. She kept that pain hidden as she tried to think of something else than this harrowing pang in her heart as she stared at the invitation. “You knew, didn't you?” She asks Elise, who stands up from the kitchen bar stool, walking to the fireplace to stare at the open flame that kept them warm. “More like, I'm the person who told him to go ahead with it... to hurt him and me,” she muttered. “I think I deserved to be hurt; I mean, I was the one who broke it off; what was I expecting?” “You were expecting better, something he could not give when he is practically a mated man, but I don’t still get this honestly; you see the way he looks at you, how he...” “Stop Vienna, please,” she tells her friend with a whimper. She didn’t need to recall whatever memory she had been trying to push back down for a while now. “Hey, sorr
KYREN’S POV (BACK AT THE DARKNIGHT PACK) I was seething with rage that dreaded day, only one of my assassins made it back to the pack. I wanted to kill him there and then for letting Elise out of his sight and back to those Blackmoon bastards. “I should snap your neck for not fulfilling my task,” I snarled, slamming him against the wall. I didn’t care if his arm was dislocated—a wound he got from his escape. "Please, Alpha, we tried our best, but we were surrounded. We thought we had escaped to hide in the shadows and attack again, but ‘ka’al’ saw us. Rygan saw them; that was their excuse for leaving my most prized wolf in their possession. I was more than pissed. “Tell me everything,” I snarled. “The seer was right; she had fully matured into a wolf, the most magnificent creature I’d ever encountered. Never had I seen a female so majestic; she reminded me of the shadow wolves,” my assassin says. “Shadows, wolf?” I called, finally letting his neck go, and he fell to th
At the Blackmoon Pack, the solstice night continued in high spirits as the magical stars converged and began to fall like rain, covering the night sky. Elise had been captivated by the solstice stars. Starstruck was the word Elise could use for this moment. The way the stars aligned like a narrow magical road was so peaceful, as everyone was in awe around her. It was perfect—maybe in her little bubble. Elise immediately noticed Bellamy’s scent had soured, so she tuned in to see what was making the she-wolf uneasy. It was Zach who conversed with his friends and pointed at them, and they all snickered afterward. Though Bellamy couldn’t hear what they were saying because of the distance, it was obvious that they were talking about them. “Forget them, Bells; they are miserable and are just looking for someone to pick on,” Elise tells her. Elise then turns to Zach, making sure she lets some of her powers shimmer to the surface and reflect in her eyes. It must have spooked Zach
“Why the fucking hell did you think I’d agree to this foolishness of giving her to that bastard? And what the hell are they doing here?” Rygan snarls out in question to his commanders. “I have no clue. We got the message from Alvira. She must have intercepted it and got the elders involved,” Taz says, admitting that even though Alvira did not come, his face betrayed disappointment for Alvira as the elders trooped in. “I’m sure you mean to say that my dear child did right; after the attack on my dear Alana, I have the right to know what goes on outside the pack,” Adeline, Alvira’s mother, notes. She walks with deep pride in the room, her face cold and stoic, and immediately turns to one filled with contempt when she sees Elise. “And we are here to give our decision on the matter at hand; it’s our pack too, and it’s best to give her back to her betrothed,” another elder chimes in. “And you’d think I’d listen to these absurd orders? You dare tell me what to do?” Rygan snarls
After Elise and Rygan reached an agreement, they informed both betas about their pact and their plans for Elise to meet with Rygan for her shifting and sparring lessons. Kaide watched in disbelief and silence, knowing Rygan was seizing any opportunity to be with her, but he couldn't say anything. Rygan was a more experienced and powerful teacher than he was. When Elise left, the three males stayed back at Taz’s home to discuss their plans for tightening security before devising how to deal with Kyren. “I can’t believe she wants to meet that monster. Red has guts, I tell you," Taz muttered from the other side of the table while Kaide leaned by the window, watching Rygan, who sat by the couch, his hand resting on a cup of moonshine. “I can’t believe that Kyren dared to ask for this after what he did,” Kaide added. “We plan to kill him, yes?” Taz asked while Rygan quietly nursed his drink, recalling those barren months spent in Kyren's dungeon, tortured by his men. It was
Alvira stormed out of the room the minute she told Rygan that she was still going to fight for him no matter what. She hated to see that Elise was still on his mind even after the baby was announced. She couldn’t contain the anger in her heart when she left the moonhouse. She tried hard to keep a kind and gentle facade from the wolves who bowed at her. They still all believed Alvira was a saint. The minute she got into Beddor compounds, her anger knew no bounds. The family servants already knew about her secret tantrum, and they all tried their best to keep away from her chambers when it started. “Alvira, dear, you have to be patient,” her mom Adeline started, but Alvira didn’t want to listen to what she was concerned to say. She stops in her tracks, her eyes laced with tears and fury, as she shouts at her mother. “Mother, can you leave me alone? I thought I specifically told the exact words to say to Rygan to let him finally let that woman leave this pack, but now
Elise felt a heavy weight of pressure on her shoulders as she trudged back to her room, after her talk with Rygan; it took a lot of silent stare-downs before they’d agreed on her training alone with him. She knew Rygan was only trying to protect her and going out of his way to help her shift, even though she had tried her very best to avoid him, It still ended up this way with them being alone after all. Her wolf beamed with happiness from it. But she hated what this meant to her wolf; she would be close to him again, and Moon knew what kind of things his proximity would do to her heart. It left her tossing and turning all night with questions until dawn came. She made it out the door to Vienna's cottage, recalling that she left her training gear in Vienna’s care since her cottage had become a close comfort for Elise. She even had a cozy spare room kept for her, courtesy of Vienna's doting. She goes to the pantry the moment she steps into the warm, cozy house and the large f
Elsie had no idea why she felt so nervous—maybe because she was in the same close space as Rygan and they were alone, or just because his annoyingly handsome face was a few inches from hers. It took a good second before he let go and walked to the other end of the ring. Elise's gaze flicked to the arms resting on his waist; the gesture made his muscles flex as he looked deeply at her. “Get into your sparring stance, El; I want to see how much you’ve been trained,” he instructs Elise. She takes a much-needed deep breath as she gets into position, her hand forming a raised fist, protecting her core and face from any incoming attack. She made sure to let her feet hold down and planted them to the ground. Rygan was impressed by her quick reaction as he shifted into an identical stance. “I want you to pin me down. I want to know how much you’ve learned and how fast we can go to the next stage of your training. His face was stoic as the air calmed and the whole place was quiet.