~Alpha King Zeeb~ “So…” I trailed off, clearing my throat to gain Father’s attention. His normally hard features softened slightly, and I knew this was the perfect moment to finalize the discussion. No matter how difficult he was trying to be, I reminded myself that I was doing this for Heather. “About the mating ceremony…” His shoulders tensed instantly, a clear sign that this was a sore topic for him. He shook his head in disapproval before I could even finish. “We’ve been over this,” he said in a low, firm voice. This time, he fully turned toward me, his gaze sharp. “As far as I am concerned, no lineage of mine will be tied to bad blood, soiling our perfect generation. Derrick and Heather happening is out of the question, and that is final.” I clenched my fists, swallowing the fury bubbling inside me. Once again, Father was doing the same thing—dictating our lives under the guise of protection. I knew he had our best interests at heart, but his love came at a cost. I could
~Ivory~I leaned into Zeeb’s touch. For a moment, I almost lost myself in his arms, everything fading into a blur around us—and that was what scared me. I was scared of losing myself yet again. I wanted to open up, to tell him about Mrs Nora and the visions I got, but I didn't know how. I didn't know where to start. So instead, I bottled it all up. “Please leave before anyone sees you here.” Instead, I pushed him away, afraid of confronting whatever this was. No matter the bridges I created between us, Zeeb always found a way to fill in the gaps.He was reluctant at first. I knew he wanted to oppose me, to challenge me, to say he didn’t care about being seen. It was right there, at the tip of his tongue, but he sighed, his shoulders slumping briefly before he nodded and placed a lingering kiss on my forehead.I watched him walk away. My wolf snarled at the back of my mind, crossed with me for ruining the moment with her wolf, but I couldn’t afford to entertain her shenanigans. Instea
~Ivory~"We've heard so much about you. We're so glad to finally meet the famous Maya in person." A regal couple, whom Dimitris introduced as the Alpha and Luna of moonpack, extended their hands for a handshake, which I gladly took, accepting their greetings."Thank you very much for your kind words," I replied, still feeling awkward to be put under the spot. The Luna then proceeded to gush about my beauty."Everyone spoke of your beauty, but seeing you in person surpasses all expectations. You are indeed a catch." I gave a nervous chuckle as she continued, remarking on my pale skin and we fell into an easy conversation, the tension I felt earlier long forgotten. There was something about them that I found comforting. Another couple approached. I recognized the man from the assessment as a board member. Though we exchanged pleasantries, I sensed a subtle hostility in the way their eyes burned, the scrutiny, and the way they exchanged knowing glances between themselves, but I couldn't
~Ivory~ Confusion washed over me as I looked between Vinita and Zeeb, trying to understand what had prompted Vinita’s reaction and Zeeb’s words. The growing whispers in the room weren’t helping either. “Something special?” I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly. “What exactly are you talking about?” Zeeb’s smile remained, but from his eyes, I could tell even he was trying to wrap his head around the words he had just spoken. Nonetheless, he nodded and took a step forward, reaching out to touch me. It wasn’t intentional—more like an instinctive reaction to being thrown into the spotlight so suddenly. With all the watchful eyes on us, I instinctively took a step back, avoiding his touch. Zeeb’s face fell ever so slightly. It wasn’t a pleasant sight, and I felt the urge to apologize—to let him know I wasn’t avoiding his touch because I hated it but because I had been caught off guard, overwhelmed by all the eyes and whispers surrounding us. But there were more pressing matters
~Ivory~My eyes flew open at the unexpected reveal.“R-Rendering them human?” I repeated, genuine surprise lacing my voice.Being a special Luna from the Legend was one thing, but possessing a power so unimaginable… that was something else entirely.My brows furrowed as I tried to digest the information I had just been given. I could feel their eyes—Zeeb’s, Vinita’s, even Dimitris’s—all fixed on me, watching closely, silently waiting.But for what?A reaction? A decision? A sign that I understood what this meant?Dimitris was the first to speak, breaking the silence that had stretched on longer than I would have liked.“This power… it changes everything,” he said quietly, his voice laced with both awe and caution. His eyes remained locked on mine. “You need to understand what you are now and what that means for all of us.”“What it means for all of us?” I asked. A second passed, and when no one answered, the silence became its own kind of response. Then, like a thread snapping loose i
~Ivory~ I pulled away, shoving Zeeb in the chest to create some distance between us, my eyes wide as I turned toward the door. But… no one was there. We were alone, with the door slammed shut behind us as it had been when Zeeb first walked in. But that couldn’t be possible. I frowned, recalling vividly that Zeeb had indeed shut the door behind him when he entered. So, the only way the door could have opened was if someone else had come in. Which meant… An icy chill snaked down my spine as the possibility hit me that someone might’ve seen us kissing. I turned my gaze sharply to Zeeb. “Someone was here.” Zeeb frowned but didn’t respond immediately, as though he was trying to figure something out, most likely trying to detect who had been spying by the lingering scent in the air. But even for him, it seemed like a daunting task to tell, especially with so many guests at the party, scents flying around. But I wouldn’t deny the fact that he also had abilities far surpassin
~Alpha King Zeeb~“I’ll head in first,” Maya said, walking out of the balcony even before I could respond.As the balcony door closed behind her, I released a frustrated grunt and ran a hand through my hair, tussling the strands.She was pulling away, but not because of the kiss. No, the withdrawal that was evident on her face and in her scent wasn’t something that had just popped up. It had been there, brewing since the night we came to Father’s territory.What was going on?My wolf whined at the realization that I knew little about what was bothering our mate, and that, in turn, bothered me.I didn’t like Maya’s withdrawn demeanor, but could I really blame her? I wasn’t exactly sure what had been making her uncomfortable. So much had happened, and was still happening, and her attitude was… understandable.I had felt the frustration and stress radiating off her, but at the same time, the confusion in her scent and the way she tried so hard to put on a mask told me there was more.And
(IVORY’S POV) Disappointment gnawed at my chest as I listened to Alaric’s infuriating voicemail message—again. "Hi, you’ve reached Alaric’s voicemail. I can’t take this call right now, but please leave a..." The robotic tone fueled my rage. Cutting the call for the umpteenth time, I threw the phone onto the nearest couch as my chest tightened with frustration. Damn it! I paced our large, exquisitely furnished room, my mind racing with thoughts of my husband, Alaric. His scent, usually a comforting mix of sandalwood and musk, lingered in the room as usual, reminding me of his disappointing absence. It was our third anniversary, a day that should be filled with his love and warmth. Yet, here I was, alone and waiting. A few hours left, and the day will be over. How could he possibly choose tonight to come home late? I sneered. I glanced at my outfit, the Catwoman costume I thought he’d find playful. Now it felt silly, desperate. I touched my stomach absentmindedly, a ge
~Alpha King Zeeb~“I’ll head in first,” Maya said, walking out of the balcony even before I could respond.As the balcony door closed behind her, I released a frustrated grunt and ran a hand through my hair, tussling the strands.She was pulling away, but not because of the kiss. No, the withdrawal that was evident on her face and in her scent wasn’t something that had just popped up. It had been there, brewing since the night we came to Father’s territory.What was going on?My wolf whined at the realization that I knew little about what was bothering our mate, and that, in turn, bothered me.I didn’t like Maya’s withdrawn demeanor, but could I really blame her? I wasn’t exactly sure what had been making her uncomfortable. So much had happened, and was still happening, and her attitude was… understandable.I had felt the frustration and stress radiating off her, but at the same time, the confusion in her scent and the way she tried so hard to put on a mask told me there was more.And
~Ivory~ I pulled away, shoving Zeeb in the chest to create some distance between us, my eyes wide as I turned toward the door. But… no one was there. We were alone, with the door slammed shut behind us as it had been when Zeeb first walked in. But that couldn’t be possible. I frowned, recalling vividly that Zeeb had indeed shut the door behind him when he entered. So, the only way the door could have opened was if someone else had come in. Which meant… An icy chill snaked down my spine as the possibility hit me that someone might’ve seen us kissing. I turned my gaze sharply to Zeeb. “Someone was here.” Zeeb frowned but didn’t respond immediately, as though he was trying to figure something out, most likely trying to detect who had been spying by the lingering scent in the air. But even for him, it seemed like a daunting task to tell, especially with so many guests at the party, scents flying around. But I wouldn’t deny the fact that he also had abilities far surpassin
~Ivory~My eyes flew open at the unexpected reveal.“R-Rendering them human?” I repeated, genuine surprise lacing my voice.Being a special Luna from the Legend was one thing, but possessing a power so unimaginable… that was something else entirely.My brows furrowed as I tried to digest the information I had just been given. I could feel their eyes—Zeeb’s, Vinita’s, even Dimitris’s—all fixed on me, watching closely, silently waiting.But for what?A reaction? A decision? A sign that I understood what this meant?Dimitris was the first to speak, breaking the silence that had stretched on longer than I would have liked.“This power… it changes everything,” he said quietly, his voice laced with both awe and caution. His eyes remained locked on mine. “You need to understand what you are now and what that means for all of us.”“What it means for all of us?” I asked. A second passed, and when no one answered, the silence became its own kind of response. Then, like a thread snapping loose i
~Ivory~ Confusion washed over me as I looked between Vinita and Zeeb, trying to understand what had prompted Vinita’s reaction and Zeeb’s words. The growing whispers in the room weren’t helping either. “Something special?” I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly. “What exactly are you talking about?” Zeeb’s smile remained, but from his eyes, I could tell even he was trying to wrap his head around the words he had just spoken. Nonetheless, he nodded and took a step forward, reaching out to touch me. It wasn’t intentional—more like an instinctive reaction to being thrown into the spotlight so suddenly. With all the watchful eyes on us, I instinctively took a step back, avoiding his touch. Zeeb’s face fell ever so slightly. It wasn’t a pleasant sight, and I felt the urge to apologize—to let him know I wasn’t avoiding his touch because I hated it but because I had been caught off guard, overwhelmed by all the eyes and whispers surrounding us. But there were more pressing matters
~Ivory~"We've heard so much about you. We're so glad to finally meet the famous Maya in person." A regal couple, whom Dimitris introduced as the Alpha and Luna of moonpack, extended their hands for a handshake, which I gladly took, accepting their greetings."Thank you very much for your kind words," I replied, still feeling awkward to be put under the spot. The Luna then proceeded to gush about my beauty."Everyone spoke of your beauty, but seeing you in person surpasses all expectations. You are indeed a catch." I gave a nervous chuckle as she continued, remarking on my pale skin and we fell into an easy conversation, the tension I felt earlier long forgotten. There was something about them that I found comforting. Another couple approached. I recognized the man from the assessment as a board member. Though we exchanged pleasantries, I sensed a subtle hostility in the way their eyes burned, the scrutiny, and the way they exchanged knowing glances between themselves, but I couldn't
~Ivory~I leaned into Zeeb’s touch. For a moment, I almost lost myself in his arms, everything fading into a blur around us—and that was what scared me. I was scared of losing myself yet again. I wanted to open up, to tell him about Mrs Nora and the visions I got, but I didn't know how. I didn't know where to start. So instead, I bottled it all up. “Please leave before anyone sees you here.” Instead, I pushed him away, afraid of confronting whatever this was. No matter the bridges I created between us, Zeeb always found a way to fill in the gaps.He was reluctant at first. I knew he wanted to oppose me, to challenge me, to say he didn’t care about being seen. It was right there, at the tip of his tongue, but he sighed, his shoulders slumping briefly before he nodded and placed a lingering kiss on my forehead.I watched him walk away. My wolf snarled at the back of my mind, crossed with me for ruining the moment with her wolf, but I couldn’t afford to entertain her shenanigans. Instea
~Alpha King Zeeb~ “So…” I trailed off, clearing my throat to gain Father’s attention. His normally hard features softened slightly, and I knew this was the perfect moment to finalize the discussion. No matter how difficult he was trying to be, I reminded myself that I was doing this for Heather. “About the mating ceremony…” His shoulders tensed instantly, a clear sign that this was a sore topic for him. He shook his head in disapproval before I could even finish. “We’ve been over this,” he said in a low, firm voice. This time, he fully turned toward me, his gaze sharp. “As far as I am concerned, no lineage of mine will be tied to bad blood, soiling our perfect generation. Derrick and Heather happening is out of the question, and that is final.” I clenched my fists, swallowing the fury bubbling inside me. Once again, Father was doing the same thing—dictating our lives under the guise of protection. I knew he had our best interests at heart, but his love came at a cost. I could
~Alpha King Zeeb~“Look who we have here.” Father’s voice carried the same quiet authority it always did, though his eyes never left the checkers board in front of him. He cleared his throat, tapping a red piece absentmindedly. “If it isn’t the almighty King himself.” He added, mumbling under him breath. I playfully rolled my eyes and exhaled, pulling my hands from my pockets. “Good day to you too, Father,” I said in a monotone voice, settling into the seat across from him.A ghost of a smirk played on his lips before disappearing just as quickly. Without looking up, he nudged a piece forward. “Your turn.”I rolled my sleeves up to my elbows, already recognizing the challenge in his voice. He was being his usual self—dictating the pace before I even agreed to play.He’d already decided we were playing before I even sat down.“I don’t recall agreeing to a game.” I grazed a piece, considering my next move. “…You always take the center first.” I completed, moving the pieces. Father smi
~Ivory~ What in the world is going on? I swallowed down my saliva hard, confusion twisting in my gut as I watched Mrs. Nora unravel completely before my eyes. “Nooo!!” she screamed loudly this time, her voice hoarse from sheer anguish, she pulled and tugged at her hair with frantic desperation, one which was unsettling. Her wide, unblinking eyes shimmered with terror as she twitched. “Bunch of liars… they are all a bunch of liars!” Her sudden outburst sent a shiver through me. Her wild gaze darted around the room as if looking for an escape before snapping to mine. For a moment, I swore she was looking right into my soul, searching for something, as if I were a piece of a puzzle she had long been trying to fit together. Something in the way she looked at me—like she knew me, as if she was seeing something beyond my flesh and bone. It sent ice through my veins. It was something more than just recognition. Almost like…. desperation, as if she were trying to reach me, to pull me into