DARIUSDawson kept talking about trade deals, alliances, and some shipment plans, but I wasn’t paying attention. I sat in my chair, staring at the papers on my desk without really seeing them. Every now and then, I’d nod like I was following along, but honestly, I wasn’t. My head was somewhere else entirely.It was on her.Molly.The girl who had tried to kill me twice. The girl who somehow survived things most people wouldn’t. And now, she was here—alive, bold as ever, and still looking at me like she wanted me dead."Alpha?" Dawson’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts."What?" I blinked, realizing I had no idea what he’d just said.He frowned. "I was asking if you wanted to approve the shipment for the southern border.""Yeah, sure. Do whatever you think is best," I muttered, waving him off.He raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong? You seem... distracted."I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "I’m deliberating on something. I think it's best if you come back later."Dawson paused
EMMELINEI stood outside the grand door of the new overly spacious room Darius had just shown me. His excitement was almost like that of a child, like he expected me to leap for joy or shower him with gratitude. I wasn’t about to do either.I couldn’t help but wonder what on earth was wrong with him.First, he saved me.Then, he had the audacity to try and kiss me.Oh, the kiss.How had I not stepped back? How had I stood there, frozen, letting the moment linger far longer than it should have?I’d sworn to myself that I would never let it happen again. Never.And yet, if we hadn’t been interrupted yesterday, I might have kissed him back.My heart clenched at the thought, and I frowned.Maybe it wasn’t him.Maybe I was the problem.“This is your new room,” he said, smiling like he’d done something extraordinary. His hands were tucked in his pockets, and his tone was so smug it made my skin crawl. “Take a look. I’m sure you’ll love it.”Love it? That word didn’t exist in my vocabulary w
EMMELINEI wiped my face with the back of my hand. My eyes were puffy, my throat sore from crying. Hours had passed since the mess in the garden, but the tightness in my chest hadn’t let up. I hated this place. I hated Darius. And I hated myself for being here.But damn, I was starving.I should go check the kitchen for some snacks. It was almost midnight.Grumbling, I slipped out of my room. The Estate was dead quiet, the kind of silence that would make your footsteps sound like thunder. I crept toward the kitchen, hugging the walls like some thief in the night.When I got to the door, I heard voices.“Have you noticed how strange the Alpha’s been acting lately?” one voice whispered.“Oh, absolutely. That girl must’ve done something to him,” another replied. “She’s not just some regular slave. She’s probably a witch and must have charmed him.”My blood boiled instantly. A witch? Really?“Think about it,” the first woman said, her voice dripping with disdain. “Why else would he give h
EMMELINEThe clinking of forks and knives against plates was the only sound in the room. I sat across from Darius at the long dining table, picking at the eggs on my plate. The silence was suffocating, the kind that wrapped around your throat and squeezed the air out of you.Darius sat with perfect posture, his piercing gaze locked on his food. He hadn’t said a word since I walked in. It was like we were strangers, but after everything that had happened last night, I couldn’t just ignore him.I stabbed a piece of sausage, chewed, and swallowed. Then, finally, I dared to look at him.He was already staring at me.My breath hitched, and I quickly looked away, focusing on the plate like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.I couldn’t take it anymore. “Why did you give me a special room?”His eyes narrowed slightly. He leaned back in his chair, his fork resting on the edge of his plate. “Because you asked for it.”“That’s not my real question,” I blurted out, my voice sharper t
EMMELINEMy legs felt heavy as I made my way to Darius’ meeting room. His guards had told me he wanted to see me, and the whole time I walked there, I couldn’t stop wondering why.Was it to apologize for what happened last night? An apology? Did I even need one?My head had been a mess all day. I kept replaying everything in my mind, trying to figure out what went wrong. Was it because I touched that strange mark on his chest? What was that mark, anyway?I let out a frustrated sigh. If he wanted to apologize, why wait until nighttime to call me? Why not come to me in the morning, like any normal person would? It didn’t make sense, and the more I thought about it, the more irritated I felt.When I reached the door, it was open just enough for me to see him inside. Darius stood near a massive wooden table, leaning forward with his hands braced on the surface, his head slightly bowed. He looked… distracted.I walked in quietly, and the moment Darius noticed me, he straightened up. His ey
Darius They found out so easily. The thought wouldn’t leave my head. How the hell did they find out so fast? How could the news have traveled this quickly, and why was it so damn easy for them to trace her? I paced back and forth, my mind racing with possibilities, each one worse than the last. I felt like I was suffocating. One of the Alphas, Crock—the same one who had always been the most eager for blood—spoke up. “What do you plan to do now, Darius? It’s important that the girl dies. We can’t have this turning into a mess.” I didn’t have the patience for this. I clenched my fists. “Once she’s caught, I’ll kill her myself,” I said, trying to sound calm, like I had control of the situation. But inside, my blood was boiling. They couldn’t know about her. They couldn’t. Crock nodded, the smallest hint of approval in his eyes. “Good. We’ll handle the trackers. They’re already on her trail. Three of our best are on the job as we speak.” I ran a hand through my hair, trying to
EMMELINEI couldn’t breathe.Did he just say that?The day my parents died?My head spun, and my entire body froze.No, no, no. He couldn’t know.I stared at him, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, trembling. Rage clawed its way up my throat, hot and furious. It made my chest ache in that familiar, horrible way that came every time I thought about that night.“I need to leave,” I muttered to myself, more to my legs than to him, willing them to move.“You’re not going anywhere,” Darius said, his voice calm. I took a shaky step back. “You have nothing to explain to me,” I snapped, though my voice was more shaky than confident.“I do.” He stepped forward. “Because I know who you are, Molly.”My heart stuttered. My breath hitched. No. He didn’t. He couldn’t.I laughed bitterly, though it sounded more like a strangled cry. “What the hell does that mean?” I demanded, my voice cracking. “You don’t know shit about me.”“Oh, but I do,” he said, steppi
EMMELINE"Put that on."I froze for a moment before turning my head to look at Darius. He stood by the door, casually tossing a silky nightdress onto the bed like it was no big deal. His voice had that sharp, commanding edge, like he was barking orders at one of his guards.I stared at the flimsy piece of fabric, my eyebrows shooting up. It wasn’t just thin—it was practically see-through. The thought of wearing that in front of him made my skin crawl.“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, my arms crossing over my chest. “There’s no way I’m putting that on.”Darius let out a long sigh, his eyes narrowing at me like I was a stubborn child testing his patience. "Don’t make this harder than it needs to be," he said, his tone flat but firm.I didn’t budge. “I’m not wearing it,” I said again, this time with more bite. “You can say it a hundred times, but it’s not happening.”He pinched the bridge of his nose like I was some kind of child testing his patience. “Don’t be stubborn, Molly. Jus
★DARIUS’ POV★Damn, that place was even worse than the stories. The Crying Woods… they weren’t kidding with the name. The air hung thick and heavy, clinging to my skin like a shroud. It reeked of stale blood, rot, and something else… despair, maybe? Twisted trees clawed at the perpetually grey sky, their branches like skeletal fingers. It was unnervingly quiet in some ways, but the silence was punctuated by sounds that made the hairs on my arms stand up – distant growls echoing through the suffocating woods, the rustle of unseen things in the undergrowth.And the eyes. Glowing pairs of them, tracking me from the deepest shadows. Yellow, green, cold pinpricks of hate watching my every step. The rogues. They said rogues were just mindless beasts, driven mad by isolation. Bullshit. Those bastards were smart, cunning. They were hunting me, I could feel it. Packs of them, flanking me, testing my path, waiting for an opening.Being alone sucked right then, made every shadow seem like a thre
★EMMELINE’S POV★I woke up slowly, the dull ache in my body a familiar companion now. But something else felt wrong. Deeper. Colder. I reached out instinctively, my hand searching the space beside me in the bed. Empty.Darius wasn’t there.That wasn’t unusual. He was the Alpha, always busy. But this felt different. The bond, the constant hum of his presence in the back of my mind, felt… distant. Like a faint whisper across a wide, empty space. Not gone, not broken, but stretched thin, strained.Panic, cold and sharp, pricked at me. I pushed myself up, ignoring the protest from my aching muscles. “Darius?” I called out, my voice raspy from sleep.No answer.I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my feet finding the floor. I pulled on a robe quickly, my hands fumbling with the tie. Where was he? Why did the bond feel so… far away?I opened the door to our chambers. A maid was outside, tidying the hall.“Where is the Alpha?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.She curtsied. “Good
★DARIUS’ POV★The morning after Finn died, the air in the pack house felt heavy, thick with grief and unspoken fear. Six of my men, gone. Just like that. Torn apart in those cursed woods. It should have made me stop. Made me rethink. Made me listen to the fear that was gripping the pack.But it didn’t.It only made me harder. More determined. If my best warriors couldn’t get those herbs, if the Crying Woods was too much for a trained team, then there was only one person left who could go. Me. The Alpha.I didn’t waste time. I called Sylas into my study first. He was the most skilled, the bravest of my advisors.He walked in, his face etched with the sorrow of the previous night. He knew why I’d called him. He could probably smell the grim resolve on me.“Alpha,” he said quietly.“Sylas,” I nodded, getting straight to the point. No need for pleasantries. Not now. “You know what happened last night.”He closed his eyes for a brief moment, a flicker of pain crossing his face. “Yes, Alpha
★DARIUS’ POV★I stood before them, my best warriors. Their faces were grim, expectant. They knew something was wrong. My mate was sick, and when the Alpha’s mate is sick, the pack feels it. The air in the room was thick with unspoken worry.“Listen up,” I began with a rough voice. “You know the situation with Luna Emmeline. The healer says there’s a way to help her, a tonic. But the herbs needed… they’re in the Crying Woods.”A ripple went through the group. The Crying Woods. Even the bravest among them shifted uncomfortably. They knew the stories. Everyone did.“Yeah, Alpha,” one of them spoke up. “The Crying Woods. That place is a shithole. Full of rogues.”“Exactly,” I confirmed, meeting each of their eyes. “Not just any rogues. These are the ones who lost their minds. Banished, twisted by rage and isolation. They live like animals in there. Savage. Violent. They kill anything that crosses their path.”I held up the parchment Anastasia had given me. “The healer gave me the descript
★DARIUS’ POV★“There has to be something.” My voice was low, a dangerous rumble I barely recognized. I stood over Anastasia, the healer, my fists clenched at my sides. Her face a roadmap of wrinkles, but her eyes held a weariness that wasn't just age. It was the look of someone who had seen too much, too many things go wrong.She sighed, a thin, reedy sound. “Alpha Darius, I understand your… distress. But I have told you. A hybrid pregnancy is… unnatural. The child grows too fast. It takes too much from the mother.”“Unnatural?” I scoffed, the sound sharp. “She’s carrying my child. There’s nothing unnatural about that.”Anastasia flinched slightly but held her ground. “With respect, Alpha, the mixing of bloodlines this strong… it creates complications. The child’s wolf nature is dominant, even in the womb. It draws on the mother’s life force to fuel its growth. It’s why… why hybrids are so rare now. The mothers…” She trailed off, her gaze dropping to the floor.“The mothers what?” I p
★EMMELINE’S POV★It was a quiet afternoon. One of the rare ones where I wasn't meeting anyone, or having Elara check on me, or listening to Darius go over security plans. I was just... alone in my room. The sun was streaming in through the window, warm and peaceful. I was sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed, my hand resting on my stomach.The baby had been calm for a while, just little wiggles here and there. It felt nice. Peaceful. I closed my eyes, just enjoying the quiet, enjoying the feeling of this little life inside me.And then it happened.Not a wiggle. Not a kick.It felt like... like something exploding inside me. A sudden, violent lurch, so powerful it stole my breath. My eyes flew open, and I gasped, a sharp, painful sound."Whoa," I whispered, putting both hands on my belly, trying to brace myself. "Okay, little one, that was... that was a big one."But it didn't stop. It wasn't just one kick. It was a series of them, rapid and brutal. It felt like t
★DARIUS’ POV★The whispers hadn't stopped, not entirely. Even after the council meeting, even after Sylas and Lena started their 'educational talks,' I could still feel the undercurrent of unease in the pack. It was like a low-grade fever, always present. And it was all centered around the baby. My baby.Emmeline was trying to be strong, I knew she was. But I saw the way she'd sometimes flinch when a maid was a little too quiet, or how she'd touch her stomach protectively when someone looked at her a little too long. The incident with Clara and the shoes, and how her anger had triggered the baby's kicks... it only confirmed my fears. This wasn't just a normal pregnancy. This child was... reacting. Responding. And that kind of connection, that kind of power, was exactly what the pack was afraid of.I needed more than Elara's observations, as good as she was. I needed someone who understood the truly ‘unusual’. Someone who specialized in the weird, the rare, the supernatural pregnancies
★EMMELINE’S POV★Things were getting weirder. Not just the Alpha visits, which were still a thing, but the baby. My baby. Elara said it was unique, strong, and yeah, I was starting to feel exactly what she meant.It wasn't just random kicks anymore. It felt... connected. Like my emotions were having a direct line to the little person inside me.Yesterday, for example. I was trying to get ready for another stupid Alpha tea with another set of Alphas who were scheduled for that day, and one of the maids, a girl named Clara, brought me the wrong shoes. Again. It was the third time she'd messed up a simple errand that morning. I was already stressed about meeting another stranger who might be secretly judging me or my baby, and this just... tipped me."Clara," I said, trying to keep my voice even, but I could feel the annoyance bubbling up. "These aren't the shoes I asked for. These are the ones from Tuesday. I need the black ones with the silver buckle."She just stood there, looking flu
★DARIUS’ POV★Something was off. I could feel it in the air, a subtle shift in the pack's energy. It wasn't fear like when we were under attack, not that sharp, immediate terror. This was... quieter. More insidious. It was whispers. Hushed tones that stopped the moment I walked into a room. Eyes that flicked away too quickly.At first, I thought it was just the usual pack gossip, maybe about the Alpha visits or the new security measures. But the feeling persisted, a low hum of unease that seemed to follow me. I started paying closer attention, listening in on conversations I usually wouldn't bother with.And then I heard it. Bits and pieces."...the Luna's baby...""...so early, and so strong...""...a pure hybrid... like the old stories...""...what if it's too much?"Too much. That was the phrase that kept coming up. Too much power. Too much difference. Too much... unknown.I knew exactly what they were afraid of. Hybrids weren't unheard of, not entirely. I had Lycan blood myself, a