Zane's POVHave you ever been thrust into a situation so dire that you had to take the worst possible action because you hoped it would bring the best results?“You're a fucking idiot, absolutely insufferable.” Artem cursed. I had released him, knowing this would happen. I let him rain all sorts of unprintable words on me because I knew I deserved it.“At least I was able to save her.” The words were more of a consolation to myself than anything else. “But at what cost, damnit?! We lost our mate for the second fucking time because you're just too weak to protect her. You can't protect anyone. How long will this go on? You've practically lost everyone in your life because of your powerlessness.” Artem seethed.His words would hurt….. They would if I wasn't already broken beyond repair. I'm so deep in despair that crying just wouldn't be enough to express the depth of how I'm feeling right now.My heart has been torn to shreds. I've hurt the one I love the most in this world and it fee
Zane's POVI tried my best not to give off any sign of fear.“Let go of her right now, Zane. If I have to repeat myself again, I'll just let the gun do the talking.” Blade gritted, his tone carrying a serious warning. I hate being caught off guard, I hate everything that's happening right now.I hesitated and Blade turned off the safety. Seeing no other option, I took my hands of Isla and she spluttered, coughing uncontrollably and gasping for air.“How dare you do this, Blade? You betrayed your Alpha, you betrayed your entire Pack, you threw away your years of service just to work for Isla? You're a fucking coward.” I spat annoyed and Blade tsked.“You're the last person I need to hear that crap from. Nothing about you screams brave or courageous to me. You have no right to question my loyalty to this Pack. I don't serve you, Zane. My loyalties lie with your late parents and if they were still with us, they would have done anything to save this Pack from ruin, even if it meant disca
Zane's POV “What the actual fuck, Zane?! Have you gone mad?! Do you really think I'll let you sacrifice our pup after we've waited so long for his arrival? You're fucking bonkers if you think I'd let you do that.” Artem raged within me.I could feel him fighting, clawing his way at the back of mind, trying desperately to breach my defenses and take control.But I did what I do best. I shut him out, sealed him in tight.“I'm sorry, Artem but we can't be emotional right now. We can always have another child but I can't bear to lose Jaselyn, I wouldn't be able to survive it, Artem. I'd die with her. I just…… I have to save her no matter what it takes.” I pleaded with him, going firm at the last part.Artem still refused to submit. He kept fighting, raging. I feared he would break free and go rogue if I didn't keep my defenses secure and high up.“Good. Now you're finally speaking my language. After you betrayed and abandoned me, I swore I would ruin your life with Jaselyn no matter what
Rion's POVSomething felt off. It truly did. Despite the horrible accusations made by Zane against Jaselyn and I at the party, I felt something else emanating from Zane, an undercurrent of strong emotions that didn't really feel like anger, it felt more like a silent plea for help.It completely clashed with everything he was saying and doing. I chose to believe in the years I've known him rather than the little display he was putting on.Another wave of uneasiness in my gut proved that it wasn't just my imagination, something is indeed wrong. Somehow. Somewhere. It's unnerving having this strange sense of foreboding, like you can tell something is about to go horribly wrong but you have no idea what, so you're granted no other option than to sit on your hands and watch the events unfold.It made me feel helpless. I hate feeling helpless. And that's exactly why I tried to reach out to Zane. The accusations, especially his inconsiderate words, caught me off guard, yes, but….. I wanted
Rion's POV “Well, that's never going to happen. You're always going to be the villain in my eyes, Jinu and for good reason. Besides, you don't belong in this Pack. You don't know Zane like I do, you have no right to give opinions.” I sneered.He sniffed and wiped his tears.“You're right, I'm sorry. I just wanted to help you. But I'm pretty sure the Alpha left the palace, I'm also confident he has some kind of connection or relationship with Isla.I hope you can find him and bring him back and all of this can finally be over.” Jinu spoke wistfully and I left, not having the time to engage in more words with him.It felt absolutely redundant.At the same time, I couldn't help but ponder on what he had said. He had overhead Zane on the phone with Isla of all people. If he actually is telling the truth then does that mean…..No.It couldn't possibly be, right? That weird energy in the room, him holding himself back; have I been misinterpreting it this whole time?Is Zane truly acting th
Rion's POVI paced up and down relentlessly. It had been only a few minutes since the doctor asked me to leave the room so she could work but it felt like forever.“Rion dear, is something wrong? You seem distressed.” I turned to see Luna Daryna approaching me.“It's Jaselyn, something’s wrong. She collapsed in the bathroom.” I informed her and she gasped.“Oh my goodness, will she be alright? What could possibly be wrong?” She thought out loud.“I have no idea, I just….. I just have a bad feeling about all of this. Given the fact that she lost her son and then got rejected by Zane, I can understand the heartbreak and I'm truly worried for her.” I blurted, resuming my pacing and Luna Daryna placed a hand on my shoulder.“It'll be alright, don't worry. She has the Moon goddess by her side and she has you so nothing could possibly happen to her. It's obvious just how much you c
Rion's POVI sat down by her bedside, watching her sleep. She had been dressed in a gown and a few hours had already passed but she was yet to wake up.Her hand laid lazily in mine as my mind wandered over the events of the last few days. Her hand stirred, fingers moving in my grasp.“Jas?” I called and watched as her eyes fluttered open gently.Her eyes remained half closed, confusion glazing her brown orbs but I called to her again and her gaze finally fell on me.“Rion.” Her voice was dry, cracked.“It's alright, you'll be fine.” I assured her and I saw a tear slip down the side of her eye.“I…… I feel weird. My chest hurts and it feels like my heart is pounding so hard it'll give out. It's hard to breathe. I feel nauseous as well, my head is heavy and I….. I'm missing my son.” She said slowly, voice still raspy. It made my heart ache.“I'm sorry, Jas
Zane's POVI have no idea how I managed to pull it off. Rejecting Jaselyn for the second time is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. The agony, the torture of the words that left my very own mouth was indescribable.And even though I keep reminding myself that it had to be done, it still isn't enough.I held onto a practiced stoicism with all my might and said those cruel words without breaking down but the minute I left that room, it came crashing down. Tears I couldn't hold back, sorrow like a broken dam. And so I ran like a coward, like I always do.I left because I needed to breathe, I couldn't keep up the charade of false pride. I'd lost my child and my mate on the very same day and all because I was too weak to protect them.I burn for Jaselyn, I truly do but I'm half the man she deserves. She deserves so much more and I've brought her pain and suffering when I….. when I was supposed to be her salvation.It pains
Celio's POV The wooden floor creaked under my knees as I scrubbed away at the dirt, pushing the rag back and forth with all the strength my small, 8 year old body could muster. The chill of the mountain wind seeped through the cracks in the old walls, biting at my skin. My hands were raw and red, the rough texture of the rag scraping against my knuckles. I didn’t mind. I didn’t mind the pain, the hunger gnawing at my stomach, or the loneliness that pressed on me like an iron weight. I was used to it.I glanced out the cracked window at the gray sky that mirrored my feelings. The little shack we lived in sat at the base of the mountain, far away from any Pack. Isla had always told me that it was better this way—away from the people who would look at me and know that I wasn’t wanted, that I was abandoned by the very woman who should have loved me most.“Your mother didn’t want you, Celio,” Isla would say, her voice sharp and filled with disdain. “She threw you away like you were nothing
Luka's POV The day started out like any other. Mika, Sawyer, and I were playing in the woods behind the palace, chasing each other through the trees, our laughter echoing in the air. At seven years old, we were pretending to be fierce wolves on a hunt, leaping over fallen logs and dodging branches. It was perfect, like it always was when we were together.But then everything changed in an instant.I heard the thud first—a sound so sharp and heavy that it made my heart skip a beat. I stopped and turned around, the world seeming to move in slow motion as I saw Mika crumple to the ground, his face twisted in pain.“Mika!” I shouted, racing back to him. The sight that met me made my stomach lurch. His leg was twisted at an odd angle, and there was blood—so much blood—pouring out of a long, deep gash along his shin. It covered the grass, bright and red, and kept coming. I couldn’t breathe.Sawyer came running up, her eyes huge and frightened as she saw the blood. “Luka, what happened?” sh
Jaselyn's POV I took his hand, and he pulled me close, holding me from behind as we swayed gently to the music. His lips brushed my ear as he whispered, “You’re beautiful, you know that? Even after everything, you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. And I’m the luckiest man alive to have you.”Tears pricked my eyes, but they weren’t tears of sadness this time. They were tears of happiness, of gratitude. “Rion… you don’t know how much that means to me.”He kissed my neck softly. “You mean everything to me, Jas.”Suddenly, the music stopped, and a projector flickered on. I turned to see a slideshow of pictures—our memories together. Photos of us when we first arrived at the Pack, a few of the whole family, some from the day of our mating ceremony, which also doubled with the coronation, pictures of us as Alpha and Luna at a few events, including one of us at the Peace Ball. Pictures of me with the twins when they were born and finally, pictures of us with Luka and Mika. I
Jaselyn’s POVExhausted didn’t even begin to cover how I felt. I was beyond it. No, it was more like EXHAUSTED in capital letters, underlined and bold. It had been a few days since Luka and Mika were born, and though I’d prepared myself for the sleepless nights and constant feeding, nothing could have readied me for the complete overwhelm of being a new mother to two newborns at the same time. Rion helped as much as he could. He was always there, doing everything in his power to make things easier for me. But there was only so much even he could do. There were things I had to handle myself—breastfeeding, comforting them when they both decided to cry at the same time, managing the constant pain in my body that hadn’t fully recovered from the trauma of childbirth.Luka was a good feeder. He latched on almost immediately, eager to nurse, but Mika wasn’t doing as well. He struggled with breastfeeding, and that meant more time spent trying to get him to eat, more time stressing about whet
Jaselyn's POVFive years have passed since the birth of our twin boys.And in those years, Luka and Mika had grown into mischievous, spirited children who constantly kept me on my toes. They were inseparable, their bond unbreakable, and they moved through life with a shared sense of curiosity and adventure.Completely identical, they inherited the dominant Solstice genes with their ebony black hair, deep green eyes, and strikingly beautiful features. They were so similar in appearance that even their grandmother couldn’t tell them apart.Only Rion and I could tell which was Luka and which was Mika, and the boys often used this to their advantage, tricking everyone around them. But when they weren’t up to mischief, they were the sweetest children imaginable—kind, considerate, and always eager to bring a smile to my face.They were the best of friends, always looking out for each other. If one fell ill,
Rion's POV“That’s it, Luna,” the midwife encouraged. “The hardest part is over. Just one more push, and we’ll have him out.”Jaselyn nodded weakly, her face pale and slick with sweat. She gritted her teeth, her whole body trembling as she summoned the last of her strength. With a final, desperate scream, she pushed again, her body arching off the bed as she bore down with everything she had left.The baby slipped free with a gush of fluid and blood, his tiny body wriggling and slick in the midwife’s hands. “It’s a boy!” she announced, holding him up for us to see, his loud, piercing cries filling the room.My heart swelled with emotion as I gazed at our son, his tiny face scrunched up in a wail, his fists clenched and shaking. Tears blurred my vision as I looked at Jaselyn. “He’s beautiful,” I choked out, my voice thick with emotion. “Jas, you did it. You gave us a
Rion's POVI slammed my fist against the desk, sending papers flying. The frustration had been building for months, and now it was boiling over. "Dammit!" I cursed, pacing the room in a futile attempt to calm myself. We had conquered the Rain Forest Pack with ease, but it had been a hollow victory. Hadrian, that fool, had chosen to die rather than betray his cousin, Isla. He'd poisoned himself before we could get any information out of him. Another dead end.The Fishers were a twisted bunch. Part of me relished the thought of wiping them out for good, to rid the world of their poison. Isla had slipped through our fingers, and I was beginning to fear we’d never find her. If I could only get my hands on her, I would make her pay for taking Celio. She would wish she had never been born.Blade had been another disappointment, another dead end in our search for Celio. We had pushed him to his absolute limits, hoping that the pain and pressure would force
Jaselyn's POV“Maybe we could…shower together?” I suggested hesitantly. “It might help me relax.”Rion smiled softly, his eyes filled with understanding. “That sounds like a great idea. Come on, let’s get cleaned up.”We both undressed completely, and I followed him into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, adjusting the water temperature until it was just right, then we stepped under the warm spray together.The water cascaded over us, washing away the tension and the grime from the day. Rion wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me close as the water streamed down our bodies. I leaned back against him, feeling the steady beat of his heart against my back. His touch was gentle, his hands moving over my skin with care, never lingering too long in one place.He washed my hair, his fingers massaging my scalp in slow, soothing circles. I closed my eyes, letting myself relax under
Jaselyn's POVI agreed to see Nae, but only because I needed to know if she could give me any information about where Isla might have taken Celio. It was my only lead, and I wasn’t about to let it slip through my fingers, no matter how much I despised Nae.Before heading to see her, I turned to Rion. His clothes were torn and stained with dirt and blood from the battle. He looked tired, and I could see the weariness in his eyes despite his usual confident stance. He needed rest, and he needed to be taken care of. After everything he had done for me, it was the least I could do for him.“Come with me,” I said softly, taking his hand. I led him back to our bedroom, feeling a mixture of nerves and determination. “Rion, I want our lives to go back to normal,” I began, my voice wavering slightly. “I want to feel close to you again.”He looked at me with a mix of surprise and concern. “Jas, you don’t h