*Crease Pack*Arthur's POV:The Visiting Room."Wait here. I'll get him to see you," he said before disappearing down the hall.I stood by the table, tapping my fingers against the cold steel surface. My mind raced with the questions I needed to ask. Why had he been arrested? Did he really have anything to do with that pack? And who was he truly?The door creaked open, and I turned to see him—a man in his mid-fifties, his face weathered by time and grief. His eyes, though tired, were sharp and calculating. This was a man who had seen much and lost even more."Elara’s father," I muttered under my breath as he dragged himself to the seat across from me.For a moment, we simply stared at each other, sizing one another up. Then he broke the silence. "The lawyer already told me about you."His voice was gravelly, as though it hadn’t been used in days."I’m Arthur Graham, the Alpha of Dawn Pack," I said, leaning forward slightly with my hand extended for a handshake, which he accepted brief
*Harden, I Don't Need You*Harden’s POV:I sat behind my desk, staring at the phone in my hand. The screen was dark, but Elara’s number was already pulled up. It had been a week since I’d last seen her, a week since she slapped me and stormed out. I still felt the sting of that slap—not just on my cheek, but deep inside me. One part of me kept replaying my actions from our last meeting."Shit, what am I thinking..." I hissed at the memory of the exact words I had said to her. “Let’s have one night together.”My fist banged hard on the table, and I continued to question myself. Why did I say that?! As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I’m madly in love with Elara.Never had I thought that I’d be easily moved by any woman. But Elara had always been different. She had a way of crawling under my skin, making me want her every time. I’d tried to control her, to keep her close, but she slipped through my fingers, right into Arthur’s. That only made me want her more.Gerald Williams.He was
*This Isn't Over*Harden's Pov: Before I could respond, she hung up. The sharp beep of the disconnected line rang in my ear, and I stared at the phone, disbelief and rage flooding my system.How could she refuse me? How could she be so heartless? I threw the phone onto the desk, the force rattling everything around it.This isn't over, not until I say so.I stood up, pacing back and forth in my office, frustrated. The urge to break something awakened inside of me.If Elara thinks she can reject me, she’s wrong. I wasn’t going to let her go that easily. She belonged to me, whether she admitted it or not.I couldn’t stop thinking about her, about how she used to look at me with those bright eyes before everything fell apart. She used to trust me, used to care about me. And just when I had some hope about us, she was slipping away again.The thought made me sick.I needed to calm down. I needed to think clearly. There had to be another way to get her back. I got up, went to the small ce
*Threat to Us*Third Person's POV:Harden pivoted in the room, the cool air doing little to calm the storm raging inside him. He had to find a way to meet with Arthur and probably convince him to drop Elara's father's case. Surely, Arthur wouldn't want to stain his reputation for a man like Gerald. If he heard about the things Gerald was involved in, he'd likely drop the case.The door creaked open, and Caitlin stepped in, staring at the pacing Harden with lazy eyes. He probably landed himself in some huge trouble, which was why he needed her, she thought. Caitlin made her way to the couch in the room, crashed on it, and flung her bag to the side."I told you I had so much to do and plan for the wedding. Why did you call me here?" she asked in a cold tone, which made Harden feel guilty and ashamed of himself. He was so stupid that he found it hard to handle the slightest problem. Harden knew that Caitlin loved him, and she was so innocent that he didn't need to involve her in his mess
* We'll Figure Everything Out*Third Person's POV:The drive back was suffocatingly silent. Arthur felt a heavy weight on his shoulders and chest as he stared out the window. He couldn't stop blaming himself for what had happened to Elara's father. His mind went back to the time when he had picked up an unconscious Elara from the roadside and taken her home. He recalled how she had pleaded with him to help her father, but he hadn't listened.Arthur barely cared about others. To him, there were two types of people in the world: his people and the other people. Back then, Elara had belonged to the category of the other people, and there was no way he would have chosen to fight against Harden's pack for her sake. His sister had been betrothed to Harden, but now, he didn’t care about his relationship with Harden.If he had listened to Elara back then, perhaps her father would have been free. But now, Harden's father and others were involved.Elara's father was entangled in something far m
Third Person's Pov:*We'll Figure Everything Out - 2*Once Arthur returned from the bathroom, the fresh, clean scent of his body wash and shampoo filled the room. His blonde hair was still damp, beads of water clinging to his skin as he dried his hair with a towel. The light from the bedside lamp cast a soft glow on his skin, highlighting the strong lines of his arms and shoulders. As he moved, the muscles in his back flexed slightly.Elara, seated on the edge of the bed, clutching the clothes she had chosen for him, couldn’t help but stare, her eyes tracing the contours of his frame without realizing it. Her mind wandered, captivated by the simple yet intimate moment. She admired the way he moved so effortlessly, the way he carried himself with a pride and dominance that seemed to radiate from him. The warmth of the room mixed with the coolness of his presence, and she felt her cheeks flush at the thoughts running through her mind. She still couldn't believe this fine man, who looked
Every Man's Got to Have an IdentityArthur's POV:After I left the house, I drove my car to my office, going straight to the meeting room.Elias and Tony were already there when I entered. Elias leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and his sharp eyes focused on me, while Tony sat nearby, scribbling something in his notebook. The man always looked calm and serious with work, as if nothing in the world could shake him. It made sense—he was the pack’s gamma and a highly respected lawyer in town. He dealt with dangerous legal matters every day.“Alpha,” Elias greeted, his voice low and steady as he moved to the table, drawing out a chair for me before taking a seat in the third chair. “I got the information you asked for.”I nodded and gestured for him to continue, taking the seat at the head of the table. Tony looked up from his notes, waiting silently.Elias pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket, placing it on the table. “It wasn’t easy gathering these names. People these
*A Struggle for Survival*Just when Arthur thought he would black out, his eyes snapped open, and his body trembled in agony. It felt like the Moon Goddess was giving him a second chance, urging him to do all he could to stay alive. He fought desperately to stay conscious.The pain from the open wound surged through him like waves, threatening to drown him. His vision blurred, the world around him spinning wildly as he struggled to keep himself awake.Black, abnormal blood seeped from the wound, and though he was vaguely aware of Tony’s desperate movements nearby, all he could focus on was the fire consuming his body from within.*Stay awake. For Elara. For the pack, and Family.* His mind repeated it over and over, a mantra to keep him grounded. Each breath was a battle, shallow and ragged, as if even the air resisted him. Arthur clenched his fists, a groan escaping him as he tried to force the pain down to his stomach.“This can’t be it,” he muttered under his breath. “I can't... Thi
*Have Faith in Arthur*The night settled over the pack lands like a heavy cloak, thick with silence and shadows. Outside, the trees rustled, and a cool breeze slipped through, carrying the faint scent of the forest. But inside the council room, there was a different tension—a sense of danger lurking beneath the surface.Elias entered, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the pack elders who were already seated. The leader of the pack elders sat at the head of the table, his fingers tapping slowly against the polished wood, his expression calm yet watchful.Around him, the others—grim, wary men and women with faces weathered by years of loyalty and fierce battles—whispered among themselves, glancing at Elias as he took his seat.His eyes found Elias’s, and he nodded in greeting. "Glad you could join us, Elias."Elias nodded, his gaze calm but his posture guarded. He was here as Arthur’s stand-in tonight, but it felt different without Arthur’s powerful presence beside him. This wasn’t
*Your Goal*“The pack elders scheduled an emergency meeting; it’s concerned with your accident.”“When you get there, don’t let on anything. This fight has become personal; I will not involve people from my pack,” Arthur instructed, and Elias nodded.Arthur turned to Elara, his gaze softening. “Elara, I know you’re worried, but I need you to stay safe, too. If they couldn’t get to me directly, they might come for those closest to me. You’ll go back home today. Don’t come to see me unless I return home.”Her hand tightened around his. “But—”“I’ll be fine, Elara. I just need one more day before I bounce back.”“But I can stay at the pack house with you; I can take care of myself,” she said, trying to convince him because she didn’t want to leave.“I don’t want that. There are so many who have their eyes on you.” Arthur had always known that many disliked Elara because she was an outsider, and he didn’t want to give them the advantage while he was still bedridden.He gave her a faint sm
*Give Some Credit to the Witch*Selene’s expression turned serious as she looked at him, her bruised face hinting at the ordeal she had endured. She hesitated before speaking, her voice softer. “You could at least apologize for nearly killing me last night. That was a tough fight, I must admit.”Elias’s eyes flickered, a hint of something close to regret crossing his face as he looked at her. Her bruised face and weakened body tugged at something within him, though he quickly forced it back. She had, after all, saved Arthur, and perhaps she deserved some credit for that.But his pride wouldn’t allow him to voice any apology, and he simply narrowed his gaze, his tone unyielding. “Be grateful I let you live. I had every reason to kill you.”Selene smirked, though the effort seemed to cost her. Her pale lips trembled slightly in discomfort. “Grateful, huh?” She chuckled softly, though the sound was tinged with pain.Although her mind was crowded right now, there was something she'd alway
*He's Alive*In the morning, Elara woke up, still feeling discomfort in her chest. She washed her face and stood in front of the mirror, searching her reflection for any visible reaction, maybe even a hint of fur from her wolf—but there was none. She wondered what could be the cause. Last night, she couldn’t sleep, her wolf filling her head with howls, sensing that their mate might be in danger, or probably hurt. She tried reaching out to Arthur several times, but he didn’t respond, so she prayed for his safety. Arthur was strong and powerful, and she had immense faith in him; there was no way he’d lose in a fight.To distract herself while waiting for Arthur, Elara decided to work on the plants. Many of them needed special care, which she had noticed since first arriving here. She took the tools from the gardener and went into the garden.Elara knelt in the garden, her fingers gently tending to the young plants that had sprouted. The sun cast a warm glow over her, its gentle light a
*Dark Magic Tolerance*Caitlin nodded, swallowing hard. She didn’t have any other choice. As much as she hated to admit it, she was at Alberto’s mercy. "Please do something," Caitlin said again. Alberto responded with a nod this time, and seeing the softened look on his face, Caitlin had hope that he would help. She left the house with the thought that she had to be by her family's side at this time so no one suspected her. She walked back to her car, trembling with fear of being caught, constantly looking behind to make sure no one was following.Once Caitlin left, Alberto signaled someone who had been hiding in the shadows, lurking behind the dark curtains since the time Caitlin arrived. He was quick to hear her footsteps and instructed his companion to go into hiding.The person came out from hiding, their face barely visible behind a grim smile. Alberto went to the cellar and returned with a special bottle. He uncorked it and drank directly from it before giving his companion a si
*Not in the Bargain*Caitlin’s heart pounded in her chest as she paced around her room. Her mother had just delivered the news—Arthur had been shot with a strange bullet, and his condition was grave. Her mind raced with confusion, anger, and something she didn’t want to admit to herself: guilt.It wasn’t supposed to go this far. She never wanted to see Arthur in this state. All her plans, all her careful manipulation—none of it had involved this. She had wanted to hurt Elara, make her suffer, but Arthur? Her stepbrother? This wasn’t part of the plan.Her mother’s voice echoed in her ears, warning her that the situation was dire. Dark magic was involved, and the pack was panicking. They had no idea how to save him, and if something wasn’t done soon, Arthur wouldn’t make it through the night.There was only one person who might have answers, Caitlin thought. After more moments of deliberation, Caitlin was clear in her decision.She grabbed her coat, keys, and stormed out of the house. T
*Fading***Arthur's POV:**Everything hurts.There’s no other way to describe it. Every breath feels like fire, every movement sends shockwaves of agony through my body. The wound in my chest throbs, pulsing in rhythm with my slowing heartbeat. I can feel the blood leaving me, feel the life draining from my body with every passing second. I try to focus, to stay conscious, but the world around me keeps blurring and spinning.I can't lose this fight—not now, not after everything.But my body isn’t listening to me anymore. My limbs are heavy, too heavy to move, and I feel myself sinking deeper into the cold. My vision fades in and out, darkness creeping into the edges of my mind. I struggle to hold on, to keep myself tethered to reality, but it’s slipping away. Fast.“Arthur, stay with us.”The voice is distant, muffled, like it’s coming from far away. It’s Tony—I recognize his voice even in the haze. He sounds desperate, but I can barely make sense of his words. I want to answer him, t
*Witches Help*It wasn’t long before Arthur’s parents arrived, their expressions grim and heavy with worry. His father, the previous Alpha, stood tall, his face a mask of control, but the tension in his body betrayed his fear. His mother, the former Luna, clutched her husband’s arm, her eyes wide with concern as she gazed at Arthur lying unconscious on the healer’s table.Mira turned to them, her face pale. “I need your permission to reach out to a witch coven. The bullet that struck Arthur… it’s filled with dark magic. I can’t treat it here. They might have the antidote.”The room fell into a heavy silence.His father’s eyes narrowed. “A witch coven?” His voice was low, filled with disdain. “After everything we’ve been through with witches, you think we should trust them now?” There was anger evident in his tone.Mira hesitated but held her ground. “I understand your history, but the Alpha’s life is at stake. This magic is old, older than anything I’ve seen. If we don’t do something,
*A Struggle for Survival*Just when Arthur thought he would black out, his eyes snapped open, and his body trembled in agony. It felt like the Moon Goddess was giving him a second chance, urging him to do all he could to stay alive. He fought desperately to stay conscious.The pain from the open wound surged through him like waves, threatening to drown him. His vision blurred, the world around him spinning wildly as he struggled to keep himself awake.Black, abnormal blood seeped from the wound, and though he was vaguely aware of Tony’s desperate movements nearby, all he could focus on was the fire consuming his body from within.*Stay awake. For Elara. For the pack, and Family.* His mind repeated it over and over, a mantra to keep him grounded. Each breath was a battle, shallow and ragged, as if even the air resisted him. Arthur clenched his fists, a groan escaping him as he tried to force the pain down to his stomach.“This can’t be it,” he muttered under his breath. “I can't... Thi