*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
*Betrayal*Elara's POV:"I, Alpha Harden Edmund of the Scorpio pack, accept Caitlin Graham of the Dawn pack as my Luna. She is my true mate." When those words echoed, I dropped the glass in my hand, drawing everyone's attention in the ballroom. I was stunned, unable to comprehend what I had just heard. My fingers quivered in shock.Moments earlier, my loving and dotting boyfriend stood by my side on the balcony, professing his love for me and even mentioning he'd give up his position as Alpha of the Scorpio pack. I didn't expect this sudden change of heart when he publicly declared another woman as his true mate.I had been so excited when I was invited to tag along to the Dawn pack for the bouquet, and thought of it as a way to escape my already cruel life, and probably breathe in fresh air different from the one I'm used to. Caitlin was the daughter of Alpha Nicolas Graham of the Dawn pack and she usually visited our pack house along with her father. Our friendship started after she
*Healing*Elara's POV:As I tried to immerse myself in chores, the news of Caitlin and Harden's imminent mating ceremony struck me. I was told that we had to clean in preparation for the ceremony.Among my tasks, cleaning the usually unused West Wing of the mansion was assigned to me. While heading there, I spotted Caitlin and Alpha Harden approaching. I tried to prep talk myself. They were the ones who betrayed me.I shouldn't feel bothered right?.I shook off the feeling and prepared to push through this like everything was normal. "Elara!" I instinctively turned around, with my feet glued to the ground. There she was with Harden, their hands intertwined together with huge smiles plastered on their faces as he listened attentively to what she was saying until they reached where I stood."Hi, Elara." Her face had a smile which I couldn't tell was genuine as she asked me my whereabouts, "Where did you go throughout the night? After the announcement, I searched the whole mansion for yo
*Waiting*Elara's POV:My heart was wounded even though I tried to be strong while snow felt utterly defeated, we had lost the one we were meant to be with. As werewolves, our mates were supposed to know us deeply, understand, and care for us always without wanting anything in return. It's tough feeling knowing that we won't ever experience that kind of love from a destined partner since he chose another over us. I ended up being a wolf without a mate.But I shouldn't be sad about it. It's his loss for choosing Caitlin instead of his real partner just to impress the Dawn Pack.We ran until we could hardly breathe. Finally, we stopped at our pond, a place that brings us peace, and we howled sadly into the night. Snow felt really beaten down and hurt, so she retreated into my mind to heal, while I finally let myself cry a lot.That was the last I heard of her. I had hoped the effects would have lessoned by now since we broke our bond, but I wasn’t that lucky. But again, I shook off the
*Comeback to Me*Elara's POV:"You're awake," his hoarse voice said as he walked toward me. "Why did you stand under the rain? You should have just gone home instead of making yourself sick from the rain." Harden scolded, his slender fingers held my chin, pushing my face to the side as he inspected me. It felt awkward. What if the Luna arrived? She would misunderstand the scene. I slowly stepped back, letting him know I was uncomfortable with this.In self-realization, his hand hung in mid-air for a short while, clenching into a fist before he dropped it by his side. I could tell he was annoyed because his mood instantly changed. He was not the same person who cared if I was drenched in the rain a while ago."Why did you come here, Elara? I thought I already told you that Caitlin is my mate. You should stay away from our lives," he said."I didn't come here by choice. You made me come," I told him.He tittered, "How?""My father.""I never believed that there will come to be a day whe
*Saved* *Elara's POV*Morning arrived with a jolt. My head pounded, breaths ragged as I surfaced from unconsciousness. My aching body felt as though I had been dragged from a deep sea.I scanned the unfamiliar room, meeting the gaze of a striking blonde-haired stranger leaning against the door, cigarette and a bottle of alcohol in hand. He had many beautiful traits: blonde hair, grey eyes, a protruding nose, thin fine lips, a strong jawline, and a huge build of about 6.3 feet. He was more handsome than any man I'd seen. I looked away from him when it felt like I was gawking too much."Where am I? How did I get here?" I asked, disoriented and puzzled by the environment."You're awake? I'll get you something to eat," he replied, tossing the cigarette away and walking to the bedside.He reached out for the wet rag, which I hadn't noticed on my head, took it, dropped it in water, and then left the room for a short while. When he came back, he carried a tray of food with him, which he pl
*Replacement*"You should calm down. Maybe a little training would lighten your mood," he suggested and informed me that the private training room was ready to be used. Jack accompanied me there.I changed into my armor, picking my favorite sword and shield from the rack. After dressing, I threw a sword at Jack, inviting him to a sword match. He gladly accepted.I moved back a bit, setting my sword in front of me, and then, in an instant, rushed at Jack to strike him with my sword. He blocked the attack with his shield."Cool down, man. Do you want to hurt me?" Jack asked, his face still showing shock from almost having his head severed a while ago."Hold your sword properly," I replied, more like a warning."You have to get a hold of yourself, Harden. As the Alpha of the pack, you're not supposed to be seen acting this way, do you want to kill your beta??"I growled at him and then he knew I was more than serious. His grip on the sword tightened, ready to defend.This time I moved wi
*Help me*Before I could open the door, he did it himself. There he stood, a medium-sized towel loosely wrapped around his waist, droplets of water cascading from his hair down to his shoulders, abs and coming to settle in front of the v- line, my eyes widened as I followed the movement droplets of water settling and been absorbed by the towel hanging loosed in his lower waistI couldn't take my eyes off him, he was handsome seeing him up close I wouldn't lie, but there was something more to him, something compelling about this man, perhaps the fact that he was an Alpha and all she-wolves would be technically attracted to the Alpha.With another towel, he dried his hair with his thin lips protruding. Everything about this man exuded a commanding presence."Why did you come here?" he asked, his voice different from earlier—perhaps a figment of my imagination."Uhmm..." I faltered momentarily. He seemed about to shut the door in my face when I recalled why I'd come. Holding the door ope
*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