VALERIA’S POVThe announcement of the royals joining the annual party came too soon. It sent a ripple of urgency through the entire pack, and I knew immediately that I had work to do.Elijah and I wasted no time in getting started. There was so much to prepare, so much to consider. But the first thing I needed to know was what my role would be when the royals arrived.I went straight to Dimitri for answers.His response was simple, yet firm. “You will be at the borders when they leave. That is all.”That was it?I frowned. “And when they arrive?”He gave me a pointed look. “You will be nowhere near them.”I crossed my arms. “Why?”Dimitri leaned back against his desk, his gaze assessing me before he finally spoke. “Because their departure is far more important than their arrival. The royals have a habit of leaving behind two wolves in the pack after their visit. Spies. Their way of sniffing out any suspicious activity.”I stiffened.I had heard rumors about the royals’ tactics before,
VALERIA’S POVFor the next few days, I made sure to stay close to Dimitri and his beta.It wasn’t easy.Dimitri wasn’t the kind of man who let people into his inner circle without reason. But by now, I had earned enough of his trust that he no longer saw me as a threat. He had started sharing things with me—small details at first, but enough for me to piece together what was happening behind the scenes.I learned the layout of the guards, how they would be stationed, and the arrangement plan for the annual party.But none of it was enough.I needed to find a solid opening—one that would ensure I got close to the royals.A bathroom break wouldn’t cut it.I had considered slipping in through the catering team, but Dimitri had assigned a special group to handle the royals’ food, and their identities were a closely guarded secret. No one knew who they were. Which meant no one outside of Dim
VALERIA’S POVThe office was empty.I had waited for this moment for days.Dimitri was gone, dragged away by his Luna for some fake romantic getaway, and the security cameras were still down. I had double-checked before stepping inside.This was my chance.I moved quickly, my hands gliding over the massive oak desk where he always sat, his scent still lingering in the air. The files he usually worked on were neatly stacked on top, but I already knew those were just decoys.Dimitri was smart—too smart.Whatever he was hiding, he didn’t want anyone to find it.I yanked open the drawers one by one, sifting through papers, contracts, and useless reports on border security and rogue activity. All things a typical Alpha would care about.But nothing on the royals.Nothing that explained why he was acting so on edge.I was about to check the last drawer when I noticed something odd.There
MAGNAR’S POVI wasn’t expecting to see her so soon.The moment I stepped into my father’s office, she stiffened. Just for a second. Just long enough for me to notice. But then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. She masked it perfectly, turning back to the book in her hand as if my presence didn’t affect her at all.Of course. Why would it?I hesitated.Why was she even here?Father never left anyone alone in his office. Not even me. But Valeria? He trusted her.More than he trusted his own son.That bitter truth settled deep inside me—a dull, familiar ache. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I fought for his approval, I always messed up. Always fell short.And now, Bernard had left me too.I clenched my jaw, the thought making my stomach twist.He was right to leave.Right to see me for what I really was and walk away.I sighed, feeling the weight of i
VALERIA’S POVI arrived at the café a few minutes early, scanning the place for Magnar. It wasn’t hard to spot him—he was sitting in the farthest corner, shoulders hunched, eyes trained on his clasped hands on the table.I frowned.Magnar was always so composed, so full of arrogance and bravado. But this? This was different. This wasn’t the same Magnar who sneered at me in training or threw sarcastic remarks my way whenever he had the chance. This was someone else entirely—someone who looked like they were carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.I took a steady breath, pushing aside the unease that twisted inside me, and walked toward him.As I approached, he didn’t even lift his head. His fingers were intertwined, knuckles white from the tension in them. His leg bounced slightly, a restless movement I had never seen in him before.I pulled out the chair across from him, the sound of it
VALERIA’S POVI narrowed my eyes at him, my mind still struggling to process the words coming out of his mouth.“What changed?” I asked, my voice calm but laced with suspicion. “And why should I trust your words?”Magnar exhaled, his gaze drifting to his hands as he clenched and unclenched his fists. His shoulders were hunched as if he was carrying the weight of the entire world on them.“I had to change,” he murmured. “I—” He paused, his throat bobbing as if swallowing back something bitter. “I’m losing everyone, Valeria. Slowly, one by one, they’re slipping away. I guess this is what they call karma.”I watched him carefully, waiting for the usual arrogance, the sharp edge of his tone that he always carried like a weapon. But it never came.“My father doesn’t trust me with the position,” he admitted, his lips twisting bitterly. “My mother… she doesn’t care about me. Not really. She never has.” He let out a short, humorless laugh. “I already rejected what the Moon Goddess gave me, an
VALERIA’S POVDimitri was gone.Two days.No one knew where.Not his beta, not his inner circle—no one. It was sudden, unplanned, and above all, suspicious move. With such an important event on the horizon, it made no sense for him to leave the pack, especially without a security detail. Dimitri wasn’t the kind of Alpha who liked to leave things to chance. He controlled everything, every movement, every breath of those around him. And yet, here he was, disappearing without a word.That alone was enough to put me on edge.I needed to find out where he had gone and, more importantly, why.But I wasn’t reckless. I knew Dimitri would never leave his packhouse unguarded, and more than that, I knew him. He never made a move without thinking five steps ahead.Which is why I wasn’t surprised when I noticed I was being followed.Two of his men.They were good—silent, strategic, keeping just enough distance that the average person wouldn’t notice. But my wolf did. I could sense them lingering i
MAGNAR’S POVThe pack was restless.It was like an invisible weight hung over everyone, pressing down on the packhouse, making every movement feel tense, every conversation feel clipped. The upcoming event was already enough to keep people on edge, but my father’s sudden disappearance—without so much as a proper explanation—was only adding to the unease.It wasn’t just the warriors sensing it; even the elders had started whispering among themselves. A leader leaving unannounced so close to such an important gathering? It wasn’t normal. And if my father was keeping secrets, that meant trouble.But for now, I had other responsibilities.He left me in charge alongside Beta Sam, which meant I had to ensure things ran smoothly. I wasn’t going to mess this up. Not again. I had already spent too much time being blind to my father’s ways, too much time following orders without questioning them.Not anymore.I had appointed a few warriors to prepare for Uncle Leonard’s pack’s arrival, ensuring
VALERIA’S POVRiven left, but I stayed.Her words echoed in my mind, a quiet reminder of the truth I needed to accept.I need to change the way I think.All of this was meant to be.Dimitri’s death. The battle. The bloodshed.I had to take revenge. It was supposed to happen one way or another.I couldn’t blame myself—not anymore.But I couldn’t stay here either.This place, these walls, this land—they would always remind me of what happened.Still, I couldn’t just walk away without a final goodbye.I had to make things right. I had to set everything straight.________________________________________By the time I returned to the pack, the battlefield was nearly cleared.The royal traitors had been dealt with.The Alphas who had dared to cross Riven were handcuffed in silver and being loaded into vans. I had no doubt she would deal with them personally.I walked toward the packhouse, my heart steady but my mind restless.I wasn’t sure what I expected, but when I stepped inside, I was m
VALERIA’S POVDimitri was dead.His lifeless body lay still, surrounded by the very people he had tormented and betrayed.And yet—I didn’t feel victorious.I didn’t feel like a hero.Instead, a sharp, twisting knot of dread and guilt settled deep inside me, like a festering wound that refused to heal.I should have felt relief. Peace.But all I felt was…Empty.A murderer.I had taken a life.Yes, it was justified. Yes, it was necessary. Yes, he deserved it.But that didn’t make it any easier.My gaze flickered toward Magnar. His lips were pressed together in a firm line, his golden eyes locked onto Dimitri’s body. I saw the shine of unshed tears, the war between grief and justice playing out in real time.I turned away.I couldn’t look at him.I couldn’t look at any of them.The weight of their stares, their unspoken expectations, was suffocating me.The world blurred as my breathing grew shallow. My heartbeat pounded against my ribs. I had to get out of here.I took a step back—then
VALERIA’S POVThe battlefield was silent.Not because the war was over—But because they were waiting.Waiting for me to finish what Dimitri started.I stared down at him, breathing heavily, my heart hammering in my chest.Riven’s voice sliced through the silence, low and certain.“Don’t show any mercy this time, Valeria. Your friends are safe—he has nothing against you now.”And just like that—My hesitation disappeared.The weight I had been carrying, the fear, the second-guessing—it all vanished.I turned my head slightly, catching sight of Magnar.He stood there, his arms tense at his sides, his jaw locked.His expression was unreadable, but his eyes…They were conflicted.He may have accepted this fate, may have severed the final tie with the man who raised him, but I knew—watching this wouldn’t be easy for him.I exhaled slowly and met his gaze.“You should look away,” I told him. “This is going to be painful for you to watch.”But he didn’t move.Didn’t blink.Didn’t turn away.
VALERIA’S POVI had never seen a vampire in my life.Not in person.Not until now.And suddenly, we were surrounded by them.Their presence was undeniable—an eerie, otherworldly force that sent shivers down my spine. Their sharp features, their glowing red eyes, the way they moved so effortlessly, like shadows given form.Riven is associated with vampires?Wow.I had heard whispers about her, of course. Rumors that she had ties beyond the werewolf realm. That she had even visited the fae kingdom.I never believed it.But now?Nothing seemed impossible when it came to Riven.And honestly… good for her.If anyone could command respect across different species, it was the woman standing before us with that annoyingly confident smirk.Dimitri, however, didn’t share my thoughts.His face twisted in pure rage, his lips pulling back over his teeth as he snarled at the newcomers.“Vampires are abominations! They are not allowed on my land! This is exactly why you should never have been queen,
VALERIA’S POV“No—”I lunged forward, my heart slamming against my ribs like a war drum.But I was too late.Dimitri’s fingers slammed down on the button, his smirk widening as if he had already won.For a split second, my world froze.I braced myself, every muscle in my body tightening. I knew what was coming—poison.A gas so lethal it would seep into the lungs of everyone around us, burning them from the inside, turning them into lifeless corpses before they could even scream.The end.I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the sting, the suffocating burn, the chaos—But…Nothing happened.I snapped my eyes open, my breath catching in confusion.The arena was still there. The ground hadn’t turned into a graveyard.The warriors, the royals, everyone was still standing.For a moment, even Dimitri looked stunned.His hand trembled over the button, his eyes darting wildly across the battlefield as if expecting bodies to drop at any second.Nothing.No poison.No death.No victory for him.
VALERIA’S POVThe battlefield still burned with chaos, but in this moment, my world narrowed down to only three people—Dimitri, Riven, and myself.Dimitri stood a few feet away, blood dripping from his nose, his fury barely contained. He was no longer the composed, manipulative mastermind. No. I had managed to push him into desperation.And Riven?She was watching me intently, her violet eyes sharp as she slowly began to understand what I was about to do.I turned my gaze back to Dimitri and smirked.“You know, Dimitri,” I called out to him, my voice clear over the noise of the battle, “you missed one crucial detail about Moonbound wolves.”Dimitri clenched his jaw. He wasn’t in the mood for games.But Riven, oh, she was.“I would love to know what it is,” she drawled, amusement flickering across her face.“I don’t care,” Dimitri snapped at the same time.I chuckled darkly. “Oh, but you should, Dimitri. You see, you’ve spent so much time obsessing over your revenge, your plans, and co
VALERIA’S POVI don’t know what came over me.One moment, I was staring at Riven, knowing Dimitri’s command had sealed my fate.The next, I was turning against him.All the energy I had been gathering, all the rage, the frustration, the helplessness—I redirected it.Not at Riven.At him.A blinding surge of power exploded from my hands, aimed straight at Dimitri.It hit him dead center.The force of my attack sent him flying backward, ripping him from the ceremonial platform. He crashed hard onto the stone floor below, a thunderous impact shaking the entire arena.Gasps echoed around me.A thick cloud of dust and debris rose from where Dimitri had landed, swirling in the air like a storm brewing around us. The weight of my attack had thrown him back with such force that the ceremonial platform itself trembled from the impact.For a heartbeat, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears and the shallow gasps of those who had witnessed what I had just done.Then, movement.I wasn’t give
VALERIA’S POVThe moment the signal came, I ran.The battle raged around me, the air thick with the scent of blood, smoke, and something far more sinister—Dimitri’s victory.His forces were overwhelming, tearing through the opposition like a wildfire, precise and merciless. The royals who had sided with him played their part well, cutting down anyone who dared to challenge their authority.This was his battlefield.His game.And I was just a piece he had moved into place.By the time I reached the throne, I expected to see panic, desperation—fear.But Riven sat there calmly, her posture regal, her gaze surveying the chaos below with a detached sort of curiosity.As if she were merely watching a performance rather than witnessing the fall of her kingdom.“So, you’re here to kill me.” She stated with a sigh.She didn’t sound afraid.Not even surprised.I faltered for a moment. She knew?“You knew?” I asked, disbelief coating my voice.She turned her head slightly, her golden eyes meetin
MAGNAR’S POVThe Queen followed my gaze.She saw it too.The fear in Valeria’s eyes.The helplessness clinging to her like a shroud.Riven’s expression remained unreadable, but something flickered in her gaze—understanding.“Hmm… interesting,” she muttered under her breath, her tone thoughtful, calculated. Then, without missing a beat, she turned her attention back to the gathered audience.She took a single step forward, commanding absolute silence.“As the reigning Queen, I declare the trials complete,” her voice rang out, powerful and unshaken. “Magnar has proven himself worthy through strength, strategy, and wisdom. He has shown that he is capable of leading not only his pack but making the hard choices necessary for the greater good.”The crowd erupted in cheers.Pride swelled in my chest, but a weight still pressed against me. Something wasn’t right. I could still feel Valeria’s gaze, though I couldn’t find her in the sea of people.Queen Riven turned to face me once more.“I ho