ALAYNA’s POV
“Whore.” “Slut. ” “Pathetic mute bitch.” Whispers slice through the air and hit me the moment I step into the brightly lit ballroom. I take a deep breath and lift my head high as I make my way towards the main table, where Ezra, my husband sits. The verbal abuse does not affect me, at least, not anymore. I have gotten used to it after three years of marriage to Ezra Nightwalker, Alpha King of the North. I finally reach the grand banquet table and quietly take my seat. Laughter, loud and boisterous, fills the air as guests sip wine and congratulate Ezra on his latest conquest. “To Lord Ezra, the great Alpha!” they toast and I lift my glass in sync, my fingers trembling just slightly. He has just conquered the Southlands, successfully taking over the Alpha King of the South’s throne. With his latest conquest, Ezra has made more enemies, but he has also gained immense power, power that no one would dare defy. His jaw is strong, his cheekbones high and his midnight hair smoothed back sleekly. His broad shoulders rise and fall with each laugh and his raven black eyes gleam with triumph. Yet, I feel nothing but a growing emptiness inside me. A man in a dark green cloak approaches our table, a wide grin on his face. I do not know his name but he seems to be from an ally pack. He has a beautiful young blonde scantily dressed standing next to him. They both bow low to Ezra. “Your victory will be spoken of for generations, my lord. No one has ever seen such a display of power,” the man says. “And to honour you, I would like to give you my daughter. She can be your plaything, your bed warmer, anything you want her to be.” The woman steps forward and starts to do a provocative dance, her hips swaying suggestively at Ezra. Ezra nods lazily, but his eyes are already roaming the woman from head to toe, lingering ever so slightly on the bosom that threatens to spill out of her sheer dress. Does he not even care that I am here? A hand clinks on my shoulder and I jump a little in my seat. Turning my head, I am greeted by Drake, Ezra’s second-in-command, his loyal Beta. His baby blue eyes are bright as he leans down, speaking just above a whisper. “Alayna, you look radiant tonight.” I force a smile, but it feels like my lips are cracking as I lift my glass once more. Drake’s attention shifts back to Ezra and I see yet another woman being presented to Ezra, this time a brunette. She rolls her eyes at me before starting to dance for him, swaying her lips from left to right. The guests clap and laugh. I swallow the bile rising in my throat. I do not want to be here anymore. Quietly, I push my chair back, stand up and slip away from the table. Ezra does not even look my way. He never does. *** The hallway outside the banquet hall is a welcome escape. It is quiet here, the noise of the celebration muffled behind thick walls. It is still night outside, and the air feels heavy, as though the rain is about to fall. I take a step further, the sound of my heels echoing in the otherwise silent space. Then, I stop. At the far end of the hallway, I see something. A silhouette, motionless, watching me. The figure is tall, impossibly thin, like a shadow pulled out of the darkness. His outline is blurry at first, the dim light not enough to reveal his features, but something about him makes every hair on my body stand on end. I am suddenly aware of how alone I am. There is no one here but him. This is not good. Not good at all. Who is he? An enemy from the Southlands? I do not want to find out. I may be a Luna to the Alpha King of the North but in all honesty, I am only one in name. I am actually an omega with no powers. I have to fight every nerve in my body to stop trembling. It is a fight I win for about two seconds. Guess I am pathetic after all. My hand shakes violently as I pull out my phone in my dress’ pocket, ready to press the emergency button. But then the figure moves. Shit. He steps out of the shadows, his movements unnaturally quick, almost too fast for my eyes to track. Panic floods my chest and I finally realize the danger. My phone drops and it hits the stone floor with a soft crack. Stupid! Alayna Morningstar, you stupid fool! I scold myself internally. The man smiles. He is close now, his eyes fixed on mine, and I finally see it—his left eye. It is….gold. The iris is a shimmering, unnatural gold, like something out of a nightmare. I stumble backwards. Of all times I can be clumsy, why on earth does it have to be right now? Damn it! Before I can even react, he is upon me. His hand shoots out, and I flinch instinctively, trying to push him away but he grabs both my wrists and twists them behind me and slams me face front against one of the pillars against the corridor. Ouch. That hurts. Big time. “Hush,” he sneers, his voice rough as he leans in close. His tone makes my stomach churn and his touch makes me feel like vomiting. “Hmmm….you smell nice.” He breathes down my neck even as his nails dig into the skin of my arm. I can feel blood oozing from my arm. Let me go! I struggle to be set free only for an inhuman blow to strike my head against the marble column. BANG! My head spins and I see stars swimming around my head. “Let’s call your Alpha and have a little fun,” the man murmurs, Wait….Alpha? The word cuts through the haze of pain, and in that moment, the stars swimming around me vanish instantly. Ezra! He is talking about Ezra! Why would he want Ezra? Is he from an enemy pack put to hurt Ezra? The man pulls out a phone of his own. “This is a very special phone you know?” the crazed man chuckles, waving the phone at the side of my face. “It’s got a voice modulator and is untraceable so no matter who I call, they can’t tell my real voice and will never know where I’m calling from. Smart, right?” I watch from the side of my eyes, helpless, as he dials Ezra’s number. My heart is racing in my chest, and I cannot decide whether I want him to pick up or not. The phone rings. My pulse pounds in my ears. One ring, two rings, three rings and it seems to go on forever. Ezra does not answer. The man growls in frustration, his grip tightening on my arm. He tries again. Still no answer. And then on the third try, Ezra finally picks up. “I have your Luna,” the man sneers into the phone. Silence on the other end. “I have your Luna,” the man repeats, more agitated this time. He is frustrated, and confused, as if he doesn’t understand why Ezra isn’t reacting the way he expects. I close my eyes, the weight of the truth crushing me. Ezra does not care about me. He never did. So why does a part of me wish he does? “I’ll kill her,” the man threatens, his voice low and venomous. My heart pounds so hard I think it might burst from my chest. Will Ezra come for me? There is a sigh on the other end of the line. It seems like forever before Ezra finally speaks. And when he does, my whole world comes crashing down. “Then show me her dead body.”ALAYNA’s POV “Then show me her dead body.”Ezra’s words echo in my mind, it is like a cruel loop I cannot escape.“Then show me her dead body.”Ezra has never cared about me. He has always been distant, detached—cold, even when I tried to reach out to him. No matter how hard I tried, he never looked at me the way I needed him to. Not with warmth, not with tenderness.But this is too much. This abandonment is too, too much.Ezra does not care if I am dead or alive.I just want to die.But now is not the time.I hear the crazed man with the golden eye dialling his phone again, frustration clear in his voice as the line rings. He is calling Ezra again. The ringing stretches out, long and endless, until the call goes to voicemail.I do not need to see the man’s face to know what he is feeling. I can hear it in his growl. He is not happy, not one bit. Guess things aren’t going according to plan, Golden Eye.“You call this man your husband?”His sudden words hit me like a slap to the face
ALAYNA’s POV I stand in the middle of the room, with Drake beside me. The room is barren, its walls cold and uninviting. The cement floor is cracked in places, with faded marks of what was once a storeroom. There is only one small window, a narrow slit barely big enough for a hand to pass through. And through the window, a pale glow of moonlight filters into the space, casting long, distorted shadows across the floor. Outside, the sky is in turmoil, the thunder of an approaching storm reverberating in my chest, while lightning dances wildly, crackling against the horizon. But I can only hear the sound of my wild beating heart. This is not right. The man who held me hostage is nowhere to be found. Gone are the bloodstains that puddled the floor just moments ago. It is as if no one had ever been here. It does not make sense! My breathing quickens as I scan the room again, my mind racing to piece things together. I remember hitting him. I remember the weight of his body as he colla
ALAYNA’s POV “What are you two doing?” Ezra’s voice cuts through the silence like a blade—deep, sharp and commanding. It demands attention, makes the air thicken in the room, and I cannot breathe properly. Drake stiffens too. His usual calm demeanour falters, his face tightening as he turns toward Ezra and bows. "Ezra, Alayna was... held hostage here. She—" Drake continues, but I can hardly make out his words now. Ezra’s presence is too overwhelming. I feel as if am caught in a storm, the air heavy with tension that presses in from all sides. My pulse quickens. I think about Ezra’s last words, those cold, calculated words, “Then show me her dead body.” Ezra does not care about me. Why did I ever think he did? Even the blind can see this. Just that moment, Ezra’s eyes of midnight slice over me. Our eyes meet briefly and I see nothing in them. It is as if I am staring into the abyss. No flicker of emotion, no warmth, nothing. Just cold, impenetrable darkness. I suddenly fee
EZRA’s POV (Moments before Alayna is held hostage) I am Ezra , Alpha of the North and I sit at the head of the long banqueting table. My presence alone commands attention—black eyes like pits, a face carved from shadow. My dark hair falls just enough to graze my collar, completing the cold, dangerous image I have cultivated. I have my barber to thank for that. The room hums with expectation, every eye on me, waiting for the words that will mark this night as mine. The banquet hall crackles with energy and laughter rings out as guests mingle, drink, and celebrate the conquest of the South pack—another victory for me. “Lord Ezra,” a voice calls out, the speaker approaching with a glass of wine in hand. The others follow in suit, a line of pack members and allies, all eager to pay their respects. Their movements are stiff, their smiles tight, as if they cannot afford to do otherwise. Fear lingers in their eyes, they dare not offend me. “To Lord Ezra, our great Alpha!” The toast is
EZRA’s POVThe phone line goes dead.What the fuck?I stare at my phone’s screen, watching the lifeless display as if willing it to come back to life, but the battery icon mockingly flashes 0% before it turns off.Damn it! I should never have bought a Samsung.My blood turns to ice, and I feel my pulse hammering in my throat, a fierce drumbeat of anxiety.I had only meant to scare the bastard, to make him back off—threaten him in some way, but now, what if he really hurt her? What if Alayna is already in danger? The thought rips through me like a wildfire.I curse, low and guttural, and my fist slams down onto the table before I can stop myself. The force sends the silverware flying, the clattering crash echoing through the grand hall like gunfire.The room goes silent. The guests freeze. All eyes, every single one turn toward me, wide with shock. Someone asks, “Lord Ezra, is the music not to your liking?”I do not care. I am beyond caring.I cannot sit here anymore. I need to find Al
ALAYNA’s POV (After Alayna’s mother leaves the clinic and Alayna is alone) My breath fogs the phone’s screen as it rings, each chime sending sharp, electric jolts through my veins. My fingers are trembling as I clutch the receiver, my knuckles whitening. It is ridiculous, really. What am I even doing? But then I remind my self of the reason. The reason for this call. Ezra. His name hangs in the air, suffocating. The man I married. The man I thought I loved once, but now I do not even know what to call him. He is the Alpha King of the North, ruler of the Nightfall pack, and I, his so-called Luna. A title that means nothing in the face of what has happened to me. In the face of how he treated me. The tension coiling in my chest feels like a lie—a byproduct of what I thought was terror, but now... now it feels like something more. Rage. I will be his Luna no longer. For years, I have let Ezra dictate my life, my choices. For years, I have been a shadow of the woman I coul
ALAYNA’s POVThe entire clinic shakes, debris falls from the ceiling and the floor beneath my feet trembles, as if the earth itself is cracking open to swallow everything whole. Then, as quickly as the chaos had come, it stops, leaving in its wake an eerie silence.I stand in stunned silence, the phone still in my hand, the cold steel of the receiver seeping through my fingers.What just happened?Quickly, I run towards the clinic door and throw it open. Black smoke starts seeping into the hallway and I see a nurse running past, her eyes full of fear.I grab her arm. “I think there was an explosion….from there,” she says, pointing straight ahead towards the suffocating smoke. Then she runs towards it.I blink. That…that is where the banqueting hall is.My fingers grip the edge of the door, my knuckles white from the force. And then I hear it, screams. Screams of people in pain, people in shock and people in fear.I have to help them!I slip the phone into my dress pocket and start tow
ALAYNA’s POVIt is not Ezra.A tidal wave of relief crashes into me like a tsunami and I sink onto the cold, tiled floor.Thank you…thank you Goddess of the Moon. It is not Ezra…thank you, thank you.Around me, the chaos continues. In the far corner, a nurse is suturing a deep gash in a man’s leg. A young woman beside her is being hooked up to an IV even as she cries in pain. I can hear the soft hiss of an oxygen mask being adjusted on another patient’s face as he moans. Yet, despite the urgency of it all, despite how wrong it is, I feel relieved. And grateful. Grateful that the man on the stretcher is not Ezra.Then I hear Mother’s voice, as clear as day, cutting through the chaos of the clinic.“A man with a golden eye was seen fleeing the banquet hall just before the explosion,” she tells one of the nurses, her tone casual, like she is gossiping about the weather. “Tall, thin and lean. Might be from an enemy pack.”I freeze. Golden Eye.Grabbing the handle of a nearby medical cart,
EZRA’s POV(The event takes place concurrently with Alayna and Drake’s Wedding)There is pain. At first, it is everywhere, heavy and unbearable, and I struggle to return to unconsciousness. But my aching body drags me awake, taking back its many parts, each with its own special hurt: my head throbbing, my arms burning, my back cramping. I open my eyes reluctantly, feeling the sting of light.No.Not lights. The lights, theymove, fluttering like fireflies but pulsing brighter and slower, as if aware of their own glow. Strange.Then I sit up. Too fast. Way too fast.Pain crackles across my ribs like dry twigs snapping beneath heavy boots and I take in a painful breath. Damn, it hurts to breathe but the scent that wraps around my senses is so pure I have to wonder if it is real. I place a palm to my sides and inhale again. Lavender, sweet and sharp. There i
DRAKE’s POVI stand at the top of the staircase and stare down into the cold stone steps that spiral beneath me like a serpent, its spine descending into the bowels of the mansion. And at the bottom, she lies.Alayna. My Luna.Her lips are closed, matching her closed eyes. She looks so peaceful. Yet something is very wrong.A halo of dark crimson spreads beneath her head, leeching into the cracks of the stone. She lies in a pool of red. The reason is very simple.Her skull is cracked.My fingers curl tightly around the bannister, knuckles pale against the black iron. What have I done?Then I hear the frantic footfalls behind me. Wanda appears at my side and she gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. “Goddess…”She shoves past me and races down the steps.I follow suit but each step feels like an eternity. Why am I moving so slowly? Why is my heart slamming against my
ALAYNA’s POVThe prisoners had breached the mansion grounds before I even reached it.I push through the shattered front gate of the mansion, once the pride of the Northlands. Now, it groans like a dying animal beneath the weight of chaos.The grand arch that used to gleam with carved wolf sigils is scorched black. The night is truly filled with filth. The stars labour through thick smoke, mixing with the moans of the wails and the fast-spreading crackle of flames.The front lawn is littered with debris and torn banners, the crest of the Nightwalker pack trampled into the mud like it was never worth the blood it took Ezra to earn. The air is thick with fear, not just the scent of it but the sound, too. Screams. Pleading. The sharp crack of whips.I cross into the grand foyer and freeze.The portraits lining the walls, of past alphas and their victories have been slashed to shreds. Miniature marble statues
ALAYNA’s POVColin is slumped against the far wall in a crumpled heap, chained by wrists and ankles to iron rings set in the stone. His shirt is shredded, soaked in blood, both dry and fresh. His face is almost unrecognizable. Swollen, one eye completely shut, the other barely open.And yet, when he sees me, his lips twist into something resembling a grin.“Hello, Luna. You’re late.”“Goddess…” I gasp.“I’m pretty sure I still look like a man, not some lady from the moon.”“Colin!” I run towards him. My hands tremble as I reach out, not even knowing where to start. So much blood. He reeks of it, the coppery tang heavy in the air.“Well damn,” he croaks. “Didn’t think the queen herself would come down to see little ol’ me.”“Did Drake do this to you?”“Long story cut
ALAYNA’s POVGolden Eye is here. And he is with Drake.Red, searing pain and black despair. These two colors, these two forms of torture are all I know for the next few seconds. It is not as if I lose sight of the room, it is just that I see it from another angle.To realize that I have been married all along to the enemy, that I was in fact his greatest ally, is too much for me. Death, if it would just involve oblivion, would be more than welcome. But I know there must be a special hell prepared for the one who betrayed Ezra and I.I force my hands still as they tremble against the folds of the curtain and my bare toes curl against the cool marble, trying to anchor me, to stop the rising rage clawing up my throat.How dare he? How dare they?!Golden Eye chuckles low and sharp. “A toast to our victory then.”I hear a slow swirl of whiskey in glasses before they clink. They are drinking and I imagine Drak
ALAYNA’s POVIt is past midnight.I sit with my back against the bedroom door, knees tucked into my chest, eyes wide open.Outside my bedroom, all has gone silent. No footsteps. No murmurs. Not even the usual creak of the floorboards under heavy boots. That is good. That means everyone has gone to sleep.Including Drake.I press my palm flat against the cool wood of the door. My breath trembles in my throat, barely there, like it is afraid of being heard. Slowly, I twist the handle. It gives without a sound, thank the Goddess and I ease the door open just a crack. The hallway reveals itself, bathed in a wash of silver moonlight spilling through the window at the far end.My bare feet make no sound as I slip out and close the door behind me. One soft click. That is all.I tiptoe through the corridor, rubbing the itch in my nose caused by the scent of lemon polish lingering faintly in the air. There
ALAYNA’s POVSarah is dead.Her head rests in my lap, heavy and still like a doll left too long in the rain. I cradle her as best I can, my arms trembling beneath the weight of grief and guilt. Her skin is clammy, pale against the red welts and bruises on her neck and arms. Her lips are slightly parted, as if caught mid-sentence but her breath is long gone.I cannot stop rocking her.Back and forth I go, as though motion might stir her heart again. My tears fall freely onto her face, tracing the path of bloodstains and dirt. With a trembling hand, I smooth back a lock of hair from her temple—tangled, stiff with dried blood and whisper her name.“Sarah, I am sorry.”I do not know how long I stay like that, kneeling on the cold dungeon floor, cradling her ruined body. Torches flicker overhead, casting a wavering orange light on the stone walls but the world feels dim and s
Those we love don’t go away,They walk beside us every day.Unseen, unheard but always near,Still loved, still missed and very dear.-Author unknown-ALAYNA’s POVThe morning sun is cruel this morning.Its light slants through the window in thick, golden shards, making everything too warm, too bright. I sit at the edge of my bed and stare at the new maid incredulously. What madness is this?“She poisoned you,” the maid repeats with arms crossed around her chest, looking as if she is bored out of her mind.The around me tilts and I have to palm my head to stop the spinning.“No, Sarah couldn’t have done that. She would never do that.”“Well she did, Luna. The guards drew the confession out of her. She’s in the dungeon now, punished for the murder of your chi
ALAYNA’s POVI am dreaming again. And like all the ones that came before, it does not feel like a dream.The sun is setting and I stand in the middle of a vast meadow, the air heavy with the scent of wildflowers and damp earth. A gentle breeze tugs at the edges of my hair, carrying with it petals that drift lazily across the sky. I close my eyes for a moment, taking in all the serenity that surrounds me. The quiet, the softness of the wind and the colors of the sky melt into each other. Everything is so perfect, so still.When I open my eyes again, I see her.A little girl, no older than five with raven-black hair that cascades down her back like silk stands at the far end of the meadow. She is wearing a simple white dress that billows out behind her as she skips through the tall grass. Her laughter is light, almost melodic and it fills the meadow.Strange, I think I know her.“Hell