STARLETTEThe mark formed beautiful crescents on my neck after the wound healed, and I couldn’t stop admiring it. The stronger, more magnificent bond that had developed between Maximus and me was even more beautiful. I loved my life now. It was just... perfect. It was high time I told Maximus about the baby. He loved me, without a doubt. There was no reason to keep it a secret any longer. Besides, Bella had been bugging me nonstop to tell him. “You’re distracted,” Tom said when his blade nearly cut through my thighs, but I was quick enough to jump back, evading the attack.I was on the training ground with him, practicing. I wanted to be prepared to defend the pack when the time came. If I was going to be Luna, I had to act like one.“I have a lot on my mind,” I told him as I lifted my sword and pushed forward with it.“What’s on your mind?” He asked.There was no way I was going to tell him. “The safety of the pack.”“Women shouldn’t have to worry about that.” He groaned, our blade
STARLETTEI quickly stepped forward and blocked Maximus’ path, trying to calm him down before the situation escalated into a bloodbath.“Max, you need to control yourself. Please.” I pleaded, worried.“Starlette, get out of my way.” He growled, his intensely furious gaze still fixed on his brother.“No.” I insisted. “Please. Just stop. I beg you.”He glanced at me, his eyes glowing red with rage. “Please.” I pressed as I stared at him pleadingly.He shut his eyes closed, and when he reopened them, the blazing red had faded, returning to their usual blue shade, though they were still clouded with darkness.I turned to look at Lucius. His eyes had also returned to normal. I started to move toward him, but Maximus pulled me back to his side.“What was that all about?” I asked him, my voice a mixture of anger and concern.He looked at me for a second, or maybe longer, before sprinting into the woods without giving me a response. I couldn’t place the look in his eyes, but I could tell he
STARLETTE I stared at the mirror, the reflection before me almost unrecognizable. The girl staring back at me was transformed. I was dressed in an off-shoulder white dress, adorned with delicate touches of gold. Bella picked it out for me, promising I’d look regal in it. I did look regal in it. My makeup was flawless, and my hair was swept up into a bun with a few loose curls framing my face. Maximus slipped up behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist, his lips brushing my ear as he whispered. “You are the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen. The most beautiful there will ever be.”My cheeks flushed with delight. “Thank you.”“Shall we?” He extended his hand to me, and I took it. Tingles jolted through my body as I turned around and followed him out of the room. A sleek black limousine waited outside, even though the venue was close enough to walk to. Maximus watched me as I slid into the backseat, his eyes never leaving me. Once we were inside, a frown suddenly appeared on his
MAXIMUS The north and the south had always fought over a stretch of land that separated us—a land rich with gold, diamonds, and many other natural treasures. It was originally and rightfully ours, but the South had always been desperate to claim it, fabricating a history that didn’t exist, claiming it was theirs. But we held on to what was ours very dearly, refusing to surrender it to them. They’d laid low about it for a few decades, way before I even inherited the throne. But now, it seems, they want to stir things up again.So it’s no surprise that who Starlette saw in her dream was Silas. I had thought it was just a dream, but now it’s a stern warning to me. Especially now that Silas was offering to do business with the north, offering a deal that seemed too good to be true. Perhaps it was just one of his devious plans. But I was ready for him. “I believe you’re stronger now that you have a mate.” Silas smirked. Yes, the bond between Starlette and me had made me stronger—stronge
STARLETTEI still haven’t finished processing, nor have I come to terms with the fact that I was now a mother wolf. Me? Starlette Cromwell? A mere omega from the Star Claw Pack, who spent most of her life being bullied and mistreated by the entire pack. It was hard to believe. My life had not only changed overnight by becoming the overly treasured mate of the Alpha King; now, I was something even bigger. It was still so hard to grasp, and honestly, I was terrified.If I didn’t regret anything else about the night everyone discovered my identity, I regretted wearing an off-shoulder dress. They only realised the truth because my bare shoulders were exposed. The crescents wouldn’t have glowed if I’d been wearing something that covered my shoulders, even under the moonlight. And, of course, it just had to happen on the night every Alpha was present, causing absolute chaos. I didn’t even know how Maximus managed to handle the situation that night, and I didn’t ask.Since then, my security
MAXIMUSEveryone wanted my mate. They all desired to be the father of the most powerful Alpha of our time. From the moment it was revealed that she was the Mother Wolf, I knew she would be in grave danger. Alpha Xavier is just the beginning, and I’m fully aware that more Alphas will come after her. Even Alphas from the South won't stay out of, it as the news has already spread like wildfire. That’s why I assigned bodyguards to protect her when I couldn’t be there myself.The rage that surged through my chest when I heard Xavier’s words directed at my mate was uncontrollable. Even Nile, my wolf, howled furiously in my mind. No one would take our mate from us. She was ours and ours alone!Before I could stop myself, I lunged at Xavier, delivering a powerful kick to his stomach. He staggered backward, wincing, but quickly regained his balance. If he hadn’t been an Alpha, that blow would have destroyed him.“Alpha, you—” He began to speak, but I cut him off with another brutal kick to his
MAXIMUS“What are you doing here?” I asked, perplexed as I darted my gaze between Kaelin and Amelia. “And most importantly, how did you get here?”“We were cloaked, and that’s how we got through the border. Obviously.” Kaelin replied.I knew the answer to my question even before he spoke, and I didn’t like it. They could infiltrate our pack at any given time without our knowledge, and that was a serious cause for concern.“You really have no right to come here, especially into my bedroom without my consent.” I groaned out my annoyance.Amelia rolled her eyes. “Would you rather bitch about it or we get down to business?”"You will not talk to me like that!" I growled as I took threatening steps towards her, but Starlette was quick to hold me back.“Please…” She whispered, her voice soft. “Let’s hear them out.”My nose twitched as I continued glaring at Amelia for a few more seconds, fighting the urge to rip her apart. After a sharp breath to ease my frustration, I turned to her father,
AMELIA"The candle didn’t go out after you left.” Starlette said, and my suspicion grew immediately. “Which means…”“They are here.” I finished for her, feeling a sudden surge of dark magic. Even though he wasn’t here physically and was only present through vessels, his magic was overwhelmingly powerful. I could only imagine how strong he truly was. I feared he might be even more powerful than my father, the clan leader.“We’ll wait for you at the spell circle.” My father glanced at me. “Amelia, let’s go.”Flicking my gaze toward Starlette, worry filled me. "Please be careful," I urged, dropping my gaze to her belly. It was a bit concerning that she wasn’t showing yet, but that was a discussion for another time. “You know you can’t stress yourself.”She nodded with a tight smile, and I followed my father, taking his hand as he led me out of the room and through the halls of the packhouse. It was total chaos—women and children were panicking, finding their way to safety, while the warr
VIOLETMy whole being was consumed by fear. Fear of losing my father to that battle, fear of losing my wolf, fear of being trapped in here forever with no way of getting out. I had long since stopped trying to find an exit since it seemed like I was running through the same path over and over again. “Onyx,” I called my wolf again, hoping that miraculously, she would respond this time. But I was met with the same silence. I lay on my back, shutting my eyes as I tried to sleep my devastating reality away. I did sleep, but I didn’t know for how long before I suddenly felt the scorching heat of the sun hitting my face. I snapped my eyes open to see that the white walls surrounding me had been replaced by a garden of beautiful flowers. I quickly sat up, scanning my surroundings. And then I saw a white door at the far end of the garden. Without thinking twice, I picked myself up and ran with everything in me toward the white door and yanked it open. I woke up in a hospital. Disorien
VIOLETBeep. Beep. Beep. A repetitive beeping sound jolted me awake. My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself lying in a narrow passage, surrounded by tall white walls stretching endlessly in both directions. My breath hitched as I took in what I was wearing—a flowing white maxi dress. Where was I? Panic set in as I tried to reach out to my wolf, Onyx, but she wasn’t responding. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she just wasn’t there. My heart began to beat rapidly against my chest as I quickly picked myself up. The last thing I remembered, I was swimming in the lake when I was attacked by a wolf. A sickening thought crossed my mind, and my stomach tightened. Was I dead? Without hesitation, I began to run down the passageway, desperate to find an exit. But as I reached the end, I turned a corner, only to find another identical hallway stretching before me. The tall white walls—everything was the same. I kept running, taking turn after turn, hoping to find an esca
AXELAlthough Orion didn’t want to admit it, every ounce of my body felt the mate bond. How was this possible? How could I have two mates? I grabbed Indie’s hand and pulled her outside with me to give us more privacy. “But I already have a mate. Violet.” I said once we were outside. Staring into her eyes made my body burn with desire, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss her and every part of her body at that moment. Without thinking twice, I caged my arm around her and leaned in for a rough, desperate kiss. She hesitated at first, but she eventually gave in, kissing me in return. “I want to mark you. I want all of you,” I growled lowly as I plastered kisses all over her neck. “I want you too, Axel. I want you so much!” she moaned, pressing her body into mine. My cock was rock hard, eager to push every inch into her. Pulling away, I looked into her eyes again, admiring her. “I never knew you were this beautiful, Indie. How did I not see this?” “I don’t know,” she s
AXEL“Hi, Dad,” I said into the phone as I picked up. “What’s the update?” “I spoke with Silas, but he doesn’t know where she is, so...” “What has Silas got to do with this Lila witch?” I interrupted. He sighed. “She used to be under his wings, sort of his personal witch,” he explained. Violet had mentioned something like that earlier. “What’s the way forward now? Do you trust him not to know her whereabouts?” I asked. “Yes. Your aunt Amelia confirmed that. And she also plans to perform a location spell for Lila together with her father, the witches’ clan elder,” he said. “The girls are cloaked, so I’m sure she’s cloaked herself too,” I pointed out. “We know that. Amelia plans to break through that cloak.” “What?!” I exclaimed, shocked. “She could lose control of her magic if she attempts a spell that powerful!” “I am also worried about her, but she insists on doing it before more girls get abducted,” he told me. Before I could respond, a muffled sound caught my
VIOLETMy eyes widened in surprise as I tried to process what he had just said. He couldn’t read my mind? “What?” I blinked, confused. He sighed deeply and looked away from me. “Not you. I meant... Emily. She’s blocking me out of her mind. I guess Alpha Richard finally taught her how to do that.” “Then why am I the one against the wall when the person who is frustrating you is over there?” I glanced in Emily’s direction to see her staring daggers at me. Alpha Richard also looked like he was about to explode with anger. “I—uhm—” He pressed his lips together and pulled away from me. “I am sorry.” “I think you are in trouble,” I said when I saw Alpha Richard approaching in long, angry strides. He turned around just in time as Alpha Richard reached where we stood. “Hi, Principal. That was great advice back there.” Axel laughed awkwardly. “Axel Northwood!” He growled. “You have been warned several times against using your powers, and now you are hurting your fellow students
AXELEver since Alpha Richard’s distressed voice boomed over the intercom, I couldn’t stop wondering what had gone wrong. I could only hope that this assembly wasn’t about any of our students going missing. We all gathered in the assembly hall, with Violet seated beside me. Orion wouldn’t stop rumbling excitedly after realizing we had completely misunderstood our mate and that she wasn’t with Emmett. Once the students had settled, Alpha Richard stepped behind the podium, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room. “Good evening, everyone,” he began. “I have called you all here to discuss something important. I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent disappearances of several girls. Because of this, we have tightened security within the school to ensure the safety of our students, especially our girls. Now, I want to implore each of you to remain within the school premises and not sneak out.” He shifted his gaze toward me, staring intently. That last part was definitely directed at
VIOLETAxel had been avoiding me ever since he saw me with Emmett and my father. I had no idea how I was going to explain things to him in a way that he would believe, how I would make him understand that there was nothing going on between me and Emmett. Today, in the locker room, I planned to get him to talk to me before lacrosse practice began. “Isn’t that job tiring? It’s not like you are even getting paid,” Daisy said as she watched me get dressed. “That’s why it’s called volunteer work. I am not doing it for money,” I said as I slipped my hands into my jacket. At first, I had accepted the job just to prove Axel wrong, but I had to admit, I was actually enjoying it now. Getting to watch them play every day made it all worth it. “Or...” She wiggled her brows, sitting up from her bed. “Are you doing this because he’s on the team?” “Who?” A blush crept onto my face, knowing exactly who she was talking about. “Him. You know?” She wiggled her brows again. “I have no ide
ALPHA KING MAXIMUSEvening arrived, and as promised, Silas came to the pack, accompanied by a few of his soldiers. He requested that the meeting be held in an open space, and his request was granted. We stood face to face, each of us with our soldiers behind us, ready to attack if things took a turn for the worse. “So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked with a hard frown on his face. My expression mirrored his. “Lila.” His brows furrowed. “What about Lila?” “Where is she?” I groaned out. “How is Lila connected to the missing girls? That’s what you said you wanted to talk about,” he retorted. “And that is exactly what I am talking about.” “What?” he asked, confused. “Oh, don’t play dumb, Silas. At least be a man who owns up to his actions,” I groaned. His forehead creased. “If I am correct, you are trying to accuse me and Lila of the kidnappings.” “Am I wrong?” I asked, my eyes turning a darker shade. “I never knew I came here to waste my time.” Fury bla
MAXIMUS (THE NORTHERN ALPHA KING)Several years ago, I happened to meet a powerful red-haired witch while searching for a solution to the doom looming over my pack—the Invisibles. They attacked in their cloaked forms, making it incredibly difficult to fight back. But despite the challenges, we always triumphed. However, no matter how many of them we killed in each attack, more would appear the next time. Though we managed to fend them off, I was losing my men, and I knew I had to find a way to stop the attacks once and for all. That was when Silas offered to help, claiming he had a powerful witch under his wing, one who could foresee both the past and future of a person simply by touching them. Her name was Lila. At first, I was skeptical, but desperation drove me to agree to have my past and future read. The visions she provided led us to clues that helped us catch the one behind the Invisibles. He was captured and executed. Only later did we discover the shocking truth. Gabriel,