DEL MORINO I stood before the gilded mirror in my chamber, adjusting the tailored midnight-blue suit that hugged my broad frame with practiced precision.The silver embroidery on the cuffs shimmered under the light, catching the glint of my one visible eye. My left was still hidden beneath the mask-sleek, black, and unyielding,as much a part of me now as my very skin.The mask made others uneasy. That suited me fine. Fear was a tool, and I wielded it as deftly as any weapon.With a snap of my fingers, my valet scurried forward, his hands trembling as he presented my onyx cufflinks.He fastened them silently, his head bowed as if afraid to meet my gaze."Enough," I growled. He stumbled back with a muttered apology, and I turned sharply, my polished shoes clicking against the marble floor.The banquet awaited. The same banquet I had conveniently told Layla was postponed.I laughed silently to myself when I remembered the shock on her face, I guess even Lord Thomas will be surprised tha
LAYLAI ran my legs going faster than I thought , the wind brushing through my face.The shrubs and thorns brushed through my legs, bringing out blood but I didn't stop, the sky was without a moon but I didn't stop either.I kept running my lungs were burning but this was my only chance, my only chance of freedom, to escape from Del Morino.I had overheard one of the guards saying something about the woods leading to another pack that was the northern border .if I ran very fast or if a kind of miracle happened and I was able to shift at least, I would be at the pack by midnight.But shifting was impossible.According to what I heard too, the northern pack was the safest anyone could run to, and it also shared border with the human world. My throat tightened ,my heart was pounding and I could literally hear it and my legs felt like jelly but the fear of being caught again fuelled my courage and pushed me deeper into the woods.I wondered what the human world would be like, would the
LAYLAMy heart hammered as my eyes danced in my head.I looked at Del Morino and at that very moment I just wished to die.There was a hint of surprise in his eyes and as his eyes roamed over me , taking the torn dress, my disheveled hair and wild eyes, a smirk crept up his lips."Well, well, well." He drawled." Pocahontas is running away. Again.""Stay away from me." I said, my voice trembling and my knees felt like jelly and I hoped the little strength I had would keep me standing." Of course I'll. I don't want to ruin my suit." He sneered. " This is the second or third time you are running away and our path kept crossing. " He took another step towards me. " Do you know how to get away from me next time ? Turn to a cockroach and vanish."I thought he was done with what he was saying when a stinging slap came in both my cheeks in such short moment that I saw my soul leaving my body."You're coming with me Pocahontas." He said and made to grab me when I felt someone come up behind m
At first I wanted to laugh . Was this some kind of joke ? But I felt like I had been hit by a rock and I blinked severally trying to understand what he was saying.With so many questions swirling in my head. Adrian's words felt like I had been slapped and hearing this was so unbelievable.Hilda and Gilbert Montez killer his mother. The words pierced my heart like pieces of broken glass.Those names didn't sound strange to me and those people weren't strangers either, they were my Ma and Pa. They were the most caring and kind hearted people I had ever known . Tears after their death and so many people in the pack still spoke highly of them He just can't stand there and accused my parents just because they weren't here to speak for themselves."Liar ." I spat and jumped out of the bed despite the pain I felt.But Adrian remained composed, his intense stare never faltering. The weight of his silence hung heavily in the air between us. "You can't just tell me something like that an
LAYLA Adrian's words kept replaying in my mind, filling me with uncertainty and fear too His calm and deliberate voice made me doubt everything I believed about my parents. But no matter how hard I try to doubt , I felt a part of me believing and wondering what part of my life was a lie or a mess too.The trust about Del Morino, about me. But not really. I couldn't accept it. It was so unbelievable. No matter what Adrian believed he knew or what he thought, my parents couldn't have caused Del Morino's mother's death or whatever he said, at least not in the way Adrian said. My parents were the Guidaians Of The Moon. They have killed rogues wolves . But murderers were far from it. It just wasn't pissed.I sat staring out of the window and my head began to pound. Maybe from thinking about all this too much or maybe from the slap Del Morino had given me last night. I didn't know, so I just shut my eyes and rested my head on the headboard I should have asked Adrian where he was goin
LAYLA It was the singing of the stupid birds outside that woke me up. The sunlight dancing into the room and settled on my face.My eyes snapped open and what happened last night stuck me like a bad movie that had refused to go away.I remembered. I had gone to apologize to Del Morino. A brief sorry, a swift retreat and perhaps some freedom from my guilt were all that was expected of me. However no. What I got was the sight of him laughing carelessly while standing with another woman. His hand had been on her arm for too long and she had laughed too loudly. I shook my head and hissed under my breath as though that would help me forget the memory.. " Ridiculous. I dont care about him or how her feels. " I muttered .But even I found that lie hard to believe. I padded to the bathroom to take a quick shower after getting out of bed. Though the nagging irritation of remembering him and the woman persisted but the warm water helped calm my nerves. I hastily came out of the bathroom
LAYLAI shuffled the pile of clean sheets in my arms and muttered to myself as I made my way through the twisting hallways of Del Morinos magnificent pack house. Even though being a maid wasn't exactly one of my dream jobs, at least I didn't have to put up with the women he usually walks around with tonight. I guess they are minor triumphs. I didn't actually like Del Morino's presence even though he was handsome and will have any kind of woman drooling over him. I stopped outside the door to his room while balancing the linen on my hip. I could see him leaning over his desk with a thick book open in front of him, through side of the door. His broad shoulders were tense as usual, brooding and his dark hair appeared slightly tousled as if he had been fingering it.I opened the door gently and stepped in like a cat and I placed the sheets on the tiny side table and hoped to blend in with the background and vanish without him noticing my presence.As badluck would have it, his dee
DEL MORINO I never planned for this stupid meeting, infact I was trying to avoid it at all cost and I had postponed it three times but today of all days, this two fools had found a way into my pack.There was a lot of tension in the conference room . I sat at the head of the table staring at the two men who were seated on the other side. Leaning forward with his arms resting on the table Beta Torren of the Darkridge Pack had a challenging look in his piercing eyes. Beta Lyle of the Emberhowl Pack sat next to him reclining in his chair and pretending not to pay attention but his keen eyes saw everything and on the mug of freshly brewed coffee he had requested and drank and still waiting for more but he didn't have the balls to request any because the scowl on my face couldn't let him.He was here for the meeting nit to finish all the coffee in my pack. As I waited for one of them to say something, the only sound
DEL MORINO The weight of the moment weighed heavily on my shoulders as I entered the room. There were four of my brothers standing around all of them wearing an expression of anticipation. It's been a long time since I last saw these four, except for Adrian, who was always following me like a shadow.Although we were always close in the way that only siblings can be, there were now things that I felt but was unable to express. I also knew that everything would change today. With the customary teasing and catching up, the conversation started off innocently enough, but I could feel the tension rising. It was constantly present hiding beneath the surface and waiting for the ideal opportunity to rise. I was supposed to discuss the breeders with them, and I didn't feel they should know about Terese yet. “ I've bought them,” I said in a firm yet low voice.My brother's eyes flickered with curiosity as they turned to face me. “ Don't look at me like that.” I almost snapped. “ We discu
DEL MORINO I felt as if the situation was weighing heavily on me and the evening flew by in a daze. As I gazed out my window at the moon shining down at the pack, Terese's description of the disease—Moonblight—haunted my thoughts. I couldn't stand by and do nothing and I didn't understand what kind of curse could make a werewolf so vulnerable. However, I was unable to ignore the more pressing issue even as I mentally made those commitments. I had to get a doctor for her. She was very close to my late mother and always seemed like family.Her younger brother. Luca. Terese had mentioned him earlier and I had asked the guards to present him. He has been captured with other young men too.I had never met him before I thought I would meet a young boy maybe ten or eleven years old but instead, I saw a man who appeared older than his years. The weight of a life he hadn't requested was causing Luca's shoulders to slump and his eyes to grow weary. His eyes were filled with pain, the sam
DEL MORINO I had my knuckles balled into a fist as I stood in front of the door. The hallway air seemed to get heavier by the second and I could feel my chest tightening, the stench and sight made me want to throw up.With a million ideas racing through my head, I had demanded to be taken to the dungeon where she was being held. But the sight of the cell doors and the dim dark hallway made me realize how far things had deteriorated.She doesn't belong here. I didn't think it would hurt this much. I felt guilty when I saw her and realized she was stuck there. After faithfully serving my mother, she was now in the same place as the enemies I had vowed to keep away from the people I cared about. I was startled out of my thoughts by the guard at my side clearing his throat. "Alpha Del Morino," he said cautiously in a respectful but hesitating tone. "She was brought in a while ago."As I moved forward, my gaze sweeping the line of cells I could hardly hear him. The atmosphere felt oppr
DRAKE Blood, smoke and a bad odor—fear—were all in the air. It was suffocating and heavy clinging to the ruins like an omen. The Eastwoods Pack was nothing more than a cemetery of destroyed houses and wolves, a smoldering wreckage. I stood motionless at its edge observing. The pack was burned to the ground in half. With broken walls, bodies ripped apart and limbs strewn about like trash what was left was scarcely better. I didn't know the Alpha who had done this but I knew it could not be Del Morino. He had his way of doing things but not this way.The assault had been ruthless. It had nothing to do with territory or dominance. No, this had been destruction done for its own sake. Wasteful and for a moment it felt like something rogues could have done or maybe Pack Claimers.I didn't care about Eastwoods at all. To me, it didn't matter that they survived or not.I didn't care if they were wiped off the face of the earth. I was here because of Terese and that old man better be right
DRAKE The humid night air stuck to my skin like an unwanted guest. The moon merely made an appearance through the shifting clouds in the deep unending black sky above. The night was perfect for what I was going to do. I paused at the wooden door, its gleaming surface which I was just noticing was smudged and cracked.I bet they had been surprised to see me here again. I let out a breath and made a loose fist with my fingers before knocking The slow deliberate rhythm of the sound echoed in the silence. It was not long before the door creaked open. Layla's uncle stood in the doorway his face drawn cautiously his eyes sunken and surprise swept through his face.His eyes lingered on me for an excessive amount of time flickering with hesitation and confusion."Drake" he finally said his voice was hoarse from age." You came back ?" I smiled slowly and comfortingly at him." I hope I'm not bothering you at this hour Uncle."His mouth formed a thin line. Layla's aunt shifted uneasily
ELIASI paced the length of my office while running a hand through my hair. Anger was tearing at me like a ferocious beast and my mind was a jumbled mess.When i had so desperately wanted to enjoy my reign and the Seal Of The Moon just popped up and now having the relaxation I wanted was impossible.I gritted my teeth as I looked at the papers strewn all over my desk, none of which had the solution I needed. With his arms crossed and his back to the wall, Maurice my Gemma remarked ."You look like you're about to break something. "Despite his calm tone I could tell he was observing me and trying to know the cause of my annoyance because I knew him too well. "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, Maurice." I said and he looked away. I let out a deep breath. "I gave Layla's aunt and uncle a call, I asked some servant to do that."He narrowed his eyes slightly but Maurice remained motionless. "And? He asked. My hands clenched into fists as I turned to face him." I informed t
LAYLAUsing my apron to wipe my hands, I observed the dough rising in the stone oven. I smiled as the aroma of roasted meat and baked bread filled the kitchen. While the other maids were kneading dough, chopping vegetables and stirring pots I noticed that some of them were giggling at something.I shook my head and gave a small smile .I felt at home here even though I was the Luna. Perhaps it was because I enjoyed its normalcy, the sensation of accomplishing a straightforward simple task. But as soon as I looked out the window, my peaceful moment was destroyed and my heart sank immediatelyAt first I wasn't really sure of what I was seeing and I blinked rapidly. Young women in a long line were dragged into the courtyard. Their faces were bruised, their wrists were bound and their clothing was ripped. A few of them hobbled, while others were hardly conscious, their heads drooping like ragged dolls. I felt uneasy and I swallowed hard.I knew what I was seeing, I knew what this i
DEL MORINO. I was having trouble breathing. The dream clung to me like thick oppressive smoke. Mother's voice, pleading with me to live, sacrificing herself for me, the screams of those who tried to protect us had filled my ears all these years and my mother's face was still etched in my memory.It's been years ago but since that day I could still feel the anger of having that scar on my left eye. It hurt me that I had lost the only person who cared for me.My shaky fingers automatically reached for my face and found the cool leather of the mask I wore, a barrier separating my shame and anger from the outside world. My memory was etched with the assassin's image—a man with an arrow and a crescent moon tattooed on his neck. After years of searching packs and questioning mercenaries I had never found him but he had disappeared like a ghost. His name was unknown and no one had ever seen him.Sometimes I wondered if I had imagined things that night.He was now like a shadow I couldn
DEL MORINOAlong the path to the Temple of the Moon Goddess, the branches of tall trees made it difficult to see the silver crescent moon that hung high in the sky.The smell of flowers that were blooming at night filled the air and the sound of gentle footsteps echoed through the silence. With the murmurs of our entourage behind us, my mother sat beside as she held my hand warmly.Although the temple has long been a quiet location for prayer and tranquility I felt uneasy tonight. My six year old mind was restless.Something or someone hiding in the shadows seemed to be observing us as the cart went through the hard route to the temple.Mother had said that the rocks along the paths