The silent night crept on. Nature created a silence that felt soothing, designed to soothe every soul tired of struggling with life's cruelty. Then it hummed a gentle lullaby through the soft waves of the breeze, like a complement to the graceful dance of the tree leaves.Among all the creatures who enjoyed the peace of their slumber, Rowena remained awake. She paid no attention to the night rolling on and touching the wee hours of the morning, instead focusing on the various types of herbs that adorned her wooden table.Rowena picked five different herbs and chopped them into small pieces. Then she placed all the ingredients in a stone mortar. She began to pound, and it wasn't long before all the herbs were crushed and blended into one.Rowena's busyness stopped when she sensed someone's presence. She stopped pounding, then turned. "Luna."Vione stood in the doorway. Her hands were clasped nervously, her face showed uncertainty. "May I come in?" she asked, uncertain. "If I'm not intr
At that moment, a fleeting sense of relief filled Usher's mind. It seemed he had returned to the right moment, though if he could ask, he would surely want to go back even further. At least to a time before everything had become so tumultuous, before he and The Past Vione had their argument."You really have no heart, Usher."The voice of The Past Vione brought Usher back to the present just in time. Fortunately, he was able to assess the situation quickly. He remembered the incident vividly. The Past Vione had left the palace hall immediately after he had strangled her, right after she had insulted him as a heartless man.Usher quickly rose to his feet. With a lingering pain in his chest, he gripped the wall. His eyes scanned the area with growing panic. For the footsteps of The Past Vione were getting closer.Usher's priority now was to hide as best he could. He couldn't afford to be caught, neither by himself, nor by The Past Vione, nor by the inhabitants of the palace. So, he hurr
The laughter of the Past Vione vanished in an instant, replaced by another question that arose in her mind. Were those tears really tears of amusement, or just the opposite? Maybe they were tears she had been holding back until she finally had a reason to let them fall."Vione?"The past Vione stumbled over her words. "Y-yes, of course, Cora. I'm fine.""Are you sure?" Cora asked again, her voice sounding suspicious. "Because I feel differently. My intuition tells me something's wrong."The Past Vione could only remain silent."So be honest with me. Are you having problems?" There was a slight pause, as if Cora needed reassurance to continue. "Is it to do with the recent rumors? The gossip about Alpha."There was a pang in The Past Vione's heart, as if someone were squeezing it. She had suspected that the rumors about the forbidden relationship between Usher and Mireya had spread everywhere. After all, it was not unusual for them to openly flaunt their forbidden relationship in front
If he followed his heart's desire, Usher would undoubtedly emerge from his hiding place and immediately comfort The Past Vione. He would wipe away the tears that stained The Past Vione's cheeks, then kiss her eyes. He would do anything, even if he had to get down on his knees, as long as it would erase all the grief he had caused The Past Vione.But a shred of reason held Usher back. His fingers clenched the door handle as tightly as his eyes were shut. He reproached himself as he realized how powerless he was in the current situation. Waves of regret washed over him, engulfing Usher once again in the unspeakable void of words. He was like a prisoner trapped in a labyrinth of complex emotions, caught between the desire to change the past immediately and the awareness of a reality that might be unavoidable. His soul rebelled, his heart ached, but he continued to try to resist the emotional urges that overcame him.Usher knew he could not act rashly. While he desperately wanted to erase
Hilary remained silent, as did Addy. Both were silent when not a word came out of The Past Vione's lips, only tears. They exchanged glances, signaling each other, and then Hilary allowed The Past Vione to continue embracing her.Time passed oppressively for The Past Vione. Sadness had overwhelmed her heart, but her tongue couldn't move, unable if she had to tell Hilary and Addy everything.The Past Vione knew that Hilary and Addy were the happiest when she became a Luna. They were the ones most grateful because they realized that no other man could promise her happiness and security but Usher. However, it seemed that they had been misplacing their hopes all along.Disappointment arose and finally made the Past Vione choose to remain silent. Thus, silence replaced words between them, creating an increasingly heavy silence.The Past Vione tightened her embrace around Hilary. She tried to find some peace in Hilary's warm embrace. Her body seemed to be enveloped in peace, which strangely
The Past Vione's sadness grew when she realized that Garth hadn't stopped the car on the way to the palace for no reason. Instead, as a Beta who cared deeply for the Alpha and Luna, Garth wanted to ensure their well-being.Unfortunately, it wasn't Garth's, Hilary's or Addy's attention that The Past Vione wanted now. It was the attention of The Past Usher that she craved. So, her heart sighed. Was it too much to ask for attention from no one but you, Usher?It was truly discouraging, and The Past Vione refused to humiliate herself in front of Garth. So, she did her best to keep a composed expression on her face. She forced a smile on her face and nodded. "Of course, Garth. I'm fine.”But Garth wasn't oblivious. It wasn't easy to fool him. Besides, it wasn't difficult for him to detect a hint of sadness in The Past Vione's eyes. The Past Vione could smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.“I'm relieved to hear that, Luna,” Garth said wisely. He decided not to ask further. But that d
The return of The Past Vione didn't escape Usher's scrutiny. He vividly remembered the events of the past and decided not to miss the opportunity.Usher realized that The Past Vione would be very sad that night, to the point of doubting their love. So, he didn't want to take any chances. He had to meet The Past Vione and make sure that their relationship was okay.Usher reached into his pocket and briefly looked at the half-moon pendant necklace. Then he clasped it firmly before putting it back in his pocket.Usher waited a moment while he carefully watched the footage from the surveillance cameras scattered throughout the palace. His focus was on the large monitor, then shifted to the smaller screens showing different angles, never losing sight of The Past Vione for a moment.His body tensed as he saw The Past Vione leaving the office, sobbing. She seemed so tormented and sad. She was in such pain that guilt tore at Usher's heart.Usher felt unable to watch the surveillance footage a
Silence surrounded them, only the slow and steady rhythm of breaths could be heard. They came from The Past Vione, who slept peacefully in Usher's embrace. Her beautiful face looked tired, but also happy. Unfortunately, this only further confused Usher's feelings and a wave of guilt washed over him.Usher held his breath, trying to hold back the flood of emotions that was consuming him, but it was extremely difficult. Every time he looked at the serene face of The Past Vione, the guilt pressed down harder. His heart thundered with feelings that were difficult to express. He felt truly terrible to realize that Vione, the woman he loved most, was at his side without knowing anything about what was going on between them.Moments later, a warmth rose in the corner of Usher's eyes. Tears threatened to break out and he fought hard not to cry. But memories of the past unexpectedly flooded his mind. He remembered the promises he had made. Promises to always protect Vione and make her happy. U
Vione couldn't answer Jemma's words. Her heart was truly touched and she fell silent, only able to look at Usher, knowing that everything Jemma had said was the undeniable truth. Pregnancy was always a happy announcement. But Vione's pregnancy was more than joy; it was a blessing. For Usher, Jemma, Rowena and the Frostholm Pack, Vione's pregnancy was the greatest gift the Moon Goddess had given them. So, it was no surprise that when the palace announced Vione's pregnancy, the entire pack rejoiced and celebrated everywhere. Without exception, the news spread to the farthest corners of the Frostholm Pack territory. Smiles and beaming eyes adorned the faces of every member of the pack. They continued to give thanks for all the good things that had happened to the pack—from their victory in the war to Vione's pregnancy—and they didn't forget to pray for Vione's wellbeing. Ayla, the Sacred Elder, made hasty preparations. She arranged for a blessing ceremony for Vione's pregnancy to be h
There was a bright, blinding light. It seemed to be the morning sun, its warmth soothing her soul. Vione wasn't alone. Next to her was Usher, always holding her hand. They were talking, laughing, when suddenly a scene made her eyes widen. "Sylvia, come back! Don't go too far! Oh, God! Silas, can you go after her?"Usher pulled Vione into his arms. "Don't worry, she won't get lost. They're smart kids." "Usher," Vione groaned, pressing her lips together and raising her hand to point. "That's too—" Vione frowned. Something was holding her hand. Something was stroking the back of her hand, squeezing her fingers. "U-Usher." "Vione? Are you awake?" Usher's voice echoed in her head, like the buzzing of a thousand bees, driving that beautiful memory from her mind. It made her slightly dizzy and she moaned softly. "Vione? Can you hear my voice?" Vione frowned and slowly opened her eyes. She saw Usher's face, filled with immeasurable relief. "Usher." "Oh, thank God," Usher whispered, k
The meeting was only ten minutes old—it had only just started—and the first presentation had only just been given, but Usher's concentration was already disturbed. He couldn't concentrate on the data being presented. His mind kept wandering back to Vione. He had tried to ignore it, but suddenly his heart was pounding with an unfamiliar rhythm.Usher held his breath. Vione. Had something happened to her?At the same time, Usher saw Garth reach into the inside pocket of his suit. He watched as Garth stepped out of the meeting to take a phone call and for some reason Usher was certain that the call had something to do with Vione.Usher's intuition was right. Immediately after the call, Garth approached him and whispered in his ear."Alpha, Cora just reported that Luna fainted at a banquet—"Usher immediately got up from his seat. He left and Garth quickly said, "The meeting will be postponed."Then Garth hurried after Usher. They left the office five minutes later, Garth driving as fast
Two days later Rowena was ready. With her was Cora, whom Usher had specially assigned to accompany her on her journey.Rowena cupped Vione's cheeks. "Don't worry, Vione. We'll see each other often. Besides, it's the only way I can make up for leaving you as a baby.""No, Mama." Vione held Rowena's hands. "You did it so I could live with other werewolves. I understand that."Still, Rowena's guilt remained. So, she promised to make up for it with happiness and togetherness in the future."I hope you take good care of yourself, Mama," Vione said, calming her heart. Then she took off the moon necklace she was wearing. She put the moon necklace into Rowena's hand. "Let me know if anything happens."Rowena nodded. "Of course."Vione and Usher watched Rowena leave, certain that this wasn't goodbye. In truth, they were just living apart. They would keep in touch. They would still meet and visit. So, everything would be fine. There was nothing to worry about.That was what Rowena believed too.
Vione's hope was the promise she had made to Ivan. After so much suffering and sacrifice, there was only one thing she wanted most: to live a peaceful life surrounded by those she loved—Usher, Jemma and Rowena.They were owed many happy days because of the tragedies that had unfolded over the years, along with the war. Now Vione simply wanted to repay that debt by enjoying their time together, especially with Rowena.For countless days, Vione had longed for the loving touch of her biological parents. Despite the fact that her life with Addy and Hilary had been happy and full of love, she could not deny that deep down there was a part of her that longed for the warmth and love of her real parents. And when she learned that Ivan was long gone, all her hopes were placed in Rowena.Vione wanted to experience the affection she had only imagined. She wanted to spend endless days with Rowena in the palace. But it seemed that Rowena had other thoughts than her own."W-what do you mean, Ma?" V
Silence. Ivan and Rowena both stood still, staring at Vione without blinking."I'm meeting Usher, Dad," Vione said again. She pouted as she continued, "We've been dating since the night of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony." Her face flushed, obviously embarrassed. "When we were celebrating at the palace, and that's when we..."Vione didn't finish her sentence, but both Ivan and Rowena understood. They could guess what had happened that night. But one thing was still unclear to them.Ivan cleared his throat. He rubbed his chin, looking puzzled. "Usher?" he asked. "Which Usher are you talking about?""Papa," Vione groaned, feeling even more helpless. She was completely embarrassed. "There's only one Usher I know, the one you both know, Usher Thorne."Ivan's mouth opened, but no words came out. He seemed genuinely shocked and needed a little more time to fully process the name Usher Thorne.Ivan stared at Vione. "Usher Thorne?"The doorbell rang at the same moment. Vione's eyes widened. She lo
A month had passed since the war against the Nimbria Pack, and now normal days were once again colouring the Frostholm territory. Everyone carried on with their activities as before, full of energy and joy. The children played and went to school without a trace of fear, while the adults worked diligently, occasionally breaking into light chatter and laughter.There were no worries. Fear and anxiety about the future had vanished, replaced by happy, vibrant faces. They knew that the danger that had loomed over them for years had been overcome.On the other hand, the peace that now surrounded the Frostholm Pack did not lull Usher into complacency. He refused to become arrogant. Instead, the tragedy that had befallen the Nimbria Pack had taught him many lessons. He would not be careless and would make sure that this would never happen again.As a basis for preventive measures, Berg continued to increase security throughout the territory. Inspections of outsiders became more thorough and r
A heavy silence had fallen over the Frostholm territory since the night before. The area was truly desolate, with no sign of the Frostholm pack except for Berg and the guards stationed everywhere to protect the borders and the palace. The rest of the pack had evacuated to Amerotha Forest, hiding under the protection of Rowena's magic.The tension was palpable. The members of the pack seemed restless, their minds filled with fear, even though their safety was guaranteed within the forest. They knew that this security did not extend to those fighting in the war; there was no guarantee of safety for them.No one could close their eyes. They couldn't even stay in their tents. Instead, they chose to gather together and pray without ceasing.Hope poured from the depths of their hearts. Every prayer was accompanied by sincerity, and many shed tears. Their sorrow ran deep, and the Amerotha Forest could feel it.A blue-golden light slowly emerged, flowing from the ground and spreading everywhe
One thing Usher would remember for the rest of his life was that war never brought anything good. On the contrary, only bad things came out of war—death, pain, loss, suffering. For this reason, he would do everything in his power to ensure that there would be no more wars in the future—at least not in his lifetime—even if it meant making extreme choices.Usher hated war and he hated killing, but this time he put those feelings aside to ensure the safety of the Frostholm Pack. He had learned from experience that Kendrick's compassion could never touch the humanity of the Nimbria Pack. In truth, greed had blinded the Nimbria Pack, causing them to ignore the opportunity presented by the Frostholm Pack. Worse still, the Nimbria Pack saw Kendrick's decision as a sign of weakness, leading them to attack again whenever they had the chance.So, this time, Usher abandoned all compassion and humanity. The Nimbria Pack didn't deserve it. Instead, he would make sure that the Nimbria Pack felt all