*** Ariana’s POVA bit over 2 weeks had passed since my initial changes, and my ward was thriving—patients were seen quickly, the waiting room was almost empty, and 15 new jobs were created, including a part-time daycare for families. Dr. Alexander had even devised a fast track to pack membership, and several families from disbanded packs had already taken advantage of it. It was a success beyond anything I could have imagined, and if this was my only achievement before being sent away, it was something to be proud of.But tonight was the Moon Festival, and my excitement over the hospital didn’t translate. Beta Simon had insisted I sit with the Alpha and the elders, but I’d managed to tuck myself into the background. Passing Draven in a hallway had become more than my senses could process. Every time he was close, an uncomfortable heat would rise in me, some desire I couldn’t control. It was too embarrassing, and I just wanted to avoid any more body betrayals.The lack of acknowledgme
*** Ariana’s POVI froze the moment I saw him. James. His face emerged from the shadows of the dimly lit pack house foyer.“James, thank the Goddess. I didn’t know if anyone else survived!” My first instinct was to run and hug my childhood friend, Elara’s brother. But I came to a hard stop when I saw the predatory look in his eye.Panic gripped me, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest.“James?” I whispered, stepping back from him, realizing the danger I was in. Elara was with Cirian, and James would always be with Elara.“Please don’t do this!”I barely had time to react as James closed the distance between us, my body moving o
I expected more pain. Instead, my shoulder felt... fine. Surprisingly fine. Only an hour ago, I could barely move anything associated with my shoulder, and now I was making a full fist like nothing had happened.“It takes me longer to recover from a stubbed toe,” I muttered to myself, flexing my hand in disbelief.Beta Simon looked up from his spot across from Draven. “What was that?”“Nothing,” I waved him off, but my mind raced. This kind of rapid healing wasn’t typical. Not for me. It’s the sort of thing that would happen if I had a wolf—which I don’t. Almost all the other options seemed implausible.“Sit,” Draven gestured to the chair across from him, breaking my chain of thought. I can feel my face flush as his eyes roam my body, settling on my shoulder. “Ah, yes, my latest battle scar,” I tried to jest, eyeing Draven, “It’s healing better than it should really. Milk thorn is apparently a more formidable foe than the guest in lockdown.”My icebreaker earned a smirk from Simon… a
*** Ariana’s POVTurning in his chair to face me and leaning back, Simon absently twirled a key between his fingers before signing in resignation. He gave the slightest nod toward the door.“Go to Dr. Alexander,” Simon said gently, “Tell him we need James conscious as soon as possible. He may need your help with some herbs.”My stomach tightened, but I kept my expression neutral. “I can do that.”“Good,” Simon flicked the key one last time before setting it down on the desk. “Let Dr. Alexander know we plan to give the perp Truth Serum as soon as he’s awake. The Alpha wants answers fast.”My blood ran cold. Truth Serum? If they injected James with that, there was no way he wouldn’t reveal everything. If Draven learned I was an imposter, the punishment might be unimaginable. And it would only be a matter of time before it got out, and Cirian would know where I was. A shiver ran down my spine, but I forced myself to keep a steady expression.“The serum... is that really necessary?” I ask
*** Ariana’s POVThe hospital was quiet, almost eerily so, even for so late at night. The usual hum of voices and bustling footsteps had been replaced by silence; most of the staff had taken time off for the Moon Festival, leaving only a skeleton crew behind.I made my way to Dr. Alexander’s office, feeling the steady weight of the key pressing against my thigh with each step. His door was locked, and a quick glance through the glass showed his desk empty. Where was he? I tried calling him with my new phone, but the phone rang in the locked office, echoing back to me from just beyond the closed door.Instead, I spotted a nurse down the hall and approached her. “Could you page Dr. Alexander?” I asked, the urgency obvious in my voice, “Beta Simon has an urgent task for him.”
*** Alpha Draven’s POVI was heading down to the dungeons to check on Dr. Alexander’s progress with the ‘patient’, my mind focused on ensuring the prisoner, James, was stabilized. Whatever Beta Simon had planned for his interrogation needed James awake and conscious. As I approached the turn to the dungeons, I was surprised to see Dr. Alexander just making his way toward me, his expression tense.“Alexander?” I called, stopping in my tracks. “Why aren’t you in the dungeons already?”Alexander slowed his pace, looking frustrated. “I’m on my way now, Alpha. I was tied up with an emergency at the hospital. A nurse mentioned Miria had come looking for me, but she left with some medical supplies before I could return.”A curse slipped through my clenched teeth, and the slow burn of anger I had been feeling ignited into urgency. Miria had gone to the dungeons—alone—just her and the perp.Without another word to Alexander, I started moving, my pace quickening as dread began to settle in my c
*** Ariana’s POVAll I wanted to do after leaving the dungeon last night was curl up in a hot shower and cry myself into oblivion.No such luck, by the time I dragged myself back to the packhouse, Beta Simon’s wife, Linda, was waiting to escort me to new chambers… on the Alpha’s floor.“Don’t read too much into it,” Linda had noted, sensing my hesitation. “It’s not a statement about you becoming Luna; it’s strictly a security measure.” Sure enough, the fourth floor was only accessible by fingerprint access, as were both the Alpha and Luna’s rooms.The room was well appointed of course but what stuck out most was the door adjoining my suite with Draven’s. I quickly hurried to lock that door once Linda had taken her leave.
*** Ariana’s POV“What just happened?” I muttered, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Relief washed over me, softening the tension that had wound itself tightly in my shoulders. Staying here—in the pack—meant I could breathe a little easier, at least for now.Taking a few calming breaths, I tried to center myself, pushing down my worry as best I could.Focus, Ariana. Focus on what matters now.There was no way I could leave James’s death a mystery. Whatever had killed him so suddenly had left no trace, and if I could find some explanation, maybe it would ease the guilt clawing at me.I turned to the shelves that lined the walls of my office—floor-to-ceiling bookshe
*** Ariana's POVThe corridor outside Ariana’s room felt eerily silent as Cirian stopped at her door. For once, his expression was less predatory and more... calculated. His words during lunch still lingered in her mind, sharp and bitter as the wine she hadn’t touched. He tilted his head slightly, watching her as if trying to decipher her thoughts.“I trust you found the meal to your liking?” he asked smoothly, his tone deceptively casual.Ariana crossed her arms, leaning lightly against the doorframe. “It’s strange,” she said, forcing calm into her voice, “to have such a fine meal in a place that’s so drenched in blood.”Cirian smirked, unbothered. “Ah, but doesn’t blood fertilize the richest soil? Makes everything... thrive.” He stepped back, gesturing toward the door with a flourish. “Rest, my dear. Tonight promises to be enlightening.”Without waiting for her response, he turned and strode down the hall, leaving Ariana staring after him. Enlightening, he’d said. Everything with hi
*** Draven’s POVMiria.The scent of antiseptic stings my nose first, followed by the sterile coldness of the room. The steady beeping of machines grates against my senses. My body feels heavy, my limbs slow to respond, but the fire in my chest is all too real.Miria.Kronos stirs inside me, a restless, prowling presence. His growl echoes in my mind, a single word cutting through the haze.Miria.I lurch upward, my vision blurring as the room spins. The last thing I remember is the forest—the gunshot, her scream, the way the light caught in her eyes.Mate.
*** Ariana’s POVThe hospital café feels incomplete, much like everything else around here. Half the walls are unpainted drywall, their seams taped but not yet sanded. A few tables are scattered around the space, mismatched chairs filling in the gaps. Exposed beams stretch across the ceiling, reminding me of how exposed I feel sitting across from Cirian. Cirian sits across from me at one of the few functional tables, his coffee steaming in his hands. The sharp scent of fresh paint and sawdust hangs faintly in the air, almost masking the herbal notes of my tea.A waiter sets down a small plate of biscuits between us, offering a polite nod before retreating to the far side of the café. We’re mostly alone here, the quiet punctuated only by the occasional sound of construction—hammering, a power drill whining, muffled voices echoing down the halls.The setting is intimate, leaving me nowhere to hide. I lift my tea to my lips, the heat brushing my face, and take a slow sip, buying myself
*** Ariana’s POV…extermination of rogues.A feeling of deja vú settles over me.I can hear the same phrase being repeated in my head but it’s in my father’s voice.I have the sensation of being younger, the days when I would sit on his lap while he worked in the office.Bad actors.Was my father a bad actor?Cirian moves us along, showing me more—the beginnings of a school, a workshop bustling with activity, a communal space where wolves share food and laughter.“This isn’t just a home for rogues,” he says, gesturing to the buildings. “It’s a chance for
*** Ariana’s POVStepping out of the packhouse behind Cirian, I’m greeted by a crisp breeze that carries the sharp scent of pine. We must be farther north than Draven’s pack.Cirian glances back, his steps slowing. “Shall we?” he asks, extending a hand.I don’t take it, but I follow him. That’s answer enough.Despite my best intention to stay calm and civil, the cold bite in the air feels like an apt comparison to my mood.Waking up to Cirian sitting at the end of my bed and chit-chatting at me through the bathroom door while I was changing still has me off-kilter.Thank the Goddess I had swapped out the nightclothes Elara had chosen for me before going to bed.The ground crunches softly beneath our boots as we walk, the wide path leading deeper into the settlement. Ahead, buildings come into view—rows of them, neat but unpolished. Their wooden frames look sturdy, their construction deliberate. Wolves move between them, talking in quiet tones, some carrying supplies, others watching
*** Ariana’s POVElara’s words cling to the air, heavy and wrong, like the echo of a song sung off-key.“I can’t wait to see him again,” she says, her voice soft and distant. The smile on her lips is as fragile as the flame flickering in the hearth, but her eyes… her eyes are the real betrayal. There’s nothing behind them but static.I shift my weight, the creak of the wooden floor grounding me against the surreal tilt of the moment. “When was the last time you talked to James?” I ask, keeping my tone light, almost casual.Elara’s hands, busy smoothing invisible wrinkles from her dress, falter. She blinks, her expression flickering with something—confusion? Uncertainty? “Right before he left,” she says after a pause, the vagueness in her voice like a half-formed thought.The answer settles into my chest like ice water. There’s no time stamp on that comment, nothing specific to anchor it. I know James has been dead for over a month.“And Cirian,” I say slowly, tilting my head as if the
*** Ariana’s POVThe door clicks shut behind me, and I turn automatically, scanning for a lock. My fingers skim the edges of the wood, searching the smooth surface in vain. Nothing. Not even a latch to bar the door from the inside.I exhale in irritation, stepping back to take in the room, my gaze darting from the chest against the far wall to the chair near the fire. Both seem flimsy options to block the door, but I’m already calculating how much noise they’d make if someone tried to come in uninvited.At least I’d have a warning.Pivoting quickly, my breath catches—no, halts altogether. There’s someone sitting on the edge of the bed.“Elara?” I blurt, my voice sharp as I take a reflexive step back. “What the hell?”The woman perched before me doesn’t flinch, her head tilting slightly as if I were the intruder.“Miss Ariana,” she says softly, her lips curling into a small, fragile smile. It’s disarming, but only because it doesn’t erase the dark circles under her eyes or the hollows i
*** Ariana’s POVCirian leans back in his chair, fingers tracing the rim of his wine glass. The soft candlelight flickers across his face, sharpening the angles of his jawline and casting shadows under his eyes.“You know,” he says, a faint smile tugging at his lips, “the first time I saw you, I thought you were going to kill a man.”I blink at him, startled by the statement. My fork hovers over the plate as I meet his gaze. “What?”His smile lingers for a moment, but there’s something wistful in his expression. “It was outside your pack’s border. I’d been tracking a rogue, hoping to bring him into my fold, but I lost him in the woods.”The fi
*** Ariana’s POVThe candlelight flickers softly across the table, its warm glow catching on the edges of the dark wood. The food smells incredible—roasted meat, buttery vegetables, and a faint hint of herbs I can’t place—but I can’t bring myself to eat.Cirian seems perfectly at ease, enjoying his stake like it’s Sunday dinner with the family. His glass of wine sits untouched beside him, though he glances at it occasionally as if debating whether to take a sip.“You’ve changed,” he says suddenly, breaking the silence.I glance up sharply, my fork still hovering over my plate. “Have I?”He smiles faintly, setting his knife down. “Yes. You carry yourself differently now—more confident. More… focused.”The compliment feels like a trap, and I carefully lower my fork back to the plate. “Life has a way of doing that to people.”