Zara's pov The days since Elizabeth’s escape had been tense. Patrols were relentless, and Adrian was on edge. The packhouse, once a lively haven, felt like a fortress under siege. I tried to go about my routine, focusing on small tasks and my growing bell. That morning, as the pack gathered in the main hall for Adrian’s daily briefing, an unfamiliar scent wafted through the air. It was faint at first, but it grew stronger, accompanied by gasps from the crowd. “She’s back,” someone whispered. I turned to see Elizabeth standing in the doorway, her head held high and her eyes scanning the room like she owned it. She was in human form, her long hair neatly braided and her clothes immaculate, as if she’d strolled back from a vacation rather than fleeing for her life. Adrian stepped forward, his expression unreadable, though the tension in his jaw betrayed his simmering anger. “You’ve got some nerve showing your face here,” he said coldly. Elizabeth inclined her head, her voice smoo
Zara's pov After the chaos of the trial and Elizabeth’s shocking accusation, life in the pack felt like walking on thin ice. Trust was a fragile thing, easily broken and hard to rebuild. I tried to focus on my routines—helping in the infirmary, preparing for the baby, and supporting Adrian in his role as Alpha—but the weight of suspicion lingered over me like a dark cloud.Elizabeth hadn’t been punished outright; Adrian had decided to keep her under close observation instead. It was his way of preventing her from causing further division within the pack. But her presence in the packhouse was unnerving. I often caught her watching me with that calm, calculating expression that made my skin crawl.One evening, as I helped Adrian organize patrol schedules in his office, a knock at the door interrupted us.“Come in,” Adrian called, his tone clipped.It was one of the pack’s scouts, a young wolf named Caleb. He stepped in, his face pale and his hands trembling.“Alpha,” he began, his voic
Zara's pov The hours crawled by as I waited for Adrian’s return. Each minute felt like an eternity, and the knot in my stomach tightened with every passing second. I paced the room, glancing at the door and then back to the window, where I could see flickering torchlights in the distance. Whatever had happened was serious, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. When Adrian finally returned, his face was grim, his clothes disheveled, and his hands stained with blood—not his own, I hoped. “What happened?” I demanded, rushing to him. He sighed, dropping into the nearest chair. “It was another attack. This time closer to the packhouse.” “Was anyone hurt?” He nodded, his jaw tightening. “Two patrol members. They survived, but barely. Whoever did this is sending a message.” I sat down across from him, my hands trembling. “Adrian, we can’t keep living like this. The pack is on edge, and I... I don’t feel safe.” Adrian reached across the table, takin
Zara's pov The days blurred together as I tried to keep my head above water in Adrian’s pack. The constant tension, the growing uncertainty—it all felt suffocating. But amid the chaos, something about Adrian’s steady presence gave me a semblance of peace. Even when things seemed impossible, his unwavering support made me believe that maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to survive here. But that belief was beginning to erode. The attacks continued, growing bolder, more frequent. Each time, it felt like we were one step behind, struggling to maintain control of the situation. Adrian’s mind was consumed with finding the traitor, but with every piece of evidence, we seemed to go in circles. It was frustrating, and every new lead only added to the weight of the uncertainty pressing down on us. And then, there was Elizabeth. She remained a constant presence, her calm exterior a sharp contrast to the growing unrest around us. I had never trusted her fully—there was something abou
The first pangs of labor hit just before dawn, sharp and insistent like a distant thunderstorm rumbling closer. I had been restless all night, the weight of my belly making every position uncomfortable. But this... this was different. “Adrian,” I gasped, clutching the edge of the bed. He was by my side in an instant, his eyes wide with concern. “It’s time?” I nodded, unable to speak as another wave of pain wracked my body. Adrian helped me to my feet, his arm steadying me as he called for the pack’s healer. “You’ll be okay,” he said, his voice calm but laced with tension. “I’m right here, Zara.” I wanted to believe him, but deep down, a sense of unease gnawed at me. Something felt... wrong. The packhouse was alive with activity, warriors stationed at every entrance as Adrian prepared for my labor. He was taking no chances, especially after the recent revelations about spies in the pack. But even with the extra security, I couldn’t shake the feeling that danger was clos
Ryker’s POV The night was calm, almost unnervingly so, as I sat in my office. The quiet hum of the fireplace and the faint ticking of the grandfather clock were the only sounds filling the room. But the calm outside did nothing to soothe the storm brewing within me. I've not seen Zara for months and it was driving me insane. She was stubborn, always determined to prove she didn’t need anyone, least of all me. I respected her strength, but damn it, she was carrying our child. That fact alone kept me restless, always waiting for the next report from the scouts I’d stationed in Adrian’s pack. I didn’t trust Adrian to protect her the way I would, not after everything. The door slammed open, breaking my train of thought. Victor stormed in, his face pale but his expression hard. “Ryker,” he said, his voice tight with urgency. “We’ve got a problem.” I stood immediately, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling. “What is it? Zara?” Victor nodded grimly, handing me a crumpled pie
Zara'pov The air inside the room was suffocating, heavy with an unspoken dread. The cries outside weren’t human—they were the growls of enraged wolves, a chorus of chaos that clawed at my nerves. My arms ached from holding Thorold so tightly, but I refused to loosen my grip. His tiny chest rose and fell with the steady rhythm of sleep, his innocence presence melts my heart. This wasn’t how I imagined motherhood. No one prepared me for nights like these, where I sat trembling with my child in my arms, my heart splitting between overwhelming love and bone-deep fear. They were out there for him—my son, my perfect boy, who had somehow become the center of a storm I didn’t understand. A loud crash from outside made me jump. The door flew open, and Adrian stormed in. His expression was grim, his usually composed face shadowed with urgency. “What’s going on, Adrian?” I asked, my voice breaking. His eyes darted to Thorold, who stirred but remained asleep, and then to me. "Stay here
Zara's pov The days that followed were a blur of pain and emptiness. My heart shattered into pieces too jagged to mend. Thorold was gone, and I was a mother without her child. The hours melted into one another, yet the agony stayed sharp, relentless, and consuming. I barely moved from the corner of the room where I had fallen the night he was taken. Adrian had found me there, clutching nothing but air, my cries so raw they scared even him. He had asked me who had come and what had happened, but I couldn’t answer. "A man," I had whispered, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "A man came for him." Adrian’s sharp gaze pinned me, his Alpha instincts pushing him to demand the truth, but I held my silence. How could I tell him the full truth? How could I explain the unearthly presence of Arcturus, his power, and the cold finality of his words? If I told Adrian, he would rally the pack to chase after Thorold, and the consequences… the consequences could destroy us all. So I kept it t
Zara's pov It had been a month since I arrived at Black Ridge Pack, and for the first time in years, I felt like I could breathe. The isolation of the mountains brought a calm I hadn’t known I needed. There were no whispers of my bloodline, no hovering Alphas watching my every move, and no enemies breathing down my neck.I was no longer the frightened woman scrambling to survive. Here, I was just Zara, a wolf determined to forge her own path.Kael’s training sessions were brutal, but I welcomed the pain. It was a reminder that I was getting stronger, that I was no longer defined by my past. The wolves in this pack didn’t care who I had been or what enemies hunted me. They only cared that I pulled my weight, that I worked as hard as everyone else.But even in this haven, secrets had a way of surfacing, and Black Ridge held one that would change everything.The morning sun hit the mountaintops as I stepped into the training grounds, the cool mountain air filling my lungs. Kael was alre
Zara's pov The pack was quiet, far quieter than I had expected. Nestled deep in the northern mountains, it was isolated from the chaos of the outside world. After everything that had happened—the attacks, the betrayals, and the overwhelming presence of Ryker and Adrian—I had made the decision to leave. To truly be free of everyone and everything that had defined my life up until now. I wasn’t running anymore but I want to be free. This faraway pack, the Black Ridge Wolves, had no ties to my past, no knowledge of what I had endured. They didn’t care that I was the “chosen one” or that I was hunted by enemies I couldn’t fully understand. They only cared that I was willing to work. All tanx to Alpha Adrian who introduced me to the alpha of the pack, he took me in without questioning me. That was all I wanted. To work. To train. To become stronger than I had ever been. The training grounds here were nothing like what I was used to. There were no neat rows of equipment or carefull
Mia's pov I stood by the glass window, a drink in hand, staring out into the vast, quiet forest that surrounded my side of the packhouse. It should have brought me peace, but tonight, like every other night, my thoughts were consumed by her. Zara. My twin sister. My other half. My eternal rival. I took a sip of the wine, the bitterness of it reminding me of the storm brewing in my chest. Zara. The name alone sent a wave of anger coursing through me. I should have been the one with the attention, the admiration, the power. Instead, it was always her—stealing the spotlight, stealing everything. Even now, after everything, she still managed to pull them in. Ryker and Adrian. Two of the strongest Alphas I had ever seen, drawn to her like moths to a flame. It was infuriating. I remembered the day I found out Zara was the chosen one. We were children then, playing in the meadow behind our home. The priestess had come to visit, an old woman with a strange, knowing look in her eyes. She
Zara's pov The forest felt suffocating as we left the witch’s lair. The tension between the three of us was unbearable, and the silence stretched so taut I thought it would snap any second. I couldn’t think about what had just happened. I could still feel the remnants of the witch’s magic, like cobwebs clinging to my skin, and it made my stomach churn. I walked ahead, my footsteps quick and deliberate, trying to create some distance between myself and the two Alphas trailing behind me. Ryker and Adrian, the two pillars of strength in my life, had become two storms circling each other, each waiting to strike. “Zara, wait,” Ryker called, his voice low but insistent. “I don’t want to talk,” I snapped without turning around. “That’s too bad,” Ryker shot back, his tone sharp now, his footsteps quickening to catch up with me. “You can’t just walk away from this.” I whirled on him, my chest heaving with frustration. “From what, Ryker? From you? From Adrian? From the fact that my life
Zara's pov The next few weeks passed in a blur of training and determination. I threw myself into every challenge Ryker and Adrian presented to me. But despite my progress, the threats weren’t going away. Ryker and Adrian made sure I knew that. My enemies weren’t just watching—they were waiting. The more I grow in strength, the constant threat looming over me. One night, after a particularly gruelling sparring session, Ryker found me sitting outside the training grounds, my back against a tree. My hair clung to my sweaty face, and my arms ached from hours of wielding a staff. “You’re pushing yourself too hard,” he said, handing me a bottle of water. “I don’t have the luxury of taking it easy,” I replied, taking a sip. The cool water was a welcome relief, but my voice was firm. “You said it yourself—these enemies aren’t just going to stop. I need to be ready.” Ryker crouched down in front of me, his piercing blue eyes studying my face. “You’re stronger than I’ve ever seen
Zara'pov The realization hit me like a thunderstorm in the middle of the night. I wasn’t safe. My son wasn’t safe. And no matter where I went or who I leaned on, the danger would follow. I sat in the quiet of my office, staring at the empty club floor below. The echoes of past battles and whispered threats filled the air. Ryker and Adrian had always been there to protect me, but how much longer could I rely on them? How many more times would they put their lives on the line for me while I stood helplessly by? The thought churned my stomach. “Enough,” I whispered, gripping the edge of the desk. Nora stirred in my mind, her voice steady and firm. "Finally. I’ve been waiting for this, Zara." “For what?” "For you to stop running and start fighting. You’re stronger than you think, and it’s time you proved it—to yourself and to everyone else." Her words ignited something in me. The fear that had shackled me for so long began to morph into something else: anger. And beneath
Zara'pov The aftermath of the battle left the club in ruins. Broken glass and overturned tables littered the floor, the faint scent of smoke and ozone clinging to the air. Ryker’s wounds were deep but manageable, though his expression was grim as I helped him to a chair in the back office.“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked, pressing a damp cloth to his temple where a gash had left a streak of blood.“I’m fine,” he muttered, wincing slightly. “But we need to talk.”“No kidding,” I snapped, pacing the small space. My emotions were a whirlwind—fear, confusion, anger, and something else I couldn’t quite name. “That man—whatever he is—said I don’t even know who I am. And now you’re saying I’m some kind of chosen one? What does that even mean, Ryker?”He looked at me, his blue eyes filled with a mix of frustration and concern. “It means you’re more important than you realize, Zara. Your bloodline has always been special, but you… you’re the culmination of it. The Moon Goddess marked you
Zara'pov The next night, the club was packed again, a sea of bodies moving to the rhythm of the music. I kept myself busy at the bar, pouring drinks and exchanging polite smiles with customers, but my mind was elsewhere. Ryker had been conspicuously absent for two nights, and though I hated admitting it, the emptiness he left behind was palpable. I was wiping down the counter when a strange scent hit me—earthy, ancient, and faintly metallic. It wasn’t wolf, human, or vampire. It was… different. Nora bristled instantly. "Something’s wrong," she growled. I turned slowly, scanning the room. Everything seemed normal, but I trusted Nora’s instincts. She was rarely wrong. As I moved to check on the VIP section, the lights flickered. Just once. Enough to send a ripple of unease through the crowd. Then I saw him. A man stood near the edge of the dance floor, dressed in a sleek black suit. His features were sharp, his pale skin almost glowing under the club lights. But it was his eyes
Zara'pov The next week passed without incident. I had convinced myself that Ryker’s visit was a one-time occurrence, a fleeting moment of curiosity that wouldn’t repeat. But I should have known better. Ryker wasn’t the type to make casual appearances, nor was he the type to leave anything unfinished. The first time he returned, it was subtle. I noticed him sitting at the far end of the bar, nursing a drink, his gaze sweeping the club but always landing back on me. I ignored him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. The second time, it was more obvious. He was in the VIP section, laughing and talking with a group of his warriors. Every now and then, I’d feel his eyes on me, like a weight I couldn’t shake. By the third time, his presence had become impossible to ignore. It was a busy Friday night; the club was packed with humans, werewolves, and other supernaturals. The air buzzed with energy, the music a constant thrum that seemed to sync with my pulse. I was behi