Settling In as LunaPriscilla's PerspectiveThe first rays of dawn streamed through the window, casting a golden glow over the room. Jake’s arms tightened around me as I stirred, his warmth a comforting cocoon. I turned my head slightly to find him already awake, his dark eyes watching me with an intensity that made my cheeks flush.“Good morning, Luna,” he murmured, his voice husky from sleep.A smile tugged at my lips. “Good morning, Alpha.”Jake chuckled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to my forehead. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.”I reached up, tracing the line of his jaw with my fingers. “Hearing what?”“Luna,” he whispered, his lips brushing against mine in a kiss that started gentle but quickly deepened. His hands slid down to my waist, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us.For a moment, everything else faded—the worries, the responsibilities, the weight of my new title. All that mattered was the feel of his lips on mine, the steady beat of his h
The moment I stepped into our room, I felt the energy shift. The air grew thicker, charged with an electric current that sent a shiver down my spine. Jake stood by the window, his broad back to me, the dim light from the moon outlining the powerful contours of his body. He turned at the sound of the door clicking shut, his eyes locking onto mine. Those dark, intense eyes held a heat that made my breath hitch, my heart hammering in my chest. “You’ve been running from me all day, Prisca,” he said, his voice low, predatory. “I haven’t—” “You have,” he interrupted, taking a slow, deliberate step toward me. His gaze raked over me, and I felt it like a physical touch, setting every nerve alight. “And now I’ve caught you.” My back pressed against the door as he closed the distance between us, his presence overwhelming. His scent—earthy, musky, uniquely Jake—wrapped around me, clouding my thoughts. He was so close now that I could feel the heat radiating off his body, the raw power
The room was thick with tension, the kind that clung to your skin like humidity in a summer storm. Jake’s family council members were seated around the long oak table in the pack’s meeting hall. Their eyes, cold and calculating, bore into me with an intensity that made my stomach churn. I stood by Jake’s side, my hand clasped tightly in his. The warmth of his grip was my only comfort in this sea of judgment. Despite his silent reassurance, the knot in my chest tightened with every passing moment. “This,” began Elder Marston, his voice sharp and cutting, “is unacceptable.” The murmurs of agreement from the others rippled through the room like a tide. “You’ve crossed a line, Jake,” added Elder Helena, her eyes narrowing at me as though I were some sort of wild animal she’d found in her home. “Marrying her wasn’t just impulsive—it was reckless.” I swallowed hard, my voice lodged somewhere in my throat. “She’s my mate,” Jake said, his voice calm but firm. “The Moon Goddess cho
The moon hung low in the sky, its soft light spilling into the room as I sat curled up on the couch. The events of the day swirled in my mind like a storm, leaving me drained yet restless. Jake was somewhere in the packhouse, likely dealing with more fallout from the council’s accusations.Good. I needed space from him. His words still echoed in my head. “If you did it... I’d still stand by you.”The thought alone made my stomach churn. How could he even entertain the idea that I would kill someone, let alone a council member? A cold, hollow feeling settled in my chest.A soft knock at the door broke through my thoughts. Before I could answer, Fatima peeked her head in, her sharp eyes scanning the room until they landed on me.“Prisca,” she said softly, slipping inside and shutting the door behind her. “How are you holding up?”I let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, you know. Just your average day of being framed for murder and having everyone in the pack hate you. Fantastic, really.”Fatima
The morning air was heavy, oppressive even, as Fatima and I set out again to continue our search for answers. The packhouse halls seemed to buzz with whispers, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that every set of eyes I passed was filled with judgment. The rumors were spreading. Fast. It wasn’t just the council now—others in the pack were beginning to murmur about their “Luna, the witch.” It felt like every tentative bridge I’d tried to build with the pack since arriving was now crumbling beneath me. I shook my head, willing the thoughts away. There was no time for self-pity. Not when we were still no closer to finding out who framed me for Gregory’s death. Fatima noticed my silence as we slipped into the empty library, her sharp eyes catching the tension in my jaw. “You okay?” she asked, closing the door behind us. “No,” I admitted. “I feel like everything’s falling apart. The pack hates me, Jake doesn’t trust me, and we’re running in circles trying to figure this out.” Fat
The day started like any other. I woke up to the sound of soft murmurs outside my window—pack members going about their day, the occasional bark of an order from the guards patrolling the grounds. The sun streamed in through the curtains, but it felt like it brought no warmth. Fatima had already left to follow up on Eleanor’s cryptic comments from the day before, leaving me alone with my swirling thoughts. The pack’s judgment, the dead ends in our investigation, the ache of being so close to Jake but feeling miles apart—it all weighed heavy on my heart. I was still sitting on the edge of my bed, lost in thought, when Jake walked in. “Hey,” he said softly, his voice hesitant. I looked up, startled. He stood in the doorway, his tall frame filling the room, but there was an unusual vulnerability in his eyes. “Hey,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. He crossed the room in a few quick strides, stopping just in front of me. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, just c
The walk back to the packhouse was filled with the comfortable silence that only Jake and I could share. His arm was draped lazily around my shoulders, his thumb tracing small circles on my skin. The warmth of his touch grounded me, and the lingering glow from our moonlit date was enough to make me forget the weight of everything hanging over us. But the peace shattered the moment we stepped through the doors. The packhouse was in chaos. Voices were raised, and the tension in the air was thick enough to choke on. My heart dropped into my stomach. Something was wrong. “What’s going on?” Jake demanded, his alpha authority slicing through the noise. The crowd parted almost instinctively, and that’s when I saw her—Fatima, my best friend, sitting on one of the couches in the common area with a cold pack pressed to the back of her head. “Fatima!” I rushed forward, my legs moving faster than my brain could process. “What happened?” She looked up at me, her face pale but her usual
The air in the war room was suffocating. Jake stood across the table, arms folded, his gaze fixed on the map of our territory spread out before us. The muscles in his jaw tensed as if he was holding back a storm of emotions. He had been restless for days now, ever since we caught wind of the intruder’s plans. I hated seeing him like this—cold, distant, and singularly focused on vengeance. “Any updates from Chris?” I asked, breaking the silence. Jake didn’t lift his eyes. “He’s still searching the southern borders. So far, nothing.” I glanced at the scattered reports on the table, each detailing potential sightings and possible leads. It felt like trying to catch smoke with bare hands. “This person knows our routines,” I said. “Knows how to slip in and out without leaving much of a trail. They’ve been planning this for a while.” Jake finally looked at me, his piercing gaze sharp enough to cut through steel. “That’s what worries me.” His voice was low, dangerous. It sent a sh
The ballroom was alive with music and laughter, a stark contrast to the heaviness that had lingered over the pack these past few weeks. Fatima had outdone herself, organizing this ball to remind everyone that joy still had a place in our lives.Dressed in a flowing emerald-green gown, I swayed gently in Jake’s arms as we moved across the dance floor. The light in his eyes, the way his fingers traced soothing circles on my back, made me forget—if only for a moment—that our world was still in pieces.“See?” he murmured. “A night without doom and gloom. Feels nice, doesn’t it?”I smiled up at him. “It does.”He twirled me, and for a second, I felt weightless. Then it hit me.A sharp, piercing sensation in my skull.I stumbled, the room tilting violently.Jake’s grip tightened. “Prisca?”I couldn’t answer. The pain spread like wildfire, and suddenly, the music and chatter faded into the background. My legs buckled, and I was falling.Darkness swallowed me whole.And then… I wasn’t in the
The weight of what I had just seen clung to me like a second skin. Even as I sat on the edge of the bed, back in the safety of our room, I could still feel the cold presence of that figure. The sound of its voice—my voice—echoed in my head like a haunting melody. Choose. But choose what? I could still feel Jake’s hands on my face from before, the desperate way he had searched my eyes, pleading for an answer I didn’t have. Now, he paced the room, his body tense with unspoken frustration. The others sat nearby, watching me with equal parts concern and curiosity. “You need to tell us everything,” Althea finally said, breaking the heavy silence. I rubbed my arms, trying to rid myself of the chill that had settled in my bones. “I was… alone. You were all gone. And the figure—it wasn’t just some shadow. It was me.” Sophie’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait. You? Like… a doppelgänger situation?” I nodded slowly. “Exactly like that. She—It—told me I had to choose. But I don’t know what t
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a blade. We had all woken up in a cold sweat, shaken by the fact that we had the exact same dream—no, it wasn’t just a dream. It felt too real. The streets of that town, the heavy feeling of being watched, the way the air had seemed almost alive with something unnatural. I glanced around at the others, my heart still hammering in my chest. Jake sat at the edge of the bed, his muscles tense, his jaw clenched as if trying to process everything at once. Fatima and Sophie had both fallen into a heavy silence, their usual humor nowhere to be seen. And Althea… she was staring blankly at the candle burning on the bedside table, deep in thought, her fingers twitching slightly. “This isn’t over,” I finally said, breaking the silence. “We left that place. We returned here. But somehow, it’s still with us.” Jake turned to me, his expression unreadable. “There has to be a reason why we all saw the same thing.” His voice was low, controlled—b
The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine as I stepped out of the cabin. The town was finally behind us, but a strange unease still lingered in my chest. It wasn’t just the eerie experiences we had—it was something deeper, something clawing at my subconscious, demanding my attention.Jake was already outside, sharpening his dagger with a quiet focus that sent a chill through me. His jaw was tense, his muscles coiled, as if he were ready for another fight. I walked up to him, rubbing my arms against the cold. "You look like you're expecting trouble," I said, trying to sound lighthearted, but he barely acknowledged me at first.Finally, he sighed and set the dagger down. "I don’t like that we had to run from that place. It feels unfinished," he admitted.He wasn’t wrong. We had gotten away, but at what cost? The things we had seen, the presence that still clung to us like an unshakable shadow—I knew deep down that it wasn’t truly over.Sophie came strolling ou
The tension from our near escape still clung to me like a second skin, even as the night stretched into silence. My body was exhausted, my mind running circles around the events that had unfolded. I lay curled against Jake, his arms wrapped securely around me, his breath steady and warm against my hair. But sleep refused to claim me. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes—red eyes in the dark, the twisted town, the feeling of time slipping like sand through my fingers. It had been too easy. Too clean of an escape. And that made my stomach churn. Jake shifted beside me, his grip tightening. “You’re thinking too much,” he murmured against my temple. I exhaled softly. “I can’t help it. Something isn’t right.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead, but there was tension in his touch. “We’ll figure it out in the morning. For now, just rest.” I nodded against his chest, but the uneasy feeling wouldn’t leave. And deep down, I knew—this wasn’t over. ---Morning came far too soon. T
The moment we stepped out of the inn, an eerie silence wrapped around us like a suffocating blanket. The town, which had been brimming with life just hours ago, now felt abandoned. The streets were empty, the lanterns flickering weakly, and the air carried a heavy stillness that made the hairs on my arms rise.Jake was the first to break the silence. "We need to get out of here. Now."His voice was calm but held an undertone of urgency that made my stomach twist. I reached for his hand instinctively, feeling the warmth of his skin grounding me.Althea, Sophie, Fatima, and Chris followed closely behind as we hurried toward the town's exit. But as we neared the main road leading out, a dense fog rolled in from nowhere, thick and unnatural. My breath hitched as the path ahead of us blurred into nothingness."What the hell?" Chris muttered, stepping ahead cautiously. He reached out a hand to push through the fog, but the moment his fingers touched it, a pulse of energy knocked him back on
The road stretched before us, endless and winding, as our SUV rumbled down the cracked pavement. The eerie little town we'd just left was nothing more than a fading memory in the rearview mirror. Or at least, that’s what we thought.Fatima sat in the back, fiddling with the radio, static crackling through the speakers. Sophie drummed her fingers on the dashboard while Althea stared out the window, her fingers twitching like she was trying to grab something unseen. Chris, sitting next to Fatima, was uncharacteristically quiet.“I swear, I’ll never step foot in another weird-ass town again,” Sophie muttered, shifting in her seat. “That place gave me the creeps.”“Agreed,” Jake said, his fingers gripping the wheel tighter. “Let’s just get home and pretend this never happened.”Silence settled over the car for a while, broken only by the hum of the tires against the road. The trees lining the highway were dense, towering over us, their darkened silhouettes illuminated by the occasional f
The idea of taking a break from everything was both ridiculous and desperately needed. The pack had been through hell, and for the first time in weeks, there was no immediate crisis to solve. So, when Sophie suggested a road trip, I had laughed—until I saw the way Jake looked at me, like he knew I needed this more than anyone. And maybe I did.That’s how I found myself crammed in an SUV with Jake, Althea, Sophie, Fatima, and Jake speeding down an open road. The wind blew through my hair as I rolled down the window, feeling something I hadn’t in a long time—freedom.“Alright, we need road trip rules,” Sophie announced from the backseat, pulling out a notepad. “Rule number one: No talking about pack politics.”“Agreed,” Fatima said, munching on a bag of spicy chips. “Rule number two: The driver does not get to pick all the music.”Jake, who was behind the wheel, raised a brow. “Excuse me? Who else would pick?”“Literally anyone else,” Althea said, crossing her arms. “You listen to brood
The morning air was crisp and fresh, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth through the open windows. It was the kind of morning that whispered of new beginnings, of hope gently stretching its fingers through the cracks of sorrow. I stood on the balcony, sipping warm tea, watching the sun rise over the treetops. The pack had been through hell, but today—today felt different. The heaviness that had lingered like an unshakable fog finally seemed to be lifting. Laughter drifted up from below, the sound of children playing near the training grounds. Warriors, who once walked with the weight of grief on their shoulders, were smiling as they sparred in the courtyard. The pack was healing, slowly but surely. I had found a place here. It had taken time, patience, and a lot of self-doubt, but now, watching the people I had come to love rebuild their lives, I felt at home. A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me against a warm chest. “You’re up early,” J