The legend says that if a gray werewolf’s fur turns blood red, that wolf is filled with rage and vengeance. There is no light in its heart, and it will continue its despair and loneliness for the rest of its life.
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The storm that night was so strong, yet it was not enough to wash away the blood on the ground.
Despite the continuous falling of the rain, the moon shone brightly above. But it was not displaying its usual calming illumination — it was bleeding red.
The faint screaming of death was heard all around the northern castle. Children could be heard crying and adults fighting for their lives.
In one of the castle hallways, the northern alpha could be seen running while carrying a lady in his arms. Several older and younger werewolves were also following him.
“Bring the lady to safety,” he told one of his subordinate wolves. “I will return to the field to eliminate the enemies.”
When he was about to leave, the lady cried, “My alpha, please don’t leave me. I am scared.”
The alpha gazed at her and took her hand for a moment. “I promise you I will come back. Please wait for me.”
Although filled with tears on her face, the lady nodded.
He looked at his subordinates and whispered, “Now, go!”
The wolves quickly followed his order and ran away.
The alpha then carefully wandered through the castle hallways, looking for the enemies who launched a sneak attack on their territory.
He mercilessly killed those unlucky ones who met him along the way.
“You can never take down the northern pack!” He repeatedly shouted as he stabbed the hearts of unknown enemies using his claws.
Suddenly, an arrow pierced through his shoulder, making him weak.
“A silver arrow?” He whispered as he glanced at that thing wedged into his body.
He was about to remove the arrow when suddenly he felt a sharp blade pointed at his throat.
“Too bad,” a woman’s voice could be heard. “I missed your heart with that silver arrow.”
The alpha’s chest painfully throbbed upon hearing that voice.
That voice — he could not be wrong.
“Y- you…” he murmured as he gradually turned his head to look at the woman.
“Do not look at me!” the woman shouted, noticing his action. “Don’t you dare look at me!”
He stopped as he whispered, “I- Is that really you?”
“This is the day you will die!” She said, trying to evade his question. “I will kill you!”
With his heart beating so fast, he held the blade pointed at his throat and faced the woman.
“I told you not to look at me, you piece of shit!” she angrily yelled, but it was too late — the alpha had already seen her.
She wore a black robe with a black mask attached to her face.
Their eyes met for a moment — a moment that filled with silence.
Suddenly, a relatively strong wind passed them, removing the black robe covering the woman’s head.
The alpha’s eyes widened in bewilderment.
“R-red,” he whispered. “Blood-red hair.”
“I- I will kill you,” the woman muttered.
“Do you want it?” The alpha asked her in a weak voice. “Do you really want to kill me?”
“I wake up every single day just for this moment,” she answered. “I want you to die a miserable death with my face as the last thing you will ever see.”
The alpha smiled — a bitter smile. “Do it,” he said. “Kill me.”
The woman replied nothing and just stared at him.
And although it was raining hard that night, the moonlight shone on them. He could see the woman’s eyes reddened in tears.
Then he pressed the blade close to his throat and smiled at her. “Kill me now. You want it, right?”
With her hands shaking, and her voice on the verge of breaking, the woman shouted, “Beg for your life, you fool!”
“No,” he said in a weak and gentle voice. “It’s yours.”
And after that, the whole place became silent.
Esmere POV Three years ago… “The alpha is coming back!” Cecilia, the head maiden in the northern castle, dashed through the door of my room. “Madam, the alpha is coming back.” I placed the book I was reading on the bed and gradually looked at her. “Is it real this time?” I asked with my voice filled with reluctance. The head maiden smiled at me and replied, “Yes. I believe it’s real this time.” A smile then appeared on my face. I could not hide it — I was so excited to meet the northern alpha again. The last time I saw him was six months ago. He went to another continent because of a territorial dispute. Werewolves invade weaker packs to strengthen their number. I offered to go with him, but he told me that the journey would be very tiring and that I should stay and wait for him to return. And so I did. I waited for him every sin
Esmere POV “His mate?” Ophelia blurted out in bewilderment. As expected, everyone was shocked upon hearing Aamon’s sudden revelation. His mate. His fated mate. Yes, everyone was astonished to hear such news, but no one could protest since Aamon’s words were the rules. “Stop talking about it in front of madam,” Cecilia warned Ophelia. We were in my room at that time. Upon arriving, Aamon told us that he and his mate were too tired and had to rest for the day; that’s why we were compelled to cancel the welcoming celebration and return to our regular activities. “But isn’t it ridiculous?” Ophelia continued despite Cecilia’s warning. “After being married to our madam for five years, he suddenly found his mate, and of all species, a human mate?” On the other hand, I was quiet the whole time — trying to process the situation. A
Esmere POV And although Aamon’s words implied I should not be worried about him having an intimate relationship with that woman, his actions greatly contradicted them. It has been three days since I last talked to him, and even though we were under the same roof, I haven’t seen him. “The alpha has never gone outside his room since the day he arrived. What could he be doing inside the whole three days?” Ophelia said. We were in the garden outside the castle with Cecilia at that time. Ophelia was right — Aamon has never gone outside his room ever since that day we talked. Rocco was the one who did all the chores he should have been doing. And that right-hand man was too loyal — he refused to answer every question regarding the alpha, even if it was me asking. “Madam, I believe you talked to the alpha the other day?” Cecilia suddenly let out a question. I looke
Esmere POV That night, I was soundly sleeping in my room when suddenly I was awakened by a loud banging on the door. I immediately stood up from the bed when I saw someone had forcefully opened it. That presence. I couldn’t be wrong. My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I saw Aamon emerge from the door and tell me, “I need to talk to you, Esmere.” He told me that in such an angry voice. I looked at him in confusion as I muttered, “What is it you want to talk about this late at night?” Aamon gazed at me in an expression that I couldn’t even read. “I didn’t expect you to do something like that.” I remained to look at him, not knowing what he was talking about. And my whole body froze the moment Aamon raised his voice. “Why did you have to scare Elisa like that?” It was the first time he raised his voice toward me, whi
Esmere POV “The night after tomorrow?” Ophelia blurted out. “The alpha must be kidding. We cannot possibly invite every northern werewolf on the continent on such short notice.” I breathed a heavy sigh as I looked out the big window of my room that night. The full moon shone brilliantly above, and the calm wind caressed my skin. “It’s a full moon,” I whispered. Ophelia gazed at me cluelessly. “Madam, have you heard even a single thing I said?” I glanced back at her and gave her a bitter smile. “Yes. I heard everything you said, but there is nothing I could do but follow his orders, right?” Yes. I could do nothing but agree. I did not want to see that angry expression again from Aamon. “If only Miss Cecilia is here. She can certainly help us with this problem,” Ophelia murmured in a sad voice. I pat Ophelia’s shoulder and answere
Esmere POV Elisa emerged from where Aamon came from — from the top of the stairs. She wore a long white dress that flowed with her every move while she carefully went down the stairs. Every eye on that place was set on her, watching her as if she was the moon goddess descending from heaven. And Aamon… Aamon could not hide even an inch of delight on his face — I knew he was so proud of her. My heart painfully throbbed upon seeing that scene. Aamon used to give me that kind of glance, but at that time, I was just another werewolf standing there. “Her name is Elisa,” Aamon introduced her when they reached each other. “But, Master…” One northern werewolf suddenly talked. “I get you found your mate, but as we already know, we have a Luna now. We already have a northern queen.” And then, all the northern werewolves there suddenl
Esmere POV It had been two days since that night Aamon confronted me, and I still could not get his words off my mind. “She is my mate, and you are someone I marked out of duty. Don’t be confused.” Aamon and I were together for five years, and he never made me feel like I was a stranger in his pack. But that night, it all came out. He revealed his true feelings for me. I gripped my chest when I felt a stinging in my heart. I did not know it could hurt this much — so painful that I could feel it physically. Two days passed, and I never left my room even once. Ophelia was the one who did all the things I should have been doing outside. And… And Aamon never once checked out on me. Maybe he did not even notice my absence. His mind was clouded with the ideas of his lovely mate and the things they should do after not meeting for ma
Esmere POV “Hey, bastards. Tell me how you want to die,” someone’s voice uttered when I was about to be captured by the three attackers. All of us turned our gaze to the direction where the voice came from and saw a silhouette casually walking towards us. The moon shone on the figure, and I realized it was a man wearing a white long-sleeved and a pair of black pants. And I was quite taken aback at seeing his features. He has black hair with gray eyes — just like Aamon’s. “Who are you, punk?” One of the attackers aggressively asked him. The man smiled as if he was not caught in a bad situation. He was chilling while one of his hands was casually in his pocket. “No need for introduction; you are going to die, anyway,” he replied. “What can a pretty boy like you do to us?” the attacker said, mocking the mysterious man. Suddenly, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the
Esmere POV: It was still raining that night when I woke up. My whole body hurt as I stood up from where I lay down. “Are you all right?” An older man with white hair and a beard asked me as he sat before a small bonfire. We were in a provisional tent that was poorly made. “W-who are you?” I asked as my entirety shivered. “I am an eastern wolf wandering around the continent. Who are you? And why are those northern werewolves adamant about killing you?” Hearing what he had just said, I automatically held my stomach and felt a sharp pain in there. “M- my child,” I murmured with widened gazes. The older man looked at me with a pitiful countenance. “Sorry, but you were badly injured when I came to you that I thought you were already dead. I could not do anything to save the child inside you.” As soon as I heard him say that, my whole world fell. “No. You are lyin
Chapter 22 Esmere POV My eyes widened, and my mouth almost fell upon seeing the situation in the western mountain. The western castle was burning, and the western werewolves’ burned corpses were lying on the ground. “We have been attacked!” One werewolf with me screamed at the top of his lungs. And out of everything that happened there, two enormous wooden crosses particularly caught my attention. There were two individuals pinned in each of them. My chest pounded as I gradually walked toward them, and I screamed in horror upon recognizing their faces. “Mother! Father!” They were lifeless. Silver daggers were pierced into their hearts and their throats. I instantly fell to the ground because of the shock I felt. “W- what’s happening?” I stuttered as my whole body trembled excessively. “Madam! We
Esmere POV A week passed, and the group of werewolves that the western pack had sent to fetch me from the northern castle arrived. Six western werewolves had come to get me, including Ophelia. She was so overjoyed upon seeing me getting out of the castle. “Madam!” she enthusiastically yelled as she hugged me tightly. “I missed you so much!” I wore an oversized robe at that time. “I missed you, too,” I said while smiling. “It’s never the same without you here.” “Sorry, Madam. I left you alone,” she answered apologetically. “It’s not your fault,” I replied. I wanted to tell her the truth about how Elisa manipulated her to go savage, but I thought it was not the right time to spill it out. The maids were at the entrance, watching me departing from the northern castle. Aamon was not there at that time. He left ear
Esmere POV "I am planning to remove my mark from Esmere!" I clutched my chest so tightly as soon as I heard those words from Aamon. I leaned on the wall so I wouldn't fall because of the shock I felt at that moment. "But removing the mark from her could cost her life. Are you ready to face the consequences?" One of the influential elder werewolves asked him. "Yes," Aamon answered without even hesitating. "Let's be honest here. This is also what you want, right?" Everyone in that room fell silent. No one could even answer. "We all think Esmere is not suitable to be the luna if we want to take this pack to a higher and stronger level. So why not just remove the mark from her? You are all thinking that, right?" Aamon spoke again, and there was a hint of anger in his voice. "You also wanted me to mark the rightful one, right?" "But what about the western pack?" Rocco was th
Esmere POV The aloe vera’s scent circulated in the room and greeted me as I woke up. When I opened my eyes, I saw an older woman with white hair sitting beside me and massaging my legs. As soon as I felt her touching my wound inflicted by the silver chain, I groaned out of pain. “How are you feeling, Madam?” The older woman asked me when she noticed I woke up. “This is a nasty wound.” “Are you the priest-doctor?” I asked. “Yes, Madam. The alpha has called me to check on you,” she answered. “I heard your health is deteriorating.” I tried to stand but couldn’t since my legs were still shivering. I asked her, “What do you mean my health is deteriorating?” The older woman slightly stroked her forehead as she hesitantly answered, “I heard from the alpha that you are getting weak mentally.” “What?” I exclaimed upon hearing what she had told me. “
Esmere POV Realizing that Aamon would not believe in me, I yelled, “Cecilia! Tell the alpha the things you just told me.” But despite calling for her name, Cecilia didn’t come forward. I looked in the direction where she was standing and said, “Please, Cecilia. I need you to tell them the truth.” The resounding voice of Aamon then filled the room. “What are you waiting for, Cecilia? Come forward!” And that’s when Cecilia proceeded to the room. I stared at her as I clasped my hands in anticipation. I wanted everyone to know that Ophelia was innocent and Elisa was behind everything. “What do you know?” Aamon asked the older maid. “What the hell did you say to the luna?” Cecilia’s shoulder shook as she fidgeted with her fingers. “I- I,” she stuttered. “I have no idea what the luna is talking about.” My heart almost fell out of my chest after h
Esmere POV “It’s about the day Ophelia attacked Madam Elisa,” Cecilia muttered. I could see the hesitation in her eyes. “W- what about it?” I stuttered. I didn’t know why, but I felt nervous at that time. Then she reached for her pocket and handed me a small purple flower. “What is this?” I asked as I gazed at the flower in my hand. Cecilia’s shoulders uncontrollably shook as she lowered her head. “That flower is called night howler.” “What does it do? How is it relevant to Ophelia’s situation?” She clasped her hands as she tried to speak. “That flower, Madam, when ingested by werewolves, could make them a ferocious beast that mindlessly attacks humans.” My eyes widened in astonishment. I stammered, “W-what did you say?” Cecilia suddenly kneeled before me and cried, “Madam. I am really sorry. I didn’t mean to do it to Ophelia. I didn’t mean
Esmere POV “Sorry, Madam. But he does not want to talk to you in the meantime,” Rocco told me as I stood in front of Aamon’s room. It was my third attempt to talk to Aamon, and all those efforts went down the drain since he didn’t want to talk to me, let alone see my face. I lowered my head. “Aamon, I know you can hear me even if I whisper as weak as this,” I muttered, hoping he could hear me with his sensitive ears. “I understand you do not want to talk to me now, but I am desperate to see you. I would appreciate it if you could only spare some time to meet me.” But even after I pleaded so much, there was no reply. “Sorry, Madam,” Rocco muttered in a sad voice. I bit my lower lip as I turned around to leave, but suddenly, I heard Aamon’s stern voice. “Let her in.” I instantly looked at Rocco; he nodded as he opened the door. I slowly approache
Esmere POV And, to my sheer horror, I saw Ophelia in her werewolf form as she viciously attacked a frightened Elisa. The maidens earlier were also shifted to their werewolf forms, trying to stop Ophelia. But at that time, she was so strong that no one could defy her. “Ophelia!” I yelled as I ran down to stop her. But as soon as I saw her up close, her appearance made me shiver. Her eyes were so red that they creeped me out. She was drooling so much that it felt like she was an uncontrollable beast. “Ophelia, stop it!” I yelled again, but it seemed she didn’t recognize my voice or face. Three maiden werewolves were holding her, but their combined strength was proven insufficient, as Ophelia managed to free herself from them. And what she did next made everyone scream. She scraped Elisa’s shoulders with her claws.