Cecilia POVI listened to Julian and slid into the passenger seat, acknowledging that his driving skills were a bit better than mine.As we drove home, my mind kept drifting back to the creature we had seen. Pearly wasn't the only one who had never seen anything like it.When I was younger, my father and brothers had taken me all over the mountains near the Lotus Pack. We had encountered all sorts of bizarre animals—giant glowing blue snakes, massive worms with hammer-shaped heads, and many more. But something like that? If it really lived here, I would have seen it before.A nagging unease settled over me, so I decided to call my mom. I tried twice, but she didn't pick up."Why isn't Mom answering?" I muttered, frowning as I prepared to dial a third time."She's probably in the kitchen making something delicious for us and didn't hear her phone," Pearly said from the back seat, handing me a bottle of lemon juice."But—""Pearly's right," Julian chimed in. "You're just getting
Julian POVI thought I had become desensitized to the horrors of war—the screams, the bloodshed, the fallen bodies. Yet, the scene before me was profoundly disturbing.Cecilia's grief left me at a loss.I immediately called for an ambulance. Upon their arrival, the medics confirmed that there were no survivors of the 19 wounded. Among the victims was a child, horrifically decapitated. Pearly identified him as likely being Aaron Shore, the youngest son of Norman, just 13 years old. His silver spaceship toy lay next to his bed, drenched in his blood.Most victims had either their throats slit, or daggers plunged directly into their hearts. The blades were coated with lethal wolfsbane, rendering even the most adept witch doctor powerless to save them.Strikingly, there were no signs of struggle at the scene. It appeared as if the victims had been assassinated in their sleep, their faces eerily serene. Only Norman's body was in a horrifying state. He sustained multiple wounds, his
Cecilia POV Aria's scent, like her body warmth, was fading.This was what happened when a werewolf died.After our first shift, we each developed a unique scent. Upon death, that scent vanished from the world.Aria had always smelled of lilies. Now, all that lingered in this room was the metallic scent of blood.I cleaned her body gently, as though I were tending to a withered lily. Aria was meticulous about cleanliness; she would have hated for anyone, even the forensic specialist, to see her blood-stained.In the morning, the forensic specialist transported her and the other 18 bodies to the hospital for autopsies. We expected results by night at the earliest."She died instantly, so she probably didn't suffer," the forensic specialist offered, perhaps in an attempt to comfort me as he carried her away.Stepping out of my mother's room, I instinctively raised my hand to shield my eyes from the harsh sunlight, which stung. Now, it was just me and my shadow that remained of th
Cecilia POVJulian drove Pearly and me to the hospital. Ben and the forensic specialist, Daniel Larson, were already awaiting our arrival at the entrance."It's faster than I expected," I commented to Ben as we got out of the car."Cecilia, Daniel came with me from Black Stone. He's the best forensic specialist in the country and a member of the royal special forces. You can trust his judgment," Ben assured me, likely sensing my apprehension."Thank you for your help," I said, recognizing Daniel as the one who had offered me comfort earlier that morning. I was surprised to see such a young Omega male achieve so much. In the eyes of many, especially male werewolves, Omega males were often seen as the lowest rank and frequently rejected by their mates.At that moment, I found myself wondering how Daniel had carved out his own 'path.'Reflecting on this, my respect for him grew."It is my duty," Daniel responded with a nod before gesturing for us to follow him. "Please, follow me
Cecilia POVI requested that the hospital director access the sedative usage records for the past month, yet the records were conspicuously blank."There haven't been any entries for sedative usage in the past month. However, the hospital inventory shows a significant decrease—nearly half compared to last month. Can you explain this discrepancy?" I pressed."I'm not sure. Dr. Hudson oversees the pharmacy, and he's on his way here now," the director replied, his tone uneasy as he frantically called the doctor to hasten his arrival.Within ten minutes, Lance Hudson entered the hospital. He was a middle-aged man with a balding head."I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know where those sedatives have gone!" Lance insisted, his denial unwavering under the weight of questions from Julian and me."Lying won't help you. I have many ways to extract the truth, and I assure you, the pain involved would be excruciating," Julian warned, stepping closer to Lance. With a swift mo
Cecilia POVI instructed the soldiers to imprison Leanna and Lance in the dungeon. After the funeral, they would be publicly executed.As Julian, Pearly, and I exited the hospital, Leanna's daughter managed to break through the soldiers' barrier, clutching a tiramisu. Tears streamed down her face as she implored, "Where is my mother? She asked me to buy this cake."Observing her, I noticed her left pinky was missing a piece, now wrapped in a bandage. My eyes filled with tears, and I turned away, unsure how to respond."What's your name?" Julian kneeled to meet her eye level."Alisha Jones.""Alisha, this man will take you home later. He will protect you," Julian reassured her, gesturing to the soldier by her side."I don't want to go home. I want to stay with Mommy. She hasn't eaten anything all day!" Alisha sobbed."I promise to give your mother the cake, but you need to promise me that you'll go home and be good, okay?" I said, gently wiping her tears.Reluctantly, she nodde
Cecilia POV"Now that the autopsy results are out, it's time to prepare for your mother's and Norman's funerals," Hogan said. "We'll hold the ceremony in two days. I'll have Ben invite the Alphas from various packs to attend. Let me know if you need any help."It was then that I realized Hogan, Ben, and Julian were all dressed in black suits, a somber uniform that seemed to officially mark the beginning of the mourning period."Thank you, My King. I'm quite familiar with funerals, unfortunately. I've attended more funerals than weddings in the past two years," I responded, trying to inject a bit of dark humor.The joke didn't quite land as I hoped, and their expressions turned awkward.I managed a smile and added, "Just focus on solving the case. I'll handle the funeral arrangements."The Lotus Pack Alpha family's funerals involved special ceremonies, including unique coffins, special burial sites, and memorial practices distinct to our tradition.I reached out to Jack, who co
Cecilia POVJulian and I made our way back to the shore, relishing the sunlight as we lay on the grass. It had been ages since I had enjoyed such simple pleasures. Once our underwear had dried enough, we dressed and strolled back to the hotel under the setting sun. It was the kind of evening that whispered promises of a good night's sleep without the need for pills."What are you planning to do with that manor? If you're set against living there, I can have it demolished. We could find a new spot and build something fresh," Julian inquired as we walked back."I want to keep it," I responded. "I'll have someone tidy it up tomorrow before I move in.""I'm just concerned that you and Pearly might find it upsetting to live there.""It'll be fine. That place is my childhood home. I have many beautiful memories there. The door frame in my room still has the marks of my height measured each year up until I turned 18. If that manor goes, I'd truly be without a home."The following mornin
Cecilia POV"She's no longer a prostitute, so she has moved out of the military brothel."Thus, I told Zara what happened that day."It's good that you want to help others. But Amy, she definitely is no angel!""I'm just helping her find a new job and giving her a chance." I calmed Zara down. "Just move to the room next to mine if you don't want to see her.""No way! I'm not interested in third-wheeling you and Julian!" Zara curled her lip.Zara also heard Amy and Ellie insult me at the bar a few nights ago. For that reason, she had been regarding Amy with disfavor. I could fathom Zara's hostility toward Amy. Still, since she had been helping the refugees these past few days and hadn't witnessed Ellie's tragic death, she didn't understand my desire to help Amy.If truth be told, I wasn't that noble. I simply wanted to do something within my power to make myself feel at ease.The days that followed were busy yet peaceful. Most importantly, I saw hope resurfacing on the faces o
Cecilia POV"Oh, thank you." Julian casually slid the cufflink into his pocket.I swiftly pulled a long face. In my mind, I pondered how Julian's cufflink ended up in Rhea's possession. Although a cufflink wasn't a particularly personal item, she couldn't get it without physical intimacy. In fact, I could smell her scent on the cufflink through the pocket."Have you and Rhea known each other for a long time?" I mind-linked Julian after walking out of the military prostitutes' barracks."Yeah, but don't get me wrong. Nothing is going on between me and her," Julian quickly explained."Like I care!" I quickened my place huffily and left him behind. Based on their conversation earlier, it sure sounded like something did happen between him and Rhea."Mario, take the three of them to a new barrack." Julian sent the others away. Then, he caught up to me and grabbed my arm. "Cecilia, are you angry?""No, I'm not." I pretended to respond calmly. In reality, a surge of rage came over me.
Cecilia POVEllie's body was quickly sent for cremation after Alex was executed.I saw Layla and Ellie get tortured in my dream for two nights in a row. They were staring at me with wide eyes. It was as if they were begging for a helping hand that I couldn't give. In the end, the scene in my dream changed, and I became the one getting chained and whipped.I woke up with a start, and my body was drenched in sweat. For a moment, the torture I felt in my nightmare seemed to be real.Nonetheless, I couldn't shake off the feeling that this nightmare wasn't just my brain playing tricks on me. Instead, it served as a warning and a reminder."Julian, how many military prostitutes are there in the camp?" I rushed to Julian's office after getting up."I'm not sure. Why do you suddenly ask about this?" Julian put down the document in his hand, walked to me, kissed my forehead, and calmed my emotions."18," replied Mario, who stood on the side. "Oh, wait. It's 17 now.""I think we should a
Julian POVAmy was so frightened that she hid behind me and held my arm tightly, refusing to let go. For her safety, I decided not to push her away.Then, I gave Vahn a look, signaling him to cuff Alex.Cecilia stood beside me. She had a cold expression on her face as she looked down at Alex with her arms crossed.As for Alex, he showed no sign of fear. His fierce and flickering eyes shifted back and forth between us. It was as if he was already aware of his fate, considering he didn't even try to defend himself."Did you kill Ellie?""So what if I did? What are you going to do about it?""You think you can just walk off after taking someone's life?" I growled."She's just a prostitute!" he retorted and spat on the ground."Alex, you truly are beyond redemption. There was no point in me thinking so highly of you before!" Even Vahn couldn't help but chastise Alex."For your information, you seem never good at judging one's character." Cecilia rolled her eyes at Vahn before ask
Julian POV"Alex? Is he Freeda's subordinate?" I frowned. "He hasn't returned since last night?""That's right." Mario nodded. "We haven't been able to reach him. Do you want me to bring Freeda over for questioning?""Her again? How much trouble will she and her subordinates cause?" I slammed the table in anger. "Who are the other two? Investigate them as well.""One is under Alpha Cecilia's command, and the other is Alpha Ethan's subordinate," Mario explained while glancing at me and Ethan."Let me see which brat it is! I'll teach him a lesson!" Ethan rolled up his sleeves and was furious. Then, he assured me, "Don't worry, Prince Julian. I won't show any favoritism. If it turns out that one of my men is guilty, it's because I failed to discipline him. I'll take responsibility and accept the punishment."On the other hand, Cecilia didn't seem concerned about the other two. Instead, she walked over to Amy, who was sitting in the corner, and asked, "Amy, do you know Alex?""Yes
Julian POV"Doctor, can you estimate the time of death?" I asked."Judging by the body temperature and its condition, she must be dead for about 5 to 6 hours. Since it's now 9.30am., she likely died between 3am and 4am." Then, the doctor pressed on the body and showed us the livor mortis."See? The marks disappear quickly, which means the body is still fresh.""If that's the case, Cecilia definitely has nothing to do with it. I finished work with Mario around 1 A.M. last night and returned to rest." I cleared my throat and looked at Cecilia. "I was with her last night. She couldn't be involved in this."Cecilia looked at me in shock. Then, she mind-linked me and said, "Why did you lie? We weren't together last night. This has nothing to do with me. Yet, you're making it look like you're covering for a suspect. If this lie is exposed, it'll only make me look more suspicious."Before I could respond, Amy quietly questioned, "But she could've snuck out while you were asleep...""We
Julian POVAs Amy took me to the location of the body, I mind-linked Mario to tell him to bring the camp's doctor along.The body was in an abandoned warehouse next to the camp. It was less than 30 meters from the camp gate. When I arrived at the scene, I realized it was far more horrifying than I had imagined."She was injected with a large amount of wolfsbane and hallucinogens. The fatal injury might have been the tearing of her lower body, internal organ damage, and excessive bleeding," the doctor said with a sigh. Then, he continued, "This is just pure sadistic murder. However, there's no sign of semen in her body, nor any fingerprints on her. The killer is a professional one."Shortly after, a scout was assigned to investigate the case. Alas, he also found no clues after examining the body for a while."What were you and Ellie doing last night? Who did Ellie meet before she was killed?" I asked Amy."Ellie and I went to the bar together. I returned to the camp early becaus
Julian POVIn just three short days, Cecilia managed to gather a total of 300 million, and the amount kept growing."She's really helped us out once again. If she hadn't organized the fundraiser, we'd be facing some serious financial difficulties." Hogan's voice sounded cheerful over the phone."Yes, she's an impressive Alpha. Brave, intelligent, and responsible—""Enough about that. When are you coming back to Black Stone? Your mother misses you dearly." Hogan cut me off before I could finish listing Cecilia's strengths."I need to stay here to coordinate the rebuilding efforts in Ashfall. I can't leave just yet.""I'll send the experts myself if that's all it takes. There's no reason for you to—" Hogan's tone turned stern. "I know you're staying for her. She's doing well, but don't think that means she'll become the Luna of Valdora. I'm giving you one month to wrap things up and return!""All right."After ending the call, I let out a breath of relief. It wouldn't be easy to
Cecilia POVI stared at him, a hint of disbelief flashing in my eyes. "You mean to say you can't help at all? If it weren't for Freeda, your dear wife, these people wouldn't even be refugees in the first place! Don't you think you owe them some compensation?"Freeda interrupted sharply, "This isn't about refugees. This is about you playing the hero and trying to make yourself look good. Just because you have money and influence now doesn't mean others can throw money around recklessly."I blinked, taken aback by the malice in her tone. "This isn't about showing off. It's about saving lives, about helping people who have lost everything in the war. This isn't some competition."She stood, crossing her arms, her eyes narrowing as she faced me. "Oh, isn't it? You're here, putting on this grand fundraiser, expecting everyone to line up and donate. It's nothing more than emotional blackmail."My heart pounded, and a surge of anger rose within me. "It's not blackmail. No one is being fo