Julian POV"Was it that obvious?" I asked Cecilia with a grin."That little trick works well on her, but why set it up like that?" she asked."Tonight, I had the video of Freeda torturing the captives sent to two of the Rogues she tortured. Shortly after, the enemy launched an air raid. Do you really think that's a coincidence?""Definitely not. The enemy leader must've seen the video and decided to strike. That's why you made Freeda the vanguard. You're serving her up to them, aren't you?" Cecilia's sharp mind pieced it together instantly."I believe that the Rogues and warriors from the Northern Territory are here for revenge and not to hurt the commoners. Otherwise, they would not have camped outside without doing anything until now. "Their goal is to avenge their tortured comrades—especially Spencer, Jackson's son. I've sent the culprits their way. Maybe we can avoid a full-scale war and save the people of Ashfall from suffering.""I hope you're right. Still…" Cecilia sighe
Freeda POVI was captured. I had been so close—just a few feet away from the enemy leader. If I had caught him, I would've erased the humiliation of losing to Cecilia. Every wolf in Valdora would have seen me as the true Alpha Female, not her.Vahn tried to race after me, but he was stuck battling for his life against a group of Northern Territory soldiers. "Freeda, stop! Don't go after him! Freeda!"His voice echoed behind me, making me turn to look at him. Still, at the thought of the humiliation I had recently suffered, I decided to charge deeper into the desert with my men. 'Vahn, I'm sorry for disobeying orders, but I need to prove myself,' I thought.When I leaped onto the vehicle with the enemy leader, bullets suddenly started raining down on me. I looked around me and found a large wave of enemy troops appearing from behind the rocks of the desert. "Don't panic!" I shouted to my men. "Once we have their leader, we'll be rewarded with promotions!"We fought hard.
Freeda POVThey dragged me to a doorway, and when it opened, the brightness of the light stung my eyes.I squinted, adjusting to the glare, only to see 13 werewolves bound and stripped in front of me, their bodies covered in wounds. Unlike mine, their faces remained untouched.I soon spotted Alex and a few familiar faces. "Freeda?" Alex's voice was hesitant.I knew I looked terrible right now. The shame made me turn my head away from them. I did not answer him. The Rogues shoved me forward until I stood beside the others. My former subordinates looked at me in disbelief, whispering amongst themselves."Freeda!" Alex called out to me once more. I glanced at him, tears welling up. As they rolled over the deep gashes on my face, pain shot through me like fire."Don't you know who she is? She is the only Alpha Female of Valdora! How dare you do this to her!" Alex shouted at the Rogues. I felt a flicker of gratitude for his defense, but it was short-lived. One of the Rogues re
Cecilia POVAfter arguing with us, Vahn still insisted on leading his men to rescue Freeda. Just as they were about to leave the camp, Ethan intervened, and Julian had Vahn locked up in his room.It was clear that Vahn genuinely cared about Freeda, which earned him a sliver of my respect. At least he had some backbone.Julian tasked me with rounding up and counting the Rogue captives and warriors from the Northern Territory we had. There were 11 captives—an eerie coincidence.I had a few reliable warriors keep watch over the captives in order to prevent history from repeating itself. In war, once the spark of hatred appeared, it would slowly spread through everyone. I did not want an endless loop of revenge. Julian sent a message to the enemy, requesting a trade of captives and a ceasefire. We received their reply the next evening—they agreed to the trade, but it would take place in the desert, the Rogue's territory."This must be the enemy's trap. They're luring us in to slau
Cecilia POV"Y-You're not a wolf. Just what are you?" Vahn stumbled backward in surprise. Layla grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the ground effortlessly."You're a Shadow!" I exclaimed in shock. That face was just the same as the Shadow I had interrogated in the Lotus Pack. Her face was a twisted mash of beast and human. 'Just how did she become a Shadow?' I wondered."What? Did I scare you?" Layla didn't bother to put her veil back on. She stood there boldly, her disfigured face exposed for all to see."I look like this because of your mate," she said, sneering at Vahn. "You care about her face, but what about mine?" She kicked him hard as he lay on the ground."What are you talking about? What is a Shadow? What does Freeda have to do with any of this?" Vahn was completely lost, his confusion growing with every revelation."Vahn, don't waste your breath! Kill her!" Freeda suddenly screamed, breaking her silence. Her voice was raw with agony. "She didn't just
Layla POVI looked out at the horizon of the desert. In autumn last year, I witnessed a similar sunset that seemed to bleed across the sky. Back then, I sat on my mother's old bed. Even though I was light, it groaned beneath me. The house was filthy, with dust and grime clinging to the walls from years of neglect.The sunset outside painted my mother's still face with the hue of blood.It had been three days since she died.Her body was starting to decompose, and the stench of death filled the air.The entire three days were spent in silence. The only sounds of life came from behind our tattered door. For three days, I sat there, thinking. How was I supposed to survive without her? I wasn't even 18 yet, and the slums were unforgiving to the weak. And without her, I felt weaker than ever.Suddenly, there was a frantic knock at the door. My heart raced, a whirlwind of fear and hope swirling inside me.I slowly got to my feet and wiped my tears away with the back of my hand
Layla POVMy uncle hadn't even left the Western Kingdom before he was killed. Spencer delivered his head to me as a so-called gift for my 18th birthday.I finally shifted after purging the wolfsbane from my system. However, I was still weaker than other werewolves since I did not have any combat training. Therefore, I decided to stop wearing dresses and changed into battle gear. I asked Spencer to teach me how to fight. He agreed even though he believed he could always protect me himself.We spent some happy times together until Jackson discovered our relationship."She's half-blood and not just any half-blood—she's human, the most fragile kind! Do you know what this means for our bloodline? Your children might not even be able to shift like real werewolves!" he roared in the great hall, and his voice was filled with disdain.Spencer held my hand tightly as he stood in front of me. He was nervous but resolute. "Father, she is my mate. The bond between us is unbreakable. You know
Layla POV"He came back like this?" Jackson's voice echoed through the grand hall, dripping with disdain.He looked down at his eldest son with a disgusted look. "My heir, the future Rogue King, reduced to... this pitiful, broken state."I wanted to scream at him, to tell him how unfair his words were, especially when his son was barely clinging to life. Yet, the cold gaze Jackson turned on me silenced any retort I had. I knew he didn't just loathe his son; he despised me as well. If Spencer hadn't insisted on marrying me, he wouldn't have gone off to the battlefield alone and risked everything.Jackson never abided by the werewolf world's rules of mates. He didn't believe in the Moon Goddess' arrangements, dismissing them as foolish. For him, only absolute power mattered. He fathered eight children with five powerful female warrior wolves, and five of them were sons. Spencer and his four brothers had been forced into brutal competition from a young age, with only the strongest