LUKAN The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, and I stepped into the underground parking lot, my eyes on the rows of cars waiting for me. The sleek, powerful machines gleamed under the dull light,each one a testament to my success—extension of my power. Before I could signal to my driver, I heard feet running behind me I knew who it was already without turning around. But I didn't stop walking. "Alpha Lukan ."she greeted ,her voice dripping with that tone she always used when she wanted something."Your mother, Julietta wishes to see you." I didn't bother looking back , didn't give her the satisfaction of a pause."Tell her I'm busy." "But—" "I'm late for a meeting." My voice was cold and dismissive. Without waiting for her response, I got to one of the cars and signaled to my driver. The door to my car opened and I slid into the back seat, already barking orders before the door was fully closed. "Drive. Now." As the car pulled out of the parking lot , th
LUKAN The sound of the engine faded as I stepped out of the car. After the meeting with Beta Ronan, I figured that going back home was better than staying around. As I entered the private elevator avoiding the stairs , my thoughts were already racing back to the meeting with Beta Ronan.The proposal was absurd.Marriage? To one of his daughters? He thought he could bind me to his weak Pack with a pretty face and a name on paper. He didn't know me at all. Rules and foolish proposals weren't for me.The elevator opened directly into my penthouse. The silence was deafening. Beautiful expensive room stretched out before me and the silence.It was better, at least , I tried not to think of Merida often.But there was something else. She was waiting for me. I heard her before I saw her—the click of her heels on the marble floor.My mother, Julietta appeared at the door way."Lukan." She called." I know you will be here." She smiled.I said nothing and crossed the living room to the
LUKAN."You are going nowhere."Mother said but before she could say another word I bolted out of the room.Then my phone buzzed again in my pocket as I left the penthouse, cutting through my thoughts like a sharp blade. I didn't bother looking at the screen until I reached my car. Rosita. Again .I sighed , leaning against the door for a moment , staring at the sky wishing I could ignore it. But Rosita never called twice, unless it was something urgent. I swipe to answer , irritation already crawling up my spine. "What is it Rosita?"My tone was clipped sharper than usual. "Alpha you have guest at the pack house,"she said her voice steady with t the hint of unease. She has been with me since I was a child—she could always sense when I was in one of my moods. "Tell them to wait,"I said flatly."I have—""Its Claudia, Alpha,"she interrupted. I froze the name sticking in my mind like a splinter. Claudia? The name sounded so strange. "Its Beta Ronan's third daughter."she added quic
LEMUEL I watched from the hallway as Lucan brushed past Rosita and stormed towards the stairs. His icy presence filled the room and the air was thick with tension. Since we fought ,he had never spoken to me and I have never seen him like this before— a cold storm locked in his own world. Something was bothering him, I know but as usual he hates showing his emotions and someone will have to pay for his icy attitude soon enough. He collided with someone just as I was about to turn away. Merida. The tray she had been holding crashed to the floor, the sound of glass shattering against the floor echoing through the hall. My chest tightened when I saw her kneel quickly, her delicate hands already trying to gather the broken pieces. And Lukan ? He didn't flinch. He didn't say a word. Not even an apology. He simply... walked away. I could feel the weight of his indifference , a cold slap to anyone paying attention. Not even a glance back. For a moment I stood frozen w
LEMUELI felt it was better if we got to sit at the rooftop garden. At least it will be a nice way for Merida to forget about what Lukan did.The warm evening air and the sound of rustling leaves below made it a perfect place and it wrapped around Merida and me like a comforting blanket. I glanced over at her sitting quietly beside me, her soft hair catching the light of the setting sun. I guess she was probably replaying the scene of what happened minutes ago over and over again in her head. But she looked better now and there were shadows under her eyes which looked like she was thinking about something else. "Do you like it up here?"I asked, hoping to ease her into a conversation. Her shyness made it hard for her to open up and I didn't want to push her too far ,too soon.Merida tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers brushing against her cheeks as if still feeling the sting of what had happened earlier. She hesitated, her voice barely a whisper when she finally res
MERIDA Zayna has been at it for the last twenty minutes, smugly talking about her upcoming bonding ceremony with Lemuel. She kept throwing little jabs at me probably thinking I was too weak to respond. Every time she mentioned the word 'mate', my stomach tightened but I refused to let her see me flinch."I'm thinking we will have a private dance just the two of us," Zayna said brushing her fingers over Lemuel's as if they were the perfect couple. Lemuel stood clearly uncomfortable, but he didn't pull away from her torch."Maybe we will even disappear for a little while after." She winked at him, her voice dripping with sweetness that made me sick. Julietta was standing across and was smiling ,her eyes flicking between Zayna and me as if this was some kind of entertainment. Zayna was clearly enjoying her little show too. She leaned closer to me , her lips curling into a smirk."I'm sure you get to watch the whole thing, Merida. From a nice, safe distance , of course."A pang of an
MERIDA The cool night air hit me the moment we stepped out of the Pack House, and for a brief second I welcomed it. My heart was already racing , my palms sweaty as Lukan's hand wrapped around mine guiding me towards the car. We were supposed to be going to dinner—a date—but something didn't feel right. It hadn't felt rice for a while, and the knot in my stomach had only tighten things we left As we reached the parking lot, I stopped walking. I pulled my hand free from his grip. It wasn't a smooth motion—it was jerky, awkward and unplanned. Lukan turned to look at me, surprise me flickering across his face "Merida?"His voice was laced with confusion, maybe even amusement."What's wrong?" I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. This wasn't like me. I didn't speak up. I don't cause scenes. I was supposed to be the quiet one ,the agreeable one, the one who never pushed back But tonight.... Tonight was different .I couldn't keep pretending anymore "I don't want to go,"My voi
His head snapped towards me, surprise flashing across his eyes "What?"I swallowed ,the weight of the question pressing down on me."You ...heard me." I stuttered avoiding his eyes and staring at my feet."Do you love me?Lukan's brow furrowed as if he was confused, like he didn't understand why I was asking this. But I knew he understood. He always did . The problem was , he never answered.He shifted, clearly uncomfortable. "Merida, what are you talking about? Where is this coming from?"I blinked back the tears threatening to fall, I just didn't want to cry."You ignore me most of the time, Lukan . Just like today. You pushed me aside and I ..I got hurt while try to pick up the broken glasses." I motioned to the small cut on my hand." You didn't even apologize you pretended like I wasn't even there. And now you're acting all nice like you did nothing."He glanced down at my hand, his expression unreadable. For a moment, I thought he was going to say something—something meaningful. B
ELIZABETHThe room was filled with flickering shadows as the fire in the hearth cracked. As Merida tried processed everything I had said.Her eyes widened and her face went pale as I sat across from her. This was more than just her past it was the reality that had strapped my soul together for years. "You deserve to know everything Merida. . But its difficult to hear what Im about to tell you." I said my voice trembling a little, as I looked around the room ,at everyone listening to me.Julietta handed her a mug of tea and she nodded while her fingers clenched around it. The tone of as "Your parents Naomi and Nathaniel were the most honorable wolves I ever knew." I said my voice was so sorrowful"The love they had for you and your sister , Nahla was greater than life itself. Bit love was insufficient to shield them from the packs evil. "Merida opened her mouth to speak but she remained silent. "There was a struggle for power ."I added. “Some believed Naomi’s bloodline was too
ELIZABETH 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌I remembered the night of Lukan and Nahla's bonding ceremony clearly as if it had been burned into my soul. Deep crimson and royal gold colours which stand for strength and unity were used to decorate the grand hall. Music, laughter and the lovely scent of roses in bloom filled the air. In order to witness the ceremony that would bring two influential families together, every member of the pack was present and dressed to the nines. Lukan was a commanding presence in the middle of the room, his dark eyes searching the crowd for Nahla. A silence descended upon the hall as she eventually emerged. Nahla's smile was more brilliant than the chandeliers above and her silvery gown shone like moonlight. It was a hopeful smile that offered joy for the years ahead. My sense of obligation to them as their aunt had always been very strong. I made sure everything went according to plan . Bit something about that evening seemed strange, that I couldn't place my
ELIZABETH I could remember vividly when I was a little girl,our family had long held dinner as a sacred ritual a time to forget about problems and just spend time together. Tonight Julietta insisted reminded me of that.The table was exquisitely arranged with candles illuminating the food spread. Lukan sat next to Merida and they occasionally smiled as though they were trying to reassure one another. Nahla sat beside me, she had a small smile on her lips but her eyes betrayed everything as she kept stealing glances at Lukan.I sighed, we had discussed about this before coming here today, I can't blame her though. She was still in love with him. Always the gracious hostess Julietta clapped her hands together. "All right everyone start eating! Dean dont argue over the mashed potatoes. " In mock indignation Dean gasped. "Just once ,Mother ! Just once and I'm permanently branded. " T
MERIDAThe warmth of Lukan's hand in mine brought back to reality . I looked up into his delicate grey eyes which were filled with so much emotions that mirrored mine. He ran his thumb over my knuckles and the corners of his lips curled into a slight smile. "Merida I need you to listen to me." He said, his voice was steady and low I nodded for him to go on as I swallowed the lump in my throat. "You're mine Merida." He stated firmly but there was a tenderness in his voice that soothed my jangled nerves. "You will always be my mate regardless of what happens or what you may believe. It won't change anything. " I didn't realize the cracks in my heart were being filled with emotions until his words swept over me. All of my uncertainties, anxieties and confusion seemed to vanish for a moment as the weight of his words struck me. “I…” I tried to say something but
MERIDAI sat in the grand halls, my heart racing as I tried to understand what had just happened . Everything was just too much for me. Questions spiralling in my head . That woman who had suddenly reappeared today of all days on my birthday. My twin sister. Someone I barely remembered. To worsen the situation she was *Lukans first love*. I replayed the scene which happened minutes ago over and over again as my hands balled into fists and my nails digging into my palms. I still remembered Lukan's expression. His face and eyes softening as he gaze at her like one of the wonders of the world. Had he ever looked at me like that ? Is he still in love with her ? Now she was back what will happen to me ? Will he still love me just the same way ?This and many other questions ran through my head as tears threatened to spill.“Merida. . . The sound of his voice jolted me out of my thoughts. His
LUKAN Lemuel's words were still ringing in my ears as I gazed at him. It was unbelievable. I blinked severally maybe it was one of his sick jokes but it wasn't.I turned to Merida."Let’s go." I said in in a more steady voice than I actually felt. We got up from the dining table and made our way to the living room after Merida gave a silent nod. I felt like a something had gone off when I saw what was waiting for us. The room was filled with — Nahla Lemuel wasn't jokingShe was not alone, she was with someone else and she was alive—miraculously impossible alive. The woman stabding next to her recognized me to , I exhaled and looked away.A mixture of emotions made my chest tightened that I didn't know what to feel.My gaze swiftly returned to Nahla as she rushed st me, her arms circling me in a fierce tear bear hug.I closed my eyes allowing the moment to pass. We all thought the past was gone but she was here and happiness surged through me.and the memories of our time toget
MERIDA Despite the thick blankets I had wrapped around myself the cold was still in the room when I woke up and getting into my skin. Even with the heating on, the morning air still had an icy bite to it as winter quickly approached. Instinctively I reached out to feel Lukans warmth but my hand found a cold empty sheet instead. . . My heart skipped a beat. . . Lukan? I yelled softly my voice heavy with sleep.. There was no answer. I sat up massaging my arms to produce heat. There was a spooky silence in the room the kind that made me uneasy. His habit of leaving without saying anything was unusual. Still struggling with the uneasiness that was tearing at my chest I slipped my feet into my slippers and put on a cardigan. As I left our room I had the feeling that the house was empty. The corridors were deserted and the dim winter sunlight streaming in through the windows cast shadows on the floor. Though there were traces of last nights celebrations in the air like the faint scen
MERIDA I stood at the balcony of our room, the sky was without a moon tonight but I wasn't thinking about how beautiful the night was or about Lemuel because it made me feel sad. My mind was elsewhere. I was thinking about something entirely different. In this room, my thoughts and my world were centered around him. Lukan I was thinking about us. But Lukan's calming voice brought me back. "You've been looking out there for some time. What's on your mind?" I looked over and saw him standing by the door, his tie loose and shirt unbuttoned a bit. A wife smile on his thin sensual lips that made me want to kiss him. He appeared like the perfect dream I never thought could come true. There was a way he looked like me. Like I was the most important person in the world. "I was ... thinking about something. About us." I said in a small voice which was barely above a whisper. "I love talking about 'us'," he said, moving closer. "It's what I enjoy the most." I grinned, and h
MERIDAThe waves crashing against the shore was just a beautiful sight to behold. The sun was already going down in the horizon and the orange glow was pretty to watch, but nothing could beat the feeling of Lukan holding me close. That tender feeling of love made my heart soar.We had spent the evening laughing and walking around the beach and at some point he wanted us to dive in and swim but I suck at swimming and i had laughed."I wish we could stay like this forever." I whispered feeling the cool breeze brush past my cheeks as I rested my head on his shoulders."Me too." He agreed with a low, relaxed voice." To stay here for eternity." I smiled when I thought about it. "I feel the same way." Everything stopped for a moment, and it felt like time stood still. The gentle smell of salt and hope for the future was brought by the sea breeze, the waves crashing softly making a second that matched our heartbeat." Time wasn't important in this place. It was only us, the sea, and the